Evolution - Customizing my blog

Bear with me as I play around with the look of my blog. I'm making changes to my template and I'm finding the tutorials on Blogger Buster to be really helpful. So don't be surprised if things start to look differently here.

In need of de-cluttering

There hasn't been a whole lot of crafting going on around here. Perhaps this is the reason. My little craft corner has been piling up with stuff, and I haven't cleaned up. I used to be such a neat freak. What's happened to me? I'm wishing for that part of me back. Not the overly obsessive-compulsive one, just the organized, everything in its place me.

My little craft corner isn't even the worst part of this space. It's April, which means tax time. So the floor is barely visible, as it is covered with papers, envelopes and receipts. All the clutter in here is making me uneasy.

We also have two computers in here, G's PC and my Mac. Ooh, can you feel the tension in this room?

I'm wishing for a craft room like the ones found here.

The Sound of Music

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Today I’ve been walking around in a bit of a daze due to a busy weekend and lack of sleep. Among the various activities of the weekend, the highlight would have to be seeing the stage version of The Sound of Music. Thanks to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law for giving me tickets to see the show. Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!

Lady luck

My daughter H won a stuffed bunny today at school. It was a draw prize from their spring fundraiser. This is the third time that H has won a prize at school. Talk about having a little luck on your side. Two years ago, she won a giant chocolate bar that was almost as big as her, and last year she won a gift certificate for a cooking class.

Yesterday I entered my name in one of the many giveaways at The Long Thread blog. A chance to win beautiful 100% organic cotton fabric and a tote from Mod Green Pod. Oh, if only some of H's luck could rub off on me.

Photo from The Long Thread blog

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day. The Craft blog has a section called Crafting with Nature. Check it out.

Beautiful Sunday

A special day for our daughter.
A toast, dinner, and sweet treats.
A wonderful celebration.

Making a Paper Flower

I made this paper flower using the instructions from Martha Stewart Crafts. They use tissue tape, which I don't have (nor do I even know what that is), so I tried using double-sided photo splits, which I found out were not strong enough to hold everything together. I turned to my trusty glue gun to do the job instead. Oh, and when they say to leave some slack when tying the whole thing together, leave some slack. Initially, I tied mine too tight, making it difficult to open up the flower.

Craft hope

Here is a site I came across, with a wonderful mission. 

Craft hope runs projects designed to share handmade crafts with those less fortunate. The first project, which was recently completed, involved asking people to sew girls' dresses out of gently used pillowcases, which were then sent to a children's centre in Mexico. I'll be waiting to hear about their next project. 

And in case you were interested in making your own pillowcase dresses, they've shared a link to a tutorial from Freshly Picked.

Easy upcycle project

Here's an easy upcycling project. Using empty plastic tubs from store bought icing, I wrapped Amy Butler scrapbooking paper around each tub and glued it down using a glue gun. And voila, pretty little storage for my kids' crayons, pencils and markers.

Be present in the moment

Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I played Monopoly junior (Disney Princess version). As the game went along, little N seemed to be getting all the luck, landing on properties and building up real estate. I eventually was putting up a lot of castles as well. My 7 year old daughter, on the other hand, was having a slow start. Suddenly H was in tears, feeling as if she was losing the game. She eventually calmed down enough to continue playing. In the end, there was no winner or loser. We didn’t finish the game because they moved on to something else.

Why is it that as we get older, we are more competitive and feel more compelled to win? Sometimes we are so focused on what may or may not happen in the end, that we lose sight of the present. Yesterday, Little N, who was content with just playing the game, reminded me of being in the moment, and the importance of the process, rather than the final outcome. Take time to truly enjoy the day today!

Bringing spring into the home

Winter just doesn't want to go away. It's snowing here today. I already started packing away the hats and scarves, only to dig them out again. Better Home and Gardens has some ways to bring spring inside your home.

(photo from bhg.com)

Bunny bag

Here's another idea for Easter. A little bag made out of felt and ribbons. I handstitched everything together, but you could also glue the bunny and machine stitch the bag.

April Fools' fun

Looking for some fun ideas for April Fools' Day? Check out Family Fun for recipes for food pranks, crafts and printables.