Motivation

I now have a half deconstructed coffee table sitting in my family room.
I hope that it motivates me to start on the tufted ottomon top.
I officially have all the supplies, so I just need to do it.   
So Mr. Procrastination please leave me alone and let me get some work done.  Although, the unassembled yard furniture in the 3rd floor is calling my name.  The husband just says,

"Out of sight, out of mind right?"

Maybe for him but not for me. 

Aren't the legs pretty?

I guess my kids could keep using it as a balance beam if I don't ever get to it. :)

Lamp Shade Update

I had this simple little lamp that was losing the edging off the bottom.  One too many moves I think.  Anyway, my office at our new house is designed in chocolate browns, black and someday when I get around to it teal blue walls.  {sigh}  The thought of painting such a dark color makes me tired.  I think we are hiring this one out.  :)  So this is what I did...are you familiar with this?

It is quilt binding.  I thought about using regular fabrid but realized I may have to deal with fraying and have to use an iron to make a really good fold in it.  Well, quilt binding does that for you and it comes in tons of colors.  I think I bought the single fold binding and used my fancing little glue gun to glue it on. 

Stay tuned for another unconventional use for quilt binding.

Silhouette Giveaway

I would hate to have Greg and my Christmas present this next year be all for me. What could I possibly want so badly that I would monopolize our entire Christmas present with one gift...A Silhouette.  That's what I want.  Thankfully TaterTots and Jello is doing a giveaway for a free Silhouette.  Check it out...but don't enter cuz I want to win and it betters my odds.  Okay, never mind, you can enter too if you really want...just share with me okay? 
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Teacher Appreciation Gift

First of all, I have to say I love this place.  I took this....

and turned it into this...

For under $5 they can bind your book and make an awesome gift.  It includes a clear plastic front cover (hence the awesome reflection) and a black back sheet.  I also like the spiral verses the other kind with the individual tabs that always pop out. 

So here is what I did.  I went into the classroom armed with papers for the kids to fill out.  Some of them said:
I like it when (insert teacher's name) helps me with
My favorite thing about (teacher's name) is
If I had $100, I would buy (teacher's name) a
Those are just some examples.  I had each child fill one out for the teacher and the assistant and then draw a picture.  Here are some samples below. 

Can you tell that my son would buy Ms. Kisko a telephone with $100.  Honestly, this is my favorite project/gift for Kindergarten ages because they are learning to be great writers and their imagination is too cute! 

To make the front cover, I have to say I am not the best scrapbooker but I tried to be inspired by the apple sticker I had so I used black, red, and brown (actually it was scrapbook paper to look like old wood fence but I liked it cuz it had some white in it).  The important thing is layering. 
For the class picture, I cheated and scanned their school picture in and printed it from home.  The thing I am most excited about is the letters.  I am not cool, I don't have vinyl, I don't have a cricut, I don't have a silhouette, and I don't have cool fonts on my computer.  So if you are asking how I got such cool letters I will let you in on a secret. 
I discovered piknic.com.  It is a photoshop software that you don't have to buy and you use it online.  It is easy to play with and I love it.  Honestly, I am not pro at it and I still have to figure out how to do just a text box so I did the next best thing...I downloaded a photo and exposed the heck dickens out of it so I had a white background.  Then I went to the create tab and chose text and made my text and chose one of the cool fonts.  It took a couple of tries to get the right size...next time I would print practice ones on regular paper then once I have the size right I print it on photo paper.  Live and learn right?  Anyway, I just cut it out and added a border and I think it turned out pretty cute.  Simple but stylish.
Last of all,
I know this is blurry but I also decorated the teachers door for $2.  I got a graduation table cloth for $1 at Dollar Tree and then another $1 for precut gold stars. 

I took the gold stars and wrote fabulous things about the teacher such as she is creative, the best teacher ever, awesome, fantastic, etc. You get the idea right?

Anyway, when I presented it, we sang Happy Teacher Day to You and the kids loved it.  Stay tuned for my favorite end of year gift/craft. 

And So It Begins!

This is a record of my attempts at fulfilling my crafting, creativity, and decorating desires. 

I have 3 boys that need a lot of attention.  Their ages are 10, 8, and 6.  Then there is my darling little shrimp, Abby who is 2 1/2 and in the middle of potty training.  With life as it is and school starting at 7:00 I am busy from sun up till sun down.  I love being a mom but sometimes it is hard. While they are at school I am usually catching up on house cleaning (I feel proud of myself if my bathrooms get a good honest cleaning once a month every two weeks.), grocery shopping (my kids eat carbs like there is no tomorrow), and potty training my daughter or keeping her entertained without the TV. 

By the time my kids get home at 2:00 I am tired and then you get the chorus of Mommy?!  Mommy?!  Mommy?! Usually, it is something they need, they are hungry, or something they want to tell me and have me repeat back to them (I can thank the blessings of speech delay for that habit).  They also pace when they talk to me and even when they eat.  It is exhausting just watching them. 

Is this sounding familiar to anyone out there?  We all have the pickiest eaters which leaves me with Mac N Cheese, Bean with Bacon Soup, Pancakes, and Chicken Crescent Roll ups (WWWHHHAAATTT???? What my kids won't eat anything but they will eat shredded chicken mixed with cream cheese wrapped in a crescent?) 

Anyway, this is going to be a journey of trimuphs and frustrations with projects that could take a day or could take more.  I also want to share what others do as they are creative or inspired.