The Craft Nerd Needs Her Mojo Back

I joined the Pinterest craze last summer in the midst of the nesting phase of my pregnancy. Within the first two weeks of joining, I had already tried several crafts, sewing tutorials, and recipes from my boards.

Then. Well, I got larger and larger and less and less motivated. My kids were lucky to be getting fed those days, let alone with some fancy recipe off Pinterest. At the peak of my largeness, Little Sprout finally joined our family and we entered a new era of crazy. I have changed my outfit three times today due to that darling little child's spit-up and other body fluids. I have not counted how many times I changed her outfit. I explored the territory of root words and suffixes with my first-grader while simultaneously nursing the baby and imploring the boys to just clean up their room already. Pinterest has dropped way down on the priority list.

So. I am determined to rediscover some of the things that originally captured my attention and do them. It might take me several weeks to accomplish them, but hey, creativity needs to make a comeback at this house. I actually started one project already (two weeks ago), and the second my hand touched the paintbrush, I did a giddy little dance of excitement. Yes, I am that crafty-nerdy.

Here's a couple of things I am hoping to try soon:

Source: kingarthurflour.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: simplesimonandco.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: daydreamliving.blogspot.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: bystephanielynn.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

cheer me on!

Found It Friday - Stars

It's that time again for some more inspiration! Welcome to Found It Friday, where I take a theme, draw inspiration from it, and show you five results of that inspiration. I hope you can join in this week and show us all some starry goodness.

And that is our theme this week: Stars!

1. The first thing that came to mind with this week's theme was origami stars. These little cuties are super easy to make and can be used for so many things - jewelry, garlands, confetti, etc. I think a glass bowl filled with origami stars in similar colors can be quite beautiful as home decor. You can make your own or even buy origami stars premade by crafters on Etsy. (origami stars by zhoira at smashingapps)

2. I always love to include at least one food inspiration each week. I googled "star cupcake" and found hundreds of starry cupcakes, many of them Fourth of July inspired. My favorite was this sweet swirly pink frosted one with dainty purple stars scattered on top. (cupcake from donuts to delirium)

3. And now, moving on from cupcakes (but not necessarily from sprinkles!), these fun yet chic star hair pins caught my eye. The resin stars contain hundreds of tiny neon sprinkles, perfect for the party girl or the girl who wishes she were at a party. The best part? These flashy pins can be yours for the low price of just $12.00. (bad hair day neon sprinkle pins by high strung beads)

4. Another way to add a touch of the celestial beauties to your home is by bringing in some beautiful star-shaped flowers. There are several kinds, and I found this red star flower to particularly striking. Just one placed in a simple bud vase would brighten a room instantly. (red star flower photo by DLC Flower Photos)

5. I see those metal barn stars displayed everywhere - front doors, porches, even living rooms or entryways. Usually they are painted a dark red, navy blue, or rust color and then distressed on the edges. I love this take on the traditional barn star - cleverly decoupaged with coordinating papers and then distressed at the creases. This Olivia Star would be a great addition to my daughter's green and pink butterfly room! (Olivia Star by 4 guys and a girl)

Well, it's time to see what star-inspired finds you came up with this week. Go ahead and link up below, and I will be sure to check it out!

There will be no Found It! Friday posts for the next two weeks. I will be in Canada visiting my sister and her husband and lavishing a lot of hugs, kisses, and cuddles on my new niece, Delaney Hope. I may still post here and there throughout the weeks, but Found It! Friday will have to wait until I get back. And when I do, the theme will be: Back to School. :) woohoo!

Stick a Fork In It - Making an Easy Kitchen Valance

When we first looked at this house as a possible rental, I remember staring at the kitchen counters and thinking, "Wow! those counters are pink!" Not just any pink - a Pepto Bismol sort of pink that had faded over the years. I tried and tried to make my current chili pepper kitchen theme work with those counters. It was a lost cause. I decided to embrace the pink and decorate my kitchen in a retro theme.

I remembered seeing an article in a home magazine somewhere (sorry, have no idea which one) that you could make hooks for your kitchen wall using old forks. That article was my inspiration for my new kitchen valance, along with some fabulous pink/red/white silverware fabric.

To make your own valance with fork hooks, you will need:

*fabric to match your kitchen ( I needed 2 yards for my long kitchen window)

*several old forks with pretty designs on the handles ( I bought mine at a local thrift shop for 20 cents a piece)

*thread to match the fabric

*iron

1. First, make your fork hooks. i thought I would need some kind of pliers for this task, but apparently pure arm strength was enough. I just bent the hooks in half until I liked the way they looked, making sure to keep the pretty handle design on the outside of the hook.

Here's another view of my fork hooks.

2. Then, make the valance. Measure the length of your kitchen window and add 2 inches. Decide how far down your window you want your valance to hang and then cut your piece of fabric, making sure to leave extra length for seams. Save the rest of your fabric for making ties.

Iron the seams flat on each side of the valance panel before stitching them.

3. Next, cut some of your fabric into strips. Fold them in half, ironing in place. Use a zig zag stitch to stitch all along each strip. Hand stitch each strip to the valance at the half-way point of each strip. Space the ties evenly along the top of your valance. (I used five).


4. Mount your fork hooks by placing a nail with a large head where each hook will go, hammering it in until only 1/4 inch of the nail sticks out. Simply slide the fork tines up on the nail until the hook is secure. Tie your valance to the the fork hooks, and voila! a unique and cheerful statement has been added to your kitchen!

I used more forks (even some serving forks) on my kitchen wall as towel hooks. Super easy and super cute!

Family

I finally got the family picture wall all set up in the living room. I picked my favorite candid shots of the kiddies for their own portraits in the center, around the word "Family." On the far ends of this picture, the collage frames hold shots of the little rascals at the playground and at the beach. I chose to put the long frame with pictures of all the far-away relatives on the bottom, where the little ones can reach it and point to their Grammy and Pop and Uncle Andy and so on. And see those small bright paintings at the top?

After getting all the photos up, i still felt something was missing. After reading my Bible that morning, I was reminded again of some verses that have really meant a lot to me lately. And now those verses grace our wall as well, as a daily gentle reminder to TRUST HIM and

NEED HIM.

I love having all my pictures up - our living room finally feels like a family room. And that is a great feeling!

Dressing Up My Nest

For weeks now, our dining room has been a combination of bare white walls and a small table and chairs. It has been in dire need of dressing up! So last week I put up the gorgeous wood cabinet that The Nerd's grandpa built many years ago:

I am going with a color scheme of robin's egg blue and brown; my modern paisley frame seemed

perfect for the top of the cabinet:

I found some pretty distressed ceramic birds at Craft Warehouse to perch on the shelves. The postcards are from a fun tongue-in-cheek shop called DippyLulu's. I needed some gentle reminders for my kids that whining is not allowed! :)

Some vintage-look items from my kitchen fit perfectly behind the mesh door of the cabinet:

And a real bird's nest (abandoned) is nestled on the bottom shelf, filled with darling felted eggs.

On another wall, I set up Message Central, with a sparkly memo board, our white board/cork board combo, and our calendar. I have a tutorial for making the calendar board at my craft blog, The Scrappy Frog.

Just trying to make my nest a little prettier...

Been Blessed

A little over a week ago, I was suffering from a head cold that just kept getting worse and worse, resulting in ear pain and severe headaches. By that Sunday, hubby made me promise I would take myself into urgent care. It turns out I had a sinus infection compounded by severe allergies.

The next few days were full of taking antibiotics, Sudafed (I found it mildly amusing that I had to show my ID to get this one), my regular allergy medicine, and a new nasal spray. The first part of the week, I knew I was getting better but was still feeling sluggish and icky. To make it even more fun, hubby ended up working late every night, making me feel a bit like a single mom. There were perhaps some days when the kids never made it out of their pajamas. And maybe the TV was on a little bit more than usual. But we survived.

Then hubby mentioned a Linux conference that he really wanted to attend in Washington over the weekend. This would mean he would leave late Friday night and not be back until late Sunday night. Feeling a sudden burst of energy, I told him to go and have fun. Ha!

Before he went, however, we had the chance to have a date night and attend a Kutless concert in Portland. Sweet man bought me special earplugs that did not diminish the quality of the sound but lessened the volume tremendously. I guess I'm getting old. :) It was a huge blessing though to hear Kutless and their opening bands, Chasen and The Museum. The testimonies of the band members through their words and songs were amazing and truly touching. I still have many of the songs going through my mind and heart as I prepare for this day.

I ended up feeling so energetic this weekend that I completely decorated the dining room and also cleaned and organized and decorated the master bedroom, a feat not possible without the in-laws whisking the kids away to the zoo/Chucky Cheese for the day.

And last night our church had "Talent and Testimony" night; so I got to be blessed again, hearing how God has worked in the lives of my church family.

My point amid all this rambling about my week? I have been blessed! :)

Pillow Talk

As mentioned on Monday, we are diligently searching for the perfect house. As I peruse the internet and chat it up with local realtors, I am excited to get into a new space and "start over". I have had jillions of decorating ideas bouncing around in my head for a while now, but between shop business and such, it just hasn't happened.

However, when we do move, I am quite sure that I will be making some of these pillows. Aren't they just adorable and chic?

Ashley at Make It and Love It has a great tutorial for making these great tie pillows. I already have some pretty fabric on hand: so I hope to share my results in the near future.

:) Happy Thursday!

Reclaiming Our Living Room

I used to be quite pleased with our living room's decor. It was the only room completely finished and decorated, and I loved sitting in it after the kids had gone to bed, catching up on email or TV shows and drinking some yummy chai tea.

But now the aliens have taken over my favorite room in the house. Three little aliens with a whole LOT of stuff, to be exact. As I sit here on our comfy leather couch, there is not a single direction I can look without seeing all their stuff. I'm tired of it - the little aliens are even overwhelmed by it, and it's time to make a change.

They don't know it yet - although there has certainly been some clues - but over half of their toys are leaving this house. We are taking our living room back! I have filled several large plastic containers with their toys and stuck them in the garage to be sorted through. The toys that survive the cut will be stored in the garage and only brought out for "dollhouse day" or "train day" or building blocks day."

So suddenly, I need to come up with a new solution for the living room. The room basically has been designed around all these toys, and so I am trying to figure out how to best use the space that will be freed up. Last night we hit IKEA in hopes of figuring out the perfect idea for our space. We left with lots of ideas but no concrete ones yet. Basically we are moving out a large toy storage unit and replacing it with. . . an entertainment center? a storage unit with locks that the kiddies can't open? a sofa bed to provide more seating plus a sleeping area for naps/guests? We are still not sure what the best option is yet - I will post pics of the space later and perhaps you all can chip in with your ideas.

Beyond reclaiming our living room as a mostly adult space, we have been talking about getting rid of a lot of the toys for another reason. Our kiddies, especially the Drama Queen, have seemed a little "entitled" lately. Just last week, Grandma brought over some new toys for the kids to enjoy. I was shocked and embarrassed to hear my daughter ask, "What else did you bring me, Grandma?" At Sunday School, she thinks that she deserves to get a special treat every week. I've observed her and the Beast go from one toy to the next, none of which hold their attention span for more than a few minutes. It's time to get this under control. I want my children to realize that you don't just get everything you want - things come with hard work and wise choices.

I expect the Drama Queen will not be pleased with the changes we are about to make. She will probably have a few "moments" but will get with the program fairly quickly. I dare say that the Beast will not even notice. He's usually too busy playing with things that are not toys! And the Spud's too young to really care.


I can't wait to get my room back!