on a picnik.

i have fallen in love with picnik.com and its endless possibilities for creativity. even with a basic, non-premium [aka free & cheap] non-member account, today i took this regular photo:
and made this info card!
...coming soon to a home near you if you have ordered a bib recently!

it is so fun and SO addicting. perfect for baby photo announcements, save the dates, making blog headers, and pretty much anything where you want to edit your photos and add text to them.

i also decided to break down and pick out a business card, so that since i am so terrible at self-promotion i can at least hand someone a card when they ask what i've been making recently. i settled on mini moo cards after seeing their good quality in person at one of my favorite local shops.
aren't they fun? i also love all things tiny, so i am completely crazy about their mini size. now i'm just anxiously awaiting for mine to get here!

kiddo-friendly craftspace.

i have mixed feelings on homeschooling. i love the idea of having more time with my kiddo and getting to teach her our family's values before the scary, sex-crazed, and selfish tendencies of our society gets its hooks into her. however, i also don't want my kid to be ostracized for being the only kid on the block who has never heard of superman. but, as my wee babe gets closer and closer to preschool age [what! already?!?!?!] i am starting to think about the ways i want to start teaching her the basics.

here are some of the ideas that have been super inspiring to me!

first off, i love the idea of making your own "first words" book for your little one. i saw this beautifully done one awhile back, and bookmarked it for later. it would be pretty easy to do with an online scrapbooking type thing like shutterfly, and i can only imagine that it would be really helpful for a little one as they are learning the words for things to be able to associate the visual part with the stuff they see every day in their own home. [especially putting mommy, daddy, and pets in there- how sweet is that?]

first word book by party perfect

along those same lines, it would be fun and easy to make your kids their own coloring book pages. you could draw a simple outline on a piece of white cardstock with sharpie, or download several cute pre-made pages and print them out on your computer! you could also make old school trace-the-letter sheets.

coloring book page by rawbin.

i think one of the ways to keep your sanity if you are homeschooling, is to have a dedicated space if at all possible. i think everyone remembers that feeling of leaving school in the afternoon, and that fresh breath of freedom! i was already loving the idea of a chalkboard wall, but when i first saw these pictures of a renovated playroom with one, i immediately thought what an awesome schoolroom it could make! you could write everything from math homework to art class right on the wall! [kind of eco-friendly too, since you would use less paper!]

playroom reveal at show and tell

i know i've written about it before, but also on the wall in my imaginary-dedicated-learning-space-full-of-inspiring-beauty-to-make-my-kids-genius is the life with little ones magnetic tray...
and also this clipboard wall for clipping little fingerpaintings and crayon drawings and macaroni glue artwork on display. you could do a full wall, or one for each child:

clipboard wall by smile and wave

[whatever you do, do not visit her house tour on flickr. you will want to tear your house down and rebuild it in an exact replica of hers. i love it.]

i'm currently working on a diy version of this awesome storage/organizer. great for toys now, and useful for sorting crayons/glue sticks/play dough later on:

storage bins by pottery barn kids.

when she gets a little older and is able to do some of that picking up toys or feeding the dog type things herself, i think some little polaroid-esque reminders that live on the fridge would be perfect.

magnetic chore cards by the creative mama.

and of course also on the fridge, you'll need some alphabet magnets [my favorite] to teach letters and the spelling of tiny ones' names:

fabric letters by chez beeper bebe,
and these modge podged ones too!

almost makes you want to open a preschool, right? almost.

[all photos are thanks to the sources mentioned. don't miss their awesome sites!]

petite bee!

i am so excited to announce that a project i've technically been working on for two years... usually off an on, never really well planned... is finally done! when i had my own little one i somehow [surprise, surprise] had way less time to devote to it like i would have liked. then i got a breath of fresh air a few months ago to go in a whole new direction with it, and even hinted at a bit of progress with it.

so you can imagine my thrill over finally finishing it and now having it ready to present to the world:

petite bee!

appliqued bibs for your messy little miracle!

you will always be able to find the shop by clicking on the little "shop baby" button on the right over there, right above twitter, and i've also got a facebook fan page all set up and ready to go if you'd like to stay updated that way:

petite bee on facebook

the facebook page also features a gallery of messy little miracles sporting their own petite bee bibs, so don't miss that! [and of course, let me know if you'd like your own happy messy miracle to be added!]
there are some fun twin/triplet designs, and lots more fun ones to come including a customizable monogram and some holiday themed bibs. be sure to stop by often and not miss anything!

as a thank you to the wonderful readers that frequent this space, i'm offering free shipping and a buy-2-get-1-free offer an all designs- just enter the code [messymiracle] at checkout!

happy mother's day!

my hubby M, awesome man that he is, bought me these flowers yesterday for mother's day. he said he could tell i liked these ones becausethey looked "kind of antique-y."
does my man know me or what?

shout out party!

hello!

[who me?]

yes, you!

i just wanted to peep in & say hi. i'm realizing recently that my little crafty blog here doesn't show my face too often... maybe that's a little unfriendly? sometimes it's just easier to sit in my pajamas & hide behind my coffee and pile of works in progress as i write. and sometimes, i'm not wearing any makeup. but i promise i'm very nice in real life. this is me:

waves and smiles!

so i was wondering, if you're reading today would you be willing to wave back? just a little hello in the comments to let me know you're home. or on your mobile phone while you sip your coffee at a little bookshop. or killing time at the dentist [pfff. hope not.]

it's easy! if you click the number of comments below, it will walk you right through it. doesn't have to be anything brilliant... what you had for breakfast? your favorite magazine maybe? even if we've never met! and here's a little more about me if you're wondering.

you are my inspiration to finish projects, i love sharing them here! thanks so much for joining me!

lamp love.

remember this pottery-barn-inspired lamp? here it is in it's current location as i attempt to re-do the living room a bit:
well, it seems that pottery barn hit a home run on this one and i'm not the only one totally inspired by their handiwork! check out all these other incarnations of the pb brentwood table lamp:

shabby chic cottage via living with lindsay
[plus a beautiful lampshade!]

perfectly imperfect

sweet somethings designs
[with great hints on how to create the paint finish]

lamps are really proving to be great diy material... a nice new one is so incredibly expensive, but old ugly ones are cheap and easy to find. and there are so many awesome ways to make the cheap old ugly one look like you spent a bundle on it, have fabulous taste, and must have used a professional decorator in your home [ok, i don't know about that last part, but i can hope, right?]

don't think you're all that crafty? you might surprise yourself. check out websites like pottery barn, ballard designs, or west elm for inspiration and go big! or you can start small, maybe by just spray painting the brassy hardware parts of an old lamp which can look really unique and even glamorous! it's amazing what even just a glue gun and some cheap twine or rope can do!

when the original supplies have come from a yard sale, goodwill, or even [ahem] the trash, the investment is small and the opportunity to create a totally one of a kind home accessory is wide open! why not go for it?