Home made presents

This is one of those posts to keep in mind for next Christmas...well, or there's always birthdays.  We have a family tradition, each year we make home made gifts for the name we draw.  It's funny that most years we all somehow end up on a theme.  This year everyone was different.  Except that my sister in law and I both did chalk boards.  I don't think I even took a picture but I just wanted to post a few of the gifts past that I made that I have pictures of.

This is one from this year.  A dollar store cookie sheet with die cut paper dolls put on with Mod Podge,  I put scrapbook paper on adhesive backed magnet sheets and cut out the clothes.  

Scarf, one day I'll post a tutorial.

I'll have to find more pictures...

HOME ALONE

I have been experiencing a bunch of new changes in my life in the last year or so.  My husband changed jobs, we are attempting to sell our house, and I am home alone ALL day long.  That's right, the kids are all in school full time, what's a girl to do?  With all this wonderful, uninterrupted time to do as she pleases there is so much to do and...

I find myself wandering around the house wondering where to start.

I have plenty to do I just don't know what to do first.  Do I sit down at the computer and check Facebook and other websites I am addicted to checking while no one is here to bug me?  Do I clean the house and do house work because it will stay that way for a couple hours?  Do I work on projects with no one to get into things?  I wander...and look...wander back...make bed...brush teeth...and...sit down at the computer....next thing I know the kids are home.  Ugh!
Well, I need to figure this schedule out, so I have set some goals for myself, you know that accountability of setting goals? that's what this is right here.  I am going to work on projects and creating one day a week, I am going to start a chore chart to enlist help in keeping up with the house.  And I am going to be better at keeping up a blog or at the very least doing projects that I can post to this blog.  I have a few that I need to find just one more perfect element to complete them.  Hopefully some of my not knowing what to do with myself is just coming because we are in such transition around here. I am hoping that the sale of our home is just around the corner so I can start some of those home design projects in my head.

I need professional help...

I am so over whelmed by all of the stuff in my house.  Really, I look around and think 'I'll stash that here for a minute until I decide what to do with it'.  According to every magazine article I have ever read that is WRONG.  Only touch the paper once right?  Well my system is so non existent not working.  Help, I don't think I can do this on my own.  However, in my defense, we have been trying to sell our house and I am living in transition.  I don't want to come up with a system that will not work in our new location.  And I have packed away half of the stuff we own to take away some of the clutter.
I want to start some amazing creative project to make it all better.  I go to look for supplies to start...it's in the storage shed...  So that's no good.  Then I get a call that someone needs to look at the house and I scramble to think where in the world I can hide the mess.  FAIL!
So, I scour organizing magazines, pictures on Pintrest, blogs...and weep dream of the day when my life will return to a normal pattern.  I imagine me sitting in a large mostly empty room with a few empty boxes and before me all the tools to complete an amazingly organized space to rival a picture in one of those magazines.   But really, I probably just need a professional organizer to help me get through my crazy scrambled un-focused mind.  What's her number and how much does she charge?

And today...

I have done so much but yet so little.  I was feeling all productive like and then BAM! had to leave the house for a minute and the only thing I accomplished after that was showering and shaving my legs (which REALLY needed to be done)  I'm not one of those nature girls.  No offense I just can't pull it off, it drives me crazy when it all gets too long.  Was that an over share? 
Well, all my great intentions have gone out the window today to update here.  So, I thought I'd share something with you.  It's about color.  Have you ever noticed that there is a difference in the richness of colors?  Like Wal Mart vs Dillards.  The color pallets are somewhat the same but Dillards seem so much richer.  I often refer to colors as Wal Mart or Dillards.  I used to say Macy's but here that's also a grocery store so it doesn't work (not that I have readers from elsewhere but ya never know perhaps someday).  I tend to like the brighter more rich colors.  Wal Mart colors are a little washed out.  This isn't a bad thing just a different.  Often things that are more expensive have a richer color.  Is it because it costs more to have more pigment?  Or is it just that we perceive that richer colors are worth more?   There is a lot more to color than just what we see.  There is a lot going on inside us when we see color.  Try to pay attention to this.  Right now I am drawn to really bright but tranquil colors like turquoise, maybe it's because I really am ready for spring.  Maybe when you get these feelings of love for a color you should write that down somewhere for future reference.  One day you may decide you want to paint a wall and you wonder if you will like the color, you can refer back to your notes and see what kind of reactions you have had from that color.  When I paint a wall orange you will know I had to have had a major moving feeling towards it cuz I'm not feelin' it.

I leave you a question
Have you noticed the Wal Mart color theory?  Do you have a color you just don't love but you see it everywhere? I won't hand slap.

I'm ahead of the trend

Today in the mail I got a Potterybarn catalog. As I was flipping through the pages I saw they had a room they had done with a denim paint look. I experimented with the technique when I did my first nursery. When I was expecting my second child we built our house. I knew I wanted my boy nursery to be denim and stars so I painted my son's room using this technique. That was eight years ago. I tried to find a picture on Potterybarn's website but couldn't find one but here's mine.

I've never finished the bedspread...I know, slacker. I don't always get to all the projects I'd like to.

This is the upclose. I added stitches too with stencil tape.

People always think it's wall paper when they see it. Nope! I painted it all by myself. And I did it before Potterybarn. =)

House part 2

I'm not sure if I'll get to the entire house but a few of my favorites at least.

This is a corner in my family room where I work on my jewelry.

The second peice of vinyl in my house. I cut a customers job the wrong size so rather than waste it and let it sit in my cast offs to use one day, where it usually gets bent. I decided to stick it on the wall.

I have to sneak this in because it is how I pass on the creative gene to my kids. This is their homework/art table. The folders on the desk were covered with papers they picked. There is one folder for notes and one for papers to go back to school, for each kid.

The bins have pens, markers, and other art supplies tucked away so no one can see them. The paper ream in mounted under the cabinet so they can get drawing paper when they need it.

My master bathroom is one of my favorite colors. This is one of the most relaxing rooms in the house. I love this room. I also used a framed mirror to add some sophistication.

For my birthday I was given some money and I was so excited when I saw these canisters, because it is rare that I find something inexpensive that I have the money for at the time. My realtor suggested that I put three black frames up above the bed. After buying the frames I realized I had to find something to go in them and that made it cost more than I wanted it to. While shopping for my canisters, I saw a plaque carved of wood that I loved but it was $25 and I needed three. Not cost effective, so I had to think of something. I tried to draw something and then I found a technique on a blog for stenciling http://vintagerevivals.blogspot.com/2010/07/seizure-wall-not-really.html

(next I need to learn how to make that just a word not a crazy link address) It gave me an idea and I ended up just making a vinyl sticker and putting it on the wall. Because I do this and have the supplies, I was able to do it cheaply and I didn't have to use my own drawing that wasn't going well and was taking tons of time. Yay! I love how it turned out. Now my whole room is pulled together and looks great. I love going in there.

Tomorrow, my jewelry projects.

I rarely find the time to get on the computer and do this sort of thing. After viewing and liking many other creative blogs I decided I need to keep it up and be better with it.

We have put our house up for sale, so I decided that I would have to document this house because I will leave it. (if all works out that way). So the other day I went through and took pictures. Welcome to my house. I have what you would call champagne taste on a beer budget. So, what I end up with is something I like while I dream of what I love. I'm going to start trying to make the beer look or is it taste like Champagne. Wish me luck on that one.

Sometimes I would like to have many things in my spaces, but find they make me crazy and I end up more simple.

This is my livingroom. These pictures fail to show it as it really is. One day I am going to do something with those tables. The first house we bought was the model. These tables were in the staging so we decided to buy them since we had a credit at the furniture store they came from. Bonus...fast forward to now. They have the scout oath and various names and signatures scratched in the top. The husband was a scout leader for twelve year olds that met at our house and well that was the only table in the room they gathered apparently. Perhaps when we move they will get a refinish.

My kitchen, I love Jadite. So my husband for Christmas this year surprised me with this lovely mixer. The bowl and juicer are jadite. I was so excited. It functions but I just like to look, so I won't be firing this baby up anytime soon.

The rest of my cabinets in my kitchen. And then, my favorite part.....

...my gigantic magnet board. I have months that magnet on to this but I can't find this month. This came about because I had this empty wall. I got this brilliant idea and told my husband, who drug his feet and never got around to it. Well, around Christmas one year my oldest and I went with Grandma to a play. While we were gone the boys made this. I was so surprised. Plus they used ABC magnets to make it into a giant card, which was cute.

I have a vinyl business and I don't have much of it in my house. You know the story of the shoe maker's kids, well that's like our house. This is was the one and only thing I'd done for years. And almost five years later I still haven't painted the frame...all natural.

Stay tuned for the rest of the house. My favorite room is coming up.