What the *bleep* is Undertale?!

That was the exact thought that passed through my head when the youngest announced that in early September that was theme he wanted for his upcoming birthday party (well...maybe not that EXACT thought...I didn't bleep myself). After that was..."Crap! Now I'm RESEARCHING party themes?! WTH?!"

Anyway, apparently Undertale is a game on Steam (if you are a parent of older kids..yeah, you've probably encountered Steam aka: bugged the heck out of to play on and buy from). It is about a little boy who "has fallen into the Underground, a large, secluded region underneath the surface of the Earth, separated by a magic barrier. The player meets various monsters during a quest to return to the surface"...blah, blah, blah... 

Alrighty then..so here we go for all those poor shmoes (parents) who need help with your own Undertale themed birthday party here's what went down:

The Invitations

The invitations were made using images found during my search, printed on cardstock, laminated and then I used a hole punch and placed a ribbon through the top to create "laynards".

Decorations

The decorations were kept to a minimum since really at this age kids only care about the food and playing. Again, using images found on the Internet I drew two of the characters on poster board, colored in and eventually cut out. Birthday boy's sister made the Floweys and his brother hung them up using green crepe paper for vines. Boom! Done!

 The cake was taken from another Internet find (chocolate cake with buttercream frosting) and the blue flame was created by melting a blue Jolly Rancher for 4 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

"Spaghetti" cupcakes with strawberry jam "spaghetti sauce" and "meatballs", aka Whoppers, were made since Papyrus LOVES to give everyone spaghetti.

For the food we had: popato chisps (potato chips), Ghost fruit (no, I did NOT cut them into ghost shapes, who has time for THAT?!), Hot dogs?( hot dogs with candy eyeballs), crab apples (candy apples), Spider cider (green punch) and abandoned quiche (mini cheese quiche). I made labels for all this Undertale "food" and included their health points.
The poster was made using Block poster online. AWESOME site! Check them out at: http://www.blockposters.com/

So there you have it. Not bad for not knowing what in the frippin' frack Undertale was in the first place. Although...now I DO have a costume idea for myself for next year! I think I will make a fine Muffet! :D

The Bedroom Makeover Continues

My next project, as mentioned in the previous post, was to make shag rugs for the floor. I took to the Internet once again and came across making shag rugs from remnant pieces of material. After realizing that even with a rotary cutter this would take forever, I got the brilliant (insert eye roll) idea to latch hook my own. "Latch hook?!" you say. Yup! That old (and apparently) dying art from yesteryear.

So, off to the searching for info I went. Now, latch hooking itself is EASY! Even this old woman remembered how to do that. Finding information on how long to CUT the yarn so it would have a "shaggy" effect was NOT easy. Pre-cut yarn would be too short (2.5 inches). FINALLY I came across a site: http://ourtownusa.net/yarnyard/cutrugy.htm I figured that 4" was a good length. 

Deciding on the TYPE of yarn for rugs sent me onto another long search. End result: Wool is best. Acrylic blend is better. But you can get away with simple acrylic (most yarn compositions) if the rug won't have a lot of foot traffic. 

I also opted to cut my own since I didn't know how much I would need. Better to just be able to run to the craft store, rather than have to pay shipping and wait for the mail if I needed more. 

Turns outs 15,120 threads later...I would have done a LOT of waiting.

But to quickly cut this yarn I need something that would cut multiple pieces.

VOILE!!

Small piece of wood with two dowel rods

Yarn wrapped around the dowels

Finished yarn length 4"

I took a scrap of wood, measured 4" apart, drilled holes half way through the scrap wood the diameter of dowels and placed dowels in holes. You can glue them in place at this point, but I wanted to make it portable and able to "break down". Next I wound my yarn around and around and around (not too thick though, I still have to cut it). I made a mark in the middle of the scrap wood between the dowels, held the yarn (still on dowels) and cut. Done! 4" length of lots of yarn!! Now...they are not going to be EXACTLY all 4" but since you will end up having to give the rug a "haircut" at the end it isn't a big deal.

There are also several ways to bind your rug: 1. duct tape (not recommended) 2. rug binding tape or 3. whip stitch with yarn or rug thread (what I did).

For a super plush feel I hooked every rung and doubled the yarn. Yeah, it took longer (3 weeks). The FEEL of it was worth the time though. It's a good sign when the kids come into your room to just WALK on the rug. The rug is 11' x 48". Here's the finished product:

There ya have it! A latch hooked shag rug! One down. 2 left to go!  Any questions, feel free to ask! Hope this inspires you to make your own!

The Bedroom is done...well...ALMOST

Yeah...I am SO not a blogger. Two years since my last post?! Explains why I never kept a diary as a child. Husband said that I should really jot down when I finish all my projects so I can look back on them, hence why I am writing. He's right. There. I said it. ;)

Anyway...this post is about our recently re-done bedroom. Two years ago Hubs and I busted down our old bed frame with the intention of building a platform bed. Aside from the bathroom, our room is the smallest in the house(9x9), so space is at a premium. BUT...24 months later we were still sleeping on a box spring and mattress on the floor. Hrumph!

We started with a NEW mattress. It is heavenly!! It is by Dormeo. BUY one...no seriously, these beds are AWESOME! I digress. Knowing we could not put this bed on the box spring, let alone on the floor, forced us to build that frippin' platform bed. I used Ana White's Twin Storage Captain's Bed woodworking plans. http://ana-white.com/2010/05/twin-storage-captains-bed Check this site out! It has GREAT ideas! The plans are simple and super easy to follow. With the help of my BIL to cut the wood (simple stock pine) and piece it together We had our bed frame! YEA! 

Now, I didn't want stain and I wanted it to look aged. After hours of scouring the internet for ways to achieve that without tons of staining, sanding, waiting...zzzzzz...I opted for the old steel wool in vinegar and then add water. It was quick and easy and gave it a gray/brown color. Here is what I did: 3 steel wool pads, 2 quarts of vinegar. Let it sit for 7 days (the longer it sits the better the color)in a bucket with a lid. Add the same amount of water as you did vinegar. "Paint" on with a foam brush. Let dry. Whew! I know...what a tiring process right? Be forewarned, the wood WILL smell like vinegar for a few days, but WILL dissipate. I promise.

Next came deciding if we wanted a headboard or to cover the wall in fabric. Hubs wanted a headboard. So...I took the idea of the Captain's bed, re-worked it and made the headboard the exact same way. We had to put the side cubbies up off the floor since we have a wall register. Unfortunately we also have lathe and plaster walls and I was worried about them falling. Honestly though, L-brackets (which you can see in the picture and I need to still paint to the wall color) and 52 drywall screws later and that sucker isn't going ANYWHERE! I did get my fabric on the way though. Between the top cubby and side wall cubbies I stapled some quilt batting on the wall, then stapled some fabric over it and finally finished off with some ribbon hot glued on to hide the staples.

The lanterns on the top shelf I found in my parent's garage. I thank my father for being a pack rat. :) I washed them down with some steel wool and vinegar, cleaned the globes, placed battery operated Christmas lights inside and they are now nightlights. LOVE them!

 The little boy and girl neck rolls on the bed I made with 4 towels, 1 yard of fabric and some cording. They are easy to do. Roll up two towels per neck roll, pin. Measure diameter of roll, add 3/8" seam allowance. Make a small pocket for cording on both short ends and sew. Sew large seam together. Snip two spots for cording to go through. Insert towels. Remove pins. Thread cording and tie it. The "appliques" were made using a boy and girl silhouette I found on the internet, reversing the image, applying heat bond to fabric, and cutting out image. Peeled off the back of heat bond, applied fray check and then ironed on. It was WAY cheaper than buying those foam neck rolls.

The shades were done with just some painter's tape and acrylic paint. I REFUSE to give up my darkening shades. Not happening.

So that's where things stand now. I still have 3 rugs to make, pictures to hang and the dresser to re-do, but the MOST important thing is I have a bed!! I am an adult now! Go me! Take that IKEA!

Back to School Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,
       In a few days the children will be starting back to school. Another summer has passed so quickly. It was gone before it was even here. I feel as though I haven't had enough time to do anything I had wanted to do with them, or say to them, or teach them. The end of Summer always reminds me how quickly time passes Lord.
     I feel as if I have been so wrapped in : "Pick that up." "No, you can't have more candy." "Seriously, child we just ate dinner and you are hungry?!" that I have missed so many opportunities Lord. Seems like just yesterday I was praying for them all to be potty trained so I could be "diaper-free" (HALLLUJAH!), and now they are all going to be in school full-time. Stupid diapers.
     I pray, Dear Father, that You are with them, guiding them and supporting them. I pray You help me be the Mom that they need me to be this coming school year. Be with them when I can't Father. Strengthen their knowledge that even during school's "tough" times, You are guiding them and strengthening them. May they not grow into the men and woman I want them to be, but the men and woman You NEED them to be.
     I pray for their teachers Lord. That they may light the fires of learning. That even though they may become frustrated Lord, that they find strength and determination to reach every child and allow them to blossom. May they not be discouraged or unkind. Strengthen them during those hard times. Speak to their hearts.
     I pray for the children's' and their school's safety Dear Lord. That their school be a haven of learning and fun and friendship and safety.
     I know the children are only mine for the blink of an eye Lord. I know they are Yours for eternity. So when I can't be there to protect them while they are at school Lord, I simply ask that You are.
     Thank you for all You have done, all You are doing and all You will do.

     In Your Heavenly Name, Amen.
    

Forty and Faaaabbbulous!!

True story: The other day I was driving with Gonzo (that would be the littlest Goober) around town running errands. We stopped by a salon to both get our haircut, so whippin' through town in the car I felt... ♪♫fabbbbbbuuulllloooouuusss♫♪. Sitting at a red light, sipping my cold coffee from a cup I had to pour it into because my coffee mug was too large for the cup holder, I got a weird feeling. The kind you get when you know someone is watching you. I glaced over and saw this "cute" younger guy smiling. I smiled back. He smiled wider. Now, yes, I am married but I gotta say it felt PRETTY good to be 40 and still feel like I got "it". That is...until I looked at the cup I was drinking my cold coffee from...our daughter's My Little Pony pink cup. Ahh...well. Coffee was good.☺

Shark Attack!!

The eldest child who was turning 8 requested a shark party this year and here are the results:

The postcard invitations were made using Photoscape and free Masterplan font from http://www.fonts.com/ Shark picture was found on the Internet, attached with double stick tape and then clear contact paper was put on top to protect them through the mail.

Signs were taken from an internet search for “shark signs”. I printed them on regular paper, attached with double stick tape onto thick scrapbook paper and attached to dowel rods.

Birthday sign, cupcakes, saltwater taffy and shark kabob ideas taken from: http://celebrationsathomeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/shark-party-1.jpg
The cupcake wrappers were made from scrapbook paper in blue water and silver using the template from: http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2010/08/how-to-make-cupcake-wrappers.html

The “surfboards” were cut from scrap wood, decoupaged with shark images found on the Internet and painted with acrylic paint.

Watermelon shark instructions were taken from:http://www.watermelon.org/Carvings/Shark-30.aspx
Adding Barbie was my idea which the birthday boy found hilarious. *giggle*

Favors taken from: http://www.flickr.com I used blueberry, berry blue, cream soda and coconut Jelly Belly jellybeans to fill the inside. Shark squirt toys inside were from http://www.birthdayinabox.com Thank you stickers were made using my Dynex sticker maker. LOVE this little gizmo!! All candy was bought from a local candy warehouse called b.a. sweetie http://sweetiescandy.com/

We served hot dogs, individual chip bags and pickles in hot dog baskets to make everything portable for 8 year old boys. We also had individual soda pop bottles in Tangerine and Lime by Jarrittos. Again...transportable and less likely to tip over than cups.

The cake was chocolate with peanut butter frosting per the birthday boy’s request (tastes like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup) and the cupcakes were vanilla with blueberry buttercream frosting. Per my husband’s idea I used blueberry JELLO to flavor it and YES…it TOTALLY worked. In fact it tasted like blueberry saltwater taffy. YUM!!

If you have any questions on anything you see here feel free to ask and I will help you as much as I can. It was a great birthday. Lots of work…but lots of fun.

Homemade Chalkboard Paint

When I share craft ideas I try to get right to the point (hey...you’re busy, I’m busy…) So here we go:

*Added notes for any who may still have some have questions:

·    

•  Yes, you can use latex paint (think wall murals *squeeh*)

•        No, you do not have to prime items first.

• ·       Yes, this is for a small batch and so can be doubled…tripled…depending on your project size.

• ·       No, you do NOT have to sand after final coat. If you do, use 150grit sandpaper.

• ·       Yes, you can use magnetic paint UNDER this and it will still allow both to work properly.

• ·       No, there is NO color off limit (although light colors may not show chalk well).

Enjoy!! Have fun!! Create!!

Parents choose wisely

I am not one who thinks bumper stickers or decals are funny, but today I saw one that was so “unintentional” it made me laugh.

Companies make decals for kids involved in sports. They put a picture of the sport, sometimes an initial of the school and the child’s name who participates in the sport. Then loving parents put them on their vehicles. That’s all well and good. UNLESS the initial of the school is an “F” and the child’s name is “Destiny”. So today I got to read a decal that basically said: “F Destiny”. Priceless.

So parents, when choosing your child’s name…choose wisely. BTW…the picture of the basketball on the decal was a lovely touch.

Sidewalk Chalk Painting

Need an easy thing to do with the kids? Don’t want to go out to get “craft supplies”? Then this projects for you! Sidewalk chalk paint is an easy thing to make with supplies you probably already have on hand.

Sidewalk chalk recipe:

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ cup water

Food coloring

Old paint brushes

Directions: Mix first 3 ingredients. Use brushes.

See? Easy. How much food coloring depends on you. We only used 6 drops per color and for the orange and purple mixed according to directions on food coloring box.

The paint goes on watery but dries just like regular chalk. Provides at least an hour (more if you double the recipe) of fun. And perhaps your child(ren) will declare the day “THE BEST EVER!!” too. Enjoy!!

Wake Up! We Need to Talk!

Have you ever been awaken at 1:30AM by a gut punch to the stomach and the whisper of: "Wake up! We need to talk!"? Yeah, me neither. Until last night. When I felt the punch I cringed. When I heard the whisper...I wanted to hide. I knew that voice but this time I heard the urgency. It made the punch all the more real. God had called me.

I racked my brain to tried and figure out why. But He knew I knew. He waited. I didn't move. That  had been the problem. In a time I should have. I didn't. I pray for many people in the morning, throughout the day and at night, but I hadn't prayed for someone who had been in, and is in, desperate need right now.  He needed me to wake up, not just physically in this case.

I've spoken about being convicted when I have fallen short before. Gimme a break, I'm a sinner, I fall short of His Grace daily. For this person He wants me to move. Even as Christians we sometimes turn a blind eye when the Deceiver stands right before us. We listen when anger or spite manifest in others. We call it being sympathetic. We nod but say nothing when someone is gossiping, being spiteful or hateful and we call that: "letting them vent". Not that they "can't" but we need to move and suggest prayer. And if they don't want to do that, we do it on their behalf. Otherwise in our own way we aid the Deceiver to continue the deception and worming deeper into another's life.

When I heard what God wanted me to do for the person He laid on my heart, my first reaction was: "But I..." Then the thought trailed off. It wasn't about me. It was about what He has called all of us to do. Unmask the deception and reveal The Truth. I always ask God to let me know when He needs me to be called. Guess what? He did. He does.

 None of us may have the "right words" for people who God lays in our paths but we do have The Answer. We need to let others know what it is. Otherwise we only further Satan's Kingdom and we don't glorify God's. Prayer is a wonderful and powerful thing but sometimes we are called to do more and act  more, so God can BE more.

Giving Thanks Where Thanks is Due

Matthew 21:16 They asked Jesus, "Do you hear what these children are saying?" "Yes," Jesus replied. "Haven't you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, 'You have taught children and infants to give you praise.'"

Last Friday my husband picked our children up from school. Since my sister's office is on their way back through town, he and the children dropped by to see her. According to my sister, there was a gentleman there who is not the easiest or most pleasant person. Yet, for some reason he decided to strike up a conversation with our middle child. *sigh* He looked at her as she stood next to her Daddy and asked, "Where did you get those pretty eyes?" Without a missed beat she replied, "God." The man looked at my husband, who was smiling, and asked, "Don't you think maybe Daddy or Mommy had something to do with it?" Firm in her conviction, she shook her head and said, "No. God did." The gentleman was speechless but perhaps he left that office with more to think about.

Thank you Dear Heavenly Father for my eyes to see You, my heart to hear You and my lips to continue to encourage and teach our children to share Your blessings for their creation with others. Sometimes the littlest voice can be the one that is heard in the darkness so that another may find the Light.

The Surprises That Await You!!

Our middle child decided for her birthday this year (well...next year as her birthday is right after Christmas) she wanted a Willy Wonka themed birthday. My mind saw:

Mmm...candy...where was I? Oh! Yes, back to this party theme. As moms or event planners know, the invitation sets your theme so I decided what better than a Golden Ticket! I surfed the internet in search of one I could copy and make my own. The ones made by others are either too expensive or BLAH!!

You'd think this would be an easy task right? It wasn't.  I searched days  for one I could "alter" to fit my purposes. Finally I just found a Golden Ticket whose basic shape was what I was looking for and...well, I am not going to go on about de-colorizing...blah, blah, blah. Let's just say...it took some time. ;)

So I decided, rather than hide how to do this, I am going to share how I did it, add a link to the images and you can save them so NO other Mom out there need to go through the complete frustration of buying or creating their own from scratch. You'll just have to right click and save the images.

Here is the link to pictures: http://photobucket.com/wonkainvitations

The blank "ticket" is what I used as the base. Then used Photoscape to add text (which I included in case you'd like to use similar wording). Finally printed out on "gold" shimmer paper that I found at Michael's Craft Store (4 sheets for $1). Despite the clerk's adamant exclamation that I could not print on that type of scrapbook paper...I did! :p And with my crappy little HP printer too, thank you very much!  My advice is: 1.Make sure you print one page at a time and remove each page to fully dry before printing another and 2. Make sure the tray on the print is open or don't get distracted by a 4 yr old. Yeah..I think just opening the tray is a safer option too. :) The ink will smear if not given proper drying time, which is only a couple hours but I waited 24 to be safe.

Good luck and let me know if you used this and how it worked out for you!

So easy a monkey could do it...

No offense to monkeys of course. This is an UBER easy project. The idea came while flipping through some magazines and trying to find a new hanging for the front door that would cover both Fall and Halloween. Here it is:

Materials: 1 small grapevine wreath ($2 Pat Catan's)

2 stems of berry beads ($2 JoAnn Fabrics)

1 stem of fall leaves ($1 at Dollar Store)

1 pkg of 2" bells ($2.10 at Pat Catan's)

thin green wire (on hand)

orange spray paint (on hand)

Sharpie

sharp scissors

First I sprayed the bells orange like pumpkins and used a Sharpie to make faces once dry. Since the berry beads come in bunches and already on wire, I wired them individually around the stems on the wreath. I attached the pumpkins with thin green floral wire and then tucked the leaves into the wreath. Voile! No gluing. No sewing. All done! The best part is you can undo all the wires and re-use the wreath for other seasons using the same general idea. YEA!! Love being frugal :)

Jingling Jack-o-lanterns

In A World of My Own: Five Little Jack-o-lanterns

In A World of My Own: Five Little Jack-o-lanterns

Five Little Jack-o-lanterns

Five Little Jack-o-Lanterns sitting on a gate...

I think I ate magical beans back in June. Alright so it was actually candy corn, but since then I've been in a Fall state of mind (insert Billy Joel music here). So instead of finishing putting up shelves, sewing that quilt glaring at me in the corner, finish painting the living room, building that corner desk...(you get the picture) I dusted off my idea book. Like you don't have one too! :)

Man! I can't believe how this craft idea book grows larger with each year..uh...month...alright, alright...DAILY! The Pumpkin People actually started out as me looking for fabric pumpkin inspiration when I came across this: http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/fall-sewing-projects#slide_16 Are those the CUTEST little things or what?! They needed to be made! Sorry other projects. So..

I had orange felt from out littlest's costume from last year, pipe cleaners (what Mom doesn't?) and pins for the buttons and noses but the other stuff? Uh..no. I was not deterred much to my husband's chagrin. I didn't have wood shavings but I had poly fiber fill (FYI: Get the wood shavings, makes punching holes easier). I didn't have 2" heavy wire but I had 1 1/2" nails. I didn't have waxed thread but I could double my cotton thread (this works). I didn't have black felt but I had plenty of black scrap fabric. I didn't have a doll needle but I had sharp scissors and an awl. I had resume paper, leftover when people, still sent resumes in hardcopy so it was "yellowed". I printed out what I wanted the banners to say and since I made five, it simply made sense to chose that Halloween poem. I aged the banners with some brown paint. I get "crafty" when I get crafty. LOL! I'm cheap, what can I say? This is a quick project. Took about 5 hours for all five spread over two days...gotta feed the monsters ya know.

So without further ado...

The first one said:

The second one said:

The third one said:

The fourth one said:

The fifth one said:

Then WHOOSH went the wind.

And out went the light.

And the five little jack-o-lanterns rooolled out of sight!

Happy Fall!

A vactioning husband + a torn down wall= new wall art

I found this cool vintage sign on Rosenberry Rooms , while meandering through various websites during a bout of insomnia:

 

I love the whimsical/folk feel of the piece but $64 for a 14X20 piece or more for larger?! Considering I wanted around 24X24 I was looking at around $100 or more. PLEASE! I can buy food for 8 meals (plus breakfasts and lunches) for that price. So I shelved the idea for a later time. *whistling*

Forward to this past week of my dear husband's vacation. Little did I know that his project of organizing the basement would finally bring this idea to fruition. While ripping down a wall he asked what I would like him to do with the old wooden slats...

I was SO excited. I know they look horrible but I thought, 'Ooo..wall art!' And I started working...

front

back

And finally...

I like it! Especially since it cost a total of $0 since I had all the stuff on hand. Can't beat that! Thanks my wonderful husband for your hard work ripping out a wall that let me create something new and to artist Flavia Weedn for the inspiration!