Spray Paint Strikes, Again!

I have been working on my list of "Things to Spray Paint." It's mostly a mental list, but it's long. My husband laughs every time I add something else to the list of "things to be painted white." He's such a good guy that I think laughing is his way of accepting that he can't just throw the item away!

The red chandelier hanging from the Magnolia tree looks so wonderful, especially when the cardinals oblige by hanging out on the tree branches. Their splashes of red accents really spruce up the backyard!

While I was painting the chandelier, I was also working on this mirror.  Alternating between the white and red paint let one color dry while I painted the other object. Time management!

The mirror is one we had purchased for our old house. It hadn't found it's place at the new house, at least not in it's golden glory! Painting it white was really the only way to save it for our new space.

Here is what I did:

1. Rubbed the frame down with some steel wool, just to rough it up a bit and help the paint stick.

2. Wiped down the old mirror frame with a damp cloth to remove dust.

3. Taped paper over the mirror part. (My four-year old helped with this part, as you can tell. We couldn't find newspaper, and working with the 8.5" x 11" pieces of paper was easier than working with a garbage bag.)

4. Paint. I didn't try to get the paint on very thick with each coat. It was more of a light coat each time I sprayed it to help not have any drips.

5. Hung it on the wall.

What I learned:

1. Light coats of spray paint really are so much better to prevent drips.

2. If you see a drip, gently touch it quickly before it dries. It will kindof "heal" itself if you get it fast enough.

3. When going from a dark frame to a light color, consider applying caulk or filler to the joints before you paint. The corner joints of the mirror are much more noticeable now that it is painted white. This will eventually drive me crazy and I will take the mirror down and fill in the gaps, then repaint it.

4. Diligent taping= no scraping. Be sure you tape all the paper seams over the mirror, or you will have to scrape some paint off later.

5. Paint from different angles to get better coverage. If you start from the right on the first coat, start from the left on the second. You will see things you missed the first time.

Happy Creating!
-Carrie

Fun with Pipes: Pinned it and Did it!

It's already starting to get hot here, and by hot I mean in the 80s and 90s.  In looking for some fun ideas, I remembered this Pin from Pinterest on making a Kid/Carwash:

Source: cometogetherkids.com via Carrie on Pinterest

When I coupled that Pin with a convo from one of my super-creative friends and a trip to Home Depot with the hubs, we now have the coolest water and life-size tinker toy set ever!

Yesterday's Waterpark Construction Project!

Here is what we have learned:

1. We used 3/4" pipes.  These are sturdy enough and yet the kids can still help manipulate them.

2. Make sure you get the right attachment to connect the hose to the pipes.   We got the wrong connecting piece to connect the hose to the pipe.  You need a piece that has no threading on one side and then the threaded "female" end on the other side.

3. Buy the "Contractor Packs."  We only bought a few pieces on Sunday to try out the pipe toy and see if we liked it.  I went back for more parts on Monday and found "Contractor Packs" of straight, "T", and elbow connectors.  These are packs of 10 and you basically get a connector or two for free when you buy these packs.

4. Cut the majority of the pipes a standard size. We decided to cut the pipes to 2' long sections.  By having the majority of the set of basically the same size, it is easier to construct different contraptions.   We have a few pieces that we just use at the end of pipes to provide stability and they are random short lengths.  We also left  the "carwash" pipe 4' long as it goes over their heads and we didn't want it to be able to break to easily above them.

5. Don't forget the end caps.  We forgot end caps the first day and had to rely on duct tape to close off the ends of the pipes.  (Duct tape totally worked, but it is so much easier with the end caps)

6. Don't glue them together.  The pipes stayed together well enough that we didn't have to glue anything together, which is awesome since now we can create something new tomorrow.

7. Spray-painting the pipes.  I painted the pipes that have holes in them so it would be easier to pull them out of the box as we create.  The paint on the ends of the pipes makes it just a bit harder to get the connectors off at the end of playtime, but otherwise has added some fun to our set.

My kids are 3 and almost 5 and have played with these pipes for two days in a row.  Although they cannot connect the pipes by themselves yet, I know its not going to take long before they are creating their own waterparks.   It has probably taken us about 10 minutes to set up the waterpark and then they have played with it for at least an hour each time.  We already had three pipes, and then spent about $20 on all of the connectors and another pipe.  Pipes are about $1.50 each, and we have a lot more connectors than we can use at one time.  Its good to have options, right?

A special thank you to ComeTogetherKids for sharing this great idea I found on Pinterest.  I have just spent some time poking around her blog and she has some other super fun ideas that I know we will need to try out!  Please swing by her blog or Facebook page.  

Follow me on Pinterest

Top 10 Things to do with Mardi Gras Beads

Well, since I know that I know my clients well, I am sure that you all are trying to shake off the hangover of all the partying you did for Mardi Gras.  On the contrary, perhaps you are just inhaling coffee this morning to compensate for your toddler waking up five extra times last night.  Whatever the case is, if you have a pile of beaded necklaces lying around, don't toss them out just yet.   They can provide more hours of enjoyment with your little people.

Top 10 Things to do with Mardi Gras Beads

1. Ring the Mommy
Ok, putting the necklace around your neck, or their own, is probably the first thing your kid will do and I understand its not very creative.  However, your child may not be very efficient at getting the necklace on you or themselves at first, but they will get better.   They are practicing motor skills.

2. Pouring is SO. MUCH. FUN!  
We came up with this idea at a local Pizzeria when we had a pile of beads, three kids, and requested a few plastic cups.  Put the beads in one cup and then dump them into another cup.  Yes, its that simple, but set up this activity and watch how long your kid will play.  (And feel proud that you aren't cleaning up water from all over your bathroom or kitchen)  When you add another kid, or five, you can have them work together to pour the beads into a friend's cup.

3. Beads as (Pretend) Food. 
Beads are just fun for them to play with and the kids love to use their imaginations.  Yesterday I was handed this plate of grapes to eat by my four year old.

Beads as a Tossed Salad (I took this picture about a year ago after the kids went to bed.  They had left this in the playroom.  It's totally not staged.)

4.  "Sensory" Table (aka, Water Table, Fancy Bucket or Tub) Filler
Basically, any entertaining of your tot that would require water could be done with a pile of these beaded necklaces.  Instead of putting water in the water table, put beads and reduce the mess that gets all over your kid.

5. Play Pirate

Pirates loves treasure, and what better treasure than jewels?!?  You can even hide a pile under and blanket in your house or out in the sandbox, and go on a treasure hunt.  

6.  Sorting, Counting, etc. 

Use the beads for sorting into like colors, counting how many necklaces you have, etc. 

7. Dump Truck Loads

Beads make great "dirt" that can be transported all over your house.

8. Tea Party Dress Up

We keep a few necklaces with the tea party set so they are always ready to complete the party.  Yes, a fairly traditional use, but you must get dressed up for a tea party and no one wants to waste time searching for their jewels!

9. Recycle Bottles into Learning Toys

Even harder than getting beads into a cup is getting beads into a plastic bottle.  Start with a wider mouth bottle and then progress to a smaller one.   (Note: You may have to cut the bottle apart to free the beads if the mouth is really narrow)

10. Make Music
Once you have a strand or two of beads in a bottle, put the top back on and shake them like maracas. Then put other beads on and march around your house as a parade.  It's a great stress reliever!

I am sure you will come up with lots of other ways to add some creative play with your beads.  If you do, please share!

If you don't have any beads, and just have to have some after reading this post, I have seen them at the dollar store, party store, and even Target.   Or, just wait a month for the local St. Patrick's Day Parade and get some then!

Happy playing!

- Carrie

--------------
More notes-
- We get rid of any necklaces that break.
- Beads contain small parts and you should always be aware of manufacturers warnings.

- We don't play with the necklaces that have connectors.

My Favorite Creation: Felt Board (Yep, 'I Made It')

Ok, well, my kids are actually my favorite creation, but this is a close second.

About two years ago, my husband and I made this felt board for the kids' playroom. Over time, it has evolved from just being a place the kids could become familiar with letters, colors, and shapes to our most recent "improv game" where we each pick an item and then someone has to tell a story using the items picked by the audience. The kids are even getting good at this game!

Recently I posted some pictures of my playroom re-org and I have had a few questions about this board, so I decided to share how we made it. It really requires minimal skill, but the possibilities are endless.

Here are the main materials:

1 piece of thin wood

Spray Glue

Felt the size of the wood (you can get this at Joann's or another craft show by the yard and it is 72" wide so one side of your board has to be less than 72" or you have to piece felt together)

Wooden Letters, Shapes, and Figures

Velcro with Sticky Tape Backing

Scissors

Spray Paint

If you want to frame your board, you will also need:

Trim molding

Miter saw

Nails

Paint

We made this two years ago, so I don't have pictures of the creation process, but here is what we did.

Making the sturdy felt board:

1. Determine how big you want your board to be. And get your materials.

- I wanted this board to look like an old school chalkboard, so I used dark green felt and bought matte white spray paint for the letters so they would look like chalk.

- I bought the backing board at Home Depot and had an employee there cut it to the size I needed so I wouldn't have to do this later (also, it made it so the wood would fit in my van).

2. Get your spray glue, felt, board, and a helper person. Take them outside and create an elevated work surface. (We used two sawhorses and laid the board across them.)

3. Spray the glue all over the top of the board and don't be stingy. Good coverage and stickiness will help the felt stay attached to the board when the kids are manipulating the velcro backed pieces.

4. Give your helper one side of the felt and you take the other. Hold it rather flat and start on one corner of the board and lay the felt on the sticky board. You will want to gently press the felt onto the board, working from one corner out to the other three. If you get any bubbles or puckers, gently lift it back up, spray a little more glue and then continue pressing it down.

5. Trim the excess felt. If you are not going to make a frame, you want to leave a few inches around each side so you can flip the board over and glue the flaps onto the back. If you are going to frame it, then trim the felt close the edges.

6. Securely affix the board to the wall. We used drywall screws and anchors in each corner. This sucker is not going to fall off.

Making the frame:

I found it easiest to create the frame after the board was on the wall, and one side at a time.

1. Paint all of the pieces of your frame. We used really simple trim molding because it already had a cut out that I could use the butt it up to the frame.

2. When the paint is dry, line one piece up on the board, and mark the edges of your feltboard on the frame piece.

3. Take the piece with the marks and use a mitersaw to cut 45 degree angles at each corner.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all four sides.

5. Nail the pieces to the wall. I used a trim nail-gun. You could use any small nails and a hammer if you don't have a nail-gun.

Making the letters:

Make sure you get thin, lightweight letters.

This may have been the hardest part of this project because I had to sort through all of the letters at Joann's until I found them all.

As an alternative, you could get more felt, print letters from your computer to use as stencils and cut them all out of felt. Felt sticks to felt, so you would be done after you cut them out.

1. Get your letters.

2. Then paint them whatever color(s) you want.

3. Cut the rough half of your sticky back velcro into about 1/2" pieces.

4. When the letters are dry, affix the velcro to the back of each letter.

Now, step back and admire your work. Then, take some great pictures of your kids using it and share them with me!

Here are some of the games we have played:

- Name spelling

- Match letters with shapes (What letter does airplane start with? "A." Then put the airplane next to the "A.")

- Group shapes by color

- Tell stories

-Recite nursery rhymes

- Improv story telling

What games would you play?

I am always getting new ideas for things I can add to this board:

- Spray the initial piece of wood with metal/magnetic paint so the kids could also use magnets on it (honestly, old school magnetic things creep me out because kids put so many things in their mouth. My kids would only be allowed to use the Leap Frog type magnets on the board because they can't get the magnets off the back.)

- Another option to make the board also magnetic would be to apply the felt over a dry erase board or other metal sheet. Might be easier and cheaper than buying the specialty paint.

- Buy wooden squares and cover with chalkboard paint so the kids can insert letters as they need to spell new words. We are currently constrained to one of each letter in the words we can spell.

- Michaels usually carries the wooden items already painted and has recently started carrying a variety of felt sets and even a Dr. Seuss felt story set. As a warning, some of the sets have LOTS of pieces. I glued ours together so they wouldn't have as many pieces floating around.

- Iron on transfers. My kids love Disney characters, so I printed some images off the internet onto iron-on transfer paper and then applied them to felt. The kids like playing with these too.

Thank you for the moment to share our creation!

'I Made It' Monday: Let Summer (Pre)School Begin!

It is "summer vacation" for us, which means that instead of going to preschool for 9+ hours a week our now four year old daughter is home, all the time. I love her to bits, but she is busy. She and her two and a half year old brother can get a little stir crazy in their daily attempts to wear me out. This summer, though, I am trying to persevere by finding the right combination of structured (activities and outings) vs unstructured (time they can play with their toys, and mommy can too) time!

Overall, we are enjoying not being on someone else’s schedule and with the help of friends, we are filling our time quite nicely. I see when a week of summer camp fun may be neccessary around mid-July, in the meantime, I am trying to avoid being on a daily camp schedule.

As part of our structured time, and in my attempt to fulfill my need to teach my kids, I am trying to continue the kids' concrete learning- letters, numbers, and maybe even reading a word or two.

Today, I channeled the teaching career path I was supposed to take (at least that is what the nuns told me I should do when I grew up) and find some ways to help her learn how to write her ABCs and I arrived at a project that was hatched a few days ago. Here is how it started...

On Friday, I walked past a mini-laminator at a warehouse store. Well, almost walked past it. I love little gadgets that can inspire new crafts (as if I need more options), and just had to justify this nifty new toy to add to my collection. After a couple circles around the aisle I began channeling that inner teacher and it hit me- laminated worksheets!

As background, Caroline (the oldest kid) has been showing me letters she has drawn with such pride lately. She recognizes the letters and wants very badly to be able to write them all. I have been trying to encourage her to practice. However, I get a little bored drawing dots and she really wants to practice “on her own” instead of with me helping her. Therefore, by printing and laminating the sheets, she can trace and draw over them with a dry erase marker or crayons, show me, and then wipe them clean to use over and over.

I’m sure you can already guess, I bought the laminator.

Here is what we used for the project:

6 sheets of 26 lbs White Paper

3- 3 MIL Laminator Pockets

1- Personal Laminating Machine (I picked mine up at Costco for under $20 and it included 100 laminating packets in three sizes)

1- Dry erase marker

Web resource: First-School Preschool Activities and Crafts

After we found the web site, the whole project, took my helper and I about 10 minutes to complete.

Here is what we did:

First, we hit the internet and found this great resource, First-School Preschool Activities and Crafts, and found the "handwriting" section. (I have bookmarked this web site for the next time I need to feel like a Super-Mom)

Second, we picked out and printed these sheets:

1. All Letters Practice Sheet, Back to School theme, different themes are available (Print 1)

2. Preschool Blank Practice Sheet (Print 2 Portrait, 1 Landscape)

3. Number Train (Print 1)

4. Story Paper (Print 1)

Printing Notes: Initially, I printed each on its own sheet of paper and then matched them up when I put them through the laminator. If you use a slightly thicker paper (I used 26 lbs, and typical copy paper is 20 lbs), you can print front-back and barely tell what is on the opposite side. The laminator instruction manual warns that if you use paper that is too thick, it may not properly seal on the edges.

Third, we paired a blank practice sheet with each activity sheet, put them in a laminating sheet pocket and ran them through the machine. These are the pairings I did because I wanted her to have a somewhat blank side to each sheet (pictured below).

Pair 1: Letters- Blank Practice Sheet (Portrait)

Pair 2: Number Train- Blank Practice Sheet (Landscape)

Pair 3: Story Paper- Blank Practice Sheet (Portrait)

So far, she loves them and has been practicing her letters for a little while now. The project went fast enough, less than 10 minutes from printing to laminating, to keep her four year old attention span until the first sheet was ready for her to use.

I need to go get some fun colored dry erase markers! Next, find some sheets the two and a half year old will enjoy.

I'm sure we will find many more uses for this laminator- pictures, bookmarks, signage for my craft fair booth, placemats, leaf pressing!

What projects will you make with yours?

Happy creating and learning!

Here are some pictures of the laminating steps (very easy):

1. Load your printed sheets

2. Line the folded edge of the laminating pocket up with the machine (helps reduce bubbles)

3. Feed the pocket into the machine and watch it roll through

You could do this without the laminator by printing out multiple sheets and taking them to one of many places like Office Depot and Kinko’s that now offer laminating services, although you may get a better deal from a local print shop in your area. You could also just keep printing off these worksheets from the site. There are so many available.

(I found First School online by a simple internet search. The laminator I picked was basically an impulse buy, and it works fine, but I have only laminated 4 pages!)

My New(est) Studio

Sorry, this is not a tour of my sewing studio. I would love to give you one, but alas, I actually create there so it is not picture ready. That is part of why I love my sewing room. If the kids need me, I can walk away from my projects and close the door so that I can come back and pick up where I left off. Maybe I can virtually give you a virtual tour!?! Here is how I want you to picture it: Shelves neatly stacked with fabric (there is a rack of 6 strong shelves); fun containers neatly kept on a shelf (well, you see the picture, the containers are repurposed from jobs they no longer need to do); thread holders hanging from the wall with colors grouped and arranged neatly (the thread holder is there, you can see the top row); ribbon organizers organized (the organizer is there and ribbon abounds, it also exists in a big box unorganized); my three machines with plenty of space around them standing ready for their next task (they are ready and willing at least). Well, I digress...

My newest studio is the kitchen!

We all have them. Ours is the center of the house. For some, the kitchen is the center because they just love food. That's not really us. Ours is convenient to all the places we actually live during the day and it collects everything. Food at our house is characteristically normal and at times just food. The saying "eats to live" most aptly applies to us, we don't "live to eat." (Thanks, Mom for that saying) Meals are generally nutritious, balanced, at least semi-homemade, and occassionally completely frozen or ordered in.

I recently started focusing more on what we cook, how we cook it, and trying to find ways to better utilize our resources, even waste less. (I see saving money as a sport, so if I can be more efficient with our food and money, awesome!) To reduce garbage can waste, we even bought a compost bin. So far, the racoons think it is the best thing ever. Once we figure this contraption out, I will write more about it.

Like many moms I know, I dread dinner-time. It seems like it sneaks up on me EVERY DAY. From the time the kids wake up from naps until they go to bed, my house is organized chaos. The moment my husband walks in the door, the kids attack him, and I seize the moment to sneak into the kitchen to try to steal a few precious moments of thought.

A week ago, with very little time to prepare dinner available, I decided on pasta and meatballs. For us this meal is a magical mix of warming, heating and baking that results in a decent meal in less than thirty minutes. The water was boiling on the stove and the Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (the Reduced Fat kind to avoid Trans Fats) were in the oven. The meatballs had been pulled from the freezer and were patiently waiting in their microwave safe container for their tomato sauce bath.

Open the fridge, no sauce. Pantry, no sauce. A few other likely places, no sauce.

Darn. Think. Think. Alfredo? Nope. Darn.

Kids are hungry. Trying to balance "helpers" a dog that is always in the way and no sauce to be found. Back at the pantry I get new hope, cans of diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Thank you Publix BOGO and the impulse to have some "on hand" just in case something I decided to cook called for these ingredients. It was internet to the rescue for a recipe and moments later I had created something that resembled, and tasted like tomato sauce.

It was this moment that I realized a kitchen, with the help of my trusted computer, can really be a studio. A great place to create.

Time to work on being more awesome in the kitchen.

So, this past week, I have tried to think of cooking more as creating. It has put a new perspective on this daily chore.

Since then, I have tried my hand at homemade soup, and thanks to Sam's Club Warehouse, more than six quarts of pasta sauce and croutons made out of fresh bread that started to go stale too quickly (buying fresh bread in bulk apparently doesn't really work for us)!

I actually thought to take a picture of the sauce ingredients, maybe that will be another post!?!?

On that, its time for me to go practice in my cooking studio. The monkeys will be hungry soon.

Happy creating!