Crafts
A Sweater Vest + Knitting Practice = Pillow
A million years ago, when I had a corporate job and wore heels with nylons and had to get up at oh’ dark hundred, I had a sweater vest. I loved to layer it with a pantsuit and a while collared shirt. Fashion mavens, watch out. Turns out, I don’t miss heels, pantsuits or getting up at oh’ dark hundred, but I still do like layering. Clearly, I have my priorities. 😉 Somewhere along the way of having babies and owning a business with a “business casual” policy (emphasis on the casual), I realized that styles had changed and this vest wasn’t working with my long waist. However, I loved the colors…
Hand-Knitted Dishcloths
This is not a “look at what I can do” post. The actual accomplished knitters out there would bust-a-gut laughing. This is more of an “I’m learning to knit and you should try it too” kind of post. Last year I wanted to learn how to knit. My aunt showed me the basics and then I watched a lot of how-to-knit YouTube videos, which were so helpful. I liked this one from Good Knit Kisses. I’ve made a couple of headbands, a scarf, a pillow back (more about that in another post) and now I’ve tried dishcloths. This is the first time I’ve used a pattern and I have to…
Child Painted Horse Artwork
When my daughter was 5, we redesigned her room in Oregon. Gone were the baby things – she was a big girl! Part of the process included me trying to figure out how to incorporate some of my daughter’s artistic masterpieces into the space. The problem was that most of her artwork from school was just one random piece after another and I wanted a pair. Plus, I was hoping to get the artwork to be in the right color scheme. I asked her if she would be on board with making some art! When she found out she’d get to use my paints and brushes, she couldn’t get into her paint clothes…
Cookie Jar Refresh
Do you ever have those projects that go great in your mind, but then you finish it and it’s not quite how you imagined it would turn out? This is one of those projects. I received this apple-shaped cookie jar as a wedding gift 15 years ago. (Time flies!) I think it has only held cookies once though. Way back when we first got married, we forgot about whatever was placed inside. When I opened the lid weeks (months??) later, I was greeted to a gooey moldy mess. *shudder* *gag* Now you know why we binge eat cookies around here and then swear them off for months! 😉 Due to mold-fest,…
Reusable Lunch Box Notes – Free Download
School started in our district this week. Say what? For a gal who is used to an after Labor Day start, this is an adjustment. And by adjustment, I mean mama doesn’t want to get up at the crack o’ dawn to get my daughter to the bus stop by 6:56 a.m. Lest I make this all about me, my daughter doesn’t really want to be up that early either. So, we are adjusting! The good news is that 2nd grade is off to a TERRIFIC start. With school comes school lunches. At this point, I prefer to pack my daughter’s lunch. I like to know exactly what she’s eating and what goes…
$2.50 Cloth Napkin Art
Generally speaking, I’m at that point in my life where I can deal with blank walls while I wait for inspiration to strike. So zen of me, I know. The truth is, once I put a hole in the wall, it’s all over. That artwork is going to be up there for a REALLY long time. For some reason, I lack the motivation it takes to spend 10 minutes filling in that hole and repainting in order to hang a new piece of artwork. But, let’s not dwell on my issues. Now, if I can hide that nail hole… Please tell me I’m not the only one who has multiple nail…
Let Freedom Ring
4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. Our family’s 4th of July tradition involves watching a parade. For my kids, it is all about the candy. And that’s okay. It’s a free country! I love parades too. There is something so unifying about watching a 4th of July parade. For that hour, we aren’t Republicans or Democrats. We aren’t rich or poor. We aren’t old or young. We aren’t straight or gay. We aren’t religious or non-religious. We aren’t educated or uneducated. We are simply Americans. And, isn’t that how it should be? For I am convinced that our similarities far out-weigh our differences. Making this cute little…
Lamp Base Filled With Yarn Pom-Poms
My 7-year-old daughter’s bedroom is almost done. Or done enough. Is it ever really done-done? We are blessed that she loves to read. When we put her to bed at night, she will stay up and read for awhile, so a lamp on the bedside table was a must! The colors of her room started out as grey and lavender. However, now her favorite color is blue. Who can keep up? Instead of starting all over on her room design, we compromised by adding navy into the mix. That way we could keep her existing decor, but freshen it up with her new favorite color. The next time she changes her mind,…
Teacher Appreciation Gifts
We moved to Georgia at the tail end of the school year. I was so thankful to my kids’ teachers for welcoming them into their classrooms with open arms and hearts. They truly made the transition so smooth. And hey, they only had to put up with my kids for 8 weeks! So before school ended, we whipped them up a little homemade appreciation gift of strawberry freezer jam and anise biscotti. The kids helped! I know the teachers probably would have appreciated a gift card even more, but I’m trying to teach my kids how special it is to give the gift of your time. In the age of…
Footprint Step Stool
It’s possible I’m feeling a little sentimental. My baby does turn FOUR in less than a month. How did that happen so fast? Anyway, we’re working on making over our powder room. There was just something about the patterned wallpaper from 1986 that wasn’t going to work in this century. I’m crushing on the grey and yellow combo lately, so that’s what inspired the overall color scheme for the powder room and for this mini step stool makeover. (And, yes, I will show you what’s happened in the powder room, but I’m not quite done with it yet. Stay tuned.) It seems that during the preschool years hand and footprint…
