Playing With My New Toy

For Christmas I received a LED Portable Photo Studio!

So today, I wandered around my home looking for anything I could dream of to put in there to photograph.

I found it DELIGHTFUL!

I experimented with a variety of things.

These are teeny tiny metal skaters, no bigger than my thumb nail, that are skating on the marble base of a cheese dome. 

And here we have some larger skaters that I've had for years.

Oh! And why not? Two tiny glass Boston Terriers.

Per THGGM's request, the car I got for him for Christmas.

And then I got another idea!

Let's give those skaters some blue sky and ice!

Why not a deer too?

I guess I'm back.

It's Monday, and on Mondays I make things! 
 

It Is Monday So I Made Something

It's been awhile since I've made anything on a Monday. Mostly, I've been reading.

But today I remembered that on Monday I used to make things, so I did!

An origami bookmark Christmas tree with instructions labeled as "Easy for Children". And it was, or, at least easy for someone who hasn't done any origami in years.

I shall keep making them until I run out of the green origami paper pack I've been using for, oh.., about a decade now. 

My life-long quest to sort, purge, giveaway, or use up has been made so much easier by my avoidance of thrift and craft stores. 

There are hidden blessings in everything. Or so I've been told...

Pumpkins!

There are a variety of ways to make a cloth pumpkin!

Even though no children come to play with me on Monday anymore (they are all in school all day) I've still managed to make a few things on Monday, and pretty much everyday other day too!

This one is just a widowed wool sock!

So, I've tried just about every idea out there for making cloth pumpkins.
A few years ago I made a few that were, for me anyway, complicated.
This year I went for quick and easy.
The first few I made by tracing a large circle, sewing it like a yo-yo and filling it with stuffing.
Then I tried some smaller ones in which the inside was a rolled up sock.
I even made one where I liked the look of the sock alone, so never bothered to add any fabric to cover it.
After I had more than a dozen already made, I found on Pinterest the EASIEST cloth pumpkin EVER.
I REALLY REALLY TRULY TRULY mean that!

I thought I was done, but noticed I had nary a pumpkin in my kitchen and HAD TO remedy that!

The last three pictures show the ones I made using this easy peasy idea.
All you do is use a square of fabric about the size of a cloth napkin.
Set a roll of toilet paper in the center.
If you want a pumpkin that is a bit more rounded, wrap a plastic bag or two around the toilet paper.
Bring up the center of all four sides to the top of the toilet paper roll.
If you can, press them in, if you can't don't worry, the next step will hold them in!
Now take the four corners, and one at a time fold them into the center of the roll.

I've used different things as a stem.
In the top picture, the bigger one is the first pumpkin I made using this easy method.
Since I had just written Fall on the chalkboard, I just stuffed the old piece of sidewalk chalk into the center to hold everything while I looked for a wooden "stem".
But, who knew?
The chalk looked GREAT so I left it there.
The next few I made using old wooden clothespins as stems, and tied either twine or raffia around them.
And for this last one I used a wooden spool of thread.
What I LOVE most about these is that when it is no longer fall, I do not have to store them!
All I shall need to do is pull the "stem" out, and put it back where it came from.
The napkins or fabric scraps can be folded and put away in the drawer in the kitchen or into my fabric bits stash.  And, well, we all know what the toilet paper is for.
So, that's it!  So extremely simple.  There was not one thing that I had to go out and buy to make these.
Let me know if you try this!

It's Monday, So I Made Things!

Yes, it IS a holiday here, but we made plans in advance to not have plans this weekend.
Whenever we do that we tend to do more things than if we actually did make plans! 
Oh, well.
This weekend I managed to make a few pumpkins with thrifted things I already had on hand.
Actually, they are dreadfully simple to do, as they are just yo-yos that are stuffed.
They still need a wee bit of floofing, but for the most part, I am pleased.

I also spent a little bit of time switching my picnic/lunch box shelves over to a more fall-ish look. 
The only new (although it is OLD) thing I added is the green lunch box on the far left on the bottom shelf. 
That one I found at Pinky's Place. 
The owners of Pinkys KNOW what they are doing!  Everyday they post about 30 pictures from the different booths around the place.  So, I guess you could say that I 'shop' there every day - which is kind of dangerous for someone like me who collects a plethora of interesting (to me!) things.
It had never occurred to me before to add the black lunch box.  I've always kept one on my fridge, because for all of my growing-up years that is where my dad's lunch box was.
But to change things up, I added mine to the shelf.  Now, this will not come as a surprise to anyone else, but it did surprise ME to find that I actually had TWO of them.  Now I need to find one more black thing to balance the color a bit.  There IS still room for something behind that fern next to the new green lunch box.
Oh, and strangely enough, I NEVER needed a lunch box for school.  Every lunch time from 1st grade to 12 th grade I walked home from school and had lunch with my mom! 

On Monday We STILL Make Things

Today Broeder and I made boats!

We saw the idea on Pinterest and decided together that it looked like something we could do.

All it took was an egg carton, a couple of straws, a bit of paper, some fabric for the sail, and bits and bobs to round it all out nicely.

Broeder did insist that his boat have a crow's nest.

That was a bit tricky, but a crow's nest he has!

Broeder named his boat "The Kitty" because he LOVES kitties.
I named mine "Beppe's Bounty" because it holds six.  

Then we set sail on a piece of foam.

In honor of the occasion, I wore my sail boat sweater that my up north sister gave to me!

Also on Monday, I do not wear any make up, and since I do not like to scare people, the picture is ONLY of the sweater.

I'm kind like that.

You're welcome.

January Comes to a Close

It's been a typical January here.

I'm mostly hibernating, reading, and dealing with that yearly sort of January blahs.

But the days are getting longer, so there is hope!

And if you have been wondering if we still make things on Monday?

Yes. Yes we do!

Today Broeder learned to make his own cheesy omelette.

He was immensely proud of himself, and he LOVED it!

So, I taught him to make a two egg cheesy omelette in the microwave, and he is returning the favor by teaching me some of his amazing dance moves.

I thought it was going well, but, at one point he turned to me and said, "Hmm.., why don't you just sit down and WATCH me."

Apparently, I am not a good dancer.
 
Not that I'm in the least bit surprised by that.

And We DID Make Things on Monday

On Monday of this week we made Troll bookmarks!

Hertsje made Poppy, and I made Branch.

At least that is what she told me their names were, I've not seen the movie yet.

And on TUESDAY Hertsje made a beach for the dolls I got at the Allegan Flea on Sunday.

She is very creative!

I found a square of fake moss for 50% at Michael's over the weekend.

It gave the dolls a lovely park area in which to rest.

This kept both of us entertained for the morning.

But I PROMISE, I let her use her own ideas and do it her way.

Even though I SOOOO wanted to put the beach blankets we made from scraps of fabric UNDER the dolls on the sand.

The little paper umbrellas were on clearance at Michael's.

They added an authentic touch to the scene, we thought.

Sometimes I find things at thrift stores or clearance sales and I put them away until I find something creative to do with them.

Sometimes it all comes together nicely.

Other times, I just annoy myself with how much weird stuff I have accumulated.

Anyway.., we had FUN!

Happy Monday!

I seem to be back on track!
Spring Break is over and the schedules have returned to normal!
So, being that it is Monday, Hertsje and I made things.
I saw a video on Facebook from Krokotak.
It looked like the PERFECT craft for Hertsje to do without any help from me, and it was.

She was incredibly pleased with the outcome!

Grand Daughters Monday!

Famke arrived early this morning as she was not feeling well.
Thankfully, as the day went on she started to recover.
By the time Hertsje arrived after pre-school, she was up and around.
After lunch she seemed almost as good as ever!
I was SOOO excited, as it is MONDAY, and on Monday, we make things!
They didn't really want to make the things I was making, but they didn't mind playing with what I made!
Those are casts on the American Girl doll.
Yes, my doll, Elizabeth, broke her arm and leg being a cheerleader.
The "casts" were fun to make!
They are just empty toilet paper rolls covered in Duct Tape!
After I covered them I cut through one side.
Works like a charm!

Famke got on line to use a program they use in her classroom.
They listened to stories, worked out problems, did a quiz, and printed out their work pages all without any help from me.
Basically, once I heated up their soup for lunch, I became an unnecessary fixture in their day!

One of Hertsje's favorite pastimes is listening to stories.
Today it was Famke who read all of her favorite stories to her,

They even found a site to download the pictures that they wanted to color.
But the BEST time was had when they played house together.
They were equally enchanted in their own little world with a couple of dolls, and what seemed to be friends I could not see.
I didn't even ask.
It was a LOVELY day!
When the boys came after school they played outside, so these two didn't even have to contend with the boys messing with their setup.
I have an idea that when Hertsje comes after pre-school tomorrow, it's going to be a bit boring compared to today!

It's Monday So We Made Things!

In an effort to use up my hoard of crafting supplies, I dug out two cardboard pieces that I had purchased on clearance at Michael's after Halloween one year, in the bygone days of yore.
There were two witches hats left, and I didn't want to pay the price for Styrofoam cones for Christmas tree making, so I bought the witch's hats and took them apart.
But then I never made trees out of them.
So, Hertsje has been really into unicorns lately, so I thought, why not try to fashion one out of a cardboard cone?
The cone was just a little bit to wide at the base for a unicorn horn, I thought, but Hertsje deemed it PERFECT!
I am LEARNING, after three children of my own, and six grandchildren, that if THEY think it is good enough, it is good enough.
She was over the moon pleased with the outcome.

Then, the moment of truth, when it came to her that she had never looked more like a princess in her life!

On Monday, we make really truly cool stuff out of junk I have around my house.

It's Monday!

So, of course, we made things!

Hertsje and I again perused Pinterest where we found a drawing of a cute little girl that she wanted to try.
She still doesn't have much interest in drawing them herself, but she does enjoy coloring the ones that I attempt.
I enjoy all of it, so that isn't a problem for me!
Over the weekend I moved things around in the guest room, so we now have an art table in there that looks out the window.
Which might be lovely on a day when it isn't raining.

Hertsje is good at giving me ideas to make my pictures better, and she is nearly always spot on.
She also tells me when it is time to just erase ALL of it.
My goal for myself is to be able to do drawings or sketches QUICKLY.
I have no idea why that is. I'm not going anywhere.
It just seems weird to spend a lot of time on something that will remain in a pile somewhere until it eventually gets thrown out.

Anyway.., a good time was had by both of us!
After our time of making things Hertsje wanted to play in the doll room in the basement.
Rainy days and Mondays don't ALWAYS get me down, but rainy days and Mondays in JANUARY spent in a gloomy basement? Well, that might do it. So, I said no.
Hertsje didn't miss a beat in saying:
If you don't play in the basement with me, I will never do crafts with you again.
She knows what buttons to push, that girl.

It's Monday So We Made Stuff!

 Today was an ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS fall day!
When Hertsje arrived from pre-school we headed out for a walk around the block to pick up a variety of colorful leaves.
We found big ones, little ones, red, yellow, brown, and orange ones.
There is just something magical about walking through crunchy fall leaves on a warm and sunny day in November.
Sigh...

I had about a million ideas for things we could do with our leaves but I let Hertsje decide what she wanted to do with them.
She asked to look at my Pinterest boards for ideas.
When she saw an idea for making leaf fairies she just knew that was what she wanted to do.
And what project isn't improved by the addition of googly eyes?!
Well.  It seemed that way to us anyway.

Have I mentioned lately that I am having the time of my life?

I hope that Hertsje is too!