Yes, basketballs.

Colored pencil Monogram for a teacher gift

Here's a craft my big boy and I made this spring as a gift for his teacher. 

Materials 

- box of colored pencils

-small miter box and saw

-printout of large letter

-nice cardstock or watercolor paper

-frame without glass

I clamped the miter box to the drawer (isn't this the neatest drawer??  It's a cutting board drawer that pulls out from under my counter top.)

Boy chose the order of the pencils and set to work sharpening them

 Then we started cutting them into smaller pieces to fill in the W on our print out.   (He did 5, then got tired lol)

 clamping the pencil into the miter box was a great help

Filled in the W with regular elmers glue and started placing the pencil pieces

We placed our printout under the paper as a guide and used another pencil to line everything up straight.

 

Finally, pulled out the rub-on transfer letters and let him add her name to the bottom. 

  Cute and easy!  

I think she liked it, I still see it in her classroom :)

2 at a time

RED & WHITE QUILT ---> 10 pieced blocks + 2 bags of setting corners.   All ready to be placed out.   

which is taking a small pause this weekend so I can start on ......

JESS QUILT - quilt pattern and fabrics for the quilt being donated to a church auction of a friend :) 

I didn't lose my marbles, I baked them.

 

www.craftster.org

This was posted on pinterest and I thought I'd try it out since I already had the oven on for dinner. 

Marbles in the oven at 350F for 20-25 minutes,  rolled off tray and into a pot of cold water to create a crackle in the inside of the marble.

 

"Mommy, why are there marbles in the oven?"

"what are you doing with them?"

"can I have one?"

"are they gonna explode!?"

 

Pot in sink.  (I did think they were gonna explode too)

 

we could hear the little crackling sounds of the glass inside the marble.  It didn't happen all at once, it continued for a few minutes.

 

It worked. 

I just think I need more interesting marbles if I'm going to make a necklace or something out of it.   

quick letter bag

Just a quick-craft to start the snowy day!

Canvas bags  - large letter stamps - acrylic paint

paint on the stamp

stamp on the center of the bag

Quick outline with a sharpie marker 

(yes, it's still a little wet.  

Yes, I am impatient)

and hanging on command hooks on the fridge to hold school papers and library books to be returned.

:) 

Keep warm!

Snowy Day Surprise Quilt kit

 My friends over at 2 Peas in a Bucket posted a neat quilt kit idea from a shop in PA. 



Snow Day Quilt Kit

Here's the description from the site - ------------------------------------------------------

I know you would never wish for lots of snow (at least those of you who don't ski...), but should that happen we have just the project to keep you happily stitching through the storm!

This coming Monday, the 12th, our 2012 Snow Day Surprise kits will first be available. The kit includes fabrics for a historic style pieced quilt top and binding. 

Like those of the mid 1800's, the 60" x 60" piece is composed of blocks that travel all the way to the quilts edge.  As a new option this year you may order an expanded kit that will include fabric for a pieced inner border and single fabric outer border that will "grow" your quilt to 80" x 80". 

You'll notice there is one important part missing from the kit description - the pattern. That is the surprise part! You purchase your kit now at the amazing price below and then receive the pattern via email on the first day of 2012 that 5" or more of snow falls on Quilters Corner in Finleyville, PA! 

As soon as the pattern is published the 60" x 60" version of the kit becomes $74.95. If we are lucky enough not to get 5" of snow on a single day early in the new year you will receive the pattern on February 14th. Order your kit soon - they fly as fast as the flurries!

 

2012 Snow Day Surprise Kit - $29.95 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you can see I picked one up, full intention of working on it for me, and then wouldn't you know it,   I get a call to make a quilt for an auction at the church of a friend of mine!   Couldn't have been arranged for me in any better way. 

Now, off to check the weather report..................

progress

 

 Drops design 119-34 sweater for me.... Looking good so far.   I've just past the decorative details around the waistline and am heading into decreases.  I am lucky if I get 3-4 rows a night completed.  Hopefully it'll be together before spring arrives :)

 

Quilt progress - getting there.   The pattern recommends doing all the cutting first - so I did that this weekend.   Lots of it.  Lots.

 After cutting all the strips, I had a bit of piecing to get to making blocks.

Keeping each pile numbered A-F

 

Then putting elements from each strip into piles for the blocks.  (does it bother you that the letters are out of order?   It bothers me.   A lot.    There.  I said it.)

 

There's what 10 block piles look like.   Luckily blocks 1 and 2 are solids.  Just 8 blocks worth of piecing to go :)

button monogram letters

....Button Monograms - something to do when you're stuck indoors....

These are all over Pinterest

So I pulled out some canvas panels, a big bin of buttons, some half round plastic marbles, and some seed beads for the kids to make one for their rooms.

I drew the letters on in pencil then outlined the entire letter border in hot glue.   I wanted to have a dam to hold in the glue when I flooded the center.

 Then they each added half round plastic marbles to the glue.

Last, we had a bit of empty space and loads of glue left so I sprinkled on some seeds beads and tapped them down into place.

Now, I'm going to do a little touch up painting around the letters to coordinate a bit with the colors they used and their rooms, pop them into a simple shadowbox frame, and up on the wall they go.  

Photos of that next!