Psst Postal Service...

My sister, Olivia, & I have been missing each other lately. She’s in Georgia, and I’m in Memphis, but to shorten the miles between us, we’ve devised a new game…

Have you ever had nagging questions about what your letters experience during their trip through the US Postal Service or what would happen if you sent something oddly shaped through regular mail? Well, (for some reason) we have, which prompted us to find out once and for all.

Here’s the plan:

Send Odd Things in the Mail!!

Rule 1: Everything we send must abide by postal rules.

Rule 2:  Our shipping methods must be considerate of others using or working at the USPS.

Rule 3: This experiment must be inexpensive.

...otherwise, the sky's the limit!

Some Very Official Supplies (chosen mostly by Olivia):

1.   Fragile Object Test: Dorito Chips

• Make sure to choose the most perfect specimen.

• I sealed our (nasty) food in a Ziploc to avoid Dorito dust & grease seeping onto others' parcels. 

2.   Shipping Temperature Test: Lip Balm

• We chose Burt's Bees because (thanks to the greenhouse effect in my car) I know it melts. 
• The watermelon Lip Smacker was a clear choice because, seriously, what else is there to do with your sister's worst smelling ten year old lip gloss?
  
   
• I removed half  of the Burt's Bees to make any meltage more evident.
• The lip balm also got its own Ziploc.

3.   Will It Arrive in Georgia Test:  Dollar Tree Easter Bunny

• I didn't get any photos of this cute little stuffed animal before attaching a clearly addressed card.

After weighing all of the objects, I actually added a few more stamps to the bunny than the machine recommended...I really do want it to get safely to Georgia.

Also, a word of advice: Every trip to the post office is a great opportunity to send your sister a sweet note!

Well now, everything is in the mail. What will happen to these test subjects?! Share your ideas and keep reading. Olivia will let me know the results from Georgia, and I'll post them on the blog! 

Egg-stravaganza

*Disclaimer: I'm not quite Martha Stewart.

This afternoon, my sweet cousin, Alaina, came over for some Easter Egg dying fun.
We decided to try our own spin on a few Martha Stewart projects.

We visited Michaels and compiled a stack of old magazines for supplies.

Our first project: Dying most of the eggs

*which we did outside to avoid messes

My first egg was probably my most original egg art.

To make this egg, dye half of the egg in the lightest color first.

Then dye the other half in the second lightest color.

Next, submerge only part of a side in one of the darker colors,

and then repeat on the other side.

Alaina's first egg turned out very pretty.

She used a Martha Stewart technique: creating a pattern with rubber bands.

 *We found that adding more vinegar helps submerge the eggs, 

while not significantly diluting the dye.

Thanks to multitasking, 

things are lookin' good!

Now, on to the next project...Collage Eggs!

Martha Stewart's stamped eggs inspired these eggs, but we used the craft as a way to recycle old magazines.

To make this egg...

First, cut your favorite patterns or magazine photos into uneven, frayed pieces (to help them fit the egg's shape).

Dip the scraps of paper into warm water (to make the paper more pliable without using tons of glue).

Then, use Mod Podge to attach the clippings to the egg.

Don't be worried if the paper looks bubbly or if the glue looks opaque at first. Things will clear up as the Mod Podge dries.

A Moment for Outtakes:
  (or The Dos and Don'ts of Egg Dying Not Found on Martha's Website)

Do dry similar colors next to each other.
Do not try to move light colored eggs after darker colored eggs
...the dye isn't totally permanent.

Do boil or hollow out eggs BEFORE dying them!!!!

Do NOT cut corners for time or photographic purposes and think you can empty them after dying!

....This will happen to your hands, your face, your mother's favorite dish towel, etc.

When working outside, do beware of sudden wind gusts. We no longer have 24 eggs, thanks to an unfortunate encounter with the living room window. 

Glitter Covers a Multitude of Mishaps
Martha Stewart's glittered eggs inspired Alaina and me to hide some of our egg decorating mistakes with just a little bit of craft glue and glitter. 

You'll only need a few supplies to make your eggs much more beautiful!

* We found that applying the Mod Podge 

directly to the egg, then dabbing with a 

paper towel evenly distributes the glue.

The results look perfect! 

 Though we didn't have room for full monograms, we found that we absolutely needed to add the first initials of all the girls in our family...what else are two Southern Girls to do when crafting?

The eggs are so pretty.  Let's look at them again!  

An East Memphis Top 5

Ok, so everyone writes about the galleries, restaurants, and festivals happening in Memphis (especially in Downtown and Midtown)…but what about all of the interesting things you may be driving past every day? 

Well, I think East Memphis (or EM, as I like to call it) deserves some of the attention it tends to miss out on (though no news sometimes = a desirable place to live).

Here are the top five things I like to look for as I travel around East Mem:

1. Cherry Trees in front of the Botanic Garden

• These should be blooming for the next few days. However, the bloom dates change every year.

• Even when the century old cherry trees aren’t blooming, this is a scenic street sandwiched between a golf course & gardens.

2. Silos on Briarcrest at Quail Hollow Road

• These wouldn’t be half as interesting if they didn’t shape the path of a city street or if they weren’t entirely covered in wisteria, but they are, and that’s interesting!
• The vines should bloom mid-April this year & will look outstanding (no photos till then).

3. Owls

• Believe it or not, there are quite a few barred owls living in large, East Memphis trees. Here’s one in the back yard:

  

  *sorry, not the clearest photo

4. American Flag at the top of Clark Tower

• This is there every day, and sometimes, it’s interesting to see wind direction or if you can find it on foggy or rainy days.
  

5. Log Cabin on the right of Poplar, at the edge of Germantown

• Strangely, it’s really there.

• Note the "No Trespassing" sign, & make sure just to sight see from Poplar!