Here is a How To on making a paper mache plague doctor mask.  This project was very fun but also time consuming so plan yourself enough time for each phase. I took about 4 to 5 weeks to make but it could have been finished in 1 to 2  week I believe.

What you will need:
Balloons,
Newspaper
Foam Cone
extra piece of foam
pins
glue
Plaster of Paris
Paper Mache Paste
(mix 1 part flower with 2 parts water – use less water if you want a thicker paste)
razor
sand paper
paint

Blow up the balloon to the size you want your mask and cover entirely with the strips of news paper dipped in the paste. Keep over lapping pieces and allow to dry over night. You will want to do a few layers and allow to dry in between. You don’t want the mask too flimsy or else it will collapse to keep layering until it’s nice and firm. (I would work on it in the evenings and in the mornings so it had enough time to dry but didn’t take too long)

Base of Plague Doctor Mask

Cut balloon in half or to what ever size you want your base to be. Set aside.

Making Nose for mask. This was the most difficult part for me. Cut the cone in three parts. Using push pins angle the pieces to be the angle you want the “nose”. Use extra foam for filling in the gaps. I used hot glue to get everything to stick together. It does melt the foam so be careful when gluing together.

After the nose is glued together and in the basic shape you want. Use your razor blade to help carve the rough edges. You may also want to carve indentations along the side to give a little more detailed look. I also hallowed out the inside to help give an air pocket in a later phase.

Now you will need to attach the nose to the mask. Use your razor to help carve out the foam to fit on the mask and glue to mask with hot glue. Again be careful with the hot glue because it will melt the foam and you don’t want to ruin what you have worked on. Once it is glued use the plaster of paris to make a thick putty to fill in the gaps and allow to dry.

Now that the nose is attached now you can start covering the mask with plaster of paris. The plaster wont tick to the foam directly so you will need to prime with a layer of paint and sand first. Then you can cover the entire mask with a thin layer of plaster. The more plaster you use the heavier the mask will be so keep that in mind.

after the mask is covered in plaster use soft sand paper and gently sand entire mask. For added details (eye brows, etc.) you can make a thick paste out of the plaster and hand form the details. Find where you want to cut out eyes and carefully cut out and sand the edges. Do a final thin layer of plaster and sand. Once dry turn mask over and cut a hole where the nose is. Turn mask back over and on bottom of nose gently cut out small holes for create a air vents. Now you are ready to paint.

Have fun with this part. I chose to do a light paint crackle effect then used a darker color to “stain” it and create an aged effect.

The mask is now complete. Since it is heavy I had to find a way to attach it so it would stay on but not be too uncomfortable. I use light padding on the inside and used elastic to attach it like a 3 point helmet but you can find a way to wear it however suits you. Enjoy your mask and happy sculpting!!

Another one of my little mans words of wisdom

My almost 9 year old decided last minute that he would like to have a Doctor Who themed party for his birthday. I thought this was a great idea until I started planning it. That’s when I found out that there isn’t anywhere here in the USA you can buy Doctor Who stuff. So our last minute party turned into 2 weeks of putting together crafts and decorations.

Since this was such a big project I decided to share some of the fun with everyone. A lot of the ideas I found on Pinterest and decided to use them myself.

First I needed a center piece to work around so I made a Tardis, complete with working light. I made this out of card board boxes, colored paper and a simple LED light on top

This was just before we added the light

Next I used red felt to make Fezzes and bow ties. On the bow ties I used double sided tape for the kids to wear them. The fezzes I sewed together and used poster board on the sides and top to make it firm. I kept it in with a glue gun

I found banners and plates on sites in the UK but nothing local so I made my own in photoshop and used duct tape for the rope/string

I used simple blue paper bags to make a Tardis gift bag to hand out to the kids

there were a few little touches here and there but the last main one I’ll add are the marshmallow Adipose. These were very easy to make with large and small marshmallows held together with a paste made out of powdered sugar and water. I used frosting to make the faces.

I asked all the kids to come dressed as their favorite doctor who character or a creative space alien (for those who don’t watch the show). I told them ahead of time first place would be for the best costume made out of recycled items. Here is the final outcome:

for games, we only had time for three.

Idea 1: I spent almost 3 weeks saving boxes, cool look trash, paper towel rolls, etc. I threw all the “goods” in a pile and had the tables covered with glue, paper, pipe cleaners, duct tape, scissors…… pretty much anything you can think of we had. The kids were told create their best alien, robot or what ever they could design and first place for creativity would get a prize.  This was something I thought would only last 30 minutes at most but they spent over an hour playing. Mainly the boys made weapons but there were 3 entries into the contest and they all had a blast.

Idea 2: Doctor Who’s Science Lab – I painted 2 large boxes and cut out 6 holes. Inside I place “gross” stuff and the kids had to feel inside each hole without looking. After they got a feel they were to go and write down what they thought was in each hole.  Most the kids only got 1 or 2 right, one kid got 5 out of 6 and a few didn’t want to feel out all. But their squeals of disgust made it all worth it. Inside each hole I placed bow tie pasta, boiled eggs,  jello jigglers, worms (from a fishing tackle box), black beans and furry cat toys. The food and worms were coated in olive oil and coconut oil just for an extra “EWWWW!!!” factor.

Idea 3: Weeping Angels freeze tag – one person was the angel. When her back was turned the kids could move but when she looked at you, they had to stop. If you moved you were out.

Fathers Day is two days away and I’m sure I’ll see all types of comments and post about how commercial the day is and how “we should celebrate our dads everyday”.  I can agree we should enjoy the special men in our lives and never take their hard work and dedication for granted. I also can appreciate the value of giving all dads one extra special day a year because they really do deserve it.

This year Fathers Day is really a tough one for me. This will be the first since losing my father 7 months ago and I’m dreading it. I know I should be celebrating the man he was and the life he had but I miss him and not having him here sucks. The upcoming year there are going to be so many great things happening and the idea of not being able to call him to share my excitement feels almost unreal.  My oldest son is going to be a senior in high school and he’s made it for his school vocal ensemble so the next 12 months will be filled with a lot of memories he wont be around to share. Even little things like my youngest taking karate and working hard to earn his belts seem huge without him here.

I was looking through old pictures on my computer and noticed out of thousands of photos I only have a handful that were taken of my dad and regret not taking more.

If I could turn back time I would not only tell him I love him but why I love him, how important he was to me and that I am the woman I am today because of his love, wisdom and tell how amazing I thought he was. I would hug him a little tighter and hold his hand a little longer.

Thank you dad for all you did, you are missed more than you will ever know. I love you

Happy Birthday sweetie. Look I bought you a theme for Genesis (Adorable Theme) just like you. And I moved your site to WP Engine the Best hosting for WordPress on the planet. I know… I’m such a nerd.

I hope you are enjoying your shopping trip today.

Happy Birthday!

The Cake

I’m a sap when it comes to old memories that remind me of my childhood. I’ve been known to watch The Dark Crystal, Goonies and 16 candles over and over again way too many times to count. One of my favorite movies has always been Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original one, not the one that makes Johnny Depp look like a creepy pedophile)

That said the older I get I find myself not enjoying the whimsical songs and life altering lessons of the lovable Oompa Loompa’s as much as I once did. Actually as a mom I find myself angry and annoyed with Charlie and how he handles his big win.

Here is Charlies mom killing herself and working her fingers to the bone to take care of this selfish little boy and his lazy grandparents only to have him give her a big F-You by not offering to take her with him to the Chocolate factory. If anyone in that family deserved to go and was in need of a little vacation topped with a bite of chocolate it would be that selfless women who gave this inconsiderate brat life.

So here’s to you Charlie, take the Golden Ticket and stick where the sun doesn’t shine. I only hope they make a follow up to the movie where he is cursed with his own selfish monsters who walk all over him and never say thank you for his hard work!

I’ve Got A Golden Ticket!

As a little girl I constantly would run to my dad, filled with excitement, to share even the smallest of drawings or crafts I made. No matter bad my artwork would actually be my father always would reply “that’s beautiful sweetheart, I’m so proud of you. Someday maybe you will be a great artist”. Every word of encouragement and acknowledgment would fill my heart with pride and even hope that maybe, just maybe, I am good at something and it would make me happy.

As an adult life is filled with reminders of how inadequate we truly are and sometimes I feel like no matter how I try it’s not enough. I often feel like I’m good at many things, I just wish could find that one thing I’m great at. We spend so much time trying to please others and looking for validation it’s hard not to feel let down and unappreciated.

That’s what is so great about parents, no matter how old we get they are that one person that will always give you the much needed pat on the back and comforting words “it’s beautiful sweetheart”. When life beats you down your parents will always be there to pull you back up.

My father was one of my biggest fans. When ever he would visit I would always have something new to show him. Like that little girl back in the day I would run and open my computer and share with him all the new projects and pictures I had been working on and he would always tell me how great I was and help, even for a few minutes, make me feel like I was good enough.

There are a lot of emotions we go through when we lose a parent and of course one of the greatest is the feeling of loss. What we I didn’t know that with loss there are dozens of areas that comprise just that one chapter. Right now I’m working on the feeling of loss of being great and amazing in at least one person’s eyes.

Yes my youngest son still thinks I am the sun, the moon and the stars but having a teenager I know that this wont last long. With a parent you will always be the brightest star in the universe.  I just recently worked on a lot of new art projects and no matter how proud my husband is and great my friends say things look it isn’t the same as my daddy coming to visit and showing him “look what I made dad”.

I can only hope that he is looking down on me now and thinking “it looks great kid, good job and maybe someday you will be a great artist.

This is a simple project but is very time consuming but the outcome is more than worth it.

What you will need:

26 gauge metal wire
at least 2 – 3 rolls of colored duct tape
foam circle wreath
scissors
glue or low heat glue gun
paint (to match duct tape optional)
wire cutters

start off by cutting at least 100 pieces of wire about 2 inches long (you may have to make more)
Next stretch out a long piece of duct tape, maybe 12″ or so and place wire in a single line on the tape about 1 1/2 inches apart

Now cut another piece of tape the same length as the tape with the wire and place on top.
Now use something the press or outline the tape, you can use your nail, butter knife or I used the plastic my wire was rolled on.

Now cut in between each piece of wire. After the squares are cut, you can cut each piece into leaf shapes. They don’t need to all be the same and the bottom wont show.

After each leaf is cut you will want to fold the wire at the bottom in half to make it a little stronger to push into the foam.

*hint* While you are getting the leafs cut (or before to allow for drying) I would recommend paint the foam to match the leaves. The foam is a pain to paint so it doesn’t have to be perfect just enough for color for areas that may show.

After all the leaves are cut you are ready to make the wreath.

Place a little bit of glue on the wire and the bottom of the leaf. Start on the outside of the wreath then work your way into the middle. Just push each leaf in one by one until it’s completely covered then you are done.

That’s it! This is a very easy project but it does take a lot of time and you may have to keep making leaves as you go. After you are done it looks great on it’s own or decorate as you like.

I often hear “you have to let go of the past in order to move on with the future”. As an over thinker, hyper emotional and over sharing person that is a concept I find myself often struggling to grasp. It’s not that I enjoy or want to live in the past but I know under all the layers of hurt, pain and even some shame that if I keep digging I will find a treasure chest filled with memories, stories and life lessons. These little pages of history, no matter how ugly some may be, are a part of who and what I am. I owe it to myself, my children and my future grandchildren to share, because my past is my story and my book that was written about me and what my life was, is and will be.

I come from a family of over sharers and people who loved to talk about and at times live in the past. They would share past experiences in great detail that opened up, just for a brief moment, a picture of their history. Their stories gave me a glimpse of who they were and what what it was like. In a way giving me a chance to relive that part of their memory along with them almost like taking a ride into a time machine into their past.

My great grandmother shared amazing stories growing up in the early 1900′s being poor in a small town when medicine wasn’t what it is today. As a young child there was a break out of some type of illness that tragically was killing many family’s in her town in alarming numbers. Because of fears that this disease could spread they would quarantine people to their homes. They would have to rely on what they had at hand and some would get sick from lack of food and water. During this dark moment in her history, her family was locked away from the world with little to no food and they feared they could starve. Out of desperation, as a family they began to pray. One morning there was a knock on the door and a stranger was there to offer them hope, help and food. This man only stayed long enough to help heal and feed this family, my family. He offered them comfort and acted as a reminder that God listens and with just a little faith everything can and will be ok. As a young girl out on the farm in the middle of no where, my great grandmother swears that after his work was done, this stranger walked away from their home down a dirt road and disappeared never to be seen again.

Her story still pulls at my heart. Part of it’s strong meaning maybe because of the faith it gave her, talking about the angel God sent her family to save them and how it began her long lasting faith in the Lord and how important it was to share his word with her children and grandchildren. Or maybe it means so much to me because of how interesting it is to get a taste of my family history and where my roots started. It doesn’t matter why I just love that old story.

I don’t know how much of her story is true or exaggerated. I don’t need to know how the real details happened and what was left out abut of the man that saved her. I don’t want to know because I like her story the way it is. I like believing that a stranger, an angel, saved them and helped them to live and also allowed their faith to grow brighter.

My own children may grow tired of the same stories over and over again but someday, I don’t know when, they may have a stronger meaning to them like they do to me.  I can only hope that they will cherish my own stories and the stories of my families past that way I do and someday they will share them with their own children.

I will continue to be an over sharer and I refuse to let go of the past because sometimes, that past can offer hope. Hope not only for me; but maybe just like my Great Grandmother’s stories, offer hope for generations to come.

Here is to never letting go of the past filled with so much hope.