FRIENDSHIP PUZZLE NECKLACE

A handmade friendship necklace  was made for three close friends.  


Supplies:
- three old puzzle pieces that fit together
- acrylic paint
- colored tissue paper
- acrylic varnish
- awl 
- cording

~Paint both sides of the puzzles pieces (Tip:  know which is the front; see how it will fit into the other pieces).


~Embellish the front of the pieces.  Layers of paint and strips of tissue paper were used here.


~ Cover with three coats of acrylic varnish and let dry between coats.


~Pierce a hole with an awl or very slender nail. (Tip: Put the pieces together and mark a dot at the top where the hole will go)


~Thread cording through and tie.


~Give to your friends. . .  with love.
This was lovingly made by my 12 yr old daughter for herself and two friends.


happy day!

USE WHAT YOU HAVE

We like to use what we have instead of making a purchase. And I try to share these ideas with the children I work with as well as my own family. 
 Look around your house and see what you can use.

We needed storage for small items that the young children could easily see and reach , so
we saved ice cream containers, cleaned and painted them, and put them in a bookcase for easy access. Some of the children even helped paint them.

 We also use these containers for art supplies, sometimes putting nothing on them but a primer coat to cover the label.

We use what we have to store art supplies and create art . . .

                                                                  glass jars

tin cans

      lids to use as paint palettes

                                            
  waxed paper is used over and over and over again

   tissue paper from gifts is folded and saved for  projects

and pizza boxes are given new lives. . .

as art in itself, painted and decorated (even the inside!) and used for treasured items,

OR as stacked storage with a strip of tape telling its contents.

Look around , become more aware, make a change and use what you have . You don't need as much as you may think :)

Suzan, at oldgreymare, is hosting Project Genesis . Head on over there to be inspired and see what small change YOU can make for yourself and the world.

Cartons of Sunflowers

It's never too early for the sun to SHINE . I love sun and light and SUNFLOWERS! It's a long wait until August when sunflowers typically bloom in our gardens here in New England.

One year in our small backyard at our old house  I started sunflowers INSIDE in February. Our family room faced south ,with floor to celing windows, and it soon looked like a jungle in there. It was just before the days were warm enough to transplant them outside.

It was so worth the extra time it took to stake the plants and nurture them as they grew. They bloomed earlier than normal and  kept blooming until frost, and that is late October here.

The birds were thankful too, especially the Goldfinches, as they had an earlier bounty. The birdwatchers also reveled in the glory. The smaller wildlife, chipmunks, squirrels, field mice, also came and enjoyed their share of the fallen seeds

Sunflowers and Yellow, stir my soul and just to have those glorious blooms to look at for MONTHS at a time was certainly a TREASURE.

So... this is the time of the year I save many milk and juice cartons. They are tall and provide a good root system for the sunflowers.

I cut off the tops, punch drainage holes in the bottom with an awl, nail or screwdriver and use them to start the sunflower seeds .

I also save the tops to put in the ART bin for assemblage art projects with the young children. They have been used as roofs or turned upside down and have become boats.

My absolute favorite sunflower to start inside is KONG Sunflower.

Sunflowers are easy to grow. They are very forgiving and are drought resistant. They make a terrific project for a child , or the child within  :)

The Kong plant can reach up to 12 to 14 feet tall. It has a very thick,sturdy stalk with branching stems and huge leaves and multiple 10 inch flowers . And if you deadhead the flowers more and more will bloom and reward you with their BEAUTY.

A delightful book for children and parents alike, packed full of goodness, information, and fun ideas is SUNFLOWER HOUSES by Sharon Lovejoy. A must have book!