Do Not Toss Your Greeting Cards--Reuse Them!

I am a hoarder! I will admit that to you, but you have to promise not to tell my friends and family.

I mostly hoard greeting cards that I cannot bear to toss into the recycle bin or trash barrel. In order to save space, I usually tear off the front of the card so I can use the artwork again in some other form (ie. gift tags -- see the image below, the stocking tag used to be the front of a greeting card).

However, the one practical use is to recycle the front of the card INTO another greeting card. That is actually very easy to do. All you need is some card stock or blank greeting cards and envelopes. You then just cut the original front to fit on the new blank card. Sometimes I find the written verse in a card to be so very good that I trim off the signature on the card and so I can "borrow" the sentiment and glue it into my "new" card.

Having been the "official" Glue Gun Slinger Contributor on the now defunct website, Squidoo, I do have a few adhesives in my crafting tool kit, but my knowledge about glues for "paper" crafts is mostly limited to book repair. However, I have been know to make a paper craft project or two, and I highly recommend Elmer's Washable All-Purpose School Glue Sticks

While you are on the site, be sure to check out "Card Making and Craft Budget Tips" by writer/crafter "paperfacets". If you are at all interested in making greeting cards, this page will be helpful, indeed.

I have read that it is best to use a glue that will not "wrinkle" the card stock when making a card. Does anyone have a good suggestion for me to try? I am thinking that a glue stick might work. What about glue dots? Has anyone used them? I really like to know about a product before I invest my hard earned cash.

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Crafty by Nature

 One of my favorite ways to craft is by using natural materials from the world around us. Every week my daughter and I head off to forest school and then have a wander through the forest afterwards, and invariably she will pick up some bits and bobs to take home and craft with!  

There are lots of gems to be found on the forest floor, from pine cones to twigs, leaves to moss. These can be used in so many ways - leaf printing, glitter pine cones in pots or to use on festive wreaths, nature cards and more! 

Our very own mbgphoto shares this tutorial on How to Make a Pine Cone Angel, which you can adapt to make into angels, fairies or elves with your little ones!

Another great source of natural craft materials is the beach. How many different ways can you get creative with a shell? Lots, I tell you! We've made sculptures and mini mermaids, painted pebble friends and treasure boxes, to name but a few things, out of the shells, pebbles, rocks and driftwood that we've encountered on our meanderings.  

Shells - image from JupiterImages Corporation

 

Scarlettohairy shows us How to Paint Rocks in her craft guide, and for more beach-themed crafts, I put together a few ideas to get you started in my guide to Sea Crafts for Kids. You'll also find plenty of inspiration in Homemade Beach Craft Ideas by studentz, which includes lots of projects from basic to advanced, many of which can be adapted for children. Which reminds me, if you see a craft you like in a book or online, but it's for older kids or adults, don't write it off straight away - can you come up with a toddler or preschooler-friendly version of it?

Natural materials can be so much fun to craft with, and they can be excellent teachers, too! As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, during the Easter break we had a go at a willow weaving workshop at our local zoo, and came home with two lovely birds nests, which we've been using for all kinds of things. Needless to say, we learned a lot about how clever birds are at making their nests, and how they have to make them strong enough to hold the eggs and soft enough for the babies when they hatch! Greenspirit has a wonderful guide to making Bird Nests Crafts, which little ones would love to help with creating. 

Finally, even if you live in the middle of the city or miles from a beach or wood, you can still find nature's bounty on your doorstep! Find sticks and flowers in the garden, leaves from trees in the street or park... or combine nature and crafts by creating a mini indoor garden in a pot or barrel - perfect for small world play, nurturing green fingers and stimulating creativity! Think fairy garden, dinosaur terrain or even a Lego adventure park. There are lots of Miniature Fairy Garden Ideas to be had such as these by LoveEmbroidery.

Elsewhere in the world of nature, seedplanter shows us how to have Fun with Flowers, while vallain reviews these awesome Model Insect Kits, which once built would look great as part of a nature diorama for small world play. And I just love some of the ideas on lbrummer's Outdoor Crafts for Kids, especially the twig frame, garden markers made from sticks and the super cool grass house!

So, next time you are enjoying a walk out in the natural world, why not have a look around and see what treasures lie waiting to be found?

(c) All photos copyright of the author unless otherwise stated

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Holiday Cookbooks: Perfect for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner, so now is the perfect time to pull out your favorite cookbook and plan a special treat for mom.  

If you or your mom love cooking for the holidays, or anytime, a holiday cookbook is also the perfect gift for Mother's Day.  I know I personally have a collection of specialty and holiday cookbooks that I absolutely love and frequently grab for reference.  I enjoy "pouring over a cookbook", as my own mother would say, reading recipes, making a grocery list and planning to try a new recipe.


The Pioneer Woman Cooks A Year of Holidays

Our very own pioneer woman, RenaissanceWoman2010, reviewed a fabulous cookbook for all of us recently in her article entitled, I'm Spending the Holidays with Ree.  I was so impressed by her review, that I simply had to purchase my own copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks A Year of Holidays.

I have my own grandmother's Pecan Pie recipe that I use, but the recipe and featured photo were all I needed to see to know I had to have the cookbook!

The Pioneer Woman's Holiday cookbook is chock full of some great recipes and while I don't know Ree personally, I do know she will now be a part of my holidays too.

May You All Have a 

Happy Mother's Day!

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Basic Techniques for Digital Photography

Last week I shared my notes for the first session of our Nature Photography class.  Here are some additional points from that first class Nature Photography Class.  The photo of the tulip is one that I took using some tips I learned in that first class.

In our second class our instructor went over some basic techniques for photography.  The list below includes some of the points he made in class that were of particular interest to me.  I hope  you find some that will work for you too.

• Vantage Point--  Look for a different vantage point for your photos.  Everyone sees an object straight on when they see it, help your audience to see it differently.  Take your time, walk around an object to find just the right place to take the photo and then set up your tripod.
• Take Both Vertical and Horizontal Views--Even if you think one way would be best try taking it both ways.  You never know when the other way might be what you need for a certain project.
• Watch Your Background-  How many times are we so focused on the person or object that we are photographing that we don't notice the background till we see the finished photo.  Before you hit the shutter, make it a habit to run your eyes through the outside perimeter of the picture.
• Waterfalls- To get that beautiful blurr of water take the photo at a speed of 1/15 sec or slower using your lowest ISO.
• Animals- To get the best reaction from an animal shoot 2-3 shots in close succession.  The first one will get the animals attention and the second will usually have the best reaction.

Each week our instructor gives us an assignment.  This week's assignment is to take an artistic photo of a flower.  Next Thursday I will share my photo with you along with the tips that we get in our third class.  The subject next week will be on Macro Photography. Stay tuned!

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April Baseball

Source: Pixabay

Baseball fans love the month of April. It's a magical time which includes Opening Day of a brand new baseball season with all its promise of a successful winning season and the possibility of making and breaking records.

"Hammerin' Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron with the Braves 1960

One of the most famous 'broken records' occurred 40 years ago on April 8, 1974, when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's 'unbreakable' home run record by hitting home run number 715. “Hammerin' Hank” would go on to have a career high of 755 home runs (a record broken by Barry Bonds in 2007, as baseball records are wont to do). Carolan Ross (Crosscreations) has included Hank Aaron in her HubPages article about the top ten baseball players Best in Baseball - MLB Heroes - worthy of April Baseball recognition.

Jackie Robinson Day

And the most special moment of April Baseball is celebrated every April 15^th – the day in 1947 that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. On that day, every baseball player on every team honors Jackie by wearing his number 42. Ellen Brundige (mythphile) tells us how this Baseball Player Changed the World.

Back in 1947, the father of Hank Aaron told his son that no black man would ever be allowed to play on a Major League team. Jackie Robinson changed that forever.

April Baseball Moments...

A few other 'April' moments in baseball...

• On April 4, 2003, Sammy Sosa became the 18th member of the 500 Home Run Club 
• On April 22, 2014, Albert Pujols became the very latest member of the 500 Home Run Club, an 'unofficial' honor held by only 26 players in the history of baseball.
• On Sunday, April 8, 2012, first baseman Prince Fielder recorded his 1,000th hit while playing for the Detroit Tigers.
• On April 29, 1986, Roger Clemens made MLB history by striking out 20 Seattle Mariners in a 3-1 Red Sox win. He would go on to win the Cy Young Award later that year and lead his team to the 1986 World Series. 
• There have only been 23 'Perfect Games' by pitchers in the entire history of Major League Baseball.  Two occurred in April - Charlie Robertson (#5) on 4/20/1922 and Philip Humber (#21) on 4/21/2012 - BOTH for the Chicago White Sox!

April baseball

My favorite time of the year when it all begins again!

Baseball reviews from Baseball Fan Wednesday-Elf.

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The Sky is Falling!

Little Henny Penny

Do you remember how it felt when you were expecting your first child?  Perhaps you poured over books like What to Expect When You are Expecting.  Wasn’t it fun to prepare the nursery and begin to shop for baby things?

That’s exactly what I am feeling and doing these days.  There is so much to do to get ready for my little bundles of joy.  I thought I was having triplets, but it turns out it will likely be sextuplets.  Now that was a real shocker. 

I’m hoping to extend my due date for a couple of weeks.  I know that’s counter to what most new mothers-to-be want.  My sister was begging her doctor to induce labor near the end of her first pregnancy.  Given the snow and freezing temperatures, this is no time to be bringing a baby into the world. 

Perhaps you’re thinking I’m a wimp… letting a little April snow and frigid weather take precedence over childbirth.  Um, perhaps this would be a good time to let you know I’m having chicks.  And, those little peeps will be living outdoors at some point.  Since newly hatched chickens cannot regulate their body temperature, even with a heat lamp I don’t dare have them out in a coop in the fickle Ides of April.

So I continue to happily work on the nursery and pour over books like Chick Days.  As I turn each page, my excitement and anticipation grow.  I never imagined having a baby at this age, but I’m told the pleasure is even greater when you're a midlife mother. 

While you wait for the baby announcements to arrive, I invite you to check out my new Chick Days review.  Any advice for this new mother hen?

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Primitive Camping in the Mid-Atlantic: Green Ridge State Forest

Have you ever known about a place or a thing so special that you wanted to keep it all to yourself?  You were afraid to let others know about it?  Well, that’s how I’ve felt about Green Ridge State Forest in Flintstone, Maryland for several years. 

I’m now ready to share my special place with you.

As compared to all other places I’ve gone camping, and there have been many, I rate Green Ridge State Forest as a 10 out of 10. 

I am aware that anyone who goes camping will have their own criteria for rating campgrounds.  As a woman, I am aware that many of my female friends require parking spots large enough for their RV, electricity for their curling irons and blow dryers (their statements, not mine), and modern bathroom facilities complete with hot running water.  I do not share these sentiments with my friends. 

My top requirements for a campground include:

• Privacy – I don’t want my site right on the road or in close quarters with others.
• Natural setting – I want to see the plants, birds, and wildlife.  I don’t want the only four-legged thing I see to be a lawn chair.
• Cooking over an open fire.
• Low-cost. If I am spending just a few dollars less than a cheap hotel room (and I’m that close to the campers next door) I’d rather be in the hotel room.
• Amenities that include only the great outdoors. Pinball machines and putt-putt golf are not reasons I go camping.

I’ve experienced primitive camping at Green Ridge as a lone woman and as part of small groups.  My favorite times were the times that included my son.

I have shared information and my photographs about Primitive Camping at Green Ridge State Forest and will soon share my last  personal adventure there that was a solo and minimalist overnight stay.

If you love camping, and are in the Mid-Atlantic states area, you must consider seeing Green Ridge State Forest.  And remember, whenever you are in an outdoor setting, especially natural settings, practice the art of “leave no trace”.  The earth is good to us, let’s keep it clean.

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Crafting is not just about having a Glue Gun!

I am Mickie and I was formerly known as "The Glue Gun Slinger" contributor on Squidoo (Now Squidoo is no more and all of my articles are on Hubpages.) It was my job to find wonderful craft projects that use some kind of glue and share them with my followers. For example, I recently discovered how to make a birdhouse out of wine corks (yes, that is a link!) and published my own page featuring this project. As can be expected from this Glue Gun Slinger, that project uses lots of hot glue and a glue gun. Here is a photo of my friend, Toni, and her bird house:

What I would love to be the most famous for, however, is "saving the world, one book at a time"! My favorite way to use glue is for repairing books. Yes, real everyday paper books that have actual pages you can turn with your very own fingers.

I am a retired librarian and I learned how to make repairs while working and volunteering in public libraries. I have written several tutorials on subjects like repairing a child's Bible, repairing a torn page,  and reattaching a cover to a board book. I even have an article about (of all things!) The Best Glues for Book Repairs.

While I was the Glue Gun Slinger, I corralled many sticky projects on a Pinterest Board that you can visit by clicking here. I just know that you will find a craft that you would love to make! Make sure you have glue!

What am I crafting now? Greeting Cards. With Mother's Day and Father's Day quickly approaching, I wanted to find an easy, yet spectacular personal card for those occasions. One page I found on the Hubpages website was Old Book Page Crafts by "lbrummer". This contributor shares ideas for using pages from books to craft beautiful projects. Yes, this might involve tearing apart a book, but sometimes books are beyond repair and the best use for them is to upcycle those tomes into something beautiful. I have even used pages from an old dictionary to cover an old lampshade using glue thinned with water as the decoupage medium.

So, as you can see, I have more than just a glue gun in my holster!

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Project in a Box

 This week I'm revisiting craft kits, and encouraging YOU to review your favorites. While there is no better source of crafting materials than the contents of your recycling bin, there is also nothing like a fabulous craft kit to inspire and encourage your child to make something creative. A craft kit can provide you with everything you need to "bling" up your own upcycling or other crafty project, or it can provide a complete craft in a box, giving you all the materials you need to make a particular craft (which, despite being most fond of spontaneous crafting, I do love for those times when you just want a quick craft with little or no set-up, or a handy themed craft that is ready to go without lots of prep!) 

This week saw us celebrating St George's Day on the 23rd April, the feast day of the patron saint of England. To mark the occasion, I set up an activity table of St George and the Dragon crafts, puzzles and coloring for my daughter to delve into. 

The main project featured the kits pictured - a catapult craft with St George decor (left), and a castle made from a box (below), all from the marvelous UK company ToucanBox, who post out lovely little parcels filled with everything you need in one box to complete a craft project from start to finish.  

This is an ace idea to get you creating, without having to hunt down individual bits and bobs, and then not be able to do a craft because you don't have any blue ribbon or green foam shapes or the right kind of googley eyes.

The thing I love most about craft kits is that I can pull one out of a drawer and give it to my daughter knowing that she is going to enjoy some independent creative play time. She LOVES new craft kits, big or small, and often raids her art drawers to see if there are any lurking about that she hasn't done yet! She is craft mad and would happily craft every day if she could, and I don't always have the time to prepare a craft on the spot when she wants to do one, so I keep a stock of little kits ready! 

We also have a few "bigger" kits on hand, usually ones given as birthday and Christmas gifts, and these are always a great source of excitement when broken open! One such kit, received this past Christmas, was the Melissa and Doug Wooden Stringing Beads, which I've just reviewed. A combination of fun crafting (creating jewellery and other objects with the wood beads and laces) and fine motor skill practice! 

What craft kits do your children love? Share a review with us! Review one of the many wonderful kits on this selection of Kids Craft Kits for Under-Fives, or if you can't see your fave, tell us about it anyway! Or perhaps you like to make your own kits, or have a fabulous DIY craft tutorial to share? If so, pop it into Squidoo's How-To format and share your ideas with the world. The more we share with each other to benefit the growth and creativity of children, the better! 

So, what constitutes a good craft review? I've already shared one of mine, now here are some more by talented lensmasters on Squidoo. 

Mosaics provide super fun pattern crafts that preschoolers will love, and sweetheart8148 shares her experience with the fabulous Sticky Mosaic sets.

Play-Doh is always an instant winner with little ones, and you can have all kinds of fun and creative exploration using it. Seahorse60 has a few great ideas about ways you can use it in her review of the Play-Doh Mega Pack.

Finally, craft kits don't have to all be about cards and sparkles and foam shapes... they can come in the form of DIY gifts and objects for the home, too. ComfortsOfHome reviews this sweet Build a Birdhouse Kit, which is ideal for getting kids involved in gardening and wildlife as well as being creative! 

Squidoo is the perfect platform to share your craft reviews, tutorials and ideas - not only are you getting your creativity out there to inspire other parents and teachers, but you have the potential to earn some money for yourself or charity, too! 

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Romantic Movie Reviews: Persuasion and The Bridges of Madison County

Romantic movies are always in season, but on those rainy afternoons in spring, I simply love grabbing one or two of my favorite romance movies, popping them into the dvd player, settling down under a warm blanket and letting the romance of their stories wash over me.

As the rain drops are softly falling on the flower buds in my backyard, the awakening of love is unfolding on the screen.  For just a little while, I am resting and allowing my heart to absorb the nurturing effects of a fabulous love story.  

Like the flowers, we all need those rainy days and the tender time of restoration they provide.

 


Persuasion

Ibidii selected one of my own personal favorites to review when she wrote her article.
 
The movie Persuasion is packed with those heart stopping moments of unobserved love and longing so clearly evident to the viewers in the faces of the characters, but carefully hidden from the view of the object of their desire.  

A love that stood the test of time, separation & persuasion. 

 


The Bridges of Madison County

I have long been an admirer of Clint Eastwood.  I even named my first dog after a character he dashingly played in an old western from my childhood days.  However, until I read a review of The Bridges of Madison County written by Freshstart7, I had never seen this particular movie.   

Because of her recommendation, I watched and experienced my own shower of tears over this movie.  

Ironically, I found it too was the story of a love the stood the test of time, separation & persuasion.  



Romantic Movies Reviewed

Some days seem to be made for romantic movies.  There are some movies we know that we will love when we see the trailers, or even the cover of the dvd.  But, there are others that are discovered because someone took the time to write a review, we separated ourselves from our daily schedules and were persuaded to encounter love. 

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If you have a review you would like to share, please leave the link in our guestbook below.

 

Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow,

What You Can Review Today!

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