Art Caddy

I found this beauty at a Thrift Store a few weeks ago:


Did you just suppress your gag reflex? I know, I know...it is not so pretty. Does it help that the price tag says $5.95? Not a bad deal. What if I told you it was half off? Less than $3.00...does it intrigue you now?

No? Think pretty, creamy white. Think, art caddy. It is a perfect container for a little artist to drag around art supplies and pads of paper. The ends are hinged containers...perfect to hold crayons, scissors, glue...anything a little artist needs.

Are you thinking, MAYBE...

What about now?


I don't know about you, but I LOVE it. LOOOOOVE it! It is so simple and sweet and girly.

It was also an easy project. I took my power sander to it to smooth down the hand painted flowers. Next, I blasted the whole piece with a coat of RustOleum Double Coat Primer, followed by a coat of RustOleum Heritage White Satin. I roughed up a few of the edges just a bit with my power sander. Just enough so it doesn't look like some crazy lady just went and blasted the whole thing with spray paint. Of course I did, but taking off some of the "newness" takes away from it looking like that was what happened. Since I will have this out at the Artisan's Alley Craft Fair this weekend, I stamped crowns on it with Staz On Jet Black Ink. (Crowns are the logo of Coronado where the Craft Fair will be held.)


Now I just have to find a way to get this out of my house before my own little Artist gets her hands on it!

Wonderful Wednesday...Christmas Memories Journal

You should see the crafting madness in my house right now! I literally have 20 projects going on at the same time. And, we have had really foggy weather today, which is not helping my need to get things painted before Saturday.

I have a quick project today to do with your kids. It is a Christmas Memories Journal. It is really easy to make and will hold treasured memories for years to come. Oh, and did I mention that this project is CHEAP?

Here is what we used:


Glue, paper, red stamp pad, Christmas stamp and Christmas journal from the Dollar Section at Michaels.


We stamped our design on blank paper. I just happened to have this stamp. If you don't, your project would be even easier...just make your own! Type your title on the computer and print it out...you could make it anyway you want. Put your family name on the front or the name of whoever will be writing in the journal.

Next, cut out the design. We left a small edge of white paper around the outside of the ink for an extra detail. Glue on your title piece. That's it! How easy is that?


Just think how sweet this would be to collect written thoughts from each of your family members year after year in one journal. Or...have a journal committed to each of your children. They can write in it and record memories in their own words and handwriting. Precious! It would be fun to compare their handwriting and thoughts from year to year. I can't wait to get the kids writing in their own journals!

Happy writing!

Crazy Week

I have been doing nothing but crafting from the moment I wake up until the moment I fall into bed. I found out last night that I will be at my first craft show this weekend...with about 4 days notice. Yikes! I have done some great projects, but I just don't have time to stop and get things posted today. Hopefully I can get some pictures posted tomorrow.

Christmas End Table Part 2

It is finished! Whew...I am going to admit this was a bit more challenging than I had anticipated. The letters are so small and I am just not usually doing work where I need to be so careful with my paintbrush!

My project began with a catalogue from Exposures. They are a company that features mainly products for your photographs. My kind of company! I am always intrigued by their Christmas cards, and that is where I found my inspiration. Their Retro Label Collage Card has the most beautiful circle logo on it...it was just what my end table needed!

So...here is my finished product...


You know when you finish a project, and you are just not sure what you think? And you want feedback to see what others think. This isn't one of those projects. I really could care less if the whole world hated it, because I LOVE it! I think the logo is classic and would be something you would enjoy pulling out Christmas after Christmas!

It would be a fairly easy project to recreate if you are patient. Apparently this is why the project was not as easy as I thought it would be...I needed to be more patient!

To recreate this look:

Find the piece you would like to paint. I happened to have a circle table. If you don't, Home Depot has round pieces of wood already cut just like this table top. If you don't want to make a table, it would look awesome hanging on the wall instead. They also come in all different sizes, so you could make it as large or as small as you would like. I am tempted to make another one really big to hang on the wall.

Next, take the logo from the website and enlarge it. If you don't have an overhead or an opaque projector, then have a copy shop enlarge it to your size. Use transfer paper to trace out your drawing. Or, if you don't have transfer paper...rub across the back of your paper with a pencil and it will now be your transfer paper!

I used VERY small brushes and two bottles of acrylic paint: Martha Stewart Acrylic Paints in Beetle Black and Tartan Red. I will say it again, these are EXCELLENT paints. Thier coverage is fantastic!

I painted directly onto the raw wood. When I was finished, I sealed it with two coats of Annie Sloan Clear Soft Wax.

That's it! Not difficult, just time consuming with the intricate letters.


This project makes me smile. Merry Christmas!

I am linking up here:

Christmas End Table Part 1

I have had this table since the beginning of the summer and kept debating what to do with it. I just couldn't seem to settle on an idea. So it has sat...untouched...for months.


This past week I got a catalogue in the mail. A catalogue that held creative gold! I spotted a Christmas card with text I fell in love with. It was love at first sight!

Today I enlarged the text and photocopied it onto a transparency. I pulled out my overhead projector (best $10 I ever spent at a Yard Sale!) and got to work.


I mean really, can't you see why I fell in love with this? It is awesome!


I traced the text onto my table.


I began painting.


I wasn't loving the table like I thought I would. Until...


I started painting the more intricate letters, the love came rushing back.


With every letter I loved the table more and more!


It is looking amazing!


I love, love, love, love how this looks!


The only problem is the intricate lettering is taking FOREVER! So...you will have to wait until Monday to see what the final product will be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

No, I have not accidentally posted photos from summer...this is actually what we were doing this afternoon. We were out at the beach looking for sand dollars. It is one of our favorite things to do. The calming sound of waves, cool water between your toes and the thrill of the hunt for free treasures...what's not to love? It is one of the things we are most thankful for here at the beach. Aaah...quiet, empty days at the beach.

And look how many sand dollars we found in the first minute of our hunt...


Seriously, in under a minute we had our hands on 7 sand dollars, and those were just the unbroken ones. Even my little guy found a sand dollar!


I think this is the first one he has ever found on his own. If you had any idea how impossible it is for him to find sand dollars you would be cheering for his success! We literally have hundreds of sand dollars in our house...hundreds. One afternoon we found over 100 in just an hour...he found 1...one that we had to point out to him. If it didn't make him a little sad it would be really funny! Needless to say, one of the things he is thankful for today was finding a sand dollar!


Happy Thanksgiving!

Wonderful Wednesday...Burlap Thanksgiving Pillow Covers

Look at this craft we did in our Brownies Troop last week for Thanksgiving:


Well, that was what I thought we would be making. I have learned that giving children art supplies, does not mean that they will make what you thought they would. They all have their own little Artist Imaginations, and it was fun to see what they created.


Katelyn, I love your persistence in working to get this just right!


Freedom wasn't a word that came to my mind to put on a Thanksgiving pillow, but I am now wondering why not? Freedom should be one of the first things I think of to be thankful for. Thanks Kassidy!

It never crossed my mind to use the foam brush to paint bold letters on the pillow, but I love how this turned out. It reminds me how we should love each other BOLDLY, with all we have...not holding back. Thanks Isabella!


Just look how important love is. It is not just stated once, but three times...with exclamation!


Sydney, I love the way you create with great care and detail. I think your pillow turned out better than mine!


Free...free to create the way she wants to create. Free to worship. Free to speak what she wants to speak. Free...isn't that what Thanksgiving was originally about?

In the midst of all the preparations for Thanksgiving tomorrow, what can we learn from our kids? Take a moment to really hear them and listen to what it is they are truly thankful for. You may learn something.