Architecture of a Mom: June 2015

Easy Painted Stepstool

6:00:00 AM

I think a lot of people – especially a lot of women – are afraid of DIY projects. What if the project doesn't turn out? What if I don't have the tools? What if I wasted money? I have a simple tip that will make all of those DIY fears go away: start small. And even if you are an experienced DIY-er, embrace the small, simple projects, because there are times when you don't want to be in the middle of a renovation/large room redesign/big project. And if you are in the middle of a large project, sometimes just taking one simple part and just getting it done helps.

So if you're looking to start with a small project, this one may be for you. Take an Ikea Bekvam step stool – the unfinished one is only $14.99. One of the best things about Ikea is that many times, all you need is the allen wrench inside the package to assemble the project. This is one of those times!! But wait—don't assemble this quite yet!

First, you need to decide on your finishes. I decided to stain the 2 steps (because they will be receiving most of the abuse) and paint the rest. I selected a medium dark stain (Minwax Brazilian Rosewood Gel Stain) and a light aqua paint (Clark and Kensington Sweet Retreat). I also used clear and brown wax, as well as paintbrushes to apply the paint and stain, and an old rag.

Apply the paint and stain to all the pieces before you assemble the stool. Allow to dry, then assemble according to the lovely diagrams that Ikea gives you. I then coated the whole thing with clear wax to give an extra layer of protection. I wanted to make the stain justa hair darker, so I applied some brown wax all over the stained portion. After the wax was dry, I buffed it to a low gloss.

This project took less than a day, including drying time. It's amazing how completing one little project makes you want to be so much more productive!

I love to party! Sometimes I link up my posts to Serenity Now, Organizing Junkie, Tidy Mom and these link parties! You should come party with me and check out some awesome new bloggers!

Menu Planning

Menu Planning Monday 2015-06-29

5:27:00 PM

Creative Outlets

Easy Tile Sign - Kind Words Are Like Honey

6:00:00 AM

Creative Outlets

How to Sew A Business Card Holder

6:00:00 AM

Did you know that it's conference season in bloggiverse? It is...actually, I'm not sure there are many seasons that aren't conference season! But anyway, after getting my feet wet a couple of years ago at one day blog conference just a few minutes from my house (Bloggy Boot Camp), I'm going to Haven, which is a 3 day conference in Atlanta, Georgia next month! I simply cannot wait, but at the same time, I'm scared to death. I'm an introvert at heart—a real homebody--and the thought of going away from my family for 3 days scares me too. So what's a girl to do? Overprepare, I say! I've been working on loads of lists for packing and things I want to do, but one thing that I really wanted that I didn't have on hand was a custom business card holder. My old business card holder I've had for about 15 years, and it's really showing its age—and besides, it didn't scream blogger – it screamed 1990's corporate America. So I decided to make my own.

I started with a tutorial from The Crafty Cupboard (), but when I went to gather supplies, I ran into a snag: I couldn't find fusible fleece at my local craft supply store. So I improvised. Instead of using fusible fleece, I used spray applied heat set adhesive (for quilting) and a lightweight white flannel.

This tutorial is based on the one from the Crafty Cupboard, but adapted to use the supplied I could find.

Here's what you need for this project:

2 fabric pieces cut 5 1/2” x 4 1/2” (one will be lining, one the outside). You can do the same fabric for both, or different fabric to mix things up)
2 fabric pieces cut 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” (These are your pockets)
1 white flannel piece cut 5 1/2” x 4 1/2”

Spray applied heat set adhesive
Small pony tail holder

Fun buttons

Coordinating Thread

Pins

Iron

Sewing machine

First, take your 2 pieces of fabric that will be your pockets (2 1/2” x 4 1/2”) and fold a 1/4 hem down one long side and press. Fold down the hem again and press so you now have a double hem.

Top-stitch the hem (I used an 1/8 seam). Place the two pocket pieces that you just hemmed on top of the fabric that will be your lining piece so that the raw edges line up. All of the fabric should be face up. Baste these pieces together using a 1/8" seam allowance.

Spray the heat set adhesive onto the back of your outside piece. Allow to dry.

Iron (fusible side down) onto the white flannel piece and then pin the outside piece to the lining piece, right sides together.

Spray the back side of the inside liner fabric with heat set adhesive. On one of the 4 1/2" ends of the "fabric sandwich" you've made, insert the pony tail holder between the lining and the outside piece. The shorter the piece of the pony tail holder you can see, the longer the loop will be on the outside when the piece is finished.

Leaving a space for turning, sew around the whole perimeter with a 1/4" seam allowance. Keep in mind that you should take your time at the pony tail holder so that your seam doesn't go wonky (also so you don't break a needle!). Clip your corners at 45 degree angles so the corners are sharp and professional looking when you turn the piece right-side out.

Turn the piece right side out. A chopstick works pretty well to get the corners looking good!

Iron the piece, making sure to turn in the edges of your turning opening. This also allows the second round of spray fusible webbing to hold down the outside fabric to your flannel, and holds together all the layers of your "fabric sandwich."

Top stitch around the entire case. This will close your opening.

Place your button and sew on. All of the sudden, you're ready for networking at a conference!

So tell me, are you going to Haven? I'd love to meet up with you...and swap business cards!

I love to party! Sometimes I link up my posts to Serenity Now, Organizing Junkie, Tidy Mom and these link parties! You should come party with me and check out some awesome new bloggers!

Creative Outlets

No Sew Tie Dye Tote over at The Real Thing with the Coake Family

6:00:00 AM

Menu Planning

Menu Planning Monday: 2015-06-21

4:26:00 PM

Designing Family

Tales of a Recovering Perfectionist: Just show up

6:00:00 AM

I was once a perfectionist. I wanted to be perfect. I was hard on myself when I didn't keep the perfect house, meet my goals at my work, have the perfect relationship with my husband.

Then I had a child. I still tried to be perfect and was disappointed in myself that I was not successful. Then I had a high-risk pregnancy with twins and perfectionism simply wasn't even on the radar. Once the twins were born, it became laughable to even try. There were things that were way more important, such as remaining sane...hugging little girls...making it to work...getting food on the table.

But the desire to be perfect is still there, so I consider myself a recovering perfectionist.

The desire for perfectionism still rears its ugly head in my parenting in particular. I want to be the perfect mom with the perfect kids...which is when I lose my temper and my kids throw the most violent temper tantrum known to mankind. That's when God reminds me that my being perfect isn't the point. He's perfect so I don't have to be. Does that mean that we can be lazy? No! We aren't called to be perfect...we are called to show up. We're called to have faith, to act: to love and to work hard, and believe in Christ.

I'm sure that some of you are rolling your eyes, wondering what that means in real life. I recently experienced how perfectionism isn't the point through my daughter. During second semester, the lower elementary literacy coordinator at Lil Bit's elementary school challenged the students to read 100 hours starting in early February. This was an optional challenge. I knew that my daughter is grade level reader....she does well with fluency, but she's not a prodigy. She's not to the point that she reads for fun; she's learning to read. For homework, she needed to read at least 20 minutes 5 nights a week. In order to meet the reading challenge, she would need to read around an hour each night, 7 days a week. I knew that the chances of her reaching this goal were very slim, and although I want her to achieve, I knew that forcing her to read an hour a day would backfire. I want to raise my children to love to read, not dread it.

So I told her what the challenge was, that it would be tough, and that I would write down how much she read each day to see how much she read before the end of the year. I encouraged her to do better each day. She challenged herself, worked hard, and really progressed in her reading. She learned a lot. She started to find books that she enjoyed reading (my love of fantasy fiction is rubbing off on her).

And when it was time to turn in her reading record, about a week and a half before the end of school, I added up the hours.

She had read about 60 hours.

As a parent, what would you do? She hadn't achieved the goal. I'm not a huge fan of the "everyone gets a trophy" mentality that our society creates around our children – it's not true to life. But Lil Bit had done her best, worked hard, and I felt that her teacher should know that Lil Bit had done more than the required reading. So we turned in the reading form. It was this mama's way of letting go of perfection in myself...and in my child. Honestly, after we turned the form in, I forgot about the challenge.

A week later, Lil Bit rode home with her daddy from after school. When we all got home, he said, "Did you know that Lil Bit got a reading award? She got 3rd place. She's getting a prize pack in a couple of days."

It turns out she read the third most of all the first graders in her school (around 150 children). Because it was optional (and hard), I suspect many families didn't bother to turn in the forms. She just showed up when others didn't. But you know what? That "victory" has encouraged her to start the summer reading up a storm. She didn't get first place. She didn't meet her goal. We were far from perfect. And we were blessed anyway.

Life's not being perfect. It's about showing up. I'm not saying that showing up deserves a prize. I'm saying that by showing up, you have achieved more than those who didn't try at all, and by doing what you can, what you know you should, you may find that God helps you to do more than you know you can do on your own.

I'm reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:9, where Paul writes: "But he [God] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." Paul was struggling with a weakness, a perceived imperfection. And God revealed how that imperfection was exactly according to God's plan.

I hope this has encouraged you to let go of perfection and to just show up...to life. Who knows what the result may be?

I love to party! Sometimes I link up my posts to Serenity Now, Organizing Junkie, Tidy Mom and these link parties! You should come party with me and check out some awesome new bloggers!