It's Bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

I love the game Bananagrams so much, I had to make my own crafty bag o' letters.
Not that I own a fancy set or anything: I just use my Scrabble tiles for the game. (ahem: if you don't know how to play Bananagrams, I don't know if we can be friends. Study up on the rules!)
I'm horrible at embroidery, but I decided to steer clear from banana-shaped bags. There's something equally horrible at any phallic-shaped fabric pouches.
Extra tidbit: there are lots of fun YouTube videos if you search for "Bananagrams," like this one.

Fizzy fail...

I wanted to make thank-you gifts for all my dear friends who helped me craft my way up to my sister's wedding.
At first, I decided to go simple. Scented bath salts in unique containers. Simple, right?
But then, I was inspired by this tutorial and decided to try my hand at making bath bombs.
I went scavenging for the listed materials. Hardest to find was citric acid, but a local homebrew supply store in town, Homebrew Heaven, carried it. Toughest consumer choice: what kind of essential oil to buy (and it ain't exactly cheap, but I figure it'll last me through several craft projects).

I read that you can use almost anything to mold bath bombs: Christmas ornament molds, two measuring spoons stuck together, ice cube trays, etc. I forced some of the globby mix into some flower-shaped ice cube trays I have, as well as a muffin tin:

The catch: you've got to mix the wet and dry ingredients just right. Too dry, and it won't stick together. I learned the tough way: too wet, and the stuff will just keep reacting and expanding. I thought I could leave this stuff to dry overnight, but it never did: I woke up to find my kitchen counter smothered in this mushy, yellowy, jasmine-scented mess. Fizzy fail, indeed. I was so disappointed I didn't even take an "after" shot.

Weddy to craft!

What started as a list of projects...




...turned into a beautiful wedding for my sister and her husband Nick on Mission Bay in San Diego, Calif.



My handmade contributions: burlap table runners, gingham table runners for the refreshments table, cucumber water, cellophane bags of caramel popcorn and animal crackers (separate, not together), collected Mason jars from Oregon thrift stores, tissue-paper poms (hung from the ceiling in large form, and miniature poms strung in clusters)...