Handmade St. Patrick's Day Card On A Budget

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

I made some collage greeting cards to celebrate this "green" day.

 

DEFINITION: "Collage: a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope".

 

 

Here are some of the recycled and rescued supplies that I used to make these cards:

• Kraft cardstock blank 5" by 7" cards with matching envelopes. (Hobby Lobby - 50% Off Sale - Pack of 50 card/envelopes for $5.00.)
• Green/Crowns background patterned paper.  (Thrift shop find - Over 100 sheets of paper for $1.99).
• Shamrock Medley Rub-On Sheet. (Clearance at Hobby Lobby - $0.49.)

• Paper Studio Lucky Day Cardstock Stickers Sheet. (Clearance at Hobby Lobby - $0.42.)
• Green Paper Flower. (Goodwill - Large bag of paper flowers in a variety of colors - $1.99.)
• Recollections Mini Pastel Green Brad. (Michaels Clearance - 200 brads - $0.99.)



• Green Glitter Tape. (Walmart Craft Bin - $1.00.)
• Definitions from 1961 dictionary. (Goodwill - Old dictionary for $1.99.)
• Green fiber - (Pack of assorted fibers/ribbon - Antique shop - $2.99.)

Thanks for taking a look at my cards. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.





Kindle Books For Kids: Zombie-Kids Go Green by Julia Dweck

Zombie-Kids Go Green (KiteReaders Monster Series)

Author: Julia Dweck
Illustrator: Mark Draisey

Publisher: KiteReaders

Date: February 2, 2013



About The Author 
Julia Dweck writes children's stories for digital and traditional publication. Her stories span the spectrum of humor, fantasy, and edutainment in rhyme and in prose. Julia's background in elementary education affords her the opportunity to be in touch with what children want to read about and what makes them giggle.

Zombies Save The Planet
The 3R's....Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

This is a rhyming story about a group of Zombie kids who are green all over.
Their skin is green but they are also dedicated to preserve the earth's natural resources.

Each night, these kids go all over the community cleaning up trash, turning off dripping facets and taking care of the young plants in their gardens.
A zombie kid's age is marked and recorded by Earth Days. They celebrate with a birthday cake that is shaped like the earth.

The book is illustrated with beautiful full-screen color "zombie pictures" by Mark Draisey.

My Thoughts
I am totally blown away by this author's imagination. This is the kind of story that kids will love. They always want to find a "scary book"....the more monsters and zombies the better.

The nice thing about this story is the zombies stay very busy doing good deeds for our planet. There are many examples of reducing waste, reusing worn items and recycling discarded materials in this story. 

This book would make an excellent science lesson about ecology and conservation. It is both educational and entertaining (edutainment?).

I read this book on my Kindle Fire and found the formatting (landscape orientation) appropriate for sharing with a group or individual reading. The illustrations fill the entire screen and are very entertaining. Children need to take extra time just to enjoy these pictures! Each screen view features twelve lines of rhyming text in white print that contrasts with the background illustration...very easy reading.

*Parent Alert ~ It seems like young kids go crazy when they read/hear a story with a reference to "passing gas" in it. This book has one page that refers to a "zombie-kid's fart". There is a pictures of a girl zombie passing gas and a boy holding his nose. I think this is appropriate for a story like this and kids will find it hilarious.

I highly recommend this book for children of all ages. This is a perfect selection for Earth Day (April 22). 

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5  

This book is available as a FREE Kindle book at Amazon.Com TODAY! These promotions don't last very long so grab your copy NOW.

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Shock And Awe Economics

The presidential election is over. Now is the time for our country to get a grip and face reality. Our economy is in trouble, unemployment is at record high levels and the national debt is out of sight.



It seems like our society is on a wild spending spree that never ends. I found an ad in a magazine that was published in the 1940s...during World War II. The ad encouraged the American people to;


Use it up...That's the thing to do in wartime. Eat every bite of food, save every scrap of soap, make a patriotic habit of stretching all the supplies in the house so they go further, last longer.

Wear it out...This year old coats, old shoes, are a badge of honor. They show you're sensible enough to know that one way to help win the war, to keep prices down, is to wear your old things out!

Make it do...Before you spend a penny in wartime, ask yourself, "Do I really need this? Or do I have something now that will do?" As you patch and darn and turn, you're keeping prices down.

Or do without!...When you put your money in War Bonds, savings, taxes, insurance....you're putting your money to work fighting the war and building a sound, stable nation for the peace to come.

This ad is encouraging frugal spending habits to prevent war-time inflation. "It is buying too much when there's too little to buy that sends prices up. And when prices go up...and keep going up...your savings, your future, are in danger." Remember, it's the things you don't buy that keep prices down!

An individual citizen can't solve the national debt problem but individuals CAN deal with their own personal debt. This magazine ad from "The Greatest Generation" should remind us that SAVE is not a four-letter word.

 

See that prices go no higher
Be a saver...not a buyer.

 

This post was taken from a United States war message prepared by the War Advertising Council and approved by the Office of War Information ~ 1940s.

 

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Texas Antique Weekend in Warrenton

Dean and I hit the road on Friday morning and drove to Warrenton, Texas. We enjoyed the two-hour road trip and made a couple of quick stops on the way. We arrived in the Round Top and Warrenton area at 11:00 am.

Antique Weekend is a huge antique, craft, art and collectibles event that attracts thousands of dealers from across the country.  There are  shows, shops and events in more than a half dozen communities that participate in this huge flea market. This year the events take place between September 22 and October 7.

We parked the car at Cole's Antique Shop on the outskirts of Warrenton. This is a 63,000 square foot building with over 200 vendors. The building is air-conditioned and has indoor restrooms. There are also vendors in the parking lot and they offer FREE parking for customers. We spent about half an hour in the cool Cole's building and then started our walk toward downtown Warrenton. Many vendors were housed under tents and temporary shelters. It was a hot day and Dean decided to buy a straw hat to keep the sun off his head.

I put some serious mileage on my shoes as I walked from shop to shop looking at all the unique, unusual and sometimes outlandish treasures that were for sale. I didn't buy much....several pieces of sheet music and some thread on wooden spools. I really didn't see very many big "bargains" but I am not very good at negotiating with the dealers so I don't bicker over the prices. If the price is too high for my taste, I just keep looking.

The reality TV shows Market Warriors and American Pickers have made flea markets like this more popular than ever. I made the following video that shows the highlights of our day.

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Children's Book Review: Dream Something Big; The Story of the Watts Towers



Dream Something Big [The Story of the Watts Towers]

Author: Dianna Hutts Aston
Illustrator: Susan L. Roth
Publisher: Dial Books For Young Readers

Date: August 18, 2011





About The Author
Dianna Hutts Aston is the author of many books for children. In addition to writing for children, Dianna has established an annual Teen Writer’s Workshop for underprivileged Mexican teens and manages her non-profit foundation, The Oz Project.

The Towers
Between 1921 and 1955, Italian immigrant Simon Rodia transformed broken glass, seashells, pottery, and a dream to "do something big" into a U.S. National Landmark. Readers watch the Watts Towers rise from his little plot of land in Watts, California, through the eyes of a fictional girl. 

The story is illustrated with beautiful collages made from cut and torn paper, cloth, fibers and other "found" things.

My Thoughts
I had never heard of The Watts Towers until I read this picture book. I am astounded and amazed that one man could accomplish this task. Simon Rodia was a pioneer in reusing and recycling discarded items to create something new and unique. He worked on this project for over thirty years! I can just imagine what his neighbors were thinking.

The towers are now a National Historic Landmark and are considered an example of non-traditional vernacular architecture and American folk art.

This book does a great job presenting American history, art and architecture in a way that children will find interesting and fun. There is a section at the end of the book that shows children how to create their own Watts Tower from pipe cleaners, assorted beads and buttons, magazine clippings and foam shapes.

This is an excellent story of possibility and perseverance for children of all ages.
Highly Recommended.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ I checked-out this book from my local public library. I {{heart}} my public library!

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Kindle Books For Kids: The Hungry Dump's Revenge

The Hungry Dump's Revenge ("The New Roald Dahl" Children's rhyming stories and poetry for ages 7 to 107!)

Author: Jason Hall

Publisher: Jason Hall

Date: July 20, 2011

Length: 15 Pages

 

 

About The Author

Jason Hall is an established writer and illustrator of children's rhyming stories and poetry. It first started with a poem for his daughter called "The Magic Watering Can".
He has performed many readings and poetry workshops in schools and libraries across London and Surrey. His rhyming stories are descriptive, imaginative, thrilling and funny - having audiences captivated from start to finish.

The School Built On A Trash Dump
Mr. Chisel, a dishonest builder, puts a new school right on top of an old trash dump. He has ignored all the rules just to save a few bucks.

The Head of the school tries to call Mr. Chisel when mold covers the entire building. Unfortunately, Mr. Chisel is always busy and does not plan to make things right at the school.

The old trash dump is angry because the people of the town never reused and were never thrifty. The dump decides that it wants to get revenge by eating a huge human snack. The dump wants boys, girls, teachers and even the Head of the school.

I won't spoil the ending, but I don't think Mr. Chisel will be building any other schools for a very long time.

My Thoughts
I love the recycling theme in this rhyming story. The story makes it clear that waste is everyone's problem and we should all reduce, recycle and reuse.
This book includes seven pictures that do a good job illustrating the story. The formatting could use some work but the print is clear enough to easily read.

"The Hungry Dump's Revenge" was written by an English author so there are a few words that might be unclear to American readers. This could be a good learning experience to compare the words used in England with words and expressions used in the United States.

Parents and children will enjoy the review questions and activities at the end of the story. This is a good way to teach a valuable science lesson while having fun and some good laughs. I recommend this ebook for children ages 7 and up.

My Rating: 4 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ Today this ebook is offered as a FREE download on Amazon. If you want this book, please grab it NOW because these promotions only last a few days.

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Handmade Greeting Card From Upcycled Picture Postcard

I love to look at old picture postcards. I like to look at the pictures and read the descriptions on the back.
If the card was used, I enjoy reading the message and looking at the stamp and post mark. I think there is a great deal of history that can be preserved from old postcards.
I recently bought a lot of old postcards from the early 1900s at a garage sale. Each postcard was stored in a zip-lock baggie. Some of the postcards were damaged and torn but the pieces were saved in the baggies.
This postcard that featured the head of a horse was in five pieces. The largest piece had a tear right through the middle. The date on the back of the card was 1908.  I decided to try to restore the picture and use it for a greeting card.

This is how I made the card;
(1.) I started with a blank kraft cardstock greeting card that measures 5" by 6 1/2".
(2.) I used some Elmer's Craft Bond Rubber Cement to glue the patterned paper and cardboard to the front of the card.
(3.) I carefully applied the rubber cement to the back of the postcard to seal the large tear in the center of the card and a smaller tear on the bottom edge of the card.
(4.) I applied a thin coat of Matte Collage Pauge Decoupage sealer to the front of the card and let it dry.
(5.) I used glue dots to attach the postcard to the front of the greeting card.

This beautiful 1908 horse image will now bring enjoyment to the person who receives this card.

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Handmade Collage Valentine Card

Love is in the air and Valentines Day is just around the corner. I have been busy making handmade Valentines cards for some of my family members.

This is a collage. A collage may include newspaper clippings, ribbons, bits of colored or hand-made papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas.
You do not have to be an artist to create a collage. You just have to have a good imagination and a collection of ephemera that could be used for your project.

I hope this will inspire you to create an original card for your sweetheart on Valentines Day.

This is how I made my Valentine collage;

• I started with a blank greeting card that measures 4 1/2" by 5 1/2". The card is red on the outside and white on the inside. I used a Martha Stewart Punch (Cherish) to punch the front edge of the card.
• I cut a 3 1/2" heart from a piece of patterned paper with foil hearts and from an old Bingo playing card. If you don't have scrapbooking paper, you could use a piece of pretty wrapping paper or a page from an old book.
• I found this picture of a Victorian girl in my scrapbooking stash. You could use a real photo that you sized to fit the card or a photo from a book/magazine.
• I punched a 1" heart from felt and placed it at the top of the Bingo card heart.
• I used a Martha Stewart button punch to make a button from a Bingo card. I put a red glitter heart in the center of the button punch. You could use a real button or a favorite sticker.
• The ticket "Adore" is from a package of Tim Holtz embellishments. You could use the text from an old greeting card or a handwritten note.
• I embellished the card with 3 pink butterflies that I punched with a Martha Stewart punch. I added some glitter and attached them to the card with glue dots. I added a small heart sticker to the side of the card.

There is no limit to the creative cards you can make with old paper, fabric, lace and embellishment that you probably have in your home. It is time to reuse, recycle and upcycle some of the items that might end up in your trash bin.

Happy creating!

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Collage Greeting Cards From Old Book Pages

I have been thinking about different ways to recycle old books that are tattered and torn. Many of these are no longer useful as reading copies.
I made this collage greeting card this morning using a page from "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. This page was printed in the early 1900s and has a nice aged color.

I like to find pages that have inspiring quotations on them that the recipient of the card will enjoy. The chapter title of this page is "Artistic Attempts". I thought that was very appropriate since I was using the page to create an artistic project.
I also liked the last paragraph on the page;
"Very well, Amy; if your heart is set upon it, and you see your way through without too great an outlay of money, time and temper, I'll say no more. Talk it over with the girls, and whichever way you decide, I'll do my best to help you."
"Thanks, mother; you are always so kind;" and away went Amy to lay her plan before her sisters.

I tore off a strip of blue Mulberry Paper and attached it to the book page with glue dots. (I found the paper at Big Lots.) I then used a piece of flocked patterned paper that looks like fuzzy piano keys across the blue paper. I used a small piece of silver/white patterned paper right under the chapter heading (I found both sheets of the patterned paper on clearance at Hobby Lobby). I applied an embossed reproduction of an image from an antique card on top of the piano keys. I found the package of antique art reproductions (Artifacts, Inc.) on clearance at Michaels.

I think this is a creative way to recycle old book pages and bring some joy into a special person's life. Who knows, this card might inspire someone to find a copy of "Little Women" and read the entire book. 

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Free Kindle Book For Kids About The Environment

Garbage! Monster! Burp!, by Tom Watson, is the story of a friendly monster who eats all of the town's garbage. The town grows and the monster has to eat more and more garbage. The monster burps and clouds of burp-gas hang over the town. The monster  gets bigger and sadder every day. Something has to be done! How do the kids save this town and help their burping friend?

About The Author
Tom Watson works as a freelance writer, focusing on marketing and advertising. He is the founder of BigDifBooks, a small Internet company dedicated to providing original stories for children (and their parents) at little or no cost.

Good Fit For The Kindle
I am always interested in reading children's picture books that are available on the Kindle. This book is a good fit for the Kindle. The text and the illustrations are formatted for easy viewing on the Kindle screen. If you want to view the illustrations in color, you can read the book on your Kindle for PC application.

Smart Kids Save The Day
The garbage-eating monster in this story has a problem. The town is growing and the amount of garbage is out-of-control. The adults are only interested in the town growing bigger and bigger. The kids realize that the monster needs help so they go to work. They love the monster and they do not like to see him sad and distressed. The kids decide to open a business to RECYCLE the trash. There is less trash for the monster to eat so he started feeling better and burping less. The kid's business is a huge success and everyone in town (including the monster) is happy. Oh, there was one person in town who is not happy with the kid's success...he still has a cloud of monster burp-gas hanging over his head!

Recommended For Kids (And Their Parents)
I think this book is a great opportunity for parents to teach children that a Kindle, an iPad, cell phone, laptop computer, etc. can be used to read and enjoy books. This book is written in a lyrical rhyming text that would be fun to read individually or used as a read-aloud. The illustrations are cute and add value to the story. The best thing about this book is that it teaches children the importance of taking care of our environment and the value of recycling. I am thrilled to see more and more children's books being published for e-readers. It is only a matter of time before e-readers will be just as popular with kids as they are with their parents.

More FREE Kindle Books By Tom Watson
When Cows Fly
Stick Dog Wants A Hamburger

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below ~ I love to hear from you!

ReadyMade; Instructions for Everyday Life

I usually write book reviews but today I would like to share a magazine that I discovered on a local news stand. ReadyMade Magazine is a magazine about people who make things, and the culture of making. The magazine covers DIY, design, home, food, crafts, style, places and  projects. The ReadyMade community appears to be quite large and the web site includes a blog, a place for readers to post projects, the magazine and an opportunity to connect on Facebook and Twitter.
The cover of the magazine features two cute table lamps made from old recycled books. I am very interested in reusing old items to create new treasures so I opened the magazine to have a look. I was delighted to see a variety of ideas for reusing and repurposing old treasures to make brand new useful items for your home and garden.

Here are a few of the creative ideas that are featured in the April/May, 2011 issue of ReadyMade Magazine;

Credit Card Earrings
Have you ever cut up an old credit card and thrown it in the trash? What about those little fake credit cards that you get in the mail? You can cut the plastic cards into unique shapes, punch tiny holes in the top and add some French wire earring hooks that are available at most crafts shops. These dangle earrings are cute and unique. 

TV Shelf
What do you do with your old TV sets? Many of these old relics from the 1980s and 1990s end up in landfills or thrift shops. One crafty lady designed a unique storage unit by taking the insides and the screens out of the TVs and bolting them together. She then filled them with books, shoes and decorative items.

Old Record Albums
I have seen quite a few crafty ideas for using old vinyl records, but this one is truly unique. Matt Glassmeyer used more than 100 vinyl records as a roof for his porch in Nashville, TN. The records were left outside in the rain, heat and snow for two years. They were still the same - no brittleness or warping. Mr. Glassmeyer explains exactly how to arrange the records on the roof for the best waterproofing effects.

This magazine has encouraged me to think outside of the box. There are so many ways to recycle, repurpose and reuse items that are no longer needed. The magazine and the web site will provide inspiration to all who are ready to get crafty and start some new projects.

I invite you to check out these resources and let me know what you think in the comments below.