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.

 

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.

Turn This Into That-Water Into Poop Charms and a DIY Desk Project

This summer Sara and I were shopping at a Target.  It was one of those days when we had time to go by the toy aisle.  You know what I'm talking about.  The toy aisle is the place of dreams, and when your child is along for a trip to any of the Stuffmarts, at some point you will either hear yourself say, "We don't have time for the toy aisle today," or "Okay but we can't stay long, and we're just looking!" "Yay!," they exclaim, as they bolt ahead of the sucker mom.  

This was one of her yay days, as we were out of town and had no place to go.  

Do you know what pediophobia is?

(Parents: you may want to ask your children to look away.)

What is happening here?!  This baby thing.   There could be an entire future generation suffering from pediophobia if they keep making these dolls.  The big black eyes are upsetting right? And then it has a what, a muffin hat?  And this muffin-wearing baby, Sugar Cookie, holds a mouse with equally scary buttons for eyes? And what is the mouse's hat? Oh my goodness. That's the baby's bottle!  right?  I just don't know.

The diaper is cute.

Sara and I were in the Walmart yesterday, and it. got. worse. Maybe you've seen them.This is something.

I just don't know.  The pooping/peeing dolls never did make much sense to begin with really, and now The Scary One is peeing and pooping out collectible charms for our children to pull out of a diaper, wipe down, and then keep them on a bracelet, or share them with their friends.  Sara scored two charms, since this lady, who was a very good sport, went through it two times with us.

She was lots of fun.  The diapers at the display were cute.

Moving onto a project.
We found this desk with a hutch at a yard sale. I made the desk into a desk, and the hutch into the beginnings of Sara's Barbie house. Both pieces together were 20 dollars. 

 

I scrubbed them down, and removed one of the shelves from the hutch.  This week I painted the desk drawers with a glossy paint.  

 

Sara would like the desk to be painted pink all over, but I don't really want to do it  but I think this looks pretty good like this.

If you remember this post, you know that for the past year, the Barbies have enjoyed the top floor of the hutch as their very pink ballroom. Here they are last Thanksgiving eve, preparing for Christmas while Sara was sleeping.

There is also a pool.

as seen here,

a garage,

and a horse pasture which has yet to be photographed. 

Here are some photos of the Barbies' life today. 

Ready for the ball, Sir Galahad the Pure  Ken got a new tux.

There's a new guy in town, though he doesn't seem to be trying too hard for the Barbies attention. Barbie and the Rockers Ken was found in his original box at a thrift store by brother Jason and Krystal-in-law. 

Mullet still going strong. 

He'd rather hang out with a little girl cardboard figure (a cut out from the tiki bar packaging), here at the tiki bar, than go to a formal.  He's dreamy like that.

This is how I found them today.

When the tree isn't up, the ballroom chandelier is hanging center from a Christmas tin attached to the hutch ceiling.  This way it hangs at the right height, and the batteries are easy to switch.  It's a locker magnet with a motion sensor and an on/off switch. The motion sensor works great for a dollhouse.  When Sara plays with her dolls in the ballroom, the light goes on, then turns off automatically when she's done.

Some of the ladies are relaxing on their temporary furniture. Eventually they will have couches and chairs to lounge on. Quite possibly when Sara is 17. 

I don't know.

They seem happy.

Now Barbie and the Rockers songs are going through my head. Ken didn't come with the cassette tape, and my childhood tape is long gone, but at least two of the four songs will remain forever within my heart.   "I'm dressin up....ooouuuooo I'm dressin up......"

Our generation of girls, and our brothers, despite these Jem look-a-likes gems, seemed to navigate through to adulthood well enough, so maybe the group of kids who get pooping charm babies with matching bracelets on Christmas morning 2014...well, maybe they'll push a belly button and be okay too.

How are you making your today world beautiful?

The Great Pumpkin Makeovers of 2014

More inspirational bloggers are probably already beginning the spreading of their magical Christmasy ideas, but I'm in love with this fall, and just as some soak in Christmas for as soon and long as possible, well, this is how I feel about autumn.

Created by Randy Blish, Editorial Cartoonist 

And a few weeks ago, while fb friends were out pumpkin picking at patches and corn mazes across this great land, Sara and I were off to our own local pumpkin place of gathering...

Here are the six the pumpkins we "picked" with their PLU stickers still attached...

 

One of them rotted within the week.  So we were down to five.

We narrowed those down to three for our pumpkin paintings.

And now here are our great pumpkin make-over before and afters...

(cheap and easy paint palettes for kids...oven burner covers from the dollar store)

Sara's before pumpkin:

Sara's after pumpkin:

See how she matched each tree's leaves with the fallen leaves around it on the ground?  Also that is an over sized, bright yellow sun on the corner.  Here is the over sized, bright yellow sun. 

ahhhhhhchoooooooo....did you sneeze?

  Later she painted the other side with an ocean scene.  Then following my lead, she added glitter all over...look how shimmery it is!  She added um LOTS of glitter. It sparkles in the sunlight and at night under the porch lights.

 
my favorite, the octopus.  And although I'm not sure why, that fish is saying "I am a circle." circle fish?  maybe.

Siri's before pumpkin:

Siri's after pumpkin:

She enjoyed helping by dabbing the leaves and tree trunk of these three fall trees onto her pumpkin, while she held onto the sponge brush. 

My before pumpkin:

My after pumpkin:

My pumpkin inspiration was the giraffe from the last post here.  His name is Jumbe, (prounounced JOOM-bay)..  My pumpkin doesn't have a name.  It's just a pumpkin.

 I added glitter to my nameless pumpkin.  Here's a video where I somewhat unsuccessfully demonstrate how it sparkles.  The video doesn't really show how it catches and reflects the light just right. 

In real life it is so pretty. Glitter makes everything better.

And since I'm choosing to use all-encompassing words like "everything"...do you like pumpkins?  Do you like pumpkin spice?  I think this pumpkin guy is funny.   

Our neighbor friends came over to paint a few more pumpkins this week too.  Here are their pumpkins...

This one says, "I'm always happy"

 

 

This one is a tulip, and it says "fall is here" but then turn it around and there's this...

 

that Christmas stuff sneaking in again...sneaky Christmas.

Aren't these girls super sweet?! yes.

Next post (here), I'll share one of our favorite fall, pumpkin-like recipes.  It's called Farmers Market Chai, and it tastes dreamy, as my brother Jason says, like pumpkin pie in a mug. 

For you early Christmas lover friends, it's perfect for mixing up in a large batch, packing it up all cute and pinteresty and Christmas-like, and then gifting it to all the people you love the most.  They will love you back and ask for your recipe. 

Did you do a pumpkin project this fall?  A jack-o-lantern, or leaf-of-some-sort project, or try a new or old pumpkin recipe?  If so, will you share it with the rest of us?  Please post your pumpkin spice everything ideas with us on storybook-cottage's fb page here.

How are you making your today world beautiful?

Cherry Red Sunday

Hello.  I'm Linnet.  And I'd like to welcome you.  First of all, let me take just a moment to thank you for allowing me back into your homes.

I may have borrowed that opening from Bob Ross. (I did.)  He's good at welcoming.  

Here he is in a cheerful and encouraging Sunday type of song called Happy Little Clouds.

( I believe. You can do it.  Let's build a happy little cloud.  Let's build a happy little tree.)

Now that we have enjoyed that...This morning something pretty amazing happened in my world.  Morning.  Morning happened for me today.  Typically I do not get up in morning time.  I have a sleeping disorder called I sleep in the mornings disorder.  But this morning, not only did I wake up, but I went to the store, bought the stuff we needed to make oatmeal, cottage cheese pancakes (yup. I am a weird stuff eater.), and made breakfast for everyone BEFORE they went off to church (yup.  I skip church.  refer back to morning disorder part).   I am awfully sleepy but decided to paint.  

 Sara's Barbie house kitchen is one step away from being finished, and that's the cherry red border for around the top.  I found this bulletin board border at the Dollar Tree, and painted the back side of it red.  Here is what this looks like.

See Bob Ross?  I bought a basket full of odd and ends paints for 5 dollars at a yard sale last weekend.  Here he was, just when I needed him. 

This made me think...

what other bright, cherry red things do we have here in our home?...hmmm...and so while my family is faithfully in prayer and worship and my trim is drying, I ventured on  a hunt of sorts for cherry red stuff.  

Today has been declared "no electronics day" by husband Dion, at least while we're together as a family.  So I will try to hurry up and show you my findings before they come home.  We're not being sneaky.  We are being efficient.  These photos may not be top of the line;  they are more of a Sunday MORNING quality.

 

Here are the found cherry red items:

Sara put this arrangement together yesterday. She calls it "Fast Food Flowers"...always thinking that one.  I don't know where she found the cup and straw.  Probably along the road.  The straw is red, and now I want to go to burger king.

Next I found my hand after using Bob Ross paint.

Here, in our closet, is a vintage purse scored at a Goodwill in WV last summer-3 dollars.

These shoes are from a Macy's in New Jersey for what ended up costing somewhere around 7 dollars after sales. They remind me of something Ronald McDonald would pick out.

Dion husband bought these tomatoes for Sara.  She was student of the month.  She gets tomatoes.  (I gave her a 5.00 scooter found at a yardsale on Friday.  She can do tricks on a scooter. She can eat tomatoes. So you can see how this all works out well for her.)

Now we come to the sunglasses that were resting beside the tomatoes...recently found for 1.88 at a local discount store. I think I love them.  So does this owl.  That is why he is wearing them when I am not.

 

This container holds cat food and succulents.  I don't like it doing that, but it is here anyway.  Its purpose many years ago was to gift popcorn on a Valentine's Day.  Instead, it was bought on clearance after Valentine's Day.  It wants to be fun, and it is, just not holding cat food and succulents. 

Here is some cherry red on my FAVORITE blanket.  It was given while working at a camp about some 20 years ago now (I was working.  the blanket was not working)...this one week got so very cold, and so lots of blankets were donated.  We were meant to be together.  It keeps me warm, and goes with me outside and just is generally a loveable blanket.  My other favorite blanket is white and soft.  It stays in our bedroom.  It is not cherry red.

Are you getting weary of cherry red things yet?  Would you like an intermission?  noooo.

(I'm sorry, but there's no time.)

Here is some cherry red on the flowers and hummingbirds on a bag from Thailand (where we adopted Siri).  Looks more orangish on the picture huh?  Isn't it pretty?

Siri is pretty too, but she is not cherry red.  Here she is cheery, practicing sitting on her own.

Here is the BEST kind of cherry red.  clearance stickers!  especially at Tj Maxx.  This bargain item is non-fragrance shampoo for the girls. Clearance stickers are a chance to hoard stock up in a practical manner.

 

Finally, this guy was found in Sara's room.  It is a dog outfit.  It was 3 dollars at the Dollar General, and I thought it would fit her American Girl dolls.  It does, but her horse is wearing it.  Please disregard the creepy doll hand. She sleeps there all day and night beside this horse.  She sleeps more than me and doesn't have a morning disorder of any sort.

 

 oh no.  Bob Ross paint does not dry quickly.  After trying to put up the most dry border, it smeared  Barbie's kitchen walls.  Magic eraser to the rescue, but more smears cannot be risked.

We probably don't have much time left before the churchgoers arrive back, thus enforcing no electronics day.  

 What if I show you the kitchen without the trim?  

How about those bar lights that really light up?  Those are battery-operated, book lights from the dollar tree.  I hope to do a future play by play post for Barbie's kitchen.  

Tomorrow I will try to update with a kitchen trim photo. 

one last cherry for your Sunday.  

 

As Bob Ross would say,   "I'd like to wish each and every one of you happy painting.  We don't make mistakes.  We just have happy accidents.  I look forward to seeing you next time." 

...because every day is a happy day when we're painting. 

How are you making your 
today world beautiful?
(please comment and tell me)

if you liked this story, will you please share it with a friend? or all of them? do you have many friends? if not would you consider sharing it with a stranger? How about lots of strangers? If you didn't like this story, would you still consider sharing? friends or strangers...either one really.