Die Job Chart, die

To be honest, job charts have never been my thing.  I haven't been able to make anything work well.  Instead I just have the kids clean their own rooms and then they ask me for their "Special Job".  I look around the house and see what needs to be done that day and have them do it.  That worked really well throughout the summer.  They knew they couldn't play until their special job was completed.

The school year has proven to be a little more difficult.  I am in more of a rush in the mornings and so it can be frustrating for me to stop what I'm doing and find a job for them.  It is also harder to enforce.  I can't keep them home from school if they don't get their work done.

I thought I would break down and try some kind of a chart.  I wanted to make it playful because my kids really like games. I also was also hoping to add a sense of urgency.

This is the only thing I could think of.

It's a job die.  After the kids have cleaned their room and taken care of their dirty clothes, they roll the die.  You'll want to be the first one done, so you have the first chance to roll.  Once a job has been rolled it's off limits to the other kids.

I had to make three a "Free Day".  Three is the magic number after all.

  

To make a Job Die, just cut a piece of a 4x4 into a square block.  We didn't have one handy so The Joe cut down a 6x6.  What a sweetheart.  The chop saw won't cut a block that size in one chop so he had to turn the block and make several cuts.  Super sweet, but if you can avoid going that route, please do.

Paint  your block.  Mine is green. I've heard it's not easy being green, so it's my goal to make all green things feel very loved.

Add vinyl.

We'll give it a try!  The kids are pretty excited about it so far!

Job Die Vinyl is $4 plus $1 S&H

Pick six household jobs and email Andy

U.S. orders only

Poppyginger@gmail.com

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My kids are loving this!! They've been racing to finish their rooms to be the first to roll.  The free day space is a big incentive. They even spend time practicing rolling. Ha ha ha..

Thanks to Sassy Sites for featuring this project!

Unique collections...

Decorative collections aren't limited to candles and glass bottles.  

Check out some of these interesting collection collages.

I absolutely adore this rock set. The worn out pieces of wood really appeal to me as well.

Apartment Therapy

You'd better be excited if you can get your hands on this many old windows.  What an open feel.

Care2

I must admit I have never bee to excited about license plate collections, until now.  This is so well done.

Subida

If you want to display your collection without putting a cazillion holes in your wall, try hanging it.

Apartment Therapy

A variety of monograms hung above a headboard create a unique and interesting focal point to the room.

Country Living

Hanging skeleton keys on a bookcase is quite charming.  

Country Living

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Su sent me a unique window collection, I just had to add it!

Thanks Su! Such fun bright colors.

keeping it organized...

Hey there...quick post from Heather...oh boy has it been a long time...

Last year on Poppies I posted a fun project HERE to help me stay organized during the school year. I just thought I would also show you a new addition to my efforts...


It is a pretty simple addition, but one that has TOTALLY helped keep me on top of things. I bought 3 generic egg timers at Wall-Mart and put each kids name on them. What does this do to help me stay "organized" you might ask...Well...in my house each kid has a zillion things that I need to keep timed! Like 20 minutes of reading, or 20 minutes of piano practice, or time out, or quiet time in the afternoons. I find it totally over whelming when my kids yell..."Mom how many more minutes do I have?" "I don't know!!" I found myself saying back. They would each start at different times, but close enough to each other that I would get confused as to who started when...Now they each have a timer to help keep track of all of the "minutes" of work they have to do.

Simple and easy, yet SO helpful!

Catching my eyeballs...

These images are giving me a crazy good mood jump start on my day.

I'm so in love with bright colors.

The blue and orange are so inviting. I also love how low the pictures are hung.  Not super practical for a home with little ones, but cute cute CUTE!

Living Etc.

I am in total love with this green bed frame.  Perfectly paired with the comforter. mmm.mmm..mmm

No. Four Eleven

I'm usually not a fan of a lot of clutter on the countertops, but in this picture it's so charming.  It would make me crazy, but I like to look at it.

Chitownproperty

If my room was this cute, I would never be able to leave. I would just plop myself down on one of those white metal chairs and stare at it all day.  

Houzz

With such a color statement you don't need many accessories. The tiny picture and clock don't even look out of place.  Love it! I want another shot of the art work behind the faux wall.

The Beautiful Soup

What a stunning combinations. I'm not usually a fan of exact symmetry, but it works! Maybe because of the offset yellow flowers.  

 House of Turquoise

I have a new determination to find mismatched plates and hang them in my dining room. I LOVE this!!!!

Lisa Congdon

I am trying to give credit where credit is due. If I have linked images incorrectly, please let me know.

Fruits and Vegetables sign~

3.5' X 13.5''

$25

Email Andy 

poppyginger@gmail.com

Fabric Measuring Tape Headband~

My poor daughters have an absolute lack of cute hair things because 

1. I just don't think about it.

2. They never keep them in their hair anyway. 

I was thinking today that maybe they just rip them out because they are not used to such things and maybe I should once again try to make an attempt.  It would be nice to be able to make a bunch of cute headbands for Christmas.  

I grabbed an old worn fabric measuring tape and cut three and four inch pieces off to piece together and make a flower.  

I picked a button with as much vintage charm as possible and glued it to the top of the flower with E-6000. I also glued a little hair clip to the back.

I measured little miss Mira's head and cut a larger piece of the measuring tape and sewed a piece of elastic on the back of the headband.

It can be worn with or without the flower.

I basically had to bribe this girl to keep this thing on long enough to take a picture. Ha ha ha...not off to a good start.

This project has been featured by Dave's Wife! Thanks Lady!

Pimp my whiteboard...

First day of school! After going to back to school night yesterday, I am already feeling a little stressed. I want to be organized this year and not forget little things happening in the kidlet's classes. I thought it might be nice to have a big calendar that I can keep reminders.  When I was at The Parent's house yesterday I asked them if I could have one of their old whiteboards.  

I brought it home with me and broke off the edges with a hammer.

I cut some black vinyl strips for the edges with just a pair of scissors and then used a large drywall square to create a nice straight edge by cutting the excess vinyl off with a razor blade.

I was a little worried about how to make a calendar grid that was even.  The Joe piped in and said,"No problem! There's an app for that!" And there is! 

Not necessarily for calendars, but a spacing thing-a-ma-gig. Very cool indeed.

I drew the calendar lines with a permanent marker, but I think I may go back and make them vinyl. It's not quite as permanent as it thinks it is. 

I stapled it to the wall with a pneumatic staple gun and bought some cork board squares from Wal-Mart.

I thought I'd hang the burner covers next to it.

Hopefully this will help a me to be a little more organized! I would love to be one of those mothers who's always on top of everything! If you are one of those mothers, please share your secrets!! 

Easy washer bracelet~

Here's another take on the popular washer necklaces. Turn the decorated washers into a simple bracelet.  

Here's how:

You'll of course need a washer. You can Mod Podge paper onto the top like this one, or just leave it plain.

 If you want the top to be nice and glossy you can put Diamond Glaze on it and wait four hours for it to dry. 

You'll also need a piece of ribbon and a little velcro.  I didn't have any velcro, so I stole a little off an old baseball cap.  

To find out the length of ribbon you will need for your bracelet, wrap a piece of ribbon around your wrist twice.

Cut off the excess ribbon and sew velcro onto opposite sides.

Weave the ribbon through the middle of your washer. Velcro ends first.

Put your arm into the hole you've just created and wrap the ends around your wrist.

Pull the ends around your wrist and attach the ends together with the velcro.  Your bracelet should be snug. If it's too long, cut off a little of your ribbon and re-sew the velcro.  If it's too small, start over with a new piece of ribbon, or give it to someone with a smaller wrist:)  

Thanks Sassy Sites for featuring this project!!

Thanks Michelle for featuring this on Someday Crafts!

Lampshade refashioned into industrial art~

Here's a quick, fun and EASY way to change this boring little lampshade :

Into an industrial accent piece:

Yes, it is just as simple as it looks.  Take a bunch of old looking metal washers and glue them onto your lampshade.  I was lucky enough to have this jiffy jar full of different sized washers. You can buy washers at almost any hardware store, but if you can find some old ones hiding in the garage I would suggest you add them into the mix. I like to get a good variety of looks.

 I took these washers to girls camp with me a couple of weeks ago and the girls used them to practice stamping on them before making their stamped necklaces. I liked that some of the washers have random things imprinted on them.  

I think it adds a little more personality to the lamp.

Use E-6000 to glue the washers into straight lines.

Glueing the washers to the lampshade only takes a few minutes and the E-6000 dries fairly quickly onto the fabric, so within 10 minutes you'll be able to decorate with it!

Find something old and metal to stick next to it. I used an antique looking tool box and a torn up clarinet case.