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Custom Framed Refrigerator Chalkboard – DIY

August 30, 2008 By Laura 3 Comments

refrigerator chalkboard

We are SO very blessed, that the man and head of our household and family (well, one of them, lol) is so multi-talented.  There is NOTHING he cannot do.  He is what they refer to as a ‘Jack-of-all-trades‘.  Except his name is Michael. His vast abilities including mechanics, electronics, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, landscaping, finishing, you name it….has probably saved us ga-zillions over the years.  His father is the same way, and that’s exactly where he got it from. They are natural born do-it-yourselfers-, and they do so with pride and quality in their work.

So I knew my new little dream could quite possibly come true, when I told my ever-loving husband I REALLY wanted a big chalkboard, custom built to fit our fridge. : ) I just knew he could make a beauty, and I knew he loved me that much. : )  I adore chalkboards (though personally, chalk-dust on my hands gives me such willies). Seeing a big blank black slate gives me butterflies, at just the thought of the endless possibilities of learning and creating that can be done on one.  I KNEW the kids would LOVE it.  I could see it in my head, and really, it was a beautiful sight, there on our fridge.  I just wanted my vision to become REAL.

And so my husband made yet another one of my little dreams come true, and the kids have loved it and enjoyed it every day, and every bit as much as I knew they would.  And, wouldn’t you know,  so has my husband, who has had some ‘play time’ of his own on it!  He is truly a kid-at-heart, cracking us up with his antics on a daily basis.

Here’s his latest fine craftsmanship, displayed as all of the shots I was just having too much fun taking.

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refrigerator-chalkboard_1
refrigerator chalkboard

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What do you think?  I’m thrilled with it!

We’ve got more excitement going on in the next several days than we can handle!  Our 3 babies turn 6! So we’ve got great plans to celebrate their lives.  Then, a few days later, we officially start a new school year! It’ll be our 4th year home schooling, and what a wonderful year we have planned ahead!

Thanks for visiting today!

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project, Home Decor, The Homestead Tagged With: chalkboards, custom-framed-chalkboard, diy, do it yourself, kitchen-chalkboard, kitchen-ideas

Kids FUN Plant Makeover, with Buttons! – Kids Craft

May 15, 2008 By Laura 2 Comments

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Be fore-warned.  There are LOTS of photos in this post.  And the reason is simple:  Me and my camera were having way-too-much-fun, taking photos of the kids doing this fun plant makeover, with buttons!

This is the other craft I bought supplies for weeks ago. I saw this neat idea in Family Fun Magazine called Bloomin’ Buttons, and if you happened to read this post, then you know how I feel about buttons.  So….one way or another I was doing this.  It’s not not only a fun project for the kids, but it’s really great for their fine motor skill development.

I just happened to have this lovely Cyclamen plant (see photo below) that my father and brother brought me for Christmas. (Wasn’t that sweet?) Yes, it’s still alive. A little research described this plant as ‘a flowering house plant that requires very little care’, so I’m not too proud of myself.  Mine flowers white and scarlet flowers. I just love it.  It lives on the ledge between our kitchen and school room, where it gets just the right amount of light, and maximum enjoyment.

But…the basket was looking a little….Christmasy. Especially now that it’s spring.  So I had planned on spraying the basket a solid color anyway.  But now I had this whole new make-over idea that I was way too excited about, for my age.

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So yesterday, while Michael and {A} were out on a job, I asked my little helpers {J}, {O} and {S} (5 year old triplets) if they wanted to help me with a craft. (And then covered my ears to protect them from the inevitable piercing cheers).  Of COURSE they did!  So I sprayed the basket outside, and left it out there to dry.  Then we got out all we needed ( just buttons, wire and wire cutters), plopped down on the floor, and got to work.

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First we sorted through the buttons to find the colors we wanted (mainly primary) and the sizes we needed, to work together.

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Then we got to threading them with 26 gauge green florist’s wire. It had to go up through and back down through, making a few good twists right below the buttons.

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The kids loved making differing color combinations, and doing something different each time.  We must have sat in a circle, just chatting, giggling and working (perhaps like quilters! lol) for over an hour. About the time it was time to put our little button bouquets into the plant soil, their show was on.  That worked out good, because it wasn’t easy putting them in even for me.  What a mess I made. But look how CUTE it came out!! …….

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Now that I had sprayed the basket all white, I decided it needed a little something at the bottom.  So I added some tiny colored cord, because it was all I had.  But I may pick up some colorful thin ribbon that might look better. Still….I love it as it is.  It is so…..qUiRky, and FuN!  Like me!  (Well….some do think so.)

So I know you really get the idea by now, but just because I didn’t want the fun to end, I kept taking photos. I love detail shots.  Indulge me………..

It’s like a Button Garden!….

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With unique little button buds……

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Now I’ve seen those ‘room make-over’ shows, so I know a nice way to end these things is to show a split screen of before and after.
So here it is……..What do you think??

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Now I think it’s time for ME to have a makeover.

The next couple of days are on the busy side for us, so not sure we’ll have much time to blog.  But you never know!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Kids Arts and Crafts, Kids Arts and Crafts Tagged With: button-garden, button-projects, kids crafts, motor-skills-activity, plant-makeover

T-Shirts with Sole – Craft

May 4, 2008 By Laura 2 Comments

sneaker sole t shirts

( UPDATE: This T-Shirts With Sole – Craft’ was done & blogged in 2008. Now years later, with so many crafters owning Silhouette and Cricut Cutters, this craft is easier than ever!)

Finally we got to this ‘T-Shirts With Sole – Craft project we wanted to do! I got the general idea from our Family Fun Magazine, but then just came up with our own designs and cut them out as stencils.

The kids each chose their own designs and colors, helped put the paint on the soles, and did a lot of the pressing.

kids making sneaker sole t-shirts

Below is a stencil on the shirt before painting, cut out of vinyl material.

stencil-design-on-t-shirt_3

We ended up mostly using the sole of this old sneaker for the paint pressing, because we weren’t really digging how the design from the $5 sandals was coming out. When switching to new colors for a new design, you do need to scrub wash the sole and quick blow dry it. I would recommend more dense sponges for application of the fabric paint, (like the make-up wedges maybe) because we were having troubles with these foam brushes absorbing the paint so much.

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Pressing process. . . . .

sneaker-sole-t shirts

After the paint was all applied, we let it set for a few minutes before we carefully removed the stencil.

Set aside to dry.

sneaker-sole-t shirts

They were just washed and dried as usual.

The kids had a great time doing this t-shirt crfat project, but it does take quite a bit of adult help for the little ones (which we knew.) Especially if you don’t want paint everywhere else on the shirts (floor, furniture, walls, each other , etc.,…. : ).  They really, really love their shirts.   *UPDATE 7/2012:  These t-shirts were bought at Michael’s Arts and Crafts, back in 2008, and we bought them as too big for our kids at the time, so they would fit for a long time. Now 4 years later, they are ‘just’ getting too small, but I have to tell you, they are still great shirts!! The t-shirts have always been so soft, and now they are extra-worn comfy. But not only have the shirts themselves held up well, so has the paint pattern!  These t-shirts have been well-loved, for years.  We hope your will be too.

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas, Kids Arts and Crafts Tagged With: homemade-handmade-gift-ideas, kids-arts-and-crafts, shoe-soles-t-shirt-craft, sole-t-shirts, t-shirt-craft, t-shirt-craft-ideas, t-shirt-crafts-with-kids

May Day Baskets and The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord

May 2, 2008 By Laura 2 Comments

May baskets
(Our May Day Baskets)

May Day
by Evaleen Stein

Let us take our baskets early
To the meadows green,
While the wild-flowers still are pearly
With the dewdrops’ sheen.
Fill them full of blossoms rosy,
Violets and gay
Cowslips, every pretty posy
Welcoming the May.
Then our lovely loads we’ll carry
Down the village street,
On each door, with laughter merry,
Hang a basket sweet.
Hey-a-day-day! It is spring now,
Lazy folks, awake!
See the pretty things we bring now
For the May-day’s sake!

Doesn’t it figure that two days we planned to acknowledge, had to land on the same day!  So it made for a busy day for us.  But the kids fell asleep that night with smiling faces, and peaceful hearts.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we decided to teach the kids about May Day, and help them celebrate it the old fashioned way.  I’m not sure how many of you know the May Day Basket tradition, but I had an experience from my childhood that not only taught me what the day was about, but helped me remember it to this day.  It’s a story my kids ask me to tell them over and over. And lucky you…they insist I share it with you in this post as well.

I forget what grade I was in, but one year in elementary school, we made May Day Baskets in art class.  We were told that we were to leave it on the doorstep of an older loved one, to ring the doorbell, and run away and hide before the recipient opened the door and found the basket.  It was meant to bring joy to others, in celebration of springtime.

The only person I could think of, to leave my May Day Basket for, was my grandmother.  She was a very kind and well-intentioned grandmother, who lived in an elderly complex.  She was closer to my older sister than she was to me, but I loved her none the less in the years she was here.  The funny thing about her, to me, was that she could never remember my name.  She would always call me Susan.  It didn’t make me feel like the most loved grand-child in the world, but I understood somewhat where her confusion came from.  She did have a grand-daughter named Susan, who was my cousin of course. And it was better than the fact that she called my brother Jeffrey, because in his case, that was not his name either, and there was no Jeffrey at all in the family.  She was up there in age by this time, and sometimes it seemed she didn’t recognize us at all.

So the morning came to deliver my May Basket to Grandma.  I was a little worried about just leaving it on her doorstep and running away, because I knew she was a worrier, and it might scare her. I wondered too if she would even see it on the porch there,  because she had one of those solid white metal doors with the screen, and the step down to the porch was steep. So I brought my concerns to my mother.

My mother agreed that it might shake Grandma up, to open the door to find no one there.  And wondered too if she would notice the basket down on the porch.  So she asked me what I thought I should do about it.  I told her:

“Well, I thought maybe I should take the basket to her door, ring the doorbell, and when she answers, I could say “Hi Grandma, it’s me, Susan! Happy May Day!” and then give her the basket.

My mother laughed hysterically. And through the years she brought that story up again and again, never losing the humor she found in it.  So eventually I told that story to my oldest daughter, who is ALWAYS asking for another story from my childhood.  This one was bound to come up eventually–because honestly, I’m running out. (Or running low on memory.)  She loved the story, and laughed just as hard as my mother.  So she then asked me to tell our little ones my story, and they think it’s just as funny!  Now really, I do not think it is THAT funny, and you probably don’t either, but my kids wanted me to tell it, so there it is.  I hope it was worth a chuckle at least.  And if not, I hope the photos or rest of this post help make up for it. : )

So below are 2 photos of our kids assembling 2 May Day Baskets, for some older folks we know of.  Unfortunately, none of their grandparents are local, to be able to leave on their doorsteps.  So we chose an old couple who still live at the end of our street, where they actually raised their now grown 13 children! I think they have ump-teen grandchildren and great-grandchildren now, who all come to visit a lot. We also chose Sr. Jeremy from our parish, whose service and dedication to her vocation is truly inspiring. She is such a blessing to our parish family, and she loves children!

In the baskets the kids put what {A} shopped for the day before (with me of course):  Celestial Tea, Tea Biscuits, some chocolates, and some sugar-free hard candies.  They were such a team, and got the baskets together nicely.

May baskets
May baskets

Of course then I wanted another photo of them all together. In the photo below, they are all just recovering from a hardy belly-laugh. See, I thought they were being especially co-operative for the camera, with their big smiles, until they broke out with laughter.  Turns out, Daddy was behind me, pretending to lick my head.   NICE, huh?

May baskets

In the morning, we added the fresh flowers to the baskets, just before delivering them.  I know so many photos of this is not really necessary, but I couldn’t choose. I love each one of these images for different reasons. In the last one, {J} felt there was no room for the last flower, and decided to give it to his sister. Aawwww. <sniff>

  May baskets

May baskets

May baskets

May baskets

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Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

With this day being a Holy Day of Obligation, we had Mass to go to that evening.

So we ate dinner early and got there in plenty of time. It was a wonderful Mass, with an effective homily (as always) from our pastor. But what touched me most, was the part of the Mass when we say the Lord’s Prayer.  As a family, we have always held hands for this prayer.  We say it together on a daily basis for Devotion, and of course always at Mass, and I don’t remember ever not holding hands. With that being said, I know there are people and families who do not join hands.  In fact, some are quite against it.  We know and respect that it is each one’s choice, and it’s a personal preference for each person.  But we just do.

So that part of the Mass comes, and as always, we join hands. I was second to the inside end, and {S} was at the very end of our family, at the far inside.  A few feet away next to him was an older couple.  As we began the prayer, I saw out of the corner of my eye, him slowly turn his head to look to his right.  And suddenly, his little feet shuffled to the right, and he reached out to hold the older woman’s hand. I looked down at his sweet face, now looking forward again, as he mumbled the prayer—holding back that smile, as he always does when he is feeling a little shy, and a little pleased with himself, at the same time.   Apparently, he noticed that the older couple was holding hands too, and so he reached out to her.  I think the lady just about melted.  I know I did.  And I was really thankful she was open to his outreach, and the notion of holding a stranger’s hand, as we were gathered together in His name, and didn’t break his little heart.

It was a wonderful day all around.  We hope your May Day was just as sweet, and if you didn’t get a basket on your doorstep, look on the bright side:  Maybe no one thinks you are old enough yet.  : )  I’m happy to report, I didn’t get one either.

 

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Filed Under: Celebrations, Crafts & Creations, Holiday Crafts, Holidays, Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas, Seasonal Crafts and Creations, SPRING Crafts and Creations, The Big Picture, Traditions Tagged With: Catholc-family, Catholic-blogs, Catholic-kids, kids-May-activities, May Day, May-basket-delivering, May-Day-Basket-ideas, May-day-ideas, teaching-your-children-thoughtfulness

Paper Plate Painting

April 8, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

kids-crafts-paper-plate-painting
(Paper plate painting)

Today was a long awaited gorgeous day out! As our boy Shane put it, “Today it’s really acting like spring!“. Indeed it was. So the kids worked right through their book work in the morning, so they could get out there and enjoy it! We spent hours outdoors in the still, fresh air and bright sunshine. They did a multitude of things, including a science experiment-turned-competition I may share at a later time.

Later on when they came in, they decided they were feeling creative, as they often do, and broke out the paints. Someone had the idea of paper plate painting, since we’re out of large sheets of paper, again. From the plates drying all over the house tonight, I’m guessing they did at least 2 or 3 each. I think I’ll take 2 of each kid’s and put them together back to back, and hang them up for awhile.

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All the makings of a good day, to us. Hope yours has been good, too.

 

Filed Under: Crafts & Creations, Homeschooling, Kids Arts and Crafts, Kids Arts and Crafts Tagged With: homeschooling, homeschooling-elementary, kids-arts-and-crafts, painting, paints, paper-plate-painting, pictures

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