Guest Posting at The CSI Project!

I am so excited for this day! Guest posting at CSI! WAHOO!!! I LOVE the CSI Project site! If you've not yet checked it out-GO! HURRY!You won't be disappointed. Even if you never link up a project the inspiration and ideas you find there are so worth the visit. 

 This week's challenge is all about Summertime Ideas. I'm sharing how to make this magnetic display board full of summertime activities to get the kiddos off the couch and moving! Hope to see you there- Happy Crafting!  

Fun for You & Summer Freebies for your Kids!!!

Got a busy day ahead! I'm hosting preschool graduation tomorrow, working on the finishing touches.But wanted to share two things with you quick... First, are you pinning yet? I'm talking about Pinterest here! This is my new absolute favorite thing in the world! If you're not familiar with it, let me quickly explain.Pinterest is an online idea bulletin board. You create the theme of your board and then any time you see something online that you want to store in your "that's a great idea, I should try that binder" you just hit the pinterest button, place it on the board you want, and then there it is! Nicely stored and organized on your computer. No more loose pieces of paper lying around, or notes and drawings scribbled on the back of receipts to lose. Plus you can glean off of other people's great finds as well, sharing is caring after all.IT IS AWESOME!If you want to give it a go, leave me a comment with your email and I'll send you over an invite!If you have an account already you can find me at (cgcrafter). Second, my good friend sent me over an email last night with a link to a great summer freebie.2 free games of bowling everyday all summer for your kidlets! Head on over to http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/ to see if a bowling alley in your area is participating. I signed up all 5 of my munchkins. We won't go everyday, but it will be a fun thing to have available to us!

You can also pick up a family pass
(good for up to 4 adults) for a great price as well if you want to bowl too, it's also good all summer! Okay, one more summer freebie quick. Check out your local Lowe's and Home Depot's Kid's Clinics.They are held on Saturday mornings most often, but are totally free (you register ahead of time for Lowe's, not sure for HD). Your kids get to build some really fun things, and learn some basic tool handling at the same time.We are heading to Lowe's this weekend to make a wood bi-plane!

The really cool part, not only is the kit free but they get and apron and eye safety goggles as well.They can't wait! Have a great Tuesday! 

Monday Munchies...HOLY LARGE PIZZA!

Okay so no recipe today, just a fun little place to try if you ever find yourself in San Antonio, TX.Big Lou's Pizza was our destination for dinner last week after our day at Sea World. 

My husband is a huge fan of Man vs. Food and this place was featured on it so we thought why not give it a try, looked like fun.

 So why was this kind-of run down, really out of the way place on National TV? Because of this...

 You're seeing this right. That is a 42 inch diameter pizza!(It is bigger than 2 of my girls!) 

It weighs more than 30 lbs and takes almost an hour to cook, but the oohs and awes it received made it worth the wait.

My kids have never been so excited to eat a pizza before.

We ordered a half pepperoni, half Hawaiian. It wasn't the best pizza I've ever eaten, but again the sheer size made it so fun. It ran us just under $75 for this baby, kinda steep for a family dinner but if you're with friends, it averages out to the cost of a normal dinner out. And seriously, we fed 4 adults and 9 kids and still brought back a ton of leftovers.

{So take a third family!}

You can only order this baby at the restaurant-sorry no delivery. So if you find yourself in San Antonio, Texas, give it a try. It's definitely memorable!

 Just more proof that everything is bigger in Texas right?

Happy Munching!

 

T.G.I.F.-Thank GOODIES it's Friday #17!!!

So my husband surprized us with a trip to Sea World yesterday!

 So much fun, such a needed break,  sorry no Thurday post. 

Before we get to this week's party I wanted to share with you my favorite from last week:Numbered Cubby System from Lolly Jane Boutique I LOVE this, I NEED this! I'm slow to discover Lolly Jane, but I'm making up for it, it's a great place for fun ideas and major cuteness! Give it a look if you're not already familiar with it.And too, thanks to all of you that take the time to share with me here, it meand so much! It's not the biggest linky party out there, but it's the best one to me!So, let's get busy!...here we go!!! Time to shine and show off your talents.  

Enter your links...

434tips, ideas, recipes, projects, contests, giveaways, whatever, just share yourself with us! Visit others. Leave comments. PLEASE NO ETSY SHOPS! {Unless you offer a tutorial with the product} Grab a button from below and help spread the "GOOD" word!Come back again over the weekend and check out the links. Visit a few, comment a lot! We all need a little LOVE.**By linking you give me full permission to feature your links, tutorial, photos and blog giving credit back to you of course! 
<a href="http://www.wmcraftgoodies.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/Wendy_Gardiner/tgifbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="Craft Goodies"></a>

Thanks for stopping by and for joining the party! It's always more fun when you're here...

Happy Crafting!

 

May Blockheads Are Here!!! Butterfly Tutorial...

You didn't think I could let an entire month go by without putting a few of these together now did you?I've had these in my head for a while now, just finally had a few minutes to get to them. First up is this little cutie... 

 

I tried to keep this one super simple. You just need a few things to make one. 

2x4 Block cut to 5 inches tall7 jumbo craft sticksScrapbook paperBlack craft wireribbon bow*I used a leftover piece of a 5 gal paint stick for the nose but paper or craft foam would work too. And some general supplies:pencil and scissorsMod Podge and brushink pads-black and redpaint-black, white, body and nose colorhot glue gun Start by painting and then sanding the block and nose piece: 

With the red ink, blush the cheeks, glue the nose into place, and add face details. Set aside to dry.

*Don't glue the ribbon on yet-makes your block sit uneven to glue the wings on!



 Cut your paper into 1/2 inch strips: 

Modpodge a strip of paper onto each of the jumbo craft sticks. Trim off the excess paper with your scissors and then use the black ink pad to distress the edges.

Do this for all 7 sticks.

Make your wings next:

 Cut each of the paper covered sticks in half. Set them into 4 groups-2 top wings each with 4 half-sticks and 2 bottom wings each with 3 half-sticksOnce you have them in a pattern you like, glue the pieces together.Glue the wing segments onto the back of the block-be sure the bottom set is even with the bottom of the block or she won't stand up. Cut and twirl a piece of craft wire for the antenna and glue into place also.Cover up the back ugliness with a piece of matching brown paper-I just used the glue gun. Turn your butterfly around, add her bow and any other embellishments and she's finished! 

Holler if you need any clarification!

The kits are available in my shop if you need it.

Happy Crafting-

 

Re-Purposed Garden Decor part 2... Climbing Obelisk

One more quick and easy garden decor idea for you.So I love these: but I'd rather put my money into my plants than into the decorations around them, especially one that is just going to get all covered up with vines! These babies can be upwards of $70 each.So what to do? Go without this garden lovely, NO WAY!Let's make our own... 

I actually had this thought as I was cleaning up the side yard. The previous owners had left about a 1/2 dozen tomato cages of all sizes there and I was just going to toss them as the were pretty rusted and bent. I had the stack of them sitting on the patio, up-side down when it dawned on me that they looked an awful lot like my coveted obelisks.Light bulb! 

I found a scrap piece of 2x4 and cut it to a square block, drilled a hole into each corner of the block and then fit it onto the tines of the tomato cage.It would work, but still needed a fancy topper. That was solved with a quick trip to Lowe's and a fence post finial. 

A coat of paint later and ta-dah! A $3 garden obelisk.  I'm using this one to support my green peas, I cannot wait until it is just covered in the tiny little vines! Even now it makes me happy to look at.

 I'm thinking for the next one, I'm going to try and make it a bit more ornate by adding some swirls and twirls to the round supports with heavy duty craft wire.If it's ugly, it's okay. Soon you won't be able to see it! Happy Crafting!  

Re-Purposed Garden Decor...Gazing Ball & Stand

The weather here in Southern Texas has been amazing lately. The wind seems to finally be dying down to a gentle breeze and the humidity is yet to return so being outside is a must!(I am writing this from my back patio now-it's perfect!) 

I love being outside, working in the yard and gardens, getting good and dirty, and feeling SO accomplished when the plants start to show off their goods.This house has such fantastic garden potential. The previous owners must have been avid gardeners as well as there are raised beds lining almost all the fence edges.  

A veggie lovers heaven. I've gotten most of my babies in the ground by now,  put in the last of the seeds this past weekend. Hooray for fresh veggies! (in a few months)The flower beds were bit of a different story...very over grown and very oddly planted......fast forward to I've completely replanted, pruned, shaped, mulched, and hauled rocks around to get these girls into shape. 

 So much better, but they needed a little pizazz while the plants are filling in.  I wanted a gazing ball or two, didn't however want to pay for them. So I came up with my own little version here...

 I used a round fish bowl,alcohol ink to get the color,Krylon metallic spray paint to fill in the gaps,E-6000 glue to attach the bowl to the base,and a few pieces of wood for the base:a 4x4 block, mine is about 18" talla pine 1x6 cut to two 5.5 x 5.5 squaresand a 2 x 8 cut to two 7.5 x 7.5 squares I nailed the wood together, centering the blocks onto each other to create the stand, didn't paint or stain it because I want it to age by the sun. To finish the bowl I followed the directions on the ink label adding the ink to the inside of the bowl, let it dry completely and then applied a second coat. 

 Once that coat was dry I sprayed the inside with the metallic spray paint to fill in any gaps I might have missed with the second coat of ink and to make the ball not see through. Then I glued it to the wood base and she was good to go!  Because I had all this stuff lying around my house (seriously Wendy!) this was a totally free project for me! Just more $ to spend on plants...oh happy day! Just a few after thoughts:I used the fishbowls because I had them. If I were starting this from scratch I would have bought round glass jars/vases that don't have that little lip. You can find them at Micheal's and Hobby Lobby and even at full price ($5-ish) they are cheaper than a fish bowl. The fish bowl glass is however thicker. Alcohol ink is awesome! But it smells like a science project gone wrong so don't stick your nose in the bowl! It comes in a ton of different colors and while one pack of 3 is around $10 without a coupon, I had 1/2 a bottle of red and green leftover when I was finished. (Plus the brown I didn't use.)Enough to do another set or share with a friend. Check out your local construction sites for free wood scraps-if the workers are around they might even make a quick cut for you. If you have to buy wood, check the scrap bins first! They are SO cheap and you won't end up with a ton of extra wood yourself. Otherwise, go in on this one with a friend you can each make 2 bases from 1 six foot 4x4. Happy Crafting!  Linking this project to the Summertime Ideas Challenge at: