Kids art caddy

Today, I put together this art caddy.  

I filled it with a few fun things for the kids.

A jar for knick knacks, markers, glitter pens, paint and brushes, Play doh...

Everything I used, I already had around the house.

I took an ice cube tray and wrote a number in each tray.  The idea is to fill each tray with correct number using dried pasta.  Grayson had a blast with this, and it cost nothing.

So there you have it.  

A fun, easy, inexpensive way to organize all things art.

Well hello! {and a DIY chalkboard}

Hi there!  I took quite a break from blogging, but I am glad to be back.  I took some time to just enjoy life and the little things...I will share all of those things with you very soon.  But for now, I won't bore you with excuses.  I have so much I can't wait to share with you...ideas, projects, inspirations, parties, just random stuff that I love.  I hope you are still out there!!

I will catch you up on things since last year, but you'll have to wait a little bit.  We have had computer issues.  Both of our Macs went out so I can't get to my photos at the moment.  But I am one lucky girl and got a new one for Christmas, so I'm back in business!  I had forgotten how awesome it is to have a working computer and to be able to upload pictures.

So, it's another year already.  I always love the start of a new year.  Although I hate saying goodbye to Christmas, it's nice to put away things and declutter around the house.  I have been organizing A LOT lately and it feels so good to finally get some things that have been on my to-do list scratched off.  I have turned to Pinterest for lots of tips and ideas....are you not obsessed?!  I sure am.  Find me here. 

I wanted to share a little project that I did that I actually completed!  For a long time I've wanted a framed chalkboard, but as I searched through several stores, I never found "the one."  So, I knew that I would have to make one.  My crafty mama makes fun things all the time, so she shared a few of her secrets and I went to work.

{picture time}

I searched and searched for an old, ornate picture frame, but I couldn't find one.  Then one day while on Facebook, I came across a local photography studio who posted that they were selling old picture frames.  My heart raced!  The next day, I went and spotted this little beauty.  Isn't she lovely?  I thought so, too.  And it was marked 60% off.  So, I gathered my supplies....

Glue that sticks to glass and chalkboard paint.  You can also use spray paint.  Then I had to get a piece of glass cut to fit the empty frame.  I got it cut at Hobby Lobby and with a 40% discount, it came out very cheap.  Score!

So, I painted....and painted....and painted.  It took several coats of the paint.  

Once dry, I glued it to the frame, and....

Voila!  A beautiful, functional framed chalkboard.  Easy peasy.  

I'm loving how it turned out.  I toyed with the idea of painting it white, but the hubby thought I should go with the original color and I couldn't agree more!

Here it is in my kitchen for all to see.

{love}

This is my new favorite quote by the way.  You'll see more of it soon.

Well, that's it for now.  Please excuse my blogging skills at the moment.  It's been a while and I'm trying to get back in the swing:)

Happy February!

Scenes from Valentine's Day

Wishing you all a very special Valentine's Day.  Mine went a little something like this...

{pretty flowers from the hubby}

{the kids' table}

{free printable I downloaded and framed = love}

{yummy and pretty pink candy}

{Grayson's valentine treats for his friends}

{my funny valentine}

XOXO!

Rainy Day Inspiration

While you may be experiencing snow blizzards in your neck of the woods, it's all thunderstorms here.  Not a bad way to spend the day with my boy cooped up indoors {in our pjs, nonetheless}.  I actually love days like this.  You don't have to feel guilty for not running your seemingly endless errands.  You can focus on things around the house {laundry, dishes, the things that are always piling up}, watch an old favorite movie, or spend wasteful time on the computer.  Let's just hope I don't go into labor in this weather!

If you're stuck indoors on this rainy {or snowy} day, you may also enjoy a fun, crafty activity to rid those rainy day blues.  It is February already, which means that Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  This also means that you may have already started thinking about that special someone in your life or fun valentines for your children's friends.  Here are a few fun activities that you and your child can enjoy doing together.

These adorable valentines are made out of flattened cupcake liners.  We all have these in the house, and they can easily be embellished with cute little touches.

Watercolor is a huge trend right now.  This photo from The Sweetest Occasion made me feel like a child again.  Pull out the paint, water, and brushes!

Who doesn't love a little hand?  Precious.

{images via Martha}

Have a sweet tooth?

Martha does it again with these cupcakes topped with fudge brownie hearts.  Yum!  

Try these adorable homemade heart-shaped marshmallows.  Recipe here.

Write a sweet, personal message on your cupcakes.  Pretty and delish!

Enjoy!  Happy first day of February!

A few things before Thanksgiving.

My new Christmas cd.

I am loving this new album my hubby got for me.  I have quite the collection of Christmas music, but this is not your run-of-the-mill Christmas cd.  It's very bluesy, jazzy, and straight out of New Orleans.  I promise you will thank me if you get this cd.

Our Christmas tree.

We put our tree up this week with a little help from G-man.  Ok, so he decorated it with his cars {really, he was sticking them in the tree}.  We went with silver and green and added the disco balls this year.  I am obsessing over them.  They are so shiny and sparkly and lovely.

{the boys after working really hard}

{O Christmas tree}

{disco balls}

Our thankful tree.

We finally made our thankful tree today.  I used a flower pot that I already had on hand.  It happened to be a chalkboard pot that you can write on, which was perfect for what I needed.  I used a leaf template to cut out some leaves, yarn for the string, and rice in the flower pot to hold the branch.  Thanks to daddy and Gray for the branch.  They had to fight off a ton of mosquitos just to pick this special branch.  I love the how the tree turned out and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars.

As I mentioned earlier, we are having Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws.  I am so excited about having a cajun Thanksgiving.  I certainly don't want to show up empty-handed, so when I saw this recipe here, I knew it would be a perfect dish to bring the hostess.  How delish does this look?

 

Here's what you'll need:

I don't think I could go wrong with these.  Let's just hope they turn out this pretty!  Check out Hostess blog for the entire recipe.

That about covers it for this wonderful Thanksgiving week.  I am so excited about about being with our families these next few days.  We have so much to be thankful for.  I wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving...eat lots of turkey and pumpkin pie!

Thankful Tree

I love tradition.  Actually, love really isn't even a strong enough word.  I mean I really, really love tradition.  And when it comes to holiday traditions, I get super excited.  Now that I have children, it's very important to me to create traditions with them they can grow to remember and cherish.

Thanksgiving can really be overlooked as to why it's a holiday in the first place.  When I think of Thanksgiving, the first thing that pops in my head is turkey and overeating!  Then family and being thankful for what God has blessed me with.  I think a thankful tree is a great way to remind children what they are thankful for.

  

{from 71 Toes}

If you haven't seen her blog, then you should really check it out.  Shawni is a very inspirational mother to her 5 children!  She deserves Mother of the Year award {if they have such a thing}!

This tree from Moxie Fab World is so creative and uses real tree twigs.

This turkey from Parents is the same idea.  Precious!

You can make it as simple or detailed as you like.  Just have fun and get creative with it!  I can't wait to share our thankful tree with you!