Its been awhile

With the blessing of my niece's birth in July (4 weeks early), her being in the hospital twice since her birth (the most recent this past week with a 8 day stay), school ending for my husband and getting ready to start again in a week or so, my son going back to school, business and just every day life, I have not found much time to stop in and update.

I took over my husbands laptop this past week and a half so I can get some work done. Without it I would have had to spend less time at the hospital with my brother and sister-in-law.

With the baby shower last month and another coming in November, I forgot how much I love making certain gifts and crafts. I love making diaper cakes. There is just something special about them. I am going to start making them for local sales. I am not interested at this time in online sales. With local sales I can get a good sense of the shower theme and the guest of honor. Something that is very important to me and why each cake is custom and unique. I may venture to smaller cakes but we will see. I have a few other items I love to make for baby showers. How knows, maybe I have the start to a special local boutique.

Flour children

One way to get a rise out of your child is to mix up a batch of craft dough he can turn into a family of stand-up dolls and pets. Once they're baked, he can outfit his collection by painting on features, clothes and accessories.

To make the dough, combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of water in a mixing bowl. Knead the dough until it is smooth and rubbery.

For each doll, first form a head by rolling a piece of dough between your palms (it should be roughly the size of a Ping-Pong ball). Make a second, slightly larger ball for the torso. Or, if you want to dress the figure in a skirt, shape a triangular trunk. Press the head onto the torso, applying a few drops of water to make the dough sticky, if necessary.

Next, shape and attach cylindrical arms and legs. Pinch the lower ends of the legs to form feet. Attach ears and a nose, and use a toothpick to etch facial features. Bake the figures on a foil-lined cookie sheet for 1 hour in a 275-degree oven. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Now your child can fashion footwear for his dolls by flattening pieces of dough into thin circles and wrapping them around the feet. (Remember, the bottoms of the shoes will need to be level for the figure to stand up on its own.) Use the same method to craft a wig for the doll's head.

Bake the figures for an additional hour. Let them cool before painting (acrylics work best). Unbaked dough will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Find this article and more at http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/famf87project/famf87project.html

Backyard Bird Feeder

Spoon-feed your winged neighbors with this
homemade birdseed dispenser.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Clean 1-liter soda bottle
	Craft knife
	2 wooden spoons
	small eye screw
	Length of twine for hanging
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Start by drawing a 1/2-inch asterisk on the side of a clean 1-liter soda bottle, about 4 inches from the bottom. Rotate the bottle 90 degrees and draw another asterisk 2 inches from the bottom. Draw a 1-inch-wide circle opposite each asterisk, as shown.

2. Use a craft knife to slit the asterisk lines and cut out the circles (a parent's job). Insert a wooden spoon handle first through each hole and then through the opposite asterisk, as shown.

3. Remove the bottle cap and twist a small eye screw into the top of it for hanging.

4. Finally, fill your feeder with birdseed, recap it, and use a length of twine to hang it from a tree.

Find this and more at http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11737

Spring No-Snow Globe

Here's a twist on the traditional snow globe: fabric flowers, plastic figures, and a pinch of glitter in a recycled jar celebrate the coming of the warmer season.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Clean jar with lid
	Fabric flowers
	Small plastic figures
	Hot glue gun
	Floral wire (optional)
	Glitter and confetti
	Teflon tape, also called plumber's tape, found in hardware stores
	Scissors
	Green paper
Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours

1. Turn the lid upside down. Loosely arrange the flowers and figures on it, periodically placing the jar over the items to check for fit.

2. Use the hot glue gun to adhere the flowers and figures to the lid. To attach the butterfly in our globe, we first hot-glued the figure to one end of a piece of floral wire, then hot-glued the wire's other end to the lid.

3. Fill the jar with water to within a half inch from the top and add the glitter and confetti.

4. Dry the rim of the jar and wrap one layer of Teflon tape around the threads to ensure a leak-proof seal. Immerse the decorations in the jar and tighten the lid.

5. Cut and fringe the green paper to make a decorative base and glue it around the lid.

Find this craft and more at http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12141