Category Archives: Stuff to make

Painted Stairway to Heaven

Posted in Home Design, Stuff to make by

OK, after the euphoria from my ombre* porch swing project finally died down, I’ve been fixating on what glorious thing I could do bedazzle and otherwise beautify my back staircase. I mean, look at all the possibilities:

Source: La Belette Rose

I’m so inspired (read confused) that I’m in a state of inertia. I keep reminding myself that it’s just the back staircase–it’s where the litter box is, for God’s sake! We’re not talking about the grand entrance of Tara in Gone With the Wind. Whatever I manage to do to the stair risers, they’re going to be scuffed and sprinkled in kitty litter, so it should be all in good fun.

*ombre–for folks who don’t frequent Pinterest and aren’t in the know about the world of ombre, the term is French for shaded. It’s very, very sophisticated.

Cardboard Boat Race 2013

Posted in Kids, Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

Would you build a boat out of cardboard, cover it in copious amounts of duct tape, and set it afloat (with your children inside) in the Hudson River? Apparently, I would. And I did.

Well, to be more accurate, my kids were set afloat in the narrowest part of the Hudson River, which is located in Schyulerville, New York, where they host the annual Hudson Crossing Park Cardboard Boat Race. And it might be a stretch to imply that I built the boat, because I contributed to the effort not at all. My husband, my kids, and Pop did the work, with Gramma making countless runs to the hardware store for duct tape.

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Our boat (modeled after a 1973 Plymouth Barracuda–don’t even ask) was wobbly but it didn’t capsize–at least until its second race. A group of local firemen had the most spectacular collapse of the event. They dive-bombed their own craft mid-river, earning themselves the coveted Titanic Award. Yet no matter how you do in the Cardboard Boat Race, it’s a transient glory. Afterward, the soggy boats wilt into an amorphous sponginess, and most are unceremoniously tossed in a dumpster nearby. Until next year!

Summer Craft Camp, Again!

Posted in Kids, Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

A rainy week at the lake with the tremendous trio of Zeke, Lila and Allie (my son & niece & nephew) resulted in a craft bonanza. We made and we made and we made. Some projects created tangible results, while others were just about the process, man.

Tie-dye spirals--in process

Tie-dye spirals–in process

The list of our productivity is long: salt dough beads (a blast, and with many production stages so we could drag it on a bit–but the wet weather made the beads kind of soggy); paper beads (less soggy); marble painting (our paintings faded but rolling marbles through paint puddles was very intriguing); and tie-dye tees (and undies for those who just couldn’t get enough tie-dye!).

Salt dough beads--somewhat soggy!

Salt dough beads–somewhat soggy!

Here are some helpful links if you happen to find yourself in a damp summer cottage with a few stir-crazy kids:

Salt dough recipe from Crafting Connections

We used this recycled paper bead kit from Green Creativity but you can make them with skewers with instructions from Rookie

Marble painting instructions from First Palette

This youtube video from Jacquard Products really helped me perfect the tie-dye spiral

Ombré porch swing

Posted in Home Design, Stuff to make by

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I’ve been meaning to paint something pink, so this project satisfied that urge–times five. The whitewash on the porch swing at our family’s summer cottage had turned dishwater gray so it seemed perfect for a little ombre. I bought Benjamin Moore color samples in a range of five pinks: elephant pink, ribbon pink, strawberry sorbet, autumn red, and italiano rose. I mean, who could resist those names?

This paint job was deeply pleasing but also time intensive and tedious–all those little spaces! I used to painter’s tape to demarcate the ombre pattern on the runners on the back of the swing, which I mention here out of pride (I think it looks swell). I’m hooked now–and considering painting the risers on my back stairwell in ombre . . . stay tuned.

I Scream for Ice Cream

Posted in Kids, Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

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In the summer, we try to balance our actual ice cream eating with some pretend ice cream eating. It keeps us slim (sort of)! My seven-year-old and I made these nifty ice cream cone replicas out of toilet paper rolls and tissue paper. Cut a line up the side of the toilet paper roll and curl into a cone shape–hot glue will hold the shape and make sturdy little cones. Then stuff with tissue. Voila. Here are the kids selling ice cream out the half door in our cottage.