making—bookplates

i originally had all kinds of good intentions to get these bookplates printed up and get one into the book we got for alice for her birthday, but i didn't manage to get them done in time. i did, however, design them. so as soon as i can locate my sticker paper, i'll print some up and send them down. i'm sure alice's mom can apply as necessary.

if you're interested in making a few of your own using this design, you can get the download here.

s'mores according to oscar

according to oscar's instructions, this is how you make a s'more. and since we watched that video right before lunch, s'mores for dessert were on the menu. perhaps not surprisingly, this activity was quite a bit more messy than painting.

thanks for the awesome instructions, oscar!

making—new artwork for the gallery—paintings

sam declared that it was "painting time!" this morning, so we got out the paints and he went to work. we now have two new paintings to display on sam's gallery wall.

cheerio nuggets

over the holidays i made a batch of this treat for the ladies at sam's daycare. i guess they liked it because there was a request for the recipe. and lest you feel left out, i'll let you in on the secret.

Cheerio Nuggets

6 cups Cheerios 1 cup peanuts

1 cup raisins 1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup margarine ¼ cup light corn syrup

½ tsp baking soda salt (optional)

1) heat margarine, sugar, syrup, and salt in saucepan until bubbly around edges

2) cook uncovered stirring constantly for 2 minutes

3) remove from heat

4) add baking soda and stir until foamy and light

5) pour over cereal, nuts, and raisins until coated thoroughly

6) spread evenly on buttered cookie sheets

7) bake for 15 minutes at 250º

8) stir and cool

this is a great thing to take and share with a group (because it's a little bit dangerous to have it sitting around the house). i think i might whip up a batch for the superbowl!

(if you'd like a printable recipe card, you can download one here.)

making—wall art on the cheap

i made this flower out of scraps that i'd brought home from a project at work. the paper was a sort of pearlescent cream color, and was so nice that when i ended up with a large supply of 1" x 8.5" strips of it, i couldn't bear to throw them in the trash. so i gathered them up and shoved them in my bag, and they've been sitting around waiting for something to happen to them. i did make a few simple christmas ornaments from a few of the strips, but i still had such a quantity left that i knew i had to make something bigger. i also found a bunch of green paper amongst my paper stash, so i added some leafy bits underneath. and this is what i ended up with. not too bad for something that originally would've ended up in the garbage. now i just have to find a home for it.

making—wool cuff

inspired by something i had been admiring on etsy, this was another little project i did in an afternoon using a scrap of wool fabric (I think it was a piece i cut off a pair of wool pants when i was hemming them) and some thread that was handed down from a few relatives' stashes. it's amazing the things you can make if you've got a big stash of crafty whatnot and a bit of time.

making—holiday card 2011

as is our tradition, we expanded on the 12 days of christmas theme this year with the milk maid. this was my first person (after seven years of mostly birds, this was a bit of a challenge), but i think she turned out well and fit the graphic theme that we've had going since we got married.

if you'd like to see some cards from previous years (five, six, and seven), they can be found here, here, and here.