Valentine's Day 2010

My roommates and I are not all that into Valentine's Day so this year we wanted to do something different to celebrate. We decided to put messages in bottles and throw them into the Willamette River with hopes they would be found later.

We had to sneak around a little bit since the city does not look that favorably on people throwing things into the river. Normally, I am against littering in any form including into a river but it was a special occasion so what the heck.Instead of a message in a bottle, I decided to write a letter to my Grandmother who passed away a few years ago. Since it was a letter written specially for my grandma, I decided to skip the bottle because no one else really needed to find it. I just threw the envelope into the river with a rock inside to help weigh it down. Happy Valentine's Day, Grandma! I miss you.

Crafternoon: The Armor Edition

Well it is summer time and that means that there are kids everywhere looking for something to do. As part of my effort to curb the boredom, I was participated in my first Crafternoon this week.
My friend, Anne, and I (with the help of Clay) planned to make armor. I found some vinyl that I cut into breast plates and then clay decorated the armor with a bunch of fixin's that I found at Scrap. He made a crest for the front incorporating some crayfish which should make his family in New Orleans proud. The placement of spikes on the back should make any foes shake in their boots. You do not want to mess with this man, he is one dangerous dude.

Finally, Clay added a fencing mask to his look. Personally, I like the addition because it just takes the whole outfit to the next level. Clay is a man who knows how to accessorize.
Our next Crafternoon plan is to redecorate Clay's bike helmet so that it reflects his current fierce style. No more little kid cutesy for him.

I challenge you to find a kid in your life and start your own crafternoon projects. The options are endless.

Crafty de Mayo

For Cinco de Mayo my roommate decided to have a crafting party to make shrines. This was my first time making a shrine. It is a good craft for my house to plan because we have loads of little things sitting around waiting to be to good decorative use. Here are some of the highlights of that adventure. Of course my shrine is more of a scene then a shrine. I like to call it 'Ode to the Summer Barbecue'. I was inspired by a picture I found from the 80's that my grandpa had taken of his barbecuing expertise. I know that most people go crazy decorating shrines but that is just not my style. What can I say? I like things simple. I also have some of the other shrines made at the party. I love how all of our personalities come out in our creations. What personality characteristics do you see in these shrines?

Tofu Containers: the endless possibilties

In an earlier post, I mentioned my friend, Liz, who was always looking for uses for her tofu containers. One of the things that she makes are tofu nightlights. I asked her for permission to show off her creation so here they are. She laminates her drawings and attaches them to the tofu container. A light is added though a hole cut into the bottom. Much more interesting then those store bought nightlights.

Recycling Raid- Tofu Container Storage

Storage is the bane of my existence. I have a lot of stuff and not a lot of furniture. For example, I use 2 TV trays as a computer desk. This works fine except for the very limited desktop space. The little space that I have is usually covered with pens, scissors, rulers, pin cushions..... I needed a solution fast. Since I am a firm believer in using what you have before buying something new, I decided to raid our recycling bin for some inspiration. This is what I found; some tofu and take out containers.

I have a friend who used to be really into finding uses for tofu containers. She hated to throw them away but they would pile up while waiting to go to the recycling center. This must have been in the back of my mind because I was instantly drawn to the tofu containers. I thought that they would be great for wall storage. I cut off part of the tofu containers and sewed it to a piece of the take out container plastic (cut to be a little larger then the tofu container). Then I punched some holes in the top and slapped on some old recycling stickers for decoration. This is how it turned out. Not too bad if I do say so myself. Plus it was totally free...I did not even buy the original tofu.