Cleaning up the Cards

I've disappeared again, haven't I? I have been feeling so buried by life. And it's my own doing. And sadly, it's not life as in activities, volunteering, etc. (though I have done some of those too). It's my mess and my lack of finishing projects. Every once in awhile I swear I have ADD. Not the bouncing off your seat kind, but specifically ADHD-I (because the term ADD is actually outdated). Can you tell I've done my research? Basically, to sum it up unscientifically, I'm calm and quiet, but I cannot focus on tasks very well. I'm not saying I actually have it, but it all sounds so familiar when I read the symptoms and attributes of those who do have it. 

I WANT to multi-task, but I shouldn't really because then I get only a morsel of 10 things done and the resulting mess from started projects is all over my house. I have literally dozens of tabs open on my window browser at once. I have so much to work on that I get nervous about it (weird, I know) and don't know where to begin.

Thankfully I'm not always like this. It's just when I feel particularly buried. Which is right now. It's the switching out seasons and sizes of clothes time. Getting rid of maternity clothes and baby clothes. Trying to keep up on laundry for 6 people. Trying to make sure we have good tasting and healthy meals every night. Trying to be a fun mom while still doing my projects (my family blog is still not caught up from Christmas). And don't even get me starting on cleaning! I love to think and love new ideas and my mind goes crazy just wanting to to them all, but then it gets so filled with that, that I do so very few of those things I get excited to try out.

Ahhh, it's nice to have that out. (And for the record, as I type this I am thinking about about 15 other things I should/could be doing.)

 My latest project has been scanning papers. I hate papers and am a total paper junkie. It's a problem. I love the idea of having less of everything, with paper junk high on that list. I'm making progress, but the project has taken over my living room. I set up our laptop and scanner in there to be able to be by the kids, have more room to spread out, and leave the desktop computer available for my husband to play Civilization at night.

I'm a sentimental sap and I like having physical reminders of memories and moments in time. I used to scrapbook until I just got way too far behind.Several years ago I asked a very organized friend what she did with old Christmas cards and things like that. Despite being a minimalist, she also preferred to keep her cards versus just tossing them out. Her solution was to punch holes in them and put them in 3-ring binders. I've seen similar ideas in the last year or so on Pinterest. Such as this and this. My binder worked for awhile, until it wasn't caught up anymore and I had stacks of cards around. I decided I just wanted to end all the paper stuff and came up with a genius plan. (Is that okay to say one of your own ideas is genius?)

So I made a private blog! I am the only person who has access to this. I scan the cards, create a post for it, categorize it based on whether it was was a wedding announcement, thank you card, Christmas card, etc. I also label whether it was from family or friends. On the thank you cards that match up with something I made for that person, I also add a picture of the item. Or, if it is a wedding invite, I add a photo from the special day. Doing this has given me peace of mind that I can be sentimental and not keep all the actual crap. The blog is super organized and I try to post-date everything so it serves as a timeline of the events. I love it. Now I need to get back to scanning so my family can have the front room back.

(Also scanning kid papers, which is a whole other project that I am far behind on!)

Today...and the Rest of the Month

I have two blogs I want to tell you about that I think are just fantastic and make me feel great and inspired (not that jealous/not doing enough feeling blog sometimes do). I will get to that later (hopefully today, but you know me...). 

Instead I was just letting you know that this weekend I am going to try out a few things I have pinned (either by finding myself or seeing on Pinterest first) and I will let you know how they all went.

from The Idea Room

First up, as in as soon as I get off the computer, I will be making these. My old co-worker/friend said they were good and I trust her judgement.

from The Fabled Needle

Also on the to-do list is to be brave enough to make a dress for myself. The bravery is more about how I don't love how I look in dresses these days! I have the fabric and pattern for this one (I love the gray stripes she used, but my fabric is just gray), so it's just a matter of finding a spot big enough in the house to lay it all out. (Oh, and I bought a downloadable pattern online here since it is no longer in print and to buy a regular copy on ebay, etc is super expensive. Unfortunately it means I have to tape all the pieces together which adds to the time. Maybe I should call this a sometimes this week, not weekend project.)

Calypso St Barth dress

I love this dress and think it would be great for summer. I have a tunic pattern I can lengthen to make something similar. I need to hunt down some fabric first though.

from Fave Crafts

Ok, now I can tell I'm just making a list of things I want to make next, because clearly at this point, I couldn't manage all of this in a weekend, and unless I become someone else, not in a week. So let's call it a list for this month! I don't sew for my daughter nearly enough. When I just had boys I thought how awesome it would be to have a girl to sew for and now I have one and I just hit up Target or the thrift store or the amazing hand-me-downs that others have so generously given me. Anyway, this one is made from a pillow case. I don't even have a pillow case to use yet.

from Heaps of Laundry

I want to make one of these small carrying cases (this was actually made by my sister) and use to to put some "busy bag" things in for my littlest. Again, don't have the supplies yet. I have some of the busy bag supplies all ready to go though!

I love cuffs and still want a brown one. I'm not sure on exactly what style yet - it will depend if I use and old belt or new leather. I think I want texture, but not too much other stuff. I plan on using this tutorial for help, though without the massive flowers.)

from Juggling with Kids

And lastly, I think I should mix some of this cloud "dough" up. We have an empty bin right now that used to house their water beads and I think they would love it. Plus, it's been rainy so laying in the sand pile hasn't really been much of an option the past couple of days.
I think this is a manageable list for the rest of the month. I'll have to focus, but I always feel better when I do, not just get ideas.

Cubes of Citrus

I LOVE Mountain Dew (well, diet Dew). In the past year I drank way more than one should, so I cut myself off a couple of weeks ago. I have been drinking more water (yea me!) and I thought I'd like it more if sometimes I had some variety to it. I saw a friend pin this idea and I figured out how to solve my boring water problem on a smaller scale.

I don't know about you, but I don't usually buy lemons and limes and keep them stocked just for water. So, when I had some the other day that never quite made it into the recipe I had planned, I tried out my idea. I cut an orange, lime, and lemon up into chunks and filled some ice cube trays with the pieces. 

I added some water and put the trays in the freezer until they were solid. All my cubes went into a plastic bag. 

 

Now I can have just a touch of citrus in my water whenever my little heart desires (or my stock runs out). And don't mind the floaties - it's just pulp!

Magazine Sort

Ever get behind on reading your magazine subscriptions?

Or maybe you didn't pass up enough good deals on them? That's me.

And even though I have been going through the magazines to get them gone, I'm still an idea collector, a ripper and saver. And then I staple, sort and file, and sadly never usually use the ideas or look at them again. Well, except recipes.

One thing that has helped me reduce the piles of madness - a notebook. Instead of saving entire pages just for a website or interesting looking book title, I jot them all down in the same notebook. That way I feel like the idea is saved, but unlike the entire magazine or my file folders, it takes up just a tiny line on a piece of paper. And as I look at the links, try the ideas, or check the books out from the library, I can cross them off my list.

As for the rest of the magazine? A great way to keep the kiddos occupied while I sew.

Blogs I Like and My To-Do List

I mentioned the other day that I found too many more blogs to look at and get ideas from. I cleaned out a few old ones that don't really apply to my life and added a few new ones to my Google Reader.

Some "new to me" blogs that are just full of fun great projects:

I am Momma, Hear Me Roar!

 There are a LOT of projects on this site that I could post, mostly involving revamping t-shirts into something less plain. The main idea I am excited about amazingly is something I read in Family Fun magazine a while back and did not file into my brain. As I was telling my sister that she would love to make these bleach pen shirts she reminded me that it had been in the magazine too. I love the combos she does of bleach pen, fabric paint and on this one even washers! So, I have a shirt or two purchased just for this on my to-do list.

Every Crafty Endeavor

From this site I have already shown an idea I liked using washers for necklaces (and have made, but not posted still!) In addition to that, I like this jazzed up version and would like to make one.

Crap I've Made

 

If the title of the blog alone isn't enough to like it, then the ideas within certainly are. I was lead here via UCreate (which I had also never visited before) for a tutorial for butt ruffles on onesies. Although I have made a couple (to be posted later), they are still on my to-do list for my own unborn baby girl.

 A Girl and a Glue Gun

 This project is on my to-do list. In fact, I actually bought a suitcase this week for $3 and plan to just use fabric I already have.A suitcase for dress-ups. If you click on the link you'll see how fun the outside is, and she made a girl version too. And there are lots of other great ideas on this site as well.

Welcome to the Good Life

This girl is so cute (and tiny!) and does the most amazing refashioning. I have seen this project show up on several blogs, but I just needed to add it to mine because I think it is so cute. Inspired by this dress she transforms, on my to-do list is doing a little reworking on a red gingham maternity shirt that I have. So, look for that in the future, but don't hold your breath!

Adventures in Dressmaking

I liked the idea of "dressmaking" alone as I first saw this blog. I have had love/hate relationships with dresses throughout my life and have been leaning towards love the last few years, but have had that horrid mom tummy that doesn't go away for some of us so I haven't been comfortable wearing dresses (yeah, I eat super healthy and exercise all the time, so it's not because of that...or something). Anyway, there are also lots of ideas on ruffling up t-shirts. There are tons of ideas out there and I love to look at all of them. I just made my first one the other day (again, a post waiting to happen) and it was fun. Here's one of many she has on her site.

  Sutton Grace

 I don't remember how I got there, but it was a link showing the puzzle bags below. It's a fun way to store them. I have read about the space reducing ways of taking games (and in this case puzzles) out of their boxes, but I just can't. Kind of like how I like having CD liner notes instead of just the music. There's nothing specific on the site that I want to make yet, but I liked the blog enough to add it to my Reader for now.

Those are just the new blogs I like. There are loads of old ones. I think my all time favorite is:

Make it and Love it

She comes up with such fun and amazing ideas all the time. Some recent favorites are the interchangeable flip-flops, booties for baby boys, simple headbands (which someday when I chop my hair I will love to wear again. Headbands look weird with my super duper long hair.). There is so much more - and not just sewing but decorating ideas, yummy looking recipes, etc. Totally love this blog. Like I said, it's my favorite. On my to-do list are these simple stuffed animals. I intended on making them to sell as part of our fundraiser for the Great Strides walk for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, but I am not going to get them done in time. Bummer.

And my all time favorite, the felt Mr. Potato Head. Apparently Hasbro didn't like her idea and asked her to remove the tutorial and pictures, but to those of us who subscribed to the blog via Reader, the old post is still around! Yippee! This means I can still make it at some point.

Another super duper favorite is:

Homemade by Jill

On my to-do list from her blog are a lot of things: a car play mat, a quiet book (something that has been on my list long before I found her site - in fact that is how I found her site, by searching for quiet book ideas - another great one here), and a cover for my Kitchenaid Mixer. My mom made us an awesome playhouse to go over a card table and I was excited when I saw Jill's version. It re-made me want to make one.a  to go over a card table.

 

  

Nanny Goat

 Now that I have a nice camera (that I really don't know how to use and have sat down to figure it out yet), making a camera strap is a practical idea. There are a lot of tutorials out there, but I had this one saved for when I get around to it.

There are a ton of other blogs I read regularly (and I will update my list on the sidebar some day), but don't really have specific in ideas to make from them. There are also a few other blogs I don't read regularly, but have found some items to make that I bookmarked for later.

This necklace featured on Samster Mommy. Not sure what color I'd do, but I like the idea.

Here were just some general ideas/color combos on shirts that I wanted to use for reference from Lex at My Momma Made it. I like the stripes. 

Not a craft per say, but still a project. I saw this "chore chart" on Make It Sparkly (via Every Crafty Endeavor) and thought it was a great idea. I have my own variation in my head, it just needs to go from my to-do list to my done list (and maybe my kids will be better helpers?!)

This sweet portable soft "high chair" from This Mama Makes Stuff is such a great idea. Our booster seat/high chair is pretty portable on its own, but I still think this idea is good enough that I want to make one. There is also a version on Homemade by Jill)

There are other things that I have wanted to make for a long time but haven't yet. I have supplies for crayon rolls,  felt boards (which I have sort of made some already), picture collages (I still have my own artwork from when I was a kid), a cute way to keep-without-keeping old childhood clothes (or your baby's clothes), and Scrabble tile pendants.

How about you? Is your "to-do list" just as long? What kind of projects do you like best? We'll see how many of these I can tackle and how many I avoid! If nothing else, I hope you find something that inspires you. There are SO MANY talented people out there!

Strong Hands?

My husband was out of town for over a week for a trade show recently. Even though I like to be independent I certainly missed him while he was gone, and the small things that he can do easier than me - like get things down from the top shelf without a ladder. And even though this trick works just as good as man hands, I still like to ask him to open jars for me. The trick?

Rubber dish-washing gloves. Lid is stuck.

Twist and viola! Open! 

It really is amazing the difference that extra grip makes.

Marie's Material

My neighbor across the street is a very sweet 91 year old lady whom I just don't visit often enough. Marie crochets and tried to teach me. I failed. My fingers just don't work like that. (I also failed around age 10 when my mom tried to teach me.) She has made pretty things for my boys and even crocheted us all matching hats! She knows that I sew, and since she no longer can see well, she offered me her fabric. I only took about half of the stash she got out for me, and apparently there is more.
She mostly quilted and I don't. However, I still thought that I could find something to make out of this fabric - whether for me or to sell. If you have any ideas (not that you can actually see the fabric that well), pass them along. I am thinking maybe table runners out of the Christmas stuff. Marie requested that I show her something I used the fabric for and I don't want to disappoint her!

Spring Shirts

I recently found a sewing blog that I think I am going to really like. It's called Made by Rae and she has recently posted a spring shirt challenge. I have a few patterns that have been gathering dust while they still remain uncut. this is the perfect opportunity to sew myself a shirt or two - and with a deadline, which is always helpful for me!
So, make sure to come back and see what I have made. If I manage to make more than one, maybe you could also help me to decide which to submit to her blog.