It Came from Texas

Gearing up for Relay For Life. Making Glittery Deputy Stars for...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:32:10 -0400

Gearing up for Relay For Life. Making Glittery Deputy Stars for Troop 95’s Jail :)

Popsicle Stick Bird Caller for Cub Scouts

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:39:00 -0400

Popsicle Stick Bird Caller for Cub Scouts

Completion of the Nature Crafts elective is a requirement for the Cub Scout World Conservation...

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:04:00 -0400

Completion of the Nature Crafts elective is a requirement for the Cub Scout World Conservation Award. Collecting Seashells is one of the activities. A person who collects and/or studies seashells is called a Conchologist .

While Beachcombing can be a fun activity for the entire family, it’s important to follow a few rules. The Boy Scout’s Leave No Trace Front Country Guidelines will keep yourself and the environment safe. In the case of Rule #4 “Leave What You Find” it’s considered acceptable to collect items long as it fits this important rule:

DON’T TAKE ANYTHING LIVING

Even though you may be tempted to take a hermit crab home, it would be cruel to remove it from it’s natural environment. This rule also applies to plants and the numerous creatures that “look” like plants that can be found in tidal pools. Sticking to seashells, driftwood and dead coral and man made items is your best bet, but be sure to check inside for residents before adding them to your bucket of goodies.

Once you get home with your finds, it’s time to identify 5 seashells and complete the Nature Crafts elective. First time Conchologists should stick to the basics. Don’t worry about figuring out what Family or Species the shell is. You can do this later if you decide to be a serious shell collector. Concentrate instead on these 2 novice rules.

1> Was the creature that lived in the shell a Gastropod (snail)? or Bivalve (clam or oyster)?

2> What shape is the shell? Does it have ridges? Coloring?

The following web pages are useful identification tools for the novice Conchologist:

SeaShells.org - A great place for a novice collector to get their feet wet. Provides info on beach combing basics, a handy identification section, and a chapter on cleaning and preserving your finds.

CostalLiving.com’s Beginner Shell Guide - offers a very good identification tool for the beginner shell collector. Gastropod shells are simply classified by shape without delving into family and species. Costal Living’s Bivalve Shell Guide is an equally handy companion guide for Bivalve shells. Of course, there are a lot more than shells on the beach. You can see some of those other finds in the Beachcombing Basics guide.

Ta-Da! Our paste made the planet look…..pasty. But you...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:12:32 -0500

Ta-Da! Our paste made the planet look…..pasty. But you can still see the ice caps and the red and orange surface. Russ decided to add a rover and satellite just for fun. I hope it holds together until he gets it to school.

Russ’s 3rd Grade Science Project - Build Mars….or...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:55:10 -0500

Russ’s 3rd Grade Science Project - Build Mars….or rather a model of Mars. Take a round rubber ball, mix some paste and cover it in paper mache. Tons of sticky, messy fun! I’ll post pics of the finished product tomorrow. :-D

DD

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:18:00 -0500

Me: Practice Today?
DD: Basketball band :P but (boyfriend) is taking me home :)
Me: Mhmmmm.......be careful
DD: Seatbelts....check
Me: LOL
DD: That is what you are talking about right?
Me: ;)
DD: MOTHER!!!!!
DD: I love how you were talking to C XD
Me: o.O
DD: XDDD C was the one texting you all of that XD
Me: Ugh....well he should be careful too! Lol
DD: XXXXXXXDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Winter's Bone

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:51:00 -0500

Winter's Bone:

Sonny: Maybe they’ll share some of that with us.

Ree: That could be.

Sonny: Maybe we should ask.

Ree: Never ask for what oughta be offered.

Spoonflower FTW! My latest order of samples came in the mail...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:13:00 -0500

Spoonflower FTW! My latest order of samples came in the mail yesterday. An arrival from Spoonflower.com always brightens my day :D

I have decided to NOT cut my samples apart this time. Instead I will photograph them as they are. This should make them easier to store. Plus, I’m putting notes in the margins of the samples. This will help me remember what changes I need to make to the pattern and what comments to make when I post the pictures.

"sharonhuston replied to your photo: I’m totally loving these old retro clothing… I love..."

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:21:05 -0500

“

sharonhuston replied to your photo: I’m totally loving these old retro clothing…

I love the peach “hostess coat.” Did people actually wear those things???? The rest of the outfits look fairly practical, but that coat!!!

”

- The pattern states it’s a “Housecoat or Jacket”. I guess it really depends on what kind of fabric you use. The other half of the pattern shows a shorter version that looks like a jacket. I suspect that a lot of these patterns were re-worked and re-released in updated versions.

I’m totally loving these old retro clothing patterns! They...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:05:54 -0500

I’m totally loving these old retro clothing patterns! They were given to me years ago by my friend’s mom when she found out I liked to sew. Sadly I never used any of them. I spent all afternoon checking the envelopes to make sure all the pieces were in them. I will list them in my Ebay shop this week. I’m tempted to keep a few to try my Spoonflower fabric designs on. Unfortunately, none of them are in my size (reminds me of ANOTHER New Year’s Resolution)

Found this blank journal in a box of books that belonged to a...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:08:09 -0500

Found this blank journal in a box of books that belonged to a dear friend who passed away a while ago. I’ve been thinking of keeping a journal lately (New Years resolutions and all). It seemed like bad luck to throw it out. The books went onto Half.com. The journal - I decorated with a cover made from some Spoonflower fabric samples. I think Fawn would have liked it.

Kicking It

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:34:26 -0400

I’m kicking around the idea of starting a tumblr blog. My sisters and cousins all have one, and it seems a fun way to keep an eye on what they are all up to. In addition, since eBay has lightened up their blogging policy, I can also discuss things I find there and talk a little bit about my eBay business *cough* Of course, without highlighting specific items in my shop and such….

So we will see what develops….