Tackle It Tuesday--Impulsive Creativity

Ok, so I had been so into homeschooling thus far this school year, that I had kind of just let things clutter up. But now, suddenly, I am back on the home-making bandwagon and being just a little crazy about it. I always get a little obsessive about cleaning and organizing before I bring out the Christmas decorations and put up the tree, but this is a bit more than usual. I had a million ideas pop into my head all at once, and, so, I just went for it. I was impulsively tearing everything down from my walls and piling it in the middle of the floor, still unsure if I really should do it, but not caring because I just wanted a change. Jac cleaned our carpets on Friday, and so that also aided in the change-over--all the furniture was moved out already. I completely swapped the style, furniture, and colors of the family and living rooms, and moved all our big pieces to new places or new rooms. I am happy with the change so far--can't believe I didn't think to do this sooner. I am also getting rid of a lot of stuff--our garage is full right now, and I have a lot of sorting to do to get it all done, but it's a good start.

Anyway, here are a few photos from some of the projects I did today.

Here's the PB Conrad table that was Jac's gift to me last Christmas. I picked out the rustic ladderback chairs at a builder's supply store unfinished and Jac finished them to match the table. This picture shows the start of some Christmas decorating--the centerpiece is a large vase filled with layers of river rocks, faux cranberries from PB, and cedar boughs I collected outside. The runner and ribbon are also from PB sales after Thanksgiving, and I plan to hang something from the ribbon on the chairbacks, but haven't decided--mistletoe and cedar sprigs, handmade ornaments, treat cones, etc.

These photos also show that I moved our big armoire (aka 'school cabinet') from the corner and replaced it with the china cabinet that belonged to Jac's grandmother.

So, most people who come over comment on 'the flower couch' which is a sectional my mom reupholstered for us about 8 years ago. I was getting really tired of the floral pattern, but have fallen in love with it all over again by just moving it into our family room. The darker, brown walls really tame down the bright floral colors and it looks so much better! Not to mention it is comfortable and we can all sit together to watch tv now.

Our couch and loveseat are now in the living/great room awaiting the chocolate-brown slipcovers I got to put over them. These couches are getting old and worn, but the slipcovers may get us by without purchasing a new set of furniture for awhile longer.

I painted the chipboard monograms and black matte, and framed it over patterned scrapbooking paper in vintage-style frames. F for family, C for our last name, and 'est. 1998' in the oval frame for the year our family began--fun project!

The school cabinet is now in the living room, and replaces our large white cubicle cabinet which is now in the entryway nook to be useful in holding baskets and bins to collect all the stuff that accumulates from the entry, upstairs and the family room.

I'll try to share the full pictures when the makeover is complete, so you can see more what I am talking about.

Tackle It Tuesday: Progress

Armoire Project

1. Cleaned it all out--
2. Found fabric at Wal-Mart--
3. Covered the mousepad--
4. Gathered other supplies/planned design--

Blogger Friend School--Assignment #2--"To Be Creative"

"Creativity is a God-given ability to take something ordinary and make it into something special. It is an openness to doing old things in new ways...The creative spirit is part of our heritage as children of the One who created all things. And nurturing our creativitiy is part of our responsibility as stewards of God's good gifts." Emilie Barnes, The Spirit of Loveliness, Harvest House, 1994_____________________________

The purpose of this assignment is to accept our surroundings as God gave them to us and creatively make them a special place to preserve those heartfelt memories.

"If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures." Job 36:11

The Assignment--

A. Look at your dream place to blog from last week and using your creativity, create a special place to blog. Most good writer's have a location that is a comfort to them and makes their writing time enjoyable and productive. Share some quick ideas you have for this.

B. Post a photo of your space.

C. Post a verse that has been on your heart this week.

____________________________

The Idea--
Well, I can't create a mountain top--only God can really 'create', after all! But, I can improve the space I blog in now, and, actually, it has been on my list to design/decorate the computer armoire to be more beautiful and functional. (This was a "Tackle It Tuesday" that I began some time ago, but never completed.) The design idea I have now is to add colors of chocolate and pinks (you know, to make it rich, warm and girly), since I love this look these days, and I can use them in a space like this that will be closed off.
The Plan--
I need to find fabric to cover the bulletin board material I have to attach to the inside of the two doors, paint the waste basket, magazine holder basket, and a few other acessories a rich, chocolate brown, decorate the pencil can with new paper and ribbons, maybe even decoupage the photo storage boxes I already have to match, as well as this one notebook I have been wanting to cover to be my new planning notebook. Then I need to pin up my calendar, photos, and inspirations/scripture, add my coffee cup, post-its, reference books, and weekly planner. I also need to compile my lists of websites and other computer info. I've jotted down that I refer to regularly in one notebook so that I have it at my fingertips. Oh, I just remembered the fabric-decorated mousepad that I saw in the "Mousy No More"--Good House Idea File article from the September 2007 Good Housekeeping magazine that was so cute--I'll have to do that, too.
The Result--(photo coming soon--please check back!)
Thoughts on Creating a Productive Writing Environment--
Aside from having a peaceful and aesthetically pleasing location to stimulate thinking and productivity when writing, the tip I want to share is what puts me in the my best writing mood mentally and physically. Good writing pieces come to me most often in times when my endorphins are elevated, such as during/following exercise, or after coming home from an uplifting social event. The words just seem to flow then, and are colorful and witty. It is even weird sometimes how the words just seem to spew out. It is like I can see them and feel them spinning around in my head and I just have to get them out. The puzzle is organized instantaneously as my fingers peck the words out from the keyboard. It is what I love to do.
The Inspiration--
Colossians 2:6,7--"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

"Tackle It Tuesday" # 6

Re-Furnishing the Girls' Room

Last Tuesday I was at camp as a volunteer counselor with my oldest daughter, but the week before that I blogged about cleaning my girls' room.

Well, that same night (Tuesday, July 3), I was at Costco and found some kids furniture that stopped me in my tracks. In fact, it spoke to me--the reason why--because I had run out of good ideas for how to make this small bedroom work for two girls, until I saw the Cafe Kids Ashley trundle bed, tower bookcases and writing desk with hutch and chair, and because it was so ironic that I should find this answer to the problem of the cluttered room on the very same day I had tackled the project of purging the room.

The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. So, I talked to Jim about it, and with his 'blessing' took two trips (Thurs. and Friday that week) with our SUV to pick up the boxes of furniture. Thanks to my friend/neighbor who watched the kids Friday AM while I made the final trip. Friday night we put the bed together and set up the bookcases and desk.

Jessica said, "I can't believe I'm getting a new room. I mean,...I just can't believe this is happening to me!" Indeed, her thoughts echoed my own. It is a little girl's dream to have such a room with shelves to decorate and a desk to work at.

One of the tower bookcases is Cate's and one is Jess's. They can share the desk eventually, but for now it is all Jess's. She has set up her art supplies, writing stuff and books. She has a station to work at now for her 'book club' with her friend, Madison, she says.

Cate seems to like her new trundle, and stays in it well for naps and night time. Andrew slept in the trundle with her for the first couple nights. Here is a cute picture of the three of them sacked out together.

My projects to complete the room include making a fabric-covered bulletin board for above the desk, sewing a curtain for the closet door (we removed the heavy mirrored doors that the girls could no long open without help since the tracks were bent up--Jim never liked them anyway--He had always threatened to remove them when he kept catching Jess admiring herself in the mirror while talking to us), repainting a lamp I used to have in the room to go on the desk, and hang pictures, photos, small shelves, and hooks for bags and hats. Fun stuff!

Tackle It Tuesday--"Never Know What You're Going to Find"

I finally gave in and helped my oldest daughter clean her room, which she shares with her baby sister. However, the only items in the room belonging to the baby are the crib and its contents. All her clothes are actually in a walk-in linen closet in the hall, and the toys are in the bonus room. The room resembled the aisles of Old Navy at the end of the shopping day. Ok--to be fair--it was much worse than that (the picture shown is not even close to how it looked yesterday--this photo I took in April when I was first thinking about tackling her room--I obviously put it off for awhile!). It was more like a cross between an Old Navy, a Roadhouse restaurant, a science fair, a county fair, a forest floor, and the beach. I removed four stuffed grocery bags full of garbage, and a crate full of her brother's things. It took me 6 hours yesterday just to sort through the piles. I still have the I-don't-know-how-many hours it will take today to find a home for the items we've kept, label containers, vacuum, dust, and clean windows.

The following is a list of some of the more interesting items I found in her 'collection', along with the usual items you'd expect in a girls' room: the pile of her clothes and acessories, doll clothes and acessories, books, puzzle pieces, game pieces, crayons, markers, pencil, pens, papers, color books, jewelry, hair acessories, Barbies, and hundreds of other small toys and objects.

candy wrappers

junk mail
coupons
restaurant menus
Mommy's jewelry

Valentines

credit cards
Dixie cups
unwrapped tampons
(1) doll with make up all over her face
(5) American Girl catalogs
(2) spoons
(1) half eaten, moldy cheese stick still in the wrapper
(1) bottle cap
(1) Clif bar wrapper
(1) cherry pit with the stem still attached
(3) baseball cards
(1) moldy sippy cup
Cheerios
raisins
doll hair
sand & seashells
sticks
rocks
grass
feathers
dried flower petals

I am determined this time. I am going to watch her like a hawk. Every day she packs bags of little toys and items to carry with her downstairs, outside, in the car, or wherever she goes. Then, somehow those items never return to the right place in her room. I am going to insist that she keep all items in their 'home' or absolutely no playtime until she's done. It is going to have to be a daily routine--several times daily--that she has to tidy up, or else it won't be long before this happens again.

Got a kid's room that trumps that? Anyone have good tips about how to train your child to keep her room neat and clean? I've got to go--I'm not being a very good hawk right now!

"Tackle It Tuesday" # 4

Wow, that week went by really fast! I guess I 'tackled' a lot, even though I didn't complete the 'tackle' I posted about last week (the computer armoire). I cleaned our dull, gray sink, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned shiny, white again (a shout out to 'Barkeepers'). I also put cute drawer liners in the kitchen utensil drawers (an easy thing, but actually a big 'tackle' since I had bought the liner almost five years ago when we moved in!). This was sheer, off-white, rubbery liner from MS Everyday at K-mart. I began planting our garden over the weekend, while J was planting our field! I am excited to see the new green shoots coming up. The rain came today just in time to germinate those orchard grass seeds. Aside from that, I guess I have just been doing the 'daily grind' of keeping after the messes and clutter that accumulates every time I blink.

There are also, currently, a lot of unfinished tasks everywhere I look...besides the 1/2 planted garden, the clean laundry pile to put away, the kids' 1/2 cleaned rooms, the 12 x 12 nearly finished scrapbook spread lying on my desk,...and, the empty, dusted computer armoire, with piles of its' contents on the floor nearby waiting to be purged...it's a process...maybe B&A pics for next Tuesday...

"Tackle It Tuesday" #3

I was over at Mom's all day, visiting with the kids, so all I had time to 'tackle' when I got home was dinner--which went over well. I did 'tackle' teaching my mother how to log onto the computer and get to my blog--hopefully, she will remember. This new technology stuff makes her a bit nervous (in this way, she makes herself seem more old-fashioned than she really is--she's only 51!)--plus, she's so practical about homemaking and working with her hands to accomplish big things, that being on the computer seems like just a waste of time. Well, I'd have to say she's right,...it really is...it can be...yes, sometimes...she's always adding a healthy dose of reality as the other voice of reason in my life (that's after Jac--in case you missed that post). Yet, I am still compiling my case for blogging, and will share it when it's complete. However, I do know that there will always be those individuals in my life whom I will not be able to convince.

Well, I guess if I am going to be 'wasting' my time at the computer, it would be more luxurious to have an organized/cute computer armoire to sit at. Here is what I have been putting off... First, I will pull all the stuff out, and purge/containerize, then, I want to make some fabric & ribbon bulletin boards on the doors to organize notes, calendar, etc. I think this will be more fun than 'real' housework, I've got to admit...and next week I will show how I have tackled this project.

MY ORGANIZING TIP OF THE WEEK:

Clutter your notebook, not your mind. If you think of things that need to get done, just write in on your to-do list. However, if you never check off items from the list, that can weigh on your mind just as heavy. So, make sure you are steadily chipping away at those projects. Enlist help from others if you need to. Those who really care about you are usually flattered and excited to be able to help--to them, your projects are more fun than their own. Trade off spending a morning helping at each others homes.

"Tackle It Tuesday" #2

Well, here it is... Tuesday again!......I have finished with last Tuesday's challenge. Here are the before and after pics. I still need to spend time reorganizing the cupboards in this room (a lot of clutter there), but at least the clutter is gone from the floor. This is a step in the right direction...






So, the laundry room project got me going the rest of the week...well, along with company coming for Easter dinner...so I organized 4 junk drawers from the kitchen. (Yeah, you're thinking, "Who needs 4 junk drawers," right? Not me, anymore!) So, I emptied the contents of all 4 drawers into a huge plastic container (see pic), reorganized, and here is the result. There are 3 drawers shown, and the 4th is EMPTY~a beautiful thing~

Along with the junk drawers, I tackled the message center~

So, here are some of my next organizing goals~ areas that need attention next are: laundry room cupboards, the homeschool cupboard, the computer armoire, my craft station,...and ALL the bedrooms/closets upstairs...ugh.

MY ORGANIZING TIP OF THE WEEK:

This may go without saying, but...just get started. Energy and inspiration come from starting the dreaded projects.

First tackle a cluttered space by emptying it (use large containers and store them in the garage until you have time to purge further)

"Tackle It Tuesday" #1

Can't wait to see what the rest of you tackle today...as for me, I have been motivated by D, my good friend, and "Tackle It Tuesday" comrad who inspires quite often with her "go-getter" personality, to work on that 'catch-all'--the laundry/mudroom.

I will update this post with before and after photos as I progress...