more pretty projects going on around my house

You'd think trying to accomplish projects around the house in the middle of all my end of school/writing deadline craziness would just add to the stress--but it's actually had quite the opposite effect. Prettying up or cleaning out a little something here and there has actually proven to be quite therapeutic.



I ripped everything out my garage on Saturday and (after chasing away several people who thought I was having a garage sale. Get away from my stuff people!!!) I found a few space gobblers to put onto Craigslist--all sold within 5 days. Woo-hoo!


Next I wanted to find a way to make this part of my hallway a little prettier:



I love my kids artwork--and with four boys who love to draw and paint there's never enough room on my fridge. So, a few years ago we started to hang up some of their excess masterpieces on this big, empty wall in the hallway. The Crayola colors helped to remedy the blah beige (I can't remember why I chose to paint the space that color but I really hate it now). Still--the tape never seemed to hold very well and so papers would fall off and be stuck back up willy-nilly, leaving the whole thing looking a little out of control. So-- using the cut up cardboard box that my outdoor umbrella came in and less than $15 in fabric, I made this...........

I KNOW!!!---the center fabric is crooked and it will probably bother me endlessly but, in my defense, I did make these while on an extremely long phone call with my insurance company. I like that I got a little color and pattern in the big blank space, and that the artwork seems elevated in importance now. Those results are good enough for me to live with the crookedness!

Did you even know you could make a bulletin board out of a piece of cardboard, some fabric, and little hot glue? Yup! You can! I've made them for years...and now you can too :) !

Finally, tune in on Monday to hear the story behind my new shelves.....

and-- if I'm feeling so inclined-- I will tell you how they tie into my current love life.

OK then. That's all I got. This is as clever as the ending is going to get. Now comment. Please. :)

Oh yeah, and p.s. You're welcome for the Chuck Mangione music Heh.heh.