Archive for Paper
Cookie Sheet Message Center
Posted by: | CommentsWhat do you do with your old cookie sheets that are no longer fit for baking? Make a message center. This is actually great timing for the start of the school year. Take any old sheets you might have and create a message center to post school menus or school calendars. I made a couple for my hallway by covering the sheet with cute wrapping paper and then using some adorable magnets. Here are some other fabulous ideas:
Love the matching pen/pencil cup
So Clever – pizza pan with the round magnetic cups
Label It and Keep It Fresh…. or Cute
Posted by: | CommentsGrilling season is in full swing and my freezer fills with chicken, burgers and other meat ready for a little sizzle. I’m usually in a hurry when I return from the grocery so I need labels that are handy and easy to use so that I can prep the meat for the freezer and mark the date.
I love these easy labels from Martha Stewart. It is as simple as writing the contents and circling the date. Just print the labels on adhesive backed paper, print and cut. You can keep them right on the fridge in a cute little magnetic bin from the Container Store.
Summer is also a time of projects, travel and falling out of routine. Having some easy to use labels handy can help keep some of the chaos under control.
Better Homes and Gardens has a number of cute and customizable labels. You must register on the site to download them but it was quick and painless. Simply fill in the information and then print on adhesive backed paper, or print a blank sheet and write as you go.
I recently picked up a couple packs of Treasures labels by Shabby Chic at Michaels to label bins in my Girls’ room. They are incredibly inexpensive and so cute. I’ve used them to label bins of undergarments and socks.
Freezer Labels From Martha Stewart
BHG Free Printables
Perfectly Savvy Finds – SMASH Journal
Posted by: | CommentsI LOVE this Savvy Find. My daughter is attending a birthday party this weekend and so I was out on the hunt for a creative gift. I went to our local Paper Source and stumbled upon the SMASH journal. It is the perfect journal to quickly contain thoughts, dreams and summer activity. While this gift will certainly be loved by the 8 year old recipient, I’m thinking that I want one too!!! Here is a sweet video that give examples of what can be done with the journal. Have a great weekend!
Organizing Art Supplies
Posted by: | CommentsI wrote a post last week about Organizing Art Projects that kids bring home from school. Now that school is out for the summer you’ll need a way to keep all of little Frida Kahlo’s supplies in order around the house. My greatest piece of advice is to limit options. Give your child 10 markers instead of 50. Consider 4 colors of Play Doh instead of 10. A wonderful creation can come from a box of 25 crayons…you get the point. If children are given too many options then they can become overwhelmed and the focus is no longer on creating, but on navigating all of the supplies.
I give my kids a variety of options, but in limited amounts. For example, I created a toolbox bead kit with various choices and then I replenish or fill their toolkit as needed. This allows my girls to have plenty of options for beading without becoming overwhelmed or creating more mess than jewelry. It also helps to cut down on the cleanup time and that equals less frustration for mom and kids.
I have a few more ideas for you below for containing artwork clutter. You can also refer to my previous posts for more ideas on how to organize art supplies including some out of the box ideas, learning to edit with a small art caddy and the Tell Tale Tote.
Here is a great way to store paper
Source: re-nest.com via Kristin on Pinterest
Paper, pens, brushes – everything in one place
Source: amazon.com via Kristin on Pinterest
Small portable art station – for outside???
Source: amazon.com via Kristin on Pinterest
5 Ideas to Organize Art Projects
Posted by: | CommentsThe end of the school year has arrived and it is now time to catalog and organize all of the art projects from the last year. While it is impossible and impractical to save everything your kids have created, it is a good idea to keep some projects to remember the year. Here are 5 ideas to organize children’s art projects;
1. Go digital – Take digital photos or scan each child’s artwork and create an online scrapbook. You can take it a step further and create a poster or photo-book to remember the year.
2. Keep a portfolio – I actually use a combination of digital and portfolio. I keep one portfolio for each of my girls and during the year we keep a few art projects in each. At the end of the year we weed through them together and I then take photos of what we decide to keep.
3. Keep a rotating exhibit – As children create art during the year, display it in clear sleeves and then rotate it out. You can capture the display digitally and then recycle or save the really masterful pieces. There is a great example of this on Tutus and Turtles.
4. Pizza Box – A pizza box is the perfect size for keeping artwork and it is utilizing something that might otherwise get tossed. The boxes are thin and stack easily. Limit each child to one pizza box of artwork each year.
5. Recycle the paper- My girls come home with a ton of paper projects that only use one side of an 8.5 x 11 sized paper. We hole punch the paper and put it in a 3 ring binder. This way they will have a mountain of scrap paper to utilize all summer for drawing, writing and creating.
As always – a few photos for inspiration!
Source: jengrantmorris.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest
Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Steph at on Pinterest
Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Steph at on Pinterest
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
Posted by: | CommentsI love Mother’s Day. In my home it is not about lavish gifts or expensive jewelry. It is all about what the kids, (and my hubby) come up with as a simple and handmade surprise. The proud look on my girls’ faces when they present their creation is priceless and THAT is what Mother’s Day is about for me.
My husband can’t cook….at all. Last year my breakfast in bed consisted of Dunkin Donuts, coffee, fruit and cereal. The girls were so excited, so I ate all that sugar and washed it down with all that caffeine and it couldn’t have been more wonderful. My gift was paper flowers that they made from a Paper Source kit and they put them in a beautiful vase. The flowers are still displayed, that’s how much it meant. Actually, the best part was listening to all of them giggle as they assembled the flowers in the next room.
I have a few low budget and simple ideas for you below. Some are handmade ideas and some are fun things to purchase. Remember to keep it thoughtful and let the kids gets get involved. For more ideas please visit my Mother’s Day board on Pinterest.
DIY Vases
Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Kristin on Pinterest
Name Stones
Make your own sachet
I love this tote bag idea from Martha Stewart
Source: marthastewart.com via Kristin on Pinterest
Adorable key chain pouch from Waterstone Jewlery – Honey, are you reading this??
Clipboard fun
Posted by: | CommentsHi all,
I am a HUGE fan of clipboards. They are so versatile and a great way to keep information organized and easy to access. I utilize them in my office to organize receipts and keep papers that I need to complete for my kids.
I wanted an inexpensive way to make my plain Office Depot clipboards fun and pretty. I went to the local Paper Source, (beautiful stationary supplies plus unique gift ideas) and purchased some high end, pretty wrapping paper. I then cut pieces to fit the clipboards and taped along the back. The result is an inexpensive and pretty highlight on my wall. It would make a cute gift as well.
Let me know what you think.
The Tell-Tale Tote
Posted by: | CommentsMy six year old LOVES to make books. She creates one every day and they end up all over my house. My dilemma was that I wanted to foster her creative spirit without creating clutter. I want to share our solution with all of you because I really love the outcome and I thought it would make a creative and inexpensive gift for the holidays.
We have a small home and I wanted her to have a portable station so that she could work on her books in different rooms. I also wanted her to learn how to organize her creations on her own and be able to edit what to keep versus what to “recycle.”
I purchased a portable filing tote (Real Simple tote found at Target) and stocked it with:
• paper
• pens, pencils, crayons, and markers
• a stapler (to finish the books)
• a journal for extra creative bursts
• Silly Starters (a fun brainstorming tool for starting stories)
Files are tabbed:
• “Plain Paper”
• “Works in Progress” and
• “Finished Books”
Once the file for finished books is full, she has to decide what to keep and what to recycle.
There is plenty of room in the tote for her to add a file with stickers or other things that she’d like to include in her books.
She loves the portable writing station and it has definitely eliminated abandoned writing projects around the house. I really feel like this process will make it easier for her to let go of artwork and various projects so that they won’t accumulate. I’m giving her the power to decide what she’d like to keep and what she is ready to release – let’s see what happens…
