Crayon Cupcakes

I posted these pictures on Face Book also. Anyone who commented on them digitally or in person assumed I made them for Angelo, which makes sense, especially since we've been doing a lot of projects recently. However, they are for me and my mixed media art! :) Melt them on a craft/travel iron (no holes) and then smear on card stock to create a background! (Wipe off while hot to clean iron.)

Angelo did help me with them. He peeled off the papers and broke some of the crayons for me. I'm surprised we didn't have enough already broken to use, so i guess we'll have to color a lot more! :) And Angelo will get his own too, don't worry. :)

Cut apart disposable muffin tin (you'll be able to use multiple times), round corners (especially if little ones are helping), put broken crayons and glitter in tins. Avoid putting all 3 primary colors together or you'll get some muddiness.

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Put tins on cookie sheet and into oven. Let melt about 10-12 minutes. Do not move the tins and let cool in the oven. Pop out and you get these cool crayon cupcakes! I'm sure Angelo will love playing with his once I make him some too. :) I'm going to use mine at the Art Retreat!!!! I'm so excited!!! :)

Update:

Angelo got his own set!  He liked cutting them apart with his plastic Melissa and Doug scissors and the cut edge made a really cool surface to color with. :)

Now, that was fun!!!

So, here it is! The mystery project I was working on to wear at the WVU Belly Dance Hafla last night!  I can't really convey how happy it made me to make this, but it's good stuff to feel that way! :) I would like to make more... we'll see with my current priorities on the to-do list. One is something for Blackstone Raid and the next is a wheel chair bag for my Dad (well, it's really for my Mom too, since she'll be the one putting stuff in it.)  This necklace was part of my "recycling project" for Earth Day.  I used a string from a choli that used to be a sari.  I think I already said that in the last post.  *shrug* Anyway, the base of the pendant is a scrap of raw silk and the collage is under a piece of mica.  I LOVE this quote.  I really like Martha Graham quotes.  She really seems a soulful dancer from reading them.  Bellydance is one of those things that is part of me- all of me- so stirring quotes like this one really resonate with me.

So, the performance last night was really really fun!  I was extra nervous because I was performing a choreography with my students first and my head has been in such a weird space this week that I was worried I'd mess up and throw them all off.  It was the first time they performed this choreography and one student's first bellydance performance ever! So, I was also more nervous because they were nervous.  My palms were sweaty, my belly did flip flops- even after all the Hyland's Nerve Tonic.  Good thing I took it though, because it really takes the edge off. 

Despite the nerves, I had SO MUCH FUN!!!  When I was turning, everyone seemed to be turning in the right place, and no one fell (not that I expected them to, but that's a hallmark of a good performance.  :)  Then they were there on the side while I did my solo numbers and it was extra fun interacting with them. Can't wait to see the video!  It really is a treat to be there when students have their first or 100th performance!  I am blessed and also reminded of the transient nature of things since 2 of these students are graduating and moving fairly soon (though I definitely get to "keep" one through August- yay!)  Another is moving in about a week!! It really makes me think about the impermanence of Morgantown, especially.  So many people are either going to the University or are employed through grant based employers that they come, stay a while and then go.  This time, it is a bit more sad for me, especially since Angelo's best little tot friend goes with one of my moving students.  Another set of my and Angelo's friends will be moving in the next year and a half and last year about this time, the same thing happened.  Both of these sets of friends came to Morgantown for the university.  We're about to put down even deeper roots here.  We've loved living here the last (almost) 8 years- it's really a great fit overall for us here-  but this part, especially as Angelo is getting older and more social, is hard for me. 

So, that made going out to eat with some students (3 performers and one who thankfully is sticking around as far as I know) after the Hafla extra special. Special in a "hey that's great- I didn't plan on it and got some extra time" kind of way; In a bonding, not-so-every-day-but-casual-and-spontaneous way.   It's good- made me extra happy. :)

In Angelo news- he said he wanted to "go to his new house".  Umm... we are looking at new houses, but haven't talked much to him about how we were getting a new house.  They are such little sponges, especially this observant little guy, that it is very possible that it only took me telling him once that we would be living in a new house and then all our other talk about getting the house ready to sell, etc. gave him the clues he needed to know he was getting a new house.  (We will still be in Morgantown, just in another area of town.)  This seemed to be fairly out of the blue, though and it makes me think that he picked it out of one of our heads.  He's done that a lot. A whole lot- repeats verbatim what I've ONLY said in my head the moment before.  Again, this little guy just amazes me. Whether he was using a natural gift of intelligence or mind reading powers, he blows me away all the time.  It is such a gift to be a Mother and see the world through his eyes and see him grow.  

I'm thinking of changing blogs.  There may be some more research I need to do to make this blog do what I want it to or to be more usefully laid out, but because it isn't totally obvious and I'm a Mom of a 3 year old, a professional bellydance career woman, etc., I just don't quite have the patience to figure all that out.  If it isn't obvious now, I don't know that I'm interested in seeking out any more here.  Typepad seems so nicely laid out and since most people have the same useful categories, I'm thinking that they may be more user friendly.  I'm thinking of a name change for the blog too.  Belly Arts Mama sums it up nicely, but may be a little long.  Anyone have suggestions?