maker faire bound!

Last weekend mister participated in our local mini maker faire and this weekend we're off to see the sites in San Mateo for the main event. Here are oodles of photos from our mini maker faire adventure and if you are on instagram try searching for tinkers damn or SLOMMF# to see some fun pics of mister's ukes!

aren't they gorgeous?

the goods...

information...

wine bottle slides for the canjos...

our neighbors...freakin' sweet knots!

the nephew a-go-go made this!

mister, keeping it fun...

he needed no instruction...

using the slide...

hummingbird play puppet theater

our first visitor took a turn...

our youngest fan...

he got into the groove...

I got to play this wee washboard...

From cookie tin ukes to knot tying to robot making to puppet shows, there was a lot to make and do at our fine mini event. We can't wait until next year, I'm going to join in the fun a well, what shall I teach people to make?

fiesta diy: crepe paper picado

I think I can officially be called a garland-maker. Maybe it's my calling. Stringing up bits of arted up paper makes me very, very, happy. For Cinco de Mayo, I created three different garlands. I am a big fan of the beautiful papel picados that hang all over Olvera St. in Los Angeles and wantd to infuse that kind of happy into the tiny casa.

To create this garland, you will need a few different colors of crepe paper which can be found in the party aisle at most supermarkets, drugstores, big box stores, party stores, etsy, and online. I used a large sheet of white paper to start (you tend to have these things when you teach kiddos art) but I think this could translate onto index cards as well. Truth told, the large sheet of paper will create four flags quicker than using index cards but any type of paper will work...even old magazine pages will suffice.

Materials:

*11 1/2" X 17" paper or other large/scratch paper

*5-6 colors of crepe paper streamers

*scissors

*glue

Gather up your large sheet of paper and cut in half lengthwise. Roll out a length of streamer so that is matches the length of your paper, cut. Gather up the remaining colors of streamer and trim to match.

Roll up a length of streamer so that is about two to three inches across. Use your scissors to scallop, fringe or zig-zag the bottom edge. When you unroll it, the whole length of streamer will be happily festive. Repeat for each color and vary your trimming. I made a few scalloped, a couple trimmed and one was left alone.

Working from the bottom up, apply a line of glue about an inch from the bootom that travels from one end of your paper to the other. Gently press down your first choice of streamer. Next ,add another line of glue in the same manner about half and inch from the top of the first streamer and press your next layer down. Repeat for all of your colors. If your paper is too tall, simply trim the top blank edge. Set aside to dry.

Once dry, flip over paper and trim excess crepe paper. Next, cut fringed sheet in half to create two happy flags. Repeat entire process until you have the number of flags you like. To create your galrand, stitch across the top of your flags with a sewing machine or staple a length of ribbon or bias tape across the top. You can also glue a wide width length of bias tape or ribbon along the tops. There are many ways to turn your flags into a banner. Take a look at what you have available and run with it. Clothespins and paperclips will work as well.  Dîas Felices!

diys aplenty...

I've got three garland diys and one cupcake project coming yer way! Prep your doilies and grab some crepe paper, it's gonna be a festive week!

the week in review: may 6-12

Phew! What a week! In between butterfly fun with the preschoolers and prepping for our mini maker faire  (more about that later)and Mother's Day, this week was BUSY! I had grand plans (of course) for a week's worth of Mother's Day projects but ultimately there just wasn't any time. I'll get them done eventually and I still have to post all the Cinco de Mayo fun I put together...better late than never, right?

The week was packed with preschool work, doctor's appointments and one happy long overdue visit with a friend. And then came the weekend which was full, full, full! Mister was selling his ukuleles at the faire  (if yer on intasgram you can search for SLOMMF# and see his stuff) and we had friends visiting from L.A. so there was a lot of busy, a lot of fun, a lot of chatty-chatty, food, and laughter! We did dinner at Jocko's which was hysterically surprising and then breakfast at Kreuzberg which lasted for hours...

Mother's Day was spent hanging out with the family a-go-go and enjoying fresh baked brownies a la mode. The sister-ago-go's garden is in crazy bloom and I had a grand time wandering around and photographing the roses (including armies of spotted green cucumber beetles).

This week will be full of laundry and cleaning and hopefully getting those darn Cinco de Mayo posts up! Happy May!

mother's day make: pom pom magnets

Yes folks, I'm STILL on my pom-pom kick. I just can't get enough, the options for color combos are so infinite or as infinite as my pocketbook and storage allows. My sister purchased a bright orange file cabinet for my nephew's house warming gift. She imagined it would make for great kitschy kitchen storage and wondered what kind of magnets she could make for it. Me being on this pom-pom kick, I came up with these! Whip up a batch of happy pom-pom magnets to gift yer  favorite kitschy mama or nana or auntie even. If yer mama uses a bulletin board, you can even turn 'em into fancy pushpins...I know, I did (photos coming soon)!

The first thing you will need to do is get yourself a couple of skeins of happy yarn and get to pom-pom making. You can buy a fancy maker, make your own, or use your hand. This method here might be easiest for your kiddos to try. I make mine by wrapping around my hand. This here is my favorite tutorial (thank you, Creature Comforts). To make the hand-wrapping go quicker, and to make your poms kickier, try wrapping three different colors of yarn at the same time. A thicker fuller pom uses about 50 wraps using three colors at the same time. When it comes to trimming your poms, trim close and tidy as you want a smaller, firmer pom-pom.

Button magnets are strong and universal. I pick mine up at the local craft store in the largest pack I can find (though I think I'm now going to order some online). I find myself making magnet gifts quite often. Use a strong flexible glue such as tacky, e-600, or hot melt glue. Yarn doesn't stick easily so make sure to use a good glue and let it dry overnight.

 

Package up in a cute bag, small box, or on a sheet of metal and give to your favorite mother-figure. Happy almost Mother's Day!

the may bed

My original may bed project took a back seat once I saw how festive all the Cindo de Mayo garlands I made looked. So now I have both the may bed and the june bed ready. Yay for being ahead of the game! DIYS for the garlands coming this week...

The bed is completely inspired by fiesta colors. Last month I had paired off and rolled up all of the pillowcases for future beds and the long pillowcase I had originally planned for this month wasn't cutting it, so I made one. When I make my pillowcases, I choose a different fabric for each side so I can have twice as many looks. The fabric is called Secret Garden from Alexander Henry and is newish (2010), not vintage. The flipside is from a vintage yellow sheet. I love how the bright granny squares tie it all with the happy garlands. This may be my favorite bed this year!