STICK IT TO 'EM

I made some (easy) magnets this week. I needed magnets in my classroom with a strong hold (coin magnets from Walmart work really well), and I found a way to use our extra wedding invitations!

I dipped each clear stone in Mod Podge.

Then, stuck them on pretty paper.

I had wondered what I could do with our extra wedding invitations. Magnets! 

It's a great way to keep them and see them everyday on our fridge!

After the Mod Podge dried, I cut around the stones and Mod Podged them onto the coin magnets.

These are some of the magnets I kept for at home.

(The ones on the right match my old kitchen. I made them a few years ago.)

I love how they turned out! It's something simple, but it really brightens up our fridge. I can't wait to use them in my classroom; both for the strong hold and the cuteness factor!

TOOLBOX MADE PRETTY (teaching without a desk)

Last year, I did away with my (huge, bulky) teacher desk. I read Debbie Diller's Spaces and Places in anticipation of organizing and designing my brand new (to me) classroom.

via

Ms. Diller suggested eliminating teacher desks, as they take up valuable classroom space and promote clutter. I completely agreed. I hardly used my desk, except as a dumping grounds for papers and books to look at later. I could neatly stack them daily, but the fact was, my desk was cluttered.

I removed my desk and used my small group table instead. I kept it clean, since it's where I did most of my teaching through the day. I loved it! The only problem was that I didn't have a place to store my supplies since I no longer had drawers. I used shelves behind my table with baskets and containers. It worked for last year, but took up a lot of room, the containers often spilled, and it just wasn't as organized as I had wanted it to be.

Somewhere in the midst of hundreds of teaching blogs in my Google Reader, I stumbled upon this and this:

via

Obviously I had to make one of my own! Christopher and I found the toolbox at Lowe's ($16) and I spent less than an hour making it fixing it up.

Here she is in her (very!) temporary home in my classroom:

If only my entire classroom could be as neat and organized as this little box!

FURNITURE FACELIFT (PT 1)

Over the last few years, wait, over the last ten years... ten years? How did that happen? It'll be ten years this August from when I started my freshman year of college. Ten years?...

Anyway!

Over the last decade, I collected inherited was gifted things to furnish my college dorm, college apartments, and post-college apartments. Christopher was the same. When we got hitched last April and combined our assets, then bought a house a few months later, we had enough stuff to overfill our house with old furniture.

And then we were given more used furniture.

I mean, what else would you give newlyweds that just bought a house? (gift cards to Target are nice)

We're using a lot of it. I love the pieces that have sentimental value. We have bedside tables that my dad made for my mom when I was little. We have a rocking chairs that belonged to our parents and grandparents. Our table belonged to Christopher's mom.

But some of the items were given to us via neighbors of our families, or just plain picked up along the curb. While sentimental pieces seem perfect, just the way they are, these other items needed a bit of sprucing up.

We have Christopher has moved them into our apartment, our new house's basement, out to the shed, then into our garage. Finally, (finally!) I started updating them so they can be added to our decor.

Well, sanding is not my favorite. How would you feel?

These are the first three pieces. The front and back pieces were given to us by neighbors of C's mom. The middle piece was picked up off the curb in college.

After one coat --- Christopher and I both forgot about primer. Shoot.

C and T decided to pack their things and run away.

And they weren't even painting! The nerve!

two coats

After three coats, I decided we'll need four.

Next time, I shall use primer!

I stopped painting in time for dinner. Christopher and Telula came home when I announced egg sandwiches were on the menu. 

I'll finish the painting this week, but maybe not tomorrow. Ouch!

It's time for some Irish cheer

Using this adorable idea (and shamrock printable), I made some festive decorations for our house.

I reused these homemade decorations from our wedding:

And turned them into this:

For Christmas, my mother-in-law gave us a fillable lamp. It was immediately filled with ornaments:

I emptied the ornaments out and replaced them with the hearts that hung in the aisles at our wedding ceremony and from the ceiling at our reception:

This is our upstairs table now, with the hearts and the shamrock-filled vases:

Gift tags, ornaments, and wine charms

I spotted this on pinterest and just HAD to make some. I made enough to give one to everyone we gave gifts, plus had plenty of extras to put on our own tree.

They were very inexpensive, but everyone thought they were adorable! I purchased shower rings ($1.04 at Target!), used yarn I already owned, and found some teeny-tiny gingerbread men and cookie cutters clearanced out at Michaels (less than $0.50 a bag!).

I had some leftover flowers from my yarn wreath, so I used those on a few mini wreaths: 

I also found rick rack trees on pinterest. I made some mini ones to use as gift tags. My students also made them to give to senior citizens at our annual Senior Tea at school.

For one more homemade, simple gift, I made wine glass charms. I purchased a pack of hoop earrings from Michaels, then added a few beads to each: 

There's the little gingerbread man and cookie cutters! 

Merry homemade Christmas! I know it's a bit late, but I'm already pinning things for next year!

I wreath you a merry Christmas

I wanted to make something special for my for my best friend's mom (my second mom!) for Christmas. I've been loving all the yarn wreaths popping up on pinterest and thought it was time to give them a try.

First, I made one for our front door in a fall theme.

When it came time to make one for a present, I was torn about which season/holiday it should be. If I made a Christmas one, she'd have to take it down almost after she received it. I decided to make a white wreath with blue flowers for winter. That way she could keep it up a few extra months.

I came up with this:

As I worked, Christopher came up with the best idea: make my wreath seasonally interchangeable! Seriously, leave it to the least crafty person to come up with the best idea! (Christopher's crazy creative and full of great ideas...even with stuff he has no interest in, like crafts.)

Behind each flower is a spot of velcro for easy removal. I wrapped the winter wreath in a large gift bag, then wrapped the rest of the flowers and directions in a small box.

Here is the finished product with the directions I included with the gift. I hope she loves it!:

Happy Halloween!

We love homemade Halloween costumes. We've both had sweet costumes on our own, but the last couple years together were our best. Proof:

Halloween 2009 / Vlasic Stork & Vlasic Pickle

(We came in 3rd place in a contest.)

Halloween 2010 / Pacman & Inky

Sadly, this year was spent moving into our new house, so we didn't have time to create our costumes. Next year, watch out! We're already itching to come up with something creative! I can't wait!

Sunny flower

My newest pillow creation:

It sits with the other pillows I made and the afghan my grandmother crocheted for me.

Where's your heart at?

Even though the last month has been mostly crummy weather, the fact is that my heart remains here:

It's my latest project, made from wedding fabric leftovers. 

Project inspired by: this and this

2 days! I rode my bicycle past your window last night...

Christopher insisted we exchange wedding gifts before the wedding. He claims he couldn't bring my gift to the wedding... you'll see why!

I made him open my gift first. I got him a set of three Chicago team pictures from this etsy shop. The Bears picture was a real sacrifice for me, beause I am a Green Bay Packer fan. Christopher wants to have a Man Cave (but after seeing Perfect Couples we've decided on The Cave rather than a Man Cave) in our future basement, so that's where these are intended. I grew up a Brewers Fan, but I agreed to change my baseball allegiance to his beloved Sox:

Bears...bleh!

Blackhawks

White Sox

He brought his pictures to work for now until we have a nice basement to fix up. I also bought him a tie clip from this etsy shop. It's hammered finish on the front and our initials and wedding date are engraved on the back.

 Not our initials! Christopher's says, "A&C 4-30-11"

I've been telling Christopher since we started dating how I've always wanted a big ol' granny basket for my bicycle. He remembered! My first present was the basket! Then, he led me outside and I found a bicycle! It's a vintage bike from the 1960's! He's been ordering new parts for it and he's going to fix it up for me this summer. How stinkin' CUTE is this bike?! I can't wait to pedal to the grocery store this summer.

TWO DAYS! I'm getting really nervous / excited / anxious! I'm not at all nervous to marry Christopher... just nervous to walk down the aisle and have everyone staring at me. I'm a little shy. :o)

La la la so excited...............................! I'm off to start packing for the weekend and next week. Christopher's got a mini-moon planned for us. Our "real" honeymoon will be over Thanksgiving. We're going someplace warm then!

A few v-day projects...

...better late than never! Oh, how I love projects!

I "made" Valentines for my students:

idea from: made

I made a homemade card for my love, Christopher:

e.e. cummings

I made cupcake toppers that say "u"...... "n'"....... "me." We're thinking about using something similar for our wedding cupcake topper. I surprised Christopher with a muffin with these in it Valentine's Day morning:

I know I saw a similar idea somewhere on the web, but I can't remember where!

And I made a heart pin, modeled here: