hsitarzewski

Lunchbox Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:50:00 +0000

Lunch. More specifically bentos. It's the last thing on my mind at night as I ponder what I have in my fridge and sketch the following days design. It's the first thing on my mind when my alarm goes off at 5:45... and a groggy "Time to make the bento" plays in my head like the old Dunkin Donuts commercial.

I decided during this past summer that I wanted to make a fun bento every day for my son's lunches this school year. I dug around online for a bit to see ideas and found some very fun sites that have recipes and tutorials for how to manipulate food into shapes and patterns that you don't envision initially when you think about it.

Day one I put together a cute, generic style, bento. I knew immediately that I wanted to do Disney characters and other fun imagery. But little did I know, that crazy idea I had during the summer, would be received so warmly with my Facebook friends. I started posting them daily there and got so many requests for a place to see them all at once. A book, a blog... a tumblelog.

One day a book may be in order. But for now they can all bee seen in one place at lunchboxawesome.tumblr.com.

Goofy, I know. But this morning ritual has become an important part of my day. I love trying to figure out how I can use different food to make a fun piece of edible art. I am creative every day, I'm a designer by day and all around artsy-crafty gal at night but now I get to start every day being creative right off the bat... it's invigorating.

I'd love for you to visit Lunchbox Awesome and try a few yourself! Come back and link your creations in the comments if you do! Bon appetite!

Life Saving Sanity Tip #41

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:58:00 +0000

One thing I can't stand is a stinky trash can. Indoors is bad enough, but the big curbside trash can that sits in the garage all week, festering with rotten who-knows-what. Our trash pick up is Friday morning, and wouldn't you know I planned salmon for dinner friday night. Now we get to smell that funk all week. Well not anymore. Thanks to my Life Saving Sanity Tip #41. (I'm not sure what the 40 are before it... and I am not sure it's really life saving, but I have found it to be quite helpful!)

Anyway, Tip #41 is this: Keep a bag, either the ziplock you pulled the stinky causing carcass out of, or a grocery bag in the freezer that you can keep all of the weeks remains. Set an alarm on your smart phone to go off after dinner on the night before your trash comes (especially if you are the type to go racing out to meet the garbage man in your underwear first thing in the morning).

Now you have a weekly reminder to get the bag out of the freezer and put in the garbage and it doesn't have a chance to simmer outside. It might be a good time to go through the rest of the fridge and freezer and throw out other questionable foodstuffs too.

There you go! I hope you will embrace the sanity that comes from this helpful tip! =)

Chalk Art and Big Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 02:45:00 +0000

I had a few big goals lined up for 2011. The first one was to participate in the Sketchbook Project. It was a lofty goal to do something completely different from my norm. However, it was too far from my norm and I stood like a deer in headlights at the pristine, little book. Alas, it still sits on my shelf, untouched, except for the place I entered my name, and mocks me every day that it did not get to go on the grand tour with all the other lovingly embellished books. Perhaps in time I'll find the courage and inspiration to make it up to the little book.

Goal number two was to get into a craft show. I DID it! I'll be exhibiting this fall at the Horseshoe Craft & Flea Market. I am super excited! I'll be making lots of Halloween decorations over the next several months to get ready. There is one more show this summer as well, if you get a chance to check it out, do!

The third goal was to participate the Denver Chalk Art Festival. Two outta three ain't bad, right? =) I had the pleasure of working on a collage of The Fifth Element with one of my very best friends, Steve Oatney (and his beautiful girlfriend Defne). We started talking about how we would like to participate as we were walking around the festival last year. So I put that on the goals list for this year and I am so glad I did. It was so much fun working in an actual art medium, rather than a computer, on my favorite film with my best friend.

The square was one of the smallest, a 6x6'. We had a great location in the shade on Larimer, and even though the pavement we had to work on was less that stellar, it worked out just fine! We didn't win any awards, but it got me all pumped up to do more drawing and illustration. Here are some pics of the finished piece. Enjoy.

Bunny Digi Stamp

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000

I'm not sure what's happened this week, but I've been pretty inspired with Easter crafts! I've got one more goody for you - a digital stamp to use to create your own cards or decorations.

He's so cute... I see lots of opportunities for him in the future. In the meantime I hope you have fun with him. Please say "hi" if you download and be sure to come back and post a link to the creations you make!

Click the image to open in new tab for larger image. Then right click to download.

For personal use only.

© heather sitarzewski.

Felt Cookies Revisited - Easter Egg Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 05:53:00 +0000

Several months ago I received a sweet email asking about my felt cookie tutorial and if I would be interested in having my post linked to on her site. That email came from Callye Alvarado of the Sweet Adventures of SugarBelle. She makes the most unbelievably gorgeous cookies - real edible ones - unlike the playthings I have concocted!. I was so blown away by her site that I scoured through it for hours and visit it almost on a a daily basis, because she has new posts almost every day. I'm completely obsessed with her creations and crazy envious of her skill! Check her out!

This post is per her request for a more in-depth tutorial for the the felt cookies and since Easter is a few days away she asked for an Easter themed set. You could apply the same steps for almost any holiday or occasion and make a completely custom set of cookies!

Without further ado!

You'll need:
Egg shaped cookie cutter (or you could use a round cutter and gently reshape it)
2 12X9" pieces of creme colored felt (for dough)
1 12x9"piece of tan felt (for baked cookies)
felt and ric-rac for decorative "icing" (your choice of colors, can use scraps)
buttons & beads for more elaborately decorated eggs (optional)
matching embroidery floss for dough and baked cookies
fabric glue
scissors
needle
polyfil (or stuffing)

DOUGH:

Pin the two sheets of creme felt together and trim around the edges to round corners and make random curves. (like you've rolled out the dough). Stay fairly close to the edges so you have plenty of room for four cookie cutouts. These measurements could be altered to make more or less cookies, I think four make a nice set.

Use the cookie cutter as a template and mash into the "dough" to give you an impression to cut by. Carefully cut out 4 sets of cookies from the "dough", make sure to cut through both layers.

Sew each set of cookie cutouts and the surrounding dough together using a blanket stitch with matching embroidery floss.

BAKED COOKIES:

Use the cookie cutter to make a template on a scrap of lightweight cardboard (raid your recycle bin for a cereal box). Trace the cutter and add about 1/8 to 1/4" extra all around. Cookies expand when they cook you know!

Using template cut out four sets of "cooked cookies" from the darker felt.

Now comes the really fun part - decorating the cookies! =) Use scraps of felt, ric-rac, buttons, beads - you name it and layout designs on your cookie. I used a yellow scrap of felt and two sizes/colors of ric-rac for simplicity. Think about how you like to decorate real eggs and be creative... you could even use felt "icing" all over the top of the cookies like I did with the heart cookies. Or use a completely different color of felt for the entire cookie itself - like a dyed egg!

Use fabric glue or tacky glue to adhere the pieces (or sew them if you use buttons, etc.)

Place on back of cookie and sew together (again with a blanket stitch) with matching floss leaving an opening to stuff. Do not overfill cookie, continue sewing shut.

Voila! Place in an Easter basket with a rolling pin and get ready to whip up some deliciously fun Easter "treats" with the little ones!

Thank you Callye!

Easter Garland

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:47:00 +0000

It seems I am a little short on Easter decorations. My son asked why we don't have very many decorations for Easter when we're decked out for all the other holidays. So, to rectify that situation and to have some fun crafty time with him I came up with this quick Easter Garland.

All you need are:
plastic eggs (you have tons right?)
pretty beads (again the stash is overflowing, yeah?)
Dremel with small drill bit (optional. makes it way easy, but you could use a hammer and nail. hammer from the inside out on a piece of wood so you don't crack the egg)
long tapestry needle (optional. any needle will do, a long one just helps go through the whole egg without having to break it apart and then put it back together)
string or ribbon

Drill a hole in each end of the egg. There should be a small indentation to use as a guide for where to drill.

Next, thread the needle with as much string needed to cover the length of where the garland will be placed (or to fit as many eggs available, accounting for the beads in between).

Start stringing! This is a great activity for wee ones (just be careful with the needle). Z loved making patterns with the different colors. We started with beads and did 7 beads, egg, 7 beads, egg... and so on. It's up to you, depending on your needs. Tie off each end in a loop so you can hang it from a nail or tack.

Hang it up and enjoy. This really is a super simple project and a great way to give those eggs a beautiful new life!

Milk Jug Easter Basket

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:46:00 +0000

Easter falls a few days after Earth Day this year so what better way to celebrate both than by making this recycled milk jug basket?! This recycled craft is fast (minus paint dry time) and easy. Better yet, you most likely have everything you need on hand to make one.

You'll need:

cleaned gallon milk jug

measuring tape or ruler

sharpie

small hole punch (1/16th)

x-acto blade

scissors

paint or alcohol ink

large eye needle

yarn or ribbon

Directions:
To get started you'll need to mark your jug where you will be cutting. Measure a consistent distance from the bottom and mark a line with your sharpie all the way around the jug. Be sure to stay under the raised area on the jug.

Next, draw the "handles" on two opposite sides (not the one with the jug handle of course). Use the seam on the jug as a guide and mark about a half inch on each side of the seam, making the handle a total of 1". Use a straight edge if you can or free-hand the line if you are comfortable. It's a little tricky to hold something on the surface and draw the line at the same time. A second set of hands would be helpful! =)

Then mark another line 1" above the mark for the height of the basket. This will be the extension for the handle.

Use your x-acto blade to start the cuts at the handle intersections. Then use the scissors to complete. I found the scissors gave me a little more control than the x-acto blade and you can actually just "slice" through the material with out actually "cutting" if your scissors are really sharp.

This is what you should have so far... Once these steps are complete you can use your nail to scrape off the sharpie marks or use a solvent if it's stubborn.

Make a template on a piece of cardstock (or mark directly on the "basket") holes 1/8" from the top and 1/4" apart. all the way around the jug and on all the handles. Start the holes so the first one in the corner is at a 45º angle from the bend. That way the hole will be in the center for the sides and the handle.

Paint or stain the basket as desired. I found that paint is tricky. Even using paint made for plastic seemed to chip off easily. Perhaps a light sanding and priming would help. Alcohol ink does a great job of coloring the plastic although it's somewhat transparent and I was going for solid. You could coat the surface with glue and glitter it. Of course you could leave it white too. Be creative and experiment on your scraps first.

Once the paint has dried (if you chose that route), use the needle and thread to sew a "blanket stitch" all the way around the edge of the basket to finish it off. Use two of the holes on each side of the handles with the extension for stability. You could even dab a bit of glue (E6000) on the overlap.

Finish it out with "grass" made from cut strips of colored card stock run through a "crimper" or strips of newsprint for even more recycled goodness! Place decorative eggs, flowers and other Easter/springy decorations for a centerpiece that does dual duty!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and as always, I'd love to see your creations!
Happy Earth Day, Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

NOTE: Since this project potentially uses paint/stains that may be harmful to children it should be used for decorative purposes only!

Earth Day Activities - Post Yours!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Trying something new here again!

April 22 is Earth Day. We try to be eco-friendly here all year and I try to implement new ways to go green and minimize our footprint as often as I can. April and Earth Day always bring those thoughts to the forefront and help us remember to renew our efforts.

We love to use recycled materials in our crafts and I thought it would be fun to turn this post over to you and let you show some of your favorite Earth Friendly activities and projects! So, please check out the linky request below and add your creations! I can't wait to see all the great projects!

Cooking with The Pioneer Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 06:04:00 +0000

I'm hooked.

I've been an infrequent visitor to The Pioneer Woman's blog for years (that will immediately be rectified). This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to her book signing at the wonderful Tattered Cover bookstore in LoDo. It was really to promote "The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story" but I was smitten with the cook book "The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl" (I know better late to the party than never, right?) Anyway...

The cook book... is amazing!!! I can't stop looking at it! And drooling. It's not the kind of cook book you only want to flip to a few earmarked recipes and promptly put back on the shelf. No, no, no! It's a work of art and a fun read as well as a cook book!!! Every page is beautiful. Ree is beautiful, her family is beautiful, the ranch animals are beautiful and the food illustrated in the recipes is scrumptious! I can't wait to try every recipe! I am serious, every single one!

While we were waiting for our turn to have our books signed and I was flipping through the book I joked that I should do a Julie/Julia with the book and do every recipe. The girls I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with thought it was a good idea so when we finally got to meet Ree we told her my idea. She was so sweet and said "Oh, I'm not worthy!" But I beg to differ!

I've only recently (the past few years) started to broaden my horizons in the cooking/baking department. Ree's recipes are not intimidating. The ingredients are all readily available and the step-by-step pictures make it fool-proof. Well, I say that with only two of the recipes under my belt, but so far they are a testament to that statement!

I expect my book to become well loved, food stained and eventually start to fall apart, which goes against all forms of book care and etiquette I am sure (and I hope that doesn't offend you Ree!) This book will be my go-to for so many occasions. So thank you Ree! I can't wait to try all the recipes and surely bring smiles to those eating in my kitchen!

Crayola Crayon Maker™: Review

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:31:00 +0000

This is a new direction for me, writing a review post. I am exited about this and I hope to make it a regular part of the blog for the new year!

I just spent the last few hours with my son making crayons with the Crayola Crayon Maker™. Santa thought that would be a fun activity for Z. Of course he knew I had some ideas about using it as too, and that made it a no brainer! Now, will it live up to the hype and expectations of a 6 year old (box recommends for 8+) and a crafty mom?...

The machine takes a 60-watt candelabra bulb. No biggie, except the bulbs I had on hand were 25 and 40-watt. So we had to wait for a store run to get the bulb. Wish I had checked that before hand. But the boy was so busy with all his toys on Christmas that waiting for this one wasn't too painful! The bulb is easy to insert. Just a few screws on the top of the machine and you're in. The instructions say do not over tighten. Replace panel and screws and you are ready to go. It's that simple. It's a plug-in unit so there are no batteries. Bonus! You just have to be careful of where you use the unit as it does take about 30 minutes for the melting a cooling process, so it's a good idea to have it somewhere the cord will not be a hindrance.

First gather all the broken bits of crayons you have. The kit comes with 8 crayon, 2 each of red, yellow, green and blue. But surely you have a pile of pieces! Now here is where I get to interject the "I told you so" from the instructions... it says to only use Crayola crayons in the machine. I had to test that little bit of advice right off the bat. After all, a crayon is a crayon right? Wrong. (Ok, I actually already knew that... but I had to try it anyway to see what would happen =) It's true, the Crayola crayons are a much better product (than those you get from restaurants and dollar store and such). The non-Crayola crayons don't melt as smoothly and end up kind of bubbly and goopy. They don't set as well either. So stick with the Crayola for this machine and use the others for wax-paper stained glass projects! (Hmmm... perhaps another post to come soon with the how-to on that!)

Ok, so you have your Crayola crayons de-papered, broken into smaller bits if necessary and are ready to go. There are two trays to work with and each makes two 1/2 sized crayons. Just in case you were thinking that you were going to get full sized crayons like the box seems to indicate. A little bit misleading. The kit comes with two holders so you end up with a full sized crayon that can be different colors on each end. I'm hoping that you can get these little holders separately, but on a quick look I didn't find them.

For each tray you need enough pieces to amount to two full sized crayons. This is where you get to be a little creative with the colors you end up with. You also have to use your basic color mixing knowledge. Red + Yellow = Orange. Blue + Yellow = Green. Red + Blue = Purple. Orange + Blue = Brown. Etc. If you put a wide spectrum of colors together you will get muck every time. The instructions say to use mostly light with a little dark. We used a pretty even amount of Red and Yellow with a hint of Pink in one tray and an even amount of Red and Blue with a hint of Pink in the second.

Now you are ready to make the crayons! Shut the see-through lid and turn the lever to turn on the bulb and start the melting process. The lid locks at this point so little curious fingers can't open it and get burned. That 60-watt bulb heating up the metal plate and trays does get hot. Adult supervision for little ones is a good idea! Older kids should be able to handle it with no problems. Once the time is set you get to sit there and watch wax melt. =) It takes about 15-20 mins. The instructions say you can give it another 1/2 turn if after the first round if the crayons aren't fully melted. We had to do this with the non-Crayola crayons (don't do that!) but the Crayola melted perfectly in the time allotted.

Once the timer gets to the part where the bulb turns off it's time to tip your trays up to pour into the molds. Easy! Six year old handled that like a champ! Then you get to wait another 10 mins for the timer to fully stop and the crayons to cool down. The lid unlocks and everything is cool enough to handle. We found that they still weren't quite cool enough to take out of the molds at that point and put them in the fridge for a while. Meanwhile we tore the paper off some more crayons to get ready for the next batch.

Once the crayons are completely cool, open the mold and the crayons pop right out. Place one piece on each side of the holder and color away! Even though the first batch was made with inferior crayons it was still fun to see what colors came out as you drew. They colors don't perfectly blend together so you get a swirly effect and one minute you are coloring with a dark orange and the next a lighter orange. The purple we mixed went from red-purple to indigo. You have the potential for lots of vivid combinations! Crayola even has some color combinations you can try here Color Recipes

Over all, I give this little gadget a thumb and a half up. I am reserving the other half for the 1/2 sized crayons. It would have really been fun to have full sized crayons and make your own labels for them. I think the draw of making your own crayons and the "science lab" aspect is super cool. It puts you in the realm of being creative not only with the material output but in the process of making those materials. It's a lesson in mixing color and a real time experiment for "how stuff is made". It does take quite a bit of time to make four half sized crayons buy there will always be broken crayons and rainy or snowy days that need to be occupied!

I know, I know... a pumpkin? We made orange and purple... of course pumpkins! =)

If you HURRY you can get a $3 rebate from Crayola. Must be purchased by 12/31. And the Crayon Maker is on sale on the Crayola site for $21.99. Santa got ours at Target for $24.99. You can also check your local hobby stores. Be sure to look for their discount coupons. Hobby Lobby often has 40% off coupons on their web site. Michael's has 40% off mail circulars and Joann has online and flyer coupons, plus they accept both Hobby Lobby and Michael's coupons!

I hope you have enjoyed this review and found it helpful. If you have or get a Crayola Crayon Maker™ I'd love to hear your thoughts and experience. This post was not sponsored by Crayola®. I have not been paid to write this post. I genuinely wanted to provide my opinion of the product. =)

Sweet Holiday Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 04:56:00 +0000

Need a cute, inexpensive gift for the holidays? Then I've got the perfect solution for you (courtesy of a brilliant idea from my Mother-in-law)! A cut-as-you-go cookie strip complete with scissors to snip the yummy treats . All you need is a roll of cellophane, ribbon, small safety scissors and cookies (pre-made or homemade).

WHAT TO DO:
Cut out a strip of cellophane long enough for several cookies (5-6) and wide enough to wrap around the cookies about 2 times. This size will vary, depending on the dimensions of the cookies you use. I used small pre-made gingerbread cookies. Leave enough space between the cookies so that it won't crowd them when you add the ribbon. It's a little tricky to roll all the cookies evenly especially if you have a long row. An extra set of helping hands may be needed.

Tie ribbon between each of the cookies all the way down the strip including under the last cookie. Leave the top untied - you can seal the top with a creative header card. I used the Stampin Up! Top Note die for the header card itself and a stamp and ribbon to top it off. You can get as creative as you like for that part. The die cut piece is folded and placed over the cellophane and stapled shut. The stamped image covers up the staples.

Last tie the scissors to the bottom. Voila, you have a perfectly adorable gift and a terrific way to showcase handmade cookies too. Your recipient will have a hard time deciding whether to display or eat your sweet gift!

Happy Holidays!

Wicked Witch Hat Centerpiece

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 03:02:00 +0000

While searching the interwebs one day, for who knows what, I stumbled upon an image of an adorable witches hat with a floral arrangement on top. I've looked and I haven't been able to find it again. Needless to stay it was stuck in my mind and I wanted to make one for myself. Keep in mind, floral arranging is NOT my strong suit. Funny that when I was a little girl I thought for a while that I might become a florist. But I digress.

I figured the basics for putting the hat together would be pretty simple... a hat, some flowers and other embellishments. I picked up a hat at the thrift store for $1 that someone loved intensely for one halloween and then tossed like a Christmas tree. So special. Then BAM, it's on the thrift store shelf... (ahem, yes, I am altering and mixing in irrelevant movie quotes. back to the scheduled blog post).

To make the floral arrangement :
(1) take a piece of floral foam and cut it into a 5"x4"x1.5" block and then round the top corners to end up with a piece that looks like a half circle.

(2)Then use about a 24" length of black tulle and wrap around the block, covering twice and tie in a knot at the top. This will be used to float throughout the flowers and also functions to thread the decorative ribbon through that goes around the hat which secures the flowers to the hat.

(3) Thread 2.5 - 4" wide ribbon (depending on your preference) through the tulle leaving a short end sticking out of one side (keep it long enough it can be used as part of the decoration), loop around hat and run ribbon through opposite side leaving a small piece sticking out of that side. Tie knot in ribbon under tulle.

(4) Stuff hat with newspaper or bags to keep from collapsing.

(5) Use red, orange and yellow flowers (or your choice) along with branches and other wispy accessories and build your arrangement in the foam. Keep in mind the depth of the hat rim and make sure the flowers you use will not obscure the rim entirely (unlike mine which almost covers the whole thing). Also angle some of the flowers back along the sides to conform to the hat shape help conceal the foam block. Start with the largest flowers and build filling in with the smallest.

(6) Stand back and admire your lovely handiwork. Then find a table or special place to display your beautiful centerpiece. Add mini pumpkins, gourds, skulls, etc to decorate as you see fit.

I've scored a few more hats on my recent trips to the thrift store. Not sure how many I need around my house so you may see some end up in my etsy store (next year)! Have a beautiful Halloween!

Halloween Books II

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 04:15:00 +0000

I've had a request to do another Halloween Book round up and I'm happy to oblige!

The first book "The Dangerous Alphabet" is not so much a Halloween book as it is a creepy tale by one of my favorite authors Neil Gaiman. Follow along as two children and their pet gazelle travel on a journey underground with plenty of trolls, zombies, ghosts and many other strange creatures.

I haven't read these next two, but loved flipping through the pages and just looking at them.

"The Halloween Kid" I love the simplistic color pallet and graphics. It mimics a retro screen print look and evokes memories of days gone by. It is absolutely adorable.

"Ghosts in the House" Again few colors are used and the graphics are fairly simple. This one looks like wood cuts or etchings with tissue paper overlay.

If you have children, then no doubt you are familiar with "Good Night Moon." "Good Night Goon" is a delightfully hilarious spin-off using the same simple rhyme style. But the sweet little room is now a tomb and other fun changes like three little bears sitting on chairs are now three little mummies rubbing their tummies. I couldn't help but chuckle as read through. It's a perfect addition to the Halloween library.

"A Vampire is coming to dinner!" is a fun contradictory book where each page tells you a "rule" for how to handle Vampires. Like "put out the welcome mat" which everyone knows very well NOT to do - (if you don't invite a Vampire in, he can't get past the threshold). But when you open up page to reveal the illustration it's a fun twist on the rule and more appropriate to how we expect to handle Vampires (through recent Vampire lore anyway). In the " put out the welcome mat" scene there is a welcome mat at the front door for sure, but a bucket of paint (or holy water?) hanging above it, so when he comes in he gets doused. The illustrations are charming and the adventure through the book is sure to get lots of giggles.

"Scardy Cat Splat" is a fun new day in the life of Scardy Cat. My son has been fascinated with Scardy Cat since pre-school and this time he is trying to come up with the spookiest costume for the school Halloween party. It is a fun ride with all the silly, Scardy Cat antics.

There you have it! The Halloween book round up. I'd love to hear what you think about these books! Happy Halloween!

Summer Hibernation?

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:24:00 +0000

Yes, it's been a while... Coming out of Summer Hibernation! =)

Working on Halloween costumes and I'll post the progress soon. Here's a hint.

Reniassance Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:37:00 +0000

I am not really sure who came up with the idea for Z to have a Renaissance/Dragon birthday party. But I've gotta tell ya, it was a ton of fun to put together! It started out more on the "How to Train Your Dragon" theme, but morphed into Knights and Princesses and general medieval-ness with a few Dragons thrown in for good measure. When I asked Z what he wanted to do for his birthday many, many months ahead of time he asked for a pinata. I thought yeah, ok, we'll see. Then when the theme narrowed down and the dragon aspect had been tossed around I actually found a dragon pinata! I knew the theme could be locked in and we were good to go!

I started working on his costume in January thinking that 5 months would be plenty of time to get it done. Alas, as I write this it's still not finished. Not to worry, I have a few weeks before the start of the Colorado Renaissance Festival. I plan to have it complete for our yearly visit there. I did, however, make lots of other things for the party like the cake, games and decorations.

With great info from Nancy at dabbled.org, Peggy Weaver's fondant recipe and a simple tutorial from FamilyFun.com I had the courage to make the cake myself (and with lots of help and support from my MIL!!! - thank you!). It was so much fun to work on but I have 100X more respect for cake artists. An entire day of work went into that little guy which was promptly gobbled up by a pack of 6 year olds in less than 2 minutes!

One of the first things I put togther were the Jousting Stick Ponies and Pool Noodle Lances. While searching Family Fun.com for ideas for the cake I found the great section they have on Medieval Party Ideas. One of the games they suggest is an obstacle course type game which requires the horses and lances. I found the stick ponies and the pool noodles at the Dollar Store! Score! To make them more like tournament horses I dressed them with felt "armor" head dresses and embellished with little rhinestones. I also cut off the leads they had on, which looked more western, and replaced with coordinating colors of ribbon. The pool noodles were decorated with crepe streamers (it's what I had on hand, although in hind sight I wish I had used the colored duct tape like FF.com recommends. The streamers fell off after just a little bit of rough play).

Next we wanted to have games that were somewhat Renaissance authentic. I found several sights with references to games children would have played in medieval times. The games are fairly simple and use simple materials as well so they are super easy to make yourself.

The first is a game called Queek. It's played on a checkered surface like chess. The game pieces are stones which are thrown onto the checkered playing area. The Player calls out whether the stone will land on a light or dark square. If it lands on the correct square the player gets a point. The game field is made from a large scrap piece of mat-board. Eventually I'd like to make a larger quilt version. The game pieces are made from small flat-ish stones. There were no references to how many people could play the game so I made six sets of four stones and painted them different colors so it would be easy to tell whose were whose. Once again, Z and I went on a hunt to find as many similarly shaped and sized stones as we could and he had a blast painting them all.

Next is a simple game of Ring Toss. It's played just like Horse Shoes. You toss your rings at a stake and ones that land around the stake earn 3 points, touching = 2 points and the ring closest to the stake gets one point. You can play with single players or two teams of two. I made the rings from 3/8" rope from the hardware store. I cut them in lengths of about 30" and twisted them over on themselves. I used hot glue to bind the ends and wrapped tape to secure. Then to make it easy to distinguish each teams rings I cut scrap pieces of fabric (that I used to make the decorative banners with ) and tied over the taped areas. Voila, instant function and flair! The stakes are made with discarded tree branches. One end was whittled into a point so it could easily be driven into the ground. Primitive game play in the most fun way!

Last but not least, the decorations. Unfortunately I didn't get very good pictures of all the decorations. I made large Royal Banners out of thrifted curtains I cut up, altered and added the Fleur de Lis.

The Castle wall was used as part of the "Storming the Castle" section of the obstacle course as well as a fun decoration/prop/photo op booth. It was made from a large cardboard box (from my just-delivered-new futon) which was hinged together and fastened with bolts and painted to look like a stone wall with leftover grey primer I had on hand. I added curtains with the remaining fabric from the banners and tied them back with left over rope pieces from the ring toss game.

I believe a fun day was had by all and a sweet little Six year old got to celebrate his birthday in Royal Style!

Mother's Day - Fun with rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Mon, 10 May 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Who knew rocks could be so cool?

When Z was 2 we went out to eat breakfast for Mother's Day. Of course there was a wait so we sat outside to enjoy the nice day while we waited. Zion picked up a rock from the parking lot and gave it to me as my present. At first I thought, great, I must have been a bad mom this year. You know, it was a little like getting coal in your stocking.

I put the rock in my pocket and took it home. Later I placed it on a little tray in the bathroom and laughed about it. Then as time went by I was given pinecones, dandelions and random other artifacts all of which got displayed on that little tray. Over the years, however, the most consistent show of affection was with rocks. I began to realize just how special that first rock really was and I was so glad I put it in my pocket that day.

Rocks are plentiful around the house nowadays. They are proudly displayed in jars and little vignettes. They have a special place in my heart because a little boy shows me how much he loves me each time he picks out a rock for me.

Today was totally awesome because we went searching for a special rock together. I told him once he picked it out I'd like him to decorate it for me this year. He decided it needed to be a bumble bee. We found just the right one, he painted and I made the wings. A labor of love I will cherish forever!

Happy Mother's Day!

iPad SketchBook

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:19:00 +0000

We've had our iPad for about a week and I've played with it every day - reading, playing games, browsing the internet and checking twitter and facebook. After seeing the demos one of the main reasons I, personally, wanted the iPad was for the drawing apps. However the whole week went by and I barely looked at them. Then a friend posted a link to Jim Lee's sketch of Wonder Woman he did on his iPad while getting a haircut.

I'm no Jim Lee, but darnet, I am an artist and we have Sketchbook Pro too! It was the whole reason I wanted the silly iPad in the first place. So I decided to break it out and "get serious." My first attempt is a bit clunky and it's going to take a little getting used to drawing with my finger (I plan to get a stylus soon) but it's so much fun!

I love the splatter brush and I think it was a fun brush to play with to get started and just do a loose illustration. I went into it thinking I was going to do a perfect illustration but found that just playing around was fun and the outcome was still neat, if not polished and tight. I'll get there.

My only complaint (and it's not really a complaint) was that Sketchbook Pro "crashed" while I was working on it and I lost about 30 minutes of drawing. Not sure what happened. The screen just went black and came back up on the apps screen. When I opened the app back up it had reverted to the last saved version (which wasn't much). It appears the same rules may apply to the iPad as any other computer... SAVE, save often.

I didn't put quite as much detail back in as I had in the original... instead I experimented with different layers and brushes and just had fun with it. (after cursing and moaning for about 10 mins about how much I lost). C'est la vie. Live and learn.

The iPad is an amazing little gadget and after a week of the whole family taking turns (very patiently) playing with it, all I have to say is... Do you have one yet? =)

Apple/Alice Mashup

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:14:00 +0000

Getting excited for the new "Alice In Wonderland" movie next week. I had a little project to do for a friend where I needed to use something "apple" and all I could think of was a worm coming out of the apple which then got me thinking about the caterpillar. I know caterpillars don't normally eat the fruit, but if the apple has an "eat me" sign on it and the caterpillar had a Cheshire smile, well then all would be right with in my world.

"In my world, you wouldn't say "meow." You'd say, "Yes Miss Alice."...

But I digress, for that is an Alice of another kind. =D

Sketchy Goodness

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:58:00 +0000

My dear friend Steve Oatney does artist sketch cards for TOPPS. He has worked on several sets including Star Wars, Inidiana Jones and Lord of the Rings, just to name a few. Pretty cool gig! He is an amazing artist and his cards can go for hundreds on ebay (although you can just go to his website and contact him directly for commission work).

In his downtime from the TOPPS cards he has been working on his own artists trading cards. And me, being a fan-girl and all, threw out the obligatory "I want one" whine. Well, whaddya know 30 mins later I had in my hot little hands a bea-u-tiful card of Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-tchai Ekbat de Sebat.... Leeloo.

Steve knows how much I LOVE "The Fifth Element" and outside of the MIckey Mouse drawing he did for me years ago, my new Leeloo sketch card is definitely a prized possession! I thought the rest of the world should have a chance to see her.

Thank you Steve-O!!!

Digital Scrapbook Kit - It's HERE!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Finally!!! After many nights and weekends of working on this project and many cryptic tweets and facebook posts... it's HERE! I am so pleased to introduce my very first (officially for sale) digital scrapbook kit called "Corbin's Circus".

Head over to www.jaguarwoman.com where you can purchase the kit at a 20% discount the first week it's available. This offer expires 1/28/10. But hang on! To celebrate I am also going to give away one free digital download of the set! Just leave a comment on this post, tweet about it or share it on facebook. Be sure to come back and let me know where else you have mentioned the giveaway and make sure you leave your email address so I can contact the winner! You have until the 28th to enter. I'll announce the winner Friday January 29th.

The kit contains 10 papers/backgrounds, 30 embellishments that include frames, tags, ribbons, stickers and one 12"x12" quick page. This set was an absolute delight to work on and I sure hope the little boy it was based on like's it too. Some of the images were used for his 3rd birthday party invitations and will be used in the party decorations as well. I'll post pictures from the party once that has come to pass.

This has been a long time in the making... not just this set but my desire to do this sort of thing. Thank you Corbin for being my inspiration for this set and thank you Dana for helping to make it a reality! =) Just watch out! I'm armed and dangerous now with many more set ideas up my sleeve! Be sure to check back at www.jaguarwoman.com often to see what's new! There are so many beautiful graphics on her site it's mind numbing!

"Happy Meal" Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:05:00 +0000

If you've got kids then you have happy meal toys... ok, unless you are a super diligent-never-give-in-parent that eats healthy, home cooked meals all the time. =) So it doesn't have to be "happy meal toys" it can be any little toy made of hard plastic... I just found that, even before I had a little one, I had lots of happy meal toys about. They used to decorate my desk, car and knick-knack shelves. Now they abound in toy boxes, on stairways and still in my car!

I came up with a creative way to put them to good use a few years back and now that I have this blog it's the perfect time and place to share this little "happy meal toy ornament" tutorial.

All you need is:
Pliers
Small eye hooks
Lighter
Toys

FIRST: Heat up the threads of the eye hook with your lighter, not too long, just long enough to get it hot enough to sink into and melt the plastic a bit. That way there is no need to drill holes and the plastic will melt and conform around the threads for a very secure hold. (Be careful with this step and please don't burn yourself).

NEXT: Place eyehook in posistion on the toy. Use pliers to screw in hook while it's hot as far as it will go. Let cool.

LAST: Put hangers through the hooks and hang on tree. Step back and admire your handiwork and drink some hot chocolate. =)

OPTIONAL: For a more festive look decorate the ornaments with paint, glitter, jingle bells, santa hats. etc.

Here's to clearing your floor of toys and creating wonderful holiday memories!

Fun New Christmas Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:59:00 +0000

Do you know of Johanna Parker? Well, if you love Halloween and holidays in general and love to decorate with fun knick-knacks then you *must* check out her site and see her lovely creations. I found out about her through Martha Stewart's "Dreamers Into Doers". The timing was amazing, I received the email about Johanna, checked out her website and blog and discovered she was having a Halloween show about a week later in my area! She's here in CO too.

I was able to go to the show, meet her in person and of course - bring home one of her amazing cat sitter figures (which I just love, love, love!) Johanna is as sweet as her handcrafted goodies and I really enjoyed talking with her about her art and goods! Needless to say, I was feeling very inspired after meeting her and had all kinds of grandios ideas for projects I wanted to try and to interview her for my blog (which I still hope to do... after the holidays, yeah, that's it!!! I'll put it top of the list for next Halloween.) Alas, many other things sucked my attention and the rest of October and November flew by.

In the back of my mind I couldn't let go of wanting to try papiér mache figures. I put together an armature of balled up pieces of newspaper to make a snowman. He sat on my desk for several weeks while I pondered the best way to go about putting him together. I asked Johanna for a few pointers on what to use and any tips she could offer. It almost felt like asking a magician to reveal her secrets. She was very gracious however, and gave me enough info to dig in and get my hands dirty!

All I can say is WOW! Playing with papiér mache is F-U-N!!! After a few layers, sanding, painting, altering and making accessories I now have a really cute (IMHO) Johanna inspired Snowman! Not to mention complete respect for her art, craftsmanship and deatil! So, thank you Johanna, for your amazing creations and for sharing!

She has another show coming up this weekend,if you are in the area go see her. Check out her site for more information and be prepared for papiér mache creatures to take over your decor! Look at the pics from last year's show from her 1939 Cottage house. It's simply spectacular with all the attention to the retro details! I can't wait to see it and bring home more goodies for the holiday season!

Dear Santa

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:16:00 +0000

It's that time! The time when all the little ones start making their lists to give to Santa! My little one is big enough to write his own list this year (with a little spelling help form mom and dad) so I thought it would be cute to make an "official list" for him to work on. So far it's got some pretty cute requests and I hope Santa can find everything! (Image above is not what my little guy is asking for. It's a sample only =)

The list was cute all by itself, but I took it a step further and created a folder pocket for it as well. That way the little ones can cut out images in magazines or draw their own pictures of the things that interest them to put in the folder for reference. Santa needs all the help he can get these days, right?

This would be a cute gift to give on one of the first days of December as an advent calendar "goodie". You could bundle it with a festive pencil and they can get started right away!

You can download the Dear Santa page and get the instructions below for putting together your own folder. Here's to smooth sailing holidays! I hope this helps you get off to a great start.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN DEAR SANTA FOLDER

1. Print out the Dear Santa page. You can print 2 up on an 11x8.5 page as long as your printer will print to the edges. Otherwise, print one and cut out.

2. Take a 12x12 piece of colored card stock (I used green, you could use red or even decorative paper) and see diagram below for cut and score marks.

3. Cut the paper at 9".

4. Score the paper at 6.25/5.75 so one side is a bit wider than the other. The smaller side should still be large enough to fit your 5.5x8.5 list page.

5. Use sticky strip or glue to attach the top and bottom edges of the folder.

6. Use a scallop punch or deckled edge scissors to embellish the back edge. (optional)

7. Adhere the list to the top of the folder. (I added a gem brad to the top snowflake, you could also glitter them or embellish in other fun ways if you like)

8. Give to your list makers and watch the wheels turn in their little heads.

Diagram of cuts and folds

The World Looks Mighty Good to Me...

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:16:00 +0000

Oh, the world looks mighty good to me,
'Cause Mickey Mouse is all I see.
Whatever it is I think I see
It becomes a Mickey Mouse to me
Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse woohoo
Mickey Mouse I think I'm in love with you.
Whatever it is I think I see
It becomes a Mickey Mouse to me.

Ok, so perhaps I just went a bit overboard with repurposing the 1970's Tootsie Roll jingle. But it fit so well! It's true, I see Mickey's all over and if they don't exist for real, I make them. This is the wreath on my front door. I've attached three grapevine wreaths together and I change out the foliage throughout the year to correspond to the seasons. Christmas being the only exception... I made a Mickey head out of pine wreaths...

For Fall, I have pumpkins on the grapevine wreath. And of course the pumpkins are Mickey's too! They were almost as simple as the new ornaments I concocted.

It starts with pumpkin garlands (Check your local craft stores right now, most of them are on sale 50%+). The ears are made from wooden circles. You just carve a little niche in each side the pumpkins with an xacto knife (btw, the xacto knife is one of the "must have tools" in my craft box).

Glue the ovals in the slots and paint to match the pumpkin. I had to completely repaint the pumpkins this year because they got rained on last year and faded pretty badly. I recommend coating with a sealer or mod podge. Seems to have solved the runny/faddy problems this year. I also added a little sparkle to them with glitter.

You can see that the grapevine sections are loose and wonky, it's about 7 or 8 years old and in need of a little maintenance itself. Perhaps I can repair or replace after the holidays this year when the pine version gives it a break!

Happy Holidays!

Surprise Ornament

noreply@blogger.com (Heather Sitarzewski) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:16:00 +0000

Are you thinking what I'm thinking...

A Mickey Mouse head ornament right???
You're not? Well, hold on! You'll see...

I couldn't believe how quick this went together! No glue, very little mess, no fuss! I'll be heading back out for more colors to completely fill my tree with these little beauties this year! Let me show you just how simple it is and I bet you'll have a few on your tree too!

What you need:
2 sizes of plastic glittered ornaments
(check your local craft stores for 50% deals!)
Xacto knife

That's it!

STEP ONE

Remove hanger from 2 smallest ornaments

STEP TWO

Gently start poking hole in larger ornament close to the hanger with Xacto knife. Turn blade clock wise increasing pressure each turn to carve away hole until it is slightly smaller than neck of smallest ornament. Repeat on opposite side.

For the size of ornaments I used, the width of the largest part of the blade was the perfect fit.

Line up the neck of the smallest ornament with hole and gently twist into hole. Repeat on other side. Be carful not to push too hard or you could crease the plastic which leaves a bright "scar" across the bend.

Voila! There you have it! A perfectly adorable Mickey Head ornament! I told you it was easy! How many will you make? Please link back and share your creations if you make some! ºoº