Fridgeless Picassos

It has truly been a week I would like to forget...#2 had some sort of funky illness that lasted 5 days and I literally have been mired down in germs and antibiotics to last a lifetime.....but there was one day of creativity!
After what seems to be an endless amount of school work coming home from the first few weeks of school, there is always the question of what to keep and what to toss. The problem I have is that I have nowhere to display these works of art.What if my kid is a Picasso, Rembrandt or Monet?? Who would discover their talent in the bottom of my Rubbermaid trash can or the dusty office box hidden in my closet? NOBODY!! Another issue is my refrigerator is stainless and as most of you probably know, there is no place to stick cute fridge magnets. What a dillema right?
So while searching my newest obsession "Pinterest", I found the solution...check out this adorable Kids Art Display at A Little of This, a Little of That...So stinking cute. I loved it and thought this is my answer.

Well off to find my supplies and this is what I came up with:

1x8 board (cut in half)
paint (unfortunately don't make the mistake and use enamel paint..it makes a disgusting gooey mess that you will be struggling with for about 2 hours.)
sandpaper(again, gooey, nasty mess when trying to weather)
clips (I used drapery hooks, because I had 6 packs that I have had for about 3 years and never used, plus, I couldn't leave #2 to go to Walmart)
Wood glue (thank goodness hubby is a contractor)
Beer tabs or Soda can tabs (umm...I'll let you guess which one's I used...hey, don't judge!!!)
Screws
Lettering (optional, but you know how I have a love affair with my Cricut)

So here is what I did:

Spray paint your board.

And here is the dreaded Enamel paint...ruh roh!! What can I say I was punch drunk from being in the house so long..

The legendary .09 clips I have had for 3 years!!

The board after being weathered with sandpaper...I also whitewashed it and used a lacquer over the top...I had to do something to make the sticky enamel look better...IT WORKED!

Space your clips...if I make another one, I think I would space them out a little more...

Glue them on with wood glue.... Add some Cricut lettering and this is what you get...
I love it, it is perfect for displaying their art work and fits in great with our decor!! Now, what I didn't take pics of was the way I added hangers....I used the tabs from (ahem) my cans and glued them on with wood glue, then added a screw on top of that and it is perfect for hanging....yay me!!!

This is probably my favorite project ever...not bad for a few hours of creativity in a sea of germs, snot and sweaty feverish hell!!

You've Got Mail!!

Well, school has started and I am so pleased and grateful that my girls have such extraordinary teachers. I try to make sure they(the teachers) know I am available to them if they need anything for the classroom or daily routine in general. My third grader's teacher, who I adore, asked me to embellish their classroom mailbox. here is what it looked like before....And of course who wouldn't want to make this better??? So here is what I came up with...


Pretty cute huh?? I think it will serve it's purpose!! And not so plain Jane...Now, get to work children!!!

Things I Love=Pinterest and Followers (but not stalkers)

Ok, my new obsession is Pinterest...if you haven't been there go now!! It's like a pin board online..it's so great and you can find some truly inspiring ideas on just about everything. If you are reading this you probably already follow me (not like a creepy stalker like follower) but you periodically find your way to my blog. I appreciate it and would love for you to follow my Pinterest page as well. Maybe we can all get a little more inspired and creative as the months are "creeping" closer to the Holidays.
So here are a few of my new favorite things I have pinned: check them out and let me know what you think about Pinterest. Maybe I'll see you there and start "stalking" I mean,"following" you!!

How about these little cuties!! I wish I had seen them prior to the first day of school, I would have tried my hand at pencil making. They are so precious!!

CREDIT

These would have been great for the first day of school, don't you think??

CREDIT

So, here were just a couple of things I have found. If you want to see more click on "follow me on Pinterest" or on the button above my post index and you can see all the fabulousness I have pinned.

Back to School Survival Kit

I know it's been a while since I have posted anything, but I wanted to share with you this cute little "Back to School Survival Kit" I put together for my girls this week. I got the idea a year ago on another gal's blog, but I can't remember what the name of it was. If anyone recognizes the idea please message me or comment, so I can give credit where credit is due...It turned out so sweet, and I was able to use things I already had around the house (yea...no Walmart). I hope you enjoy and hopefully it will inspire you to make a special memory with your children. I am so melancholy at this time of year, it makes me want to bring out the old photo albums and baby books to marvel at how my girls have grown and turned into such amazing human beings. Good luck to all of you in the upcoming weeks of back to school and maybe I'll get back some of my creativity now that the girls are back to school.

I used Laffy Taffy, Fruit Roll Up, Tootsie Roll, Hershey Kisses, Lollipops, Smarties, Pencil, Paper Clip, Rubber band, decorative bag.

I typed up the poem and used the ties to attach it to the bag.

Back to School Survival Kit
To help you get on a ROLL into the new school year, we are giving you a back to school survival kit.
There are SMARTIES to boost your brain power and
A RUBBER BAND to help you stretch your mind.
A PAPER CLIP is to remind you that you have all the tools to hold it together.
TOOTSIE ROLLS are so you remember to roll with the punches,
And a PENCIL to let you know how sharp we think you are.
There’s LAFFY TAFFY to remind you to keep your sense of humor when days are tough.
A LOLLIPOP is to help you lick any obstacles that come your way and
There are also some extra KISSES for when you might need them.
Have a great first day,
Love,
MOM AND DAD

Now, the kicker is, try to give it to them prior to them leaving for school. If you forget you will be like me, sneaking into the school to slip them into the backpacks without anyone seeing!!