my life in color: March 2011

Thursday, March 31, 2011

I took out the exacto knife...

..as I got a great idea for a layout.

Sorry, I can't show it to you yet, it'll be almost two months until I can reveal the entire page to you.

I can tell you, however, that at some point I really wished I was cutting out some other state.. say like Wyoming, Utah, Colorado or even Kansas.. LOL! All that natural coastline..oh my.. plus those islands..

However I can say that it's all about the idiosynchrosies I came across in this place :D

Like how you can't turn left without turning right first while driving ..drove me up the wall..ha!

You Michigan folk.. what comes to your mind?

You locals might even recognize what I used to cut the state out of ;)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Swish and flick...

..oh if I only had a wand and painting walls could be completed with just a swish and a flick...

We've been working on the other house, aiming to get it ready in May.
On Sunday I didn't need to paint another wall (that was for yesterday..), but the fireplace.
We went for something a bit different.. metallic.
Graphite silverish..
These pictures show just the first coat on, so there is some blotchiness.

I like :D

The girls have been going around with headphones on lately. Saara with bunches of tunes as Glee versions (we both enjoy the show).

And more than a few times I've come home and heard Niina belting out Katy Perry's Fireworks..

Gotta love it.

Did you all see the moon this weekend?

It was the closest to earth it'll be in a while.

Amazing.

You can even see the crater shadows up top.

Monday, March 21, 2011

AMLT layout share!

A couple weeks back it was my turn to host a week on the AMLT blog.

My posts were about how you can use old alpha stickers in a new way:

Why sewing without thread is cool:

A pleade to dig out that paper edger punch:

To go mosaic:

And a twist on the ever popular banner:

Once you've read those posts, head on over to check out all the new delicious stuff Jill has in her store :D

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Skräppäämään hep!

Ilmoittautuneita on parisenkymmentä, joten jos jäi vaivaamaan, niin mukaan mahtuu vielä la 26.3. klo 10-19.

Vaihtopöytä oli viimeksi niin suosittu, että otetaan uusiksi, eikö? Multa ainakin löytyy jotain sinne :)

Lisää infoa tämän linkin takana!

Pian nähdään!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

My oldest UFO...

I came across this the other day... I must have been on 1st or 2nd grade when I started this..
I remember it was a doll dress set that came ready cut in a flat box.
In the past ...ummm... decades, pieces have been lost. The sleeves are gone. And I can't figure out what that top piece is for..
This is the first time I ever used a sewing machine :)

I'd love to think of a special way to preserve this..

As for my other two remaining UFOs, of the three I mentioned beginning of the year, they are finished!

One was this pillowcase, that only needed ironing to set the paint.
I know.. ironing.. sheesh..

The other was this set of cross-stitched pictures that needed frames.
I had the frames.. all I had to do was spray paint them matte black.

I must say that my box with gifts ready to go is filling up nicely!

Although the pillowcase is mine ;)

Friday, March 18, 2011

Footprint stamp

What you need is an eraser and an exacto knife.
I drew a shoeprint on the eraser with a pencil and then carefully cut out the surroundings.

I stuck a piece of a barbecue stick for a handle.

I now have an urge to make more stamps... :)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Rainbows, shamrocks and a leprechaun..?

It has to be St. Patrick's Day, right?
Happy St. Pat's!
The greenest day of the year :D

I'll share a few related things we've done with our 1st graders, easy and fun projects you could craft with your kids too!

In the afternoon club, we made rainbows to hang on our windows.

These were painted onto to sturdy watercolor paper with watercolors, then we punched holes onto each stripe and attached yarn in the corresponding color.

Topped those with clouds cut from small paper doilies and crepe paper.

They look so pretty.

And the kids learned the order of the colors to boot.

Yesterday in art class we made shamrock trees.

First the kids painted different shades of green onto a paper.

While it dried, they drew a tree trunk on another paper.
Then on the backside of the painted paper, they drew three leaved shamrocks and one four leaved one.

Once cut out, they were the leaves of the tree.

Love how they look.

I had to make one of my own too..

A couple weeks back while the kids were painting rainbows, I had painted a tree trunk just for fun.
All I needed were the shamrocks :)

I bent mine just a bit, so they popped up nicely.

Can you spot my lucky four leaved one?

Today the kids in the club will have found some tiny footprints...

(I'm a little bummed I'm not there to see it, but I had to come home to take care of Niina, who's not feeling well)

(and sorry about the quality of the next photos, they were taken on a mobile phone..)

I believe a leprechaun has visited and hidden lucky shamrocks for the kids to find...

These were made with a heart paper punch, green patterned paper and a piece of yarn.

I do love the tiny footprints all around..

There's even a shamrock hidden in my shamrock tree!

I wonder if anyone found that one...

I'll show you tomorrow how I made those footprints :)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Project Life, weeks 8, 9 and 10

Week 8 was winter break from school.
A week to meet up with family and friends :)
I went with b&w photos and colorful artwork.

Week 9.. in other words what I watched on tv or saved for later viewing pleasure. Plus what I listen to on my way to/from work.

I even got around to go to the movies.

Week 10.

Sewing, crocheting and world news.

I taught myself to crochet a granny square!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Inspiroidu # 148, 149 and 150

# 148- Upside down

Not only is my photo upside down so is part of the title. Also if you look closely, so are my patterned papers :)
Talks about the yearly craziness surrounding the grade 1 nativity play at Christmas time.

# 149- logo

The Toy Story movies are close to my heart. Niina just bought some of the legos from the series.. sheer excellency!

#150- color chart

I went with the hues of blue and turqoise I found in my scrap box.

All hearts are freehanded.
I'm also loving the twine I bought...