Before and After -- Rooster Kitchen Renovation

There was a such a great response to Claire's room "before and after" that I'm going to share our kitchen - an even more dramatic turnabout. I don't want to turn into a decorating blog, but with our house on the market we've been living, breathing and squealing "house, house, house!" Even Claire has been pitching in to clean "afore the real-ladies come by."

Besides -- since I'm my own boss here, I can make the rules, right?! ;-)

Here's the before. We passed a year surrounded by roosters, blue checked (bathroom?) tile and dark brown Formica cabinetry. A new kitchen was out of the question (and out of the budget) but we managed to turn a dark, depressing room into one of my favorite spaces in our house.

You'll notice as you look through the archives we kept the tile for a long time (once the cabinets were white, it was entirely bearable). When we put the house on the market 2 weeks ago we ripped up the tile and put a new formica countertop in. Granite would have been fantastic, but for around $300, the Formica (on clearance!) was cheap, easy and totally changed the room.

All of the paint is "oops" paint from the Home Depot, and yes, I PAINTED the formica cabinets. Automotive primer is a girl's best friend and it was a summer project to remember - lots of fumes, tons of suicidal insects and an unintended "open cabinetry" look that lasted well over 4 months. Such is life!

What do you think? Looks like a whole new room to me! I'm no design star but I'm loving my "new" kitchen and am soooo not sorry to see that nasty grout gone.

Featured Guest: Jen of Paint Cut Paste | Leaf-Print Garden Flags

Please welcome Jen from PaintCutPaste today! She's an art therapist and Mom to a four year old daughter, who seems to love creative expression as much as her mama. Jen's training in art therapy shines through the projects she creates, her blog is full of age-appropriate art experiences and material explorations that inspire confidence in a budding artists and above all else -- fun! Spring is in the air and I'm delighted Jen is sharing a tutorial that can be put to use in our garden. What a great way to celebrate Earth Day!

Creepy Crawly Friends Weave Wondrous Textile

I've blogged before about Claire's love of many-legged critters and how we've observed them (to her grandparents horror) in our glass cake stand for a few days. When I came across this article in Wired Magazine on a spider silk textile project,  I immediately read it with Claire.

Of course I nearly snorted my coffee when I read the line, "Unlike silk worms, which are easy to raise in captivity, spiders have a habit of chomping off each other’s heads when housed together."

Oh. Dear.

What an interesting read about how the industrious folks in Madagascar collected wild golden orb spiders who were "milked" of silk and then released, unharmed, to resume their bug control duty back in the wild.


Of course Claire now wants a million (or twenty-teen) spiders of her own to weave a blanket for huggy bear. If my sister is reading this, I'm sure she's having flashbacks of the time Mom bought me an ant farm and the sleepy, half frozen ants woke up with a vengeance and swarmed the kitchen. Poor Laurie. I do believe she is scarred for life.

Nature is truly wondrous and I'm hoping to make the trip to NYC to check out this amazing textile, I just wish we could touch it!

I love the idea of sharing age-appropriate current events with young children and would love to hear how you incorporate recent news and science developments in your classroom or home!

Check out the article here:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/spider-silk/
Photos above from Wired

A Big Hello to New Readers!

Wow, hello world! Nothing like a few thousand visitors in one day stopping by to say hi!

A lot of new friends have arrived since Marie of Make and Takes wrote about Chalk In My Pocket as one of the "9 kid craft sites you've got to know." I'm unbelievably flattered, and thrilled to be sharing the spotlight with a bunch of my favorite bloggers.

If you're new, you might enjoy these recent crafty posts, they'd be perfect playdate activities, something you could "make and take!" :-)

 

The very popular bathtub puffy paint, guaranteed to get even the most reticent bather happily covered in colorful soap. I can vouch that it didn't stain my marble or grout.

 

Get your nest on! It's early spring (in my hemisphere at least) and the birds are looking for materials to weave into homes. Lend 'em a hand and reap the reward of pink, sparkly nests to observe baby chicks.

Reuse packing peanuts as a sculpting medium. Just add water and they magically stick together. File sorting stickers optional but much recommended for realistic polka-dot snake.

Thanks for stopping by and don't be shy, I love when people leave comments and interact on Facebook!

"Quilting" with Mod Podge and Magnets

Years ago, when my husband’s aunt got wind that I was interested in quilting, a package arrived with bunches of perfectly matched fabric squares, a few “how-to” books and a wonderful children’s book called "The Quiltmaker's Gift.” Well, my sewing machine is still dusty and the squares unsewn, but I’m happy to report we’ve been enjoying some "quilting” on the fridge thanks to magnetic paper, mod podge and fabric. The Quiltmaker's Gift has a page on common quilt squares which we’ve been trying to replicate with our magnet quilt!

The cast of characters for a No-Sew ModPodge Magnetic Quilt:

Mod Podge, Magnet Sheets, Cute Fabric

I’m embarrassed to admit that this is my first time working with ModPodge, it should give you some indication as to how foolproof this craft is. So foolproof that my three year old daughter actually did most of the work:



I started with a generous helping of ModPodge on the magnet sheets. A few dabs on the underside of the fabric helped hold things in place. I’m sure you could just glue the fabric directly to the magnet sheets, but I’m hoping the ModPodge will protect the fabric from some of the kitchen grime that seems to show up on the fridge (please, tell me
it’s not just my fridge that gets spattered with food from across the
room!)


No matter what I seemed to do, a few inevitable bumps showed up.  Perhaps ironing the fabric first would have taken care of this? Too much like work. I just invited Claire to smash the bubbles down with her hand. Yet another reason to craft with a three year old, they love  popping bubbles.



I left an overhang of about quarter of inch around the magnet sheets. This allowed for decent coverage on those pesky corners. They are quick to trim later.



Let everything dry a good 30 minutes before cutting the quilt apart. I used my handy paper
cutter (or guillotine as my husband calls it) to avoid whipping  out a ruler. Trim the long end to 8.5 inches to make a square.



Once you’ve got a square, cut across to make two large triangles.  If you’re using a paper cutter line it up with that 45 degree guide. Handy isn’t it? You’ll wind up with two large triangles.



I found the best way to get perfectly matched pairs of triangles  was to line the point of the triangle slightly past the edge of the cutting area. The more time you spend making careful, precise cuts the
better the pieces are going to fit together later!


Each of the 8.5 inch squares yielded a good number of triangles to  work with (we started with 8 medium and then halved 2 of those again). You could keep cutting them in half but I wanted Claire to be able to handle the pieces easily.


At the moment, there is a nice little quilt square in the center of  our fridge and quite a few “houses” are springing up as well. I love having an activity set up on the fridge. It’s a no-mess way to keep my daughter entertained and the fact that this sneaks in a little mathematical  reasoning is an added bonus. Of course the cheery colors and patterns don’t hurt my kitchen décor!

EDITED TO ADD --

 

I've been receiving frequent emails about where to aquire the 8.5x11 magnet sheets. Check out your local office supply store (tell them you're looking for printable magnet paper) or buy them here on Amazon. You're going through my affiliate link so I'll get a few pennies for craft supplies :)

We are still here :-)

I got three emails from concerned friends in bloggy land this morning all wondering if Claire, Dan or I were sick. Seems I had a good thing going with posting multiple times a week!

No worries, we're all fine - just moving! After flirting with the idea for a few weeks, our real estate agent showed us a house we totally fell in love with so we have raced to ready our home for sale. We've painted nearly every room in the house, installed new trim, renovated both bathrooms and cleaned out seven years worth of clutter from every nook and cranny (but the attic that is, I'm hoping no one dares to look up there).

Does everyone love a good before and after photo or should I avoid becoming a decorating blog? Perhaps I'll just share Claire's room today - mind you it never looks THIS good.

The Before (the day we found our current home)

And here is Claire's room today. We keep a metal bucket of crayons and art supplies on that hook over her table and there were some cute hanging birds over the easel that I need to put back up.

I dislike hanging clothes nearly as much as folding socks so all of Claire's clothes (even dresses) are folded up in the dresser freeing up the closet for a little reading nook.

 

 

Claire wants her stripes to come with her to the new house, and this time I'll be sure to use a level when painting them. Hopefully they're not too wonky for the next people!

Featured Guest : Make. Do. See. Be.

Please give a warm welcome to my first featured guest, Abbe of Make. Do. See. Be. She's a creative mama who whips up the sweetest sewing projects. I love her festive garland tutorial, a great project for young helpers! Be sure to check out her blog, you won't want to miss her DIY busy board filled with goodies from the hardware store.

Hi everyone!  We are a dynamic team of a mama, Abbe aka the big, and a toddler, Augustus aka the little.  Most of our together time is spent outside but living in the woods deep in the heart of New England means long winters inside.  We like to do a variety of creative activities but my true love is to design and sew anything I could get my hands on and most of these projects involve the little sitting upon my lap at my machine.  

Visiting Pets

My neighbor's beagle is an escape artist, and as I understand it, this is not an unusual trait for the breed. Funny thing is, rather than chase down squirrels or roll in roadkill, Buster makes a beeline for our backdoor. I have no clue what keeps him coming back, but I think it might have something to do with the undivided attention of a devoted fan.

And they called it...puppy love

Or maybe it's just the crumbs on the floor and random of bits of food we find through the house. I shared with the Chalk In My Pocket facebook group a funny little exchange with Claire this weekend:

Claire (while holding random pieces of mango) 

"Can you put these in the 'frig-raider' to make them fresh again?"

Ummm...no. And I think we have the answer to why Buster loves your room. Snacking on steak lately kid?

Do your kids have pets of their own or do you "borrow" animals from neighbors like we do?

One {Counting} Pop Up Book to Add to Your Library

Vanessa of Silly Eagle Books recently wrote a post featuring children’s books about art and it got me thinking -- what about books that ARE art?

My local library is a treasure trove of awesome pop up books. I consider many of them superb examples of sculpture, and they are certainly accessible to and engaging for little hands. Due to their delicate nature they are not available for checking out, but our library trips are usually a 3 hour long event -- much of it is spent engrossed in these books.

     

One of the coolest counting books I’ve ever seen, "600 Black Spots" by David Carter is a celebration of color, shape and math. Now being three, Claire is not quite up to the 600th spot in her counting (she stops around eleven-teen which comes after seventeen and in her mind) but she loves hunting down the black spots in all the pages. This book is seriously gorgeous and it would probably be in my library even if I didn’t have kids. Every single page is different and it’s totally wacky and modern.



I’ve got a few more pop up books to share and will do so throughout the week. My original plan was to write an epic post about the coolest pop up books for ABCs and 123s, but we’re racing to get this house on the market and I have lots of painting and spackling to tackle. We’ve even got a few contractors coming in to lend a hand and I totally feel like we’re playing “Designed to Sell” at warp speed! Any staging advice?!



Do you and your children enjoy pop up books? Any favorites to share?

First Flowers of Spring

You’ll have to excuse my light posting of late. My husband and I have been flirting with the idea of listing our house and finally took the plunge and contacted a local relator. We started scouting potential neighborhoods with her and managed to fall in love with a home on a wooded lot right smack in the middle of where we were hoping to move.

In LOVE I tell you!

Anyway, priority number one has been whipping our house into tip-top shape so we’re in a better position to make an offer and (fingers crossed) move into this perfect place.



But enough of the house talk, let’s talk about the next exciting event on the horizon – SPRING! I've been absolutely engrossed in the book Nature for the Very Young: A Handbook of Indoor and Outdoor Activities and I've been bookmarking activity after activity that I'm hoping to try with Claire. Everything is arranged by seasons so I've zipped through to the Spring and Summer section. I wish I had come across this book when I worked for the park service -- managing groups of young children in the woods can be a challenge but there are some great ideas in Marcia Bowden's Book for "classroom management" while exploring the great outdoors with kids.

Inspired by the book, Claire and I set out on a hike to search of the first flowers of spring. If you’re a fan of Chalk In My Pocket on Facebook, you should recognize a few of these photos. I had great fun reading through everyone’s guesses as I left cryptic clues about the species – Tovah M., Kelli K., Linda V. and Krista’s Paper Café get the bragging rights for correctly identifying this bloom as…



SKUNK CABBAGE! The mottled red-purple hood hides a cluster of tiny yellow flowers that pack a punch of skunky stink! Claire thought it was absolutely hilarious and we sniffed and sniffed to find the stinkiest of the bunch. I explained the purpose of the strong smell was to attract insects to help spread pollen but Claire was more interested in what eats this plant.

She observed what looked like nibble marks and turned to me for a rundown on what insane creature would snack on this smelly plant. I had no idea and promised to check the Internet for information at home. Turns out only bugs and slugs dine on this variety of cabbage, it’s poisonous to mammals (as if the smell weren’t enough of a deterrent). As one of the first pollen producers of Spring, I’m wondering what honey tastes like if bees are released nearby? Would it taint the honey? Any beekeepers out there have an answer? I know honey takes on the taste of clover, lavender and other aromatic plants…I have yet to see “Skunk Cabbage Honey” in the local stores though!



Claire spent the remainder of the time at the creek stomping in mud and attempting to fish with a stick. I don’t have the heart to tell her about the inefficiency of her bait (mud), pole design (lacking spear, hook or line), or the fact that there are no fish to even be found in this creek. Every time we visits she says, “I’ll think I’ll try again to catch that whopper fish.”

Maybe next time honey bear.



And the next time I get the urge to find blooming plants in a swampy area, I’ll be sure to pack some muck boots. Luckily my super cute purple kicks from LL Bean wash up nicely in my front loader!

This post is linked up to

Science Sunday -- The Outdoor Hour: Nature Study Close To Home -- Link and Learn

Check Out My Guest Post over at She Wears Flowers!

Hey all! Come visit me over at She Wears Flowers today! I whipped up a little quilt to share...for my FRIDGE! No sewing, just lots of fun pattern making with triangles.

Hope to "see you" there!

Check your office store for cheap art supplies!

I’m always inspired by Valerie over at Frugal Family Fun, she’s constantly coming up with cute and creative ideas that involve office supplies. So yesterday, when I took a trip to Staples (after my wireless card jumped off the bed and broke into 43 pieces) I made sure to take a quick spin around looking for crafty goodies.





I hit the jackpot! Have you seen those Magic Nuudles Bloxx? They look like a fantastic craft material and I love the idea of exploring sculpture with them but they’re a bit pricey.  I found a cheapo option in shipping supply aisle - cornstarch packing peanuts! They’re not quite as colorful, but for $10 you’ll get more than triple the amount of fluffy fun. Of course…an even cheaper option is to hang on to your packing peanuts when receiving mail!


A damp sponge was just the right amount of moisture for Claire - a little goes a long way in getting these guys to stick together. If you are too generous with the water, the result is sad and disintegrated noodle goo. Claire added on lots of file sorting stickers and I helped with a bit of pink yarn for the tongue. And voila! A cool magic nuudle style snake sculpture! I can’t wait for Claire to try some more shapes, right now she’s only interested in sticking them together end to end. I suppose we’ll slowly work our way up sculpting the Eiffel Tower, heehee!



I've got a book on hold at the library by Sheila McGill-Callahan called The Last Snake in Ireland. It's a perfect literature connection for this activity and Saint Patrick's Day! We've read it before and its a hoot to read out loud. 

I’m off to drive away the snakes like Saint Patrick. I suppose clearing my table of cornstarch serpents isn’t quite as impressive as driving them out of Ireland, is it?