Our little Ellen is quite the prolific artist. We have gobs and gobs of masterpieces that come home from school, and are made at home, and end up in piles in her playroom before I recycle them.
I really don't feel bad about throwing away the ones that are "scribbles", for lack of a better word. I do keep all the "project" type items that come home from school, and some especially nice paintings or the first drawings of people or letters, for example.
But, how to keep them for the long term?
I have seen tons of great ideas online and on Pinterest. Coffee table "art" books of your child's art. Or scanning the artwork and then creating a big poster. Rotating the pieces in and out of a wall of frames.
I really like the coffee table art book idea the best, though I am sort of paralyzed when it comes to taking a good quality photo of the art to begin with and getting the lighting correct and more or less standard from picture to picture. Our scanner is super old and smallish, so really won't work for this kind of project.
I also saw this new app on Cool Mom Tech this week - ArtKive. It sounds like a similar idea -you can take pictures of your child's artwork and it stores them in some way, then eventually you can make a book. I haven't figured it all out, but it's free to download for a short period of time, so I downloaded it and will figure it out later!
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label projects. Show all posts
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Safety patrol
I have a great friend who is a nurse. Actually, I have several great friends who are nurses - they are the best kind of friends to have. However, the first nurse friend is a real safety hound and a car seat expert. For real, certified and everything. She shared this with me today - MORE car seat changes.
Child Seat Requirements Change with 2014 Rule
Read it through, but the basic idea is that the LATCH system may not be adequate for children who are 30+ pounds and are in a car seat that is heavy. Great, just as I reach the point of feeling very comfortable with the LATCH system and not at all comfortable installing a seat with the seat belt.
Also, I just realized the other day that our convertible car seat max's out at 40 pounds. Ells is a compact 36 pounds these days and I have no way to predict when she'll reach 40, but it can't be that far away. So, yet another car seat purchase looming ... advice?
Finally, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Fourth of July holiday. We live in a place where home fireworks aren't allowed and it is so hot and dry it's probably a bad idea anyway. We are going to make Diet Coke Mentos bombs tonight with our little friend up the street - I think (hope) it will be just as entertaining for the 2-3 year old crowd.
I'm going to follow the directions at Pancakes and French Fries: How to Make Cola Bombs (The Easier Way).
Child Seat Requirements Change with 2014 Rule
Read it through, but the basic idea is that the LATCH system may not be adequate for children who are 30+ pounds and are in a car seat that is heavy. Great, just as I reach the point of feeling very comfortable with the LATCH system and not at all comfortable installing a seat with the seat belt.
Also, I just realized the other day that our convertible car seat max's out at 40 pounds. Ells is a compact 36 pounds these days and I have no way to predict when she'll reach 40, but it can't be that far away. So, yet another car seat purchase looming ... advice?
Finally, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Fourth of July holiday. We live in a place where home fireworks aren't allowed and it is so hot and dry it's probably a bad idea anyway. We are going to make Diet Coke Mentos bombs tonight with our little friend up the street - I think (hope) it will be just as entertaining for the 2-3 year old crowd.
I'm going to follow the directions at Pancakes and French Fries: How to Make Cola Bombs (The Easier Way).
Friday, March 4, 2011
Lovin' the lovey
This is a cute idea with lots of applications ...
I found it via Lilly's Notebook - Hippopota - via the New York Times:
And here is the Hippopota website if you want to order a custom photo ... starting at $500. I think this is ripe for a DIY, no?
I found it via Lilly's Notebook - Hippopota - via the New York Times:
And here is the Hippopota website if you want to order a custom photo ... starting at $500. I think this is ripe for a DIY, no?
Friday, December 10, 2010
Favors
What are your feelings on party favors?
I like the idea of giving a little something special to the tiny tots that attend your child's birthday party, but I also don't like the idea of spending money on trinkets that will end up in the trash. I tried to come up with something that would be consumable, and not only food. (Though for a circus party, you must do animal crackers. Right?)
If you are a teacher, or if you have a teacher friend, or if you have older kids, I bet you can get your hands on a big pile of old crayons. And, if you are lucky, they will be free!
Beg and borrow until you get enough for this project. First, you have to unwrap them. Pick out a show on your DVR because it will take a little while ... I found that using a sharp knife to cut all along the side of the crayon works best.
Then, if you are smart, you will start saving empty cans from your recycling bin. I hadn't saved enough and ended up scrounging diet coke cans and cutting the top off with my kitchen shears. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You will need one can for each "color group".
Break the crayons into halves or thirds and add them to the can. Pinch the top of the can a little to make a pour spout.
Fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer. You will want the water to be at about the level of the crayons when the can is submerged. You will probably have to hold the can down, and it gets hot, so use tongs or an oven mitt. Wait for the crayons to melt. I used a skewer to stir them together for a uniform color, but you can leave them alone for a more swirly effect in your final product.
**Before you start melting, get yourself to your local craft store and pick up a candy mold in whatever theme you are looking for! This one was about $2. **
When your crayons are completely melted, act quickly and pour the wax into your candy mold. You don't have to prep the mold in any way at all. Tap lightly to get any bubbles out, though the crayons start to harden as soon as they are poured. If you have several to do, put them in the freezer to harden faster.
Your new crayons should pop out very easily and, Voila!, you are done!
This mold was pretty deep and it took more crayons than I expected. Err on the side of more rather than less if you are getting crafty.
I like the idea of giving a little something special to the tiny tots that attend your child's birthday party, but I also don't like the idea of spending money on trinkets that will end up in the trash. I tried to come up with something that would be consumable, and not only food. (Though for a circus party, you must do animal crackers. Right?)
If you are a teacher, or if you have a teacher friend, or if you have older kids, I bet you can get your hands on a big pile of old crayons. And, if you are lucky, they will be free!
Beg and borrow until you get enough for this project. First, you have to unwrap them. Pick out a show on your DVR because it will take a little while ... I found that using a sharp knife to cut all along the side of the crayon works best.
Then, if you are smart, you will start saving empty cans from your recycling bin. I hadn't saved enough and ended up scrounging diet coke cans and cutting the top off with my kitchen shears. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You will need one can for each "color group".Break the crayons into halves or thirds and add them to the can. Pinch the top of the can a little to make a pour spout.
Fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer. You will want the water to be at about the level of the crayons when the can is submerged. You will probably have to hold the can down, and it gets hot, so use tongs or an oven mitt. Wait for the crayons to melt. I used a skewer to stir them together for a uniform color, but you can leave them alone for a more swirly effect in your final product.**Before you start melting, get yourself to your local craft store and pick up a candy mold in whatever theme you are looking for! This one was about $2. **
When your crayons are completely melted, act quickly and pour the wax into your candy mold. You don't have to prep the mold in any way at all. Tap lightly to get any bubbles out, though the crayons start to harden as soon as they are poured. If you have several to do, put them in the freezer to harden faster.
Your new crayons should pop out very easily and, Voila!, you are done!
This mold was pretty deep and it took more crayons than I expected. Err on the side of more rather than less if you are getting crafty.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Birthday shirt
Last year, I bought a darling first birthday onesie with a cupcake on the front and the girl's name on the back. So, so cute. And, so, so $35 for a one-time wear.
This year, I wised up. I had seen lots of tutorials on freezer paper stenciling and thought this would be the perfect opportunity!
I mostly followed this tutorial on How About Orange. There are also similar instructions on Say Yes! to Hoboken with some really cute examples.
I found a font I liked and made it as big as possible to fit on one sheet of paper (about 640 point, I think this is called Euroscript, or something like that).
I bought a roll of freezer paper at the grocery store for less than $4. I could make about 100 shirts with this roll! Tape your image to the back (shiny) side of the freezer paper.
Flip it over and cut out very carefully with a sharp knife.
I know this picture is bad, but the next step is to iron the stencil on to the shirt (shiny side against fabric). I just got a plain white t-shirt at Target. Next time, I would get a 100% cotton shirt ... this one had some stretch in it, so I had to use a cooler iron setting and the stencil didn't stick perfectly. Also, one of the blogs had a tip to iron a full sheet of freezer paper on the inside to prevent bleeding of the paint, but I couldn't get that to work.
I had some fabric paint from previous projects, so I just used that and a sponge brush to dab it on pretty thickly. I did put a sheet of paper inside the shirt to prevent bleed-through. If your shirt is a light color, you can hold it up to the light to see if you have any patches that need more paint.
Follow the instructions on your paint and let it dry, then peel off the stencil. So Easy!! This was about a $10 project, and next time it would just be the cost of whatever item you are stenciling. The possibilities are endless ....
This year, I wised up. I had seen lots of tutorials on freezer paper stenciling and thought this would be the perfect opportunity!
I mostly followed this tutorial on How About Orange. There are also similar instructions on Say Yes! to Hoboken with some really cute examples.
I found a font I liked and made it as big as possible to fit on one sheet of paper (about 640 point, I think this is called Euroscript, or something like that).
I bought a roll of freezer paper at the grocery store for less than $4. I could make about 100 shirts with this roll! Tape your image to the back (shiny) side of the freezer paper.
Flip it over and cut out very carefully with a sharp knife.
I know this picture is bad, but the next step is to iron the stencil on to the shirt (shiny side against fabric). I just got a plain white t-shirt at Target. Next time, I would get a 100% cotton shirt ... this one had some stretch in it, so I had to use a cooler iron setting and the stencil didn't stick perfectly. Also, one of the blogs had a tip to iron a full sheet of freezer paper on the inside to prevent bleeding of the paint, but I couldn't get that to work.
I had some fabric paint from previous projects, so I just used that and a sponge brush to dab it on pretty thickly. I did put a sheet of paper inside the shirt to prevent bleed-through. If your shirt is a light color, you can hold it up to the light to see if you have any patches that need more paint.
Follow the instructions on your paint and let it dry, then peel off the stencil. So Easy!! This was about a $10 project, and next time it would just be the cost of whatever item you are stenciling. The possibilities are endless ....
Monday, June 14, 2010
If you're ambitious
We had a lot of fun with our monthly photos of Girly. It was especially great because she was born in December, so the month 1 photo was in January, just in time for the new calendar. In case you are wondering, I stole this idea from somewhere on the internets - feel free to steal it from me. The calendar is from Crate and Barrel.
I've recently started reading Young House Love. It's a great blog by a young couple who describe all kind of projects in renovating their house on a budget. Their newest project is a baby girl (!) and they had some fun projects today - find the details here.
This is a fun, homemade baby book that is customizable. (You can get the pdf's on their blog).
And here is their cute baby! I love this idea to keep track of her growth, but it requires: 1) photoshop skills, 2) 52 kinds of fabric, and 3) lots of clean white onesies.
I don't have any of those things, but you might?
I agree with them, though, that a photo book of just these 52 pictures would be really amazing.
By the by, I previously mentioned my plan for documenting Girly's first year. I did reasonably well with the monthly Blurb books, but just haven't quite gotten to November and December 2009. It has been on my to-do list for the last 6 months. Oh well, I think I'll get to it in 2010.
As an aside, how do you store your digital pictures? I upload them all to my laptop and periodically back-up to an external hard drive, but I am so fearful of losing them because I rarely print them or upload to an online site, like Snapfish. Parents magazine recently had an article about this and suggested an online service, like Mozy, Carbonite or Backblaze, that continuously runs software to back up your computer. Any of you use something like this?
I've recently started reading Young House Love. It's a great blog by a young couple who describe all kind of projects in renovating their house on a budget. Their newest project is a baby girl (!) and they had some fun projects today - find the details here.This is a fun, homemade baby book that is customizable. (You can get the pdf's on their blog).
And here is their cute baby! I love this idea to keep track of her growth, but it requires: 1) photoshop skills, 2) 52 kinds of fabric, and 3) lots of clean white onesies.I don't have any of those things, but you might?
I agree with them, though, that a photo book of just these 52 pictures would be really amazing.
By the by, I previously mentioned my plan for documenting Girly's first year. I did reasonably well with the monthly Blurb books, but just haven't quite gotten to November and December 2009. It has been on my to-do list for the last 6 months. Oh well, I think I'll get to it in 2010.
As an aside, how do you store your digital pictures? I upload them all to my laptop and periodically back-up to an external hard drive, but I am so fearful of losing them because I rarely print them or upload to an online site, like Snapfish. Parents magazine recently had an article about this and suggested an online service, like Mozy, Carbonite or Backblaze, that continuously runs software to back up your computer. Any of you use something like this?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Something fun
I've been contemplating some upgrades to the decor in our house ... kind of a combination of living with these things for 6+ years and spending A LOT more time at home looking at it all. And getting tired of it.
In my search for inspiration, I've come across a couple of fun ideas for displaying kid art and family keepsakes. Maybe you'll be inspired, too?
From the February issue of Martha Stewart Living - there is a great article about Darcy Miller's "scrapboxing". It is a stylish way of displaying your child's special treasures. The pictures are best in the magazine, but you can find a lot of them here on the website if you click through. Here are a couple of fun examples:
And, here is another fun idea for family vacation keepsakes from Young House Love.
I also really like Blurb for making books of your vacation pictures. You know, so they don't live in your computer. (Also, these ideas obviously require a vacation to begin with. I need to work on that).
And, here is an idea I like for displaying your child's art. My mom says it makes your house look like a craft project, but I kind of like it.
In my search for inspiration, I've come across a couple of fun ideas for displaying kid art and family keepsakes. Maybe you'll be inspired, too?
From the February issue of Martha Stewart Living - there is a great article about Darcy Miller's "scrapboxing". It is a stylish way of displaying your child's special treasures. The pictures are best in the magazine, but you can find a lot of them here on the website if you click through. Here are a couple of fun examples:
And, here is another fun idea for family vacation keepsakes from Young House Love.
I also really like Blurb for making books of your vacation pictures. You know, so they don't live in your computer. (Also, these ideas obviously require a vacation to begin with. I need to work on that).
And, here is an idea I like for displaying your child's art. My mom says it makes your house look like a craft project, but I kind of like it.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Party!
Enough with the sentimental stuff. Sniff, Sniff.
Let's talk birthday parties! Specifically, planning a birthday party.
In all of my blog-reading and magazine-reading, I came across some sort of "Mom List" this year. You know the ones ... Top Ten Things I Wish I Knew, or Eighteen Ways To Be A Good Parent, or Thirty-Seven Things To Help You Be Less Crazy. The one thing that stuck with me was this: Don't make birthday parties a huge deal.
This isn't to say that birthdays aren't special, because they are, but do yourself a favor and don't create a lifetime of crazy birthday expectations.
Maybe this is easy for me to say as a person who doesn't care much about my own birthday. My birthday is only 4 days before Christmas, so it always felt like a bundled holiday. Not in a bad way, but just in a reality way. I was usually home for winter break on my birthday, so no school celebrations. I had some really wonderful parties as a child, and did a lot of special things, but I am also just as happy with a family dinner and a cake. (Just to be clear: cake=birthday). It is nice when people tell me Happy Birthday, and it is lovely when people are so generous and buy gifts, but I don't expect them and I don't mandate days of celebration in honor of my birth.
I recall one of my favorite parent-isms: start as you mean to go. If you start with a blow-out birthday bash for a toddler, you are going to end up on My Super Sweet 16 and then you are going to end up in a mental institution. I don't mean to say that birthday splurges are bad, but in my opinion, part of what makes them special is that the don't happen every year.
I think a child's first birthday is a great time to start some sweet, simple, family traditions. We had a special birthday plate as kids, and now my Girly has one. The Huz had a special spoon. (Strange, I know, but it was special). I have friends who decorate the door to their child's bedroom on their birthday, and that seems really fun.
In the blogs I read, I occasionally come across pictures and planning for kiddo birthday parties. A lot of it is sweet and creative and well-intentioned, but some is just so.over.the.top. Like a Frida Kahlo birthday party for an 8-year-old? I guess I'm not a California hipster, but seriously, you must be freaking kidding.
If you are a designer or crafty person by trade, by all means make some darling invitations and decorations for your child's party. But, please realize that you are doing those things for yourself. Your child does not feel more loved because of their party decorations. (If they do, well ... that is a different issue). I feel I can say this as someone who occasionally (ok, frequently) spends too much time and effort on tiny details that don't really matter. It was easier before I had a kid, and now I just have to let a lot of that go because there just aren't enough minutes in the day. I still worked on a few little details for our party because I wanted to, fully knowing that I was the only one who would really appreciate them. If you enjoy it, then great. If it causes stress and marital strife, forget it!
We had a nice little party with grandparents, aunts and uncles. I am ALL FOR the family party (or surrogate family if your family is out of town) for as long as you can get away with it. I also like the "number of years = number of friends" rule, again, as long as you can get away with it.
As for thank you notes, I try to be timely with the thanks yous. Our Girly clearly has no idea that a 'thank you' is in order, but I would like to get in the habit because someday she will understand. I have seen the idea to take a picture of your child with the toy and include it with the note. Or take a picture of your child standing by a chalkboard or wipe-off board with a note and the toy. Cute.
I attempted this very thing with our Girly. Attempted is the operative word. I chased her around most of the morning following her party trying to get pictures with her new loot. We eventually got passable pictures, but it wasn't easy.
Does this fall under the "making birthday parties a huge deal" category?
Probably. Damn.
Sources:
This is a fun way to decorate. Upload any picture to The Rasterbator and you can print it out in any size you want, for free. It prints in little dots and you piece the papers together like a big puzzle. Use smaller dots for a more realistic picture and larger dots for more abstract.
This is a good birthday cake, and slightly healthier than the average.
I got a custom birthday shirt on Etsy. Couldn't resist. And, we were gifted a birthday hat. It is so cute and I think I'll take her picture in it every year. (As long as she lets me, I guess).
Let's talk birthday parties! Specifically, planning a birthday party.
In all of my blog-reading and magazine-reading, I came across some sort of "Mom List" this year. You know the ones ... Top Ten Things I Wish I Knew, or Eighteen Ways To Be A Good Parent, or Thirty-Seven Things To Help You Be Less Crazy. The one thing that stuck with me was this: Don't make birthday parties a huge deal.
This isn't to say that birthdays aren't special, because they are, but do yourself a favor and don't create a lifetime of crazy birthday expectations.
Maybe this is easy for me to say as a person who doesn't care much about my own birthday. My birthday is only 4 days before Christmas, so it always felt like a bundled holiday. Not in a bad way, but just in a reality way. I was usually home for winter break on my birthday, so no school celebrations. I had some really wonderful parties as a child, and did a lot of special things, but I am also just as happy with a family dinner and a cake. (Just to be clear: cake=birthday). It is nice when people tell me Happy Birthday, and it is lovely when people are so generous and buy gifts, but I don't expect them and I don't mandate days of celebration in honor of my birth.
I recall one of my favorite parent-isms: start as you mean to go. If you start with a blow-out birthday bash for a toddler, you are going to end up on My Super Sweet 16 and then you are going to end up in a mental institution. I don't mean to say that birthday splurges are bad, but in my opinion, part of what makes them special is that the don't happen every year.
I think a child's first birthday is a great time to start some sweet, simple, family traditions. We had a special birthday plate as kids, and now my Girly has one. The Huz had a special spoon. (Strange, I know, but it was special). I have friends who decorate the door to their child's bedroom on their birthday, and that seems really fun.
In the blogs I read, I occasionally come across pictures and planning for kiddo birthday parties. A lot of it is sweet and creative and well-intentioned, but some is just so.over.the.top. Like a Frida Kahlo birthday party for an 8-year-old? I guess I'm not a California hipster, but seriously, you must be freaking kidding.
If you are a designer or crafty person by trade, by all means make some darling invitations and decorations for your child's party. But, please realize that you are doing those things for yourself. Your child does not feel more loved because of their party decorations. (If they do, well ... that is a different issue). I feel I can say this as someone who occasionally (ok, frequently) spends too much time and effort on tiny details that don't really matter. It was easier before I had a kid, and now I just have to let a lot of that go because there just aren't enough minutes in the day. I still worked on a few little details for our party because I wanted to, fully knowing that I was the only one who would really appreciate them. If you enjoy it, then great. If it causes stress and marital strife, forget it!
We had a nice little party with grandparents, aunts and uncles. I am ALL FOR the family party (or surrogate family if your family is out of town) for as long as you can get away with it. I also like the "number of years = number of friends" rule, again, as long as you can get away with it.
As for thank you notes, I try to be timely with the thanks yous. Our Girly clearly has no idea that a 'thank you' is in order, but I would like to get in the habit because someday she will understand. I have seen the idea to take a picture of your child with the toy and include it with the note. Or take a picture of your child standing by a chalkboard or wipe-off board with a note and the toy. Cute.
I attempted this very thing with our Girly. Attempted is the operative word. I chased her around most of the morning following her party trying to get pictures with her new loot. We eventually got passable pictures, but it wasn't easy.
Does this fall under the "making birthday parties a huge deal" category?
Probably. Damn.
Sources:
This is a fun way to decorate. Upload any picture to The Rasterbator and you can print it out in any size you want, for free. It prints in little dots and you piece the papers together like a big puzzle. Use smaller dots for a more realistic picture and larger dots for more abstract.
This is a good birthday cake, and slightly healthier than the average.
I got a custom birthday shirt on Etsy. Couldn't resist. And, we were gifted a birthday hat. It is so cute and I think I'll take her picture in it every year. (As long as she lets me, I guess).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)