Arts and Crafts, Anyone?

Lately, I've been on an arts and crafts kick.  I think it was brought on by Lindsey's flower-making.  Anyway, the last two days, I've spent half my time sitting at the table downstairs, gluing, cutting, sewing and generally making a mess.  Since I haven't had the time, or inclination, or money, to go and buy anything for my arts and crafts, I've used only things that were already floating around the house.  All I can say is that I sincerely hope Mom wasn't planning on using any of these things.  Hi, Mom.

I'm not going to make this one a How-to post.  I will post the materials I used, but I won't do a tutorial unless someone specifically requests one.  A lot of the projects are ridiculously simple and you can probably figure them out just by looking at them.

This one was inspired by, but looks almost nothing like, a bow I saw a little girl wearing while I was working.  

Design: mine

Materials:

Ribbon: blue, green

Hair clip

Jeweled button

This one isn't my favorite, but it's okay.  I wish the ribbon edging hadn't turned out so stiff.

Design: based on this one with some tweaks of my own.

Materials:

Button

Ribbon: pink

Synthetic fabric

Hair clip

I kind of like this one.

Design: mine (because I definitely take credit for the invention of the bow.)

Materials:

Ribbon

Hair clip

I like this gingham ribbon.  (Mercy has a very toothy smile, does she not?)

Design: mine

Materials:

Ribbon: blue and tan gingham

Two buttons

Hair clip

I really wanted to make some actual jewelry and not just fake flowers.  I ended up finding some elastic and awesome buttons and making this bracelet.

Design: mine

Materials:

Buttons

Elastic

I also found this awesome piece of lace and wanted to do something with it, but I didn't know what.  I found this length of thick red ribbon and made a cuff bracelet (my arm looks rather excessively hairy).

Design: mine

Materials:

Ribbon: red

Lace piece

Hook and eye closure

I think this might be my favorite one.

Design: mine

Materials:

Button

Wire

Last of all, a sneak-peek of the purse Lindsey designed and made.  All on her lonesome.

Vintage Doll

An Exercise in Narcissism? Possibly.

We finally got around to taking my pictures for the photo collage I'm making for my room.  It's going to have a portrait of each of us girls.  I like to pretend that the reason that this photoshoot didn't happen earlier is because there wasn't anybody at home to take my picture when I was available to have my picture taken.  I think the real reason is that I've become a bit particular about how my pictures look and I don't like not being in control.  I think this is probably a sign of some larger underlying trust issues.  Hmmmmm.  

Anyway, all the pictures in today's post are of me and taken by Lindsey.  

I was confused as to why *I* wasn't the one behind the camera.  *whiny voice* "But *I'm* the photographer. . . .Why can't *I* take the pictures?"

Oh, the *other* thing, I'm bad at modeling.  I never know what to do.  "Hey, let's see what happens when I turn my head to the side!"  Guess what, you get a picture of yourself with your head turned to the side.  Yup.  

Oh, guess who has a snaggletooth.  Guess.  ME, obviously.  You can see it if you click and make this picture bigger. 

 Moving on. . . 

Oh, look, I'm confused. Again.  I'm often confused.  Ask anyone, they'll tell you. 

A-WHA, do you see my raised eyebrow?  Do you?  I don't even know what it's doing.  Probably wandering off without proper supervision, as usual.

I don't even like this one.**  I just put it up because, as Lindsey was telling everyone (meaning two people) earlier, I'm in a *really* weird mood today.  In fact, I'll probably come back later and delete this post, so read it QVICKLY (yes, I spelled it that way INTENTIONALLY.) while it's still HERE.

I don't think that these posts are good for my self image.  I think I'll stick to posting pictures of other people from now on. 

**You know what I *do* like?  Huh, do ya?  My owl necklace.  I like it lots.  So does Brooke. . .but she can't have it.

James Bond vs. Ninja

Today the boys and I had a photo-shoot.  They've been badgering me about it ever since I started the photo-shoots with the girls.  Finally, today, I bit the bullet and headed outside wearing my super-duper photographer's outfit, which consists of whatever shirt I happen to be wearing and my trusty basketball shorts (which may or may not have come from the boys' section of Kohl's)** with a comb in one spacious pocket and a marker and bottle of hair gel in the other.

**(Kohl's is probably a trademark or something, so if anyone asks, we're all going to pretend like we're just talking about close family friends by the last name of Kohl who happened give me these shorts, all right?)

We were going to do several different outfits ranging from preppy to ninja to gangsta to MIB.***  Since I had not taken into account that my brothers are 11 and 13, respectively, and do not in fact *own* the wardrobes of preps, ninjas, gangstas, and MIB, I didn't get what I was looking for.  I really don't think I can be blamed for the quality of these following pictures since what I had to work with was one kid in sweats and one in a suit.

***(We're just going to pretend that you didn't have to look at this to know that MIB = Men in Black)

So, James Bond may or may not be wearing shoes.  What of it?  Doesn't everybody's favorite 00 agent deserve to let his little tootsies breathe now and again?

So, the gun James Bond is pointing at you may or may not be yellow and orange plastic. What of it?  He doesn't even NEED that gun.  All he needs is the smouldery look in his eyes that says "Ladies, I'm here for *you.*"

See?  I *told* you so.

So, he's smiling.  What of it?  James Bond isn't allowed to break into a grin occasionally?

So, he looks like Alfalfa****.   What of it?  James Bond isn't allowed to be a little rascally sometimes (hey, it's a pun, he-he)?

****(PLEASE, don't tell me you don't know who Alfalfa is.  Little Rascals?)

So, he looks like a psychopath.  What of it?  James Bond kills people all the time anyway.  He isn't allowed to look like what he is?

Ninjas are cool.  Especially if their names are Zach.

The only times Zach-ninjas aren't cool is when they do this. . . 

. . .And this. . . . Aw, is the wittle ninja scared?  Where did the cool go?  

Oh wait, I think I found it scared and hiding in a corner.  Moving on.

Ummmm.  Moving on to a different country. . .

Better

Best

The End

Fourth of July Weekend Pictures

Happy Fourth of July

(My camera doesn't like fireworks.  Sorry.  I thought the first couple were blurry in a cool psychedelic kind of way)