Glow - Centralia Balloon Fest 2012

A recent visit with family in Centralia Illinois, provided me the opportunity to experience my first balloon glow. What a fun and unique experience it was! The glow was just one part of the three day balloon festival which also included balloon racing and target drops (the balloonists fly overhead and drop beanbags onto painted targets below).

The glow began around sunset on Saturday as the balloonists, who have traveled from near and far, begin to inflate their balloons. Have you ever seen a hot balloon inflate? I hadn't. I was surprised by what a lengthy and labor intensive process it is. Look at the yellow balloon below. There is a giant box fan and three volunteers working inside the balloon, in addition to several others working on the other side. There is also a very strong volunteer at the end of the rope next to where I was standing. As the balloon inflates more, the strong guy at the end of the rope will be responsible for guiding the balloon and keeping it from rising too quickly.

For a small midwestern town of only 13,000 the event certainly knows how to draw a crowd. In addition to the balloon festivities, there was also all your typical fair-type foods and numerous craft tables.

I appreciate craft shows much more now that I've begun to dabble in the art myself.  The crafters at this fair were exceptionally talented and reasonably priced too. I made a few small purchases, including this adorable crocheted owl hat, which I thought was a steal at only $15.


As the evening progressed, the balloons became more and more illuminated against the dark sky as their flaming ignition produced the event's namesake - glow.

The event's MC entertained the crowd by engaging the balloonists in a series of humorous questions, to which they could answer by various flame techniques, no flame at all, a steady glow, or a flicker. The MC also led the balloons (and the crowd) in the infamous wave as the balloons illuminated in sequence around the small pond we were gathered. Another highlight of the evening was watching the balloons "dance" to the YMCA. The whole event was definitely one of the more unique and enjoyable experiences of the summer. I'm hoping we can go back again next summer!

A Father's Memorial Shadow Box

This summer a friend of mine unexpectedly and very suddenly lost her father. It's been a tough summer for her and a sad reminder to all of us that life is all too fragile.

Here is the shadow box memorial that I made for her in honor of her father.

The items included are, a photo of her father and her son walking hand in hand, wheat from her father's farm, Irish Blessing - family heritage, green ribbon - favorite color, "Father"3D scrapbook decal,  and the program from the funeral.

The maroon name plate and the Irish Blessing were both mounted on a small piece of foam board to add dimension.

Deleting My Facebook Account

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It's finally over. I have permanently deleted my Facebook account.

My annoyance with Facebook has been steadily growing since I joined the site over six years ago. The "honeymoon stage" of my relationship with the social networking site was fairly short lived, but by the time I first thought about deactivating, it was too late. I was already hooked.

Like a victim in an abusive relationship, I couldn't convince myself to pull away. Years went by as I tolerated annoyance after annoyance. But despite the issues, I loved Facebook, and I still do. There are aspects of the site I will certainly miss. But enough is enough. I've made the decision to leave.

I'll spare you the lengthy FB complaint list that led to my departure. I'm sure you probably have your own list anyways.  But I will say that in the aftermath of deleting my account, I feel a sense of liberation. A freedom almost.

For six years Facebook I logged on day after day, sometimes even hour after hour. It was a significant part of my life and ingrained into my daily routine. I did nearly everything through it - event planning, emails, photo sharing, and more.

I am sure my transition back to life without the habit will undoubtably be met with some obstacles. I will have to retrain myself to do some basic activities the same way a cigarette addict has to retrain themselves to do various activities without a cigarette in hand. For example, I will actually have to send an email, instead of just a FB message.

A while back, I heard a stunning statistic as to the percentage of people who ultimately come back after leaving Facebook. I forget the number, but it was high. I guess that makes it a powerful product. Only time will tell if I can really let that habit go, or if I will be just another statistic, a returning facebook user.

While searching for a graphic for this post I came across this interesting post. I thought she sums it up nicely, 

"Deleting my Facebook account doesn’t mean I don’t exist anymore.

I am here." 

Quote Source

linked: Happy Hour Projects

Make Your Own Travel Size Craft Ironing Board

The ironing board in our house lives in a built-in, fold-out ironing station located in our basement laundry room. This is a convenient location for pressing freshly laundered shirts, but its fixed location is quite a pain when working on craft/sewing projects in my upper level craft room.

A sewing project becomes a workout when you must repeatedly climb up and down two and a half flights of stairs to sew, press, sew, press, etc. during the crafting process.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but it IS a nuisance.

Initially, I thought about buying a little table top ironing board to solve this annoyance. They are pretty cheap (unless you upgrade to a Steady Betty). But then it dawned on me, that using supplies I already owned, I could easily make my own custom craft ironing board.


Remember my desk to bench failure earlier this summer?

Well, not all of the desk pieces ended up in the trash. A few of the pieces were saved - because you never know when you'll need a solid piece of scrap wood :)

Using the same technique you'd use to reupholster a chair, I covered my scrap wood first with Insul-Bright. If you've never used it, Insul-Bright is a heat resistant batting specifically made for oven mitts, ironing boards, etc. I had a ton of it left over from an earlier project.

After the Insul Bright was securely fastened, with what felt like a million staples, I then covered it with a green home dec weight fabric. The key is pulling the layers extremely tight while stapling.

This craft ironing board was completed about a month ago. Since then, I've used it on three occasions with three very different types of projects. Once I even brought it over to my mom's house for project - the travel size is so convenient!  The board's held up great and I couldn't be more happy with my homemade solution.

linked: Kurtz Corner, Crafty Texas Girls, Someday Crafts, Sew Much Ado, My Repurposed Life, Sugarbee Crafts

Tips for Camping with a One Year Old

Last summer we took our one year old daughter tent camping twice. She was 13 and 16 months old at the time. We went again this summer at age two, but before I write about this year's adventures, I'd like to reflect on our strategies for tent camping with a one year old.

Camping with a one year old does require a little bit of strategy and logistics, but it can be done. More importantly, it can be done while EVERYONE is having fun. Here are a few things we learned (and that I want to remember for any future camping trips with additional children).

• Find a way to safely contain your baby while you set up your tent and also to keep baby safe during meal preparation. For us, we used a stroller, but a friend of mine brings her pack-n-play when she camps.
• Bring toys that are easy to clean and difficult to break.
• Plastic, waterproof books are virtually indestructible and great for camping. 
• Plan early morning activities. When our baby awoke at the first hint of daylight, we took advantage of her early awakening to enjoy morning walks on the beach before anyone else was up.
• If camping at the beach, wait to buy umbrellas and other sun shields until at your destination. They are easy to find at grocery stores and are MUCH cheaper to buy at destination.
• If your baby isn't walking yet, bring a tarp or large blanket for your baby to play on. Although, they will eventually crawl off. This also doubles as a nap area :)

• Make sure your baby eats and drinks enough. Pre-portioned snacks such as applesauce and fruit cups, and small zip bags full of Cheerios (packed ahead of time) are extremely helpful. Push the fluids on hot days.
• Although drinking cows milk at home, during the first camping trip (age 13 months) we reverted back to formula during the trip for the mere convenience and availability of it. Our first camping trip was very hot, so it was easier to use formula than worry about keeping enough ice in the cooler for fresh milk. 
• Tip: If using formula, buy the prepackaged formula pouches. The kind you rip open and pour into the water. Not only is this super convenient for traveling, but it's also a bit "cleaner" while camping in the sand and dirt. Toddler version formula is cheaper than the infant version.
• Be prepared for unusual sleep patterns - staying up late, waking up early, skipping naps, etc. Don't worry about it; your child will return to her normal sleep habits upon returning home. 
• Our baby slept with us on top of our sleeping bag. I also laid down with her at bedtime until she fell asleep. No bad habits were formed because of this.
• Bring an extension cord an multiple fans!!