Measure Once, Cut Twice

It has been a summer filled with crafts - from wall art to a DIY desk project to some fancy cards. I have been on a crafting spree! 

I enjoyed following several different blogs which has lead to a very lofty projects "to-do" list. Expected year of completion: TBD.

I stumbled upon a post on Two Girls Being Crafty, and I thought, "How difficult can Intersecting Circle Wall Art be?" 

Answer: Very difficult. 

There was a lot more math involved in this project than I first realized. And unfortunately, my poor measuring skills did not assist my problems. 

If you are feeling rather adventurous.... or in my case, misadventurous, check out the link above to see the full step by step instructions. 

The supplies for this craft are relatively simple and inexpensive, and the final result is lots of fun! The only thing I needed to purchase was the canvas. I cut out the football/ellipse pieces from paint tiles I got at Home Depot. And I had the rest of the supplies in my craft bin.

After cutting out all 96 paint tiles into little football/ellipse shapes, I laid them out to make sure the color ratio was to my liking. Then, the fun began! 

I'm sure my English Lit professors would be proud of my continual use of my textbooks.... to help flatten out pasted pieces of paint tiles (oooh, alliteration!). :-) 

Finally, after hours of cutting, re-cutting, pasting, and shooing (Oliver), the masterpiece was complete! It is now hanging on the landing of our stairs! Very snazzy!

Measure Once, Cut Twice was brought to you today by Mathematics. Who says you won't use this stuff in the real world. 

Here are the four attempts I made at trying to find the correct size circle to complete my project. Hooray, red circle, for being a winner! 

Let Them Eat Cake

Life has been unbelievably busy lately. James and I have packed more events within the next couple of months, than I probably have in the last couple of years... ok, not exactly, but pretty close.

In fact, a few days ago I was stressed to my limits which lead to a much needed realization that I need to be relying on God's strength and not my own. It's the only way to get through the next couple of weeks.... and well, life.

"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!" 1 Chronicles 16:11

Amongst all of the chaos (or so it sometimes feels), I have somehow added time for some fun (and creative) projects.

Big project # 1...... RUBIK'S CUBE CAKE. Seriously.

James runs an after-school cubing club with some students, and this past week was the BCC 2011 Championship!

And of course, I could not resist a reason to bake a cake! James has been planning this event since January, and while I had plenty of time back then, I'm pretty sure a Rubik's Cube Cake would not have survived winter ...which left making a tower of deliciousness for my Wednesday To Do List.

I'm sure many of you are not planning to make a Rubik's Cube Cake any time soon, so I'll leave out most of the details.... However, I followed this very cool guide on Instructables if you are looking for details.

Step One: Make some cake.... 

Step Two: Make Marshmallow Fondant! 

I've never made regular fondant, but this stuff was really good! To make your own Marshmallow Fondant: Melt 1 bag of marshmallows. Add about 3/4 a bag of powdered sugar & two tablespoons of water. Crisco your hands and counter, and knead it until its smooth and stretchy ball.

Step Three: Make a mess.

Step Four: Recruit your friends to do the hard stuff.... Thanks Heather!

  

Step Five: Reminisce on a childhood favorite pastime....

Step Six: Consult with Hubby to make sure you get the correct color orientations.... 

Step Seven: Assemble your Rubik's Cube Cake..... 

Step Eight: Enjoy! ....Delicious & unNutritious! 

.....more projects and misAdventures coming soon.....

When the Weather Outside is Frightful...

I have been hearing a lot of hate for the recent frightful *delightful* weather.

So I've composed this list of....

Things to Do 

When the Weather Outside is.... 

Snowy: 

1. Stay inside & keep your toesy warm! Here are some inside activities:

• Read a good book. 
• Start a First Snow of the Winter Tradition. Ours is pancakes. 
• Say "See Ya" to Christmas (We did this one today).
• Invent a new indoor sport.
• Find a Fix-It project to do around the house (Coming Soon.... Christa's Adventures with a Desk).
• Plan out how to ideally organize your home. No action necessary. 

Ok, ok, I'm sure many of you are saying, "Yeah, that's great, but I have to be outside to shovel the snow." Well, have no fear! The list continues....

2. Go outside & make the best of it! Here are some activities to make the shoveling more exciting:

• Make a contest out of shoveling. First one to finish their section gets a hot cocoa *or* a hot bath *or* a hot bath in cocoa.
• Squash little piles of snow that have started turning to slush. ::Squish:: 
• Sing loudly & don't worry about the neighbors.
• If you are working with other people, invent a story while you work. Each person takes turns telling part of the story. Here is a starter: "One day my car broke down on my way work. I decided to walk the rest of the way when a large porcupine crossed my path. He said to me...." 

::Phew:: Now that your work is done, here is my favorite part.... 

3. Activities to do in the snow:

• Make a snow angel.
• Have a snowball fight. Team up against the rowdy neighborhood kids.
• Make a snowman. Give him a rich back story. 
• Convince your hubby that you can go sledding without a sled (I haven't succeed with this one yet).

4. Remember the days when you were a kid: 

• The excitement of waking up and seeing the snow falling out your window. 
• The HOPE of hearing the words, "No School." 
• The begging to go sledding (hmm... somethings never change). 
• The first pancake of the first snowfall. 
• The delight of coming in from the snow bundled up, cold, runny nosed, and finding out that mom just made you some hot cocoa. :-) 
• Enjoy these times. Enjoy the Snow.