And I did drop those flowers out the window on I-74 where my kids and I had sat for so long in that 90 degree heat.
The work on the quiet book continues to progress, so well so that I am not feeling too stressed about making that 4th of July deadline. (Although I may not have any spare time to practice for the annual family bocce tournament...)
Ever mindful of me, Pepper is very much a presence as I work.
I had to work around her as I went through my ribbon stash, but I really don't mind. I understand why she is always so close and I respect and honor her for her devotion - even when I could really use that space she is lying in to sort out ribbons!
Decision made! I was working on the count-the-beads octopus; each ribbon was to be a tentacle.
One thousand beads. (I sure don't want to spill that container!) I needed ten different colors even though octopus have eight tentacles, not ten. Squid have ten, but an octopus is more fun to make.
More than ten colors! I was good.
I paired bead colors with ribbon colors, and then arranged them in a pattern I thought was pretty. (Color as well as by texture.)
I counted and I counted and I COUNTED as I strung the beads to ensure that the number of beads lined up with the number written above that tentacle.
I also used toggle rings with two rings for safety to keep the beads from sliding off and becoming a choking hazard. Finally, I put hot glue on the tied end to double secure the tie.
I was really happy with how the octopus turned out until I parted the tentacles to see how it looked underneath.
It was too bare. I'm heading to the craft shop today to see what kinds of ocean/fishy appliqués and patches I can find. After stitching those down, the octopus page will be completed.
Also finished is the cover page which has a tying activity. The kitty needed a nose, but the fur was so dark and so long, it had to be something I sewed on rather than drawing one which would disappear in all that fur.
I found a set of domed pink, red, and white heart buttons, tried each one to see the visual effect, and chose the red button. Flipping the heart upside down made it look more like an animal's nose.
Also finished is the colorful spider web. The cord is about 18" long and secured under the back. Not only can the kids make different patterns of spider webs, they can also learn their colors with this page. (We teachers just never turn off that teaching gene! LOL)
Here are a couple of sneak peeks of some in-progress pages:
Another aquatic page waiting for more appliquéing.
A page related to The Wiggles, a suggestion from family as both JC and Jayci grew up watching the show.
Here's a hint about this page:
Not gonna lie - I love The Wiggles! There are four Wiggle-themed pages planned for the quiet book.
Busy day today around here. Nashie is coming over (which means transports joy for Nash, Tammo and Pepper), I have a doctor's appointment, shopping at a craft shop (transports of joy for me!) and then Ian is playing in a band concert this evening. (Cheering and applause coming up!)
Hopefully I will get some work done on the book; if not, no worries.
Stay 'tooned!
