When Everyone is Away

A Little More Time

This week is Sport Ferien, meaning time for everyone to take a break from work and go skiing and snowboarding in the mountains. There is no snow left down where we are, and the snow in the mountains is not very good, but new snow is forecast for tomorrow, so better might be on the way.
Anyway, I am home taking care of hearth and livestock, which involves plenty of work; but not having so many people duties, gives me a bit of free time.

I am still working on illustrations - and still can't show them, but I got some new art books in the mail that I am preparing to use. And I always add to my sketch file. So maybe coming up will have new works to show.

This week's art journal page

Sketches of things I saw today and recorded for maybe someday's use

Is anybody seeing any first flowers? Besides Mary, of course.

And the Winner Is ......

A Random Pick

We had twenty entries in our contest! That was fun. Everybody gets an equal chance at the random drawing for a prize. That means the choice of winner is  God's pick.

So, all names get written on papers.

The papers get folded twice, so no names are visible.

The pile of papers gets shuffled.

And shuffled again.

Then one piece gets picked up - God's choice....

... and unfolded....

to reveal the winner! Surprise! God's choice.

Congratulations, Katrina. Again. Everyone has an equal chance each time.

Just to see who would have been next, I picked up another paper.

The name was Evelyn.

Then one more, just to see - and it was Elisa and Aria.

So to each of you, because we had many entries, I will contact you about a prize. Congratulations!

Thanks to all who participated.

Do you want to do another for Lent, or spring, or Easter, in the months ahead? Let me know.

Beach RnR

These from Mary

It came a day late,  because of a Customs hang up, but I got a box today from Mary.

The contents made my day. They included these:

Made on a wooden spoon

Wrapped in this -

 

-  with this included -

This counts as a Valentine entry, I decided, since it was sent way back in January.

Daytona Beach, a good place to relax, she says.
First one goes to a horse show.....

 

......then to the coast....

 

.......to enjoy an evening on the waterfront .....

 

.... with dinner appropriate to the locale.

 

In the morning....

 

.....one does the best sort of "earthing"..... in ocean water.....

 

.....absorbing the tranquility....

 

.....and the local sights and sounds.....

 

.....To tank up for the days ahead.

 

NOTE 

Valentines contest results will come shortly.

And Another

Valentine Makings, with Red and Hearts and Love

From Elisa's  beautiful home:

 

And making sweetness for the day

Night Sky Quote and Invisible Progress (and Woven Paper Hearts)

From Leah:

I love this saying. First I painted the background, then I used some Sharpie markers to define the silhouettes, and also for the lettering. Just some cute cover art on a little sketch book I have.

However, I don't like that the paint brush strokes show up in the sky on the right, but oh well.


From me (Sarah):

I forgot to show Esther what the next art homework assignment was last week, so she doesn't have anything new, but will probably next time. As far as our own Craftsy lessons, the teacher whose videos we are going through now does not give homework, and talks long-windedly about skulls, so I hope we're learning something. Heehee. :)

I have nothing to show for the week, either. I did a little sketching, but nothing I'd like to share. Other than that, I've been reading and playing Farm Heroes Saga like a naughty child. Haha. And working, of course. And we have some colds going around here.

HOWEVER, I DID form the ball that I will soon be rolling for the online shenanigans I have planned. Very scary, but fun. We'll get this shop and blog up sooner or later. Baby steps, and I have no idea what I'm doing despite having read many things online in preparation. So we shall just jump in and make our own mistakes, hoping that none of them will be very awful or land us in jail. Yay!

So yes, we have invisible progress on many things this week. And I will try to not match as many veggies the next few days.

Happy crafting!


***UPDATE***

Okay, so I wrote this post Monday morning, then I looked through the older posts here on Little Bird and saw those neat woven paper heart crafts... So I helped my younger siblings do some. It was fun. :)

Gluing the edges down

This is Naomi's

Naomi added letters on scraps of paper

Bethany's

Bethany used glitter glue to put little hearts on her woven hearts.

Isaiah was one of the first finished.

Zach had to have help with his, but I'm glad he finished.

Esther was the first to try a smaller heart. (Not sure who made the bigger one here)

I failed at taping the edges of Anna's for her. LOL

Leah's, with glitter glue lettering

 ***END OF UPDATE***

Our Valentines

I realize this makes for extra posts in one day, but it's Valentine's Day!  I have to show what we've made.

Last week, Eleanor made a pile of valentines with some felt stickers she got and pretty pink scrapbook paper.  The boys ended up making a few, too, and they've been handing them out and we mailed some to the Grandmas (a little late, though, unfortunately they won't arrive today...)

(And I'm sorry to say that I am having all sorts of technical difficulties and these photos got rotated and will not be undone.  I am giving up in frustration.  Apologies for the upside-down and side-ways.)

                           

I made these little valentines for my younger children (with Gelli prints and Tombow pens, of course!)

And I know this is totally silly, but my husband loves these Red Vines candy from his childhood, so his valentine is this:

Aaaaand one for my romancaphobic 11 year old boy:

Oh, and what says "love" as much as food?  Sorry if this is a little gross, by my kids thought this was a hilarious and fantastic valentine breakfast...

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Entries!!!!

Most of us managed to get entries made for the contest!!! 

(and I managed to get reminded to put this up today! Which might be a bigger deal :)

From the Creon gang (youngest to older) :

 

Loveta just made messes of a food sort while everyone else make craft items... she LOOOVES avocados, as you can see she just couldn't wait for help with this unopened one!

Katrina helped the younger set make some projects before moving on to her own:

 Gavin (almost 3) (above in the dinosaurs) loves Ice-cream and has featured it in a very creative way on this card:

This one if from Talya (4) and I helped her weave the heart and then she decided to glue it all onto cardboard with a picture of me (because she says "I love you so-much, mommy!")

She also decided she wanted to make a heart faced angel as well:

Ethan (6) loves his mom & dad:

Abigail loves horses and if you look closely you can see the face of her little popsicle stick girl: 

Braden was much too busy thinking about turning 10 on the 10th to consider craft projects....

Bridget (getting close to 12) Loves the out doors! She showed off her quilling skills: 

Katrina (13) loves her bed (as do I mine) She used some of the goodies from Sarah... and the lettering she has been practicing and gave it a shine coat with the gloss:

Evelyn (15) also chose quilling because it goes so well with hearts and love (the "I" above the heart as an eye she especially liked) check out the fruity colors: 

 And I cheated a little

I had a birthday gift to make for my dear Pastor's wife Debbie, so I spent the morning of her birthday stealing an idea from Katie... I used my favorite apron as a pattern and changed it up a little and added a red heart so that the letter of the rule was followed (I gifted the heart the pocket for her to find upon her first use- which she did) 

~Happy Valentines Day everyone~