Teach Your Kids About the Orchestra

My kids came home from school today talking about a game they played in music class. We checked it out and I really like it. So if you want to teach your kids about the instruments in an orchestra check out Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra courtesy of Carnegie Hall.

DIY Ribbon Holder

My ribbon collection was out of control. While I was looking in my closet for a wooden dowel to make a ribbon box I discovered the perfect solution - the wire hanger!! Simply untwist the hanger at the top, slide spools on it, and retwist. Presto!

If you don't have any wire hangers dry cleaners often have extra hangers available for free.

Freezer Paper T Shirt Update #2 - post wash

So now that I've washed this shirt a few times I thought I'd show the wear and tear. The upper lettering with just the Simply Screen paint by Plaid is wearing nicely - no signs of cracking, fading, etc. The star where I first put acrylic paint and then put Simply Screen paint over top isn't doing so well. It is cracking and chipping. I stand by the Simply Screen paint just don't layer it over cheap acrylic paint.

In case you were wondering, these opinions are strictly mine. No compensation of any kind was received for this post.

Freezer Paper T Shirts Update

 Screen printing paint properly applied on top, acrylic paint in the star.

 Lettering after one coat of screen printing paint.

Inside of shirt with one coat of screen printing paint on lettering and one coat of acrylic on star.

Update to earlier College Spirit day Freezer Paper Stencils post. After a few washes the blue shirt with white paint is showing signs of wear. To get good coating with the white acrylic paint I had to do 6 coats of paint. A few weeks later the paint is coming off in spots and folds and wrinkles in the wash.

So I thought I'd try using screen printing paint and compare. I used Simply Screen water-based screen printing paint by Plaid ($2.99/ 2 oz at the craft store). Obviously the paint cost more than acrylic paint, but this was a reasonably cheap screen printing paint.

I started out by making a freezer paper stencil with letters and a star. I decided to use the screen printing paint on the lettering and acrylic on the star. I used the same dab it on technique and the screen printing paint actually did worse than the acrylic paint. Hmmm, that wasn't supposed to happen. So I did some research and discovered there is a different technique to using screen printing paint.

To use screen printing paint, place a bead of paint on the stencil above the area to be painted. Get a flat edged spatula (or an old credit card) and drag a thick coat of paint over the stencil (top picture). My technique was lacking so I used my fingers to fill in a few spots. Let it dry for a full 24 hours before removing the stencil (middle picture). One coat of screen printing paint properly applied does look much better than one coat of acrylic paint. It looked so good that I decided to paint over the star with acrylic paint, but first I took a picture of the inside of the shirt to show how much bleed through the acrylic paint (one coat) did versus the screen printing paint.

Verdict - for light colored designs on dark backgrounds I'm definitely using screen printing paint. For dark designs on light backgrounds I'll probably stick with acrylic paint because one or two coats works just fine and is cheaper than screen printing paint (especially since I already have a stash of acrylic paint).

Outdoor Easter Eggs

This is our favorite way to dye Easter eggs. Doing it outside eliminates the stress of worrying about drips on the carpet, the table, finger prints on the wall, etc. Put a plastic drop cloth over the table and clean up is super easy.

Warning - make sure the kiddos wash their hands and fingers SUPER well. We had a church shirt that got blue finger prints on it when the kiddo changed into Sunday clothes.

Collge Spirit Day t-shirts - Freezer Paper Stencils

College Spirit!

The kids elementary school has college spirit day once a month and the kids are supposed to wear a shirt from their favorite university. A while ago my super artistic brother made shirts for the kids (hand drawn with fabric marker). Well Mr. Z's shirt was too big so I tried to fix it and ended up ruining it. He's been asking me for a BYU shirt ever since. I'm not as artistic as Stephen so I struggled to figure out how to do it without just buying one. Then I learned about freezer paper stencils! It was so much fun I ended up making two shirts. So little brother M has his own shirt too.

I made a more detailed explanation of the process at my southpawcrafts blog.

Amazon, cheaper?

I have recently discovered the benefits of checking out the "used" options when I'm looking for things on Amazon.com.  For instance, I bought a set of Pyrex bowls with lids.  (I know - who would buy used Pyrex, right?)  Normally, I wouldn't even consider anything used when it comes to kitchenware, but for some reason, I clicked on it anyway.

Amazon warehousedeals was selling a used-like new set for about half the price, so I decided to take a chance.  The set came, and I never would have been able to tell that it was "used."  It was in the original box with the original packaging, and the box was still sealed like you would expect from the factory.

I liked the set so much, I decided to get another one, this time from warehousedeals, used-very good.  It too was in the original packaging, but this time the box had been resealed with packing tape - I can deal with that!

So, next time you're looking for a household item on Amazon, take a look to see if there are any used items being offered from Amazon warehousedeals - it could be a REAL bargain!  Or, if you're feeling adventurous, see what warehousedeals has to offer.  It's home site says it offers "deep discounts on open-box, like-new, refurbished, and used products from Amazon.com.

Margaret's Addition: I recently bought a sewing machine from warehousedeals. Retail price $299, warehousedeals price $126. It was a "like new" product. The box had been resealed, but the instruction manuals and accessories were still in the original plastic. (For my sisters curiosity I now own two sewing machines. The girls are learning how to sew. And I now have a few decorative stitches YIPPEE!)

So Anna collects pyrex bowls and I collect sewing machines? :)