Saturday, January 30, 2010

How to make a Clothespin Doll kit

One of our dear friends gave Zoe and Ashley a homemade clothespin doll kit last year, and they have spent many happy hours making dolls with it. So, when Zoe and Ashley were invited to a birthday party this weekend, we knew right away what we wanted to give this creative 8 year old girl =)

The kit includes:

* Some fabric remnants (remember the doll clothes will only be a few inches by a few inches when cut to size, so a little fabric goes a long way)

* Fast Grab Tacky Glue

* An assortment of ribbons and accessories

* Yarn for hair

* Pipe Cleaners for arms

* Clothespins


To make the hair we like to wrap some yarn around our fingers and lay it on a ribbon or more yarn, like this:
(You can also make a thick braid to wrap over the head, which is
cute too.)

Then tie the ribbon in a bow for a ribbon in her hair, like this:

We also included a couple of dolls for examples, like the kit we received last year. Zoe picked out this inexpensive unfinished box with a handle like a purse. Her friend can paint and decorate the box herself. To "wrap" the present we tied a bow around the outside.

I had to show you the card Zoe made too—it's so cute. It's a picture of the tea party they are having for the birthday party:
XOXO, Kelly

Sunday, January 24, 2010

airplane & a rope with knots






Andy's mom had a great idea (she would have made a great OT!). She said we should get a dowel to hang like a handle bar. Love it. If we can't construct one ourselves I'm sure we can find one in some outdoor play equipment or Abilitations catalog.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Reused bakers rack becomes pot rack
& wine rack.
Simple homemade spice shelf.

Lately I have been bitten by the design bug. I can usually look at gorgeous photos in decor magazines and blogs, and think, "that's nice," then go back to my day. However, as you know, I have been painting and re-doing and decorating like mad this past month. Here is my latest.

Before I put up a spice shelf:


After I painted the MDF & put up the spice shelf. Super cute I think. :-)


I didn't remove the labels or stickers on my spice jars, I just turned them sideways. Here is the cinnamon to show you:


Then I had the idea to put up a pot rack. My train of thought sounded kind of like this, "I want a pot rack, but I don't want to buy a pot rack. Hmm... We have an old bakers rack in the basement from our apartment... I could get some chain and hang one of the shelves... It even has a wine rack..."

Before the pot rack/wine rack:


Zoe took a photo of me drilling the holes with my safety glasses on. Very stylish, haha. I made a template of the rack with paper and used a stud finder to find the studs. I could tell if I was correct because most of our basement is unfinished, so I could look at the studs down there to see how far apart they are.


I asked for help at the local hardware store, Budget. The name, Budget, is so appropriate ;-) I got eye hooks, S hooks, and chain that each could support 225 pounds. I could have gone a little lower, but I figured it's better to be safe.


I took a photo of all the sawdust from drilling the holes in the studs.

The finished pot rack/wine rack (I also like to use it for fruit. So pretty.):




Also, I wanted to mention, that's not a mini Christmas tree on my kitchen island. It's a rosemary tree that our friends brought us on Thanksgiving. I replanted it in a slightly larger pot with holes in the bottom, and I water it every other day in the sink. We have been loving all the fresh rosemary for cooking. Cheers, Kelly

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

messy happy decor & playing hard

They say in Boulder people work hard so they can play hard. I think in our house the work is play... But an awful lot of learning happens when we're playing... :-)

Once, when Andy was about Zoe's age, he was told that all he had done all day was play. He answered, "I'm a kid, that's my job."









Tired out from playing hard...

Sunday, January 10, 2010

painting flowers on the wall

Yesterday I went to paint a plate at a ceramics studio. (I am now expectantly waiting for it to be fired...) When I came home I sat down in a chair across from our couch, and starred at the blank wall. Since moving in, I have pondered what to do with this wall. I have put up dozens of paint chips, and considered shades of green, blue and orange.

As I stared yesterday, I suddenly knew what I wanted to do—Paint flowers from the area rug on the wall. I thought I would take a
before photo:


Below is the wall after the flowers were painted. I used bold loud colors taken from the rug with the plan to...


...do a white-wash over the flowers, when they were done, as seen below. They are even more subtle in person. I'm really happy with how they came out.


Click a photo to see it larger.