Your children's art - make something special

What do you do with all your children’s artwork? I’m very sentimental and just cannot bring myself to throw anything away. So a few years ago I got myself one of those A3 Art Folders. I wrote their names and the dates at the back of their masterpieces and put it all in there. I must admit, even though they don’t do that much art at the moment (teenage boys have "better things" to do, ha-ha), it is now filled to the brim and the time has come for me to buy another folder. This is actually a good thing, because then I can sort everything and put each child’s art in his own folder.

But I don’t store all my children’s art. I do display some of it. It really gives them a sense of pride, seeing something they made on display in the house. Now what if your child has created something really nice, but impractical to display? Why not adapt it into something new? Last year my youngest made this mask for a school project. I loved how it turned out and decided to keep it safe until I could figure out what to do with it and where to display it. (A lot of glitter and bling here!!)



Well, now I have figured it out! Seeing as I’m changing the colour scheme in my bedroom (see post) and one of the new colours is gold, it’s the perfect opportunity to use the mask! 

All the items I used, I already had, so basically no cost here.
I used:
An old A4 size frame, painted gold long time ago.
Textured, handmade scrapbook paper (cut to fit the frame)
Sheet music – found on the internet, printed, stained with coffee, and cut into shape once I've decided on my layout.
Lace – also stained with coffee.
String of beads/pearls.



Tip:
Whenever I’m planning to  use something  that is stained with coffee in a project, I do the staining ahead of time to ensure it dries properly and the coffee smell disappears completely.

I played around with the layout until I was happy with it (much like scrap booking), put it all together in the frame, glued the pearls onto the front of the glass, and voila! The end result:



I'm going to love seeing this up on my wall!

Until next time, have fun decorating with your children's art!


Decorating on a zero budget


So your home looks a bit tired at the moment? Mine does! Or maybe you’re just in the mood for a change? I know I definitely am! Perhaps a new colour scheme? But in the current economic climate you don’t have a lot of money to spend? I certainly don’t! It’s easy to decorate when you have money to burn, but what if you have to do it on a zero budget? I’ve decided to set myself the challenge! Now if you don’t want to go all crazy like me, but you really don’t have a lot of cash lying around, don’t despair. You can still do it by just adding a few key items. Just shop wisely. You don’t have to have the most expensive décor. Even supermarkets and shops like Primark, George and Wilkinson (in the UK) stock very nice, inexpensive smaller items that you can use as is, or just spruce up a bit! And of course there are many online shops and facebook pages with quite affordable, lovely handcrafted items and art. (Watch this space......)


Here’s how I’m doing it:
First I decided on the different colour changes I would like to make. Then I went on a bit of a “scavenger hunt” through every room in the house as well as the loft, cupboards and storage boxes. That way I could make a list of the items I had in the specific colours I wanted to incorporate. We sometimes forget about things we have at the back of a cupboard or stored in a suitcase in the loft, or under the bed, that we haven’t used for a while. Like cushions and throws.  I also put together colour “kits” with ribbons, buttons, feathers, embellishments, scrapbook paper and anything else I could use to create décor items.



Now I am finally in the process of creating and putting it all together. Unfortunately, as we all know to well; I don’t really have a lot of spare time at the moment.  So it will probably still be a work in progress for a while. I will however keep you up to date with the project and crafts as I go along! 


Until next time, happy decorating!

Spring is in the air!

What a gloriously sunny day! Spring is definitely in the air!

Blossoms everywhere

Daffodils blooming

Ladybirds..... I love them!


Hope you're all having a great day! 





Reuse boxes and containers


Let’s face it…. there are some gorgeous storage boxes and containers that you can buy in the shops and online! However if you can’t afford/ refuse to pay those sometimes unreasonable prices/ simply hate this wasteful culture we have developed; you only have to search the internet to see all the wonderful and inspiring ideas on reusing boxes and containers.

I found this lovely wrapping paper at my local Asda last year, the perfect colours for my craft room. So I made sure I bought enough rolls of paper before they sold out. I usually stick plain brown paper to the inside of the wrapping paper before I cover something. Simply because whatever is printed on the box tends to show through my wrapping paper and the brown paper also prevents the wrapping paper from tearing to easily.

Here are some of the boxes and containers that I covered. I use stuff I have in the house like shoe boxes, cereal boxes, Pringle and porridge containers, tissue boxes, etc. And of course I cover my lever-arch files with the same paper!


          



I got my inspiration for the tissue box when I came across this lovely box. I found the link to a video tutorial, but you can also find it here. I used left over scrapbook paper for mine and I absolutely love how it turned out! I will definitely be covering more of these!



What interesting reuses do you have for stuff like boxes and containers? I reuse glass containers and bottles too, will tell you more about that on another day! 

Until next time, keep well!







On being organised


Are you also trying to find a good balance with all the things you have to juggle everyday?  I seem to be in a constant struggle. In between all the household chores, husband and kids, school (homework, school run, etc) cooking and daily life; there is also the business that I’m trying to set up, the new stock I have to create, the blog and not to mention keeping my Facebook page up to date! Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining! I am very grateful for my family, my life and all my blessings. I’m merely stating the fact that I can’t seem to find enough time in my day to fit everything in.  If I give to much attention to one aspect, the rest just falls behind!

How do you do it all? How do you not only strike a good balance, but also be successful?  I guess it all boils down to the support of your family and being organised. Ahhh… now see, that’s probably the missing ingredient. Being organised!  As far as organising goes, my husband will be quick to tell you that I am very good at organising an occasion,  and people – in other words, ordering them around – especially him!  But not very organised when it comes to my household.

I am however working on it. Constantly trying out new routines and I will continue to do so until I find one that works for not only me, but the whole family.  A routine that will help me stay on track with all the daily tasks, give me enough spare time to spend with my family (because they ALWAYS comes first),  while at the same time allows me to follow my dreams. Wish me luck!

Until next time, happy juggling!

Website under construction

I am currently working on my blog and website. I'm changing the layouts, background and a few other things on the blog.  The Little Canvas website I had to shut down for the the time being, to give it a bit of a make-over, upload new stock, etc. I do everything myself, and not having the necessary knowledge and computer skills.... well, it might take a while. It's a question of trial and error, but at least I'm learning as I go along!  I hope to have it all up and running within the next few weeks.

In the meantime, in between hovering in front of the computer for hours at an end, the usual house work, kids and what not, I'm trying to find time to finish the poppies I'm painting for my living room, the charcoal drawing I'm making for my craft room and taking up photography again!  (I apologise for the poor quality of the first two photo's, these energy saving light bulbs and I are not friends!)


Poppies for my living room, first phase


Charcoal drawing for my craft room, first phase


First spring blossoms


Until next time, keep well!