Snowed In~

Yesterday was a snow day here. So I had all the kiddos at home. It was a surprisingly peaceful day. Mr. One was very helpful with his little siblings. He babysat and entertained all morning while I tried to get some work done. But by afternoon, his enthusiasm was waning. Perfect time to break out the craft supplies, says I. So we all went to work. The kiddos created a variety of Valentine's inspired stick puppets. And I made some fun little glittery x's and o's. Well, really one 'x' and one 'o'...that's all I could finish between helping with the puppets. But everyone had a great time, and this evening the Hubby and I enjoyed a puppet show. (A very clever one, if I do say myself, that had the Hubby laughing out loud.)

And so many of you asked me after my Pixie Tutorial, how to make your pixies Valentines-ish, that I thought I'd share with you what I did. This little Cupid pixie is a break from my traditional pixies. I used some pink damask scrapbook paper for the wings. (I forgot to distress it before I added the glitter, so it's a little brighter than I'd like). Overall, I think this little Cupid is enchanting. Can you see the little heart-shaped arrow? Wish I could share my Valentine's tree with you too...but the hearts are still waiting to be hung.

"Why?" you ask. (Okay, I know you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway.)

Because I worked hard today on finishing up some more pillows for my Etsy. Oh yes, my dear readers, the opening is near. Really. I just have to get all the techy stuff done. So watch for my grand opening...and a giveaway in the VERY NEAR FUTURE!

Finally, another reminder...the Taming Kid Clutter Linky Party. Wednesday, February 4th. Please be there. It's going to be fun!

Have a lovely day~

Sad then Happy~

I was having such a sad day yesterday. Just one of those days when the weight of the world comes pressing down, and the pressures of reality are all too...shall we say...real. I was also lamenting the fact that another one of my favorite magazines has bitten the dust. You've probably all heard by now that Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion is no more. I had heard the rumor. Then my card came. The card telling me that it had ceased publication. Sigh. Let us all now have a moment of silence for the demise of another lovely publication. Tick. tick. tick...etc. MEHC you will be missed.


But then what should arrive in the evening? A package! Pour moi! Hooray! I knew what it was because I have been waiting ever so patiently (okay, not patiently at all) for it! My QUILT!!!! It came! A HUGE thank you to cute Camille for hosting the giveaway of one of her beautiful quilts, and to wonderful Lissa who made this beauty that came to live at my house! (I hope these two uber-talented ladies will forgive the horrid photography, but I was so excited to share it with you all that I couldn't wait for morning and natural light.)

The quilt is spectacular! I wish you all could see the beautiful patterns in the stitching (forgive me because I'm not a quilter and I think there is another term for it). I promised the Hubby that I'd crop out his feet when I posted the pictures, but then I thought it was so cute that he humors me the way he does and was willing to hold up the quilt so I could get a photo of it for my readers. He even reminded me to take a photo of the back...which is lovely too! Sorry, honey...the feet are staying!


Thanks again Camille and Lissa! You made my day!


And a reminder again about the Taming Kid Clutter Linky Party next Wednesday, February 4th. Please come link up with your best ideas (or any ideas for that matter) on how to store, hide or camouflage kid paraphernalia! I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Inspire-Me Tuesday~

I'm taking a bit of a different approach to Inspire-Me Tuesday today. I have been thinking a lot about the nurturing the creative process in my life. I also feel the need to foster creativity in my kiddos. I think that one of the best ways to do that is to allow them to see their parents being creative and to show them the value we place on our creative pursuits.

So today I wanted to share a couple of the ways that I nurture the creative process in my own life.

First, I have an inspiration binder. Well actually I have a few. The one I'm sharing with you today is my decorating binder. (I also have one for crafts, and one that just miscellaneous inspiring stuff...photos, images, whatever I find that tickles my fancy.) I have it divided by rooms. When I get ready to throw out my old magazines or catalogs, I go through them and tear out the pages that I love. Then I stick them in page protectors and put them in my binder. This binder has inspired many a project in my home. And when I look through it, I see all images that I love, so it has become a "happy place" or sorts also.

Second, I wanted to share my notebooks. As you can see I have three of them. The large plaid one sits on my night stand. It is for miscellaneous ideas that occur to me in the middle of the night. I don't know about you, but that's when some of my best ideas occur. But I have to write them down, or they stir in my head all night and I can't sleep. Once I know they are safely on paper, I can finally settle down. The other two are divided into sections so that I can "file" my ideas and sketches (or I would never find them again.) I transfer any and all ideas jotted in my night-time notebook or on bits of paper throughout the day into these notebooks for later. I can't emphasize to you all how important these books are to my creativity. Ideas grow, you know. From a partial thought or a sketch into a full-blown something-or-other. That's how I get inspired!

Now, on a completely unrelated note. I have had several people ask me for ideas on how to tame kid clutter. You might think I know how to do this because I have four little kiddos. Well, I'm no expert by any means, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve that I'd like to share. Thing is, I bet there are plenty of people out there in blogland who have wonderful ideas on how to store toys, and books, and art supplies and all other manner of kid paraphenalia, sooooooo....I'm holding a linky party. My very first. I'm working with Pretty Organizer from Pretty Organized Palace, and hosting it here on Wednesday, February 4th! So, my dear readers, be getting your ideas ready to share, and let's all meet up here on Wednesday and use that fun Mr. Linky thingie to share all our CREATIVE ideas on taming kid clutter. Hope to see you all here!

Now, go forth, inspire, and be inspired~

Love Me Some Glitter~

I had some fun this weekend. My snowflake tree is in need a facelift for Valentine's Day, so I spent Sunday afternoon making some heart ornaments. The best thing about it was the fact that I sat at the kitchen table with Mr. One (My 8-year-old for those of you who have no idea who I'm talking about) who was working on an altered composition book. Yes, Mr. One is an artist. He was busy cutting and pasting Star Wars Lego figures to the cover. He has a sense of humor, that kid. When he showed me his finished product, he had given light sabers to a Spongebob character, and Patrick too. I just loved that we could sit there together and create. So. much. fun.

Here's what I came up with...

I just freehanded heart shapes onto some chipboard, then I cut them out, and decoupaged on some scrapbook paper. I used some distressing ink to give them a vintage-y feel, and to tone down the color, and then I glittered them all up. They turned out so cute...I wish you could see the glitter better...but I had to use "indoor lighting" (gasp!) so the photos are a little yellow. But you all are clever, and I know you get the idea. I'll have to take some pics of the tree when I'm all done. (Still have to make a few more hearts, I think.)

Have a lovely Monday~

Hooked-on Friday~

Edited to Add: For those of you dropping by from Kari & Kijsa's blog...WELCOME! This is an older post, but thought it fit well with their Pillow Party!

On Fridays, Julia at Hooked on Houses has a "What you're hooked on Linky Party". This week, I thought it would be fun to play along.

I guess it's no big secret by now that I'm hooked on Iron-on Transfer Paper. I just can't get enough of this stuff!
"Huh? That's what she's going to share with us?" I can hear you thinking it. But really, it IS exciting! Especially if you're into personalizing your decor like I am.

I know some of you have seen some of these pictures before, but bear with me, because I wanted to share with you these pillows that I made using Iron-on Transfers...

I drew some pictures, scanned them into the computer, played around with them a little bit in photo-editing, then printed them out on a transfer sheet. Then I ironed them onto some fabric and made pillows.

I made this next one for the Hubby (using text is actually a little complicated because you have to flip it, but it's still not too hard)...it looks great in his leather chair. Why 6, you ask? There are 6 of us in our family. (Af ter looking at it, I hope the Hubby knows he's not #6 on the list...he's really at the top. I just thought it looked cuter with the "No." in front of it...but I guess it could be misinterpreted...oops. maybe I better go tell him.) But it's cute, no?

Endless possibilities!

I have TONS of other ideas floating around in my little head. I'll have many of them in my Etsy store...planning on opening it VERY soon...so make sure to come back for my grand-opening giveaway!

Have a wonderful weekend~

Valentine's Votives and a New Platter~

Here's a quick and easy project to pretty-up your Valentine's table. I posted these ages ago...back when I first started this blog. But because it's a pretty safe bet that virtually no-one saw them back then, I thought it was probably safe to share them again.

These are one of my favorite projects to do with the kiddos, but they are pretty enough to use on a grown-up-ish table. Now, I used baby food jars to make mine (because I had plenty of them handy at the time) but you could use honest-to-goodness, real-life votive holders to make yours.

All you need are a few votive holders, some tissue in pretty Valentines-y shades (I used pinks and reds), Mod Podge, a paint brush (or sponge brush), and scissors.

WARNING: This project is goopy...so if you want to try it with little ones, realize that you better cover their clothes, and also realize that you will actually end up doing a lot of the project yourself.

• The best way to do this is to work in sections.
• Apply a little Mod Podge, then add a piece of torn tissue.
• Continue in this fashion varying shades of tissue. Make sure to overlap the tissue so none of the glass is showing. (This also helps to diffuse the light from the candles and casts pretty shadows.)
• Take special care to only go up to the rim of the votive holder...DO NOT FOLD THE TISSUE OVER THE EDGE INTO THE VOTIVE HOLDER...that would be a fire hazard with an open flame...and we're not aiming to cause fires here.)
• I like to cut out a little heart shape and place it on top of the other tissue.
• Then seal the entire thing with another coat of Mod Podge.
• Allow holder to dry thoroughly before placing a candle inside.

Then enjoy the soft glow these create. But please make sure not to leave candles unattended.

Now for one other little tidbit. Some of you may remember in my post about the shelves in my kitchen, that I mentioned needing another platter for the bottom shelf. Well, the cute Hubby was listening (or reading my blog) and guess what he got me for our Anniversary? Yep, a cute little square platter for the bottom shelf. Melts my heart, that guy!


Have a lovely Thursday~

Baby Gift Idea~

We threw a baby shower for a friend of mine on Saturday. She's having a little girl, and I wanted to give her something unique and personal. Here is what I came up with...

I took two of my drawings and printed them onto iron-on transfer sheets, then I added them to some little onesies. Aren't they precious? She adored them.

Then, because presentation is EVERYTHING, I found these fun chinese takeout boxes at Michael's. Filled one with pink tissue and tucked the onesies inside. Added the box to the top of a package of diapers (what expectant mom doesn't LOVE diapers?) and VOILA!

The ladies at the shower went goo-goo for them. (Baby shower, goo-goo, get it?) I just love that my drawings are so well received. I am going to have many products featuring my artwork in my soon-to-open Etsy store (look for it this month - along with a grand-opening giveaway!)

Have a lovely Wednesday~

Our Anniversary~

Today the Hubby and I are celebrating 13 years of marriage. WOW! Through it all, I am so happy and blessed to be married to my best friend.

This is one of my absolute favorite pics of the Hubby. This was taken candidly on the Princess' blessing day. (I think he looks totally HOT - - he will die of embarrassment when he reads this.) There is not much in this world that is sweeter than a man that adores his kiddos.

Happy Anniversary Honey~

A Little Decorating Compromise and Some Awards~

First, I have to apologize for this photo. I just could not get a good picture of this wall. No matter what time of day I try, there is always glare on one of these frames. That said, let's talk a little bit about compromising with the kiddos.

Okay, I know, my oldest is 8, I have yet to see the real disagreements begin when it comes to decorating. But still, he has his own ideas of what he wants. Now, the trick is the fact that he shares a room with my two other boys. I didn't want it to be too specifically tailored to one boy over another. But Mr. One is a HUGE (and we're talking HUGE) Star Wars fan. He would have loved it if I'd used this bedding in his room, but I couldn't bring myself to do an entire room of Star Wars...even if it DID come from PB Kids. So we compromised. I took a couple of Star Wars movie poster from his old calendar and framed them up. Then I had these vinyl letters custom made. I figured that "May the Force be with You" was a somewhat inspiring phrase. At least the most inspiring I could think of...aside from "Size Matters Not" in the framed poster.

It turned out to be pretty cute, actually. And it apeased him. At least for now...




Now on to some fun awards.

First I want to thank Meg for the Kreativ Blogger Award. So to play along with this award, I'm supposed to list 6 things that inspire my creativity. It was kind of hard for me to narrow it down, but here it goes:

1. My family. My children are a constant source of inspiration. And my talented photographer Hubby does his fair share of inspiring too!


2. Design books. I can't get enough of them. I have a bookshelf full and my collection is still growing.


3. Along those same lines...magazines, shelter mags, design mags, specialty mags like those from Stampington and Co.


4. This beautiful earth...especially the mountains and the ocean. I grew up living at the base of the Wasatch mountains, and now I live only about an hour from the ocean. God's creations are amazing. How can anyone not be inspired when they see them?


5. The Arts...but especially Dance. I danced for nearly 25 years, and then I worked in Marketing and PR for a professional ballet company until my oldest was born. There is something incredibly magical about Dance.


6. Blogging. Since I started blogging, I have been thoroughly amazed at the amount of talent that people are so willing to share. I am constantly inspired by the blogging community that I am a part of, and my head spins with ideas from all the wonderful things you all share. Not only that, but this little corner of the blogosphere is so uplifting and supportive, it is lovely to read all of your INSPIRING comments on a daily basis. Please keep them coming!
   

And this fun award comes from Kasey at All that is Good. For this award, I'm supposed to list 5 things that I'm addicted to, and then pass it on to 5 blogs that I'm addicted to. So here goes nothing...

1. Just like my last award, #1 goes to my family. I just love them so much! My kiddos are just so wonderful...even though they can drive me crazy sometimes ;-)


2. Diet Coke. Especially with ice. Hey...it's zero points on Weight Watchers...know what I mean?


3. Shelter magazines and books.


4. Creating! I love to write, draw, sew, craft, etc. etc.


5. Blogging....of course we knew this one, didn't we?

And although it was very difficult for me to narrow it down, (and I really mean that), I'm going to pass this award along to:

1. Holly at Holly's Haven. Yeah, I know, she's my little sister. But she is also one of the most talented people I know. If you haven't visited her before, head on over to her blog, tell her I sent you!


2. Kari & Kijsa. Such a wonderful blog. And they love diet coke!


3. Reese & Marie. She's got such great taste - I just love her style.


4. Ms. Tee at Delightful Home. Her blog always makes me happy.


5. Stacy at 19 Butternut. She and I like so many of the same things. Love to read her blog!

And one last thing...come join me over at Blissfully Domestic where I'm telling you all how to make my decoupaged barn star. Hope to see you there!

Have a wonderful weekend~

Catch a Falling Star~

Been switching stuff up a bit for the new year. My apothecary jars were empty after Christmas and they looked so lonely, I had to find something fun to go inside. Here is what I came up with...

I didn't have the heart to pack away my New Year's Fairy just yet, so I put her in with some faux snow and some pretty folded stars that I made using a pattern from this website and some wintery looking scrapbook paper.


Speaking of stars, I think seashells and starfish are perfect for the winter. Maybe it's their lovely shades of white, but they seem very fresh, crisp and clean to me, just like January.

Here they are in all their glory...I just pulled one of the snowflake ornaments off my snowflake tree, and put it in the little homemade cloche. It's a bit hard to see in this picture, but it looks lovely in person.


I loved the folded paper stars so much that I decided to make one for my birdcage. The birdcage has never had anything in it, but after I filled it with ornaments for Christmas, I decided that I like having a little visual surprise there. So I made another star, punched a hole in it, and taped it to the inside top of the cage. Can you see it there? No?

Here are a couple of close-ups...


And I added a little bling to the top with this pretty beaded monogram. I love me a little sparkle. Now if that captured wishing star will only grant me my heart's desire....hee hee!

Have a lovely Thursday~

Kitchen Shelf Inspiration~

Oh, I just love blogland! I get so much decorating inspiration from all of you lovely bloggers out there! And especially since so many of my favorite shelter magazines are falling by the way, I look to blogs for inspiration more and more!

I have two shelves in my kitchen that the Hubby built for me to replace a horrible "floating" cabinet which looked terribly out of place. They are great, and I love them. But, I have had a hard time deciding exactly what I wanted to do with them. Until yesterday, when I found this great post by Heather Bullard about her newly renovated kitchen.


You can see in this BEFORE pic how great the shelves are, but the "stuff" I had on them was uninspired to say the least. Can you all say "BORING!" Now, this AFTER pic is much better. I still need a pretty platter for the bottom shelf (all the platters I have aside from the square one on the top shelf are too big...or too colorful). I'd also like a few smaller pieces like Heather has on her shelves. But overall, a WONDERFUL transformation! All Hail Design Blogs!!!


Have a lovely Wednesday~

Kiddo Randomness~

I live with the Destructive Duo: a toddler demolition team! Little Mr. Two is 3 years old, and Little Mr. Three is 21 months. I've shown some of their handiwork before. But if anyone out there knows a magic way to keep a house clean when you've got two whirlwind-wrecking-balls-disguised-as-cute-little-boys that charm you even as they tear your house apart...I'm open to suggestions.

And while we're on the topic of my kiddos, since we were snowed in last Thursday, I decided to take a tip from this lovely lady, and make a special snow day breakfast. The kids loved the novelty of having snowman-shaped pancakes, and it set a fun and creative tone for the rest of the day.


To burn some of that creative energy, I helped the kiddos make their own "stained glass" windows. This is a super easy craft that even older kids enjoy. Just get yourself some clear contact paper. (Easily found at stores such as Target or Walmart). Cut two pieces that are the same size. Take the backing off of the first piece and tape it (sticky side out) to a window. Let the kids rip pieces of colored tissue and place them on the contact paper. Once they are pleased with their creation, remove the back from the second piece of contact paper, and use it to "sandwich" the tissue in between by placing the sticky side down. VOILA! You can also cut these into shapes such as hearts for Valentine's Day and so on. So easy and so fun!

Happy Crafting~

A Little Bit of Pretty...a tutorial~

So I don't know about all of you, but I felt the need to create something pretty to brighten up these dreary, winter days. I've had this project in the back of my mind for some time, but with an ice storm outside yesterday, and a house full of kiddos, crafting was on the agenda. So after I settled the kiddos in working on their own crafty creations, I set to work making mine.

And since I was making it anyway, I decided to take some photos and make a tutorial for my lovely readers. ( You should all be impressed with this, because I usually don't think about the tutorial thing until AFTER the project is complete...this makes the whole picture taking process somewhat difficult...)

And what are we making today, Wendy, you ask? Why, a button wreath, of course!

What you will need:

• Lightweight cardboard (I like to collect this so I have it around for various projects...things like the cardboard that comes in folded shirts, large tags from clothing etc.)
• Scrapbook paper (ideally this should be the color of the buttons you will be using.)
• Two glasses (or other round objects) one smaller than the other.
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Stick glue
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks (I went through about 2 of these)
• Buttons (lots - I used about 80 or so for my small wreath) I like white vintage buttons best, but you could use any color and you can buy them new - of course.
• Ribbon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Using the stick glue, start by gluing the scrapbook paper to the cardboard. Remember, stick glue is your friend...be very generous.


2. Using a pencil, trace the rims of the glasses onto the paper. The larger glass outside and the smaller glass inside to create a wreath form.



Cut out the wreath form. If you're the perfectionist-type you can gently sand the edges so they are smooth (using a sanding block), but keep in mind that they will be 90% hidden by the buttons.


Now comes the fun part. Gather your buttons. I like to sort them into sizes before I get started gluing...makes the whole gluing process a little easier.





Start by gluing a layer of large buttons to the form.







Now glue a layer of slightly smaller buttons on top of the larger ones, staggering them to cover the spaces between the larger buttons.
NOTE: I like to play around with where I will put the buttons because I want to vary the shades of the buttons...especially when using white buttons, because it creates more texture and interest.





Continue gluing on buttons using smaller buttons each layer, and filling in the blank open spaces. This will create a rounded effect. Then I go back and add smaller buttons to the empty spaces left on the edge between the large buttons in the first layer. (That description is about as clear as mud, but hopefully, you get what I mean.)





And that's it! Loop a pretty length of grosgrain ribbon around the top and tie with a bow...then hang it somewhere that will make you smile when you look at it.

These wreaths make lovely bridesmaid gifts when tied with a length of tulle or wired ribbon. They also look lovely tied over a mirror (which is actually where I have mine.) And just for fun...imagine one made in a heart shape or with red and pink buttons for Valentine's day. Very sweet! Let me know if any of you make one, I'd love to see your results!

Happy Crafting~

Top 5 Projects 2008

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting a top 10 before and after projects of 2008! I just love a party, but I've only had this blog since July, so I decided to share my top 5 instead.

Hope you enjoy!


Project #5
My toile barn star. Read more here.


Project #4
My boys' room. See it here.


Project #3



My closet-turned-mini-mudroom! Read more about it here.


Project #2

Our kitchen remodel. See the BEFORE here. See the AFTER here.

Project #1
Our laundry-room/half-bath remodel...a year and 1/2 in the making. Read the whole story here.

Thanks for stopping by! I'm so grateful for all of my readers and the wonderful/positive comments you give me! I just love this little corner of the blogosphere that has connected me with such a wonderful group of creative people! Can't wait to share a bunch of new projects and fun with you all in 2009!