I will be taking my annual blog break and will return on January 1. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season.
12/16/24
12/13/24
The Best of 2024
Each December, I go back through all the projects I've made that year and pick out my favorites. It's a lot of fun to see everything I've made over a 12-month period. I almost always find that by the time December rolls around, I've completely forgotten what I made the previous January!
This was an unusual year, in terms of my crafting. First, my cancer diagnosis and treatment significantly reduced the amount of time I spent making stuff. I took six weeks off from blogging over the summer, which is potentially 30 projects that I otherwise would have made. Second, this year I've done a lot of posts that are travel-related (in addition to my usual trip reports). They include things like Fun Facts About US Airports and the State Name Quiz, as well as this book/puzzle review of Subpar Parks. I've focused on travel roundups, too, like the ones about the best Black History Museums or my favorite quirky museums. Finally, I've shared 38 (and counting!) pages I've colored using different art materials, which was time I wasn't making kids crafts or scrapbook layouts.
These are my favorite scrapbook layouts from 2024:
With all that said, let's take a look at what I did make, starting with my favorite kids crafts from 2024:
I'm looking forward to seeing what 2025 brings, creatively speaking!
12/12/24
Fireplace Christmas Ornament
Part Two of my Pinterest challenge was to make a craft inspired by something on my Christmas Crafts and Gifts Pinterest board. I chose a super cute fireplace ornament by I Heart Crafty Things. I made a few tweaks and came up with this:
This is the original:
As you can see, the basic concept is the same. I replaced the cardstock logs with mini craft sticks, which I decorated to look more like logs. I colored the main part of the fireplace like bricks and left the mantel wood. I shrunk the stockings significantly, added a third, and wrote in names: Trevor and his cousins, Timothy and Allison.
Below you'll find a tutorial that includes the changes I made. Definitely check out I Heart Crafty Things' detailed tutorial; Caroline includes a video plus photos for almost every step. And, of course, she is the original artist who came up with the idea. Affiliate links below.
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Fireplace Christmas Ornament
Materials:
Steps:
Paint three of the regular craft sticks and all of the mini craft sticks brown. Paint the remaining five regular craft sticks red.
While the paint is drying, cut out the cardstock. Cut a black square that is approximately 4" and set it aside. Cut out however many stockings you want. Write the names on the stockings with the Posca pen, then glue white trim to the main part of the stocking. Tear the tissue paper to make flames.
When the paint is dry, use the white Scribe-All pen to draw three lines down the length of each of the red craft sticks. The lines don't need to be perfect - freehand is fine. Then draw short vertical lines to represent the mortar between the bricks. Use the brown colored pencil to draw arcs at the ends of the mini craft sticks, as well as woodgrain along their length.
Arrange four of the brick-painted craft sticks vertically to form the sides of the fireplace. Lay the final brick-painted stick across the bottom of those sticks and glue it in place. Then glue the remaining standard craft sticks side by side across the top. Allow the glue to set for a few minutes.
Glue the black cardstock to the back of the fireplace, then glue the tissue paper in place. Arrange the mini craft sticks over the tissue paper at the bottom of the fireplace. Glue the stockings to the mantel.
Cut a length of twine and glue it to the back of the ornament to make a hanger.
12/11/24
Winter Thank You Cards
One of my creative goals for the year is to try at least four Pinterest ideas: a craft, a recipe, a scrapbook layout, and a card. I needed to make a set of cards to use as this year's Christmas thank you notes, so I decided that was the perfect opportunity to get inspired by something on my Cards and Card Sketches Pinterest board.
This is what I made:
Winter Thank You Cards (affiliate link)
And this is my inspiration:
I really like this farm-themed card by Kristie Marcotte. Not only is it eye-catching, but it's a great way to incorporate a lot of different patterned papers and a fantastic way to use up scraps. I can definitely see myself using this design again.
I need to go through my older patterned paper and see if there are other papers I'm not using because of large focal images. I can always use more cards.
12/10/24
St. Lucia Day Star Boy Hats
St. Lucia Day is a Swedish tradition, celebrated each year on December 13. It commemorates the martyr Lucia of Syracuse, who brought food to Christians hiding in Roman catacombs, lighting the way with a wreath of candles on her head. The modern celebration features a procession with Lucia, trailed by handmaidens, star boys, and gingerbread men. In addition to being the bearer of light, Lucia brings treats. These include gingerbread biscuits and S-shaped saffron buns.
Many Lutheran churches in the United States celebrate St. Lucia Day, either annually or occasionally, on the Sunday closest to the 13th. I remember having celebrated it a handful of times in my childhood. On Sunday, my church will be celebrating St. Lucia Day, for the first time in many years. I was in charge of making the hats for our four star boys. Affiliate links below.
St. Lucia Day Star Boy Hats
Materials:
- white poster board (one sheet makes two hats, 18" tall)
- scissors
- Treasure Gold paint
- binder clips
- hot glue
- yarn (I used the kind with gold tinsel in it)
Steps:
Cut along the arc. Draw or trace stars onto the center of the hat, then draw a 1.5" border along the arc. Fill in the stars and border with Treasure Gold. It will take two coats, but the shine is well-worth the effort.
When the paint is dry, it is time to coerce your poster board into a cone. It doesn’t want to become a cone, so this is a little tricky. Once you get it into position, use binder clips to prevent it from springing open and trying to un-cone itself. Apply hot glue along the length of the seam, then remove the binder clips.
Your star boys will keep their hats on with two pieces of yarn tied under their chins. Cut yarn into 12” pieces. Put a 1” line of hot glue on the inside of the side of the cone (where a strap would go) and place a piece of yarn there. Repeat on the process on the other side to make the second strap.
12/9/24
Northern Tier 2024
This is the page I made from Steve and Trevor's adventure at Northern Tier High Adventure Camp in June.
Northern Tier 2024 (affiliate link)
Scrapbooking a big trip is difficult, because there are so many photos and stories to fit on a single page. Scrapbooking a big trip I didn't attend is harder, because I have to prioritize photos and stories without having experienced them. On the other hand, I'm not as emotionally attached to the photos, so it's easier to objectively pick the best ones that represent different aspects of the trip. Because I already wrote a lengthly blog post about the trip, the scrapbook layout serves as a secondary way for them to remember the trip, so I didn't have to include a ton of journaling either. I love the way my blog and scrapbooks are both such important parts of memory keeping for our family.
12/6/24
50 State Quarters: Coloring Pages Using Sakura Koi Watercolors
Ready for the next batch of 50 State Quarter coloring pages? Today's states include Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and New Mexico. This time I used watercolors - specifically, the Koi Pocket Field Sketch Kit by Sakura. Affiliate links here and below.
I really enjoyed using watercolors on these coloring pages. I started with a color wash on each, let that dry, and then painted on top of that. Of course, I struggled with filling in the tiny letters, especially on the Hawaii quarter where the letters are even thinner. But a good paintbrush made a big difference.
Including these four, I have now completed 38 of the 50 State Quarter coloring pages. Here are all of the art materials I've used previously:
- Ohuhu Kaala markers (Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Wisconsin)
- ink and Prismacolor colored pencils (Connecticut, Idaho, Missouri, Montana)
- Flair pens (Delaware, Indiana)
- Sharpies (Maine, South Carolina)
- Stabilo Woody 3-in-1 (Colorado, New Hampshire)
- Folk Art acrylic paint (Wyoming, Rhode Island, Mississippi, Michigan)
- Crayola crayons (Florida, Maryland, South Dakota, Vermont)
- Himi gouache (Iowa, New York, Utah, West Virginia)
- Derwent Inktense pencils (Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana)
- Ohuhu Pupe markers (Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Washington)
It's exciting that the end of this project is in sight. Only 12 more pages to go!
12/5/24
Pantone Color of the Year 2025
I've been eagerly awaiting the Pantone 2025 Color of the Year announcement. I attended their seminar this morning, excited to find out what it would be. But before I get into the 2025 color, let's take a look back at the COTY from the past 12 years.
Based on everything I know about Pantone, I was predicting we'd see Cocoon as the 2025 COTY. Between the shade and the name, it seemed like the obvious choice. Unless Pantone chose a color that wasn't in the Trend Report, that is. Which is exactly what happened.
The Color of the Year is usually, but not always, taken from Pantone's Spring Trend Report. These are the colors in the Trend Report for Spring 2025.
Based on everything I know about Pantone, I was predicting we'd see Cocoon as the 2025 COTY. Between the shade and the name, it seemed like the obvious choice. Unless Pantone chose a color that wasn't in the Trend Report, that is. Which is exactly what happened.
The Pantone Color of the Year for 2025 is Mocha Mousse.
I'm going to go ahead and give myself credit for guessing correctly. The shade is similar and the descriptors are too. It just makes sense for where we are as a society right now. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Mocha Mousse! Let me know in the comments.
12/4/24
Arkansas 2023
Even though these travel layouts are among the most difficult to do (because there are so many pictures and memories to choose from), I love making them. It's only been 18 months since our family's adventures in Arkansas, but there was so much I'd forgotten between then and now. Looking at these photos (and reviewing my blog posts and daily journal) brought back so many wonderful memories.
Looking at these pictures makes me wonder: What would we have missed if our first planned trip to Little Rock had happened? We definitely wouldn't have had such beautiful weather, which would have limited the outdoor activities we did in Little Rock and would have made our visit to Hot Springs NP much less pleasant. Crater of Diamonds wasn't even on the agenda. While it was extremely frustrating at time, it's nice being able to look back and know that we had an even better time in Arkansas than we would have if the Christmas Trip to Nowhere had actually gone Somewhere.
12/3/24
The Fascinating Stories Behind California’s Place Names
My mom and I are both learning Spanish on Duolingo. We were talking about how many Spanish place names there are in California and how it would be interesting to learn about the origins of all the place names. It turns out my local library has a number of interesting books on the subject. I checked out two: California’s Spanish Place Names: What They Mean and the History They Reveal and California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names. Affiliate links here and below.
The two books are both fascinating yet very different, making them good companions for each other. California’s Spanish Place Names is essentially a detailed narrative history of California, starting with Spanish exploration in the 1500’s. It’s a book you’d read cover-to-cover (which I did). California Place Names is a reference book, with an alphabetical listing of places that includes a pronunciation guide, etymology, and interesting facts. You certainly COULD read it cover-to-cover, just the way you could read a dictionary that way. But considering that it is 467 pages long with an average of 20 entries on each page, I’m guessing most people look up specific places they’re curious about.
If you're interested in the topic, I recommend getting your hands on one or both of these books. Here are some things I found particularly interesting:
- Place-name scholars are called toponymists.
- All place names can be classified in five basic groups. These include:
- Descriptive. Examples include: Palo Alto (tall tree), Sausalito (small willow grove), Arroyo Seco (dry creek), La Brea (tar)
- Dramatic. These are named for memorable events or occurrences, like Calaveras (skulls), Cañada Verruga (wart valley), Oso Flaco (lean bear).
- Commemorative. This includes `everything in California that starts with San/Santa (saint), as well as places like Martinez, Amador, Vallejo, Benicia, which are all first or last names.
- Transported. Alhambra, Cordova, Malaga, Sonora are all place names in Spain or Mexico.
- Contrived. These made-up places sound Spanish, but they're not. Examples include Calexico, Buena Park, Mar Vista, Asilomar, Calistoga, and Coalinga.
- Early colonists named plenty of places using names or descriptive titles from Spanish, but they also took the existing names the indigenous population used and recorded them using the Spanish phonetic system. That's where we get place names like Tuolumne and Napa.
- Modern developers, business owners, and government officials often use Spanish names for housing developments, motels, recreation areas, marinas, etc. even when there’s no other connection to anything Spanish. In college, I lived in an apartment complex named ‘Hacienda del Sol’ that was not a ranch nor any sunnier than surrounding apartment complexes (some of which also had Spanish names). It did not have Spanish-style architecture or anything else to justify the name other than that it sounded good.
- Of California’s 58 counties, 32 of them have Spanish names. This includes two of the three counties in which I’ve lived. (Alameda means ‘grove of shade trees.’ Solano is much more complicated. It was named for Francisco Solano, chief of the Suisun tribe, baptized at Mission San Francisco Solano, who in turn was named for the 15th century apostle Francis Solanus). The third, Yolo, is the Spanish version of the name the native people called the area, meaning 'place abounding with rushes'. California itself is a Spanish place name, as is its capital, Sacramento. Almost all of our major cities have Spanish names.
- The color that appears in the most place names in California is black. Second is red. Third, white. Most of the ‘Black’ place names are Mountains (over 100), Peaks, Hills, Buttes, and Canyons.They’re not actually black, of course. They appear that way because of the geologic feature, the dark chaparral, and/or atmospheric conditions.
- Strawberry appears in more California place names than any other fruit, by far.
- Some Spanish place names sound a lot more appealing if you don't know their translations. Examples: Atascadero (place where one gets stuck in the mud) and Manteca (Lard).
Obviously, it's not just California that has interesting place names. Literally every other state (and country) does as well. Check out this list of the most difficult to pronounce cities in each state - I bet there are some interesting stories behind each of them as well.
12/2/24
Universal Yums: Italy and Belgium
We recently enjoyed the final two boxes in our 12-month Universal Yums gift subscription: Italy and Belgium. As it turns out, they were two of my favorite boxes. As usual, each box held a variety of snacks, an informational card, booklet and sticker set.
This is what came in the Italy box:
I’m always a big fan of the activities, articles, and trivia in each Universal Yums booklet. I learned all sorts of interesting things. Did you know that Italy holds the world record for the world’s largest truffle (4.16 lbs, sold for $61,250) and world’s largest pizza (131 feet in diameter)? Or that 10 of Shakespeare’s 38 plays are set in Italy? Venice, nicknamed the Floating City, has 117 canals and 417 bridges - wow!
So how were the Italian snacks? Delicious! I loved the tomato and oregano ring crackers and the pistachio candy bar. The jellies were fantastic, packed with flavor. I was concerned that the pepperoncini potato chips might be too spicy for me, but they weren’t at all. They were flavorful and extra crisp - fabulous!
This was everything in the Belgium box.
The booklet had a short article about cuberdons - we discovered those for the first time during our time in Brussels this summer. Yum! I learned that heavily-urbanized Belgium has fewer forests than the rest of Europe, but boasts the most castles per square kilometer (a total of over 3000). It is the world’s largest exporter of billiard balls. Perhaps the most interesting thing I learned is that the Brussels sprouts of my youth are not the same as the ones now. In the 1990’s, the chemical that makes sprouts bitter was identified, making it possible to breed the less-bitter sprouts that are now popular in trendy restaurants.
I loved the Belgian snacks. My favorite was the chocolate bar filled with raspberry yogurt, but I also loved the hazelnut truffles and the apple cookies. I was confident I wouldn’t like the mustard and pickle-flavored potato chips (since I don’t like mustard or pickles very much), but they were actually pretty good! I wouldn’t necessarily buy them again, but I had no problem finishing my portion. I was also unsure about the violet candies. I don’t love floral desserts, but these were fantastic - sour and sweet and bursting with flavor.
I've loved our year-long adventures with Universal Yums. I've learned a lot about different countries and tried foods I otherwise wouldn't have. A subscription to Universal Yums makes an excellent gift, but if you want to sample one first, I recommend buying a single box. These are affiliate links for the Italy, United Kingdom, and Korea boxes, all of which I've tried. I see that they also have the Greece box, which I haven't tried.... yet!