"Stained Glass" Bunting

Somewhere, I saw this tutorial - crayon shavings + wax paper = bunting.

So one night, while watching Downton Abbey, I started sharpening crayons into a muffin tin.

 The next rainy day, when we stayed in our pajamas, I pulled out the ironing board and the wax paper. 

Baz did the sprinkling.

Walter hung out, mostly happily, while we crafted the afternoon away.

I hung the post-ironing, pre-cutting sheets in the window to cool. 

Cutting triangles...

Some bakers twine and washi tape later, and we've got  super cute bunting in our play area. I really need to get a better shot, but it's...challenging. I'll post one when I get one. 

I've got at least a dozen triangles hanging out...more bunting? Pennants? The possibilities, while not endless, are certainly inspiring :-) 

Sharpie Mug Pinterest Win!

A little bit of searching on pinterest will stumble you across ceramic mugs (some of them "from the dollar store!") having been decorated with sharpies. The ink is sealed to the mug in the oven, and everyone has adorable mugs.

A bit more searching - for detailed instructions - will inform you that this is BUBKUS. The general instructions: color, bake at 350, wash. The result: washed off sharpie.

I forged ahead.

Well, Baz did.

Then I lined a cookie sheet with parchment.

Here's what I did that's key: I put the mugs in the oven and THEN I  turned it on. I baked them at 400 for 30 minutes and then I turned it down to 325 for 15 more and then I turned the oven off and let them cool in the oven.

The colors faded, but they're still there.

So there you go. Go forth and sharpie your mugs!

Oh, and these are the mugs I used. They are awesome.

Daddy Coffee

I have spent the past month taking Molly Flanagan's Visual Storytelling workshop through The Define School.  Four lessons that culminate with my being able to be as articulate with my images as I like to think I am with my prose. 

I should let you read my prose some time.

If you've spent any amount of time with me, then you know that we love our coffee and that we are big fans of letting Baz have his way in the kitchen. For the first twenty-ish months, Baz's sign for Steve was "Daddy Coffee"  - they've been making morning coffee together since Baz was born and now it's about a 60/40 split...favoring Baz, of course.

This past week, Steve worked from home a few days while we battled the plague in various forms. Afternoon coffee happened.

Walter hangs out happily in that thing for (maybe) five minutes. 

Long enough for me to  document a daily occurrence that I normally (blissfully) sleep through.

(Yes, it's so good we have it shipped. Buy your own here.) 

Good times.

If you're feeling like you need to improve your story telling game, contact Molly. Stalk her blog, take her class. She is sheer genius and I feel imbued with a bit of it. It has been a privilege.

PS: anyone have any Save For Web advice? I think I shrink too much, but I don't feel like I'm shrinking that much....?

NPN Flickr Contest!

Recently, Natural Parents Network launched a Flickr Photo Pool and corresponding Photo Contest with over $1000 in photography-related prizes up for grabs for our readers! Many NPN readers have already submitted photos of your beautiful families, showing us what natural parenting really looks like for you in many forms. We are loving the many images that have been added and the opportunity to see the diverse faces of our readers and fellow natural parents. There are almost 500 images added already to the Flickr Pool, and it is turning out to be a very fun way to see and share images of other parents and families like yours!

The April 30 deadline is fast approaching! Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a fabulous prize package.

Enter your photos into the NPN Flickr Pool from your Flickr account, and favorite the photos you like best. Share the contest, and encourage family and friends to vote for your photos and their favorites. For details on how to submit your photos to the NPN Flickr Pool and our contest, read our launch post and Photo Submission/Contest Rules.

***Here are mine - feel free to vote for any or all of them, because the prizes are awesome and I wouldn't mind winning ;-) ****

10 Things *not* to do to Help Your Child Eat

Over at NPN today...

10 Things *Not* to Do to Help Your Child Eat

 

 There’s a lot of talk these days about how to get your kids to eat. But really, it’s all about approach and finesse and what not to do. With that in mind, I've come up with a list of ten things that you need to give up before your child will come around to the foodie way of doing things. From making food "fuel" to getting emotional about what your child is not eating, take a peek at what parents should stop doing to help their kids start eating in my post at Natural Parents Network: 

10 Things *Not* to Do to Help Your Child Eat.

Card Catalogue Craft Storage

Many years ago, when we were still in Dallas, I relieved my mom of the last card catalogue in her library. It's at least 50 years old and solid wood. It gets put in place and never moved and over the years it has mostly housed random things that I couldn't find anywhere else for.

Back in... January? February? I got inspired to actually do something aside from stack boxes in front of it and library books on it.

This is what it looked like. Not pretty, but full of potential.

My ex-brother-in-law turned it down when my mom offered it to him as a toolbox because of these holes. He has proven to be so very short sighted. A little card stock and some double sided tape later...

I used post-it flags to label intended drawers. 

Then I cut cardstock and printed labels...

This kid loves a good organization project.

The orange labels are drawers he has full access to, and he respects that the blue drawers are for Mommies and Daddies only.

After:  

That's my camera bag and some more art supplies down there.

Let's be real about what the top looks like, because this is as neat as it gets:

(that pile on the left is stain glass bunting...tutorial on its way!)

Ultimately, it's my favorite piece of free furniture to date!

If you can't find one on Craigslist and $800 is a good price for you, Land of Nod has some on offer right now.

Ethics, a Budget, and Your Taste Buds

...a new series I've got over at NPN:


If you're paying any attention to food at all lately, you've noticed that it's not enough anymore to simply buy the food your parents bought while you were growing up and trust that it's just as chock-full of nutrients as it always has been. In addition to the familiar Organic vs. Traditional debate, there are GMOs to consider, labor conditions, corporate donations, food miles, and the welfare of the animals that will wind up on your plate. Add to that your family's need to stick to a budget as well as your desire to serve only food that tastes amazing…and you've got quite a conundrum on your hands. Which takes priority? Your conscience? Your bank account? Your taste buds? Hopefully, there are ways to satisfy all three. This is an ongoing series in which we'll address each challenge in depth, but I thought I would start by talking about how we do it in our house. It's really simple. Are you ready? Do the best you can with what you have. Read more at Natural Parents Network >>