Not Just a Hat

Christmas News Flash!!!

2009-12-25T23:16:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas, one and all!!! We haven't been able to make any posts together because I, Emily, have been away at college since August. Now that I'm home for the holidays, Audrey and I should be posting more often - that is until I have to go back to school in January.

So enjoy this here Christmas Special from us at Not Just A Hat!

Braces Faces III

2009-07-20T12:00:00.003-04:00

Today, Audrey talks about her missing her most recent orthodontist appointment, the new Harry Potter movie, her slumber party, and random bits of oddness.

By the way, Emily is taking her road test today so wish her luck!

Matchbox Art

2009-07-17T09:23:00.007-04:00

Get ready to get out of control... because we're already there! Today Audrey and I temporarily "borrowed" our brother's toy cars for this little project called: MATCHBOX ART!!!

Enjoy!

To create Matchbox Art you will need:

Colored Construction Paper
A Work space covered with newspaper
Tempura Paint or any acrylic paint
Toy Cars (like MatchBox)
Paper Towels (to clean up)
Paper plates
Tape

What to do:

1. Cover work space with newspaper to avoid getting paint on your lovely family heirloom of a table.
2. Choose a colored sheet of construction paper, and tape the corners and/or edges down to make sure the paper doesn't move while you're steering out of control ;)
3. Squirt some paint (choose all different colors to make it pretty) on the paper plate.
4. Gently roll the cars' tires in the paint making sure the whole tire is covered in paint. Don't worry about the messy car.
5. Begin! Twist and turn and avoid the cops as much as possible while spinning donuts in your colorful "parking lot."
6. Afterwards, clean up with some damp paper towels and save your artwork.

So this was all fairly simple, yes? Yes. It's amazing what you can do with little brothers' toy cars and paint. Thanks for watching!

NJAH News

2009-07-04T16:41:00.005-04:00

Hello, an' welcome to anudder edition of NHAJ News....

Yup! You read correctly. We began our own little news cast with Chicago accents (sort of) and mustaches (purchased at Hot Topic for $5.99 - we highly recommend them).

In this video, we have special appearances by our little brother, Henry, and Audrey's friend... who's name shall not be mentioned here.

It's super fun to make your own news cast. In this edition we paid attention to the weather and our own personal fun instead of news. The whole cast had a blast planning the script and choosing out our suits for the job. And we'd like to give a round of applause to our dad who lent us the suits and ties in the first place. Though you cannot hear the applause, we assure you it's happening.

So to make this all possible, we used:
mustaches
suit jackets
ties
script
creativity ;)

So g'night an' we hope you enjoyed this edition of NJAH News... I'm your host Bob (And I'm Bill!) (... and Chuck...) signing off...

Potion Making 101

2009-07-02T06:51:00.004-04:00

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

- Macbeth, Act IV, Scenes 14-15 by William Shakespeare

That recipe happens to make one of the most fowl smelling concoctions in the world. So instead of making that, we made Fizzing Phantom Potion (guaranteed to make the warts on your feet smell better) and Quicksand (guaranteed to be messy).

So welcome, welcome one and all to Potion Making 101! Grab a goblet and let's get cooking! Oh, and a little reminder. Please don't eat or drink any of these concoctions. Though they're not toxic, they do taste really disgusting. And be sure to ask your adult wiz to borrow some ingredients and some extra space to make these in, for it will get very messy and things might just explode. But not to worry, these recipes are fairly simple for Wizards in Training.

Today, we made sure we filmed our experiment for the archives. Enjoy!

To make your own potions, we've listed the recipes below.

Fizzing Phantom Potion

Empty goblet
2 cups of Dragon's Blood (White Vinegar + food coloring of your choice)
1 Tablespoon of Bone Dust (Baking Soda)

Instructions:
1. Mix your desired food coloring with the white vinegar.
2. Pour mixture into empty goblet.
3. Using your hands, sprinkle on a little bit of baking soda at a time or if you want, you can take a big handful and cast it into an entire cauldron filled with Dragon's Blood.
4. Stand back and watch as the potion boils and bubbles.
* To amaze your fellow wizards, let them try only give them water instead of vinegar so their result won't be anything like yours. In fact, that mixture is just called Phantom potion, which simply makes you invisible - no fun there!

Homemade Quicksand

Mixing Bowl
Mixing Spoon
2 cups of Dried, Crushed, and Powdered Eyeball Whites (Dry Cornstarch)
1 cup of Water from the Fountain of Youth (Water)
Food Coloring

Instructions:
1. Empty cornstarch into the mixing bowl.
2. Add desired amount of food coloring. (You don't have to add a lot. It may look like the color just disappears as soon as you mix it into the powder, but we assure you it's there.)
3. Add a little bit of water at a time, using the spoon to coat the cornstarch evenly.
4. When it gets difficult to use a spoon, go ahead and use your hands. It comes off easily with soap and water.
5. When it becomes harder to mix but easier to sink in, you're done!
6. If you decide you want to keep it, keep it in a jar with an airtight seal on it to prevent it from drying out.

Join us for our next class, Potion Making 102, when we make Cerberus Saliva and Secret Goo....

Make Your Own Models

2009-06-29T13:33:00.010-04:00

Have you ever been so bored that you just wanted to take parts of used bodies to create your very own Frankenstein Monster? Well, you're not alone. In fact, just today we took parts of people's faces, cut them out, and taped them back together in a fashion of our choosing. But rest assured these people are still alive....

"How is that possible?!" you may ask. Our reply would be, "Why, we cut them out of magazines, silly!"

That's right. We took parts of faces (i.e. eyes, noses, and mouths) and put them together again to make our own models. No we didn't defile any graves or steal people's faces in the middle of the night while they were sleeping. Nope! It was good, clean, enjoyable fun. We even renamed them as well!

So now that all is in order. Let's show you what we came up with and maybe you can decide what parts you want to make your own model Frankenstein Monster.

Actually, now that we think about it, they weren't very scary... just funny lookin' is all. They definitely wouldn't be accepted by the Hollywood community.

Culture Magazine by Emily

Model: Dorothy
Favorite Color: Periwinkle
Favorite Food: Monkey Innards
Hobby: Knitting
Dislikes: Rude People
Lives: With the neighborhood squirrels

Model: Tabatha
Favorite Color: Clear
Favorite Food: Raisin Seeds
Hobby: Spelunking
Dislikes: Cabbage Paste
Lives: In a toolshed

Stupid People of the Year by Audrey

Model: Jessica
Favorite Color: Blueish Greenish Pinkish Purplish (bleepurpish)
Favorite Food: Avocados
Hobby: Riding Koalas
Dislikes: Little Brothers
Lives: In a tree

Model: Dora Explora
Favorite Color: Brown
Favorite Food: Spaghetti Sauce and Broccoli (together)
Hobby: Singing the Barney song
Dislikes: Rap Music
Lives: In a teepee

Go ahead and try this at home when there's nothing to do. All you need is:
Some old magazines (Check with your parents and other family members in your household)
Scissors
Tape or Glue Sticks
Construction paper (regular printer paper works fine but we enjoy the color choice and durability of construction paper)
Writing Utensil
Stickers (optional)
Imagination ( !!! NECESSARY !!! )

As you can see, we simply found faces that were relatively the same size and cut out (in strips) their eyes, noses, and mouths (including the chin for a full face effect... hm, maybe we should have kept the foreheads...) Then we rolled tape and placed it on the back so there wouldn't be any interference with the final picture. And finally, we stuck the faces to some construction paper, wrote all over it, and made a couple of magazines. You can decorate it anyway you want, even add stickers for some extra glitz and glam.

If you want to take it to the next level, add more pages and columns and "advertisements" and interviews... The list goes on. There's really no limit when activity is low and boredom is high. If you truly want to entertain yourself, you'll find a way.

Fun at... Walmart?

2009-06-25T11:30:00.005-04:00

Well howdy, y'all! This here's a list of fun things to do at the most boring place on Earth... Walmart! There are many different variations of this list, but these are the things we like most. Enjoy!

1. Contaminate the entire auto department by sampling all the spray air fresheners, especially the fruity ones.
2. Challenge other customers to duels with tubes of gift wrap, Star Wars light sabers, or pool noodles.
3. Leave cryptic messages on the Etch A Sketches or similar temporary writing pads.
4. Tune all the radios to a polka station; then turn them all off before turning the volumes all the way up.
5. Walk up to complete strangers and say, "Hi! I haven't seen you in so long!..." etc. See if they play along to avoid embarrassment.
6. While walking through the clothing department, ask yourself loud enough for all to hear, "I mean, seriously. Who BUYS this stuff, anyway?"
7. Ride a display bicycle through the store; claim you're taking it for a "test drive."
8. Follow people through the aisles, always staying about five feet away. Continue to do this until they leave the department. This tells them that that department is YOUR territory and yours only!
9. When the cashier runs your purchases over the scanner at check-out, say, "Oooh!!!" in astonishment as it beeps each time.
10. Move "Caution: Wet Floor" signs to carpeted areas.
11. Ask other customers if they have any Grey Poupon.
12. Drape a blanket around your shoulders and run around saying, "I am... the Batman! Come, Robin--to the Batcave! Awayyyyy!!!"
13. Randomly throw things over into neighboring aisles. (Careful not to throw anything that might injure someone if it should land on people.)
14. Play with the calculators so that they all spell "hello" upside down. If you don't know how to do that... just forget it.
15. When someone asks if you need help, begin to cry and ask, "Why won't you people just leave me alone?"
16. When two or three people are walking ahead of you, run between them, yelling, "Red Rover!"
17. Make up nonsense products and ask newly hired employees if there are any in stock, i.e., "Do you have any Shnerples here?"
18. Take up an entire aisle in Toys by setting up a full scale battlefield with G.I. Joes vs. Barbies. Take bets on the battle described above.
19. Hold indoor shopping cart races.
20. Dart around suspiciously while humming the theme from "Mission: Impossible."
21. Attempt to fit into very large gym bags.
22. Attempt to fit others into very large gym bags.
23. Politely ask employees, "Would you be so kind as to direct me to your Twinkies?"
24. Set up a "Valet Parking" sign in front of the store.
25. Two words: Marco. Polo.
26. Leave Cheerios in Lawn and Garden, pillows in the pet food aisle, etc.
27. In the auto department, practice your "Madonna" look with various funnels. ;)
28. Relax in the patio furniture for a bit.
29. When an announcement comes over the loudspeaker, look up and search the ceiling asking, "Lord? Is that you?"
30. Drag a lounge chair on display over to the magazines and relax.
31. If the store has a food court, buy a soft drink; explain that you don't get out much, and ask if they can put a little umbrella in it.
32. Look up at the ceiling in amazement while pointing as if looking at something bizarre and see if other people look up as well.
33. Get a group together to hide in the clothing racks and shout in high, squeaky voices, "Pick me!" "No! Pick me!" when people are browsing.
34. Create your own marching band to weave in and out of aisles and departments.

Good luck and have fun!

The Blindfolded Self-Portrait Contest

2009-06-23T18:08:00.011-04:00

So today Audrey and I decided we wanted to do something messy and outdoors. I say outdoors because it was so nice out today and my allergies indoors were killing me....

Anyways, we came up with a contest - who could paint a better self-portrait... blindfolded (and outdoors). Enjoy the show and tell us who you think painted the picture with the most resemblance by voting on the poll on the right side of the page... you'll find it.

In case you didn't see the portraits well enough, we've got some pics:

This here is Audrey's self portrait.

And this one's Emily's. It came out sideways and I have no idea why... so turn your head to the right so the face is on the left side of the paper... if there is a face.

The Talking Rats

2009-06-18T13:41:00.003-04:00

This video includes the most recent activity of Lucy and Luna. Here we see them hanging out on the bed, looking for chocolate chips. Enjoy!

Episode 1

Braces Faces Update

2009-06-17T17:44:00.002-04:00

Audrey and her braces progress: Enjoy!

To Mark a Grave

2009-06-17T14:31:00.005-04:00

Eeesh! Three months have gone by and we haven't made one post. Well, you can't entirely blame us; we were very discouraged when we learned it was impossible to put a video on our own blog. Really, it does irk us.

So until Blogger, or whoever is in charge of videos being put on the blog, decides to make it simpler, faster, easier and all around better to put a video on a video-based blog, we will continue mini-posts about life (and death) in general.

For example! Recently, we lost a dear friend of ours... Lulu, the bunny. Here's the story:

She got out of her cage somehow and we couldn't catch her, so we decided to let her go free since she wasn't a very happy bunny in her cage. Days passed and something strange happened... she didn't leave the area. She would hang out the backyard under the tree in the shade or under the bushes just chillin.' She would occasionally be seen in the neighbors' yards or across the street, but never more than a half-block away. So we figure, 'Hey, we might as well keep feeding her.' So we put food in her cage in the garage and left it open for her to come and go as she pleased. Sometimes at night, she would return to her cage to sleep, then leave early in the morning before anyone would see her there.

All in all, she was just a much happier bunny. Ears up, hopping around, and not even overweight anymore. She got plenty of exercise running from our little brother. She ended up being free for a total of two or so months... until it happened. Our dad was walking around the yard and he saw Lulu, just sitting on the lawn. He went over to her to pick her up, which usually fails due to her hopping away, but this time, she just sat there and let herself be picked up. When examined, we came to the conclusion that she was sick. She looked scrawny, tired, and just terrible in general. She might have eaten something that did not agree with her. Plus, she was sort of at the end of her lifespan - about 5 years.

So we put her back in the cage to rest for a while until she got better. Unfortunately, during the night she passed in her sleep - peacefully and with the memory of being a free bunny. So the next day, Audrey buried her in a nicely decorated box in the backyard next to the rat, Molly, who passed last November (10th to be exact) due to a tumor growing on her right side below the armpit.

ANYWAYS, we needed to mark the graves of our dearly beloved Bun-bun and Momo. So we went to the crap store (craft store) to find a way to mark it using our IMAGINATION. We then came across a garden stepping stone kit, made with cement, an octagonal mold, and glass tile mosaic pieces. We thought this a great idea, so we took it home and made it pretty with two glass flowers and the engravings, "Molly & Lulu."

We highly suggest this for any pet-lover who has recently lost a dear friend. It is relatively inexpensive, very easy to do, and fun to make! You can use your creativity to the max, decorating it with all sorts of designs and objects. And in two days, it will be ready to set on your much-loved pets' graves. So instead of buying a billion-dollar grave stone, or forgetting where you buried them and digging them up by mistake... buy a garden cement stepping stone kit and make one yourself!

Sincerely,
Audrey, Emily, Lucy, and Luna

Technical Difficulties... Once Again...

2009-03-10T20:01:00.003-04:00

Sorry, but we are again experiencing technical difficulties due to YouTube's heinous policy. We're attempting to do everything we can in order to get our "music video" up and running. If you have any info on how to post a video with a song without it getting "claimed" by the WMG, pleeease let us know so you can be further entertained!

Music Video: When I Come Around by Green Day

2009-03-09T17:06:00.005-04:00

Hey y'all! We just got done making our sick nasty awesome music video for our new album Sick Nasty Awesome (not sold in stores now or ever). We hope you like the song; it really came from the heart. Unfortunately, we lost a dear friend in the making.

Rest In Peaces... Spooney... What a great drum stick you were. You thrilled the world with your sick nasty awesome power of rock and roll. If only you were here right now... *sigh*

"When I Come Around" by Green Day

Repurpose Your Books!

2009-02-25T22:07:00.013-05:00

Tired of using books for the same ol' purpose: reading? Then join us in Repurposed Books! Here we filmed various ways to use those space wasters other than reading.... With this list, you'll never be bored reading again!

If the video is too small you can just go straight to our YouTube Channel and view it full page there. :)

Have Fun in an Elevator

2009-02-25T20:34:00.003-05:00

Ever get bored on those 60 second elevator rides? Here are some tips to make your trip up (or down) a little more fun. After all, even business people need a good uplifting to work; why shouldn't it be you?

1) Crack open your backpack or handbag, peer inside and ask "Got enough air in there?"
2) Stand silent and motionless in the corner facing the wall without getting off.
3) When you arrive at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act as if you're embarrassed when they open themselves.
4) Greet everyone with a warm handshake and ask him or her to call you Admiral.
5) Meow occasionally.
6) Stare at another passenger for a while. Then announce in horror: "You're one of THEM!" - and back away slowly....
7) Say "Ding!" at each floor.
8) Say "I wonder what all these do?" and push all the buttons.
9) Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
10) Stare, grinning at another passenger for a while, then announce: "I have new socks on."
11) When the elevator is silent, look around and ask: "Is that your beeper?"
12) Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers: "This is my personal space."
13) When there's only one other person on the elevator, tap them on the shoulder, then pretend it wasn't you.
14) Push the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.
15) Ask if you can push the button for other people but push the wrong ones.
16) Hold the doors open and say you're waiting for your friend. After a while, let the doors close and say "Hi Greg, How's your day been?"
17) Drop a pen and wail until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream: "That's mine!"
18) Bring a camera and take pictures of everyone on the elevator.
19) Pretend you're a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the passengers.
20) Swat at flies that don't exist.
21) Call out "Group hug!" then enforce it.

Technical Difficulties

2009-02-25T05:51:00.004-05:00

Hey! Sorry we haven't uploaded a video yet; it was supposed to be uploaded yesterday afternoon but for some reason Blogger isn't letting us. It's been "uploading" for the past 10 hours or so and it hasn't budged. But we'll be posting things other than videos later today... that is, if it let's us do that!

And again, sorry for the inconvenience!

Braces Faces

2009-02-23T12:02:00.003-05:00

Hi, it's Audrey and I got braces! :-D

Test Our Video

2009-02-23T10:11:00.006-05:00

This is just a test to see if we can actually get a video to upload onto a post. We have tried this with at least seven other blog sites and none of them work. So here goes... we experimented with ways to use tissues. Yeah, I admit we got a little crazy but this is just a taste of what you will receive. Now that I mention it, "taste" was the wrong choice of words for this video... Enjoy!

Welcome!

2009-02-23T06:08:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Not Just a Hat by Emily and Audrey! We're two sisters that get bored just like anyone else. But that's why we're here now. Many a day we get bored and realize we don't have to be. So we find simple things around the house that might amuse a small mammal for 10 minutes and turn it into something amazing using string, scissors, markers, and a LOT of duct tape. Hence, why we made this blog: to share our ideas with the rest of the perpetually bored world. Stick around for more posts!