nothin' new....

It's been a month since I last posted & I hate to admit I have not done one single craft.  Although I have tons of projects waiting for me to do.  I'm just not motivated to do them.  Usually I can't wait to dig into something but I feel I've lost my mojo, lol!  I just may have to force myself to do something & hope it comes back. 

{Journals}

Simple. Cute. Fun. Easy & Cheap to make journals.  I originally did these in an activity for some of the girls in my church.  I got the idea from my super crafty neighbor.  Just wanna give credit where credit is due......Anyhow, they turned out super cute & the girls had a great time.  I decided to do some for my family for family night.  Since my kiddos are still little, I covered them & gave them to them with a message about the importance of keeping a journal.

****************************************************************************
As you can see here, Baby Girl has already broke hers in.  I actually already knew this would happen & told the other two before hand that I would appreciate it if they didn't "color" all over theirs like Baby Girl probably will.  I could have put a seal over the top but didn't feel like it.  Lazy maybe;) 
Can you see where is says Baby Girl on it? Love it!

Here is my Princess's journal.  It's so loverly. Butterflies, pink, & purple are her thang.

Here is Little Mans.  Isn't it so Manly!  As you can see, he loves cars.
I love the girly ones but I think his is my fav.  

the back.......

Here is the Hubsters.  It's a journal-ly journal, HA!  Is that even a word?!

  And finally mine.  Pretty cute, if I do say so myself. 

And this is my inside cover, I did mine a bit cuter than the rest;) 

I didn't take any pics while making these but if you're interested I can do a tutorial.  

Just leave me a comment.  

Thanks for stopping by.

   

Happy Journaling!

{Bills to be paid}

Everyone hates the dreaded "bill" word.  I'm not always the best at staying on top of the dreaded things either.  So I got thinking, "what could I do to make it funner?"  Well in reality nothing.  But I could make my bill box look funner cuter.  Now that's something fun, right?! So I did just that.
My bill box wasn't ugly to begin with, just boring.

So I mod podged some cute paper on it.

But then I noticed the little metal thing-a-ma-jig was a bit crooked & I couldn't have that;)  So I first tried to pry the thing off but that booger wouldn't budge.  Plus I was afraid that I'd ruin the box.  I then got thinking, "what could I put over it?"  Ribbon of course.  Gotta love ribbon!

 Not bad.  You can still see the thing-a-ma-jig but I think it "adds" to it.  HA!  So there ya have it.  My funner cuter to look at but still not so fun to pay bill box.

{Bunk Beds}

Not too long ago, we put Baby Girl in a big girl bed.  This wasn't something we planned & were ready for.  She's a monkey & had climbed out of her crib like a bazillion times.  It shook us up each time we heard a big thud coming from her room.  So we decided that with this new milestone, comes a new bed.  Something you're never ready for;)  Well because of this new bed, she could easily get out of her bed & climb into her big sister's bed without us knowing.  Princess was not happy about this.  She needs her beauty sleep, ya know;)  We decided that bunk beds might be the solution, since they have to share a room.  Well in my daily search of KSL.com, I decided to start searching for bunk beds.  I came across so many cute beds, so many that I fell in love with.  But so many of them with larger price tags.  People want gold for their junk.  I'm sure a small percentage were worth what they were asking but come on people.  So anyway I came across an ad that interested me.  Weird thing is there was no picture & I usually pass those right up.  So I called first thing in the morning, we went & looked at it.  It wasn't anything special & I hated the color but for $75 we took it.  And besides, I had already planned on painting it;)

I normally love dark wood but this was more like 1980's dark wood.

as you can see here, I took all my aggression out on it.  I love distressing!  could have more than one meaning;) lol!

the darker ones are where I primed & the white one is where I painted it off white.  I only did one coat of each, since I was going to add a stain as well.  I don't always prime but this bed is 20+ years old.  I wanted to prevent any orange peeling.  Could be caused from such things as greasy finger prints & since this was a kids bed, ya just never know. 

the next ones are after I applied the stain.  I put it on with a rag & then took it right off with another rag.  Left it on just enough to get the groves I added & to give it an antique look.  I also took a small paint brush to ones I wanted a bit darker & then wiped off.

and the finished project, well the bunk bed anyway.  Now I'm on the hunt for new bedding.  I will probably make them, but we'll see what I find. 
And after new bedding comes more painting...the room, the dresser, their little table & anything else I'm in the mood to change;)

and as I mentioned before about Baby Girl being a monkey & lovin' to climb....Well that's just another hurdle we have to cross now. Kinda wish we had the worry of the crib back.  But loving the extra room we got back and the way it turned out.

Do your kids share a room?  What do you do for storage? I'm thinking maybe cubbies & baskets, what do ya think?
                                                            Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!!!!

{Three Weeks of Summer}

Literally!  My kiddo got out of school on July 2nd.  He starts 2nd grade July 26th & then my daughter starts Kindergarten the following week.  This is because we're in year-round school here.  Not.so.bad.  It's kinda like a love/hate relationship.  We LOVE that we get breaks off from school through the year but we HATE DISLIKE we only got 3 weeks off for summer break.  I was looking forward to it, really I was!  I thought it would be better for my sanity & my relationship with my kiddos.  But trying to cram a whole bunch of activities into 3 weeks isn't all that fun.  I feel like we're constantly running & not really enjoying our summer.  While we've had a lot of fun, we haven't had a lot of R&R, if you know what I mean.  This is also why I've been MIA from crafting.  I've got a lot of projects that I had started, that need finishing & a ton that I have in mind that I'm dying to do.  I'm kinda going crazy because of this, really!  We're off of any kind of routine, just coming & going all the time.  Even the dishes & laundry are out of control, not that I'm always on top of those. Just usually better;) Ha! Anyway please check back in a few weeks, hopefully things have calmed down around here enough to post some new projects.  Not that things ever really calm down, am I right?!!
so what fun things have you done for the summer? 

{Map Quest chore chart}

My cute Hubby actually came up with the idea for our "Map Quest" chore chart.  His dad did something similar for him & his siblings when they were young.  We've tried other types of chore systems with no success.  We've been doing this new system for a while now & it's still working.  Plus, the kids love it & are constantly looking for ways to earn extra points.  And bonus for us them, they're learning about the cities & towns in their own state. 

   

What it's about:  

The goal is for the kids to make it around Utah by doing their chores & good behavior.  They can lose "miles" by doing bad behavior. They earn prizes by hitting specific "mile markers".

Rules:

*All chores need to be done by 8pm & bedtime routine needs to be done by 8:15 pm, then we can read a book & figure out map by 8:35pm. 

*good behavior points are earned for things that are done without being asked, ie: doing something extra nice, helping out without being asked, etc.....

*bad behavior points are for fighting of any kind, back talking, not listening, saying mean things or bad words, etc....

*extra box is for extra chores that we may give for any reason & is worth extra points of our choice, depending on chore & how well it's done.   

 

how to play:

the kids earn "miles" or points by doing various jobs & good behavior.  They can also lose "miles" or points by having bad behavior.  We keep track on a normal chore chart & points are added up at the end of the day & converted into miles, we then move them on the map according to the points/miles they earned less any bad points they got.  We then move them on the map each night after their bedtime routine is done.    

  There are various dots marked on the map that they are trying to reach to earn prizes.

Chores:

room 3pts, 

chore 2pts,

(I have a list of chores listed by numbers, they roll a dice or two & 

get the chore that matches the number on the dice), 

homework 2pts 

extra

  (extra chores we may need done),

on-time 2pts

(on-time to school, church, or anywhere we need to be by a specific time),  

bedtime 2pts,

good behavior plus pts,

& bad behavior neg. pts. 

Prizes:

 When they get to a blue, red, or star dot on the map they earn prizes. 

Blue dot prizes are simple $1-$5 toys or such.

Red dot prizes can be either a more expensive toy or a movie with mom or dad, dinner to their favorite place, etc. 

star dot prizes are the biggest prizes like a trip to Lagoon or Boondocks, etc. 

*there are about 16 blue dots, 3 red dots, & 2 star dots.  The star dots mark half way & then the finish line.

 

*We can move as fast or slow on the chart as we want.  We've set a max of 20 miles a day.  We want them to see progress but not so fast that we finish it in a month. LOL!

 

Do your kids have chores?  Chore system? What works for your family? 

I'd love to hear about it!  Thanks for stopping by!

{Happy 4th}

Just thought I'd say Happy 4th, (a day late;) & share with you a cute little craft I did for the holiday.  I can't take all the credit though, I made this at my moms relief society craft night.  What's better than doing a really cute, fun project,....... doing it with the girls.  Lots of fun!!

and all it consists of is.......wood blocks, cute patriotic paper, mod podge, & embellishments. easy peasy!

{teacher gift}

I just can't even believe it's the end of the school year.  In fact tomorrow is Little Man's last day of 1st grade.  My baby's growing up.  And of course I put off figuring out what to do for a teacher gift 'til the last minute.  At least I didn't completely forget let it slip my mind this year & rush out to buy something right after I dropped him off at school;) but I would never do a thing like that. In my quest to find the perfect idea, I came across this cute little bloggy;  She had a super cute idea for a teacher gift.  It ended up being exactly what I was looking for.  So I stole borrowed her idea & put my own twist on it.

So here enters the personalized teacher office supply kit........

As you can see I mod podged her name on the top of it, I think it turned out just perfect!

 

inside we put hand sanitizer, hand lotion, chap stick, rubber bands, large & small binder clips, staples, marble magnets, erasers, butterfly clips, small post-it notes, & of course some chocolate!

 

I'm sure you've seen this marble magnets around blog land a time or two.  You've probably even made some.  If not, you just cut the paper to size, mod podge to the back of the marble & hot glue a magnet to the back.  Easy peasy. 

And they have her initials.

   

these binder clips were as easy as the magnets were.  Just cut paper to size & mod podge.  Super cute & they match!

 

I saw this idea on a blog but can't remember where.  You just get some clear pens, pull the ink part out, wrap it with cute paper & put the ink back in.  And the best part, it matches. Of course;)

 

I've copied made cuter cards before but loved that it also coordinates with everything else.

 

the best part of the whole gift, the sweet message that Little Man wrote inside of the card.  He really loves his teacher & I know that he's gonna miss her.  I would agree with him, she was the best teacher ever!  We hope she loves her gift.  

We also added a gift card to Wal-mart in case she needs some more supplies or refills. 

{coffee table redo}

I refinished my coffee table over a year ago now.  I had posted about it on my family blog.  I had a few comment's asking how I did it.  I took before & after pics but got so excited to get it done that I really didn't think about the in between pics.  So I thought I'd do a tutorial the best I can with the lack of pics I have.  Here goes.....

I found this beauty at my local D.I. (Utah thrift store).  I loved that it was square.  At the time I had a sectional, so it was puurfect.  But then we bought new couches, yep plural; two couches.  We wanted the same amount of space as the sectional without the actual sectional. lol!  So it ended up being just as perfect.  Yay, for me!

sorry about the dark pic

I washed her up & then started sanding.  I sanded, & sanded, & sanded some more.  I even enlisted help from the hubster.  I wanted to get as much of the old finish up as I could.  

When I got it sanded the way I wanted, I started to stain her.  I had a hard time deciding on how dark I wanted it.  So I bought a Minwax walnut & dark walnut stain.  I did a small section with each color.  I ended up going with the dark walnut.  I just loved it so much more!  I just bought the plain ol'stain without poly in it because I planned do a finish at the end anyway.  But either would do, it's just a preference thing;)  

check out the difference from the original color.  Wowza, I know!  I LOVE it!!












After I got her all stained I did one coat of poly.  I then lightly sanded her, with a very fine grit sandpaper & added a glaze.  You just paint on the glaze & then wipe off.  Wiping if off can be kinda tricky.  My daddy-o who happens to be a custom house painter, well ex-house painter showed me the correct technic. 
*When you paint it on you want to do long even strokes.  So from one end to the other, as straight as you can.  Then when you take some off, you want your tack cloth or other cloth really, in kind of a waded ball shape & you do the same long even strokes.  If you get wavy, you'll see it.  Depending on the look you're going for, depends on how much you take back off. You also want to make sure you get it off as fast as you put it on.  Don't do it in direct sunlight, as it might dry faster.  You want to work with it still wet.  Also if you can't get it all off that fast, do a section at a time.  The purpose of the glaze is to give it a distressed or aged look.  I love how mine turned out! 

I also love how it left some really dark spots.  Some of those spots are from where I may or may not have sanded a little more than the rest;)  Even so, I'm very happy with the way it turned out.  The glaze also got into all the old scratches & groves.  Which I love too!! I then put a few more coats of poly, letting it dry in between coats.  If it gets where it feels a bit gritty in some areas, you can do a light sand, with a really, really fine sandpaper.  And then if needed another coat of poly.

Well there you have it.  Hopefully you get the just but if you have any questions please ask, I love comments any way I can get them;)

So what are some things your dying to refinish??  Please share, I'd love to hear what your up to........  Thanks for stopping by.  Ta Ta for now=)

{my knacks, my knacks, knickety- knacks}

Welcome to my new blog!!  I'm so excited to share some of the things I do.  I've been contemplating doing a craft-ish blog for a while now.  I'm really no expert on anything but I can say I have a knack for crafty things.  I've always got a project I'm working on or one that's been rolling around in my head just waiting to get out.  I wanted a blog as somewhere I could share my creative side.  If anything else I hope I can inspire someone else to get their craft on!!!!!

some of my knacks & things I love to do include but are not limited to:

• thrift shop & re-purpose the stuff I find. It's probably my favorite thing to do.  I find myself at D.I. way more than I'd like to admit. Which is hilarious since I wouldn't have been caught dead there a few years ago;)

• making beaded jewelry. this is probably right up there with re-purposing but I don't do this nearly enough.  It just really depends on my mood & lately I've just been in the mood to decorate my house or update what I have.  

• mod podge. really?!! you can mod podge anything, this probably goes along side of re-purposing since I mod podge a lot of the things I redo.  

• refinish furniture. again this goes with the re-purposing thing.  I guess I could have just listed the things I like to re-purpose & how, lol.   This could even become my new favorite thing to do.  It's really a great feeling having furniture that you refinished.  I've got several things in the works I can't wait to share.   

• making hair accessories for my girls.

• occasional sewing.   

• scrapbook & make cards. This I REALLY don't enough.  I love to do it but really never find the time, partly the reason I blog so much,(online scrapbook).  My goal is to complete at least a page or two every year. LOL!  Not really but it's the way it's been going.  

• I also love anything & everything that makes my job as a mom & a homemaker easier or funner. 

This list only touches a few things I love to do & the type of things you might find on my blog.  Hope you enjoy & come back often!  Thanks!!!