Needs...

We all have...
NEEDS and WANTS

I agree with the Beatles when they said All You Need is Love!  In order to express this eternal feeling for the most recent holiday I created this little banner to spice up my window shelf... Our Little Off North team had experiment #2

Salt Dough:

Salt dough has a sparkly texture. It is heavy and strong and is especially suited for large or standing pieces, such as plaques or trivets, or as foundations for other, more delicate craft doughs. Salt dough keeps indefinitely when covered and refrigerated.

Recipe 1
2 cups salt
2/3 cup water
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
Food coloring, tempera, or other water-base paint

Mix salt and 2/3 cup water in a pan. Heat until quite warm. Remove from heat. Mix cornstarch and cold water together and add to mix in the pan, stirring constantly. Return pan to stove and keep stirring until mixture forms a smooth mass. Turn out on a plate and cover with a damp cloth until cool. Work in coloring if desired.

Shape on a foil-covered cookie sheet and let dry thoroughly - several hours in a warm oven or several days at room temperature. Smooth away rough edges with a nail file.

This was one of the most intriguing and exciting art's I've done!  Little Off North LOVES anything sparkly..so we were in!  This was so fun...I highly suggest trying.

There is still a nice ball in the fridge waiting to be made into a creation!!

Then on family dinner night here I created this reminder with the aide of my mother and father..ha!

My father is King of the Knots...he knows (I think) them ALL: So I of course called him in on this one. I swear he'll save my life one day with his Knot Knowledge!

It been great seeing this lovely site hanging in my dining room!  P.S. please praise my creative workspace...not judge (hehe)
Hope you all had a sweet Valentines Day! I, Kate, spent it with my lovely Manyet Dance girls...Geoff and I celebrated Saturday!

Our Little Off North team had some interesting experiments lately... 1st Bread Dough....

Bread Dough:

Bread dough is easy to work with, and it can be pinched, rolled, ruffled, and stamped. It is a delicate dough, ideal for jewelry and other small pieces. Bread dough will keep for weeks when tightly sealed and refrigerated.

Bread dough does not need a protective finish; unsealed, it resembles bisque. For a soft sheen, brush the piece with a mixture of equal amounts of water and glue. For a high gloss, brush with the glue-water mixture and let dry. Then give the pieces several coats of lacquer, letting dry between coats.

Recipe
2 slices white bread
4 Tbs. white glue
Tempera paint (optional)

Remove crusts from bread and discard. Tear remaining bread into tiny pieces. Place in a bowl and add glue. Stir with a spoon until the mixture forms a ball. Knead until smooth, adding paint as desired. Shape piece; place on a foil-covered cookie sheet and let dry.

We found this to sound fabulous due to not needing a protective finish...and we love bisque....well, we weren't impressed in the end. They took FOREVER to dry and still not sure if we love the end product.  We did NOT add Tempera paint as it was optional in the recipe.  They've been 'antiqued' with some brown paint and then stamped!  What is your opinion? (Geoff wanted to eat them b/c he thought they looked like cookies...hahaha)

.....actually is all around

little old tradition

If you know the Soard family well....then you know about our special Christmas wrapping.....

From as early as I can remember Santa/Mom.Dad/Aunt.Uncle/Grandma.pa presented our gifts in fabric bags.  This was pre-gift bag era and my family was apparently progressive in 'green' giving!!  So every year we'd pull out the huge box of homemade multi-fabric/multi-sized fabric bags and WRAP away.  It was SOOO fun and easy and it was always a blast for me to see who got the white fabric with red roosters embossed on it bag for a present (sounds like a perfect holiday pattern-right?!)!  Anyway, I have always thought why did we ONLY do the fabric bag for Christmas?.......

While Tracy and I were shopping at IKEA one afternoon, I laid my eyes on this adorable SALE print-- had to purchase!! I went to town last week on my mom's trusty sewing machine and oh do I love what came out!!!



Three of the four bags

 

Bless my mother for aiding in this mini-project! I just have been loving these little bags full of love!  The adorable labels are from Sweetwater, given to me as a Christmas gift from my Uncle....aren't they just tooooo great!

Can't wait to see what lovelies come out of these for the rest of my life......

feeling the "Rain"....

TRACY'S TAKE:
I was initially hesitant to get too excited over a Beatles tribute cover band. Being a huge fan for the majority of my life, I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment.  However, within minutes I was so happy that Kate invited me to experience this creative and highly energetic show with her and her husband. I was completely impressed with how talented the members of the show were as musicians and more specifically, musicians that mirrored the refined talent of the Beatles. I respected the creativity of the graphics and visuals and how they so importantly tied the entire production together. Their costumes and mannerisms were spot on and the story/ historical flash-backs proved to create blissful nostalgia. 

Next stop... LOVE, cirque de Soleil.

 KATE'S TAKE:
hmmm Music is......

well. an integral part in our lives. love it. period.

I, Kate, was humbly gifted something beautiful and exciting...tickets to the one night Aronoff showing of Rain.

I had seen this potential evening in early January and was considering purchasing tickets.  Geoff LOVES The Beatles and I have always had a special place in my heart for them from a young age due to my Dad's fabulous taste in music (amazing band).  Anyway, long story short...we didn't buy them....When the opportunity came to be I knew this would be an inspiring evening.  Geoff, Tracy, Heidi, and myself had a delicious dinner out and just soaked up the sounds and images. 

Well, needless to say it was so great to get out and enjoy ourselves....we couldn't stop singing the next week...well, still!!! What was so enthralling was not only were they a great group, but they have three HUGE screens with images scrolling across that 'match' each song...tooooo fuuunnnn....

beatles music.colors.friends.dancing.graphics.people.getting on the big screen.history.seeing a young student.tuesday night.our future.....

inspiration-check!

I will say since we are Beatles Lovers....the music inspired Geoff and I to Rockband it out the other night....the graphic on the (Xbox) game are just beautifully constructed...I tried to capture a few (not easy, and my pictures do NOT do it justice!)



Geoff(L) on guitar and Kate(R) on drums



 



I was singing!!!

I thought this might also be the perfect time to show off my wedding gift to Geoff...enjoy!!



Top of box

and....Geoff received this as a present years ago from one of his best friends....amazing!!!

and...ha...another batch of his pieces....love it (obviously The Beatles music has inspired our lives)

(truly just a few) Here we are (Geoff taking picture) at the Rain concert....pre-trouble for taking pictures haha!!!

Tracy and I rarely create without music to carry us along....

Check out this youtube video...Rain: John Lennon Tribute. Imagine (make sure you press pause on our player below)

This week: prep for Valentines Day....check back :)





Viva 2011

Today begins the YEAR OF THE RABBIT (check this link out for some beautiful rabbit projects-make sure you click threw each bunny day--LOOOOVE)....

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2011 is the Year of the Golden Rabbit, which begins on February 3, 2011 and ends on January 22, 2012.  The Rabbit is the fourth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animals signs.  The Rabbit is a lucky sign.  Rabbits are private individuals and a bit introverted.  People born in the Year of the Rabbit are reasonably friendly individuals who enjoy the company of a group of good friends.  They are good teachers, counselors and communicators, but also need their own space.

According to Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves.  It is a time for negotiation.  Don't try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail.  To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children.   Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise.

Not many people know that the Rabbit is the symbol of the Moon, while the Peacock is the symbol of the Sun, and that together, these two animal signs signify the start of day and night, represent the Yin and Yang of life.  It is said that anyone making supplications for wishes to be fulfilled are certain to get what they want... and in the Year of the Rabbit, the wish-granting aspect of the Sun and the Moon combined is multiplied.  The Moon is YIN and this is the Yin of Heaven, signifying magic.  Thus on each of the Full Moon nights of this year, go out into your garden to gaze into the Full Moon and visualize plenty of Moon dust and Moon glow flowing into you, filling your whole body with bright white light and granting you fearlessness, love and courage.  This will not only strengthen your inner "Chi" energy, it will also bring wisdom into your life.

Sounds like this year will be fabulous....can't wait to find our inner "Chi' and be calm and peaceful!



Guess this year we aren't a 'Little Off North"...but East!!?!?



For some fun:

Famous Rabbit People:  Angelina Jolie, Anjelica Huston, Drew Barrymore, Edith Piaf, Fanny Brice, Helen Hunt, Jane Seymour, Joan Crawford, Kate Winslet, Natasha Richardson, and Tina Turner.

Hope this gave you some fun insight...we'll be posting in the upcoming days some of our latest crafts and inspirations.  Check back soon!!!  Happy Year of the Rabbit today--(maybe celebrate by eating one of our favorite cuisines..Chinese)