water beads...

i've been wanting to try these out for so long now...

we finally got our hands on some water beads...

a score at the 99 cent store...

they're pretty awesome.

water beads are made for floral arrangements... they start as little pellets, then you soak them in water for about 8 hours, and they absorb all that water... they grow to about the size of marbles, but they're sort of soft and gelatinous.  so much fun to play with!

one thing i learned from using them... since they're just sitting there in their own moisture, with nothing really to absorb the water (as they're intended), be careful how you store them.  ours got moldy and we had to throw them out.  if left out in the sun or something like that, they can shrink back up again and be used over and over. also, wash your hands before using them to keep them nice and clean.

have fun!

wanders...

inspired by amanda blake soule's {this moment}s...

sweet hearts...

start with some toilet paper rolls...

add a little paint...

and a little more...

let them dry...

slice each roll into four even rings...

pinch one end of each ring into a teardrop shape, then hot glue two of them together...

gather them all up...

add some string...

and hang them up...

for some sweet heart decorations :)

cloud dough...

one part oil to eight parts flour...

makes cloud dough!

thank you to flights of whimsy for the recipe!

wanders...

inspired by amanda blake soule's {this moment}s...

a puppet theater...

this was a tough one to give away...

so i'm sure there will be another one being made soon.

after getting inspiration from here...

i thought my three little nieces would get a kick out of having a puppet theater of their own...

so i used a thrifted sheet for the main part, a t-shirt for the curtain, and some on hand fabric for the border of the window.  a curtain rod keeps it in place, and a dowel in the bottom of the window frame keeps the opening from sagging.

and here's what they got...

along with some sock puppets.

leo tried it all out, just to make sure all functioned properly :)

and then off to nj it all went!

upcycled notebook...

the holiday crafting has begun...

not as feverishly as last year, considering we have a little bundle to think about...

but it's still going on...

starting with this...

i used an old t-shirt and some fabric scraps to cover up a composition notebook...

and added a little crayon holder on the back...

covered the insides with scraps, as well, to hide the fabric edges...

a portable drawing kit!