I have no idea what prompted that question but fortunately I was able to spell it for him on the spot.

I’m crafting it up this week for the Fourth of July over at the Curvy Girl Guide.

I made a trio each of Patriotic Votive Holders and Rocket Cracker Favors.

Aren’t they super cute? Better yet, they were really easy to make.

Over at Babble’s Being Pregnant this week I’m waxing over making room for another baby, pining over these ridiculously cute newborn hats from Etsy, giving away some hilarious kid’s books, showing off my baby bump, and contemplating what to drink this 4th of July since margaritas are out of the question for another 11 weeks or so.

Here is my entry.

The song I chose was Kodachrome by Paul Simon. I love that song. It reminds me not only of summer but also of my roots as a photographer who shot with actual film. And it’s just a catchy tune. Oh, and I got to dig out some of my favorite old cameras from my collection to use in the poster. I think that Argus is my favorite.

But…my entry was not chosen to be a part of the show. Which can only mean that the 25 that were picked must be pretty kick ass.

So, if you are in the Toledo area between 6 and 9 tonight you should stop into the Madhouse Gallery at 1215 Jackson and check out the show. The show runs through October 15th if you miss the opening.

Support the arts. It will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Plus there is usually wine at these events. And cheese.

Mmm…cheese and art. Delicious.

Many thanks to Rebecca for the opportunity.

Here’s the clip if  you missed it and want to check it out.

And in case the video doesn’t work, here is the link to the story.

Maybe you would too if you knew what was in the box.

See! Who doesn’t want a new best friend?

Oh wait. That was just a little something extra to make me smile—which worked like a charm. It was really the stuff on the OTHER side of the box that made me so excited.

Do you know what that is?

MY MOO ORDER! Yay. Yay. Yay!

What the hell is a Moo order, you ask? Well, Moo is a company that prints business cards, mini cards, note cards, and—at the London branch—stickers. And? They are marvelous.

I designed some cards a couple of weeks ago—social media business cards for all my bloggy type adventures and mini moos for my Etsy shop.

Getting new social media and etsy shop cards have been on my to-do list for awhile. And I’m going to this little conference in a couple of weeks. Perhaps, you have heard of it? Rumor has it there my be a few other people there. People who might just want to remember who they meet after a whirlwind weekend in NYC. So…I needed to get them designed sooner than later.

I chose sooner. I chose Moo as my printer and they DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

I love all the cards. The mini moos are adorable and will be great for tossing in with my Etsy orders.

The business cards? Be still my heart and schedule me a meeting.

One of the main reasons I chose Moo as my printer was the capability to put up to 50 different images on the “front” side of the cards. I was considering using my photographs for the front but decided to go with something that is just as near and dear to me—some of my letter series work.

I picked 10 pieces and laid them out on the cards so you only really see a portion of the design. On the back is all my info.

I really do love them. I think they do a great job of expressing something special about me. Plus, they have the potential to be a great conversation starter. The design on the front becomes more than just a design. It is a way to show who I am, what I do, and how much I love type.

A+ in my book. What do you think?

Not the sticker kind but the plastic ones that came with a tiny supply of white removable adhesive. The kind you could only use one time because you were never given enough adhesive to reuse them once you pried them off the ceiling. Or, if you had leftover adhesive it would be completely dried out or covered in dust by the time you actually needed it.

Remember those?

They were awesome.

I always wanted a set of them growing up. Somehow that never happened when I was a kid. No, it wasn’t until I was an adult and living on my own before I actually had my own set of glow in the dark stars on my ceiling. What can I say? I was a late bloomer. Now, I don’t exactly remember which apartment I had them in, but they came with me when I moved. And for the last five years we have had that set of stars sitting in a small pink plastic bin in our basement waiting to see the light of day and glow again.

But that weird white gummy adhesive has a tendency to dry out over the years. So I never really had a way—or a need—to put them back up.

Until now.

A few weeks ago Glue Dots and TwitterMoms sent me a big envelope FULL of Glue Dots products. Included in that envelope were removable adhesive dots. Which instantly reminded me of those stars.

G-tot could not have been more enthusiastic about using them when I told him what we were going to do with the Glue Dots and that little basket of stars.

We washed the years of dust and dirt off of them. Then we picked off all that old white dry adhesive that still stuck to the back of the stars—but would no longer stick to anything else.

Next came the glue dots.

We ended up using 3 different packs of Glue Dots for the job. It didn’t need that many but we were experimenting with the different options to see what worked best for us. The roller worked well for the quickly covering the larger stars and the individual dots were great for the smaller stars.

G-tot and I were both too short to reach the ceiling without a ladder. I was also too lazy to drag a ladder in from the garage.

So we stuck them on the walls instead.

They are still super awesome.

Disclaimer: This post was written as a part of the TwitterMoms and Glue Dots blogging contest. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

It Took Forever to Paint but Totally Worth It

Happy Pirate Boy

It Had to be Blue

Pirate Booty Treat Bags

Finger Puppet Pirates

Blue Jewels and Gold Coins

Prepare to Walk the Plank

This morning I made a fort in the living room for G-tot—where we ate both lunch and dinner—and when he went down for his afternoon rest I dug out my box of block printing supplies. I carved a couple of small lino blocks and did a little printing.

I made a card with the little blob guy and made some wrapping paper with the other block.

Cute, huh?

It’s made by Umbra and although I couldn’t find the exact one I have, I did find this one with a different photo placement.

Isn’t it so fun?

Cute, isn’t he? Want to make one or two or all 9 of them?

Supplies:
1 or 2 sheets of construction paper for the antlers (we used brown to be more authentic but any color would be cute)
1 sheet of construction paper for the head (I had a tan sheet laying around but you could use any color that contrasts well with the antlers), glue stick, googly eyes are optional (I just happened to have a pair on hand)
1 sheet of construction paper to mount the reindeer to (I imagine this is optional but I like the way it looks)
scissors
glue stick
marker for eyes and nose

1. For the antlers, trace your each of your child’s hands on a single sheet of construction paper.
2. Trace your child’s foot on the paper you are using for the head and cut it out.
3. Glue the hands (antlers) to the head (foot) from the back. The toes of the traced foot will be the top of the head.
4. Add eyes and a nose with the marker (or googly eyes if you have them!)
5. Glue the reindeer to the larger sheet of construction paper if desired.

Tah-dah! Now you have a ridiculously cute reindeer and a nice memory of the size of your child’s hands and feet if you hang on to it after the holidays.

Won’t you?

And then leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Thanks. You are fabulous!