Day 27: Summer Loving #30DOC

Only three days left of the challenge, and I am not sure how much I will get done the next three days. So much going on. The baby blanket I have been working on, is now about half done, and you can see that right below. I love the stitch. It will have a polar bear on it and a polar bear hat when completed. Or at least that is my goal. I made my first Etsy team treasury that I have done in a while. Like I said very busy. I am counting it for today because these treasuries are creative and take some time to put together. You can see some of the items below. There are a few that do not come up, but please visit this link to see all the other lovely items in the treasury.

Day 25 Island Paradise and Water Horse #30DOC

I did not plan on painting today, for my creativity Day 25. But, Caitlin really wanted to paint her white horse running on the beach. So, we painted. You see Caitlin's horse below and my Island Paradise out in the middle of the ocean somewhere. My dolphin needs some work, looks more like a shark of some sort, lol. And, I wish I had not put the sun in, but I did add some white clouds at the very top so I liked it a bit better. I really like how this one came out. Caitlin and I are considering doing a painting challenge in July. Most challenges are at least 30 days in length, but because I work weekends ours would be 23 days in length. I also need to get the kids Homeschool portfolios done. That is creative all in itself, lol. Oh, I also continue to work little by little on the new baby blanket. What did you create today?

Day 24 Paint Your Favorite Animal #30DOC

Today for Day 24 of the, 30 Days of Creativity Challenge, the kids and I each painted our favorite animal. I love baby sea turtles, adults too actually. So, I painted just hatched baby sea turtles making a run for safety, the water. DJ did a Panda Bear, another favorite animal of mine. Caitlin did a White Tiger mother and baby, and yes another favorite of mine. I guess I don't have a favorite animal, lol! I love them all, but especially baby animals. I also continue to work on the new baby blanket I am making. It will have a Polar Bear on it. I did not like the pattern I was following. In the pattern you made 15 squares and then sew them all together. Ugh way too tedious. But, I did love the new stitch I learned. So, I just made my own pattern using that stitch, and that is what I worked on today. The kids and I got a lot done today. Both creative and not so creative. Were you creative today?

Day 23 Getting Creative With Hair and Playing With Wire

Wow! 30 Days of Creativity is almost over already. Today I did some wire wrapping. Since I have not messed around with my wire skills lately, it took me some time to make something I like. I thought I had some red and green beads, the colors of my kid's birthstones. But, I only had a pistachio green pearl and a red carnelian bead. The green doesn't actually look like an Emerald and is way too big for this to work. But, I like the way the pendant came out and with the right size beads I could easily love this charm holder pendant. Hopefully I will be able to mess with this some more when I get the proper supplies. I made a smaller one out of craft wire as well, but didn't care for it as much. I have a lot of hair and have been trying different hair styles, that don't look like I am from an era gone by, or 70 years old. I have been perfecting my French Braid skills. Over at Hair Romance, she has tons of hair styles to try. One that I tried, unsuccessfully I might add, was the upside down French Braid into a bun. It came out OK and did not give me a headache, very comfortable, but most of the braid just wasn't good enough to say it was braided. It is hard to braid upside down. So, the one I like the most, so far, and no I do not get a headache is the French Braid into a ponytail or bun. I French Braid both sides, except for bangs. Then I put a clip at each end of the braid, so it doesn't come out. Then I pull the remaining hair, and both braids, into a ponytail. You then removed the clips and just let the hair dangle. Or if I want all more hair up, and not touching my neck at all, I either roll the ponytail under or up, they both create a somewhat different look, and clip it into place. That is the one that is shown. I like them both, and like I said no headaches. It is hot here in FL, and wearing my hair down is just not going to happen. But, I am not crazy about the wicked headaches that come with wearing it up. So, this works nicely. Thank you, Hair Romance, for having some an awesome blog.

Bunnies and a New Baby Blanket Day 22

We have a wild bunny in the neighborhood. Caitlin saw it last week, and I saw it a few weeks ago. This morning it was hopping around in the neighbor's yard. We got some pictures of it, seen below. I am not sure why it is hanging out here, there are a ton of dogs and cats. We do have a rabbit, inside a room in the garage, but he is four and never attracted bunnies before. I just don't want to see it get eaten. I started a new baby blanket. The square below shows the pattern design. I have to make 15 of those squares. So far I have made 2, lol. It will take me some time to finish this one.

Day 21 #30DOC Melissas Homeschool

To see today's creativity topic you have to visit my homeschool blog  http://melissashomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/06/horseshoe-crabs-and-baby-turtle-egg.html 
Check it out!

Day 20 #30DOC Painted Mailbox

Today, for Day 20, Caitlin and I painted our mailbox. Last year, we painted it in the American Flag motif. The pole still needs to be spray painted black. Caitlin did the one side with the dog and numbers, while I did the flowers on the other side. It started good, not too hot, but then we had to wait for the black paint to dry. As we were painting on the other items it started to thunder in the distance. I had checked the radar for rain, before hand, and there was none. Anyway we had to hurry, and it was hot too, the mailbox and the air. So the flowers and vines didn't come out exactly as I wanted, but it is still pretty. Also, I forgot I do not like to paint on metal, lol. Especially textured metal, I just don't like the way the paint goes on. We used acrylic paint. Total time of project was like one hour and 15 min. I did get to let it dry and sealed before the thunderstorm actually hit and the mailbox is just fine.

Day 19 Princess Crochet Cocoon #30DOC

Today is day 19 of the 30 Days of Creativity Challenge, and I finally finished the preemie Princess Cocoon with Tiara headband. This just has to have the loose ends sewn in and then it will be available for purchase in my Etsy store. I really like this, and it can be for sleep, Halloween, a photo prop or all of those options. Preemies need to look cute too. I decided on the tiara headband over the other princess hat I was going to do, just because the tiara is more like a princess. I might add some pearl embellishments to it before I list it. What do you think?

Creativity Catch Up #30DOC

Day 11-18 each day I worked a little bit more on my Princess cocoon.  It is almost all done and then I need to do the hat.
Day 12 was painting fun for just me and I painted this lovely purse at the top.
Day 13 was photography fun with butterflies and flowers.  There are actually more pics for both days.
Day 14 was all smiles with photography fun.
Day 15 http://melissashomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/06/did-you-know-nature-facts.html
 Day 16 http://melissashomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/06/did-you-know.html
 Day 17 is fun with pictures and the dog.  This is Biscuit in various fashionista wear.  Isn't she cute?
Day 18 is painting fun with the whole family.  Mom painted on sunglasses and one wallet, Caitlin painted the Petshop dogs and the dog wallet, my sister painted the NC Tar Heels Wallet, and I painted the Love letters which will go above my Family Tree I painted on the wall on one of the other days.


Now that my sister will be returning to NC, I can resume a more normal schedule of creativity.  I still want to paint my mailbox, and a few other things planned, plus others I want to try.  Friday we are going seashell hunting, I hope, if it does not rain.  So there might be lots of photos that day as well.

Crochet Cocoon and Jewelry

I still have family here staying with me, for a few more days. But, I have been working on my Princess Infant Cocoon, and I would so love to learn to make crochet wire jewelry. Check out the book below. I think I might pick this one up myself, and give it a try. Maybe I should search for some free ones first. I don't know. Have you been keeping up with the 30 Days of Creativity Challenge?

Creativity Slow Down

For the next seven days, I will have family staying with me from out of state.  So, my creativity may be very limited during this time.  I will try to keep up and do updates as I go.  Today, I started working on a preemie princess cocoon. 

Day 10 of #30DOC Butterfly Feeders

Today is day 10 of the 30 Days of Creativity Challenge, and Caitlin and I made a butterfly feeder using a painted recycled sauce jar. This is actually a project for our Earth Kids group, but I wanted to test one first to see how it worked. First the jar was already painted by myself. Then I had to figure out how to hang it. I think in the end I decided a bracket of some sort will work best. But, instead I crocheted a pretty purple hanger. You can see in theory it should work. But, once you add the sugar water it is just too heavy to be held up. Anyway after some thinking I used an old Ticki Torch that is just the shell left over. I put the jar in the Tiki Holder and then using my crocheted holder used that to get the pieces of wood to embrace and hold the butterfly feeder in place. This will suffice for now, until I get a proper bracket. We tried the feeder with the rotten fruit in a pan. That didn't work. The birds and squirrels thought it was theirs. And they just knocked it all over and made a big mess. Then I saw a website where they said to use an old jar. If you paint the jar pretty with bright colors it will help attract the butterflies and humming birds. Then use a nail to put a hole in the top. Then cut a sponge into very thin strips. Put as many of the sponge strips as you can into the hole, making a seal. Then dissolve one part sugar to two parts water and put it in the jar. Hang it upside down and wait for the butterflies and humming birds to visit. At first it dripped very fast and I thought oh no it will be gone in an hour. But, it slowed right down after the sponges were saturated. I was able to fit three sponges into the nail hole. I was going to paint today, something purple, but never did get to it.

Day 9 #30DOC Preemie Frog Cocoon

Today, I finished the frog hat to match the cocoon I made yesterday. This is for a preemie or small newborn baby. They make awesome photo props, Halloween costumes, or just to keep baby snuggly and warm. This will be available for purchase in my Etsy store. Be sure to check out all my items, including newly created Clearance section. The widget to reach my store is at the top of this blog.

Day 8 #30DOC Preemie Infant Frog Cocoon

Well guys I think I have the flu, or at the very least a very bad cold. I have a fever, aches,horrible sore throat and breathing is difficult. So, sleep will be my best friend for the next couple of days. I have family coming to visit in just a few days, so I need to get better fast. Sleep and lots of fluids is the best way to get better fast. Today for day 8 of the 30 Days of Creativity I made the cocoon part of the preemie frog cocoon set. I had already did half and finished the second half and crocheted it all together. Just have to do the little hat. I love these cocoons. They can be used as photo props and Halloween costumes as well. If I am still able to sit up I will finish it tomorrow. This one was my daughter's idea. She likes frogs! I have a bunch of other cute ones I would like to do as well, and I do preemie ones because there is not alot in the preemie market.

Day 7 Theme: Laughter #30DOC

The theme for today, for 30 Days of Creativity Challenge, is laughter. Now at first I didn't think I was going to come up with anything for this theme. I thought of doing a photo collage of all my kid's funny faces, and that would have worked well too. But then I decided to do this painting, titled Laughter. Can't you hear them giggling and laughing? I actually chose to do this painting for a couple of different reasons, other than the theme of laughter. We just had Tropical Storm Andrea roar past us. I am always amazed at the people who feel a need to be in the angry waters of the Gulf of Mexico during such events. They put themselves in harm ways, some their kids, and the people who then have to rescue them. There are riptide warnings for a reason. This dad wanted to see the angry waters, it is rather fascinating, but he waited until the storm had passed and the sun was coming back out. Trust me the waters are still angry even after the storm passes. My other reason for doing this one, is it is Father's Day next week. And what is more beautiful than a mother sharing time with her kids? A dad spending time with his kids, and having fun. I really enjoy silhouettes, both painting and looking at them. This painting, along with many others I haven't even shared yet, will all be available in my Etsy store. I will get this one up in time for Father's Day. I might even have a frame for this one already. Tomorrow and Sunday's themes are clutter and robots. I do not have anything for clutter, but I might have something in mind for robots. I will share something else tomorrow, that is creative.

Day 6 Theme Sticks #30DOC

This is not what I planned to to do today. I planned to go to the Gulf of Mexico and hunt for seashells with our Earth Kids group. But, Tropical Storm Andrea didn't want me to do that. So, about six months ago my husband saw on Facebook, a Family Tree painted onto someone's wall. He asked me, can you do that? I said, right now? LOL, no. So, I told him when the kids were done with school I would try. Since I couldn't go to the Gulf, and the theme for today was sticks, I decided to do it today. Now I didn't have to add leaves, it was quite lovely without them, but the leaves add color and pop and I like that. Also, my tree is done all in black. Not many black trees, but I love the silhouette look and since my wall has a hint of pink to the color of it, I really like it. I am very pleased with the results, but of course it isn't done. I will probably reoutline the tree, just because I like to do that to make it look nicer. Then I have to find tons of picture frames, small ones, and get pictures of everyone in our family. The big pictures were just hung back where they were before I painted the tree. The top one is crooked but I am short and even on a chair could barely reach to put the nail up there. I will have my hubby fix that.

Day 5: Theme Mandolins #30DOC

I painted bright and early this morning, before anyone else was even up. How refreshing. This is my day 5 entry for 30 Days of Creativity challenge. I actually started this painting two weeks ago. Normally I only paint on Monday. But, since we are done homeschooling, basically, for the year I have lots more time to paint. This was intended to be just vines and roses, but when I saw the theme for today was mandolin, I decided to paint in a Mandolin. I like it. The colors all blend very nice, though I wish I had added a soft blue as an over all background color, but I will have to remember that next time. I am always learning each time I create a painting. This is the only thing I got to do today, but I do have to say the pineapple salsa I made for the theme yesterday was delicious with our dinner chicken tonight. What did you create today? Tomorrow is sticks and I think I will be able to stick to it, because my other plans are probably going to be washed out by rain.

Day 4: Theme Pineapples #30DOC

OOH we were all kinds of creative today. I had my husband pick up a fresh pineapple from the store, last night. After I cut off the top, we planted it. It will hopefully grow a pineapple tree. We have done this with other foods like cabbage and celery and it worked. Never a tree though. Then I made a pineapple salsa, and it was so good. I have never had pineapple salsa before. The recipe is mine and it is below. It is chilling in the fridge to have on chicken for dinner tomorrow night. Then I attempted to paint pineapples on Caitlin's fingernails. This is my first try doing this and actually it is quite difficult especially on such tiny fingers. I definitely need bigger fingers and a thinner script liner. Anyway this may be one of the last days I stick to the theme. I started a new crochet project, that fits no theme, but I do have a few other theme projects to do when they come up. What did you create today? Pineapple Salsa: Chop two cups of fresh pineapple, chop five tomatoes, chop one small sweet onion, chop one green pepper, squeeze all the juice from one lime, add some garlic and some fiesta spice mix. Mix it all together and let it chill and blend. It is delicious and if you love fish it would be awesome with fish.

Day 3 of 30 Days of Creativity: Theme Iron

Today is day three of the 30 Days of Creativity Challenge. The theme is iron. At first I had no idea how I was going to come up with something for this theme. But, then I remembered that I had already started to paint on a small cast iron pan. You can see the what it looked like with just a few berries, in the archives. I bought this pan after Christmas. They are real cast iron pans and originally had a candle in it. After I used the candle, I cleaned it out and decided to paint on it. I really like how it came out. I did not like the original blueberries though, so I did them in a different way. The painting with the orange and white roses, is actually a work in progress. I started it actually two Mondays ago, and just decided that I would use it for the Mandolin theme on Wednesday. I think I finally figured out a rose I can paint that I really like. The ones in the top left hand corner are the ones I like best, I think, lol! Won't you join me and be creative too? Oh and the one red berry ended up upside down for some reason. This one won't be for sale, it is too heavy to ship, and I really love it.