17 April 2011

for the boys

my eight year old is in cub scouts and i am the leader of his den.  our group is large with 14 boys.  we recently had our annual banquet, the Blue and Gold.  this is a special night for the boys (the entire pack, not just our den) as they receive their advancement badges.   i (with my co-leader) was in charge of the centerpieces for this year....18 of them.

we needed to be creative, as there is very little budget for centerpieces.  we also wanted to create something special for the boys.  they all love to camp, so we focused on a camping theme.  this is what we came up with:
we started with the wood bases.  my dad, and his chain saw, helped with this part of the project.
(thanks dad!)


then with a power drill, i drilled holes for the flag and the evergreen branches.

the tents were made out of blue card stock.  i took photos of our pack number and american flag and then pulled them through my print shop program.  printed them off and taped them to the tents.

for the other side of the tent i used a giant fleur di lis rubber stamp (found at michael's for 99cents) and then stamped it on a gold stamp pad.

the fire pits were made out of small rocks and cut branches.  each rock was glued to the wood base as well as the fire sticks.  this made setting them up at the event so much easier.

creating 18 of these wasn't so bad, if you just tackle it assembly line style.
the boys absolutely loved them!  we had tables of 8 and on one chair at each table i placed a piece of tape.  whomever was sitting in the chair with the tape on it, got to take the centerpiece home.

the cost was minimal.  the flags, the paper for the tents, rubber stamp, gold ink pad and a bag of rocks.

and as if making 18 centerpieces wasn't enough....


i also volunteered to bring dessert.  so in keeping with the
 camping theme i whipped up these s'more cupcakes.
oh. my. gosh. they were sooo yummy!


all of this for the boys! 
such a great group of kids and glad i get to
 be part of their childhood.
to my boys in blue...cub scout salute to you!

05 April 2011

give it a shot

i find brass chandeliers at just about every garage sale i go to.

they have never been my favorite type of light fixture, and to some, these days they are considered dated.


but give them a shot of spray paint and you've got yourself a new statement piece.
(now for sale in my burlap junktion booth)



03 April 2011

blooming

i found some lovely spring fabrics to make
a large batch of spring flower pins.


these will be blooming in my booth within the next week or so.

it seems overwhelming to get all of these cut out.

but once i start to put them together, and they come to life,
it's easy to get them finished up.

i hope flowers are blooming in your world.


26 March 2011

back at it

sometimes, something has to give.  and this time, it was blogging. 
i pride myself in being a super multi-tasker.
but lately, i am not sure what happen. 
i think, at times, it just all catches up with me.

i also think that this time of year,
when i am called out to the garden,
everything else gets put on the back burner.

i love nothing more than cleaning out the flower beds and
getting the vegetable gardens ready (which entailed a new
puppy proof fence this past weekend...update on that later this week).

the boys also love when we play kickball all afternoon outside.
and who doesn't love the crack of a bat this time of year?
oh yes, there have been many baseball games many afternoons.

and when you finally come in, exhausted from the fresh air, and try
to throw something down for dinner, there just wasn't much
energy left for blogging (or being creative for that matter).

and then there is the burlap junktion booth....open every weekend now.
love it, but my is it ever a j.o.b. now. 

but i did take an entire weekend, with the hubby sans the boys. (thanks mom & dad for helping out!)
to tackle the unfinished portion of our basement.  the good old staycation!

the workbench is now cleared off, and every nail, screw and tool is organized.

and....

so is my studio!

i moved, purged, and organized and i can't tell you how wonderful it feels.  wow!

two of these old cabinets came in the basement when we bought the house.
i have always admired their shabbyness.  and finally i put them to good use
in my studio.  i also was sitting on the floor, sorting nails, and had a thought.

how fun to insert some of my favorite papers into the sections on the
cabinet doors.  so i started digging through all my scraps
and just love the result....

most of my papers are stashed away in a file drawer, all color
coordinated and organized.  i never get to see them.  so i thought
this was a perfect idea to get them out where i could see them.
it also fills that 'i need some color, but can't live with it upstairs"
urge that i have been having lately.


was so happy that i had two of them.  allowing me to create
a work area with one on each side.

a random bookshelf, bought at a garage sale months ago, propped on top
makes for some display place.  i have everything here for tagging my items
for the booth.  and each cabinet has shelves inside too that hold things like
tax papers, extra business cards, etc. 


i just used what i had.  all this stuff was just stashed and not being used. 
it is so much more fun organizing with the things you have than spending money on
containers to contain everything.  equally makes me feel like less of a hoarder now that i have
some empty shelves and bins in my studio.


the other side of my studio has this big black cabinet.  also left here at the house
when we moved in.  it was just open shelving and a few years ago i added the toile fabric to the front so that i could store more junk in there.  another random bookshelf that holds necessities but also just pretty things to look at.

my ever favorite galvanized bins.  found at a junk shop when i was living overseas.  they are from a hardware store and they are big and heavy duty.  i will never part with these.  i have 6 total and 3 smaller ones.

threads from grandma.  love the colors and that when i see them i think of her.

ribbons at the ready.  for wrapping packages, or who knows what.
a ribbon fetish you say??  perhaps!  because this is just a small bit of what i actually have.


since i am no longer creating trays, i had every intention of getting rid of all these larger paper rolls.
but i just couldn't do it.  i love to look at them standing all tall in galvanized buckets.
and besides, they'll be perfect when i need to wrap up a small present.


feels so good to be this organized.  and even though my studio is in the unfinished part of the basement, right next to the laundry facilities.  it's my creative space and last week when i had a cup of coffee down there, i think it just might have been the best cup of coffee i have had in awhile.

more to blog about this week...stay tuned!

21 March 2011

juggling a million things

so much going on these days....too busy to blog.  
thanks for checking in!


updates soon...pinky promise.

10 March 2011

is it just spring fever?

surprise! a blog post from me today!
i must be in some kind of a winter funk lately.
have not been doing much, except cleaning house often
because the puppy comes in all muddy
 from this rainy weather we've been having.

i have also been feeling the need for some color in my world.

but not too much, because i really do still just love a neutral home.
i feel this way every spring.
so i don't want to redo major things with color,
but maybe a pillow .... or...

maybe this lovely quilt that i picked up when living overseas.
i like it on the sofa...kind of a bohemian chic look, but not
sure i can live with it. 
but i also know that a sofa like this:

isn't in my budget.  i would love this in an ever so pale grey blue.
or how about this one:
or this one:

so i keep checking CL in hopes of one day finding one.
i currently have ikea slip covered sofas. 
they are great with two boys, a husband and a black lab puppy.
when they get dirty, i just chuck them in the laundry.
not sure my family is ready for an uber cool french sofa like the ones pictured....but maybe.

so in the meantime i've decided to repaint my dining room...yes again.  yes the room that which has the seal skin paint (and now chalk drawings all over it).  love the seal skin color, but really for the fall and winter.  so i've got my choice narrowed down to BM cloud cover.  a white, but with a hint of grey.
and to also bring in some color, i have a drawer on my wall with the ever faintest turquoise blue paint on it.  i'll see if i can't match it at the paint store and just might have to repaint my armoire cabinet in the living room with it.  i'm not scared of paint, but i guess it's just color that i'm afraid of.  AND if i paint the cabinet and don't like it, i hate to paint it again. 
eek, i'm rambling.

we entertained this past weekend with some friends. 
had a great time.



dinner was amazing, the company even better.

also have been busy with the burlap junktion booth.
a wedding theme this month.  come check us out if you're in the KC area.


that's all for now.  thanks for checking in!

{photo credits for the sofa photos}:
archivevintagerentals.com
eclecticrevisited.wordpress.com
google
all other photos mine

 

25 February 2011

farmhouse friday

{farmhouse friday: drool worthy houses that i fall in love with}

21 February 2011

get it done

was my motto this weekend.

i purchased this old shipping crate probably 6 months ago.
4 months ago i found the wheels at a second hand store for $2 each.
and until this weekend, they have been sitting in the basement.
total project time:  7 minutes.
why does it take me so long to just
get things done?!

16 February 2011

pillow and plates

while out thrifting this week i  found this lovely pillow.


i just love the ruffle around it. 

 embroidered on the back is paper white.
which apparently is some upscale linen company.

i originally though it would make an appearance in my booth.
but now, it's looking beautiful on my bed.


and then today, i found these fun plates.
there are no markings on the back. and found nothing by using google.
they appear vintage to me, but i am not sure.


 i think they are adorable with a capital A.
i scooped up all 4 of them.

anyone know anything about these?  leave me a comment if you do, and hey, about just leaving me a comment today even if you don't know anything about them.  ;) 
you'll make my day!


14 February 2011

valentine's day

{image found here}

love like there is no tomorrow.
love, with your whole heart.
love yourself first.
love.
love.
love.

happy valentines day!

11 February 2011

farmhouse friday

{farmhouse friday: drool worthy houses that i fall in love with}


i think my plans for my summer vacation just changed!
you can see more photos of this lovely farmhouse
by clicking on the link above.
enjoy the weekend!

09 February 2011

10 minute solution

my four year olds problem today: 
"how can i make a wish
if i can't see the stars"?

my 10 minute solution:
make a paper star garland.


now, he just has to look up,
see his stars
and make a wish.


 problem solved! whew!

08 February 2011

done with the cold weather


i've gotta go where it's warm.
*sigh*

07 February 2011

mom, we're bored

a lazy saturday morning.

the boys were using up their allotted wii time
and i was catching up on my favorite blogs.

i am so glad that i did.

late saturday afternoon i heard those three little words...
mom, we're bored!

and i knew exactly what to do!


i copied kasey buick

 i had read her blog saturday morning
and saw that she had painted a wall dark for her children.
and then let them draw all over it!
remember this sealskin colored wall i painted last fall?

nope, it isn't chalk board paint.

it is just a dark, flat paint.

and yes, it wipes right off with an eraser or damp cloth.


so i jumped in too,
i didn't want to miss any of the fun.

and we ended up going a wee bit crazy.
we covered most of the wall.

but it kept us busy, the boys thought it was ultra cool,
it was a fun activity for a cold day
and

i am now having second thoughts on repainting this wall back to cream.

thank you kasey for such a fun idea!

what do you do when your kids are bored? 
leave me a comment, i'd love to hear!


04 February 2011

farmhouse friday

{farmhouse friday: drool worthy houses that i fall in love with}

high temperature today...23 degrees.  brrr!
i decided to have you inside for farmhouse friday.
have a seat in this french farmhouse kitchen,
 i have a vanilla latte and cranberry scones to serve you!
still cozied up from the blizzard...3rd no school day...yeah!

thanks for visiting

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