Reading...

“I had rescued the moment by using my camera and in that way had found how to stop time and hold it. No one could take that image away from me because I owned it.”  -Alice Sebold

I just finished re-reading "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold. (Craft to come shortly!)  I can honestly say that I have never seen the movie version.  My grad school roommate introduced me to the book and it was so great I was scared the movie was going to ruin it.  Maybe someday, but books are normally better.  

Show Your Friendship: Make a Bracelet

"I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calender." -Robert Brault

Everyone who has ever been a camp counselor knows how to make a friendship bracelet.  Be it the simple spiral twist, the candy stripe, the chevron, or more complicated designs.  My new personal favorites include the square design and the fish.  

If you want to learn some new bracelet types, or just learn some simple ones, check out http://friendship-bracelets.net/index.php

Also, a good book to read while making these bracelets (if you are that talented) is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.  This book is all about the summer and the bonds of friendship.  Make some bracelets for your book club members or make them as a group and exchange during the meeting. 

Cookie Monster Earrings

"Sometimes me think 'What is Friend?' and then me say, 'Friend is someone to share the last cookie with." -Cookie Monster

I grew up on Sesame Street.  I watched the at night specials, remember listening to Ernie sing 'Rubber Ducky', and Cookie Monster will always love cookies more than veggies in my heart.  I have been into making polymer clay earrings recently.  These Cookie Monster earrings are adorable and fun for everyday wear.

Cookie Monster Earrings:

Materials:

• Black, Brown, Blue, and White Polymer Clay
• Stud Earring Backs
• Toothpick
• Superglue or E6000

Directions:

1. Form two circles (one blue and one brown) with polymer clay.

2. Shape the brown clay circle to look like it had a bite taken out of it.  

3. Add black clay dots to the brown clay to form the chocolate chips.

4. Form two white circles of clay and add them to the blue clay circles for eyes. Add two black dots to the eyes to form the pupils.

5. Add some black clay to form a smile.  

6. Add some brown clay on top of the smile to form a cookie.

7. Using the toothpick etch into the blue clay to create 'fur'.

8. Bake clay in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

9. Let cool.  

10. Glue the stud earrings onto the backs of the earrings.  Let dry.

Wearing the Cookie Monster earrings!

Getting hungry?  Bake with the Cookie Monster in 'Yummy Cookies: Baking with Kids'.  

Divergent Window Clings

"I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't that different." -Veronica Roth, Divergent

Dauntless Symbol

It's been a few weeks since the book club meeting on the book Divergent by Veronica Roth.  Divergent is about a girl named Tris and life in a dystopian Chicago.  In this book, society is set up into five factions; Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite, and Dauntless.  

The factions are what inspired this book club project.  Each window cling represents a different faction symbol and the words up top say "selflessness and bravery aren't that different".  

Divergent Window Clings
Materials:

• Divergent symbols (printed off the Divergent website http://www.divergentfans.com/)
• Sheet Protectors
• Varying colors of puff paint

Directions:

1. Put the Divergent symbols in the sheet protectors.

2. Outline the symbols in black puff paint and let them dry overnight.

3. Use varying colors of puff paint to color in the symbols.  Let dry over night.

4. Peel the symbols of the sheet protectors slowly and put the on windows, mirrors, ect.

As you can see in the second photo I also added an abbreviated version of the quote I used to make a window cling to tie the symbols all together. 

Gone to the Birds

"Use what talents you possess; the woods be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." - Henry Van Dyke

It seems that birds are the hot thing right now.  Between Angry Birds, owls trending, and the tattoos Tris gets in the book Divergent birds are in.  Getting into the bird craze I came up with a few simple crafts for children.  Both the owl and Angry Bird craft went over well.  The owl was a favorite of girls, while the Angry Bird craft was adored by boys. The owl craft I have seen done before, but I reinvented it to match the materials I had.  

Owl Craft

Materials:

• Toilet Paper Roll Tube
• Orange construction paper
• White paper scraps
• Scrap booking paper
• Pink Paint
• Paint Brush
• Scissors
• Glue
• Black Permanent Marker

Directions:

1. Paint toilet paper roll tube pink. Let dry.
2. Cut tube to the height wanted for the owl.
3. Fold the tube down and on top of itself to form the horns of the owl.
4. Cut out a pair of wings and glue them to the sides of the tube.
5. Draw a set of eyes on the white paper and cut them out.  Glue them onto the owl.
6. Cut out a beak and glue it onto the owl.
7. Enjoy your new owl friend.

Angry Bird Craft

Materials: 

• Red Pom-Pom
• Black, Red, and Yellow foam board
• 2 googly eyes
• Scissors 
• Tacky Glue

Directions:

1. Cut out two small triangles and glue them onto the pom pom ball to look like a beak.

2. Glue the googly eyes above the beak.

3. Cut out two small strips of black foam.  Glue them into V's to create the Angry Bird eyebrows.

4. Out of the same piece of black foam board cut out a tail.  It has three feathers to it.  Glue it onto the pom pom.

5. Cut out a red head feather set (two feathers) and glue to the top of the head.

6. Let dry and fire away.