The Making of "Mini Me"

The Making of "Mini Me"


WOW!!!  It's been way, way too long.  When I first started this blog, I knew that it would be a challenge for me, but if you know anything about me, you will know (or soon find out) that I LOVE a good challenge.  With that being said, I am going to make a commitment to update this blog at LEAST once a week. I cannot promise that they will be all tutorials but I will post something, so....Stay Tuned!

These past few weeks, I've been challenging myself to make use of my sewing machine.  Poor thing has been sitting on my shelf collecting dust for the longest time.  My focus was to create some summer dresses for myself and my two lovely daughters.  Since I didn't have a dress form, and I absolutely CANNOT afford one right now, I decided to make my own duct tape mannequin using my own body.  A few months ago, I found a tutorial on YouTube but I didn't have anyone on hand to help me out.  I knew that my husband would think I was crazy, so I didn't even bother to solicit help from him.   One day a friend of mine dropped past and I immediately sucked her into my newest hair brained scheme.  I knew that she would appreciate my goal because she is a lover of  all that is arts and craft related, just like me.  Anyway, with 2 rolls of duct tape in hand, we got to work taping me up. 



Needless to say, my kids were looking at us in amazement.  My son even started crying because he thought something was wrong with me.  Imagine me tyring to console him while trying to keep my balance the whole time.  It was so hard to move and after awhile, I was having a bit of trouble breathing. Note to self for next mannequin: Don't wrap it so tight!  LOL...

    



Once I was sufficiently covered with the tape, my girlfriend proceeded to cut the tape from my body.  This part wasn't so hard.  We just cut straight up the back. After that, I just taped up the cut portion of the mannequin.  I then had to tape the bottom of it shut so that I could start filling it with shredded newspaper.  My kids helped me with this part.  They had a ball making a mess.  They started throwing the paper in the air, running under it and yelling, "It's snowing!"  You just gotta love them!

This is what I ended up with by the end of the evening. 

A couple days later, I went to the fabric store and purchased some stretchy material to cover the mannequin.  At first I was going to cover it with paper mache but thought that using fabric would better allow me to pin fabric to the mannequin.  It was a bit of a challenge for me shaping the fabric on the mannequin. Those nights of watching Project Runway finally paid off because they are always draping and pinning fabric on that show. 

Here are a few photos of  "Mini Me" in action at a flea market I recently attended at Clark Park.







 She did a good job showcasing my crochet items don't you think?I just need to create a pole or some sort of stand so that she can stand tall!  Maybe by my next post, I will figure out a way to do that.  So until next time....Happy Crafting........









Crazy Lady Gets the Vote!

    

Crazy Lady Gets the Vote!!!!

     Man oh boy....It's been a long time.  I knew that when I started this blog that it would be a challenge for me to update it regularly.  In my own defense, I have been so busy with chasing bargains that I neglected to take the time out and blog about it.  Recently, I entered a family photo contest that I became consumed with for about two weeks.  I can look back and laugh now, but during that time, I was so stressed out, it was crazy.  Okay, since I started this story, I guess I have to tell you the whole thing.
    
     One day I was braiding my mothers hair (another one of my hidden talents), and my bestest cousin Tameka gave me a call.  She told me that a local radio station was having a Easter Sunday's Best photo contest and the prize was a family pack of tickets to Great Adventure.  My FREE radar went up. I was so excited because I was already in the process of lining up activities for the kids for the summer and  winning this contest would be a great way to kickoff to the summer.
    
     It just so happens that last year, my family took a picture at our church's 90th Anniversary Banquet. It was a formal banquet so  we all had on black and white.  Everyone said that it was a great photo of us.  My cousin said that as soon as she heard the announcement, she thought this photo would be perfect for the contest. So, I call my husband, since I was not near the computer, so that he could upload the photo and get things started.  The object of the contest was to get the most votes for your photo.
    
     At first, I thought that I would upload the photo and wait to see what came of it.  Soon and very soon my competitive side got the best of me and I went off on a full fledged campaign for votes.  It started off innocently enough. When the voting polls opened, I updated my facebook status requesting votes for our family photo, easy enough right?  I also registered an account so that I could vote for myself.  Hey, if you don't vote for yourself, then who will?  Anyway, once I voted, I realized that you could cast ONE vote per day.  Once again, my mental gears began to turn.  I immediately told my husband to contact EVERYONE in his contact list and tell them that we needed their votes.  I had him contacting old classmates from college, ex-coworkers, past and present church members.....Everyone!!!!  Voting was to be the top priority for the next two weeks. 
    
     From then on, I was pinned to the computer, looking for votes from facebook.  Every time I saw someone log onto facebook, I was sending them instant messages reminding them to vote daily.  I was writing out song lyrics on facebook like, "Ain't too proud to beg (for votes)" and everything.  It was getting intense really fast. I was constantly watching the vote count and every time I received a vote, I would update my facebook status with "I see that vote..."  I was really on the campaign trail to win those tickets.  I was saying things like,"I see 20 votes on facebook right now." or "Can I get 10 people to vote for me right now."  I was on a mission. One of my slogans became, Please help a Mom on a Mission!  It was crazy.  I was forgetting to eat and everything. 
    
     The funny thing about the contest is that there were like 27 entries but it was only myself and another lady really getting votes.  I don't think that the other people understood the concept of the contest.  Anyway,  I was in the lead for most of the contest.  I was getting votes all day consistently.  The other lady kept scaring the mess out of me because she would get like 50 or 60 votes overnight.   During the day, she would get like 20 votes in two minutes.  Needless to say, that caused me to go in campaign overdrive.  I sent messages to EVERY friend that I had on facebook, begging for votes.  I was harassing my husband daily about sending out his mass text from his phone.  I had my mom send a mass text to everyone in my family.  I had my pastor, my deacons, ministers everybody on board.  I was a nervous wreck by now and I know that I was getting on every one's nerve but I just HAD to win those tickets.
    
     On the last day, I had to step away from the computer.  I think I was having heart palpitations or something.  I updated my facebook page with "I'm stepping away from the computer right now. My nerves are shot...LOL...I'm trusting that everyone will cast a vote for me today. Thanks again!!"  With that, I walked away from the computer.  Of course, I couldn't help myself so a couple of hours later, I went back on facebook to solicit a few more votes.  I was in the lead but my competition was fast approaching.  I was looking crazy by this time, trying to think of other ways to get votes.  A few days earlier, I asked the cashiers from Sears to vote for us.  I even asked a lady that was shopping for her daughters Easter dress to vote...and she DID!  My husband just looked at me and shook his head through this whole ordeal.
    
     The last time to vote was 4:00pm that evening.  I updated my facebook status with "It's almost 4 but let's keep voting til they tell us to stop. Let's shut it down Fb....."  At 4 on the dot, the voting polls shut down.  Ask me how I know?  I wanted to make sure that the votes stopped because I didn't want to see any surprises from my competition, so I tried to vote at 4:01Pm...I know.....too extreme, but I was on a mission...
    
     Well, once the polls closed, the count was 297 to 359...WE WON!!!!!  The crazy thing about it was that they did not announce the winner until like a week later.  I was miserable that week. I kept thinking, "What if there were some hanging chads or something?"  "What if she recieved some uncounted votes later?"  I was a mess.  When my husband called and said that they FINALLY called, I slumped on the floor.  I was praising and thanking God and everything. It felt like a 2 ton burden was lifted. 
    
      Like I said in the beginning, I can laugh at my shenanigans now ,but then, I was force to be reckoned with.  I don't think that I will do a contest like that again.  It was just too much pressure. On top of that, sometimes, I snap back into "campaign" mode when I'm on facebook but I have to remember that IT'S OVER........
    
I will definitely post pictures from our FREE trip to Great Adventure so stay tuned......

Recession-Proof Crafting

                                           Recession Proof Crafting    

     I am so excited to share my crafting travels with you today.  As everyone knows, we are going through a bit of a tight squeeze due to the current economic climate of our nation.  Many of us are using the gas prices as a gauge to determine how we spend our money and time.  Well,  I have found the perfect recession buster....FREE!!!!!  You read it right, FREE.  Since I have three kids, it gets a little hard on the pockets when you are attempting to find avenues of entertainment so I set out on a mission to find as many free adventures for my family as humanly possible.  I'm always shuttling my family on "excursions" , as my husband calls them. 
     
     Enough of the intros.  Let's get to it.  So, while at a birthday party at a bowling alley, I stopped at the front desk to peruse the information table.  I'm always picking up fliers and magazines like Metrokids and Parents.  They have great free and low cost event listings.  I happened across a flyer from the Family Arts Academy.  Every Sunday from January through May, they have a family workshop series that runs from 2:00 pm to 3:30pm.  Each class teaches a different form of art and the kids get an opportunity to create the craft and take it home. 

     The day that we went, the class was based on African Adinkre Prints.  (Adinkre are visual symbols created by the Ashante people of West Africa to denote specific concepts like prudence or greatness.)  I was very impressed with the organization of the event.  After signing in, we were led into an auditorium where they served cheese and bread...Classy.  After brief introductions on the purpose of the event, a young lady read a book about African prints entitled, The Spider Weaver by Margaret Musgrove.  It was a fascinating tale of a man that was inspired to create a print based on the designs of a spider web he encountered. 

After the reading, a small power point presentation was shown.  There were different photos of African fabrics made from Adinkre symbols. They talked about how the Ashante people made the inks and created the fabric patterns. 
     From there, we were led into the project room.  At first, I was a bit nervous because there was alot of kids there and I didn't know if there would be enough room for everyone. However, they had two studios set up which I thought was really good. There was enough materials and space for everyone.  I even saw some parents making their own prints.  

After they were settled in, the process of the printmaking was explained.  The instructors were very clear and ready to help anyone in need. The process was rather straightforward. 

Using a pencil, the kids drew whatever symbol or design they wanted on a piece of foam, similar to the packaging tray of frozen  chicken. They had to press hard so that it would make an imprint on the foam

Next, they had to pick a piece of  colored paper and ink color.  Using a brayer, ink was rolled onto the foam piece until it was completely covered. 

My baby girl is really getting into this project.  Look at her face...Priceless...Once inked up, the foam was placed on top of the paper and firm pressure was added.

 We had to peak a couple of times to make sure that the ink was being transferred to the paper

 

And finally.....The GREAT REVEAL!!!!  The girls were very excited to see how the print that they designed came out. 

                                                   

As the children completed their prints. the instructor had the kids ink up their foam again so that their prints would be added to a large piece of fabric.




I enjoy taking the kids to these types of events because it gives them the opportunity to use their hands and be creative.  It also gives them a sense of accomplishment.   Once again, I thank you for taking the time out to read my blog and I hope that you took something from it.  So, the next time you are  in the house on  a rainy or moneyless day, just cook up some chicken and use the foam to create fun prints that can be used to make an aray of fine crafts like shirts, bookbags....The possibilities are endless.
If you would like more information on the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, visit their website at www.pafa.org/faa.

   


      Yes!!  I  finally jumped in, with both feet into the great world of blogging.  I was so apprehensive about starting a blog because I knew that it would be something that I would have to consistently maintain and update.  Normally, this would not be a huge undertaking, but I am a housewife attempting to manage three kids and a crazy (in a good way) husband as well as starting up a new business.  Talk about a SUPERWOMAN!!!! With God's strength and grace, I'm sure that I will be able to accomplish all that He has set out for me to do.
     So, today I decided to talk about my love for crafting.  It all began when I was a little girl.  Whenever I was put on punishment, my mother would take away all my toys. The only thing that I was allowed to do was crafts.  Needless to say, since I was an only child, I stayed in trouble because I had no one to blame my shenanigans on, therefore alot of crafting took place in my home.  Anyway, my mother taught me how to sew, crochet, paint and even draw a little.  The only time that I would consistently do a craft was when I was on punishment.  Once the punishment was over...so long craft.  I think this is the reason why I am always jumping from craft to craft as an adult.  My husband just shakes his head when I get the "feeling" to learn another craft of some sort.  I can't help it.  I see a craft and I think to myself, "I can do that" and off to the races I go.
     This is how I found my love for face painting.  I was at a party at my friends house and she had a clown who was face painting. Of course, a light bulb went off in my head.  Immediately my mind started racing.  "How hard is it to paint on kids faces?" I thought to myself.  I love kids, I love to paint...a marriage made it heaven.  The following night I went into research mode.  I looked up all types of face paint kits, looked up books at the library, studied YouTube videos.  I was in full face paint knowledge mode.  A few days later, I went to Michael's and purchased a  Palmer's face painting kit.  I didn't want to throw a ton of money into supplies right off the bat. So, about a week later, a young lady form my church was going off to college and had a cookout.  I took the paints and painted some of the kids faces. I had a ball!!!!!!  Granted, my work was less than perfect and the paint was sub par, I knew that with time and practice, the craft would come to me. Eventually, I obtained a professional face painting kit, which was a huge improvement in itself.





First Butterfly Face Paint



First Batman Face Paint

 

    
    Since then, I have face painted at several parties, church festivals and school fairs. I am in love with painting faces. I try to practice every chance I get.  My only obstacle is getting my two daughters to let me paint on them.  In the beginning, they were begging me to paint them.  I guess the novelty of it has worn off.  I have to bribe them into getting their face painted.  Can you imagine that?..The nerve....LOL......

     Well, I am excited about staring this blog.  In the future, I plan to have tutorials on face painting, sewing, crochet and any other craft that catches my eye.  Until next time.....

 God bless and happy crafting!!!