Tour de France!

Oh my goodness! Who would expect a peloton of colorful cyclist whizzing by to inspire the cutest ever spectators. This little French duck and his Wait-and-See companion seem to be enthralled by the excitement of the Tour de France.

Viva la France! This little duck wears his country's colors proudly. His Napoleonic collar is eight layers of crepe gathered by hand along one edge with a running stitch. Layers separated, the collar is glued on upside down.

Could a feline spectator wear a more perfect hat? I love to using vintage greeting cards to make cone shaped hats. Ruffles are made by stitching down the center of layers of crepe on the sewing machine. Width determined, edges pinked, cut between pinks to sewing line.. Hot glue in place, separate layers of crepe.

A vantage point high above the crowd. Wooden dowels are inserted into large Styrofoam balls after Paperclay has been applied.

Simply adorable! Striped sticks are the perfect final touch. Thin strip of crepe is secured with hot glue just under head shape and spiraled down stick. Secure with glue again. July crafting comes to an end on the final day of the Tour de France. What a wonderful day this has been.

Styrofoam Bird Tutorial

My gosh is there ever a commotion among the characters of my craft room. It seems the postal workers of Creative Breathing are complaining there are just TOO many BINGO cards left about when I am crafting.

They have assigned the title of Bingo Collector to the representative of the July Button Keeper Challenge. He is slightly nervous about being the first and hopes to be joined by other Button Keepers.

BODY: Press Creative Paper Clay onto the surface of large and small Styrofoam balls. Roll between palms to smooth. (Clay found at Michaels, $10.00) Dry shapes in front of fan.

LID/HAT:  Three Bingo cards are used to make Bingo Collector. TIP: Use same household items repeatedly to create shapes to give a consistency to crafts.

Create card stock base to glue decorative strip upon wide enough to cover edge of container top. Cut out center of hat brim.

(Canning Jars-WalMart 12 for $7.50.) Glue seal to ring. Fill depression with cardboard. IMPORTANT STEP: With any lid used make sure to hot glue card stock base to EDGE of lid. (Note the slight space between paper and lid) Glue decorative strips in place.

Trace around edge of papered lid to create template. Trace onto printed card and pink along drawn line. Glue pinked round to lid, glitter along drawn line.

HAT: Glue edges of BINGO strip together. (Small strip of paper on inside helps) Apply glue to top edge of BINGO circle and position around FREE SPACE. Trim away excess. Apply glue to base of BINGO and adhere to hat brim. Glue Tinsel stem, feather, button in place.

FEATHERS: Pleat crepe 25 times, press pleats firmly together, pink one edge, trim to length.

It seems the little BINGO Collector is making a case for additional help.

PAINT: Body and head white using large round brush, eyes black using liner brush, cheeks pink using dry brush technique. Apply craft varnish to eyes.

GLITTER: Working quickly, apply thin coat of Mod Podge around eyes and front half of head. Apply glitter. Repeat with head back. Holding pipe stems, glitter body front, body back.

ASSEMBLY: Immediately glue feet to lid. Glue button markers, hat, and beak in place. Let body glitter dry several minutes before adhering feathers and tie.

Apply glue to flat end of crepe tail, adhere to body and fan pleats. Hold in place several seconds.

Apply thin bead of glue from back to front along body side.

Position flat end of wing in center of body, fan pleats towards back to adhere, towards front to adhere. Hold in place several seconds.

YEAH! It seems he won his argument and has additional help in picking up all the BINGO cards that can be found in my craft room. I hope you will stop by next month to see my August Button Keeper. Perhaps you will have one to share with me as well!

ROCKETEER GIVEAWAY WINNER: Leslie of Craftyles

Step Together, Next in Line

I was so surprised yesterday to find a very long line waiting for me at my Post Office. Each person seemed to have in their hands a package to mail. I had three. In my mind I thought many of the boxes would soon be on their way to loved ones serving their country.

The line was moving along nicely, step together, "Next in Line!" not a word to be heard. I noticed the man in front of me struggling to decide what type of envelope or box he needed to send what he held in his hand. Priority, Express, First Class, You Pick the Class, Ship it Yourself, or else! (Saturday Finds)

Being a seasoned shipper myself now, I suggested the $4.95 Priority box, Any Weight Goes and had him fill out the matching label. His item just barely did not fit, but I assured him the postal worker would offer him FREE tape.

Step Together, "Next in Line!", the gentleman spied a Ship it Yourself envelope that seemed a better size for his item. I told him to keep the label in case he could use it on the envelope. Step Together, "Next in Line!   

"Are you sending your Ship it Yourself, Priority! No? Then you don't need this label! Move to the side and Do It Again. NEXT IN LINE!"    Snowman Tutorial

I apologetically stepped forward and made note of the Postal Worker's name badge, "Hemelbergerschlagel, Jack". "Sir, it's my fault he used the wrong label. We tried to be prepared!" He smiled at me and thanked me for my courtesy. AND THEN I SAID TO HIM,

"Is your first name really, Hemelbergerschlagel"?

Thank goodness my neatly brown paper wrapped packages were already stamped "YOU A.." as he looked up at me and said, "It's Jack. NEXT IN LINE!"

WISHING YOU A MOST WONDERFUL FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY!!! Elizabeth

Busy as a Bluebird!

It seems my craft room is beginning to fill with the colors I love most. A passion for patriotic has me busy as a bluebird. An easy as can be craft for anyone to make, a tutorial for this feathered friend can be found on my sidebar. (Tutorial for making Bluebird found here

I know! Too too sweet for words! We need a marching band to follow behind Laurie of Magpie-Ethel and her joyous 4th of July creations.

Just to hold in hand one of her characters is to bring joy to the heart and inspiration to the mind. How clever that she has used Christmas reflectors as red, white, and blue flowers to bloom well past the fourth.

I trimmed her reflectors to create hanging ornaments and used the sparkly garland leftovers to add cheer to my Sanitary ice cream cup. Delicious? I hope so!

Just a quick stop by to wish you all things bright and sparkly until Thursday evening at 8pm when I will offer for sale E's Craftroom Creations. Until then...... Busy as a Bluebird here at Creative Breathing.

Mr. Saturday Night

My brother John has now been a music teacher at his school for a very long time under the dictatorial guidance of Principal Cartwright. So caught up in her quest for perfection, she is not aware at all of her true surroundings.

Battles on a regular basis have been tolerated because of the notoriety of excellence John has brought to the school's music program. Not many schools put on productions with original scores. The cost saved from purchasing copyrighted material is a feather in Principal Cartwright's cap.

As this week saw the last day of school for the students, it also marked Mrs. Cartwright's last day as Principal. Her time to retire had finally come. She called John into her office. "I'd like you to be the Master of Ceremonies, I have file cards here with fun facts about myself you can use between speakers." Mind you, she has just given an opening to the teacher who calls out her pretentiousness every chance he is given.

For example, when Ms. Cartwright noticed John had taken a Personal Day, she inquired of him what was the nature of his request knowing this was against union mandates. My brother replied, "I am going to see the doctor about my EBR" Mrs. Cartwright huffed, "I've never heard of EBR, what is it?" "Early Bowel Release."  my brother replied straight face. "It used to be called Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but was deemed too negative a connotation. IBS is now called EBR, Early Bowel Release."  Ms. Cartwright has never asked John again about a personal day earned.

Ceremony evening, speaker introductions made, time in between to pull out file cards."Mrs. Cartwright has written fun facts about herself, but I know a few myself that aren't written down."

Addressing the audience of students who know their principal all too well, "Alright now, everyone yell out at the same time Mrs. Cartwright's favorite instrument." In unison the expected reply washes over Mrs. Cartwright, "The piano!" A moment waited, "That's what I thought, too. But her favorite instrument is the microphone. Once it's in her hand, she just can't put it down!" And so the evening went. What on earth did she expect from Mr. Saturday Night? She got what she deserved!

Please do not Pin pattern to Pinterest.

Bobwhites and Vampires

The Bobwhite's after school routine never varied. Home again Mom kisses, cookies from the jar, promises of after dinner homework, arranged meeting place before the opening strands of Dark Shadows had us moving together closer still.

We were absolutely enthralled by the spooky drama that came to us in black and white. Our television viewing up to then had not prepared us for anything so absolutely terrifying. We walked home in pairs too afraid to be alone in the half-way woods.

Each July 4th, my mother would pile every single Bobwhite, my brother and his ever present sidekick Greg into our Plymouth Duster and head to our own very special viewing spot to watch the firework display over Washington, DC.

We would travel to my mother's dear friend's, and fellow artist, home whose husband was a Park Ranger at Ft. Washington along the Potomac River. (Their house was the yellow one in background.) We would spend countless hours waiting for darkness playing Dark Shadows along the the fort's parapets.

My brother and Greg were just horrible to the Bobwhites! They would hide in the black as night spaces below the wall and call to us from within, "Sssst, ssssst, ssssst" 

BROTHERS! You can't live with them, and you sure can live without them! At least in childhood, anyways.

Thank goodness the boys torture was worth the spectacular ending to our day.

The Bobwhites would repeat this holiday tradition well into young adulthood when we were able to drive ourselves. Blankets smoothed flat, soda in our cooler, lie back remembrances of our Dark Shadows days.