the finished horse

I bought this bisque-fired ceramic carousel horse at a thrift store in Chicago. It started out shabby... with lots of potential.

I covered the entire horse with gesso (acrylic primer) and then painted in the details with acrylic paints. I had hoped to finish it for Christmas, but let's face it, we just moved and things have been a bit busy here... so it was more of a Presidents Day gift.

The girls love watching me paint, but more than that, they like to help. I gave them each a small portion of the saddle to paint however they wanted.

I like how it turned out. Alli and Ruby and June love this horse. I often find stuffed animals on its back. Maybe the next project will be making a more sturdy base for it.

cleaning is more fun...

It's called a "Shark." And so I made it a bit more shark-ish. I glued large googly-eyes to the top. I cut a row of fierce teeth out of white adhesive vinyl.

And now sweeping is that much more fun.

You should hear the girls squeal and scream as the shark chases them around the kitchen... gobbling up bits of crumbs.

fancy girly gloves in ten minutes

Last spring I got a great deal on a two-pack of stretchy gloves from Target (25 cents!). One pair was pink with colorful hearts. The second pair was cream with pink stripes at the wrist.

This morning was chilly. So I pulled out the gloves for my girls. But when they saw that one pair had hearts and the other was plain, the bickering began. Of course they both wanted the fancier gloves.

They got plain brown gloves today. (I'm so mean.)

So while they were at school, I pulled out the fabric paint and painted fingernails on the fingers of the plain gloves. I used gold paint to make rings on the ring-fingers. I added pink jewels with the glue gun.

The painting and gluing took about ten minutes. Drying time was about an hour.

Voila!

Fancy!

Now I am wondering if I have just caused another fight.

Christmas project

I found this little beauty at a thrift shop for cheap. It is a bisque-fired ceramic carousel horse that has been painted hideously with glitter paint.
I am going to make it pretty again.
This horse is going to be a Christmas present, so I hid it away in the basement laundry room. I have been painting it while Alli and Ruby are at school and hiding it before they come home. That worked well for a few weeks until they went exploring in the dark, creepy laundry room.
They were so delighted to discover the horse! I sort of made up a story... like, "I think that belongs to the landlord. We better not mess with it." or something like that.
I hope they will forgive my fib when Christmas comes.
I will post another picture when the horse is done.

the wedding

My baby sister got married last weekend! She is the ninth kid in our family to tie the knot, so my family knows a thing or two about throwing a little party... for cheap.
We transformed the church gym with paper lanterns lit with battery-powered LEDs. The lanterns were purchased online, and we saved the packaging so they can be resold on Ebay.
For flowers, we used hydrangeas from a friend's yard. The flowers were free (but they looked expensive). We also used greenery from hostas and some wildflowers in the arrangements. About half of the tables had hydrangeas, the other tables had arrangements of lemons and limes. The fruits were ordered by the case (and after the reception we made lots of lemonade!). We used a variety of pitchers, vases, candlesticks, and bowls for all of the arrangements, so each table was unique... but the whole room looked pulled-together and cohesive. Very chic and elegant... and inexpensive.
Unfortunately, in all the hustle and bustle of the reception, I forgot to get good pictures of the table centerpieces. These are the best pictures I've got.
My brother Dan made the cake and decorated it. Delicious. And gorgeous.
The groom's family brought gorgeous leis for the bride and groom and for all of the bride's family (that's a lot of flowers!). I wore a pretty magenta lei (that June pulled apart). I loved all of the flowers on the tables and people.
Some of the food was ordered from a friend's restaurant... and he did it for his cost. Some food was prepared by family and friends. It all came together, and 200 people were fed.

Only one more Mars wedding to go... and it better be in a few years, Ben!

lemon and lime

My youngest sister is getting married this week! I am doing the centerpieces and decorations for the reception, so I have been playing with her theme lately: lemon and lime. It is such a fun theme to work with!

My mom's theme: inexpensive! So we are using seasonal flowers like hydrangeas (from our friend's garden) and Queen Anne's lace, daisies, etc. (whatever we find growing on the side of the road). We are also ordering cases of fresh lemons and limes.

The table centerpieces will be arrangements of hydrangeas and wildflowers and collections of lemons and limes in eclectic dishes. The bride wants an elegant yet whimsical feel. Quaint with a little quirk. We are using an assortment of vases and dishes... some wedding gifts that we haven't used much and other pieces from the thrift store. The colors of the lemons and limes, flowers, and dishes will unify all the tables, but each table will be unique.

Stay tuned for pictures of the wedding and reception!

From a shirt to a dress...

I joined a little blog sewing group and made this dress for Ruby!  The dress started out as a men's shirt.  I would have used one of Andy's shirts , but they were all washed and ironed, hanging neatly in the closet... so I went to the thrift store and picked out a shirt.  Orange gingham.  It was big, so there was plenty of leftover fabric to make the headband-hat-thingy.  Also, instead of the elastic waistband, I made a tie waistband.  Not only does it tie, but it also looks like a tie (necktie)... but it is made of washable cotton.  I carefully removed the shirt pocket and sewed it onto the skirt of the dress.  Ruby likes to fill it with treasures.  Ruby loves this dress and calls it her "sundress." 
Click here for the tutorial!

This is the second time I have tried to get good pictures of her in the dress.  She is jsut always on the move!  Next time!