A little update break.

The last two weeks have been a rush! My husband was on spring break for the last two weeks. We usually take a week and drive to Florida, spend time with family, get some sun, and drive back. This spring break we decided to stay home and renovate. It just so happened that New England was also experiencing 60+Deg weather. We accomplished so much!

The smallest project we tackled over break I actually just finished. It was the last and has made the most impact. I could shoot myself though. I thought I took a "before" photo, but alas I cannot find it. I even rummaged through past holiday and random photos of Max to try and find one. Obviously this was the most boring wall in my house. It was grey and painted white below the chair rail.... snooze... 

So, I spend some free time on Pinterest and found a bunch of sources for "Activity" type walls. Check them out on my Pinterest Board.

Max has started finishing dinner before Charlie and me. So we let him down to play, now he has the perfect space to play where we can still keep an eye on him.

This project took approximately 4 days.  I started on Friday night painting on 3 light coats of Rustoleum Magnetic Primer.    Word to the wise!  This is a very stinky project, keep the room well ventilated.  Also, I suggest asking the paint department at your local hardware store to shake the can in the electric mixer!  If it's not possible to have your can mixed at a store you will need to shake and stir for several minutes.  There are metal shavings in the paint that will settle to the bottom.  Clean up is also a chore, you cannot use soap and water.  I suggest tossing the brush and roller cover after use and using a paint tray liner, no need to clean up, just toss.  I then followed with 2 coats of Rustoleum Chalk Board Paint.  Use a roller for the smoothest finish for both.  The Chalk board paint needs about 3 days to cure. 

This morning I was out running errands, basically out to buy a magnetic strip to hold knives in the kitchen, photos of that project coming soon!  Well while I was looking at them I had a fantastic idea!  I grabbed two more strips and a couple of metal containers from the kitchen area of the store.  They are perfect for holding Max's Chalk and Magnets!  They even had clear lids so he can see what is in each.  I was thinking about using old 35mm developing tins, however since I don't develop film like I used to I don't have the same access to them.  I did find basic square tins at the check out!  There was a rack with "Gift Card Tins".  You know those little squares you see the big box stores use to give gift cards in.  I snatched two, now all of the thumb tacks and restaurant coupons and gift cards have a handy place to live.

Rosie found her way back upstairs from the basement along with an old clock and cork board.  Now we have a nice community area to share news, remind us of bills, and make art all in one space.  I also have to share a close up of our House Rules.  The kitchen has recently been nick named the "War Room" based on our artwork.  Charlie's found a bunch of vintage WW2 Propaganda Posters in his grandfather's belongings.  Charlie had them framed while attending college and we have hung them in the dinning room in the new house.  So this room is now the place where things are talked out and each person gets a chance to say what is on their mind.  Sometimes art might play a part too.  But for right now, we will encourage Max to draw and create. 





























Check back soon for photos of the other projects from Spring break.  I promise they are even cooler than this one!

Coming soon!

Getting organized!

So, As many know I moved into a new house in September 2011. I now have my very own studio space and a lot of stuff to fill it. I've slowly been working on finding efficient was to store materials and tools. I think I finally found the right way to store certain materials.

Take a look.

I found these little bins in the $1 area at Target the other day. They are just the right size! The front row of ribbon is running through the second row of holes in each basket, with the back row over top in the top row. It is so easy now to just pull the yardage I need and snip with scissors. I was lucky that these baskets stack fairly well inside each other. So I stacked the baskets to save on shelf space.



With each order I like to include a hand written thank you note on color coordinated cards.  I have 3 boxes of cards floating around, normally stuffed on a top shelf and when I grab one it opens and I end up playing 52 card pick up.  So I decided to put them all together, which helps me to remember what colors I am running low on and not dump them all over the floor.  I threw in some writing tools and cute tags, now I can just grab the bin and have everything at my finger tips.  Writing Thank You Notes has never been so easy!

I hope these tricks can be useful in your everyday craftiness.  I like being efficient, it helps me keep track of everything, and makes clean up easier.  Stay tuned in the next few weeks for new Shop Updates.  Some serious projects are planned for the next few weeks.  I will be sharing more helpful organization tips and photos of the new shop!  Thanks for stopping by!

In Memory

A Dr. Seuss inspired Alphabet Art.

Think and Wonder,
Wonder and Think.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss.