A little Pinterest crazy!

Okay, it's no surprise that I've recently become slightly obsessed with Pinterest.  I hesitated for so long to even join for this very reason.  I suppose the upside to this is that once I pin something, I'm pretty much committed to doing it in some fashion.  I don't have a TON of pins or boards, but the ones I do have I am very likely to complete.  Most of my pins revolve around my kids (like most of my life), my classroom or creative DIY gifts.  I'd rather give someone a thoughtful gift that I (or my girls) helped to create than a more expensive, less inspired gift.  At least with Pinterest when I see/pin something, I'm thinking, "Oh!  That would be perfect for _________."  Otherwise I'm walking around Target or Kohl's forcing myself to find something to fit the gift bill.  Just not personal.  Just not my current style.

The reality is, I think I'm addicted to Pinterest because it gives me a sense of completion.  Of something.  My life is so hectic and chaotic, and there really aren't enough hours in the day to do anything, but I somehow find the time to complete these little mini projects.  When I step back and look at what I've done, whether craft, food, or organization, I think, "Okay, you can do this..."  It's a sense of accomplishment and pride that is not as easy to put my finger on in my every day life.  Yes, being a mother is rewarding and I am very proud of my girls and the life that we lead.  But these are intangible. And although this is wonderful, and I fully believe it is the intangibles that make life worth living, every once in a while I need a tangible accomplishment to hang my hat on.  Thus, my Pinterest addiction.

This week I am off for Christmas break.  I have sent my daughters to school.  I do NOT feel guilty about this.  Okay, maybe a little, but I'm feeling better about it.  The reality is my girls LOVE going to school.  They enjoy their friends and their teachers.  They thrive on structure and nap better at school than they do at home.  This also translates into sleeping better at night.  And there is no downside to actually being productive for a few days.  Tomorrow we are all taking a day off and going to the aquarium!  But we've worked hard for this break.  Jason is currently installing a closet organization system to our walk-in closet.  This will be SO helpful!  I'm very much looking forward to this being completed.  While Jason has been painting, sawing, and drilling, I've been working on my own projects.

This one was SUPER easy!  We already had the canvases, but we were never really happy with their placement or the phrases that were underneath them.  When I saw this on Pinterest I thought it was phenomenal!  This took me about 45 minutes, including the time it took to cut the words out using my Cricut machine (but I know you can buy them on Etsy; I looked in order to save myself the time/energy!)  The clocks are set to the important times for the events.  Bella's clock is set to 11:25, Sophia's is at 2:01 (let it be known this is AM!), and our wedding was at 4:30.  So easy, so personal, and it completes the look that we've been striving for.

Now, on to the big guns!

I bought these crates after the Back to School craziness.  I paid $1 each for them.  I actually have two more in my classroom that I may be bringing home to make addition stools.  I had plywood cut at Home Depot (which was cut incorrectly and my fabulous husband recut them correctly!)  I chose two coordinating fabrics for the stool coverings and the desk "skirt".  Then I used some Christmas snow (on clearance at Joann's for $1.72!) instead of traditional batting, placed it on top of the plywood, wrapped the fabric around it and stapled it with a staple gun!  I also stapled a small loop of ribbon scraps to help lift the seat off of the crate when cleaning up. Ta-da!  All in all, I think it cost me about $8 to make both stools.  If I had been a bit smarter, or better prepared, I would have used the particle board from the desk to make the stools and saved even more...live and learn!  These store a ton!  One crate currently holds building blocks and the other a marble tower kit!  These are great toys but are very cumbersome to store.  I like to keep things organized and out of sight...which leads me to the next task!

We have transitioned Sophia out of the crib/toddler bed and into a twin sized bed.  What to do with that crib?  Make it an art desk!  My children have a million art supplies!  Which is absolutely fine with me because they love to color, write, glue, cut, you name it.  But we are always struggling with storage, clean up, and organization.  I think I've finally figured it out.  

I took the crib and raised the mattress spring to the highest level (where you place your newborn).  I had particle board cut (no rough edges = no splinters!) and a sturdier/glossy finished MDF board cut to fit inside.  This was a bit of a challenge.  I had it cut to the crib mattress specifications.  But I didn't factor in the brackets, which cut off about 2 inches!  Home Depot cut it to my dimensions, but again I needed Jason to bail me out!  He did it in about 4 minutes and all was right with the world.  

I placed the thicker particle board on the mattress spring, stapled the coordinating fabric on top (long enough to almost hit the floor.  It was about a yard and a half, folded over to it was "finished" on the bottom.  I only attached it to the front), then placed the thin MDF on top.  There you have it.  A desk!  I put an under bed storage container under the crib to hold all papers, coloring books, stickers, etc..  I also put a small box under there that holds "help needed" crafts; think glitter, Elmers glue (glue sticks are within reach), beads, wire, etc.)  I did this because it's an easy rule to follow: "If it's in this box, you need Mommy or Daddy's help."  Period.  End of Story.  There's also a stack of new art "projects" that haven't been opened.  

 I purchased a few containers at Target (with lids!) to store markers, pipe cleaners, pom poms, and popsicle sticks, colored pencils and twisty crayons, and stamps and ink pads.  We already have regular crayons in an old wipe box.   I attached a dry erase/magnet board on one end of the crib and our AquaDoodle on the other!  These are great "toys" but they take up a lot of space.

I will be adding a few hooks and magnets to display items like sequins, googly eyes, and other small knick knacks.  And eventually I'd like to put some plexi glass on top of the MDF with art work on display underneath.  I will still need a few more containers, but all in all, I'd call this a successful Pinterest venture.  It didn't take very long either (most of my time was spent being "lost" in the stores!)  I'm really very pleased with this.  It was such a great idea and I NEVER would have thought of this without the help of Pinterest.  When Bella came home and saw it she was so excited!  She said to me, "Mommy, this is really, really good."  That's all the recognition I need!