Shabby Chic Pointe Shoes

Amber and I tried a new craft this past week - up cycling an old pair of pointe shoes.  Turning something very worn out into a piece of art work - this becomes Shabby Chic decor!

Samantha gave us a pair of her old pointe shoes and we set to work to turn them into individualized room decorations.

After many coats of paint and some poked fingers and a broken needle we produced what we thought were beautiful pieces of art.

Sadly, although they were intended for the Silent Auction at Spring Showcase, neither got a nibble and they came home with us.

Amber putting the first coat of paint on the Spring pointe shoe.

This is the first one I started sewing on.  I shoved the eye of the needle into my thumb a couple times, stabbed myself with a couple of those pins, and then eventually broke the eye off the needle.  I replaced the needle and dug out a thimble!

These are our finished products!

The green one we called Spring.  The pink flowers were added on with hot glue, and the sparkles on the Cinderella (or Nutcracker Clara) were added with jewelers glue.

Now, I know you are asking - smell?  Well, they weren't too stinky to begin with, but we Febreezed the insides and put a sachet in the toe of each.  They turned out lovely and are currently hanging in a doorway in our house until we sell them.  We may be adding them to the Etsy shop - we shall see.  I was going to ask Samantha if she's okay with it, as they are her donated shoes.  She's looking for her other ones to donate as well.

Pocket Pals - Special order completed!

When we lived in Iceland we had a fabulous in-home child care provider named Kristen Bieszke.  She would come before we left for work, take care of the boys all day, and then go when one of us got home.  They loved her.

She is now living in the DC/Virginia/Maryland area (after recently moving there from Japan).  She has three daughters and saw my post of Amber's Pocket Pals on Facebook and loved the little ballerina and wanted to place an order.  So, through messaging back and forth we nailed it down to what she wanted and today I completed the last of her special order.

Here is what she ordered:

I sent her a photo (the one on top) and she LOVES them!  They are currently hanging out so the last of the glue dries and then will be wrapped and packaged and sent on their merry way.  A little leprechaun is also sneaking herself into the package - courtesy of one very thankful young lady (Amber).  

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Ugh.  Everything happens when Daryn's gone!  All this rain and we have water dripping from the room through our bathroom vent/fan … again.  This has happened on at least a handful of other occasions.  However, this time it is really coming in and the paint around the vent/fan is bubbling.  I honestly don't know what to do and I am not going to figure it out by attempting to know what I'm doing and climbing on the roof or into the closet crawl space.  Urgh!  In the meantime I have a bowl catching rainwater.  I may have to go to the largest bowl we have.

Pocket Pals

In the ever increasing attempt to raise money for dance, I think Amber and I have come up with a winner … Pocket Pals.  We have opened an Etsy shop (www.etsty.com) called DancersCraftRoom (just go to Etsy.com and type in DancersCraftRoom) and you'll see all her listings.

Now, the only items we've sold are the leprechauns, as they are the only ones we have listed to date.  Why?  Because we don't have the others ready yet.

This is the photo we use with the leprechauns on Amber's online shop. 

These are some of the little folk we have created (well, okay, I have created).  These are all the FIRST ones made - so essentially, prototypes.  All additional ones will be listed.

This young lady I created especially for Amber and her Etsy shop.  I figured, if it's called DancersCraftRoom there needed to be a dancer on there!

That being said, the weekend is now set aside for creating so we can get them listed!  

Over the fields and through the … airports and train stations

It's only taken a month to remember to post our fabulous trip on the family blog.  I have been so remiss in keeping this up to date.

Our trip east certainly was memorable to say the least.  It started with an hour plus late departure from Seattle, the loss of a connecting flight once we landed in New Jersey, a shuttle from New Jersey to New York's Penn Station, and ultimately a trip on the train curtesy of AmTrak to Albany!

Dinner in the SeaTac airport.

Ballet dancer stretches wherever she can!  

Breakfast in New Jersey - waiting to find out how we were going to get to NY.

And waiting … at this point, no solution as to how we were going to get to NY

Entertaining himself at AmTrak while we waited for the train to arrive.

Stinking hot car - no air in it at all.  Everyone hot and all seats taken up - so lots of body heat.

Playing with Beads

This is about the third beaded row counter bracelet I have made - again, not for me (although I do have the beads set aside to make a couple for myself, because they are pretty and functional).

At any rate, they work like an abacus.

Let me present my Hufflepuff version of a beaded row counter bracelet:

41 Days - one to go!

The boys have been away to camp since July1.  It seems ages since they left.  And although they took a phone with them, of the 42 days they were gone, we only heard from them no more than 4 times.  Not a great record.  I think one of them would have called more often if given the opportunity, but he wasn't.  :(

So, I have one more day to count down.

The bummer?

I have a staff meeting and then a birthday dinner for a co-worker I have to attend.  I am hoping I can beg out and just leave the money I'm supposed to donate toward her dinner.  I hope they understand I'd rather have pizza with my boys than over-priced food I don't really care for at Cosmos.