Kids Digital Art Video

I created this video to show one way kids can use digital art.  I got into adoptables 7 years ago and my son always wanted to help me color them.  In this video I explain briefly what adoptables are and give examples of them and then I walk you through how my 3 year old daughter colored he butterfly fox.

My Pinterest

My Pinterest™
By: Michael Miller
Publisher: Que
Pub. Date: May 04, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

I chose to read My Pinterest by Michael Miller.  I found this book on Safari Tech books and chose it because it covered a web application that I had not used yet and that I wanted more information on.  I found this book very helpful it is easy to read and is laid out well.  The book begins with information on Pinterest and gives an overview of what it is and what you are able to do with it.  After that each chapter walks you through using Pinterest starting with signing up for an account.  With images and tips to go along with it anyone should be able to easily follow along.

Once the book finishes with the basic things you can do with your account is has a chapter on Pinterest Etiquette.  I find this very helpful because using web applications can be very new to people and they are not sure what they should or shouldn’t do, which makes them limit themselves when using the application.  That is followed by chapters covering how to use Pinterest for different interests and with different devices and web applications.  The author has also included an appendix at the end called “Understanding Pinterest's Terms of Use” which covers the basics of how they affect you.  I enjoyed this book and found it very helpful in learning how to use the application.  I also liked that it had something for everyone and was laid out in a way that you could easily jump to the topics you wanted to learn about.  The one thing I would like to see changed about the book is that managing your account which includes changing account information along with email and security settings.  I feel this information should be covered right after setting up an account.  People who are new to using web applications might not think about these things and wouldn’t see it until aft they get to the end of the book.

While reading the book I also followed along with it giving me a chance to try out Pinterest.  The sign up process is easy thought the book did say that you must have an invitation to join and gives information about requesting an invitation.  When I signed up I was not required to have an invitation and didn’t see anything mentioning it on the site so this process may have changed a bit since the book was published.  You are able to sign up with either your Facebook or Twitter account.  I used my Facebook account which linked my Facebook account to the Pinterest account I was creating.  Then it had me choose a username, enter my email address, and choose a password.  Below those fields there are check-boxes to choose whether to follow your Facebook or Twitter friends on Pinterest.  That page also includes your profile image.  If you have used one of your other accounts while setting up this account then the image from your profile will be in that area.  You can change the image or just leave it alone to use that as your profile image.  I was worried about getting unwanted emails or a lot of spam on my Facebook account because of linking the accounts.  During the few weeks I have been testing this application.  I haven’t noticed a change on my Facebook account and I have not been receiving a lot of unwanted emails.  The default settings for email when you create your account are all set to on.  You can go into settings and change your email settings.  This is covered in the book but is not covered until the very last chapter. 

The last step in the account creation process requires you to choose 5 boards to follow.  Picking which boards to follow is not difficult.  You are given a list of categories and then you are given a list of boards with a follow button for each.  I have not been able to find a way to skip choosing these boards.  Once you have chosen 5 boards you are given access to a button to take you into your account.  I found that choosing those boards makes learning the site more confusing and deleted then right away.

Pinterest works well on its own or with other social media sites.  You can just use the application to pin images of things you would like to remember or go back to or you can also use it to see the things your friends or other Pinterest users have pinned.  You can also create hidden boards that only you have access to if it is not something you would like to share with the world.  In the book you will also be able to find information on using Pinterest for your business, to use with groups, or for buying or selling gifts.  If you are interested in learning how to use Pinterest you should defiantly check out this book.  It covers a lot of features of the application that the documentation on the site does not cover.

How are our seeds?

I have been taking pictures of our flowers every couple days.  This project hasn't turned out as I planned but I have learned a couple things along the way. 

The flowers started to sprout after a couple days.

 The instructions said to vent the cover once they started to sprout and make sure they get sun.  I propped up one side of the cover to let them get air.  This seemed to cause the growing to stop.  I think the problem was that the flowers I had in their grew at different rates.  Some of them had barely sprouted when the sun flowers were 4 inches high.  I ended up removing the sunflowers and putting them in another container without a lid.  This seemed to help a little bit but I think it may have been too little too late.

 With the weather being nice out I decided to put them outside for some fresh air and sun light.  I was going to bring them back in before night time since it was still getting cold at night and totally forgot.  I watered them for the next few days but I was never able to bring them back.

The things I have learned:
When planing sees make sure the ones in the same container grow at the same rate.
Once you vent the lid mater multiple times a day.
Do not put baby flowers outside when you are not supposed to get out of bed.

Things i should have remembered:

I kill plants! 

Do you guys have any tips you can share about growing flowers?
 

Valentines Candy Craft

We completed this project before I started this blog but I have the pictures and it turned out so cute I wanted to share.

Everlasting Kisses

I work for a virtual pet site and for Valentines Day someone came up with the idea to do a "guess how much in the jar" contest.  I was so excited because I could already see how cute it was in my head.


Materials Needed:
Container
Small items for inside jar
Decorations -ribbon, glitter, paint, ect

I got all my supplies except for the candy at the 99 cent store.  I had a heart shaped jar in mind but could only find a vase.  I also bought valentines themed Hershey's kisses because it fit with the them I had come up with for the contest on the site but you would use anything really.

  I counted out my candy as I put it into the jar.

I put a balloon weight in the top - it fit perfectly to double as a lid.


I opened the foil on the balloon weight.




Then I attached foil heart garland and pink sprigs to the wire sticking out of the weight.

I then shaped the garland into hearts and arranged them nicely.

When I had it how I liked it I but it on some white paper and put sheet paper behind it as a background for my image.

I opened my image in photo shop.  I adjusted the colors and the lighting.  I also removed the lines between the paper.

I then took the logo for the website I work for and transformed it to look like it was on the jar.

 

 As a prize for the contest one of the site artist made an Everlasting Kisses item for me. 

- See image at the very top.-

 This project was a lot of fun.  

Though the actual completed project only lasted about 5 minutes before my family started stealing the candy from it.

Getting Back on Track

I have not bee able to keep this up like I had planned and for that I am truly sorry.  Sometimes life happens.  I was working out in the beginning of this month and I tore the muscle and tendon in my calf.  I am on my way to getting better after 2 weeks of bed rest, the fogginess of medication, and numerous doctors visits.  Getting caught back up on the 6 classes I am taking this semester has been harder then I thought it would be.  My husband is great and he did his best but cant keep up with the house and kids like I do.  I also had to pick up a couple of design jobs to help us get caught back up from the extra doctors bills and my husbands work being slow right now.

I did manage to start some projects with the kids during this time they just need to be completed and posted.  I will be posting my remaining blogs as quickly as I can.

On a side note here is a little decorating tip.

Dollar Tree has these magnet sets.  They are themed for the different holidays.  I have gotten them for Valentines Day, St. Patties, and Easter.  These are a cheap fun way to add some holiday to your kitchen and my kids love them.  They love to put them on and I catch them playing with them while I am working in the kitchen.

Fun Easter Magnets

Planting seeds

Our first project will run through the next few months and we will post frequent updates to share our progress. 

We have recently moved into a new house with a nice sized yard.  So I thought it would be fun to get the kids involved and make it pretty together.  Today we are starting with planting some flower seeds.  This was super fun to do and we all had fun getting dirty.  We had some mishaps along the way but they just made it that much more fun.

Materials Needed:

Flower Seeds - I used many different kinds.

Seed Starter Pots - I got a package but egg cartons would work just as well.

Starter Soil - The smallest bag worked for 50 pots.

Tray and Lid - My pots came with a tray and lid but you can also use a tray and plastic wrap.

Pencil or Stick - For poking a hole in the soil.

Large Bucket or Bowl -To mix the soil.

Water

Seeds separated and ready to plant.

The first thing i did was number each hole in an egg carton and put the seeds from each pack in their own hole.  I put the number of the spot on the pack so I would know which seeds I had in what area.

Wet Soil

I have found it is much easier to mix the soil with warm water in a bowl before adding it to the pots.

Doing this as opposed to mixing it around after its in the pot cuts out a lot of time.  The pots are fragile when wet and little ones get antsy waiting to help.

Adding soil to the pots

Fill the pots up to the top with your soil mixture.

Packing it down isn't necessary.

 

 

With your pencil or stick put a hole in the middle of your soil.

Mixed up seeds

Earlier I had organized my seed so I would know which flowers where in which pots. Well when I went in the house to get the seeds they were all over the kitchen floor. So instead of going back to the store I just scooped them up and we planted them like that.

 Put 2 seeds in each pots and push the soil back into the hole.

 

Place all your pots in the tray and use a spray bottle to water them very well.

 

Put the lid or plastic wrap over the top.

Your seeds should be stored in the house where they will not be in danger of freezing.  I have mine next to the window though that isn't necessary until they sprout.

 

You should store them with the lid on so they stay moist.  I spray mine every morning with a spray bottle.  Once they start to sprout you should vent the lid.  You can remove the lid once all of you pots have sprouts.  Make sure to put them in the sun light after they sprout.

They are little flowers.

We had a great time doing this project.  We got dirty, we spent time together, and we will be able to watch our seeds grow.  

I will post updates as they grow and I will have other posts as we finish the process of making a Kraftie yard.

Welcome

When I saw we needed to make a blog for my Dynamic Web Applications class I was dreading it.  I don't dislike blogs; I just had no interest in them.  I had a very hard time choosing the subject for my blog.  I wanted something that was creative and fun and would keep me interested.  I couldn't think of anything more fun than crafts with the kids.

During the next couple months I will be sharing with everyone all the Krazie things we can come up with.  I will give instructions on how to make the projects and tips on how to avoid the mistakes I will no doubt make.

After my class is over I plan to keep up the blog as a family project.  Let the kids create their own projects and share them themselves.  I hope you enjoy Krazie Krafts!