Pipe Cleaner Lollipop

Did you know that the lollipop (originally Lolly Pop) was invented in Connecticut? This beloved treat was first produced in 1908 by George Smith of the Bradley Smith Company of New Haven. Connecticut named the lollipop its official state candy in 2024. Celebrate this sweet treat with a quick and easy pipe cleaner craft. Affiliate links below. 

Pipe Cleaner Lollipop

Materials:

• pipe cleaners (orange, yellow, green, blue)
• 4" lollipop stick
• glue gun

Steps: 

Stack the four pipe cleaners and begin to twist them together. You can twist them loosely at first and then go back and tighten them, or twist them tightly from the beginning. Either way, you want a tight twist. 

When you've twisted the pipe cleaners together all the way to the end, begin coiling the twist. Keep the coil tight as you twist. It should hold on its own, but you can also add a drop of hot glue occasionally to keep it totally secure. 

Use hot glue to attach the lollipop stick to the finished coil. 

Quick and easy! Now go enjoy a lollipop in honor of George Smith, the Bradley Smith Company, and the great state of Connecticut. 

The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 2: Colorado to Georgia

This is the second post in a series. I recommend reading the introductory post first. Today I'll be picking the city in Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, and Georgia that I most want to visit, then listing my top 2 attractions in each location. 

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The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 2: Colorado to Georgia

 

I would love to travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Olympic City USA is home to the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center and the Olympic committee headquarters, more than 20 national Olympic governing bodies, dozens of national sports organizations, and my top pick for attractions, the US Olympic and Paralympic Museum. I would also love to take the cog railway to Pikes Peak. 

The city I'd most like to visit in Connecticut is New Haven. I'd start my time at Yale University, specifically at the Peabody Museum. It looks incredible. I would also like to check out Lost in New Haven, which looks really unique and would be a good introduction to the area. 

On my next trip to Delaware, I'd most like to visit Wilmington. The are six units of First State National Historic Park; Wilmington is home to three of them. I'd start my visit at Fort Christina. I'd also plan to visit the small but charming Brandywine Zoo. 

It should be no surprise that the city I most want to visit in Florida is its capital, Tallahassee. We have been to 45 of the 50 state capitals and I'd love to see the rest. My priority would be the Florida Capitol and the Museum of Florida History. 

My top choice for a city to visit in Georgia is beautiful and historic Savannah. I would start by riding a full loop on Old Town Trolley Tours; we've taken Old Town Trolley Tours in multiple cities and always found them to provide an excellent overview to a city. After learning all about the city and seeing its most famous sites from the trolley, I would check out the American Prohibition Museum. 

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Did I miss any must-do attractions in these cities? Let me know in the comments what else I should do when I make it to these cities!

The Best and the Worst of the 50 State Seals, Part 1

I had a lot of fun ranking the 50 state flags and then the 50 state quarters. Now it's time to tackle the state seals! 

The design of a state seal serves a completely different purpose than state flags or state quarters do. Unlike a state flag (which is usually viewed outdoors, at a distance, and thus should be simple in design, completely unique, and readily identifiable in all weather conditions) or a state quarter (always viewed up close, with the reverse design serving no real purpose other than to delight collectors and thus make money for the government), a state seal is used to authenticate official documents, government buildings, and other state property. It is not nearly as important that the design be unique or readily identifiable. 

State seals typically include images, symbols, and mottos that represent the history, identity, and values of that state. Most states have have official full-color and single-color versions. Variations of the seal are used for different governmental departments or positions. Some states have updated their seals multiple times over the course of their history; others are using the same seal as when they received statehood (or earlier). 

I will be grading each seal on scale of 0-10. I am considering two factors: 

• Does the seal have an aesthetically pleasing design that makes good use of the space? (5 points)
• Does the seal's design represent the history, identity, and values of the state? (5 points)

I'll be looking at the states alphabetically, so let's get started with Alabama. 

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Rating the State Seals: Alabama through Georgia

Alabama's seal was adopted in 1939. It features one of Alabama's most important resources, its major rivers, presented in a map of the state. I like that. I'm not particularly fond of anything else about the seal. I don't love the colors. It seems really weird to include other states in your state seal (although I'm amused that the Gulf of Mexico is labeled). I was not able to find any meaning the six stars; I assume they're just decorative. I'd rather see 11 smaller stars on each side, representing that Alabama is the 22nd state. 

Design 2, Representation 1 = 3

Alaska's state seal has been in use since 1910, long before statehood in 1959. The seal features the natural beauty of Alaska (the Northern Lights, mountains, forests, and waterways) and its industry (mining, railroads, shipping, timber, agriculture, and fishing). Overall, I like the design and the colors are nice. It represents the state very well. I question including train tracks that extend onto a short wooden pier (that doesn't seem safe) and I'm not sure why the close ship is entirely in silhouette. I wish the seal and fish were a little clearer on the dark blue background. While I'm fine with the font, the spacing of the words and the inconsistent kerning are pretty bad.  

Design 3, Representation 5 = 8

Arizona adopted its state seal at the time of statehood in 1912. I'm impressed; it looks surprisingly modern. I love the colors and how well they represent Arizona. The overall design is interesting and very well well-balanced. The design features each of Arizona's "Five C's" - copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate, as well as the state motto and the date of admission. If I have to criticize anything, I would tweak the font slightly since some letters are heavier than others (compare the O and N in Arizona). But that is such a small detail that you can go ahead and forget that I even mentioned it. I love this seal. 

Design 5, Representation 5 = 10 

The state seal of Arkansas was adopted in 1907. It features an eagle with a scroll, arrows, and an olive branch (just like the Great Seal of the US), both an angel and a goddess, a circle of rays, a sword, and a shield with a steamboat, beehive, plow, and wheat. That is a lot of elements. And unfortunately, they don't say "Arkansas" to me. The design doesn't feel relevant to the state today, nor does it convey much about the state's history. I don't love the colors, nor the empty spot at the bottom of the text, where the date of admission would fit perfectly. The more I look at this seal, the less I like it. 

Design 1, Representation 0.5 = 1.5 

California's seal was adopted in 1849, with several minor changes since then. The seal features a grizzly bear (California's state animal), grapevines (representing the wine industry), grain (representing agriculture), a minor (representing the Gold Rush), and sailing ships (representing economic power). The goddess Athena is there because she was born an adult, just like California became a state without being a territory first. The seal shows the state motto and 31 stars, representing its admission as the 31st state. There's no question that the seal represents the state well. Overall, I like the design, the colors, and the decorative border. 

Design 4.5, Representation 5 = 9.5

The Colorado state seal was adopted in 1861 when Colorado was a territory; after statehood in 1876, they changed the text to "State" and added the date. The design features the Eye of Providence (just like the dollar bill), a Roman fasces (used to inflict punishment, symbolizing strength and authority), a shield with mountains and miner's tools, and a scroll with the state motto. The design of the seal is very well balanced and aesthetically pleasing, but I'd like it a lot better with more emphasis on the mountains and other natural beauty of the state and less on the Eye and the weapon. 

Design 4, Representation 3 = 7

The state seal of Connecticut has been unchanged since 1784 and is the only non-circular seal among the 50 states. It features three grapevines, thought to represent the first settlements in Connecticut. The large text translates to "Seal of the Republic of Connecticut." The text on the banner is the state motto, which means "He who transplanted sustains." While I appreciate the unique shape, that's about all I like about this seal. It's not particularly attractive and the colors are uninspired. Other than the state motto, it doesn't particularly represent Connecticut which, incidentally, is not a Republic. 

Design 0.5, Representation 0.5 = 1

Delaware's state seal has been modified four times in its nearly 250-year history, most recently in 2004. The wheat, corn, ox, and farmer represent the importance of agriculture and animal husbandry in Delaware. The blue stripe represents the Delaware River; together with the ship, it highlights the importance of the ship-building industry and coastal commerce. The rifleman acknowledges the critical role of citizens to maintain liberty, which is echoed in the state motto that appears below their feet. The three dates are the most significant in Delaware history: when the First General Assembly was established (1704); when Delaware joined the other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain (1776); and when Delaware became the first state to ratify the US Constitution (1787). I don't love the design (particularly the floating ship, the river placed above the ox's head, and the not-attractive color choices), but I love how much symbolism there is and how well it represents so many facets of the state. 

Design - 2.5, Representation 5 = 7.5

The current version of the Florida state seal was adopted in 1985. It features a Seminole woman, a steamboat, a sabal palm (the state tree), and the state motto. This version fixed errors that were present in previous versions of the seal. While I don't hate the design, I don't especially like it either. Although, that might be largely due to the color palette and the horizontal lines throughout the design. 

Design 3, Representation 3.5 = 6.5

The state seal of Georgia was adopted in 1798; since then, the only modification that has been made is changing the date on the seal from 1799 to 1776. The design features an arch (representing the Georgia State Constitution), supported by pillars of Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation (representing the three branches of government). The militiaman shows that Georgia is ready to defend these principles. Georgia's state seal is one of very few that is 2-sided, but for this series I'm only grading the side that is most commonly used. The design is not terrible, but it's not in any way unique to Georgia (all states have a constitution and three branches of government, and 1776 relates to American Independence). Blue and gold are a classic pairing, but they're not the state colors. 

Design: 2.5, Representation 0.5 = 3

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So in order, we have Arizona (10), California (9.5), Alaska (8), Delaware (7.5), Colorado (7), Florida (6.5), Alabama (3), Georgia (3), Arkansas (1.5), and Connecticut (1). Let me know in the comments if you agree with my rankings. Tomorrow I'll look at the next ten seals. 

Design a Square Dance Outfit Coloring Page

There are a whopping 24 states that have named square dance as their official state dance (or folk dance). These include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. The point of state symbols is supposed to be to highlight what sets one state apart from the other 49, so I'm not crazy about the fact that 24 states share a state symbol. But it's not a coincidence: starting in the 1960's, square dancers across the country petitioned to make their hobby the official national dance. Despite many attempts, it never passed (the story is fascinating) and square dancers turned their attention to state legislatures. Obviously, that was far more successful. 

Because of the popularity of square dancing throughout American history and its status as a state symbol for so many, I wanted to design a craft inspired by it. I settled on the most iconic aspect: the outfits. Students can use my coloring page to design clothing for a square dance couple standing in promenade. I opted not to add faces or hair, as if the clothes were on mannequins. Feel free to add in whatever features you'd like.  

Square Dance Outfit Coloring Page

The first thing I did before making my coloring page was to research square dance outfits. Square Up Fashions gave me a good idea of what's popular amongst square dancers. Check out some of the dresses and skirts they currently have for sale: 

I used the basic shape of the outfits to draw a very simplified couple.

I scanned and copied my drawing. I put two couples on one page (so I could try different designs) and printed it out. 

I colored in both images with my Ohuhu Honolulus, then added details with a black fineliner. The first design (purple and black) is at the top of the post. Here's one in shades of blue. 

I tried to make the two couples look as different from each other as possible, while still staying true to what square dancers might actually wear. It was a lot of fun. As is square dancing! The last time I did square dancing was at Trevor's 4th grade Gold Rush camp in 2016. I'm overdue to do some square dancing again!

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 1

Yelp recently published an article called The Best Tour in Every State. To find their winners, they identified businesses in the Tours category, then ranked them based on the total volume and ratings of reviews. The list is interesting and there are plenty of tours on it that I would enjoy. Others, not so much. (There are three alligator tours on the list and two of them mention "hold" or "hands-on" which are major red flags.) Boats are a common theme, but there are plenty of tours for those who want to stay on dry land. Almost every tour is guided, but they did include a self-guided tour on the list. A few are seasonal - you won't be taking a snowmobile tour in the summer, nor doing whitewater trips in snowy states in the winter. Anyway, it's an interesting list.

One of the neatest things about having been to all 50 states is that I can make lists like this too. But first I had to decide what the definition of a tour is. Obviously, when you get onto a bus, boat, train, wagon, etc. and someone drives you around telling you about stuff, that's a tour. If you're on a Segway (ugh), bike, scooter, or just walking and there's someone leading the way and telling you about stuff, that's a tour. If you put on headphones and move from one location to another as directed by the narration, that's a tour. It's still a tour if the narration starts when you press a button, or if you just read signs that take you from the first stop to the next. Basically, a tour involves being told where to start and where to go next, with factual information conveyed along the way. If you can wander around and look at what interests you with no obligatory path, maybe skipping some items, maybe returning to something... that's not a tour. So I don't consider most museum visits to be tours. Likewise, a bus, boat, or train ride is not a tour if there isn't a narration component along the way. 

With my definition in place, let's look at the first ten states. If you click on the name of the state at the beginning of each entry, it will take you to a list of all the activities we've done in that state. The link within the text will take you to the narrative about the specific tour I've named the best. 

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Alabama

The best tour that Steve, Trevor, and I took in Alabama was at Oak Mountain State Park. It was absolutely fantastic. Oak Mountain is gorgeous, even in the middle of the winter. I can only imagine it would be stunning in other seasons. You can find ranger-guided tours and educational programs at the Treetop Nature Trail, the Alabama Wildlife Center, the Oak Mountain Interpretative Center, and more. 

Alaska

We've done so many incredible tours in Alaska that it's really hard to pick a favorite. But I'm going to give that honor to the Musher's Camp Tour and Sled Dog Experience that we did in Skagway. It was so much fun and such an iconic Alaska experience. That was before I was blogging about travel, so there's no post to link to. But here's a picture of us with one of the dogs who pulled our sled.

Arizona

The best tour I've taken in Arizona was by Rising Phoenix Tours. I learned so much about the past and present of Phoenix and what makes it unique. In addition to seeing the sights, we also stopped at a bunch of creative businesses. (It was during an AFCI-sponsored trip, so Steve and Trevor weren't with me for this tour.)

Arkansas

The best tour we took in Arkansas was at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. Actually, it is one of the best tours I've taken anywhere, in my entire life. Ranger Rebecca did an amazing job bringing the history to life. This tour was one of the highlights not only of this particular trip, but of our entire time visiting all 50 states. 

California

This one is really tough. I've taken dozens, if not hundreds, of tours during my 53 years in California. I've done city tours, food tours, gold mine tours, boat tours (traveling on rivers, lakes, and the ocean, as well as tours of stationary historic boats), cave tours, redwoods tours, butterfly tours... the list goes on and on. I've toured the Jelly Belly Factory at least a dozen times. There are so many outstanding tours I could name and I hate picking one since it means leaving others out. But pick I must. Probably due to the recency effect, I'm going to select the Warner Bros Studio Tour as the best tour I've taken in California. 

Colorado

This is an easy one. The best tour I've taken in Colorado is the Celestial Seasonings Tea Tour. I've taken the tour twice and loved it both times. It is so interesting seeing all the raw ingredients and learning how they are transformed into products ready to ship. My favorite part of the tour is the Mint Room, where mint explodes at your senses in the very best of ways.

Connecticut

We spent a full day in Connecticut doing a lot of fun things... but none of them were tours. My favorite non-tour activity was going to the Pez Visitor Center. 

Delaware

The best (only) tour we took in Delaware was a docent-guided tour of the Old State House. We enjoy taking guided tours of current and former Capitol buildings when we can, but the timing doesn't always work out. Fortunately, it did in Delaware. 

Florida

I've been to Florida at least 7 times, but I can only remember a single tour I've taken there. I was about 13 when we took a bus tour at Kennedy Space Center. On account of it being the only tour I've taken in Florida, it is now officially my favorite. I don't have a photo from our visit, so I'm using one of the media photos from their website. I don't remember it looking like this in the mid-80's, but it might have. I really don't remember much about it at all. 

Georgia

My favorite tour in Georgia was the 5-hour Atlanta City Bus Tour. Our guide was fantastic and we learned so much about the history and culture of Atlanta. Highlights of the tour included Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, the Atlanta Beltline, Ponce City Market, and much more. 

That's the end of Part 1, Alabama through Georgia. I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2, Hawaii through Maryland!

American Robin Diamond Art Ornament

I've been wanting to make a bird ornament using my copious supply of leftover drills from diamond art for a long time. I'm so happy with how this robin turned out! Don't have leftover diamonds in the correct colors? Not a problem! Substitute with what you have, buy a bunch of colors, or get just the colors that you need. Affiliate links below. 

 

American Robin Diamond Art Ornament

Materials: 

• wood slice ornament
• DOTZ Stick diamond adhesive
• pattern (below)
• diamond art drills (8001, 8318, 8356, 8443)
• dotting tools
• cornstarch / baby powder

Steps: 

Paint a thin coat of DOTZ Stick onto the wood slice, following the directions on the package. If you use too much, your ornament can crack from the moisture. 

When the adhesive is ready, apply the drills. This is the pattern I made. The stars mark the center of each axis, so the plus sign is the center of the design. 

In order to center the bird on my ornament, I put the center drill onto the center of the ornament... as best I could. The wood slices I used are quite irregular. In retrospect, I could have moved my starting drill over a hair to the left to better center the design. It didn't bother me much, so I left it that way.

Fill in the rest of the drills around that central one. 

Ordinarily, I'd suggest sealing your diamond art, but not on wood like this. Instead, rub cornstarch or baby powder over the uncovered area of the wood to eliminate the tackiness of any extra adhesive not covered by drills. 

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The American Robin is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin, making this a great activity for kids (or adults!) in those states. But it's equally great no matter where you live. This interesting songbird is one of the most recognized and most widespread in North America. Pair your craft project with a shaped puzzle featuring the American Robin, then check out these fun facts about this beloved bird. 

50 State Quarters Coloring Pages Featuring Ink and Prismacolor Colored Pencils

Remember the state quarters coloring pages I shared back in July? I colored those with my Ohuhu Kaalas. I chose four more states and challenged myself to color them using something different. Can you tell what I used? 

It's a bit of a trick question, because I actually used two different art supplies to color these. First, I used blending brushes to cover the large areas with dye-based ink (affiliate links here and below). 

Then I used Prismacolor colored pencils to blend colors over the ink base. That part was the most fun. My least favorite part was adding all of the leaves on Connecticut's Charter Oak. 

I had so much fun with these coloring pages and am eager to keep going with more states. I'm going to color the next batch with a different medium, but I'm not sure what that will be yet. Stay tuned!

Salt Dough States

When I made the state flag heart magnets, I saved some of the salt dough to make another state-themed project. I just finished painting them and I'm really happy with how they turned out. 

Here's Missouri and Nevada. I was planning to paint them with their respective state colors, but Missouri doesn't have state colors. So instead, I used the red, white, and blue of the Missouri state flag, then added a silver Gateway Arch. For Nevada (the Silver State), I did use the state colors of blue and silver. 

  

Neither Connecticut nor Iowa has state colors, so I used their flags as inspiration for the background colors. I replaced Connecticut's grape-themed Coat of Arms and Iowa's bird-and-banner with hearts.

  

For Pennsylvania and Georgia (no state colors for either) I took inspiration from their nicknames. For the Keystone State, I used the blue background of their flag, then replaced Pennsylvania's overly complicated seal with a keystone. For the Peach State, I ignored the flag altogether and painted an ombre peach background, then drew a peach.  

  

Now that I've shown you what I did, it's time to tell you how I did it! Affiliate links below. 

Salt Dough States

Materials:

• salt dough
• Silpat
• rolling pin
• printed outline of state(s), cut with scissors
• sharp knife
• Folk Art paint
• Apple Barrel paint pens
• silver Sharpie

Steps:

Roll out the salt dough a Silpat so that it is 1/4-1/2" thick. Place the cut-out state shapes onto the dough. 

Use a sharp knife to carefully cut around the edges of the states. 

Remove the paper templates. Do not try to move the cut-out shapes. You can dry them in a low oven by simply putting the Silpat on a baking sheet, but I just air-dried mine for four days. If you choose to air-dry, let them sit on the Silpat for a day without moving them until they are crusted over and pale. The following day, carefully flip them over. After another day, when the second side is crusted and pale, remove the Silpat and let the states dry completely on a cooling rack for two days. Obviously, drying time will vary significantly depending on your temperature and humidity. Make sure they are completely dry before you paint them. 

I started by painting the backgrounds for each state. When those were dry, I used the silver Sharpie and the paint pens to add the details. 

So what do you do with these? I see a lot of possibilities. If you poke a hole in them before the salt dough is dry, you can turn them into keychains. If you press an ornament hanger into them immediately after flipping them on Day 2, you can hang these on the tree. You could add a magnet to the back to put it on the fridge, or you could even use a Sharpie to write the name and capital city on the back and use them like flash cards. Lots of possibilities!