House of Geekiness

We took Daisy and Mozzie out for the afternoon. They had so much fun and Mozzie even got to munch on some spring dandelion greens!

Our city is so fun, they always have something new going on!

Provo had a Kids' Science Palooza, a great opportunity to show how fun science is!

I miss Bill Nye, but this was great!

First, we had to put on our Air Bender tattoos...er kerchiefs?
These "Air Bending Vortex Cannons" were boxes with a hole cut out of the front. When you beat on them, a stream of air shoots out and hits the target. Poor Zuko, he was so abused!

Fun with dry ice, water, and soap bubbles! In the bottom picture, you can see the escaping gas from the burst bubble that my youngest tried to catch on his shirt.

They taught/helped the kids extract DNA from strawberries! So easy and fun, no microscope required!

BYU's Monte L. Bean Museum of Life Science was there to let the kids pet creepy reptiles... They LOVED it!

I love these things!

Win a Doctor Who bracelet from Aioralium!

Enter below! Your choice of 64 x 25 mm plated brass and "pewter" (zinc-based alloy) cuff bracelet w/ your pick of 1 of 4 Doctor Who inspired symbol.

I've known Aio, of Aioralium, since elementary school! She's a huge Final Fantasy and anime fan and lives the hectic life of a mother. "This is what calms me...The mom part, it's never ending...I guess making jewelry centers me when stressed. I was looking for a hobby and I saw a pair of earrings on someone and was like, 'I can make that!' It snowballed from there."

An insanely create person, she's been known to use almost anything in her jewelry and make it look amazing! I once saw her use carburetor parts in a choker. It sounds crazy, but she transformed it into a work of art...a piece that something you could wear anywhere! (Pictured below) I tried to steal it from her, but she saw me coming. ;) "I won't sell it, it's one of the very first pieces I made."

She says she'll use "anything that strikes my fancy but I lean toward metals and natural stone the most. I love to scavenge old jewelry and pick it apart." She is notorious for hording jewelry parts. "I just know I'll want it for something, even if I don't know what at the time."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1. Read through instructions completely before fusing your beads!

2. Have materials all materials ready. This is a delicate process, once you start ironing the beads you won’t have much time to gather anything you may need, so have it handy!
You will need: your patterns, beads, pegboard, parchment papers, an iron, a safe ironing surface, parchment paper, and one or more heavy, smooth-covered books (like hardcover Harry Potter #4-7 or any of the Wheel of Time books)

3. Assemble bead design on pegboard according to printed pattern, one bead equals colored square.

4. Heat iron to low or “linen” setting.

5. Place unwrinkled/creased ironing or parchment paper over your completed design.

6. Once iron is fully heated, move it slowly over the parchment paper using very little pressure, until you see each bead clearly through the paper. Do not to over-melt the beads! (Be sure you can see each bead clearly on the parchment paper. Once you can see them all, they should be melted enough. Be sure each part of your design has gotten enough heat, especially the beads in the middle and edges!)

7. Lift parchment paper slowly from the pegboard. If melted enough, the beads will stick to the paper and lift easily.

8. Place parchment paper (bead-side up) on a completely flat surface that is safe to iron on.

9. Place second piece of parchment paper over the unfused side of your bead design and repeat steps 5 and 6.

10. After both sides have been melted/fused, place your parchment paper-bead sandwich on a completely flat surface, under a heavy book while the beads are still warm. This step is very important! If the beads are left to cool without being under a flat, heavy surface, they will curl and warp.

11. Let cool completely before removing book(s) and using your finishing kit!

12. Look over your bead sprite once it has cooled. Check to see that each bead as fused together, if not, apply steps 5, 6, and 10, to the unfinished beads areas. Once again, be sure not to over-melt the beads, only heat them until the bead’s outline shows clearly through the parchment paper.

13. Follow finishing kit instructions.

Finishing Kit Instructions

Oranments

1. Select appropriate spot to attach nylon string. You'll want to select a spot about two or more beads from the top for the best durability. This should also be the hole nearest the bead sprite's center, but in some cases it may be slightly off-center if one side is larger than the other.

2. Thread string through hole.

3. Test center of balance by holding the string in each hand and letting the bead sprite hang naturally. If the bead sprite is not hanging straight, adjust to a different hole to compensate.

4. Knot the ends of the string together.

Wall Decor

1. Work putty between fingers until it softens to a chewing gum-like consistency.

2. Roll into a ball and place on back of wall décor.

3.Place décor on wall or other desired surface.

4. Press firmly onto the wall, placing enough pressure on putty to slightly flatten it, but not completely.

Magnets

Materials needed: Magnets, superglue, brush or stick to spread the glue (toothpick, clean popsicle stick, wooded skewer, or disposable paint brush) bead sprites

1. Be sure bead sprite is fully fused before applying finishing kit.

2. Choose which side of your bead sprite will be the front or back.

3. Choose where you’re going to glue the magnets. If you place a magnet too far away from the top of the bead sprite, it may be too top heavy and not stay upright when sticking to metal surface. I like to place all the magnets near each other in a line, near the top.

4. Use brush or stick to cover magnet with a thin layer of glue.

5. Let glue dry for about one minute.

6. Apply second coat of glue. (Using two coats helps the adhesion)

7. Hold bead sprite face-up and press magnet onto desired area on the bead sprite back for a few seconds.
DO NOT lay the bead sprite face down to glue the magnet onto it, the glue can seep through the holes and leave an ugly residue on the front of your bead sprite!

8. Let glue dry completely before adding additional magnets to that bead sprite or the magnets will not stay in place!

9. Repeat steps as appropriate for each bead sprite. I like to use 2 magnets per small bead sprite to make them powerful enough to be useful.

10. Let dry overnight.

Unless you make a mistake and need to re-glue the magnets,
Never bend bead sprites or the magnets may come off!

We're giving away a free art print from DanManCult when my facebook page reaches 1500 likes!

My facebook page has reached 1337 likes, so we're giving away a Tardis magnet sign fromBad Wolf Cosplay! As some of you my have seen, I bought one of these for myself for Christmas and I LOVE it! Go here to enter.

Took my family to a party to watch Olympic opening ceremonies last night at the Provo Convention Center, sponsored by Xfinity/Comcast. I loved getting to see ballet and listen to Daft Punk on 12 ft screen w/ theater surround sound. My kids were jumping up and down when they saw the commercial with Spock and Chekov, then totally freaked out when "Tron music" started playing. They also got to make their own gold metals, do face painting, eat junk food, and meet two Olympic champion speed skaters and wear some real Olympic metals!