DIY Art: Smile, Laugh, Create.....

 As I mentioned before I have a ridiculous collection of old frames. I've been saving for a few, or well several years. It's hard to throw out stuff you know can be all prettied up easily and inexpensive. So this summer it  was on the "To-Do" list to give those old frames new life. I used some of them in my Bathroom Revival which was so fun and easy, I thought I would keep going. As you know, school will be starting before you know it and I am an art teacher, so I wanted to make some DIY art for my desk in my classroom. I am also working on some more DIY back to school fun stuff. It makes going back to work fun when you are surrounded by fun stuff.

CREATE.........That pretty much sums it up for me!!

First I found some cute scrapbook paper on sale. I am not a scrapbook girl. I appreciate it as a craft and it can be beautiful. If I am going to put that much work, energy and money into something and make it all gorgeous with photos I don't think I could close that creation up and stick on a shelf, it would feel awkward and wrong, like I'm suffocating something beautiful and worthy of showing off. That's my opinion, anyways. I can still go wild on the scrapbook isles at the craft stores and enjoy their gorgeous products!!

I spray painted my frames white glossy. Using either the frame or the glass from the frame, I cropped a section of the pretty paper, then cut is out. I then used some of the more simple papers for banners where I attached my pretty letters and spelled out fun words. It took some playing around with different combinations of papers. But I was pleased with how it turned out. I'm sure you noticed already, but I like flowers and butterflies. I found a whole pack of of papers called "Blossoms and Butterflies" it was only $12 for 48 sheets. I will use them for most of my fun back to school stuff. The fun words that I chose were "Create, Smile and Laugh". This is how I think life should be, therefore I also want my students to know that I value these qualities and I hope they can smile, create and laugh while in my classroom. So here they are....

I hope you find these fun words as inspiration for living life. All three make us happier and more fulfilled. So laugh a lot, don't stop smiling and create your world.

Cori Ann

Pumpkin Cupcakes: Wishing for Fall

I got this amazing recipe from my husband's friend, a guy who looks for low cal, low sugar recipes. Unlikely source, but so glad to stumble upon this so easy guilt free treat. I usually don't cook anything pumpkin inspired until October, but tasting this treat will have you thinking of much cooler weather and the joys of Fall. It's been 100+ for several days weeks and thoughts of Fall weather are on my mind. My husband's friend has lost a ton of weight by counting calories and reducing his sugar intake. Inspiring. He found this recipe @ hungrygirl dot com. Everyone who has tasted these has said "Wow that taste really good, its really only 110 calories and sugar free?"  Yes it is.
You will only need two main ingredients and some spices. Super easy and bakes in only 20 minutes. So here is the skinny on pumpkin cupcakes:

The sugar free cake mix is usually on the top shelf of the cake mix isle. It sells out quick, so stock up when you can.

 1 box of sugar free yellow cake mix ( Devil's Chocolate works also, if you are a chocolate lover)
 1- 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
 cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. I used a pumpkin pie spice (basically the same thing).

Mix the pumpkin puree with the cake mix until creamy. Then add cinnamon and nutmeg.

This will make about 12 cupcakes. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Do the toothpick check, of course, to make sure the are baked all the way. You can top them with whipped cream or icing of your choice. I like them just the way they are, yummy! I hope you enjoy this little treat. Stay cool. No really, it is way to hot out there!!

Laugh, Smile, Create.

Cori Ann

  

    

 

                                                                                                                                        

Bathroom Revival: Mother and Daughter Project:

The bathroom is finished and we are very pleased with how it looks and I had so much fun doing it, along with the help of my lovely assistants daughters. I had offered my oldest daughter who will be turning 13 soon if she wanted her bedroom updated to look more sophisticated and she said "No thank you, my bedroom is fine, but will you please do something about my bathroom, it looks like it belongs to an old lady." I can so this!

The big reveal.

Before: Old Lady Bathroom

Love this blue: Martha Stewart Aegean Blue

My favorite part: Scrapbook paper + spray painted frames= Instant Art

Adding ribbon to plain white towels. I fused it together and then stitched.

Adding ribbon trip to a cheap candle using double sided tape.

Making it just right!

My daughter's personal touch: Adding a bow to the towels.

Here is what we did:

One of the lovely assistants helping with painting.

The bathroom is ready for all of the fun stuff. By the way that green frog tape really does work.

My ridiculous collection of old frames.

Picking out just the right ones and spray painting them glossy white.

Adding pretty scrapbook paper. Only 49 cents a sheet. Score!

Then we added pretty ribbon to two bath towels, four hand towels and a plain white candle. We selected a pretty white shower curtain from target and soap dish and toothbrush holder from Home Goods and white shaggy rugs from Kohl's. My daughters and I had so much fun shopping together and choosing items. I hope they had a much fun as I think they did. It is their bathroom, so I thought it was important that they were involved. I can't wait to attack with decorating gusto the rest of the house. It is long over due and very "Old World". Lots of warm colors that need to be replaced with cool crispness and bright happiness. The warm browns, golds and red was O.K. for a while, but it has got to go. One room at a time:)

Our original inspiration.

 My girls feel proud that they were involved in the decisions and it turned out just the way the had hoped. Future designers, perhaps?

Love, Laugh, Create..
Cori Ann

Trampoline: Before & After, or DIY ?

As I have mentioned before I have quite a to-do list for summer. One of the items is to repair and replace all things damaged from the tornado last Spring. Well here is a before of our fence and trampoline.

I'm glad they are smiling..what they didn't realize was it would take us 3 months to get that crumpled mess back to normal.

We hired someone to fix the fence, but I thought my big girl self could put the trampoline together. I have the summer off, I can be kinda handy, I've got two willing daughters to help, I CAN do this! So the trampoline arrived and oooohh, so many parts, yikes!

By the way, replacing this hideous carpet is on my to-do list also, so embarrassing!

In three days and 3 gallons of sweat and tears ( O.K. I'm exaggerating. It wasn't that bad) we finished. Despite ridiculous directions with awful pictures from the 70's to go with it, we figured it out and and the three of us felt like this when we were done.

I love it! 

So here is the after and my sweeties doing their happy dance...jump, jump, jump.

There it is, and the fence is all new and pretty. Yea, check that off my list. We are almost done with the bathroom re-do. Here is a sneak peak to what is going on.

I will have a show and tell bathroom re-do post on Friday!

Smile,Laugh, Create,
~Cori Ann

Summer reading: The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

I recently finished a wonderful book The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The movie comes out next month, can't wait. If you haven't read it, hurry up and get the book. You will get all caught up in the characters and how they let imaginary lines that society has put in front of them dividing social class and race. You will not want to put the book down when the walls they have built between them start crumbling down. My favorite line from the book is for women to realize that:

We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I thought.

 In the book one of the characters, a maid (domestic help) named Minny, is known for her prize winning caramel cake. I googled "Minny's caramel cake" to see if there was a recipe and there it is... somebody already did the research, found it, blogged about it, and has amazing photos of it.So lets give credit where credit is deserved and give this blogger some recognition.

If you haven't read it, you better hurry up. I promise you won't regret it.

Scrumpdillyicious: Minnie's Caramel Cake from 'The Help': "Minnies Caramel Cake I recently read a wonderful book — The Help — the bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett. Set in Jackson, Miss..."

My Summer So Far...

Well, here it is almost half way through July, I can't believe it! I have so many projects I would like to finish before school starts. But first I want to reflect on a few things that I have accomplished. The previous post was all about my family beach vacation, I don't think that is considered a project but was a wonderful time:)
So far I have :
Taught a week long summer art camp for kids
Cleaned out the garage
Cleaned out my closet.
Took a truck load of stuff to Goodwill.
Prepared a new flower bed, ready for planting(waiting for the temperature to go below 100, or maybe I will plant flowers at midnight when it is only 90)
Organized bids for roof repair and fence replacement ( We had a tornado in May) All repairs almost finished.
Baked and decorated birthday cakes for my niece and nephews.


Art Camp... I love hanging out with these creative kids. We were drawing with watercolor pencils. I told the kids to draw what they saw( trees, pond,nature) and then we painted with water and watched our masterpieces come to life.





The girl that is watching instead of drawing belongs to me... at least she isn't distracting them, right?
I guess since her mom is an art teacher she's been there done that.






The little artists' view of the pond..

 


The birthday cakes, I know this is not a good photo. Elmo is a cupcake cake and the butterfly is a strawberry cake with strawberry icing. Yummy....





After the tornado...we were so lucky.

The tornado that skipped through our neighborhood, left us pretty lucky compared to what could have happened. When I say skipped, I mean it hit some houses and then skipped a few and hit some more. It was surreal to walk around and see one house with chunks of roof missing, windows busted and fences mangled while the house next door is untouched...truly strange and creepy. The next morning our street was littered with debris and people selling their services of repair for all the varieties of damage. Almost two months later we are almost all patched up and items replaced. I will show you the after photo when the fence is finished.

What is left to do in the next six weeks:

Decorate my daughters' bathroom:

Her birthday is coming up soon, so i asked if she wanted us to paint and decorate her room to look a little older and more sophisticated since she is turning 13. She said her room was great but please do something about her bathroom, it looks like it belongs to an old lady. I can do that! I know I didn't put much thought into it and the shower curtain is very busy with red roses. She was in charge of choosing the wall color which is a beautiful pale blue, Martha Stewart color collection called aegean blue. Then we found a soap dispenser and toothbrush holder at Home Goods that matched and we were inspired! We are adding a lot of white and other cool blue and green accents, can't wait till we are finished!

Inspiration

Old lady bathroom..

I also plan on painting a mirror and desk for my youngest and attacking a box full of old frames that need new life which will be explored in a future post.

Oh yea, that flower bed need attention also

Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it, but will be sooo happy when it is done.

Love, Smile, Create.............
Cori Ann