Monday, March 14, 2011

No chicks were harmed in the making of this post......

How’s that for a title?
I was torn between it and ‘Three Chicks walk into…’
But I wasn’t sure walking into… my apartment was too exciting.
Since I did take pins to the chicks (gasp) I think I picked the right one.
100_6626 A couple weeks ago I saw these chicks at a discount store and had to pick them up.
100_6610 I mean, look at them.  Could you resist them for a dollar each?
I picked up three yellow and three white ones.
I’m the proud owner of half a dozen chicks.
I wasn’t exactly sure how I would display them but I had a few ideas.
100_6609  I had planned all along to make a basket weave pattern with crepe paper and when I saw some left over insulation foam I had from mailing a mirror it was a match made in heaven.
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I lined up strips of crepe paper along two of the sides and attached them with stick pins.
(I knew the dull, blunt end dollar store stick pins would come in handy one day.)
100_6613   Then I flipped it over and made sure all the crepe paper would cover and reach around to the back of the foam.
100_6614 I then ran the long strip over and under the shorter strips of crepe paper. 100_6616
It worked best to fold back every other strip and then lay the long strip down and switch what short strips are up and what are down.
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I tried to make sure the paper was as close together as I could make them.
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I pinned all the strips on the back and covered them with tape.
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I don’t think the tape was necessary but I wanted to be sure they stuck in and didn’t mark up my wall.
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I love the weave pattern.
Then to decide what chicks to display.
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My first thought was two yellow and  one white.
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Then I tried three yellow and liked that better.
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I used some of the stick pins to go through the wire on the chicks and then into the foam.  I didn’t take a picture but this is where I tell you that I didn’t harm the chicks as I stuck them with pins!
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The stick pins held up to the vertical test.
No falling chicks.
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Look at those cute little feet.
100_6628 They are keeping an eye out on you, oh I mean me.
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I’m not sure where their final home will be but for now they are perched (yeah I went there) on a frame I have against the wall under my rainbow ribbon jars.
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For now they are at home and I have completed my first Easter craft.
Don’t forget that no chicks were harmed in the making of this craft….
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I guess I really do have a thing for trios.
Now to decide what to do with the other three chicks I have.

June
I usually link to these fabulous parties:

Saturday, March 12, 2011

St. Patty’s Day Cookies

I can finally day that I did a St. Patrick Day craft.

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Cookies.

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I apologize for the poor pictures but it is dark out and I wanted to get pictures taken so I could post about my cookies.

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Not bad if I do say so myself for a skull turned leprechaun.

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Easter egg leprechaun.

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And not to be outdone, the circle leprechaun.

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Are you feeling lucky?

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I couldn’t decorate cookies without a little disco dust.

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I made a few flower cookies out of my chocolate chip dough so it wasn’t all green.

Not as nice as I hoped but not too bad.

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I think I’m just disappointed in the icing.  I decided to try royal icing again.  Well, a version of royal icing with a bit of corn syrup that was suppose to make the frosting a bit shiner than normal royal icing.  I’m not sold on this icing.  Back to the corn syrup icing for next time.  I wish the corn syrup icing wasn’t quite so sweet.  But then again maybe because I make a lot of chocolate chip cookies that make the cookie extra sweet.  I guess I just love the shine that I can get when I use it.

I’m planning on shipping a few of these to my goddaughter at college and taking a few to share with my sisters on our crafting weekend starting on St. Patty’s day.  Maybe I’ll have to see how the frosting holds up and taste tests before I completely dismiss it. 

If anyone has a icing recipe you swear by please pass it on to me.  I’m willing to try a new recipe and see how it works for me.

June  

I usually link to these fabulous parties:

Thursday, March 10, 2011

$3 Thursday – Owl Trio

I found these cute little owls just hootin’ to come home with me.  Yeah, I said ‘hootin’ ’.

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I found them in the Target Dollar Spot.

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Have I told you lately that I love Target?

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I mean look at these faces, could you resist?

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They just screamed screeched ‘bring me home.’

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I dug through the bottom bin, (How come all the good stuff is in the bottom bin?) but could only find two different owls.  I was hoping for three different ones.  I settled on one of the taller ones and two shorter, rounder ones.

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My first instinct was to paint them white or cream and glaze them but then I remembered the Looking Glass mirror like paint I picked out from Krylon.  I thought mirror looking owls would be nice.

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Then I read the label and you paint the back side of the surface you want mirrored.  Hmm, it sounded like the bottom coat, or in my case the final coat, was going to be dull and not mirror like.  I thought I might give it a shot and if it didn’t work out I had a can of Silver Hammered Finish paint I could fall back on.

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As it turned out I liked the finish I  got with the Looking Glass paint.

Here they are after a couple coats.

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Not a true mirror finish I first imagined but I liked it.  They weren’t as glossy as I wanted but a couple coats of a gloss sealer did the trick.

That gave them a bit more shine and I liked them a lot better than the more matte finish.

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Their faces don’t seem as sad to me know.

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This one got a little crackly around the eyes.  I guess he is the older, wiser owl with a few wrinkles around the eyes.  Hmm, remind you of anyone?  I know I have a few more lines around my eyes than I did years ago and I’d like to think I’m a bit wiser. :) 100_6476

I like this finish.  It reminds me of silvery, aluminum, almost pewter look.

Now, where should my owl perch?

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Maybe they would like to play a game of Bingo?

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Or they could watch over my rainbow wall of ribbon?

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Or watch over the whole world?

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Or try to catch a butterfly or two?

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Maybe watch over my stack of suitcases? 

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Kind of like a Where’s Waldo but with owls.

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Oh, they you are.

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This one seems a bit shifty to me.

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Maybe they can perch on the suitcases I use as a night stand.

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I think they look a little sad there.

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Here they are on the paint splattered, chippy ladder behind the suitcase night stand.

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I kind of like the silver against the paint of the ladder.

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But then again, I like them on my dresser against the green glass.

Decisions, decisions.  I hope I’m wise enough to make the right decision on where my trio of owls should call home.

Any suggestions?

Where do you think they look the best?

 

Supplies:

Owls 3 @ $1 each         $3

Paint          Free – I won it

Total cost:  $3 for a trio of pewter looking owls

 

June

I usually link to these fabulous parties: