tp roll fish tank

my little blonde curls has developed a major fish obsession.   he has been coloring and cutting out pictures and taping them to the wall for a "fish tank" for quite some time.    we have a fish tank, but he has octopi and eels and whales in his paper tank . . . i guess he has a paper ocean on the wall, not a tank.   the other day, i was looking at the many tp rolls that accumulate and thought, "hmmm . . fish in 3d".   i flattened the tp rolls so they had a crease on the top and bottom, cut basic fish shapes and he painted, and i painted, and we made a large selection of tp roll fish.   they sat on my window sill for a couple weeks while school was starting and there was just too much chaos for finding tp roll fish homes.   this week, i decided it was time.

 TA-DA!   tp roll fish tank!

ok, it's a mobile, but you know.   it's fun.

we painted some strips of cardboard for the water and taped them to some wire bent into circles.   two strings crossing for the top suspension of the thing.   same basic principle for the bottom layer of water but longer strings and attached at the same top point so they both turn freely.     i used a large blunt needle to pull string between the cardboard and wire in the water sections.   i went with the easiest attachment, just pulling the string under the top crease in the fish.   you could get fancy and cut fins that stick out, tape the front together etc.   the fanciest i got was one fish he wanted "big".   i used two tp rolls glued together with a third in the middle to stabilize them.    i had some funky cut "sharks" too.   he wanted them to have open mouths.   i thought they looked like nothing but he was happy and that is all that counts.    i had to stick the needle though those, there just wasn't enough top crease to support them hanging.

next time, we are going to cut turtles out of the tp rolls and make coral for them to swim in.   since halloween is coming, we should really make some bats again.   those are fun too.   but that's another post.

family history promts

a few months ago, the visiting teaching lesson was on family history.    i found this great list on the internet and used it to make these books.

i used this list, with a couple tweaks -
http://ldsthisismechallenge.blogspot.de/p/personal-history-in-depth.html
i don't think i used the sleeping part and i added a few things.

i started by printing the list with two columns so i had list on both side of the page.   i made sure that whole sections were together and not broken into two sides or pages.   then i printed and cut them out.  i cut colored paper into fourths and punched holes at the top for string.   i glued the sections of prompts onto the papers and bound it together.   i cut fun little curlicues for the pages to decorate them.   my daughter helped with the whole project.
here is what it looked like after i was done.

 this would be a great grandparent gift from the grandkids, or useful for interviews etc.

here is the list i used . . .i think . . .

Your birth and family:
*What is your full name and how did you get that name?
Do you have any nicknames?
*What is the date of your birth? Where were you born?
What are some of the circumstances (when your mom went in to labor, how long, her doctor, your dad fainting, etc.) of your birth?
*What are your sibling's full names and birth dates?
What are your parent's full names, birth dates and places? Grandparents? Great-grandparents?
Stories, sayings, lessons, or other things you remember about parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.
Growing up, early years:
*How was your relationship with your siblings and parents?
*What are some lessons you learned from you parents?
*How did you help in your home?
*Where did you grow up? Describe it.
*What was your earliest memory?
*What games did you play as a child?
*Where did you go to school?
*Who were your friends?
*Who were your favorite teachers and why?
*What were your chores?
Did/ do you have a favorite story, song, bedtime story or lullaby or nursery rhyme?
Other bedtime traditions?

Growing up, teenage years:
*What activities did you participate in?(Sports, dancing, music, arts, etc.) Explain what you did with each activity.
*How did you learn how to drive?
What kind of car did you have?
*Who were your friends?
*What did you like/dislike about school?
*What was your first paid job?
*What were your chores at home?

College years:
*Did you attend college or a trade school of some sort?
*How did you choose what you wanted to be when you grew up?
*What did you think was the hardest thing about your chosen profession at that time? Did it turn out that way?
*What dumb things did you do during those years?
*What good things did you do?
*Did you live on your own? How well prepared were you for that?
*What life lessons did you learn?
*What choices did you make that affect where you are now?

Grand-children:
*Give your grand-children's full names, birth dates and places.
*What are the things you love the most about each grand child?
*Are there any traditions that you have with them?
*How often do you see them?
*What do you do to stay in contact?

Work:
*What jobs have you had? (Give details of the dates, places, responsibilities, etc.)
*What did you like/dislike about each job?
*What did you learn at each job?
*Have you used any of that knowledge in later years?
*Who were your bosses? Did you like them/get along?
*How did you get along with your co-workers?
*Which was your favorite job?
*How many years until you retire?
*Do you have any big plans for your retirement? (If retired: What have you done since retirement? What's next?)

Children:
*Give your children's full names, birth dates and places.
*How did you choose their names?
*What were the circumstances of each child's birth?
*What are some funny things that each child does/did or says/said?
*What do you love most about each child? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
*What are your children involved in?
*How do you spend your time with your children?
*What are your favorite family activities?

Marriage:
*How did you meet your spouse? Was it love at first sight or did it take some time?
*How long did you date before you got engaged? How long was your engagement?
*How did you get engaged? (The story.)
*Who did most of the wedding plans? Who helped?
*Who were your bridesmaids/best men?
*Describe the details of your wedding: the colors, the cake, the decorations, etc.
*Where did your wedding take place? Who performed the ceremony? Do you remember any words of advice given?
*Who attended your wedding?
*Where did you go on your honeymoon?
What adventures did you have?

Politics:
*Are you involved in politics? How so?
*Are you a specific political party?
*How do you choose who to vote for?
*Are you happy with the Government?
*What would you change if you could?

Celebrations:
*What are some of your personal and family traditions for each holiday? (New Years, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Easter, Christmas, etc.)
*What traditions have you carried over from your childhood? Which ones did you start in your own family?
*How do you celebrate adult's birthdays?
*How do you celebrate children's birthdays?
*How do you celebrate your anniversary?
Celebration memories from Christmas, birthdays, etc.?

Nature:
*Where is your favorite place to go to get away from it all?
*What outdoor activities do you like to participate in?
*What are some of your favorite outdoor memories?

Health:
*How is your overall health?
*Have you had any surgeries? (If yes, give details.)
*Have you had any broken bones? (If yes, give details.)
*Do you have allergies? (If yes, give details.)
*What are you doing to keep healthy now?

Religion:
*How did you gain your testimony of the Gospel?
*Write your testimony.
*How has the Gospel and knowledge of Heavenly Father's plan helped you in your life?
*What ordinances have you completed? (Baptism, Blessing, Endowment, Sealing, etc.) Describe the day, circumstances, who was there, any advice you were given, how you felt, etc.
*What callings have you had? Which were your favorite and least favorite? What did you learn from them?
*What is your favorite scripture/ hymn/ Conference talk? Why?
*Did you serve a mission? Talk about it.

Home life:
*Describe the places you've lived.
*What was your favorite house or apartment? Why?
*How do you like to decorate?
*What is it about home that you love?
*How has your standard of life changed through the years?

Traveling:
*Where in the world have you been?
*Where was your favorite vacation? (As a child, as a teenager, as an adult, etc.)
*Where would your dream vacation be?
*How do you like to travel?

Hobbies:
*What are your current hobbies?
*What hobbies have you had in the past?
*How often do you get to do your hobbies?
*What hobbies do you wish you could start?

Around the World:
*What major world events have happened in your lifetime?
*Has it affected who you are now?
*Who was the President when you were born? Who is it now?
*What natural disasters have you been in?

Miscellaneous:
*What is the most daring thing you've done?
*What is the stupidest thing you've done?
*What is your most embarrassing moment? (Or moments.)
*What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
*What is your general attitude toward life?

Death:
*What would you like to do before you die? (Bucket list)
*What are your beliefs about death?
*Are you scared to die?
*How would you like to go?
*What are your final wishes?
*What are your wishes for your funeral and burial?
*What would you like people to say about you when you're gone?

Food:
*What are your favorite foods?
*What are your favorite desserts?
*Do you like to cook or bake? What are your favorites to make?
*Do you have any food allergies?
*What are some foods you have a hard time saying "no" to?
*What foods do you HAVE to have name brand? Which can you do generic?
*Do you try to eat healthy?
*Do you prefer eating out? Where?

Personality:
*What kind of personality do you have? (Shy, outgoing, calm, stressed, etc.)
*How has your personality changed over the years?
What made it change?
*How well do you associate with others?
*What makes you nervous/ happy/ angry/ surprised/ scared/ etc?

Sleep:
*How many hours do you like to sleep at night?
*Do you take naps?
*Do you like a lot, or few blankets and pillows?
*Can you sleep anywhere, or does it have to be in your own bed?
*What are your favorite conditions for a good-night's sleep? Does it have to be completely dark and quiet?

i hope you enjoy the list and i hope you get something written from it.   make your personal family history now while you are still living it.

aragog pinata

for my tomboy's princess's harry potter birthday, we decided to make pinatas.
we were short on time since i was studying and going to school for the last few weeks before my 2 big tests.   so, not awe inspiring but we had fun all the same.   i mean, it's going to get beat to death so it doesn't need to be pretty.    no one in germany had ever been able to smack a pinata so it was a "big hit".

ok, basic pinata making needs - a beach ball or large balloon is easiest, (but in a pinch, a large bowl will do), flour and enough water to make a loose paste, and torn up newspapers, and some string or thin rope to tie it up with.   don't forget to put a rope inside the paper mache to tie the pinata up with.

we use a couple different techniques.  

 first dip the paper on one end and run it through the paste gently pulling it through your fingers to get rid of the extra paste, then place on the form.

after a layer or so of that. we either lay dry paper over the already wet layer or smooth some paste right on the former layer and then lay dry paper over that.

make sure your crossing yourself with paper and not running in all one direction.   try to get even layers and not thick in one spot and thin in another.   if your using bowls, you will need to do 4 or 5 layers so it's thick enough to stand on it's own.  if it's too thin, just throw it back on and put more on then let it dry.    it should pop off fairly easily.   if you use a flexible bowl, you can flex it a bit to get the form to pop off better.    

once you have both sides of the form done, and dry, and off the forms, you can stand them together and start papering them together.  i used string to tie it together so i could use it to hang it as well.    as you are connecting them, don't forget to put your candy in before it's sealed up.   also, keep in mind that it's a pinata and not a decoration, you want to be able to break it.   i made one for my mom's office party one time that they had to take a hammer to it.   oops.   that was evidently too many layers.

since we needed some foes to fight with our harry potter party, we figured aragog was nice and easy .   it's just a big round body with 8 legs.   we balled up some paper and attached it for the head and taped together some tp rolls for the legs.  we cut down the center and rolled them smaller and then used masking tape to keep them rolled and to attach them to each other and the body.   then we put a layer over that.

we used a quick layer of paint and called it a aragog.   the point was to swing your "wand" at the spider and call out a spell to take it out.   there you go - harry potter pinata!   super easy and super fun!   they might want to try arania exumai but i'm sure bombarda, protego, reducto,  incendio
and a dozen others will do the trick as well.

owl from hogwarts

for my tomboy princess's birthday, we had a harry potter theme.   of course, we had owls deliver the invites.

i am without all of my fun tools here so these are done with nothing more than scissors, markers, and a paper punch.   

super easy!

i cut the paper in half long ways and half short ways.   each little piece was folded in half and i tore a basic horned owl shape.   i tore them because i liked the fuzzy look of it better.   i started near the top and tore a slight curve, then the top of a triangle to form the ears, continue with the rounded head to around where the ears form.   then go back out to form a larger oval for the body.   a flatter bottom is better for making them stand up.   they are in no way the same or even or even always round.  

still folded, i punched a hole for the eyes as far in from the fold as the punch would reach and a little above the center point of the head.   

i punched as far in as i could from the fold and from the outside at the bottom to make cutting points for the feet.    still folded, cut a zigzag between the bottom holes for the talons so your owl can hold onto the invites.  
still folded, cut a small upwards slit toward the eyes but not through them.   that forms the beak.  while it's still folded, push the beak out from the body a little so you can draw a little outline down the edge on both sides.

 the rest is just decoration.     now you can unfold it!
 i used little piece of plastic i found in the house to color with a marker and "stamp" circles around the eye holes.   you could draw them, cut a stamp from a potato or piece of those foam floor puzzles, or just look though the junk drawers and tool boxes for something to stamp with.  

the wings are just half of a tear drop.   the breast feathers are just slanted lines.

to get your owl to hold onto the invites, first fold the little zig-zags out to the front.    roll the invites up fairly tight, (between a pencil and marker sized), and slip it though the little holes at the bottom.   try to flair the talons over the top as much as you can, but it is just paper so be careful.   i ripped a couple.

 the owl will stay curved with the roll in it's feet.   i pushed the bottom between the feet forward a bit and folded the bottom outside corners back a bit so it will sit up.

 the invites are just a quarter of a piece of paper and i had the princess write them up since my computer was down and i couldn't print any.   they looked great.   you could rip the edges and then lightly touch them to a hot burner for a darkened edge.   you can soak the paper in coffee first to color it and then just wrinkle it up if you want a more worn or parchment look.

this is super easy and definitely kid friendly to make.   it requires no special equipment or skill.   it took us an afternoon to do them all.    of course, i had to foul a few up first experimenting with how to do it.    

baby card

 i made these cards with creative memories, stampin' up, and close to my heart.   i'll be honest, i don't have a fav company so i use all of them and don't actually remember which ones i used.

i used the little squares that are supposed to be backgrounds to make the squares.   i used creative memories  punches to cut out the squares and round the corners and to make the checker holes in the edge.   the have a punch that i love that makes either a full checker pattern or a corner of the checker pattern, or just a line of the little squares.   it is awesome.   i love my adjustable punches.

i then cut strips to fit in the holes and wove them through the holes.  i punched a hole in the corners of my little squares and stamped the letters for baby.   the hardest part was remembering to get the squares onto the strips on both sides before weaving them in.   yeah, this is a really easy card.

folding snowflakes and flowers

i was just using scraps for the flowers on my card.   you need a square-ish piece of paper.   your going to cut the outside off anyway so it isn't really important that the outside is straight.   

 get your basic square by folding over one corner to where the opposite corner should be.   line up the edges.

 if there is a lot hanging over, cut off the excess.

 fold it back over corner to corner, then half again.   you only need the center of the long side of the triangle marked.

 now your going to bring the outside corners up and across.   your folding it in thirds from the bottom center.

 this is the only part that needs to be exact.   if the edges don't match up on the sides you'll end up with uneven cuts.

 for the flower i folded it again with the tall point on the inside.

 then i can see the lowest edge where i can cut.

 cut two half petals

 open it up and there ya go.

 my grandmother showed me how to do snowflakes like this.   we do lots of them every year for her windows.

 again, the edge isn't important as long as you keep the lowest edges to the outside so you can see your lowest points that you can cut.

 don't fold in half again for a six sided snowflake.   i like making them 12 sided sometimes but they are harder to get as much detail that way.

 cut lots of squiggly lines.   they are fun with crazy scissors too.   unfold it and you have fun, but realistic snowflakes.

cheer me up card

this week, a friend of mine has been having a string of hard days with hard things piling up.   i decided to make her a card.   i don'T have all of my fun stamps or cutters anymore so i did it all by hand and my straight edge cutter.   i just made it up as i went along.

the poem is in german because although my friend is polish, we both speak german.   it says : 

(front)

without clouds

there is no rain

without rain

flowers cannot grow

(inside)

it's raining now 

so that flowers can follow

that's not a direct translation, but since i wrote it, i figure i can take artistic licence with the translation.

i pasted a blue background the front.   

cut a cloud and umbrella.   i folded the places where the umbrella would have the ribs to give it a little depth.

i drew in the rain drops and the umbrella handle.

inside the flowers were cut like snowflakes.   i posted that here.

just hand cut several of different sizes and colors.   

the butterflies were hand cut as well.   i just cut on the fold.   leave the same.   i also put some light folds in the leaves and petals to give them some body.   i just glued in the center so that it would stick up a bit.  

 i added some petals to the envelope to make it pretty.   just a pick me up for someone.

phone message

gettin' my crafty paper cutter out.   my dear hubby brought it home a while back with out me even saying anything.   we left everything behind and i had quite a crafting selection at my disposal.   slowly i am finding some of the things i want again, but crafting isn't as popular here so it's been difficult.   things like a paper cutter and a glue gun are things that show me he is paying attention.

here's the story.   i am going on my first visiting teaching assignment here in germany.   if your not familiar, visiting teaching is how we keep everyone connected in our church.   each woman is assigned a partner and 3-4 other women to visit each month.   we bring a positive message of some sort and check in with them.  if there is anything wrong, any emergencies or anything that needs attention over the month we are to try and help them out with it or let the leaders know so that we can get some help for them.   often it's bringing in dinners or babysitting, helping with some chores that might need done or getting rides for appointments or something.    i arranged dinners to brought in to one of the women i visited when she staying in the hospital with her infant daughter who was very sick.   i also helped get some people lined up for babysitting when her husband went to work and grandparents couldn't be there.   just some little things that help out and take some of the worry off of the family.   we assign people so that there is an organized reporting system and not just hoping that someone will get help for them.

that's the basics.   this being my first time out here, i'm getting to know these people.   i thought it would be good to bring them something with our phone numbers on it so that they can call if there is anything they need.   i think cute doesn't get lost as fast so i came up with cute.

here's my phone with numbers -

i cut a basic old phone shape out of paper with the base on the fold.  

 when i cut the cradle of the phone out, i just cut straight down and then folded them so it would hold my pull out paper for my numbers.

 i folded the excess over to form the diagonal form of the phone base.   the folded piece also forms the stop for my pull out.   then i could glue the outside edge and the folded pieces.

 be sure you put your pull out piece in first, before you glue.   and make sure your pull out has a flared end or it will come all the way out.   it would work that way too if that fit your purposes better.

then it's just cutting some large circles for the rotor and some little details.   i have all the punches and cutting equipment in the states.   this tracing around a glass and cutting by hand thing really took me back to doing things with my mom and grandma as a kid.    i used a marker and just colored the edge of the lid to stamp my finger holes.   i could only fit 8 instead of 10 holes so i just didn't number them.   it's still bugging me but i'm trying to ignore the perfectionist part of my brain. i traced the inside of my tape dispenser for the center of the rotor and just free handed the rotor stop.

when i started gluing on the receiver,  i realized that i needed more room but then the paper would show when the phone was closed up all the way.   so i just folded the end over and then glued the receiver on.   the receiver flips up and then you pull out the rest.    german phone numbers are often 13 digits long, so it just bought me some space.  

all that's left is writing in phone numbers.   it would be a cute invite or way to give money if you stuck money in where the white paper is.

hope you find a fun use for it!   enjoy!