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Monthly Archives: March 2010

Brighter basket
my kids are easter nuts right now! we did a little activity to help them focus on things other than getting a ton of candy, but they can’t wait for all the fun that is coming their way this weekend so… we made easter baskets out of playdoh and… they turned out a little crazy!

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which means I got to take fun pics of their crazy little creations. after taking a few with my slr i took a polaroid and my camera just freaked out and took a pic not of what i had in the viewfinder – how did that happen? i love the silly abstract composition the camera came up with all on it’s ownn

Final-
When I saw the challenge was Dramatic Black and White – 
my mind immediately went to a photo I took eight years ago of my husband while we were engaged. I had gotten ahold of my brother’s photography equipment, lights, flash and a camera that used “real film” and took a picture that 100% embodied what I knew of my man. So for this challenge I took a photo of my husband now, holding that picture…
 
We have been through a lot, and I mean A LOT in the eight years since I created that photo! His face back then didn’t hold the wisdom and experience that is etched on his face now. But looking at his young face I see what he had then that has held true through the years and gotten us through some extremely hard times – sheer DETERMINATION.
 
I don’t know if this photo makes him look scary to people who don’t know him – It reminds me of the very scary things we have gone through and how he has been my rock. I bumped up the contrast and added film grain to try and convey the mix of intense emotion and foggy memories this photo inspires in me…

Movies fixed
  When I was a little girl my mom had a big air popper that she made popcorn with. Then she would drizzle it with melted butter and sprinkle it with salt, mmmmm! I did my schoolwork at home in the morning and played make believe outside all afternoon. We didn't have cable but on cold or rainy days my mom made us popcorn and let us watch old movies. 

I just make plain popcorn in the microwave these days, now that I'm all grown up. Today I needed something a bit more though so without thinking about it… melted butter was drizzled and salt was sprinkled and… the minute I took a bite a foggy part of my brain was flooded with Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, The Sound Of Music, The Little Princess, Sergeant York, The Wizard of Oz…

We all have them, those certain smells, tastes, sights that take us back in an instant so intensely. I sat and ate and savored my way through the whole bowl, no specific memories just a lovely feeling of carefree days. Then I wondered – what are my kids experiencing now that will haunt them pleasantly when they are men?

and on I wondered… I am so engrossed in little boys right now, dirty hands and feet, bikes in the driveway, forts in the backyard. What will be the little whiffs of memory that bring these days back to me when they are grown? 

(above is a little sketch I did of my memory)


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So this is a really simple little springtime craft to brighten up your home – No sewing or gluing required and very little cutting – yay! Just grab the few supplies listed below…

-scraps of fabric that make you think of sunshine and flowers

-ribbon (preferably green)

-plastic children's easter eggs

-the smallest dowel rods you can find

-pinking shears (or scissors)

-disappearing ink fabric marker

and ta da you're ready! So let's get started 🙂

First draw a circle that is big enough to completely cover your easter egg. One of my pot lids was the perfect size – just eyeball it. 

IMG_1059 Next cut the circle out with your pinking shears. You can use regular scissors – the ends will just fray a bit, but hey this isn't an heirloom quilt we're making! After you make sure that whatever you are tracing is the right size you can double up the cloth and cut out several of those bad boys at once –  I love lazy short cuts 🙂

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Now that you have all your (sunshiny, make me think of sweet little budding flowers) fabric circles all cut out it's time to get their stems ready… The plastic eggs I bought had little holes in the ends and I was able to stick my teeny tiny dowel rods (1/8 maybe?) right in the holes. If you have bigger dowels or no holes in your eggs then get an icepick, little screwdriver, metal shish kabob skewer, whatever you have that is metal and pointed and make a hole the right size in your egg. Just be careful – please.

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 Now comes the kinda tricky part – um I mean fun part, yeah 🙂 Cut a 2 or 3 inch piece of your ribbon off and have it handy. Then drape a fabric circle over the egg that you poked the dowel rod into. Pinch the fabric together at the bottom like sooo… and here is where you need a tiny bit of patience.

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If you have little hands in the house now is a great time to have them help! While still pinching the fabric together at the bottom of the egg pull the ribbon as tight around the fabric as you can and tie in a knot – I had my son put his finger in the middle to keep the knot tight as I tied it. Then cut another piece of ribbon and tie in a bow around the dowel a few inches below the fabric. Cut the ends off near the bow to make it look like leaves. (you may want to put a dot of craft glue over the knots to make sure they don't come undone)

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You can make as many little buds as you want! I was able to trim the dowels to varying lengths with kitchen shears and then I put several in a tall vase with some paper grass in the bottom. My kids love these fun flowers and took some crazy colored ones outside and "planted" them amidst our lilies that are sprouting around the mailbox. 

Planting  My oldest son JAMMED his easter egg bud into the ground – it's not going anywhere! Then he was very intent on fluffing the poor smashed lily plant back up to it's original fluffy state:)

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Please share your lovely bud inspired creations in my Flickr pool and click HERE to check out the link ups I connect with!


Strolling a beautiful garden near my home for the first time this Spring, my soul searching for beauty like medicine. Needing the affirmation that God is still at work in the growing things to build my hope.

here is a little glimpse I tried to capture

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