Weekly house update.

Things are finally starting to happen around the house!

Our new front door went in. 

Now it needs a coat of paint.

All new interior doors went in

(which also need to painted).

Pantry shelves went in (which I spent 3 hours Frog taping and priming).

All the windows got new trim which I'm painting (and getting really sick of doing).

New subway tile went in.

Carrera tile in the master shower.

And the long awaited kitchen cabinets are beings installed.

Here are the drawer and door faces.

  More to come!

Novica review.

I'm not sure a self-photo-portrait was quite what Novica had in mind when they asked me to review some of their items.  (I attempted to have my 7 year old take a decent picture of me but all I got were photos of my forehead).

I'm wearing the Wood Bangle Bracelet (here)
and Mahogany Melody Blouse (here).

  You may remember I've talked about Novica in the past.  I just love their line of products but more importantly I love that when you make a purchase you are aiding artisans around the world make an income for themselves.  Their site offers clothing, jewelry, accessories, home decor, international instruments, paintings, handbags, etc.  Here are a few of my favorites...



I swear I saw this Alpaca throw blanket on the Nate Berkus Show recently.



Sunshine Leather Shoulder Bag.

Lacquered Wood Tray.

Cotton Side Cinch Tunic.

Not only does Novice offer great handmade products handmade but they also have a system that allows you to loan money to aspiring artisans around the world start their own businesses.  Find out more here.

Novica has also just starting offering home parties to those who would like to earn products for free.  To learn more about hosting a party go to Novica Live.  Or you can make money as a consultant.  Getting in early is a big opportunity in direct sales where you can make some good money and support artisans worldwide. The starter kits are only $199 and have over $400 worth of samples and $150 in business materials. More information at Novica Live.

Check them out today!

Disclosure: I received product to review for free from Novica.

Valentine's Day Project #3.

I've always loved the Petal Envelope.

Cute and functional all in one.

For this Valentine I took a double sided piece of paper and printed my

template right on it from my computer then folded it up.

Then I grabbed my camera and had some fun.

I don't know what it is about preschool age kids but when you put a camera in from

of them and tell them to smile they look like they're constipated.

I had to really whoop it up to get him to laugh.

Then I uploaded my photo to Picnik, turned it black and white, next went back and used the lipstick feature to color in the heart red then added my text.

I made this petal envlope template which is big enough for a 3.5 square picture (download here).  

If you're kids are like mine it's all about the candy so don't forget to add a chocolate heart or something sweet in the envelope. 

"Studio 5" tv feature.

Thanks Studio 5!

 

Valentine's Day Project #2

Before Thanksgiving dinner I took this picture of my boys.

I thought it would be a perfect Valentine picture of my baby with his little red bow tie.

So I turned to Picnik.  As you may have heard, they are closing in April.  I can't tell you how angry I am about the news.  It is the most user friendly photo editing site I've found and they will be no more.  For the next 2 1/2 months it's still around though. 

Out of the several pictures I took I just couldn't get all three boys to look at the camera and smile at the same time.  So for this purpose I erased the other two using the  "Clone" feature.  You just click on a part of the photo you want to repeat or "clone" over the parts you don't want and viola!

I then used the "text" feature to write "Happy Valentine's Day" down one side. 

  There you have a simple, cute,  little handout treat.

Valentine's Day Project #1.

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and this year my boys and I have gotten an early start on handouts for school. Here's what my oldest and I made for his friends.

The idea of melting down crayons has been floating around the internet so we decided to give it a try. 

We made some heart crayons, adhered them to some printed cut out paper, then packaged them in little celephane bags with some polka dot printed tape (from Michael's) to close them up.

To really personalize them we added my son's picture on the back with his name made on Picnik (my favorite photo editing website which is closing in April...DA*%$@!).

Here's the details:

I found these Silicone trays at Target for $2.50 (for two) in the dollar section.

We then broke up some old crayons and filled them full in the trays.

Bake at 225 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Be very careful when you remove from the oven!

Let them cool completely then pop them out.

I made a personalized circle tag to attach them to which you can download below.

I used a 2 1/2 inch circle punch to cut mine out but I've also added a few different versions with the circle outline in case you want to use scissors.

Download this printable here.

Download this printable here.

Download this printable here.

Download this printable here.

I then took a picture of my son and used my circle punch to cut out his face for a little more fun and personalization.

 Here are the punches I used found at any craft store.

   These repurposed crayons are so fun to use.  Also a great alternative to the tons of candy they'll be getting.

More tomorrow!

 

Love is in the air (and on the air).

Today I had the opportunity to share some handmade Valentine's day projects "on air".

 

I'll share them with you on Monday.

In the meantime, I'll be over at the house painting all weekend until I'm higher than a kite.

Evolution of a master bedroom.

Renovation goes something like this...

1. Take a perfectly good room, rip down everything (trim, base, walls, windows, doors, etc.).
2. Fret that you may have overshot your budget AFTER you've already demo'd everything and the house is a disaster.
3. Stay up at night worrying.
4. Spontaneously break out with acne like your going through puberty.
5. Take forever putting the room back together piece by piece.

Here's the master bedroom when we first looked at the house back in March 2011.

Renters were still living in the house and it was pretty shabby.

They cleared out and left us with an empty shell.

The room was really small.  They just didn't make rooms large back in the 70's.  We took this laundry closet out, moved the wall and incorporated this door to make the master bedroom a wee bit larger.

View when we took the wall out.  You can see all the way through.

Here's the view today...

New window trim, baseboards, paint, carpet (eventually).
Don't you just love the view?

This new door is not only super cool but really functional. 

They've incorporated the blinds directly in between the glass.

They can go all the way up for an unobstructed view.

Our last home had a full glass door like this with the blinds attached to the door.

Everytime the door got closed they would clank annoyingly.

They can also fully close or tilt so a little light comes through.

I believe the door is by Jeldwen special ordered through Home Depot.

Also had new doors and base installed which came from Columbia Mill Works.

  The shade of paint is called Half Moon Crest by Benjamin Moore however I had it color matched by Porter Paint, which I prefer.

More to come!