T-Shirt Shrug

First, I need to get this off my chest: SEWING T-SHIRTS IS A PAIN!!!! So much stretch, and wiggling. Bleh!!

There. I feel better.

I wanted to craft today, and lovely Wanda was kind enough to make a suggestion: T-Shirt Shrug! There are tons of tutorials online, so I won't bother making one. It's pretty straightforward.

I used this one.

The only change I would make is that I would add some beads or something to the bottom of the ribbon to keep it from slithering back into the shirt.

I'm going to be honest, I think I look ridiculous in shrugs. My body was not made for them. But it's finished, and it turned out...not too bad! Pretty easy, for any shrug-lovers. And that shirt was in a pile headed for donations anyway, so it was fun to experiment with something new!  And best news? Not much mess to clean up! So I can continue cleaning up messes from my other projects... Brian will be thrilled.

Easter Egg...Gourds!

Easter is coming!

I love Easter. People can get negative and nasty about any holiday that has been commercialized, but I enjoy seeing the positive. I know the real celebration of Easter - the amazing resurrection of our Savior. And I celebrate it! Existence would be meaningless with out this salvation!

However...I LOVE eggs. And springtimey goodness. Little chickies and bunnies and ducklings! ALL CUTE! And the promise of warm weather is something that anyone in Ohio can enjoy, I think. (Our Easters are rarely warm, but at least there is something to look forward to!)

So I will enjoy both aspects of Easter, one infinitely more important than the other. (And I will most definitely enjoy Cadbury Cream Eggs. MmmmMmmm.)

That being said, I like decorating eggs as much as my kids. Likely more. The smell of vinegar always makes me think of decorating eggs as a child. So when I found a way to enjoy decorating eggs that will last from year to year, I jumped on it.

Anyone ever heard of egg gourds? They are fantastic. My grandparents grew them once, and they kept coming back, whether they were wanted or not. But there is something very cool about seeing tons of little greenish-white eggs growing from vines.

And when they are dried and cleaned, they are perfect for painting, cutting, decoupaging...and also perfect for my two little girls to enjoy, without the worry of them breaking.

 My very talented mother and I enjoyed painting and decorating just a few of the gigantic box of gourd eggs that we have. Mom likes hanging them from a cute little Easter tree...hence the ribbons. Just use a small drill bit, drill a little hole in the top, and screw in an eye-screw and you've got an instant ornament!

 This little bunny has two tiny holes in the top where I inserted some felt ears that I cut and glued up. (You can't see it, but he has a cute bitty tail on the back too!)

And I think my little chick here is a personal favorite. One fluffy feather on the top, and he has some major bed-head. Errr...Egg head?

At a recent play-date with my friend Stefanie and her son, I pulled out some tissue paper and let my older daughter and her little boy go to town ripping little pieces, and gluing them to eggs painted a solid pastel color with a little Elmer's glue diluted with water.

Then we smothered them in glitter. Buried them. It was fantastic.

If you ever get a hold of some of these little beauties, get crazy! They are so fun, and you can pull them out every year!