Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Oh Martha Monday - Message Centers

[Er, make that Oh Martha Tuesday]

Hi Everyone!  Hope you had a fantastic weekend.  We decided to take advantage of the Memorial Day holiday and, thanks to my parents who took care of  the boys, The Mister and I had a relaxing, 3-day weekend.  It's been a long time since we've been sans kids and it's just what we needed-- I feel refreshed!

So back to reality!  And back to the neverending task of keeping and staying organized. With our lives getting busier each year, I've been needing a message center to keep all of the little pieces of our schedule in one place.  
Here are some fun message board ideas--








There are so many cool ideas out there, I just need to figure out what kind of board that I want-- magnetic? pin? framed? linen? carpet?? Decisions, decisions... ;)

** tip:  many of the bulletin boards here are made using homasote.  if you've looked high & low and still can't find it at a home improvement store (and the employees have no idea what you're talking about when you ask them about it) it's also called cellulose fiber board.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Weekly Inspiration ~ 5.27.11

Phew! This has been a crazy "run-around-like-a-chicken-with-its'-head-cut-off" kind of week. We're still trying to square away Kindergarten for Smarty Pants next year... It's such a big step and I want us to start off on the right foot.  Who knew this school process could be so nerve racking!  Anyhow, I'm looking forward to a relaxing holiday weekend. 

Here are a few things that inspired me this week:

this shared room is amazing!  from the bed pallets to the colors... love!

two-by-two favors for twins via [dandee]


vintage tin organizer as seen on be different, act normal :: via bhg

cute cookie graduation pops via the idea room

isn't this cheerful?

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Teacher Appreciation - You Deserve a Hand!

Our school's Teacher Appreciation Day was this week.  At first, I was going to do a plant, but then the classroom started to resemble a florist...  And then I was really tempted to do this cute coffee card, but wasn't sure if the teachers were big coffee drinkers...  So I quickly put on my thinking-cap, and this is what Smarty Pants and I created this morning.
i decorated one side...

smarty pants decorated the other.

This idea has been around for a while (I know because I've already done it a few times!), but I think it's fun... and who couldn't use more hand cream?  It's originally a Valentine's Day idea, but easily translates to Teacher Appreciation.

Now I have to get to work on the teacher's year-end gifts.  I can't believe that school ends in a week!




linked to:
The Shabby Nest

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

All Buttoned Up ~ Button Monogram


We've been in our house about a year and a half, and I'm slowly, but surely, putting up the finishing touches in each room. This week I decided to tackle the wall decor for the kids' jack-and-jill bath. 

it's a long and narrow bathroom between their rooms

A few weeks ago I made these embroidery hoop chalkboards--
btw, from a  tooth brushing, flossing & hand washing perspective, they really work!
even my 2 year old looks at them every day and makes sure we don't accidentally skip a step

To keep with the theme, I've decided to use embroidery hoops to decorate the tall, and very blank wall behind the sinks.  

At around $1.50 apiece, embroidery hoops are cost effective, will add a touch of color and whimsy to the bathroom and, if I hang them right, may even look like bubbles (which, hopefully makes it bathroom-appropriate art).

First off, I decided to create monograms for above the towel bar.  They should help with the "which one is my towel?" and "where do I hang up my towel?" type questions that I get every day.

Inspired by this button monogram art, I went to work with a piece of burlap, a handful of buttons & a hot glue gun...
materials used:
printed letter
buttons in assorted sizes
permanent pen
hot glue gun
scissors
material (not shown)
embroidery ring or frame (not shown)

i cut out the font and traced it onto the burlap.  since my buttons are black, i used a black sharpie.
make sure to color-coordinate your pen with your buttons because the lines do show through.

you don't have to use a permanent pen, but it does help make the lines look straight... especially if you're using a block font with round buttons.

for a more free-form, pen-free look, i'd use a soapstone pencil (or other fabric quilting pencil) that erases with a damp cloth.

i used a hot glue gun to glue down the buttons.  if you're feeling extra crafty, you could also stitch them on. i chose the glue so that i could overlap the buttons so that there wouldn't be any "spaces" peeking through.

note that the color of the material does show through the button holes.  i don't mind and feel that it gives the buttons a more 3-d effect, but if i wanted a solid-color letter, i'd color in my monogram before gluing down the buttons.

all done, ready for hanging!

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p.s.  click here to see the finished wall




sharing with:

Somewhat SimpleThe Shabby Nest

Photobucket

Monday, May 23, 2011

Oh Martha Monday - Hanging Decor

technically Tuesday in some parts...
Although I'm all "partied" out from this weekend's event, for some reason I still have party decorations on the brain.  After this post, I swear I'll move on from the party stuff (that is, until I have to start thinking about Happy Vee's birthday... in a month or so... gah).

Here are some fun hanging decor ideas from the folks at Martha.











Hope your week is off to a good start!