creativity cannot be stifled

My name, in lights!

2007-09-03T21:18:00.001-05:00

Okay, not really. But close.

That would be my font at the top there, ladies! Use to your content, because it's FREE this month!!!

You're welcome.

:o)

Year of color: pink + orange

2007-08-23T16:54:00.000-05:00

Tagged!

2007-08-21T17:12:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Amy at Happy Things to do the 8 random things meme. I've done this meme in all of its various forms at My Many Colored Days already. But for my little creative spot, I am going to put a spin on it and name 8 random favorite books:

Gotta love a little Martha:

Sark is all about self undulgence:

fun stuff for what's going on with your yard:

great coffee table book:

LOVE this children's book, it's a gem!:

I was shabby before I even knew the queen of shabby... a match made in heaven:

the only way I can tolerate country (title is "modern country"):

good read for all women:

covered diaper wipes containers

2007-08-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

I rock!

2007-08-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

Lara, The Lazy Organizer, has kindly awarded me the Rockin' Girl Blogger award. I am so happy about that... because I agree. I do rock. ;)

In all seriousness, I rarely expect much gain from this blog. I spend most of my time at My Many Colored Days (and, coincidentally, have been awarded this over there already). So, it especially means something when this little corner of my life gets noticed! And Lara has noticed it a few times. I'm honored. :)

So I get to pick from a whole different arena of readers, which is cool. I'd like to extend this award to:

Design Mom - who, let's face it, does not have time to come and accept this, but is well deserving.
Tongue in Cheek - where I get my dose of poise and grace.
Smart Mama - just check out her art link in my sidebar.
24-7-365 - who's link I need to put in my sidebar, because I just swoon over her photography.
Happy Things - love her Year of Color project!

picture books

2007-08-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

There are so many fun things you can do with photos for your children. I've made and received a few books/albums that have become cherished, prized possessions. Below are some of the layouts from those books.

The first was made for my now 5 year old. His transition to becoming a big brother was not a smooth one. This is one of the many ways that I tried to make that change easier for him. We talked a lot about what it was like when he was a baby, and he loved to look at pictures of himself as a baby- eating, crying, sleeping. It really helped him understand his new baby brother a little better.

I made this book for Sasha and gave it to her on her first birthday. If she's anything like her siblings, she'll love looking at these pictures of herself and seeing how fast she's grown.

I just love this book that my sister-in-law made. She used the text from a children's book called "I Love You Through and Through" by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak, and inserted very apropos pictures of my son as illustrations.

easy made bibs

2007-08-03T17:25:00.000-05:00

The one on the left is made from oilcloth. I drew the scalloped edge and cut by hand. The one on the right is similar to oilcoth, with a much smoother texture. I used crimping sheers on that one. Both are water repellant. Punched two holes at the top of each, and knotted some cute ribbon through them. Voila! Simple tie-on bibs that your baby won't yank off so easily. Let me know what you think, these may be the next summer give-away!

Good news!

2007-08-02T15:23:00.000-05:00

I won a font contest at http://www.fontologie.com/! My fonts will be featured in September and October. Don't worry, I'll remind you. :)

their bathing spot

2007-07-11T16:16:00.000-05:00

I painted my children's bathroom last weekend. Finally. I really procrastinate when it comes to painting (notice, I still need to cut in around the towel rod and hook). I don't enjoy it much. My husband loathes it. So it takes me a while to work up the drive to do it. Alone. Of course, I'm always pleased with the results and think "How did I ever survive in a white room?"

Oh. And P.S. I like color.

applique t-shirts

2007-07-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

They're done! Not the greatest pictures, but you get the idea. On to the next!

July the 4th

2007-07-05T22:24:00.000-05:00

It was a special day for us - our youngest turned one year old! So, we celebrated party style.

the festive birthday cake

i just love these star shaped ice cubes from the $1 aisle at target... also did not go with traditional stars and stripes this year... polka dots and checkers are more fun anyway (in the traditional colors, of course)
pigs in blankets - the kids' favorite

my family :)

And here are the one year pictures I took of Sasha! I'm photshopping them right now - doing some black and white with color in a few of them.

Summer Give Away

2007-06-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

If you're intrested... I am hosting a give away on my other blog. Here is the link.

Oh, my poor little crafty blog

2007-06-25T23:31:00.000-05:00

It's not a big surprise that this little blog has been shoved to the side... I have been torn between posting here and over at My Many Colored Days, which I am not sure many of you know about. During the summer, my life becomes completely about my children, and both of these blogs are good places to write about that. My children inspire both what I write and what I create, a lot of the time. But each blog maintains a different readership, both of which I deeply appreciate, so although the idea to merge the two blogs is tempting, I'll just plug along here posting when I can, until I have more time on my hands. I have yet to post pictures of my redone playroom, let alone countless other projects I have announced here. Lol. But patience is a virtue... and I thank you for yours.

My latest craze is projects with fabric. But I have a huge confession... especially to all those fabulous sewing goddesses whose blogs I frequent. I am extremely intimidated by sewing machines. In fact, I have very little experience with them. I think most people that know me assume I am a proficient seamstress... I use fabric a lot in my projects. Let's just say I am much more handy with glue than I am with needle and thread. Unless it can be done by hand... and I have made many a project more difficult by sewing by hand. Let me tell you! That picnic blanket I last posted is going to help me face my fear... pull out my mother's old machine, and have a go. :)

This project, however, has been simple to hand sew. And I am having lots of fun with the endless possibilities. This tee is for my 2 yo little boy:

And this tee will soon have a rubber ducky on it, for my babe:

Because I don't have enough unfinished projects lying around...

2007-06-04T22:00:00.000-05:00

I found these great tea towels at World Market... I am thinking they'd make a really fun patchwork picnic blanket!

I'm yoyo for onesies!

2007-05-25T16:38:00.001-05:00

A fast and easy baby gift!

Come kiss the cook!

2007-05-23T14:37:00.000-05:00

My son just turned 5. His latest interest has been cooking. What better theme for a birthday party? The children loved every minute of it! They were each greeted with a homemade chef's hat and apron. While waiting for other guests to arrive, they played around the kitchen table with pretend slice and peel food from Melissa and Doug and Hands on Fun. Once everyone had arrived, we began making a pizza. They each took a turn sprinkling the dough with flour and rolling it out. Then they took turns adding sauce and spreading it around. Ditto for sprinkling the cheeses and pepperoni... all the while dancing to fine tunes such as "Frim Fram Sauce" and "Papa Loves Mambo".

While the pizza baked we made salad on a stick: bamboo skewers, chunks of cheese, cherry tomatoes, and diced cucumber (snacking a bit as we went).

Then they played with sticker scenes from Hands on Fun, which gave us a great opportunity to discuss the basic food groups. And as the pizza cooled, they decorated cupcakes with their choice of icing, colored sugars, candy toppers, and a candle for Jonah to blow out.

We sang the birthday song to him and carried our feast outside to the picnic table, which was decorated with unbreakable/indestructable china and a floral centerpiece (drawn on a disposable table cloth with markers).

Each guest took home a small pizza box - decorated with these fun chipboards - filled with goodies and a "thanks for making my party really cook" note tied to a miniature rolling pin.

DIY backsplash

2007-05-15T13:10:00.000-05:00

1) materials: galvanized flashing, metal shears, a ruler, sharpie and GE silicone II clear sealant (not pictured)

2) carefully measure the area to be covered... divide that area by two (measuring from top to bottom - i.e., cabinet to counter), and using your sharpie, draw a line where the flashing needs to be cut (don't worry about leaving a mark because alcohol will take it right off)

3) apply sealant to edges of flashing and across the middle and press frimly against wall. use thumbtacks if necessary to hold in place and heavy duty magnets to seal edges together until dry

4) optional: use this functional little gadget to hide your middle seam

finished product:

The Gift of Giving

2007-05-08T22:43:00.000-05:00

a fun homemade mother's day gift: gimme some sugar body scrub (white sugar, dark brown sugar, olive oil, vanilla)

for grace... happy birthday :)

Care for a spot o' tea?

2007-05-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

The sleepover cake

2007-04-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

I've gotten a lot of questions about the sleepover cake from my daughter's spajama party. So, I thought I'd tell you how I made it, and offer the link should you want step by step directions. The cake was first frosted with orange icing (top 1/3). I then sliced twinkies lengthwise and placed them on the lower half. I sliced marshmellows lengthwise as well for pillows. The heads are nilla wafers. I frosted the "blanket" with pink icing (extending up and over the bottom 2/3 of the twinkies. I used Cake Mate decors for the eyes (stuck with icing) and florettes on the blanket. I found ruffle-y looking Fruit By The Foot for a bedskirt. I used Cake Mate writing icing for the hair. And the party hats are just Wilson Icing Decorations.

meet kavi

2007-04-20T17:20:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of shooting pictures of this beautiful babe this week.

"Spajama" birthday party

2007-04-17T13:26:00.000-05:00

For Adriana's 8th birthday party we did a "spajama" party. Adriana picked pink and orange as her colors. Everyone came in their pj's, but did not spend the night. And they got pedicures. They also decorated pillowcases (plain white that I put pink ribbon around to dress up a bit) with fabric markers.

The invitations looked like this:

The table was made to look like a bed.

We served pizza rolls (pillow shaped), sushi (rice krispy treats wrapped in fruit-by-the-foot with a jelly belly bean stuck in the middle), potato chips, lollipops and cake.

The cake idea came from Family Fun... I had so much fun decorating it.

Orange balloons scattered the floor. Hot pink streamers, lights and lanterns gave the room a lounge-y feel. I got a few magazines (Highlights, National Geographic for kids) for the girls to thumb through while they got their toe nails painted, and they watched "Charlotte's Web".

This was probably my favorite birthday party yet. A lot of prep work, but the party itself was so enjoyable... not stressful at all.

a little color

2007-04-13T13:23:00.000-05:00

...for my friend's whisper blue kitchen:

These are a few of my favorite (old) things

2007-03-22T15:07:00.000-05:00

A few days ago Tongue in Cheek asked her readers what sort of antiques they own or collect. Blackeyedsue also blogged about pretty old things that she loves. I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of a few beautiful things I've acquired over the years.

This is a great idea for quilt remnants - cut them into heart shapes or sew them into miniature pillows:

A Stickley rocker :

some old stamp presses:

antique bobbins used as candle holders:

unused violin scraps and photos of my musical ancestry:

roses painted on an old ceiling tile:

an old family quilt:

a tea cup purchased from a second hand store:

old sap buckets make me feel springy!

what used to be my antique room has since turned into a play room (and the furniture is safe in storage until my kiddos grow up):

A memory box...

2007-03-15T15:23:00.000-05:00

... for someone special.

Photo shoot II

2007-03-13T14:07:00.000-05:00

This time my kiddos... we have cabin fever bad today! What better way to deal than snap some impromptu photos?

Photo shoot

2007-03-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to take pictures of beautiful baby Sam. Sure made me wish I could focus on photography for a while! I love it!

You gotta love Spring!

2007-03-07T16:51:00.000-06:00

The colors, the skirts, the bunnies, everything!

My mother sent me this bunny cut-out years ago. I finally got around to painting in last year or the year before. Can't remember. Anyway, thought it was too cutesy for my taste. But once I get a nice little arrangment of potted flowers around, it's quite charming.

(excuse the Thomas that somehow made it into my picture... I believe it was stowed here out of reach of my 4 yo for some good reason)

crazy for polka dots

2007-03-02T16:46:00.000-06:00

I can't get enough of polka dots. No other pattern can vie for my attention. :)

For Sasha's room...

before

2007-02-26T14:13:00.000-06:00

I'm finally painting my bedroom. Why is that I always come last? Lol. Actually, it has taken me this long (6 years?) to choose a color. Yes, that is how I am with paint. Wierd considering how uninhibited I am otherwise. Anyway - here is a before picture, including the vignettes in my room that inspired the color choice - a collage of my photography (our kids) and the display on top of our armoire which includes all the colors going into the room. The color we are using is called Village Square by Behr (wish that sample was bigger, oh and btw, this is my new friend). HOPEFULLY I'll have an after shot to show REAL soon. Like right after I finish painting the kids' bathroom (which has also taken 6 years to get right).

Frame and Painting

2007-02-22T14:26:00.000-06:00

This frame was made using scrapbook paper and mod podge, a scrap of brocade ribbon and a small rustic heart.

This is my most recent painting, done especially for my bedroom. I used a palette knife for the background texture and a tool that pulls away paint - looks like a chiseled eraser - to draw the flowers. It is matted on linen board. I am still looking for the right frame for it.

... and because I still have V-Day on the brain...

2007-02-21T08:07:00.000-06:00

Or because it makes such a great theme for a party, here's pictures from a baby shower I threw last night.

Some might think this idea is tacky, but I love balloons. Scattering them along the floor is a fun addition to any party.

Here are the decorations I used on the food table. I hit the sale at Target after V-Day and got this letter set for about $4! It's perfect! Same thing with the dessert plates - less than $1 each in the $1 aisle. And the candles were under $2 each at WalMart. The black and white picture of the children is actually a greeting card. I used a few of them throughout the house. Talk about cheap and unique decor!

And here's the table with food on it... the heart-shaped cheese was my favorite. And the sugar cookie heart cakes decorated like a big cookie were fun, too.

Another simple idea - laying heart-shaped doilies out on the counter. I put my punch bowl here.

And since the punch bowl looked so lonely on this big island all by itself, I made this sign for the guest of honor using my daughter's chalk board and an easel. It had a tin bucket of conversation hearts on either side.

Last but not least, a little something to take home... a small canister of cinnamon heart mints found in the craft section at WalMart. About $8 for 6.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T11:15:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog! My first entry is only appropriate for opening day... ideas for Valentine's Day.

The essential front door holiday decor:

my children's special school lunch - crackers tied up in licorice, strawberry yogurt (just the right color!), heart-shaped sandwich (use a cookie cutter) and little debb!e snack cakes: