My Latest: A LOT!!!

There's been a lot going on behind the scenes in the past couple of weeks! Here's a brief catch-up of my latest builds and projects, and my tutes and essays from Crafting a Green World:

PVC pipe bow-and-arrow set

This bow-and-arrow set is based on the PVC bow-and-arrow tutorial from Skip to My Lou, with the following build notes:

1. Although my kids are handy with tools, and can build the PVC pipe sword entirely independently, start to finish, they needed an adult to string these bows and cut the slit into the ends of the dowel arrows for them. 
2. Although pipes are generally measured by inside diameter, these pipes need to be 1/2" in TOTAL diameter. Any thicker, and the draw weight will be too heavy for a kid.
3. Have the kid wrap electrical tape around the center of the bow for a hand grip.
4. Instead of cutting a slit into each end of the PVC pipe bow and then closing it with tape, have the kid choose a drill bit that's slightly larger than the sturdy nylon string and drill a hole completely through the bow about an inch from each end. Thread the nylon string through both holes (this is fiddly--roll a piece of duct tape tightly around the end of the string to make it easier to thread), then knot it and glue the knot.
5. Pencil erasers make good arrow points. Choose a dowel whose diameter is the same as a pencil's, then have the kid put a drop of glue into each eraser and push it onto the dowel.
6. That slit in the end of the dowel to fit it onto the bowstring is essential. The kids thought that they'd skip it, because it was too fiddly for them to cut, but without it, the arrow will simply drop to the ground when it's loosed. We thought the entire bow was non-functioning at first, until Will tried it with one of her real arrows and shot it clean across the yard.

2015 Trashion/Refashion Show

It was a great show! Shockingly, I did not take any photos of the kids in their final garments, with hair and make-up done--and the make-up was superhero AWESOME!!! Fortunately, there were a slew of professional and amateur photographers there, and surely someone caught a photo of the finished look.

Matt was sort of able to videotape the kids' runway walk, although he had the camera setting screwy so that he also didn't get a good shot of their makeup, and he was actually sitting too close to be able to get both kids in the same frame the whole time, but nevertheless, this is more or less what it looks like to be a pint-sized superhero on the big stage. Listen for the moment when the crowd begins to cheer so loudly that the emcee has to pause her spiel. That was a good moment:

Crafting a Green World

It's been a couple of weeks since I've caught you up, but here's my latest:

a round-up of DIY plant markers

an essay about seed bombs, and why I don't think that they really work

a review of YOXO, which my kids got for free to play test

a tutorial to make a Cartesian diver out of a soda bottle

an essay about the National Wildlife Federation's Butterfly Hero program

and a round-up of playhouse tutes

As far as projects for this week go... let's see...

I'll have several performance buns to create, as Syd has several rehearsals and then her spring ballet recital to dance in.

I need to get a couple of garden plots tilled and strawberry plants, blackberry starts, and greens of all sorts into the ground.

An enclosed chicken yard really must be built, or Fluffball and Arrow will have to spend our entire Chicago vacation in their coop. 

And, fine, I'm getting three wisdom teeth extracted tomorrow. I suppose that I'll need to rest after that for at least a couple of hours.

Three, max.