My epiphany

I don't know if we can fit anymore into a night.  I honestly wonder how some people manage to go home after work, make a sandwich, and sit down in front of the TV for hours, then head to bed.  Seriously you did THREE things...sandwich...TV...bed.  I bet you didn't even take care of the plate, did you?  Which, I'm not belittling you about. At. All.  I'm proud of you!  I'm a little jealous, in fact.  I would love to learn how to turn my to-do list off and veg out, but my multi-tasking brain honestly would explode if I tried it.  And then I'd have this big mess to clean up and it just would keep me from enjoying any sort of relaxation.  I leave the house to relax.  In fact, I think I just had an epiphany! 

While my husband can easily tune out the to-do list and just relax with some popcorn in front of a movie, I sit there thinking: need to do a load of laundry, need to put the dishes away, need to make the kids lunch, need to scrub the tub, need to find a topic for the blog, need to vacuum, need to find a carpet cleaner, need to pay this bill, need to prep the taxes, need to GO TO BED.  I get so tired just sitting there during the movie, thinking and feeling guilty about all the things that need to get done at home, that I don't enjoy myself and normally by the halfway point, I'm so fed up with myself just sitting there that I get up and get to work on the chores. 

However, if I can leave the house, I also leave the to-do list.  I can clear my head.  I can spend two hours in the thrift store, perusing books, looking at baskets, scrounging through aisles of aisles of clothes looking for something incredibly unique or with up cycle potential.  My mind is still going, but now its excited, thinking about crafts, and creativity.  This is where I think back on that great posting from Little Miss Mama or Peas & Crayons, or that funny story from A Girl and her Glue Gun.  I remember that great little tip from Crap I've made, or how fabulous a basket would be for that organizational post from House of Grace.   This, my friends, is my relaxation technique: sifting through your old stuff passed off as tax deductions under the guise of a Mission thrift store.  Weird, I know.  I've been called that since elementary school.  I take it as a compliment now.



Writing on the wall

We are still working on getting our house staged for the big sale.  We are really looking forward to starting the house search process.  I'm a little nervous about logistics; I like to know what's happening when its happening.

I'll take some pictures of the basement when we have it all cleaned up.  Josh is just finishing the trim work with the help of my dad.  For now, here's a tutorial on the words I made for our walls!

I printed out letters on the computer and taped them together to form the words.

Next, I taped them down to the Styrofoam and marked the cut lines, just like you do with pumpkin design cutouts.

I removed the paper and cut it out with a retractable utility knife.  This was not an easy task.  Each word took me about two hours to cut out.  Perhaps I just didn't have the right tools!

Once I had all the words cut out, I painted them to match the basement walls. 

 

Honda was chilling with his favorite toy by the fire the entire time.  Looks pretty darn content! 

And here's how the words look on the wall! 

I hung them by shoving them onto nails put halfway into the way.

Chicken Wire

I have a new love...its called chicken wire.  Not only is it fun to say, (go ahead, say it out loud a couple times and tell me you don't get at least a smirk), but its also useful for so many things.

Monday, on break at work I walked to the Grand Rapids Library and checked out craft books.  I love our downtown library.  They have so many interesting things and the building itself is beautiful.  (Someday I'll take you on a photo tour!)  For now, you can see it HERE.  The main building is still exactly the same on the inside with additions built off the back. 

I found some books there that had tons of great ideas.  This idea came from the Dorm Decor book.  Which tells me a) I'm reverting back to my college years (b/c I always wanted to live in the dorm, but my parents wouldn't let me) or b) I love decorating small spaces.   I'll go with B.  It makes me seem more mature. (Those who know me are laughing right now...there is nothing mature about me)

Notice I haven't told you what we're making yet.  Its because its a surprise and AMAZINGLY CUTE and I want to torture you through the tutorial.  Trust me.  You're going to LOVE it. 

The supply list:  Say it with me...Chicken Wire (YAY!), birds, spray paint, ribbon, hot glue gun and a wire cutter.

Cut a length of chicken wire to 22".  Then determine how long you would like the project.  The book suggested 12".  I went with 16".  I like to make a statement.

Hook the two ends together to form a cylinder (had to ask how to spell that one!) 



Then spray paint.  I chose white.  But would be super cute in a bright color as well!  

Take your ribbon and cut two pieces the same length, long enough to hook it to the ceiling or where ever you might hang it.  

Hot glue the ribbon closed around the top of the chicken wire, then do the same with the other end directly across from the first.  Do the same with the second piece so that the two pieces form an X.   

At the top, tie a knot with a short piece of ribbon to keep the two long pieces together. (I feel like I'm being overly descriptive.  I hope this makes sense!) 

Next attach your birds randomly.  The birds I purchased (from the dollar store) came with wire to attach them with.  I also put a little dot of hot glue on the birds to keep them steady after attaching them to the chicken wire. (Yup, still fun to say!)

Next, figure out where your going to hang it and pre-drill your hold for the hook.

Screw your hook in.  (I painted mine.  I only had yucky brass colored ones.  Gross.)

Next hang it up! Do you see what it is?!  It looks super cute on its own, but wait!

Let's deviate again. (Yup...deviate.  Another great word.)  This is why I made it!  Look at the current state of my jewelry box.  Not to mention that I could walk into any given room and find a pair (or three) of earrings that I randomly took off and didn't want to put in my jewelry box for fear of losing them.  You know its bad when you feel more confident in finding a matching pair of earrings in a room where anything from a kid, cat or dog could take them rather than putting them in a box MEANT for the pair! 

It took me longer to untangle, match jewelry and put it on the display than it did to make the thing, but I LOVE the way it turned out.  I also love how it added so much charm to the bathroom.  The hubby even loves it! 

Not only is it super easy to find my matching sets and see all my jewelry at the same time, I can also display pieces with sentimental value, like my great-grandma's set below.

Or my collection of brooches.

I love how it adds such a whimsical feel to the bathroom!

There are numerous modifications you can make to adapt this for other rooms.  Need to hang it on and existing pole?  Use Velcro instead of hot glue to attach the ribbon.  Don't have a place to hang it?  Its sturdy enough to sit on a dresser.  You just lose the space on the bottom to let jewelry hang off!  My sister-in-laws love it so much, they are coming over next week to make their very own!

Happy Crafting and Happy New Year!  If you make your own, I would LOVE to see it, just leave your blog address in a comment below!

I'll show you after the New Year what I'm doing with my rings and bracelets!



Reindeer! Meet Clyde and Dale

I saw these adorable reindeer on Under The Table and Dreaming and fell in love with them.  She got them  for a GREAT price, but when I tried to find them, the cheapest I saw was $30!  No thank you! 

So I studied the picture and thought, I bet I could make those...

Here's the tutorial on how to get your own Clyde and Dale.

I bought 3 different size dowels, 1/4",  3/16", and 1/8"

The measurements are in the picture above.

Using the five 4" pieces I hot glued them together to make the body. (I tried using wood glue, but it didn't hold as well as the hot glue.  I recommend high temp hot glue for this project.)

Then I took the one 2.5" piece and made the neck.  Using the 3/16" dowel I glued on a small piece for the tail and a 2" piece for the head.

I added two 1.5" pieces for the antler holders

Then out of  the 1/8" dowel, I created the points to the antlers.

Next I spray painted the deer with Pewter color 'hammered' texture spray paint.

I decided one deer wasn't enough so I created a smaller scale one to be his friend.

Finally, Clyde and Dale are ready for their appearance among the Christmas decorations.

I think they like their new home. 

And I think they look pretty similar to the metal ones too! 

All this for $1.77!

Oh - by the way... I've linked this to the following parties!
http://sewchatty.blogspot.com/
http://pinkapotamus.blogspot.com/
http://madincrafts.blogspot.com/
http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/
http://memakingdo.blogspot.com/