Kids |

Ruler Growth Chart

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Amy

While I am slowly starting the purging, organizing and packing process that proceeds a move, one project I had to complete prior to leaving our home was to make a portable growth chart.

Soon after we moved in–it must have been all these plain white walls just calling out to me–we started marking our kids height on the wall next to our refrigerator. They have grown a TON this year, we’ve really gotten a kick out of looking back on how little they were when we first moved in this house not even two years ago.

So, not wanting to leave that precious little snapshot of their childhood behind, I had to move making a ruler growth chart from the “when I get to it” pile to the “today” pile. These abound on the internet, I think Pottery Barn might have originally introduced them but who can keep track these days?

My neighbor Ani has the most fabulous one. I pretty much knocked her version off because it already seemed perfect. Though when I went by to photograph it I realized hers is all cool and muted and distressed…of course it is, she is cool like that! This is hers below…

But for my version, I did this project fast, cheap and easy–the best kind, right? After all, I have boxes to get to packin’! Home Depot sells these boards already cut to size. I went with a 6′ board since my son is already the tallest kid in 2nd grade, so better to be safe then sorry, right?

I spray painted the board with heirloom white, giving it just a few quick coats so a little of the wood grain would still show through. Then, after measuring out the numbers, I used stencils to mark the numbers along the edge. I just used a black sharpie to color inside the stencil, and it worked perfectly.

Because my baseboards take up about the first 4 to 5 inches, I started my 1 foot closer then 12″ from the bottom, that way I could hang it slightly above the baseboard and be 12″ off the ground.

I just marked in pencil my kid’s height and age, matching what is on my {soon to be former} wall and I know we’ll keep going with it once we’re in our new home. They grow so fast, don’t they?

Thanks for stopping by!

Pin It

Posted in Children's Activities, DIY, Projects & Printables | Tagged diy, Kids, Kids crafts, project, ruler growth chart, spray paint | 1 Comment

Quick and Easy Kids’ Artwork Wall Display

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Christy

I spent my weekend removing moldy caulk from my shower and recaulking, and replacing the ripped screen in our porch door, but you don’t want to see any of that, now do you? I know–boring! So, instead, I’m going to show you what I did on Friday to display some of my daughter’s artwork. The disclaimer is that I did not come up with this idea on my own; I’ve seen it all over Pinterest and the internet. However, after looking at five or six web sites, I can’t seem to figure out who really came up with the idea. So, forgive me for not crediting anyone specifically for thinking this up! Also, Amy did something pretty similar HERE (I get all of my best ideas from her!). As is true with most of my “tutorials,” it’s really too simple to be called a tutorial! Here’s what I did:

Kids wall artwork display

I started with 1″ x 8″ fingerjoint board, that I had left over from building my PANTRY shelves. Because I had two pieces that were about 34″ long, that’s what I used. I cut them to make sure they were the exact same length, sanded the edges lightly, and primed and painted them. Here’s the paint and primer I almost always use (it’s available at Home Depot):

Prime and paint 1" x 8" fingerjoint board

Harley is safely in the background. He likes to join me out back when I’m spray painting, but he does NOT like the hissing sound the paint makes. Maybe it reminds him of an annoyed cat?!

This is my high-tech spray painting station. Jealous?

Prime and paint fingerjoint board

When the two boards were dry, I simply glue-gunned bulldog clips onto them. I spaced my bulldog clips about 16″ apart, and I used three per piece of wood. Obviously you could use a different number of clips based on the length of your board. I’m telling you that they’re bulldog clips so you don’t have to look like an idiot at Hobby Lobby or an office supply store (like I did), asking for “those clipboard clip thingies without the clipboard.” I got my bulldog clips at Hobby Lobby; they looked like this:

Bulldog clips from Hobby Lobby

I then took my smallest drill bit (7/64″) and drilled a hole at each end of the board. Then, using 2″ wire brad nails and a level, I hung the board on the wall. The reason I chose this method to hang it was that I wanted to do minimal damage to the wall. Two small nail holes will be easily patched and painted when we remove the display. Here’s a close-up:

I later took a white paint pen and dotted paint on the nail head to make it less obvious. Also, when there’s artwork hanging on the end clips, it covers the nail as well.

I wound up hanging one board in the kids’ bathroom, and one on the half wall just outside of their bathroom, right at the top of our stairs. I considered putting them both in the bathroom, one on top of the other, and would have done that except that since we have board and batten in the bathroom (read about that HERE), I think the display boards would have been too high. Here are some “after” shots:

Did I ever show you the mirror after I framed it out? See above, if not. I think it’s a great way to dress up a contractor-grade “wall of mirrors.”

My daughter is the only one who brings me artwork anymore; my son is 12 and just not that into art anymore. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to have one board for each kid, though? You could swap their art out seasonally. Stick them in the hall, the bathroom, the kitchen, even their bedroom.

We’ve discussed “paper management” before, but do you have any great ideas for containing the paper trail that comes with having children? Let us know!

Thanks for stopping by.

Pin It

Posted in Crafts, Kids Rooms, Organization | Tagged artwork, display, Kids, wall | 4 Comments

Organizing Life {one step at a time} LUNCH KITS

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Amy

I am already appreciating this little OCD kick I am on. Primarily because these “Lunch Kits” I came up with have really made my life SO much easier.

I am not much of a morning person, and people who know me might say that is an understatement! I attempt to get up before my kids each day and have some quiet time as it makes a tremendous difference in my day. However, I sometimes find that the earlier I get up, the earlier everyone else gets up and things aren’t quiet for long.

Since I have to get my boys on the bus at the ridiculous hour of 7:20 AM (!) having all their lunch ‘fixins’ together just makes so much sense. Really, why did I not think of it before?

This was one the first ideas that occurred to me when I was making my list for this series on small steps to making life more organized {View introduction HERE}. It requires so much less thinking before I have my coffee! Instead of running around the kitchen gathering all sorts of things–the bread from the fridge, the plastic bags from one drawer, the peanut butter from the pantry, the circle sandwich cutter my daughter insists on–you get the picture–now I just pull one basket out of my pantry,

And one basket out of the refrigerator, and make their lunches.

Another huge advantage is with everything together its easy to see what I am out of. No more “Surprise! we are out of bread!” mornings. I keep a shopping list on my pantry door, along with their lunch boxes and water bottles so everything is now right there together. Less effort and thinking on my part, and more time to actually drink my coffee.

Assembly was a snap, it was easy to pull all the things my kids like/need together, plus items like sandwich holders, plastic spoons or snack bags, into a basket or a fridge-friendly bin.

I also included some blank cards and a sharpie right in the basket so I can send them little lunchbox notes, something I always wished I had my act together in the morning to actually do!

On another note–I just LOVE all the ideas that have come in for this series, keep them coming! And, I am so glad to know I am not the only one feeling the crazy need to get better organized!

OK, how do you all organize lunch? What did I miss?

{sources: chalkboard labels HERE | basket TJ Maxx {years ago} | Bin Target | Mini-chalkboard French Garden House (I have also seen them on Wuslu) }

Thanks for stopping by~

{Stay in touch!}

Posted in Organization | Tagged basket, Kids, lunch, morning, organizing life | 3 Comments

An Organization Epiphany {Homework Boxes}

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Amy

So, this last weekend we celebrated my husband’s birthday, and even though it was his big day, I am the one who learned something.

On Saturday I was enjoying a rare child-free trip Target to finish up some back-to-school items {and yes, buy him a birthday card}, when I suddenly got anxious about getting his birthday gifts wrapped. I know, if I was a “good” blogger , I would have a perfectly organized wrapping area and this task would be a pleasure, right?

Traditional Home Office design by Minneapolis Interior Designer Martha O’Hara Interiors

So, when I got home I was thinking about how, since we moved last fall, I still had wrapping paper stored under the guest room bed, gift bags stashed in an armoire, gift cards in a drawer in my office, and {hopefully} tape and scissors somewhere in my kitchen drawers. It would certainly make sense to pull it all together in one place. After all, with three kids there is always a present for a party, teachers etc., and the holidays are coming, yikes!

{source}

But then, I started thinking about how if a wrapping “kit” helped with one chore, wouldn’t the concept work for all the other areas where I felt some stress my life? So, I sat down with a pad of paper made a list of all the small chores, events or activities that might possibly be made less stressful with a “kit.”

Things on the list–I randomly jotted down anything that popped into my head–like the morning rush to school, the afternoon dash to activities, school papers, homework, meals, cleaning, etc.

None of these are novel ideas (and all have been done at some point in “Blogland” and easily found on Pinterest), I just haven’t put a priority on using them as a method to keeping myself more sane.

This sudden manifestation of my OCD is definitely a result of the impending start of school. Over the last few years, with my kids getting older I feel like I have a harder time managing the three different directions they are going in, not to mention that each child has different needs and skill sets.

So here is what I am going to try to do. It will likely take several posts but I am going to look at different components of my/our life and trying to figure out some better systems. While a “kit” might work in some cases, and even in some ways I hadn’t thought of before, some trouble areas in our life just need better systems.

So, I am still working through all the parts of life that I can fit into this category–have suggestions? Areas you struggle with? Please leave them at the bottom of the post. I wish I could say I thought I would have some life-changing solutions to some of the big ones–like organizing pictures (the bane of my existence) or cleaning the house–but getting a grip on the small things may make more time for the bigger things, right?

So, I debated over the several projects I jumped into this week and with school starting, the homework boxes I made seemed to be a good as any place to start.

My kids still need oversight with their homework, so they work right at our kitchen table, and we have had nights of tired meltdowns when the lack of a readily available pencil sharpener was just too much to handle on top of 20 waiting math problems. So I created not one, but two homework boxes.

{Sharing? Why borrow trouble! Each of my boys got their own box.}

The boxes are filled with a ruler, a pencil sharpener, plenty of extra pencils, crayons/markers, scissors, tape, and erasers. I grabbed everything at Target during the back to school sale. I also made a new folder for all the classroom papers regarding homework, like weekly spelling words, so we won’t have to track them down each night. I want them to learn to manage their own work, and have all the supplies they might need so they can function independently. Since these boxes are portable, if a quieter spot is needed then the kitchen table, the box can just be taken along. In the meantime, my new kitchen hutch has the perfect little spot to tuck them away when they are not needed.

I have also spent time this week organizing mealtime, meal planning and my food shopping. I can honestly say that while this overhaul has been in the works for longer then 24 hours, it has really made a difference in my life. {In the meantime, see Terry’s In the Kitchen Series HERE which provides meal plans and shopping lists and are such a huge help to me}.

I received this cute fridge calendar as a gift {thanks Caroline!} and its going to be a nice part of my meal planning endeavor.

Also on my list are topics like the morning rush/lunchboxes, cleaning, managing activities, school paperwork, the holidays (that’s the big one!)… my list is still growing. Feel free to chime in, I don’t profess to have any better clue then anyone else out there, I am just committed to helping my children (and myself) function better by providing a calmer, organized environment for us all. So, please feel free to make this a Magnolia Lane community effort–leave your tips, comments, problem areas, suggestions, links to posts with solutions, you name it, I can’t wait to see it.

Thanks for stopping by~

Sharing this post at~

Pin It

Posted in General & About Us, Organization, Projects & Printables | Tagged family', homework, Kids, organization, organizing life | 13 Comments

Easy {and Cheap!!} Kids’ Summer Craft: Bandana Flip Flops

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Christy

My favorite kind of tutorial is the kind that’s only one or two steps long…and this craft fits the bill. You can pretty much look at the picture and figure it out! And, best of all, this is a craft that middle to upper elementary school girls can do on their own with minimal assist from mom.

Thanks to my dear friend, Andrea, who introduced me to these cute flip flops years ago.

Gather your supplies:

1. A pair of rubber flip flops in the appropriate size (ours were $1.99 at Hobby Lobby, although they go on 50% off sale every few weeks if you want to buy them even cheaper).

2. A bandana (or two, or three) in your choice of colors (ours were $0.99 at Hobby Lobby and, again, they go on sale every few weeks). We chose red and blue to go with a swimsuit my daughter has…and of course, for the 4th of July.

3. Fabric scissors (or pinking shears if you want to jazz them up a little more).

Now, cut your bandana into strips that are about 6″ long. The width can be 1/2″ to about 3/4″, depending on your preference. Obviously, the thinner the strips, the more you’ll need. 6″ is the right length to be able to tie them in a double knot, which is essential, otherwise the bandana strips fall off with activity.

Knot the strips on the flip flop straps, double knotting and pulling them tight. Alternate colors according to your color scheme. I have also used thin ribbon to do this project, but if it’s too “slippery” then you can’t tie a tight knot. It does give you endless options for customizing your flip flops, though.

The last step is to wear and enjoy! Since a single bandana will make several pairs, this is a great project for a sleepover or birthday party, or even for a Daisy or Brownie troop. We’ve also given a pair as a sweet, and inexpensive, birthday present. Big girls wear them, too–one year I made a couple of dozen for some of the military ladies I volunteer with, as a thank you gift. Maybe a teacher would like them in a tote bag as an end-of-year gift? The possibilities are endless. Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by.

Pin It

Posted in Children's Activities, Crafts, Projects & Printables | Tagged bandana, Craft, embellished, flip flops, girls, Kids, ribbon, tutorial | 1 Comment

Kids’ Learning Center Reveal

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Terry

I am so excited to reveal our Kids’ Learning Center as “Part 1″ of my Basement Office/Kids’ Learning Center/Craft Station Makeover. As some of you may recall, the gals at 11 Magnolia Lane listed out our 2012 Home Goals earlier this year and I am thrilled to mark this off the list. I guess I cannot mark it completely off my list at I am still working through the details on My Office (Part 2) and the Craft Station (Part 3) but that just gives us something to look forward to . We really have come so far, check out what our basement used to look like (you can see more here).

Basement prior to installation

My husband and I couldn’t be happier with how the built-in desks and shelving turned out. Our contractor went above and beyond our expectations with the fancy sliding drawers that even close on their own. What a treat to have such quiet (and distraction-free) cabinetry.

Both our children have their own desk space for homework and projects. I personalized their space with their initials, photos and artwork. I love using their art to decorate my home. I think it is so important for kids to see their creative works on display, plus it adds some much needed color in this particular space.

I love the touch of green and the personalize art to add some color to our kids educational center

Pretty open shelving and I just love the work station sconces I found at Lowes.

We were on a serious budget with our remodel as we have two other expensive projects that we are trying to finalize prior to 2013 (check out our 2012 goals here). One of the main reasons we decided to do open shelving was to save money, with the hope of upgrading to cabinets next year. I have to say, I LOVE the open shelving and I cannot imagine changing them out now. These were custom-made by our contractor and I adore the style and design.

Pretty open shelving with work station sconces from Lowes.

I love the touch of green and how the personalized art adds some color to our kids educational center

My hubby’s main concern with open shelving was organization and clutter, which I can understand. It is hard to keep open shelving looking tidy without the proper storage containers and bins. I had to be very budget conscious with the project, so IKEA was my first stop, and I was lucky enough to have Amy shopping by my side for all my decorating dilemmas

The chairs and the storage boxes are all from IKEA. I am loving the chairs, even though it is not the dreamy designer chair I initially wanted. These are functional, adjustable, reasonably priced at $39 per chair, and simply perfect for our space. The storage boxes are also reasonable in cost, but they do take a bit of time to assemble. Once I figured out the instructions, it went pretty quickly. I love the black and white color scheme and IKEA really had lot of storage pieces to choose from. The black boxes are my favorite as they are heavy duty and have a fabric-like texture. I definitely feel so organized and tidy in our new space, which gives me such peace.

IKEA storage boxes, and tin containers for paint brushes and pencils

They jars were actually sprinkle containers that I repurposed for supplies

Kitchen utensil holders and jars are the perfet solution for color pencils and crayons, a must have in any kid space

I loved the idea of having a message board for each station so I found these great pieces of art from the local Salvation Army. I simply covered up the shoe & purse design with chalkboard paint and I love the final result–especially the green chalk initial. I ended up loving the black and white newspaper border and decided to keep as I thought it made the overall design more interesting.

Art I found at the local Salvation Army

Here is the final product…

Repurposed art turned into a chalkboard for our kids educational center

This is my favorite picture because my boys really love their new learning center. My youngest is heading to kindergarten next year which is breaking my heart but look at him work… I think he will be ready, don’t you?

Here is “L” hard at work writing his first and last name. Kindergarten here we come!!

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for your sweet comments about my son’s 7th camping themed birthday celebration. I am excited to announce the two winners for our Simone Made It Party Printables Giveway:

The winner is comment #4

Nicolle J. (who said)

“What a great party, Terry! Love all the details!
I would love some printables for my daughter’s November, election day, birthday. School is out that day and she has already decided that she’d like to have a Patriotic/Election themed party complete with a mock election.”

AND

The other winner is comment #8

Judiq (who said)

“I love that you even had logs around to have cut into cake stands.
Just celebrated my youngest son’s 18th birthday… no party…we treated him and a friend to a concert he really wanted to go that fell on his birthday. Now 18 is one that really takes your breath away and sets the waterworks flowing! Beautiful party..cupcakes look great!”

Thank you both for the kind words and I do hope you swing back and share how your next event(s) turn out.

Click below to follow us on Facebook~

Sharing this post at~

Best DIY Projects of 2012 Party at Southern Hospitality

Posted in Before and After, Home Inspiration, Home Tours, Office, Organization | Tagged area, basement, homework, Ikea, Kids, Office, open shelving, redo, room, study, work | 18 Comments

Easy, Sanity-Saving Craft Idea: We Can/Can’t Play Door Hanger

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Christy

{Enter our current giveaway for a printable party package HERE}

A few weeks ago, I went on a personal mission to find a cute door sign that would easily telegraph to the neighborhood kiddos whether my two were available (or not) to play. Some days it’s just easier to hang up the sign than to answer the door multiple times, right?

Remembering that I used to have a darling door sign when my kids were little that warned visitors away from ringing the doorbell while Baby was sleeping, I told Amy what I was looking for in regards to play time and asked her if we could put our heads together and create a cute sign. But, as sometimes happens, before we could get to work, I found the perfect sign at Positively Splendid and figured, why reinvent the wheel when I can just follow a tutorial? I loved what Amy (Positively Splendid’s Amy, not our Amy ) had done with the idea, as well as the colors she chose. Please head on over by clicking {here} and let her know that I sent you! Here’s what she came up with:

How cute is that? Don’t you just love the Tiffany blue paint combined with the black and white striped ribbon? Can you see why I chucked the idea of coming up with my own concept and just followed her easy tutorial? I got to work right away because I had everything I needed in the house already to make this project. Here’s what I did:

1. I painted wooden plaques I had from the craft store (they were 80 cents apiece). I used regular acrylic paint and did two in robin’s egg blue and one in light green. I’m going to do hot pink next time!

2. I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out chalkboard contact paper for the sign. I used chalkboard contact paper because I had scraps of it left from my North Carolina pantry makeover. Silhouette makes chalkboard vinyl, which I’ll be buying and using from here on out, but the contact paper worked perfectly. I just used the cutting mat because I had only a few small scraps left. If you don’t have a Silhouette or other craft cutter, why not use chalkboard paint (spray or brush-on) to paint your sign? You can use tape to tape off the edges and do those in a bright color; or, chalkboard paint now comes in some gorgeous shades!

3. I screwed a small ring hanger on the back of each plaque (eye screws would work, too, but I just used what I had) to hold the ribbon.

4. Using the Silhouette again, I cut out the words “We” and “Play” from white vinyl. I used the free font “Boyz R Gross” and I love how playful it looks. I like Amy’s idea of using a white chalkboard marker (or chalk) to write “Can” or “Can’t” in the middle, but you could certainly write the entire message out with chalk, and that way you could use the sign for other things (like “We’re Around Back” or “Shh…Baby Sleeping!”).

5. I cut a length of 2″ ribbon and fashioned a loop and bow. I have a ribbon addiction so I had lots to choose from, but I just loved Amy’s black, white, and blue color combination so I made mine out of those shades. The green one I gave to a friend as a little birthday gift, and I gave another one to my neighbor (so my kids know when to stay away from her house, too!). So cute and easy–and inexpensive! Amy, thanks for the great idea–we all need one of these before summer!

Thanks for stopping by!

Pin It

Posted in Children's Activities, Crafts, Projects & Printables | Tagged can, can't, chalkboard, door, front, hanger, Kids, play, project, sign, tutorial | 4 Comments

Letters to Santa

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Amy

My kids have already written (and rewritten) their Christmas lists, but this weekend I will make them sit down and write their official “letter” to Santa Claus. This is a great tradition in our house, as my husband won’t stand for the standard “list” of toy requests, but instead expects a full recap of their behavior written for the year first. These make treasured collectibles, we have some pretty funny letters in our collection–we make a copy, of course, before they are posted to the North Pole!

So, this year I made up a cute letter to use. It would have been great to have done this years ago but we’ll start now. Please feel free to download and use for yourself, and your kids.

Just click below to download this letter to print!

dear santa letter

What is on your wish list this year?

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway going on this week for a set of green & red polka dot Christmas Pillows. They are a great decor accent to any home! (and a $50 value!).