Canvas painting

We enjoy being crafty and creative to the extent that I am capable and do you know what we have come to love around here?

Painting canvases!

My boys are both incredible painters {if I may say so}.  Seriously, they are so good at swiping dots into masterpieces!!!  And it's easy and cheap to make for presents or new decorations around the house.  In fact, several rooms in our home have handmade canvas paintings.  I will also add that painting is extremely fun and relaxing to do yourself.  Get an extra canvas for yourself and paint with your kids -- or alone in the evenings!

Here is what you'll need:
*a canvas or two {or however many you want to create}
*acrylic paint.
*a cheap set of paint brushes.
*some newspaper {for laying the canvases on}
*a good attitude and a sense of humor

An easy way to let your child paint is to simply "dot" the paint into a pattern on the canvas.  I usually just do 4-6 dots across and the same down and let the boys swipe the brush as they wish {"aaaaasssssss yooouuuuu wiiiissshhhhh"...come on!}

We made a few paintings for Christmas presents and just recently made two for our new nephew/cousin that should be here in July.  The boys wanted to do something special for him and this was a great way to let them be creative and help decorate ;)

Here are a few that we've made:

Side note: you can add little things to make them more personal or special.  Cutting out a letter or animal {say, a bird} from scrapbook paper and using mod podge to glue it on is so cute!  You could use white paint and add a hand or foot print.  The list goes on and on...just have fun and don't be stressed about the paint :)

Chalkboard craft and randomness

I was on an intense hunt for a chalkboard recently. You know, the huge rectangle boards with a wood frame. Great for anything. Right, Indiana, PA does not have a single one. Nothing! I wanted a chalkboard to write our weekly menu on so I don't have to keep looking at my notebook (since I plan my meals monthly).

After some processing, I made my own. I was going to use an old window, but I lost motivation at some point and thought of something a little more simple. I found an 11 x 13 wood board and some chalkboard spray paint at Michael's. I had a 50% off and a 40% off coupon, so I got both things for pretty cheap. I got some hangers at Lowe's and got to it. At the end of the project, I think the chalkboard cost something like $11.00 (including a box of white Crayola chalk!).

The board came pre-sanded, so that was less work for me! We had primer on hand, so I painted a coat of that before I applied the spray paint. I applied two coats of spray paint and after I've written on it a few times I'm considering spraying it every few months or so. Also, I wish I would have sanded it myself. It has one "fuzzy" line going down the center of the board. Bummer.

All in all, I think it turned out pretty well. Plus, our weekly menu has a great place to be seen!

So, a side view from when you walk into the kitchen. Note my boy smiling down in the corner...
A frontal view.
What do you think?!

As I was looking for my "meal planning" blog, I got completely distracted by posts from when Benjamin was born! Oh my soul. I can't believe it's been eight months already.

Just for staying on track, here are some pictures of the babe on his eight month day. He is still huge and weighs 21 pounds! I think he's around 29 inches long and his little 9 month pants are getting too short on him. He's getting more active every day and scoots and wiggles around. He loves to stand and gets pretty irritated when he falls down. He eats pretty well and his favorite vegetable is sweet potatoes (obviously!) and he loves any kind of berry fruit. He likes to feed himself puffs and naps pretty regularly, which is wonderful :)

I love watching him grow and change. His personality is so much fun! He is content, patient and generally very fun. He is also pretty stubborn and easily frustrated. It's so incredible to see the very things I've prayed for him since he was born to start to be evident (in his personality). I never, ever cease to thank God for the miracle of Benjamin's life! God has been so sweet to us!

Happy baby!
This is his "squishy" face. He makes this face when he is generally unhappy about something. Annoyed, frustrated, bored - this face makes an appearance in all of those things :)

Here you can see 5 of his 6 teeth. They are so cute, but also very painful sometimes.
I have so much more I want to say, but I really should clean some while the babe is napping!

Great fabric! plus a coupon!

I was visiting Homemade by Jill yesterday and saw that Fabric.com was offering $5 off the order if you mention a code from her website! I had to check it out and I found this fabric...
I love it, I love it, I love it! I ordered a yard and a half (because it was so great!) so I could make a nursing cover and have some left over. All the beautiful things I could make with leftovers of this springy, pretty fabric are racing through my head! An apron, some pillow covers, a tote bag - my options are endless!

Check out Homemade by Jill to get the coupon, then head over to Fabric.com to find your favorite fabric for that project you've been waiting to work on!

Being crafty...

Since we don't have much of a "theme" for the nursery, it's been hard to think about what to put on the walls. I wanted something that would match somewhat with the quilt and bummer we got from ::sigh of contentment:: Land of Nod.

(The mentioned quilt and bumper that I love dearly!)

I decided in my head about two weeks ago that I would make something to put on the walls. After thinking about this a little longer I realized how silly that was seeing that I have a low artistic ability. Either way, I went for it. I wandered around Michael's with an idea and no direction. The helpful (and I assume artistic) associate was kind enough to point me in the right direction and gave me some helpful advice and encouragement. The best thing she said, "He won't notice this thing until he's probably 5. And then, he won't care much." I suppose she was right. I'm honestly doing this more for me and the desire to make the baby's room precious.

Moving on. I bought a blank canvas and some acrylic paint pens and went to town. I used a piece of cardboard for my rough draft and then worked up the nerve to put it on the real thing. I'm pleased enough with how it came out (as in enough not to redo it) and notice the little mistakes here and there. But little hand made mistakes are really not mistakes, but personality and love :) (please agree with me...)

(The said purchased tools)

This little canvas painting will go over the crib (I think) and I'll be sure to post some pictures when the nursery is all said and done. Oh, and Benjamin is the name we've agreed on. Benjamin Patrick McBride. I love the way it sounds and even like Ben as a nickname. When it came down to it, we agreed on three boy names and Benjamin was the only one we could see fitting our little guy.

Continuing with burp cloths...

Since we're leaving for Europe (yeeeeaaaaahhhhh!) in 15 days (yeeeeeeaaaaahhhhh!) I wanted to get the burp cloths done. I know for sure a few friends will either be having their babies while I'm gone or it will happen soon after I get back.

So - I spent some time yesterday and today working on a few when I got a chance. Here are the three fabrics I used:
The pink one has flowers on it and a yellow backing; the "neutral" one has clouds and stars on it with a yellow backing; and the striped one has a red backing. Again, I'm very pleased at how these have turned out! I'm so excited to give them away. I'm going to wash them tonight and make sure they do alright!


And for good measure, here is a lovely picture of me and my trusty sewing machine. It has been a kind companion these last few days.

A baby gift...

I found this great burp cloth pattern online at homemade by jill. I figured that a homemade baby gift were much more fun and cuter for sure! I'm not yet great with the sewing machine, but I was satisfied with my first burp cloth.


I liked the pattern because it was fairly small and peanut shaped - perfect for a shoulder! I bought tons of fabric and badding tonight at Joann's because there was a wonderful sale!

Here are a few facts about these burp cloths:
*They are made with flannel
*There is badding in the middle
*They are about 17 inches long and about 10 inches wide, at the widest part.

It was fun making it and I look forward to more to come. I know I can at least make 24 with the fabric I bought. If your having a baby in the near future, you may get one of these little puppies as a gift :)

Bins and shams...

One of my favorite things about Patrick is that he is handy! This man could build anything, I'm sure of it. Give him an idea, some wood and some tools and he is ready to go.

On Sunday, he was flipping through a past edition of The Family Handyman magazine when he stumbled upon a recycling bin thing. (I'm sure there's a correct name for it!) He knows my desire to become organized, so to help me out he built the recycling organizer. Patrick is also in the process of building shevles in our basement for added storage. What a man!

Here's a poor picture, but not poor craftsmanship! Five bins: The top two are for plastics (up high so Piper can't get them out and eat them). Next two are for cans and glass. Finally, the bottom bin is for newspaper and magazines! I love it! Patrick built that!!!
Also, there is a store here called Ollie's and I love going there. It's an overstock, cheap-o store that has tons of good stuff for a fraction of the orignial cost. I was there to other day looking for shams for our bed. I was hoping to find them in a khaki color to add some crisp-ness to our bedroom, but didn't find any.

I did find a set of king size pillowcases in this mentioned khaki color for a mere $3.99. Ah, I couldn't resist. So, to make them look a little nicer I took about five inches off the width and added three buttons - for added cuteness.


So, I was able to change things up in the bedroom with four bucks and a little handy work. Not bad, I'd say.