You are going to love the simplicity of this project. I pulled out my broken jewelry collection and found three clip on earrings that were missing its match. Using wire and simple bamboo skewers, I wired the jewelry onto the sticks and simply stuck them into the soil. The project took so little time, I was able to get it done while my kiddos ate breakfast.

Voila, a little plant jewelry. The unexpected can be such a lovely surprise. The plant is now dressed and ready for the show.

Do you like making gifts extraordinary? Feel free to leave a comment and fill me in on any handmade gifts that have been a huge success.

I love parties especially a party for a truly special birthday girl. Let me introduce you to my dearest friend, Sarah. She’s the friend that everyone leans on for support. The friend that is always willing to give, listen, work, wait on, and well simply take care of anyone and everyone that surrounds her. From taking care of her grandmother, helping shape local politics, entertaining friends, family and sometimes even strangers as well as raising her four children, she’s got a lot on her plate. So that’s why it was really important for me to show her how much we love her…that’s right folks, with a surprise birthday party!

Her family was already planning a family-style wiffle ball game at the park. So the park was my setting. From there I thought about all the things Sarah loves: Mexican folk art, piñatas, and fun mix and match patterns. I thought a Frida Kahlo inspired afternoon at the park sounded like fun. Surely Frida would play wiffle ball if she could, and this seemed to fit Sarah’s style well.

I turned to pinterest to get a few ideas and cleverly hid my ideas under a category of Cinco de Mayo. Sarah later called all excited, “are you throwing a Cinco de Mayo party?” She and I chatted about how she loves Mexican design and how festive the celebration could be. I knew the theme was going to be a hit!

So I went with the bold colors. I made my own Papel picado (“perforated paper”), a simple tissue paper banner. My daughter and I created tissue paper flowers for the female guests. I found large colorful flowers from my yard and mixed purple and reds (which I rarely do). My vision for the cake was to mimic a Mexican embroidered shirt. I made a four layer buttermilk cake filled with ginger-lime curd and frosted in buttercream. I decorated it with 8 different colors all piped using ziplock bags (no fancy piping tips required!). Then I added tiny ball sprinkles that I strategically placed on the cake with tweezers to give the cake even more detail. I made a lemon lime drink using citric acid, sugar and lemon juice as well as homemade ranch, carrots, chips and salsa.

We had lots of fun playing wiffle ball, catching up with friends, snacking, and I loved watching the adults taking a whack at the piñata. Hopefully Sarah will remember this birthday and feel the warmth and love of her family and friends that fun afternoon at the park.

So I started off really simply. I cut paper into fourths to give to the kids. I had them draw three different items using black pens: a monster (the boys sure loved this one), a self-portrait (the least popular of the three however the parents will love it!) and cats and dogs. The last one seems a bit odd I admit but I thought I’d make a raining cats and dogs themed umbrella. I think that’s pretty darn cute if I do say so myself. I gave the paper to the teacher and she was able to fit the drawing time into a few weeks so there wasn’t a huge time commitment.

I purchased affordable umbrellas at the supermarket. And when I received the artwork I got straight to work. My third-grader helped me out as well.

First I laid out the images face up on the wrong side of the umbrella. I taped them down.

The umbrella fabric is shear enough to see through. Using Sharpie pens we simply transferred the images by tracing them onto the top of the umbrella.

And here’s what the Monster Mashup Umbrella looks like.

And here is the self portrait umbrella. I love those darling drawings and I know the parents will as well.

Do you have any good ideas for classroom art for auctions? I’d love to hear them! Until then, I’m off to finish up the last umbrella. Happy crafting friends!

 The statement is true..and Goonies don’t forget either. That’s why I set my kiddos down to watch the adventure unfold. They huddled together like little puppies, heads pressed together and blankets firmly grasped while the Goonies sought out the treasure of One-Eye Willie. They squealed when I pretended to be Sloth and were giddy seeing all the rubies and gold. The intrepid soundtrack instantly brought me back to my 7 year-old-self.

They love the movie and I surely don’t want the adventure to end. So we are heading off to Astoria to seek out adventures of our own. There is a Goonie letterbox, AND I just made an on location map, showing some of the Goonie hot spots featured in the movie. That’s right friends, I do like to share so you can download this map right here!

“Don’t you realize? The next time you see sky, it’ll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it’ll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what’s right for them. Because it’s their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it’s our time. It’s our time down here.”

I loved seeing all the Dads using the sewing machine. I’m going to say it…real men know how to sew! They really rocked it and came up with some cool designs.

And there were lots of helping hands!

And there was some intense cutting.

For those of you unable to make it out tonight, here is a free tutorial. Simply click and print out. We have Community Craft Nights every FOURTH Thursday of the month and would love to have you join us for the next one. Happy crafting!

tshirtbag tutorial

With all the hullabaloo, I’ve made some radioactive brushes to share and celebrate with you.  Simply click here to download. The file is big since the brushes are quality, large resolution images. Some I have taken from public domain, however many are my personal photos. I hope you enjoy and wish us luck with this new endeavor.

How to Install Custom Brushes in PhotoshopPlace the *.abr files into:Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop X\Presets\Brushes where X is the version number for your version of Photoshop.Brushes created in Photoshop 7 or later will not work in earlier versions of Photoshop. Any Photoshop brushes should work in Photoshop 7 and later.From the Brushes Palette in Photoshop, click the small arrow in the upper right corner of the palette, and choose load brushes. The brushes will be added to the current brushes.How to Install Custom Brushes in Photoshop Elements
Windows: Place the *.abr files into:
Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements X\Presets\Brushes where X is the version number for your version of Photoshop Elements.

Mac: Place the *.abr files into:
Applications/Adobe Photoshop Elements 6/Presets/Brushes

Brushes created in Photoshop 7 or later will not work in Photoshop Elements 2 and earlier. Any Photoshop brushes should work in Photoshop Elements 3 and later.

Also check out some of the 3D post-apoc greeting cards and mobiles I’ve created.

Did you know once a month in Salem I host a Community Craft Night that is free and open to the public? I tote all my supplies from the studio, stuffing my decoupaged suitcases full of crafty goodness to share with others. All ages are welcome and I love seeing new faces. So if you are looking for something to do on the Fourth Thursday of the month, come on down to Clockworks Cafe (6-8) for a magical night of crafts. I can’t wait to see what you create!

There is a black and white version that you’ll use as your canvas and the color version to use as reference. Don’t like the colors I picked? No problem, just substitute your favorite color.

These took a couple of hours to create…surely there must be a faster way to make these but please feel free to share with family and friends. That way I’ll know the hours I spent were put to good use. If you like these I will continue to make more!

Here’s the links to The Tree of Life paint by numbers:

Here are the links to simple “The Artist” paint by numbers:

If George Clooney is more of your style check out this paint by number.

Come get crafty at Community Craft Night at Clockworks Cafe! This month we will be making magazine transfer bookmarks. I’ll host the event bringing my supplies and the Culture Shock Community Project sponsors these each month. Supplies provided but feel free to bring a magazine you don’t mind sharing.

Thursday February 16
6:00pm until 8:00pm
Clockworks Cafe & Cultural Center
241 Commercial St NE, Salem, OR 97301
http://www.clockworkscafe.com

I mustache you a question… Will you be my Valentine?

This was so simple to do. I started by purchasing black felt with a sticker back. I cut out a mustache and asked my kids to pose so I could get pictures. I then designed the valentine so that they could be 2up on a standard photo size. I like doing that since it saves money and I don’t have to mess with printing them up myself and instead just send them to a 1 hour photo lab. Then I cut out a zillion mustaches, my hand cramps, I whine a bit and then keep cutting. After the mustaches are cut I secure a mustache to each valentine with a glue dot. Pretty easy stuff.

I got this clever idea off of Pinterest. If you haven’t been to Pinterest before dear reader, let me tell you what you are missing. It’s a bit like window shopping on the internet. With delicious images of all sorts, you’ll be able to make your own virtual idea board, create categories to organize them, and check out what your best buddies tastes and styles are. I’ve even recruited my hubby to be a Pinterest user and he was sweet enough to create a category of photos that remind him of me. Now isn’t that romantic? Anyway, check it out if you haven’t done so already. And be sure to add me to your board “Jessica Ramey” and I’ll add you too. Just leave your contact info in the comments. If you need an invite to Pinterest, I’ll send one your way. Happy pinning!