A Little Tour

As promised here is a little tour of some holiday crafts we've put together and decorations we have on display in our house this year.

Remember that chain that was left on the side of the Trader Joe's bag after you made your fabulous gift tags with me? My oldest and I had the best time putting that chain together and it gave me a teachable moment to talk about pattern and have him help me make sure the pattern was correct on our chain. He loved helping. So I hung it across one wall and used some twine to attach some $1/a pack foam snowflakes that I got from the bargain bin at Target. Gave it just a little added touch that it needed and Corben loved seeing his work on display.

I noticed that my decorating this year is very much a homage to my love of typography. The Joy on the side is actually a sequined table runner I picked up from Target after Christmas for $5 or $6, I think. I used some zots to attach it to the wall, which I also used to attach the chain to the wall also. It's just the right amount of stick. When you want it to stay, it's not coming off the wall but when you are finished, you can get them off your wall with a little effort and (in my experience) no damage to the dry wall.

Next up is my super fast Advent Calendar. A few days late I decided we needed an advent calendar. Corben was already asking me how long until Christmas and I really wanted to make one anyway. So I used the "advent calendar for the procrastinator" (perfect title) from the little red house.

 I picked out papers from my stash. I did several different combos but settled on this one. When I stepped back to look at it, I realized it has a little bit of a masculine feel to it (I do live with three boys so I guess that's okay) and I questioned the "christmas-yness" of it. Then I realized what it was that made me choose it. Doesn't it give you that cozy sweater/ski lodge feeling? Makes me want to go get a cup of hot chocolate and put my feet up in front of a fireplace. Yep. That's what it was.

 So I made the little envelopes put some number stickers on them, hung them on some jute over a doorway and we now officially have an advent calendar.

I really enjoyed putting it together and planning all the little things we were going to do for each day. I'll have to share the list with you. But for now I need some sleep!

Hope you enjoyed a mini-tour of some of our holiday decorations.

New Reading Wall for My Boys

This whole thing started when I saw the awesome idea for gutter shelves on Gus & Lula.

I saw them on Oh Dee Oh a while back but never got around to it. Then the boys' books became such a headache. They were always all over the floor or in a bin or shelf and always getting pulled out or forgotten about because they were put away.

I cannot tell you how magical these shelves are to my children. They just love it! They love going to get books and they love putting them away again!

We read more because they are more accesible and they can clearly see which book they want to get and bring to me. I'm so glad I did this. They make me smile every time I walk into their room.

I fell in love with the bunting that Gus&Lula used and I just happened to have some Ikea fabric in the same print as their bedding lying around. So a little bias tape and a few cuts from my rotary cutter later... voila custom bunting for their room.

I enjoyed making these so much, I may just make some more and put them in my etsy shop. I just love this print, it's perfect for a little boys room.

Then last but not least... I was so inspired by these large scrabble wall tiles from Too Much Time On My Hands that I could not wait to make some of my own to decorate my boys' room with. And what better word to go over a book shelf?

I cut squares from some free wood scraps that I picked up from Home Depot and free-handed the letters while looking at a photo of scrabble tiles. They aren't perfect but I like that. It was made with love (and some time and sweat sprinkled in). So that's what I've been up to. How about you?

I have a new frugal tutorial coming. Hope to finish it before naptime is up!

Here's where I'm linking up this week.

Savvy Tips and Tricks

As most of you know if I can get away with making something at home rather than buying it, that's the route I am going to go. It's healthier, cheaper and just all around better for everybody. I was reading through some of my favorite blogs this morning and realized I have a lot of go-to things that I do that I have never shared before. So for those of you that are interested. Here is a little list of home-remedies/homemade things that I do on a regular basis:

1. Homemade vapor rub - The store bought stuff is not safe for little ones so I came up with my own about a year ago and everytime someone is congested or stuffy I make a small batch and rub, rub, rub! A lot of recipes call for beeswax etc. But I wanted to do something that I could just whip up with what I had on hand. So I use about 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil (great for your skin) and then 10 - 15 drops each of eucalyptus and peppermint oil. Avoid rubbing this on the face because of the peppermint oil. It will smell very potent but trust me, once you put it on it is not that strong. If it's in the middle of the night and they wake up stuffy I'll just put a few drops of Eucalyptus on a cloth diaper and put it in front of their fan. The whole room smells soothing and you'll see a great difference in their coughing. I even do it for myself too and put a cloth under my pillow. Sleep like a baby when I'm sick!

2. Homemade Apple Sauce - Ok organic applesauce is ridiculously expensive but I won't compromise on it because apples are one of the worst for pesticides, over 50 different pesticides are found on apples EEk! So I've found a way to do it for even cheaper than regular applesauce and it's pretty easy too. I keep a lookout for clearance organic apples at my local health food store. I can get apples for about 85 cents a pound. Not bad for organic apples. They just need to be eaten soon orrrrrrr made into applesauce :) So break out your apple slicer (love this thing! Saves my life on a regular basis... quick healthy snacks BAM) core/slice about 2 to 3 large apples and then chop them into chunks into your blender. That's right... don't peel them... trust me. Put them in with skin on... the skin has the most nutrients, why rob your applesauce of those nutrients? Add a little water and a tablespoon or so of lime juice (you could use lemon but I like lime... it's a little smoother). Blend until you get a smooth consistency, turn your blender off and then taste a little... YUM! Tastes like you are biting into a fresh apple and it's so sweet! No need for any sweeteners! Try it... you'll see. Put your applesauce in a clean empty applesauce jar and voila. And what do the taste testers say? "Mom I like this applesauce, it's yummy."

3. Another sick little one remedy - Garlic is a great natural antibiotic and honey is great to sooth a cough in a pinch. So why not grate up some garlic in some honey and give them a spoonful. Fresh garlic by itself is AWFUL. Yes I've tried it. Hey when you are sick and don't have time to be... you'll try anything!! But this way is not so bad, the honey covers the taste pretty well and it coats your throat.

That's all I've got for now. I'll think of more savvy ways to do things and share!