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

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.

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

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...

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.