book-inspired art: Perfect Square

 

One of the books Caleb picked out at the library this week was Perfect Square by Michael Hall.  Turns out it's a really cool book, and a great jumping-off point for some art projects.  All you need is some construction paper, scissors, a hole punch, and a glue stick!

In the book, a square is cut, ripped, wrinkled, etc. in order to make other things.  We used the pictures in the book as a guide, but I reminded Caleb that his didn't have to look exactly like what we saw in the book.

See his dinosaur supervising?

The first object was a fountain...I drew lines on the square as a guide for Caleb and his scissors, and I helped him with the hole punching since he couldn't quite get enough grip on our hole punch to do it himself (note to self....find one that a kid can use!).

Next came a garden (this one was fun...all Caleb had to do was rip the square up into little pieces!).

Then a park (by ripping the square into strips)...he ended up doing this one by himself since his little brother needed a diaper change right then!

Then a bridge (the square was "shattered" in this case).  We were the most creative with this one since the bridge in the book was kind of intricate!

Then a river (Mommy got her pinking shears for this one!).

And finally, a mountain (lots of fun since we got to crumble up the square!).

Caleb had a lot of fun with this book.  It's just cool that a random choice he made at the library led to a good hour of creative fun (as well as an opportunity to work on his cutting and gluing skills!).

Micah 6:8

Today I made one last thing for Micah's room.

It's a paraphrase of Micah 6:8; I came across it when I was pregnant and really wanted to eventually incorporate it into his room.  I used a frame I already had, as well as the wrapping paper from this project.  I had a lot of letter stickers left from the other hangings in the room too.  In the end it just came down to getting the handprint and footprint from Micah.  Which is easier said than done with a five-month-old.  He wanted to make a fist and curl his toes more than helping me out on this one.  :o)  So we did the best we could, and then I used one of Caleb's paintbrushes to fill in the muddled spots.  I actually used Caleb's paint too...it's non-toxic and washable, so I thought it was a pretty good option for something involving a baby. 

I'm about 90% happy with it.  Kinda wish I had used lighter-colored letters so they'd pop more against the navy blue cardstock, but since I wanted to use stuff I already had I'm okay with it for now.  We could always try again further down the road when Micah's a little older (and more cooperative with art projects!), but for now this complements the rest of the stuff in his room nicely.  Plus it adds another Scripture to his walls, so that's always a great thing in my book.  :o)

there's no place like space!

So recently we took the plunge and started hanging up stuff in our house.  We're currently renting, and since we didn't anticipate being in this house for more than a year, we didn't do much decorating at first.  But since it was hard to feel settled without some homey touches, we decided to hang a few things here and there.  So glad we did!

Micah's room has gotten the most attention so far, only because it's the smallest of the bedrooms and I already had some of the decor on hand.

I made these back in September, just a month or so before Micah was born.  I had attempted to hang them with Command picture hooks, but they didn't really work.  Nails work much better!

Also found an amazing set of wall decals from Target on clearance!  I put a bunch of them above his crib, as well as over his changing table where some vintage space flashcards were already on display:

 

I think they do a good job in filling blank space on the wall without doing any damage since they're removable.

During a recent trip to Goodwill, I found an adorable vintage book for 77 cents:

Really, it's such a fun little book.  It has an occupation for each letter, along with a poem:

 

There's even a milkman in it.  A MILKMAN.  Do those guys even exist anymore?

What made it even more interesting is that a little girl had written on a few pages.  Not to be messy, but to record her hopes and dreams:

 

Who is this Kelly Baldwin?  When did she read this book?  Where is she now?  And did she ever realize her dream of being a nurse or a teacher?  Makes me wonder.  That's the magic of used books, I guess!

Anyway, the rest of the book was in excellent condition, so I just removed the two staples holding it together (two VERY rusty staples, might I add...glad my tetanus shot is up to date!) and then cut down the middle to get the "R" page:

I used a 12" X 12" frame I already had (hint:  get LP display frames at Michael's....they have them on sale for $4.99 a LOT and they're the perfect size for scrapbook paper!), and for the backing I used some super cute wrapping paper I found at TJ Maxx:

I am deliriously happy with how well it turned out.  And how cheaply it all came together.  77 cents for the book (with lots of usable pages leftover), $2.99 for the wrapping paper (again, lots leftover), and the frame was free.  This is hanging above his dresser, and the chevron pattern of the paper ties in well with his dresser topper:

There's still a blank wall opposite the big window in his room, so I still need to figure out something to put there.  It'll most likely be another Scripture, and I would love to use more of that chevron paper in it somehow!

baby on a budget: nursery wall art

This afternoon I sat down to make some wall art for Micah's room.  A few weeks ago, I found some cute blue chevron scrapbook paper at Hobby Lobby, as well as some thick letter stickers.  I am hopeless at freehanding this kind of thing, and the stickers seemed like a good idea.  Especially since they were on sale at the time.  I used some of Caleb's construction paper for the moon and stars since I didn't have any other scrapbook paper without some kind of pattern, and I figured that would be too busy with the chevron pattern being the background for the whole thing.

I kept coming back to the phrase "I love you to the moon and back" from the book Guess How Much I Love You.  The story really has nothing to do with space, just a father and son rabbit trying to out-love each other!  :o)

I decided to paraphrase a verse from Philippians as well.  I like the idea of having Scripture on the nursery walls; I did the same with Caleb's room back when he was a baby and it really helped me know how to pray for him (especially during late-night feedings when the last thing I felt like doing was praying).  :o)

All in all these two pictures took me about half an hour total.  The letter stickers were really forgiving too; they were easy to reposition if needed without ripping up the paper too much.  I know we have some 12x12" frames somewhere packed away.  I was planning on trying to find a couple that used to hang in Caleb's old room and repurpose them for Micah's room since the Scripture hangings I made for Caleb are a little babyish for his room now.  Of course since we haven't unpacked any boxes with pictures in them it's been hard trying to find them, especially since a lot of those boxes are heavy and there's no way I can move them around without hurting myself.  Might have to enlist the hubby's help with that at some point.  :o)

I also went ahead and utilized some cute vintage space flash cards I found on Etsy a few months back.

They were very reasonably priced and I had just decided on a space theme when I came across them so I knew I could incorporate them somehow.  I used some blue baker's twine and metal clips I already had to hang them above the changing table.  I went ahead and used a couple of clear push pins for this; I figured a couple of little holes in the wall wouldn't be a huge deal, plus this kind of thing is much easier to hang than an actual picture so I knew I could get it right the first time!

They seem higher above the table in the picture than in real life for some reason.  I hung them at eye-level, that way the baby can't grab them when we change him.  :o)

upcycled laundry sign

Over the weekend I finally finished a project that I've had in mind for awhile.  It started with this $3.00 sign I found at TJ Maxx last year:

I liked the crackled look of it and its cheap price tag, but that's about it.  I decided to upcycle it for my laundry room by doing something similar to this sign that I saw on Pinterest once.  I painted it with yellow acrylic paint, then Mod Podged some scrapbook paper on top of that.  After that I used some chipboard letter stickers I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby to spell out one of the truest statements that will ever be uttered in a laundry room.

And I truly believe it.  I am 30 years old and I have a Masters degree, and I still cannot for the life of me fold one of those things.  I've even watched instructional videos on YouTube and I still can't grasp it.  I do a decent job with my son's crib sheets, but our queen-sized ones are almost impossible.  I kind of just wing it and hope for the best.  But I digress.

I like the quirky look of my sign, and it doesn't bother me too much that some of the letters are a little lopsided.  It's got character, and that's all I ask for.  It really pulls this corner of my laundry room together.

Total cost:  Around $4 for the letter stickers.  I had to get two packs to ensure I'd have enough letters to complete the project.  Every thing else I had on hand.  Yay!

So now I think the only other thing I really want for this room is a new ironing board cover.  Haven't found anything I like yet.  I might make one but I'm not sure I want to so we'll see!

Linked up to Creations by Kara!

dry-erase love-note message board

I saw this idea online recently and loved it.  I think it's technically supposed to be for your kids, but I don't see why it can't work for husbands and wives as well! 

My husband and I often leave handwritten messages on our bathroom mirror with a dry-erase marker.  I thought it would be a cool idea to have a dry-erase message board in there, complete with a prompt.  Kind of like romantic Mad Libs.

I took this frame off the wall and got rid of my attempt at scrapbook paper abstract art from a few years ago.  I also got rid of the white matte.

Then I just pieced some coordinating scrapbook papers together and used a blue-green sharpie to freehand the letters.  And you can probably tell I freehanded all the letters.  Oh well, that just makes it more special.

Our bathroom gets GREAT lighting, can you tell??
So now all we have to do is write on the glass with a dry erase marker.

And just think of all the ways we can finish this sentence, from encouraging words ("I love you because you work so hard for us") to jokes ("I love you because you remembered to put the toilet seat down")!  It also compels both of us to really think about WHY we love each other.

And if I ever get sick of the paper I used (or if it clashes with whatever paint color we choose for the walls once we spruce that bathroom up), it won't take me long at all to change the look.

Project cost:  Zero dollars and twenty minutes.  Hopefully it looks like it took an hour at least.  :o)

magazine holder facelift

I decided my living room needed a designated spot to put some of my magazines.  A few well-placed polka dots couldn't hurt either.  So this is what I came up with.  Want to see how I did it?  :o)

About a month ago, I found a very sturdy wooden box at Goodwill that I assumed would be good for holding magazines.

 

I liked the rustic look of it, but not so much the fruit on the front.  So I decided to spray-paint the whole outside of it a pretty dark turquoise color called "Lagoon" that I had on hand.  It ended up being kind of bright, so I painted over it with some sage green acrylic paint, and then wiped a little off with an old rag as I went.  That way it wouldn't just be one flat boring color. 

As for the inside, I found a couple of sheets of cute polka dotted scrapbook paper in my stash.  I cut them to size and mod-podged them to most of the inside surfaces, and followed it up with another coat of mod podge to really seal it in.  There are a few wrinkles but luckily they're pretty hard to notice unless you're looking for them.  I left the bottom of the inside as it was since a) you can't see the bottom unless you really peek inside, and even then it's still a nice wooden surface, and b) because I didn't have any of the cute paper left and didn't want to use anything different in case it clashed.  I like it just the way it is.

I debated about putting something on the front, but I think for now the polka dots and the colorful covers of the magazines are enough visual appeal.

 

At this angle it looks like it's lopsided.  But it's not.  :o) 
Not bad for under $5.  The magazine holder was around $3, and everything else I had on hand. 

Linking up to Creations by Kara and A Little Tipsy!

scrapbook scripture

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I've been working on a few surprises, so it's difficult to keep things secret if particular family members check up on my blog!  All will be revealed in due time (as in, when certain gifts are given....haha!).

This is a project I did for my mom's birthday.  Earlier this year, my parents moved into a new house and she asked me if I could make something for the master bedroom.  She liked the scripture hangings I had done for my son's room, but basically gave me free reign design-wise.

First, I decided to use this pretty frame I found at Goodwill for a little over three bucks.  Pardon the pun.

I really liked the natural wood of the frame; it's a rare occurrence when you find a picture frame at Goodwill that you don't want to immediately attack with spray paint!  Although the deer and tacky matte had to go.  :o)

Next I got out my bag of scrapbook paper "scraps."

Scrapbook paper usually comes in 12X12 sheets.  But about 99% of the time, I end up cutting mine down to fit whatever project I'm doing, and then I can't bring myself to throw any of the scraps away.  So I made a very tiny dent in this collection with this project!

Anyway, I played around with some design ideas, and finally settled on a simple tree with my parents' initials carved in it.  I added leaves to the top to add some color and dimension.

And put a simple yet meaningful Scripture at the bottom.

I also took a thin permanent marker and outlined almost everything with fake "stitches."  I like the look of applique and embroidery, so this was my way of incorporating that look without using fabric and thread!

I hope she likes it.  I know she'll like it because I'm her kid and I made it for her, but you know what I mean.  :o)

Linked up to Creations by Kara and A Little Tipsy!

perpetual calendar

You may remember me saying that I have a hard time resisting fabric when it's on clearance.  Well, before I got back into sewing, I was even worse about scrapbook paper on clearance.  Hobby Lobby certainly didn't help things; they used to put a huge rack of single sheets in the clearance section and price them ten for a dollar.  Enable much??

Anyway, I had this cool double frame I got at Target a few years ago.  And it was clearance-priced.  But you already guessed that.  Sigh.

And it was a really cool frame.  The individual frames flipped around so you could put another photo on the back.  But I got bored with it.  So when I saw this perpetual calendar idea on {Pressed Down, Shaken Together}, I decided to give it a go and maybe put a dent in my scrapbook paper stash while I was at it.

First, I popped the smaller frames out of the big frame.  This of course left holes in the larger frame, but they weren't that noticeable.  Maybe if I had had some kind of filler or wood putty on hand, I would have done something about it, but I honestly didn't mind.  I figured once I was done, those holes would be hidden or at least not glaringly obvious (spoiler alert...I was right!).

I decided that since I was using a rectangular frame, I would make two sets of cards; one for the days of the week, and one for the actual number dates.  And since my frame was pretty thick, I didn't worry about making the cards double-sided like in the original tutorial since I knew there would be enough room.  The author of the tutorial also had the great idea to use snapshots and cool embellishments to make the calendar really meaningful and personal, but in order to keep this project as cheap as possible, I decided to rely on the pretty, eye-catching patterns of my paper instead.

So last Friday night I got to work.  What Women Want was on TV, and by the time the movie was over, I had this to show for my night:

Really I just found a cute font in Word that I liked, increased the size to about 300, and then printed out the outlines of the numbers 0 to 9.  I cut them out and used them as stencils for each card.  This is the creativity you have to resort to when you don't have a fancy cutting machine.  But I digress.

Then yesterday I did the days of the week set.

There you go.  Not one card is the same paper.  Really.  I checked!  Anyway, I already had some neutral colored cardstock from another project so I just cut squares that were a little bigger than the scrapbook paper squares.  That way the cards wouldn't be as flimsy and would flip better.  I mounted the scrapbook paper squares onto the cardstock squares with scrapbook adhesive squares (best stuff EVER), punched two holes in all of them, and then got ready to put everything on the frame.

The original tutorial uses twine to loop everything together, but I decided to try cable ties first.  I found some in black to match my frame, and made sure they were long enough to go through everything.  I probably would have used twine or something else if I hadn't kept my frame black, since it's hard to make cable ties look attractive unless they match your frame!  I tried to make everything as even as possible, so if it's a little crooked hopefully it's not that noticeable!

Not too bad, huh?  I did have a panicky moment when the cards got hung up on the end of the cable tie when I tried to flip them, but after I worked the whole loop around a little, everything laid flat (kind of like when your paper gets hung up in a spiral notebook but once you mess with the spiral a little it's fine....or maybe that just happens to me).  So now I have a calendar that works for any month of the year.

Ta-da!  I like how it looks on top of our desk.

And each new day, you just flip to the next card!  Here's another outside shot, since my house and camera both make for insanely dark photos.

And the grand total for this project is.....88 cents for the cable ties.  And it was a pack of 20 so I have most of them left for...oh I don't know, maybe actually tying cords and cables together as nature intended?  I had the frame, paper, markers, and scrapbook adhesive squares on hand already so there was nothing else out of pocket.  LOVE IT.

Linked up to Creations by Kara and A Little Tipsy!