simple classroom valentines

I've forgone the idea of baking classroom treats for this Friday's Valentine's Day classroom party.  (I call the Friday before Valentine's Day, "Sugar Rush Kids" Day).

To add fuel to the fire, sort of speak, I created a simple Valentine greeting to attach to the candy.  It's really quite simple...just create a table, and write the greeting in each box.  I made of play of words using the candy logos for the Valentine greeting...printed, cut and taped to the candy wrapper.  Voila, done!

Attached are free printables of the my Valentines...you can easily adapt or make your own.

Classroom Valentines Candy Wrapper Printable

Simply Beautiful Now's Free Classroom Valentines Candy Wrapper Printable (link)

Print out as many as your classroom requires.  The kids can sign their own names or you can add it on the label before you print.  Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

o' christmas tree

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

How lovely are thy branches!

For every year the Christmas tree,

Brings to us all both joy and glee.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

Much pleasure dost thou bring me!

Wishing you and your family a very 

Merry Christmas 

&

Happy NewYear

DIY Christmas Trees

For those of you who are putting final touches to your Christmas decor, this is a quick and easy way to get the kids involved with a craft, and is something that is simple to do this weekend, just in time for a pretty display for Christmas next week.

Tools and Materials

• Cereal boxes
• Glue
• Tissue paper 
• gift ribbon (the curly ribbon kind)
• Scissors

Take the cereal box and cut it into a square shape.  Roll the box into a cone shape and hot glue together.  With one of the cones,  I hole punched throughout and wrapped with tissue. (to make the tree illuminate,  place a  battery operated tea light candle underneath).

Glue and wrap with tinsel, tissue paper, ribbon...whatever is pretty in the house.  (I've seen music sheets, twine, you name it!).

Oh Christmas tree...how lovely are thy branches.

See you in January 2013!!!

a sign of cleanliness

One would think that I would embrace doing laundry.  Theoretically, it's a quiet activity that involves taking care of my family's beloved wardrobe (and if anyone knows about our indulgences, our wardrobe is high up there).


After looking at inspirational photos of laundry rooms, it's given me ideas to revamp our current one.  It will be a huge undertaking, but I've already begun sourcing out some plans. 


In the meantime, I thought I'd create some easy decorative elements...nothing too fancy, but a sign to remind me to continue working on trying to create a little haven in the laundry room.

Simple Laundry Room Sign

I found this little framed mirror and loved the shape of the frame. I thought this would be perfect for hanging single socks looking for mates or towels in the laundry room.  You can use good old picture frames too. 

I first removed the back plate and mirror.  I reused the back plate as the sign itself, and painted it with Olympic's "Delicate White".

Lightly made holes where my hooks will go, then I primed and painted the frame in Olympic's "Secret Passage".

Added two cast iron hooks that I bought at a second hand store.  Then painted the words "laundry". (I tinkered with "drop your drawers here" or "self serve laundry" but stuck with something simple...for now.)

Hopefully this is a sign of more changes that will be done to the laundry room.  I'll keep you posted.

colour your world

Ever since we had robin's eggs hatched at our window sill a few years ago, I've looked forward to our annual tradition of painting Easter eggs, just so I can admire a few blue ones in our batch.  Every spring, I occasionally look at that window sill...wondering, if another bird will return...and use the sill as a home for it's nest.  I guess as a mother, I can appreciate and still watch in awe, how another mother or parent (human or not) is so dedicated to prepare it's offspring for the world.

It is no different than a pregnant woman, eating all the right foods, eliminating all the bad habits and taking care of herself, and therefore readying her baby to arrive in our world.   It is no different than a father, teaching his child how to stick handle a puck, so his kid can play road hockey with his friends, and beat his "world" record.  


I guess you can say I'd rather watch the journey instead of the goal.  A friend of ours told me a funny story about how they had a difficult time blowing the contents out of an egg to prepare them for painting. They wanted to use empty egg shells instead of boiled eggs, so they can admire and display the painted eggs for a longer time. Unfortunately, by the time they finished emptying all their eggs, they were too out of breath and didn't complete their original intention of painting them. (I wish they had told me this sooner).

Although I love the end result of a beautiful array of coloured eggs in our basket...I enjoy watching the process even more.  Children (of all ages!) delicately placing egg shells in dye, patiently waiting for the colour to transform.  Their eyes widen...how quickly an egg goes from basic white to beautiful shades of pink, yellow and blue.  A world of possibilities, of colour, of beautiful creativity.


With a little preparation, this can be such a simple activity with so few elements...empty egg shells, a little dye, and plastic cups.  And I find it one of the most calming things to do this time of year.


So, as a simple way to prepare eggs for painting this Easter, I'm sharing with you, my "trick of the trade"...on how to empty them without losing your breath, so you too can sit back and enjoy watching curious eyes widen, as they discover a colourful world of possibilities.

Simple, non-traditional way of emptying eggs

Using a very sharp paring knife, pierce a hole at each end of the egg.

Take a spaghetti noodle and put it through the egg,
so the yolks are no longer intact.

Take a turkey baster, and squeeze air into the egg on one end...
the liquid contents will easily come out of the other end of the egg.
Since you did not use your own breath, you can empty the contents
into a bowl, for later use (scrambled eggs or quiche, perhaps?)

Enjoy.

behind the desk

With the cold weather, most of my time has been spent doing more indoor activities.  Baking, cleaning, laundry...writing. (ahem....and not doing too much exercise).

I've been searching for a desk for my son's room, and a few days ago I discovered a sturdy, perfect sized one hidden in the corner of my local thrift store.  It is solid wood, well made, and is screaming to be redone.

It's amazing how a little purchase can re-invigorate my motivation to get up and get moving.  At least to do a few small house projects.  Here's what I've found on Pinterest (my latest obsession), that has furthered my motivation.

Paint the desk a dark nautical navy blue?
{Source: Hackettstown}

Paint the desk "antiqued grey"?
 {Source: TritterFeefer}

After consulting with my junior client, I think I might just get some paint chips, sandpaper, and prep this piece....and try to get this project started (it's winter here, so painting will have to happen when the temperature is above the freezing mark).

White might be too feminine, but I love the handles on this desk.
{Source: The Furniture Factory}

At least I will get out from behind my desk.  

pinkie swear

I promised my daughter (and "ahem", my husband), that I would finish one of my quick DIY projects, a new dresser for her room.  That "quick" project sat in my garage as I got carried away, with the usual busy autumn schedule...and just playing with the kids.  My biggest obstacle (other than my "distractions") was determining what colour to paint this dresser.

It's amazing how colour plays a role in how we feel. The kinds of emotions evoked by a simple colour on a wall or an outfit.   It's no wonder why interior designers choose neutral soothing colours to create rooms that evoke a sense of calm and serenity.

1.  Fill all holes (I used Lepage wood filler).  2.  Sand then wash down any residue.
3.  Prime.  (I used Zinsser's Cover Stain).  4.  Do a second coat of primer, if needed.

There is a psychology behind what colours mean and why we choose the shades we use, and this quote summed up what I was looking for.

"Pink is the color of happiness and is sometimes seen 
as lighthearted...an attraction to pink may speak 
of a desire for the more carefree days of childhood."

{from Sensational Colour}

Carefree days of childhood.  That's what I strive to create for my kids...a place, a home where they can feel carefree and safe.  As an adult, it has a different, much stronger meaning...the pink ribbon comes to mind, and it represents a symbol of hope, strength and determination.

1.  Painted the dresser with Para's Cabinet & Furniture Paint in Sarah Richardson's "Blush" colour  

2.  Using a fireplace mantle ornament (found at Lowes for $10), sawed the ornament in 3 pieces.  

3.  Painted the ornament in the Para's Cabinet and Furniture paint,  also in "Blush".  

4.  Varnished using water based Varathane in Semi-gloss.

This is something I definitely want to instill in my children, especially my daughter. And it is with this determination, I finally put the finishing touches to this dresser, so my daughter has a made with love, place for her personal things.

1.  Varnished the dresser with water based Varathane, in semi-gloss.
2.  Glued the decorative ornaments onto the dresser, using LePage wood glue.
(I also added the knobs and handles....not shown)

Promises fulfilled... 

...and she's tickled pink!

{Attending these beautiful  parties... Coastal Charm, The DIY Showoff, Dittle Dattle, C.R.A.F.T., Embellishing Life, The Girl Creative, Capers of the Vintage Vixens, Flamingo Toes, Cherished Treasures, Making the World Cuter, Between Naps on the Porch, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Mod Vintage Life, Creating My Way to Success, Creating a House of Grace, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Today's Creative Blog, A Beach Cottage, At the Picket Fence, Miss Mustard Seed, My Repurposed Life, The Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Nifty Thrifty Things, Homemaker on a Dime}

bench pressed

I've finally mustered the courage to replace the fabric on the bed bench in our master bedroom.  It was originally green, which didn't go with our grey colour scheme. We spent significantly more money on it this bench (it's an antique) so I was apprehensive.

Now that I've discovered recovering fabric is quite easy (I used my chair transformation as my trial and error test) I am ready to tackle the next step...the bench (at some point, I will gain the courage to recover all 8 of my antique dining chairs!) .  I was looking for a dark grey fabric (top photo), with a delicate detailed stripe (bottom photo)...the Kravet fabrics below range from $80-400/yard!

Calvin Klein's Satillo Graphite for Kravet Fabrics

Barbara Barry's Lucky Knots Quartzite for Kravet Fabrics

I found a great fabric that worked with the room, and reminiscent of the two fabrics combined above (believe it or not, it is a table cloth I found in the clearance section at Winners for $10).

This is actually a tablecloth found in the clearance section of
Winners (same as Marshalls in the US) for a mere $10.

So I took a chance with this beautiful and simply detailed tablecloth, and re-covered the bench...here's what I did..

Removed the cushioned seat top

by unscrewing it from the bottom

Cut the fabric approximately 1-2 inches larger than the cushion.

With the patterned side down, using a staple gun 

(and upholstery staples), staple the centre of the 

fabric on each four sides. Work your way 

from the centre towards the corners.

Tuck the corners, like you're gift wrapping.

Re-attach the cushion top to the bench.

Here's the before and after:

Green fabric

Silvery Grey fabric works with the Trellis bedding

Now it look like it belongs in the room.

Restoring Beauty: Chair Transformation-Revealed!

When I first saw this chair, I really saw the potential.  Although it was stuck in the corner, with odd red fabric, mis-matched styles of wood carving, and scuffs all over the chair, there was something that spoke to me about this chair  (maybe the $6 price tag spoke louder than the other, more traditional chairs I saw).

With so many inspirational choices, I originally went with this Baker chair as inspiration for my thrift store find.

 Thomas Pheasant for Baker

But after painting the chair black, it looked too stark...

So I changed my mind and combined the gold touches for the back of the chair with the white chairs from Belle Maison below:

Belle Maison chairs

Here’s how I transformed this chair...

I removed the chair pad.

I sanded the chair.

Painted the chair with a primer paint.

I used the Zinsser Primer Paint I had left
over from a previous project...that $10 can
goes a long way!!!

Filled the wood with Lepage wood filler. (yes, I should have done this before the sanding, but last minute decided to fill in the decorative “carving” on the front of the seat, as it seemed too “country” for what I was going to do.) So I re-sanded and primed again.

Painted the chair white, and the “8” of the chair back the “Champagne Nouveau” colour I used for the mail sorter (I thought, if it didn’t work, I can always re-paint over it in white).

Using this fabric I found during the Value Village 50% sale (it cost a whopping $3 for 2 yards---I only used one!), I replaced the chair pad,  and stapled the fabric.

Here’s the after.

Here's the cost breakdown for this chair if you did this yourself:
Chair: $6
Primer: Used left over can, but would cost about $12 for the can
Wood filler:  $6  
Black spray paint: Used left over from my table project, but would cost $5 per can.  
Gold spray paint:  Used left over from mail sorter project, but would cost $5 per can.
Chair pad filler:  
Fabric:  $3.


Total:  approx. $45


Simply a great find!


{This post is featured on The Motherboards and linked to My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , Coastal Charm and House of Hepworths}