Are you In?

Tuesday AUTUMN CREATIVE with your kids!

Remember the good old days when we used Crayola crayon shavings to make art? Well, guess what? You can STILL use them to make art at your age! Art good enough for framing! And YES, it's STILL fun! The one shown below is one I made with my two boys last year and it STILL looks just like this! The colors have not faded! I put it up in the attic over the summer months, but we got it down a week ago and it's just the same! AMAZING!

Here's what you're going to need for this project:

Crayola crayons (others will do, but might be a bit soft)
sharpener big enough for crayons
Wax paper
Iron
Fall leaves
Construction paper, stapler/tape/gluestick OR
Frame (optional)

DIRECTIONS (read through first):

1.Take and tear two pieces of wax paper slightly larger than your frame (you will cut it down to size later).

2. Set aside second piece of wax paper.

3. Place fall foiliage on first piece of wax paper as you desire - if it's too bumpy it might not work. However, I DID manage to make a few "helicopters" work, just place them towards the center, not the edges or they won't seal.

4. Sharpen crayons over your creation so that shavings fall all over project randomly. Be generous. Spread them out with your fingers if need be. Use several colors. Make sure to get shavings along the edges so it will "seal properly. Make sure no leaves are poking out - you want wax paper or crayon shavings around the edges, not foilage, for best results.

5. Place second piece of wax paper on top of all of this.

6. Iron on low setting - just hot enough to melt the shavings and wax pieces together. Move your iron in circular motion over entire project until all shavings are melted and piece is melded together. **If you don't have an iron you use just for crafts - please place a hand towel over the project to ensure you don't end up with melted wax or shavings on your iron (and turn up the heat just a tad) :)

7. Trim to size

8. If framing in a glass frame, you may choose to carefully tear off the top sheet of wax paper, as shown in the photo above. To do this, simply tear top piece off slowly while wax is still warm (re-warm if necessary). Once removed, place glass on top of piece and then invert frame to place backing on.

9. If not placing into a glass front frame, you might want to hang these on a window or slider door for an entirely different effect (see comment below) - cut construction paper "frame" and gluestick or staple/tape to edges so light can pass through the waxed paper portions. VERY FUN!

**Your kids will LOVE this project and so will you - collecting the foiliage is LOTS of fun. You can do this in two parts if you like, foiliage one day and creating art the next. We framed two pieces and the other two we made outline paper "frames" for and hung on our slider door like stained glass - VERY COOL EFFECT!

Let me know how yours turns out!

Doctor, Doctor, give me the news...

I've got a bad case of...ERP! Okay, okay, this ISN'T the 80's anymore! Sheesh! This IS 2008 and I am a MOM! A MOM of TWO, COUNT 'em TWO BOYS who have Doctor Appointments up the YING YANG this month! Let's see...where in the Yellow Pages does one find a person who's sole service is to drive little ones around to these appointments, take in the information, disseminate it back to you, soothe them at the appointments, calm them afterwards, PAY the required fees at the appointment (not to mention find the other monies before and afterwards - we ALL know there are ALWAYS more MONIES involved). Oh, did I mention entertain in the waiting room? Wrangle them up at school? Write the notes dismissing them from school and remember to give them the notes and hope and pray they pass the notes on to their teachers? And then REALLY hope and pray they'll be in the office when you arrive 10 minutes later than you should be to pick them up for said appointment? And when they are not in the office, will locate them in their classroom to find that they are also not ready to leave said classroom either, because, on THIS particular day, they are having FUN (yes, the one and only day in the entire school year!) and don't want to leave, this person will have a magical solution for this scenario that will separate the child from the FUN and SPLENDOR of the classroom without a hitch and get them to their scheduled dr. appointment on time - because of course, they would never be caught in traffic or have to stop for a potty or snack or anything of the sort to avoid a meltdown because they are a MAGICAL CREATURE who DOESN'T EXIST!!!

HOW DO I KNOW YOU ASK? BECAUSE I HAVE LOOKED ALL OVER THE YELLOW PAGES!

Hmph!

Sigh.

So, alas, alack, I have been taking the kids to their Orthodontist, Pediatrician, Vision, "Talking" Doctor and Chiropractor appointments without any help. SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK.

And yes, it is getting OLD.

I am ready for a break. How about you?

And don't get me started on after-school sports...at LEAST I have HELP with that! (thank you Big Lar and G'ma and G'pa Ski!) I bow to those of you who have to tackle that one by yourself as well...oh my - you deserve a medal!

Care to Join Me? Let's tell our stories!

wwww.JessicaSprague.com - registration begins Oct. 20th and is FREE!

Let's take this online class together so we can tell our Stories and have something to chat about TOGETHER! :)

Want to get together before this? Come over on Friday...I'm having a Tastefully Simple party at my house at 11:30am - Yummy snacks will served (it's a food company!) - perfect time of day to take a lunch break if you're working! And trust me, by Friday, you'll be wanting a GIRLFRIEND break from all of the rain we're supposed to get this week - ugh!

Another project I just challenged myself with is from Ali Edwards - her A Week in the Life album. You can find the details here: http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/a-week-in-the-life.html I don't know about you, but because of my last post, I NEED to just dive in and make myself DO something! I haven't even begun my creative journey yet...so here goes! I picked up my camera this a.m. (and as you can see, started blogging again last night!). I started scrapping again Sat. night and ordered up a BUNCH of photos from Shutterfly Sat. afternoon...I feel a creative spree coming on!

Want to go to Croptoberfest with me on Nov. 1st? I think there's still room...it's from 9am - 11pm and is around $35 I think...let me know - I'm going to be registering this week...I need some CREATIVE GIRL time!

AND I also have the Etsy shop 1/2 completed...excited about that! I'll post more once it's done and open for business :)

Hugs to you! Stay dry! Let me know you're alive...drop a comment, an email, or show up Friday :)

What is UP?

I think there is something in the air...

something that is keeping all of the women I know from getting it "together" this Fall.

So far I keep hearing the same things from most of the women I know...these things being:

1. There is not enough TIME in the day!
2. I can't seem to get a regular SCHEDULE together!
3. Things keep POPPING up and eating up my time...
4. I'm in the CAR all day
5. I am feeling so OLD
6. How did I ever have time to work?
7. My house is a DISASTER
8. I miss my FRIENDS
9. I miss my HUSBAND
10. I am TIRED

So, what IS up?????