New Items and Further Proof that my Son is Odd Like his Mama!

Like I mentioned before, for some inexplicable reason my son sleeps with his bottom up in the air. I can't help but share, it still makes me smile!

I had a customer request a smaller version of my Fairy Dust Play Dough.
I liked it so much I am including it my shop.


Another new project is Gingerbread Cookie Wreaths. I started making the Snowflake Gingerbread Cookie ornaments for my Christmas shop. I was playing around with the snowflakes one day and designed this wreath. It's my prototype(and finished before I had perfected my ornament technique, I now dip my cookies in scented wax before I decorate them to make sure they are sealed). I have my snowflake wreath hanging in my kitchen.

I like these so much I'm expanding the cookie designs and making them for use throughout the year. I also hope to have single decorations and garlands. The scented wax smells fabulous but isn't so heavy it makes you sick! I use a scent called pumpkin spice for the fall and winter designs and have a cookie scent and vanilla scent I will use for the spring and summer motifs.New shapes include: hearts, butterflies, bees and dragonflies,stars, leaves, four-leaf clovers and Easter eggs.

I love this project because it bridges my loves of baking and creating (plus I can't eat the product!!)
I'll post them here as they start to take shape!

My newest item!

Well, this project took me a long time to finish! I have been working on it for months, mostly researching bugs and how to collect them for the manual. I then had to regurgitate(and yes, that is the word I meant to use) what I learned into an easy to understand manual for boys between the ages of 5 or 6 and 10. So it's finished and listed! I hope other parents like it as much as I do.

Holden Arboretum Photos

New Items!!

Today I'm hoping to introduce a couple new products.

First on my list: Safe watercolors for kids. Made with pantry ingredients but they definitely won't want to eat them! They will come in a palette with a paintbrush.**Finished! (see picture> Paints are drying, will be packaged and listed over the weekend!)

Next: Silly putty. Although I haven't figured out the packaging.

Also: The bug observatories should be ready to post, I have to go through and figure out what is and isn't ready but I believe I finally have everything together. The scanner needs to be hooked up to my PC and if I can get that working, the graphics can be scanned.

Finally: I'm also trying out my new recipe for finger paints, I'll still have to see if they are stable enough to sell (you sure don't to buy want stinky finger paints!)

There are a couple other items, as I make them I'll take photos and edit this post with pics!

Also, I have a scheduled post with more pictures of the Holden Arboretum. It's scheduled for sometime between 12 and 1pm. Enjoy the photos!!

New Items!

I'm working on new play items for my shop. I may have finally worked out a recipe for finger paints that won't go bad too quickly and I'm hoping to offer watercolor paints for kids also. To keep the finger paints from spoiling I need to add something non-edible but I'm also testing an edible preservative. Still will be a lot safer for our kids than the mass produced varieties out there!
I'm also almost done with my bug kit. Having problems with the printing sequence on my publication so once that's hammered out I'll post it on etsy! Also, If I can persuade my husband to hook up the scanner to my computer I'll re-post this with the graphics!

Oh Boy!

Wow, I just read an old post to see what I need to do still and realized that I still need to post a photo of the play dough. I'm going to put aside the kitchen for a day and see if I can tie up this loose end. The bug observatories aren't done yet, still working on the companion booklet, so I won't post this yet. Hopefully, I'll get these listed soon since it is bug catching season! I have sketches for the boy's armor but nothing to show yet and the 3 new series of prints are underway but I only have the research finished, I have to do sketches still and with my other obligations it will be a little while. I'll keep you posted!

Too Many Things!!

Well, I have way too many irons in the fire. I'm still trying to fine tune my studio space while taking photos to document the process, I'm painting the kitchen which has turned into a major project since this old house hasn't been loved on the way it should have been (ok, I'm the daughter of a contractor and my best friend has her own interior painting company, I have to do it right!! Lot's of patching and caulking!), I'm still perfecting the Christmas ornaments, I have started a bunch of papier mâché sculptures, I've started the planning process of 3 new series of prints, I still need to finish the packaging part of my toys for boys, I'm writing the companion booklet to my bug kits, I need to clean out my vegetable garden bed (which is overgrown with ivy and weeds!!DRATS!!), I need to get my vegetables planted and I need to mulch my flower bed. Oh, and then there's mowing the backyard and taking care of baby(which ALWAYS comes first , a good reason why everything else is moving so slowly!!) I've been working on both the studio and kitchen for about 3 weeks now, as soon as those are out of the way much more can be accomplished. It's way too hot here to worry about the garden (thank goodness! but that is changing soon) I'm hoping to get the hubby to mow the backyard but I've been asking him to trim the front hedges for over a week now so we'll see what happens there. All the other things I make a little progress here and a little progress there. I'm feeling frustrated because I have so many great ideas I want to share with everyone and I can't get them finished fast enough!! I love being a mommy but this is probably the hardest part for me because when I was a single woman I was able to spend all my time accomplishing MY goals. Now I spend most of my time making sure everyone's needs are being met. It's a learning curve, I've only been married 3 years and the baby has been here for almost a year so I'm sure I'll get my time management skills refined to suit my new life and my expanded responsibilities! If you don't see a post from me it's only because I'm working on my list!! Namaste!!