3.30.2012
Tissue Paper & Stamps = Instant Art
About a week or so ago I got a big ol' box of amazingness from Canvas Corp...
AND, Canvas Corp recently acquired 7Gypsies & Tattered Angels, so...hello, even better.
I was instantly inspired to make this...
Here's how it started...
I saw those stamps and I was immediately drawn to them. You see, I love nature...not as in "becoming one with...," or living off the land, etc., but as art.
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I was a biology major in college and I used to love to go to the ancient museum on the top floor of our Natural History Building to see the beautiful, long-ago pinned insects and animal specimans. And I've always thought that the sketches in antique science books were so lovely...
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So I took those items, and I added these supplies...
*black stamp ink
*A clear stamp block
*a little cheap brush
First I stamped the images I liked into the frames I liked using regular old stamp ink...
I waited about 10 minutes for the ink to dry...then I tested the images by dabbing a damp finger on them to make sure they didn't run...I didn't want smears when I decoupaged them...
Then I covered my canvas in DecouPage and placed the tissue paper on top. As soon as I got the tissue paper where I wanted it, I carefully spread a fairly thick layer of DecouPage over the tissue...
I got a little careless & tore the corner of the tissue a little, but it was no big deal.
I glued down all of the edges and folded the tissue paper behind the canvas like I was wrapping a present. Then I let everything dry overnight.
The next day I grabbed some decorative wood Canvas Corp Push Pins and some black Canvas Corp Jute Cord...
I simply tied a square knot with the cord around the pins and pushed them into the top of the canvas to create a way to hang my art...
And that was it...
I think my new art is lovely...and subtle...and it reminds me of that old museum at school...
I think you could probably do this with any old tissue paper you have lying around...whether it has graphics or not. But I really think the 7Gypsies paper is gorgeous...and leaves you with so many possibilities...imagine these frames wrapping a gift with the name of the recipient stamped randomly inside them...cool, huh? I'd love to receive a gift like that.
Or how about a super-large canvas decorated with this paper? I can just see this hanging over a bed or leaning against a wall on top of a vintage dresser...in fact, I think I may do just that with the rest of my paper...
How would you decorate your tissue paper art?
Here's where I'm linking up this week...
Aaand...this is
my entry into Wow Me Wednesday sponsored
by Appliances Online and Bosch Washing Machines
Here's where I'm linking up this week...
Aaand...this is
my entry into Wow Me Wednesday sponsored
by Appliances Online and Bosch Washing Machines
3.28.2012
Spring & Easter Project links...and a printable
I hope everyone has been having a great week so far! We are having some cooler weather here in Chicagoland (after experiencing summer-like temps for two weeks) and I am HATING it. I was getting used to having the house open, and wearing flip flops and grilling every night...and then I had to pull out my winter jacket yesterday. Yuck. BUT, it is only the end of March, and the weather around these parts is usually not even decent until June...so, I will live with it. But I don't have to like it.
Anyway, I have had a few hits on some of my spring & Easter projects from last year, so I decided to just put them all here with links, so that the posts are a little easier to find...
Here is a little tabletop decoration from early spring of last year...
Some springtime nest art...
A tutorial for this ruffle pillow...
and these little Easter silhouette pillows...
And, just because...a little Easter printable for you...in slate-blue...
...(just click the little cloud with the arrow in it to download)...
He is Risen
...and in charcoal.
He is Risen Charcoal
Hmmm...not sure why the download link for this one isn't working directly from the graphic, but you can click on the title and go directly to Scribd where the charcoal print can be downloaded...
Enjoy your Wednesday! And thank you for being so awesome...
Here are some of the places I'm linking up...
Anyway, I have had a few hits on some of my spring & Easter projects from last year, so I decided to just put them all here with links, so that the posts are a little easier to find...
Here is a little tabletop decoration from early spring of last year...
Some springtime nest art...
A tutorial for this ruffle pillow...
and these little Easter silhouette pillows...
And, just because...a little Easter printable for you...in slate-blue...
...(just click the little cloud with the arrow in it to download)...
...and in charcoal.
3.27.2012
how I get my kids to help with the laundry...and other laundry room organization
Like every other Mom in the world, I am forever doing laundry.
I'm constantly reminded of the show Seinfeld...you know, when Newman is talking about how hard it is to be a mail carrier because the mail "never stops...it just keeps coming, and coming & coming..."
That's how I feel about the laundry.
So anything...anything...that I can find to help me even just a little with the laundry is something I'm going to use.
My dear husband bought me this laundry organizer from Target for Christmas. WHAT?!?, you ask? A laundry organizer for Christmas? But it's seriously one of my best gifts ever. Ever.
I'm constantly reminded of the show Seinfeld...you know, when Newman is talking about how hard it is to be a mail carrier because the mail "never stops...it just keeps coming, and coming & coming..."
That's how I feel about the laundry.
So anything...anything...that I can find to help me even just a little with the laundry is something I'm going to use.
My dear husband bought me this laundry organizer from Target for Christmas. WHAT?!?, you ask? A laundry organizer for Christmas? But it's seriously one of my best gifts ever. Ever.
This is it.
There are 5 of us in the family...and 4 bags...I've labeled all of the bags with the rooms they need to be taken to once they are sorted.
*Mom & Dad
*Kinsley
*Gray & Ty and
*Towels, etc. (which stay either in the laundry room or are taken to the bathrooms)
I simply designed the graphics on Photoshop, printed them out on one 81/2x11 paper, laminated the sheet, cut each name to size, punched some holes & tied the labels to the front bar of the organizer using black Jute Rope from Canvas Corp.
The older kids just remove the dried clothing & place each garment into the appropriate bag. It's really easy for them & a huge time-saver for me.
Tyler, my 4-year-old, loves helping carry the bags to the proper rooms and dumping them on the beds. And I love that one more step is taken out of my daily tasks...
Here are a couple of other ways I've organized my laundry room...
We have a laundry shoot that empties into a basket right beside our dryer. I placed this basket on a small folding table and it makes accessing the dirty laundry so much easier. Having it on the ground was such a back-breaker...
These Rugby Stripe Bins from the Container Store are wonderful and hold so much! We don't have a linen closet upstairs so all of our extra bedding stays in our laundry room...in these wonderful bins...on top of a shelf that also holds a clothing rack.
And finally, we installed another shelf and some bins over our washer and dryer...these hold miscellaneous cleaning products, towels, coins, etc. And everything is within easy reach.
I love our newly organized laundry room...
What do you think? How do you organize your laundry space? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!
And I adore it.
There are 4 compartments...and I use them to sort laundry AFTER it's done. Rather, my kids use it for that purpose. You see, they are all getting old enough (almost 9, almost 7 & 4) to help with this chore.
My 8-year-old helps actually do the laundry...she's great with regular loads, and she knows exactly what I need her to do for both the washing & the drying.
Both my 8- & my 6-year-olds help with the sorting after the clothes are dry... and I've made it sooo easy for them to do.
There are 5 of us in the family...and 4 bags...I've labeled all of the bags with the rooms they need to be taken to once they are sorted.
*Mom & Dad
*Kinsley
*Gray & Ty and
*Towels, etc. (which stay either in the laundry room or are taken to the bathrooms)
I simply designed the graphics on Photoshop, printed them out on one 81/2x11 paper, laminated the sheet, cut each name to size, punched some holes & tied the labels to the front bar of the organizer using black Jute Rope from Canvas Corp.
The older kids just remove the dried clothing & place each garment into the appropriate bag. It's really easy for them & a huge time-saver for me.
Tyler, my 4-year-old, loves helping carry the bags to the proper rooms and dumping them on the beds. And I love that one more step is taken out of my daily tasks...
Here are a couple of other ways I've organized my laundry room...
We have a laundry shoot that empties into a basket right beside our dryer. I placed this basket on a small folding table and it makes accessing the dirty laundry so much easier. Having it on the ground was such a back-breaker...
These Rugby Stripe Bins from the Container Store are wonderful and hold so much! We don't have a linen closet upstairs so all of our extra bedding stays in our laundry room...in these wonderful bins...on top of a shelf that also holds a clothing rack.
super-cute "laundry" printable from Sprik Space...
And finally, we installed another shelf and some bins over our washer and dryer...these hold miscellaneous cleaning products, towels, coins, etc. And everything is within easy reach.
I love our newly organized laundry room...
What do you think? How do you organize your laundry space? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!
3.25.2012
The Hunger Games movie...a review...#CBias #CouchCritics
A couple of weeks ago I had no idea what "The Hunger Games" was all about. Now I'm as Katniss- and Peeta-crazy as any 14-year-old.
I got the opportunity to review the book a couple of weeks ago and just this past Friday (March 23) I went to see the movie.
I got the opportunity to review the book a couple of weeks ago and just this past Friday (March 23) I went to see the movie.
In fact, as soon as I finished the book, I purchased my tickets for the movie through Fandango. The site is user-friendly, and getting your tickets couldn't be easier. You just choose the theater you'd like to see the movie in...
...pay for your tickets with a credit card or PayPal...
...print out your ticket from your computer...and take it with you to the theater.
Easy, right? Definitely. BUT, as is typical with me, while I was running out the door to the theater Friday morning, I forgot to bring my ticket with me.
Problem?
Not at all. If you do happen to forget your ticket, you can just print out another one at the Fandango kiosk in your theater...just make sure you have the credit card you paid for the ticket with on you...that's all you'll need.
I arrived at the theater about 20 minutes before showtime...and I was kind of surprised that I was one of only a handful of people there. It was just 10:00 am, but after seeing the lines for the midnight show, and with a number of schools in the area having spring break, I was a little nervous that the show would be packed.
The people who were there were there were of all ages...people in their 60s or 70s, those in their 20s and some in their 30s and 40s. That was pretty refreshing, actually...I knew this was a story geared toward young adults, but it was obviously reaching across age lines.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect when the movie started. I have seen plenty of movies that were based on books, and some have fallen completely flat. It has been my opinion that it's just too hard to express through live action what can be written and imagined.
BUT, I was pleasantly surprised with "The Hunger Games." From the opening scene, I think Gary Ross (the movie's director) captured the feel of Panem (the country in which the story takes place) and it's districts exactly the way I imagined them. The feel of the movie was dark, and lonely and depressing...and the background music was dirge-like. The entire movie felt cold and damp...and I felt myself wrapping my arms around my shoulders to keep warm. Yes, it was that convincing.
During the first part of the movie, before the training for The Games begins, you rarely see any color at all in the scenes...everything is gray, black, white and the green of the forest. But as Peeta and Katniss are brought to the capitol to begin their preparations I was instantly reminded of Dorothy entering Oz...everything became bright and colorful. It was cool and sort of spooky...especially since the Capitol is such a strange, hedonistic place.
The main characters, Katniss (played by Jennifer Lawrence), Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) were cast wonderfully and believably. And the supporting cast, Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch), and Donald Sutherland (President Snow) among others, did a fantastic job. I especially enjoyed Woody Harrelson. In the book, the character of Haymitch was hard for me to picture. I understood who he was and what he was doing, but I never really "got" him. Woody Harrelson really brought the character to life and made him actually likable as the tributes' mentor in The Games.
I would have liked to have seen the characters' personalities and stories developed a little more, but I understand that there are time constraints when making a movie. Especially one that is trying to capture the focus and attention of all age groups. But the end result is characters that fall a touch flat. For example, in the book, Katniss is a deeply conflicted young girl who is trying to save herself and her family. She struggles internally with doing what is right while keeping herself alive. This is something that can't be accurately portrayed through the movie, and, unfortunately, Katniss seems to be just full of teen angst.
The major events in the book are portrayed really well in the movie, and there are very few things that are left out. Time passes much more quickly in the movie, and there is almost a feeling of being rushed through The Games, but even if you haven't read the book, I believe you can get an accurate idea of what the author (Suzanne Collins) was trying to say.
Haven't read the book? I definitely recommend doing so before seeing the movie. Although I think the movie stands on it's own well enough to be thoroughly enjoyed, I also think you will get much more out of it if you know the back stories, thoughts & emotions of the characters a little more in depth.
Don't have any idea of what The Hunger Games is about?
Read my review here...
Didn't know it was made into a movie?
Here's the trailer...
Now I'm halfway through the second book (Catching Fire) in the trilogy. I'm really enjoying it so far...and I hope it proves to be as good as the first story in the series.
- DISCLOSURE: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias
3.22.2012
Bring on Spring! with TCBY frozen yogurt #CBias #TCBYGrocery
OK...you guys know TCBY, right? The Country's Best Yogurt??? The place where we all went after class during high school to get full before dinner? That's right...you know it.
Well, that amazing frozen yogurt, that used to be available only in TCBY shops is now available at Walmart! You heard me right! Isn't that amazing?!?! And to celebrate the launch of TCBY's new products in Walmart stores, I decided to hold a "Bring on Spring" party after school with some of the kids' friends.
Kinsley and I went shopping for the yogurt and toppings last weekend and we loaded up on a bunch of wonderful things to top our yogurt with.
First we grabbed at least one of every yogurt flavor our Walmart had available:
*Strawberry Swirl
*English Toffee Crunch
*Supreme Cookies & Cream
*Classic Vanilla Bean
and the frozen yogurt novelty treats:
*Strawberry Swirl Bars
*Orange & Vanilla bars
*Classic Vanilla Sandwiches
*and Chocolate Fudge Bars (my absolute favorite!)
Then we picked up a whole bunch of things we thought would taste great on our frozen yogurt...
Wanna see the rest of our shopping trip? Well, you can...right here on Google+...
When we got done shopping, I shoved all of the frozen yogurt and treats into our small little freezer, and made some calls & sent some texts to see who could come to our little impromptu party.
Then, when Wednesday came, I set up all of our toppings and all of our treats and we waited for school to end so that our friends could come over and celebrate spring & TCBY!
We set out some waffle cones & chocolate-dipped cones...
Some cherries & sprinkles...
More sprinkles...
Strawberry & Pineapple toppings (love love love these...oh my gosh, my mouth is watering just looking at these photos!)...
Yum...hot fudge!
And then came the frozen yogurt...
And the novelty treats...
The kids absolutely adored the frozen yogurt! And the moms couldn't believe TCBY, the treat we all loved and enjoyed as kids, was now available at Walmart!
So did Cameron...he had 3 servings!!!
Grayson liked the Vanilla Sandwiches the best...
Not sure whether Kate actually got any in her mouth...but she loved the Vanilla Bean, too!
Leah said she loved the Cookies & Cream most...
...and Meg liked them all!
...this was the second container of Vanilla Bean!
This sundae was all mine...and it was gooooood. I really love the Fudge Bars the best, but I'll take one of these any ol' day...
Make sure you check out all of the flavors available at your local Walmart...some stores have a wider variety and different sizes than other stores, but you'll have no trouble locating the TCBY...the bright, clean packaging is super-easy to find! Wanna make sure your yogurt will be waiting for you when you get to Walmart? Just check here...
TCBY, friends & spring...what could be more perfect?
- DISCLOSURE: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias - ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. Seriously...this frozen yogurt is delicious...
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