let the countdown begin!!

i am one of those kind of moms..
the kind that would rather have her kids home more than anything!
i sincerely look forward to summer..  this year we are counting down in style.

got kinda crafty (despite the fact that i am currently homeless, craftroom type homeless, that is..) and made these.
i used crystal wilkerson’s “sweet summertime” papers, mod-podge, acrylic paint, my trusty sander, some contact paper and black vinyl, and my cricut (doodletype font), and these wood blocks (that heaven knows i have plenty of..).
(see all those cute papers?)

i sanded my blocks pretty darn good, if i do say so myself, and then gave them just a coat of white acrylic paint.  while that was drying, i cut my papers and rounded all the corners.  those got mod-podged on the blocks and then top-coated with more mod-podge after they dried. 
i used the contact paper as a stencil after i cut out the numbers with the cricut.  i spaced between each number and then used my rotary cutter (think my fabric rotary cutter..  sooo easy!) while the contact paper was still on my cutting sheet to separate the numbers.  peel, stick, and paint!  i did find, after doing one set with the foam brush, that it is best to use a little paint on the brush and then a scrunched-up paper towel to pounce the paint around where you need it.  it ends up looking aged and not so bold.
one block gets 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 on it and the other gets 0, 1, 2, 6 (which upside-down works as your 9), 7 and 8.
the lettering was a bit too tricky at 3/4 inch to use as a stencil, so i just cut out vinyl and stuck it down.
i top-coated it all with more mod-podge and let it dry.
then i sanded some more..  i like that distressed look.  they looked perfectly cute the way they were, and they could be left that way if you want. 
but i sanded more, roughed them up real good.  then i brushed them off, and mod-podged another protective coat.
i love mine…
and well, if there is a day this summer break when my kids drive me nuts, like to the breaking point..  i can let them all know how i feel by flipping them around…
  :D
p.s. there are some great deals happening over at jessica sprague..  a sale starting today and going through sunday for insd (international scrapbooking day) all scrapbooking supplies are 25% off.  if you spend $20 or more, there is an additional 10% off!!  and then there’s one that will last the whole month of may (hello!!  birthday month there!!).  buy one item, and get one of equal or lesser value (from the same designer, no mixing and matching) for freee!!!
see, go have fun..

I Love Spray Paint!

I seriously cannot count the number of things that have been spray painted in my house..

Even in recent history, that would make a long list.

I love the stuff.

I finally finished my desk area in the loft…

I am quite excited with how it turned out…

The desk was the desk left with the house, the desk that I was practically praying they would leave!!

The chair was one of my thrift store finds.

Both were loved  a little more, and look a lot better because of it.

I used a latex bonding primer on the desk (thanks Brooke!) and spray painted it, yes, spray paint.

The chair was also primed and spray painted.

New hardware and a seat cushion finished it off for me!

I wanted organization to be prime in this space, so I went to get a magnet board.  Roberts has my favorite kind..  but they were out. 

For weeks.

Being the kind of gal I am, I made my own.  It’s not perfect, I chose the knottiest wood I could find, and I sincerely love all the knots and cracks..

I also made a fabric bulletin board, for those smaller items that I don’t want taking up space on the magnet board.

This goodie was a re-purposed item from the craft room.  Wall space isn’t prime in there, and it got put away until I could think of a use for it..

I used the Storybook cartridge and the Cricut, and now I have a nifty new place for incoming and outgoing mail and notes.

I had to have a recycle bin here, this is where I sort through mail and newspapers, ads, coupons.. 

I found this basket at Michaels, used one of those coupons I LOVE..

Another item, from another room, that got a facelift was this bookshelf that I have had since I was 15.  I love the thing!

It was built by the same man who built my cedar chest.  Both have proved the test of time and my love for re-arranging furniture. 

It was in the nursery, and was white then.  It got the same treatment as everything else, and was painted black.

The metal storage containers are from IKEA.

(I love IKEA just about as much as I love spray paint..)

Now for my recently discovered tips..

First off, prime, PRIME, PRIME!!!

Latex based bonding primers are available at most paint counters.  They can even tint them to help in the painting process for the following coats. 

My sister-in-law Brooke, bought a gallon to use on her project, and she loaned me some of it.

Thanks Brooke!!

It is awesome stuff.

For my thrift store find chairs, I used Kilz which is not only a primer, but a blocker for stains and odors.  It comes in a spray can which makes the process of painting all of those spindles a breeze!

As for the paint..

My new favorite is this type of Rustoleum.

(I am not paid to say this..)

I have used a lot, and if the color I want is available in this brand, and even more importantly, this type of can, I get it.  There are obviously some colors that aren’t available in this type of can, but I love this kind..

American Accents (also pictured) is another favorite.

Gloves…  may I suggest, strongly, that you wear some?

I bought two boxes just like this at Sam’s club.  I bought them to wear while making salsa for cutting and de-seeding the peppers.

(It also helped me look like a paranoid lady, because when I bought them, it was the same week that Swine Flu became the freak out that it once was.)

Turns out they have another purpose in my house.

Wearing gloves prevents the spray from getting on your skin and/or nails.  They are also fantastic for when (or if) the nozzle on your can starts to clog, and a nice stream of paint trickles down the side of the can to your unsuspecting hand.

They are also a good thing if you are painting outside, and the breeze (or sudden strong gust of wind) blows it right back at you.  Thinking of this, wear a jacket that you don’t care about..

(Isn’t this a nice, humorous image of me?)

If you do get paint on your skin, this stuff is awesome..

A girlfriend brought some to me on Halloween.  It was by far the best trick-or-treat visit I ever had (especially considering the clown that came later that same night…)

I smells like butter cream icing and makes me hungry whenever I use it..

It is awesome stuff!

She got gum off of her little boy’s skin using this and a washcloth (with minimal scrubbing).

So that ONE time I neglected to put on my gloves, and got some on my hands, I remembered her telling me about the gum..

Paint came off.

No big deal.

Then, at the end of the day, when your project is all finished, take a hot bath or shower using it.

I promise, it’s awesome!

I {heart} brackets

With my craft room in working order again, I have gotten to some long awaited projects..
My magnet board in the kitchen just needed a little "something"..
So I added a "P".
But then the "P" needed a little something too..
That is where the {brackets} came in.

But did you know, that with all the fun wood cut-outs that are out there, there are NO BRACKETS?!  What an atrocity, I know.
I took my Alphalicious Font cartridge and new Cricut Expression, cut out some brackets at 7 and 1/4 inches, traced them onto some scrap wood, and went to visit my scroll saw.
I love that thing..
After some sanding, and a quick coat of spray paint, I ran the paper brackets through my Xyron (with permanent adhesive, of course..) and adhered them to the black brackets.
A little more sanding, some cute trim tied to one, and PERFECT!!

I guess the only thing I would be missing is a calendar for the year 2009..
But I have made it this far in the year..  why bother? ;)

Getting my hands "dirty"..

It is so much fun doing digi..
But I do have a craving for the traditional!
I have been putting-off scrapping these pics, they are from a sweet moment in life that I miss just about everyday. I would be in heaven to be pregnant everyday!! Now Merrill, on the other hand, might not like that so much ;)It's hard too, to scrap them right now, because Peyton is the age Lynn (#1) was when I was pregnant with Ash (#2).. my body tells me I should be growing something right now :(
I kept working at these, thinking, "If I were doing these digi, they would be done already.." But hey, I am getting there!I love the new font!! I tracked down this font (I had American Crafts letter stickers in this font and I loved them sooo much..) it's Hello Kitty Cricut cartridge. Better yet, I found a website that was having a promo last week, 2 cartridges for $50.. so I have another cartridge to go get my hands dirty with!
I also did some Mother's Day cards. Love my butterfly punch.. another Internet hunt-down and find tool..Loving the pop-up dots too!

Some craftin'..

It's hard to craft when you have a sick baby, who only wants to snuggle with mama, not dad.. but I did manage to get a few things done.. and I'll be danged if I forgot to take pics of the cute b-day gifts I made for a lady I visit teach!! Oh, well..
This one hangs on my front door (how I wish it were painted black, still.. *sigh*). It's a paper mache letter painted and the edges inked with StazOn, then embellished with a bookplate and some cute ribbon I found at Michael's.
This one was easier.. Cricut, my buddy and the plate was found at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I can't help but think of the movie "Click" whenever I go in there!
Watch for a give away on this one soon :D

3 more!!

These have been sitting on my table for a LONG TIME...
If they look familiar, paper, pictures, etc. they should, I did the set for Peyton's book, now I finally got them done for the family album.
I finished the last little bit last night after 11 while everyone was sleeping.. why couldn't I?! Even Peyton slept from about 8 pm to 7:30 am.. and I didn't get to enjoy Zs at the same time...
Peyton's Blessing: Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye; Cardstock: Bazzil; Cricut font: Doodletype; Text font: Gallery; other: yarn, baby rick-rack, lace (thanks Jacks!!), bracelet charms.

Layouts..

I have had these layouts sitting on my table, works in progress for the last few days. All that fogginess in my head made them come together slower that I like..
They are from last year's winter. I still have more, in progress!
This one is for Lynn's book:
And Ashley's book:
Supplies: Paper from Bazzill and the embossed snowflake paper is from KI memories Love Elsie line.. I made up the template for the background of the pics and used the Cricut "Cuttin' Up" (for the words "snow" and the girls' initials) and "Doodletype" for the snowflakes. I busted out the vellum, inspired by Jennifer McGuire from CK for that one! I am loving these new double dates stamps by Katie Pertiet from Autumn Leaves.. you should be seeing them a lot..

Let it SNOW!!

Made this today to help me get over Christmas being put away.. :(
Got the plate from Bed, Bath, & Beyond.. the vinyl and the Cricut (Doodletype font) are my other cohorts..

Finished projects!

House-warming gift:Card for house-warming gift:
Found a new purpose for those darling hair clips!
(Christie already knew about this one... I thought I was a genius!)
I finished Peyton's scarf today at Super-Saturday...
Tried a scallop edge instead of tassles this time.
I also got another skeleton onesie done (thanks for the fabric Brookers!) and it turned out so cute!
Now onto those taggie blankets and Halloween costumes...

Birthday Give Away!!!

I have decided that doing "give aways" is fun... I will be doing them as often as possible!
So in keeping with the season, this is the prize...
Here are the rules...
Because it is my blog's birthday, that's the occasion :), leave a comment sharing a favorite post from my blog, heck, a favorite event that I blogged about will suffice! I will draw a winner Sunday!
Good luck!

See my new cock...

Did I get your attention?
That's what Merrill called my new Rooster, (the wood one that blends all too well into my cabinetry... zoom in, you can see it...) courtesy of my trip to Tai Pan Trading a while ago.
I got my new font yesterday in the mail! (Finally..)
Mom was the first user of it, we cut some vinyl for Promise, "Mother's of little boys work from SON up 'til SON down..." cute, eh? All mom's doing.
I used my new font today for this:

Want one Randee? (My fellow Rooster fan, although I am a new Rooster fan...)

Baby cards...

Baby girl cards to be more specific...
I got all of these done super fast! Thanks to a stash of scraps and ribbon, and the Cricut of course ;)...

My only play time...

The only things I have made lately...
Home decorating is my catalyst...

Tai Pan Trading and the Cricut are awesome together!

scrappernoon!

Stacy and the boys came over for a while today. The kids had fun playing, we had fun scrapping and making cards... lots of cards...
I got two pages for our "best of..." family album done:

Played with the Cricut that Darlene is allowing me to be the foster parent of. I got one new font cartridge and one on the way thanks to the rebate offer! I bought some vinyl too.. can't wait to try that out. We learned our lesson fast, the mat must be sticky!