Renaissance Faire Fun

Some of you may be asking yourselves, “What does Stuart Little have in common with a Ren Faire?” This is a very good question and until Saturday evening I would have answered, “Nothing.” Sherwood Forest Archery had a booth set up and were seeking willing customers. Many of the men were jumping at the opportunity. The female population, however, was a little less eager. I’m sure you can guess into which category I fell. I politely declined the first offer they made. A short while after the rain shower that popped up, I was again asked if I would like to shoot a bow and arrow. I started to politely decline once again. Then, the thought of telling my nephew, who is really into hunting right now, that Aunt Lissie shot a bow and arrow popped into my head. Taking a deep breath I did something which for me is somewhat unusual. I stepped out of my comfort zone and participated rather than just being a spectator. As it turns out archery is really quite fun! I came back later and paid $3.00 for the fun and pleasure of shooting ten more arrows. The lesson and first try was free. Afterwards, I was awarded my very own Stuart Little. The lord of Sherwood Archery said it was for being such a good sport. Stepping out of my comfort zone is something I plan to do more often.  Stuart Little will always be with me shouting, “You Go Girl!”  What is your “You Go  Girl” mascot?

Here are a few shots from our adventure. The chain maille bracelet was made by our friend Doug who accompanied us on this trip. It was made using a Dragon Scale pattern. I was quite impressed with his work and thought it quite beautiful.

Internet Round Up

While visiting my usual watering holes, I’ve met some wonderful artists and interesting people.
This jade bed is owned by Yang Zhibin of Banjin, China. To find out more visit the Domistik Goddess .

These beauties were created by ceramist Sandra Haischberger. You can find out more by visiting by visiting her shop, Feindedinge and by checking in with Morewaystowastetime.

Roadside Scholar introduced me to Sophie Gardner Jewelry. Her work is beautiful. You can visit her shop by clicking here and don’t forget to visit Roadside Scholar to learn more.

I also discovered an artist on Roadside Scholar, Dalia Doksaite. Her work is soft, soothing, and beautiful. It’s called Sumi-e painting. It originated in China 2000 years ago and came to Japan in the 13th and 14th centuries.

I found these beautiful, unique clutches courtesy of Modish. They are made by Red Ruby Rose and can be found in her Etsy shop.

Finally the folks at Craftzine introduced me to Epicurious who taught me how to make my very own fruit juice gummies. I can’t wait to try this with my nephews. Click here for the recipe.

Marie at MakeandTakes offers up a wonderful pendant tutorial.

Aren’t these just the coolest!?
Well, there you have it folks! This week’s internet roundup!

Stampington announces new publications in 2009!

Two of my favorite magazines, Artful Blogging and Somerset Life, are produced by Stampington & Company. They have several new publications coming in 2009 and are currently seeking submissions.



I don’t know which one to be more excited about. They all look so wonderful. If you want more information about these publications or want to make a submission click here.

Website of the Week!! The Best of DIY!!

I just stumbled upon this website moments ago and absolutely love it! The author, clockworkpink, has done an excellent job of scouring the web for the coolest of crafts. I love the cupcake scarf and the invisible book shelf mentioned in the first two blog posts. My favorite thing from page 1 simply has to be these Muppet head glasses holders.


I only wish I knew how to crochet. After seeing these and the aforementioned cupcake scarf I just may have to learn. I highly recommend this wonderful, fun site. Click here to visit The Best of DIY.

Princess Cupcake

The little princess’s arrival is nearing. I found this adorable sleeper at Wal-Mart! Isn’t it cute? I hope my sister likes it.

Read to Feed

I ran across this on Craftzine and just had to share. Cindy at Skip to My Lou is offering up the fave reads of crafters and a little craft as well. All of this reading and crafting is helping to support the Read to Feed program at Heifer International. Heifer has many programs to help feed the poor all over the world. The tutu is the first of these offerings found at Skip to My Lou. What could be better or more exciting than reading, crafting, and helping others!

Sunday School Craft Corner

Announcing a new blogging frontier from yours truly.  Since my husband and I began teaching the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade bible class, I have had difficulty finding crafts and activities to go along with many of our lessons.  It occurred to me that others may be having similar problems.  I have a created a blog for the sole purpose of sharing the ideas, crafts, and activities that we discover and use.  All of them will be tested in bible class before being posted.  I hope other bible class teachers will find this blog useful.  I am also planning to encourage the sharing of ideas and hope that someday my little blog will be a great resource and open forum.  Here’s to the future!

Click here to visit the blog!

Recycled Crayon Art

I have recently stumbled upon several tutorials for recycling old crayons.

This one came from Craftzine courtesy of Daily Danny. He melted the crayons in a pan and then used a cookie cutter to cut out the butterfly shapes. Nikki at Whimsy Love has a Molded Crayon Tutorial using candy/soap molds and a Cool Chunky Crayons Tutorial using a muffin tin. I also recommend visiting Squidoo. They have a page of crayon crafts, info, books and more. They even have a clip from Sesame Street showing how crayons are made. For those of you who have old crayons, but no time or desire to recycle them yourselves, send them to CrazyCrayons. It is a national recycling program that will make new crayons out of your old ones. It’s really pretty cool. I had no idea that such a thing even existed, but I can see its usefulness. I can imagine many teachers out there who have alot of used, broken crayons left at the end of the school year. Instead of throwing them away, why not send them to CrazyCrayons. Isn’t it so much better to make something new and fun out of old stuff like crayons, rather then letting it sit in a landfill for years and years.

A Great Bargain, A New Love, and Warm Hats

My husband and I were out and about this weekend. I thought I’d share some of our more fun and interesting finds. After getting married I discovered that my husband doesn’t go to sleep without either music playing or a sound machine turned on. The thunderstorm and rain buttons are his favorites. Unfortunately, the CD player and the big sound machine/alarm clock take up a bit too much room in the suitcase, so we do without while traveling. Well, we did without until now. Thanks to Walgreens we can take the thunderstorm and rain with us wherever we go. We found this little travel alarm clock/sound machine and only paid $3.99. I just love a good sale!

I am always on the look out for chapstick or lip balm of some kind that will also add a little color or shine to my lips. When my lips get dry I know they need something with moisture, but I also like something a little dressy, especially when I’m wearing other make-up. I stumbled upon this Neutrogena lip nutrition on sale at Target and decided to give it a try. It feels wonderful on my lips, smells great, and provides a subtle shine. On a green note, I also like Chapstick’s new all natural line.

We stumbled upon a yarn sale of sorts at Wal-Mart. Last year my sweet husband made this wonderful, warm, winter hat for me. I found three skeins of yarn that I just loved. Hubby has promised more warm hats this year. Pretty cool, huh?


Finally, a couple of new books that I just had to mention. While at Lifeway Christian, I noticed several of the Kid Concoction books and wished I could find one on sale. Five minutes later, I was perusing their discount section and there it was, The Ultimate Book of Kid’s Concoctions. We already made the Scratch N Sniff watercolor paint in Bible class Sunday morning. A package of Kool-Aid mix, a tablespoon of water, and a picture of fruit make a wonderful craft project for teaching a lesson on the Fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. The kids loved it! It’s on a list of fun things to do with my nephews while their little sister is making her arrival. I’m hoping to make things fun for them, especially the 3 year old, while Mom is busy!

I also found this makeover book. Most girls enjoy makeovers and all of us love a little pampering every now and again. I love the idea of working on the inside as well as the outside. I’m looking forward to reading this book.

LuLu’s Vintage - Website of the Week!

I stumbled upon this totally awesome blog on Wednesday! If you like all things vintage, you’ll like LuLu’s. I enjoyed her Roadside America posts and just hit the tip of iceberg perusing her accessories category. The hats are incredibly delicious!




These metal sculptures are from Swetsville Zoo in Colorado. Aren’t they fabulous?


One incredibly delicious hat and check out the funky fruity necklace!
I noticed on Lulu’s about page that she does have a schedule of sorts. On Monday’s she highlights men’s vintage clothing, and Wednesday’s are for highlighting vintage collectibles and housewares. You won’t want to miss Fashion Fridays or Saturdays when she posts ads from vintage magazines. Finally on the first Sunday of each month, Lulu features an interview with a vintage clothes lover. I look forward to perusing more of Lulu’s Vintage blog and encourage you to do the same. While you’re there don’t forget to check our her store for some great vintage finds!