A Marvelous Mess Party And A Steampunk Craft!!

My sister and I are big Steampunk fans. 

We dressed in Steampunk for Halloween last year.....

And, I'm betting we'll do it again this year (though I do have an urge to do a Firefly outfit....but that's has some Steampunk style to it anyway). 

So, anywho.... I made this for her for her birthday.

It's a plain picture frame with an printed image from the Graphics Fairy. 

Then lots of fabric rosettes, vintage junky jewelry, lace trim froman old white skirt, and whole lotta hot glue later......and this is what I created. What do you think? 

Funky, I know.

Funky, funky, funky.

You'll find this post linked up at many of the parties on my "Parties" tab above and also these parties here:
Between Naps On The Porch

Now, here is my favorite from last weeks party:

My Melted Ice Cream Cake from Don't Mess With My Tutus.

What a lovely photo, too!

Don't forget to grab a "Featured" button from the sidebar. 

Now, on to the party!!!

Homemade Bird Feeder Craft

Disclosure: I receive payments for referrals to Social Spark...and you can too! See below!

Since our move I've decided that I want to focus on bringing some birds around our new place. We've put out a sock style finch feeder and I wanted to make another feeder for the birds. 

So, I looked around on the web.....

And, I thought about it a lot......

and, when I saw an empty plastic container, my brain finally made up it's mind. 

So, to make my bird feeder, you need:

~Large-ish soda bottle

~Round plastic container, with lid (I used an air dry clay container)

~Scissors

~Drill

~Floral Wire

~Spray Paint (optional)

~Bird Seed

-Trim the base off the soda bottle and save it for later.

-Make two holes on opposite sides of the bottle near where the base was, using the drill, about one inch from the top. 

~Spray paint your plastic container, base and lid, if you'd like. 

-Now, take the base of your plastic container and drill two holes on opposite sides of it.

 -Line them up with the ones on the soda bottle, and using long pieces of floral wire, secure both sides to each other, tight enough so that it won't flip over in the breeze, but loose enough to open so that you can fill up the feeder when it needs it. 

-Have the wire come out the top and twist the two wires together, then make a loop and secure them tightly. 

-Use your scissors to trim some little holes in the outer edge of the lid, for irrigation. 

-Then, make four holes around the top of the soda bottle.

-Next, use the leftover base of the bottle and place it in the middle of the plastic lid. Make four holes that go through the lid and the bottle base.

-Use floral wire to attach the base, lid, and top of bottle together.....I can't really explain how I did it, and don't look too closely at my photo or you'll see that I did it kinda goofy. I bet you can do a better job. 

-Fill it up with bird seed and you've got a lovely Bird Feeder!!

Here it is in the three with my silver spoon chime craft....

And, a close-up of it.

I've made (as a kiddo craft) a different bird feeder, too.

I also wanted to tell you about the awesomest blog advertising company out there:

Social Spark is great. 

I totally recommend it!

Disclosure: I receive payments for people referred (and you will too if you use Social Spark!)

I've shared this craft at many of the parties you can find on my "Parties" tab above and at all of these blogs:

http://thegrantlife.com/life-of-the-party-1/

Inside Activities for Kids in the Hot Summer Months

Summer is a time of freedom, lazy afternoons and fun vacations. But the day-to-day can get boring for the kiddos. If your summers are a dream, then find fun outdoor family activities and get to it. If, on the other hand, you live in a place with very hot summers, spending a lot of time outdoors might not be an option. It’s tempting to fall into the routine of lots of television, movies or video games since it’s convenient and cool. However, consider the following creative indoor activities for fun out of the sun:

• Perform a play. Kids love getting creative, so bust out the costumes and props to inspire a show. You can either direct the show or allow one of your older children to do so, but help organize the effort if they need direction. You may want to find a simple short play online or ask your kids to write it and make this a weeklong effort. Involve the neighbor kids if you need more actors or stagehands.

• Redecorate their bedrooms. Could your kids’ rooms use another coat of paint and some sprucing? Take the time to do so when you know you won’t be wasting a nice day outdoors. Go beyond painting if you can afford to. Ask your child to help choose new accents, such as customized wall art, pillows, personalized fleece blankets and other knickknacks around the room.

• Prep arts and crafts. If you’ve got little artists in your family, keep a cabinet full of arts and crafts supplies. Try to come up with one project a day or week, depending on how extensive the project. Younger kids can finger paint while older kids might enjoy scrapbooking. If one of your children is not artistic, this time could be used to write a story that another child could illustrate. Find out your kids’ talents and interests and make sure you have the necessary supplies on hand.

• Hold a cookie contest. If you have several older children (or neighbor kids who like to hang out at your house), tell each one to choose a recipe (or create one!) and bake a batch of cookies. Then you can be the judge and award each cookie, from most creative to most delicious. Of course, make each child or team feel validated and end the contest with a fun time of cookie-eating.

• Exercise. It may sound simple or boring, but it’s important to keep up your family’s exercise regimen during the summer months, especially since kids might not be running around outside as often. Find creative ways to work out together, such as jumping rope, lifting free weights, jumping rope or doing a circuit routine.

• Hold a dance contest. This is another fun way to get your kids moving and using the creative parts of your brain. Split your kids into two teams and have them choreograph a routine. Or if there aren’t enough children to make two teams, then have all the kids work together to create a dance they can perform when Dad gets home.

These are just a few ideas for fun indoor activities you can do with your kids when it’s just too hot outside. If you’re finding it hard to brainstorm, ask your children what they’d like to do. That way, everyone feels involved and looks forward to your time together.

Author Bio: Heather Hewitt is a seasoned writer and guest author who enjoys connecting people with thoughtful products, services and ideas as they relate to crafting, photography, gift giving and personal expression.