Christmas Advent Calendar

I love advent calendars. But purchasing them? Usually it is just some piece of waxy chocolate behind a cardboard door that is disposed of when you get done. I wanted to create something that I could have for years to come.

Chores For Hire- Pockets and Cards

So, you just read the Chores for Hire Magnet Board post that proceeds this one?... Well, lets just get to it then! Here is how I made the pockets and the cards that go with it. But I think first I need to cover the inspiration behind the pockets and cards:

Chores For Hire- Magnet Board

I'm a mean mom...I do not believe in paying my kids to do chores that contribute to our every day living. BUT, I do believe in giving them an opportunity to learn the power of working hard and earning money when they want to contribute in an extra way. For instance, my 14 year old son will probably not have many chances to babysit to earn money, but my daughter will.

Homemade Dishwasher Tabs

I know there are A LOT of recipes around the web for dishwashing tabs, but I promise these are a bit different. I developed a recipe that stays clumped together so you can add the dishwashing liquid to the tabs and then allow them to dry. That way you will never forget to add it to a load of dishes and end up with the yucky white film.

Here in UT we have really hard water. Like really hard water. Yes, you can buy water softeners, but we don't have one... yet. Hopefully soon. But until then, I have to become more resourceful. I have really gotten into making some of my own homemade products.

Menu Planning Board Part 2

This is just a little sneek peek of what I am working on. It is just a screen shot of some designing I am doing to create the whole board.

I am diving in head first into this project. I am really excited to be done with the planning, drawing, and laying out of this project and moving on with the "coming to pass" (which is not in this post-so sorry!). If you didn't see the inspiration of this menu project, you can read here about it. This post is the busy part of this menu board. It might even be considered the boring part. This is where the effort comes in... the gathering of information.

Emotional and Mental Burnout

Image Source

I have never been one of those peeps that shy away from talking about the hard stuff of life. In fact, I embrace it. I believe this is how change and growth comes about. Just ask my bestie (you know who you are). In the short 6 years we have known each other we have covered every imaginable topic you can think of. Seriously...

Fall Deco Poly Mesh Tutorial

So, I am sure you have seen these wreaths everywhere. So I don't need to tell you how popular they are. But what I will say, is they are not all made the same. I am what you might consider a wreath snob. I have certain standards for what I will or will not hang on my door. I like my wreath full of ribbon, and wreath picks and all over forms of interest. And this is how I do it.

Storing School Info

I find it so funny that we do certain things and we have this belief about ourselves and think other people won't find our functional routines... beneficial. (I guess is the word?) I was talking to my bestie about this and how for 2 years I have not published a post about back to school things I do because people won't find them useful... or worse, stupid. So it is time to face my fear and just write this post!

Happy Birthday Dad

Dad, 

Happy Birthday! I love you. And if I was really going to be honest, and admit that I am not feeling so strong today I would say through tear stained cheeks that I really miss you. I know you prepared us well for your death-you did a really great job with that- but I think the level of emptiness I feel at times is something no one can really prepare for. Even if you have been through it, you can tell someone about it but they have experience it themselves to understand this type of grief.

Making My Own Fairy Garden

You did  not see my first post about Miniature Fairy Gardens?!? You soo gotta go take a look. Fabulous ideas, heartwarming scapes and they are all in miniature! I am finally posting about the Fairy Garden I made. I know, long overdo. 

I come from a very long line of Tim the Tool Man Taylor's

His & Her Towel Hangers

Thank you The Wood Connection for having me as a guest blogger today! I personally have enjoyed doing this project and I am super excited for all of you to take this and tweak it to fit your needs and your space!

 My bathroom space is kind of sad... a sad, sad beige. I refuse to paint any room until I can find about 3 items to go into the space that inspire me so I can start to bring the room together. I have finally reached 3 items! I found a shower curtain about 9 months ago, and with these new Facebook Group Yard Sale Site type things, I found a really cute metal cabinet. The following project is my 3rd item of inspiration, so I will be on my way to painting the space. (which will bring a new blog post as well ;)

Taming the Chord Chaos

I think everyone has this problem. I imagine everyone is at least challenged with this issue. Maybe people that do not use electricity, then they wouldn't. I am talking about power cords to all of our various devices. Cell phones, iPods &  iPads-3rd thru 100th generation, tablets, cameras, gaming devices, bluetooth earpieces, etc. Then there are the earbuds that come with all of these devices! I am sure this list could go on.

Does this photo help you feel better?

{Lemon Peppermint} Whipped Body Butter

I am kind of into the DIY at home products you see all over Pinterest. I will be posting about more coming soon, as the experience has been great. I tried something drastic (no poo-ing) and it has created a snowball effect in so many self care areas, and I am sure I have released a demon inside. I loved this product! It was cool to choose the scent I wanted. It feels great on my skin too, and the moisture is incredible.

Homemade Mommy

This is the pin that has inspired my recipe. Don't be intimidated when you read the whole post. Remember, you always have a choice as to how you want to proceed. Even though I find the concept of Beef Tallow really interesting, I opted not to use it in this recipe. A few notes on this:

Painting Horizontal Stripes...on the Archway

I am so excited to say my archway is not dreaded anymore! Yay for me! It has been a long time coming, and with a great deal of thought too. If you didn't see the post on how it was the The Dreaded Archway, click here. I had knee surgery in March and was on crutches for 4 weeks. I spent  A LOT of time on my bed, looking out through my doorway into the archway, and I think my decision was pretty thought out. Drum roll please.......

Menu Planning Board, Part 1

I swear, this title alone might have people scrambling to scan over the post to see what is here. My ears have been a buzzing with talk of Menu Planning boards. In my Craft Group on Facebook, I have been asked about it, and when I posed the question it was very clear people were not just interested, but needed help. Maybe not so much help, but direction.

So what should be included in a Menu Planning Board? Menus? Dates? Do you plan one week, two weeks, or a month at a time? Does it need to be color coded? Holy crow... the list could be going on FOR-EV-ER!!

My bestie, regularly emails me links to websites, pins, and pictures of Menu Planning boards. They have ranged from simple to complex. Here are a few, I have stumbled upon:

Hip 2 Save

I love this idea. READ HER WHOLE POST! This idea definitely will be going to be part of what I am planning on putting together.

Silhouette America Blog

This system is very versatile for sure, being able to swap the week headers. Not to mention very pleasing to look at. But, I personally think for a board this BIG there is a lot of wasted/negative space.

Controlling My Chaos

This might work for some peeps, not me. I don't have any space on the side of my refrigerator. Not to mention I could see my youngest 2 walking away with the spare magnets, not in planning use. But obviously you would always have it at your fingertips. I like the squareness of it all though.

RobbyGurl's Creation

If you are on Pinterest, and if you HAVE NOT seen this pin, you are either living under a rock or just not interested at all in menu planning (or maybe you have a system that already works?). This is.... INTENSE at the very least. In this picture (if I understand her blog post) there is 1000 recipes here. Yes, you read that right.... ONE THOUSAND. What is that? Three years of never having the same thing twice? This might be a dream come true for some, but for me, this is a little too much. But this one did get me closer towards what I knew I wanted.

The Homes I Have Made

This is cute. Her post is detailed as to how it came about. And I love how she used her own system, and integrated a new spin to make it work better for her. I love the Magnet Sheets she talks about, I am really tempted to get some just to try 'em out!

Hmmm.... what are all of these missing? Something big, in my opinion.

You will have to stay tuned to find out. :) You know this was coming, it says PART 1 in the Post Title!

Miniature Fairy Gardens

source

I am in love! Be still my heart...

This is a new obsession. You know how taken I am with it? I have not even made my own yet and I am blogging about this! My wishlist in over at Amazon is long enough to keep my husband working for years! I have spent hours researching plants I need to use, containers you can plant in, and household objects you can use in a Tinker Bell kind of way.

What is a Fairy Garden? Only the cutest thing on earth! They are miniature gardens that create a scene of whimsy and imagination. They are places for the Fairies and Gnomes to live, yet they are never seen (that is what I am telling my kids). You are basically limited by your imagination when it comes to these.

Apparently there entire shops all about Fairy Gardens in the Midwest. I don't know of any on the local front here in Utah. But that's okay. I am content for now to order what I desire via the world wide web. It is also amazing what you could do on your own. Check out this pretty spiffy castle...

Midwest Living

How cool would this castle be to incorporate into your own rock garden? My mind is reeling at the possibilities here! I want to build like a whole village into a coffee table type outdoor patio set...into my flower beds at the very least!

Oregon Live

I love this little Zen garden, complete with rake for smoothing out the sand. What if you made one of these for your end table? Talk about a conversation piece and a work of art!

I am so excited about this new form of creativity! This has the potential to be so healing as it is artistic and you can care for living things. I have ordered my things, and as soon as I am off of these dang crutches I will be building my box to get it started!

There is so much more for you to see so check out these other cool blogs:

The Inspired Room

The Mini Garden Guru

The Pot Hole Gardener.
 Be sure to check out the little film she has called "Holes of Happiness".
It will make your heart happy!

Eden Maker

Tackling the Master Closet

We all have those problem areas. (No, I am not talking about our bodies!) I am talking about those areas in a home that might be considered "common areas" which you have to share a space with someone. Oh sure we try our dangdest to make it work. You shuffle and move things around to always come back to it and realize it is not working for you. In my case, I have to share a space with a man that knows nothing of real organization. He is of the school of thought that if it is out of sight, it is organized. I am serious! He cracks me up the way things are for him. My idea of "organized" is a functional plan that can be executed. It will be great if I can make it look good, but if it doesn't work for day to day and cannot be carried out regularly, it doesn't matter what it looks like.

Welcome to my master closet. Hmmm, what do we have in here? Because it is not just our clothes and shoes and stuff. If you are a parent then you know that your space is NEVER your own. You "share" it with all the little people AND their toys. Even right after you clean it, the little people come in gawking at all the open space and bring their toys in to have a tea party!!!

I need some major help in this area. I was so spoiled with our house in South Carolina. We had his and her closets.... with space to put all your stuff....you didn't have to wrestle the hangers to slide them to hang a shirt up....there were shelves for everything..... And then SNAP!!! We have our Master closet here. It has space, but no function! I am convinced that homes are designed by single hermit men that think of the most ridiculous use of a space AND ADD IT TO THE FLOOR PLAN. Yes, I am frustrated if you cannot tell.

So to find some inspiration.... I Pinterest, Google, and Bing it! "Crrcchht, Could we have a dose of logic delivered to the internet please? Over, crrcchht". Are. You. Kidding. Me. These are layouts/ideas for closets the size of my FAMILY ROOM! This is not real life (at least not my real life). I am not spending $1000's on a new system here. (I just want to find the drawer my red pumps are in?!?)

Yeah. Uhhh, none of these (as beautiful as they are) will work for me. This is the space I am working with here:

Standing in the doorway

HIS....

HERS...

I have been using these clear tackle boxes for jewelry, but I would like it out and displayed for easier access

This is the catch all for any jewelry, whether it is mine or not. THAT has to be detangled....

 It's sad, on a good day. Yes!!! Those are boxes from DVD players, and cases for Nintendo DS games! Why are they in my closet?!? No idea! I have got to get this space working. So, off to the drawing board... or at least the Sketch Book- to take measurements and see if I can come up with an execute-able system.This is what I have to think about:

• We Are Tall Peeps: I come in at 5'11" and my husband is 6'6". Therefore the space at the top of the closet it usable space for us.
• This also means our clothes might be longer so I might need to adjust the height of the bars.
• Storage Space Is Mandatory: For women, a lot of things we own are not always seasonal. I have purses, shoes, scarves, and jewelry that I use year round. So I need to think of a way to store these things that don't take a lot of space.
• If It Looks Pretty Than I want It To Stay Pretty: This concept applies to all of us. When a space looks nice and is inviting, we tend to want to keep it that way rather than ignoring it. If I can design something where I might be able to add some decorative wall/contact paper to make the closet be an extension of our room, it will help me want to keep things organized.

Okay, I am off to see how I might be able to pull this project together before Spring gets here!

"Grateful" Craft Frame

I have run out of end table space! And mantel space. My front buffet is pretty crammed too. I am serious! That is why I did a wall piece for our November craft group. Wall space is easier to come by at my house, and I was hoping anyone who signed up had the same issue.

This project had its fair share of obstacles. I had already posted "concept" pictures in the FB group and-because my dad had been in the hospital- inspiration had not been flowing.

I spent hours designing the first set of tags, and I was sooo not happy with them, but I was running out of time. I felt like I was settling. I can't explain what happened, but about 2 days before all the sign ups were due, something (or someone) became my muse. I was at the hospital with my dad when it all came to me.

I realized the problem was I was trying to design something for other people vs. what I would want in my home! So I came up with a neutral backdrop and added color that I wanted, realizing that I could exchange my accent color with a color anyone else would want.

Stock photo of baseboard moulding

I began this project with some baseboard moulding. My frame measures 18"x22" from outside edge to outside edge. So I measured 2 pieces at 18" and 2 pieces at 22". I then cut them with a compound mitre saw at a 45 degree angle. Then I used some clamps to first wood glue the angles, and then secured them with a brad nailer. Then I stretched the wire across the back of the frame and glued with a puddle of hot glue. Since the moulding itself was thin, I did not have any type of fastener that wouldn't go all the way through. I am sure there is some out there, I just didn't want to go buy anything so I was willing to sit there and hold the wire while the glue cooled. :) I took a pair of needle nose pliers and made a twisty type loop to give the glue something to hold on to. How you space your wire depends on how big your tags are.

I would love to have this post be a tutorial. But, it cannot. This is one of those personal projects, in which you have to decide what you want on your frame. But I will tell you a little bit of what I did in case you have an itch to make one yourself.

I used 2 1/2 inch chipboard letters and covered them with teal paper. They spell the word F-A-M-I-L-Y. I also inked the edges for that distressed look. I used a broken necklace to create the chain embellishment, and added the 2 beads at the end of the chain. I also put a heart and a key charm together to hang on the wire on the left side of the photo.

I love details. Embellishments are details. Texture and shape are details. So you can see that on the rosette tag, I could have just left the ribbon rosette alone but I put a rhinestone pin through it. I reminds me of those vintage hat pins.I formed the hanger out of wire. Don't be afraid to try and fail. I learn my most valuable lessons in crafting when I mess up. I hung the pennant flags from the hanger and added the butterfly and those teensy pearls for his body. I added the same pearls to the clothespin for detail.

I added a vintage copper brad to the pinwheel, and used modge podge to put glitter on a few of the clothes pins. I used my Silhouette to cut out some tags to write things I am thankful for. I did not glue them in case I want to change anything later. On the large and small clothespins I used embossing powder to add color rather than modge podging all of the clothespins with coordinating paper.

I hope this inspires you to create your own work of art. If it does, leave a comment and a link as I would love to see it!

The Dreaded Archway

4 years! That's right, FOUR YEARS is how long I have lived in this house. It has never taken so long to make a house my home in my entire home-owning career! What is wrong with me? I will be honest...I am having a really hard time with all forms of inspiration. I am Google-ing and Pinterest-ing and I cannot seem to have any creative streak being sparked! Thus, this post...

I have a sort of "archway" in my kitchen. It connects two different living spaces, the Kitchen (blue)and the Living Room (yellow). How, may I ask, does one blend this 5 foot space aesthetically? I DON'T KNOW EITHER! This was my first attempt at... something. I did these stripes and then rubbed over the top with a brown paint to "antique" it. My style is definitely more Vintage French Country. And I thought this might work. NOPE!! I hated it the minute it got done. But, because of the amount of time it took, my husband said I couldn't paint over it until  I had lived with it for 10 weeks. Ha! 10 weeks came and went and I still hated it. So right now, it just has primer over it until I can figure out what I want.

I love stripes. Adore them! Long before stripes were popular, I was painting stripes. Being this archway/alcove space is small and can be dark, I have a few things to keep in mind if anything I plan will work.

• Lighting- It cannot be so dark with color that it sucks the light out of the "room".
• Floor- I hate my floor. Have I said before it is the worst decision I have ever made! It is way to dark for my east facing house so again, another light issue.
• Traffic- it is a busy space. It leads to the Laundry Room, Garage, and Master Bedroom (I know! What were they thinking when they designed this house??) I have to have washable paint and colors that keep the eye away from the grime.

I am repainting my kitchen to a lighter color of blue, as light as it is, it is still too dark for my east facing house. And then I am going to repaint my living room to a light color of beige. I have to, because the yellow on the wall ended up having something wrong with it and discolored at the top by the ceiling? Yeah, dunno what happened, but it did. I am thinking of mixing the 2 NEW colors into the archway.

So, in scouring the internet and Pinterest, I have only found a few things I would consider doing:

I like the different sizes of stripes...

...then overlaying vinyl or a stencil.

I like the concept of using horizontal stripes, but not these "even Steven" stripes you see everywhere. So, what if I paint the base color the cream from the Living Room...Then use the new blue I will be putting in the kitchen to make uneven horizontal stripes? Yes, the space would be predominantly blue, but the kitchen table does sit in front of this archway. (But I am not even going to get int to how I will change the LR/Kitchen space when our downstairs is complete and how this paint setup will be very practical...) IF I add a stencil/vinyl overlay, I would put it on one side to keep it asymmetrical. What do you think? Can you visualize? As soon as I kick this flu bug, I will get started and update what it all looks like.