I guess I grew up

In case you've been wondering.  I'm no longer obsessed with Twilight.  That was SO four years ago!  I guess I grew up.  The truth is, I've been too busy to be obsessed with anything.  Haha.

I did read the Hunger Games series (because everyone else was reading it) about a year ago.  It was very interesting, but it disturbed & haunted me.  The movie was good--too violent for what I'm used to-- but the filming was unique & the visual design was stunning.  I don't think I've even read a book since.

I have checked out several from the library, started a few, but just don't have the time to read.  I did listen to My Sister's Keeper on a trip to St. George.  It was an interesting story.  I didn't like the swearing, but the storyline was very intriguing, especially how the narrator keeps switching from person to person.  I was fascinated with the brother in particular, and wondered at how a family that seems so "normal" could be so emotionally screwed up.  I think that all families face challenges, especially emotional and relationship challenges, but this family's situation was very extreme.  I hope that a life-threatening illness of one of my children is something that I never have to endure.  The whole question of medical ethics is really something to think about.  But, I hated the ending!

Also, one day at Costco, a year or two ago, the author of Entwined was signing her book.  We picked it up just for kicks.  It is a retelling of the story of the twelve dancing princesses.  It is a fascinating version of the story, full of dark magic, twists, turns, obsessions & nail-biters.  The villian: you love him & hate him, are confused by him & fascinated by him.  You wonder if the heroine will ever unravel the mystery, be able to decifer reality from fantasy, unbind herself from this dark magic & save herself & her family.  Loved it.

Cub Scout Halloween Skit

Here's the Halloween skit.  While the Cub Scouts were out doing a Service Scavenger Hunt, we organized their families for a Halloween skit.  It was really fun!  A big "thank you" to all of the actors who really made it awesome!!!  The filming is poor, but enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkyoGWSDJYY

Birthday Creations

We have a lot of birthdays in July...well one in June & three in July just within our immediate family. It's a fun month!  We did a Buzz Lightyear party for Spencer.  I couldn't find any blue fondent, so I used blue cake spray.  The stars I cut with a stencil and and Exacto knife from yellow sugar sheets. 





After the candles were added.



Millie always does our streamers for birthdays.  She has gotten rather good at it.



The tablecloth was leftover from a quilt that I made.
I hemmed it with yellow quilt binding & used it for a couple of Ethan's birthday parties when he was younger.
Our table has outgrown it though.
The "superhero" paper plates I found at Wal-mart on clearance for practically nothing.
Each birthday-boy or -girl gets to choose the meal for the night.
Spencer's choice: "Maters": hot dogs split down the middle & topped with mashed potatoes & cheese & baked.
It's a dish that my mom invented when I was a toddler.  We always loved it.
It was my kids that named them "Maters" after the Disney Cars character.

We did a BYU-themed party for Jode.  He also LOVES Oreo cookies!


My BYU Centerpiece, featuring some of the BYU junk from around the house.



The BYU Oreo Cake--Jode's 2 favorites.
I made the BYU stencil with a "make your own stencil" kit & an Exacto knife,
then sprayed it with blue cake spray.

Amanda wanted an Ariel party this year. I did a small centerpiece with some random stuff from around the house. I can't take credit for the cake. It is Jode's masterpiece. He is very creative. I printed off the picture of Ariel. Hehe.











Millie wanted to do a ladybug theme: due to the fact that we called her "Millie-Bug" when she was a baby.  We did an elegant red & black.  The wrapping paper was black with white polka dots.  It all looked very pretty.

Here, I can't take much credit again.  Jode saved me on this one.  I'm always running out of time on birthdays.  I had an idea of what I wanted & got all of the supplies, but it was Jode who did the decorating.  Plus, he's such a talented engineer that he figured out how to make not-enough red fondent stretch.  The ladybug's dots are Junior Mints & the eyes are large marshmellows.  The cake is Red Velvet...mmmmm.

 Instead of having the family over three times, we decided to have one big pool party for our July birthdays.  I decided to do cupcakes based off of their nicknames: Amanda-Panda, Millie-bug & Jode the Toad.  The cupcake carriers I bought from the market's bakery.  They made it so convenient to cart the cupcakes to the pool.

The eyes of these cute toads are made with white round mints & Junior mints.
I thought it would be fun to have one Prince among the Toads.  Hehe.  The crown I cut from a yellow sugar sheet.

These are bumble bees for our Millie-Bug.
I didn't have time to make the wings, so I'm afraid they don't look much like bees.



These Panda cupcakes turned out really cute.  They were a HUGE hit with the kids.  Jode decorated them, of course, his are always the best.  The ears are Mini Oreo cookies.  The eyes are Junior Mints & icing.

Cub Scout Crafts: OLYMPIC DECATHLON; Part I

I made some awesome Olympic headdresses for pack meeting.  The Grand Champion of our decathlon was crowned with a Golden Pegasus headdress & received the Olympic Torch.  Instructions on how to make are below (craft instructions split into 3 separate posts):

Pegasus Crown

Materials: Pegasus template, gold foil, Scotch tape, transparent stiff piece of plastic (I used a clipboard), regular-width Sharpie marker, cereal box or other thin cardboard, Burger King crown, scissors, pencil.

I started with a Pegasus coloring page that I found online:

http://www.gratismalvorlagen.com/fantasie/pegasus.php

How do you trace an image onto an opaque surface, you ask? You can't simply hold it up to the window & trace it. This is what I did. I used a reflection technique to trace the image into gold foil wrapping.




Simply tape a section of foil firmly to the countertop. Tape the image firmly to the countertop right next to the foil. Hold a transparent piece of plastic (I used a clipboard) straight up in the air between the image & the foil. 

A reflection of the image is cast on the other side. 

Then, you simply trace the reflection of the image. It is very important that you hold the reflective panel straight up, or you will get distortions in your picture. It is also very important that you hold the reflective panel without moving as you trace, or your image moves around too.

Then, I reflected & traced the image back the other direction so that I would have a mirror image--one for each side of the headdress.

 

Next, I traced & mounted the image onto a thin piece of cardboard. I used a cereal box.

This will make a stiff Pegasus to be attached to the crown piece.



Lastly, I stapled the Pegasus pieces onto a foil-covered crown piece.  I got the crown for free at Burger King and cut all of the spikes off of it, then taped foil over it.  I realized after the fact, that I should have covered the back sides of the Pegasus pieces with foil too.  My perfectionistic tendancies were screaming at me, but I was out of time.

Grand Champion

Cub Scout Crafts: OLYMPIC DECATHLON; Part II

Olympic Olive-Branch Headdresses

Materials: Burger King crown, scissors, masking tape, pencil, Olive Leaf template, lots of green paper (bulletin board paper sold by the foot), stapler, staples, Exacto knife, cutting board.

I started with a trip to Burger King. I asked them if I could have 20 crowns for the Cub Scouts. They were happy to give them to me for free. I cut off all the crown spikes, then measured my son's head, marking which groove was the one I needed to use, and trimming the end 3 grooves away to give myself room to staple the end. Then, I covered them in green paper (attached with masking tape). The paper I bought by the foot at Zurchers (very cheap). I left the ends open so I could attach all the leaves before closing the crown into a circle.

For the leaves, I used an "olive branch" clip art that I found online, enlarged it, and used my favorite leaf pair as my template. I found that the quickest & easiest way to cut them out is with an exacto knife. Be sure to do it on a cutting board. And remember, it doesn't need to be exact.



I found that the quickest and easiest way to cut them out is with an Exacto knife. Be sure to do it on a cutting board. And remember, it doesn't need to be exact.

Then, staple several leaf pairs onto the crown.  Use as many as you'd like; the more you use, the better it looks; but I was running out of paper, so I had to space the leaves further apart  . . .

. . . leaving some room at the end to close the crown into a circle.

Close into a circle.

Insert like so.  All cardboard will be unseen.

And staple for security.

Cover your seam with a final leaf.



All participants were crowned with an olive branch headdress.

These headdresses could also be used for a Hawaiian Luau theme!!!


Cub Scout Crafts: OLYMPIC DECATHLON; Part III

Olympic Torch

Materials: 1 plastic water bottle, 1 piece of construction paper, tin foil, silver spray paint, flame-colored tissue paper, scissors, Scotch tape.


Cut the bottom off of a water bottle.  Insert a rolled piece of construction paper for the handle & secure with tape.

Cover handle with tin foil.

Spray paint the bottle silver

Insert flame-colored tissue paper, cut in spikey patterns.  We didn't bother securing the tissue paper, and it didn't fall out.

Crazy Hair Day

Y Template (from "Create Your Own Template" kit in your local craft store) used with colored hair spray.