I am Malala Peace pendant

"Education is education. We should learn everything and then chose which path to follow. Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human." -Malala Yousafzai, I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

This months book club book was I am Malala.  This book was empowering and a wonderful look into the educational hardships some females still are encountering.  Because of all the violence against female education, I made a necklace promoting peace.  It reads peace in three languages: Peace-English, Shalom-Hebrew, and Salaam- Arabic.  

Materials:

• Clay
• Puff Paint
• Twine
• Pencil

Directions:

1. Roll out a piece of clay into a tag shape.
2. Poke a hole in the top.
3. Bake for 10 minutes at 225 degrees. Let cool.
4. Paint on the words. Let dry.
5. Attach the twine.

If you want to support education for all students around the world, The Malala Fund was set up to help support education as a basic right!  

Where'd You Go Bernadette?- Antarctica Bowl

"My heart started racing, not the bad kind of heart racing, like I'm going to die. But the good kind of heart racing, like, Hello, can I help you with something? If not, please step aside because I'm going to kick the s*** out of life." -Maria Semple, Where'd You Go Bernadette?

Where'd You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple is a story about how life isn't always what we expect it to be.  In searching for her missing mother, Bee goes on a trip to Antarctica.  I made a bowl with the map of Antarctica on the bottom of it.

Materials:

• Map of Antarctica
• Scissors
• Modge Podge
• Glass Bowl
• Paint Brush

Directions:

1. Cut map in a circle.  Add slits so that the map doesn't have bubbles.
2. Modge Podge the map onto the glass bowl.  Let dry.
3. Add another layer of modge podge. Let dry.
4. Remove excess glue.  

Some silver wrapped candy or white nerds would go good in the bowl. Enjoy!

Olympic Perler Bead Magnets

"In the Olympic Oath I ask for only one thing: sporting loyalty." -Pierre de Coubertin

So, with the Olympics wrapping up I decided it was time to share my fuse bead magnets.  Fun to do while watching and cheering along.  I framed my Olympic magnets with my magnets from different counties to incorporate that piece of the Olympics.  (Notice the German magnets frame the luge one, since they grabbed the golds).  I found directions at Activity Village, but did not have a large fuse board so had to glue/fuse the little ones together.   Skiing and luge are only two of the events they have, check it out to find your favorite ones.

Bow Wreath

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." -Pablo Picasso

If you remember my post from January about makings bows from a calendar, I took those bows and made them into a wreath.  Simple and can be hung up all year round.

Materials:

• Foam wreath
• A Bunch of pre-made bows of various sizes.
• Hot glue gun

Directions:

1. Glue bows onto the wreath.  
2. Make sure to cover the foam base.

Pretty simple.  You can make one based on color schemes or based on a specific holiday.  This one is an everyday wreath to hang up all year round.

Sharpie 'His and Her's' mugs

"There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." -Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

Happy Valentine's Day!  In celebration of this day I made his and her's mugs of some of the geeks worlds couples.

Star Wars: Hans and Princess Leia

Firefly: Wash and Zoe

Materials:

-Two Coffee Mugs
-Black and Colored Sharpies
-Computer Shipping Labels
-Scissors



Directions:

1. Print images of the couple onto the printer labels.
2. Cut out the images.
3. Put onto the mugs.
4. Color image in with sharpies.
5. Add decals with colored sharpies: such as hearts, names, or quotes.
6. Let set for up to 24 hours.
7. Bake in the oven on a cookie tray for 30 mins at 325 degrees.  The oven can be cold to start with.
8. Wipe away any imperfections.

I learned that the cheaper the mug the better this works.  Other couples to consider include Lady and the Tramp, Lenard and Penny, Scott and Jean (or Logan if you prefer), Ross and Rachel, Harry and Ginny, Katniss and Peeta, Clark Kent and Louis Lane, Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Corey and Topanga, Zelda and Link, Mario and Peach, Buffy and Angel, Buttercup and Wesley, and Harry and Sally.  Just so you know the last two are from my favorite romantic movies.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Paper Pencils

"You can't just sit there and put everyone's life in front of yours and think that counts as love.  You just can't.  You have to do things." -Stephan Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I recently read The Perks of Being a Wallflower (because I don't have to strictly stick to book club books). This book was an easy read, that was like reliving high school all over again.  Everyone had a moment where they felt awkward during high school, just hopefully not as many as Charlie did.  Since Charlie read books and wrote essay's on the books, I decided to make pencils out of 'pages' from the book.  (Really, I just printed off pages that I found online).

Materials:

• Paper with book pages printed on it
• 2 mm writing lead (I ordered mine off of Amazon)
• Scissors
• Sponge Brush
• Mod Podge
• Un-sharpened Pencil
• Pencil Sharpener

Directions:

1. Cut page down to size of lead.
2. On back of page, brush with mod podge.
3. Roll paper onto lead until the resulting size is the same as an un-sharpened pencil. Careful not to create bubbles in the paper, wrap tightly.
4. Let dry for 24 hours or more.
5. Sharpen the pencil like any other pencil.

Book Journal

"Wicked people never have time for reading.  It's one of the reasons for their wickedness." -Lemony Snicket

Today is a great day: the Olympics are on, it is 50 years since The Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan show, and it is a year since I started this blog.  In celebration of having this blog up and running for a year, I am going to share my book journal that I keep my notes for book club in.  

Materials: 

• Notebook
• Various Colors of Sharpies
• Filing Tabs
• Label Printing Paper

Directions:

1. Decorate the cover of your notebook and add a title.
2. Label tabs Think Notes (thoughts that come to you while reading the book), Meeting Dates (so you can plan ahead), and Wish List (books you would like to read for the future).
3. Stick tabs in the notebook and label the tops of the pages.  Leave the most space for think notes.
4. In the inside cover or first few pages make a bookshelf page to put books you read for book club. 
5. Print out the covers of the books on label paper.
6. Cut out, remove backing, and place on the 'bookshelf'.

You can see all the previous books that the book club has read.  Currently, as you can see, we are reading I am Malala.  I am over two thirds of the way through and am greatly enjoying myself.  

Also, want to share a book meme with you for the day:

Thank you for a great year of reading and crafting!

Book Page Table Runner

"I love books. I like that moment you open one and sink into it you can escape from the world, into a story that is way more interesting than yours will ever be." -Elizabeth Scott, Bloom

Again, I really dislike cutting up books.  Books are meant to be read, and when they are cut up you can't read them anymore.  So, when I cut up books they are outdated text books or outdated craft books.  For our book club meeting in January I made a table runner for my coffee table out of book pages.  Just a nerdy little table runner to enjoy.

Materials:

• Book Pages
• Clear Tape
• Designer Punch

Directions:

1. Tape enough book pages together to fit the size of your table. 
2. Punch designs around the outside of the table runner.

It is a simple craft project, but adds to the 'bookish' look my apartment is starting to get.

Sahara Moon Sand

"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." -Antonie de Saint Exupery

The latest book I read was Clive Cussler's Sahara.  Yes, the same book that was turned into a Matthew McConaughey movie (which I realized I have never seen). This was a book filled with environmental catastrophes, inhumane leaders, and Dirk and Al's ever present sarcasm. Clive's book always take me a while to get into them, but then the last 100 or so pages I can't put it down. 

Now, I struggled a lot trying to come up for a craft for this project, but what really stuck out to me was all the sand.  (Can't have the Sahara without it).  So, I decided to make some Sahara Moon Sand in order to commemorate this book. 

Materials:

• 1/2 cup Sand
• 1/2 cup Masa del Harina
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Water

Directions:

1. Mix together the sand, flour, and water.
2. Add add flour to the mixture if it is still too runny.

This recipe is enough to make one batch (enough for one person to play with).  Add rocks or other items to add to your design.  I attempted to make a plane.  It is definitely not Kitty's plane though.  

"Don't Panic" Towel Messenger Bag

"'This must be Thursday,' said Arthur to himself, sinking low over his beer. 'I never could get the hang of Thursdays'." -Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

If you were wondering, the answer to the ultimate question of life is 42.  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a great book about Arthur and Ford's escape from planet earth (before it gets destroyed to make a hyperspace bypass) and their adventure around the galaxy.  Its a good comedic story, overall.

In honor of this book, I made my towel (something every hitchhiker needs) into a nice tote bag and put the famous Don't Panic! on it.  This is very important advice indeed.  I found the original pattern while browsing the internet. Nerd at Night has the directions on how to make one for yourself.  

DON'T PANIC

I made this bag for a co-worker whose favorite phrase is, "Don't Panic".  I should have had more width to my zig zag when I was embroidering the letters, but this was one of my first times using my new sewing machine.  Practice will make perfect. I think this would make a great shower tote or beach caddie.  Otherwise, It is just a fun project for a fun book.