Summer Learning Fun

Most of you have probably forgotten who I am.  
I am sorry.  I really am.
I can tell you now that I have been working on starting an little ol' local event design business and a blog to go along with it.
It is all still very much in the works.
Feel free to check out my progress over at By J Rachelle, really not much to see yet.  She will be up and running at full speed in July {I am shooting for July 1, but that is creeping up on me real quick}.
But enough about that!
I am sitting here with my big kindergarten graduate working on a workbook I printed for her.
I joined education.com to have access to all of their worksheets and workbooks.

Source:  Education.com

I chose several of their 1st grade workbooks, 6 of them I think, and printed them out.  To give her a nice blend of different types of activities I broke up the workbooks and put several pages from each into our own worksheet bundles.  I then organized the bundles by level of difficulty.
We are about half way through the first bundle of worksheets.  So far the worksheets have been challenging, but not so difficult that she is getting frustrated.
I highly recommend checking out education.com.  You can pay for individual workbooks or worksheets or you can sign up for a membership to have unlimited access to all of their learning activities.  I think I paid around $30 for a 6 month membership and it has been well worth it!
What do you have planned to keep your child's brain from melting over the summer?

April Showers Bring May Flowers {Tongue Depressor Spring Pallet Art}

Here in Seattle our "April Showers" start in... well, actually, some would say our "April Showers" don't start in April because they still haven't stopped.

I would disagree.

Yes, it does rain here in the gorgeous Northwest more than it rains in many other places, but does it rain all the time?  Absolutely not.  We have amazing summers here.  Not too hot.  Not too cold.  Perfection.  But that is neither here, nor there.

Maia wanted to craft something up last week and there was a project I had been dying to try.

U-Create made adorable mini pallets using craft sticks and canvas.  Love them!  They've got a super easy tutorial {HERE}.

I knew I had a box of tongue depressors that my mother had brought over {she works in a doctor's office} many, many moons ago and those are basically craft sticks, right?

I have a few canvases in stock, but I wasn't sure how well this project was going turn out, so for this first go round we used a piece of cardboard.  Next time I will probably use a canvas or several layers of cardboard to get a thicker base.  I would also go with smaller dimensions in the future.

Cutting the depressors was an interesting task.  Pieces of those babies were flying everywhere.  Every time I cut one I told Maia to close her eyes.  My husband almost got it a few times, and he was in the other room.  Hey, I had warned him.

Crafting can be a dangerous business.

After I cut the depressors, I hot glued them onto the cardboard and then let Maia do her thing. 

I asked her to paint a person holding an umbrella.  

She decided on her own to add a few rain drops.  They were so cute and tiny and she was being so careful.

I walked away for a minute.  A minute folks.  When I came back I discovered that there had been a monsoon.  The drops were no longer teeny weeny, she was forcefully pounding the paintbrush here and then there and then there again.  All I could do was stare {mouth agape}.

Can you spot the little drops amongst the madness?

Oh, Maia, I love you.

You probably recognize the bouquet of coffee filter flowers I made for the mantel {HERE}.

I do adore the little splashing drops, don't you?

I haven't found the perfect place for this yet.  It was on the mantel.  Then hanging by the door.  Now it is back on the mantel.  Maybe hang it on the inside of the entry door?

Yeesh.  The decisions I am forced to make each day.  

Being a craftateer is not for the weak.

Linking up to these fabulous parties:

Monday: Crafts Keep Me Sane, Craftomaniac, Making the World Cuter, Skip to my Lou, Mad in Crafts, DIY Home Sweet Home, C.R.A.F.T., Cherished Bliss, Lines Across My Face

Tuesday: Not Just a Housewife, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, My World Made By Hand, Cowgirl Up!, Chef in Training

Wednesday: 733blog, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, Gingersnap Crafts, I Gotta Create

Thursday: The ArtsyGirl Connection, Embracing Change, Delightful Order, 52mantels, Somewhat Simple, Live Laugh Rowe, Hating Martha, Crafty Scrappy Happy

Friday: Tatertots and Jello, A Little Inspiration, Addicted 2 Decorating, Whipperberry, Naptime Crafters, Thirty Handmade Days

Saturday: Six Sister's Stuff, Family Ever After, Be Different Act Normal, Too Much Time on my Hands

Sunday: Homemaker on a Dime, DIY Show Off

Unity Hand Wreath

Onward and upward with our lessons in togetherness and equality!

Yesterday Maia's January Countdown activity was to make a Unity Hand Wreath.  We didn't do it - BOO!  HISS!!

I was physically and mentally DONE yesterday.  I worked out with the ol' ball and chain Monday afternoon and then I went to a fabulous Bachelor premier party that night {woot woot} and when I got home I couldn't sleep {Why did I drink a Coke?  AND it wasn't even diet... ugh.}.  By the time I finally dozed off I had only a few hours of rest before I had to get Maia moving for her first day back to school.  This was exceptionally hard for BOTH of us since we had grown accustomed to waking up late {Goodbye sweet freedom!}.  So come Tuesday, my shoulders, biceps and chest were screaming and my brain was half asleep.  There was no family crafting anywhere to be found in this mama.  Please forgive me...

To make up for my lameness {and to catch up on countdown activities}, today Maia and I had to do TWO super fun crafts.  Lord help me.

Unity Hand Wreath

Uno.  Maia traced her precious lil hand 12 times and then tried to cut them out.  She was becoming very frustrated so we pulled out the Cameo and cut out 8 bigger hands.

Dos.  I wanted Maia to paint the hands so we hand flesh toned hands, Maia disagreed.  We left them as is.

Tres.  Maia made a circle out of three pipe cleaners and made a tiny pipe cleaner loop at the top {for hanging}.

Cuatro.  Mommy applied some hot glue and Maia glued the hands to the pipe cleaner "wreath" form.

Cinco.  Maia drew a heart on red paper and cut it out.

Seis.  Maia punched two holes in the top of the heart and ran yarn threw it.

Siete.  Mommy applied some hot glue and Maia glued the yarn to the back of the pipe cleaner "wreath."

Ocho.  Mommy hung the wreath.

Nueve.  Maia had a last minute "AHA!" moment and asked me to add our one left over hand to the yarn that was hanging the wreath.

Diez.  We smiled.

Our Dream Clouds project will be drifting onto the blog tomorrow.  Be sure to come take a look!

Linking up at these AWESOME parties:

Monday: Crafts Keep Me Sane, Craftomaniac, Making the World Cuter, Skip to my Lou, Dittle Dattle, Mad in Crafts, DIY Home Sweet Home

Tuesday: Not Just a Housewife, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, My World Made By Hand

Wednesday: 733blog, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, Gingersnap Crafts 

Thursday: The ArtsyGirl Connection

Friday: Tatertots and Jello, A Little Inspiration

Saturday: Six Sister's Stuff, Family Ever After, Be Different Act Normal, Too Much Time on my Hands