Thursday, April 05, 2007

How to: Cure Boredom


Now that I think about it, it was probably my creative mind (and an affection for scissors) that probably kept me off drugs as a teenager. My hands were always covered in acrylic paint, fabric fuzz and glue was always stuck in between my fingers, a spatula full of cake batter always found its way to my fist long before it hit the kitchen sink and I was always reaching to save a broken dish from the garbage (my family still doesn’t understand that broken glass is art in the egg stage.) So, basically there just wasn’t a finger available to hold a cigarette. It was simply a matter of unavailable space. Well, if like me you don’t like being bored then you might like these ideas to keep it away. On the other hand if being bored is your thing and you would rather sit on your bedroom furniture and make your teeth yellow then you might want to check out www.FurnitureFromHome.com. You might as well rot your body in style. For the rest of you, check out these simple recipes for curing the boredom blues (their cheap too!)

Cookie Contest:

*Baking *Boy friendly

Who makes the best cookies in the cookie jar?

Irvina make the best cookies in the cookie jar!

Who you?

Yes me!

Couldn’t be!

Then who?

Have a cookie baking contest! Winners in four different categories: Craziest Cookie Creation, Sweetest Cookie Creation, Healthiest Cookie Creation and Prettiest Cookie Creation. What you gotta do is gather your friends, sisters, brothers, cousins, neighbors; my motto is “more is always merrier.” Get a recipe for cookie dough (I like chocolate chip cookie dough, minus the chocolate chips.) Provide an assortment of ingredients to add like: White chocolate chips, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, m&m’s, Butterfinger bars, snicker bars, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, marshmallows, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, dried fruit, brown sugar, fresh apples, fresh bananas, powdered sugar, brown sugar… (You get the gist) Give everyone a big glob of dough and they can add their own ingredients. Have a large assortment of things to add and be ready to taste some of the yummiest creations!

Tips:

*Have everyone make ½ teaspoon size cookies so you can taste lots of cookies without getting full too fast

*Have plenty of milk in the fridge so you can clean your cookie tasting palette

*Have everyone name their cookies something fun like: “Princess Food” or “Choco-lotta-nuts”

Need:

Cookie Dough

Add in ingredients

Cookie sheets

Ballart:

*Art *Boy friendly

Strike one…

Strike two…

A piece of art made by you!

You are going to be making a piece of art for your room. What you do is gather any old sports balls lying around the house. A thick canvas about 11x14. Get about three different colors of paint ready. Dip the ball into the paint and either pitch, volley or serve the ball onto the canvas. Makes an original design (parents have been knows to display it with their living room furniture too.)

Tips:

*Use baseballs, golf balls, volleyballs, tennis balls. Hold off on the bowling balls Picasso

*Pick up to three colors of paint. It will add a variety to the piece

*Stabilize the canvas by placing it up against a wall in your backyard

Cost:

11x14 Canvases: $7

1 pint of paint: $ 6

Balls: FREE you’re a kid you should have plenty of these laying around

BUT if you don’t go to the Salvation Army and pick some up for 50 cent

Café Me!

*Cooking *Boy friendly

Everyone has to eat right? Spare the Rice a Roni and spoil your family with an original dinner made by you. First pick a type of food. Let’s say, Chinese. Your menu will be green tea to drink, soy beans for an appetizer, chicken and beef teriyaki for the main course, white rice on the side and Apple wontons for dessert. Your family may have beautiful dining room furniture but, ambiance is everything! Have fun with it, pretend to be the waiter/waitress. Wear all red if you can (red is a lucky color in Chinese culture), ask that everyone remove their shoes before they enter the restaurant (Chinese culture says to remove your shoes at the door of someone home in order to leave any bad spirits outside the home.) Take sheets and hang them around the room to change the feel of the room. Place silverware and plates on the table with flowers and candles. Dim the lights to make it feel like a real restaurant. My little sister and I used to do this all the time as kids. Our family still asks us when our “café” will be taking reservations again.

Grocery List:

Green Tea

Soy Beans

Chicken and Beef Teriyaki- Chicken, beef, red and green bell peppers, white onions, teriyaki sauce

Soy sauce

Wonton wraps

Apples

White rice

Tips:

Name your café and make a sign with markers for the door

Make menus (be sure to only put the things you are making for dinner)

Have waters already on the table

Speak in an accent of the country of food you are making.

No Lookie Portraits

*Art *Boy Friendly

Peek a boo!

Hey?

Where the heck are you?

This is so fun! What you do is try to draw your sister, brother, friend or parent without looking at them. Not even once. From start to finish you just stare at the person and let your hand do the drawing without peeking at the paper. You start with the head, then the eyes, hair. Try everything you see. What comes out is something totally hilarious. When your done try and water color over it. An even more impressive piece of art. I like this one because you can do it in the car, at your grandma’s house, in your backyard or on the leather sofas in your living room and with anyone. All you need is a pen and paper.

Jas and Bots

Jelly and Wine got me painting all the time!

*Art *Gifts

Who the heck knew that the jar of peach raspberry jam was just as useful as the actual preserves inside? I did! Yes, I take credit for rescuing jelly jars and bottles of wine from the trash. I take them and paint flowers, vines, trees, sunsets and whatever else I am in the mood to paint on them. I always make sure the jar or bottle is really clean. That all the old stickers are all peeled off completely. I first use pencil to draw what I am going to paint. Then I use acrylic paint for my painting. Then I use a glossy sealer to seal it all up. This is so fun and it totally beats just sitting on the sofas and watching reruns.

Tips:

Paint the wine bottles with Easter eggs and you have a flower vase for Easter dinner!

Paint names of jelly on the jars and actually make homemade jelly and give it as a gift.

That’s all folks!

What did you think? Do you think that these ideas could cure boredom? Do you have something better to suggest? Would you do these? Let me know at Irvina@furniturefromhome.com

Ciao Cuties!

Irvina

Xoxox

I would like to thank

www.FurnitureFromHome.com

For sponsoring today’s blog and paying for my craft supplies with my paycheck!

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