Bobby Pin Holder

This is a picture I see on Pinterest all the time, and I cannot find a web address for where it came from to credit this smart person.  If anyone knows please tell me so I can let everyone else know.  While it is a clever idea, I think it is rather ugly.  

 I had my own clever idea this evening of a prettier Bobby Pin magnet strip.

 The bonus is this is all stuff I already had.  First I used the glass to trace my paper.

 I then put the paper in the frame and just eyeballed where the magnetic strip should go.  I have to say I am liking the final result, though I do wish the magnetic strip would have been stronger so I could have put it behind the paper.  I think it looks super sweet sitting on my bathroom counter.

DIY Battery holder

My junk drawer is a disaster.  I have a bad habit.  I like to save things, such as, napkins from take out, rubber bands, twist ties, bread tags etc.  None of those are really bad things to save in my opinion but my problem is I just chuck them in the junk drawer, forget about them until I need one, which by that time they have migrated to the bottom/back of the junk drawer never to be seen again.  The same thing was happening with the batteries.  My oldest got a kids digital camera for Christmas.  He has not been able to try the camera out yet because we didn't have any AA batteries, that is until I cleaned out the junk drawer.  He now has 50+ pictures on the camera.  

About a week ago I actually took the drawer out of my cupboards and put it on the kitchen table.  There, now I had to do something with it.  I started, then realized I need little dishes to organize all this stuff, so the drawer went back into hiding, until today.  I had to do a load of dishes in the dishwasher and used the last Cascade pack which had come in this great dish.  I have been eyeing up this dish every time I start the dishwasher.  Today as I emptied it out it came to me, that should fit in a drawer and it is big enough to hold my batteries.  

So out came the scrapbook letters and ModgePodge and away I went, with the help of my 4 year old this is what we did.  We put the stickers on, then 2 coats of ModgePodge.

 I tried to peel the stickers off the side but they were just ripping in little tiny pieces so I may just wrap some pretty paper around it or I may just leave it.  When it is in the drawer all you see is the top anyway.  

It fits almost perfectly.  See the bottom long green sticker?  See the left hand side of that sticker?  That is the almost part, the drawer and I had a little fight while getting dish in.  

Chocolate Stirring Spoons

I seen these stirring spoons here, and I loved the idea.  So my sister and I set to work.  We did milk chocolate and white chocolate coconut.  In the post it says she spooned the chocolate into the plastic spoons, but I thought that would be too messy so I used a ziploc bag and trimmed off one corner.  That was a semi bad idea, the chocolate is very runny when melted and it poured out of the bag like water but if I had thought of that before hand I would have been better prepared.

I forgot to take pictures of the milk chocolate but both bars were Lindt.  Also it really is important to prop the end of your spoon handle on something (gingerbread house tray in my case), it keeps the spoons level and the chocolate in the spoons instead of all over the table.  I melted the chocolate in a double boiler (nothing fancy just a pot of simmering water and a bowl that will sit on top of the pot but not in the water.  My sister claims she uses a metal bowl but you would probably burn your fingertips off if you forgot what you were doing so I would go with glass.  You will still need oven mitts but if you forget and touch it for a second you will still have the use of your fingers for the rest of the day).  Once you get the melted chocolate into the spoons you just decorate away.  In the dish on the far left below is mini Rolos.  If you use something chocolate like that you should wait a few minutes until you chocolate cools a bit before you put the in so they don't melt.  I put the spoons in the fridge to set up, I used a plate with a dish towel on it to keep the spoons level.

 Here is the final product.  I got small "Sucker" bags at the Bulk Barn and tied them on with ribbon.  They turned out so well.  I might do these again next year for gifts.

Here they are ready to go to their new home.  

Pampers toy box

With a 9-month old in the house, we go through diapers like nobody's business.  I hate to throw the boxes out because they are a great size, sturdy and why not recycle, so I came up with this idea then put my mother to work.

I asked my mother to sew a cover for the box and this is what she came up with.  All I asked her was to make it removable just in case I needed to wash it.  Thomas has claimed this as his toy box and I spend a good part of the day putting the blocks back in just so he can turn it over and dump them back out.  

I would like to figure out how to add a lid and use them to store DVD's and allow them to be stack-able.  I will let you know what I come up with.  

I am so crafty!

I made this can for my boys to take with us when we go someplace that doesn`t have toys, like the doctors.  It is just out of a Pringles can, some scrapbook paper, to cover the can, and stickers to decorate with.  I used rub-on letters and I also put one coat of ModPodge over it too.  I was also thinking that it would be a cute birthday present, so I will now be hoarding Pringles cans.  Oh and I should thank the boyfriend for his help.  He cut the circle for the cover and helped measure the paper for the can, and then told me he wouldn`t have the patience to do this kind of stuff.  It literally took 10 minutes to do this, that is not even long enough for your patience to kick in.  

I am working on Brayden`s Cars crossstitch right now and also the Santas below.  I am getting really bored with these Santas but they are going to be Christmas presents so I have to keep at them.  I do one color on Santa then one color on Cars.  If I ever decide to make ornaments for people again they will not all be the same.  I must get that from my grandfather.  He made coffee tables, china cabinet, hope chests and more but none of them were ever the same.

Only 3 to go!!   Well 4 actually but #4 only needs another 1/2 hour or so.

I finished another page of Thomas`s crossstitch.  I can`t wait to do the next page and see what Mama bunny`s face is going to look like.

Happy stitching!

A dresser for Thomas and Christmas presents

 Here is the $20 dresser I bought from facebook, sanded and all ready for paint.  I sprayed one coat of Rustoleum grey primer, then 2 coats of Rustoleum Granite.  It was a lot simpler then I had anticipated but I do not recommend spray painting on a breezy day.

 And here is the final product.  It is a little more blue than I was looking for.  I got my inspiration from here, which looked like a dark grey color.  I even bought the exact same spray paint, brand, color, but mine looks blue.  I also bought drawer pulls today but they aren't the right size.  I guess using a 3 hole puncher that has a ruler on the side will hamper your measuring abilities.  I also might buy a clear coat so the dresser has a shiny finish but I am still undecided.  Over all it has been a pretty cheap dresser.  The spray paint cost $15 for both bottles and I spent $40 on drawer pulls but they are going to be returned so I might find something cheaper.

This is the Prairie Schooler 2011 Santa.  I am making him into a Christmas tree ornament.  I am not sure how to finish him maybe a burlap bow and a button or something.  Ideas are welcome.