My Thoughts on Sequins

Dear Disney - makers of princess attire galore,
I totally get that little girls like sparkly things.  Believe me, I know.  However, is it really necessary to cover the entire bottom two-thirds of the Ariel dress in tiny blue metallic SEQUINS?  This is clothing designed for young children; is SEQUINS really the best option for creating the sparkle they crave?  I can somewhat understand SEQUINS on a prom dress or for a special occasion, but these costumes are being worn everyday ... all day.  Perhaps it's time to hire MOMS to design your next line of princess dresses.  Just a thought.

Sincerely,
Sick of Sequins

Dear Aunt Tricia,
Thank you for bestowing upon your niece her newest, most priced possession.  She wakes up asking to put on her Ariel dress.  If allowed, she would wear it everywhere ... every waking hour ... and perhaps even to bed.  Natalie simply loves her Ariel dress!  It is such a sweet gesture for her cousins to pass down their outgrown princess collection. I have just one tiny little complaint.  The blue metallic SEQUINS - the ones that make this dress look so mermaid-esque - are all over my house!  I cannot walk into a room without spotting a sparkle of blue ... there, there, and there.  I think perhaps it is only fair that your girls accept a gift from me ... I'll be looking for something noisy and messy that I know you'll the girls will enjoy :)

Sincerely,
Revenge is Sweet

Dear Tiny Blue Sequins,
Please stay ON the Ariel dress and OFF my carpet.  If you cannot comply, I am making a deal with the evil Sea Witch.  That's all I'm saying.

Sincerely,
I.Mean.Business

Mermaid ("fish") face and clear evidence of my angst!

Crafty Name Project - Tutorial

I am calling this a "tutorial" - and using the term very loosely - only because several of you asked for more details.  I am not crafty and I am in no way, shape or form an expert ... but I'd be happy to be your tutor :)

First, I bought the letters at Michael's for like $2.99 each.  If you're a little loco thrifty, you could amass a bunch of 40% coupons and make multiple trips to the store and get each letter for like $1.80!  I was not impressed by the plain white primer paint.  I knew I'd either have to paint them - dread, dread, dread - or come up with another way to cover them.

It just so happens that I've recently discovered Mod Podge ... and used scrapbook paper to create this and this.  And those nursery letters became the inspiration for these letters, too.  I waddled myself over to the scrapbook paper aisle ... and aisle I love but don't frequent because I do not "scrap."  I found a series of papers with colors that coordinate to NHV's new bedding - but don't match.  I am not a big fan of matchy-matchy.  I liked that this paper had some prints with white backgrounds and others with brown - and I alternated them in the final product.

Got it all home ... and first pondered attaching the paper to the letter and then using an exacto-knife to trim it off.  Decided that my lack of brain cells and somewhat shaky hands (from the doses of Terb I've been taking) would not be a good combination with an exacto-knife in hand.  So Plan B was hatched.

Trace the letters, cut out just inside the pencil line and then attach using the Mod Podge.  I only used the glue between the paper and the wood. and gave the edges a little "special attention."  I did not cover the entire thing with Mod Podge, but you could because it dries completely clear.  In fact, I may do that before we hang them ...

This worked great ... except for the pencil marks left behind on the lower edges of the white letters.  I used an eraser, a damp cloth, and some fine sandpaper to make sure that yuckiness wouldn't show once I hang them on the wall.  You could also paint the edges of the letters with a coordinating color, but that seemed like too much work for me, and I like the white against the wall color.

It really is that easy.  I plan to hang them - this weekend - using just the nail holes on the back (and a good level and lots of help from my handy husband).  I think hanging them from ribbon would be really cute, too.


Noticed that BJ_Mama - queen of craftiness - linked up over at Today's Creative Blog ... and I decided to be a copycat ... mainly in the hopes that this will keep me motivated to be crafty :)

Spelling Bee

Okay, I have a little contest for you. A contest I think is perfectly suited for mommies of toddlers and/or teachers ... which is the majority of my blog audience, so this should work out just fine.

A little background: Natalie continues to point out letters and shapes wherever we go. It's super exciting, but it also really keeps me on my toes. I just can't help but be thrilled by her little discoveries. The way her brain is just soaking it all in. The way she is starting to make sense of her world. So exciting and often times funny :)

So, back to the contest ... we were out-and-about the other day, and Natalie pointed and said, "O." I looked around to find the source of her letter-naming; sure enough there was an "o" sort of. So I prompted her to tell me the next letter and the next letter and the next letter ... until this is what she had "spelled" ... O-T-A-R-C-E-T.

And, so if you want in on the contest, leave a comment to explain what Natalie had spelled and where we were.

I'll mention the prize in my next post. Don't get too excited, but see if you can figure this out. I can't wait to see your ideas!