Etsy Shop

I am so excited to tell you that I have finally made an Etsy shop. :) Here is the link: REArteCR

Go check it out!

Organization = Feeling Good

There is just something about taking a mess and cleaning/organizing it that make me feel so much better. Like I can work in this area, I can find what I need, and I can breath. Anyone out there feel the same?

Before.

After.

Too Many Spools

I have a lot of small spools of thread. I do not use them often, usually to mend something, which is nice to have a lot of options when trying to match the thread to a specific fabric. The best way I have found to store all my spools is by color and in these cute jam jars. My project this week was to paint the tops to make them easier to find in my box of spools.

This is my gray jar :)

Before this project, I had to put them upside down to easily find the color I was looking for. But I didn't like it that way, It looks cluttered. 

Here is a picture of the tops, you can see how it would be hard to find the color you were looking for. 

So I started painting, I started with the white and black. 

I found out quick that I needed to put a base coat of either white to hide the design that was already on the tops then paint them. I used an assortment of acrylic paint (some Van Gogh, Basics, and a few other random brands).

Once they were all painted the colors I wanted I used Krylon Crystal Clear, an acrylic gloss spray. This will help protect them, keep the paint from falling off, and give them a glossy look. 

Then I waited a few hours for them to dry. 

Once they were dry I put them on my jars and back into their box. Looks way cleaner and organized. :)

Love them!

Handmade Cards!

Greetings!

There is just something about making a card yourself and sending it to someone that makes it so much more special. :) I love to make cards: birthday cards, thank you cards, christmas cards... all of them. My cards are often simple and I use all kinds of things, from stickers, to wrapping paper, to stamps, I use anything and everything. Here are a few that I made this week.

A thank you card

Happy Birthday (outside)

Happy Birthday (inside)

Thank You

Thank you (outside)

Thank you (inside)

Family Tree

This is not your typical family tree. This is a tree with leaves made up of circles decorated by my art students and is displayed on the window of my art class room. Each circle represents a student and together we make up a tree. A tree that delights and studies the word, is firmly planted, and prospers because of it. I am proud of my students and enjoy watching them grow in their faith.

"Blessed is the family who delights in the word and who study it day and night. They shall be like a tree firmly planted ready to bring fruit in season and everything they do shall prosper!"

Psalm 1

Lets walk the dogs!

I finally finished and I am so excited about this project and to be able to put it to use!

First, I cut the wood the size I wanted it. Then I found some random nobs and a handle and screwed them in. Then the really hard part, I looked up some silhouettes of a schnauzer and a bulldog (to represent Barry and Apolo) and drew them on. Then picked a font and drew that on too. 

Then came the fun part, painting! 

All finished and ready to hang. 

Measured and hung.

Finally, I added the leashes and their bowl. Finished!

More Buttons Please!

Hello again! It has been a long 2 weeks (Costa Rica's Mothers Day, my husbands Birthday, and food poisoning...) Some great times and some horrible times, but I am back.

The Perfect Button Storage!!!

What do you do with all those buttons? I have tried several different ways of storing buttons... I have stored them all in the same container (which is fine if you don't have many buttons, but the more you get the more difficult it is to find what you are looking for). I tried storing them in jars and containers but I didn't like having to dump everything out to find what I was looking for. Nothing seamed to satisfy my need for convenience and easy storage. So that is when I decided to create the button book:

First I made the cover. Then attached the button and elastic loop.

The pages are made up of 12 strong zip lock bags.

 I sewed the bottoms of the zip lock backs down with a strip of the same fabric I used on the outside. That way the zip lock bags turn like pages of a book and you can see the buttons you have all at once.

Well there you have it, the perfect way to store your buttons, the button book! :)