Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Wordless Wednesday -- Cindee Moyer
Here are some pictures of a doll artist I truly admire. I hope to take a class with her next month at Joggles.com.
Below is just some of her wonderful, fantastical work:
Below is just some of her wonderful, fantastical work:
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday Tutorial -- Halloween Ghost Garland
With Halloween so close, I thought I'd showcase a quick and easy craft for decorations for Halloween.
I've seen these before and I always thought they were cute, so here you go.
For this craft, all you need is a pencil, recycled paper of which one side is white, and a pair of scissors and Scotts tape.
The craft instructions are pretty straight forward:
1. Fold the paper length-wise
2. Cut into two long strips along the fold.
3. Fold each strips in four equal parts.
4. Make 4 to 8 pages worth of folded strips.
5. On the front of one of the folded packages, draw a ghost.
Garland Making Tip: Make sure that the ‘hands’ of the ghosts are right at the edge of your paper section, so that when unfolded, it will look like the ghosts hold hands.
Can’t draw? Print my free Halloween ghost template, cut it out and overlay it onto the paper. You may have to scale it to fit your exact paper. The good news is that ghost drawings are pretty ‘forgiving’ and free form. You can’t really make a mistake with them.
6. Cut all the packages following the template or your own drawing.
7. Use the Scotts tape to attach the ghost garland sections to each other.
8. With a black marker, paint on the two spooky eyes on each ghost.
Your garland is ready to be hung.
Tip: To make it hang properly and not ‘fall over’, you might want to give the ghost hands in the center of the garland a little folding squeeze.
BOOO!! Well, actually, these ghosts are rather friendly and cheery. As there are good spirits and bad spirits in the world, I guess we only want the good ones to join our Halloween Party. So, these little white spooks are invited!
This garland is of course also a perfect decoration for ‘Dia de los Muertos’, or the Day of the Death, which this year will be celebrated October 26-November 2, 2009, but most people celebrate it November 1.
1. Use black crepe or tissue paper to create cats, bats or witches, and use orange paper for pumpkins. Use the instructions as above. The sections will be much larger, so you may not even have to tape any together.
2. No skulls will be found in my home (it’s bad Feng Shui) however the recycled white office paper would be good also for skull garlands. Or crepe paper.
4. For bats, cats and pumpkins you can probably find Cookie Cutters
to help you create your shapes, or you can simply draw them.
5. Consider keeping the design or the garland simple.
If you are not throwing a party, but simply want just a touch of Happy Halloween shimmer in your home, consider using the above techniques for a small garland, such as this. This one is made with just 1/2 a sheet of white paper, folded 4x.
I left it white, however, you could use glitter glue and/or a few markers to add a splash of color. (With this self-created ‘coloring page’, you actually have created a fun Halloween craft project for your kids.)
For more color, use recycled ocher yellow or orange paper and add green curls of rag pipe cleaners, for a little bit more dash. Finish it off with drawing in the black detail lines.
6. That’s all I can recommend, besides have fun. Enjoying the Holidays, is all about the process, the time in between, so have fun crafting. HAPPY HALLOWEEN.
I've seen these before and I always thought they were cute, so here you go.
For this craft, all you need is a pencil, recycled paper of which one side is white, and a pair of scissors and Scotts tape.
The craft instructions are pretty straight forward:
1. Fold the paper length-wise
2. Cut into two long strips along the fold.
3. Fold each strips in four equal parts.
4. Make 4 to 8 pages worth of folded strips.
5. On the front of one of the folded packages, draw a ghost.
Garland Making Tip: Make sure that the ‘hands’ of the ghosts are right at the edge of your paper section, so that when unfolded, it will look like the ghosts hold hands.
Can’t draw? Print my free Halloween ghost template, cut it out and overlay it onto the paper. You may have to scale it to fit your exact paper. The good news is that ghost drawings are pretty ‘forgiving’ and free form. You can’t really make a mistake with them.
6. Cut all the packages following the template or your own drawing.
7. Use the Scotts tape to attach the ghost garland sections to each other.
8. With a black marker, paint on the two spooky eyes on each ghost.
Your garland is ready to be hung.
Tip: To make it hang properly and not ‘fall over’, you might want to give the ghost hands in the center of the garland a little folding squeeze.
BOOO!! Well, actually, these ghosts are rather friendly and cheery. As there are good spirits and bad spirits in the world, I guess we only want the good ones to join our Halloween Party. So, these little white spooks are invited!
This garland is of course also a perfect decoration for ‘Dia de los Muertos’, or the Day of the Death, which this year will be celebrated October 26-November 2, 2009, but most people celebrate it November 1.
More Halloween Garlands
If you want to create a whole bunch of garlands, here are some other ideas for you:1. Use black crepe or tissue paper to create cats, bats or witches, and use orange paper for pumpkins. Use the instructions as above. The sections will be much larger, so you may not even have to tape any together.
2. No skulls will be found in my home (it’s bad Feng Shui) however the recycled white office paper would be good also for skull garlands. Or crepe paper.
4. For bats, cats and pumpkins you can probably find Cookie Cutters
to help you create your shapes, or you can simply draw them.
5. Consider keeping the design or the garland simple.
If you are not throwing a party, but simply want just a touch of Happy Halloween shimmer in your home, consider using the above techniques for a small garland, such as this. This one is made with just 1/2 a sheet of white paper, folded 4x.
I left it white, however, you could use glitter glue and/or a few markers to add a splash of color. (With this self-created ‘coloring page’, you actually have created a fun Halloween craft project for your kids.)
For more color, use recycled ocher yellow or orange paper and add green curls of rag pipe cleaners, for a little bit more dash. Finish it off with drawing in the black detail lines.
6. That’s all I can recommend, besides have fun. Enjoying the Holidays, is all about the process, the time in between, so have fun crafting. HAPPY HALLOWEEN.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday -- Spa Day
Here are some great recipes for a spa night to work on your hands and feet. These and others just as wonderful can be found at www.SpaIndex.Com.
Feel free to visit and check out the rest of the recipes there. Let me know if you like any of these, won't you?
Avocado Hand and Foot Treatment
Mix together 1/4 to 1/2 mashed fresh avocado, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon rice bran, and 10 drops of oil of evening primrose. Gently massage this treatment onto your hands and feet, and leave in place for 20 minutes. Rinse. This natural treatment will revive your dry, wrinkled and rough hands, feet, elbows and knees. The avocado and egg nourish the skin with proteins and oils; the rice bran exfoliates dead skin cells; the oil of evening primrose contains precious gamma linolenic acids, essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. Consider purchasing a small jar of Oil of Evening Primrose capsules from your health food store. Open one, and voila...you have the ingredient for this.
Apricot Oil-Lanolin Cuticle Cream
1/2 tsp apricot kernel or emu oil
2 tsp lanolin
1 drop essential oil of your choice (optional)
Melt oils together, add essential oil, pour into jar or small pots and let set. To use, massage into cuticles.
Cuticle Cream
1 T. fuller's earth (a natural clay substance)
1 tsp. olive oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
Mix into a paste and put into a sterile ointment jar or small pot. Massage into nails and cuticles.
Cuticle Softener
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. vitamin E oil
Combine and massage into nails and cuticles.
Strawberry Hand and Foot Exfoliant
Strawberries have a purpose here; they contain a natural fruit acid which aid exfoliation.
8-10 Strawberries
2 tablespoons Apricot Oil (you may substitute olive oil)
1 teaspoon of coarse salt, such as Kosher Salt, or Sea Salt
Mix together all ingredients into a paste, massage into hands and feet, rinse, and pat dry.
Here's what a journalist had to say about this recipe:
Store-bought vs. homemade: trying natural alternatives
By Crystal Chow for Knight Ridder Newspapers
April 19, 2005
(KRT) - What price beauty? Is it really worth shelling out $10, $20 or more for things like exfoliators and masques? Even if you scream "Yes!" you still might think about creating such products at home. Ingredients are usually right at hand, with preparations costing pennies per application. It's a natural way to be nice to Mother Earth, too. But can DIY glamorizers stand polished toe to toe with the store-bought stuff? We had one tester per treatment find out.
TREATMENT: Hand, foot exfoliator: 8-10 ripe strawberries, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix together all ingredients, massage into hands and feet, rinse, then pat dry. (www.spaindex.com)
IS GREEN GREATER? "My skepticism was sky-high initially. Why would I want to use strawberries as a beauty product rather than eat them? But wow! This treatment really made a difference -- my hands were definitely softer. A caveat: The mixture is lumpy and messy, so apply in the kitchen and don't wear good clothes."
Feel free to visit and check out the rest of the recipes there. Let me know if you like any of these, won't you?
Avocado Hand and Foot Treatment
Mix together 1/4 to 1/2 mashed fresh avocado, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon rice bran, and 10 drops of oil of evening primrose. Gently massage this treatment onto your hands and feet, and leave in place for 20 minutes. Rinse. This natural treatment will revive your dry, wrinkled and rough hands, feet, elbows and knees. The avocado and egg nourish the skin with proteins and oils; the rice bran exfoliates dead skin cells; the oil of evening primrose contains precious gamma linolenic acids, essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. Consider purchasing a small jar of Oil of Evening Primrose capsules from your health food store. Open one, and voila...you have the ingredient for this.
Apricot Oil-Lanolin Cuticle Cream
1/2 tsp apricot kernel or emu oil
2 tsp lanolin
1 drop essential oil of your choice (optional)
Melt oils together, add essential oil, pour into jar or small pots and let set. To use, massage into cuticles.
Cuticle Cream
1 T. fuller's earth (a natural clay substance)
1 tsp. olive oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
Mix into a paste and put into a sterile ointment jar or small pot. Massage into nails and cuticles.
Cuticle Softener
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. vitamin E oil
Combine and massage into nails and cuticles.
Strawberry Hand and Foot Exfoliant
Strawberries have a purpose here; they contain a natural fruit acid which aid exfoliation.
8-10 Strawberries
2 tablespoons Apricot Oil (you may substitute olive oil)
1 teaspoon of coarse salt, such as Kosher Salt, or Sea Salt
Mix together all ingredients into a paste, massage into hands and feet, rinse, and pat dry.
Here's what a journalist had to say about this recipe:
Store-bought vs. homemade: trying natural alternatives
By Crystal Chow for Knight Ridder Newspapers
April 19, 2005
(KRT) - What price beauty? Is it really worth shelling out $10, $20 or more for things like exfoliators and masques? Even if you scream "Yes!" you still might think about creating such products at home. Ingredients are usually right at hand, with preparations costing pennies per application. It's a natural way to be nice to Mother Earth, too. But can DIY glamorizers stand polished toe to toe with the store-bought stuff? We had one tester per treatment find out.
TREATMENT: Hand, foot exfoliator: 8-10 ripe strawberries, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix together all ingredients, massage into hands and feet, rinse, then pat dry. (www.spaindex.com)
IS GREEN GREATER? "My skepticism was sky-high initially. Why would I want to use strawberries as a beauty product rather than eat them? But wow! This treatment really made a difference -- my hands were definitely softer. A caveat: The mixture is lumpy and messy, so apply in the kitchen and don't wear good clothes."
OH, MY ACHING FEET
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp. of Aloe Vera
1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
20 drops of peppermint Essential Oil
20 drops of eucalyptus Essential Oil
Mix together and massage feet gently with this soothing ointment, or, add to a basin of very warm water, and soak. Finish by lightly dusting the feet in corn starch.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp. of Aloe Vera
1 teaspoon wheat germ oil
20 drops of peppermint Essential Oil
20 drops of eucalyptus Essential Oil
Mix together and massage feet gently with this soothing ointment, or, add to a basin of very warm water, and soak. Finish by lightly dusting the feet in corn starch.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Window Shopping Wednesday -- Marina Bychkova
This wonderful doll artist was one of the first to catch my eye. These are called ball-jointed dolls and hers are made of porcelain. Although her dolls are exquisite in the nude, her choice of clothing and decoration leaves me breathless. I hope you like these as much as I do.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday Tutorial -- Paper Birdies!
I told you I have a fascination with birds! I found this tutorial on a really great blog called, "No Money Mama" and I am reproducing it here for you. Be sure to leave her a comment on her blog if you make these adorable birds. She makes them look so easy to make, doesn't she? Let me know how these turn out for you.
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The No Money Mama has seen this awesome Spool Sewing bird tutorial around for a while and I just adore it. Let's just say sewing is not my thing, so I thought to myself, "What about paper?" Today we will be working with: paper, glue, scissors and pipe cleaners.
And yes, the hot pink monkeys are flocked! It kind of reminds me of the PB Kids Emmy collection. So, I made a few changes to the original Spool Sewing bird tutorial, and here it is. My birds were printed out at 100%. *Please note, I did not create the original Spool Sewing bird pattern, I only made a few slight adjustments to turn it from a sewing project into a paper craft.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This little birdie!
The No Money Mama has seen this awesome Spool Sewing bird tutorial around for a while and I just adore it. Let's just say sewing is not my thing, so I thought to myself, "What about paper?" Today we will be working with: paper, glue, scissors and pipe cleaners.
I have been holding on to this super cute monkey paper from Michael's, just waiting for the right project.
And yes, the hot pink monkeys are flocked! It kind of reminds me of the PB Kids Emmy collection. So, I made a few changes to the original Spool Sewing bird tutorial, and here it is. My birds were printed out at 100%. *Please note, I did not create the original Spool Sewing bird pattern, I only made a few slight adjustments to turn it from a sewing project into a paper craft.
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