Bean Art Mosaics - Rainy Day Fun

A fun activity for any age child, even adults. I came across this idea when I was looking for party games for my daughter's 4th birthday party last month. Of course, it's not a new idea, as I can remember enjoying this craft when I was a young child too.


For a nice variety, you can try pinto beans, black-eyed beans, black beans, green split peas, amongst others. For designs, I simply searched online for stencil templates and came across a huge amount of choices. Be sure to use thick cardboard to avoid curling from the glue.

My 4 year old daughter made all 3 of these designs, using her imagination and creativity to place the beans where she thought would be best. I just helped with applying the glue for her. I think she did a great job!

Natural Unbleached Cotton Napkins

I've been busy improving some of the items in my etsy shop. My reusable cloth napkins are now made of unbleached natural cotton, and are a larger size....a generous 19 1/4" square. I've also mitered the corners for a clean, formal look. Each napkin is stenciled with one of my unique designs.

Although most people think of cloth napkins as a formal dinner party accessory, they are great for everyday use, as well. I love to use them to replace paper napkins and towels, to aid the effort in keeping our earth green.

Napkins are sold in my etsy shop http://harrietshaven.etsy.com in sets of 4 for $24, plus shipping. I can easily adjust the listing for a smaller or larger quantity. So far, there are 2 designs available - "Recycle It", and "Walk This Way". All of my designs will be available on the reusable napkins soon, for a total of 11 to choose from.

Hard-Hatted Friend Pays A Visit

As I was taking a walk outside yesterday to the mailbox, I noticed something out in the yard. It lay on the ground, quite a distance from me. My original thought was that it may be a large plastic cup from this past Memorial Day weekend....a little bit of the party leftover. Oops! But wait!!! On my way back from the mailbox, I thought I saw this "thing" move. My next thought was that it may be an injured animal. From a distance, my imagination began to run wild as I wondered if something would 'leap' at me or maybe become frightened by my presence and begin a defensive attack.

My husband was outside feeding the dog, so I called to him, and together, we discovered it was a large turtle. What a pleasant surprise! He was probably a good 8" in length. He didn't move much as we checked him out...and of course, I had to run and grab my camera. He seemed to be smiling the entire time during our visit.



What a joy to find such neat and interesting visitors in our yard. I'm just glad he was friendly and enjoyed having his picture taken!

THREADKILLER Giveaway on etsy

I'm currently offering a Threadkiller Giveaway on etsy. You have a chance to win 2 Reusable Sandwich Bags. I have 7 designs to choose from. This is a $14 value!


If you are unfamiliar with the way a Threadkiller Giveaway works, you must post in the forum thread, and if you happen to be the last person to post within a 24 hour period, you win! As simple as that! http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?page=1&thread_id=6538190

Click the above link for your chance to play, and maybe win!


Good luck!