A Pinteresting Blog

My sister was here for a few weeks and made an interesting observation: "You're always doing a project". I thought about this statement for a minute, and I realized, I am in fact always busy doing something. While she was here, I made a bow holder for Olivia's room, redecorated the boys room, made a photo collage frame, re-organized both bathrooms, made a welcome to motherhood scrapbook for a friend, and made some cute new flower clips for Liv's hair.

To me, that's a normal week. I guess I never realized that to other people, it isn't. I live for projects. Organizational ideas, restoration, design, and crafts. It ALL interests me. And here's my little secret: I'm really NOT crafty. I can't really sew, or paint amazing pictures. But I like to try new things and challenge myself. Because I want to be the mom who does cool projects with her kids, and always has something amazing in her backpocket.

One MAJOR influence on me lately has been Pinterest. An online pinboard just full of good ideas. Some I collect and think "Hmmm... that's nice" others, I actually try out. So I'd like to start a blog series all about good ideas I find on Pinterest. The failures and the successes. It's going to be called: The Pinterest Challenge. And THIS is my first posting.

Idea: Take dollar store frames and put scrapbooking paper inside them and use as wall decore.

Execution: I had an EXTREMELY blank wall in my bathroom, and I happened to have some old dollar store frames. I painted them a dark brown color (to match the shower curtain) and found some unique scrapbooking paper. While it's not the best picture I have ever taken, I assure you, my bathroom looks waaaay better.
SUCCESS
Idea: Make cars out of cardboard boxes to create a drive-in movie night. Execution: Trusting my 4-year-old and 2-year-old with markers is not something I could do. And the thought of taking the time to glue construction paper that Noah would rip off the box as a fun "game" was not at all appealing. However, I still thought this was a cute idea. So I took 2 boxes and a permanent marker outside and let them give me their creative input on their cars. Elijah wanted an awesome sound system. Noah wanted a nice license plate, and to make sure there was a door. I put it in front of the TV, gave them each a bag of popcorn, and let them enjoy Finding Nemo at the drive-in theatre. They LOVED it!
TOTAL SUCCESS!
I am really loving the ideas this website is giving me, and the memories it's allowing me to make with my kids. I am looking forward to the fall season and all the interesting projects it brings!

A hairbow organizer tutorial: Cheap and easy!

So a friend sent me a picture of a great hairbow holder and after staring at it for some time, I decided to try to make one myself. I love a good project and, surprisingly, this one really wasn't difficult at all. First, I went to a garage sale and found an amazing frame for only $5.

I got to work and started sanding it. This particular one had a lot of finishing on it, so though I spent a lot of time sanding it, I didn't strip as much paint off as I had hoped.

I bought a can of spray paint that was a shockingly flouresent pink to try and cover the dark brown of the frame. and I got to work spray painting.

In hindsight, I should have probably painted the frame with a white base coat because after I used the entire spray can on the frame it didn't completely cover the dark brown color, and it was starting to look like a pair of neon shorts I owned in 1992. Because I believe in not giving up, even when you mess things up, I rummaged through my garage and managed to find a can of paint that I used to paint Liv's nursery. Because I had used the spray paint first, the regular paint covered the frame perfectly and it turned out to work AND match Liv's room. Once it was all dry, it ended up looking like this:

Next I bought a bolt of ribbon that matched the decore of the room. I cut the ribbon in pieces that were just tight enough to be taut, then secured them to the frame using hot glue.

I cut each ribbon the same length and evenly interspersed them so that there would be enough room to clip each hairbow on it.

When it was all said and done, I had spent $11 (for frame, spray paint and ribbon) it turned out looking like this:

Super excited about it, and I can't WAIT to hang it in her room!

Turning 4: A Toystory Adventure!

This is my Elijah boy. He just turned 4 years old and he is all about Toy Story. I wanted to throw him an amazing party, but I had a limited budget. I think having a limited budget forces you to be creative, and I have to say, it was really fun. And the results: A TOTAL HIT!

I've recently become a fan of pinterest, an online pinboard community. It's such a great resource for planning events and it was definitely used as inspiration for this party.

I started out with an invitation to set the mood for the event. I happen to know my way around photoshop, and in times of budget crunching, it really comes in handy. I decided to use the backdrop of Andy's room and play on the characteristics of the movie.

Then I found a pizza planet label online, that I put on all the Little Caesar's pizzas we ordered. It's all in the details.

I found some more original drawings by Andy online as well, and printed them out and hung them as the backdrop for our party table. I added green army men and a Mr. Potatoe head to dress up the table. Ofcourse, I had to have lots of candy. So I raided the dollar tree and found tons of soft chewable multi-colored candy that I put in jars. Adds color and is so fun to eat. I greeted the children as toys, and the entire time of the party referred to them as such. It's always so fun to tap into their imaginations and make it more real.

I realize not everyone is as fortunate as to have a cake artist as a friend, but I was so thankful that my friend Lauren was able to save the day and give us the MOST AMAZING Toy Story birthday cake creation. Elijah LOVED it!

Ofcourse, we had to have a bounce house. Fortunately, we had a friend who let us borrow theirs. Also, a major hit!Then there was the birthday pinata. In my family, the pinata experts are Uncle Jason and Aunt Tracy, who outdid themselves this year with a Buzz Lightyear pinata.

Though it's fun to be outside, in August, it's neccessary to take a break inside. I set up a picnic table in the livingroom and played the Toy Story movies. The kids watched them while they ate their pizza and birthday cake.

Then the festivities outside continued with, what else, a giant toy water fight. We used old furniture boxes from the garage and bought water guns and a package of balloons at the dollar tree. Can you tell I like the dollar tree? Then we seperated the kids into two teams: Space Rangers, and Deputies and they battled it out. It was so fun to see them do it, and the daddys participating made it so much more real.

Like I've said before, it's the little details that matter. I scooped up every respectable box I had and used the same labels as the movies. A cute touch, and it made it more realistic. Also, it's an excellent place to put babies that can't sit up yet :)

Ofcourse, the thing I am most excited about is the photobackdrop that I made. Lately, all I ever see are the most adorable photo backdrops at parties. It's definitely a must. I had seen a handful of ideas, but nothing tangeable. I decided to do the backdrop outside where the natural lighting was beautiful. I took a blue sheet we had and pinned it to the wall. Then I made little cloud cutouts like Andy's wallpaper. When the kids dressed up as the characters, it made the backdrop come to life, and it was as easy as $1 posterboard and some scissors.

It also made a great backdrop for mommy and daddy to take a picture with the birthday boy (who was being a little shy.)

I love that my boys are best friends. It made total sense to me that Elijah was Woody and Noah was Buzz. These are the kind of pictures you treasure for years to come. I feel like one day when I am old and gray, this picture will be hanging on the wall in my retirement home.

The little moments

Noah, you're not a cuddler. You'd much rather tell me a funny joke then sit on my lap and give me a hug. I respect that, and I am learning your love language. But after you take your afternoon nap, you quietly come and sit on the couch and snuggle with me for several minutes. You don't say anything, and neither do I. Sometimes, you just need a hug. And I appreciate that, even for a few stolen moments, you tell me you love me. I love you too, and these precious, fleeting moments.