More Party Prep

Okay, so I'm slightly under the impression that I may have gone a bit overboard with the Harry Potter party.  Between my husband's head shaking and my son's bug-eyed looks of disbelief... I've come to the conclusion that I may have just stepped a tad bit over the line of "normal".

Oh well, it's a project.  I love projects.  :)

So here is where we are... get ready for a photo bomb.

Using artwork from the online Silhouette store, I was able to print off a few "Wanted" posters.

   These will be stuck up all over the house.

Next, I'm working on a Harry Potter information "book".  I was able to find this free map and so I printed that to go in the middle of the book.  More information on the book as I complete it.  (Possibly next blog entry.)

     After going to a bunch of different stores, I was able to find the majority of my party supplies.  Big "thank you" to the folks at Party City who didn't even bat an eye when they had to climb the gigantic ladder to get down the witch hat from the tippy top shelf.  The brooms are future Nimbus 2000's.

     Hobby Lobby had all their glassware on sale for 50% off, so I picked up some tiny bottles with cork stoppers for the "Liquid Luck".  Still need to make the labels.

   Then I found a giant paper mache egg in the wood department that will work great as Harry Potter's gold dragon egg. 

   I purchased some wooden dowels and wooden "knob ends" to make magic wands.  Glued them together and painted them.

I thought about shaping the dowels to be more pointy, but the I remembered that I have a 2-year old and didn't want to tempt fate.  Blunt wands it is!

    Also in the wood section, I was hunting down some wooden balls to work as snitches.  All of the ones I found that were already drilled had flat planes on the drilled side.  Me being the way I am, I just decided to purchase plain round ones and drill the holes myself.

Drilling

 

Painting.  (Insert toothpick into one end, spin and paint, switch ends and repeat)



Dry on toothpicks so the paint doesn't smudge.



Glue feathers in holes using E6000.  Feathers equal in size.

Snitches Complete!  We've had horrible weather here lately, so I had to come up with an idea other than outside Quidditch.  Don't want the kids getting hit by lightning!  Perhaps a game of "Find the Snitch". 

   Finally, the last thing I've been working on was the Hogwarts Express sign.  This was mostly made using my Silhouette Machine.

    Found a piece of wood in the wood section, painted the top, side lip, and bottom a dark red color. 

Then, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the "Hogwarts Express" lettering.

Sponged on the gold paint.....

Then I used the Silhouette's "Print and Cut" feature to make the "9 3/4" circle and the crest.  Put those on with Mod Podge, and then sealed with a clear coat of Krylon.

Still drying.



    Still have to make the potion labels, finish the golden dragon egg, and a lot more.  As before, I will keep you posted and will definitely post pictures when everything is up and decorated. 

Getting Ready for a Magical Party

My oldest son just turned 9.  He is totally into Harry Potter and reads the books constantly, over and over again; so when I asked him what kind of party he wanted.... no surprise.  "Harry Potter, Mom!"

     I've seen bits and pieces of the movies.  Never been able to catch one all the way through, but I think I have the general gist of it.  Plus, with a H.P. obsessed kid, it's not hard to pick up extra tidbits here and there.

     My first venture into this magical party prep had to start at the beginning... with invitations.

     Finished these today using the Silhouette's "Print and Cut" feature.  The Harry Potter font for the invites was found here at DaFont.com.  It was free to download and worked perfectly.  All of the clipart was purchased from the Silhouette Online Store.

     The ticket at the bottom of the invitation is cut with a perforated cut to make for easy removal from the invite.  The registration marks that were on the page were cut off by making a large rectangle cut around the entire page, just inside the marks.  That way, they show up to align the image (for perforation around the ticket), but aren't in the completed project.

    Roll up, tape closed with clear tape, and finish with a bright red ribbon.

    Now to make the "magical prize", potion drinks, and other random magical goodies.  Will keep you all posted.

Raspberry Swirl Snail Earrings.

     When I was a little girl, I used to live in England.  Whenever it rained, there used to be snails EVERYWHERE.  I would pluck them off the trees, put them in my pockets and take them home (or to school... where I'd let them slime a trail across my desk).

   I've always thought snails were adorable.  When my husband and I moved to Germany, I even purchased some Giant African Land Snails to keep as pets.  They really are awesome little guys, but I had to sell them before we moved back to the States.  (They are illegal to own in the States because people would let them go and they ran rampant, eating crops.)

My Giant African Land Snails sharing a snail-y smooch.

   Anyway, long story short.  I came up with the idea to make some cute snail earrings.  They're all the charm without the slime.

   Teeny little boogers, aren't they?  They were interesting to sculpt, but super fun and definitely a project that I enjoyed.

    The earring cards were made using a Silhouette Cameo using the "Print & Cut" feature.  I had to fiddle with it a bit to figure it out, but it ended up being an easy project.  May have to post a tutorial on it later.

     Finally had something to put up in the shop!  So excited and can't wait to see what the New Year brings! 

    Hope you all have a very happy and safe New Year's!

Steel Tub Toy Bin

During the holiday season, who doesn't need additional toy storage?

I knew that Scarlett's toys would be completely out of control come Christmas.  Sure enough, Christmas came and went, leaving my house looking like a toy store exploded inside of it.  With three kids, you need all the organization you can get.

     I've seen random toy boxes made out of steel bins before that were decoupaged, bedazzled, etc... but I wanted to try doing my own thing and then blog about it.

Here is Scarlett's steel toy bin-

 Supplies-
Steel tub or bin-  I found mine at Ace Hardware. 
Two cans of spray paint, different colors*- (I used Rustoleum Painters Touch 2x Coverage in Satin Green Apple and Rustoleum American Accents Smooth Satin Finish in Sweet Pea.  Whatever you use, make sure it works with metal.)
Can of Clear Gloss-  I used Ace Premium Enamel Clear Gloss  (Very Fast Drying Formula, works with metal)
Letters and/or designs for labeling or embellishing**
Paper or tarp
Painter's tape***

*  As far as the paint is concerned, this stuff stuck SUPER well.  I did not use or need a primer.  The surface of my steel tub was irregular and rough and the paint had no problem adhering.  If you have a smooth metal tub, you may want to consider buying a can of metal primer.

** My letters and scrolls were made using a Silhouette Cameo.  (A cutting machine.)  You can also purchase pre-made sticker letters and embellishments at craft stores such as Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, or Michael's or even handpaint if you'd like!

***  Painter's tape is totally optional.  I did not use it, but it can be used to protect the paint job on the lip of the steel bin once it is inverted for painting the outside.  Good option, but not absolutely necessary.

Step One- Take everything outside when you have a nice, clear day. 

No wind, no rain... nice and sunny with great temps.
Check your paint cans to see acceptable temperature range.



    Paint a thin coat on the inside of your bin, taking care to cover the upper lip at the top.

Only paint a thin layer on this step. 
Your second coat will cover up any metal you may see at this stage.

Step Two-  Once your first coat of inner paint is dry, add another thin coat to completely cover up any metal spots.... taking care to cover the upper lip of the bin.  Wait until completely dry before starting Step Three.

Step Three- Put your paper or tarp down on a completely flat surface and invert your tub so the bottom is up.  You are going to paint the outside.  If you wish, you can first protect the top lip (which is now touching the ground) by covering it all around with Painter's tape.  Put on a light coat of paint and wait for it to dry.

First coat of paint. 
It's okay if you see metal through this coat.  You'll cover it with the second.



Step Four-  Paint your second thin coat on the outside.  Be sure to spray the handles too!  You'll have to wiggle them around and flip them up to ensure that you get them completely.  Let dry.

Now you should have this:

Step Five- Now it's time to add your labels and embellishments.  I used adhesive-back vinyl cut on a Silhouette machine to embellish my bin, but as I said before, stickers and/or handpainting works just fine as well.

Step Six-  Once you're done embellishing, it's time to seal your entire bin with a clear gloss coat.  This will protect your work (and ensure little fingers don't pull off your stickers or mess up your hard work).

Wait for your clear gloss coat to dry COMPLETELY before putting it to use.  Refer to the back of your can for curing time. 

Then, enjoy!

Coming Soon- Spicy Pinecone Etsy Shop

Decided to take the plunge.  Started creating my very first Etsy store.  Yippee!

Plan to post a few items in the near future. 

One-Eyed One-Horned Flying Purple People Eater and Monkey Business Ornaments

Going through a poly clay phase.  Been making a lot of ornaments lately and I have to say that it's really a great stress reliever and outlet for your creativity!

    For this year's ornaments, Cameron gets the Christmas piggy, Scarlett gets the polar bear with a snowflake, and Kai wanted something different...

    Behold, the One-Eyed One-horned Flying Purple People Eater ornament....

So the ornaments for everyone this year will be:

Cam, Kai, and Scarlett's ornaments.



     Last year, I also used polmer clay to make their ornaments.  They all got the same basic hedgehog, but it was embellished to suit each child.

Kai, Scarlett, and Cam's ornaments last year.

     Also this year, I attempted my first monkey ornament ever!  It was a trade for one of my fellow bloggers and it was really a blast to make!  

     The monkey pictures were taken after it was baked and the eyes were painted, but it hadn't been glazed yet or had a ribbon added to it.  I later finished her and sent her to live with her new family.  :)

      I've been working with the Sculpey Studio clay, but just recently picked up some Sculpey Premo clay.  I'll work with the new stuff in the near future and let you all know how it performs.   

Vegas and Ziplining

     It seems like vacations are rare in our family, but in the past two months we've made up for it.

    The first trip was back in November.  My mom and I have been talking for years about going to Vegas for a girls' getaway.  We finally made plans for the trip and left the day after Thanksgiving.

     It was my first time ever going to Vegas and I was so excited.  You'd be amazed at how much there is to do there.  A friend had told me that it's like a grown-up Disneyland and I have to agree.

     Mom and I did some shopping at the Venetian (that's my mom in the foreground) first. 

Found a great shirt that ended up coming home with me because I found it too funny to leave.

  And I was thrilled when we came to the Thomas Sabo store.  Thomas Sabo is a jewelry designer that I first discovered while we were living in Germany.  He makes some great stuff, but only has three stores here in the US... two of them in Vegas.  Yes, I hit them both.  :)

     The rest of that first night, we walked around to do some shopping and just see the city.

Shopping in Caesar's

Inside the Shops at Caesar's Palace.

Ceiling of blown-glass flowers.

The fountains at the Bellagio.

   The next morning, we were still pretty wiped, but not so wiped that we couldn't find some new friends to hang out with.  This here is Kotton Kandy.  Kotton Kandy told me to watch for him (her?) on the next season of "America's Got Talent"... so get ready, folks! 

First time I'd ever had a man yell, "Grab my titties!" 

    I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard in my life.

    My next friend was a bit fluffier and didn't require any weird posing.  I loved the Coca-Cola bear.

But then he ate my head...

   When we left the Coca-Cola store, Mom and I were pulled into a street performer's magic show.  After helping him out, we continued to walk around.

Jelly Belly Statue of Liberty

Statue Performer.  He was really cool.



    We eventually went to bed and woke up the next morning to head down to a fantastic buffet at Bally's.  I'm seriously drooling just thinking about it.   Will not torment you with pictures...  it would be too mean.  Crab legs, lobster, crepes, lamb, little miniature desserts, honestly, the best breakfast I have ever had.  Thanks, Mom!

     The rest of the last day was a bit more walking around and getting ready to leave.  I'm already wanting to go back so I can show Travis everything!

     The next trip was a ziplining trip that Travis set up for the whole family.  We left this past Friday to stay in a cabin at Banning Mills.  It's only about an hour and a half away from us so it was a really quick drive.  We waited at the main lodge to check in...

At the lodge.

Once we were checked in, we went to see our cabin. 

    It was built on a stilt frame, overlooking the creek.  A lot roomier than I had thought it would be.  I was really impressed.  It was a nice cabin.
    We went walking along the trails for a bit and then settled in for a nice, quiet evening.

     The next morning, Travis had signed Cam and me up for a ziplining tour.  Now, both Cam and I are terrified of heights... TERRIFIED.  It took a lot of guts for us not to throw up all over everyone.

     After getting our safety brief/instructional course, we climbed up on a rope bridge that connected to the first tower.  Once across, we climbed up the rest of the way to the first zipline.  I spent a while trying to coax Cameron off before I decided that maybe he should watch me go first.  He happily agreed.


Me trying to coax Cam off the tower.  (Cam in red, I'm in gray behind him.)





Better view of the first tower.







     Once I went, I talked to him over the instructor's radios and he followed about 30 seconds later.  After that first zipline, the rest were a breeze.  The course was about 10 ziplines in all, zipping from tree to tree in the woods.  It was so much fun!  We had some trail riders on the forest floor beneath us and it was funny to see the people gawking up from the forest floor and the horses just plodding along... not caring a bit.   (You could tell that the horses were veterans of the place.  People zipping over their heads was not a big deal.)

     After that, it was off to the spa while Travis took the kids to play miniature golf.  While walking back along the trails to get home, apparently Kai fell in the creek (not surprising) and was not a bit happy about it.  I got back from the spa to see his clothes laid out on the cabin porch to dry out.  Scarlett was thrilled to tell me about him falling in but Kai didn't look so happy about it.

    LOTS of fun!  For being a weenie about heights, you'd be amazed at how fast you get over it when zipping around like that.  I highly recommend it!