Wednesday, August 31, 2011

It's Pinteresting!

I, like so many others, am addicted to Pinterest. I don't bookmark things in my browser anymore, I pin it to a board.

If you have not seen Pinterest, you really should check it out. I can pin projects I want to try, things I just like, words that inspire me. After you check it out and want in on it, send me an email and I'll hook you up with an invite (I have to have your email address to invite you). You can click the Join button there, but it takes a lot longer.
I find amazing things I will probably never have, but can dream about:
Source

Silly things for kids:
Source
Recipes that make me salivate:
Source

Ideas for parties:
Source
Stuff that just makes me laugh:
Source
You name it, it's there. What do you do? It's like a virtual pin board. Or picture bookmark. You have "boards" (as many as you want) in different categories and you "pin" anything you like or want to be able to find again. Once signed up, you can pin stuff from anywhere on the internet and it automatically links the source! This is great because then you can go visit those sites if you want. You can also repin stuff other people have pinned. Comment, like, follow - create a network. Or just hang out and pin stuff. Either way. It's awesome.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tuesday's Art Adventure: Egg Tempera

Holy smokes, I'm a little later than usual getting this up! I've started grad school and I'm still trying to get used to the schedule.

Another art history adventure. Artists used oil to bind pigments to make paint, hence, oil paints. In the Renaissance, artist began making a new paint, tempera using egg as a binder.
So today we will make our own paint!

Egg tempera

Supplies:
  • different colors of chalk
  • egg yolks (for four colors, I used 2 yolks)
  • zip-top bags
  • some type of hammer or mallet
  • paper
  • brushes
The kids can help with the prep. First, pick some different colors of chalk, you don't need a lot. One stick of regular chalk or just an end of sidwalk chalk. Place them in separate bags, and smash into a powder.

Separate your eggs, you just need the yolks (have an egg white omlet for lunch later).

Add a tablespoon of water and stir it together.
Pour the powder of one color into a small container, 

add about 3 teaspoons of egg mixture to the powder, 

and stir. It should be smooth and paint-like, not too runny, not too thick.

Once all the colors are mixed, it's time to paint.
My boys are really into Star Wars, so I heard fantastic stories about what they were painting while they worked.

Gabe made a ship that is going into hyperspace being chased by a Republic cruiser.
And Chi made a tie fighter battle.

Once it dries, it will be all set because the egg is binding the pigment. You will notice that we still have a few chunks. The more you grind the smoother it is; you could also strain it if it bothers you.

For older kids and those of you with a mortar and pestle, you can go find things from nature to grind up to make your colors. Berries, flowers, leaves. It is a lot of fun to make your paint completely from scratch, but it is difficult without that mortar and pestle.

This post may be linked at the following parties (for their Blog Buttons see my Link Love page): (M) Mad Skills , C.R.A.F.T., Amaze Me Monday, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Singing Three BirdsMasterpiece Mondays, Making the World CuterA Little Birdie Told Me (T) Stories of A to Z, The Blackberry Vine, How To's Day , Type A, Amaze Me August, Ten Buck Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays, Anything Related, Tuesday's Treasures, Strictly Homemade, Show Me What Ya Got, Time to Shine,  (W) Wow Me Workshop Wednesday, Whassup Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Look What I Made, What I Whipped Up, The Trendy Treehouse, Wicked Awesome Wednesday , Good Life Wednesday, Inspiring Creativity, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees (TH) Beyond the Picket Fence  Creative Juice, Somewhat Simple, Thrifty 101 , Smilemonsters , Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Shabby Chic Cottage, Thrifty Thursdays, House of Hepworth's, Thrilling Thursday, (F) Fingerprints on the Fridge, Furniture Feature Friday, SevenThirtyThree , Lovely Crafty Weekend , Simply Designing, Creative Corner, Tickled Pink 504 Main, Inspiration Friday at The Picket Fence, Friday Flair, Remodelaholic, For the Kids Fridays, Frugal Friday, Craft GoodiesFlaunt It Fridays , Thirty Handmade Days (Sat) Tatertots and Jello , Anything Goes (Sun) Creative Blog & Hop, Sundae Scoop, Under the Table and Dreaming

Monday, August 29, 2011

Mini Polaroid Magnets

I saw this idea on Pinterest from blogger
Jennifer Kirk on Ambrosia Creative

She even offers the file for the Polaroid frame!

So, I downloaded the frame file and used Photoshop Elements to add my pictures. From what I understand, Picnik will work as well.
I placed all my images on one page (I made mine each slightly bigger than 1 in x 1 in) and printed it on regular white paper.

Then it was time to make them into magnets.
I gathered my illustration board, spray glue, ruler and xacto knife.

Oh, and scissors. I just used scissors to cut the mini polaroids apart. Then I added spray glue to the back and glued them to my mini illustration board.

I have to tell you that I love these boards. I figured I would need to buy a full size matte board and then I found these mini boards by Strathmore at Michael's. They were perfect for this little project.

To both get a good cut and protect your fingers a bit more, place a metal ruler along the line you want to cut. Hold it down with firm pressure, and set the knife against the ruler. 


Cut along the edge of the ruler, depending on the thickness, you will have to make more than one pass. Don't try with a wooden or plastic ruler; it will just cut the ruler.
This is not the best for this application. Ideally look for something labeled Spray Lacquer.
I used a Satin spray to seal it and give it a little sheen like a picture.

Hot glued magnets to the back,
and voila! 


Super cute magnets for the fridge!


Featured:

Photobucket




This post may be linked at the following parties (for their Blog Buttons see my Link Love page): (M) Mad Skills , C.R.A.F.T., Amaze Me Monday, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Singing Three BirdsMasterpiece Mondays, Making the World CuterA Little Birdie Told Me (T) Stories of A to Z, The Blackberry Vine, How To's Day , Type A, Amaze Me August, Ten Buck Tuesday, Handmade Tuesdays, Anything Related, Tuesday's Treasures, Strictly Homemade, Show Me What Ya Got, Time to Shine,  (W) Wow Me Workshop Wednesday, Whassup Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Look What I Made, What I Whipped Up, The Trendy Treehouse, Wicked Awesome Wednesday , Good Life Wednesday, Inspiring Creativity, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees (TH) Beyond the Picket Fence  Creative Juice, Somewhat Simple, Thrifty 101 , Smilemonsters , Everything But the Kitchen Sink, Shabby Chic Cottage, Thrifty Thursdays, House of Hepworth's, Thrilling Thursday, (F) Fingerprints on the Fridge, Furniture Feature Friday, SevenThirtyThree , Lovely Crafty Weekend , Simply Designing, Creative Corner, Tickled Pink 504 Main, Inspiration Friday at The Picket Fence, Friday Flair, Remodelaholic, For the Kids Fridays, Frugal Friday, Craft GoodiesFlaunt It Fridays , Thirty Handmade Days (Sat) Tatertots and Jello , Anything Goes (Sun) Creative Blog & Hop, Sundae Scoop, Under the Table and Dreaming

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Versatile Blogger and Big Announcement

Ann from Once Upon a Firefly awarded me the:

It's so nice to be recognized in any way, isn't it? Made me smile.

Of course with this comes great responsibility. After accepting the Versatile Blogger Award, the blogger must:

1.  Thank the person who gave the award and link back to them in your post
2.  Share seven things about yourself
3.  Pass this award along to 10 recently discovered blogs

Okay, going backwards, I will first pass along the award to:

Okay stuff about me:
1. I am an Aries.
2. In the Chinese zodiac I am a Horse.
3. I often whip out pop culture and movie references.
4. I discovered spray paint doesn't come off toenails even with nail polish remover.
5. I love the Percy Jackson books.
6. I was in color guard and can twirl/spin a flag, rifle and saber.
7. And the big one. 
Big Announcement:
 I have just started grad school. You know, two kids just wasn't enough work. ;) I will still be blogging, but you will have to bear with me while I get used to the new level of work. I plan to post 3 times a week, but it may have to be 2 times. I have a tremendous amount of projects to still do, but I may have to slow down a bit. I know! I hate it when blogger say that! I will do my best. Please hang in there with me. I could use the support.