Scraps

I have great intentions.  And in my brain, I am a perfectionist.  But when life gets in the way, things become imperfect.  Rather than let my expectations get in the way, I go forward with great hope.  So here is my perfectly imperfect purse/kindle holder for a certain someone that I made yesterday.  All of the items were free to me.  I made this with scraps left over from decorating my daughters room in 2006 (when pink and brown were HOT), a button from a sweater that got tossed, and ribbon from a present.  Even the velcro was from the packaging that held the blanket together that I bought for my stockings.  This is truly a free item.

This little diddy has character and I am sure will be appreciated by the recipient and I had fun making it.  Whatever you do, don't be afraid to just try.  Life isn't perfect and your creations aren't either.  None of my lines are straight, it's a little too big, I should have ran the strips vertical instead of horizontal, but it is still beautiful...and made with love, the most important thing.

Repurposing A Blanket

One cable knit blanket on clearance=5 stockings.  Total cost $4.  Guess what?  I like them quirky too.  All it took was a paper pattern and a sewing machine that can do a zig-zag stitch.  Took me less than an hour folks.

Last Day of NaBloPoMo...Artsy Fartsy

I am livid.  Well, as livid as I can get which is more like a whine for most people.  Why you may ask?  Well some nut job woman at a school meeting tonight suggested doing away with music and PE to meet the budget cuts for next year.  Gratefully, this is not in the proposed budget plan...crazy woman!  In my mind I reached out and "touched" her right upside her snobby little head.  Take away the arts?  OVER MY DEAD BODY!!  We live in a very blessed school district where my kids get choices and can be anything they want to be.  My son can take guitar in middle school and website design.  My daughter can take french and drama.  We moved here for the well rounded education of our children.  And when you have 5 children, we bound to have varying interests at play.  I'm sure that we will be seeing every corner and aspect of this district the longer we stay here...no we are not moving...never!!!

This whole experience made me realize just how important the arts are to my family.  I don't think I could live without them.  I might not be an accomplished musician or painter but I dabble at quite a bit.  I think this has fostered an eagerness in my own children to explore their artistic side.  I'm forever yelling at my kids to give back my scissors (never mind that there are at least 15 pair floating around at any given moment) or ask someone for the tape dispenser.  My colored pencils spend more time in every room in my home than my on my desk.  My jewelry parts become play things.  Paper, glue, Mod Podge are staples in our house and I buy gluesticks in the 24 pack a couple of times a year in addition to the school season.  That is just the way it is.  The piano is being played daily.  Music is on almost always. We sing in the car, at church, at home, when we clean, and dancing...well that is almost a no brainer.  I have painters, and constructors, and composers in my home.  I have performing artists, material artists, and artists with the written word.  No one is left out.  In fact, the older kids are making all of the presents for their siblings this year.  We have knitted caps, puzzles, fashion accessories, jewelery, bags, go-carts, remote control boats, and I got a full floral arrangement made out of origami placed on my computer tonight.  I am one lucky lady!

Tonight, after I came home from this meeting, I noticed my daughter working on something while watching Glee.  She was making a mini nativity for her little brother.  He seems to be fascinated by baby Jesus at the moment.  And I am grateful that if she chooses, she can take a ceramics class when she gets to high school.  Because we live in a great district where they believe a child learns just as much from the arts as from history, science, english, and math.

Necking....

One of my most sensitive spots on my whole body is my neck. I suspect that lots of women are in agreement with me. That would make complete sense since the Twilight series is HOT even with us approaching decrepitude. Have you ever ventured close to a young adult fiction section lately? It seems that every story has been twisted into a vampire romance.

Well this post isn't about Edward sucking the blood out of my creamy white neck, no, this is about adorning our necks. Lately, I have noticed that bigger is better when it comes to neckware. This is not just limited to women and their neckware that resembles an indian chief dressed for a war dance. No, men are doing it too. Have you seen the size of the knots on ties these days? You could hide a pack of fruit snacks in that baby! And don't get me started on scarves...I love them, even on guys... the chunkier, the better right? Well I attempted what would be a slippery slope into bold neckware. I was bored and this is what I could piece together from my treasure trove of jewelry parts.

I'm not in love with the middle one...it needs like 3 more layers inbetween to be classified as over-the-top. I love the black and silver one. That rosette is fab if I do say so myself. And the wood beads with the cotton ribbon is just plain granola. All these three coming soon to a neck near you...

I've climbed that Mountain...

What is the  Mount Everest of Motherhood?  

 I climb it almost every week!  Well the Mount Everest of laundry that is...

After scouring the Internet, I have finally conquered my Everest!  

#1. I have the kids bring there dirty laundry in and separate it into three bins.

#2. Whites, colors, and darks are clearly labeled and all but the youngest kid can figure it out.  These are laminated to last.  I used to have white bins but when the handles finally broke off, I began to color coordinate....

#3. See that nifty window in my Laundry, well it doubles as a mirror at night where I can practice my latest dance move while folding the laundry hot out of the dryer...how is this possible you may ask? (Yes, that valance is hung with clothespins I painted green!)

#4.  Well just above the 3 sorting bins is 8 smaller green bins that are arranged from oldest to youngest and one for socks.  Once the clothes are folded, they go straight into the corresponding bin.

#5.  When a bin gets full, said child or spouse, puts their clothes away and brings back the green bin or else I may inflict pain.

 #6. Why all this craziness?  Well my laundry room is also right off of the garage and it doubles as a mud room.  See my children's coats and helmets?  Well if I didn't organize it, I wouldn't be able to get to the freezer!

#7. Of course it also helps if you decorate it with cute little trinkets like these knobs I found pre distressed.  I don't mind laundry so much anymore, because if I don't get it done in a day, it doesn't matter.  All the clothes are neatly organized and I have finally conquered the Everest of Motherhood!

Naked

Don't fret...I'm not about to show you pictures of my creamy white self...just my brain.  I lay it before you in all its splendor for anyone to peruse.

A long time ago, I realized that I don't fit in a nice little category.  My inner sanctum is like a picture of what my thoughts might consist of at any given moment.  It's not perfectly designed, more like sporadic flashes of insanity and creativity all mixed together with vibrant color.  I have pictures of what is most important to me,

books that I read that seep into my soul, quotes that bring me strength, songs playing that inspire me, projects that I am in some stage of finishing, and occasionally a little boy playing Lego's is on the floor beside me.
There is room for others in my brain, but by invitation only.

 I can sit in my rocking chair and console a child or stare out the window to my rose garden.  Of course, I have supplies to scrapbook, knit, crochet, stamp, draw, paint, sew, embroider, write, compose, meditate, design, and read.

Speaking of reading...what is in your personal bookshelf?

From an old missionary journal and a country living survival book to books by Hugh Nibley and a book on how to spice up your night life if you get my drift.  I have a book from the 60's on how to be a good homemaker and a new one that has apron pattern ideas in it.  Of course I have a book on Obama and a Book of Mormon from my mission.  I have a dance composition book and the complete works of Shakespeare.  Is that varied enough for you?  Didn't I tell you that I don't fit into anyone's mold?







Current projects include ribbon and fabric flower pins, lyrics for a song entitled Green, cotton washcloths, 2 sets of draperies, and of course, photography stuff.

One thing I have learned as I have carefully placed every item in this room is that I am my Father's Daughter.  He is the Creator, and I am His Child. 

And now more than ever, I can honestly say that there is no one quite like me.  I am unique and happy surrounded my chaotic, energetic room.  It might not be a calm, zen oasis, but to me, it is as close to Heaven as I can get....

Cinderella Saturday

I did flowers for one wedding yesterday. Today, I decorated the cultural hall for another one. My house has exploded...and I don't care. My life is really fun right now. This kind of stuff is like taking really good drugs. It feeds my creative needs. I'd do it everyday if I could. The ladies that helped me with the flowers were expressing that it was hard for them to be so creative and it was stressful for them. They also have very clean and organized homes...we each have our talents.

Speaking of clean and organized homes, it's going to be Cinderella Saturday around here. I'm talking pre prince stage...soot and cinder stage, work you to the bone and have a smile on your face while doing it kind of Saturday. My poor children...I'm not even their Step-Mother!

Finished

Super Saturday is like the holy grail of crafts. Women gather from far and wide to make gifts and trinkets for their homes. It is a huge ordeal. This year, since I consider my calling not very labor intensive, decided to lend a hand. My craft was a 24" clock that was a huge undertaking. But I already have one, so I decided to complete this little diddy. We move so much that having a growth chart that travels instead of a door frame next to garage door makes sense. Of course, I had to kick it up a notch. Everyone who knows me, knows that I don't copy, I like to create. In that spirit, Rene was kind enough to replicate a dandelion weed with little wishes flying off to help me visualize my little weeds. The color of the paint is Grape Leaves, by Behr. And because I had a 4 step process just for the paint on the clocks, I had a little time to get this started. By the time Super Saturday was over, I had not completed this fun craft, so took it home and promptly got this done. Who needs a craft sitting around not done in the garage? From past experience, I know if I don't get it done immediately, I'll fill the time with more important things. So here's to being finished. It feels good.

Little Treasures

Sometimes all we have to hang onto are the little things. Today, I am grateful for my creativity. I found some really great scrapbook paper to make a Christmas gift with. When it's done, it will be a Day in the Life book for Grandma and Grandpa ?. It's from October Afternoon . I can cut, sew and glue this together to create a masterpiece. Things like this make getting out of bed worth it. Is that shallow?