My Personal 2016 Challenge

I am making myself accountable for a challenge this year. I am going to do a post a week this year. If I have time or tons of inspiration, well then, it may be more.

I am going to stick with what I know and then try to branch out to things that interest me.

I will be face painting more this year...sharing some inspiration, some personal ideas, and even some failures.

I am still obsessed with 18 inch doll stuff. (More than my 7 year old.) Keep an eye out for those random things I can find that work for dolls or those things I can make.

I started working in a preschool program this fall. I love making things with my 4-5 year olds. I am always on the look our for crafts ideas for them. I then have my 4 year old and 7 year old try them out. If my kids like something, I will have to share.

Let 2016 begin!! I can't wait to see what all it has in store!!!

Happy New Year

Snowflakes 2

Once I got started with the Peanut's snowflakes, I couldn't stop. I was trying very hard to come up with a Linus, but couldn't make it work. So for now I will share Sally and Lucy.

These where so much fun, I may have to see how I can finish the whole gang!!

Snowflakes

Right after graduating high school, I attended a junior college. I was fortunate enough to get a job in the testing center, proctoring exams for the online classes. The set up of the room was such that it had two doors. The space between the doors became my own personal canvas.

In the spring I would cut out flowers and butterflies to put up. The butterflies where such a hit that they would get taken by people walking by. I can't even explain how odd I found it that someone would steal a paper decoration off our wall.

In the winter time, I would make snowflakes. These where my favorite. While one butterfly would take me a long time, snowflakes could be cranked out quickly. I made so many that they ended up decorating more than just my little section of wall. I think this was where my love of decorating for parties comes from.

This year I began a job as a preschool teacher. I have really enjoyed having a classroom to decorate, but since we didn't have a chance to really put a personal touch on our room before class started...it has been a slow process.

The theme for the school this year is Snoopy (or Peanuts). I printed off a Snoopy and Woodstock to enlarge and make for our wall. Now I use them to "decorate." For Halloween I dressed them up. Now for Christmas, I have made them costumes to change things up.

What does this have to do with snowflakes you ask? Well, I was cutting some snowflakes for our classroom when I got an idea: Can I make Peanuts snowflakes? You tell me...

 Thanks for stopping by!! Sorry I haven't had posts lately, I have been really busy.

Feeling Rusty

This summer I have not really pulled out my face paints. I was sure that I would be face painting as a side job, but quickly found out how difficult it is to get people to appreciate what you do. Most people do not want to pay for a face painter. They will always think it is too expensive.

I am now just face painting recreationally (expensive hobby) and for friends/family.

Today is the last day of summer vacation so of course, the paints came out. My kids had some friends over and they where watching a movie about a three headed shark. Yeah, not any better than it sounds, but a ton of fun for the kids.

Naturally, they wanted me to paint sharks. I found a picture of a great white shark on Pintrest and went to work. I found myself a little rusty. I struggled more to find the consistency I wanted in my paints. Also, I had a harder time getting my brush strokes the way I like.

All this tells me that I need to keep up with my practice. This will mean more face painting all year long.

Anyways, here are my sharks if anyone is interested...also a little seahorse and my first ever dolphin!!

Leave a comment if  you like my post.

New Doll Finds

Just a quick post today. I hope to have my sewing machine up this week and get some of my "to do" done soon.

I went to a teacher store today. I start in the fall as a teacher at my son's mother's day out program. I have never been in a teacher store and recommend that you go without your kids. (I will be in there again.)

I did find a few things for my daughter's dolls there.

How cute is the little globe? It is actually a pencil sharpener. The little treats are erasers. At just 99 cents, I will be picking up more erasers. They are too cute! The dolls are ready for a tea party now!!

Doll Finds...at Target

I have been avoiding Target lately. I find when I go in, I come out at least $100 less in the bank account and not a lot to show for it.

Yesterday I had to go to Target for a birthday present. Of course, I stopped at the bins by the front door. WOW. Right now they are stocked with lots of items for school teachers and lots of fun minion stuff.

Here are a couple of things I found that are perfect for my daughter's dolls:

little notebook

These are tiny.

A little dog with carrier on clearance.

Look at that cute face!!

Here she is with her new pet.

Ready for school!!

 

 

Little Backpack...PERFECT size.

$3 for this little cutie.

I LOVE finding fun, inexpensive doll things!!!!

Fun With Shrinky Dink

I remember playing with Shrinky Dink as a child. We would draw a design, color it, cut it out and then watch the oven mesmerized by the plastic as it would wrap up then flatten out. Of course times have changed, and so has Shrinky Dink.

I picked some up at the craft store the other day. This specific kind of shrink paper is able to go through the ink jet printer. The background is white, not clear.

I decided that it might be a cute idea to make some My Little Pony necklaces for the girls at my daughter's party. Then I realized I could use them as tags for the goodie lunch boxes.

I found images of each pony and put them onto a word document. I made sure to lighten them a bit, as directed on the Shrinky Dink instructions. At 50% lightened, the shrunken finished product was light. I really liked them since the colors where true. My daughter and husband liked the ones I made with the image lightened to 80%. Either way, I made a bunch.

My favorite part was still watching them shrink. There is a moment of panic when the picture curls up tight and I kept thinking it wouldn't lay flat. I know that very cheap shrinking paper will get stuck curled and be ruined.

I can't wait to buy another package of paper. The 40% off coupon will come in handy.

Here are some pictures of what I made.

Here are the tags I made.

Tags/ necklaces.

The top one was 80% lightened while the bottom was 50%.

My Little Pony cuteness.