Pink Flamingo Printable Box

Here's the box, and there are plans for more flamingo printables this week!
Click on the box for a larger version, print on card stock, cut, score, fold, glue!

Whimsy runs wild in my family, and one of my whimsies is a strong desire for pink plastic flamingos in my yard. It's not one I've acted on yet. As you probably know, there aren't real flamingos in Alaska. There are also precious few plastic flamingos. What I want is to have a half dozen that TG and I can outfit for the seasons. We wouldn't keep them out all the time because cold+plastic is usually a bad thing. But we would knit them hats and scarves to have out occasionally during the winter. Anyway, that's the plan. My husband of course is less than thrilled. He did say "The only reason I'm NOT trying to talk you out of it is because I just know I'd come home from work to an army of pink flamingos."

He's so smart!

Get Flocked carries flamingos made using Don Featherstone's original molds that are made in the U.S.A. If you're looking for flamingos, or the perfect Christmas present for an Alaskan blogger living in a neighborhood with no flamingos (hee!)

Moose Photos!

Click on the images for larger versions. Only 2 this time.

Funny true story-  I said to Michael "This would be a good place to spot a moose." and he said "Or a space bear." since you hardly ever see things after saying something like that. Then we saw that moose. So we stopped so I could take some pictures. He said "Okay, so where's my space bear?"

Recently, a Menchie's opened up here. Menchie's, if you don't know, is a California based frozen yogurt company. They have lots of flavors of soft serve frozen yogurt and toppings. You go in, grab a bowl, fill it with what you want, and top it how you want, then pay by weight. Michael says it looks like a yogurt themed Sanrio shop. All bright colors and merchandise based on their logo of a happy swirl yogurt. We took the kids on Valentine's Day and they were both thrilled. So many choices! They have a couple circular chalkboards that people write on, so my Doctor obsessed daughter wrote on one.

Michael and I like it, I prefer my yogurt to taste more like yogurt and less like ice cream, but liked that they had fruit available and had a vanilla yogurt with peaches and berries. Michael had vanilla with hot caramel and chocolate candy bits. The kids, not even sure what all they mixed in their bowls. It was fun, and since they are in walking distance, it's going to be a fun treat this summer.
TG loved their spoons. A little heavier quality plastic than most disposable spoons with the happy yogurt character sculpted on top. They are brightly colored and she gathered all our spoons to bring home.

Flying Panda Bead Pattern

 I've decided to try and give my posts relevant names that make them easy for people and spiders to see what the post is about, or I would have named this post "Watch out for flying pandas!"
So.. quick version, I got me and the kids all stuffed pandas just for fun. They made me smile and I wanted to share. And while my kids are teens now, they both still enjoy stuffed animals, or at least, enjoy making me happy by always acting thrilled on those rare occasions I decide they need one.
So after I got my panda, which I named Rainbow on account of the fact it was black and white (naming a panda Zebra would just be silly) , I sat in my chair watching PBS with my husband and tossing Rainbow in the air. Then Rainbow flew wildly out of my hands and hit Mike in the face.
Mike handed it back to me without a word.
The second time it happened, he said "Really? It just got away from you twice? And hit me in the face both times?" And I said "uh huh. Can I have my panda back?"
A few days later it happened a third time. Whoops.
So now Mike's sworn that if another panda hits him in the face, all the pandas are going to panda jail.
Monday, I was talking to my son, and the panda went again. I explained to him that my panda could fly and he had to get out of the flight path because once it started, it didn't know how to steer. Mike said "It's true. I've been hit in the face by 3 pandas." and I said "No, just one. Mine. The other two are innocent non-flying pandas."
It didn't help.
So, now you know why the panda has wings.  It's a good size to use in a necklace or as a pin.

Candy Corn Striped Cupcake Box

Using the stripe from the candy corn treat box and the cupcake box template, I made this cupcake box for you.

 

Click on the images for the full size 100 ppi versions.

About glitter-

Not really related to the boxes, but does anyone else have glitter issues with their husbands? Glitter is a craft transmitted disease you know. No matter how careful you are, some wanders. I'm not always careful. Our home has an ambient glitter level, and all of us have a sparkle of glitter somewhere on ourselves. Last year I told my 18 yo son he had glitter on his face. He shrugged, indicated the living room with a wave of the hand. Like "I'm supposed to avoid sparkling in this house?". Some of my husband's co-workers assume he's going to a local strip club regularly since he's always got a sparkle somewhere on him. The stuff just endures. We vacuum, I try to get it all up. But there it is. The sparkle of glitter. We are the Glitterati. Marked by E's and my love for the stuff. We use it on fairy wands, I stencil with it, I use it in resin. I'm half magpie and can't resist the sparkle. So when Andrea of The Paper Purse suggested using glitter on  the paper snails I passed on the suggestion to my poor suffering but very sparkly husband. He says I don't need enabling in my glitter addiction, but did ask if we of the Glitterati had a secret handshake. I said "Yes. We wave hands with glitter dust on them so the glitter shimmers, and some always comes off to mark the spot we met in."

The zoo, mushrooms, gravity, and nunchaku

Today we went to the zoo since I was finally feeling well enough after a week of rotten weather that left me cranky hurty and overly emotional.
At the zoo, he was laughing at me, because I was taking pictures of mushrooms. I tried to explain it to him, but finally just settled for him pointing out those very pretty and poisonous mushrooms that are sort of orange and red so I could get pictures of them. Because mushrooms are cute. I did not take pictures of naked alpacas but I did tell them they were naked for a good cause.
I also got some good pictures of magpies, and we saw a blue jay teasing the snow leopards. See, the snow leopard enclosure is completely fenced in, and it kept bouncing on the top of the fence just over the leopards head, the leopard would get right under it, and the jay would scold and sound like it was laughing.
It was funny. We spent a good 10 minutes laughing at that jay's antics. Caw caw!
--
Recently Nova played the episode about black holes at the center of the galaxy, and the wonderment of scientists finding proof that there was evidence of black holes at the center of most galaxies. I was really exhausted with hurting that night so I went to bed in the middle of it rambling as Mike tucked me in about the silliness of the scientists being so surprised. I said "It makes sense, because of the orbits and stuff that the universe operates on gravity which isn't very well understood. It's the power of suck."
He kissed my forehead and said "Go to sleep Shala."
So I asked William. "William, why does the moon orbit earth?"
"Gravity."
"Why does the earth orbit the sun?"
"Gravity." (at this point he's giving that "Mom, you're crazy, but I'll humor you." look)
"Okay, galaxies rotate, the sun and other stars rotate, what's in the middle of the galaxy?"
"Probably a black hole."
See??? He's not a scientist! But given the givens, he thought it made sense that a black hole was in the middle of it all. And I was right. It's the power of suck. Or gravity.
---
I'm crocheting nunchaku. Which led to a very silly conversation. I mentioned that I was sizing them for myself. I looked up the standard dimensions for traditional nunchaku. The cord should cross the palm with just enough for the sticks to hang over the sides, and the stick parts should be long enough when held to protect the forearms. Mike said "They are crocheted, they will not protect your forearm." and I said "Yes, but I have to size them to someone and my hands and arms are the smallest, and I want them to be as accurate as possible."
"They are soft plushie nunchaku, not weapons."
"But they COULD be. I could fill them with steel shot."
"And practice the subtle art of chet (pronounced shay, like the end of crochet)"
"Mike, you're being silly."
"Oh, I'm SO sorry."

Working on- crocheted nunchaku (pattern will be available when I finish them)
Cupcake box sized for a standard cupcake (will be posted soon)
Tutorial for reading a peyote bead graph

On deck- Article on shaping peyote around objects with gorgeous examples by Miss Teri, and some sort of ogala butterfly project.

Everyone who won the drawing, postcards will be mailed tomorrow. Sorry about the lateness. Last week was really really hard for me physically.