Operation: Crafty Swap

 I just recently exchanged handmade happies with my friend Becca. It was a random thought one day to ask Becca if she wanted to make a bunch of stuff & trade with me & I would do the same. She was immediately on board & we chose the color scheme "black & white" as our theme.

The collage up top shows all the awesomeness I received from the creative & lovely 13 year old. A portrait of an owlie done in pastels with stitched embellishments, tags, a floral embellished headband, hand painted mug & plate (in a cupcake theme!), a wallet, & 2 pillowcases. (All were handmade by Becca except for the tags.) I adore everything! Thanks Becca!!

(We were able to do the swap in person while I am in Washington visiting family!)

For Becca, I filled a record bowl with bits & baubles & trims & things.

 I stuffed a mini suitcase with things like: domino magnets, vintage gloves, a vintage button ring, hand knitted white & black hair bows, mini paper pinwheels, pinback buttons, a mini notebook... 

...my favorite item to make was this hand knitted postcard.

I tucked some of my favorite quotes & saying inside handmade paper fortune cookies.

 Zoey even suggested I give her our most recent creation made from a t-shirt in our Summer Diary Series.

(It's a bag!)

 I also made these faux screenprinted cards.

 Here's happy me, opening my prezzies.

 And here's happy Becca!

Becca is such a creative person & she has so much talent. I felt honored to be able to swap handmade with her. I am envious of her fierce creative spirit & her amazing confidence at such a young age.

Click HERE to view all the pics about the swap.

 ♥

Summer Diary Day 11: Velvet Paint with Water Kit

Dear Summer Diary,
MORE painting with water?? I know. But I loved those paint with water color books my mom would get me as a kid. I found these velvet paint with water velvet posters in the Target dollar section. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. These are a bit easier to find than the paint with water books I mentioned yesterday. These are the books that have the little dots of color, & when you paint over them with a brush full of water, the color appears.
I really wish I could have gotten more creative with the items I left for the girls while I'm 1200 miles away in Washington. But, like I always say, sometimes you just have to do what works. Last summer we used about four or five $1 crafty kits. I think I've definitely met my quota this summer.
♥
Nikki

Summer Diary Day 10: Paint with Water Kits

Dear Summer Diary,

These are the most non-messy painting kits ever. I remember painting with something similar as a WhiMSy munchkin & I thought they were pretty cool. The paper paint palette is on the page! How cool is that?! I love Melissa & Doug brand products too. Can't wait to hear how much fun the girls have with these. (I hope they save me some!)

These paint with water books are hard to find. I found THESE paint with water posters in a "Faeries & Ponies" theme on Amazon.com. There was also super heroes & villains pack.

♥

Nikki

Summer Diary Day 9: Decorate a Postcard

Dear Summer Diary,

Today I left the girls blank postcards to decorate & mail to their great grandmother. They are actually scraps of matte board that my friend gave me, who owns a photo/frame shop. I'm sure if you visited your nearest framing shop, they'd be happy to give you their scraps. In fact, a long time ago I remember buying them for a small fee from the frameshop in a Michael's craft store. The matte board is heavier than a regular postcard, so it'll take more postage.

Maybe the postcards will arrive before I even leave. Wouldn't it be fun to get a photo of G.G. (great grandmother) holding the girls' postcards?

Let the marker magic begin!

♥

Nikki

Summer Diary Day 8: Cartoon Drawing Kits

Dear Summer Diary,
The next 6 days on my blog have actually been written 2 weeks ago. I got my blogger-self in order & scheduled these posts since I knew I'd be away on a pretty special trip. I'm assuming that I've had a most wonderful time with my hubby & girls on our Lincoln/Omaha family vacation. The shuttle has picked me up from the hotel to take me to the airport on our last day here, as I leave my family to finish packing the suitcases & head back home to Bridgeport. I hate flying. HATE IT! And flying alone? WORSE THAN FLYING WITH SOMEONE. I am a ding dong & a klutz most often & so I'm hoping I don't get lost or get on the wrong plane or end up in some random country halfway around the world. Going to the movies alone? I love it! Spending time by myself at home? Bring it! Grocery shopping solo? I can totally handle it! Unaccompanied in an unfamiliar city, in a big ole airport, about to get on a giant airplane for a trip in the clouds? Me no likey. I become a jumble of nerves & awkwardness.

(Can't wait to see my grandmother!!!! And my sister Kelby that I met last December! And her hubby Ryan! And one of my other sisters Stacie & one of my brothers, Andrew! And my mom & dad! And Tia!)

For now I think about my hubby as he takes a 6+ hour drive home with 2 little ones. He's so brave. I really hope it's a stressless adventure for them. I've packaged up little crafty kits for the girls while I'm gone. Daddy can give them one every day. Today they can open their first package. And I'm hoping it'll be perfect for taking up a bit of time along the way. They will be doodling in their cartoon drawing kits I picked up at Joanne's for $1 each. I've made sure to send along extra colored pencils. The kit only comes with 4 colors. And I think more color equals more fun.
I found a little site that shows kids how to draw about a dozen cartoons. I really like the way it shows you the step-by-step instructions in a simple way. Click HERE for 'Draw & Color with Uncle Fred'.
♥
Nikki

Summer Diary Day 7: Playing Tourist

Today we played tourist. Well, I suppose we've been playing tourist the whole time we've been in Lincoln &/or Omaha. We walked the city streets. Discovered some unique & independent shops. Ate at fun restaurants. We even let the girls direct our travels: Zoey had been eyeing these statues in downtown Omaha, & so we pulled over & let the girls run around. I cannot believe how giddy & squealy Zoey was at getting to play around & on these statues.

Scott, on his cell phone..."Hello, AAA? We need some roadside assistance ASAP!"

One of my most favorite jumpy shots ever! Outside the Qwest Convention Center in Omaha.

To view the rest of the pics from our mini Lincoln/Omaha vacation, click HERE.

I leave my sweet babies early tomorrow morning as I fly to Washington. The hubby & girls drive me to the airport & then they'll take the long drive back home sans mommy. I'm EXTREMELY nervous about the plane ride. But I've got my knitting. And writing supplies. And reading material. And doodle equipment. So, hopefully that'll help to distract me. I doubt it will though. haha!

Tia picks me up in Spokane & I'm pretty sure it'll be a memorable 2 1/2 hour ride home to see my grandmother & mom & dad & sisters & brother.

♥

Nikki

Summer Diary Day 6: Zoo

Our zoo trip is definitely the highlight of our mini Omaha vacation. We spent 7 hours at the zoo on Thursday. 

My favorites at the zoo?? The Skyfari, the gorillas, the butterfly expedition & these most adorable big headed round chunky birds that look like owls, but aren't owls, called Tawny Frogmouths. Oh, & the hedgehogs. Oh, & another thing: that they served peanut butter & jelly sammies at the concessions.

Zoey also loved the swamp & the jungle. (Except for the low flying bats!)

Pazely's favorite things were the prairie dogs, the otters, the seals, & the aquarium with the sharks & the "glow-in-the-dark" jellyfish.

Mr. WhiMsy love liked seeing the girls ooh & aah over everything. There wasn't a dull moment in the day.

Click HERE to view all the pics from our day at the Omaha Zoo.

♥

Summer Diary Day 5: Just Keep Swimming

 Dear Summer Diary,

I sure love hotel pools. Mostly because my girls love 'em. And today they sure got their portion of swimming & doggy paddles & back floats & splashing.

It reminds me of one of my most fun summer days last year: on our way to do some grocrey shopping, 45 minutes away from town, we decided (spontaneously) to stay the night in a hotel---with nothing but the clothes on our backs. SUCH a fun time!!! I highly recommend this.

We've had a chance to discover a bit of Omaha today & are excited to go to the zoo ALL DAY tomorrow!!!! Getting my camera read for an overdose of photos....

♥

Nikki

The 11th commandment.

Summer Diary Day 4: Car Trip Games

Dear Summer Diary,

 I had a list of games & activities to occupy the girls on our 6 hour road trip today, but honestly, the audio books, the regular kind of books & the portable DVD players kept them satisfied quite a bit.

However, I was able to convince the girls to play along with mommy toward the end of the ride.

The first activity involves aluminum foil. And it's simple: just shape it into ANYTHING!  I kinda think I got into this more than the girls did. My hat sure could compete with those wacky hats I recently saw at The Royal Will/Kate wedding, no?

Pazely makes a glove in this photo. She also made a little mushroom. Zoey made a heart & a dinosaur.

We also played a fun game called "Virtual Hide & Seek". The "hider" thinks of a spot to hide in their house. You can hide ANYWHERE in the house---just think of being as small as a mouse. Then, everyone else asks "yes" or "no" questions to figure out where the hider is hiding. Are you hiding in the kitchen? Are you hiding in the washing machine? Are you hiding in the toaster? You get the idea.

Both of these activities/games came from the website momsminivan.com. (Thanks Brenda for the link!) SUPER amazing website full of TONS of ideas for car travel!!

We're chillin' in Lincoln & will spend the next 3 days in Omaha.

We've decided it's fun to explore the big{ger} city.

♥

Nikki

Week in Review: May 16-22

Last week was the last week of school for the girls. Our summer fun is already under way! We are ready for playing, fun, adventure, crafty good times & relaxin' until it's time to play again.

We're kicking off the summer with a family vacation to Lincoln/Omaha. In fact, as I write this it's 12:30 in the morning. I just got off work. We're leaving at 7 a.m. Yep, that's in about 6 1/2 hours. I still have to pack & do a bunch of fretting before we leave. Definitely gonna be bringing my pillow. I believe it's a 6 hour drive, so I'll get a lot of nappin' in! We're planning to make it to the zoo on Thursday---the only sunny day during our adventures.

The rain won't stop us from having a good time.

We will find fun.

Promise.

Don't forget to follow along on our 2011 Summer Diary series. (A button is on the right sidebar. Or click HERE for the most current posts.)

Click HERE for a photo mosaic play-by-play.

♥

Summer Diary Day 3: Foamie Wiggle Pencil Toppers

 Dear Summer Diary,

Today was pretty busy. Lots to do before we leave on vacation tomorrow. Not only did I have to clean the house & finish the laundry, I had to finish writing my column for the newspaper, go to work this evening, & then come home at midnight to pack!

I needed a quick project & had one tucked away for just a day as this.

I purchased this kit of foamie pancil toppers a few months ago & saved it in my crafty stash. 

 The girls & I decided to grab some of our own craft foam to create different styles of pencil toppers.

First, take a piece of pipe cleaner/chenille stem & coil it around your pencil.

 Now, cut different shapes from foam. Add googly eye accents. Use markers to add features. Etc. We used a hot glue gun to attach everything together. We like immediate results.

Here are the two I made...

And here are the simple shapes you need to create the bee...

And the cupcake medallion... 

Zoey made the adorable gnome.

And Pazely (who is showing off all our pencil toppers) made a horse, a doggie & a bunny. If you attach the coiled pipe cleaner just right on the end of your pencil, your pencil topper will wiggle.

I'm going to bed. Gotta be up in a few hours for our trip!

♥

Nikki

Summer Diary Day 2: T-Shirt Bags

Dear Summer Diary,

Today was a perfect example of why I love crafting with my girls. First of all, I got to do a project I've been wanting to try for a while. (I think there might be several of those this summer!) Secondly, I got to see the satisfied smiles & hear the giddy squeals while my daughters sewed on the machine by themselves for the first time.

There are all sorts of tutorials on the internet for t-shirt bags (some no-sew), but I found my specific inspiration HERE, on the instructables website.

The girls & I chose our t-shirts, cut off the sleeves (leaving seams intact), & scooped out a broader opening for our bag using a frisbee as a guide.

We turned the shirts inside-out, pinned along the bottom, & then stitched twice along the bottom edge.

Flip right-side out & you're done! 

Zoey shows off her creation---handmade all by herself!

Pazely needed a bit of help from mommy. Immediately after stitching up their bags, the girls filled them with things-to-do for our upcoming family vacay.

(And Pazely is wearing a t-shirt scrap around her neck. haha!)

I decided to make an extra bag & embellish it with these really cool flowers.

You can use the scraps left over from the sleeves & neck--just cut 1" strips. I had a bunch of strips leftover from the last Crafty Night, so I used those. Connect them together, end-to-end. A longer strip will make a larger flower of course. I chose to make 3 slightly different sized flowers.

Wrap the fabric loosely in a  coil.

Place 4 pins into the flower to hold it in place.

Stitch on a sewing machine: up & down & all around & zigging & zagging & loop-de-dooping. It's a messy sort of stitching. You'll notice the little coil starts to form a "bowl" shape.

Of course if you didn't want to see the stitches you could use a matching color of thread.

This is what it looks like on the under-side. Real messy & haphazard.
(I love this sort of project!)

When you stitch the floral embellishement onto your bag, you can stack all three sizes into one another to make one big flower.

Or, space them out as in the photo below. I've already stuffed my t-shirt bag with my most current knitting work-in-progress.

Happy t-shirt upcycling!!

♥

Nikki