Mary Poppins umbrella restyle

We found this ducky umbrella at a second hand store for $3. At first I was like, "Oooh! It's a Mary Poppins umbrella!" But then that evening I watched the movie again, and realized that Mary Poppin's umbrella was actually a parrot! My poor duck umbrella. :(

I really wanted a Mary Poppins umbrella, so I decided to restyle de duck!

Ducky:

My brother had to cut the beak off during plastic surgery.

New beak in place on the duckarrot. Paruck? Parrotuck?



Painting away ... notice the Mary Poppins picture on the screen that I was copying. :)



After a few coats of polycrylic, it's done! :D

Couldn't resist posing in these shoes. :)

Air plant bloom

My air plant has finally bloomed!

Left to right - day one, two and three.

                          

Isn't it beautiful??



OK, so I did a little research on air plants. I found out that after they bloom, they usually die. :( But! They can take years before that happens! :) AND after they bloom they start producing babies called "pups". :D

I'm kinda sorta excited. Just a little bit.

Oh, and I don't know if you remember, but a while back I posted how I was happy about my air plant getting orange tips "in honor of autumn". Turns out, air plants actually turn bright colors before they bloom. And it was just a few weeks after it changed colors that I noticed a bloom starting.

Cool, huh? :)

Close ups:



Random random random

Today's post is very random. I suggest you brace yourselves.

First we have Mr. Snowman and his friend, Deek the chickadee.

Mr. Snowman likes feeding the birds, in case you couldn't tell.

_______________

Next random subject:

Today, I noticed that I had spilled a teeny drop of honey on a notebook sitting next to me.

The honey formed a perfect little sphere. Then I poked it with my gargantuan (in comparison) finger. The honey stretched out and formed a little peak that curled, much like the Dairy Queen signature on their ice cream cones.

But after about one second it melted into it's perfect shape again.

Yes, I really do notice little things like this. And yes, they really do mesmerize and fascinate me. Problem?

________________

Next, we have another two dollar bill story. (These things pretty much never come without a story, ya know)

I went to the bank and requested a few today. Being a bank, they really weren't that surprised about it or anything, but there was one cool thing.

The lady who was getting money for me asked if any of her coworkers had any extra twos she could give me. One lady did.

"I've been saving these in my drawer for about a year," she said. "Their numbers are only one different ... they were made at the same time."

See below: one says "49" at the end and the next one is "50"

"Oh," my mom said, "and you're giving them to us?"

"I don't care," the lady said. "I didn't know what I was saving them for. I guess I just wanted them to stay together."

:)

Oh yeah, and in case you were wondering, counting with twos confuses even bank people.

"Here's two tens, that's twenty, *lays down a two* that's three *looks confused* *Hurriedly lays down the other two and a one* uh, and five."

____________

And what is better than some big brown poochie eyes to end with? :)

  

Clothes pin hair accesory

Nuff said.

Art!

I don't know what's come over me the last week or two. I've just been working on so many projects lately, it's crazy! Probably by next week my creativity will calm down a little, and I'll start my normal once or twice a week postings. :)

Anywho, here's the epic doodle I made in my art journal this week!

I put in the phases of the moon and Morse code for "rain", just cuz. :)

Can you find them?

Also, you may remember my Aslan drawing from a while back. One of my friends saw it and told me she wanted me to draw her something. So I did! I knew she liked  the Aslan drawing, but I didn't want it to be exactly the same, so I spiced it up a bit.

 Here 'tis:

Oh, and one last thing.

This January, I was gonna put "Get at least ten followers" on my new years resolution list. But then I was like, "Ya know, there's no way that's gonna happen. Forget it."

But now it's January 24th and I have already reached that goal!

Sure, one of the followers is me (yes, I follow my own blog. Got a problem with that??), but still! I'm pretty pumped. :)

Thanks!

Leg warmers!

I love creating stuffs. I guess I inherited that from my Dad. My heavenly Dad that is. Ever notice how the first five words of the Bible are "In the beginning God created"?

I so love that. :)

Anyways, here's what I made last weekend.

Leg warmers!

 
I know, leg warmers and bare feet ... interesting combo!
 
I'll probably wear them for ballet. I also think they'd look cute with a skirt or something, but I'm not really a skirt person, so I've decided I like them over my jeans instead. :)

Have you made anything lately?

How I Broke the Walmart Cashier's Heart

It was just a normal day at Walmart.
I walked up to the register, the cashier checked out my stuff and dumped it in the bag.
"$3.21," she said, rather bored, or so it seemed.
I glanced at my friend who had been shopping with me, and smiled a secret smile as I handed over two $2 dollar bills. Yes, my friends. I had gotten my hands on more of the rare $2 bills at de bank. (You should get some sometime. Just ask to trade in for some twos. Almost any bank has 'em!)
The cashier took the bills. She ran her thumb over them for a split second, the only inclination that she had noticed anything out of the ordinary.
She finished, printed my receipt and handed it to me.
And then she turned and bellowed "LARRY!"
I must have looked at her strangely, because when she caught my eye she attempted a nonchalant smile.
Then my friend put her stuff up on the counter while the aforementioned "LARRY!" made his way thither.
The cashier looked at my friend and stuttered, "I don't usually get two dollar bills, I mean wait, *glances over shoulder* yeah, two dollar bills. I've been here four months and ..."
[Larry walks up and looks inquiringly] "Oh, Larry, I uh, don't know which slot to put these in ..." *Waves bills around, looking slightly embarrassed*.
[Larry raises eyebrows] "Um, you put them under that tray. That it?" *Starts laughing good-naturedly, teases the cashier and walks away*

Mom: Inna! You used a two dollar bill!? You confused the poor cashier! *Mock shock* You ruined her whole evening!
Cashier: Oh, yes, yes you did. *Using playful drama to cover up the embarrassed fidgits* You broke my heart.
Me: I'm sorry! *Puppy eyes*
Mom: But at least you livened up her evening!

Mission accomplished!

And that is the tale of how I broke the Walmart cashier's heart. I do so love livening up bored people. And using two dollar bills is a great way to do so. :)
The. End.

deep snow

I think the snow has been feeling very profound and insightful this winter. Or possibly just deep. Yeah. Deep is the word I was looking for!

Standing on a mountain and touching the roof!

This is a pic I took while standing on the above mountain. :)



White, white, everywhere. Even the sky.

Btw, usually at this time of year we have a little over 20 inches of snow.

This year ... we have over 50.

o_O

Color. Texture. Light. Shadow.

Having a sister who's a wedding photographer sure has it's perks! 

For example, I get to use her professional photography equipment! I just adore it! I'm so spoiled. I can't stand taking point and shoot photos anymore. ;)

Here's a pic I took of a pineapple today. 

I just love the color, light, texture. 

Did you ever notice that a pineapple has so many colors in it?

Purple, lime green, dark green, gold, yellow, orange, cream, rust. 

*Happy sigh* I do so love color.

Restyled tank top

What is a girl to do, when she can't afford the cool clothes she likes?

*Whispers* She makes her own.

Well, "make" might be a stretch. Restyle is the correct word, I believe. :)

I got this tank top at the Salvation Army for a buck. And after much cutting, sewing, seam-ripping, re-sewing, braiding and finger poking, I made it into something way cooler!

Ta-da!



It looks better with something besides a t-shirt and pigtails though. ;)

 And a cool hat always helps ...

Braiding with 5 strands

I've been working on a really cool project today. Really cool. And I had to make a braid with five strands for part of the project. I thought I'd post a tutorial on braiding to hold you over until I can post about my actual project. :)

 1. Get your strips of cloth ready. While learning how to do this, it's best to use thickish strips of cloth as apposed to super thin yarn or thread. Just until you get the hang of it. :)
Tie a knot at the top, and then spread out the cloth strips.

 2. Imagine the two strips on the left to be a pair, the next two are a pair, and the last strip is alone. Take the left hand strips and cross them over their partners. Leave the last one alone.

 3. Now rearrange your imaginary pairs. Now the new two on the right are a pair, the next ones in are a pair, and the one on the far left is alone. Take the right hand strip from each pair and cross it over it's partner.


4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until desired length. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Of course, the first few times you do it,  you'll probably mess it up. ;) But never fear! Practice it up, and you should be fine!




These drawings are just to give you an idea of what to do. This is what it should actually look like:

Happy braiding!

My magic Christmas shoes

If you're wondering why I haven't posted for a while, it's cuz I visited my grandma this weekend! The weekend was full of adventures and randomosities.

One of which happened when I was camping out on the floor of my parents room. The next morning they reported a mysterious voice in the night.

 Mine.

Yeah. They said I was talking in my sleep. Hmmmm. Mom even went so far as to claim she put my words to memory because they were so funny. According to her, I said, "Please. Give. Me. That. Thingy! Please. Please! PLEASE!!"

Huh. I don't remember a thing.

Believe who you want to.

Anyways, that's not the point of this post! The point is my magic Christmas shoes.

One of their magic powers is to relieve boredom and depression. I was forced to sit in the waiting room while my grandma had an appointment at the clinic. Dull. And depressing. Cuz the news was blaring on the tv. And we all know how depressing the news is!

 So I looked at my magic Christmas shoes, and decided to draw them. Ahhhh. Much better. :)

Here they are! (Christmas present from my sis, if you're wondering)

The other magical power they possess is allowing their wearer to walk on the ceiling.

Of course, this isn't just your normal magic! Oh, no. They don't make you float up to the ceiling just like that! No no no! They make it an adventure!

You see, in order to walk on the ceiling, I first had to walk all around the house to find the lowest ceiling.

Then I had to set two (super spinny) stools under said ceiling, throw a pillow on top of them for extra height, and then lay on the (super spinny pillowed) stools.
Next I had to stick me feet in the air and hold them there ... good workout for de abs.

And finally I had to grab my sister's $1200 (heavy) camera, set the lighting and take a pic.

Oh yeah. And I had to flip the photo in photoshop too.

So there you have it! Maybe I should call them my "Anti-boredom shoes" instead of my "magic Christmas shoes".

Waddaya think?

P.S. happy 1/11/11 everyone!
Be sure to make an epic wish at 11:11 tonight!
But save your most epic wish EVER for November 11.
That would be 11/11/11 @ 11:11:11 a.m. or p.m.
Say it with me now: Oooooh!

Epic Blue Poem

One of my good friends is doing PSEO at a college near us, and needed a place to stay three days a week. So can you guess? Yup! She's going to be staying with us!! :-D I'm so excited! 

Today we have been working on painting the guest room for her, and I wanted to give her a hint as to what color it is going to be. But I didn't want to give it away. So what did I do? I wrote her a poem of course! Duh. 

;)

Here's what I sent to her:

We're painting your room today! I'll give you a hint: it's in the blue range.

But is it baby blue?
Navy blue?
Neon blue,

or gravy blue?
Heliotrope? Aqua? Powder or teal?
Dark like a storm,
soft like a seal?
Purple-ish, gray-ish?
Or just plain ish-ish?
Electric, or ugly, greenish trout?
Manly or feminine, sauerkraut?
Possibly boring, possibly bright.
Dark and brooding, gloomy as night?

Blue like jazz, or blue like ice?
Does Santa think it naughty or nice?
Dull and depressing? Or amusing?
Glamorous, beautiful or confusing?
Jell-O? Blue cheese? Huckleberry?
And let's not forget Madame Blueberry!
Shiny? Satin, glossy or flat?
Eggshell finish, or possibly matte?
You'll find out someday!
Possibly on Monday!

________________________________________

Who knew there were so many kinds of blue??

Btw, when you put the two of us girls together, you automatically get crazy projects. So beware! De bloggola may or may not be swamped with them. :)

New Year!!

Happy 2011 everyone! Do you have any goals or dreams for the new year?

I'm not really into the whole resolution thing, but I do have a few general things I'd like to accomplish.

I hope to make the new year more fun, productive, educational and adventurous than 2010. I hope to spend less time on the computer, less time sleeping :) etc. and more time doing things. Some examples: I want to go outside almost every day, I want to work harder in school, get up earlier and I want to be crazier and randomer than ever! (Scary thought. :)

I think I'm off to a pretty good start! Yesterday I went outside and played in the as-tall-as-me snow piles, came in and did some art, worked on making the most epic garbage can you ever did see (if I ever finish it I'll post pics :), AND our family randomly decided to go out to a movie ... that started at 9:30! Those of you who know us are probably impressed, cuz 10:00 is usually my dad's bed time, and the movie didn't get out until 11:30! It was so much fun having the whole family be spontaneous like that!

Anywho, here's a pic of the art I did yesterday:

Unfortunately, I can't take credit for the idea, I found it in an art book. :)

It's super fun and easy though!
DIY: Just blob some colors of acrylic paint in a line on the bottom of your page. Then take a piece of cardboard and drag it through the paint, upwards. Don't worry if the colors mix or anything. Then take smaller pieces of cardboard and drag them through the top to make different heights and widths. Let dry. Dip the cardboard into black and drag some shadows. Drag black over some of the buildings too.
 And once that dries you can add the details with a pen!

Close up of details:

I'm off to go cross country skiing with my dad. I think I only tried it once, when I was little. So I'm gonna give it another go! It will be part of my "go outside almost every day" thing, PLUS it will be trying something relatively new. :)

Happy New Year!