Doll felt sushi rolls

I did it. I made the sushi rolls small. I think they are so cute. I am going to make a whole handful of them, find cute little containers at the Dollar Tree, and give them to my daughter and nieces for Christmas. Super cheap, fun, and useful.  Next item up to make: dolly cinnamon rolls.

Bring Engineering to Young Females

I just discovered gofundme.com and I think it is a great opportunity to expand the limits of the free after school library programs I have started for girls to explore engineering. Please check it out at gofundme.com/engineer_females 

I am a graduate student in Engineering and Technology Education. I am passionate about encouraging young girls to pursue interests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). One way to encourage interest in STEM, is to expose young girls to hands-on activities. These activities create a positive experience for girls to get them motivated about design and creativity.
 
I have been volunteering at rural and suburban libraries planning and teaching small, after school, hands-on programs that are free to local grade school students. I have been putting the programs and activities together with my own money but that limits the amount of materials and activities these students can participate in. These programs foster creative problem solving by allowing children the opportunity to learn and apply engineering and technology concepts that they may not normally be exposed to at home or at school. 

I have recently been asked by some of my program students if they can make better prototypes of their designs. The students use engineering notebooks (which I purchase at the Dollar Tree and give to the students for free) to define problems, think critically, and design solutions. The students then build their solutions out of cardboard, tin cans, egg crates, and other found materials. However, I have recently been asked if the kids can make their designs on a 3D printer. I do have an extensive background in computer aided design so it is possible with the help of funding. Through the use of donations, I can buy a 3D Printer and materials.  After the library program, the students leave with added knowledge of technology and engineering. The programs are designed to be fun, engaging, and motivational. If there is enough donations, I would like to also purchase wearable items that can allow the students to identify themselves, and display to others, that they enjoy Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. 

“The only source of knowledge is experience.” –Albert Einstein. Please help me create the best possible experience for the children in my after school library programs. My hope is travel to several libraries across the state and soon, other states.

Felt Sushi Rolls... Christmas Gifts

             Right now I am knee-deep in grad school and I go shopping to "clear my mind" and keep me sane. With the holidays coming up it gets expensive buying toy after toy so I have decided I am going to save a little money and make some. My daughter LOVES American Girl doll stuff but come on....it costs a fortune. Luckily, my parents are building all the grandchildren a doll house to fit 18" dolls. I have been going to Goodwill (my favorite store ever) and finding amazing wooden chairs, benches, tables, beds, wagons, bathtubs, etc. to go inside the houses. Great money savor right there. Just clean up the items, add some paint if desired, and ta-da! I also found an adorable little picnic basket that is the perfect size for the dolls. I am going to make cute little foods out of felt for the basket. I have made life-size pasta, cookies, and sushi out of felt before, now I am just going to make them doll size. I will have to upload pictures once they are done. In case you are wondering, I have gone ahead and uploaded a picture tutorial of the life-size felt sushi rolls.  

DIY Halloween Costumes: Baby Sushi

Halloween is such a great time to show off your creative side. I try my hardest to not buy "off the rack" costumes. I will be adding a few cute *DIY* costumes on the super cheap. All of the costumes were under $5. I got several complements on the outfits and even won a few costume contests. Can you guess the best part? The costumes were all no-sew.  That's a plus for me. My glue gun is my go-to craft item. 

This DIY costume is a "Baby Sushi" roll. This costume was *free* for me cause I already had all the supplies and it is a no-sew wonder. I started out with a white onesie which will be usable again after Halloween. I don't like the look of a onesie without bottoms so I added the white tights and pink leg warmers. Felt sheets run around 20 to 30 cents a piece at Michael's. First, take a sheet of white felt and cut thin strips which will become the V shaped lines on the salmon.  Then hot glue the white strips onto a dark red sheet of felt.  Next, sandwich a second sheet of dark red felt to the bottom of the first and hot glue three of the sides together. Next, fill the pocket with about two handfuls of poly-fil stuffing. Seal the last side together with glue, finishing off the pillow-like "salmon" piece. Take a sheet of dark gray felt and cut two lengthwise strips to form the "kelp" belt which holds the salmon to the back of the child. Glue the two strips together to make one piece long enough to circle the child and the salmon. Test fit the pillow belt around the child and salmon and then hot glue the ends of the kelp belt together. The salmon pillow should stay put but be able to be taken off for diaper changes. This will also allow you to reuse the onesie. I also made a felt sushi headband. I took a black sports headband and hot glued handmade felt shrimp, sushi roll, and ginger on a felt leaf. For the tutorial on the felt sushi roll on the headband, click below. 

Link: Felt sushi tutorial: What I Love Today 

DIY Halloween Costumes: Baby Under Construction

Halloween is such a great time to show off your creative side. I try my hardest to not buy "off the rack" costumes. I will be adding a few cute *DIY* costumes on the super cheap. All of the costumes were under $5. I got several complements on the outfits and even won a few costume contests. Can you guess the best part? The costumes were all no-sew.  That's a plus for me. My glue gun is my go-to craft item.

First costume up is my "Baby Under Construction" maternity costume. It can be difficult to find costumes for maternity. Since it is such a special time, moms-to-be often want to accentuate the fact they have a baby bump in a cute and creative way.  Here is my $2 maternity costume.  I found a construction worker pull-over vest in the toy section of the Dollar Tree and cut it up the middle to make way for the bump. Then I purchased a yellow sheet of foam board, also from the Dollar Tree. I used a permanent marker to write "CAUTION: Baby Under Construction" as well as draw a pregnant stick figure woman. Just add a few strips of caution tape around your porch and a construction cone or two (also found at the Dollar Tree) and the theme is perfectly set.

Why what I love today?

     People often ask me why my small craft shop is called : "What I Love Today".  If you notice, it's also the name of my blog and Facebook page.  I have very diverse passions and a short attention span. My interests seem to change from one day to the next. One day I may love home decorating, song writing, and drafting, and the next day I will be making jewelry, painting, and designing children's headbands. It's a good thing I have a large craft room to hold all the supplies needed for my never ending list of projects. My mind goes a mile a minute and as soon as I am almost finished with one project, I switch gears and move onto another. I will periodically be uploading projects, tutorials, and random photos of the things I love today. Unlike many bloggers, my goal is to only post pictures of items and rooms I have either designed, created, or purchased myself. Feel free to add comments or suggestions. I hope you find something you love today.

The quote I live by

     Growing up, and even still today, many amazing opportunities and some overwhelming obstacles have seemed to fall onto my lap. The problem is that I have been too afraid to overcome the obstacles and even more afraid to accept many of the opportunities. I've been afraid of failure, afraid of success, and afraid of the unknown. Because of these fears, I have turned to inspirational quotes. There are many good ones out there. Quotes relating to sports, fashion, chocolates... you know the ones I mean. However, I wanted a quote that related more to my life and my particular fears. So, I decided to make one up. I have a fear of the ocean. I think it is a valid fear. I am sure alot of us watch shark week and can understand, even to the smallest degree, my fear of the ocean. Much like life, the ocean can be a deep, dark, stormy, dangerous, violent, and lonely place. However, I decided to face my fear and try my hand at scuba diving. After a brief panic attack, I swam alongside some of the most beautiful fish in the sea. After that, I spent a year volunteering at an amazing aquarium on the California coast, and have since learned that the ocean can be a vast and wondrous place full of amazing opportunity for growth, discovery, immense fun and learning. For these reasons, I have written my own quote, which, with any stroke of extraordinary luck, will grace the pages of a mortarboard one day. Here she is, the quote I live by....... "Look not into the depths of the ocean with fear but with the wonder of what's within." -Rachel Taylor.  Don't look at obstacles or opportunities in life with overwhelming fear and self doubt. Look at them as a means of discovery, self exploration, and playful curiosity. So go, dive into life and see what she has to offer!