I really should be sleeping....

Join me with SimpleMom.net and Project Simplify

2012-03-04T11:00:00.001-08:00

I am jumping on the bandwagon with SimpleMom.net and her Project Simplify!

This weeks hot spot is kids stuff...

I don't know about you, but we have a lot of that! I am so excited about this one! I actually involving my kiddos in this. We are planning to tackle a new area every day this week.

Here's my plan:

Monday - Dresser tops and their "junk drawer." Each of my kids has a small drawer in which they can keep their stuff. We are clearing it out, because they are overflowing! The dresser tops too! I figure we are going to start small.

Tuesday - Keeping with the dresser theme....clothes! Clean, sort and purge!

Wednesday - Clothing again, this time closets.

Thursday - Toys, toys, toys!

Friday - Toys, toys, toys! (We have a lot of toys)

Saturday - Donations. They are coming with me to drop the stuff off!

I hope you will all join me in "Project Simplify!"

{I will even take before and after pictures.}

Pocket Die Cut Card

2012-02-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

This is a project I started (gulp) two years ago. The reason I know its been two years, is that they were supposed to be for one my girls' birthday invitations.....and her birthday is coming up...again.

I bought this fun pocket die cut (in retrospect I would not have purchased it, instead I would just sew up the sides) using the excuse of the invitations. I make enough invites for baby showers, birthday's, etc, that I do use the dies.

This time instead of using them for invites, I'm using them for cards!

I added a eyelet from my collection of embellishments, ribbon from my scrap ribbon container, and a butterfly punch sewn on the inside to tie it into the paper.

{Finish-It #4}

{PreK} Busy Bag Exchange

2012-02-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

This is a post for my local friends who are joining in the PRE-K busy bag exchange (the Toddler one is in another post) OR for those of you who want idea on how to host your own. Or just ideas for how to keep your PreKer busy. :)

I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon scouring the internet and pinterest gathering idea for our kiddos.

Guidelines for the exchange

1. I sent out an email for each of you to sign up.

2. Select your bag of choice by emailing me. I will update the blog when bags are taken.

3. Signups are open until 2/17. After it closes, I will email with how many bags we each will be making. You will then have 2 weeks to make your bags and we will meet up (date and place to be decided) to exchange.

4. You will make X number of identical bag (such as 10 spinny spellers), 1 for each participant.

5. The bags should cost between $1-2 per bag. Please price out your ideas and shop with coupons if needed.

6. Please put together a quality bag; the kind you would like to receive in return. Remember, these have to hold up to kiddos! :)

7. Put each of your finished activities into a gallon size bag (if possible).

8. Include anything we might need to complete the activity including instructions and game options.

9. There is no need to laminate anything (unless you really want to do it.) We each have the option of laminating the activities we need for our own use.

Here is a link to my pinterest PreK busy bag board. You can see pictures of all the bag ideas. They link you directly to the site with information on putting them together. You are also welcome to contact me and I'm happy to help give you ideas of how to put them together or where to get the supplies. (I will try to get links added to the list below...)

I've tried to include a large variety. If there is an idea you'd like to try instead, holler at me and I will get it listed.

Here is a list. If there is a name behind the game, its already been taken.

{LOCAL EXCHANGE IS CLOSED}

A-Z Clothespin Wheels

Clothesline {MICHAL}

Counting Cards

Counting Mats

Felt Cupcakes {CLAIR}

Felt Fishing Game

Felt Snowflake Patterns

Foam Shape Matching

Golf Tees and Marbles

Hot Glue Rubbing Plates

I Spy Bottles

Numbers Flip Book

Numbers Wheel {KELLY}

Pattern Grids

Pom Pom Numbers

Pom Pom Pattern Sort {BROOKE}

Popsicle Color Match {JAMIE}

Q-tip Counting Tray {KATIE}

Silly Faces

Spinny Speller {MELANIE}

Write and Wipe {MELISSA}

{Toddler} Busy Bag Exchange

2012-02-10T16:07:00.000-08:00

This is a post for my local friends who are joining in the TODDLER busy bag exchange (the PreK one is in another post) OR for those of you who want idea on how to host your own. Or just ideas for how to keep your toddler busy. :)

I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon scouring the internet and pinterest gathering idea for our kiddos.

Guidelines for the exchange

1. I sent out an email for each of you to sign up.

2. Select your bag of choice by emailing me. I will update the blog when bags are taken.

4. You will make X number of identical bags (such as: 10 button snake bags), 1 for every participant.

5. The bags should cost between $1-2 per bag. Please price out your ideas and shop with coupons if needed.

6. Please put together a quality bag; the kind you would like to receive in return. Remember, these have to hold up to toddler use! ;)

7. Put each of your finished activities into a gallon size bag (if possible).

8. Include anything we might need to complete the activity including instructions and game options.

9. There is no need to laminate anything (unless you really want to do it.) We each have the option of laminating the activities we need for our own use.

Here is a link to my pinterest toddler busy bag board. You can see pictures of all the bag ideas. They link you directly to the site with information on putting them together. You are also welcome to contact me and I'm happy to help give you ideas of how to put them together or where to get the supplies. (I will try to get links added to the list below...)

I've tried to include a large variety. If there is an idea you'd like to try instead, holler at me and I will get it listed.

Here is a list. If there is a name behind the game, its already been taken.

{LOCAL EXCHANGE IS CLOSED}

Animal Matching {MELANIE}
Biggie Bead and Boards {DEBORAH)
Button Matching {MEGAN}
Button Snake {LIZ}
Clothespin Matching {KELLY}
Color Matching Clips

Color Matching Wheel {MELISSA S.}

Colored Pasta Sort {CLAIR}
Magnetic Pom Poms
Foam Bead Sorting Tray
Foam Shape Puzzles
Pipe Cleaner Matching Sorter

Play Doh Mats
Pom Pom Stuff It {STEPHANIE}

Pool Noodle Stringing

Race Car Shapes
Shades of Color
Sorting Bag
Velcro Matching Rods

Velcro Shape Sticks {BROOKE}

Organization {Part 5: Daily To Do List}

2012-02-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure you've figure out by now, I'm a list maker. I enjoy the satisfaction crossing off things so that I have something to show for what I've done all day.

Here is a link to my daily "to do" list. I print it off on the back of scratch paper. Then cut the paper down the middle so that its 4 1/4" x 11". It has a section for Call, To Do and Errands. I usually have one of these per day. Sometimes I'll start a bunch for the week, so that I can spread what needs to be done throughout the week. When something comes up, I add it where it needs to be during the week.

Hope this helps at least one of you! ;)

"Hi" card

2012-02-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

Super easy card. All you need are scraps and a card blank! The white was punched with an edge punch, then I layered pink, then the striped paper. Tied a ribbon on. I almost left it there, but it needed something else. I'm not a sticker gal. I print or stamp. But....I have lots of sticker (not sure why since I don't use them) and need to us them up. Then it looked to bare, so I added the jewels.

This card was started 2 years ago, then dumped in a drawer during a sweep of my office. (Sad, I know!) Its all finished now and ready to send!

{Finish It Challenge #3}

Some Homeschooling Books and Reading Eggs

2012-02-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

I brought up that whole "we are homeschooling now" thing and I haven't said boo since. Well, its going GREAT!!!! I really wish I had started with #2 in kindergarten instead of pulling her out halfway through 1st grade. #3 is staying in his 2-day-a-week preschool through the end of the year, but then he's coming home too.

Last summer we did an Alphabet Summer and after reading a bit about the Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, I bought it for #2 and #3 and we dabbled in the book. At the time I had no idea that the author was one of the writers that was going to help shape my homeschool curriculum through The Well-Trained Mind. (I'm still finding what type of homeschooler I fall under, but at this point am more in the Classical/Traditional than Unit/Unschooling.)

One of my friends introduced me to Reading Eggs a few weeks ago and we signed up. This site is great! Its a wonderful supplement for teaching reading through games. She calls it "crack for kids." (Please don't call DHS because I used "crack" and "kids" in the same sentence.) Its true though. My kids fight over whose turn it is. I finally have had to set timers. I put a "Reading Eggs" card in the girls workboxes almost every day. They are 8 1/2 and almost 7, and are already reading, but in addition the the teaching reading, there is reading comprehension and spelling.

Go check it out here. You get a free 2 week trial. Here's the best part though....the same friend send this link to a forum that has promo codes for up to 4 years. FOUR YEARS FREE!!!! {***Edited: most of the codes have expired already.} It might sound silly, but I just signed the baby up with an account. She turns 2 next week, but heck....by the time I start working on letters with her we will still have plenty of time left. :)

This is a service for which I would gladly pay. (I think its $75 a year, but you can also find it as low as $15 through homeschooling coops.) I am also practical, so why pay for something when you can (legally) get it for free!?!?

The boy (4 1/2) is loving this. Over the past few weeks have been going through OPG and Reading Eggs and he's already reading BOB Books. Its amazing to see and hear this!!!

If you have younger ones or some that need a little extra help, check it out!!!

Organization {Part 4: Cleaning and Meal Schedules}

2012-01-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

Preface: Cleaning, laundry and meals. The bulk of running a house. I've included some of the spreadsheets I use to help make this a bit easier. I'm working on getting downloadable documents, but until then, if you'd like them email me at bugaboogifts{at}gmail{dot}com

CLEANING SCHEDULE

In addition to my weekly maintenance routine, I have a deep cleaning routine.

My jumping off point is the flylady.com. Check her out sometime....but read the whole post first! ;) She starts off the with the basics (get dressed to your shoes and shine your sink everyday.) There are some days I don't leave my house and I'm homeschooling kids, so I'm ok staying in my jammies ~~some~~ most mornings. Also, I tell the kids "no shoes in the house" so I kinda have to abide by that rule too...

She breaks a house up into zones and I did that. I have broken mine up into 6 (manageable) zones and have tailored the schedule to what we need and what works for us. Take a look at your house and everything you want to/can do. You might have 4 zones, which means you'll get through your house 3 times a year. This does not mean you can give up on your daily/weekly cleaning and just hit the zones as prescribed. This just means that your baseboards and blinds will be cleaned more than once a year. :)

Here's my Jan and July zone.

As I go through this, I'm constantly adding or changing things.

Getting help from the kids....something I don't do enough of. I'm working on this, though.

(Tomorrow I'll include links and pictures of chore charts around blogland and pinterest. This is an area that is highly deficient in our home and one in which I intend to fix soon!

LAUNDRY

I start a load first thing in the morning. I mean....I get up, get my workout clothes on throw a load in before I head out the door at 5:45. By the time I get back, it goes into the dryer. Another load will go in mid morning. Throughout the day I fold and put it all away. If its mostly the kids clothes, they will come help fold (not usually willingly) but they always put away their own clothes. Even the 4 year old boy!

Its much easier to do a load or two every day than spend an entire day doing all the laundry. Honestly, It takes about 5 minutes to fold a load of laundry. That's it. Dont' believe me? Time yourself. Granted, if you are doing a lot of little baby clothes, it might take a little longer.

Just cuz I like pictures in posts....this is what I did to my laundry room so it was a little more pleasant to be in.

Another little laundry trick with stains....I put a safety pin through the tag of an item that has a stain on it. The hubs and I use to go round and round because he would say in passing, "This (fill in the blank) has something on it," but would never show me what and where. He'd throw it in the dirty clothes, I'd wash and put it away. He'd then get up and iron it to wear...

{Side note.....yes, my hubs irons his own clothes. I'm not ashamed. I'm busy. He's particular. Its something we settled into very early in our marriage and it works. Come to find out that a lot of hubs iron their own clothes! We've been married 11 1/2 year so, luckily its not a deal breaker!}

During his ironing, he'd find the stain and mention it again. Finally I gave him safety pins and a bottle of spray and wash. He was instructed to spray and pin. When something comes through that's pinned, I look it over too find the stain and see if its has been removed, if not, it goes in a separate pile that I'll deal with later.

COOKING

This the the area of your budget that you have the most control over. Well, this and leisure/entertainment....but eating is a must. I have found that in the past, we have spent way too much money eating out. My goal this year is to cut that in half! Its so easy to let someone else do the cooking and cleaning, but really, does it take less time? By the time we get all four kids in the car with jackets and shoes, drive to the restaurant, get seated, order our food, maintain a little control over said children, eat, and get back home, does it really save that much time? Plus its a whole lot less expensive to stay home and no one finds out that your kids aren't always perfectly behaved! :)

Every Sunday I sit down and meal plan. I have a 2 week plan. On the off Sunday, I adjust my plan, if needed, and review the grocery list. When you start to plan, keep in mind any produce/perishable items you already have on hand and plan around those first.

I write down the main course, the side, and the veggie. For the main dish I include what book the recipe is in and the page number, or I put a hyperlink if its a recipe from the www. I do this on my computer, then print it out and for my binder. I also write it on our chalkboard. This way my family always knows what is for dinner.

The next step is my grocery list. I made up a list on the computer of the things we most frequently consume. I set the list up in the order that I usually go around the grocery store. Each week, I review my meal plan, and get my grocery list together. I shop my own freezer, fridge and pantry first so that I'm not buying duplicates of items. I keep my weekly list in the front pocket of my household binder so that when we run out of things during the week, I simply add it to the list.

I print it out on a scrap piece of letter size paper. Its formatted so that I can fold it in half width-wise, which to me seems easier to carry??? :)

I try to make at least one extra freezer meal a week. I do this by simply doubling the recipe. Its just as easy to make two meals as one, right? Make sure you label and date it. After its made, I add it to my freezer meal inventory. Freezer meals are great to have on hand for those busy days. Plus, if someone is ever in need of a meal (all my friends are in the baby-having stage right now) I have some prepared!

Batch cooking is something I've done occasionally, making 4-6 meals in one sitting. Also, I was part of a cooking club for about 2 years. We did ours on Mondays. I cooked and delivered one Monday for 4 families, then the next three Mondays dinner was delivered to me.

Any leftovers get packaged after dinner into lunch size containers. I send those with the hubs over the next few days or freeze for later.

SUNDAY PLANNING DAY

This is supposed to be a day of rest, but I actually enjoy planning so does fun count as work? ;)

I pay bills on Sunday's...or at least check in on our finances every week.

Meal planning happens over the weekend too. I usually sit in the living room with my computer and a couple cookbooks. I find a lot online, but am trying to get through the files of recipes that I've stashed away over the week. My goal is to try a new recipe every week. If it works and we like it, it stays. If we really liked it, it goes in my favorite recipes folder.

I also plan my homeschooling week on Sundays. I created my own weekly calendar, so fill it in each Sunday so I'm ready for the week. I'm still tweaking this as we are only 7 weeks in on our homeschooling adventure

I also look at the week ahead and see what's going on.

Phew! Next.... :)

Organizing {Part 3: Household Binder}

2012-01-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

This is my household binder. It's great having everything in one place. It contains...

Food section

Bi-weekly meal plan

Extra copies of my grocery lists

Freezer meal inventory

Cleaning

Schedules for daily, monthly, quarterly and annually

Zone cleaning (6 zones)

Kids

School information (use to be all school, but now just the boy's preschool)

Extracurricular information

Emergency contact information

The kids and I are putting this together for a school project but its also helpful on the rare occasion that we have a babysitter.

Household Repairs

Who to call for what

My calendar is kept on my computer, otherwise that would be in there too.

My to do list is tucked in the front pocket as that is updated daily.

Want to make your own? This is what you'll need:

Clear view binder

Scrapbook paper

(the paper for all my binders goes nicely together...not that they are ever in the same place at the same time :)

Adhesive

Sheet protectors

Printables
(I make my own, but will post links at the bottom of the post of where you can get some pretty ones)

This is what to do:

Measure and cut out scrapbook paper to fit in front, back and spine of your notebook.

In Pages (or use Word or Publisher) I created the front and side labels, in addition to the divider labels. I printed this on card stock, the cut out. I matted the front, adhered it to my precut scrapbook paper and slid them in place.

I die cut the mats for the divider pages. I used card stock inside a page protector as my divider. I haven't made tabs (yet), but that's because the page protector goes to the edge of the binder and the tabs would stick out the side. If you want tabs, a way around this is to punch a hole in the top of the dividing page and put a ribbon tie through it.

I keep most of my pages in sheet protectors. The 2 week meal plan (more in my next post) I just slide in and out when the two weeks is up.

Here's an example of my "Zone Cleaning" page. The sheet protectors work well with a dry erase marker. I just check off as I go, and wipe off at the end of the month when I move to the next zone.

I make my own inserts on the computer. They aren't pretty and colorful, but they work. Here is a link, that a friend found, to free basic printables but if you want really pretty ones check these out and the rest of her blog!

I'm happy to email mine out (if anyone wants) until I'm able to figure out how to post a downloadable version on here. Email be at bugaboogifts{at}gmail{dot}com.

Here's a sneak peak at another upcoming post using the same concept....

The binder was in place, but I finished it by making it "pretty" and I finally printed out all the schedules instead of keeping them on my computer. {Finish It #2}

Organization {Part 2: Calendars}

2012-01-27T00:59:00.000-08:00

Calendars are a wonderful thing!

I write everything down. Ev. ry. thing. My schedules, my calendar (they are different), phone numbers addresses, birthdays, to do lists....you get the point. In my world if I don't write it down, its not going to happen. I have too much going on to remember everything! ;) (4 kids will do that to a girl.)

I have an ongoing electronic calendar, but I also have a:

Daily schedule

Weekly schedule

Monthly/quarterly schedule

Yearly schedule
Cleaning schedule (more to come...)
Meal schedule (more to come...)
and

Birthday calendar (which is part of my main calendar, but you'll see why I separate this at the end.)

I did warn you that I'm a bit Type A, right??? Stay with me here...

I update my calendar daily and carry it with me. Nothing like going to the Doctor/hair dresser/school/where ever you go and not being able to schedule something because you can't see what you have going on. Worse...double booking! Not good.

These are the things I do on a DAILY basis and why.
...

Throw in a load of laundry.

Workout - need I explain? This is really 3-4 days a week.
Bible Study - a great way to start the day, plus I lead a bible study

Make my bed (and kids, too) - my house feels more put together when that's done

Commit to dinner in the morning. This could be lay food out to thaw or begin some of the prep. If you don't commit, your less likely to follow through with your plans. Its too easy too forget, then have to scramble at the last minute and end up making less healthy choices for mealtime.

Clean up after every meal - Its much easier to do it right then, instead of letting it pile up. Also, spills are easier to clean when they are still wet vs. letting them dry and get really stuck on.

Run a load of dishes (so they can dry overnight) - I don't use the heated dry cycle on my dishwasher. I have way too much plastic in there and that cycle doesn't dry it anyway. I run the load in the evening, open the door and let it dry overnight. Saves money and I don't have to hand dry all the little people's plastic dish ware.

Check tomorrow's schedule (mine and kids) before I go to bed. This way, I never wake up in the morning and get sideswiped with something. Also, everything needed for whatever is going on tomorrow will be laid out i.e. library books, permission slips (when kids were in school), etc.

Before bed, make sure the kitchen is clean - nothing like waking up and starting your day with a messy kitchen, right? You have a crazy enough day as it is to start off with that!

This is a summary of my basic WEEKLY cleaning schedule

Mon - Dust and Vacuum

Tues - Floors (wood and tile)

Wed - Bathrooms

Thrs - Kitchen, sheets and towels

Fri - Complete some zone cleaning

Sat - House projects and catch up (if needed)

Sun - Planning (meals, bills, homeschooling)

My MONTHLY/QUARTERLY/ANNUALLY things

Touch up painting (much easier to do every few months than once a year...especially if you have kids!)

Changing the batteries in the smoke detectors

Cleaning the phones and doorknobs (especially during cold/flu season)

Changing the filters

HVAC tune

Dryer vent vacuuming

and the seasonal clothes swap out

The last thing on my calendar list is my BIRTHDAY calendar

I'm a fan of sending out REAL birthday cards. I might FB someone (if and when I'm ever on....which is rare!). I love to make cards so I make and send my own cards. Isn't it nice to get a real piece of mail, especially when its from someone that has remember your special day! I keep birthdays in my calendars. I check next month's Birthday's and Anniversary's the last week of the current month. I make or pull cards for each person and pre address them. I pre-address them and put a date up in the corner (so I know when to mail them) where the stamp will cover it, then stack them all up in order of needing to be sent and then write and send when the time comes.

Write is all down! It might seem silly to write something down that you do everyday, but it helps. I keep this all on my computer and in my household binder. I'll show you that tomorrow, then my cleaning and meal schedules after. (Yes there will be pictures and documents! Enough of these wordy posts with no pretty pictures, right?)

Organization {Part 1: Prioritizing}

2012-01-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm often asked how I do it all. The easy answer....I don't! :) As the title of this blog says....maybe I should be sleeping more??? Actually, its combination of a few things.

1) I multi-task...A LOT!

2) I'm rarely idle

3) I'm hyper organized

I grew up in a house that was always moving. Neither of my parents are sitters. We were lucky to get my dad sitting down long enough to eat a meal. I'm starting to wonder how my mom kept track of the three of us kids and all of our activities. She, like me, is organized and to this day, still has a calendar out on her desk keeping track of everything.

I was that friend that went to other people houses to play and clean their rooms, organized their closets....for fun. When dad was out cleaning or working out in the garage, I was sorting nail and screws.

At our Steering meeting the week before the MOPS meeting, I ran the outline of my talk by the team and was told that "God made me special" and "they have medicine for me." I am admittedly Type A, so that could have something to do with it!?!?

With everything going on in my life, how do I decide what to do??? Its a process that I do when new things come up, when life has a major change, when we move, when a new baby comes into our family (after I've caught up on sleep), or when I'm asked to take on something else.

First you have to list all the things in you life. Everything from being a wife to running the house to running the kids around...and even the Everything. Write it all day.

Second, pray. Pray for a clear level head when prioritizing all your responsibilities.

Third, write all your things down in order of importance. Mine goes something like this: God, Hubs, Kiddos, Homeschooling, Family Time, Kids Activities, Running the house (cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.), Exercising, MOPS, Etsy Store/Furniture Painting/Taxes (read: earning extra $), Blogging, House Projects/Repairs, Crafting/Me Time (notice its at the end ;)

For the big picture, the above sets you up for how to organize the 24 hours a day that you have. An easy example: If your day is coming to a close and you have the bills to pay and a scrapbook page to finish and you can't figure out what you should do...look at your list. While I would like to finish that scrapbook page (because doesn't that sound like a whole lot more fun than paying this bills), I can't really scrap in the dark if I don't pay the electric bill, right?

Tomorrow - Schedules (Daily, Weekly, Quarterly)

The next few topics:

Meal Planning

Organizing a Space

Labels

Kitchen/Pantry/Fridge/Freezer

Junk Drawers

Linen Closets and Baths

Laundry Room

Coat/Entry Closets

Your Closet

Kids Closets

Playrooms and Toys

Office

Party/Event Planning

I hope to get to a topic a day....I hope! I will include links to wonderful sites, lots of pictures from my home and homes around blogland and Pinterest (of course!)

MOPS Organization Talk

2012-01-25T14:14:00.000-08:00

Among other things, I am the coordinator for our local MOPS group. I gave a little talk this week on organizing. I promised my moms that I would post everything on the blog, so will be doing that over the next week.

I covered every area of a typical house, cleaning and meal schedules, to containers and labeling.

Plus....on the blog....I'm able to link to all the cool organizing pics out there on the www. :)

So....check back for some great ideas!

Valentine's Day heart ornament or bowl filler {tutorial}

2012-01-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

A cute little addition to your Valentine's decor and a great way to use up some of those scraps! :)

Supplies:

Fabric

Jute or twine

Filler

Needle, thread and pin

Embroidery thread (optional)

How to:

Cut two hearts. (Mine are about 4 inches wide.) Cut a piece of jute about 7" long. Pin jute upside down to the right side of the fabric, then place second heart over the top and pin in place, right sides together. (You're making a teeny-tiny pillow!)

Sew around the edged, leaving about 1 1/2" open...

...so you can turn right sides out and stuff.

Hand sew closed.

Make some more in fun Valentiney colors.

You can even stitch some XOXO's on with embroidery floss!

I made one out of leftover cream burlap. This one I just sewed together leaving the raw edges out.

Toss them all into a cute bowl.

Or hang them on some branches.

An organized pantry

2012-01-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

Everything in containers and labeled. That's the way its supposed to work. With the crazy busy schedule I lead, I have sorely been neglecting some things. Things that make for a much smoother life. Little things, like my pantry. This started about 6 months ago, which is also how I started selling the chalkboard lables. :) That just took over!

Not a huge change here, but just better.

I started here.....

Not too bad....But those containers with the white lids on the left. Those worked great in my last pantry....and the ones before that....but not this one. I had to stack them two deep and every time I needed a baking item, I would have to move them around to see what I had behind.

Now everything is visible right when I walk in and labeled with these. (Yes, that's my shop.) The baking section....

(From this picture, you'd think I actually bake! ;)

The big tubs at the top and bottom hold chips, lunch coolers, coffe/tea bulk items. Stuff I don't use everyday. The medium tubs in the middle (left) are my lunch and breakfast tubs. I store "lunch fruits" like applesauce, ftuit bars etc, "lunch snacks" like animal crackers, cheeze-its, and pretzels, "lunch desserts" and "breakfast" items like instant oatmeal or cereal bars.

I grab the lunch bins and let the kids choose when packing lunches every morning. They got to choose one from each bin, then I added a "dairy" and a sandwich...or use to when I sent them to school.

The snack section before....

And now....

My system...when I'm out of something I turn the canister around so I can see what is supposed to be in it, telling me what I need.

Before...

After....everything in containers and on lazy susans in the corners.

While I would love something like this.....

I can't change the layout of my pantry and its not the room in need of a total overhaul. Someday (if we stay here) I will gut the builder shelves, repaint, and add custom shelves, but for now....a clean out and organization will do!

No too dramatic from here.....but I tell ya, walking in and having everything in its place and labeled.

*Sigh*

Here's to Finishing Challenge #1!!!! Only 51 to go.....

A new year AND a new craft challenge!!!

2012-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

First off, Is anyone is wondering how I did on my 2011 Sewing Challenge I am still going to finish posting my 2011 challenge. I finished, but just haven't posted anything last month due to my December detour.

For 2012 the challenge is.....

drum roll.....

Finish ALL the project that I have either started or have purchased all the supplies for but just haven't made. I have a small problem, you see. Well, the hubs thinks its a big problem actually. I really, Really, REALLY like to find project, buy the supplies for them (then store them) and start the projects.....but I have a finishing problem.

Sadly, I probably have more than 52. In rearranging my office and the play/school room, I've started to collect everything in a bin....or bins, really.

For instance....many moons ago I started collecting old jeans that were destined for the garbage. Since I can't throw things away, I started cutting up jean squares with plans to make a jean quilt. All the squares are cut and sitting in a bag, in a bin, in the attic.

I also have a bunch of wood blocks, wood finials, and wood candlesticks that I had planned on making into "NOEL" blocks.....3 years ago. Still not done. (Hmmm...maybe "LOVE" blocks instead???)

Terry cloth and fabric for burp cloths and bibs.

Fabrics for quilts that have actually been started and set aside.

Wood to make signs.

Tins for a numbered advent calendar.

A Birdcage to paint and hang for the baby's room.

Letters to decoupage.

Wood boxes to paint for organization.

Frames and old book pages to mat with a wreath.

Too many cards to even count....

Oh.... an endless supply of projects.

I chose this challenge in the fall when I started to clean out my office/craft room and really looked at all the stuff I have accumulated. Its a sickness, really. In my attempts at simplifying, I'm selling craft tools that I no longer use (or ever used ;), finishing projects that are stacking up, and donating the things that I think others can use.

Anyone want to join me??? Do you have a craft challenge you'd like to try? Here are some ideas...

A scrapbook page a week.

Take a picture every day (something I'm hoping to do too...)

Donate an item every day/week.

Clean out a drawer/closet/space every week.

Make a card a week.

Sew an item a week.

Happy Crafting!!!

Phew, still here...I think?!?!

2011-12-31T11:14:00.000-08:00

I took a little break for a couple of reasons...

1) Christmas

Need I say more?

and....

2) We have, prayerfully, decided to homeschool our kids.

When I say "we" are going to homeschool, it really means "I" am going to homeschool. :) We (the hubs and I) made the decision together, though. We have a third grader, first grader, Pre-Ker and almost 2 year old so it will be quite busy around here....or at least I will be!

I have taken the last month to delve into the wonderful world of homeschooling. I have been researching homeschooling, researching curriculum, talking to as many people as I can find who homeschool, looking at classroom setup, etc. It has taken over my life!!!

So...I will begin to document my journey (a little) in addition to the normal stuff I do. Plus, its given me a whole lot more to organize and rearrange around the house (YAY for projects! :)

So....away we go!

Sewing Challenge #43

2011-11-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

Sewed a button ont a shirt. (It was Thanksgiving....time was not available this week! :)

Sewing challenge catch up....

2011-11-22T08:45:00.001-08:00

I've been frantically sewing to make sure I hit my goal of 52 things this year. 52 is really not a lot, especially when you only have to do 1 a week. For some reason I'm scrambling with only a few weeks left of 2011.

I worked on #37-42 last night. I darned a hole in a sweater. I sewed a strap back on an art apron. I fixed our plush Noah's Ark by sewing the head back on one of the animals (don't ask), a leg back on another, and the strap to the ark's plank. (The set has been used! ;) I also sewed a bell back on some jingle socks.

The good news....my "to sew" pile is dwindling. I have a handful of jeans left to patch and a few dress up costumes to fix. That's about it. This was my whole reason for the challenge in the first place, so YAY!!!

Appliqueing with knit {quick tutorial}

2011-11-19T12:07:00.001-08:00

This is a Birthday gift for my little nephew. (Happy 1st buddy!!!) My sis had mentioned that he didn't have many long sleeve shirts, so here ya go! (This is in addition to the huge box of clothes and toys I'm sending up that my little man has grown out of.)

I grabbed a couple shirts at the store, brought them home and washed them. I usually wash the fabric first if its something that's going to be worn and washed.

I posted a full tutorial on appliquéing clothes here so won't do that again. Will just highlight any differences between cotton and knit.

I opted to use knit material for this set, where I usually use cotton. I like the knit because it doesn't fray, but doing the "m" was a little tricky and the knit wasn't a "firm" as cotton is when cutting and trying to place the applique. The other barely noticeable difference is when I got to the tiny edges (like star points) the knit gets pushed into the shirt with the needle, so you have to be really careful.

Other than that...sewing challenge #35 and #36, check and check.

Framed Magnetic Chalkboard {tutorial}

2011-11-17T11:24:00.001-08:00

This project has been 18 months in process, maybe longer. It started one day ~~drooling over the~~ looking through the pottery barn magazine when I found something similar to this....

...and being the DIYer that I am I thought....I can make that! So I approached dear hubs with it and he begged and begged and begged me (well, not really that much) to JUST BUY IT ALREADY. (I think its was like $150+ before shipping. Hmm....hubs telling me to buy something at Pottery Barn and I'm actually have to think about it? (It's a sickness, really....icanmakethatitis.)

So, after careful consideration, I actually bought it. Yep. I hit "add to cart" and then "checkout" and then I waited and waited and received the email that said it was on back order for 5 weeks and then waited and waited and waited and received another email that it was on back order for 8 weeks and then waited and waiting and then finally....

I got the email that said it was discontinued and my card was not charged.

This is the world telling me that its ok to want to make things, right???

So I did. And I love it!

Here's what you need to make your own:

Backer board (MDF, plywood, whatever) cut to size

Sheet metal, cut to size

Metal primer

Chalkboard paint

Baseboard or trim moulding

Paint

Finishing nails and glue

Here's how ya do it:

First go buy your backer board. (Then let it sit in the garage for a few months because its like 115 degrees all summer and too hot for hubs to work outside, plus he won't let me use the circular saw....which I don't get because I use the compound miter and jig saws just fine, plus the drill and nailer, and I drive his 4 children around in a car all day which is much more dangerous.)

It would probably just be easier for the store to cut it for you then you can skip over step 1b.

Or you can just wait until your BIL comes to town so he can cut it for you.

Mine is 4' x 5' (yes its big!)

Call a sheet metal place and have them cut you a piece of sheet metal slightly smaller than your board. (I live in small town USA, so I'm sure your city/town will have a sheet metal place.) I ordered mine to be 45"x57" to give me an extra 1 1/2" border all around (you'll see why later).

Adhere your sheet metal to your backer board using heavy duty construction adhesive. (Pardon the picture taken at night with my cell phone.)

Using an automotive primer, prime the sheet metal in a well ventilated area. Its kinda stinky. I did two coats.

On your next free day(s), paint it with your chalkboard paint. If two coats are good, three are even better. I knew this was going to be a permanent fixture in our kitchen and with four small kiddos in the house I thought it safe to ensure its longevity with more coats of paint.

Here's the part where I can't find pictures. My children have been playing with my phone lately and I'm thinking they might have "accidentally" deleted the pics of the trim etc. so I will try to explain thoroughly.

Measure and cut your baseboard trim to size. I mitered my corners and dry fit it first with clamps, to make sure it fit. Measure twice, cut once, right? Then I painted them before I attached them. I was not about to create an extra step of having to tape off the chalkboard and risk the paint pulling up with the tape.

Using the same construction adhesive you used to attach the sheet metal, draw a line of glue on the wood border, place your trim down and then clamp. I used a finish nailer to nail in place. I made sure I put my nails towards the outer edge (where you can see the wood in the above picture). This is why you want your sheet metal cut smaller than your backer board.

Then fill and paint any holes and the mitered corners. Here's a shot before I filled the corners.

I decided that I didn't want to wait for the hubs to return from his business trip so carried it into the house myself. Wow is this sucker heavy! It sat like this for a few days because I didn't have the heavy duty hanging hardware I needed.

I found the right hardware for the weight and then hung it....once again by myself.

I wish I had a nice pretty before picture with the chalkboard surface all crisp and black, but this is what happens when said children are in the house....

Here's my version....and the whole reason for the board.

Our weekly menu gets put up so there are no questions about what is for dinner....except this week....on M/Th/S/S (must get planning).

The kids weekly bible versus and "book-it" pages are on the other side...

...put up with these cute fabric button magnets (another tutorial to do.)

And its all tucked nicely in the alcove of our breakfast nook.

Here's the cost breakdown:

Plywood $15 (and I have some leftover for another upcoming project)

Sheet metal $29

Chalkboard paint (already on hand from a past project)

Baseboard $20

White paint, on hand

Nail and glue, on hand

Total cost: $64

Not a super cheap project, but it sure beats the $150+shipping for the PB one, plus mine is much bigger and the exact size I wanted.

Here was the push to finish it....I used it as a scoreboard for a friends sports (soccer) themed baby shower.

Laundry Room Paint Color

2011-11-14T10:49:00.001-08:00

I have had a few requests for the "oops" color that I put in my laundry room. Since the paint can had the color information ripped off of it, I grabbed my handy dandy Sherwin Williams paint deck to compare colors. Since we have NO natural light in the laundry room, I compared the color both in the room and then outside in natural light. These are two colors that came the closest.

SW 6515 Leisure Blue SW 6242 Bracing Blue

Hope that helps! :)

Sewing Challenge {#32, 33, & 34}

2011-11-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

Really trying to catch up here. I have 18 things to do, and only 7 weeks left. Yikes! Actually, I only have 15 left....I have 3 items that are finished, but I just haven't had a chance to take pictures and blog them since they were gifts for other people.

Today, I sewed a hook clasp back onto the hubs pants, darned a hole in one of my shirts, and sewed at patch onto one of my kiddos jeans. Phew.

Next....

Laundry Room Counter

2011-11-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Its finally done! My laundry room counter. This is a project that I have wanted to do since we moved in over 4 years ago. I knew I wanted some sort of counter over the washer and dryer, but didn't want to pay for it...so I made it myself for about $40 in lumber.

Here's the before. I had the hubs cut a sheet of MDF to use temporarily, but temporarily turned out to be a long time. Let me just say that this room is tiny! So tiny that the door from the living room into it and the door to the garage out of it almost touch when they are both open. Its really hard to get a picture of the room.

I've been looking at wood table/counter legs to use but they were too expensive. Luckily I happen to come across these beauties at the antique store where I sell my painted furniture. They were a titch dirty, but for $5 a piece...Yes. Please!

Tried them on for size to see where I needed to cut and started building.

But....since I was getting a new counter, I needed a new color on the wall first. This is an oops color that I slapped on and LOVED!

Here is the structure underneath. Screwed into the studs in the back and the legs in front. (I would love to give you more specifics of exactly how to build it, but I just kind of wung-it.) I added a couple more cross supports than are showing...just in case. I knew I wanted the farmhouse table look, so cut and dry fitted the planks, then painted the boards and built the top in the garage.

I ended up securing the two strips at the end to make the top removable and not have to worry about scraping the walls if/when I needed to remove the top. If I made it permanent, something would go wrong with the washer and we'd need to rip it apart. So...getting a little creative I made the top able to completely lift out. (Oh and last night....our washer started leaking. :)

The top is one piece, supported with boards perpendicular underneath and put together by pre-driling and screwing from the underside (does that make sense?).

The best part.....its all level! :)

Here's the after again!

Check out the chalkboard labels (which I now sell here.)

This is also the room that I made this pendant light and shade for...

Now on to the other side....its bad.

Really. Really. Bad. But I have plans.....and I guess it'll make for a great before and after! :)

(I'm sure my mother is grimacing that I dared even post these pictures! ;)

Fall snack mix

2011-10-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

I put together a little snack mix for all the kids teachers and helpers. The only thing I had to buy was candy corn, all the rest was snacky stuff that we always have on hand.

Candy corn

Pretzels

Cheese-its

Peanuts

Honey roasted peanuts

Dried cranberries

Golden raisins

Eyeball the amounts and mix together. Enjoy!

Touch up painting

2011-10-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

I had a really fun day today. I spent the baby's nap going around our house touching up all the paint. The house is 4-5 years old, as is the paint in the bucket we had leftover from the builder. I was really sweating the color match, but it was fine. I did notice that all the painting was done on the bottom 3 feet of the walls. Hmmm....do little children reside here?

Its a really boring builder brown. Whole wheat is the color, from Sherwin Williams. Its a nice color but its everywhere other than bedrooms (which I have painted)....and its FLAT paint. Flat. On the walls! Why would anyone put flat paint on anything other than a ceiling? I have 4 small children. You can't wash walls with flat paint. Flat paint + small children = lots more painting. Ugh! I didn't even try to paint the playroom. That's a whole room job and I'm going to do it another color.....I just haven't decided what.

It wouldn't have taken as long as it did, except I haven't done it in awhile. I usually go around every 3-4 months. Apparently its been a lot longer that that, because I had a lot to do. Oh well....I can finally check this off my to do list.

Now I just need to decide what color to paint the playroom. I would love to do the light blues and greys, but in addition to painting everything flat beige, ALL the trim and doors is done in the same blah beige, so grays, whites, and pale blues do not play nice with blah beige. I am not up for repainting many feet of trim and doors right now....

*Sigh*

Brown maybe....

Simple Superhero Cap and Cuffs {tutorial link}

2011-10-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

My son was invited to a Birthday Party and like always, I ask the mom what she wants the kiddo to have as a gift. (A mom's and kid's idea of a good gift often differ, plus I wouldn't want to get them something they already have! :)

She knows me well and knows that I rather enjoy crafting, so sent me this link that she found on pinterest. Blankets weren't staying tied on when used as capes, so something else was needed. Never fear....Kelly to the rescue. :)

The tutorial is great, I just made a few minor modifications.

I bought 2 tshirts at the Dollar Store, since they weren't on sale at Hobby Lobby this week. From now on....I'm saving the shirts that dear hubs donates. This is such a perfect gift!!!

I opted for snaps (at the mom's request) at the neck instead of velcro, but am going to let them be tested and can add velcro if snaps seem to be cumbersome.

I used the green scraps to make these appliques. I cut 3 squares bigger than my star shape out of wonder under, ironed them to the knit scraps, then die cut the stars (you can trace and hand cut though), ironed onto cape, and then stitched with contrasting thread.

I used a freezer paper stencil that I cut with my silhouette to put the "M" on the back. The Birthday Boy's name started with an "M."

It wasn't very nice of me to have my sweet boy model for me then make him take it off so I could wrap it.

No worries....I promised him a set of his own. Hopefully he will forget until Christmas! ;)

Since I sewed on the appliques and the cuffs, this is SC#31....wow I am sooo behind!

Sports theme thank you card {tutorial & printable}

2011-10-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

I made these for the mommy for the baby shower I just helped throw. It was a vintage sports themed shower (more decorations to come when I get the pics). I purchased this really cute vintage sports paper to wrap the water bottles and used the scrap on the thank you cards

When I help host a baby shower, I always make the thank you cards for the mom and bring the blank envelopes to the shower. I pass them around and have everyone self address them. This way, the mom only needs to write a note and pop it in the envelope. No need to look up addresses....one less thing the sleep deprived mom needs to worry about! :)

Supplies:

Card blank

Printer

Scrap paper

Glue or sewing machine

How to:

Run a piece of scrap paper through first so you know how your printer is aligned. Then just stack your card(s) in and hit print. (This printable is set to print on a 5 1/2" x 8" sheet of paper....which is the size of the card before you fold it in half. ;)

I used the standard 4" x 5 1/2" which fits an A2 envelope. I buy bank note card packages when they are on sale. They come in white and Kraft paper. If you get them on sale, they are only $0.09 per card! Not bad...especially since the rest was done using scraps!

I strategically punched out the pennants so that you could see the baseball stitching, basketball and soccer ball, but these would look cute in any color combos.

Then I stitched them on! I didn't bother gluing (since I was doing a lot) and didn't need the extra step. If your not a sewer...go ahead and glue them on where you want them. You can take a pen and "draw" in the pennant strings either in between each pennant or right over the top.

Chalkboard Labels Giveaway

2011-10-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

So my latest thing is using and now selling chalkboard labels. For my mother's day gift a few years ago I purchased myself (yes, you read that correctly) a commercial die cutting machine. Ever since, I've been coming up with ways to help it pay for itself. I was slowly working that way with my paper garlands, but now I'm loving the chalkboard labels. I have labeled my laundry room, pantry, and playroom. I am working on my office, linen closet and kids closets now.

They are available in a variety of shapes and sizes and I'm happy to customize an order so you get the exact amount of labels you want. The best part....you can write and erase...write and erase. Which is good for us type-A perfectionists that don't love our own handwriting.

A month or so ago, I got in contact with Jen, the writer of my favorite organizing blog iheartorganizing, because I thought her readers would enjoy some labels. I sent her a little package to try out, review, and post about during the giveaway. You can find the post here.

I have been wonderfully overwhelmed with the orders that are rolling in. Her readers are so sweet with their comments. If you want to get in on the $25 giveaway to my Etsy shop, check out the post and enter. As a bonus, if you buy something from my shop use the discount code IHO10OFF, through the end of October, for 10% off your purchase.

Happy Labeling!!!

Yep....still here....

2011-10-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't posting in a little bit, but that's cuz I've been crazy busy working on a handful of projects. Projects that I hope to post soon. Including....

A huge magnetic chalkboard

A faux farm house table top for above my washer and dryer

Another baby shower (including invites and thank you cards)

Sewing a cute pennant for said shower

Repainting a dresser for the mom of said shower

Recovering a bench

Ramping up my chalk label business

Sewing some quick capes for a Birthday gift

Oh...and raising 4 small kiddos!

Cake pan turned recipe holder {quick tutorial}

2011-10-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

A friend found this old weathered cake pan at a flea market for change. She knew I could do something with it. The first thing I did was see if it was magnetic....and it was!

I cut some brown vinyl on my silhouette and applied it to the the inside. Popped a couple of marble magnets into it and voila! Instant recipe holder.

Fall Burlap Pennant Banner {quick tutorial}

2011-09-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

A quick and easy fall banner.

Supplies:

Burlap

Acrylic Paint and brush

Permanent marker (to match paint)

Jute

Sewing machine and matching thread or hot glue

How to:

I die cut my burlap, but you can easily cut the shape with scissors. I used my computer to write "fall" then sized it to what I needed. Print the letters in outline. Using either a lightbox or your window, put the burlap over the paper and trace the outline with a permanent marker. Paint in your outline. Be sure to put a scrap piece of paper under your work, so it doesn't bleed through on your desk/counter. Let dry. (Crucial step. Trust me. I had paint all over my sewing machine because I was too impatient.) Line up your pennants in order and sew the burlap onto the back of the pennant using a zig zag stitch. (This would have been a bit easier if I had used a cording foot, but once again...too lazy/impatient to get it out.) Optionally, hot glue or fabric glue the jute to the back. Or hand stitch.

Here it is on my (undecorated) mantle. Hey, its still September....for one more day.

It was 90 here yesterday. Not feeling too fallish yet.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll decorate. Then it will at least be October!

Dresser redo

2011-09-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

I am LOVING this chalk paint stuff!!! Besides the gorgeous finish, there is NO sanding and NO priming! WooHoo!!!

I did a few repairs then painted it in ASCP Old White. I lightly glazed it and put the original hardware back on.

I know its a great piece when I want to keep it. But alas....there is no room in my house, so it went up to the shop.

Here is what it looked like before. Not too bad. Some of the bottom had been chewed by....something? I also had to do some veneer repair to the top. Ugh. First time, but it came out ok.

Hall Tree Makeover

2011-09-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is a piece that has been painted and painted (before a certain *ahem* someone knew how to paint furniture) and painted. And now painted again. It has also been moved and moved and moved and moved. It had been beaten up then stuck in room after room, then in the upstairs hall because there was no place for it. I finally asked myself, "Why do you keep trying to make it work?"

So I attacked it with a light sand (only to clean up some of the bumps and bruises) and then some ASCP in Paris Grey.

See these hooks? I took the bright silver ones off, since they didn't really fit. I found these at an antique store. I know they are supposed to be ceiling hooks, but they were the perfect amount of rusty and quirky so I put 'em on.

Then I waxed it and attacked it again to distress it. There was no way I was stripping this baby and that's what it needed, so I figured I'd bring out the flaws rather then try to hide them.

And my dear friend hand painted this tile (since I broke the other one trying to get it out).

Here are the legs...

Below the grey is black. Below the black is white. Below the white is wood. They all make an appearance.

Here is the (almost) before and after.

Its ~~up for sale in our booth~~ SOLD. I really like the after, but my entire house has a carmely-tan trim (which sets the tone for the entire house!), and grey just does not work with that!

Armoire Redo

2011-09-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

(Sorry no "staged" picture, but this baby was too heavy to move around for pics, so I cropped out the messy garage! ;)

Found this baby on Craigslist (love CL!!!) originally for The Painted Paisley (the furniture painting biz I have with a friend).

Then when I moved "B" to her own room, the room did not have a closet so I needed an armoire and decided I'd keep it. I started painting it before the 115 degree 3 month heat wave set in and so it sat, and sat, and sat in the garage with its base coat, but that's as far as I got.

We finally had a break and two of my kiddo's started school, so I had a little more free time and tackled the rest.

Ripped out the shelf inside and added a bead board backing.

Outside - ASCP Chateau Grey

Inside - ASCP Old White

Look at the pretty details on the front that are brought out with a little dark wax.

And the hardware that originally I was going to paint or replace, but looks perfect as is now!

Before and After

Since I took so long I found another piece for the nursery. This one is ~~for sale~~ SOLD here.

Braided headband

2011-08-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Got any leftover knit fabric? An old t-shirt? Or even just fabric scraps? Quick and easy headband redo. I found the headbands at the Dollar Tree, but any craft store will have them.

Here is an easy tutorial for them. Enjoy!

A really simple skirt

2011-08-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Really, this was a simple skirt to make. I think it maybe took 30 minutes...including interruptions from my offspring. In fact, I was sewing this the evening before the first day of school.

Thanks to Dana from Made and her Simple Skirt Tutorial, I ran out the next day and bought more material to make more skirts for the girls. I might even make myself one!

For this one, I already had the fabric and elastic on hand. Yes I'm a hoarder....I like to call it being prepared. You never know when on the night before the first day of school your 6 year old is going to complain that she has nothing to wear and you need to whip up a simple skirt. I was prepared!

And look at these adorable Hide-eez. I'm getting them for all the girls. In multiple colors. I also took a stab at making a pair out of legging that my 8 year old tore a hole in the knee, but that's another tutorial.

{Sewing Challenge #30}

Sewing Challenge #29

2011-08-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

I just sewed Rapunzle's hair back on. She is a stuffed doll that apparently gets a lot of use and this is mend #2 on her.

Chalkboard Sofa Table

2011-08-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

Before...

After....

I'm still amazed what a little bit of paint can do. But not just any paint....Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint (Old White.) My new favorite kind of paint thanks to Miss Mustard Seed!

Still haven't decided what to write on it....

"Welcome"

"Your keys are here"

"Don't forget your lunch"

Its ~~for sale~~ here. {SOLD}

Linking here:

Painting a tree on the nursery wall {tutorial}

2011-08-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

(Note: photo taken with cell phone)

I've always wanted to do this and I usually wait to see how long we will stay before I decide if I'm going to put forth the effort just to move and let someone else enjoy my work. So I jumped. (You'd think I'd take it one project or one room at a time, but nope. Not me. I *LOVE* to start projects. Finishing them is always hard, but I'm working on that part!

Supplies:

Picture

Projector (or not if you can draw :)

Pencil

Paint and brush
(These were all on hand, so basically free art!)

How to:

Find your picture. After searching and searching for the picture I had created in my brain, these were the closest that I found.

I ended up going with the one on the right, because I wasn't sure how the wispiness (its a word...really) would show up.

Print out your picture.

After getting the projector setup and the picture centered, which was harder than it should of been because you have to think backwards and upside down when moving the picture around. My picture wasn't small enough to completely fit under the projector square so I had to fiddle with placement and move it half way through tracing.

I put the pic up on the wall and closed the binds. Stepping back I was worried that it was a little too scary looking, but I knew I was painting it white and hoped it would turn out pretty, not scary. (Should have taken a picture but was too excited to start drawing.)

Then I started drawing. The first few pencil marks were the hardest, then I had fun. I had to laugh because three of my kids were watching Mommy draw on the wall, which is something they've gotten in trouble for in the past. I went through 3 pencils sharpening trips to get it all on there we have really textured walls which ate the lead.

What??? You can't see it? Yah...me either. Which makes is a little difficult to actually paint in between the lines! My camera had a really hard time focusing to take these pics. Trust me...the tree is there. :)

Then you just start painting. Outlining first, then filling in. Here it is after a couple of hours. (It really shouldn't have taken me that long but I started with a small artist brush for the tips of the branches and forgot to grab my painting brush.

Here's another angle of the whole top part. (The room is really small...more of an afterthought for the builders I'm sure....and I don't have the right lens to get the whole tree.)

Here is the whole thing...

I still need to finish erasing the pencil marks and touch up a little. I actually gave me some anxiety before I started, but heck...its only paint!

I want to add either a few 3D flowers or birds or something.

At least I got to check something off my summer to do list!

Sewing Challenge #28

2011-08-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

Trying to get through some of the boring part of this challenge, then I can get back to the fun stuff. Hemmed a pair of my pajama pants that had ripped.

But....today I also went through ALL of the stuff I have to sew. I found lots of little projects. I have 24 items left to finish up my challenge. I have enough stuff in my pile to cover that without even getting to fun stuff. :)

Sewing Challenge #27

2011-08-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

I picked up an item that has been waiting about a year for mending. Yep....One whole year. One of the girls' comforters. It was ripped from one side to the other across where the "quilting" ends. Its a twin, luckily. Not sure if my fingertips could have handled much more mending last night.

Simple shirred sundress or top or skirt {quick tutorial}

2011-08-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

First off...sorry for the picture. I will try to do better! Its coming to the end of summer and I've not been nearly as productive as I thought I would with all the munchkins home. :)

This was a super simple project. So easy, that I made 2 (one for my #2 and one for me) and will be making 2 more (one for #1 and #4). Mine is a skirt or I can wear it as a top, then accessorize with a belt around the waist (as to not look maternity) and once it cools off a cardigan. #2's is a dress that she'll sometimes tuck in the straps and wear as a long skirt.

Supplies:

Shirred fabric (or you can shirr your own.)

Coordinating ribbon

Sewing machine and thread.

How to:

I've always seen this shirred fabric at Hobby Lobby and finally picked some up. Measure your subject around the chest, and buy accordingly. Make sure when you buy it, you measure the shirred part of the fabric and not the bottom edge. Cut, fabric about an inch or so smaller than measurement. I held it up to #2 here and tested for fit, then cut. My fabric has a pattern so cutting straight was easy. I used scissors, not a straight edge. Sew a seam straight down the back with right sides together. I surged mine, but a zig zag would work too.

You could leave it as is at this point, which is what I did with mine. I'm rather well endowed, ahem, so have no problem holding the fabric up when I wear it as a shirt. This little girl...not so much yet, so I made a "strap" to keep it in place.

Its just a ribbon I pulled out of my stash, cut in half, end folded under 1/4" and hemmed to the top of the dress on the inside. Once again, I had her put the dress on and carefully pinned where they should go.

Heat sealed the ends of the ribbon.

So easy!!!

This is sewing challenge #25 and 26 (since I made one for me, too!)

Garland card {tutorial} with free printable

2011-08-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

Warning: little story coming, so if you don't want to read, just skip on down to the supply list.

How this card came about....At one time a couple of years ago I taught crafting classes and one of the classes I did was a card class. For it, I purchased a box of envelopes on ebay. I couldn't find the right size (#9) locally so I headed online. Each of box contained 500 envelopes. That's right....500, for a class of about 20. It was cheaper to buy 500 than a box of 50 at the store. Well, the supplier didn't ship them in time, so when I contacted them, they sent another box for my trouble. So, I have ONE THOUSAND #9 envelopes.. Since then, I've been using them here and there, but decided that in my recent attempts to reorganize my office, I need to start making cards to fit the envelopes and use them up. In the past few days I've come up with a few really cute ones (at least I think so! :)

I'm totally into the pennant garlands lately.

Supplies:

White card stock (or whatever color you'd like for your base)

Scrapbook paper scraps

Envelope (need some? I have plenty! :)

Triangle punch or scissors

Sewing machine or marker

Adhesive

Printer

How to:

I like to format my own cards on the computer so I can use the vast selection of fonts that I have accumulated. (I'm addicted to fonts!) For this one, I set my paper size to 8 1/2" W x 7"H (which is twice the height of the card). You can use word, publisher or pages. I add a text box where I want the text, select the font and type it in.

Here is the printable version:

(I hope it works. This is the first time I've added a printable. Please let me know if you have problems with it.) Its formatted for the paper size above.

You can cut your paper before or after you run it through the printer or after. (I usually cut mine before, just make sure you change the paper feeder to accommodate your paper size.)

After you print, use your scoring board or trimmer and stylus (or just fold it) to score the seam and fold the card in half.

For the pennants, I bought a punch. I didn't intend to buy one, but I happened through Big Lots one day and this one was on clearance for $3.50 (down from $17). Yes. Please. :)

Punch or cut a handful of pennants out of various paper scraps. Play around with the placement until you like how they look and then glue them on.

If you are going to sewn them, you only need to lightly tack them in place because the thread will hold them. If you draw on your "string" then you need to adhere them to the card.

Either run it through your sewing machine or draw the string and you're done!

I've already formatted a bunch of these with various card sayings so I'm sure I'll be make quite a variety soon!

Two-sided Welcome Door

2011-08-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

An old door that I picked up at a garage sale for like $5. We originally planning on making it into a table, but since we have 3 tables in storage to paint, we had to come up with plan B. This was plan B....and it turnout out so much cooler than expected. LOVE it when that happens!!

My partner in crime here couldn't wait, so I can't take credit for the actual painting, but we conspired on the idea. Didn't she do a fabulous job??? (She doesn't have a blog, so I'm posting it.)

Its for ~~sale~~ here. SOLD

Linking here:

Sewing Challenge #24

2011-07-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

I took in the waist of my son's swimsuit. Since we have a pool, the kids are in their suits almost every day and its seems that the elastic is not holding up. Anyway....took in the waist so we can use if for the rest of the summer.

Chalkboard Labels

2011-07-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

I am LOVING these! (Note to self: add laundry detergent to shopping list. ;) I originally got the paper for a project in my office which is not yet completed.

Since I'm also re-doing my laundry room, I thought I'd add a little fun to it with these chalkboard labels. Heck, I had a whole roll of it. With all the "excess" I had, I figured I'd sell some off on etsy. So I listed all of these....

I just added these!

and now these....

More to come!

Want some? Go here.

Sometimes patience pays off

2011-07-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is the latest step to finishing my bathroom. There is still a bit to do, but I've added a little character. (Looking at this picture its evident that the next thing I should check off the list is a valence, right?)

We have this blank wall above our bathtub that, to me, always seemed like it needed something. For months I had been looking, but nothing was quite right. They were either too big or too small or to new... Anyway, last November, I walked into an antique/junk store and found this in the very back...

I wanted it that bad that I took a picture with my phone. Then I looked at the price. $75. Yikes. Not willing to pay that for something I could build, I walked out of the store and left the perfect shelf behind, and always wondered about it...but I kept the picture. Every time I looked at it I kicked myself for not getting it because it would take me a lot longer to build and paint this than $75.

Well a few weeks ago, I happened to be back in the same store and IT WAS STILL THERE!!! (I guess no one else wanted to pay $75.) It was meant for me because this time it was 40% off. Sign. Me. Up. I grabbed it and ran to the front as quickly as I could.

I walked out the door, drove straight home and hung it up. I LOVE it and all its lovely chippiness that I don't have to try to fake because it was naturally there..

I'm still trying to figure out how to dress it up, but its there and is a perfect fit!

Now onto the valence.....then the mirror....then...

NOTE:
I pulled these leaf sconces off of our entry wall and put them on either side of the cabinet.

That helps, but still need that valence!

Name sign {quick tutorial}

2011-07-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

This was a fun project that I did "pre-blog." I moved it (again) and decided I should post it for all to see.

I first had it where it is now, but decided to try it here after I found and painted the hutch. So I had the hubs take it down and I "set" it in place to make sure that's really where I wanted it. There it sat for....um....over a year? :) Lazy are we? I was tired of it on the to-do list, so the other day I did it myself...which is what usually happens. Hmmm....wait a second....seems like someone around here knows that!

Somewhere between moves, the board warped and cracked, but it adds to the age of it and I love it even more.

It's made from a 1x12, cut down. I first printed my letters on paper and taped the all together to what it was going to look like. I then cut my letters in vinyl and figured out the spacing to know how long the board needed to be. (You could use a transfer method and hand paint the sign. Sanding off after would make it age beautifully!)

I coated the board in black, then brushed it white, then very lightly and sporadically dry brushed a little, black, brown and red (who knows, there might even be other colors there). I just grabbed whatever cans I had at the time. All leftover latex. Random, I know. This is before I knew how to sand the age into it. Which is how I'd do it now.

Didn't seal it, just waited for it to dry, put the vinyl on a hung it over the window in the kitchen. It was either there or the playroom and since the ~~tornado~~ playroom is upstairs and I wanted this to be in a place where it would be seen by someone who would actually appreciate it, I chose the kitchen.

This is the view from our living room, but you can pretty much see it across the room when you come into the house.

The wall adjacent on the left is where I'm going to put our giant chalkboard (more on that later) and the wall to the right was my first big furniture piece to paint, and I probably did it all wrong, but its been a couple of years and its holding up just fine! (Looking at the pictures now, the lone rooster weather vane needs to go....)

Sewing Challenge #23

2011-07-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

So I'm a bit behind on my sewing challenge for the year and wasn't planning on doing this today, but I did some minor surgery on one of my daughters stuffed dolls, Rapunzel. She had sprung a leak in two places and she now has the scars to prove it. In the process I thought I'd shove a needle through two different fingers. Why not?

Now I have one less thing in my "to fix" pile, two less bandaids in the linen closet, and one happy 6 year old.

Lampshade Revamp {tutorial}

2011-07-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided I wanted to change out the light in my laundry room. I'm in the middle of an almost total overhaul in that room, so why not the light too? (It helps that my Brother-in-Law is here visiting and he is an electrician.)

This is what I started with...

I like the after much better! ;) I was inspired by a shade I found and posted here.

Supplies:

Wire shade or frame

Fabric

How to:

First I had to reinforce the shade frame, which I picked up for $1 at antique/junk store. I knew I was either going to fabric wrap the entire frame or fabric tie it. Either way there were not enough wire supports and it would end up looking like a weird square shade, so I decided to add some more joints. I happen to have 14 gauge wire leftover (who doesn't, right?) from my Christmas bulb wreath project and mason jar lanterns, so I cut 4 lengths 2 inches taller than the shade. I wrapped them around the top and bottom wires.

This is what some of my "joints" look like. I knew they were going to be wrapped in fabric, so I wasn't too worried about how they looked. (This little project has me wondering what I could do with a soldering tool....hmmm, add that to the Christmas list?)

Here it is after my alterations.

From here I only have the after pictures as the whole thing happened too fast I forgot to take pics.

I had white eyelet fabric left over from a project 6 years ago (yes, I said SIX years!) and thought it was time to use it up. I took two long strips of fabric and cut them 1 1/2" wide and just wrapped it around the top and bottom circular parts of the frame (not the vertical). (A sheet would be great for this.) I almost stopped there and did that to the whole frame, but I have another wire shade I'll try that with. :) You can see the bottom of the frame wrapped below.

Then I cut A LOT of 1 1/2" strips about 14" long. Measure the length in between your joints and add a few inches. It might take a little experimenting to get the right length.

Start tying. And tying. And tying. Put a good movie in and tie some more. I tied a knot around one wire, then strung it across and tied another knot around the next one and trimmed the end off. With my next strip, I tied a knot just below the knot I just finished, strung it across and tied on the next wire. Working my way around back to the first and then kept going around and around, stopping to shove them snug against the top.

After a few rounds I was kinda worried about what it was going to look like, but I kept going. I figure if I hated it, I could cut it apart and I was only out some scrap fabric.

Many rounds later, here ya go...

I had my BIL remove the fixture that was there. I don't have a before pic, but trust me....it was random for a laundry room, and dark. We actually had to retrofit a pendant fixture. I bought a new ceiling cap (because that one that came with it was really ~~ugly~~ plain.) I would love to run you through how to hang a fixture, but since I am not an electrician I would hate to mess up directions. This shade can be used on a lamp as well.

I even like how the inside looks, which is good because we have tall ceilings and the door opens up under the fixture so it has to be hung rather high.

This room is about as big as a shoebox, so its really hard to get a good picture. Plus there is NO natural light.

Hopefully I will have more to show from the laundry room soon....

Camera Strap Slipcover

2011-07-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

For my first one...

(yes, I said first...I'm going to make another...a girl's gotta have options, right? :)

...I decided to skip the ruffle. I wanted to make sure I was going to like it and it would fit before I "ruffled" it. Plus, I didn't have a fabric I liked on hand (hard to believe), and its after hours at my local craft store.

Not bad for timing; I found/posted the idea here and its not even 6 weeks later. And its summer. And I have all 4 kids home. And family in town visiting.

But I snuck a way to my office for a bit and sewed. I sewed something for me! (I haven't been doing much of that lately.) Anyway...the only change I made from the tutorial I followed was to top stitch both sides. I'm a symmetrical person so had to have it even.

I lengthened the strap an inch because I made it to fit my camera strap. I love that its removable and washable. It only took 45 mins and that included getting everything out and cleaning everything up AND I was watching a movie. The next one will go much quicker.

{This is sewing challenge #22...I'm a bit behind so must get moving!}

Bowling Pin + Vinyl = Door Stop

2011-07-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is another of those totally random things that I saw at an antique/junk store and bought. I had NO idea what I would do with it, I just wanted it. Totally an impulse buy....and I don't do that very often, so I guess when I do, at least its good that its less than $10.

I put it in my office closet where it sat and sat and sat and since I knew the hubs would wonder why in the world I bought a bowling pin for. I think he's kinda stopped asking lately....he just shakes his head now. Luckily, most of the "junk" I bring home ends up transformed and I redeem myself.

I took some scrap vinyl (from a project I thought I had already posted, but apparently haven't yet...) and hand cut the "5" after tracing a stencil. I have a lovely silhouette, but it seems like more trouble to drag it out, format a number, set it up and cut than it did to just trace a cut.

Anyway...trace, cut, peel, stick. New doorstop.

I was featured on One Thrifty Gurl

2011-07-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well, my etsy shop was! :)

I had an old atlas book from when we lived in the Pacific NW and since I wasn't using it anymore and can't stand to throw things away, I made some things out of it.

Like this card set

And this pennant garland

And from those scraps I punched these embellies

Sometimes it pays (literally) to think outside of the box!

Go check her out at OneThriftyGurl. I'm hosting a $25 gift certificate give away to my shop!

Stamped Garden Marker Spoons {tutorial}

2011-07-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

Taking the metal jewelry stamping in a different twist, I stamped some spoons. I am NOT a gardener. I love the look of plants, but just cannot keep them alive (maybe its because I forget to water them??? Just a thought...)

Anyway...I've seen these garden marker spoons around and have found some old spoons for pennies at garage and estate sales. So...here ya go.

Supplies:

Old spoons

Metal stamping set

Dish towel

Rubber mallet

Hammer
Permanent marker

How to:

I first took the spoons out onto the driveway, set them (one by one) on a dish towel, and pounded them out with a rubber mallet. My kids rode circles around me in the driveway and the neighbors were wondering what the heck I was doing (especially since it was in the high 90's and late afternoon.) Put the spoon bowl side up and start pounding away.

Tip:I found that they all flattened differently. Some got a little curvy in the middle, so I took a regular hammer and gently pounded (can you do that?) the roundness flat. Next time I'm going to try the hubs vice and see if I can get them totally flat.

Once you have them relatively flat, go inside and nurse the blister on your hand then proceed onto the next step.

Figure out what you want to write (stamp) on the spoons. Like I said before, I am no gardener so I had to google common herbs. Silly, I know, but I did. I wrote my words down the spoon because I was worried about spacing the letters across. The shorter herbs would have worked fine across.

I marked where my letters were going to go with a dot of the permanent marker before I stamped. Then stamped the letter, colored over the letters again with the marker and polished it off.

A perfect gift idea for someone who grows their own herbs, mother's day gift, thank you gift or for yourself. (Maybe I should have stamped "please water me?") The best part...if you already have a stamping set, these are dirt cheap. (Hee hee :) You could give them with a live herb, or pot and seeds.

Next I'm going to try to flatten them and bend the handles to make hooks. Saw that somewhere? and LOVED it!

Jute rope...

2011-07-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

Why does a person need 900 feet of jute? Well, first of all it was 50% off so that's like $0.01 per foot (including tax!) Secondly, I plan on wrapping a few things with it....and its a great natural summer look! Lamp bases, lamp shades, wreaths, candlestick, letters, flower pots, frames....hmmm....what else can I wrap???

Another quick and easy card {quick tutorial}

2011-07-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

I made a handful of these up for my daughter to use as thank you cards for her birthday. It took less than 15 minutes and she loved them.

Supplies:

Card stock

Scrapbook paper scraps

Envelops (or scrapbook paper for envelopes)

Adhesive

Flower, circle punches

Leaf punch (optional, because you can cut by hand)

Corner punch (optional)

How to:

Cut card stock into 4"x6" rectangles. Round corners (if you want). Punch flowers, circles and leaves from scrap paper and adhere to corner of card. I used glitter paper for the center of the flower.

I die cut envelopes out of coordinating scrapbook paper because I have A TON of it.

See....and this is not all of it! (Yes I'm working on my hoarding issues.)

That's is. Quick and easy cards.

"BEACH" sign {quick tutorial}

2011-07-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

I picked up this piece of....um....well, not really sure what it was, but it's mine now! $1? $2? I don't think I was even listening to the guy since I grabbed a few other things and it was all about $5.

When I saw it I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it. But when I got home, I ~~hid it from the hubs~~ unloaded it and it was buried under other ~~stuff~~ projects.

Supplies:

Wood board (its easier if the painting and distressing is already done by nature.)

Stencils

Paint and brush

How to:

I first sealed the sign with a spray shellac. I wanted to keep the chippy. I lost some chippy just getting it home.

I formatted my "sign" in publisher (you can easily use word too). Set up the document as a 4" x 27" doc and played around with the font, layout and size until I got what I wanted. I then knew what size to set the letters on my silhouette.

Set it up and cut it out of contact paper (probably not the best choice, but I'm kinda stingy with my vinyl).

Placed the letters on the sign. This is one of these "do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do" situations. Use transfer paper. I did not. Placing the letters took five times as long as it should have. I will say it again. Use transfer paper! So much easier.

The contact paper wasn't sticking really well; the vinyl would have held much better. I now understand this and won't be as stingy in the future...especially on chipping shellacked wood.

Paint in your letters. I "pounced" and painted from the edge to the inside of the letter to avoid bleeding under the not so sticky contact paper. The edges are not perfect but it works here. I painted with chalk paint and lightly sanded just the letters.

I think I'm going to drill a hole through that piece on the top to hang it.

It turned out exactly how I pictured it. I love when that happens!

Making up stories

2011-06-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Kids always love to hear their parents tell them stories. Why not get them involved. Start with "Once upon a time...." then take turns adding a word or a phrase. (It helps to keep everyone on track by deciding the theme of the story first! :)

Saving a picture

2011-06-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

My dear son is in *love* with Thomas the Train. (What little boy isn't, right???)

Well, he got this...

...with one of his early Birthday gifts (thanks, cuz!!!)

He's been carrying it around the house "reading" it again and again and again. Hmm...much like I do the Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs catalogs. Its starting to look a little battle weary and since I see how much he adores it, I thought I'd preserve it a little.

Out comes my handy, dandy laminator.

See, I'm a sucker for a sale. And when this baby went on sale on Amazon for $15 (normally $80), I bought it. Actually, I bought two...then resold one on Amazon for $30. (Hey, a girls gotta cover her crafting costs, right???)

So, I ironed the paper with a pressing cloth to straighten it out a bit, cut it down a smidge, put it in a laminating sheet (which came with the laminator), and sent it through.

Voila! A Thomas keepsake!

Thomas Picture + Laminating Machine = One Happy Boy

Scrap Rag Wreath {tutorial}

2011-06-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Phew....FINALLY done with this little diddy. I don't say that because it was hard, it just seemed like the project that wouldn't ever end. It was a great idea to use up some of my drop cloth scraps from this and a floral wreath that I picked up at an antique store for pennies.

Pretty much the same method I used here. Ha!....and looked back at that post I actually DID use if for what I said I was going to! Pretty happy about that, since I collect things with and idea of doing something with it and then it takes a totally different turn! Am I alone in this?

Supplies needed:

Wire form

Fabric

Scissors

Embellishments (optional)

How to:

Tear fabric into strips. This can be anywhere between 1/2" and 1". Be wild and crazy (unlike me) and vary the widths. Make a snip at the top of the fabric and rip it. It'll rip straight and give you those warn edges. Then rip and rip and rip. Then get bored with ripping, so start on next task (or project) but have to come back to this to finish. (See why it took me so long?)

Once you have you pieces, cut them about 8-18" depending on how your form is. Cut and tie one first and see how the length looks. My form was a double form, so I cut mine about 15". Cut LOTS of these, because you'll need them. (Don't stop and set this aside like I did, otherwise it will take you forever. Keep on trucking...)

Then start tying. I double wrapped mine, but you can do single or double or a combo. Tie with a square knot on top. I spread mine out (not sure why?) Did I mention I get bored easily? Can anyone say crafting ADD?

Keep on tying.

And some more. Don't give up....you're almost there. (Well, not really....but you can't stop here.)

Phew. You made it! Way to go. But it still needed something, so I grabbed some starfish when I was at Big Lots the other day and tied three on with some jute I had.

See....nice torn edges.

Pretty starfish.

I wish I had a sea themed room that I could put this in! Right now it has a nice place on my mantle as I attempt a "summer mantle"

Luckily I still have a lot of drop cloth left because I score this great wing back chair that I'm planning on covering in true Miss Mustard Seed style! (I already painted the legs with chalk paint: Old White.)

Shabby Lampshade {tutorial link}

2011-06-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Is this adorable or what??? I've had an old shade form that I've been putting off redoing. I think just might be the thing for it!

Tutorial here from Lady Butterbug.

Party Decorations and Favors on a Budget

2011-06-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have 4 kids, so throwing big Birthday parties every year is a little much. So instead, we do a big party with friends every other year, and do a small family party every year. We alternate years so I do two big parties a year, instead of four.

This year, my oldest turned 8 (which I still cannot believe!) She wanted to do a party at the gymnasium where the kids take gymnastics. I've never been one to "pay" for a party. We have always had them here at the house. At her last party, two years ago, I had about ten 5 and 6 year old girls running through the house shrieking and screaming....and I vowed never to do that again.

Ever!

But I digress...

Since having the party at the gym, there really wasn't much I could decorate. Plus, after paying for the gym, I really wasn't wanting to spend a whole lot more moola.

So...for less than $20 I had treats, drinks, and party favors. I could have had that number down to under $15, but I opted to buy the cupcakes.

I don't bake.

And I was not in the mood to try this morning. Partially because we ran out of time and partially because I didn't want to be tempted to stray from my ~~diet~~ healthy eating plan...which is really working BTW!

And again, I digress. Sorry!

Here are my cupcake toppers and wraps.

Paper was mere cents (I have a stash of scrapbook paper to rival any small store.)

Popsicle sticks (on hand)

Punches and adhesive (on hand)

Die for cupcake wrapper (I have one, but you can buy these already cut in all colors...plus a silhouette can cut them too. Side note...I do sell toppers and wrappers in my etsy store.)

Most of the "expense" was in the favors. I found these cute little water bottles at the Dollar Store and I bought a few packages of Kool-Aid singles to put in each bottle. Punched a scalloped circle tag and matted a "thank you" circle sticker on a scrap card stock circle. Tied them on with ribbon from my stash.

Beverages were $2.00. Two 6-packs of water bottles at the Dollar Store (I was already there, so why not.) I simply cut scrapbook paper in 9 1/2" x 1 3/4" strips. Taped one side on over the label, wrapped it around, and taped the other side on.

I had to show the hubs my frugal work since I know that a bunch of 8 year olds wouldn't appreciate it! :)

Now I just need to whip up a few thank you cards and I'll be on to the next project....

Sewing Challenge #21

2011-06-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

My Moby Wrap bag had sprung a leak....so I patched it. :)

Sorry, nothing exciting. Part of the reason for my challenge is to help me get through the mounds of "items to sew" that have piled up. :)

Ruffle Camera Strap {tutorial link}

2011-06-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

This one? or This one?

The one on the left is by PriddyCreations (tutorial here.) I like this one because its padded and a slipcover.

The one on the right is by Crap I've Made (tutorial here.) I like the ruffle on it.

So....I'm going to combine the two! :)

Adding a design to a headboard???

2011-06-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

So what do you think? The stars are up temporarily...cuz I'm a wimp and am having a really hard time deciding if I want them up for good because that makes this headboard less versatile and I can only use it in his room and it will be harder to sell when we are done with it in umpteen years! Really, those are only some of the thoughts that go through my head when trying to make a decision. (See why I needed my mom's second opinion???)

Do I need to seek professional help? :)

Side note:

I just went to find the post where I showed you the foot board that I mentioned here and I can't find it. Which means it never posted. Then I went to find the pictures so that I could actually post them and I can't find those. What in the world is happening around here??? :) So....when dear son wakes up, I'll have to make his bed all pretty again and snap some more pics!

Here's the before (the painted before)

Here's the REAL before.

See that applique? I pulled it off and it left some marks like this...which I tried and tried and tried to fix, but this is what is there...

...and although I'm the only one that can really see it, I know its there and it bothers me. A lot.

So I bought these for less than $1 each and painted and glazed them to match.

But am having a hard time committing, so put them on with these

And it looks like this from the side

But it looks like this from the front

And I kinda think I LOVE it!

A visit from Mom and my summer plans

2011-06-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

My mom just came down to visit for a week. Woo Hoo!

You think I'd have a lot to write about, but no. It always seems that just as we get settled into her here, its time for her to go. Next time, I told her, she has to stay for TWO weeks!

I did get some great second opinions on some (well pretty much all) of the projects I've been wanting to do around the house. So, I'm hoping to get moving on those and have a lot to post about this summer. Its not going to be quick but that's because I have all 4 kiddos home with me...no school...no summer programs...just us.

I'm attempting to give home schooling a testing this summer. I have some stuff planned (which I'll write about soon) and our summer scheduled so that things don't turn all "Lord-of-the-Flies" around here.

Here are just a few of the things I'd like to do around the house...

Build a folding table over my washer and dryer (DONE)
Paint a mural on baby girls wall (DONE)
Make a hook rack for towels by the pool (Working on it...)
Put up some sort of board and baton or planked wall in girls room (Hubs vetoed this)
Reorganize play room (DONE)
Finish my craft room/office (Almost DONE)
Make new curtain for the living room (Scrapped)
Paint baby girls new/old armoire with chalk paint (DONE and SOLD so need to do another)
Build an outdoor fireplace (biting off more than I can chew???)
Do something to our powder room (Still trying to decide what.....)
Make a quilt (Started...)

But the (almost) biggest thing....simplify!!! We have too much stuff. It always make me laugh when the movers come to evaluate our home. Every. Single. Time. They totally underestimate the weight and time its going to take. (Did I mention we move a lot? Did I also mention we just found out we are here for 2 more years???)

The most important part of the summer....have fun with my family. And document that fun! My oldest just turned 8 (yikes) and we are realizing just how quickly she is growing up.

Off to planning...

Shabby Bench Redo

2011-06-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

If only I could whistle.... :)

This is what it looked like when I found it here.

Dontcha just love those legs???

Slap a little white paint on it...distress it a bit...throw together some sage burlap and voila.

.......

OK....so it wasn't quite that easy....but I'd do it again!

Since the burlap is a weave and not solid, I recovered the top with a white sheet first so you see the light through burlap, not ugly mauve.

(No offense to anyone who like that color.)

I cut off the original cording. I first attempted to truly reupholster it, but this baby was made well. I could not get even the first few staples out, much less the hundreds that were used. (And I wasn't about to ask for help from the hubs since he's less than thrilled that I have all this extra furniture in his garage anyway! You think he'd be happy that I'm finally moving some out!?! :)

See the pretty ruffle? I used the selvage edge of the burlap so I didn't have to hem the fabric before I ruffled it. I was feeling ~~lazy~~ creative.

She is for sale here. I secretly hope she doesn't sell, cuz I kinda want her at the end of my bed...but I guess that's not really a secret now, is it?

{Sewing Challenge #20}

Linking Here:

A visit from Mom...

2011-06-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

My mom just came down to visit for a week. Woo Hoo!

You think I'd have a lot to write about and post, but no. It always seems that times flies by when she is here and we never get as much accomplished as I would think. It might, just might, have something to do with me having 4 small kids? Maybe? I dunno....

But...

She did help me finalize some decisions so I will have some stuff to post soon!!!

And the even bigger news...we found out we are staying put for a couple more years. This is the longest we've ever been anywhere and since we anticipated a move this summer, I was reluctant to start any projects.

Now I can! :)

Monogrammed Onsie {tutorial}

2011-05-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

This was one of my baby shower gifts for my friend (does the fabric look familiar). The process is very similar to my heart applique shirt and my knee patches.

Supplies:

Clothing

Fabric

Wonder under

Iron

Pencil

Scissors

Optional: machine stitching edges

How to:

Figure out what letter you want (I use a template.) Cut a piece of wonder under a little bigger than your final shape, and a piece of fabric a little bigger than your wonder under.

Iron WU onto fabric per included instructions. Flip it over and trace or draw your letter onto the back. IMPORTANT: Draw your letter in reverse.

Cut it out, peel backing of your letter, place in center of your shirt and iron on following instructions.

With that, you can be done, but you can also take it a step further and sew the edges of the letter. I use heave duty wonder under that says "no sewing needed" but I always finish it off. I have found that maneuvering those tiny little onsies on my sewing machine is a little bit easier if I take off my tool box. Also make sure when you are sewing you are only sewing the top layer! (Ask me how I know that?? ;)

I straight stitched my edges this time, but sometimes I zig-zag. Just depends what kind of mood I'm in. Around the tight little corners, I don't use my foot pedal and "hand crank" the machine.

There you go! You can put these on blankets, bibs, burp cloths, you name it!

(This is also Sewing Challenge #19)

"DREAM" Paper Pennant Garland (quick tutorial)

2011-05-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

The hardest part of this little project...picking out the font! ;) I LOVE fonts!!! My favorite site lately is scrapnfonts Cute stuff and super cheap!

Supplies:

Printer

Jute twine

Paper

How to:

Choose your font and increase the font size until it fits your size of pennant.

My pennants are 4" wide by 6" tall, so I re-sized my page to those dimensions and blew up the font.

Cut the paper.

Put it in the printer and hit print.

Punches holes and strung it up.

Easy Peasy.

Updating Chairs

2011-05-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

These are a set from our "hotel" shopping spree. I'm really happy with the way the chairs turned out. I just finish reupholstering the seat last night, after an hour long battle with the staple gun in a dark garage (of course the light bulb burnt out when I'm trying to dig through the hubs tools to find staples!)

This is how they started.

I only did two. My partner in crime here refinished the table and we are selling them as a set. The table (seen in the left pic) has been done in SW Creamy and lightly glazed. I can't wait to get the set together! :)

Here's the seat. I'm a sucker for hounds tooth!

Slight distressing and a past wax finish.

If we had 8, I'd keep them all for myself!

Linking Here:

Crib Bumper

2011-05-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

First off....I will take a proper picture of this in a crib once the baby's room is done. For now this is all I have. :)

This bumper is one piece of a set that I'm making for my friend, Katie. Its my baby gift to her. She chose the colors, fabric, and style of the bumper and I'm the labor. I enjoy sewing and decorating so this a really fun project.

I didn't use a pattern or a tutorial, I just kind of wung it. That's how I roll with these type of projects. I'll read a few sets of directions, then do what makes the most sense to me. If anyone reading this is thinking about tackling a bumper and wants more info...contact me. Its really just like making a giant pillowcase for a really, really, really long pillow.

I put piping only on the top (since the bottom is not going to show, why waste the time and materials?) The bottom was the last part I sewed, done with a simple straight stitch as close to the edge as possible while still sewing on the material.

The ties were not put on the top, but on the side...

...and made to knot, not tie in a bow....

...so they were made shorter.

Pretty picture to come once its in the baby's room. ;)

(This is also sewing challenge #18.)

Simple Card {quick tutorial}

2011-05-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Quick and easy!

Supplies:

Card blank

Carstock or scrapbook paper 2 patterns, plus green scrap

Kraft paper scraps

Button and string (string optional)

How to:

I use the 4" x 5 1/2" card blanks, so these measurements are for that size. Cut your background paper to 3 1/2" x 5" and adhere to blank.

Punch a 1 1/2" flower or scalloped circle out of kraft paper. Punch a 1 1/4"circle out of your second patterned cardstock. Punch a 3/4" circle out of kraft paper.

Line your flower pieces up and punch two small holes. Put your button on top and thread string through. Tie a knot or bow and cut your ends.

Adhere to card where ever you'd like! I use dots for this because of the weight of the flower I feel its more secure.

Cut or punch leaves out of green paper and adhere.

This is an anniversary card, so I stamped "happily ever after" inside the card.

Here is another variation. I printed a page of "thank you" on circle labels. Matted the label with another circle punch and adhered this with a pop dot. These were the thank you cards that I made for the mom-to-be for shower thank you cards.

3 Legged Bench

2011-05-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

This was never intended to be a project for me. On my first garage sale-ing trip last summer my friend (and now business partner here) picked this little thing up for $3. I was eyeing it too, so I'm glad she grabbed it.

This is what she looked like we rescued her. She sat in my friends garage through the winter. I snagged her a few weeks ago and said I'd do a little slipcover for her. I first reupholstered her in some white twill that I had.

Then I sewed this little cover for her, ala Miss Mustard Seed. (I'm not even going to attempt a tutorial since MMS has done some fabulous video tutes. Start here. So worth the time to watch the series!)

Here's her cute little ruffle.

But wait.....something is missing.

Ahhhh....that's much better. A little freezer paper stencil! (My first one.....and definitely NOT the last!)

She is ~~for sale~~ SOLD here.

{This also completed my Sewing Challenge #17.}

Sewing Challenge #16

2011-05-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Sewing on AWANAS patches. Nothing like the last minute! Their award ceremony is tonight. ;)