Ribbon Fiasco, Martha to the Rescue
I’ve spent my stay-at-home-mommy-year blogging, crafting, reading, crocheting, baking, and reading some more, discovering fun new things to try, and searching out necessary materials and supplies at craft stores, yard sales, etc. Yesterday I thought I’d sort through all of the pretty ribbons I had found or bought this year so I could show and share them for my usual Thursday post.
I underestimated the widespread appeal of the ribbon however. I also underestimated my toddler’s determination to satiate his interest in “helping Mommy” with the ribbons. And I committed the ultimate faux pas: I turned my back on the toddler while he was in my crafting area. With…the…ribbon. ALL…of…the…ribbon.
Did I get a photo of the resulting tangled-ribbon-noodle-like-mess on my floor? Uh, no~I couldn’t take a picture because I was too busy putting myself in a much-needed Time Out. Just superimpose ribbons over the toys in this bedroom shot in your mind to get a feel for the mess I enabled the boy to create:
While I was rolling my ribbon back onto their spools, a miracle occurred! I got an email from Michael’s Craft Store with a fifty-percent-off coupon in it. I took a break from the grosgrain and satin, and searched the store online when lo and behold, a link for Martha Stewart Crafts took me to a page featuring ribbon storage boxes. Michael’s and Martha~ how did they know?
Here’s the midpoint:
(Did you notice there’s no sign of the toddler? I learned my lesson, and had Sister take him out to play in the water while I rolled, sorted, and organized!)
Muuuuuuucccccchhhhhhhhhhhh better:
Earthy browns, blacks, and black/white:
Golds, cream, white, and an extra roll of patriotic red/white/blue:
Purples, greens, yellow and orange:
Blues…
Solid pinks:
Patterned pinks and reds:
And look! With the lids closed, you can still see a little peek of what’s inside. Once we’re in our new home and my craft area is established, little tails of ribbon will stick out of the slots… just so my toddler can yank on them and unspool them onto the floor…AGAIN!
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*Don’t forget, Sunday is Father’s Day!
*The Pioneer Woman Cooks Cowboy Nachos
*GoodyBlog posted about Velcro’s Birthday (and shared a photo of a much-desired-by-me Velcro WALL…here toddler-toddler-toddler, here toddler-toddler-toddler)
*And how about a blog written by a dad? Perfect for this Father’s Day weekend!
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Shannon’s Gifts
It was Shannon’s birthday last week! I promised to share what we’d sent once she let us know she’d received her package…after all, I didn’t want to post photos and let the cat, or in this case, DOG out of the bag, ruining her surprise!
We picked out doggy material for her *extensive* fabric collection (and because it was so darn cute~Shannon will think of a wonderful craft for it) and found some coordinating ribbon:
Then I spelled out Angel Kisses with Scrabble Tiles, adhered them to painted tile trays, and added pretty buttons in Shannon-ey colors:
And of course, I made her a birthday card!
White cardstock, folded not quite in full thirds:
A sunny paper for the inside and outside:
A coordinating paper for the “underfold” front of the card, with extra pieces cut out to make a coordinating gift tag:
Some pretty adhesive-backed paper lace (this is some of my FAVORITE STUFF!):
Coordinating chipboard letters spelling “friend” (I made sure the “E” wasn’t glued all the way down, otherwise the card wouldn’t have opened!
Smaller ivory letters to spell “Dear” (Shannon is a dear friend, after all!) and to spell her name on the gift tag:
“Happy Birthday” for the inside of the card, on pretty paper, with foo-foo trims punched out, and corners rounded…I added lime green brads to the corners as well:
How the card looked open, from the back:
…and the front!
Talk about FUN!~
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~I’ve never been a fan of apricots, but Smitten Kitchen is tempting me to give them another try with Breakfast Apricot Crisp…
~My daughter, who puts Ranch dressing on just about everything (okay, except pancakes), will have to keep a copy of this recipe from A Pioneer Woman Cooks in her “My Parents are Kicking Me Out of the House” cookbook when she leaves for college in five years.
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Check back tomorrow when I post photos of our toddler making Daddy’s Father’s Day card… it involves PAINT!
Oh Yes, I’m Red-dy for the Weekend!
Do you remember the red glitter from yesterday?
I have been looking forward to learning how to make banners for several months now, inspired by lovelies I’ve found on other blogs. Dear Daughter’s transition from junior high to high school seemed like just the right opportunity to try a new-to-me-craft idea, so I collected the materials, using mostly her favorite color, purple. I thought red glitter would be a nice contrast!
I spelled out “high school girl” in plain chipboard letters, glued, and glittered them…
Measured my 12X12 paper, marking 3, 6, and 9 inches to draw lines for triangles…
Look at these pretty purple floral pennants!
I glued the floral triangles to solid purple cardstock and trimmed with pinking shears…
Punched out squares
and hearts…
Added the glittery letters
and then used hot glue to mount the pennants on purple ribbon…
The very best thing? She LOVES it!
Next time I’ll use smaller triangles, and larger letters, but for my first effort, I’m pretty pleased!
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We’ll see what red inspiration I’ll find for tomorrow, the last day of
RED-dy for Creativity
I see red every day in my computer/craft nook, in the form of Russian lacquer, Vera Bradley table decor, and this, my red mock-odile accordion file:
Inside are all sorts of stickers, decorative papers and other scrapbooking embellishments, sorted after G.G. sent the case to me for Christmas. Yes, I’m one of those odd birds who LIKES organizing things. A place for everything, and everything in its place.
(Could be!)
Hobby Lobby is where I’ve seen similar cases (in powder pink, and mini-accordion files, no less!) lately… now that I think of it, H.L. also sells mock-odile hat boxes too!
**If you like the place mats, they’re Vera Bradley Americana.**
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Not only was I inspired to post about my red case, but the card-making bug bit me as well! With Father’s Day right around the corner, it seems appropriate:
More tools and doo-dads (psst…I was also inspired to make a birthday card and goodies for Shannon too! Those will be in tomorrow’s post!)…
White cardstock, green speckled paper, and family photos for the front…
photo corners…
some of my favorite letter tiles…
a complimentary green checked patterned paper on the inside…
Ta da! (I folded the cardstock ALMOST in half, leaving enough overhang for a fold to which the “Father’s Day” tiles were glued.)
Dad’s card is taken care of…what to make for Dear Husband?
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*GoodyBlog has come through, yet again, with an awesome Father’s Day gift idea! Make Your Own Cool Music Video for Dad!
*If Dad loves to camp but this summer’s gas prices have put a kabosh on those plans, why not make him a S’Mores Pie? Thanks to Smitten Kitchen!
*The Pioneer Woman Cooks a rather manly sounding side dish, Crash Hot Potatoes…
*Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen delivers for the morning crew…If Dad is the coffee shop type, why not make some Orange Scones with Rhubarb and Cherries?
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Still reading, Shannon? I told you, NOT UNTIL TOMORROW!
Happy Almost Birthday, dear friend!
Links~So SEW!
It’s been busy around here! The daily blog has been put on the back burner for a bit- have you missed me?
I’ve managed to get caught up on reading and thought I’d share some links with you:
Recipes:
Penne Rigate with Spinach and Garlic Cream Sauce from Posy Gets Cozy
Pistachio and Lemon Bites shared by Cream Puffs in Venice
The Pioneer Woman Cooks Pots de Creme
Gruyère-Stuffed Crusty Loaves from Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen
Photography:
Di at Designer’s Block shares Fairy Tale photography by Eugenio Recuenco
Terry photo-documents the importance of first impressions at Bent Objects
I may just have to learn Photoshop now! PhotoJojo has provided a link for Mac keyboard “skins” (covers) that show keyboard shortcuts to make things easier…
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Thanks to coupons at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and Joann’s, I’ve made some affordable and oh-what-a-treat purchases this week to see me through the rest of the summer and into the beginning of the school year. I found Amy Karol’s (find her at Angry Chicken) “Bend-the-Rules Sewing” book…aprons, coasters, purses, and lap quilts, here I come!
I also picked up Therese Laskey’s “Softies” so I can make some cool characters for my toddler and my students (I love the robot and ice cream sandwich!)…
Some edge punches by Martha:
And a much-needed desk caddy (on a lazy Susan):
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I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend as much as we did!
It’s a S-T-R-E-T-C-H
Don’t worry Mom, it’s just that twenty-plus year old jewelry elastic gives up the ghost, in this case, after nineteen years.
It’s mastodon ivory. Pretty, earthy, Eskimo stuff. Look at this sad face:
Time for new stretchy stuff:
Threading clear elastic through hand-drilled holes isn’t easy…
but with patience, I managed.
Finally, wearable again!
It’s good to know that there are simple and relatively quick fixes for my favorite jewelry!
(I purchased the elastic at Michael’s)
…For I Am the Binder Queen!
It was rainy and windy yesterday, so I took the hint and decided to update our family info binder. As we’ve moved from military post to post, we’ve driven, and have needed to carry our important papers and documentation with us. A binder with page protectors, page dividers and pencil bags has served us well- go figure!
Just call me the Binder Queen. (Recipe Binder, Inspiration Binder, Lesson Plan Binder)
My first attempt at decorating our Family Binder entailed finding colorful paper, cutting it to size, and slipping it into the cover’s sleeves. That’s it.
Fast forward three years, and I’ve built up quite a stash:
And enjoy using ribbons and brads:
Three years ago I wouldn’t have thought to put a photo of our family on the book:
(I couldn’t get the taupey-glittered “family” stickers to show up due to the cloudy day, apologies)
This update is a bit more femme than the last one…
…but we can’t miss it, which is important when it’s time to pack up the vehicles and return to Oz this summer!
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*Doug is adding to my summer reading list…
*Vicki shares an altered photo idea that I’m inspired to modify for my students in August…
*Hostess With the Mostess posts a Mississippi Mud Recipe!
*As soon as I get some quiet, self-reflection time (and I’m AWAKE during it), I’m going to write my personal mission statement, suggested by WishStudio Blogzine.
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Have a great weekend!
Show and Share Thursday: School on the Brain
While most teachers and students are ready for the school year to come to a close, I’m busy “getting my craft on” in the form of preparing my school binder for August. I’ve visited Office Depot, purchased my binder, page dividers, and page protectors. Hobby Lobby and Michael’s lured me in with various coupons (it was a conspiracy I tell you) and conveniently enough, school-themed scrapbooking paper was on clearance. A sign, obviously.
The pile:
My paper selection for the front cover:
Adding some ribbon and doo-dahs (er, “embellishments”):
Papers for divider pages, title blocks of polka dotted paper framed with photo corners:
The spine:
…and the finished binder!
I *really* need to get back to teaching!
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*I’ve discovered another awesome FOODIE BLOG! The Pioneer Woman Cooks is my new favorite diet destroyer- go, go go! Perfectly detailed photography and directions for recipes- hey, I said “go, go go!”
*The Graphics Fairy shares some wonderful ephemera- I can’t wait to sort through the pages from her Victorian Alphabet Book to make one of my own!
*Laurie at Laurie’s Charming Designs has miraculously erased my aversion to chalk (heh heh heh, I know, that was bad) with her beautifully painted plates, trays, etc. Of course I’m also a fan of her pincushions and am sorely tempted to ask if she’d transform my lidless sugarbowl into a pincushion for my future craft area…
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An offering for Q and A…you ask me questions, I’ll answer. Pretty simple. Keep it clean or I’ll put you in Time Out. Either comment here or email me: michaelek1(at)yahoo(dot)com
Wordless Wednesday: Multiple Projects
Wednesday’s Wreath…a GIVEAWAY!
Funny, the inspiration you can find in the clearance sale bins at Michael’s! Tulle on sale, in a color I haven’t used before…some pretty pink buttons, a piece of pink felt, left over blue fabric, and some wavy blue sparkle yarn (also on clearance). Put it all together around a wreath form and voila:
With a few sheer pink ribbons throughout:
Blue felt too:
And no, it goes with NONE of our home decor. It’s too foo-foo for Dear Daughter, and I’ll be lucky to get the buttons I’ve chosen as “filler” back from the toddler in order to finish this pretty take on a blue mood.
Eureka!
A giveaway! Yeppers, I want to guarantee that this blue/pink/tulle combo goes to a blue/pink/tulle loving home! Leave a comment on this blog post (or at Kindergarten’s 3 R’s, same post) by next Wednesday, May 5, and I’ll draw the winning name to be posted on Saturday!
I’ll post another photo once the wreath is completed- you know, after I sneak the buttons away from the toddler during his nap!~
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