Acrylic Skin, part 2

After the acrylic dried (and amazingly, no cats stepped in it), I started at a corner of the paint and carefully peeled it off the Kroger bag. The bag's ink imprinted on the back of the skin- there may be a way to have fun with that later!

Finally, I used Mod Podge to glue it onto an old yogurt container, topping it with another layer to seal it. 

I have a couple of ideas from here as to what to do with it. But for now, I just really like how it turned out!

Acrylic Skin, part 1

I went to my recycled art class at Plaza Art and came away with so many good ideas. I especially enjoyed painting on bubble wrap and then printing it onto a substrate; however, I've not been able to get my hands on any bubble wrap since that class! Sealed air packaging is my new nemesis.

However, on Sunday night I began an experiment that, so far, has turned out to be very neat. The art teacher mentioned acrylic skins, in which the artist paints on a surface, usually plastic, then removes the painting for use in other ways. So I tried it with a Kroger bag out of our recycling and my standard acrylic paints. 

I brushed the orange on just until I couldn't see the bag through it anymore, then I drizzled the two accent colors. It was late on Sunday night, and it had the chance to dry overnight and all the next day. The Kroger bag made a series of wrinkles that I liked. 

Cuteness Looming

How much do I love my looms?

This much!

I made this for an expectant friend as a photo prop- will have to be used with supervision! I was going for a meadow, but instead, it kind of reminds me of a cactus. I used lighter weight yarn- Lion Brand Baby's First for the base, soft Red Heart baby yarns for the flowers. I was inspired by Pinterest and websites like this one:  

http://goodknitkisses.blogspot.com/2013/01/loom-along-baby-cocoon.html

The family is the country of the heart.- Giuseppe Mazzini

After I posted about the Cherry Blossom Festival, my mother called, and she, my father, and my little brother came to visit us. Little Bit was so excited! We talked and played with trains, then had lunch, and came back to the house for coffee and bundt cakes. Nothing Bundt Cakes' peanut butter chocolate chip cake was delicious. Would have liked to see a drum performance, but cake works, too.

http://www.nothingbundtcakes.com/

Then, we had Little Bit's aunt and cousin over for dinner. I tried a new-to-me recipe in the slow cooker with chicken breasts, buffalo sauce, and ranch seasoning. Very similar to this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-buffalo-chicken-sandwiches/

I'll probably save back some of the sauce next time, as this recipe suggests. Add a couple of riding toys for a race, chocolate eclairs, and craft projects, and we had a wonderful evening.

No one puts Bitty in a corner.

I was trying to get a video of Little Bit dancing to Aaron Neville's doo wop on PBS, but he chased the iPhone around until he could see himself on the screen. Then, the video ends with him saying, "Birds!" Three guesses on what upset avians he wanted to (and got to) play with.

I'm hoping that the weather is good this weekend for the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival!

http://nashvillecherryblossomfestival.org/

It's been awhile since the husband and I went, but I loved seeing the performances and tasting the food, and I think Bitty will love it, too. He'll really get into the drums- and he's been known to rush stages.

Now just have to get through the rest of the week.

Waiting for Spring to Spring!

I am really thinking to warmer weather today. My mother sent us our vacation itinerary, which got me thinking about the beach and the sun, neither of which is outside my window currently. I'm purposely blocking out the part of vacation that puts our little threesome on a plane for the first time. Little Bit likes the planes in the sky, but he does not like being "Stuck!"

So I'll be looming Spring flowers for the rest of the evening, along with being Thomas' friend James and saying, "my shiny red coat" at least a dozen times. I've gotten some success with a different form than my floral necklaces. 

I went to Dollar Tree to get the small gift boxes, styrofoam balls, pipe cleaners, floral tape, and moss needed to make the tiny sprays. Gluing the styrofoam into the bottom of the box added stability, and I had to jab them a bit with small scissors before inserting the tape-covered pipe cleaners.

Plaza Art Painting Party

Found my way to Plaza Art for my recycled art class- and it was so much fun. I learned about priming materials and how to find substrates to paint. And I came away with some really fun art. Little Bit loved my "B."

I'm edgy!

And I think my favorite is this one:

The stencil I created was cut out of a piece of cardboard from a Coke box, but my favorite part is the honeycomb-type effect in the back. It was made by painting a piece of bubble wrap with gold acrylic and pressing it on the surface. That was my favorite new discovery (aside from a great hot dog place that serves fried pickle spears)! 

Nesting

I'm very much looking forward to an art class with a good friend this Saturday at Plaza Art.

http://www.plazaart.com/calendar.php?page=9

I didn't know that they had so many neat classes!

I've been working on a new way to display my knitted flowers. It seems to be going well so far, especially considering the fact that it involves Dollar Tree pipe cleaners. And I got some Spring bird's nests done, too.

Little Bit has also been crafty- he made a great Mega Blocks tower today as I was reading him his bedtime stories. What denial! His current project, as I write, is learning how to open his bedroom door. Listening to it rattle, and wondering if it will be breached, is like a suspenseful movie.

Wild nights

Little Bit, constantly the guinea pig for our child sleeping experiments, has been going to his room at ten o'clock each night this week, asleep or awake. We had been taking shifts and staying until he slept, but that was quickly leading us to the chiropractor's office as we fell asleep face down on his toddler bed every other night.

He's currently singing a song, the chorus containing "Mommy," and rattling his toys around. It will be interesting to see what I encounter in the morning. This was Monday.

Light on, drawers open, and shelves cleared. The party apparently ended with him and all his rowdy friends collapsing into bed. 

Music to my ears

A recent Slate article mentioned my favorite kid's music performer since Jim and the All Animal Band- Casper Babypants.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2013/03/kids_music_is_not_so_bad_in_defense_of_the_most_reviled_genre_of_them_all.html

I really enjoy coming home and listening to the Pandora station I began when Little Bit was little. I searched "You Are My Sunshine" and vetted the songs from there. It's pretty calming, until Bitty starts dancing!