I've been trying to stretch myself a little bit with my Christmas themes. So instead of classic American Santa, I decided to make a plaque with more of a Father Christmas look, leaning into the more muted tones and longer facial features. It gives him a sort of man-in-the-moon vibe.
Monday, December 5, 2022
Crafty Christmas Countdown: 20
Sunday, December 4, 2022
Crafty Christmas Countdown: 21
What do you do when you have a little tree to decorate and you don't have enough ornaments the right size? You make some out of cardboard. And since you're working with cardboard anyway, why not make them look like gingerbread cookies?
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Crafty Christmas Countdown: 22
If there are two things I have in abundance, it's Altoid tins and peg dolls. So it only makes sense to put them together. And the result is this craft: a manger scene in a tin.
Friday, December 2, 2022
Crafty Christmas Countdown: 23
Today's craft is a simple kit: adhesive craft foam attached to a canvas panel. I did Marfalfa it up a little bit by drawing dinosaurs as the car's driver and passenger.
Thursday, December 1, 2022
Crafty Christmas Countdown: 24
It's December and that it means it's that time of year where I torture myself with the "fun" idea of making a Christmas themed craft every day until Christmas. It's a lot but it's also a great creative challenge. This year I decided to add to the challenge by setting strict limits on purchases. I'm trying to use supplies I already have.
To start out the countdown, I made a little cart out of cardboard. It was designed to be "pulled" by some bobblehead goats we got (I believe they were a fastfood promotion tied into the new Thor movie). And for giggles, I have Eevee driving the cart, delivering gifts. There is likely to be a Santa hat in Eevee's future.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Non-fiction book review - Off to Class
Off to Class by Susan Hughes
If there's one experience that most young readers will find relatable, it's going to school. So if you're looking to educate kids about what life looks like for other people around the world, school is a decent place to start. This is especially true when that experience varies wildly from what we in the west consider "normal". Now, we should note that the schools featured in this book are not standard for the culture but are meeting a rather particular need. Even so, it's compelling reading. The chapters are easily read and use very accessible language.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Monday, November 7, 2022
Angora
Today I have for you not a craft, exactly, but more of a project.
I have a pair of angora rabbits. If you're unfamiliar, angoras grow long, super-soft fur. Here's how they looked in September, before their fur was at it's longest
This particular breed of angoras sheds that long fur every couple of months and all of that fluff needs to be removed. Here's what they look like de-fluffed.
And because it blows my mind a little bit, here's the collected fur.
But why do I tell you all of this (other than the fact that I love talking about these rabbits) and how is that a project? My plan for this fur is to spin my own yarn. You may recall my diy drop spindle. So look forward to seeing a post about angora yarn in the future.













