Chore Charts

We recently moved into a beautiful home that was still somewhat of a fixer-upper. So I have had ample opportunities to actually try out some of those projects I've pinned on Pinterest. It's been tons of fun, especially since my husband didn't believe anybody actually did anything they pinned on Pinterest. He has quite impressed with my handiwork. Then I posted my latest on Facebook and offered the templates. So many people wanted them, I thought it would just be easier to post it on here for everyone to access. So I guess...I'm baa-aack! and I'll start "reviewing" some of the projects I've tried. My most recent project was these chore charts. I LOVE how mine turned out! And, of course, I did some tweaking along the way to make the project work better for me.

I started by creating a template to use in Photoshop. Pretty simple. I'll upload links to these files so you can use them too. If you need them in a .jpeg format, you can send me your kids' names and I'll make the name and send it to you. For reference...I used the font "Pharmacy" for the charts, and the font "traveling typewriter" for the actual chores. Both fonts can be downloaded for free at www.dafont.com (I hate it when I love a font and can't use it because I don't know what it is and/or don't have it!) I also added an "Extra Chores" section that was not on the original. This is where my kids can get "money-making chores" instead of just the mundane make your bed kind of stuff.

Here is the link to all the templates. I am totally new to this and trying to use Dropbox for it, so let me know if it doesn't work and you can't actually download the file.

To start, I simply printed the charts 8x10 on cardstock. The original blogger modge podged them on to sheet metal. I tried that and it looked like crap and the magnets still turned the charts black, so I decided to just put them in the frames with the glass and it worked great. I got my frames for a pretty good deal at Michael's. They came to about $4.80 each with the sale and my coupon. Then I went to Lowe's and got 2 sheets of 12"x24" sheet metal and used tin snips to cut them into 4 8x10 pieces that I just stuck in the back of the frame.

The original blogger also said she printed the chores on labels and had a heck of a time doing it. I just decided to do those on cardstock too. Then I took a 1 1/2" circle punch (you are welcome to borrow it if you're near by) and punched them out. Then I modge podged them onto 1 1/2" wood circles that I bought (1 bag at Hobby Lobby and 1 bag at Michael's) and used E-6000 to glue a strong magnet on back and voila! So easy! The most time consuming part was hauling my 3 kids around to get the supplies and making the templates. So hopefully I've saved you some work. It should really only be an hour project or less, and so far, my kids are pretty excited about it. Hopefully it's a chart we'll stick too!

On hold...

I'm partially sad, partially relieved to make this announcement, but a lot has changed in our lives in the last few months and everything is on hold until further notice. Sorry, folks, I'm not taking any more vinyl/sewing orders, or teaching lessons. I go back to teaching Monday and all my spare time will be reserved for my family. Thanks for all your past support!

Feel free to keep checking back for ideas. I'll still try to post some things on here once in awhile, maybe even more that I won't have to worry about finding time to make more once I've made one. It all depends on where life take me with these new adventures.

I'll leave you with a quick picture from Girls Camp. Our theme was "Oh, the Places You'll Go" and our color was...purple (as if you'd wonder). Here's a picture of all of us in the Dr. Seuss hats I made and added a flower too (got the instructions for the hats here), and after spending 20 hours searching for affordable arm warmers, I just bought $2 pairs of knee-high socks from Target, we tie-dyed them and cut off the heel and toe and viola! We had such a great time - and looked great too!

*not pictured - the cute and simple drawstring bags I made and filled goodies including purple pens, bubbles, their camp shirts, and mini camp songbooks.

Something else important to me...

I know it's been awhile. I'm not even sure I have any followers out there any more, but other things have been consuming my time lately. But I promise, many good Girls' Camp crafts to come as that is my current church assignment. So if I do still have followers, I know many of you don't know me personally, so I am going to take a minute to let you in on a little personal family info.

Nearly 9 years ago, my husband was diagnosed with a horrible disease called Crohn's disease. (You can learn more about it here.)  It is an awful disease that I would not wish upon anyone. He had this disease when I met and married him, and with each defining moment in our lives it continued to get worse. (It tends to react to stress.) One year ago this very month, Eric went in for a routine colonoscopy that ended up being anything but routine. It turned out the doctor perforated his colon during the procedure. Eighteen hours later (because the perforation went undiagnosed that long) he was rushed into emergency surgery in the middle of night. I honestly believed that would be the last time I saw him because infection had taking over his body, he was becoming septic, and so much pressure had built up against his lungs and heart. Little did we know that this was all a blessing in disguise. Eric's surgeon made the decision to remove his entire large intestine leaving him with a permanent ileostomy. Eric's Crohn's was essentially gone and he was the healthiest I had ever known him to be. It changed our lives completely for the better. My kids had a new daddy, I had a new husband, my in-laws a new son. 

Well, just months shy of our anticipated anniversary since surgery, Eric's Crohn's returned. Although it's not as bad (yet), it is even more scary. Since his colon is already gone, we are left with fewer options for treatment. 

Not long after Eric's surgery, I discovered this walk that would be 1 year almost to the day of his surgery and made it a family goal for us to participate. Because we knew our options would be few if Eric's Crohn's ever returned, it was more and more important for us to do our part to find a cure for this evil disease. After the Crohn's returned, I sort of pushed this to the back of my mind while dealing with the issues at hand, but I was reminded today that this really is the important to us as well as to the other 1.4 million Americans suffering with Crohn's or Colitis. And some of my children and grandchildren will likely suffer from the disease as well.

So in just a short week and a half our family will be walking. All of us. Together. Because we LOVE our Daddy. And we LOVE him healthy. Although you may not know me, us, or Eric, you most likely know someone who has or is suffering with Crohn's or Colitis, publicly or privately. For this reason, I ask you to join our cause.  Walk with us or donate, whatever you can do. Please support us, however you can, even if it's just your prayers. You can view our team page and join or donate HERE. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Need a denim skirt?

My cute niece did! And after looking EVERYWHERE for MONTHS her mom came to me and asked me to make one. I said "Sure! Just bring me a pair of jeans." Off to Kohl's and out with a $9 clearance pair and we have a skirt people! I hear she LOVES it. Unfortunately, she does live in Oklahoma, so I haven't seen it in person, but here's one they sent me via cell phone. Still waiting for the better picture, but until then...enjoy!

Christmas Stockings

Wow! Now that I seem to have everyone else's Christmas projects done, I can begin my own. Not that I am complaining, I have been loving it! My sister-in-law asked me to make some personalized stockings for family this year for them to use in their early Christmas before my brother was deployed to Afghanistan. So, I remembered the stockings of one of my friend's over at Crafty Chicks and asked her if I could borrow them to use as a template. I did and LOVE how they turned out. I planned to make some for my family this year, but I don't think I'm going to get to it. Definitely for next year though. Good news is, my brother's family loves them, and Santa filled them early, and my brother is now "safely" in Afghanistan and I pray he stays that way.

The best burp cloths since cloth diapers

These things are great and so absorbant! These cloths are oversized, double-sided with flannel and an extra absorbant filler in between. This is one item I do keep an inventory. Get a set of 3 for $8 or 1 for $3.

Happy Halloween!

This is a little late, but my camera died on Halloween, fitting isn't it? I had to wait until I got the pictures from my friend.

Here's just a cute idea I took to our neighborhood Halloween party. They are called "Ghost on a Broom." I saw someone make them on tv 3 or 4 years ago and wrote down the idea with hopes that someday I'd have something to make them for, and sure enough, I finally did. All you do is cut and fringe a little strip of fruit roll-up and wrap it around the end of pretzel. Then pour some melted white chocolate over the pretzel to look like a ghost. Add some chocolate chips for eyes, and let them cool. They were such a hit! Not only are they cute, but they are surprisingly delicious as well. You'd never guess fruit roll-ups would go so well with chocolate and pretzels, would you? In the words of my husband, "You have to shove the whole thing in your mouth to mix all the flavors." Yummy!