Feed The Children...

{Update: you can download the ipod template. Click here.}

Two completely unrelated facts that led up to this project:
1. My oldest daughter is responsible for classroom snacks this week.
2. She wants an ipod pretty bad...she's come home from school a few times with a piece of construction paper with string that has balls of paper attached which she declares is her ipod. The real ipod isn't happening anytime soon...

But, I thought we could have fun with snacks and make an ipod snack for everyone. Here's how we made it happen:
(a sneak peak of the finished product)

We searched for an "ipod shaped" snack...we ended up with these crackers and "cheese". I think another good option would have been granola bars.

We also found "headphones" which are Hershey Kisses.

Other supplies: paper, tape, string and printed ipod wheel and screen.

I took a half sheet of paper and wrapped it up like a present (using clear tape).

I cut a long piece of string, folded it in half and taped it to the back of the ipod. I then taped the 2 ends of the string to the bottom of the kisses.

I cut out the wheel and screen and glued onto each ipod. I allowed to dry overnight! I then put each one into it's own sandwich bag so the strings didn't get all twisted up.

There you go...the finished product!

This is a project my oldest could have helped a great deal with...we were going to work on it after supper, but got distracted with a dance party and a phone call from Grandma!

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Nice and Thrifty

On Tuesday mornings I volunteer in my oldest child's classroom...my 2 youngest go to a friends house...then I pick up my 2 and her 2 and take them home for the afternoon. The friend that watches them lives really close to one of the thrift stores in town...I usually have about5 minutes to pop in there before I have to pick everyone up! This is what I found today:

A fun dominoes game for the girls...super cute...perfect condition...made by Mudpuppy!
A ribbon belt from GAP.

***Disclaimer: the reason I post my finds is not because I think I have some awesome skill...I think everyone could go into a thrift store to find some great things at great prices...I post to encourage you to GO...give the thrift stores a chance...you'll be amazed at what you can find...and happy at the price you found it for!***

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Distressed Letters

I have been trying really hard to not get ahead of myself with the decorating of a house that doesn't exist...but as it starts existing and showing signs of getting finished I get a little, um a lot, excited! I decided to do one little project...some letters to hang on my big girls headboards. I saw some at Land of Nod that I thought were really cute, but really limited on the color selection. I knew I could make some in the colors I prefer. Here's the finished product:

You'll Need:
-Wooden Letters (found mine at Hobby Lobby in the unfinished wood section-2 for .99) -Scrapbook paper of your chosing -Brown Paint -Modge Podge -Emery Boards (nail files)

-On the back of the paper, trace your letter backwards. -Cut out the paper letter just inside the line you traced.

-Paint the tips of your fingers brown. ;) -While you're at it, paint the edges and sides of your letters brown.

-Coat the wooden letter with the Modge Podge. -Apply your cut-out paper letter. -Smooth out bubbles. -Allow to dry.

-Now take your emery board and distress that baby! -Concentrate on the edges and tips.

A close-up of the distressing.

-Apply another coat or two to the paper and wood to protect it.

There we have it...some pretty little letters. I will attach some ribbon to the back to hang on the girls headboards.

(Do not hang close to a crib if using ribbon or string)

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A House Update...

Our camera was M.I.A. for awhile, so I am just finally updating with some pics!

The above is our master shower. We decided to have a professional do it...I didn't feel like "learning the hard way" when it came to the possibility of water going places it wasn't supposed to. Plus our builder offers a warranty for things done by his subs.

My laundry room floor-old school linoleum. This was found at Home Depot!

The "hex" tile waiting to be installed in the kids bath.

A "peak" into the guest room.


The beadboard in the big girls room.

The beam in the great room...the rest of the columns and beams will be stained the same.

I am almost done painting...just a few small jobs to do!

The guys installing stone showed up today...I'm pretty excited about this!

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Living In A Forest...

During the time I was designing our new house, I had borrowed a book from the library...it was "The Not So Big House: A Blueprint For The Way We Really Live" . The book was great...it really reinforced the feelings my husband and I were having about building a house for the way we really live and for the things we value. We did not need any formal spaces or lots of small rooms...we just wanted the basics...but good sized and open. Here's some pictures of the main floor, this was another thing the book suggested, defining space with beams and posts instead of walls. (my tip: leave the walls around the bathroom ;))

The above picture is looking through to the dining space.

A view from the Great Room toward the foyer.

A view toward the kitchen through the dining space.

Our thoughts that went into the design of the house (first floor):

• An inviting front porch and front door...I want people to be drawn in and feel at ease.


• A defined "foyer space" but not a space wasting "foyer room".


• A space we did decide to put doors on was the den/office. We wanted a place for my husband to have a desk to himself for the studying that he likes to do, a place for quiet reading in a cozy chair and a place for bookshelves filled with books!


• A warm hearth to gather around.


• A space for a piano (lessons to be started in the near future)


• Great, built-in storage.


• A dining space casual enough for everyday dining, but special enough to use for guests...and a way that we could easily pour into adjacent rooms if needed.


• A good sized kitchen to make big meals! (open to other rooms, but messes hidden behind a half wall)


• A good sized pantry...for stocking up and preserving the harvest!


• A little desk space for me to do my planning.


• A buffer space from the rest of the house when we enter-translation-MUDROOM! Where the kids can easily be responsible for their own shoes and coats. There's also a side door here for running in and out to the yard and garden.

***The reason for the title "Living In A Forest" was because my husband kept asking me if it felt like I was surrounded by trees with all those posts. We were joking last night that since the posts are Maple we should tap them and see if we can get some Maple Syrup out of them :)****

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A Tip...

Something I have recently learned about the grocery store I usually shop at (Cub Foods) is that if you buy a Cub gift card they give you an extra 10%...so tonight I bought a $100 gift card to pay for my groceries and they gave me $110 to do my shopping...So, if I was to do that every week, by the end of the year Cub would have given me an additional $520. If you're not a coupon clipper this is a good way to stretch that grocery budget. The other grocery stores in town "match" deals...it's worth it to ask if they would match this deal. If you don't live where there is a Cub Foods, keep your eyes open for similar deals! Happy Shopping!

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Tats...

Looking for a tattoo for your child......'s shirt? Why not get one for dad (or mom) while you're at it? Look what I spied over at etsy...


Go check it out here . It comes as a transfer that you can apply to the shirts of your chosing!

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It's Been Awhile...

I hope you have chalked my absence up to being too busy and hopefully not neglect. My days are filled with painting...painting an entire house takes a LONG time I have realized. Thankfully my husband-whom I have nicknamed "The One Coat Wonder" has taught me his ways! My husband used to paint as a job through high school and early college...so he knows how to do a good job quickly. Here's his best piece of advice for a one coat coverage: one roll in the paint=one roll/pass on the wall. Put it on thick...but not so thick it's dripping. I have finished the first floor and get to move up to the bedrooms tomorrow! The first floor is all different shades off of the same color card from Sherwin Williams. It's a very open plan. I used Vintage White in the Powder Room...Believable Buff in the Mudroom, Kitchen, Dining and Hallway...Whole Wheat in the Great Room...Baguette in the Den. My trim throughout the house is Alabaster. We're still a little ways off of being done, but seeing paint going up is making it feel more like home...plus while I'm painting a certain room I think about how I'll decorate it, where I'll put a Christmas tree...fun stuff like that! Here's a little sneak peak for you:

Because I'm busy with new house stuff, I haven't been working on extra little projects. I did have to lead a Daisy Scout meeting tonight and one of the activities we did was make these flip flops for each girl.
I bought the gingham from Wal-Mart's $1.50 pile...I only needed an 8-inch wide piece. The flip flops come from Hobby Lobby...50% off this week! That made each pair .75 (probably around $1.00 when factoring in the fabric). I cut the fabric with my pinking shears to deter fraying as much as possible. You can cut the fabric as narrow as you want, but I wouldn't make it any thicker than 1-inch. The girls then proceded to tie each piece of fabric onto the flip flop in a knot. Push the tied fabric close together for a fuller look. Use the shears to cut off any long pieces that might drag and get dirty...there you go...now go make a pair...or four!

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