First Day of Spring and the Vernal Equinox: Egg Balancing

Today is the first day of spring, not that you would know it as I STILL HAVE SNOW ON THE GROUND.

But...I heard that you can stand an egg on its end ONLY during the Vernal Equinox, when day and night are equal in length. Supposedly, this is because there is equal gravity between the Earth and the sun on that day.

You know, this is the first year I ever attempted it.

And it worked.

Myth or no, it is still pretty cool.

Bird Watching is Fun

...as long as the birds remain outside.

Had a bird in my house.

I spent alllllllll morning trying to catch it.

First, I went looking for a solution online;

How to catch a wild bird in your house

The only problem, I am a squealing kind of girl when wild creatures are swooping around over my head apparently.

I ended up catching it with a tote and a shoebox.

Hot Glue Gun Snowman

I saw this pin before the holidays, and thought it was cute.

The instructions are fairly easy, you tie a piece of string and then shoot out the hot glue around it. While it is still warm, you add beads for the eyes and a little piece of pipe cleaner for the nose.

Obviously, you have to work quickly. 

Mine was not exactly a snowman.

I made Cassandra from Dr Who as part of a swap. (Dr Who Crafts swap.)

I wiggled the dried piece to get the crackled effect. 

As you can tell, the inner ring of glue was partially dry by the time I added the second ring. (Lost time while adding a new glue stick.)

I think this would be solved if you either have a better glue gun or were quicker about refilling it. Mine is sooooo slow. 

This became a magnet. 

Hot Glue Strings No More

Yesterday I finally made my button tree, which was probably one of my first pins ever.

See it here.

It only took about 2 hours to make, mostly that time was spent gluing on the buttons.

Afterward, there was this;

Glue strings! Yuck, but then I remembered a little trick to get rid of them.

how-to-get-rid-of-hot-glue-strings

Water Bottle Flowers

I saw the pin and the accompanied Fail.

But I attempted it anyway.

Instead of a 2-liter bottle, I used a soda bottle. The small one.

It can get all globby.

The trick is to lightly press the bottle into the paint for more flower-like shapes.

Packing Tape Image Transfers

This is a VERY good one.

Works perfectly.

I have been doing a lot of ATCs lately utilizing this technique.

You put a SOLID strip of tape over your image.
Rub, with the back of a spoon or a coin.
Wet for 10 seconds.
Rub the paper off.
Voila! Transparent image, with a sticky back (bonus!)
Adhere to....well, where ever you are putting it.

I made this one this morning.

Packing tape.

Image.

Playing card.

Marker.

DIY Mod Podge

I have seen this pin plenty.

Several recipes online for this. 

Glue and water.

I used this recipe as a fabric stiffener. 

I would only use it in place of Mod Podge in an emergency.

The general consensus is that this does not work out the same as Mod Podge. That it yellows as it dries and just won't work on the thicker papers. 

With the exception being this lady;

I have used the regular Elmer's Glue-All mixed with equal parts of water with great success. Just be sure to allow your work to dry thoroughly between layers and after you've completed your piece. Then you can add a coat of clear varnish (water type) or shellac to protect your finished object. Do not use the school glue for these projects as I don't think it's really thick enough to begin with. My husband bought a gallon of Elmer's Glue-All to use in his own work, and it's the most economical way to go if you're going to be doing a lot of decoupage work. I've covered entire bookshelves in decoupage and it worked great.