DIY Six Dollar or so Family Dollar Chalkboard

Regretfully, I've been kinda neglectful in Storybookland lately.

I have some new and exciting ideas running around in my head, and action steps in those general, becoming more specific, business plans. But I have not forgotten my dear storybook-cottagian friends, and so here I am to share this recent, simple, inexpensive project idea with you.  It took 15-20 minutes to complete.

This would be a great project for you and your kiddos, grand-kids, or nieces/nephews, if you have any of those around.

Sara and I were strolling through the Family Dollar when we saw this...

I believe it was a whole six dollars or so.

This gave me an idea.

 

How to Make a HUGE HUGE Bow

Today Friend Danielle asked on fb "Any idea where I can find a huge huge bow for the kids playhouse?"

Now, she wasn't asking me specifically...but because I have nothing better to do four days before Christmas, I decided I'd like to figure out how one makes a HUGE HUGE bow.

Off to pinterest I went, but found little.

So, how could I make a HUGE HUGE bow for friend Danielle?

Here's the story of what I did with it...

Turn this Into That...A Red Paris Bookcase

It feels great to finish a project.

Even though it took at least 6 months to get this one done, it became just what I knew it could be.

Here it is in bookcase beginning sadness.  Not only did it look like most other little bookcases, but when we brought it home one of the lower doors came off.

So what to do with this little bookcase...

How I Made a Snowman and Snowlady Canvas

This project is a "turn this into that" post for sure.

I needed something fun but not too expensive for an upcoming cookie swap.

Off to the Family Dollar I went for ideas.

I saw these.

Er er er er errrr.

Birthday Cake On A Budget

I've become a pin addict.  Pinterest has become an almost daily activity. It's a brilliant forum for visual learners and puter-togetherers such as myself.

Creating a Patisserie for a Budget-Friendly French Tea Party

To make la table de dessert for Sara's french-themed tea party, I started with a light pink sheet bought at Goodwill for her three-year-ago birthday party, one of the table trellis's (how-to here), a white paint marker (this one), and two pieces of black poster board and a

Let's Play Dress Up...Kid Scientist

A few months back brother Jason asked me to put together a few dress-up outfits for my little foster nephew.  Brother Jason and Krystal-in-law have been parenting J for almost a year now. He is a sweet little guy, and copies everything niece Tessa does.

He is a year younger than Tessa, Jason and Krystal's oldest. (They are due to have a baby THIS Thanksgiving Day!)

Here are their kiddos...

Brother Jason said that J goes around wearing Tessa's princess dresses, and could I please make him or find him a few outfits that are not princess dresses.  And could I do that for around 30 dollars.

Of course I want to do that. How could any person not want to do that?

Build a Table Trellis for a Party

I had this picture in my head of a table trellis decorating the table for Sara's Paris Birthday Party...the girls drinking tea, eating their sandwiches and cakes under a canopy of vines and fragrant flowers...and so I set out to make it happen.

Make a Ruffled Tablecloth from a Bed Skirt...the easy way

Last spring, I began to share Sara's 11th Birthday Paris Party with you, and haven't gotten back to it. (First post, making invitations, here.)

Today I'll do that by sharing a few photos of the tablecloth-making process.

A Basket Cart for Mice and Such

Going through some stuff today, I found this little basket cart.

I found it at a Salvation Army for 50 cents, and have been saving it for my niece Tessa the Besta's woodland creature's house...that I hope to complete for her birthday or Christmas this year or next.

But it was too high for them.

So I removed the basket and bent down the handle.

Now the wire part with wheels can be used for working in the garden,

or as a wagon for the kiddos to ride in...

The hay bales can also be used in the garden, the milk can in the kitchen,

and the large basket can hold their blankets and things.

I think they're pretty cute.  What do you think?

How are you making your today world beautiful?

Tessa's room...a fabric poster and a pillow

We are about to make another trip up north for the summer, and that means stopping to see brother Jason and sister-in-law K on the way.

We are VERY excited to share that they are expecting.  Their pregnancy difficulties are their stories to tell, but this trip will be a time for us all to be happy in their news.

They have of course cutie niece Tessa, and currently two other foster babies.  This means they need more room.  This means they need to remake the storage room upstairs into a big girl, cutie niece Tessa room!  This obviously means I need to be involved.

The Beginnings of a Budget-Friendly French Tea Birthday Party..Invitations

It's  hard to believe it's been two weeks since Sara's birthday party, and yet I haven't posted any of it.

It's probably better to start at the beginning and work up to the party...so today I'll post some pics of our invitations...

a nasty old chair

There was once a nasty old chair.

 

It was first spotted sitting beside a trash can, one lot over from the Easter party Sara was attending.

"Could someone be throwing away that perfectly good chair?" said me.

Thus began the conversation with myself while waiting for Sara to come out.

There were other random chairs sitting in the yard, so I thought maybe they are not setting it out for the trash. Maybe they are using these scattered chairs for bases...or maybe it's a sitting down kick-ball kind of game these people were doing.

Gathering, Butterflies, and Other Projects

Well, that was a lazy title wasn't it.

yes.

How's everyone doing out there?!!!

What is everyone doing?

I've been in gathering mode.  

It's like hibernating, but with gathering.

It means I look for good deals and hoard buy a bunch of stuff.

This desk is my new crafting station.  It was only 10.00 on craigslist.

yay. yay.

S-P-R-I-N-G...the beginnings of the beginnings of a garden

It is SPRING here in the Enchanted Forest.

That means flip flops, daffodils, and frogs that sing us to sleep at night.

What all the frogs are singing these nights.

A Wintery Frozen Party

UN-Frozen.

That's what I want to be...How about you?

Today we were finally able to open the doors and window.  The horses came out without their coats. I think we're through the winter, and with that and the time-change, I could not be happier!

Last year a few friends and I put together a Christmas surprise for a co-worker and friend of ours...

Barbie DIY Dream Ballroom Complete...a thrifty furniture and topiary how-to

I must be in denial about my winter lay-off time coming to an end, because I'm getting silly things done and not the big, important things.  

The silly things are much more fun.

This is one project I've worked on this week.
Sara's Barbie ballroom is finally complete with furnishings and plants.

But now that I'm looking at it, should those topiaries have one more ball of green stuff on the top, or would that off-balance the room? Maybe they would just look like green snowmen.

One, Two, THREE WEEKS TILL VALENTINE'S DAY...

Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that kinda sneaks up on us. The kiddos are back into their studies and in the midst of creating a baking soda volcano...

and a shoebox diorama of the LaWashibi tribe...they need valentines and a valentines box...and all by "tomorrow".

The Story of Potpourri and Hot Chocolate That's Not Really A Story At All...

Hello from the cold ocean.

As I recently wrote on FB, I anticipated blogging quite a few post ideas that have been in my head for awhile now, during this time that Siri and I are away. (one of her extended treatment trips up north)

I had similar intentions this summer, when, you might remember, the internet decided to crash here during the length of our stay.

This time my computer has been giving me some serious attitude. Randomly it will stop typing 2,@,w,s, and x.  This complicates things, as "s" is a really important letter.

It's a given letter on the final "Wheel of Fortune" puzzle.  So you know it's important.

Turn This Into That: Ideas to Upcycle Toy Packaging

I'd like to invite you to play the youtube link below... to listen with me as you continue to read...

This is a song we toy-buying people can relate to...

Last night I did something productive with the toy packaging.