Spring Wreath How-To

A few weeks ago I picked one of my Pinterest craft ideas and pulled it off.  It had been teasing us with spring and I was getting spring fever, so I decided to go to Michaels and get stuff to MAKE it feel like spring.  I fashioned this wreath and loved it.

A couple weeks later, the supplies to make it were on sale, super cheap - more than 50% off!  I thought, I want to make more, maybe I could sell them.  So I put up an ad on a Facebook Swap and Buy and got 6 orders!  Boy did that affirm me.  But then I was panicked - what if I get too many orders and can't get the supplies for as cheap as I did?  So after some unnecessary anxiety, I decided that I won't launch a business (hey isn't every stay-at-home-mom trying to make a buck from home?)  But rather I would write a tutorial about the process so that others may enjoy the beauty.  It truly is simple and I figured it out by looking at a picture, but there are a few details that would benefit being explained so you don't have to guess like I did.

First you go to Michaels and buy the following:
A Grapevine Wreath - 18 inches - retails $4.99
A can of Design Master Spray Paint (turquoise is what I used) - retails $12.99 - Krylon is cheaper and fine but more oily and doesn't coat as nicely
Flowers of your choice - 2-3 bunches - retails around $3-12
3 Gerber daisies - patterned ones retail for $2.99 each
Ribbon - retails $4.89 for a 7 yard roll
Card-stock - I had at home

Other tools:
Modge Podge
Hot Glue Gun
Hole Punch
Wire cutters
Needle nose pliers
Scissors

Of course all these things go on sale and can be purchased with coupons - so I encourage you to maximize the coupons and sales and make it for much cheaper.

Pick a nice day and spray the wreath outside.  I start with one coat, leave it 15 minutes and spray the other side.  Leave it another 15 minutes or so and spray the front side again.  I try not to let any brown show and it may need a third coat, but I just do one coat on the back.

Meanwhile you can work on your tags.  You can, for ease, print off a design and put it on card-stock, but I like the layered effect.

I print of my initial on card-stock using Georgia font in size 200.  I set the font settings to Bold, with a grey outline and no fill.

I carefully cut it out and use an exacto knife if there is an inner circle.

I make 2 circles out of card stock using an item from around the house to get the shape.  I also use a heavier cardboard to make a backing so it doesn't curl.  then I Modge Podge everything together and let dry.

I use a hold punch to make a bunch of dots and glue them around the perimeter of the first circle.  This seems finicky but I love the effect.  After it is dry I put another layer of Modge Podge on top to seal it and give it a nice gloss.

When the wreath is dry (I like to leave it outside for a day if possible so it doesn't stink like spray paint.)
Get your flowers ready and plug in a hot glue gun.  Also get out the needle nose pliers and wire cutters.

I push all the foliage back from the flower stems and snip off the individual flowers leaving a few inches of stem to work with.  I put them through the wreath and then use the needle nose pliers to twist and work the stems into the wreath to secure them.  Some flowers may come off the stem in which case they can be hot glued on.

I add the larger gerber daisy accents last and pop them right off the stem.  I use a large dollop of hot glue and hold them in place.

Finally I cut about 4 feet of ribbon to ty around the top.  I tie a double bow and snip the ends into a V.  I punch a hole in the initial tag and tie the ribbon (about 2 feet) through the top ribbon and tie with a single bow.

Here are a few of the more unique designs that I've made.  It was fun to have people make requests and get to be a little creative with designing.  The possibilities are endless.  There maybe be fall wreaths in the future.

 

With a Barrel and a Heap of Crafting Fun,

Stephanie

Another shout out to Gail for the original inspiration - http://boutiqueginabeana.blogspot.ca/2011/03/birthday-gift.html

Check out my sister-in-law's blog about our crafting time - The Yellow wreath with "F" is hers
http://www.blessedlifeatopacakestand.com/2013/04/sunny-spring-wreath.html

If something works - use it!

I am needing to retract a statement from my post yesterday about not cleaning with chemicals.  I was doing spring cleaning at my church today and was given the most fabulous tip.  And if something works, I am going to use it!

To cut grease, specifically on a kitchen range hood, use an ammonia based glass cleaner.  It doesn't have to be brand specific, but the stuff I used was blue and it had ammonia.  It cut through the grease like nothing.  I had cleaned this same hood last year and scrubbed and scrubbed with everything I could think of, even SOS pads.  I was so excited about this discovery that I said, it has to be on Pinterest.  So here it is.

I am going to have to go and buy me some of this now.

I also thought it ironic that I was just stating that I don't "spring clean" my house but I do at church.  Well, if there is a need, I will usually step up.  It does make me want to dig a little deeper this week to get some of my hidden stuff clean, but I think for my sanity and physical well being, I will stick to the clean as the need arises technique.  

It did come up in conversation as a bunch of us women were scrubbing away, that back in the day, moms might have had clean houses, but these women don't remember their moms reading them a book or helping their moms bake.  So again, it's all about balance.

With a Barrel and a Heap of cleanliness,

Stephanie

A Discourse on Cleaning, Organizing and Decorating

I am in the "mother of young children" stage of life.  What does that have to do with cleaning, organizing and decorating?  Well, everything in fact.  I have found after being a mom for 6 years that in order to keep one's sanity, there must be compromise on one's previous standards and expectations.  When I had new babies, I would sit in my chair in the living room and look across our open concept home and see nothing but dusty and streaky floors.  I would then obsess about it the whole time I was nursing and then anxiously try to work it in to my day to clean said floors.  I think on average I would clean my floor every other day when I had 1 or 2 kids.  I now clean my floors once a week (on a good week).  This may sound like an excuse, or a cop out, but in my reality it has been a blessing.  I see it as a blessing that I clean less because it also means that I interact with my kids more and we "live" in our house, rather than have it as a show home.  

However, I do enjoy a clean, organized and decorated house.  So how do I find balance?  Well, I think it starts with having a clean house.  What's the point of having a nicely decorated home if you can't keep it clean?  Here are a few of my tried and tested cleaning tips.  I don't use chemicals.  I like to use things that are safe for my kids to be in the same room as me while I'm cleaning without risk of poisoning them or them choking on fumes.  I only clean with vinegar and water or a store bought green cleaner and have never had terribly sick kids.  I clean my toilets with a big splash of vinegar and a big shake of baking soda - let it foam and then clean with a brush.  I have also (FINALLY) found the best floor cleaner for my laminate is a combination of 1/4 vinegar, water and a couple TBSP of rubbing alcohol.  The rubbing alcohol makes the floors dry really fast and they are not streaky.  

 

After you have a cleaned, if you a still have time, and acknowledged that it won't get done all in one day, it is important to organize.  I believe that everything should have a home and if it doesn't, find one, or get rid of it.  This becomes increasingly hard as you have more kids and they start bringing papers and art work home from school.  This has caused me great anxiety in the past.  However, now with one in Kindergarten and one in Preschool, I feel like I have a pretty good system for organizing, which gets it off my kitchen table.  We bought this Expedit unit at Ikea and put it in the corner of our dining room which is my "Grand Central Station" for running my home. 

I keep things like lunch kits and camera bags behind the closed doors, our Bible and kid's Bibles are on the top for handy access for after meal readings.  Notice one binder labelled Family Organization Binder?  That might be a future post, but basically it has important information about our family, emergency info, babysitter instructions, school schedules, meal ideas and take-out menus, sick kids guide, cleaning tips and other miscellaneous papers that have a home in one convenient place.  There is also a purple binder there which is for the baby.  I have one small binder for each kid that has their first year calendar, a pocket page for important documents such as birth certificates and swimming lesson report cards, and a pad of paper to jot down what they've been doing as they grow.  I also bought this cube organizer at Staples that helps to divide my papers from the kid's papers and has drawers for pencils and such.  This whole unit was a bit of investment but has been a huge relief for me in the organization department.  I realized that I have about 5 different places in my house where I keep arts and crafts supplies and that this should be consolidated somehow, but that will be a future project.  

On the side I have my super Mom's planning calendar and a white board for remembering prayer requests and kid's memory verses.

As another way to control kid's papers, we put up a cork board on a blank wall in our dinning room, so the kids art can be displayed without taping in all over the house.  I usually take pictures of their art and then "recycle" it and put up the new stuff so I don't keep too much.

I have also found that rather than "spring-cleaning", I clean as the need arrises and starts to bug me, or I make a list of things to clean/organize and then allow myself to do one a day so that I don't get obsessive and ignore my kids for a whole day while taking on too much.  This being said, I still sometimes see all the needs at once and try to tackle too much; you know how one thing leads to the next; but I'm trying.  I read once that cleaning with young kids is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing - so true!

And finally, on decorating.  I wouldn't say I have a specific "style" so to speak, however I generally decorate with things that I like and make me happy, with input from my husband who happens to have a great eye and is kinda crafty too.  I think when it comes to decorating for a home with young kids that it's important to be practical in your approach.  Find a balance between form and function.  This doesn't mean that you can't have nice things, but I wouldn't put a lot of breakable stuff at a crawling babies level.  Of course, that's obvious.  But having a soft ottoman instead of a coffee table, or dinning room chairs with slipcovers that can be washed (regularly).  When purchasing furniture we went with stuff we liked, but that isn't so expensive that it can't be jumped on used (come on, we know it happens). 

I like to be able to change up my decor a bit according to the seasons.  Something simple like a wreath can really brighten things up.  

However, I don't like to store a whole bunch of seasonal decor so I try not to go over board.  It helps to go to a place like a garden center after Christmas when everything is 50% off or Michaels when they have eveything 15% off including sale items.  We've done well for art and such at Winners too.

Family pictures have always been important to me, so we make a presence for them in our home.

  

This arrangement was so easy with a template from Michaels.  I am not one to be afraid to make a hole in the wall.  If it's not level, I try again; holes can be patched.

We had to rearrange our living room (even buying new couches) to work with a second hand piano.  No one in the house plays (yet) but we look forward to our kids taking lessons.  For now it is a place to display (and collect dust).

I have also tried to decorate my kids rooms in ways that are special and functional.  

I know that this is not necessary, but I like to do it and they love their rooms.  However, we have not yet decorated our room, which is supposed to be a sanctuary right?  Well, that's on the to do list.

One more thing that I want to share before this gets too long.  Our electrical panel is in our daughter's bedroom and we wanted to cover it in a functional, accessible and attractive way.  We bought a mirror that was the right size and my husband put hinges on it.  

So there is no unsightly electrical panel, yet it is easily accessible.  Great idea right?!

We don't have a large home, and we have to build a garage so we can stop using our relative's garage to store our stuff.  But I think we have made the most of the space and we will be able to live here in comfort for a few more years to come.  It's amazing that when we moved in to our house 6 years ago that we said it would be our 5 year home and now we have no plans to move.  

With a Bushel and a Peck of Hominess,

Stephanie

Credit for the wreath idea at http://boutiqueginabeana.blogspot.ca/2011/03/birthday-gift.html

Easter Countdown

Apparently in our house we really like to count down to big events and holidays.  My oldest son now has a calendar in his room and knows what month it is and what we are doing on any given day.  It just occurred to me this afternoon that not only is it the first day of spring but it is 12 days until Easter Sunday.  I was digging through the Easter supplies and came across an egg carton with plastic refillable eggs that my son had made in Story hour at church last year.  I thought, "Am I too late?"  But if you include today and Easter Sunday it is 12 days.  So I found a couple more egg cartons and filled them with numbered eggs and we'll begin today to countdown.  (I only had enough small candy to put in the first one so I'll go to the store tomorrow to get some Easter specific candy and fill up the rest.)  It is pretty simple but fun for the kids.

With a Bushel and a Peck of Spring Fun,

Steph

Confessions of a Basketball Widow

I don't really get it - the sport of basketball that is.  I didn't play it in school (except for one awkward season in Gr. 8).  I might have been more athletic had I been encouraged, but I lacked the confidence and coordination.  However, I ended up marrying a true, through and through Jock.  I love his passion for sports, but I don't like watching it on TV.  I love that he has an amazing memory for sports trivia, but I don't like that he doesn't come to bed cause he's checking on stats.  He played at the University level and I would watch the games but usually chatted with his mom most of the time and didn't really follow the game.  Now he is a coach for a senior high boys team and it is pretty time consuming. 

And that is how I see it, as time consuming.  I don't see it as a passion he has for the sport, to work with kids, to instill positive qualities in the youth, to be a role model, to use his gifts and abilities to God's glory.  I don't see that he's under constant scrutiny from parents, fans and the public.  I don't see that he works a full day as an elementary school teacher, on his feet, talking and imparting knowledge and then has to run a 2 hour practice or coach a game in the evening.  And I really don't get what he actually does as a coach during a game to play the right players and run the right plays.  But I do know that he is the one that gets called when they loose a big game and a kid is bummed that he didn't get to play, or that he has to talk about the details to every concerned and semi-knowledgeable fan that watched.  I am tired after a long season of putting the kids to bed by myself or going to bed by myself (it's not all bad, but some weeks are busier than others).  But I am not on show.  I am not being scrutinized, criticized and "on" all the time.  I don't even know what goes on in the brain of the man I am married to, but as I watch him coach (which unfortunately with kid's bed schedules or kids tearing around the gym, I don't actually "watch" that much basketball) I feel like I want to be right beside him, holding his hand.  Tomorrow when he's tired on a Saturday and not eager to complete my honey do list, maybe I'll have a little compassion, a little empathy and give the guy a break.  There are days that I want to throw in the towel and have a fit cause I had a hard day with the kids and he wasn't here - but he is doing something for a greater purpose than himself and I love him for it.  I hope they win tonight (they're playing in the semi-finals of Provincials as I write).  But if they don't I will love him and not hold it against him - maybe there's something to be said for being clueless about sports.

With a barrel and a heap of love,

Steph

The Heart of the Matter

Once again, I find myself in a quandary.  Is what I am about to write about a contradiction?  I feel this subject on my heart but I am going to go on to talk about how unreliable the heart is.  Well, let's just see where this goes.  

The heart is well known to be fickle, wicked, deceitful, easily lead to folly and not a good way to base our life's decisions.  However, so many things are based on how we feel at the time.  Many good decisions have been made by following the heart; also many bad ones.  How then can we know if it is the right course of action to take?  

My father-in-law said something once that I have never forgotten, regarding the decision to either buy a pet or have a baby, that it is an emotional decision.  This I have come to see in my own life as very true.  Before we had kids, I decided I wanted a puppy to cuddle and nurture and look cute.  Did I put a lot of thought and research in to this decision?  No.  We have spent the last 7 1/2 years as parents to Lola, and have often wondered if we knew what we were getting in to.  

Also with children.  We knew we wanted children, but not having a lot of experience with kids myself and no training program for want-to-be parents, I really didn't know what I was in for.  Does this mean that because my heart told me I wanted a baby that it was a rash decision.  In this case no (maybe so in the puppy case).  Children are a gift from the Lord, we are blessed by what we have been entrusted with.  

You don't become a parent because you have passed a course and know everything there is to know and are ready to take on this task with all the tools of the trade.  You become parents, most likely, with a lot of hope and desire, but no real clue.  You are then put through the ringer, and if you're like me, you have been challenged in ways you never dreamed of.  

This goes beyond the sleepless nights to the real spiritual heart of the matter.  We have been parents for 6 years now and I have been stretched, tested, grown and refined in ways that go beyond my control and planning.  Of course I didn't think parenting would be easy, but I didn't realize how much of myself would have to change in the process.  I am slowly learning to be less selfish about my sleep.  I am trying to set aside my agenda and expectations, to be open to God's leading.  I am working at putting my family's needs first, even if I feel unproductive.  I have been convicted by my sin and my daily need for forgiveness and do-overs.  

When you realize that you have little mirrors walking around your house showing you your sin every day, you can choose to ignore or justify it, or come to the Throne of God in repentance and humility.  I have been humbled as a parent.  I have seen my shortcomings ten fold.  I have tried to justify them by being tired or overwhelmed.  But really, sin is without excuse.  I am always telling my kids to have patience and self control, it is no shear coincidence that those are the areas I struggle most with.  It is up to me to control my heart, to choose to be cheerful in the morning, to take on the day with a good attitude and as I tell my kids, have a happy heart when things don't go my way.  

I am a work in progress.  I am a parent in training.  I am a saint being sanctified.  When I am having a hard time I know I have to turn to God for strength and grace.  But it is when things are going relatively smoothly that I need to give full credit to the God that has seen fit to use me for His service.  In this life, there are hills and valleys, but God is faithful and will see us through the journey when our hearts and minds are in tune with Him.  

Just to throw in some scripture here, Psalm 37 is an amazing meditation and has so many golden nuggets of truth to gleam from.  I find reading this so encouraging and a good foundation.

With a Barrel and a Heap of Love,

Stephanie

Linking up with Grace Laced

Vain Labour

I am taking a step out in faith here.  I hope that what I am about to do it not in contradiction to what I am about to write about and that is the concept of labouring in vain.  It is quiet in my house right now (2 youngest napping, 2 oldest watching a movie).  But it won't be for long, so I hope and pray that I am using my time wisely.  

I have always wanted to write.  I have this desire, that I am more sure that God has placed there, but I don't have the confidence to think I have anything of consequence to say.  I keep thinking that someday, when there is time, when there is years of wisdom behind me, then I'll sit down and write.  But I think that I have this subject placed on my heart for a reason and, therefore, I'm going to just put it out there.  This is for my benefit.  Something that I have been contemplating and working through and to put it down in writing is a way to process.  I don't expect this to become a regular entry or a devotional or for anyone other than myself to benefit from it but here it goes.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain."  Psalm 127 1a

I recently partook of a Bible study by Beth Moore (Stepping Up) and some of what I will write here has been gleamed from that study.  I have also been reading a lot of blogs and books by Rachel Jankovic and I am processing what I have learned from her, through the Spirit of God.  

Now that credit has been given, I will write freely.

I have a tendency to get caught up in my own projects and "to-do" lists.  I have a desire to have a sense of purpose and accomplishment and being a stay-at-home mom doesn't really come with a job description or a performance review.  Thus I seek fulfillment in making lists and checking them off.  I have learned over the years to make my list more tangible and realistic, so that I maintain reasonable levels of balance and priority.  However, even though my cleanliness standards have lessened, my desire to be "finished" something has not changed.  

Kids are never finished.  Kids are always needing, doing, going, wanting, asking, taking.  It can be draining.  The more you're willing to give, the more they take; if you give them and inch, they take a mile.  But in the end (figuratively the end is being done raising kids I suppose) do I want completed photo albums or successful human beings?  A decorated house or children who love the Lord.? Do I want to be a mom who appears to have it all together to the onlooker, or a mom who takes the time to listen to her children, work with them through their sin and teach them the Love of God through my life's example?

I think the answer is pretty clear, but how to get there when I so easily get caught up in my own selfish ambition?  Of course it doesn't seem selfish at the time, I'm building memories for my kids, trying to maintain a reasonable level of cleanliness or keep on top of things so that I don't loose my mind trying to play catch up if I loose a day or 2.  I think the key here is where is my line of sight.  Am I trying to do things to fill my day and ignore the kids so that I feel in control, when really I should be looking to God, every moment, every step of the way, for guidance, direction and insight.  If I am so busy doing my own thing, wthout consulting God or relying on his grace to get me through, how can I expect the results I desire.  I cause myself more anxiety and stress doing things that ultimately don't matter.  Here's one from Beth's study that has to be shared; "A Latin motto says, 'Nisi Dominus Frusta', which means 'Without the Lord, Frustration'."  

Psalm 127 goes on in chapter 2 to say, "It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."

Sleep is a precious commodity for a mother with young children, I know I am going to be up in the night nursing and up early for breakfast and getting ready for the day, yet I find myself staying up late to finish that digital scrapbooking project or scrolling through Pinterest.  I am irritable the next day and unable to deal with the daily load with a calm spirit.  This is how Beth puts it...

"Godless labor + little sleep = a futile expenditure of energy"

That's not to say that I can't have time to myself or find enjoyment in a hobby, but there needs to be balance and limits on time spent in these pursuits (I have for example, given the kids 1 hour to watch a movie and thus, the same time to work on this).  I would normally make getting a certain something done my priority and tend to leave the TV on all afternoon and feel guilty in the end but "at least it's off my to do list."  I typically wake up in the morning thinking what am I going to accomplish today, but I am realizing that I should, rather, make my morning prayer "Lord, make me your humble servant, use me how you see fit for your glory, give me an attitude of giving, equip me for the task and make my priorities in line with your will."

It is not my job to entertain or appease my kids, but it is my job to meet their needs, nurture and love them, and give them a full life.  I read in "Thriving Family" magazine, our goal is to make them successful, satisfied and spiritually mature adults. These days with 4 kids at home may seem long, but they will not last long and I should use the time I have to work with them, to put their needs first.  I may not see the immediate gratification I would from a clean floor (but we all know that is a fleeting result anyway).  However, I am realizing more that God wants me to build my house according to His blue print - which, with more prayer and scripture reading, will become my desire as well.

With a Bushel and a Peck of Faith,

Stephanie

Here is a great blog by Rachel Jankovic - many more in the archives under lizziejank