Chinese New Year

I've been busy puttering around, making a few odd crafts here and there for the past few weeks . . . a baby blanket, a new necklace . . . . and working on a new quiet book (which is taking longer than I thought - or I'm just slower than I used to be).



But among all the busyness, I decided it would be fun to celebrate the Chinese New Year with my little family. I feel a little experienced in this area since I did get to spend some time (not nearly enough!) in China a year and a half ago. I can't believe it has been that long ago now. And there have been so many great ideas floating through blogland that I just couldn't resist. We celebrated today (or as son #2 has taken to saying: We "partied down" today - Chinese New Year style).



So amongst an excellent Chinese dinner at a great restaurant a fair distance from our house (that we rarely ever take the time to drive to) - and having to drive home in a nice winter snow storm, we did a few fun crafty things. I thought I would post the links here so that I can find them again in future years.



#1 - Dragon masks: it is the year of the dragon. Skip to my Lou, guest posting at Alphamom, made these super cute dragon masks. The boys loved to color them and wear them all over the house tonight.



#2 - Red envelopes: it is traditional to give money to others as a gift or a wish for good luck in a red envelope. While I ended up finding the "real thing" at a local Asian market that recently opened, the Silly Pearl has these super cute ones to make yourself. We made these too. The boys each got $1 in their envelopes. Son #1 instantly decided it should go to the bank to be deposited in his college fund. Son #2 had other ideas but reluctantly gave in to "brother-pressure" (otherwise known as peer pressure) and gave his bill to dad to deposit at the bank.



Other things we found at the local Asian market - super cute dragon ornaments that the boys have hanging with their other good luck charms I brought them back from China, and also some Chinese zodiac charms. They were born in the year of the dog and the rat so they have these charms in their rooms now too. Oh - and of course, these super touristy but fun little hats with the long braid running down the backs. They've hardly taken them off their heads today. I couldn't let them go in the Chinese restaurant with them on - - - and they were very disappointed.
But the Japanese "Pokey" sticks (cookie sticks dipped in chocolate) I bought at the Asian market seemed to make up for it and ended our night perfectly! Happy New Year!

Creative Kid Lunches

My boys are both in school full-time now. And that has meant packing lunches for them . . . I hate the pressure of this task! My philosophy is that lunches should be something healthy that they will actually eat. And I firmly believe that the lunches should include a variety of foods - not the same thing every day. My older son is the pickier eater of the two, however I still have it pretty good - he's not that picky. After a few months of lunchables pretty much every day, I finally found a fabulous blog called Another Lunch. Melissa uses Bento-style lunches and snacks with her kids and then blogs about them. I have been inspired . . . and my boys are finally happy with their lunches! And I no longer dread having to make lunches!!!

I have been using just some basic Ziplock style divided "boxes" which had been working very well. Then Melissa posted one day about these super cute Lego boxes that were food safe. I couldn't resist and went straight to the Container Store (online of course, since I'm not lucky enough to have a real Container Store near me) and ordered them in a couple of sizes. I have also picked up some egg molds (how cool are those things - seriously!!) and a wide variety of cute food picks.

I actually enjoy coming up with lunches now and I know my boys are enjoying their lunches more. My favorite treat idea from the blog has been the "deconstructed s'mores" - I've been known to make a little handful of that delightful treat just for me from time to time. But mini cookie cutters for cheese, bread shapes for sandwiches, and creative ways to present fruits and veggies have totally revolutionized lunchtime for us. Next up for me - homemade granola bites . . . I just have to find myself some mini silicone cups.

Here is a quick picture of our Lego lunches. These fit just perfectly inside my kid's lunch bags from Target. The smaller Lego boxes open up for a treat or whatever I needed to keep separate from the rest of the food.
Here is a close up - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (made with my new pampered chef sandwich maker, silicone cups with whole grain fish crackers and grapes. And inside this particular small Lego box he will find some chocolate and graham cookies.
And this is my husband's lunch for tomorrow. He's out of the office tomorrow and working in a place where he will not have access to a frig or a microwave. This is one of my 3-compartment Ziplock containers that have also been great. You'll see some crackers and slices from a mozzarella/prosciutto/basil roll. Then I tossed in some baby carrots and peeled clementines. There's also a silicone cup with sunflower seeds ( I wrapped that cup in some good, sticky clear wrap before I was finished to keep it from spilling). We'll see if that worked.
Truly, this has changed my lunch-making routine. I almost, kind-of, sort-of look forward to making lunches.

My Favorite Crocheted Scarf and a Hat

Handmade gifts are often really the best to receive, especially for so many of us that have so much already. When we asked my brother what his wife might want this year, he said "we already have two of everything". But my sister-in-law did mention how much she enjoyed a handmade scarf and a hat that she had received a few years ago. I decided to pull out my most favorite crocheted scarf pattern - the Curly Q scarf from http://www.patonyarns.com/. I have made this pattern for myself and at least one other that I recall that was a gift. This scarf works up so quickly and it is definitely one of the scarfs that I get the most positive comments on.

I knew that I wanted to add a little hat to go with it - and I couldn't find the last (and probably only) pattern I had for a hat. So I went to Crochet Trend via Etsy and ended up buying a really cute - and super easy - pattern. I added a dark brown to the same oatmeal colored yarn I used for the scarf (you crochet two yarns at once for the hat) and whipped this hat out in less than an hour.
Love it! Hope she does too.

Nativity Quiet Book

I've been wanting to make a Christmas themed quiet book for my boys. I found a couple of patterns that I mostly liked and after narrowing it down, I decided to go with a Nativity book. My only complaint about most of the quiet book patterns that I find are that they are just for looks - they aren't interactive. But . . . they sure are cute. So I went ahead and made two of them. (If I had extra time and some creativity, I would have tried my hand at making my own, more interactive, version.) But I'm happy with how these turned out.The one on the left will get sent to my sister. The one on the right is mine and was broken in by the boys today - and they would agree with my "wish these were more interactive" feelings. Here is the front cover.

I added the manger - the pattern just had an inscription page. Then we have Mary & Joseph.

Next up, the shepherd and a sheep, and then an angel.
The three wise men come next and then the manger with a baby Jesus. The baby is the only interactive portion - it is loose and can be played with separately.Finally, the back cover.
This pattern comes from Shelley Wallace's Etsy shop found HERE. I purchased a couple of her other patterns and plan to make a few more.

More Jewelry

So much to do . . . so little time! But I have managed to crank out a few cute pieces of jewelry. I can't believe Christmas will be here in less than 2 weeks. I'm not ready!!!

First up - my sister was in town last week and so we made this cute chain and pearl multi-strand bracelet (thanks to Bev from Flamingo Toes for the tutorial). Of course, I had to have one of my own. Love it!!!I also absolutely LoVe my Anthropologie inspired Gumball necklace and have had lots of comments on it when I wear it. So I thought I would throw together another one in different colors. You really have to see this one on a real person to appreciate it.
And I needed a Christmas present for someone (who shall remain nameless). As I was pawing through a bag of beads I came across these beautifully colored shell pearls. A few chains later and we have this great bracelet to give.
Ok - after I catch up on some sleep tonight, I have a few more projects in the works . . . and I have made a decision - a big one! I vow to myself to start on Christmas projects for next year right away! There really was so much I wanted to do for this year - if I get started now, maybe I'll be ready for next year. Think it will actually happen?

I did put up my hand-painted Precious Moments inspired Nativity set tonight. I've had it for years and years - and never once put it out. There are just a few animal pieces left to paint and a few of the painted pieces still needs their eyes painted. But I put them up anyway - and I love them. Pictures to come!

A Big Giant Flop

Well I did it - technically!
I got brave and did some sewing on what was to be a cute new blouse. It turned out really cute . . . except for two things . . . .1. It doesn't fit - so I guess those patterns that claim they're easy to sew and easy to fit really only work if you actually read the instructions about choosing the right size. It was actually really simple to sew, but the fit part . . . well I sure do need a little work on picking the right size. It fits well except through the chest area. There . . . not so well.

2. It turns out that it is really ok that it doesn't fit because even though the material is really cute, it is incredibly noisy! Every little rustle or movement makes me think about George Costanza's pants in that great old episode of Seinfeld. It would have driven me crazy to wear it and hear it all day long. Guess I need to "listen" to the fabric before I buy it.

Oh well - next projects are up to the top of the list and have been started. More to follow.

Some Anthropolgie Inspiration - Necklaces

Finally, I took some time to sit down and be crafty this weekend. It felt good!!!

I had spied these necklaces over on the Anthropologie website a few months back and have been looking for just the right beads to make my own. I'm totally amazed by the prices for these - I do know that it is difficult to find beads that I like as much as theirs, but I think my inspiration pieces work just fine.

First up - Anthropologie's Long Link necklace - original price $298.

And here is my version - yes, it is a really, really bad picture. And I switched the metal from silver up to antique brass. But I thought it went well with the bronzite beads that I chose. (And a quick "true confession" - I am wearing my ever-so-lovely house cleaning shirt for these pictures. It goes just wonderfully with jewelry, doesn't it!) I decided to add some additional short strands of chain just to help set the bottom half of the necklace off, since it is all the same color tones.And here is Anthropologie's Gumball necklace - price $258. When I first saw this necklace, it was not "on" a real person - just in this picture. I didn't catch the actual potential in it until I saw the same necklace on another website with someone actually wearing it. Then I knew I had to make my own.
Here is my version - once again, a really bad picture (indoors at night, in my house cleaning shirt). But I do love this necklace! I can't wait to wear it for real, with a really nice blouse and my hair done nicely (not in a ponytail). This is a fun one and super easy to make. Again the trick is finding the right beads. I am working on another project that I hope to have done soon. And I have my next few projects all lined up, ready to go - can't wait. I'm done traveling for a few weeks and can hopefully get moving on making some progress on my Christmas lists.