Projects

I feel like I go in spurts when it comes to projects- sometimes I'll get a bunch done in a short period of time, other times there will be months between completed projects. I guess it depends on everything that is going on, but I was finally able to get some projects finished that I've wanted to do for a while.

The first project was a revamp on the wall flower decorations I did for Emily's room about a year ago. These were the original ones. They were cute, but I felt like the base needed to be bigger. I decided to make some frames to go around the flowers and thought it would not only make them bigger, but also give a nice finished look.

Before:

After making a calendar frame a couple months ago using the same method (baseboard trim) I thought it would work fine for the flowers too. The hardest part is getting the measurements right on and fitting the frame together. With the help of some wood glue and staples, it wasn't too bad. Then came the sanding, painting, and attaching them to the flowers with the staple gun.

The finished product! I know it's not a huge difference, but I loved the bigger size and I loved the finished look of the frame around the flowers.

After:

Before:

(In our last rental home)

After:

I really like the change. I wish the photos did justice- they look so much better and cuter in person. And yes, after having Emily's room blue in our old home, I loved it so much that I ended up painting her new room blue again. I just loved the colors together. I did find it interesting that both Emily & Matthew's rooms had hardwood floors.

The next project was curtains for Jacob & Caleb's room. I've seen striped curtains everywhere lately and love them! I thought they would be perfect for the boys room downstairs. After looking at all the options, I decided to make them myself. It seems that most people use paint, but I decided to buy some blue fabric and ribbon and do fabric stripes instead. Again, the pictures don't really do justice, (and the snow reflecting in the window gave the room a strange blue tint) but they look great and really make the room- not to mention keeping it a lot warmer! I still have a few more things to do to the boy's room before it's finished, but at least the curtains are done.

I wanted a flower arrangement to match our formal living room, but couldn't find any in the colors I wanted (and definitely not in the price range either!) so when the craft store had flowers half off, I picked some up and put together the arrangement.

I finally got our 'homework/family central station put together. I'm sure other families have the same issue- kids' papers/homework/etc that is out and in the way. I keep our papers organized in our office, but the homework/spelling lists/etc were driving me crazy. Not to mention trying to keep track of all the dates of field trips, tests, projects, etc. And I've always loved having a specific place for keys & phones so you're not running around trying to find them.
Now the boys have a place to store their papers, spelling lists, and projects in between the times they need them. No more papers sitting out on the counters- I detest that! And I found a dry erase board just the right size to fit the space next to it. This is dedicated solely to the kids and is filled with reminders of homework, tests, library days, forms due, picture days, concerts, scouts, basketball, baseball, no school days, dentist/dr appointments, primary reminders, etc. It's been a huge lifesaver. I don't have to remember EVERYTHING the kids are doing right off the top of my head, and I don't have to fill the family calendar with homework dates. Plus the kids like being able to see what they're doing. This probably won't work when all the kids get older and everyone has more things to keep track of, but at that point I hope we'll have more space and a great system of schedules and calendars for everyone.

My favorite thing about this calendar is how it was made. The magnet mount makes it a breeze to write on-just take it down when you need and stick it right back up when you're done. I put the magnets up with removable adhesive, so there won't even be any evidence it was ever there when I finally do take it down.

The main level bathroom is also finally finished. It's a smaller space but I finally found some wall art that I really liked. Then I made a wreath to match the colors, and put up a wall shelf. It's a little hard to get a good picture with the angles and small spaces, but after being bare for so long, it's nice to have some bright cheery color.