Winter Pennant Banner

I finally made our winter pennant banner. The kids were proud of me. I sewed this one onto a ribbon. The "i" is bugging me a little, so we'll see if I change that for next year, but as for now, we'll call it good.

Winter Chandelier

Another place in our house that we decorate for the season is the entryway chandelier. The first time I did it was for this past fall, and we had leaves hanging on jute twine falling from it. For winter, we have snowflakes hanging from silver, blue and white ribbons.

We have more snow inside than we do outside right now. It's been a spring like past couple of weeks.

Iron Thingy & Winter Magnets

We updated our seasonal Iron decoration - I put away the fall leaves last week and then yesterday updated it with some snowflake magnets that we made. Bought the snowflakes at Dollar Tree and Walmart, magnets were just ones I had on hand. Here's the one by the music room - easier to see against the brown walls.

And the one upstairs, a little harder to see the white on white, so I put a few more of the silvers ones upstairs.

They make me happy!

Labeling with ABC Stampers

I got some mini ABC Stamper markers some years ago - and I keep them carefully tucked away and protected - so that the children will not find them and ruin them. I need them for all my labeling, cause the rainbow colors are just so cute! I love to label things with them.

Yesterday I finally labeled our phones, and it's so helpful for me and everyone to put things in their place because they are labeled and have a place! Labeled the wipes too, so I know which box goes upstairs and which one is downstairs.

And I use them to label binders...

 I made a little fridge magnet for them to use on our family calendar...

 And of course used them to label the box that I keep them in, which is tucked away from little hands :)

Iron Thingy & Autumn Magnets

I had this iron work thing above our bed for a while, but after the first week I knew it wasn't what I wanted up there. Still, I left its been up there for over 2 years. I took it down when Corey was in Brazil in August. I was planning on having something in it's place before he got back, but instead it's still blank and the iron thingy got left abandoned on our floor for a month. Well, it's finally found a home where I like it and where it is happy too. And I actually have two of these, cause when we had a houseguest, Angela, she must have noticed it above our bed and liked it, cause when she was visiting us here from Chile she bought one at Ross (for like $50 less than I paid, no fair). She wasn't able to fit it in her luggage for her trip home (she had done way too much shopping!) and so we inherited it. So now one is by the kid's study (formerly Corey's office) off the family room to the side of the kitchen:

and the other one is upstairs in between the bathroom and the lego room.

So it's nice cause they tie the two floors of our house together! These little iron decorations are going to house our season magnets, which right now are fall leaves for autumn. I think we'll do snowflake magnets in winter, and flowers in spring and summer. :) I like these iron things now, glad we were able to find a place for them.

Girl's Room Dresser

I painted this with a flat paint a year ago to just test things out. Then decided I did in face like the white, so we started to do a final paint with glossy white. I just did the drawers first, like at the beginning of spring, and only now did I finish the rest of the dresser. Had to sand off fingernail polish and prime over red paint and pen and markers a lot, but wow, it looks so much better now!

With two coats of polyurethane on the top to keep future scribblings off of it (hopefully!) Mel and I are both very happy with the result. :)

 And I made this a while ago ~ painted a frame and stapled in some chicken wire for her earrings.

School Cupboards

I'm trying to get a few projects done. Project Master Bedroom is still in the "seeking inspiration" phase. I did just complete a different project though - the after school "drop off" station. We have these 6 cupboards behind the front door.

For the past few years each kid in school had a cupboard. Now we have 7 kids in school, so had to mix things up a bit. So now kids share back pack cupboards and shoe shelves. Joseph and Mel in cupboard 1, 4 Jr. High kids shoes in cupboard 2, Ethan and Hyrum backpack in cupboard 3. (all the backpacks are gone cause they're at school right now...)

On the bottom, we've got Sunday shoes in cupboard 4, elementary kids' backpacks in cupboard 5 (I had to put 3 hooks in there, and I learned it's hard to screw things inside of cupboards). Cupboard 6 is shoes for Wes/Abi/Lily/Sophi/Natalie, aka WALSN. It ain't beautiful, but it's functional, so that will do us just fine for now.

Master Bedroom Help

I've been searching for a long time for an idea for above our master bed. I recently saw this idea in the spring/summer issue of "Best of Flea Market Style" Magazine...

So I like that idea, I think I'll put a white shelf to set them on, I just need to know: 

should I do capital letters...

or lower case?

"Back to School" Board

I made this little "Back to School" board today. 

I am able to rotate out the paper on the second half to show whatever is our school year theme.

I have only made one other board like this, but I hope to make enough that there is always one up to celebrate the current holiday or season. And they are not by the desk anymore, they are on the small wall space by the front door. :) 

I also rotate out the colored vases, a simple way to decorate as I try to figure out how to be festive.

"Back to School" Tradition

I think we've got a new tradition. "School Year's Eve" - the nutshell of it is in that link - here are some of the more boring details - 

FEAST - Feast - Ham sandwiches, sack lunch foods, and chocolate milk, cupcakes and primary colored candies and lollipops

THEME - 2014-15 Theme: Of Things That Matter Most

CENTERS - Each one had a star balloon to guide us. Next year make a worksheet with a section for each color, or they earn a star sticker at each center, after they get all the stars they get their prize (lunchsack full of treats and a theme reminder for their room/shelf)

• BLUE CENTER - Questionnaire
• PURPLE CENTER - Routine & Schedule (Mom's In and out box)
• GREEN CENTER - After School Routine (where you file your papers, put backpack, etc)
• ORANGE CENTER - School supplies
• RED CENTER - Visualization Boards (I have a box where I put all the magazines I'm done with and the kids cut them up to their hearts content. I think they liked it)
• YELLOW CENTER - Father's Blessings

PRIZE - fruit snack, rice krispy treat, mnm's, this year bank for boys (prepare for future and missions) for girls is a little trinket phone charm for their little knick nack shelf, reminder of calling on God for help, of talking time to talk in relationships that matter, necklaces for little girls for fun, princess stickers and mirror and makeup stickers, to remember beauty within is what matters most and that they are daughters of a King.

Flower Pens

During the school year, we never seem to be able to find a pen when we need one, like when I need to sign permission slips, write out a check, initial daily planners, etc. (so basically all the time.) SO, in anticipation for much pen usage during the school year that is fast upon us, I made some flower pens. 

They are a hit with the little girls, and I know when they go when I find them discarded on the floor. :) We have a pot of pens in the kitchen and also in the study by the computer. 

 A place for everything and everything in its place. 

"W" on the Bookshelf

I made this framed W picture seven months ago. It's been looking for a home ever since. It's made it on the wall a few times, only to be removed as I wait for inspiration. This past week she found her home on the wall at the top of the bookshelf and I love it. With our Valentine candy on display. Those are some "sours" gummy candy from Zurchers.

(Mel trying to photo bomb my photo.)

I like these bookshelves. We had them when we were renting our other house, then they spent time at my brother in laws home when we moved out of the country for a few months. After we returned, he said he could give them back or he'd post them on the classifieds. I wasn't planning on getting them back, since they are big and it's kinda a hassle, but I thought I'd rather get them back over selling them. Anyway, we had to saw off the two metal bases they were on to make them fit in the front room, and after fitting them in I was very glad we took them back. They are on either side of the north wall in our front room. I like the slightly color coordinated books too, thanks to Design Mom for introducing that idea to me. (I couldn't find the post about it on her blog, here's another post though.)

Decor Balls

Giving these decor balls a go again... Turning out kinda cute?

Some made with raffia and jute twine, others with fabric that is left over from pillows I made and from the window drapery panels. I'm wrapping whatever I feel like around some balls that I got from the dollar store, which are slightly less expensive than the styrofoam ones at the craft store.

...and an old shirt of Corey's, I apparently like making it "ours". :)

Jewelry Board

I thought this project over at Whippy Cake was so pretty!

I'm underway with brainstorming and mentally designing how mine might look, mostly with supplies I already have on hand. Gonna make a few sketches of different options for myself today.

I think this will be my board ~ I've been saving it for almost 3 years now for some unknown project, it was in the basement when we moved in.

This is the wall by my closet where I think I shall place my board.

Pretty little tea cup I found at the thrift store, to hold small stud earrings.

Dollar store glass that can hold bracelets

And here's my drawer where all these pretty things are hid most of the time. Won't it be so much better to have them all displayed? To add color to the room while also being very functional! I'll update later with the finished product.

Laundry Done

I am feeling so on top of things, I'm not sure what's made the difference these past two weeks but I hope it doesn't stop. Main floor has been looking AWESOME this whole week (glad I made the kids take their forts down). Even vacuumed the stairs, on my way to the upper floor now.

I folded absolutely ALL of the laundry and even threw out half of the unmatched socks that were waiting for their partners. I'm keeping 10 stray socks, that's it. No more of this whole basket full of socks. So it was a pretty good feeling, I've been working hard and have found much satisfaction in being a homemaker and it's easy as I sing my little "Do It For Jesus" song. I've even been wearing a little apron (GREAT for picking up all the stray legos everywhere!) I think I'm going to make myself a few more aprons of different styles to add some color to my black/gray exercise clothes that I wear everyday. :) And just for fun, I LOVE THIS LITTLE FACE!!!!!

Stick Decoration Thing

I had an idea a few months ago... the kids and I were talking about how slow and long the cold winter months of January and February and March seem to be. There's no real big holiday to get excited over and look forward to... just not enough going on. And on top of that  and with the cold weather, just makes it seem even longer and slower. So, we've decided that each month we're gonna have a party for ourselves, and January is our New Year Winter Party. I got some decorating inspiration from the Pointe Party that Mel had last month.

They just had a big stick thing in a pot on one of the tables that looked pretty with paint, lights, and ornaments, you can barely see a little of it in the picture above in the top left corner. Anyway, I decided we'd tried to do the same thing for our party ~ I found this stick just out in our neighborhood which looked like a nice long shape...

...which I screwed to a board from a bed that I have had in my stash of potential crafty things down in the basement...

Then painted it, put on some ornaments ~

Then add a bit more with lights and garland, and wa-la! We had some decor for our party!