Craft time again!

I really don't know how I am able to make pretty things for myself and the people I love. I suppose I have my sweet husband to thank for that because if it was just Andrew and I, I would seriously get nothing done but clean up food off the floor, wash clothes, watch Elmo, and play one of the million varieties of ball games he enjoys.

But... since God has blessed me with a fantastic husband....

 

.....

Aren't they just the cutest things ever? I like to cross stitch and I adore cute snowmen so these were a perfect craft to work on.

I also made this for a special someone with the patterns out of an old tole painting magazine I got from my Grandma Wilkey.

Not bad for a first try. It's a pretty big box too. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I just bought a cardboard box at the craft store and painted it with acrylic paint and sealed it with clear acrylic spray.

Moving on... My next post will be a tutorial of a craft that was inspired by this....

I know the suspense is going to eat at you until then!

If you  would like more info on the crafts you've seen above or in my previous post please let me hear about it. Leave a comment!

Crafts galore!

As I mentioned before, I've been working on some crafts and I figured I'd share some of what I've been doing with y'all.

First on the agenda is something that I saw on a Sesame Street podcast showing some kids at a preschool and I thought it would be a great idea for Andrew.

Andrew knows his colors and shapes but the teacher in the video used the shapes on the wall to let the kids trace with their finger. I figured Andrew could definitely benefit from that. So I just used construction paper and cut the shapes out and drew and outline on the edge and then laminated them then taped them to the door. Simple, cheap and great!

Just to give you an idea of how big I made the shapes. They are all taped down where he can reach them without needing a stool or chair. That's it. :)

Next is Christmas ornaments. I like to add an ornament per person in our family each year. I was planning to cross stitch ornaments this year but due to time constraints I decided to paint instead. I had some wooden ornaments like this one I bought from Hobby Lobby years ago and never got around to painting.

So I pulled out my acrylic paints and glitter glue and painted one for Andrew and I and Clint painted his own. :)



Andrew's Ornament



Mommy's Ornament



Daddy's Ornament

So there they are. Sorry the pictures really aren't that great. At least you can see them. They still need a coat of spray paint to help seal the acrylic paint we used. I'm very happy with them and they go great on our only non-breakable ornament Christmas tree this year. :)

Another thing I did which I don't know if it would classify as a craft although it is something creative was this:

Another not so great picture. I painted my nails one of my favorite colors and then took my "nail art pen" and just put polka dots on them. I had to get Clint's help to do the right hand. It is a simple way to add a little something to your nails if you like stuff like that. I think it looks cute.

I have a few more things to post about but maybe I will make that for another post another day. I hope you enjoyed reading and maybe have been inspired to do a craft or two of your own. It really is fun to get your creativity going. As I said before I'd love to hear about crafts you guys are doing or have done that you would like to share.

Beam me up Scotty!

Ok, so who else is ready for someone to invent a Star Trek transporter device already? I always hate saying goodbyes and because it's either us leaving dear family and friends behind in the USA or them leaving us behind here in the Philippines it's so hard to say goodbye because we are really half a world away and it is NOT cheap to fly and you can't just drive out to visit for the weekend.

We took Clint's mom, Rhonda and his Aunt Thresa to the airport today and they are in Singapore as I type this waiting for their next flight headed to the USA. I cried for several reasons; 1) I love Clint's family and it's always hard to say goodbye to people you love, 2) I'm sad because I know it has to be hard for them (especially grandma) to say goodbye to us but mostly to Andrew of course, 3) I am sad that Andrew won't see them for at least another year and 4) they started to cry and I always cry when I see other people crying about something I'm also sad about. :( *sniffle*

On the bright side, I'm so thankful for the blessed memories we have of their trip here. We went to the beach, did some shopping, ate some great food, more shopping, did some sight seeing and took a bunch of pictures. I'm happy to know from the fact that Andrew knew who Rhonda was when she first arrived that our weekly video chats with "Grandy" and "Poppa" really help him to know his grandparents even though they live so far away. Technology is truly a blessing. Thank you God!

On another note:
I'm planning to make a post this week about some of the crafts I've been doing. We'll see how that goes. Ha!