Willy Wonka Party

Today is the cast party for the kids who participated in the Willy Wonka Jr. play and each parent is sending a snack for the kids.
I wanted to send something nice to them, but the logistics of sending food for 92 kids is a little complicated. To avoid allergies, messy food, accidents with utensils, I decided to be on the safe side and send chips and doritos.
But they deserve something more, so that is why I decided to make a floating hat dropping chocolate coins.

I started with my biggest baking pan and a paper bucket I got from Michaels.
The center needed to be taller so I taped chopsticks to make legs.
I found some very pretty paper at Michaels to wrap the containers.
The Cricut machine cut the letters to make a sign and the Willy Wonka bar with the golden ticket.
To decorate around I made some lollipops using clay.

The hat I made in paper.
To make the coins cascade, I had to make a hole in the bottom of the bucket to stick the end of chopsticks. Then I wrapped the base with aluminum foil, to secure a little more.

Then one by one I glued the coins with a little bit if hot glue.

Slowly I worked my way up, being careful not to collapse the tower.

Then I glued all the rest of the coins (110 of them, the nice salesperson from Party City double checked for me), all around.

And I glued the clay lollipops around to decorate.

The kids did such a great job on the rehearsals, the show...I really hope they have fun at the party.

They already created great memories for them, and for all their families who watched.

Willy Wonka Jr. Cake

Today my son and his friends are part of the school play Willy Wonka Jr, and to celebrate I wanted to have a nice themed cake.
My first idea was to make a floating hat pouring jelly beans.

Since I knew I wouldn't have time to bake, I bought a cute chocolate cake from BJ's.
The first step was to stick a chopstick on it.
Then I started attaching jelly beans using frosting.
And worked the way up until my paper hat would cover the jelly beans.
The hat I made out of paper.
The signs I made in the computer and used a Cricut machine to cut.
I placed the signs in toothpicks and used lollipops to decorate the top, using gummy bears on the sides.
My son was very excited and the cake was very good.
I can't wait to see the show.

Samurai Collection

I have been a fan of Samurai for a long time, but after my visit to japan I really became interested in the art work that was put into the these warriors.
These are some of the pictures I took in the town of Iga.
But one piece of art that I could not find in the museums was the Tsuba (鍔 or 鐔).

Tsuba is the round part of the Samurai sword, that is used to protect the hand and to balance the sword. It is a piece of art itself, so to be able to carry around with me, I decided to make them into key chains (not very noble or majestic like Samurai).

Another reminder of Samurai warriors, were the flag they carried showing their clan symbol, called kamon (家紋).
I made so far two kamons. The first key chain says Samurai.

I have been making bags too, so I decided to make my own Samurai. I made a girl Samurai, because they really existed and trained for battle.

I hope to expand my collection and my knowledge about Samurai.

Ponyo in a bowl.

I made Ponyo and the fish using clay.
They were arranged with some pebbles in a wooden bowl my husband made.
The last part and the most satisfying was to pour the resin on top of everything.
Ponyo is one of my many favorite characters from Hayao Miyazaki. . She is a little fish that turns into a human.

Dog Pajama

Today I decided to ignore my long to-do list and decide to make pajamas for my dog.

I found a very good pattern on Etsy, that comes with very good instructions and it was easy to make. The link is here on Mimi and Tara Store.

After taking the measurements I found the perfect size and purchased the pattern.
The instructions are very good and it was not so complicated to make.
She looks very cute on it.
I think I will make more.