artsy fartsy

Floss Bombing

floss bombery

The other day we didn’t have any particular project we had to do and we hadn’t done a craft in a while so I dug out my extensive supply of embroidery floss and let the kids “floss bomb” some sticks from Bug’s massive collection on our patio.

Bug has a thing about sticks. She always finds them on our long walks home from school and falls in love with them. They have personality and are usually named Sticky. Sticky often has brothers and sisters and cousins who have to come home with him too or else they will feel abandoned and cry rivers of tears. Poor poor Sticky and his poor poor family…etc etc…

The first few sticks were cute but it’s become kind of a thing and now my patio looks like a giant bird is building it’s nest there. So I toss as many as I can when she is not looking and try to convince her to give the rest to the fairies. I’ve managed to whittle the collection down to about ten or so. It’s a constant work in progress: Me against the sticks. I have a feeling Bug is going to become a hoarder when she grows up because we constantly clash over what is clutter and what is not.

Whatever though, right? It’s awesome that she has a thing for sticks and not Hello Kitty figurines. Wait. She does have a thing for Hello Kitty figurines. Never mind.

Back to our sticks.

rainbow wrapping

Don’t the sticks look awesome covered in embroidery floss? They are so pretty and bright. I’m torn between admiring them and feeling like I’ve wasted valuable floss. It did keep the kids occupied for quite a while though and the end result was quite pretty.

floss bombing

sticking around

But then what to do with them? If my house was minimalist and empty, these sticks could be quite the artistic statement sitting alone somewhere but among all my other bits and bobs they were kind of lost. So I let them sit around on the bookshelf for a day or two and then stashed them back into my craft box to be unwound someday for another project.

12 Comments

  • Sonja

    Oh, man. Sticks.
    For a long time, I was able to convince Noah to leave sticks at the park rather than bring them home with us because “this is where they live! Their moms and dads and brothers and sisters are here… they like it in this lovely park!” etc.
    Stopped working after a while. Sigh.

  • Susan:)

    I like the flossed sticks! Very pretty. Maybe you could leave the decorated sticks out somewhere for others to find and enjoy.

  • Amanda

    I’d have them do a few more and hang them on the wall horizontally in an open faced frame. In fact, I may need to go find some sticks myself now. hmmm….

  • Amy

    Use the stick as cross pieces for hanging mobiles or wind chimes. Or sell them on etsy at wizard wands!

  • Lisa

    Wow. It must be a little girl thing, my almost 4yo does the same thing. I have a table just by the door where all the bits and bobs she picks up (rocks too!) go. Her treasure table. She will say hello to all her treasures whenever she goes in or out. LOL! LOVE this idea… maybe instead of floss, yarn?

  • kat

    i love this! could you turn it into a hanging thing? my friend has a big branch she hangs and then she hangs different things off of it depending on the season – one year we decorated empty egg shells and then hung them for spring. :) or you should point her down the path of those stealth tree knitters!

  • TexasLea

    I think they would be pretty if you used them to frame something like a picture of even a mirror maybe. Maybe you could build a little crate out of them and put it on the coffee table in front of that awesome red couch. You could use it to hold the TV remote.

  • auntie keren

    I will never forgive myself now, for insisting that you leave behind the ‘special’ rock you had found as you’d waited for me to pick you up after school when you were in 4th grade. That, and making you wear a braid one day. What a horrible auntie.