Penguin Earrings

"The answer to every problem involved penguins." -Rick Riordan, The Throne of Fire.

So, these little guys did not want to take a good picture.  With all the cold weather, I wanted to make some winter themed earrings.  I figured even in the cold penguins could make me smile.   

Materials:

• Polymer Clay (black, white, pink, orange).
• Eye pin
• fish hook style earring

Directions:

1. Form two rounded rectangular shapes out of black clay.
2. Add a piece of rectangular white clay atop each black rectangle. Press the middle of the top piece of white clay in to form two bumps at the top.
3. Form 4 small circles with the orange clay.  Attach two of these to the bottom of each penguin shape for feet.
4. Create two beaks out of the orange clay, and attach one to each penguin.
5. Add two black eyes created by forming two small black balls of clay.  Add to penguin. Repeat for the other penguin.
6. Create 4 small balls of pink clay.  Flatten one of each side of the beak for blushed cheeks.
7. Thread the eye pin through the penguin and poke the eye pin int to top of the penguin. 
8. Bake in the oven for ten minutes at 225 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let cool.

Book choice for this craft: Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater.  This is a classic childrens story and reading it again or for the first time brings back the joy and ease of youth.

Olympic Painting

"Most other competitions are individual achievements, but the Olympic Games is something that belongs to everybody." -Scott Hamilton

Getting in the mood for the Sochi games just around the corner, so I decided to do a painting to help set the Olympic spirit.  This was my first attempt just painting without being told what to do and just going off a picture.  I think I did alright.  I used the oils I got for Christmas, so the leaves, the fire, and the torch bases would blend nicely.  (Thanks for the paint M&O)!

If you want to try doing something similar, I did find a lesson on painting fire, but it was in acrylics, so it didn't work for me.  Let me know how yours turns out if you do decide to give this a try.

A book, at least from the same area as the games this year, is The Tsarina's Daughter by Carolly Erickson.  This is a historical fiction piece that tells of the Russian Revolution through the eyes of Tatiana Romanov.  It is a pretty interesting book and does focus on what was happen around that time in history.  An interesting read, if not directly linked to the Olympics.

Calendar Envelopes

"A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend." -Emily Dickinson

This craft was part of my figuring out what to do with leftover calendars.  These are simple to make and create a talking point (besides the letter itself).  

Materials:

• Calendar
• Old Envelope
• Glue Stick
• Scissors
• Pencil

Directions:

1. Open the old envelope and trace it onto the calendar page.
2. Cut out the calendar envelope. 
3. Fold to create the envelope and glue the edges in place.

Enjoy the comments you get back when you send your letters out in these envelopes!

Book Club Shirts

"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.  Books are well written, or badly written." -Oscar Wilde

The book club made shirts last weekend with bleach, fabric paint, and stencils made out of parchment paper.  They turned out pretty well.  We each took one of our favorite books and made it into a shirt.  Looking good ladies! Looking good!

"Teddy Westside's" Horton Hears a Who Shirt

"Big Fudge's" Harry Potter Shirt

"Swarley's" Hunger Games Shirt

Book Bags

"Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them them down and they will wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back." -John Green

Part of book club this month was crafting. There were a handful of different projects we made.  One of them was a canvas tote bag to glam up our trips to the library (or favorite reading spot).  With the sayings about books on them, I am hoping they at least turn the librarian's head.

Materials:

• Canvas Tote Bags
• Puff Paint

Directions:

1. Find a quote or a saying you like.
2. Write the quote on with puff paint and decorate it.

BTW: I like big books... and I can not lie!

Chalkboard Party Cups

"Friendship is born at the moment when one man says to another: 'What! You too? I thought that was no one but myself...'" -C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

I enjoy when the book club can get together.  Skype meetings are great, but nothing like spending time in person. Everytime we are together, we seem to get fun cups.  These are, by far, my favorite.  And since we are big How I Met Your Mother fans, we went by the nicknames the male characters have on that show.  

Materials:

• Plastic Cups
• Plastic Toy Animals
• Black Chalkboard Paint
• Paintbrush
• E6000
• Chalk

Directions:

1. Paint all but an inch from the top of the cup with chalkboard paint.  Let dry.
2. Paint the the animal with the chalkboard paint. Let dry.
3. Glue the animal onto the cup. Let dry. 
4. Decorate with chalk.  

Olive You Pillow

"Friends see most of each other's flaws. Spouses see every awful last bit." -Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

One of my favorite parts of Gone Girl is that when they meet they start off by joking over making a sandwich with "just one olive".  It reminded me of the olive theory on How I Met Your Mother.  I saw a pillow with an olive on it a while ago and decided to try making one for myself.

Materials:

• Pillow Form
• Off White Material
• Green Felt
• Red Felt
• Sewing Machine
• Scissors
• Brown Fabric Paint

Directions:

1. Cut out 2 pieces of material around pillow with enough extra for a 1/4 seam.  
2. Cut an oval shape out of green felt.
3. Cut a small heart out of red felt.
4. Sew the read heart onto the green oval.
5. Sew the green oval onto one of the white material pieces.
6. Sew the two sides of the pillow cover together, leaving room to fit in the pillow.  Make sure to sew them together with the olive facing the inside.
7. Flip inside out, and put pillow inside the cover.
8. Sew the open ends together.
9. Write "Olive You" on the pillow.

The pillow represents the good parts of Amy and Nick's marriage, and how somethings a little thing, like an olive, can bring us together. 

"The Bar" Cork Coasters

"Love makes you want to be a better man. But maybe love, real love, also gives you permission to be just the man you are." -Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

This is just one of two posts for Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.  This book is about marriage and mystery.  Our main characters Nick and Amy fall deeply in love, get married, and then grow out of love.  I don't want to give too much away, but even though the first few chapters might be slow the book becomes page after page of twists and turns. 

Nick and his Sister open a bar called "The Bar".  These coaster were not made for the book, but once made they reminded me of "The Bar".  At least they are a good addition to my at home bar.  

Materials:

• Mini Picture Frame
• Wine Corks
• X-Acto Knife
• E 6000

Directions:

1. Cut wine corks in half length wise.
2. Glue wine corks onto the photo frame.
3. Remove anything from the back of the photo frame that would off balance the coaster.

Great for drink a glass of wine and discussing the latest book. 

Crocheted Headband with Flowers

"Nothing burns like the cold." -George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

It's cold outside.  When I say cold, I am talking -5 degrees outside currently.  (That's in Fahrenheit).   With this cold weather, I finally finished making my headband that I started back in December.

Materials:

• Line Green Yarn
• Blue Yarn
• Three Black Buttons
• Two Blue Buttons
• Blue Thread

Directions:

1. Crochet a 20 width, green straight length until it is long enough to fit around your head.
2. Crochet three flowers using these directions.  
3. Attach three black buttons to the band, that the flowers can attach to.
4. Attach two blue buttons to one end of the band.
5. Attach flowers to the button.
6. Use the buttons on the end to attach through the band to fit your head.

Kinda cute.  I need some practice yet, but it is going to get there. 

Calendar Gift Bows

"Thanks to my mother, not a single cardboard box has found its way back into society.  We receive gifts in boxes from stores that went out of business twenty years ago." -Erma Bombeck

I have been looking around for different ideas for crafts to be made out of calendars.  I found these bows and they were just perfect. I had long skinny calendars, which were perfect.  I didn't follow the directions (anyone surprised?) but did it my own way.

Materials:

• Old Calendar
• Scissors
• Glue Stick

Directions:

1. Cut out 5 to 7 strips out of the calendar.
2. Glue one of the strips into a loop. 
   
3. Reverse the loop on the other side and glue down. 
   
4. Repeat this process with the rest of the strips.
5. Glue the strips to each other in an overlapping, criss-cross pattern until you the the shape and the fullness of the bow you want.

The original directions called for a brand in the middle, which would maybe keep them stronger. Also, it would use a lot less glue.

Revamped Calendar

"The years teach much which the days never know." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

My work calenders are always the ones with pretty landscapes or flower pictures, so when I saw a superhero one, I knew that had to be my home calendar for this year.  After looking at it, I realized it was a little boring with only the pictures of the heroes; what it needed was words to make it seem more like a comic book.  Creating this effect was simple, and could be done to make other calendars more like a travel brochure or a magazine, if that is the look you are going for. 

Materials:

• New Calendar
• Magazines or Comic Books
• Scissors
• Glue Stick

Directions:

1. Cut sayings, phrases, and headlines out of the magazine or comic book.
2. Glue the sayings onto calendar pages that match with what is happening in the picture.

This is very simple to do, and I think it added something to a plain calendar.

Calendar Gift Bags

"Calendars and clocks exist to measure time, but that signifies little because we all know that an hour can seem like an eternity or pass in a flash, according to how we spend it."  -Michael Ende

I love the bright colors and glossy perfect photos that make up a calendar.  It is seeing the world for the very best.  I enjoy the fact that we get new ones then in January, to and hope to the new year as well as brighten up a rather dreary month.  I made this craft for the first time years ago with my mother's Crafty Lady group.  (This was a group of ladies that met about once a month to craft, drink, and talk about life).  I love the calendar pieces I chose for this bag.  The sayings just add to the overall function of being a gift bag.

Materials:

• Two Calendar Pages
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Ribbon
• Stapler

Directions:

1. Fold the top edge of the page down 1/2 inch and glue to itself.  Do to both calendar pages.
2. Fold the other three edges on each side in an inch to three inches each (depending on how you want the size of your bag).  Do to both pages.
3. On the creases from your folds at the bottom of the page, cut on the folds up to the fold on one page and cut on the folds over to the fold on the other page.  Glue corners down.
4. Slip the two halves of the bag together in order to form the bag, and glue together.
5. Cut out two pieces of ribbon for handles.
6. Staple the edges of the ribbon to the bag. One ribbon on each side of the bag. (Colored staples would make this look really cool).

Viola!  Simple and easy.  If you do not like the look of the calendar on the inside of the bag, line the bag with computer paper before you put it together.