Well, I thought I should honor that and post and update today. Don't worry, I'm not going to post a giant list again with two things crossed off. I've updated the list and will share my progress only. Looking at what's done is much nicer anyway.
So here we go.
First up is my home office. My new Ikea Helmer units, that I got as a Christmas present from my mother in law, are now home to countless craft materials and I have three drawers dedicated to sewing supplies. Still no solution for the fabric stash, but we agreed we're focussing on the good things, right? Right. So the good news is I can now just turn on my sewing machine and have supplies like measuring tape, pins and thread within easy reach. Loooove it. Much nicer than having to drag it all out from the hallway closet!
One day I also grabbed a couple of nails and big brother's (!) wooden hammer and hung a few pieces above my desk. I'm sure there's a much more professional way of doing it, but at this point I prefer wooden hammers, eyeballing it and just getting it done to it sitting on my list any longer. I hung two of Heather's gorgeous cat prints , a small painting that my mom got as a gift when she was young and that somehow survived all those moves and purgings, a woven something that I liked the shape of but have forgotten where it came from or what it was supposed to be used for (some sort of packaging I suspect), and little brother's foot and hand prints that he did in Kindergarten. The I stuck two owl wall stickers that my love got me Christmas (we're talking 2010 here, mind you. They can be found here, btw) to one side of the shelf, stepped back and felt immensely pleased with myself.
On to the kids' rooms. Once I managed to get big brother's hammer and a box of nails out of the shed without being struck by a tower of stuff collapsing on me, I figured I could just as well make the most of it. So while the kids played peacefully (well, as peaceful as an almost-three-year-old will play without a nap), I scanned a few pages of little brother's favorite book. It's ancient - I remember reading this as a kid. My German readers might remember the little nameless boy who badly wants an elephant whom he will call Theodor? Anyhow, little brother helped me select the pages he liked best and we printed three double pages on one sheet of paper and framed it in a simple (and lightweight non-glass ) frame. Then we framed another two of Heather's cats and the boys helped me find the perfect spots above their beds for their new art.
While I was at it, I finally made simple templates one morning, printed them out, traced onto cardboard and wrapped red yarn leftover from Greta's wreath (you should've see me squeal, hop up and down and turn as red as the yarn when she posted that!) around them.
I've seen this on a blog. It looked great. One of those ideas you pin, bookmark and/or file because it looks simple enough to copy. Well, turns out I should have named my kids Oliver and Bruno maybe. But nothing that starts with an M or an H. Ugh. One of those things I should have thought through all the way. Because you can't just wrap these letters, no, you have to figure out a way to get to all sides and around all corners. Hmmm... In the end it worked out somehow. It's not perfect and far from something to post a tutorial about. BUT, you see, I've had the image of these letters wrapped in red yarn and hanging on the walls above their beds in my head for so long now that I didn't really care if they were perfect or not. They're red, the thick yarn is gorgeous and if you don't look closely they're cute. Oh, and I hung them by simply hammering a nail right through the cardboard. So professional.
One day I also grabbed a couple of nails and big brother's (!) wooden hammer and hung a few pieces above my desk. I'm sure there's a much more professional way of doing it, but at this point I prefer wooden hammers, eyeballing it and just getting it done to it sitting on my list any longer. I hung two of Heather's gorgeous cat prints , a small painting that my mom got as a gift when she was young and that somehow survived all those moves and purgings, a woven something that I liked the shape of but have forgotten where it came from or what it was supposed to be used for (some sort of packaging I suspect), and little brother's foot and hand prints that he did in Kindergarten. The I stuck two owl wall stickers that my love got me Christmas (we're talking 2010 here, mind you. They can be found here, btw) to one side of the shelf, stepped back and felt immensely pleased with myself.
On to the kids' rooms. Once I managed to get big brother's hammer and a box of nails out of the shed without being struck by a tower of stuff collapsing on me, I figured I could just as well make the most of it. So while the kids played peacefully (well, as peaceful as an almost-three-year-old will play without a nap), I scanned a few pages of little brother's favorite book. It's ancient - I remember reading this as a kid. My German readers might remember the little nameless boy who badly wants an elephant whom he will call Theodor? Anyhow, little brother helped me select the pages he liked best and we printed three double pages on one sheet of paper and framed it in a simple (and lightweight non-glass ) frame. Then we framed another two of Heather's cats and the boys helped me find the perfect spots above their beds for their new art.
While I was at it, I finally made simple templates one morning, printed them out, traced onto cardboard and wrapped red yarn leftover from Greta's wreath (you should've see me squeal, hop up and down and turn as red as the yarn when she posted that!) around them.
I've seen this on a blog. It looked great. One of those ideas you pin, bookmark and/or file because it looks simple enough to copy. Well, turns out I should have named my kids Oliver and Bruno maybe. But nothing that starts with an M or an H. Ugh. One of those things I should have thought through all the way. Because you can't just wrap these letters, no, you have to figure out a way to get to all sides and around all corners. Hmmm... In the end it worked out somehow. It's not perfect and far from something to post a tutorial about. BUT, you see, I've had the image of these letters wrapped in red yarn and hanging on the walls above their beds in my head for so long now that I didn't really care if they were perfect or not. They're red, the thick yarn is gorgeous and if you don't look closely they're cute. Oh, and I hung them by simply hammering a nail right through the cardboard. So professional.
So that's the update for January. Oh, and my sweet husband oiled the wooden countertops in the kitchen, so that can also be crossed off the list. Yay!
And no, I'm not counting how many more to go. But it felt soooo good to cross them off the list and I smile every time I look at the art above my desk or in the kids rooms.
Cheers,
Swenja
