Getting My Craft On!

Last week was an awesome week in some ways. Usually, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I walk with girlfriends. However, none of our walking dates worked out this past week, so I had those three mornings completely available for me! I cleaned closets, I cleaned floors, I cleaned rooms. And, I crafted.

I made cute garlands for the kiddos:
Kev's garland features all sorts of animals and bright, jungle-inspired patterns. It's hanging in the playroom since he doesn't have a room of his own this year. Also because nobody plays in the playroom like Kev. It can be spotless one minute and the next there is a complete and total dinosaur infestation. Never walk barefoot in the playroom at night - the spines of a styrachosaurus can really do some damage! (I'll explain why Kev is taking a bow in a later post. It's important.)



Léna's garland is pinks and oranges - I wanted something a little Valentine-y, but she is not a pink girl at all. She loves orange, so I had to hunt for a paper that used both colors. Her two end pieces still need something - I am on the hunt for cute otter clip art, but nothing is really speaking to me.

Amiya's garland is soft pinks and yellows, with roses and polka dots. I tried to keep hers in a sort of a Victorian feel - not the polka dots so much, but I had to throw something in there to break up the cabbage roses and stuffiness. Amiya likes hers, but true to form, admonished me strongly for using a sewing machine to sew paper. Guess where she got that?

I also took the ugly, brushed-gold frame you see at right and played with it a bit. We bought this painting when we moved here to fill up a massive space on a wall. I have always liked this painting - the colors, the water, the feeling it evokes, but I hated the frame. Hated it. I'm not a gold girl, nothing in our house is gold (if I can help it) and it just didn't work for me.

I like it SO much better now. It is simpler to look at and now I notice the painting instead of the awful frame. It took all of thirty minutes - maybe I should have done this six years ago instead of disliking the frame all that time. I am thinking about setting up a spray paint studio in my garage - what's next? Entertainment center anyone?

And finally, see those milk bottles on the table? I did those, too. It was tedious, tedious work.
I had to drink four Starbucks Frappucinos to get the bottles and those aren't my favorite drink, but I persevered. Spray paint the bottles, stick a few stickers on, grab some tulips (my favorite!!! In season!!! Now!!!) and done. I like their simpleness. And I love that they were DIY.

More posts coming soon - and they'll be kid-focused. While last week was a good week in some ways, it was a hard week to be a Mom in Tampa. Big discussions about scary things. Hug your kids tight if you can, it's a crazy world.