My Helping Hands

These little hands that help today
Will make a mess, explore and play.
Be patient with them while they're small
For hands grow big as legs grow tall.

My childhood home was like any home across the country in that the central hub was the kitchen. I have fond memories of making mini pies in foil pot pie plates with my mom after a summer afternoon picking mulberries in the park across the street, prize fish caught from the lake fried for dinner, hours of chatting over a simple breakfast bagel, Kook-Aid stained lips, screen doors, steamed up windows on Thanksgiving morning and the list goes on... For years on the wall between the two windows that overlooked my favorite tree swing in the backyard were two little plaster handprints and one small, sandy footprint. I remember marveling at how the casts seemed to shrink with each new year.

With Cam starting Kindergarten next year it has occurred to me how very fast these years are moving and just how grown up the kids are becoming. So, to capture my little helping hands I decided to take a lesson from my mom's plaster casts. You can buy handprint kits that give you the frame, mat, and materials but I was able to match my kitchen decor with some IKEA frames that I had on hand and purchasing the clay only (which was far less messy than the plaster used decades ago).

Supplies:

Crayola "Model Magic" (ok, I purchased a super huge box of it because I have no control when it comes to craft supplies and I will surely come up with something to use the rest for- one small package will do for your project)

a small hand
a rolling pin
your choice of frame and mat (I used construction paper for the background because it is all I had on hand but it will probable fade over time)
mounting material (tape or glue of some sort)

Just roll out the size and shape of dough that you want your handprint on and press those little fingers or toes into it. You will have to let the clay dry for at least 24 hours and then be sure to write the name of the person, age and date. Then just stick it to the mat and hang it up!


I think my little hands compliment my other pieces of "art" in the kitchen.


They all reflect the mood of raising children, don't you think?

DIY: Natural Rock Drawer Pulls

This is, quite possibly, my best invention yet. Do you remember when I declared that everything that is mass manufactured can be made right at home? Well, here is more proof. In my current decorating frenzy I set out to put some cupboard/drawer pulls on my kitchen cupboards. I had just recently torn out an advertisement from a home improvement magazine for some beautiful rock pulls that are currently selling for a minimum of $10 per piece (go ahead and see for yourself- just Google "stone drawer pulls"). Well, I decided that this natural and beautiful hardware would make my cupboards look lovely but I could already hear my checkbook wailing from inside of my new purse. Nevertheless, I still had to have them.

So, again with the terrific knowledge of nuts and bolts that my husband stores away in his brain and a complete raid of my decorating closet, I came up with the exact same product for about $1 each. Here's how you can make one too:

Here's what you need:

Polished rocks (found in the home dec section of any store including your local dollar store or pick up your favorites on the beach)

Epoxy glue

Cap Nuts (I bought mine at McMaster-Carr item #90835A300 1/4"X20 and 12mm length)

Machine Screws (McMaster-Carr item # 90271A542 1/4X20 and 1" length)

Dremel or sandpaper for roughing up surfaces

First, rough up the surfaces of your rocks and cap nuts. This will help the glue to stick better.

Mix up the epoxy following the directions on the package. Dip the cap nut into the epoxy and place on the rock to dry. You won't need too much glue on the nut and if you do get too much on you run the risk of it sliding off of your rock before it is dried.

Tah-Dah!! I purchased a mounting template that helped me mark where I wanted the pulls to be. Drilling was a piece of cake and the kids even helped me put the screws through the holes and twist the pulls on.

I am so impressed with the success of this project that I'm already scheming up new places in my home I may put them (buttons in the craft lab?) You could use nearly anything other than rocks for a unique look. What will you use?

Organizing Frenzy and Azie's DIY Jar Of Crunchies

I recently got bit by the decorating bug. Inspired by blogs like this and the recent Better Homes and Gardens special publications magazines, I have set out to create my dream home. The current global financial crisis is the perfect opportunity for me (and all of you creative geniuses) to exercise and test the creative spirit and seek the most cost effective and environmentally friendly methods for sprucing up the pad. I can't wait (insert knuckle cracking here). If only I could blog as fast as I get ideas and implement them. Oh well, stay with me because I have every intent on sharing these tips that I have all lined up in my head. I've been doing a lot of research and here is my intro to the upcoming posts: I've decided that nearly everything that is mass manufactured can be created at home with just a few supplies and a little imagination.

A few weeks back we did a power paint, blasting through our main floor (kitchen, dining, living room and foyer) with a paintbrush and some eco-friendly, fumeless paint. I needed color after looking at the very long, white months of winter looming on the other side of the window. The new color and beauty of the walls spurred on a mass weeding and organizing frenzy that was long overdue. One closet led to another... and all of that led me back to one of my favorite home spots: the kitchen.

I am on a quest to eliminate the particleboard pantry that is hogging up our eating corner. So, my bestest decorator friend in the whole world, Christina, shared her wisdom. Aparently, the latest and greatest kitchen pantry is a simple shelf on the wall where all of the pantry goods are neatly organized in beautiful containers (see here). Luckily, I already had some beautiful containers that I was working on organizing at this time yesterday. Did I mention how very much that I love my Dymo labeler???


I should have taken a before shot of Azure's crunchy jar. I felt sorry that her food was being stored in a plastic, beaten down pretzel container that we had from nearly five years back. I started looking around for options and found this. So I put it on my wish list. And then...

Let me introduce you to our former rice container. In about fifteen minutes upon my arrival home after a lovely walk with the boys I crammed this little project in between snack time and the wee one's nap. It was totally simple and I love the results especially since it didn't cost a cent. Let me show you...
1. Gather your supplies.

Container, plastic or glass, either a recyclable like a peanut butter jar (I have a thing for those don't I?) or something you bought for storage.

Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Marker (I used a Sharpie)
Clear fingernail polish

2. Draw a design on the jar with your marker. I freehanded this one but you can always tape a clipart to the inside of the jar and trace around it.

3. Paint over your tracing. This took two coats of paint. When the paint is dry you can seal it with the clear polish. Tahdah!! A personalized jar for the kitty crunchies. I think Azie knew that I was creating something for her because she spent the duration of my project rolling over and over at my feet. Silly kitty.

You could really go crazy designing jars for all sorts of things. Use any color or pattern you can think of and enjoy the satisfaction of saving a dime and creating something truly unique!