Monthly Archives: April 2012

Dreaming of Bees

30 Monday Apr 2012

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I took my first beekeeping class yesterday.  One finger bears a slightly puffy sting to prove it.  (She must have been trapped outside my glove and left her stinger when I pulled them off, poor dear).  I have been wanting to learn more about bees for years and we bought this house with a backyard hive in mind.  I was lucky to find a great teacher right around the corner from us in Brooklyn.  Mickey Beaman comes from three generations of keepers and is engaging and slightly crazy enough to make an enthusiastic and patient teacher.  I’d started reading The Beekeeper’s Bible before the class and I can’t put it down.  I have used it as bedtime reading for the kids…It is a beautiful book about the history, behavior and care of bees and is full of beautiful illustrations and recipes.  Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley is another amazing peek inside the collective of the hive.  Standing outside the entrance to the hive yesterday and watching the flurry of activity made me want to get to know these creatures.  We have such a lot to learn before we order any of the supplies from the catalog but I am excited to be at the start of a new project!   I am dreaming of the buzz and honey for our tea and of teaching the kids about the magic of bees.

Organizing Art Work

27 Friday Apr 2012

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Two of my favorite ways to organize kids’ artwork come from the hardware store.  Clothespins are perfect for hanging things from Metro Shelves.  If you don’t have shelves you can stretch heavy twine between eye hooks and hang from there.  Painter’s tape makes easily removable frames for rotating pictures.  Both of these methods work well with bulky collage pieces.  If you still love a piece after it has spent time on the walls it can be moved to a large folder such as this by Alex Toys.  There is nothing like time staring at a piece on the wall to help with the editing!

May Flowers Card (A Two-Part Mailing, Part Two)

26 Thursday Apr 2012

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Here is the second half of our April Showers/May Flowers tutorial:  (If you missed the first part, you can see it here).  You still have time to get the April card in the mail before May shows up!  To make the May Flowers card you will need:

*Felt in various colors

*Scissors

*Card Stock or blank card

*Glue

*Crayon or Colored Pencil

*Vellum Envelope to fit card

1. Cut out petal shapes from felt.

2. Glue petals in circle to form flower and let dry.

3. Draw in stem and center of flower.

4. Print this message inside card: “…May Flowers!”

5. Place card inside envelope and drop in the mail.

*These two cards would make great invitations for a May party.

Happy Spring!

Toy Storing

25 Wednesday Apr 2012

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In a burst  of spring cleaning we are opening windows, airing out winter quilts and organizing a stoop sale for the weekend.  I love getting rid of stuff we don’t need and passing it to someone else who does.  Very satisfying.  This storage cart from Steele Canvas is my favorite toy organizer for the things we can’t part with.  It is perfect for kids to throw toys into and easily moves when you want to rearrange a room.  I love Steel Canvas’s minimal industrial look and the uses are endless: laundry, firewood, pet food, yarn and craft storage…Their products are made for the commercial industry so they can survive your children.

Green!

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

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We found newly opened leaves on the sidewalk, knocked down by the heavy rain last night.  The overcast sky today makes the green glow and we brought some in to brighten up the house.  The leaves reminded me of an amazing documentary about origami called Between the Folds.  The film talked about a quest to fold a perfect shape and the years of practice in a futile attempt to mimic the folds that contain a leaf inside a bud.  Amazing.

Robin’s Egg

23 Monday Apr 2012

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We found half robin’s egg shell on the sidewalk on the way to school.  Ada is part magpie, so she was thrilled.  We needed to fortify the fragile shell a bit, so we filled it up with Elmer’s Glue and let it dry.  Now it is strong enough to join the collection and survive inspection by a curious three year old.

Seedling Flip Book

20 Friday Apr 2012

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We just did our yearly planting of Morning Gloria seeds in our window.  (Ada’s name for them from when she was two).  Planting the saved seeds reminded me that we’d taken photos of the growth last year in order to make this flip book project.  You will need:

*Growing Plants (We started the photos with newly planted seeds)

*Camera

*Card Stock

*Double-stick Tape

*Scissors

*Hole Punch

*Ribbon or Yarn

1. Take a daily photo of the plants.  Be sure to stand in exactly the same spot and try for the same time each day.  (You may want to mark the spot with painter’s tape).

2. Print all photos once growth is complete.  It is important that the images be the same size.  (We used a regular printer to make our 2″x4″ photos).

3. Cut card stock to fit around photos, leaving a 1/8″ boarder on three sides and 1/4″ on the left for binding.  Make one extra for the cover.

4. Mark two spots for holes to be punched in one piece of the card stock.  Holes should be about 1/4″ in from the left side in order to put the ribbon through.

5. Punch holes in one piece of card stock and use this as a stencil to mark the others.  It is important that all holes are in the same place.

6. Put double stick tape on the back of a photo and line it up on the card stock.  Stick down, and repeat.

7. Stack photos in order of growth and thread ribbon through holes.

8. Hold book in left hand and flip to watch the garden grow!

Neighborhood Alphabet Book

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

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We have several versions of Alphabet books at our house and decided to make our own custom version.  We took the camera along on our daily walks and Ada pointed out each letter in the series.  It was fun to turn the alphabet into a treasure hunt and Ada loved getting the finished book back in the mail.  (She even spotted a V made out of her carrots at lunch time).  It took us about two days to find all 26, but could be a longer project depending on the signage in your hood.  You will need:

*Camera

*Access to Photo Site.  (We used Iphoto, but there are lots of options)

1. Walk around and let your child find the alphabet.  (This can be done with little or lots of assistance depending on child’s age).

2. Take photo of each letter.

3. Upload photos, lay out one letter per page.

4. Add Title, Author, Locations, etc.

5. Order book. (The cost of our paperback book was under $30 with shipping).

*These would make fun gifts for kids and could be done for numbers, shapes, landmarks…So many possibilities!*

Wisteria and Violets

17 Tuesday Apr 2012

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Chris was cleaning up in the back yard this weekend and found Wisteria in bloom!  We had it on our planting wish list, and there it was.  We must have missed it in August when it was done flowering and surrounded by the overgrown jungle in the back yard.  It has opened up all across the neighbor’s back shed and grown two stories up into the trees.  We can see the purple blooms from all of the back windows in the house.  Who planted it there?  The vine looks old.  Who were they?  Who planted the tiny purple violets in the yard that exactly match the ones on the old teacup that I use every morning?  Someone cared about this place a long time ago.  We are excited to uncover more about the lives that went on here before us.

Planted Can

16 Monday Apr 2012

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I like buying groceries with beautiful packages.  It makes me happy see bright little compositions behind the cabinet doors.  In honor of Earth Day this weekend, we reused these colorful tomato cans as geranium pots.  The graphic labels are printed on and will withstand drips from a watering can.  You will need:

*Recycled Can

*Can Opener

*Geranium, or other small plant

*Potting Soil

*Small Stones or Broken Clay Pot Shards

1. Wash and dry can.

2. Turn can over and punch a series of slits on the bottom to allow for drainage.  Our holes are about half an inch long.

3. Put one inch of stones inside can.

4. Put in plant and fill in any space with potting soil.  Soil line should be half an inch from the top of can so that it will not spill out when watered.

5. Place a tray or dish underneath when watering.

*These would make sweet Earth Day or Mother’s Day gifts.