Michelle's blog

A Wee Bit of Trouble

We've adopted a new bundle of joy (and fur and nails... and oh so sharp puppy teeth)! Meet Fargo (named from a character on our family favorite show Eureka) our lab mix puppy (they say pug... I'm not sure we see it). We brought him home from a rescue group two weeks ago and the kids are in love. We have an old schnauzer that is all my dog... he has never really had any interest in the kids other then stealing their food when they were younger. With being almost completely blind and having a bad hip his days of playing fetch and the like are far behind him. So we understood the kids need for a puppy. I've put it off for a few years. After potty training three kids, I needed a break before starting the puppy process.

I must admit I've had a few days of wondering what I earth I got myself into. I knew there were going to be messes and a few items destroyed (my poor bamboo knitting needles are victims to puppy teeth marks!!!) but what I hadn't considered, silly me, was how much he was going to interrupt our school day. He is my kids' dog with all the playfulness they were hoping for, and he can't for the life of him figure out why they have to sit still and cannot play RIGHT NOW during school hours. They takes turns sitting with him while I run lessons with someone else so we are getting some things done. Pixie likes to read to him. It is cute as can be. Of course, I'm sure Fargo is more interested in chewing on the corner of her book then hearing about what Little Bear will do next, but he does enjoy the attention.

Our old schnauzer thinks we are nuts (I swear he rolls his eyes at us)... but has adjusted ok (hey this fella gets high fat puppy food which is apparently sooo much better than the low fat, old dog chow that Flint has been on since his last bout of pancreatitis). So they are on ok terms as long as Fargo doesn't cross the line onto his side of the loveseat.

Puppies are even harder to shoot than kids. Most of our photos are just a blur of black fur... but here is a glimpse at our little ball of trouble.

 

Submitted by Michelle on Wed, 02/27/2013 - 19:57
in

Lord of the Rings Lego Champ

Just had to share a truly exciting moment for Bug. We came home from a fantastic Nature Center field trip yesterday afternoon to a giant box on the front porch. As we pulled into the garage I was racking my brain trying to remember what on earth I had ordered. Had something been back ordered that I had forgotten about? I have been know to order and forget before... but I was clueless. When we saw the boy's name on the shipping label I then thought... ahh an early birthday gift (but really too early). So I banned the boy from the room to open the box and inspect. There was no packaging slip, but what I found was Legos. Not surprising... but more than one box, no, more than two... at this point the light bulb clicked on.

Way back in August Bug had entered an online Lord of the Rings Lego building contest. In September we had received a letter stating that he was a finalist and we had to sign some papers allowing them to publish his photos if he won. And then we never heard anything again. Until at the bottom of the box that included 11 Lego sets was this letter...

"Congratulations! You have been selected as one of the lucky winners of our LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS Building Challenge! Your photo submission to the LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS Creation Gallery was selected from over 5,000 submissions. We are confident that your creativity and imagination will help inspire other builders all over the world and we appreciate your entry into the competition!"

Ecstatic doesn't even begin to convey Bug's reaction. Oh, the joy of soooo many Legos! Oh how cool to win! School will have to wait today... there are over 6,000 pieces of Legos that must be built.

Here is a glimpse of his entry.


Submitted by Michelle on Fri, 01/25/2013 - 10:53
in

Faux Etched Candle Holders

A few days ago we shared the Black Bird Applique Block that Kimara designed. I wanted a bird, and this little guy was perfect.

My plan was to make some Faux Etched Glass Candle Holders. I thought a bird was a perfect choice to use. I simply have to change out the color of the votive candle, and the holder can go from a spooky Halloween black bird, to a chirpy, spring yellow birdie. The technique is simple, and once you've made one, you'll find many other ways to use this technique!


 

DIRECTIONS FOR THE FAUX ETCHED CANDLE HOLDERS
 

Materials:
Frosted Glass Spray Paint (we used Rustoleum brand)
Contact Paper (preferably white or another solid color)
Pattern sized to fit (we reduced the Black Bird Applique Block 42% for our votives)
Fine Point Marker
Newsprint or Butcher paper to cover work surface
Scissors
Clear Glass Candle Holder

Clean your glass candle holders. Be sure to get off all oil and sticker residue. Hot water and dish soap works well. You can use glass cleaner or vinegar as well. Allow your glass to dry completely.

Print out your pattern to size. Our votives were 2 inches tall so I printed my pattern to be 1.5 inches tall (42%). If you plan to make several candle holders you may want to print your pattern on card stock for durability. Cut out your pattern.

With the fine point marker, trace your pattern onto the paper side of the contact paper. This is the back of the contact paper so keep in mind that your image will be reversed. I choose to have a few birds pointing in each direction for variety.

Cut out the contact paper with a pair of sharp scissors. Be sure to cut out a thin line to define the wing shape.

Peel the backing off of the contact paper and carefully place it on your votive. Smooth out any bubbles paying close attention to the edges. They need to be smooth. Any bubbles near the edge could allow paint to seep under.

Cover an outdoor work surface with the newsprint or butcher paper. Place the votives upside down on the work surface (so no paint drips on the inside) several inches apart so you can spray around each without hitting the others. Or alternatively only paint one at a time.

Following the directions on your bottle of paint, shake up your can of paint and hold the can approximately 10-12 inches away from the candle holder. Spray a light coat of paint all around the candle holder. You do not need to cover the bottom.

Let the first coat dry for 5 minutes (or more depending on the directions that came with your paint) then complete a second coat. When the candle holder has dried completely, about 5-10 minutes, carefully remove the contact paper pattern.

You now have fun, personalized, candle holders. These are great for holiday decorations, wedding favors or gifts. The paint we used is not intended for food items. There are paints on the market that can be heat set in your oven and are then dish washer and microwave safe.

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2012. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights. Read our FAQs found HERE for specifics or contact us at weefolkart@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

 

Submitted by Michelle on Fri, 10/19/2012 - 07:17
in

Fairy's New Bling

Check out Fairy's new bling... and no I don't mean the crazy earrings (although those are new too). Yesterday, Fairy got some serious ortho gear installed... braces and an expander. Ouch! She has a cross bite that needs to be fixed and needs space for some of her new teeth to come in.

She was quite the trooper and thought it was great fun to pick out the colors of her bands. Now her smile is as sparkly as she is. She did pretty well last night but woke up very sore.

Thank you Gammy for bringing over a Mango smoothy for breakfast! She wasn't able to eat anything else when she got up. I think there will be a lot of ice cream this weekend as she adjusts to them.

Submitted by Michelle on Thu, 09/13/2012 - 10:33
in

Waiting for Baby

In case you haven't read the news on Facebook yet. We had a false alarm... no baby to report yet. Baby and mom are doing fine... baby is just content to stay put for the moment, so we wait. Gammy (aka Kimara) packed up and headed out of state earlier than she had planned but is of course at this point just staying put as well... visiting, helping, and of course waiting.

It may be a bit quiet around these parts while Kimara is out of town and we get back into the groove of our school activities. Don't worry if there are fewer posts or if it seems eerily quiet. We have plenty of goodies to share with you this fall. You will just have to... well, wait a bit too. ;)

But I do think now is a great time to share a few projects I sent off for baby.

I finally got a chance to make the ever popular "Baby Surprise Jacket" by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I feel that there is some sort of right of passage in making a project that has been made so many times before. I couldn't help but feel a connection with all the other knitters who have made the same stitches before. It was a fun and quick knit. I used a self-striping, wash-able wool and had just enough left over to whip up (at the last minute) one of my Twirl and Tie Caps. It is now ready and waiting for baby.

Submitted by Michelle on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 15:33
in
Syndicate content