Fast Friday

This is just a quick post as it is a busy day. I have come across a great site that is about to launch officially and there are some fab giveaways going on in celebration of the event. So far it is looking like MomDot is a very fun virtual place to be. Check it out and join the fun!



There are lots of ways to enter to win so get to it!

Twittering at 4 AM is Annoying.

Oh my fine feathered friends. How I love your chirps, your tweats, your cheep-cheeps and your twitters. Even your tuit-tuits are a lovely sound to hear. I am so lucky to be close to nature and hear your familiar noises that brighten my day.

Notice that I say DAY because I do not mean NIGHT. As in 3:30 in the morning! How can all the flying forest critters be wide awake and twittering like it was midday when it is not even showing a hint of day break yet?

I am completely baffled in my sleep deprived state as to how the birds know when to wake the world with all of the chirping going on around here. Hooty, the resident owl has not even retired yet when the birds start up with their racket. I just don't get it. Maybe they don't get it either and there is more to this global warming thing than meets the eye. Could it be the birds are completely confused and have their internal clocks all upside down? Or have they always been this busy in the wee hours and I just never noticed.

Ideas for a Staycation

Yesterday we were at the beach and a tourist asked me what we do as a family for fun around here. That really got me thinking- what DO we DO all summer long?

Because we live in a town that is considered a "vacation destination" the thought of going somewhere else is somewhat of an afterthought. Why would we go anywhere else when we live in a summer paradise? (Especially with the ever-rising prices at the gas pump.) A staycation is standard around these parts.

I told the man who was enjoying the beach with his own young family that really we spend most of our time at the shore or local water parks. The kids never seem to get bored of that. We spend about 4 or 5 days a week on the water, weather permitting. If you are looking to do something else there are the typical vacation theme spots like the mini golf centre, bowling, camping etcetera.

For those days that we don't do the beach thing, there are many other ways that we pass the time. We don't have cable so watching TV is relegated to the odd video rented from the store but we don't really have lots of time for the tube to be honest.

Here are a few of the things we do to keep busy:
Paper crafts - making cards, recycled paper projects, collage and stamps.
Library visits - always a whole new world every time.
The local ECO centre offers lots of exploration.
Hiking - trails are abundant around here'
Bike riding - long leisurely rides on our mostly bike friendly roads.
Other crafts; sewing projects, drawing, soap carving (a favorite!) to name a few.
Practical skills like reading and writing, knitting etc.
Baking! A favorite.
Gardening fun.
Puzzles and board games.

When we are really desperate, there are the old stand-by's in the computer; the kids love their Webkinz site and keep their pets well fed and cared for. (Even though I think that Webkinz were invented by the WOEG - World Order of Evil Geniuses - to get kids virtually hooked on consumerism at an early age.)
Other fun resources we like:
The Crafty Crow
Enchanted Learning
Starfall
Creative Kids at Home
Crazy4Crafts

So this should keep you all busy if there is a lull in the activity around your place this summer.
If you have any other ideas, please share them in the commments.

Reminder to Etsians; Treasury West is Still in Beta

Here you see Vicki Diane Designs' second attempt at her Treasury hosted in Treasury West.
The original mysteriously vanished in to cyberspace and is no more. Not even the comments remained. RIP original. You are missed.

Vicki swiftly made lemonade out of her lemons though as she filled a new Treasury with items from people who commented on her dilemma. (So sweet, thanks Vicki!)

It seems we needed a reminder that Treasury West is still in Beta and subject to random fits of destruction like this so take note fellow Etsians; Use Treasury West at your own risk. Apparently this happened to a large number of the Treasuries at some point this morning. Unfortunate.

My Second Treasury! Small Steps for Earth.

I know I was not going to be posting much but look what I got!


My second treasury! (Click on it to link to it.)

Again, just like the last one here, I happened to be in the right place at the right time in Etsy Treasuryland which is such a magical and mystifying place at times. I don't know what rhyme they use as a program for deciding who gets and who doesn't in the Treasury department over there but I have lucked out twice now so I won't question the method to the madness.

I'm not about to complain. I am very happy with this Treasury as I was with my last one and hopefully there will be others to follow. I picked a green theme again and featured items that have an element of sustainability to them. This was such fun to do this time as there were no frustrations as I had the first try.

So enjoy and have a great weekend everyone.

Summer is in Full Swing

Girl playing in a fountain
Originally uploaded by Marxpix

From Flickr, this is one way to stay cool on a hot day. Things are getting very hectic around here with play dates, beach visits, water parks and lazy days down on the dock so there might be fewer posts as we are on a "work to rule" basis in the blogging department here.

This is just a taste of how some people might be spending their summer days in the northern hemisphere. How do you stay sane in the peak of the summer heat?

Posting Dilemma

So today I am lamenting about what to post about and here comes Pam with the answer. Yes the answer is a question but it's a good one.

Pam has a great business and blog that will be getting a small face lift within the week as I promised. She also had a question regarding how to customize the basic "Comments" tab at the bottom of blog posts while using Blogger.

I had wondered about this too for quite some time and I finally figured it out when I was playing around with one of my test blogs. You might also have wondered about how to customize this basic feature as it seemed to me it is not that plainly obvious.


When you are in the "Layout" mode of Blogger/Blogspot, hit the Edit button on the bottom right corner of the Post area (as shown.) This opens up a window where you can change several of the posting options and there is a field that indicates what is going to show up where "comments" should be and you can just change it to your preferred wording. I am fond of alliterations myself but you might be into something more straight forward.

"Silly Sayings", "Random Rants"? I have seen some interesting takes on these but please remember to keep it appealing and inviting for readers to comment. So there you go.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Ceramics in White

Not many folks know that I took a semester of ceramics while in college. I really loved it but clay ceramics and pottery is such a challenging medium to do well.

I have always had a big appretiaton for the craft since I was very young but it sure is difficult to get your vision to turn into reality when it comes to clay. I gave up after a while when a few too many of my hand built mugs blew up in the kiln.

Anywho, I give you a lovely selection of pottery and ceramic arts from Etsy, please do visit and enjoy their work;
1. Plain White bottles by AntB.
2. Sugar bowl by Barb Dunshee.
3. Tiny text bowl with JOY by Paloma's Nest
4. White Horse pendant by Boonepottery.
5. Porcelain Pebble earrings from Yasha Butler.
6. Small White vase made by Krista Sharp.
7. The Whirl Bowl from Kim Westad.
8. White Dot bowl by Marymee Studio.
9. Pair of white shot glasses from Susan Young.
10. Elegant white serving dish made by Isabellea Bramson.
11. Tippy Saki set from Laurel Begley.
12. The Urchin Bowl made by Element Clay Studio.

Happy Fourth!

Here is a thought for the new paradigm; let's try to help out the environment.
See the 350 Challenge badge on the right sidebar for more on reducing carbon footprints on a global scale.
Oh yes and have a super and safe Holiday weekend everyone!

Giveaways Galore!!!

Since I haven't got my ducks in a row for some time now and failed to post a giveaway I bring you the next best thing - a giveaway round-up - YEEHAW! (I was a cowpoke in a previous life, sorry about that.)

Grace Violet has a lovely gingham flower giveaway in exchange for letting her in on your favourite summer deserts.

Sew Gracious has a fabulous handbag to send off to a worthy commenter.

Bloggy Giveaways (a great resource well worth bookmarking) has featured a Thomas & Friends computer game giveaway, open to US and Canadian residents.

Simply Sentimental is featuring a great prize from Cherry Lane Jane for all you with littles to gift for.

Mustard Seeds is giving away a Tshirt that answers all those questions you had for a homeschooled child.

LuLu's Vintage has a copy of "The Apron Book" to send off to someone special.

Fun & Free Giveaways has an awesome Cosmopolitan travel cosmetics bag up for grabs, among many other things. (Another great giveaway hotspot.)

Both Mama Loves Giveaways and Blog Giveaways have many many winning opportunities to keep you all occupied so head on over and check out the goods.

Some Summer Holiday Eyecandy

From Scott1216 on Flickr. This was the scene last night in town.

Happy Birthday Canada

One hundred and forty one??!! You don't look a day over fifty.

Spoonflower

There is a project that I have been meaning to share with everyone for a while now.
I discovered Spoonflower a few weeks ago and instantly wanted to make use of this fabulous idea. The site is in Beta so it is fairly new but they have a very informative blog they have been keeping. The company will upload your patterns and print on demand your very own fabric! You can pick what size from swatches to yardage.

I will be looking to print a yard as soon as I decide what pattern I want to have printed. I think I will be making use of my Palinoia project and put some leaves together for my submission. I have already signed on since you have to apply for an invitation.

There is also a Flickr Pool that you can check out which is of course very inspiring so get going and see what it's all about. That is where I spied this beautiful print done by Juneprints.

Image credit: "Golden Forest" from Juneprints on Flickr (click on image for more.)

A Mad Tea Party

Hosted by the lovely and very creative Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist.
I only have time to post about it as it turns out. My party presentation would have paled in comparison to the spread that our lovely hostess has already put on so I will just say that you have to see it to believe it! It is truly amazing.

I will leave you with my teeny tiny contribution in the form of my miniature tea set which I love so dearly. In my mind I am completely decked out in my blue party dress and pinafore apron a la Alice for the fabulous fete going on.


Oh the internet is so full of fabulously creative types.