Compass Survival Bracelet

"...much of the discovery of the world was based on failure rather than on success- on tactile errors and pipe dreams." -David Grann, The Lost City of Z: Tales of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

The Lost City of Z: Tales of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann focuses on the story of Colonel Percy H. Fawcett.  Colonel Fawcett was an explorer on the end of the golden age of exploration.  He was fascinated by the Amazon and was fixed on finding the lost city of Z, as he called it.  This story covers Fawcett's obsession with the lost city, along with one journalists search for the truth.  Overall it is a fun, fast paced read, however, the jungle diseases were a bit much for me.

The project I made was a survival bracelet with a compass attached. Follow the same directions found in the youtube clip from my Hatchet inspired project.  About half way through the bracelet attach the compass with some craft glue and keep working on it.  The materials you need are parachute cord, buckles, scissors, craft glue, and a compass.

For those of you Sherlock fans out there (the BBC version), Benedict Cumberbatch is cast to play Colonel Fawcett in the movie adaptation of this book.  I think he will be able to pull that off rather nicely. This is a movie I just might have to see.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Bubble Stationary

"I'll write to you. A super-long letter, like in an old fashioned novel." -Haruki Murakami, After Dark

March is National Craft Month and this blogger is celebrating!  One of the great things about crafting is that it can be engaged in by people of all ages.  This craft project I made with my little cousin with supplies I had on hand. Bubble stationary is fun to send out to people, especially to help get them in the summer mindset (it will be here...just not soon enough).  

Materials:

• Paper (thicker works better because it doesn't curl)
• Envelopes
• Bubbles
• Watercolor paints
• Cups
• Straws

Directions:

1. Add paint and bubbles to the cups. Stir with the straw.
2. Using the straw blow into the bubble solution to create bubbles.
3. Place the paper or envelope over the bubbles.  
4. Let dray and send messages. 

When I said...

This is how I am feeling tonight.  Happy March!

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.