Monday, September 27, 2010

Children's Book Review

Too Many ToysToo Many Toys by David Shannon


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book has been my daughter's bedtime story the past two nights in a row. I love all of David Shannon's books and this one is no exception. The illustrations are amazing! The Legos are a particular favorite in our house. The story is one that will delight both kids and adults alike! Every parent can sympathize with the mother who is trying to get rid of some toys, while every child knows what it feels like to have your parent insisting that you "clean-out" your toys. The battle between parent and child over exactly what to get rid of is hilarious and the twist at the end of the book is classic. If you happen to have a toy collector at your house, "Too Many Toys" is a must read.




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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Creative Influence

Paige goes to pre-school in at an in-home pre-school.  As I was waiting to pick her up, I noticed a Grandpa and granddaughter dragging in the garbage cans together and then walking to the mailbox to collect the mail.  The toddler-age granddaughter was skipping along with her grandpa in a way that made it obvious she was thoroughly enjoying herself.  It instantly reminded me of time spent with my grandparents as a child.  I thought of the way that even the most mundane of tasks completed with my grandparents was suddenly special. 

As I reflected on time spent with my grandparents I thought of my sweet little grandma who passed away recently.  She never had much self confidence and she was afraid of a lot of things so I don't think she would ever believe she taught me much, particularly about creativity, but I think she is a large part of my creative inspiration.  She spent hours and hours embroidering beatiful pillowcases.  She had 6 children and 22 grandchildren and created beautiful pillowcases for all of us and some to spare.  Her work is delicate and precise. 

Some of my first crafting attempts were at embroidery.  Embroidery is still one of my favorite craft mediums and I find when I really crave calm, I am instinctively drawn to embroidery.  My Grandma did not teach me to embroider.  She was left-handed and grew up believing she was "dumb" so whenever I would ask her to teach me, she would tell me she couldn't.  She regularly told us that she was not at all creative.  I remember sitting at the foot of her lazyboy chair and watching her needle pop in and out of the fabric.  She would take old magazines and use the pages to keep her strings of embroidery floss from tangling.  I remember my sisters and I being enamoured by her gold and silver stork embroidery scissors.  I have always secretly wished I had my own pair. 

When I grew up and moved far from home and my Grandma and I began crafting, one of the first things I found myself trying was primitive stitchery.  I was immediately drawn to it.  I had a few demonstrations from salespeople at a stitchery store and I purchased and embroidery stitch guide.  I knew a few stitches from my days in Young Women's, so I set to work.  Now approximately 10 years later, I find that I am fairly skilled at embroidery.  As I think back on my experiences I am confident that much of my skill development comes from the inspiration my grandmother provided.  I watched her create perfect little stitches over and over again.  I recognized, even at a young age the beauty she was able to create and I wanted to create something similar.  By the time I started embroidering, my grandmother was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and could no longer remember how to embroider but there were times when she could remember that she once did it.  I tried to talk to her about it a few times.  I told her that I really enjoyed embroidery.  It always brought a little smile to her face.  Now she is gone and I have several beautiful pieces she created that I treasure, but what I treasure most is the inspiration she provided me with.


Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Albert's Impossible ToothacheAlbert's Impossible Toothache by Barbara Williams


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have a copy of this book that we would read when I was little. My copy is actually called "Albert's Toothache". My daughter and I read it together tonight and she liked it so much she insisted we read it a second time. I had forgotten about it. The pictures are charming and the story is one every child can relate to. Everyone in Albert's family is sure he is lying about his "toothache" and he just keeps saying that no one every believes him. In the end, it is all one big communication mix-up. It is the perfect chance to subtly talk to your child about the importance of communication between parents and children and the importance of honesty. This is a classic well worth your time to read.




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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles

I am so grateful to my cousin for introducing me to these!  This is a mix you can buy at Target.  If I remember right the box was maybe $2.99?  My kids and I are huge fans of pumpkin chocolate chip anything, bread, muffins, cookies, you name it.  My husband isn't quite as big of a fan.  Anyway, when my cousin posted about pumpkin chocolate chip waffles on her blog, I knew I needed the recipe.  I had no idea it would be something so great and so easy!  She told me she bought this mix at Target and added mini-chocolate chips.  They are perfect!  You need to add them to your fall traditions.  A couple of tips.  Make waffles.  We tried the pancakes and they weren't nearly as good.  I think the pumpkin makes them hard to fully cook the middles without burning the outside.  Also, be sure to use mini chocolate chips.  The big ones melt all ove the place and are a mess and cause burning problems too.  These are one of the few times when more chocolate isn't better, stick to the 1/2 cup suggestion on the box.  I would also suggest using about half the butter the recipe calls for and extra milk.  These smell fantistically fall-ish and taste even better.  You definitely need to take a trip to Target immediately.  Thanks Suzie!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

A Ton of Flower Tutorials

I just found this link and am thinking I need to make some hair accessories for my girls.  Anyone want to join me? 

Thursday, September 16, 2010

One last post about the lockers

I promise this is my last post about these, but I wanted to show them off accessorized.  Knock-off Wood is really the most amazing website ever.  The baskets on the shelf are from IKEA and the ones on top are some I already had, but got awhile ago at Hobby Lobby.  I am so excited to use them for library books.  The ones above the lockers are going to be for hats and mittens and stuff for winter and maybe for goggles and swimming stuff for summer.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Knock-off Wood Finished Product: Kids Lockers

I am so proud of this project I think I might burst!  I have always wanted to do this kind of stuff and I am so excited that I finally decided to try it!  I made a few mistakes.  I should have done major sanding.  I should have listened to my husband and gotten the hooks like they use on school coatracks, rather than the ones that I thought looked cuter, but I feel like those are all pretty minor mistakes for a complete novice.  I love the beadboard and I am so happy with my Ralph Lauren Faux Finish glaze that I used once again.  I don't know why it doesn't show up better in the picture, but it really adds the perfect subtle finishing touch, plus it hides all kinds of mistakes. 

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Knock-off Wood Project

This is what my garage looks like at the moment.  Don't look too close at the corners.  It desperately needs to be cleaned, but I wanted to show the project I have been working on for the last several weeks.  I love the webside Knock-off Wood and found this project on it a few weeks ago.  I have been dying to try my hand at making some furniture, but have been scared to give it a try.  I have been going through project plans over and over again trying to decide if there was something I dared attempt.  I saw this one and decided to go for it.  I felt dumb as could be pushing my cart of giant pieces of wood around Home Depot and then having to ask the guy at the cut table to make my list of cuts.  I had no idea if I was getting the right stuff, but I was completely surprised by how nice everyone at Home Depot was to me.  In the past, when I have asked for help there, I have often felt like I was treated like dirt, but this time, when I really felt like I had no idea what I was doing, everyone was completely helpful and nice.  I think it helped that I made sure to go at about 4:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday because my husband promised it wouldn't be crowded then and he was right.  It has turned out to be easier than I thought it would be and my husband, dad, and father-in-law have been super helpful.  At the moment I am having a terrible time waiting for coats of this:
to dry so I can show a finished piece!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Displaying Kids' Artwork

I have had several projects in various states of being done the last little while.  I finally finished this one the other day.  It was actually quick and easy once I had all the components, it just took me awhile to gather the parts.  I saw something similar to this on some blog sometime, I really have no idea when or where.  I have been saving some old cabinet doors for just such a project. Anyway, all it took was one coat of red spray paint and some leftover Ralph Lauren Faux Technique Glaze that is tinted with brown paint.  I used eye hooks to string the closeline across the bottom and got my sister-in-law to make me some vinyl lettering that said "masterpieces".  I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I wish you could see how awesome the glaze looks from the picture. 

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Free Printable Vintage Paperdolls

I just found this link via a website called The Modern Hive.   I think they are about the cutest paper dolls ever.  I need to refill my colored ink for my printer immediately!  Paige would love them and I know there has got to be something fun I can do with them.