From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!
Archives for December 2012
A Year in Review
I can’t believe that 2012 is about to come to an end. I know I am probably not alone in my thoughts that this year has flown by! Last week, Matt and I were able to have a 24 hour date while our kids were at my parent’s for their annual Cookie Camp (full of baking, crafting, Christmas fun). It was an awesome time to talk, reconnect, and dream together. Matt said something to me that I can not shake. He said he has seen more growth in me (as a person) this year than in our whole time together. It was not only surprising but also cool to hear. In a busy time of going and going, it is easy to not see all the changes that have occurred.
In short, I think my best friend moving away launched me into a season of change as I found myself grasping at life without her. That might sound trite to have your life ripped apart by one person, but she was/is my one go to person. I did life with her everyday. I found myself going down new roads by deciding to homeschool, getting involved in MOPS, and becoming someone who can carry on a conversation with new people (without completely turning red and being awkward the whole time). Growth. As I started to morph and change, I started to blog more. This little act launched me into deciding to rebrand my blog, dream, and ultimately launch this new blog, Spoonful of Imagination, on November 5, 2012.
In this short amount of time, I have been blown away by the love and encouraging comments I have received from friends, family, readers, and ultimately each of you. Thank you. It has been completely humbling to see that people care what I “put out” in this whole social media world. There are so many incredible blogs, and I find it hard to call myself a blogger because I don’t feel adequate to be in that same category. Thank you for walking this journey with me.
In these last two months…
I have had the privilege of doing my first guest post for Miss Information.
I have had several giveaways on here and even one on DIY on the Cheap.
I did my first Vlog, which I still laugh at when I watch it.
I have seen my readers grow and spread which has created new “circles” of friends in my life.
I have even joined my very first network with iHomeschool Network.
I have gotten TWO paid sponsors with Someplace Wild (the BEST photographer in Roswell, Georgia) and Year of Little Lesson Plans (amazing book full of activities to do at home with your kids)
It has been incredibly fun to learn about blogging, dream, plan, and create! I am so excited for the things I have planned for this coming year! I wish I could hand out a gift to each one of you as a big thank you for such an exciting beginning. If time, money, and life would allow…I would have you each over and give you a huge bear hug, serve you my husband’s amazing cooking, cheers “to you” with a cold one, and give you a gift (of something incredible). I wish I could do all that, but since I can’t, I came up with three creations for three lucky winners.
I have a little etsy store named Dancing Zebras, and here are three things from it for three of you:
1. Scrappy Flower Pillow
2. Teal Flower Earrings
3. Winter Hair Clip
To enter to win one of these creations (there will be three separate winners), simply let the rafflecopter widget load and follow the instructions. There’s lots of fun ways to enter the drawing and ways to add more entries everyday. Rafflecopter will draw our names next Monday and I will announce the winners then.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you, thank you, thank you for joining me in this journey! I hope you will continue to stay with me in 2013. I plan to keep sharing my crafts, kids, activities, and life with you-while hopefully being real and choosing to put a spoonful of imagination into it all!
I have some exciting things planned and I can not wait to start rolling them out in the new year!!
Furniture with a Story
Have you ever taken an old piece of furniture (with a story) and given it new life to make it beautiful again? It’s one of my favorite kind of projects to do. You might remember seeing these before pics of my chest of drawers from my grandparent’s auction.
I loved the drawers and saw potential in this piece right away! My cousin grabbed the second one, and I love how he remade his set chest of drawers to turn it into an end table! I quickly redid that little chair (in the above pic) for my bedroom makeover, but the drawers have set in my car port since the beginning of this summer!?
They looked so sad and forgotten in the middle of all kinds of other projects. I finally set out to tackle the transformation a little before Thanksgiving, and this is how I did it.
I gave the metal drawer slides a quick coat of silver spray paint to cover up the rust and grim. I then gave the drawers a really good sanding. This was the most labor intensive part of this project.
Once the drawers were sanded, I used a gray stain that I received at the Country Living Fair to cover the drawers and the chest itself. I knew the stain would settle different on the chest (since that was just pure wood) than on the drawers (which were painted white). I was excited that the drawers and chest would have the same finish, but (since the original base was different) the drawers would stand out a little.
I loved the result. My son said it looks dirty, just like he said about my Rope Balls’ Planter.
Next, I gave the drawer handles a coat of a bright blue spray paint, and I then gave them a light sanding so they too looked more rustic. I wanted to add some color to my piece, but let it be pretty timeless as well. I think I accomplished that.
I decided that this chest of drawers would be a perfect addition to my craft table/area. My hope was that it would help keep this area organized, so it didn’t always look such a mess.
Once it was set up in my house, I was so excited about it! I quickly snapped this picture with my iPhone and sent it to a friend.
The desire to have a neat free craft area is good, but it probably isn’t practical, right!? This is my area now…
It is complete with Legos and toys all over the floor. Watch your step around here!
Although the table is a mess once again, the drawers have been super helpful, and I love all the drawers and dividers that help keep my favorite craft stuff organized.
I love the way this chest of drawers turned out, but what I love the most is that it use to be my grandpa’s. I love the story that comes with it. My grandpa has always been super handy and built amazing toys, clocks, and lamps. I was just talking to my mom last weekend about how he made the most intricate doll house with furniture for my sister. It is gorgeous. With his auction this summer he sold most of his tools, since he is getting older, but I got this drawer set where he used to store his bolts and screws and used it everyday. It is so special that I now can use it everyday to help my craft.
Do you have a piece of furniture in your home that has a special story? Thank you so much for stopping by!
Handprint Santa
I love hand print art and capturing the cuteness of my kids’ hands being so little. You might remember seeing my Thanksgiving turkey or how we stamped ornaments with their hands. Today, I am showing you our handprint Santa Claus.
In the light of events from last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary, these simple Santa Claus handprints have moved me more than just seeing a cute craft. I can’t stop looking at these handprints and thinking how blessed I am. I continue to pray for these families and that this event in our country’s history will mark us and change us past the initial shocks so we are forever changed.
Here is how we made our handprint Santas:
I helped my kids stamp their hands with white paint onto some brown craft paper. I then let the boys cut out their handprints while I cut all the pieces of the hats and faces. I then let them assemble their Santa as a puzzle. I drew Reagan’s Santa’s mouth to show the boys how a mouth looks when it is talking, and they did the same to their Santa’s.
We then glued our Santas to a pretty piece of scrapbook paper and added some merry “Ho, Ho, Ho’s.” This is a simple and easy craft that has all the kids’ favorites: Paint, cutting, gluing, and acting out “ho, ho, ho.”
Thank you so much for checking out our handprint Santas! I hope you are having a good week and not stressing out too much! I know my to-do list is still a mile long, but I am choosing to sing Joy to the World and not letting the stress carry my emotions and thoughts all day everyday.
How are you doing this Holiday season??
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