Well Wishes and Cute Crafts

I will be leaving on vacation for three weeks shortly, and internet access will be very limited where I am going, so I thought I would leave you with some sites I found that had a few fun crafts.

http://www.hearthandmadeblog.com/2009/04/heart-lab-meowstro.html/

This page teaches you to make real books that are almost as small as a quarter. The examples are adorable, and the sizes of the books are adjustable to your preference. They only take 2 hours to make, and are great gift ideas.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/75639/potholder_first_aid_kit_a_great_last.html?cat=24

This page will show you how to make a first aid kit out of an ordinary kitchen potholder. A great craft to have with you wherever you go. I saw my friend had one on a 4 day hike we went on last week, and just had to have one. Her potholder first aid kit had kittens on the front and opened up just like a book.

http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1679

This site features tons and tons of awesome crafts, but the page that will pull up is the site's Fairy Glitter Bath Bomb craft. I've always wanted one of these, and now I'm so excited because I know I can make my own!! They also have different types of bath bombs, if glitter isn't your thing; all you have to do is click "Bath and Body Crafts" on the left hand side of the page.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/growingcrystals/ht/blsugarcrystal.htm

I just had to add this craft/ recipe in, because I just love rock candy! Every time I see rock candy it reminds me of when I visited Biltmore Estate when I was a child, and had my very first (lavender coloured) piece of that glittering treat. Because I had it at Biltmore Estate, it also makes me think of princesses, princes, balls, long beautiful gowns, and stuff like that. It makes me feel so young and naieve and pretty inside and warms my soul. I recommend making this treat , for I know you will enjoy it throughly.

That's it for the links I'm posting today, but like I said, http://www.craftbits.com/ has hundreds of awesome crafts for you to enjoy. I'll see you in three weeks!

Today I was thinking about what I'm going to do for gifts for my family for Christmas. I really don't want to get everything last minute like I usually do, because I can't think of what to get them, so I spent an evening this week looking through old magazines, craft books, and a Better Homes and Gardens Celebrate the Season 2004 book for ideas. I must say that this was a quite an enjoyable evening for me, as lists were involved. Any ways, here's the gift ideas I came up with for my family. (Note: some of these gifts are meant to go together, and I wrote down what I thought my particular family would like, so if you don't see anything you can use for yours, that's just because my family is a little strange, though in a good way.)

-Decoupaged box

-treasure box with lock to store special things

-monogrammed hankies with lace edging

-a poem written especially for them

-a scrapbook filled with poems you've written, or made into a special storybook featuring them as the main character

-basket of special-baked goodies, like banana-nut bread, cookies, and fudge

-homemade pie

-cookie mix in a jar

-a personalized journal with matching pen

-book of inspiring quotes

-framed picture of you with that person

-framed picture of that person's whole family

-hair care set

-a snowglobe

-bubble bath set

-send them a Christmas card filled with paper snowflakes, so that when they open the card it snows on them

-a locket

-books of things they're interested in, like battleships, cars, dolls, goats, whatever it may be that they like. American Girl has some great books for girls, like Real Spirit, and Real Beauty....

-a pretty silk scarf

-a pretty brooch

-battleship game, or another board game

-purse with a few surprises in it, like lip gloss, lotion, stickers, perfume, etc.

-a small book of fun, kid friendly recipes

-monogrammed towel set in that person's fav. color

-slinky

-table linen set; tablecloth, table runner, cloth napkins, napkin rings

-handmade baby quilt

-over night set for little girls: tote bag, nightie, eye mask, small brush, small comb, slippers, travel toothbrush/ toothpaste

-antique jewlry

-antique tea set with recipes for scones, and a pretty lace tablecloth

-cross-stitch a pretty picture for them and frame it

-Princess Lessons book by Meg Cabot with real tiara for a little girl

Hope you like these ideas, but like I said, these are things I think the people in my family would like. If you want to get creative when you wrap these gifts, use small ornaments or pinecones as bows. For wrapping gifts for girls, try using a pretty feather boa as ribbon. For boys, use Hot Wheeles cars as bows; as you tie the ribbon on the top of the gift, string the end of the ribbon through the windows of the car and tie it to the box.

Hershey's Bars and Summer Days

There's something so elegant about a Hershey's bar. So simple and elegant.

There's so many different candy bars on the market today, with nougat, peanuts, caramel, rice crunchies, almonds, and more, that the chocolate is lost in the mix, but with a Hershey's bar, you get the pure, rich, creamy milk chocolate with nothing else. Just that little piece of heaven... so small, so simple, so perfect. With a Snickers bar or a Milky Way, you have to chew and swallow, but with a Hershey's bar, you can let it rest on your tounge and melt slowly, drowning you with a wave of chocolate perfection... Not to say that other candy bars are bad; I love a 3 Musketeers, and a good Zero Bar, but every now and then, take to time to enjoy a Hershey's Bar, without almonds, and not one of the fun size or one of the giant ones: get a regular size one, and take it somewhere quiet and peaceful to enjoy. Let it slowly melt on your tounge; cherish it; eat it slowly.

Exams are over and I'm free for the summer, and wanting to break free from the yearly cycle of laying around the house being bored, I made a list of things to keep me busy. They are:

- tan on my porch

-dance to my favorite songs

-leand the line dances that go with Cotton Eye Joe, the Electric Slide, etc.

-earn brownie points by cleaning the house until it's spotless

-make a smoothie

-save up money to go back to school shopping

-ride bike

-go to local riverwalk

-go to local park to play

-read

-get a part time job

-get a head start on Christmas shopping

-keep a detailed journal

-work on developing photography skills

-make a scrapbook of summer memories

-play on computer :)

-go to antique stores

-have a picnic

-play dress up with all of my clothes

-go see a baseball game

-grow an herb garden in flower pots on my porch

-go to the zoo

-go to local museums

-spend a day pretending to be on a cruise

-camp out in my bedroom

-make little gifts for my family

- swim

-redocorate my room

-try to recreate outfits from magazines for cheap

-volunteer somewhere

-do 25 jumping jacks

-have a movie night, complete with popcorn

-make treats for friends

-take a class, like tai chi, or ballroom dancing, or a history class

-have a relaxing bubble bath

-make a soundtrack of my life

-make a homemade pizza

-color my Scooby Doo coloring book

-spend a whole day at the library

-play in the sprinklers

-tir dye a T-shirt with matching socks

-make Kool-Aid popcicles

-go to an outdoor cafe with a book and wierd clothes on and stare at people as they pass me by

-go out visiting with my church's missionaries

-go a whole day without ANY electronics

-spend an entire day learning about one subject

-read and write some poetry

-play Mad Libs

-discover a new talent

-meditate

-blow bubbles

-set up a giant bowling alley in my back yard

-listen to Prarie Home Companion from start to finish (I always miss the beginning and the end)

-study Spanish language so I won't forget over the summer

-go to the movies

-write letters (a lost art, I think)

-play and sing in the rain

-play bingo

-find a four leaf clover

-play with a magnifying glass

-decorate notebooks with comics from Sunday paper

-make a new friend

-paint each nail a different color

-jump rope (try my hand at double dutch)

-hula hoop

-decorate old pair of jeans

-go an entire week without any junk food (those Little Debbie Cakes are a major weakness of mine)

-learn to lead music

-run run run

-read scriptures

-wake up to see the sun rise

-make a mini spa

-have a picture day and take pictures of everyone

-put together a puzzle, or make a puzzle

-practice naming countries on a map

-play on http://www.freerice.com/

-smile for 20 minutes straight

-have a sleepover

-eat a Rocket Pop to get blue lips, and then wear them proudly

-have a water balloon fight

-draw a picture

-learn how to make those heart/ people chains out of paper

-play with makeup

-make lists

-plan a vacation down to where to eat and shop each day

-break a bad habit

-sew

-learn to do the robot

-learn to hula (the real way)

-look for pictures in the clouds

-host a tea party (without tea, since I don't drink tea, coffee, or soft drinks)

-design outfits

-work on food storage

-give myself a makeover

-learn something new

-do kind things for other people

-write a book/ story

-organize a romantic dinner for 2 for my Father and his wife

-watch fireworks on Independence Day

-have a cook out

-work on Personal Progress

-get my weak self in shape! :D

-make hair accessories and jewelry out of ribbon and beads

-learn how to use a skateboard without falling off

-decorate a treasure chest

-learn how to draw cartoon characters

-play Marco- Polo

-play hide and seek

-play tag (or flashlight tag if it's night)

-draw on the sidewalk with chalk

-play hopscotch

-collect Chuck Norris jokes (don't ask)

-begin working on my prom dress for next year

-laugh a lot

-go beach combing and make jewelry from small seashells

-learn to French braid my hair

-braid ribbons into my hair

-improve posture by walking around with a book on my head

-monogram a hankie to carry with my everywhere

-wear something with a tiara on it everyday (so I don't forget that I am a princess at heart)

-brush my hair 100 times every night so it shines

-wear fresh flowers in my hair

-perfect my curtsy

-put stickers on everything

-replace my shoelaces with ribbon

-smile at everyone I meet, even if they don't smile back

-bake fresh bread (I haven't made homemade bread since I was little)

-go blueberry picking in the local blueberry fields (yummy!)

-sing Disney songs

-make my Grandma a plate of fresh cookies and other goodies

-give myself a secret name no one else knows

-write secret messages in code

-wear ruby red glitter slippers

-tell stories to children

-make up stories to myself about everyday things, like a lamp (perhaps it has a cousin who lights the room of a magical Queen. It doesn't have to make sense)

-go for a walk

-write a letter for my future self

-write letters to everyone as if you were about to die

-climb a tree

-collect ticket stubs, scraps of gift wrap, ect., and glue them into my journal

-draw my dinner

-master the stairs

-look through my old magazines

-get lots of sleep

-act like the princess I am (that does NOT mean spoiled or stuck up)

-dress like a princess

-treat myself to little things occasionally, like a chocolate, or a new book, or something

-practice using my imagination

-look for the beauty in everything

-eat a special, healthy, delecious breakfast everyday

-cook

-listen to upbeat music

-keep my mind in shape by doing a puzzle everyday (like sodku, crossword puzzles, etc.)

-update this list of things to do this summer

I'm surprised you made it through this list! Almost all of the things of the list were my original ideas, but near the end I put down some I found on various sites like Princess Portal, and WikiHow. Feel free to use these ideas as inspiration for keeping yourself busy. More ideas welcome, but for now I'm going to go and enjoy a nice shower and wash my dishes from lunch.

About a month ago I went with some family to see a Disney On Ice Performance. It was a ton of fun and the show was great, and before the show they had a little museum type gallery showing dresses for some of the Disney princesses. I luckily thought to bring a camera, and got some shots of the dresses. Sorry if the quality isn't good; the room was packed and I had to take them quickly.