Friday night video....

I thought this was very fitting in the spirit of today's historic event.... I love weddings, and I love this classic from my favourite high school crush, Robert Smith.... Here's Friday, I'm In Love by the Cure....



Have a nice friday night all ;)

video: youtube

Inspired by a friend....

On the way home from walking the boys to school this morning, I was talking with my friend Kim.... she was telling me and another friend how she was getting ready for the Royal Wedding on friday morning, and in the spirit of the wedding has made hair fascinators for herself and her sister to wear while they watch and sip some lovely tea. Of course, you know me, I could NOT pass up an opportunity to learn yet ANOTHER new craft *head spinning with ideas*....

So here's what I whipped up for me and the Ham....




Itty-bitty-pretty hair fascinators made out of red tulle. Whatd'ya think? Cheesy or Fun? I'm kinda partial to cheese.... The Ham and I will be donning these babies when we walk the boys to school on friday morning.... gee, I hope it doesn't do too much emotional damage.... Whatev; that's what mom's are for, I say....

Have a jolly-good day everyone ;)

HaPpY EaSteR!

Hope the easter bunny doesn't leave you any stinky jellybeans....


Happy Easter Everyone ;)

photo credit: msn

Basic fort kit tutorial....

This is something that I am in no way passing off as my own idea. I mean, come on, when you really think about it, kids have been making these things all on their own since the day that sheets and blankets were first invented....

Us modern day mom's and crafty people just tweaked an already great idea and made it more of an actual 'kit'....

So here's what you'll need for your Fort Kit:


~double sized or larger flat bed sheet
~bias tape, ribbon or velcro
~sewing machine or needle & thread
~variety of clips or clothes pins
~rope
~flashlight
~storage bin or bag


Take your bias tape (ribbon or velcro) and cut desired length.


Sew one on each corner and a few evenly spaced on each sides (I think all totalled I ended up attaching 16 loops) and be sure to reinforce your stitches, I did two rows of zig zags about a 1/2 inch apart.... and it's also up to you about how many loops/ties you attach and what type you use. I used loops on mine for the rope to run through, kinda making it like a camping tarp. In hindsight, I would have actually attached a loop to the middle top of the bed sheet as well, just in case the fort builders wanted to 'tent' their sheet.... the more options the better.... And once the sheet/tarp part is complete, you just need to fold/roll it and tie it into a neat little bundle....


I also went ahead and made a little pouch to hold the clips. I used the back pocket of an old pair of cargo pants - easy-peasy! I'll do a tutorial for the pouches at a later date.... they're a TON of fun and great for boys! I've made them into hip-sacks for my guys and they use them whenever we're hiking.


So, here's everything all ready to go into the kit storage bin.... I struggled with bag or bin, and settled with bin. I thought a bag would be too fiddly for small hands and also that a child would be more apt to pull it out and play with it if they could actually see everything inside the bin.... I know in my home, kids are visually stimulated first, which I believe is true for most kids....


And, everything neatly tucked into their new home just waiting to be stretched out and hid in! And, of course, I had to attach my own personal touch by adding my 3 monkeys inc tag to it.... it was lots of fun to put together and give as a birthday gift to a special little friend.... who I hear has been enjoying the kit already!

This is just a basic kit. You can totally add to it and make it bigger and better.... the possibilities are endless!

Have a great day everyone ;)


I've linked this tutorial up at Polly Want A Crafter?

KCWC spring 2011 and a teeny-tiny giveaway....

It's that time again! Elsie Marley is hosting Kids Clothes Week Challenge again and I've joined in!




Call me crazy.... for those of you who know me, you know that my May is JAM-PACKED with fundraisers, a baby shower, a mom-to-mom sale, mother's day.... and everything else under the sun! But here I am, committing to something else, taking on a new challenge, cramming another task into my over-stuffed daytimer.... I dunno, I think since the nicer weather is coming, and I had such a bumper fall/winter with my skull and crossbones hats, I've been feeling a little idle. I'm needing to get these hands a craftin' again....

So, here's where you come in, dear readers.... I have TONS of scraps of material.... I'm thinking of skirts for the girl-varieties, and shorts for the boy-kinds.... if I have just 2 of you who would be willing to put in a request, then I HAVE to follow through with this challenge.... what'dya say, any takers???

If you live close by, I can drop off or you can pick-up; if you are far-far-away, then you'll just have to pay for shipping costs.... sound fair? Yeah, I thought it did too :)

The colours and styles will be at my discretion.... not because I'm on a power-trip or anything like that; but, because I know what material I have.... I promise I will make your little someone something super cute (jeune fille) or way cool (jeune homme).... how's my french Crystal???

Aaaanyway, I look forward to your requests.... and please, don't hesitate to make your request.... chances are, I'll be getting to these items a little before Kids Clothes Week just for scheduling purposes (but mostly to keep my sanity before Crazy-May)....

I'm also open to and welcoming any encouragement from the peanut gallery. I'm gonna need it to keep on track next month :/

AND! Tonight is Amazing Race night, I'm a happy camper :D (see, that's me smilin'), and the only other show that gets me that happy is Golden Girls; ahh Betty White, she's so funny :D (again, me smilin').... I must sign off and get to tidying so the babes and I can cheer on our respective Amazing Race teams.... have a good one folks ;)

Friday night video....

Here's our friday night video.... a great song I loved waaaaay back when, and still do of course.... and when I was taking guitar lessons before I had my babies, I begged my guitar teacher to teach it to me.... and I could play it, but sadly, not any more :(

Anyhow, here's Deep Blue Something with Breakfast at Tiffany's....



Have a comfy-cozy friday night everyone ;)

The before: the story of a beautiful lamp in the making....

That's right folks.... I'm tackling this worn out, diamond in the rough this weekend. So here's what she looks like today:


a little scarred and marred, a little tired and old.... but her bones are good. She has a nice solid wood base that will take a sanding quite nicely, I'm hoping.... I'm not sure if I'll strip it down completely (a messy job that I've done a few times before... but am thinking is not totally necessary with this girl; of course that too could change once I get started....)

I have a love of refinishing old and new wooden pieces.... I'm NOT; however, in love with chemical stripping; but, sometimes it's unavoidable.... Aaaanyway, hopefully next time you see this little lady she'll be dressed in her new digs and casting a soft glow upon my new guest bedroom.... The fella in my beloved THRIFT STORE says she's sure to light up a room; unfortunately when he tested her for me, I had my back turned. Go figure. Ahhh, well, a wiring job is not an impossible task either (something I've tackled with another lamp project.... pretty easy and straight forward).... which brings me to another point that I want to make:

Ladies. You don't always need a man for small refinishing and re-wiring jobs.... my dad always thought it was important for me to know how to use tools (power and manual) and to be able to do small fix-it jobs around the house. His way of thinking is that sometimes there's not always a man around (or one willing to do what you're asking) so it's best just to do it yourself. A valuable lesson/skill/what-have-you that I've learned, and now in my adulthood I've come to embrace my confidence as a quasi-pseudo-handywoman.... there's nothing like the feeling of tackling something that people would otherwise think is man's work, yourself :D And, AND! I know my husband appreciates the fact that I can help out with the fixing and remodelling instead of running off to fix a chipped fingernail (btw... who has time for painting fingernails when you have several littles chasing after you???)

Aaaanyway, I digress.... So stay tuned in the next week for the sequel of the lamp....

The after: renewed and grounded and happily living in my basement

Have a great afternoon everyone ;)

And the thriftiness continues....

While I love the great deals I can find in my local thrift stores; I am in no way opposed to finding them at a regular retail store either.... and let me tell you, today's deal at my local Home Depot was the best deal I've ever, EVER found in any store....

How about these beautifully rustic ceramic planters, perfect for welcoming people to my front door????


Yummy mocha and milk chocolate-y colour with drippings of dark and white chocolate.... suddenly I'm feeling the need for something sweet, huh, weird.... 4 in total, the last 4 I might add. For the grand total of, wait for it.... $4.00 plus taxes.... YES! I said grand. total. As in $1.00 each people!!!! I took a picture of the little yellow sticker to show you the regular and original sale price....


I SCOOPED these beauties up at the amazing BLOWOUT sale-to-end-all-sales price of $1.00 each. Yes. I said it again.

Regular price $40. each ($39.99 to be exact)
Sale price $20.
BLOWOUT PRICE $1. each!!!!!!!!!!!

A savings of $156.00

I can't wait to fill these with some pretty flowers or herbs.... ahhhh, spring!

Have a great day everyone ;)

Makeover complete and a tissue paper pom pom....

I finally took a picture of my dresser and nightstand with the freshly painted hardware attached.... and now, they truly are a happy pair.... this is what they should have been dressed in from the day they were born....


I love the way they turned out. And needless to say, I am now addicted to the idea of spray painting EVERYTHING! Watch out little thrifted lamp.... you're next!

And today, I even dragged my friend Sherry to a thrift STORE.... not the THRIFT STORE of the same name that I adore; but, one that I have been meaning to venture to for some time now. And I was NOT disappointed. The pricing was exactly what I expected, which is to say it was inexpensive and, dare I say, thrifty.... just the way I like it!

I came away with a pair of capri pants, and 3 books for just over $8.... and for a mere $2. and change, Sherry purchased a new-to-her summer skirt and an easter book for my little Hammy (Hammy says thanks).... All-in-all a FaNtAsTiC thrifty day....

And, in other news.... while surfing the wonderful-world-wide-web for inexpensive centrepieces for the THINK PINK Tea Fundraiser that my teammates and I are hosting in May, I remembered this great tutorial for tissue paper pom poms from Martha Stewart. I picked up some tissue paper today to do a mock-up of this pom pom, only I left one side flat so that it would sit nicely in the centre of our tables.... can you picture these in the right shade of pink, THINK PINK pink????


What do you think? Too simple, or simply fun?

From brass to black satin....

Saturday's always make me feel like working around the house.... so in keeping with the remodelling, redecorating, refurbishing of our guest bedroom, that by the way is very close to being ready for me to paint (thanks to my machine of a husband), I decided to tackle painting my dresser hardware. I removed it all yesterday, then this afternoon I sprayed on a couple coats of primer.... after much research, the consensus seems to be that Krylon is the best spray paint for smooth non-porous surfaces like metal. And the added bonus (for me, as I am thrifty-minded) is that it is $4. cheaper than the other brands. I checked out the Krylon website to see where I could find the paint here in Canada, and as luck would have it, it's available at Wal-Mart, which we all know is the cheapest place to buy just about anything.

And, as with most of my projects, I forgot to take a before picture.... the hardware is brass, enough said. Ok, ok, let's not knock brass. I know there are people out there who love it. And in defense of this particular set of hardware, I can't say that they were the ugliest brass fittings that I've seen, they did look like they had some kind of antiquing done to them.... but still, for me, they were brass... bleck :P

So here's a shot of one of the pieces flipped so you can see that they are, in fact, brass.... and this too, is not a true depiction of the original finish as this is the backside, but you get my point.... yellowy, brassy, tacky finish.... am I conveying my true feelings of distaste for brass here???? And another shot of what they looked like with just the primer coat.... a GREAT improvement already, I say.




And here they are almost ready for adorning the dresser and night stand.


Such a small thing, changing the colour of your hardware.... giving something a new lease on life.... a great way of getting exactly what your were looking for without having to search here-there-and-everywhere or paying way too much. One itty-bitty thing off my guest bedroom to-do list.... I'll post a picture of the dresser and night stand all decked out in their new duds tomorrow maybe.... and speaking of tomorrow.... I'm tackling my thrift store lamp re-do.... stay tuned.

It feels almost like a sit on the deck with a glass of wine after the kiddos go to bed night.... ahh, maybe a little to soon yet. I guess the couch and a good movie will have to do. Have a great night all ;)

Friday Night Video....

So, here's friday's FUN and FESTIVE tune... Neon Trees, Animal.... enjoy ;)

Unexpectedly delish....

Like all mom's, I'm always on the lookout for different ways of incorporating new (or weird, as my kids would say) veggies into our diet. The beet love has been a slow and almost agonizing sell; but, they will eat them oven roasted along with sweet potatoes and parsnips... a small victory for any mom, I say. And, being a person who loves colour; beets win me over in the veggie aisle. every. time.

So when I came across this Beet Root Pesto recipe over at Design Sponge (an amazing home dec blog, check her out!) I jumped in with both feet. I always have beets on hand for roasting with whatever main dish I've made.... roasted veggies should be a staple in anyone's meal plan just for the sheer ease of preparation - no thinking, just washing, chopping and roasting - little prep for loads of flavour - easy peasy lemon squeezy!

So what d'ya think of this yummy looking snack?


I can tell you with all honesty, my taste-buds were very happy :P And my eyes, they were taken by the breath-taking beauty of that rich jewel-toned red.... ok, ok, the colour is great; but, breath-taking? Yeah, I'm not really that much of a cheddar-head. If you're interested in trying this recipe out, click the recipe link earlier in this post and you'll get the low-down on the beet root-y goodness.

Anyhow, peeps... I'll be checkin' back in later with my friday night video (providing I don't forget).... any requests??? Ah, well, I'll think of something fun and festive to kick off this weekend!

Have a great afternoon everyone ;)

Thrifty monkey momma....

So my husband has been super busy working to finish a guest bedroom in our basement.... the killer thing about building a new home (6-1/2 years ago) is that sometimes the budget doesn't always allow to have the basement finished.... not to mention, that a builder cannot be fully trusted to give you exactly what you want.... our quasi-philosophy is if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.... I think this holds true for many things in life; of course, there are always exceptions to this rule too ;) ....

Aaaanyway, back to the reason why I've brought you all here.... I, monkey-mamma, get to paint, furnish and decorate a room from blank canvas to cozy-home-away-from-home finish! From. Scratch. I know you're probably all thinking that I got to do that when we moved into our shiny new house 6-1/2 years ago. Well, you're partially right; but, this is different. I have to purchase 99.9% of everything that will be entering this room.... So, in that respect, this is something that I've not had the pleasure to do in my whole history as a slave to the mortgage gods and goddesses. We've always had stuff to go in the rooms we were furnishing.... stuff from family, stuff we had, stuff we settled for....

This is so much more exciting, as I am determined to decorate this room with oodles of simply-stated style and at as little cost as humanly possible. So in comes my self-inflicted challenge: purchase and re-purpose. I am committed to purchasing new-to-me, previously-loved items and re-finishing, re-purposing, re-whatever needs to be done to make it exactly what I want!

So, off the checklist so far are a dresser and nightstand, which we found at a liquidation centre for 50% off the lowest ticketed price.... what. a. steal. They're nicely constructed and fit in with my clean and simple cottagey vision. Ok, yes. I just said previously-loved, and re-purpose... but, I think this still loosely fits within that criteria.... I need to remove the brass (ewww, yuck) hardware and spray paint it with a hammered antique black finish.... does that count as a re-purpose???? I think so. And yesterday while thrifting my favourite thrift store (aptly named THRIFT STORE), I spotted the perfect lamp! SCORE!!! For $3.00! DOUBLE SCORE!!! Here it is....


Isn't it pretty??? And it's in A1 condition except for the paint chip at the bottom edge of the base. It's a wooden base painted in a nice and creamy colour, the shade is a tightly woven wicker. Of course to fit with my plan, both the base and shade will be given new life with some fresh paint. I'll definitely be sharing an after photo once this little guy has undergone his extreme makeover....

I am so fortunate that my kids, even my 2 year old Ham, LOVE to browse and rummage through anything that's old and well-loved. They really seem to appreciate the idea of re-using whenever possible. And they love learning about what things were used for; especially in the case of odd or weird (to them) looking kitchen gadgets. So yesterday, while searching for some interesting items, I came across this little lovely....


I had to have it. And for only $2.00, my true love for Pyrex was able to shine through. I had so much fun with my oldest guy researching the piece when we got home. We found out that the piece is part of the Blue Horizon line released by Pyrex USA in 1970-71.... so funny that I would gravitate toward something that was released around the time I was born. On the downside.... I think I've awakened a monster. I cannot get this little casserole dish out of my head. I triple washed it as soon as we got home and used it to serve steamed broccoli and cauliflower with dinner. I keep thinking that I should be stopping into this store every week to find more Pyrex pieces.... because I have soooo much space in my little shoebox to store this stuff. What to do, what to do.

Of course, the monkeys didn't come away empty handed.... thrift stores are a haven for games, puzzles and books at garage sale prices. They each picked one thing for themselves and were very happy with their finds. All totalled; we came away with the lamp, the casserole dish, 2 books and one Pokemon puzzle for the low-low bargain basement price of $6.00 plus taxes. Yay, indeed!

What are your favourite thrifty finds? Do you enjoy the love of the hunt as much as I do? I'll be sharing more thrifty guest bedroom finds as this process moves along, so stay tuned! Have a great sunday everyone ;)

Friday night video.... on saturday....

What can you say about a classic Stones song???? Here's Gimme Shelter live in Amsterdam in '95.... fantastic!.... enjoy!