Happy Halloweeeeeeen!

The school {Halloween Festival} is a big deal every year. They have games and pizza and a bake sale and all sorts of other fun stuff going on. The halls are jam-packed with kids in costumes, freaking out over their candy and prizes, and acting like they haven't seen their friends in weeks when they run into them hallway...when in fact they've been apart barely more than 2 hours. ;)

One of the big hits of the festival is a drawing for decorated pumpkins. In years past, the teachers have had their classes choose a theme and they've each decorated a pumpkin, but this year, they opened it up and asked for volunteers. Of course, I had to do it. So now, I'd like to introduce you to....

Funkinstein...

I started out with a regular Funkin (brand name fake pumpkin) ~ and I promptly forgot to take a "before" photo. I used a lovely green (moss) spray paint & gave the Funkin a couple of coats.

There was a visible mark on one side of the Funkin, so I used it in my favor. I used a long metal skewer to poke holes in the Funkin, then fed black pipe cleaner through the holes...

I made more holes, and used more pipe cleaner to form stitches.

Next, I cut v-shapes out of strips of black duct tape, and placed them around the Funkin's stalk to serve as hair.

A little bit of craft paint for the eyes...

I painted wine corks grey, and added some black details to make the neck bolts. Then the hubband busted out the hole saw and drilled out spots on either side of the Funkin so I had a more secure way to attach them. A little hot glue around the corks, and into the holes they went.

I finished off the nose and mouth with more craft paint, and {voila!} ~ one Funkin Frankenstein....hence, "FUNKINSTEIN".

I was excited to go and see the other pumpkin creations, but alas, both kids are now {sick} ~ so we'll be missing school, and the festival, and the tinier of the tiny people will also be missing out on what would've been her first big-kid-school field trip. :( Bummer. Hopefully everyone will be well by Monday so that we can to door to door begging for sugary treats. ;) Ahhhh, gotta love Halloween!

Some Love for the {D}

I'm sure some of you will think I'm crazy, but...I {love} Detroit. It's a beautiful city ~ really, it is. There's amazing architecture, some seriously fantastic night life, awesome theater & orchestra, great restaurants, history at every turn and music on every corner... And I haven't even mentioned the fact that it is the {best} sports town you'll ever come across. (Yes...I'm biased...but it's totally true.)

With our Tigers in the play-offs and our Lions having a 4-0 (Now 5-0!) start to the season, and having just spent a weekend in the city with the hubband for our anniversary, I've had the {D} on my mind, and I wanted to bring something of the city into our home. So I came up with this...

First, I used my Silhouette and cut out the outline of the city's skyline. Then I found a perfectly-sized piece of scrap wood leftover from our bench project. I stained it with cherry stain and waited for it to dry.

Then I hit the board with a coat of ModPodge...because that's how I roll... ;)

I carefully placed the skyline on the board, making sure it was as straight & even as possible, and pressed down & out to get rid of any bubbles.

Another coat of MP on top was next...

After the MP dried, I hit it with a coat or 2 of clear spray paint to seal it.

Still not sure where it's going to go...but I have a few ideas for some other items to go along with it for a Detroit montage...

Pretty Paper-Covered Paper Keepers

It's the beginning of another school year...which means we're all being inundated with insane amounts of paper coming home from school with each of our tiny people...every...day. Homework, graded papers, PTA flyers, info. on extracurriculars. I'm not the "keep everything" kind of mom. I look at the graded papers, give the appropriate acknowledgement, and then {BAM!} into the recycling bin it goes. But, there's still quite a lot of stuff that has to be kept. Fund-raising paperwork, classroom newsletters w/ important information, and the weekly letter books being brought home by the Kindergartener, to name a few. So it quickly became clear that I really {needed} someplace to put all of this....stuff... Enter my $5 solution.

I started out with a set of magazine files from Ikea. I went cheap and bought the cardboard Flyt version...a pack of 5 for $1.99. Being cardboard, they're not completely sturdy...but being cheap I can afford to replace them in a year if I need to, and I do think they'll make it through at least one school year, so I feel pretty good about it. The sad truth, though, is that they're not all that pretty. Enter some pretty scrapbook paper I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

First, I cut each piece into a 5 inch wide strip ~ thus leaving plenty of extra paper to wrap around the side.

You can see that the paper didn't make it all the way to the bottom of the magazine box, so I had to get a bit creative to make sure all the cardboard got covered.

For some of the boxes, that meant overlapping the paper (b/c it was 8 1/2 x 11). I strategically placed the overlap...you'll see why in a second.

For other boxes, I cut the paper (12x12) into 2 pieces and left a tiny white band that matched the spot of the overlap on the other magazine files. I knew I'd be covering those spots over later.

I put a layer of mod podge (of course I did!) on the cardboard, then carefully placed the paper where I wanted it and pressed down to get the paper as smooth and bubble-free as possible. Once the fronts were done, I put some more mod podge along the side of the magazine file and folded the extra paper over the edge.

When that was done, I took the left-over paper and cut 2 inch wide strips, which I then used (again with the mod podge) to cover over the spots where the paper was either over-lapping or cut.

I think the coordinating papers make the boxes stand out...and make them a little bit more {fun}, too.

I popped them onto the shelves in my craft room, and now I have a spot to corral all of that insane paperwork that comes home week after week. So far, so good!

My apologies for the crappy photos. The hubband got a new computer, which means I've now got his old one (which is still far better than what I had before) & it's not compatible with the prehistoric version of photoshop I own. I'll be upgrading soon ~ elements 10 comes out in october! until then....all I've got is Paint. UGH.

I {LOVE} it when a plan comes together...

If you're anything like me, keeping the house tidy and staying ahead of household clutter is a constant battle. It has been my goal for a very long time to have my home in a constant state of 15-minute company readiness. And for a very long time I have been failing...{spectacularly}. I've heard all sorts of tips (just do a little bit every day...) tried various kinds of schedules (bathrooms on Mon, bedrooms on Tues, etc.) and even signed up for FlyLady....which only resulted in a crapload of e-mails flooding my in-box and me spending ridiculous amounts of time deleting, responding and trying to unsubscribe.

After several failed attempts and a whole heckuva lot of frustration, I am beyond {thrilled} to say that I have finally found something that works for me. And I'm going to share it with all of you!








The idea for this type of chart came from this post at Jen's IHeart Organizing blog.

The basic idea is to figure out what household tasks you need to do on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis, and put them on a handy-dandy little chart. Obviously, what goes where is going to depend on your own family's specific needs. For example ~ we are a 2-dog family, so vacuuming really {has to happen} every day or we're dealing with dog hair tumbleweeds. It ain't pretty. If your home is pet-free, vacuuming once a week might suffice. Figure out what works best for you, and go from there!

Also, you'll notice that the tasks are pretty simplified. The words "Wipe down Kitchen" and "Clean Bath Counter" are simplified versions of what I really probably need to do. But it's awfully hard to wipe down a counter when there's stuff on it...so clearing it all off and putting everything away is implied. I did this for a couple of reasons. 1 - Hopefully I can get to a point where the counter is usually clear to begin with, so wiping it down is all I need to do. And 2 - It's important (at least I think it is) to keep the number of items on the daily list down to a manageable amount. There's nothing more demoralizing that feeling like you're failing every day because you can't get to everything on your list. I put the {bare minimum} on the daily list ~ the things that will make the most impact if I don't get them done on a daily basis ~ and then I do my best to get to those things every day.

There are so many {fantastic} things about this chart. I love that it keeps me on task on a day-to-day basis, and that I have a visual reminder of what I've already taken care of and what I have left to do...especially when it comes to some of the monthly and quarterly items. Let's be honest, here. Things like dusting ceiling fans and vacuuming registers...those are the kinds of tasks that I'll put off until the job is so disgusting that I feel the need to shower after I've finished. I love knowing that things aren't going to get that far-gone again! I love that using this list will most-likely help our appliances work better and last longer, because I'm being reminded to take better care of them! My most favorite thing about this chart is that, because I popped it into a page protector, I can mark items off the list with a dry erase marker, and erase the marks when it's time to start over again...so I'm not re-writing the same things over and over again, or wasting paper by having to print it out again and again.

Now...I didn't make a printable of this to share with you all, because it wasn't {my} idea. If you love this idea, but you're not so handy with the computer and what-not, you can head over to Jen's blog and follow the link to her Etsy shop. She has all sorts of amazing and wonderful {goodies} in her shop ~ check-lists, logs, calendars ~ you name it, she's got it. Everything she offers is reasonably priced, and {pretty} to boot.

As for me, I made my own printable in Photoshop & had it printed at Costco (b/c we don't have a color printer at home). I have found that a few of the tasks on the list need to be shifted from daily to weekly or vice-versa, and that there were a few items that I wanted to add to the list, so it's still a work in progress. Not a big deal ~ I'll just keep working off of this one until I have a new one printed.

So, there you have it! I'm not saying it's {perfect} ~ I tried to allow myself a "day off" last week and it took me a lot longer to get everything back in order than I thought it would ~ but it's a major improvement over where I was before I started and I feel like it's something that I can stick with long term. I hope it works for you, too!

TGIF!

Happy Friday, Everyone! :) As usual, I highly suggest that you head over to Tatertots & Jello & check out all the awesome projects and ideas that are being shared. It's {always} worth the trip!

A Happy Scrappy Wreath

Have you seen all of those {adorable} crayon wreaths all over the web? They're so cute & happy & back-to-schoolish. I had everything I needed to make one of my own ~ the wreath form, the ribbon, and a few boxes of brand new crayons. But I just couldn't {force} myself to "waste" those perfect crayons on a wreath that would hang for a matter of minutes on the first day of school ~ because I have no place to put it inside, and the crayons would melt on my front door.

I still wanted something colorful and {lively} to put up in honor of the start of the school year, so I came up with this....






First, I dug around and pulled out some t-shirts I was going to be donating to good will, along with some fabric {scraps} and some bits of ribbon that I had laying around.





I started out by cutting the shirts into 2 - 3 inch strips, and then cutting the strips into sections that were about 4-5 inches long. I stretched them out a little and tied them around the wreath form.





I threw in some strips of scrap fabric (which needs to be longer b/c it doesn't stretch) and ribbon to add more texture and interest, and tried to be as random as I could with placement. I moved the strips around as I tied them to make sure that the wreath form was covered as much as possible, placing some of the knots at the inside of the wreath, some at the outside, and some in the middle, too.





And a reminder of the the end result!





I'm pretty happy with it. It's bright and cheerful while not screaming BACK TO SCHOOL! ;) It came together pretty quickly, too. It's really a great use for scraps, and it would be super cute in specific school colors as a teacher gift, or in more holiday-specific colors - like black and orange for Halloween... Hmmmm... ;)

More Than Words

Words are powerful. Not all words, of course, but the right words at the right moment can change a person's perspective or their mind, or even ~ I dare say ~ change a person's life. There are three words that I think of whenever things in my life get a little crazy. Words that ground me, and remind me of the way that I {want} to live my life.

Patience
Presence
Purpose.

I wanted to have these words displayed somewhere in my home, but I've recently come to realize that my home is becoming just a wee bit {verbose}. Subway art, our family name, some sayings that I love....lots and lots of words. Not wanting to add more obvious word art to the mix, but wanting to have these words around me, I came up with this...



I wanted the colors to be {subtle}, and the braille to really be barely more than a hint, so I chose a lighter grey background and a slightly darker grey for the dots. I simply typed the words that I wanted in a font that I could read (I wanted to know for sure that everything was spelled correctly) and then converted them to braille using a free font I found online.



I really like how it works with the black & white photos on the wall. I also like the way the dots on the frame {mimic} the braille. Not bad for a $2.50 frame from the dollar store.



There are so many things I love about it. The simplicity and subtlety, and the fact that it is a message for {me} that doesn't scream out to everyone who comes into the room.

If you'd like to download one for yourself, you can find the 5x7 printable here.

The Things You Didn't Know You Needed: Part 4

OK, so first things first - I am not a Cricut girl. I am totally, completely and 100% {devoted} to my Silhouette. But... I recently found myself in need of a device that could make perfectly straight & measured cuts to things like photographs ~ and as much as I love my Silhouette, I'm not good enough with it yet to pop a photo into it and ask it to trim off a 1/4" on each side. The Cricut Trimmer turned out to be {exactly} what I needed.




If you're a paper scrapper or a paper crafter, this is obviously something that you would get a lot of use out of. If you're a photographer, digital artist, or digital scrapper ~ and {especially} if you commonly design or print things in "off" sizes like 5x5 or 8x8 ~ you will find plenty of uses for it as well. I found that I needed it when I ordered a pair of 8x8 prints from Costco with a photo floating in the center of a white background. I found out that day that just because the lab offers an 8x8 print doesn't mean that they can actually measure & cut the correct size ~ they rely on the edge of the photograph to know where to cut. Highly annoying, yes ~ but a problem? Not anymore!

This little do-hickey is very affordable (I paid around $10 for mine at Meijer) and it cuts very well. The reviews I've seen give it credit for cutting paper and cardstock, but last night I decided to test it on some matboard and it {rocked}. I had to do a pass on the top, then flip the matboard over and run a pass on the bottom-side of the cut to get all the way through, but it worked perfectly, and folding the matboard after the first cut left a crease on the back that was easy to follow when I went to do the second cut. What this means for me (and probably for some of you, too) is that I can now mount my own photos & digital art pieces on matboard without having to hurt my hands by asking too much of my scissors, or bust out a box cutter. And ~ added bonus ~ this cutter has none of the terrifyingly guillotine-like qualities of those super heavy old-school chop cutters popular in classrooms across America, so I'm not worried about my kids messing with it and amputating a limb. ;)

And now, I'm off to bust out the spray adhesive & mount the above-mentioned photos to the newly cut matboard! Yippeeeee!!!

Little Artists

Earlier this summer, I sent the kids outside with some paint and paper, and let them loose. They had a great time, and it was fun to watch them paint and create. They immediately asked if we could hang their paintings in the house, so I set a couple of their paintings aside. This week, I framed one of each of their paintings.






I happened to take photos of the tiny people in these beautifully colored dresses last Spring. I'm {giddy} that the dresses go so well with the paintings they made a couple of months later!





I was actually paying enough attention and thinking ahead enough to initial each of the paintings on the back, so I knew which kid had made which painting. I framed one by each of them, then paired them with a photo of the artist.






And I'm {very} proud of myself for thinking to make hand prints of both of the kids before sending them in to get cleaned up! All 3 frames wouldn't fit on one photo ledge, so I chose to hang the hand prints on the slowly-growing photo wall in my craft room!






The girls are very excited to have their art displayed in the kitchen, and they love coming in and looking at their hand prints, too. :)

The Things You Didn't Know You Needed: Part 3

There are a lot of cookbooks on the market ~ and there are a lot of websites dedicated to giving you all sorts of cooking and food-related information. But I find that there are very few things that you'll ever {need} to know that you can't find in one of the tried & true cookbooks....Joy of Cooking



Originally printed in 1931, this cookbook has been updated several times over the years. The 75th Anniversary Edition (printed in 2006) boasts a grand total of 4500 recipes ~ 4000 of which were re-tested and updated for the most-recent edition of the book and 500 that were new to this edition. It has all of the usual stuff ~ lists of acceptable ingredient substitutions, charts to help you convert from metric to US measurements, etc. ~ but it also goes out of its way to {explain} the techniques used in the recipes so that you're not stuck if you come across a term that you're not familiar with. I'm telling you ~ this cookbook is a rookie's dream.

{Joy} is also chock-full of tidbits that you don't need to know all the time, but that come in handy ~ like how to figure out what sized bird you'll need to feed the whole family on Thanksgiving, which kind of wine or beer goes well with what type of food, what equipment you'll need to make certain things, and how to store various types of ingredients.

If you're someone who loves to cook ~ if you're someone who wants to learn to cook ~ if you're looking to buy a gift for a cook ~ you should pick up a copy of Joy of Cooking. It's {well} worth the $35 price tag!

Happy Friday!!!

I'm cooking up some blog-worthy ideas for next week, but to hold you over until then, head over to Jen's fabulous blog for some great inspiration!