Melted Plastic

Who knew melting beads could be so fun?

Well if you've been on Pinterest you have probably seen those melted plastic pony bead creations.  Here's the LINK to the one I looked at.  Scroll down the page to see a picture.  I read the comments and decided to try this with the kids.  Seemed like something they could all do.

And I may or may not have stepped on a pony bead and decided then and there that melting the little sucker into oblivion seemed like a good idea!

I chose to use mini disposable heart and star tins.  Each kiddo and my mom and I got a set to fill.  You are supposed to do a single layer of beads.  At least that's my understanding.  We have two gallon plastic bags of these beads....so, no, we didn't use them all up.

Next you just pop them in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  That's it.

The little tins are really thin, so we tore them off of the plastic.  But if you were using a real pie pan or muffin tin they would just pop out.  They didn't stick at all to our tins--just where the foil of the tin got tucked into a melted bead.

Look how pretty the glitter beads turned out...

{And should you be wondering about that matching fingernail polish, it's Turquoise and Caicos by Essie}

And if you hold it up to the light it's very neat.

This really is a fun craft that even little kids can do.

And put a smile on everyone's face.

I am now thinking of all the possibilities.  I would love to do a beach themed Christmas tree this year, and I think using the greens and blues to make ornaments would be so adorable!  Or use some larger ones to help cover the window in the kid's bathroom.  It's a small window at the very top of the room, so I haven't decorated it yet.

I highly recommend this craft.  I didn't even find it that stinky.  It we had our vent hood installed it would have been even less so.  :)

See Ya Later Alligator!
Meredith

This is NOT a nail blog.

But I didn't get the memo, so here's a nail polish post.  : P

I am completely and unabashedly head over heels in love with nail polish.  I have maybe 70 blogs devoted entirely to nail polish saved in my bookmarks.  I visit them all the time.  I blame this on Pinterest.  The obsession started with THIS polish.  And specifically that post.  Please don't fall in love with that polish.  It is impossible to get.  It's a brand (indie polish maker Lynnderella) who can't possibly fill all the orders she gets.  You have to send a wish list in to a certain online company and then wait....in my case I'm still waiting on it to be filled and it's been over two months.

But anyway.  The good news is I have plenty of other polishes to keep me crazy.  Uh I mean occupied.  So I shop at Sally's, Walgreens, Walmart, Etsy, and Facebook.  Yeah that's right.  You can get polish anywhere....just like crack.

So the only "me time" I've had over the last month or so has involved polish.  And since I've made a ridiculous number of trips to the pharmacy over that same time period--my stash of polish has grown exponentially. Some day I'll post a picture....

Today I had got all excited when a particular mani turned out how I wanted, so I had to post it.

I saw a polish I loved by another indie polish maker Candeo Colors called Jellybean.  HERE's a link to what it looks like.  I know, right??  Unfortunately it's another impossible to get polish.

Fortunately, I also follow ::whimsical ideas by pam:: on Facebook.  Now she has so very many polishes I love that when I was cooped up in my room with only my laptop and fever to keep me company....I ordered five of them.  They arrived this week!

So yummy.  Last week I wore Kee-Wee for my oldest daughter's field day at school.  Today I layered three   polishes to make this...

It looks like that Jellybean polish a little.  Well enough in my book.  Now keep in mind that IRL the nails don't look streaky.  Also I know that my middle finger got a little too much Essie Marshmallow on it.  Speaking of that.  Here's the colors I used.  {Orly Spark, ::whimsical ideas by pam:: Hatched, and Essie Marshmallow}  In that order.  And a top coat of Seche Vite.

Anyway.  That's what's keeping my occupied these days.
Meredith


ETA: You really have to click on the pictures and enlarge them to see that gorgeous polish!