Check This Out!

http://www.clouds365.com/
(read the "About" section)
And Happy New Year~ I hope you find/do something you love this year!

Pursue a talent, make a goal, find a new interest, be a better buddy!



Speaking of clouds...This is my sunset I chased on Christmas Day (I loved the glow of the cloud and maybe some jet stream). I added the words on Picnik http://www.picnik.com/app#/home/welcome - a very cool photo editing site Lauren discovered! (that would be Lauren who has a bunch of books she could tell you about!)

Stella's Day

Stella's Day from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Very cute video. Hope you have time to watch it. Merry Christmas everybody!

Suz

Happy Chickens Lay Healthy Eggs

What do happy chickens have to do with a 12-year-old boy who lives near Boston? Check out Orren's blog "Happy Chickens Lay Healthy Eggs." He talks about raising chickens, where our food comes from, and some other cool things, like a link to a surfing movie about appreciating where you're at. Here are some quotes from what he's writing on Twitter:

"Most kids my age would rather talk about and think about their gaming systems than what they are eating, oh well. Night."

"Just read that cows with named produce 6% more milk, (NYT Year in Ideas) 'Named cows are often treated nicely...happy cows make more milk'"

Here's the link to his blog: http://happychickenslayhealthyeggs.blogspot.com/

Here's the link to where you'll find him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/HappyChickens

Suz

(Photo Source: http://happychickenslayhealthyeggs.blogspot.com/, photo taken by Orren's friend Morgan.)

Disney Christmas Special

Grab the popcorn my friends! Tonight there's a Disney Christmas special - ABC, 8:30/7:30C "Prep & Landing"http://tinyurl.com/yhyoscf

Starbucks Love Project

Starbucks is known for coffee, but you can get hot cocoa, steamed milk (with different flavors like raspberry) and even fruit/creme frapps (like a milkshake). They have a project going on right now to raise money for AIDS relief in Africa called the "Starbucks Love Project." You can participate in 3 ways.

• Free: draw a "Love" related picture (online using their art tool). They will donate $.05 cents for each drawing. (I drew, er painted, ummm moused, the picture above)
• Singing on December 7
• Purchase: Spend $15 at a Starbucks store, get a "Love" CD, and they will donate $1

Read more about the Starbucks Love Project.

Homemade Cards

Here's a Christmas card challenge:

1. Choose a holiday subject you like. In the photo above I picked "Hot Chocolate" because I love the song, and the drink!
2. Sketch your subject in the center of the page.
3. Write on the picture if you want. I wrote "Hot Chocolate" in the mug handle.
4. Next surround the subject in "Christmas-sy" shapes you can scatter them in a shape like a heart around the subject - or just cover the sheet. If you want to give the impression of a shape draw a guide to help you know where to "scatter" the tiny images. For the picture above the shape is a heart. I lightly sketched an outline of a heart to know how far out to draw and erased the shape when I was done.
5. Sketch (draw lightly) in pencil first so you can fix any mistakes. Then outline in felt-tip pen. Erase the pencil and color.
6. Scan to e-mail, or copy to mail out.

Have fun and feel free to share any pics with us of your cards! I know it's still November, but Happy Holidays anyways!

Suz

The Daily Wag

Like pets? How about dogs? Read "The Daily Wag" a blog about two Frenchies (Francesca & Sharkey) who live with Martha Stewart, for a playful look at the world through their eyes.

Suz

(Picture source: The Daily Wag blog - marthastewart.com)

Hurry!

I found some beautiful pink and red and even white leaves the other day on the sidewalk from a neighbor's pretty red- leaved fall bushes. I think in the shadier spots the leaves go pink to even creamy white. I grabbed an empty cup from my van that previously held paper trash and used it to gather as many as I could, then brought them home and found a big book to press them in. I hope to be able to put them on some cardstock, maybe some craft paper, and make names with them, then find an inexpensive frame to put them in.

Recently I printed some names off of my computer for a small group of girls and had them glue some old fall hued lilac bush leaves I'd pressed last year, around their names, then we used contact paper to cover them. The paper was brown and their names in dark brown, almost black, and all of the leaves were deep purply browns and golden yellows. I think they turned out nice book marks.

So before the leaves all leave, try to find some to press and maybe you can make some Christmas presents with them for your besties or your favorite Aunt (like Suzanne). Maybe even your family's last name with leaves surrounding it in a frame would make a nice addition to your Thanksgiving decorations.

I will have to take some pictures when I get going on my craft and show you how they turn out. They need to dry first. They were pretty papery, but still soft, when they had fallen, so it might not take long. And with all of the beautiful leaves this year, I have a lot to play with. I have many from my maple trees in my front yard as well. Right now I am afraid to look out the window and see the state of my lawn because after raking all of them in a great big pile yesterday with my kids (then playing in them :) the wind was fierce last night! The good new is though, I have a great tip for the leaf clean up we discovered yesterday that my 10 yr. old daughter thought was great, as it is her job to rake and bag the leaves : Instead of using a rake, use a push broom and push it across your lawn for a quick pile. You might have to get the strays with a rake, but it saves your back a lot of ache not twisting, and it is so much faster. Our front yard was almost completey covered from our 3 big maples, but we had it piled up in no time.

If any of you make something with your leaves you'd like to share, or have another idea to make something with them, please share them with us!

Free Science Music

Did you like the Glorious Dawn movie? If so, you can download the music (MP3) for free for two science related songs ("A Glorious Dawn" and "We Are All Connected") at Symphony of Science.

Halloween Cupcakes

Here's a sweet project full of Halloween spirit!

Supplies

Cupcakes

Frosting

M&Ms

Good & Plentys

Jelly Beans

Chocolate kisses

Cornell Bird Contest: Deadline October 31

Jeanne spotted a cool contest about birds: "Go outside and take a photo, do a painting, write a story or poem, or even shoot a video showing crows, pigeons, starlings, an owl or any kind of bird doing something strange to you." Get the rest of the details about this contest and the prizes from the flyer (PDF) or the website.

Apple Pie and the Universe

I'm a fan of the sky and stars. When I was in high school I got to go to space camp "Sky Lab" and guess what? That same astronomy teacher "Mr. Barenka" went to Em's elementary school to teach about space!

The following movie shows an American astronomer, a professor, Carl Sagan, who made science easy to understand on a PBS show called "Cosmos." You'll also see a little bit of Stephen Hawking, a professor of physics in England. So, if you're wondering about what apple pie has to do with the universe, check out the movie.

Looking for a journal entry idea? List your favorite pie(s). Pretend you're a food critic and write what you like about your favorite pie. (Have you seen Ratatouille? There's a good example of a food critic in that movie!) Here are some other questions you might want to write about: Have you ever helped bake a pie? Does your family bake them at home or do you buy them at the store? If you buy, them, from where? Do you get the small Hostess pies in your lunch for school?

Ahoy!

Avast me hearties! Happy "Talk Like a Pirate Day!" Have fun adding a bit o' pirate-y goodness to your day! Here are some ideas :

• Watch Pirates of the Caribbean
• Go to the library and check out the books on pirates
• Sketch a picture of your favorite pirate or crew member

Arrrrrr!

Buttons for Your Blog or Website

Found these buttons for your blog while poking around about H1N1 (otherwise known as Swine Flu) after Lauren's school called with a recorded message about keeping your kids home if they are sick. There are many sizes and styles so go take a peek and put them on your blog to remind your friends to wash their hands and to stay home from school.

http://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Campaigns/H1N1/Buttons.html

Visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1 for more information.

Catching a Breath

I don't know about you but school has started here and it has been a little crazy, so I thought I would just remind everyone to stop and catch your breath when things get a little hectic. Find some soothing music, or maybe even go without sound for a bit and give yourself a chance to refocus in the midst of all of your new homework and juggling of evening and morning schedules.

How about you write a comment and tell me how you like to unwind and recharge. I'll start first ... sometimes when we are back and forth in the van I like to turn on classical music and it really helps my brain stop buzzing. My kids don't like it for long, except my 5 year old ballerina, but I just tell them it will help with math! Other times there is nothing like a good nap if I get the opportunity... Sunday afternoons are great for that usually for some in my family, my husband likes the noise of a fan, which can be nice, but sometimes I find it frazzling and it makes my ears numb, so I have to shut them all down, as well as the computers and just have it as quiet as possible.... now your turn.

I feel like I am saying this a lot lately, but happy back to school everyone. Hope your year has started well!

Perseid Meteor Shower

"The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to put on a good show this week for those willing to get up in the wee hours of the morning and wait patiently for the shooting stars.

In North America, the best time to watch will be between midnight to 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, but late Tuesday night and also Wednesday night could prove fruitful, weather permitting."

Source: Yahoo News - Read more about the meteor shower

Kool-Aid Bag Giveaway

Time for back-to-school shopping already! It must be. Just look at the grocery store. The slip-n-slides, goggles and floaty toys have been replaced with folders, paper and backpacks. So okay, it's back-to-school how do you score a Kool-Aid pencil bag? (We have 3 pencil bags to share! "Oh-yeah!")

Leave us a comment and tell us how you are going back to school "earth friendly" - just make a list - and tell us which is your very favorite! That's it. You can add your comments to this post until August 31st at 9pm MST. We'll post the winners on the blog, so check back to see if you got a bag and to find out how to contact us. (We'll put all comment-ors names into a hat and select randomly.)

Here are a few of the cooler things I've seen so far:

• 100% Cotton Canvas backpacks (organic)
  
• Kool-Aid Drink, Pencil bag (recycled)
  
• Lunch bags (reusable, lead free, cotton)
  
• Cool Sigg Water Bottles (reuseable, worth saving your allowance for)*

*Something to think about: Sigg water bottles cost more than the cheaper bottles, but they don't leech stuff from plastic into your water. Using a reusable bottle like a Sigg means you're not creating waste each time you drink a bottled water from the store, gas station, wherever.

Good luck!

How to Make Pancakes

Pancakes are pretty easy to make and if you coordinate with the "cook" in your house, you can probably take over cooking a meal with these little beauties.
PANCAKE INGREDIENTS
(Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg. 72)
1 C Flour, 1 T Sugar, 2 t Baking Powder, 1/4 t Salt
1 Egg, 1 C Milk, 2 T Cooking Oil, 1/2 t Vanilla (optional)

Add the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt) into a mixing bowl, give this a quick stir to combine. Next break the egg into a bowl (in case the egg is bad then you don't ruin the flour and everything) using a fork, gently mix (break the yolk) then add the egg to the mixing bowl (don't mix it in yet). Add the milk, oil and vanilla. With a wire whisk, mix until combined. There might still be a few lumps of flour here and there, this is okay!
HOW TO COOK THE PANCAKES:
IMPORTANT: DON'T GET DISTRACTED OR THEY'LL BURN!
Be careful around the stove, turn it off when you're done and make sure the grown up in the house knows you're cooking. Have hot pads nearby.

1. Put frying pan (no-stick or black skillet) on the stove on low medium heat 4-5 setting
2. Add a bit of butter to the pan, like the amount you use to butter your toast (repeat this each time you fry a pancake). Use the spatula to spread the butter around.
3. Take a 1/2 C measuring cup and spoon out some batter and pour it into the pan creating a circle the size of a saucer. When cooking more than one pancake try not to let them touch or they make the Godzilla size pancake that is not fun to flip, or has to be cut and is not a thing of golden fluffy beauty on the plate.
4. When they start blowing bubbles (see the image below) - well when the bubbles actually start popping you're ready to flip the pancake and you won't end up with batter everywhere. Slide the spatula under the pancake and flip it over.
5. Cook until golden. Give it 2-3 minutes before you flip it over to check the color. If your unsure if it's done cut it open to see if it's still doughy. You'll get the hang of how long it takes to cook them.
6. Turn off the stove and put the pan on hot pad to cool and serve the pancakes warm with butter and syrup.

Pancakes ready to be flipped.

Alice In Wonderland Gallery

Welcome to the Alice in Wonderland gallery. We hope you enjoy your stay. More art will be posted as it is sent in from artists of all ages.

1. "You can learn a lot of things from the flowers..." by Suzanne Nikolaisen

Art Challenge: Alice in Wonderland

Have you heard about Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland?
Image courtesy Walt Disney Pictures and Wired.

Art Challenge
Fall down the rabbit hole and take a photo or sketch of you and merge it with another picture or two to come up with an Alice in Wonderland themed picture. (If you don't want to use your picture, just create something with the theme) If you're not using Photoshop, but maybe magazine clippings to create a montage or if you decide to sketch or paint, take a picture of your art. Send images to nikolaisen at yahoo dot com. All submissions must be PG or will be discarded. I'll post the images as I receive them. Can't wait to see what you come up with! (PS please send original art and list any image sources used - thanks!)

For Photoshoppers:
Just a tip about how to do this using Photoshop. Photoshop allows you to have layers, as discussed in the first lesson. Maybe you take a great picture of your favorite tea cup and open that, consider that your background. Next take a photo of you. Open the photo and copy and paste it onto the teacup photo. Next select the eraser (shaped like a pink pearl eraser on the side toolbar) and start erasing the background surrounding you on the photo. You'll start to see the teacup emerge from the layer underneath your photo. You can change the size of the eraser in the bar across the top of the screen under the "brush" dropdown. You can zoom in to get a clear idea of what you need to erase by going to the view dropdown at the top of the screen and clicking on zoom in (CMD + on the Mac, I think CTRL + on the PC) to get back to seeing the whole image select "fit on screen."

S.O.S.

No this doesn't have anything to do with the Jonas Brother's but it does have to do with family. Recently there has been a lot of talk about ancestors at our house and my husband and I have begun to search for our missing ancestors (a.k.a. genealogy) , and through that found a family history challenge for all ages on wiki. family search.
https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Main_Page from there click on the highlighted words "family history activities page" in the News and Updates section.

The Summer of Sleuthing Challenge has links to make family trees (standard or Tigger-iffic versions), as well as a coloring page and tips on interviewing relatives. That could get awfully creative! Maybe you could make a book, or a family newspaper, or a video, or a slideshow with pictures and music? I have even seen journals that have questions in them so one can write things down. Sometimes it is hard to think of things on the spot, for the interviewer and the interviewee. The important thing is to start asking questions like any good sleuth would do!
They also suggest keeping a journal of your finds and experiences, perhaps with your family.

Several years ago my dad interviewed his mother over the period of a few days. He thought of some questions to spark her memory and just let her talk while the video recorder ran and if they needed to they checked dates and added it the next day. That is really priceless to me now, especially since none of my children got to meet my paternal grandmother. She passed away when Lauren was a baby and we lived overseas.

Here comes a story (forgive my wordiness).... I didn't get a long well in my teenage years with my maternal grandmother.Later in my teens one day, just as an experiment - you know, the kind that adults tell you to try to bridge the generation gap - I asked her what she did when she was a teenager for fun. I think she was a bit surprised, and I didn't know if I really wanted to hear, but as she told me about her and her friends gathering up things from their homes and riding horses to the beach and roasting corn in a fire, I found myself very interested and realized my grandma was kind of cool. She had done a lot of things that I could see myself being interested in. I knew that I got some artistic talent from her, but didn't think, or refused to think, there was anything else until then - we were actually kind of alike! (Including the fact that we both thought we were right. My mom, wisely already knew this. :) Not that I ever went and roasted corn on the beach, but the way she described her outings with friends reminded me of myself and my group of friends. I was able to see her in a way I never had before and my heart softened towards her from then on, even if we never became chums. I just kept finding more and more things we had in common. Even after she passed, going through her things with family (a lot of rocks- no wonder we all love rocks- it must be genetic!) and then reading some of her journal and a paper she had written about cats for a class she took in her 60's. I realized there are a lot of things I admired about her life, from her fearlessness to her unashamed quirkiness. Quirky is okay- we are all quirky in our own ways, aren't we?

Perhaps you might have time during your family vacation to ask a few questions? It doesn't have to be a huge production, but learning a few things about our family members can really help us appreciate them. Not to mention, it gives us a glimpse at ourselves that we may not see. A-AND using the dates from your family tree can direct you to some historical fiction at the library that might give you a better idea of what life was like when your grandma was growing up. What if she was a little girl when Kit Kitteridge was? Everyone has a story...

What the Dickens?

(Lauren, sorry - I'm not trying to take over your book/reading section either) I recently "read" a book on tape that was share-worthy it's titled "What the Dickens". It's the story of one of the tooth fairies. What? You didn't know there was more than one?! Shhh! Don't tell anybody! Humans aren't supposed to know. What the Dickens is the name of this particular fairy. He's very curious and has quite a story as he gets to know the world around him. His story is told to some children hunkering down during a horrible storm.

What are you reading this summer?

Suz

"Oh.My.Gods."- Good Greek Gods Book!!

I have just read the most amazing book. I'm sorry Laur, I know this is usually your section, but i can't not share this amazing read! The book is called "Oh.My.Gods." and it is by Tera Lynn Childs. I know you guys must think I'm a total geek, but I love Greek mythology! I have been in a major phase lately. Anyway, this book is about a girl in high school who has to move to an island in Greece. I can't believe I just said has to, I mean what torture. But apparently, it is for Phoebe. She has to deal with all the snobby little godlings. She is one of them... or is she?
I really hope you'll read this book, it's amazing.
Emily :)
P.S. There is a sequal if you like this book.

Dear Fellow Bookworms...

Summer reading season is here! When I was a kid, my big sister and I would read while on road trips through California, Idaho and Oregon. We would read while we did our daily or weekend chores. The library was a regular Saturday afternoon destination. Here are some summery reading ideas that you might like:

Summer Reading List
Have you heard about summer reading lists on the radio? If not they're simply lists of books that are "must-reads". The list just makes it easy to remember what you want to read. Try making you own list and keep it somewhere handy, like the fridge door, or the computer desktop (digital - that's what I do) or keep it in the tote bag you take to the library.

Book Club
We tried pulling together a book club earlier this spring, but it fizzled. So Emily and I have decided to carry on. Em's choosing the books. Here are our starter books if you want to read along: June Reads: Molly Moon, Twilight

Books on Tape (or CD)
Reasons books on tape are a must in the summer:

• Listen to a book while weeding
• Listen to a book while doing your chores
• Trouble getting to sleep? Throw a book on tape in your CD player

You'll know it's a good book when you find yourself asking your mom "Where's the sunscreen? I have to weed the garden." Mmm, hmmm. Just make sure your CD or tape player has a good stash of rechargeable batteries!

The Library
Check in at the info counter for the summer reading programs. This year in Salt Lake there's a program for kids and parents. AND if you're like me, you might want to check out the book renewal option over the phone or the internet. Those smart thinkers at the libary (in Salt Lake) have set up a program to let kids under 18 read-down their fines, so check into it, if you have a problem returning your books on time, like me.

Cool Bookmarks
I love funky bookmarks and these are really cute: Family Fun bookmark craft. Have you seen the magnetic bookmarks at Barnes and Noble, also very cool! (Cat bookmark picture from barnesandnoble.com)

TweenCraft bloggers are going to be turning pages all summer long so, dear, friendly you, could you do me a favor? Ack... no I'm not asking you to log your reading time, or anything painful. Will you comment and share what you're reading and any fun you're having with books and the library this summer! We love to hear what you think!

Photoshop - Lesson 1

Are you not totally excited that school is almost out? One thing I'm super grateful for, besides the sunshine - is that I can go barefoot outside without getting frostbite! Oh such grateful toes!

So are you ready for Photoshop Lesson 1: Layers? Your mouse in hand? Ok let's let 'er rip!

Have you ever made a montage or collage for school? Hunting through magazines for just the right images to get your message across or to tell a visual story with? Maybe it's a theme like "Oranges" where you might have used an ad for orange soda, navel oranges, orange perfume, summer beach towels that are orange, sunsets... ok you found a few images then it was time to arrange them on paper (or a poster). Each image that you cut out of the magazine would be a "layer" in Photoshop. The "background" layer - or the layer you start working on - is the paper level where you're going to glue the images to - layering everything on top. Shall we get started?

1. Open up Photoshop (I use Photoshop CS3 so if you use Elements these steps might be a little different)

2. Using the dropdown menu at the top of the screen click "File" then click "Open" and browse to a photo that you would like to use for this class. Before we continue working on a really big image, lets make it web friendly. We'll make an image for a blog. Go to the dropdown menu and mouse over "Image" then "Image Size" and set the "resolution" to 72 and change the width to 400 and click "ok". Next got to the dropdown menu and mouse over "view" and click "actual pixels".

3. Using the dropdown menu click "File" then "Save" and name the file as "psclass1.psd". Change the extension from jpg or gif to "psd" - this is the file type that supports layers in Photoshop. Saving first will make sure the original photo doesn't get written over as you are learning.

4. Lets add a layer. There's a toolbar on the left of the screen. Look for the icon or picture that looks like a capital "T" and click it. We're going to add some text. Click on the photo and drag to the right creating a box. Next type some text, it can say anything you want. Don't worry if the text is not where you want it to be. We can move it.

5. On the right side of the screen there are a couple of windows. One is the "Layers" window. If you take a closer look, you'll notice your original photo and a new line with the "T" icon. That is the layer for the text you just added. You just created a layered file. Double click where it says "Layer 1" and you can name it if you want, you can name the photo too. Something that will remind you what the layer is about.

6. Next lets choose a color. Click on the water dropper icon, on the left menu. Then click on a shade of color that you like on the photo. Just hover over the photo and click. Notice the color on the bottom of the left toolbar matches your selection?

7. Lets add a shape to your picture. On the left toolbar click on the square shape, then right click the tiny triangle on the right. Choose the ellipse (or circle) tool. We're adding a circle. Left click and drag - hmm, getting an oval? Press "ctrl+Z," that will take you back a step. Lets try again. Click and hold, then press the shift key and drag your mouse - you should be seeing a circle this time. Release the mouse button when the circle is the size you want. Check out the layer window, you should see a new layer for the circle. (you don't have to add this step, I skipped it on the image below)

8. If you would like to add a drop shadow to a layer, go up to the dropdown menu and choose "Layer, Layer Style, Drop Shadow." Play with the settings for a minute - paying attention to opacity, distance, spread and size (this is a fun menu to come back to) Click "Ok" when you're done.

9. Now click on the text layer, select the arrow from the left menu, and click and grab your text and drag it over your circle. We're putting the text on top of the circle. Now you can't see it? On the Mac Press CMD+] two or three times, to bring the text layer to the front. You can also do this by going the to dropdown menu and then selecting "layer" and "arrange" and bring to the front.

10. If you want to use your final image on the web I'd recommend saving it as a GIF because text seems to stand up better in gifs and pixelates/goes fuzzy as a jpg. To save choose "File" then "Save for Web and Devices" then select GIF or JPG in the preset section (right area of screen) name your file and click save.

If you have questions just comment and I'll try to help.

Suzanne

Book Review!

Hi there!

So this is my first book review on tweencraft, but I'm not totally new to this...I used to do it frequently on my blog...not so much any more. Anyway................... I should probably introduce myself just in case anyone who reads this doesn't know me. My name is Lauren and I am the book reviewer for tweencraft, which I think is way cool!! I get to do this blog with my cousin (em) who also is really into reading, her mom and my aunt (suz), and mi madre (jeanne). Now I should probably get going on the book review...here we go!!

THE SISTERS GRIMM: THE EVERAFTER WAR

BOOK 7 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLER SISTERS GRIMM SERIES

I can't get a picture right now, but I'll get one on here asap!

First of all, can I just say this is one of my favorite series' in EVER?! I love these books, and was super excited when I found out yesterday it was on sale! I got it yesterday, started about 7:45-ish and finished it this morning at about 12:30-ish. Yes, it is that good! I believe I reviewed book 6 on my blog...so if you read that you are kinda familiar with this series.

This book picks up within an hour of book 6. Goldilocks has finally shown up and ready to wake up Sabrina and Daphne's dad, so he can wake up their mom. (for those of you who don't know, their parents were missing a little under 2 years, and the last 2 months, they've been in an enchanted sleep.) Now Henry and Veronica Grimm have woken up to chaos in Ferryport Landing NY. Prince Charming and his band of rebels are plotting a war against Master and the Scarlet Hand. Sabrina is so excited to have her family back together, but after taking care of herself and Daphne for so long, she has forgotten how life with parents is.
Meanwhile, the Master has dark plans for the Grimm's. They rebel group led by Charming has had their ranks infiltrated by a traitor, and they finally find out who Master is. And who it is will change their lives forever! You will be shocked by the betrayals, trust me, I was!! You will never guess! At least, I was.
I would really recommend this book to anyone who likes fairy tales in the slightest. This is a really suspenseful series, as books 5, 6, and 7 all end with "To Be Continued..."
Read them, you won't regret it!!

Coming Up Next On tweencraft Book Review:

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

...........

(most likely)

Earth Day Project - Recycle Your Gift Cards Into a Guitar Pick!

http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/search/label/recycled%20crafts

Yet another link to share- this time I was looking for pictures of recycled plastic for a friend's blog who makes fleece blankets (recycled pop bottles) and happened upon a blog that has a clever idea to reuse a gift card by tracing a guitar pick shape onto it and then cutting it out at a 90 degree angle (still trying to figure that one out- might have to experiment) and filing the edges smooth. My 10 year old daughter is always missing at least one guitar pick and I thought this was a fantastic idea!

I decided I would just give you the link to the recycled crafts section of the blog since there were some other neat ideas like a magazine rack for a doll house made from a razor cartridge (I know you might be too old for that, but who doesn't love mini?) and plastic beads made from colored plastic, then melted (might need dad's help on that one, but still a cool idea). They used colored paper on theirs, but another site I saw with the same idea just used colored pens. Any of these would be perfect to make an Earth Day project on April 22nd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

P.S. Make sure the gift cards are empty first!

Do you like to knit?

I have a friend who opened a yarn business and sells patterns of her very Tween friendly styles for very reasonable prices. If you like to knit (boy would I love to learn... someday... especially after seeing the cute stuff she makes!) then maybe you might like to check out her blog Annie Amelia.

Here is the link : http://www.annieamelia.com/index.php

"I can't knit, but I can spin a good yarn" JM

Animal Scrapbooking

I love animals! I'm really sappy when I watch animal movies like "Where the Red Fern Grows" and "Marley and Me". Anyway, I was not old enough to volunteer with the animals themselves. The Shelter said they had some scrapbooking that needed to be done. Since my mom is Miss Expert Scrapper, (but seriously, she is awesome at scrapbooking), we decided to do their scrapbooking. It took forever and we lost it while we moved and then found it again, but it was worth it!
Em :D

Scrapping for Pups

Too young to volunteer at your local animal shelter, but want to help the animals? That's what happened to Emily. After making the movie "Be a Hero Adopt a Dog" for her school Reflections contest she wanted to find another way to help the animals, but she was told she had to be 14 to volunteer. The people at the shelter found another way she could help. They were pulling down the old photos off of their bulletin boards and the photos needed to be put onto scrapbook pages to share in the albums in the front lobby.


I volunteered with Em and the animal shelter provided us with the photos and supplies. We didn't get finished very quickly, the box got put aside, but when the snow started flying this winter, we dug into the project and got it done and back to the shelter! If you want to see if the animal shelter in your town would be willing to let you help scrapbook - talk to your parents (get permission) and ask them to help you contact the shelter, and to work out the details for you.

Suz

Eyebrow Dance

Ok... it's not a project, but it's funny. Check out the
Eyebrow Dance ad/video from Cadbury chocolate.

Help NASA Name Node 3

Help NASA name Node 3 for the International Space Station!

Get the details

(Voting will be open until March 20th, 2009.)

Sketch a Bird

Jeannie's post about the Great Backyard Bird Count is very cool. Have you counted the birds in your yard? Tell us about them (use the comments) Keep an ear open for coo's and warbling too! After reading Jeannie's post I heard a dove cooing the other morning and caught the following friendly bird outside my office in Bluffdale, Utah.

And a nest nearby too...


Project Idea: Sketching a Bird

Supplies: pencil, piece of paper or your journal

How to: Sit down to observe the bird or use the picture above. Notice how the head shape is a circle and so is the tummy? The beak is triangle and the tail looks kind of like a rectangle. Can you see it? Start by sketching lightly the shapes you see and then as you start to see the bird on your paper outline the bird more clearly and detail things like the speckles. Permission granted to make mistakes, have extra pencil lines that won't erase... just go for it!

Make it fabulous: A sketch is great, but if you like to play with beads, sequins, threads etc, go ahead and play with your. Glue some sequins on the wings or make a nest out of thread glued to the page. Have fun! Share your final picture with your family by putting it up on the fridge.

Update: 3/11 - Here's my sketch, Suz
(If you want to share your bird sketch on the blog, please e-mail it to me)

Easter Scrapbook Page

Stripes: The Long Eared Bunny
This bunny is adorable! Spotted on Barnes & Noble's online bookstore. I love the bright colors mixed with pastels. Such a friendly looking rabbit!

Project Idea: Make a scrapbook page about Easter using these colors.

Kid Tech v.1: Word Shortcuts

Our 5 favorite instant messenger word shortcuts:

1. u2 = you too
   
2. jam = just a minute
   
3. cu = see you
   
4. l8r = later
   
5. lol = laugh out load
   
6. roflol = rolling on the floor, laughing out loud
   

What are your favorites? (use comments to share)

4 Sweet Ideas for Valentine's Day

1. Decorate the door that everybody uses most in the house. Use paper hearts, crepe paper, try taping up a box of Necco hearts for each family member. (Be sure to use tape that is parent approved - that won't take the paint off the door)
2. Countdown: Give a small box of chocolates or candy like Rolos that your valentine can snack on. Decorate the wrapper with stickers or construction paper and tape, with a note like "For You: A Chocolate a Day Until Valentine's Day!" OR share a Valentine's joke (scroll down to pass the ads) each day until February 14th - jokes are great to text too!
3. Think of 5 things you love about your mom and dad to write on their valentine. Here are some ideas: funny, silly, read to you, going for walks, bear hugs, cooking (your fav food they make for you), favorite stories/movies you share, etc.
4. Journaling: Write 5 things in your journal that you like about yourself. For example: Your eye color, your creativity, talents, interests, kindness

Happy Valentine's Day!

Suz

PS - LOVE chocolate? Here's a link to an EXTREMELY RICH recipe for brownies that is pretty easy to make. Perfect for dessert of Valentine's Day. Most of the stuff is in your cupboard and fridge - with a big ol' shout out to Cocoa. We call them Alton Brownies because it's Alton Brown's recipe. Be sure you have some milk or vanilla ice cream around to serve with them.

Winter Get-Away

Are you ready for summer vacation yet? I am! Why not take a look at the must-see places where you live? Pretend you're a tourist in your own town. Winter "Stay-cation" an article by Family Fun has some really good ideas for making a "stay-cation" really seem like a real get away from "do-not-disturb" signs for everybody's doors, to the room service breakfast menu - at your own house!

(Do you babysit? Why not plan a theme night for you and the kids? A very pretend trip to the pages of a favorite story. For example, watch Alice in Wonderland and have a "tea" party at the "mad hatters" kitchen table (maybe bake cookies to bring with you as a special treat). If the kids don't drink tea, serve milk instead. You could also play charades and guess the characters from the story.)

Have fun!

Suz

Look Up

Don't forget to look at the moon on January 10th, 2009 (Saturday) to see the biggest full moon of the year. Want to read more about it? Visit the NASA site for details.

Good Stuff

Have you heard of "gratitude journals"? Some people dedicate their journals to writing about the things, people, pets, etc. in life that they are grateful for. This makes a great idea for a journal entry every once in a while too! Looking for the things you are grateful for becomes kind of a game during the day when you're paying attention. When you catch a "gratitude moment" it can make your heart happy to recognize it.

- Suz

P.S. I'm grateful I looked up Valentine's Day jokes today...

Q: What do you call a very small Valentine?
A: A Valen-tiny!

Oh! I just love jokes! (Have you ever texted a joke to a friend? It's kind of fun!)