Two days ago I got a 55 pound box from Moda! Inside were all the leftover remnants from cutting down Salt Air fabric.
So far, out of this huge box, I have made this quilt.
Just another project gone awry for Julie Comstock!
I was hoping to alter an Altoid Tin into a doll bed. I saw a great example at mmmcrafts and I wanted to give it a try with my own quilty spin.
However, as is often the case with me, it's not working out! How are your tins coming along? Anyone got any other ideas of what to do with 55 pounds of fabric strips?!?!?
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February 24, 2012
February 23, 2012
The Other Side
Being a teacher in Utah is not an easy thing. We spend less per student than any other state and so often, our teachers have very little to work with.
Yesterday's story showed only one side of teachers. Jack has had the opposite experience so far with the best teachers I have ever met for both Kindergarten and first grade. Here's a shout out to Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Searle who have changed Jack's life and future forever. Jack was struggling when he entered kindergarten. He is now reading above grade level and just graduated from speech. I am super proud of him!!!
I don't think Abby has been quite as lucky with her teachers as Jack. But even though she struggles in the classroom, her artistic spirit remains undaunted. Or, maybe it's actually because she struggles in the classroom. I'm not sure. Regardless, it is quite something to know that your nine year old is better at what you do than you are!
I'm really grateful for teachers. I'm glad they are teaching Kate the difference between mitosis and binary fission because stuff like that makes a tiny little pain in my head replicate too!
Ethan is friends with all his teachers and best friends with the school librarian (Ethan reads 3-4 novels a week). One of his teachers even spent extra time with him outside of class to help him build some computer-looking part that they are going to program next. I'm glad he has good role models in his life who are passionate about teaching and inspiring kids.
I wish our teachers had more to work with. I wish my state's priorities were different. But, to the teachers that rise above the obstacles, here is my true and sincere THANK YOU. You really do make the world a better place!
I can't end without a very special thank you to Mrs. Coburn who changed my life in high school. She saw something in me that I had lost sight of. She made me believe in myself and reach for my potential!
Feel free to leave a thank you to your favorite teacher!
February 22, 2012
Nurturing Young Artists & The Winners
When Ethan was in Kindergarten, I wanted to volunteer to help teach art. I showed up for my first experience so excited and ready to inspire these young Picasso's. The teacher gave me a photocopied coloring book page of a bear. I was instructed to have the children paint the bear black, brown or white (meaning not painted at all) with the paw pads and nose painted pink. I was told the kids could pick their own eye color.
The first set of 8 students came back to the painting table and Ethan was among them. They were so excited. One girl exclaiming that the watercolors were just like a rainbow.
I then gave them their instructions. They were not impressed. Ethan said that he wanted his bear to be blue. The rainbow girl said that she wanted her bear to be a rainbow bear. The rest of the kids in the group started coming up with ideas too. Polka dot bear. Ninja bear. Flower bear. I said that those were really great ideas.
Something in my rule following, authority-figure-respecting personality was overruled by my admiration of creativity and opinion that art should be fun and artistic expression respected. It was really the first time in my life I had disobeyed a teacher.
As it turns out, this would be my last day volunteering with Ethan's kindergarten class. When the teacher saw the kid's bears she literally yelled at me for ruining her bulletin board.
But, it was worth it.
Children are amazing. They think in ways that adults have forgotten how to think. So, I was really excited to get an email from Donna of Meme's Art Place with a project she did for our Make a Difference challenge along with two from her children. I love that she let them do it their own way! That she is teaching them to think for themselves. That she let them use paint and be creative!
Now onto the Hardcase winners. Congratulations! Please email your address to julie at cosmocricket dot com with Hardcase Winner in the subject line. Thanks!
Phyllis who said, "love them......really bright and gets you in the mood for spring"
Becky Mayhew who said, "Those are AWESOME! Thanks for the chance to win!"
February 21, 2012
The Hardcase Giveaway
I just got a fun surprise in the mail. Check it out... The Hardcase from Gelaskins all decked out in Cosmo Cricket prints!
Now, I just have to get myself a new phone to fit inside!
Eric has claimed The Boyfriend stripe called Tube Socks for himself, but the other two are up for grabs. Leave a comment today and you could be the random winner of Chicken Little from Storytime or Winona from Halfway Cafe.
I'll pick the winners tomorrow morning just before I publish tomorrow's post. Good luck everyone!
February 20, 2012
We Made a Little Difference/ We CAN Do More
Lowri McNabb made 25 cards for Operation Write Home starting our Make a Difference Donation off at $125 for Doctor's Without Borders. Thanks Lowri!
That was followed by Mustankayla's inspiring Hemingway quote project.
Then I finished up with a quick and easy project to bring our grand total to $135.
Now for our We CAN Do More challenge. I love tea tins, Altoid's packages and hot cocoa cans. If you're like me, you have an abundance of cans and tins for altering. So, this week alter a "can" using Cosmo Cricket products. Link your project in the comments on this post and Eric and I will donate a can of food and $5 to our local food bank for every project linked.
The challenge ends on Sunday night and we'll pick some of our favorites to feature here on the blog. Join us and make the world a better place!
February 17, 2012
Sugar, Facebook and Exercise
I saw this super-cute frame online this morning in an image search. I clicked on it and found a fabulous tutorial at Oh My Crafts. Isn't it fun!! I love how it feels all ruffley.
Now, onto my random thought of the day. Does science really make life better? Sure we love medical miracles, techno toys and photos of space but this week science is ruining my life. Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic, but go with me.
Have you heard that sugar is a poison? Science is telling us it is. Why can't they just leave my indulgences out of their experiments? I vote that we start a group like PETA called WACS (Girls Agains Chocolate Science). In the very least, we should start MYASS (Moms Yell Against Sugar Science) because I have enough to feel guilty about as a mother without adding poisoning my kids with a cookie to the list!
Then there's this, facebook is being researched. The scientific method has been applied and proven that if you use language above a 6th grade level people don't read what you're saying! Now, I have to like learn to like talk like my nine year old, AS IF!
And just yesterday, I saw a clip online about exercise and the brain. In a nutshell, if you don't exercise, your brain's size and performance decline. Well, I guess that could help me with my facebook problem!
February 15, 2012
Make a Difference: Sketches to Inspire
If you haven't taken our Make a Difference Challenge, you really need to!
I'm here to inspire you with a sketch or two. Do you like layouts? Maybe you could scrapbook something you did to make the world better. A volunteer opportunity? An act of kindness?
Maybe you were planning a card? A friendly note to remember the Earth, thank a friend or inspire a student?
If you're making a collage, could you please show me your image ASAP because I need a little help with my own project!
If you're sewing something, just know I am eternally jealous! One day I will master it. It will most likely be the same day I master cooking!
You can help us make a difference by creating a project and linking here or to this post (details are at the end of the entry). $5 will be donated to Doctors Without Borders for every project created and linked. You have until Monday when we will post a new type of challenge that we haven't even thought up yet!
February 14, 2012
Valentine's Day: The Best Gift
What do you think makes the perfect gift for Valentines Day? I like flowers, but they die too quickly and I hate washing the vase afterward. Chocolate is my favorite treat, but the NY Times just ruined that one when they declared sugar as a poison. But, never fear, I think I have found my perfect gift... Dinner out!
Yesterday, Abby and I estimated how many dinners I have made since I married Eric. (This is great math work, if any of you have fourth graders.) The grand total came to 6,023 dinners.
We then estimated that out of those, probably 2,713 turned out!
My first venture into cooking for a Comstock started with a tri-tip roast and a story Eric had told me about a time when he had enjoyed one. Wanting the perfect romantic evening, I tried to duplicate everything I could from his story. Unfortunately, he left out the part about how the tri-tip was prepared and I, never having cooked any roast before just stuck it in the oven at 350, no liquid at all.
Other memorable dinners include Julie's Original Washed Chicken Salad. Another BBQ sauce debacle, but we were young and poor and instead of giving up the chicken with the yucky sauce, I washed it off and made it into chicken salad the next day. I'm not even kidding!!
The first time I cooked Thanksgiving for my parents, I didn't know how to make gravey yet and so I simply omitted it. This is doubly ironic, because while my dad was carving the turkey, he found a bag of premade gravey, along with the neck and giblets still inside.
Residing in Utah, jello is a serious tradition. Except for our family. I gave up on it years ago! I have never made a jello that wasn't juice!!!
Another celebration called for a cake for a church event. The woman in charge of the event brought over cake mixes to make it easy on us volunteers. Somehow, my cakes did not turn out. They were flat. I called my mother. She said I must be over stirring them. I bought more cake mixes and tried stirring them less. They were still flat. I called her again. I tried a third time. I had made 6 cakes when she finally came over and made them for me.
But tonight, I am off! Tonight I don't have to yell, "No homework questions now, I'm trying to make dinner." This is an actual rule at our house and literally means, don't ask me right now or the answer to your math question may be the amount of salt that gets added to your dinner..... 24 tablespoons anyone?!
February 13, 2012
Three not so Random Things
First things first! Today is the first day of the Fat Quarter Shop Mystery Block of the Month Blog Hop. They have prizes for winners at the stops along the way, so be sure to check it out. Our day will be February 28th.
Second things second. Last week, I challenged you all to a Charm Pack project and what did I get..... as far as I know, my nine year old was the only one to take me up on it.
This is Abby's first sewing project which she created from concept to completion by herself. You may notice an iron is not something she uses. It was to be a pillowcase. Although she hasn't finished the edge yet, she did try sleeping on it. She doesn't like sleeping on seems.
She now has plans to make it into a quilt. I suggested one for a doll, but she prefers one for her dog.... I can just hear all you fabric lovers groaning at that!
And last, but not least, because I don't give up easily, I have a new challenge for you. Since I do try to learn from the past, I have an incentive of sorts also. We are calling this our Make a Difference challenge.
You see, I have a board on Pinterest where I post inspiring thoughts that motivate me to try to make a difference in the world. Here's a few things I've pinned starting with a fabulous quote from John F. Kennedy.
If you don't believe Kennedy, here's a thought for you from Feathered Nest:
You can see more on my board at Pinterest. Hopefully they will inspire you, like they have myself.
So, here's the challenge:
Step 1 Use Cosmo Cricket products to complete an art project about making the world a better place. This could be a quilt, a scrapbook page, a collage.... anything!
Step 2 Post it somewhere online. You can use our facebook page if you have nowhere else. Our hope is that people will see it, think about it and do something themselves. Artists inspire, it's our job!
Step 3 Leave a link here in the comments letting us know by next Sunday evening, 6:00 MST. This is really important because Eric and I will donate $5 to Doctor's Without Borders for every project linked. See, I meant it when I said I have been inspired.
I hope to complete a project for this challenge myself. We shall see if I can find time to squeeze it in. Good luck everyone. We will feature our favorites here next Monday. Now go, conquer, be your own Don Quixote!!!
