Motivation Inspiration

I have been so unmotivated to create these past couple weeks. The hubby has been ridiculously busy with exams, papers and studying and I've been alone with Daniel a lot. Add in Christmas preparations and it makes for a pretty busy time.

One things I've learned about myself is that I cannot create in a messy environment and to put it mildly my workspace has been messy. I've been picking up lots of supplies to get ready for the Naturally Trade Fair, and not sorting them as they come in. I've been filling orders and not tidying up before I dash to the post office with 2 or 3 small children.  The messier it gets, the less motivated I am.

Finally, today, I got things back under control and already my mind is spinning with ideas and I'm chomping at the bit to get crafting again. Funny how much our environment determines our mood. I can't wait to package up my new stickers and sock monster kits and sew up some aprons with my new fabric. Be on the lookout...I'm motivated AND inspired now!

Making Class Gifts: Part 2

Finished and delivered! They couldn't have turned out any cuter. Well, unless we used glitter, but I'm not crazy.

I really wanted Daniel to be able to make most of everything, but I knew he would never get through 18 cards! So he made one and we photocopied it. So much easier, more fun and looked great!

We drew a snowman on the front, put a cute little poem (that I still have memorized from my preschool days) inside and he signed his name. Attaching the rainbow heart crayons was no easy task! I tried double sided tape, tape loops and contemplated an elaborate ribbon structure and crazy glue. But then my genius came back.

I put a tape loop on the card where I wanted the crayon to go, topped that with hot glue and pressed the crayon on. Worked like a charm! Now it won't ruin the card, and the glue will just peel off of the crayon. When all was said and done, I also decided to pop them into cellophane jewelry bags just in case the crayons came off. Better safe than swearing. Ahem, 'sorry'.

So if you need a simple class gift for your little one, go back to Part 1 and create away!

Making Class Gifts: Part 1

Daniel and I are working on a little craft for his school buddies this weekend. I wanted to make something simple and fun that Daniel could actually help with, so we decided on rainbow crayons. He helped me peel off the paper labels and break up the crayons.

I found a silicone ice cube tray at Ikea for $2 and we made cute little hearts! Keep in mind the ice cube trays aren't actually crayon molds and all the packaging encourages you to use only water in them, but it worked great for us!

We preheated the oven to 250 F, broke the crayons up into little pieces, arranged them in the molds and popped them in until they were just melted. Make sure you are patient and let them cool ALL the way. I got a little excited and had to redo one.

This last little guy is my favorite :) Part two will follow soon with the finished product!

Playing with Paper

I am a big fan of Made by Joel. I find his creativity pretty impressive. He comes up with things that are so unique and fun. The other day I was clicking around on his blog and found some great paper print outs.

I printed and cut them for the dayhome kids and they colored away. I think we'll do it again when they're a bit older, because I think I had even more fun than they did!