We have a large cabinet in our garage at home labeled, Imagination Station and it is chock full of old egg cartons, paper towel rolls, old buttons, and anything else that I think might come in handy when the kids get the inkling to build and create. We had four snow days last week and, so as you can imagine, Imagination Station was open for business.
Matthew and I decided to put a dent in the more than forty toilet paper rolls I have acquired over time and to turn them into valentines for his classmates. I will remember the peaceful afternoon we sat together at the kitchen table talking and doing crafts and I hope he will too. Follow along and see how easy they were to make.
Select festive tissue paper. We picked reds and pinks, but you could use pastel colors if you wanted to make some for spring.
Of course you will need Mod Podge and a paint brush, both of which can be found at any craft store.
Brush the Mod Podge onto your toilet paper roll. Then, place a piece of tissue paper on top and gently re-brush Mod Podge over the tissue paper. The beauty of this project is there is no wrong way to do it. The paper can go any which way and, even if there are wrinkles in the paper, it still looks decorative.
Have faith. No matter how covered in white Mod Podge the roll looks when you are brushing it on, it will dry and the colors will appear vibrant.
Fill with colored Krinkle and treats.
We rolled the tubes in cellophane and then used red and purple ribbons to seal each end.
Matthew's Valentine's party is on Monday and I know he is excited for his friends to receive them. He has already presented one to his babysitter, Jenny, and it was a hit.
Before shining off until tomorrow, I must say that today's post is compliments of Cheryl. In a true pinch, late last night, she agreed to embed my photos for me. No small task. Thank you, Cheryl, for offering to help and for epitomizing what it means to Shine.
Now... by the time you read this I will be shining off until tomorrow, from the Sunshine State.
Sometimes you search for an idea clever enough to surprise someone with a little shine.
Other times the idea is so clever, you spread shine just so you can share it with others.
Today’s post is about the latter.
Krispy Kreme has the market on donuts, in my mind. I don’t know that they taste better than other brands, but I do know that the company shines at creating a sense of occasion.
Every six weeks or so, it seems they produce a seasonal donut. Fall is marked by football-shaped donuts, iced with chocolate frosting and topped with white laces. Halloween brings a combination of pumpkin shaped donuts with orange frosting and crème filled donuts, iced to look like spider webs. The winter holidays are all about white icing atop snowman-shaped donuts and Valentine’s Day is celebrated with heart shaped donuts, frosted with white icing and dipped in red and pink sprinkles.
One donut is more clever than the next and each version creates in me a desire to share a dozen with someone I know. Jack’s day care is often the recipient of my enthusiasm for these clever donuts, but last weekend Matthew, Jack, and I left the house early and took a different approach. We ordered three-dozen Valentine’s donuts and delivered them to families for whom we are wishing a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Matthew picked Cheryl’s boys, Drew and JB; Jack wanted to deliver his dozen to cousin, “Frank-a-docious”; and I picked a thoughtful neighbor. We taped simple cut-out hearts on top of the box, reading “Happy Valentine’s Day” and headed out on our mission. Matthew in his pajamas and prized cowboy boots, Jack in his pajamas, tousled hair, and socks, and me in my pajamas and purple slippers. We were a sight to behold as I pulled into the driveway and the boys jumped out to deliver the goods. Our escapade looked a little less like a Great Caper and a lot more like a scene from the Keystone Cops.
Nonetheless, we had fun spreading shine and I like the idea of supporting the creativity and celebratory spirit of Krisy Kreme.
How about you? Tell us about something you find so clever you look for ways to share it with others or just tell us how you intend to spread some shine this Valentine’s Day.
Shining off until tomorrow…
One thing is for sure.
Our planet will not be powered with shine until we figure out how to disagree with civility.
It is easy to watch the news and assume that the recent problems in Cairo are reserved for places like Egypt; places 7,000 miles away and ruled by a corrupt regime. But, there is plenty of evidence suggesting that we are no better at managing conflict than our Egyptian neighbors.
The shooting in Arizona last month and increased incidents of school-aged bullying are proof of our nation's growing incivilities. While closer to home, these examples are still distant enough that many of us will feel absolved and want to believe I am talking about someone else.
I am not. Me included.
The truth is our ability to disagree with civility about big things depends in large part on how practiced we are managing disagreement over little things. So let me ask you:
What do you do when, to your dismay, a neighbor parks his car in front of your home for days on end? Ring the doorbell and politely ask him to park his car somewhere else or outsmart your neighbor by parking your own car there?
How do you handle it when a colleague oversteps his boundaries and offends you? Address it professionally, from one colleague to another, or vent to a third party over lunch?
How often do you default to Facebook, email, or texting to confront a friend about something that is bothering you? Ten years ago a faculty member of mine shared that she loved email because it was easier to confront people electronically than it was in person. The irony that this woman was employed to educate future leaders has never escaped me.
Disagreeing with civility - instead of aggressively or passive aggressively - is similar to developing a muscle. The more you exercise the confidence and skill it requires, the stronger your muscle gets. I think the same is true of our nation. The better our nation gets at disagreeing with civility, the stronger we get.
Shining off until tomorrow...