Super diaper baby and something new in the shop....

I don't know if I've mentioned before that Monday mornings throughout the summer have been camp day for the monkeys.... My friend Kim, who is the brain-child of many FANTASTIC ideas, came up with the idea of creating our own kid camp for the summer. So, myself and the lovely ladies I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past few years, have come together to provide Monday mornings full of fun, education and friendship....

Not only is this a great way to keep the kids active and together, it also allows us Moms and Dads to keep connected throughout the summer months as well. Win-win, I say!

Aaaanyway, today was Art-in-the Park day.... and as the name suggests, well, the kids did art projects.... in the park. Lots of fun, great weather, terrific friends, and a little food to fill our tums at lunch.... couldn't have asked for a better morning....

Well, the creativity didn't end there for one of my little monkeys.... Mr. Middle Monkey, after reading a few more chapters of The Adventures of Super-Diaper Baby grabbed pencil and paper and drew these little guys....


I love it! And I love watching my littles paint, draw, write.... doing anything creative really. Maybe because I love creative projects myself? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love watching them play sports too, I guess I just feel connected to them in a different way because much of my own childhood up to college revolved around painting and drawing.... On Mommy and Daddy's to-do list: Creating the 'Kid's Art Wall'.... that'll be something I get to hopefully before Christmas.... I said, 'hopefully' ;)

And this just in.... in the shop, that is.... Sea Star Washies!


Check them out! I'm thinking they'd make fantastic additions to a new baby gift basket.... although, they aren't just for baby.... they're also great for adults and for using on your dishes.... multi-functional!

I'm off to whip up some more! Have a great night all ;)

Friday's inspiration....

If you hear a voice within you saying,"you are not a painter", then by all means, paint... and that voice will be silenced.

Vincent Van Gogh

Starry Night photo source art-wallpaper.org

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 ;)

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 ;)