Craft Betty!

Switching gears

2010-05-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

When I set up this blog, the idea was for it to be a place to plan and post about projects I did with my kids. As they have gotten older and busier with school, we started doing a lot less of that, and my focus is switching from just a full time mom, to trying to find ways to supplement our income while Chris is in school. My plan is to really start refinishing, refurbishing, and re-purposing furniture to sell, or taking in custom work if anyone has any. So, my blog, I feel, needs to reflect that. I've had a business in the past with the name Set Interiors, so I've decided to go back to that with a new blog that reflects these new focuses. I'll leave this blog up and may post here from time to time if something seems fitting, but you will be able to find my regular furniture and interior design posts at http://setinteriors.blogspot.com/ I hope that you will all check it out. As of right now, it's not terribly pretty, but I'll be working on cleaning it up over the next couple days as well as adding posts on projects I've recently finished and ones I'm working on. Be sure to become a follower so you don't miss anything exciting.

The Table is IN!

2010-05-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

These will not be the best pictures as it's the middle of the night and the light isn't very good, but I couldn't wait to show you! I'm sure I'll do another post with better pictures tomorrow, and talk about all the lessons learned during this little project. (I know, you are all on pins and needles now, hu? :p)

I want to start with a "before"....

This little table was given to us when we were first married. It has served us well, but since there are five of us now, you may guess that we've outgrown it...by a lot. And forget having anyone over for dinner. There simply is not room!
Here is a good example...trying to set a table for Christmas with 5 people for dinner = squishy...

And now...(drum roll please!)...

Oh, I'm so in love! :)

Ok, I'm going to go to bed now...I'll have better pictures tomorrow...I can't wait for breakfast when we have our first family meal on this! (I think I'm going to need more chairs...)

table teaser

2010-05-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm totally DYING to show off my new table...but I have to wait 24 hours for the poly to set completely before I can assemble it! So here is a little teaser....oh so close to being done!

Table building is so much fun!

2010-05-09T19:04:00.001-07:00

We have the table top all put together now. These are pictures of us gluing it all up. We did it upside down so we could use the ribs to help support and pull it all into line.

Peeking at the top side...

Chris tightening the clamps...
Ok, I think I've decided I need to have my brother just follow me around and take pictures for my blog. I'm sure you can all tell the difference from when he is hanging out and when I'm just snapping shots...

So, the table top, legs, and apron will be ready for final sanding and (hopefully) stain tomorrow (I'm finishing the pieces before assembling it all). The apron is a couple nails from being complete, the legs are sanded, and all the knots are filled on the top. It's really starting to look like a table :)

So tomorrow I have to make a final decision on the stain color. The original plan was for a honey color stain with some darker glaze to bring out the imperfections, but that was in our old place where we had off-white walls. Her we have...hmm...orange/gold/brown? walls...hmm...let's see if there is a picture...ok, if you look in my last post you kinda can see it...I'm actually kind of liking this color. Especially when I put a creamy white against it. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to look for chairs that can be mismatched, but all creamy white, and I *think* I want to go darker with the table because I'm worried a honey color would blend into the wall color too much. Plus, the floor is a darker wood and we had a darker wood table in here for a few days and I liked the way it brought that dark wood color up into the room.

Hopefully we'll have pictures of a finished table tomorrow or the next day!

Things coming together

2010-05-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Laundry is the BANE of my existence....seriously! I absolutely HATE it...I'm never even close to being caught up with it...and even when we do manage to get clothes though both the washer and the dryer, they sit unfolded in "clean clothes" piles. It's really rather ridiculous....

Then one day, I read about "the family closet". I can't find the original blog post that inspired me, but the pictures from the link should give you a good idea. I thought to myself...I bet that would make me at least a little less stressed about laundry...maybe even I could keep up with it sorta...So, when we moved one of my wants was a laundry area that could be turned into a family closet. And, I got my wish :)

The washer and dryer is in the basement, where I have plenty of room to create a closet...however, the space is completely unfinished...not even studs to hang shelves on. And the price of closet systems really add up. So, working on no budget at all, I started figuring out how I could create what I needed. I knew I wanted most of the rods low enough for my little girls to access, but tall enough at least for my shirts to be hung up. It had to be free standing. I need at least some shelves/drawers for folded things and boxes of clothes that are being hung onto for hand me downs or off season stuff. So this has been simmering in the back of my mind for a month now, and one morning I woke up with the solution.
We have 2 of these we'd used for pantry food in our last place (only ours are black...) They were sitting in pieces in the garage with plans to be used for fabric/craft storage. I decided my laundry organization was more important just now since we were working with a massive "clean pile" and "dirty pile" that I was desperately trying to keep from mingling in my basement and the reply to "I can't find any pants was" go look in the clean pile. (no wonder it takes us forever to get out of the house...) So this is what my black shelves look like now. (I think we will call this space "the dungeon"...)
Ok, you can see that I still have a lot of clothes to be sorted and put away, but I now have a place to put them! I even had an extra table to use as a folding table!
I started by taking the top two shelves for the older girl's clothes. I was just looking to get stuff off the floor, really, and turned up like that, they worked well.

Then I remembered these two closet rods I'd picked up at the DI. I took the lower shelves and left them the right way and then we zip tied the rods to the top for baby clothes and my shirts. Longer dresses are just going to have to go in the upstairs closet with Chris' clothes. The buckets I found today at Wal-mart for $1.50 each. My kids were always dropping the drawers out of the dressers in the past, so I think this will work nicely.

I'm really excited about my progress down here. This is the year I get my laundry under control!

Katie's first design choice

2010-05-04T07:46:00.001-07:00

While moving, I was noticing that the hand me down crib that we've used with all three girls was looking rather tired and starting to get some chippy paint in places, so I decided to refinish it. At the store, I picked up a light pink spray paint for it and asked Katie if she wanted to paint her bed...she replied "no...PINK!" and pointed at the BRIGHT pink can. All right then...it's her bed, after all. So we went PINK!

Wouldn't this piece of art look cute in here? I think I have some old canvases I'm not using right now...

In other news...we are working on our table. We brought the boards in so we could see how the size looked in our space. We decided on a 7 foot table. We decided which sides would be the tops, and jointed the sides and have them ready to glue up when the new clamps get here (expected tomorrow). We also got the legs cut to size. I'd like to run a sander over them to clean the up just a bit before putting the apron together. Plus, we are working with slightly different sizes then I'd planned. The 4x4's were pretty rough, so we went with 4x6 legs (YAY for hefty legs!) Plus, the 2x8 we'd planned for the tops were not very straight, so we switched to 2x10s. These aren't huge differences, but enough that I need to re-figure the apron lengths. (have I mentioned that I'm excited about this project? I'm NOT excited to help carry it into the house, cause it is going to be SOOOOO heavy! but I'm excited to get it in here)

My new treasure!

2010-04-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

So, I'm at the thrift store yesterday, and was just about to call it quits. I'd found a couple closet rods, and grabbed a couple of forks and spoons (our new house has a bigger dishwasher, and I'm finding we are running out before the dishwasher is full...). I also found a sweet little vase that works perfectly with my "orange" stuff, and Katie found a cute sun hat she had to have. They were all things I needed, but I didn't feel like it was an awesome thrifting experience. On my way out, I noticed a couple big things in the furniture section were being taken to the back...and experience shows that if you wait just a few minutes, they will bring out *something* to fill the empty spot...so I stood right there in case it was awesome and there would be a race for it....after a minute, the nice man showed up with...

Cool, hu?! I was right there, so I was looking at it first, but there were three other people hovering over my shoulder, so as soon as I was sure it was in good condition I grabbed it! I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do with it, but it is beautiful and it awesome condition. the top could use a light sand and maybe a finish...but I like it the way it is, too... I was thinking it would be cool laid flat and used for my computer desk...and it's totally stable enough for that, but Chris thinks it wouldn't work because of the legs and not being able to really get a chair under it. I may insist on it anyway :)

All Mine!

2010-04-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

Isn't it a beautiful sight?! This is ALL MINE!!! Ok, well, the orange car and one corner of the garage is Chris'. He needs somewhere for the snow tires to sit...but the rest of it...ALL MINE!!! HAHAHAHA (that was my best over-the-internet evil laugh) The one side with the large door is now full of furniture waiting to be turned into awesome (as well as several boxes needing to be unpacked...), and the other side (with the two doors) is being set up as a workshop (as well as holding a good sized pile of boxes waiting to be unpacked)...The astro van? MINE! And TOTALLY AWESOME!!! Ok, part of it may be that we'd been sharing the orange car for so long, that any car would seem awesome for me to be able to go run errands whenever...but that thing will also haul a TON of stuff! Right now, it's loaded with lumber for my new farm table...including a 12 foot 1x4. I know, you are all totally jealous!

Ok, so now, do I unpack boxes to make room in the workshop, or unload the lumber, or start getting dinner ready? Oh, it's so hard to decide!

Exciting stuff going on

2010-04-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

This is one pile of "in progress" projects that are sitting in the middle (yes, precisely in the middle) of my living room. I'm very excited about all of them, so I'll tell you a bit about them.

The blue frame is the frame from this post. Not nearly as boring now, hu? I'm wanting to add some trim to the back so it sits away from the wall and the chicken wire doesn't scratch paint. I'm also not sure how this color will look with our new walls, so the color may change. I'm going to do some fun clothes pins and use it for my idea board.

Notice the white cushion? I have two dining chairs...one painted the same blue as the frame, the other will probably be red...and I have to get to the fabric store to find the perfect print to reupholster the cushions with. (I have before pics, so when they get done, you'll get to see it all)

The other frame is one my sister-in-law picked up and decided she wouldn't be using. It's a really beautiful frame...not sure what *I'm* going to do with it...but I'll think of something :) On top of the desk are pieces of an ottoman (the puffy pink thing is a tutu) that could be put together if I ever got it painted (yeah, check this post again to see where it started)...yes, one of the legs is still waiting to be sanded... On the floor, you see those turned legs??? They are dining table sized and I got all 4 for $15 at the Restore this week! (just for fun, do a search for turned dining table legs...yeah, $15 is an AMAZING deal!) I plan to build the rest of the table to go with them...

The orange chair is one we use, but I plan to reupholster it as soon as I learn how. It was my grandma's...we were at her house once and she'd been purging some of her stuff...I told her that if she ever wanted to get rid of that chair, I'd love to have it...not only is it a great chair with nice lines...it's totally comfy...perfect for curling up and reading a book.

Projects that you don't see...well, my desk is still waiting to be painted. I have a full sized and a toddler headboard in the back, and I'm still planning my new farm table.

So, why are ALL of these sitting only half done or hardly started? Well, because with one car that my husband takes to work, it's been hard to get out and get the supplies I need. Also, I can't paint when it's snowing and raining and the wind is blowing...which it's been doing a lot here lately. This leads to some other exciting stuff going on that is actually related to all of these things. First, I got an astro van!!! It's not pretty or new, but it runs well and I can haul a TON of stuff in it. Plus, I can actually run the errands I need to get supplies to finish my projects! Exciting!!! Next extra exciting thing! We have found a new house to rent. We are on a tight budget, so I was hoping for a single car garage to work in during bad weather, but we've been blessed to find a great place with a 3 car garage already set up with a work bench and lots of storage! I'll have plenty of room for even the biggest projects there! It also has a basement where I can have a corner to put my sewing and craft stuff.

I'm ultra excited about all of this. We're going to be moving this week...I'm doing the littler stuff during the week (thanks to my awesome new van!), and we hope to do the big stuff Saturday, so by next week (If I can wait that long) I should be seeing some of these projects wrapped up. I'm so excited to show you what it will all look like in the end!

Feeling a little frustrated....

2010-03-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

So, my awesome table that I get giddy at the very thought of...is on hold :( We were waiting to get the suburban fixed so we could get the lumber for it...turns out the suburban would cost about twice as much to fix as it's worth...so now we are on hold waiting to figure out what we are going to do for a second vehicle...it has to be something I can haul kids and furniture with. In the midst of this, we are looking for a new place to rent...something with a garage where I can work on all my projects. So, the spot I was going to put my perfectly pretty new farm table won't be my spot to put something, so I'm kinda waiting to find out what my new spot will look like before I build so I can build something the right size for that spot.

So, I'm feeling frustrated and like my projects have all been put on hold while I find a house and shop for a ... truck probably? So I will try to post some cool stuff...I do have a couple things I'm slowly working on...but please don't give up on me if you don't see much from me for the next while. When I get a garage/workshop I have all kinds of awesome that will be happening :)

Because my husband is sick of listening to me ramble about it...

2010-03-01T13:15:00.001-08:00

and this is my blog, so you can't stop me from rambling if I want to :p Plus, I'd love to hear if any of my readers actually have any insight on my ramblings....

Ok, My last post mentioned that I'm going to be building a new table. I linked to these plans from Knock off Wood. I absolutely LOVE this site! Her plans are so simple to follow and there are so many examples of what other people have done using these plans. This one is a fairly new plan and I haven't seen a picture of it yet. The pictures she put in that post are random farmhouse pictures...which are ALL awesome! Then she linked to this post with some more pictures of tables and I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this one. (swoon with me now!)

(originally found on this site)

I adore the chunky legs (would you say those are 4x6? I would...), and the color and distressing is perfect. I also really like the lower supports and stretcher. My husband is discouraging any lower supports or stretcher because...well, he's tall and doesn't want anyone to have to deal with them when they have to sit on the ends. Also, I'm not sure how to support the overhang outside of the apron, so I dont' want that much space between the legs and the end of the table. Both of us like the look of a table without the breadboard on the ends. Those are the boards that run the width of the table on the ends. (the above table *has* breadboards...this next one does not...)

(from Scandinavian Retreat)

See...boards that are cut square at the ends...we both like this look better. But I feel this table looks a little fragile. The legs are too thin....and I want something that really *looks* like it will take the test of time.

Ok next up....

(Restoration Hardware)

Knock off Wood has plans for this table on her site (here). Her plans for this one are really very good too... again, my husband veto'ed the lower supports, and there's the breadboard again...However, looking at this picture of the RH table we both oooohh'ed at the heft of the table top...go back and check out how THICK those boards are! And nice and wide, too! Plus the nice thick table legs....but we're not sure how they will do support wise without the lower supports using the plans she has here...hmmm....(also...reclaimed wood! look at that color...swooning again!)

So, with all these thoughts in mind, I was browsing older posts on Knock off Wood and came to this "how-to" post...She has a couple videos of how she does the legs on the Hyde tables. That "double apron" (that's what I'm calling it anyway) thing she does really looks like it would give a lot of stability to the legs, don't ya think? I do! But the only plans for Hyde tables are coffee table, end table and console table...still....

So, with the help of my husband I've found the solution! We are using the directions for the Hyde legs/apron and sizing it to fit our table(no lower supports and nice thick legs). We're using the top like the narrow farmhouse table so we don't have breadboards, but using 2x8 boards for the top instead of 1x8's like she has in her plan (nice hefty top to go with the nice hefty legs!). The top is going to be 36 in wide (or close to that...it will be 5 boards wide...) and 6.5 feet long. This will easily put 3 chairs on the side of the table with options for people on the end. And it fits perfectly where I want it. Woot! I know how to build it now!

Next up...the finish...I was watching some tutorials because I've read all kinds of techniques for this, but I was wanting to see the results with my table in mind. There was one where she stained...put the stain on then wiped it right off, kind of making it uneven in places. The she let it dry, then distressed with a chisel and sander, then she used a black glaze, wiping it off after just a few seconds (oh, here it is...but she is REALLY annoying to watch, so I'm just linking to the last one that shows the results after the glazing. She does some more paint steps, but I'd stop after the first glaze)....I *think* if I use a stain that is gold-ish (but NOT orangy!) then black glaze, I'd get a look a lot like the James Merrell table. I'd also add in some deeper cuts in the legs and maybe some other steps to beat it up while distressing. Then finish with a satin clear coat...Glossy seems to feel out of place for this, but I think satin would give it a nice sheen that's not too much while protecting it from all the spills my little girls are going to inflict on it.

So, are you as excited for me to actually start this project as I am? I'd totally be doing it right now...if I had a way to get the boards home. My tools have shipped, and if they get here before my suburban is fixed, then I'm going to call my cousin with a truck and have her help me get them here :)

Did any of you even get though that ramble? lol...I know, it's a lot, but that has been what's on my mind, and I can't seem to concentrate on anything else!

Lookie what is on it's way!!!

2010-02-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

For a long time I've been aware that we are outgrowing out table. There is room for 4 comfortably if I dish up plates from the stove and we can squeeze in one extra person when we need to...but I love the feel of a family meal where all the food is piled in dishes on the table, and being able to invite people over would be so nice. We just don't have room for that, and Katie will be joining us at the table (instead of in her high chair next to the table) soon. So, I've been watching DI (thrift store) for a new table...they range from $40-$80 there generally, but I've only ever spotted one I even kind of liked...and it was on a day I didn't have cash for a table. And I didn't like it *that* well. So I've just been living with our too-small table until I could think of a solution that would fix the problem and not break our budget. Well, I think I've found one and I just ordered part of the solution!

Awesome, hu?! I'm so excited! And in case you are wondering, I totally did not buy these for my husband for our anniversary. These babies are MINE...though he did help me pick out the best ones for my budget, and I'm letting him think he will have access to use them if he needs (teehee). (doesn't look much like a table does it???) Well, HERE are the plans for the table that will be mine once the weather is stable enough to let me work on it outside. Isn't it pretty? We're going to alter the plans a bit...hers is 30inches wide and 8 feet long...a little longer then I have room for, and not quite wide enough for dishes of food. Mine is going to be about 37 inches wide and 6.5 feet long. Aren't you excited for me???

And until then, these new tools will be a big help with stuff like....
You remember this pretty little thing? Well, it is now all prepared and ready and waiting for those new tools to show up. (ok, I PROMISE one of these days I'll actually get an "after picture of something up, instead of just teasing you :p)

Next up on my wish-list (because it will make building the new table 100% easier!)...A nail gun! The miter saw is going to have to wait to see if I'm using the other stuff enough to justify it...but, oh, do I want one!

Pretty in Pink!

2010-02-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

Remember this?...

Typical computer tower...big...black...

In our house, we don't have computers hidden away in private rooms...heck we don't even have places to tuck them away (you saw my living room, right?) Computers are a big part of our life and therefore, right out in the open. I figured I could make this little guy a little more interesting, so here it is now...

Cute, right??? More work then I figured, and I cut a lot of corners...I should have sanded initially and taped off better and done a clear coat at the end. I have more plans, so the clear coat may get done then, but we'll see. Initially, I was going to try to make it look like a dresser or chest with wood moulding and little decorative handles...but the shape of the case isn't really boxy enough for that, but I think I'm going to add at least a little something more at some point. For now...I shall call her "Bubbles" lol :) And just think how pretty she will look sitting next to my pretty new desk once it's painted black! Oh, spring, you can't come soon enough!

*note! this project was able to be done because it was a new case with no computer components installed and I had my husband who is fairly knowledgeable about computers help me. I would not recommend taking your tower out and spray painting it w/o talking to someone who knows about computers....I dismantled the whole case to do this. I'll post more pictures tomorrow when I get them transferred from my old computer so you can see how I did it.

What I've been up to

2010-02-17T13:50:00.001-08:00

To start with, me and the girls made these cute valentines for their classes. I decided I needed to have them put a little more work into them then just picking out a box from the store. I cut out the circles and hearts, they glued them on and wrote names on the back. It was kinda a fun project.
Beyond that, I haven't really been crafting as much. (I can't believe I'm going to show you this next picture...but here it is...) I kinda figured I didn't appreciate how much Chris did to help out around the house...but now, with him in school...I'm amazed at how much just doesn't get done. On top of that...we are not very good at being minimalistic...we have a LOT of stuff in a very small space, and we need to get better about it. But, 2 days ago, this is what my front room looked like...completely and totally out of control....and this is after a week when I really, truly made every effort to keep it clean since it was clean the week before for a dinner party...it was clean the day after the party...I'm not sure when it all fell apart....
In this space, we have several needs...tv watching area, 2 computer desks, sewing desk, room for the elliptical (preferably where there is access to show watching while using it), parking spot for stroller, and space for kids to play (no, they can't play in their room as there is barely room for their beds and I'm in the process of moving all toys out of their room as they are not cappable of keeping the toys picked up because of the space's limitations...). Is it any wonder that the room looks like this? On top of that, we have several things being stored in here since we are lacking in storage space in general. So, this week, I've been working out a better floorplan that makes more sense for our needs, as well as getting real about what we really NEED to keep and what we could definitly live without...things have started moving around and looking a little better, but in the midst of it, 2 of these showed up....
Along with all the guts that come with them. Chris is running on a borrowed computer system since his died, and mine is running worse and worse each day...so this year tax returns mean new computers for both of us. Which mean I have lots of boxes of computer components added to my already overfull living room. *sigh*...

I did however get a really exciting project most of the way done yesterday, and I'll be posting a ton of pictures on it tomorrow! Look forward to it ;)

Beautiful Desk

2010-02-10T07:47:00.001-08:00

Ok, this has nothing to do with my new desk...but the other day, for our valentine advent, we were to give each other "a small gift" of one of their favorite things...I made banana muffins...heart shaped ones were just for Chris, and he didn't have to share :) He brought me chocolates (awww, sweet) and Chips and French Onion Dip!!!!!! (squeel!!!) Sometimes, I feel like he gets me gifts with out truely thinking of what *I* would really want...but this one was so unexpected and showed that he was really thinking about something *I* would love. Isn't he so, SOOOO sweet? :)

Ok...the desk!
Here is her story (dont' know why it's a her...I just feel she is...)

Yesterday morning, Betty was combing her hair in the bathroom. Normally the bathroom door is closed so the baby doesn't reek havok in there...well, obviously, the baby was in the open bathroom with her sister. Usually that's not too big of a deal, so I was puttering around in the living room when I hear a collosal crash complete with breaking glass. I rushed to the bathroom to find the over toilet shelf thing across the floor and into the tub...under it, was all our hairbrushes, toothbrushes, q-tips (you get the idea) and it was all sitting among a plethora of broken glass. (Katie was a little spooked, but no-one was hurt luckily) So, instead of dishes and laundry and sewing like I'd planned, I spent my day cleaning up the bathroom. The only problem was that the shelf/cabnet thing wasn't going to go back. It had been in poor shape before, but after the fall...well, it just was done. My sister-in-law came over to drop something off and offered to take me to find a replacement. We decided to start at DI. We were going to stay focused and just look for bathroom organizing things, but of course we got sidetracked. While she was looking at some stools I spoted a little desk...it was cute and sturdy and I've been wanting a permanant home for my sewing machine. It would have been perfect. It had a few drawers(somethign my current computer desk is lacking) and would fit right in the spot next to my computer desk...at $30 I decided I'd grab it and had the furniture guy do up a tag for me. Then I turned around...I'd walked down this isle about 3 times already, but this was the first time I really looked at her. It was love!!!
(I know I say this a lot...but ignore the mess in the background...my kids are making blanket tents this morning) I love the subtle details, and check out her hardware! She's completely sturdy, the drawers are on rollers and open like a dream. And, it was only $10 more then the desk I'd already picked. When the guys brought it out to the van, they chuckled cause I couldnt' stop from jumping up and down with pure joy! It doesn't fit in the spot I'd planned at all...I gave Chris first dibs on using it to replace his computer desk because I know he didn't like that we couldn't bring his bigger desk when we moved...but even if he uses it, it will be *my* desk. I know she needs a little love...but oh, I'm willing to give it to her! The one handle on the door is missing, but I think I'll replace it with a sweet knob. I think I may paint her too...maybe white or black or deep brown, but I'm really not sure yet, but I'm kinda leaning toward a nice glossy black. I think that would make her pretty handles really pop out. What do you guys think? It will be a good while before I get it done, but I'm so excited to have her home!

Saving the planet, one napkin at a time

2010-02-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

I work in the nursery at church. We have about 10-15 little toddlers every week, and every week we serve a small snack to these little ones. The routine goes...play, clean up, lesson, color, snack, singing time. During coloring, an adult or two starts putting together snack stuff, which means, counting the kids and getting cups with water and paper napkins for all of them. Several months ago, we upgraded to those "disposable" yet re-usable sippy cups because we had a large group of kids come in brand new who still were a bit unskilled with a cup and liked to dip their goldfish in them...messy! Plus we figured that money would be saved by not having to buy lots of dixi cups, and it's better for the environment. Now us teachers take turns bringing the cups home and throwing them in the dishwasher and bringing them back. Well, I was noticing the huge stack of paper towels we were still going though...we put them out to put the snack on in front of the kids...so I thought it was time for a second upgrade. I just used leftover fabric from other projects or peices I'd picked up in a bag from D.I. that had something much cooler in with it...they aren't all the same size...some aren't square...but the fabrics are super cute and it will be much more fun on the table then boring white paper towels. I also have a little fabric tote that I'd made for a scripture tote, but ended up a little too small...it's perfect for carrying the napkins in, and can just be thrown in the wash with them (so we can throw the dirty ones in there, and not have to worry about not having something clean to put them in to bring them back.) I think it's briliant, if I do say so myself :)

Hello Clock!

2010-02-02T12:46:00.001-08:00

To be honest, there is nothing inherently wrong with this clock. We got it as a wedding present...I'm pretty sure we even registered for it...and it looked very nice on our walls in the past. But I have been hit with the BLAHs lately. We are living in an apartment, where we can't paint and everything feels very...monotone. So, part of my New Year's resolution is to create beauty and happiness around myself. So, the monotone HAS GOT TO GO! And since I'm working on a budget, I'm working with what I have. A wood frame clock is very nice...but....

...a glossy RED clock is way WAY BETTER!!! And I have plans for this little guy...oh, and they are gonna be good!

This took about 3 coats of cherry red spray paint...it probably would have been less, but I didn't primer it first and it was staying very brown/dark. And...for the record...it didn't take me 3 whole hours to do this project...it was probably only 20 min (including waiting a bit between coats). I taped off the face while I was feeding kids and getting them off to school and down for naps.

Preview!

2010-02-01T17:55:00.001-08:00

This picture has been sitting around my house for some time now...I used to do home staging, and this is one of the things I inherited from a mentor. It's sweet, and could be called "calming" in the right setting...but in my house, it falls under the category of "boring". Well, I'm tired of having all kinds of junk around my house (junk, right now, is what I call anything that is not actually being used). Now, I have a plan to make this not boring and not junk...just wait. It'll be great!

Oh, and I KNOW you are DYING to find out about this little beauty! But this is all I'm gonna give you.

Crafting away...and if I weren't too lazy to find my camera cord, you'd see a lot more of it :p

2010-01-25T13:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, I've got a lot of catchup to do here....As you can see, this first one is from before we got our tree down...though it was AFTER Christmas....

This is the best picture I could get of them...I know, it's hard to see past those big blue eyes...but check out those clipies! I'll have to do some more and get a better picture soon. They are buttons on a felt leaf. I think they turned out so stinkin' cute! Why hadn't I made clipies before, you may ask? Well, because for ages now, I've been saying "It sure would be nice to have a hot glue gun..." to my husband...with little more then a grunt of response. I mean, seriously!! Who has a craft blog, but doesn't have a hot glue gun???? So, New Years day, we are clearing out a bunch of boxes and he comes across his hot glue gun that he used to have with his work tools...I knew he had it...but boy was he holding out on me...It's a WAY NICE one...one that you can actually unplug and take where you need it, and has it's own stand so it's not all percarious on a paperplate. Yeah...so now I finally have a hot glue gun...if only I had some glue sticks....

ok...next photo...(ignore the messy counter please...I was in the middle of getting this kid off to school...)

I've been watching this blog on refashioning clothing...And I've been inspired. My girls have a TON of pants with knees ripped out. This skirt, used to be the sweetest pair of corduroy pants...then someone tripped and the knee ripped out...then the rip was extended to most of the way up the thigh....yeah, not something they could wear. I cut it just below the zipper, then used whatever panels from the legs to make the first part of the skirt...which wasn't long enough, so I added the ruffle. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out...now to move on to the rest of the stack of ripped up pants....

This is my version of a Valentine advent calendar inspired by this fun site. I used a heavy piece of cardboard from a pack of scrapbooking paper...(I would have liked a peice of wood, but with one car and a husband who is gone from before I get up until 8 at night...I make due with what I have on hand.). I used mod podge to put on the scrapbook paper and paper heart. Then made little pockets out of other scrapbook paper and taped them on. I wanted to add ribbons to the top of the slips of paper...but I don't have a hole punch (ok, I'm now totally dis-credited in the crafting community, I'm sure!!!) The cardboard is a little bendy, but I'm not going to worry about it at this point, as the only one that's going to get a closer look then this is my husband, and I don't think he'll mark off too many points for that. ;)

Talk about an instant gratification project that totally made me smile today! Here is where I got this from (and the tutorial she links to) and it took me all of 20 min! Right now, I kinda like it hanging on this light, but It'll probably find a new place as I get more valentine day stuff going.

Aren't these little guys the cutest ever!! There is a free pattern here that I used for these. I'm making some for me, and then enough for our nursery at church too. They are going to be so cute! Eventually I'll find a branch to put them on and hang them up...but for now, I think I'll call them "love birds" and use them in my Valentine's day decorations :)

I see a snow fairy!

2010-01-11T18:46:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to make one of these adorable tutu's...so I picked up tulle while at the fabric store on Saturday...figuring it would be another month or so before it got done...But I was really on top of things and got to it TODAY! I thought I had plenty to make skirts for all three girls, but I guess I like them fuller then most directions call for. My plan was to keep my older two occupied this afternoon, so I cut up the tulle into strips and made one for Katie to see if it was something Aimee and Betty could handle...totally something they could do with limited supervision...but I ran out of tulle! So, you get a cute photo shoot of Katie for now. I spent an hour with a search engine and read several tutorials, so I really don't have a link to post, but when I do this with the older two, I'll take pics for one. It really is super easy! Just type in "easy no-sew tutu tutorial". I used elastic and just tied a knot in it for this one. I saw one that called for using and adult size headband thing...I may try that next time as the elastic was a little wonky. Also, for this one, I used almost 3 yards of tulle. I absolutely LOVE it :)

*Photos by my talented brother

Candy making!

2009-12-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

We made candy this year, and had a lot of fun. I had someone ask me for the recipes so I typed them out for them...I figured since they were already typed, I'd go ahead and post them for everyone!

Marshmallows

(Here is the site I got the recipe from...to give credit where due: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/106/Marshmallows

It has good directions and pictures...but since you're here, and I've added personal notes...here ya go.

3 Tbs. (or 3 packages) unflavored, unsweetened gelatin

½ cup cold water

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup corn syrup

¼ cup water

¼ tsp. Salt

1 Tbs. Vanilla extract

powdered sugar

Prepare a 9x13 pan (mine was glass which worked great) by greasing and dusting with powered sugar.

Pour gelatin and ½ cup water into your mixing bowl (I would have liked a stand mixer for this, so if you have one, plan for that..otherwise, whatever bowl you will use your electric mixer with.) I hadn't worked with gelatin before...it will be solid almost at once...don't freak out...it will melt once you pour the hot sugar in.

While that is sitting, put your sugar, corn syrup, and water into a sauce pan. A heavy bottom one is best, but I did it in a light one just fine...just stir constantly and don't turn up the heat too much or it will scorch. Bring mixture to a boil. If you have a candy thermometer, you want to bring it to 250 degrees. If you don't, I've read you can boil for 1 minute and get good results.

Drizzle your hot candy mixture over gelatin mixture while mixing at low speed. Once the syrup is mixed in, add salt. As soon as it starts to fluff up and you aren't in danger of splatters, scrape down the bowl and turn the speed up on your mixture. At some point (I've read about 8-10 minutes, but I don't think I mixed for that long) the volume will stop increasing. At that point, add your vanilla. When it's mixed in, turn off your mixer.

Pour the mixture into your glass pan and smooth out the top some. Let it sit uncovered overnight.

When you are ready to cut them, dust a surface with powdered sugar (no, really...dust it plenty! Those things will be STICKY!) I used a pizza cutter. Cut one row at a time, then cut it in squares and coat each with powdered sugar until they aren't sticky.

At that point you can do what you want with them...even just eat them as they are. We melted milk chocolate chips and dipped them. With chocolate they are best stored in the fridge.

(wow, that sounds long...but it was really very easy...the most time consuming part was cutting and dipping them, but it was a lot of fun and I had Betty doing sprinkles while we chatted, so I didn't notice)

English Toffee

(source: http://spraguerecipes.blogspot.com/2008/11/english-toffee.html )

1 Cup Sugar 
3 T. Water 
1 Cup Butter 
2/3 Cup Chocolate Chips  

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat slowly over medium heat and stir mixture until dissolved. Bring to a boil until the color of a brown paper sack. Stir often (15-20 minutes keep it boiling). Butter an 8x8 inch square pan. Pour the mixture in the pan and place chocolate chips on top. When chips are melted, spread evenly over entire surface. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top, if desired. Let cool and brake into pieces. (my notes: The recipe on the blog actually calls for ½ cup butter and ½ cup margarine, but I used all butter. If you are using a thermometer, you want this to get to the “hard crack stage” which is 302 degrees. I like to pull it off about 298. When you are boiling your sugar, if you are watching the temp, it will seem like it takes a long time right around 220ish. That is about the point where the water is boiling off, and the temp will rise rather slowly. Once the water is all out the temp will raise rather quickly, so keep an eye on it to keep it from burning. I also wouldn't use a glass 8x8 pan again. I'd use a large cookie sheet with either parchment or a silicon mat. That way you don't have to fight to get it out of the pan and it can be spread out thinner, which is how I prefer my toffee. You would need more chocolate to cover it if it was done that way.)

Peppermint Bark

Ok, I have no recipe for this...I just kinda...do it...  Prepare cookie sheet. I buttered then put plastic wrap on mine, but a silicone mat would be great too. Melt a bag of milk chocolate chips over low heat. Add a couple drops of peppermint oil. Pour and smooth out on cookie sheet. Mine didn't reach the edges, which I think makes it easier to get out. Let it cool in the fridge. Crush a handful of peppermint disks(I've seen recipes that use candy canes, as well). We used a cutting board and the pointy side of a meat tenderizer. Be sure to cover them somehow or they will fly everywhere. Plastic wrap worked well for this, but don't pound harder then you have to, or you'll have it everywhere anyway. Melt white chocolate chips over low heat, add peppermint chunks and spread out over the milk chocolate. Let set up in fridge then brake into pieces.

Christmas Advent Calendars

2009-11-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

So every year, I try to do some kind of Advent Calendar with scriptures to read each night. I've actually had to re-do this list several time, and I'm sure you can find others if you did a search, but I'm going to post mine...for posterity or whatever :) I've tried to start with prophesies about Christ's birth, and scriptures talking about who he will be and what he will do, then I put the event's of His birth from the Book of Mormon on the 22, the story of the Wise Men on the 23, and we like to read Luke 2 Christmas Eve. I've left several days blank for things like stories out of the Friend or some of our Christmas books. (I know one year, I had it so it was a scripture every day, but I don't know how I did that, and I like to mix in some of those articles anyway) This year, I put them on the back of strips of scrapbook paper and we'll make a paper chain as we go.

Day 1 - Luke 1:26-38
Day 2 - Matt 1:18-25
Day 3 - 2 Nephi 19:6-8
Day 4 -
Day 5 -
Day 6 - Moses 5:57
Day 7 - 1 Nephi 19:8-11
Day 8 -
Day 9 - John 1:14
Day 10 -
Day 1 1- Micah 5:2
Day 1 2-
Day 1 3-
Day 1 4- 1 Nephi 18-20
Day 1 5-
Day 1 6- 2 Nephi 25:13-14, 19
Day 1 7-
Day 1 8- Isaiah 7:14
Day 1 9- Helaman 14: 2-9
Day 20- 1 Nephi 10:4-6
Day 21 - Alma 7:9-13
Day 22 - 3 Nephi 1:1, 4-21
Day23 - Matt 2: 1-2, 9-11
Day24 - Luke 2: 1-20

We also are doing one using the list from Somewhat simple.

apron pictures

2009-11-18T10:18:00.001-08:00

So here is my first attempt at this apron. I think it turned out really cute. Because the bib is too short for me, Aimee will be getting this apron. It's a little big on her, but it will work just fine. I want to find a pretty button or something to put at the top...but that can be done later.

This is Betty modeling for us...see, a little big, but Aimee loves it, so that's all that really matters.

New apron!

2009-11-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't been feeling particularly crafty or creative or patient enough with my kids to do crafts with them...but I'm trying to get myself re-motivated.

Lately I've been longing to have pretty things in my house...but I can't afford to just go out and buy them....so I'm trying to learn to make them. Right now, I want to work on sewing...I want a fabulous 50's style dress...I can see it in my head, and I've even seen a few online that I really like, but to get it just right, I know I'll have to learn how to do it myself. So, I'm starting on small projects and I'm going to try to work on them at least a little everyday.

Yesterday, I made an apron. I found this great tutorial that I followed exactly. It was really a good tutorial, and the apron turned out very nice! I had to rip out a couple seams because I wasn't paying enough attention to what I was doing...but her instructions were very good. My camera got left in the car that my husband took to work, so I'll have to post a picture later.

A few things I would change for next one. The bib on this one is too short for me. I'll make the neck tie in back so I don't have to do button holes. The waist ties, I'll fold over and sew then turn right side out...the ironing and hemming of those is a task I don't enjoy, so why do it that way when I like the other way better? :) Plus, I think it will look better so you don't have the back of a tie showing. And I may try one with a pleated ruffle...wouldn't that be pretty?

Overall, this was a very fun, easy project, and I think I'll do some measurements so my girls can make some for themselves.

Getting ready for the Tooth Fairy

2009-03-13T09:58:00.001-07:00

So, the tooth fairy will be called in any day now, for Aimee's First loose tooth! It is a very exciting time around here. So, I made this little pillow for her. Cute, hu?

Supplies I used:
Paper (to draw pattern)
pencil
Scissors
1/4 yard White fabric (I used flannel and 1/4 is more then you need, but you need that width)
White thread
Embroidery thread (fabric paint for the words if you'd rather)
Embroidery hoop
Sewing machine
Cotton stuffing

How to:

1) Draw the tooth shape for front and back of pillow. I filled a whole 8x11 sheet and felt it was a good size. make an oval/circle for top of pillow...same width as top of tooth shape. Draw small pocket, big enough for a tooth and then change/bills from tooth fairy.

2) Cut out the pattern and transfer it to your fabric...I used a washable marker in a light color. If your embroidery hoop is bigger then the tooth, do not cut it out first...let's just not cut it out yet, for ease of directions :) Cut out all but the front(at least the pocket if nothing else), leaving enough around the front to secure in hoop.

3) Hem the top of pocket if necessary. I folded mine over and ran a blanket stitch along the top with embroidery thread. You could just run it through your sewing machine. Secure tooth front in hoop and stitch pocket in place with embroidery thread. Write "Tooth Fairy" with light washable marker or soft pencil (remember to leave room for a seam). Embroider front(or use fabric paint, letter buttons, or whatever other embellishment you wish). I'm wishing I'd added "sparkles" with 6 point stars on mine, and will likely go back and add something.

4) cut out fabric (if you haven't already) Place front and back together wrong side out.

5) Sew up all execpt the top of tooth. Place top of tooth along front so the hem will be on the inside. (I don't know how to word that, but I hope you have enough sewing experience to logic it out...)

6) Turn right side out. Wash by hand if it is neccessary to remove ink/pencil. Let dry.

7) Stuff (I used cotton filling). Turn seam under on back/top and stitch.

wow, that was a lot of steps...but it really wasn't hard. I did it in an evening, and think I could do another faster (I'm thinking of getting ones for Betty and Katie done while it's fresh in my mind) If I do, I'll post pics and maybe even scan in the pattern I made for you to use....now I just need to find the going rate for teeth...anyone know what the Tooth Fairy pays now-a-days?

A new place for books

2009-03-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

First, not a lot of projects going on this week, cause we are mostly just enjoying our visit from Uncle Grady! The girls LOVE having him here! Lot's of giggles and wildness and running around...and that's just Grady :p

So, a while ago, I made plans for a sling style kids bookshelf. Then we moved and I didn't have access to tools to make it. Then I saw this which is kinda almost what I was wanting. (mine was a free standing unit with 3 "slings" with different depths...but for what I've got to work with, this will due....someday I'll make my cool freestanding unit)

So, I gathered the supplies. I'm wanting a lot of color, so I loved this fabric.
Then I had this bare spot on the wall that was perfect for it. It's right at Betty's eye level which is perfectly out of Katie's reach. I plan to make another one (got fabric that is the same colors, but with stripes). It's going to go below this one for Katie's books. If I were to make another one, I think I'd use a little heavier fabric, and for kids books, not make it quite as deep.

Book review!

2009-03-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

You Can't Take a Ballon Into the Metropolitan Museum By Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glazzer

What a fun book! It's such an expressive story...with absolutely NO WORDS. My girls and I looked though it together and tomorrow we are going to use the references in the back of the book to look up some of the art pieces and learn some more about them. We're also going to talk about art representing life (as many of the pictures show this). This has also been a great book for my girls to look at on their own, since the pictures tell the story so well. Definitely one to check out!

Lots of catching up....Lots of fun experiences.

2009-03-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

So, what have I been doing this last week and a half...where I am NOT posting my promised posts? We've been living life.
We did this art project from Art Project for Kids. The top two are mine. I've found that it works really well if I do an example before, then do one with them that is different to show that there are different ways to do things and to encourage them to use their imagination.

The girls built snowmen with their dad. LOL...like how the snowman has arms? Guess they couldn't find branches.
We planted Wheatgrass to observe...we weren't real observant though, and we got a lot of mold in it...I've found some better directions and we're going to be starting this again this week.
I started home-made hankies. I saw a suggestion to make some out of flannel. This is the fabric I picked out for the girls. Now I just need to get around to hemming them.....

We had a rodent experence....We found this thing on the sidewalk when walking to get Aimee from school. I think it was injured...it acted very docile, and I thought maybe it looked like a gerbil, so I was worried it was someone's pet. We've been trying to teach our kids kindness...and because Betty had seen it, I couldn't just walk away. I used Katies hat (don't worry Miriam...it wasn't one of her good ones ;) ) and caught the thing. After getting it home, we looked on the internet to see what it might be. It wasn't a gerbil...we decided it was something wild that had been in shock. When we went to send it back to the wild "to go find it's family" it got a little spooked and reared up and showed it's teeth...definitly not domestic teeth. Well, my goal is giving my girls experiences...(and no-one freak out...nobody touched it, the hat was washed, there was no way it could have gotten loose, and I did not release it in our back yard.)

And lastly...We celebrated Betty's birthday!And here is the apron I made for her. I think it turned out sooo good! I had no pattern, and I really don't have a lot of sewing experience. I think I want to add pockets to it...but we'll see if I get around to it. Especially because Aimee wants one now too...and I think I do too :)

Creating houses

2009-02-16T20:21:00.000-08:00

I found this fun website a couple days ago. She has so many fun ideas for little kids...So we learned how to draw houses today. We used graph paper, and just followed her instructions. It was really fun. I think I should have done an example before sitting down with the girls. Aimee did the two on the bottom. She wanted to put a fence in hers, but discovered when she tried to color it, that it was a little too intricate for crayons...so she did a second one....Tomorrow, we are planning on painting (another project from her website). I also want to try to do some more projects to get the girls to work on straight lines.We also did a science experiment today. We talked about molecules and how they move faster when they are warm, and slower when they are cold. We heated water in one glass, and put ice in water in another, then we added food coloring (after taking the ice out of the cold one). I didn't get a good picture...so you'll have to do it with your own kids to see what happens ;) Be sure to have them make a hypothesis before you put the color in.

Sparklies

2009-02-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this was mostly going to be about doing crafts with my kids...but I love doing some projects that my kids just aren't big enough for yet...and I still want to share them. So, you get big girl crafts too :)
I picked up this book in the library...I basically wanted something with new decorating pictures (I've been though mine so many times....) and I'm glad this was the first one I grabbed. She has some really fun ideas. (The cover is hard to read....Dime Store Decorating by Jill Williams Grover). She did this in her book. Mine didn't turn out quite as nice has hers (good thing I don't have as quality of photos, and you're not looking at mine and her's side by side), but I'm really happy with them. She also put her's in little clay pots painted in coordinating colors, but I didn't like the look of the pots, so I just did the glasses. And I didn't have all matching glasses...which I think is fun. I just did this with acrylic paint, so I can wash them off and do something different if I ever want to. I put them in my kitchen window, and they add such a nice burst of color and sparkle. Perfect for when we are waiting for spring to show up.

A valentine's day surprise

2009-02-15T16:24:00.001-08:00

We wanted to do something special for daddy for valentine's day, so, out came the scrapbooking supplies so we could make cards. I couldn't post them before we gave them to him, so you are getting them now. It was interesting that with all the stuff I had out for them to use, all they wanted to do was use the markers and draw...oh, and put stickers on. Guess we need to do more drawing.

Valentine's Cookies

2009-02-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

Well, as life goes, our party got canceled because Aimee woke up with a fever. I (being the mean mom that I am) made her stay home from school and miss her class Valentine's day party...but I know she was sick because she didn't fight me on it too hard. We had planned on cookies though, so we did cookies anyway. Nothing terribly creative...just frosting and sprinkles on heart sugar cookies. They still were fun for the kids, and turned out pretty. I put aside a plate for our neighbors (who were going to come to our party). Then we had some other neighbors bring us some cookies, so we sent them home with some of ours. Overall a productive day.

And what does a baby do during a cookie making activity? Well, she plays with the cookie cutters that spilled on the floor when the box got picked up upside-down.

A New Year's resolution...just a little late.

2009-02-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

This year, I made a New Year's resolution to do more fun projects with my kiddo's. At the time we were moving. We weren't going to have a lot of furniture, but thinking about it, I realized that I don't really care...who wants to spend a lot of time sitting on a couch anyway...I'd set up a great area for crafts (and we have a great chair for reading and bean bags for when we do want to watch TV.)
Well, with the chaos that goes along with a big move, I hadn't gotten any of it done, and I felt like my kids were watching way more TV then I'd like. They have been fighting a lot, and I feel that is a sign of boredom. So, I re-resolved to create activities for my girls. And look at what I got done today! This was all in boxes this morning. Now I have a large chunk of the office/storage room cleared(not pictured here...it's still a large mess...just a little less of a large mess), and we'll be able to craft! Yay! :)
Originally, my plan called for a long craft table, with some kind of shelving for storage...well, I don't have all that yet, but I did have an extra small dining table. It will hold our supplies so they are easily available...the little table that is the girls' tucks nicely underneath when we're not using it, or we can use the kitchen table. I *think* I got all the craft stuff out of boxes...gosh, for the small number of crafts we've been doing, I sure have a lot of *stuff*...
So, I'm creating this blog...it's my special project blog. I'm promising to post something crafty, a fun activity, science experiment, book we're reading or adventure...with pictures if I can. I'll give how-to's when able, and give links to inspiration. I resolve to post on this blog at least 4 times per week!

Also, with this resolution in mind, we went and got library cards yesterday! The girls each got their own even. It was so exciting for them, and they were both so proud to be able to write their own names on their cards. Well, we each got to pick up some books. I'll let you know if I find any that are simply amazing. Well, I did! My sister in law introduced us to My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett a while ago, but we've only read the first one. It's the first book with chapters I've read to the girls and they loved it. We got it as a refresher, so we can read the rest of the trilogy soon. If the rest is as good as the first, I'd highly recommend the for any kid who likes to be read to...and maybe some who don't know they like to be read to yet ;)

So, coming up tomorrow! We are having a cookie decorating party with our neighbors. We may do some cards too. Fun stuff!