Project: Rainy day fun with coloring book puppets

 Being at home over the summer with three kids you really have to start thinking outside of the box when the rain keeps them inside. At least that's the case with my three! So in one of the last posts about coloring-is-the-best-therapy I came up with this little fun project on the fly! Figured we'd give it a go, and I'm SO glad we did. It kept the girls busy for some time (which makes this mama VERY happy) and it tapped into another talent they never knew they had…storytelling.

What you'll need:
Assorted coloring books
Crayons
Markers
Construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Popsicle sticks

They colored for hours! I was thrilled!

Go ahead and cut out around your characters of choice, and mount them on construction paper with the glue. The construction paper gives it a little bit more stiffness so they characters don't flop around as much. Let it set a while, then go ahead and cut around the colored images. We left a little bit of the construction paper visible in order to let the image pop off the paper.

Here's a finished popsicle puppet. The girls must have colored, decorated, glued, and mounted about 20 of these puppets. Enough to come up with some crazy stories!

Once we were all set, I pulled a chair from downstairs, threw a blanket over the top of it so we had a "stage" for their puppet show, and off they went! Stories galore! 

When they were done we put them in a shoe box for safe keeping, and they will be ready next time we have a rainy day when they complain they are bored. The stories are endless, the time spent with family is priceless, and they are able to stretch their imaginations to new heights. I say that's a win-win.

Happy puppet making to you all!

Project: Wooden utensils with a DIY organic wood stain, sealer, and polish all in one

Oh where to start…

So let me make a very long story very short. I wanted to work on a wood project, since I've become totally obsessed with wood, and furniture making lately. We went to Bed Bath and Beyond, and they had wooden utensils, so I figured what the heck, I'd give it a go. Then I realized I needed wood burning attachments for my wood burning tool.  So I get a set of those (early birthday present) and then the ideas really started to fly. I wanted to make a gift for a friend of my parents, they are getting married next month so I was super excited because I get to make something, buy two things…really three things, and totally come up with an awesome wood project that I have already sold one set to a friend; how can all of this not be awesome? 

This my friends is a great start to this very spur of the moment project. 

So here are my wooden utensils from Bed Bath and Beyond, and my letters.

As you can see I was off to a great start…

So I got this far and thought, oh hell…these utensils are great, but I can't use them like this. Wooden kitchen spoons, and the like should feel cozy to the touch, they should be inviting, like a warm beverage, or your favorite blanket. Something that you want to use over and over again because it's comfortable to do so. These wooden utensils didn't have that feel. They felt stiff, and lifeless. So I go to my handy dandy search engine for everything these days…Pinterest. *Insert groan* I know, I can't help it, it's great for DIY's and such. I go with what I know. So as I was searching for a sealer of sorts I came across this link. It was JUST what I was looking for! Hooray!

diy-beeswax-wood-polish-and-sealant

So this handy dandy guy is super genius. The polish is organic, it's easy enough, it stains, it seals, and it's a polish! It was perfect for what I needed for my project.

So Mitch went out and picked up some bees wax at Hobby Lobby. 

Another one of my go to's for all things crafty.

You will need a 3 to 1 ratio for this recipe. You'll need two things, bees wax and extra virgin olive oil.

That's it people, two things! I know RIGHT?!?!?!?!?! Another easy recipe; life is awesome.

So go ahead and cut off what you think is around 1/4 of a cup of bees wax. Let me save you the trouble…cut more than you think you will need. Friendly advice, trust me on this one.

I did a 1/4 of a cup at first, and needed to cut more like a 1/2 to 2/3's.

Set yourself up a double boiler. You can make this super easy on yourself by getting a spaghetti pot, filling it up about 1/3 of the way with water and putting a measuring cup in the bottom. Put your bees wax in there, and turn it on medium to low heat.

I set the stove top to about a 4. This will take about 10 minutes for the wax to melt. The smaller the pieces the quicker they will melt. I realize that this a total Capt. Obvious statement, but it had to be said.

So you can see that after a while the bees wax starts to melt into this beautiful yellow liquid. It's like liquid gold; it's so pretty. 

Once your bees wax is totally liquified go ahead and measure out 3/4 cups of extra virgin olive oil.

My cup was a little cloudy since I had to remeasure my bees wax to get it as close to 1/4 cup as I could get. Like I said, cut more than you think you'll need for a 1/4 cup.

So this is what will happen if you don't heat your EVOO up before you combine it with your bees wax. No worries, just let it sit in the double boiler for about 4 to 5 minutes, and you'll be good to go.

This is what it should look like in the end, a little darker in color, liquid, and ready to go. Give it a little stir before you put it into your containers. I love these little Ball jars! They make me smile. They seriously are the perfect size for these kinds of projects.

Aren't they super cute?!

So I grabbed one of the many spoons lying around my kitchen, and dipped it into the polish I had left on the stove. I worked my way from the top to the bottom, slowly, and the wood drank up this polish like it was parched from a long stretch in the Sahara Desert! 

So once I worked my way thru all the utensils I put each one of them aside to set. This sealer really feels lovely to the touch, nice and smooth, like satin. Since it's organic it's great on your skin too.

So here are my little Ball jars filled with sealer. Each jar will go with one set of utensils. I'll go ahead and keep the third one for myself. 

You may not be able to see the difference between these pictures, but the one of the left is before, and the one of the right is after. The difference in feel is incredible. I really love how these turned out. I will definitely be making more in the future. If you'd like a set please email me at keva.bartnick@gmail.com and I will be sure to give you a quote per set before starting. 

Happy DIY's to you!

Project: Coloring is the best therapy…

Coloring, I've loved coloring since I can remember! Coloring doesn't judge, coloring understands, it helps you work thru some things that are rollin' around in your mind, that stuff you chew on for hours, if not days, weeks, and years on end. Coloring is quite meditation you can do in front of others, and not feel weird, or do in large groups. Coloring has been linked to lowering stress in adults, and people have started to pick it up again. I'm so glad to see this. I stopped coloring for a while, but now that I have children I color all the time. What we color changes everyday, and I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to coloring. I kid you not.

Here's a link to my coloring board:

https://www.pinterest.com/kbartnick/coloring/

That's where this image came from. What I love about coloring is that there is NO WRONG WAY to color, you can't screw it up. Seriously, even if you go outside the lines, who cares, it's coloring. It's an expression of who you are, and that is a beautiful thing!

This is the start of Roo's version

So now that we've covered how cool coloring really is, I want to show you just one thing you can do with all those coloring pages that you've colored, and put to the side. Why not do something with them, something creative, and something that can bring other people joy? You'd be surprised how many people really do love handmade cards, or hand written notes. In this fast paced life we find ourselves living in, where we don't seem to slow down to create the kinds of deep relationships that seemed to be so easy way back in the day, because now we are so busy running around like crazy people trying to get everything done so that we can take some time out to relax…and maybe even color. See where I'm going with all of this?

This one was mine.

Plus coloring with little kids can be the best thing ever. I'll tell you that when little kids are happy they just OOZE Joy! Have you ever stood, and watched a little kid playing, and they were really in the zone? It's amazing to watch their little minds work, it's amazing to see what they come up with, so why can't we grown kids be any different? Teach our little ones to start creating things from their coloring pages to give to their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and neighbors. Granted, with this project you need a little bit more than markers, crayons, scissors, and glue. But if they see you creating things, and being happy, you could inspire the younger generations to think more outside their boxes, and to start to think bigger, and to dream bigger! 

Pinterest has so many free coloring pages I just grabbed one from my stash…yes, I'm an admitted hoarder of data images. I doubt there is a 12 step program for that, but if there is, I'm long over due for going to therapy over it… wonder if they would have coloring books, and crayons in the therapists office? 

Our vintage Mac still runs like a champ!

With this I printed up two versions of this image, one black and white version to color, and the second one I chose a pink paper close enough to the little hearts I colored on the first version.

Think it's pink enough?

All I really wanted it for was for the tea cup and some of the little hearts. 

Nice color job on the tea cup, no?

Once I cut out the tea cup, and laid it over the white cup, good lord it stood out like a siren screaming to be covered up! Put some color on that cup! I also chose some bright green card stock to glue it too as well to give it some weight to the paper. It's hard to make something with flimsy paper, unless you are doing Origami, then the thinner the better.

Add some lifters to that cup!

After cutting out the cup, and some little hearts, I stuck some lifters on them all to give them more finished look. I also figured I'd add a little bit of darker green outline too. Make it pop a little more.

Can you imagine the fun you could have with little kids if you gave them two color pages that were identical except for the way they colored them, and let them go to town? You'd have two masterpieces that you could work with for twice the fun! 

Happy Birthday Card 

Even if you just have a regular coloring book, you, and your littles could come up with some great projects! OH! OH! Get some card stock, and some popsicle sticks, and make puppets with them! See what I mean…with a little thought, you could turn a boring raining day into something that they will remember for ages. Maybe that's what we will do the next time we have a down pour outside, and we are all stuck inside. Then you can get an old shoe box, and your puppets could live in there, and make tent forts, and put on popsicle stick puppet plays. Hell, that would entertain drunk adults for hours let a lone a bunch of littles. But, this is what I mean by coloring inspires great ideas…and they are YOUR good ideas that are just waiting to be discovered! 

Happy Coloring!

Recipe: DIY Rose Water and Petticoat Tail Cookies

This morning I was laying in bed thinking about rose water. What?! Don't you? Okay, I'm admittedly strange, and this is probably one of the many reasons why. It's because these are the things I think about laying in bed on a Sunday morning these days. In my defense, I will share with you the reason why… I was introduced to rose water as a child because it is an ingredient in my mothers Petticoat Tail cookies. 

Petticoat Tails are seriously one of my ALL TIME favorite cookies EVER. So, it is normal to lay in bed on a Sunday morning thinking about cookies right?! I'm a woman thinking about cookies at 7:30am, before my coffee, it's the only way my brain functions at that hour on the weekend. I have a deadly sweet tooth, and now you can see why.

I'm going to assume that the next bit of the story I tell you is just the Universe telling me that I was not only SPOT ON in my train of thought, but indeed the Universe was conspiring with me in order to share this wonderfulness with the world!

Straight off the newstand!

I still hadn't really put the whole thought of, "Seriously, how hard could it be to make rose water," out of my head from this mornings loungefest. I had mulled over it for sometime actually, but duty calls, kids need to be shipped here, and there, and we needed to run to Sams for essentials. As we were wondering around I decided to stop by the book aisle, and spotted this gem from across the way.

I walked over, picked it up, and opened it! TO WHAT you may ask…to an article all about DIY Rose Water! I know right?!?! I was pretty floored myself. It looks like the Universe wants me to make cookies too… I'm good with that.

Roses from my mother in laws rose garden.

Recipe:

Rose petals

Distilled Water

Seriously people, that's it. A $9 bottle of rose water from the local Indian grocer, and here is the most simplistic recipe I've seen to date, and I can make it for $1. It's like that State Farm Commercial…"I gotcha a dollar!" PLUS, the best part is, I can make it at home, and I don't have to drive into the city to hunt down the Indian grocer off of Grand. Sweet!

Gathered them up, put them in a bag.

They are SO pretty!

Rinse them off to knock off any dirt, pollin, and little buggies.

Put them on the stove with enough water to cover up the petals.

They say put just enough water to cover the petals. Petals float people! So I guessed on the amount. So  with about 10-15 roses, I put in about a half a gallon.

Cover them and set the stove to simmer.

 Don't boil, just simmer.

This little droplets are pure rose water! Ek! So excited!

Simmer on the stove until the color drains off roses.

Should look something like this.

The photos in the magazine 'Willow and Sage' looked MUCH nicer than these, but they really didn't simmer them on the stove either. If you'd like to order the magazine you can grab it here:

willow-and-sage-magazine-homemade-bath-body

Or you can go to your closest Sams, and pick it up there. It's the same price.

After you've strained out all the petals.

After you've strained out all the petals, depending on what color roses you used, it should have a tint to the water. I used a lot of hot pink, red, and light pink roses so my water  has a beautiful pale pink tint.

Cute little mason jars! <3

So since I didn't want to have huge jars of rose water sitting around I decided to put them in these cute little decorative ones. I can pass these out a lot easier to friends and family this way. If you are also interested in the Petticoat Tails Cookie recipe I've included it below.

As a child, I was told, that when England took over India the Queen never went to visit, but instead the Indian Ambassador came to her. On the visit the Ambassador brought over this cookie recipe for the Queen, and she supposedly loved it! The original topping for these cookies calls for finely chopped nuts, and sugar. In our house, we dip them in chocolate! Either way is good, but obviously with my  sweet tooth I go for the chocolate every single time!

Petticoat Tails Cookie Recipe:

1 cup butter

1  cup sugar

1 egg

2 3/4 cup flour

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp rose water

1 tsp almond extract

Cream butter, and sugar in your mixer. Add the egg. Mix well. Stir together flour, and salt. Mix into creamed mixture. Add rose water, and almond extract, mix well. 

Set your oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough 1/8'' thick on a well floured surface or cloth covered board. You can use any kind of cookie cutter you'd like at this point. I kind of think of them as Indian sugar cookies. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6-8 minutes.

Traditional toppings:

6 Tbsp finely chopped nuts

1/4 cup sugar

Sprinkle onto the cookie before putting them in the oven.

Bartnick version:

Heat up some Almond Bark in the microwave. After the cookies cool, dip half the cookie into the Almond Bark, set on a wire cookie rack, or parchment paper to dry.

Eat. Enjoy. Repeat.

Project: Peaceful, Simple, and Rustic

So I'm on Instagram at least once a day to see what cool pictures are out there, to find inspiration, and just general noseyness with what's going on in picture land. I don't remember which Instagram person I follow that took a picture of the drawing, but I knew from the moment I saw it that I LOVED IT!  I loved it so much that I copied it to my phone, went downstairs, loaded it up onto my computer, printed it out, and knew that THIS image was going to be a favorite of mine of a long time. I know it is simple, and rustic, but it is peaceful, simple, and rustic. Just what I wanted without even knowing that this was what I was looking for. 

My copied image printed out.

The original picture that this image was placed on was on some very unfinished wood. It reminded me off pallet wood, or on the side of a barn somewhere. Simplistic in the message it conveyed. Your in the outdoors, where the sky, the hills, the trees, and the rivers meet. It's like Houghton.

4'' X 6'' Canvas

Today I needed some art therapy. I needed some time to get uncranky, to relax, to center on the inside, and less on the outside, to focus on something positive. Life gets in the way of a lot of my great plans, but today wasn't going to be one of those days.

Acrylic paint & a sponge brush

If you've had the pleasure to travel up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (AKA the U.P.) These colors are really indicative of the surroundings up there. I get to see some great photos from my friends @Smilesbeek (Michael) and @Techspecs (Robert) along with @Aparket (Ashley) and many other Yoopers! If you want to check out some beautiful Northern Michigan scenery, follow their feeds. It's Northern Candy for your eyes. I know that @Rick_162 (Rick) would totally agree with me.

Yes, a Sharpie Marker

When time gets a little tight you become creative with your time restraints, and your solutions.

Sharpie Markers are great when you need black and you are too impatient to do this all by hand with black acrylic paint, and a wicked tiny paintbrush.

I'm pleased with it.

Now I get to have a little mini visual vacation when I look at this. It's small, and perfect.

Mother's Day and Motherhood

 I once heard the definition of a Mother described as the following: Mother noun. A person with the ability to detect a lie, hear the smallest noises, and see out of the back of their head. The Urban Dictionary's definition is: The woman won loves you unconditionally from birth, the one who puts her kids before herself, and the one who you can always count on above everyone else.  THAT definition seems much more spot on, not that the other one didn't, because you all know that one is true too. 

Motherhood is also the best job in the world. You don't realize that until you are one. 

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, the day where we celebrate our mother's and everything they have done for us, still do for us, and hope they do for us in the future. This mother's day is especially close to me because this year is the first year that I'll be away from my mother on Mother's Day, AND I'm a mother myself. Mother's Day takes on a whole new role when this happens to a mother. Right now I'm lucky enough to still have a mother that is alive and well; I don't want to imagine how I will feel when that is no longer the case. Mothers, for most daughters, they are their first line of defense, the first telephone call, and the last I love you in a telephone conversation.

Being a mother, if you aren't one yet, takes a special kind of person. We hope and pray everyday that we are doing the right thing, and that we aren't screwing up our kids in the process. I'll let everyone in on a little secret that NO one tells you before you become a mother…the rest of us mothers, we are TOTALLY winging this mothering thing. So hopefully that little secret will take a lot of pressure off of you thinking that we've got this parenting thing down pat. With the first baby, ALL mothers first thought is, "OH HELL!" All shit breaks loose, and you feel like you are losing your ever lovin' mind! No joke, it's true, ask any new mother of their first child. Then if you are brave enough, or dumb enough in some cases, to decide you want a second child then the game changes again. 

Speaking from experience, the first child and the second child are NEVER alike, it's not a judgement, just consider it a warning. That ladle dipped into the genetic pool never comes up with the same personality twice in a row. Usually they are opposites…and it will drive you bat shit crazy! Then if you are like us, with three kids, the game changes even more. 

With three children you go quickly from man on man to playing zone. It's gets tricky, but you can do it. There is a fine line between absolutely NUTS, and being parents to three children. You really have to be a "special" kind of crazy to take on that role, but with your third child you take on another title too that no one tells you either. You become a professional parent. A professional parent is like getting your masters in parenting. You've lived thru the sleepless poop filled nights, and have survived to fight not only another day, but this time you become the parent that when their kid is eating dirt, instead of freaking out, your usual thought becomes, "Oh it must be getting close to lunch time." You've mastered the signals. Go forth and prosper, and get your kid some lunch.

Should you ever choose to have more than one child, my one and only prayer to you is this. I pray, in all sincerity, that you have a wonderful partner to walk with you thru life. I pray you chose wisely in your pick of parenting partner. They will make, or break some of your memories with your children. Mothering is stressful enough in its own right, I pray you go thru it with someone who is there to help you raise your children to be the best versions of themselves they can be. I have the UTMOST respect for single parents doing it all on their own. If you are a single parent, you are brave souls, and I give you my sincerest kudos to you, and everything you do for your child/children.

If it weren't for my mother, I definitely would not be the mother I am today. Hell, I wouldn't be the person I am today without her guidance. My parents have definitely moulded me into the person I needed to be to become the parent that I am today. My mother is amazing! She always has our best interest at heart, even though sometimes we don't want to hear it. Even at 37, I still do the internal eye roll sometimes. That stuff doesn't go away with age, but seriously without her asking the HARD questions, and making us question our decisions on why we do things the way we do; those acts of love have made my sister and I better mothers. It's totally true, you can't fake experience, and my mother has it in spades! 

My mother is a wonderful Grammie! She loves her grandchildren, and relishes the time she gets to spend with them when she's here to visit. She wishes that we all lived closer, but right now that isn't in the cards, so we make do with weekly Skype sessions that the kids just love. I love that my mother has so much to teach my girls, and Liam. She's a font full of  knowledge that they wouldn't be able to get just anywhere. She has so much to teach them, and I pray that they listen, and heed what she tells them. 

I pray that my children know that they are SO lucky to be so blessed with the grandparents that they have! Both my parents, and Mitch's parents are wonderful grandparents, and we are very lucky to have all of them around so that our children get the best of both sides! 

I too am blessed to have such a wonderful Mother-in-law as well. She really is a very special lady who has done so much for our family. She too, is a font of knowledge that I pray my children also listen to, and learn many great things from. She has raised my husband to be a wonderful man, who has turned into a wonderful husband, and father. For that I am eternally grateful! He makes my life a million times easier than it could have been. That makes all the difference in the world! Thank you Judy for all that you do for us and our children! 

To Claire,

This Mother's Day I want to tell you that YOU, my child, are my mini-me. In you I finally got a daughter that is a total Mommy's Girl! I didn't realize how much I wanted that until you. You are so very loved, and because of you I am the mother I was meant to become. You have balanced me out. You are my Gemini twin.

To Soph,

This Mother's Day I want to tell you that YOU are my Sunshine! You bring sunshine, a spark of madness, and weirdness wherever you go. Because of you in my life I have laughter, and I now know what true sweetness is. You are precious beyond measure. I know with you, that you will always be comfortable sharing your weirdness with me, and I will love you for it forever! There is never a dull moment with you, and you bring the laughter into my day. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree; you get that from your Popi.

To Roo,

Good Lord Child, where to start…YOU are the amazing embodiment of all things good in the world. You have a tenaciousness like no other, you strive to be the best at anything you are interested in, and I am amazed everyday by your sweet nature. You will go places, do many wonderful, and beautiful deeds in this world, making it a much better place then what you came into. You are an amazing daughter and  any mother would be proud to call you her own. Don't take yourself too seriously, you may lose your spark, go forth, and do good things.

To My Girls:

I wish you enough

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how grey the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

(The copyright for this poem belongs to the author: Bob Perkins)

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers celebrating tomorrow!