Birdy Santa has come out of the woods

A friend of mine asked me to make a special Santa for her mother-in-law for Christmas this year. She is a fan of birds and owls, so I made this Santa very outdoorsy with natural, earthy colours. Birds of a feather...

Traditional Santa has arrived (from Italy?)

Always stuck for an idea for a Christmas gift for my babysitter, Elena, I decided that this year I would make her one of my Santas. Elena is from Italy, so I thought what better colours for a Santa than that! He has a rich velvet cloak, with traditional white fur and lots of goodies in his Santa sack. He was received with much love and appreciation and now has a place of honour on her fireplace mantle.

Snowman joins Santa

I'm in the throws of the craft fairs right now and have come up with a few new trinkets to sell with my Santas. My cute little snowman ornament is filled with ice-like pellets, but his red velvet scarf keeps him toasty warm.

It's a Winter Wonderland... Santa

If you like the icy colours of winter, check out my latest Santa made up of silvers, blues and white. The blues of his coat match the twinkle in his eye...

Rustic Santa is ready for winter weather!

My latest addition to my Santa collection is Rustic Santa. With his rich, red tones and warm coat, I think he is my favourite so far.

Snowflake Santa is here!

My latest Santa has arrived. Check back soon for my next addition...

Another Santa comes to town

I'm making Santas full force now that Christmas is just around the corner. My latest edition is a Nova Scotia Santa. I will be selling my wares at the Sunnyside Mall Craft Fair every Sunday in November and December (with fellow designer Jen). Come check us out!

To see my Backwoods Santa, click here.

To see my Poinsettia Santa, click here.

Monday is a good day to clean...

Your Silver

Store freshly cleaned silverware on top of a sheet of aluminum foil to deter tarnishing. For long-term storage of silverware, first tightly cover each piece in cellophane wrap – be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible – then wrap in foil and seal the ends.

Remove tarnish from silver by gently scrubbing it with a soft brush dipped in a bit of ammonia. Wipe off any remaining liquid with a soft cloth or preferably a chamois.

Polish silverware with a banana peel. Remove any of the leftover stringy material from the inside of the peel, then just start rubbing the inside of the peel on your silver. When you're done, buff up the object with a paper towel or soft cloth.

Polish your silver with cornstarch. Make a simple paste by mixing cornstarch with water. Use a damp cloth to apply this to your silverware. Let it dry, then rub it off with cheesecloth or another soft cloth to reveal that old shine.

Keep your silver sparkling with ketchup. For smooth surfaces, dunk silver in a small bowl of ketchup for a few minutes. If it has a tooled or detailed surface, use an old toothbrush to work ketchup into the crevices. To avoid damamging the silver, don't leave the ketchup on any longer than necessary. Rinse you silver clean, dry it and it's like new!

Our of silver polish? Grab a bunch of potatoes and boil them up. Remove them from the water and save them for another use. Place your silverware in the remaining water and let it sit for an hour. Then remove the silverware and wash. The tarnish should be gone.

Right now I am reading...

I haven't seen the movie yet... I always like to read the book first. Anxious to read the next 2 in the series if I like this one. So far so good 200 pages in...

Love...

Altered Book

MECA and the Portland Public Library teamed up to present "Long Overdue: Book Renewal." Starting with books that had been withdrawn from the Portland Public Library as no longer suitable for circulation, more than 200 artists overseen by the Maine College of Art have – through deconstruction of text, assemblage, collage and other means –created “new” works of art. After a gallery exhibit and series of discussions opened to the public, these works were re-introduced into the Library system as new items and are now available to anyone in the United States who possesses a library card.

See more here

Monday is a good day to clean...

With Nail Polish

Prevent rust rings from metal containers

Brush nail polish around the bottom of shaving cream cans and other metal containers to avoid unsightly rust stains on your counter or in the medicine cabinet.

Reset loose jewellery stones

If your jewellery has popped a stone or two, you don't have to put it in the "play dress-up" box yet. The stone can be reset using a little drop of clear nail polish as the "glue". It dries quickly, and the repair will be invisible.

Plug a hole in your cooler

A small hole inside your cooler doesn't make it trash-worthy yet. Seal the hole with two coats of nail polish to hold in that ice!

Prevent loss of buttons

Keep that brand-new shirt in good shape by putting a drop of clear nail polish on the thread in the buttons. It prevents the thread from fraying, so taking this precaution in advance could save you later. Put a dab on just-repaired buttons as well.

Smudgeproof important drug labels

Preserve the important information on your prescription medicine and other important medicine labels with a coat of clear polish, and they won't be smudged as you grab them after getting your glass of water.

Seal out scuffs on shoes

On leather shoes, it the back and toes that really take the brunt of the wear and tear that leaves scratches on the surface. When buying shoes for a kid or active adult, give these areas the extra measure of protection they need. Paint a a little clear nail polish on the outside of the back seam and over the toes. Rub the polish in a little to feather out the shine of the polish. After it dries you'll be a step ahead of those perennial shoe problems "driver's hell" and "jump rope toe."

Amanda turns 10

10 years old... I can't believe Amanda is in the double digits now. Praying for a nice day, we decided to have the big party out at our cottage (the weather gods were listening and we had a beautiful, sunny day!) If it were up to Amanda, it would have been a whole weekend affair - did I mention that she started planning it 9 months ago?

We succumbed to getting a giant bouncy castle - Dean luckily plays hockey with a guy who could get us a deal. She had a long list of other things on her wish, list, but we thought we'd call it a day with the 2-story castle that took up half the back yard. A can of pledge made the slide super slippery we were told – by the end of the day, the entire inside of the castle had been "pledged"! The kids enjoyed the tree fort as well – Dean's nephews have been building it for years – when they had to wait for their turn to bounce. Many freezies, water bottles and prize hunts later, we had 16 exhausted 10 year olds.

Last step - birthday cake. We always make our cake because of Amanda's allergies (celiac), so a doll cake held centre stage. Amanda wanted a "Rocker Girl" theme and she did most of the decorating herself. Everyone loved it and couldn't tell it was gluten free.

The pick-up time finally came and mommy could finally sit down and have a cold beverage... and a few bounces on the castle...

Make it, don't buy it

As Father's Day approaches, I'm usually scratching my head when it comes to what to get my father. What to buy.... well he has pretty much everything he needs or wants. So we decided to go the old fashioned route and make something for him.

We're going to be travelling home to Ontario this summer, so we thought if we gave Grandpa a book of loving coupons from his granddaughters, it would definitely be something he didn't have already! They could be redeemed during our visit and give Grandpa and little extra bonding time with the kiddies – my parents don't get to see them very often due to geography.

I made the general design of the coupon type, while my girls added their artistic talents, coming up with an image to match. Amanda decided to put herself in sunglasses on every drawing and be a little silly (she is almost 10, after all...) while Emma took the super cute route. I always love to see their artwork and was impressed with what they came up with. We bound the final booklets together, and voila, we had a lovely little gift.

Do you think the kids will let me get away with something like this for their birthdays?

otetete & anyo

These are just way too cute. The word’s Otete and Anyo are the nickname for a baby’s hands and feet in Japanese. These customs stamps of each are awesome. I wish they had them when my kids were babies! Check out the site here.

Love...

Love Mae

These are the cutest fabric reusable wall stickers. Let your kids' (or your) imagination run wild!

Find more of her wall stickers here.

Monday is a good day to clean...

With rubber bands

Reshape your broom

If the bristles of your broom have become splayed with use, just wrap a rubber band around the bristles a few inches from the bottom. Leave for a day or so to get the bristles back in line.

Wipe your paintbrush

Avoid a mess around the rim of your paint can by wrapping a rubber band around the can from top to bottom, going across the middle of the can opening. Now, when you fill your brush, you can just tap it against the rubber band and the excess paint will fall back into the can.

Anchor your cutting board

Cutting board sliding across the counter? Give it some traction by putting a rubber band around each end.

Extend a button

Having trouble breathing? Maybe that top shirt button is a tad too tight. Stick a small rubber band through the buttonhole, then loop the ends over the button. Put on your tie and breathe easy.

Gauge your liquids

Not sure how much paint is left in that can up on the shelf? Snap a band around the liquid containers in your workshop to indicate how much is left and you'll always know at a glance.

Brian Cronin, Illustrator

I just came across these beautiful illustrations by Brian Cronin. See more his work here.

These are just a few of the illustrations selected for the American Illustration 20 book. View more here.

Monday is a good day to clean...

With Pillowcases

Dust ceiling fan blades

Grab an old pillowcase and place it over one of the ceiling fan blades. Slowly pull off the pillowcase. The blades get dusted and the dust bunnies stay in the pillowcase, instead of parachuting to the floor.

Cover a baby's changing table

Instead of buying expensive changing table covers, just pick up a few cheap white pillowcases and cover the changing table pad. When one is soiled, just slip it off and replace with a clean one.

Protect clothing hanging in a closet

You've just laundered a favourite dress or skirt and you know you won't be wearing it again for a while. To protect the garment, cut a hole in the top of an old pillowcase and slip it over the hanger and clothing.

Keep matching sheets together

Solve this host nightmare. File away your newly laundered and folded sheets in their matching pillowcase before putting them in the closet.

Use as a traveling laundry bag

When you travel, you always want to keep your dirty laundry separate from your clean clothes Stick a pillowcase in your suitcase and toss in the dirty laundry as it accumulates. When you get home, just empty the pillowcase into the washer and throw in the pillowcase as well.

Machine wash stuffed animals

Place stuffed animals in a pillowcase and put them in the washer. The pillowcase will ensure they get a gentle but thorough wash. If any parts fall off the stuffed animals, they'll be caught in the pillowcase so you can reattach them after their washing machine bath.

Love...

these paper bouquets.

Find them here.

Monday is a good day to clean...

With Plastic Bottles

Around the house

Recycle as a chew toy

Maybe it's the crunchy sound an empty plastic 1 litre bottle makes, but dogs love to chew on them. Just be sure to remove the label and bottle cap and replace it before it gets too chewed up – broken pieces of plastic are choke hazards.

Place in a toilet tank

If you have an older model toilet, you can save a bit of money on your water bill by filling an empty 1 litre soda bottle with water (remove any labels first) and put in the the toilet tank to cut the amount of water in each flush.

Keep the cooler cold

Fill a few clean plastic jugs with water or juice and keep them in the freezer for use when transporting food in your cooler. This is not only good for keeping food cold; you can actually drink the water or juice as it melts. It's also not a bad idea to keep a few frozen jugs in your freezer if you have extra space; a full freezer actually uses less energy and can save money on your electric bill.

Store your paints

Why keep leftover house paints in rusted or dented cans when you can keep them clean and fresh in plastic jugs? Use a funnel to pour the paint into a clean, dry milk or water jug, and add a few marbles (they help mix the paint when you shake the container before your next paint job). Label each container with a piece of masking tape, noting the paint manufacturer, colour name, and the date.

In the garden

Create a drip irrigator for plants

During dry spells, a good way to get water to the roots of your plants is to place several drip irrigators around your garden. You can make them from clean 1 gallon juice or detergent jugs. Cut a large hole in the bottom of a jug, then drill 2-5 tiny (about 1/16 inch) holes in or around the cap. Bury the capped jugs upside down about 3/4 submerged beneath the soil near the plants you need to water, and fill with water through the hole on top. Refill as often as needed.

Isolate weeds when spraying herbicides

When using herbicides to kill weeds in your garden, you have to be careful not to also spray and kill surrounding plants. To isolate the weed you want to kill, cut a 2 litre soda bottle in half and place the top half over the weed you want to spray. Then direct your pump's spraying wand through the regular opening in the top of the bottle and blast away. After the spray settles down, pick up the bottle and move on to your next target. Always wear gloves when spraying chemicals in the garden.

It's all about mom...

With Mother's Day fast approaching, the kiddies and I embarked on yet another journey into "craft corner". Grandma from Ontario gets the first edition, as we have to get it in the mail for a timely arrival. Grammie from Halifax will be next, in time for our get together at her house on the "big day." I have a couple of great craft books that have truly beautiful items in them - it's always exciting to see what we'll try next.

First up – cards. Luckily I have lots of pretty scrapbooking papers leftover from Emma's dollhouse makeover, so that selection went pretty smoothly. I assisted in some cutting out, but for the most part, the kids were on their own to create at will. Minimal fighting ensued over scissors and markers, so we came out pretty unscathed.

Next up – our lovely tissue paper bouquets. All the petals are made from hearts (very appropriate for Mother's Day) so mommy spent her time cutting and cutting... We poked them through some sparkly pipe cleaners, shaped them, added some glitter and leaves and behold... a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for the centrepiece of the day.

Next occasion... Father's Day... Tissue paper tie perhaps?