Faithofallcrafts

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Check out these adorable box doll houses ToolGuy made for the kids. The people are made from "old fashioned" clothespins cut down to adult & kid heights.

New Calendar

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

I designed this calendar using digital scrapbook papers. Here is a picture of it hanging on the wall in my kitchen, and another of just the calendar.

Horse Painting

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Grandpa painted this picture some years ago. For Christmas this year, he sent it to the kids, knowing their love of horses. We had a frame just the perfect size. I am super impressed with Grandpa's talent!!

Trimmed Wall

2012-01-05T06:07:00.000-08:00

We got trim for a steal about a week ago at the habistore in town. Yesterday, while the kids & I were doing our weekly shopping, ToolGuy trimmed in the opening between our kitchen & living room.

I had been wanting this trimmed in for some time, because we always set things up there, and the counter was just drywall.

I forgot to take a before picture, but found one from Peaceful's birthday about a month ago.

Before

After

We have a similar wall between our living room & the hallway. We bought enough trim to do that wall, but we don't have the top piece of wood yet. Maybe we'll get to that one soon.

Not a Craft, but Worth Sharing

2012-01-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

Progress

I still have about 25 lbs to get to my goal, but I'm definitely making improvements. I'm labeling this under "things I can't live without" as I'm pretty sure I wouldn't live very long in the before state of health (if it could be called that).

Candy Dish

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

When I was a child, my Granddaddy built an M&M machine. Always when we were at his house, we sneaked candy from this jar.
This year, ToolGuy recreated the candy jar for me, as he knew I always wanted to have one.

When we were at my grandmother's house in May, ToolGuy secretly took measurements so that he could make it just like the one Granddaddy made. What an awesome husband I have.

Christmas Pajamas

2011-12-23T17:29:00.000-08:00

Every year, I make pajamas for the kids at Christmastime. Here are the kids in their pajamas for 2011.

The girls gowns are made using Mccalls Pattern 4646. Tank's pants are patterned off some pants he already owned.

Winter Wreath

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple little wreath I made using leftover fabrics & a bit of pipe insulation tubing (or whatever you call the foam you wrap around pipes).

NOEL

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

I put this little decoration together for December. ToolGuy cut out the letters for me.

New Stockings

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

We had a paint mishap earlier this year. The problem was that paint spilled, all over our stockings.

So, Saturday, I remade them. Of course, I couldn't find all the same fabrics, but they are similar.

Another Gown

2011-12-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

New Nightgown

2011-11-28T15:10:00.000-08:00

I finally did it. I went out at sunrise on Black Friday. I had to go out early so I could be home for breakfast with the family. I went to Joann Fabrics & bought flannel for $1.50/yard. Here's a gown I made for myself.

And, in case you can't see it well above, a closeup of the fabric.

I Quit Making Bread

2011-11-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

I've been replaced. Sprightly has been making all our bread for weeks, now. I put the recipe on masking tape inside the cabinet door.

New Apron

2011-11-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting an apron that provides full coverage for some time now. I made this Edwardian apron from a costume apron pattern.

I live in aprons, so having a nice looking one that provides a little more than my average aprons is nice.

Checker Table

2011-10-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

You might remember this table ToolGuy made for our living room. I finally got around to painting it. Checkers, anyone?

Peaceful's Pinafore

2011-10-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

My mom gave this adorable little dress to Peaceful. All it needed was a pinafore, so I whipped this one together last night. Needless to say, Peaceful was thrilled.

Pretty Computer - How To

2011-09-18T17:04:00.001-07:00

Last week, I showed my cute computer. Here's what I did.

I found this contact paper at Target. I used a craft knife (basically a razor blade on a stick) & cut out a part of the pattern I liked best. I stuck each little white circle or swirl or line to the computer in the same arrangement they were on the green background of the contact paper. I think stripes would have been less tedious.

Cute Flower Computer

2011-09-10T13:17:00.001-07:00

I made this cute flower to go on the outside of my computer. It is just pieces cut out of contact paper I had on hand. It's definitely more interesting than the plain old black.

Sweater Pillow

2011-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I made this new little throw pillow from an old sweater that no longer fit.

Strawberries

2011-08-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, I made and canned a bunch of strawberry jam.

Sprightly's Birthday Cake

2011-08-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

Sprightly asked for ice cream cake this year. It's super easy to make. I used two cartons of ice-cream.
Let the first carton get very soft. Spread into a casserole dish & put in the freezer to re-freeze.
When the first layer is hard, crunch up oreos (or other cookies) & spread evenly over whole "cake".
Let 2nd carton of ice cream get soft & spread on top of the oreos & re-freeze.
When 2nd layer of ice cream is solid again, top with whipped cream.

New Valance in Girls' Room

2011-08-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, I made these curtains for the girls' room. They were never quite wide enough. Plus, I hemmed incorrectly, so they were always a bit too long & dragging. I finally got sick enough of them to do something about it. I ripped them apart & turned them into this little ruffled valance, which works much better.

Camo Re-do

2011-08-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Sprightly got a camo outfit (hat, jacket, pants) for her birthday. She really preferred it to be a skirt, so I did a little "mommy sewing magic" on it today.

Before:

After:

Wrap Skirts

2011-08-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

I made these wrap skirts for the girls. The girls love that they are "big girl" skirts.

Birthday Hair

2011-08-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today, my oldest daughter Sprightly turned 9. I can't believe I have a 9 yr old, but that's a whole other issue. I am definitely glad to have my girl. She is very creative & excitable, which is a recipe for fun & adventure.

She wanted me to do her hair in a special way for church this morning. She got a regular ponytail, but with a fun French braid on the front & tied back to the ponytail.

I've never done a French braid before, but it turned out okay. I'm not sure I am ready to do a full-head braid, but the little front one wasn't too difficult.

More Gray & Yellow

2011-08-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

I just did a couple of extra cute (& useful) things for the kids bathroom.

I painted this little birdhouse & mounted it on a weird candlestick I found at goodwill.

I made this extra roll holder from some $1/yard fabric & a bit of ribbon I had on hand. (In a bathroom for 4 kids, someone is continually running out of paper.)

Necklace Holder

2011-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I made this by repainting a cheap frame & adding some cup hooks.

Making More Cinnamon Rolls

2011-08-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The kids & I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast for their sleepover. We made a pan to send home with our friends as well.

No Food Dye Cake

2011-08-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Last night, we celebrated Sprightly's & Eager's birthdays (very early, as they are in mid-August & mid-September). Here is the very white cake I made for the overnight party with friends.

I tried to do a checkerboard pattern with the cake itself, but it was a lot harder than I expected it to be. I put a 1/2 cup cocoa in the 2nd half of the white cake to make it brown.

Bathroom Floor Cloth

2011-08-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

I used some yellow canvas I had laying around to make this new floor cloth for the kids' bathroom. I sewed it into a square, and used some gray fabric paint & freezer paper stencil to put a little design on it.

I think it goes well with the new gray & yellow theme of the bathroom.

Easiest Cheese Sticks Ever

2011-07-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today, we made cheese sticks using egg-roll wrappers.

1. What you'll need - egg roll wrappers, string cheese, skillet, oil. Optional: marinara sauce. (Obviously this is a horrible picture & includes less than half of the things I say you need)

2. Lay your string cheese almost centered on the egg-roll wrapper

3. Roll it up, making sure to tuck in the ends.

4. In a skillet, pour about 1 inch of oil & heat to medium. Fry for about one minute on each side.

5. Serve with a side of marinara sauce.

6. Enjoy!

(Thumbs up from Sprightly)

(Eager smiles sweetly)

(Thumbs up from Peaceful)

Eggs & Bacon with Toast

2011-07-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

I used this recipe from Martha to make egg, bacon & toast cups for breakfast this morning. They were a big hit with all the kids.

New Side Table by ToolGuy

2011-07-06T14:28:00.001-07:00

ToolGuy made this side table for me from some stuff in the Ikea handyman deal. You can check out more of the process on his blog.

(On the top you can see the stack of books I borrowed from my dad when I was at his house last month. I wonder if I'll ever finish them all.)

I made the coasters for ToolGuy for Father's Day. Nothing special really - just modpodged maps onto tile like everyone is doing these days. The maps are all the places he's lived.

New Bag

2011-07-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

I made this bag for myself. A couple of years ago, I made a bag this size with simple quilters calico. It is always so limp. I thought I would re-make the bag using some kind of interfacing in it.

However, when I went to Joann, this fabric was on sale for $2/yard. It is an outdoor canvas. I didn't need to use any interfacing as this is a very stiff fabric.

(special thanks to Eager for modeling it for me)

I made this bag specifically to carry all my stuff for a homeschool conference I will attend later this year.

Ikea Deal & Husband's Blog

2011-07-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

First, let me direct you to my husband's blog. It is linked over here -------->. Please go see what he's up to at Tool Guy's Handy Blog.

Second, check out the deal we got on a lot of materials for projects. At Ikea, we were going through the "as is" section when ToolGuy noticed a cart loaded full of things labeled "Handyman's Cart". Being avid diy-ers, we couldn't resist it.

After we bought the cart full of stuff, we then had to figure out how to get it all in the car while still taking all 4 children home with us as well. Luckily, ToolGuy is a champion tetris player.

We laid all of the pieces out by type &/or size.

Here's what we got.

Here's what we paid.

(Avoiding) Food Dyes

2011-07-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

Some of you know that we avoid red & yellow dyes for our children's food. Well, as it turns out, our kids do much better when they're not on ANY dyes. This makes my life so much harder. It is easy when we're at home, but what about when we're out?

Swinging through a fast food restaurant is nearly impossible (not that it's super healthy anyway, but sometimes it is easier). I also need to be prepared for my kids when we go to a friend's house. I either have to annoy said friend by making special requests regarding food, or I need to bring my own food. I opt for bringing our own food, but it is definitely going to take some practice & discipline for me to be that prepared ahead of time.

It seems like such a minor thing (food dyes), but they are in everything from mayo (white) to marshmallows (also white). I definitely have a greater respect for mothers of children who can't have gluten or dairy or nuts or whatever. I can't imagine all the label reading and preparation they have to do to feed their children. I hope I can keep up, because I see a definite improvement in my children since we have been off all dyes (instead of just the 2 we were avoiding before).

Canning

2011-06-22T15:38:00.001-07:00

Today, we snapped & canned tons of green beans. Everyone gathered on the quilt to snap them while we listened to A Bride Goes West.

We got 11 full quarts.

Recovered Bench

2011-06-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

You might remember the bench from this earlier post. Someone (*cough* Peaceful *cough*) got a crayon & colored all over it. Crayon doesn't really come out of fabric.

This week, I recovered the bench. I like the box pleats better than the old pleats. ToolGuy picked this beautiful fabric (which looks a lot bluer in the pic than in real life).

Sprightly & Eager wanted to try it out.

I'm still going to make some pillows to go on it, as only a few of those we had coordinate with this fabric.

Bride & "Groom" shirts

2011-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I used freezer paper stencils to make these shirts for my sister & her husband for the week of their wedding.

Going Gray

2011-06-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

I recently re-did the kids' bathroom. Previously, we had a bright beachy shower curtain & letters.

Here is a picture of the letters before we painted the walls.

We also had the standard towel bar (which we put S hooks on to make enough room for towels for 4). Peaceful decided to try to hang from the towels & climb the wall, thereby bending the bar.

Here's the toned-down gray & yellow update.

I have had this yellow shower curtain forever. It was in our bathroom before, but it goes so much better in the kids' bathroom.

We replaced the standard towel bar with a set of four hooks.

If you cant read it, the picture says: You don't really need to brush your teeth, just the ones you want to keep.

Half Dozen T-shirts

2011-05-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

We are the "Lastname" half dozen. There are 6 of us.

For our vacation this summer, we wanted to make some matching family t-shirts. Here's what we came up with. The back says "Lastname (smudged on purpose on the picture) half dozen". The front has a turtle on it. We wanted some kind of little thing on the front but couldn't think of anything.

My sister reminded me that we always call ourselves a "herd of turtles". So, a turtle on the front it is.

I used freezer paper stencils (you can find a tutorial anywhere with a simple internet search) to do the lettering and the turtles.

Tool Guy & I have matching shirts also, but I didn't get them in the picture.

Toddler Backpack

2011-05-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

I was out this weekend looking for a toddler/small child sized backpack for Peaceful to take on our trip. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one without either princesses, dora or skulls. Blah on all counts. I whipped this one up out of a few rectangles & a couple of straps. It's definitely not perfect, but it will work.

Forgive the hair & clothing. She dressed herself this morning. Haha! Thank goodness we're staying home.

Sunday Best

2011-04-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

This time, Tank got a matching tie.

You might remember this fabric from the skirt I made a few weeks ago.

Matching Kids

2011-04-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

I made these jumpers for the girls for our upcoming trip. The boy got a polo to match.

One More Skirt

2011-04-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

I've been making lots of clothes for myself these days, apparently. Or, a lot of skirts anyway - shirts are too difficult. I'm not that good a seamstress (yet, hopefully).

This is the same pattern as the first skirt I posted. I used this fabric to make jumpers for all 3 girls and a tie for the boy for Easter. I still need to do the girls' button holes, but will hopefully have a picture up soon - by Easter anyway.

Notes: The shirt is actually chocolate brown, but looks black in the picture. I don't know what the flash dot on my stomach is, but it makes me think about plastic surgery. I can imagine the doc taking a pic & highlighting the "problem areas". Haha!

Another New Skirt

2011-04-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

This one is also black and white plaid. My mother bought this fabric for me at about the same time I bought the gray & black plaid that my previous skirt was made from. Great minds.

This is a very simple wrap skirt pattern. I got it from a friend who got it from a friend who....

I like how this turned out & will likely make more of this pattern.
*Sorry for the bit of blurriness - Sprightly took the picture of me at night.

New Skirt

2011-04-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

I made this skirt for myself a few weeks ago. I used Simplicity pattern 9825. The material is a stretch knit, so I didn't do a zipper in the back*. I finished the seams in the back all the way to the top instead of having an opening.

*I also made this skirt in a red plaid to match some jumpers & a tie that I made for the kids. It has a zipper in the back as it is not a stretchy fabric.

More Water Bottle Bags

2011-03-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

I made quite a few more water bottle bags for our friends the O's, the C's & the W's. I'm delivering them tomorrow & hope they like them.

Water Bottle Bags

2011-03-29T13:16:00.001-07:00

I made these simple water bottle bags from a strip & a square of fabric. All my friends have now asked me to make them for their children now.

Here Eager & Tank are modeling the bags. Each of the girls (including myself) has a pink bag, and both of the boys (Tank & TG) have red.

Broken Camera

2011-03-28T17:24:00.001-07:00

I have been doing tons of projects lately, but haven't been able to take any pictures. I promise to get some up soon. I got my replacement camera in the mail today.
Hurrah!

Some projects I've been doing:
jumpers for girls
tie for the boy
water bottle bags
skirts for myself

Wedding Clothes

2011-03-21T15:13:00.001-07:00

I made these clothes for the kids for the wedding this summer. Tank & Peaceful are the ring bearer & flower girl. Sprightly & Eager wanted to match, but not be exactly the same.

I have either camera or computer problems (or more likely - both) that are causing that line through the picture.

The kids came in from playing outside to put these clothes on for the picture. I promise my sister that I will comb their hair properly before the event. Ha!

Ring Pillow

2011-03-19T19:34:00.001-07:00

Tank is the ring-bearer in my sister's wedding this coming May. Here's the pillow I made for him to carry. Sprightly did quite a bit of the embroidery. She's such a good helper.

Tank's Pajamas

2011-03-12T16:58:00.001-08:00

I made them a size too big, as you can tell. He's a growing boy, though, so they should fit properly in no time.

(Forgive me for not cropping Peaceful out of the picture. I don't have photoshop anymore. She REALLY wanted to be in the picture & was racing to make it in time.)

More New Gowns

2011-03-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

Today, I made these two gowns for Sprightly & Eager. Now each girl has 2 gowns, which was my goal. It's always useful to have more than one set of pajamas.

Kindle Cover

2011-03-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

My amazing, wonderful sister bought a Kindle for me for my birthday! Here is a cover I made for it.

I kindof wish I had taken the velcro all the way to the edges, but oh well.

Computer Issues & Nightgowns

2011-03-02T07:47:00.001-08:00

My computer finally died. It died for good. I'm currently using a spare ToolGuy had, but it doesn't have my photo editing software or anything else I normally use.

Here is a picture of the gown I made recently for Peaceful.

New Quilt for Our Bed

2011-02-14T08:24:00.001-08:00

I took Tool Guy to the fabric shop a few weeks ago & had him pick some fabric. I love what he picked. Here is our new quilt/bedspread.

School Bins

2011-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

ToolGuy was so wonderful to make these crates for me. I used Show & Tell Sasha's method of aging the wood, which I like so much better than the "brand new lumber" look. It was very easy to do, but boy do vinegar & steel wool stink!

I think it will be handy to have all our school stuff in one place instead of scattered about (as it had recently become, because we didn't truly have a place for everything). We do school all over the house, but this will be a sort of command center.

Living Room Curtains

2011-02-08T13:21:00.001-08:00

I used some very inexpensive twin flat sheets to make these curtains for our living room.

(please ignore our $10 ikea chair - ha!)

Girls' Curtains

2011-01-27T15:12:00.000-08:00

I finally made some curtains for the girls' room. The fabric is the same as their quilts.

Library Update

2011-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

After the post below this one, I talked to the branch manager. He basically told me the woman was wrong (but his tone of voice said he really meant crazy) for thinking I needed to be with the kids. He remembered my kids specifically, and told me they have never been any problem alone. He said if anyone gives them anymore trouble, they should just say "Branch Manager Martin said we are allowed to be here."

Thanks, Martin!!

Not a Craft Post

2011-01-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

Earlier, I went to the library. I don't actually go into the library. I simply send in a couple of kids (always some combination of the older three - ages 8, 6 & almost 5).

Today, we got a new librarian. When Sprightly & Eager returned to the car with our books (which were on reserve), there was a note on top that said
"Please come in next time. Thanks! :)"

According to Sprightly, here's how it went down. The girls went to the counter & waited for the librarian. She said she would help them, but where is their Mom? Sprightly informed her that I was waiting in the car & could she please get our books off the shelf (our last name begins with a B, so they're on the top shelf & the girls can't reach them).

The librarian asked them to come with her to the reserve shelf, because "you won't be safe by yourself at the counter". Never mind that I could see them from the car, and never mind that the SECURITY GUARD was standing not 5 feet away.

Sprightly told her that their Mom wants them to stay at the counter where I can see them, and the librarian reluctantly went to get the books - only after telling the girls that they need to stand there & not talk to anyone.

On the up side of this craziness story is the security guard who told the new librarian "They are fine. They've been coming in here alone for a year at least." Apparently when she came back with the books & asked the girls to wait while she wrote a note for their Mother.

Eager told me "Um, Mom. Kids who are Tank's age get on a bus without their parents. Why are libraries supposed to be scary?"

*sigh*

Chalkboard from Cabinet Door

2011-01-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

I bought a large cabinet door for a couple bucks at our local Habistore. I used chalkboard paint & some leftover blue/green paint from my kitchen to turn it into this.

Yes, I realize we are "those homeschoolers" who have a chalkboard in their living room now, but I like it anyway. We don't use it for lessons. I just like to boss people around in my house, and now I can tell them what to do even when I'm not in the room. Bwahaha!

Also in the picture you can see my new red entry bench. I picked that one up at my friend Ursula's yard sale earlier this month.

Bottle Net

2010-12-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Bee Zoo has this tutorial for a Ballard inspired bottle net. (note: some profanity)

I really liked this idea, and it was quite simple to execute. I made mine with some rope stuff I had laying around waiting for inspiration. I'm sure it would be even more beautiful with a more interesting bottle.

Becca @ Bee Zoo taped her string to the bottom of her bottle, because she planned to set them on a counter. I am hanging mine, so I decided to tie a knot underneath & let the "fringe" hang down.

I hung mine on the peg rail in my entryway.

I tied an extra piece of the rope onto the top in order to hang it.

Tank's Cowboy Room

2010-12-27T17:29:00.000-08:00

Last week, we bought fabric for Tank's cowboy bed. He really wanted to do the whole thing out of the cowboy fabric that the sham is made from, but I didn't think I could stand that forever. We picked some coordinating stripe fabric to make the quilt out of.

TG & I made the headboard that day as well. He is still on the trundle, but at least now it looks a little more like a real bed than before. We made the headboard out of scrap wood leftover from other projects.

As you can tell, Tank is very happy with is cowboy room. (I think his bears are pleased as well.)

Girls' Room

2010-12-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I showed you Tank's room. This is the girls' new room. ToolGuy cut the bottom of the bunk beds since the trundle no longer needed to fit under there. The girls really like their new green room.

Sprightly on top; Eager in the middle, and Peaceful on the bottom.

At the end of the bunks, I put the bookshelf & two of the girls' cross stitch birth announcements from their grandmother. The 3rd birth announcement is on the wall by the door.

Tank's Boy Room

2010-12-20T17:05:00.001-08:00

Tank, Sprightly & Eager have gotten too big to share a room anymore. Sprightly is 8, and really needs a room without boys in it. Last week, ToolGuy & I took on the task of moving the children into separate bedrooms. The current bedroom remained Tank's bedroom, and the school room shelf full of toys & supplies moved in there. Here are some pictures:

(Nevermind the crooked quilt. Any bed-making effort on the part of 4 yr old boys is enough to make me happy.)

I plan to put pictures of the girls new room tomorrow. Right now, ToolGuy is reading bedtime stories to the children in that room.

Uncle Matty's Stocking

2010-12-14T15:53:00.000-08:00

You might remember our family stockings. I made another one for my sister when she was here visiting at Christmas a few years ago.
She is getting married in May, so I made a stocking for my new brother-in-law Matty. It will (hopefully) coordinate with hers*, so they will have stockings for their home.

*C, I don't have a picture of your stocking, please send one.

Kids in Pajamas

2010-12-12T16:55:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture of all four kids in their new pajamas.

L to R: Eager, Sprightly, Peaceful & Tank (note the Spain t-shirt that belonged to his father/uncles)

Third One

2010-12-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

Peaceful's Gown

I've finished Tank's pants as well, but haven't photographed them yet.

Two Down Two to Go

2010-12-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

I'm making gowns & pajamas for my kids this year. Today, I finished the big girls' gowns. I made them from some super cute sheets I bought at an estate sale some months ago.

Sprightly's Gown

Eager's Gown

I can't wait to see if the girls' like them.

Autumn Trees

2010-12-02T19:04:00.001-08:00

I found this idea on Wee Folk Art over a year ago, but just got around to making some of our own. ToolGuy cut the trees out using a band saw, and I painted them with very watered-down craft paints.

I used these as centerpieces for the kids' table on Thanksgiving, and now they are toys for the children.

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

2010-11-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I am totally happy with how this looks, but I thought I would share my simple Thanksgiving centerpiece.

I cut leaf shapes out of autumn colors of felt. On them I placed mason jars with candles in them. Some have pumpkin candles & others have autumn spice.

Also, apparently I can't line things up straightly, but I'll work on it sometime later. I've still got a few days until Friday. (We are celebrating a day late)

A Whole New Room

2010-11-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

Tool Guy finished our table this weekend. It looks fantastic. I'm still waiting for the wax to set so I can buff it, but I couldn't wait to show you a picture.

I really love the extra space I have in the kitchen. The table is only 6 inches longer (thus accommodating 3 chairs on each side), but it saves us a lot of room since it is narrower. Also, now I can walk around the end of my table when people are sitting there. Before, the person on the end would have to get up or scoot way in for us to get around.

Hurrah for ToolGuy!

Before:

After:

Complete

2010-11-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

Give Thanks

2010-11-10T12:41:00.001-08:00

I cut a 2x4 board into various sized pieces. I used craft paint, with a generous amount of water to thin it out, to paint the pieces different fall colors.

I printed the words "Give Thanks" in a very large font. Then I scribbled in pencil on the back of the printed letters.

I centered the letters where I wanted them on the blocks and traced around them. Because I had scribbled the pencil on the back, the shape of the letter transferred onto the block. Then, I traced the pencil line & colored in with sharpie. I was thinking of doing this with brown paint, but the sharpie was much simpler to use than a paintbrush.

This is the half wall between my kitchen & living room.

What I've Been Up To

2010-10-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

1. Getting back on schedule after our trip to Oklahoma. It's always harder to get back on schedule than I think it will be, but I am very glad to be home & trying.

2. Finishing the 3rd quilt for the girls. I can't believe how long this has taken me. I still need one more package of binding to finish the 3rd quilt. I see a trip to JoAnn in my future. For now, here's a picture of the two I finished before our trip.

3. Changing out to winter things. I put our winter quilt on our bed, and it is so cozy. I've been working on getting the kids clothes changed over, but realize that I need to buy a few things to complete the wardrobes. Tank has nothing in long sleeves, and his jacket is getting too small. Somehow the boy always runs out of clothes first.

4. Spending time with friends!

Traveling Light (or not so light)

2010-10-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I just took a trip to Oklahoma with my 4 children. ToolGuy wasn't able to come along because of work, so it was just the 5 of us. I am always trying to get away with less stuff when I travel. I don't like taking a ton of things, but I think I took too many this time.

I took my largest suitcase with everything I thought we all needed. In previous years, we took 2 suitcases, a pack-n-play, a booster hi-chair, a stroller, and usually 4,000,000 other things. It is nice having all big kids and only having one suitcase in the back of the van. I still feel like we took too many things though, because we didn't use them all.

Next time, everyone will get 3 outfits (instead of the 5 the littler ones got this time). We won't take shampoo/conditioner, because the places we stay always have those anyway. We will not take extra socks & stockings. I think we took about 80 pairs of socks and stockings and used the same ones over & over again. So many of them weren't even unpacked. I will only take one pair of pajamas per person. I do enough laundry that I can wash them in time to use them every night.

In the car, I only allowed my children to have 2 books each, their bear & a blanket. Each of them has a kid-sized neck pillow. That was it.

I took a cooler with snacks & things in it, and while I don't like the amount of space a cooler takes, I definitely love saving money. If you drive through for every meal or snack the costs can be astronomical (never mind that it's super unhealthy). I use the snack-sized ziplock bags & divy up all the snacks before hand, so we can just pass bags around instead of trying to serve things as well. Some of our snacks: popcorn, peanuts, carrot sticks, raisins, peanut butter sandwiches (I make an entire loaf of them), apple slices, hershey's kisses (because on a 17 hour trip with 4 children in tow, sometimes you need a piece of chocolate). Everyone brings their water bottles & I bring an extra gallon of water as well.

We did our stops in 8 minutes. In that amount of time I can fill the gas tank & the kids can all use the restroom & be ready to go again. I am training them to be efficient little travelers considering how far we live from the rest of our family.

There are definitely things I will change for next time & have notes written down. We are driving to the Outer Banks, NC in May for my sister's wedding. That's a much longer drive, but we will make some stops & ToolGuy will be with us. I'm considering driving to San Diego (our closest beach - 6 hours West) to start, just so we can say that we actually drove from coast to coast.

Celebration Bunting

2010-09-17T09:15:00.001-07:00

I made some new bunting to hang up for celebrations. We don't usually do streamers or such, but have made different garlands & buntings in the past (all of which have worn clean out). I made two just alike. I didn't buy anything, just used fabric I had on hand.

Laundry Room

2010-09-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Wish I could have found enough paint to do the whole room, but I only found a pint at the habistore a few weeks ago (for $1.50 - so I can't complain too loudly).

Here is my "new" laundry room with the back wall painted. ToolGuy says he likes it & is glad I only did one wall because the pumpkin/rust color would be too much if it covered the whole room.

As you can see, our Laundry room is used as storage for the extra table & chairs as well.

Kids Closet

2010-09-11T20:51:00.001-07:00

Some things you should know about my kids closet:
1. All four kids share it
2. The door on the right side is constantly falling off
3. The door on the left side is constantly open
4. The shoes are normally in disarray with several hangers or discarded clothes mixed in.
5. The sides aren't quite wide enough for all four children's folded clothes (left side) or hanging clothes (right side).

So, I did what so many people do, and what I had long ago decided I would NEVER do. Isn't that always the way?

You might remember this cabinet which has gone through many uses. It started as a TV cabinet when it was dark brown. Then I painted it & made it an art cabinet. Then it was our paperwork, photo, wrapping paper & DVD storage. Recently, I cleaned it out of all it's contents and had almost decided to get rid of it as a superfluous piece of furniture. We had been using it for various storage, but mostly it was a dumping ground. If a kid said "where do I put X?" The answer would all too often be "just put it in the green cabinet. I'll deal with it later." Famous last words. So, I emptied it out & kept only the things that matter to us, and it was sitting in my room staring at me begging me to make a decision.

The decision: take the door off the kids closet & put their folded clothes into the green cabinet. Make the closet beautiful, and get to keep my pretty cabinet that I decorated all by myself.

The buckets up top hold extra blankets, swimsuits & bags/backpacks.

I used some plastic shelving I had on hand for the inside of the cabinet.

New Blue Chairs

2010-09-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

We are in the process of changing up our kitchen chairs & table. You can imagine what the chairs used to look like if you look at the table - dark legs, light top - or you can see a picture here. I love this "federal blue" oops paint I found at Lowe's. Can't beat it for $5, and it's really a great color & just what I had in mind.

The table will get a re-do over ToolGuy's winter break, most likely. It will become longer & narrower. Our kitchen does not accommodate the width right now, and the chairs on the end make it hard to get around. When it is finished, it will be only about 7 inches longer, but will have 3 chairs along each side & no end chairs. We plan to do the legs off-white (with some leftover paint from our bedroom), and the top will be stained a little bit darker of a brown. Since ToolGuy is in charge of the table re-do, I trust that it will actually take the stain & not be fouled up like I did the chairs.

Having originally planned to do the table & chairs all in the dark color of the table legs, I'm kindof glad it didn't work out. I like the color, and the white will bring even more lightness in a few months.

Also of note, I did this (even the mistakes & fixing & everything) without ToolGuy's help. He did take me to Home Depot to get some supplies, but he didn't do the work. I'm immensely proud of myself, as he usually takes over half way through because (a) I give up & (b) I'm not doing the job properly so he has to do it himself.

Currently Working On

2010-09-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm working on some birthday bunting that I am hoping to finish before Eager's birthday next week.

Also, I have been re-finishing chairs. I started by stripping them. Then I started to stain them, but it didn't work for so many reasons. No doubt, most of them were due to operator error, but I am not determined enough to try again. I ended up buying some oops paint at Lowe's for $5 & have painted the chairs instead.

ToolGuy is going to re-shape my table (making it longer & narrower than it is now). Hopefully he'll be able to do that over Christmas break, but at least the chairs are finished now. I'll post a picture in a few days. The paint needs to harden a bit before I bring them inside to the crew.

Also in the works:
1. Quilts - finally almost finished, but I just haven't had the motivation to work on them when it's 95 degrees outside
2. Nightgowns for the girls (already cut out, just need to be sewn)
3. I'm thinking about painting the side tables in my bedroom, but at the same time I wonder if ToolGuy will keep me around if I do any more wood projects.
4. We have also been busy helping a friend clean out her house, and just keeping up on schooling and life.

School Flags

2010-08-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

I made these two felt flags to use for our schooling. Often, when I am helping one child, another child will need my attention. Previously, the child who was waiting would simply stop working & wait. Now, when they have a problem, they circle it & grab a flag. That way, I know that they need help, and know who needed help first (based on the number of the flag they grabbed). They can go on with the work they do understand and come back to the problem when I am available to help them. We don't waste so much time just waiting anymore.

Six Word Saturday

2010-08-21T09:06:00.001-07:00

I haven't participated in six word Saturday in a while, but decided to join again today. Please follow the link for more.

My six words:

Too much to do to blog.

Getting Ready

2010-08-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

Before beginning to draw, Sprightly & Eager make sure their pencils are in order.

Sprightly Is A Bear

2010-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sprightly got some fleece & made this cute little bear cap for playing dress up. ToolGuy helped her a little with the ears, but she did most of it on her own.

Flowering Tea

2010-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

For our 9th anniversary last week (yay, us), ToolGuy got me this new tea pitcher & tons of teas to go with it. There are six kinds of loose-leaf teas, and a whole bunch of bunchy things I have decided to call "pods". The pods are called flowering tea. Have you ever heard of this, and if so, why didn't you tell me about it?

You put a pod & your hot water in the pot & the pod actually blooms. It opens up anyway, and makes pretty good tea. The kids were thrilled to watch it bloom, and I was thrilled that they would sit quietly for 4 minutes while the tea steeped.
What a cool husband I have!

Kitchen Backsplash

2010-08-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to doing something in my kitchen. It's just a bit of paint on my backsplash, but it changes the look of the kitchen. Bonus: I got the paint at Habistore for $1.50. I put it off for so long because I'm too cheap to buy paint.

What do you think?

It is a pale bluish, grayish color - my favorite color right now. It took me about an hour to paint it (two coats, even behind the fridge & stove), and I did it all without Tool Guy. He will be so proud of me, and relieved that he doesn't have to do it.

Calendar & Meal Plan

2010-08-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have been using a home-made dry erase calendar for a while. Basically, just print a blank calendar & frame it. Use the glass as a dry-erase board. Our previous one was badly in need of updating as the picture on it was from before Peaceful was even walking. Since I was at it, I decided to make a meal plan board as well.
Funny thing about weeks having 7 days - there is no way to put them evenly on a board. I added a spot for "suggestions", which I'm sure will be full all the time, just to even it out.

I used digital scrapbook paper from Shabby Princess. (for free!)

Personalized Cups

2010-08-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

I get tired of asking my children which glass is theirs. I also get tired of washing 4,000* glasses a day because no one knows which glass they were using, & they definitely don't want to drink after someone else.

First, I got four plain glasses. Then, I found pictures online & shrunk them to size. The girls all get their initial, but Tank wanted a cowboy hat.

I taped the printed pictures inside the glasses, & ToolGuy used his rotary tool to engrave the pictures onto the glass.

Now everyone knows which glass is theirs all day, and I can stop washing so much.

*Not an exaggeration.

Pencil Sharpener

2010-08-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

I had a little extra money in my school budget this year, and bought a good pencil sharpener. It is so much nicer to use than the little plastic ones the kids have been using for years.

Soap Dispenser

2010-08-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

I used a canning jar for my dish soap dispenser when my old one broke. TG drilled a hole in the lid & affixed the pump with epoxy & some silicone sealant on the bottom side. I used a pump from a bottle of soap.

Matching Outfits

2010-08-01T16:19:00.001-07:00

My friend Mrs. S gave these beautiful fabrics to me. I decided to make matching skirts & jumpers for the girls.

(It was very sunny this morning, so I only got squints & closed eyes.)

Piano

2010-07-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

We got a new piano this week. We got a little bit off the price as it needed to be refinished. Good thing I married a carpenter. I think he did a great job!

(Pardon the princess shoes, and blanket of what I think must be a child lounging in the corner. I never notice those things until after I take and post the picture.)

Heart Hair

2010-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

We tried a new hairdo on Sprightly the other night. I definitely think I need more practice, but "heart hair" is very fun.

Bedside Tables - Opinions Wanted

2010-07-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Mrs. O gave us these side tables. I really love the shape (& storage capacity) of them. I do, however, need inspiration. I don't think they match very well with the white bed, and planned to paint them white & distress them like the bed. I think that might be a bit too much white for me, though.

What do you think I should do? or do you think I shouldn't do anything?

White Shelf

2010-07-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

You might remember these shelves that ToolGuy made for the kids' room. I commandeered one for my room. After he made the bed, TG helped me distress the shelf to match. I really like how it turned out.

One day, I'll put some books on there. I'm slowly collecting a biography of every American president. I'm up to John Adams, so you can see how quickly I move.

New Purse

2010-07-21T18:40:00.001-07:00

I made this new purse for myself this week. I needed just a sack-style purse. I made the strap long enough to go on my shoulder in a cross-body style.

I made a couple just a bit smaller for Eager & Sprightly a few weeks ago. I liked them so much I wanted my own.

Tray from Frame

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

My friend Mrs. W gave me a very nice deep frame that she was getting rid of. I decided to use it to make a tray for the side table in our living room. The "table" is actually a cube which holds things the kids want access to from time to time.

Previously, I had a frame & the glass pitcher & candlesticks on top of a square of fabric. I always had to take everything apart off of the table to get into the cube. The tray allows me to pick up ONE thing & have easy access to the contents of the cube.

I painted & distressed the frame. I put some fabric behind the glass instead of a picture. Then, I used gorilla glue to attach the handles (some cabinet handles I had from a previous project).