Gettin' Crafty With It

I think I have the photo problem fixed, at least for now.  Here is what I have been working on lately...Christmas crafts for gifts:

It is a Christmas caroler filled with candies up into his little stocking hat.  Not too bad...I bought 1/2 yard of red t-shirt knit and made 16 little caps.  Used 6 bags of candies that were on sale and the paper was all pretty scrap pieces of scrap booking stuff.  TP , paper towel and wrapping paper rolls were recycled trash.

The little fabric tissue holder (bottom left) and the keyring chapstick cozy were from leftover placemats I bought on clearance.  I paid 78 cetns for 4 D rings at WalMart and 99 cents for the snap clip (just for fun on this one) so the chapstick keeper clips to keyrings or purses or in the car.  The little moose is a wrapped package of minty gum.  See the details f that below.

I bought two packages of Eclipse gum at Costco and wrapped the individual gum sleeves in Christmas paper and then glued them into a scrap of cardstock and added stickers and a sticky back velro button to keep it closed.  Simple.  I did a bunch of these--in all different colors and design.  Easy-peasy.

Here is another fabric option on the tissue cover and the chaptsick keeper--without the clip.  Super easy and super inexpensive this year! 

This is what I have been making in my little Santa's workshop.  What are you up to?  I could use the good ideas for next year!

Creativity Sells, Man

 I was tipped off to this fantastic effort, car ad on a local classified site.  This guy knows how to entertain as he also tried his darnest to sell this car.  I loved the enthusiasm, and the creativity!  Kudos to you, Escort owner, for making a little car, (very like The Girl's) sound SO crazy good! Enjoy, my friends!

2002 Ford Escort ZX2

Provo, UT  84606  -  Mar 12, 2012

$3,25000

For Sale by Owner

Contact:  Doug

Member since:  Sep 08

Page Views: 106913

Favorite of: 22 people

$3,250. Price negotiable.
Clean Retail NADA value (w/current mileage): $4,825.

Well. The wait is over. The most ballingest car ever is finally on the market. This one-of-a-kind ZX2 coupe is to the limit. And it takes no prisoners.

That's a double whammy.

Features? Yeah, its got em. Like how about it comes in sparkly, get-rich-or-die-tryin green. That means its camouflaged in the forest or lush fields of grass where you will undoubtedly be taking your lady (or ladies, if you're driving this) for a picnic of skewered lamb and frosty beverages. Green = the new whatever color you want. Green = mother nature’s cloaking device.

It’s got privacy glass so you can do whatever the eff you want as you blitz past zombies on the freeway. Plus, while everyone else is looking at each other picking their nose, you'll be chillin’ in a darkened cocoon of comfort and maintaining the mystique and mystery that comes naturally when you own a ZX2.

30+ MPG? Uh-huh. Get out there and explore, Magellan.

Air Con? Check. Keep cool, my brother.

Cruise Control? Oh most definitely. Don't be like everyone else on the freeway with their stop-slow-and-go driving. Lock this baby in at 85 - Utah's real speed limit - and save on the MPGeezle.

Power windows? Power locks? Power steering? That's a fatty mcfatty yes.

AM/FM, 6-Disc CD changing entertainment extravaganza? You know it.

Leather interior? Rare for ZX2s - but not this one. Because luxury is seats that feel smooth on your butt.

Zippy 4-speed auto tranny? Indubitably.

And before you ask, no you're not dreaming - yes, that is a spoiler back there and yes. . . you want this car. Bad.

This well-maintained and fully restored beauty is a salvage title. It was bought out of an insurance pool after getting into a tiny fender bender (i.e. vicious car cock fight. . . which it won. . . with metal and brawn).

The right front fender was dented, but then replaced by a cadre of men who were born in garages and bottle-fed Penzoil. Basically all that means is now this amazing piece of machinery has more character than your neighbor’s lame van.

Bottom line: if this car were any more advanced, it would stand up and say 'Autobots, roll out!'

Photo Gallery:  (Click any image to view the gallery)

Unstructured Time

I am not sure what The Girl was doing this particular day. Her best friend, Nicole, was over and they were painting, but I believe more paint got on them than on the paper.

There is something to be said, however, for their self-motivated creativity. I recall hours on end spent outside doing heaven knows what but having the time of my life as a kid.

I don't think kids have that kind of free rein anymore. I wish they did. Sadly the world is full of, what my friend's mom called, "pre-verts", so it is honestly more difficult to let them alone with quite the same abandon as when I was a kid. BUt they do well to learn how to entertain themselves.

As the kids get older, they seem more and more reliant on electronics and gadgets to fill their time. They need a game boy, an iPod, or a cell phone to find their own amusement. Too bad they grow out of the stage so quickly where the box is more exciting than their present.

I bequeath each of you at least thrity minutes of unstructured play time this weekend. Don't plan it too much, though. Just play. And don't be too worried if it even gets a little messy.

Miffed...Torqued...Ruffled...Ticked...Put Out...

I had my feelings hurt yesterday and would like your input to tell me I am just being unreasonable--or better yet, I was completely just in feeling a little hurt.

Now this is not a deal breaker kind of thing, as it happened here with my family. Rest assured we will go on in our regular way, and we will still eat and work and talk and everything that goes along with being a family. I still love them, even if they are insensitive, occasionally.

Some of you might know that GG has been working on a Christmas Lights Extravaganza. He and The Boy have strung lights all over (a la Clark Griswold from Christmas Vacation) and have synced the lights to music on the computer and even rigged up a low frequency radio broadcast of the songs so you can "drive though" and watch and listen.

As each little song is roughed in, he has us all pile into the car and drive out into the middle of the cul-de-sac and "experience" his creativity. We have done this as a family at dinner time, and I recently woke up about midnight and he had me go with him them too. Their work is lovely and quite imaginative. Though at midnight, I wasn't quite so enthusiastic.

Then here, is where I feel I got slighted.

I recently created a book online with uplifting and inspirational quotes about nature along with my photos that I use for note cards and had it published--like a real book. It was a Christmas gift experiment and yesterday I received the shipment with my book.

I was very excited about it. I gently opened it and tenderly turned the pages and admired how it all came together. Of course, I wanted to show my loved ones my work. I asked each of them if they would like to see it. They all said "Yes" and then some variation of "in a minute". Of course, the minutes came and went and I finally went to bed at 10:30. No one had even bothered to look at it. And my bet will be today, no one remembers to look either.

We all run out into the street for each update of the Light Show. Why can't my creative work hold the same interest? [Were Genius Golfer's name Marcia, here is where I would insert: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"]

So, wise and kind friends, am I offended for no cause or am I right to get my feathers a little ruffled here? Either way, you can tell me. I guess I just need to hear it from someone else today.

You Say "Potato"...

Yesterday I hosted the judging of our elementary school's PTA Reflection's contest at my house. I am the chairman this year and getting the entries judged it part of my gig.

We had 128 items entered by 110 kids. There are eight possible categories: visual art, 3D art, literature, photography, film/video, musical composition, choreography/dance, and theater. We got no entries in music or theater this year, and only one in dance. The theme the kids were to illustrate was "WOW!". That narrows it down, now, doesn't it?

I am always surprised by how different that theme (or any we have ever used) is interpreted by the kids. In some cases, I can see the guidance that mom or dad provided and the work shows it. But there are others that are truly the kids' work, the kids' thought behind it, and the kids' interpretation. I love those entries.

I got to attend last night's Young Women in Excellence last night too. I had kind of the same feelings there, except there, I wasn't forced to have them judged!

The YW in the ward displayed or performed some of the things they had learned or achieved this year. There are so many options and varieties for the girls to do and try. It was fun to see Little Neighbor with her drum set play "Yellow Submarine" just after Northern Friend played "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" on her violin. It was as fun evening, all around.

It reminds me of President Uchtdorf's comments at the general Relief Society meeting in September. He told women of the church, "You may think that you don't have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before---colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter."

Thank goodness we are allowed our unique abilities and all are acceptable. Now if we could just feel the same about some other issues as well then we might all be able to get along in this world.

Creativity Isn't Just for Artists

Saturday night I was able to attend the Relief Society General Broadcast and hear, among others, President Uchtdorf, 2nd counselor in the First Presidency, speak on Creativity. I was a little surprised by what he said, but as I have thought more about it, I am increasingly pleased.

I took scattered notes, but one section I jotted down was this: Don't think you're creative? Think again. We are daughters of God--the Master of Creation. We all have talents and gifts. Creation means bringing into existence something that has never been there before. We all want to create something. It brings satisfaction.

Perhaps my creative streak doesn't not extend to the canvas or stage. Because, in fact, it does not. But in thinking about his message, I guess I fall into the unseen creative works.

I get a kick out of an empty laundry basket; I like the feel of the kitchen floor when it is freshly mopped and dried; I like to see the basement storage room full and organized; I enjoy hearing from people around me that the kids' Halloween costumes look cute; I treasure the pages and albums that for years I have scrap booked as our family's memories.

I guess that only downside to that kind of creativity is there really isn't a category in a talent show or a museum where that can be displayed.