Sugarberry Bathroom!

Sorry for the quick post, but I have to share some new excitement! Our tiny bungalow has 1 bathroom...yes, one. So the fact that it's been painted high gloss "kettle" black since we bought it has seriously hurt my heart. I love black, just not in that way. Anyway, today I took the plunge and FINALLY committed to a new color - "sugarberry" by Behr. It's pink, but as un-pink as a pink could be. Lots of gray and a tiny hint of lilac in it. Let's just say that even Tim likes it, hooray! Plus the name is just fun to say. Thanks Mystical Rose for the great tip!
I've also included a photo of something new that's coming soon... Happy weekend!
-HAPPY NEW BATHROOM-

Happy Surprise Mail!

I LOVE MAIL... not bills from the electric company (they don't count) but real mail. Like letters, postcards and unexpected packages. I even like those freebie coupon books because they contain deals that I swear are made just for me! So you can imagine how happy my heart was today when I found a box on my doorstep from my great friend and old design client, Julie. She is A-mazing and absolutely wonderful to us. MG is thrilled with the cutest pair of crocheted cupcakes (I need to make some more, fun!) and the note on McB's gift is still cracking me up! Oh how true it is! Thank you Julie for making our hearts happy - we love you!
-HAPPY DELIVERIES-

Crafty Kids - Spring Shower Curtain Bangles!

Well folks, we unpacked storage this past weekend. Yup. For any of you that have ever had a storage space, attic, basement or even a closet, you know how scary this can be. After all the dread it turned out to be quite fun. Honest! I found all kinds of goodies including old photos of our early days in New York and some of my kid's preemie baby clothes. It's hard to believe they were that teeny!

Anyway, I also found a bunch of home stuff that we used to stage our house in Southport. Including some really great shower curtain rings - exciting, I know! So when I went to change out the el cheapo ones, both kids had rings stacked up their arms. Which got me thinking... how to make them into a fun project?

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
• cheap plastic shower curtain rings
• white glue
• fun paper napkins or tissue paper
• a junkie paintbrush

WHAT TO DO:
Cut up the napkins or paper into 1 inch squares (no need to be perfect about it). Paint enough glue onto a ring to stick one of the squares on. Continue until the whole ring is covered. Then coat the ring with another layer of glue as a varnish. Let it dry for a couple hours and ta-da, a fun kid's sized bangle! You could add glitter, gems, buttons, etc. Tons of fun for a princess party craft and super cheap!

PS - Because this involves glue and some skill, I would recommend this craft for ages 3 plus
-HAPPY REPURPOSED HOME GOODS-

Spring Super hero!

Spring is in the air and I have a new personal super hero - his name is Raven Sutton! He dug out the yuckiest dead shrubs and turned over the soil in my flower beds in under 5 hours including a lunch break. That has to be a super power! I can't wait to get planting... oh the plans I have planned!

Uh oh, little McB is up. Here's a quick list of the latest at our tiny happy bungalow:
1. A new knit & crocheted cloche hat for MG adapted from this DROPS pattern
2. The paperwhites are growing! If you ever spy some at a local nursery, get a few. They're lots of Spring fun with no effort.
3. AND Briar is drawing on everything... except paper. Including all over our bathroom with waterproof mascara. Yes, it is just like grease! Creative channeling is in order!

Be back soon, Michelle
-HAPPY ALMOST SPRING-

Cupcakes & a Tornado!

WHOA we had a super serious storm yesterday!! I love a good bit of thunder and lightening but this was a Wizard of Oz-like tornado. Trust me when I say, I was a tad freaked out! It left our neighborhood all jumbled up with power lines, fallen trees and very sadly a bunch of crushed homes (both of the bungalows behind us are a mess). So today we are feeling very grateful to have a home in one piece and no one hurt. And thank you to Miss Annie for the insanely yummy dark chocolate with pistachio buttercream cupcakes! Did you ever think of opening a bakery? Well, yes you did indeed!

-THANKFULLY HAPPY-

Sharpie Marker Tie-Dye Tutorial

Ok folks, as promised, here's a quick tutorial on how to tie-dye using sharpie markers. We did this at Craft Social Workshop last week and it was a blast! Tons of colors and great ideas... it's always fun to see what crafty people come up with when you show them a new technique and then shut up. Usually the results are way cooler than if you tell them what they should create. So here's the technique:

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
• Sharpie markers
• 100% white cotton tshirts, socks, undies, etc
• rubber bands
• a jar
• eyedropper
• 91% Isopropyl alcohol (at the drug store)

WHAT TO DO:
This is so easy that it actually makes a great kids craft and is much quicker than regular tie-dye. Just be sure to keep the windows open. Place the jar inside the shirt and position the top where you'd like the dye to go. Secure it with a rubber band around the edge. Now comes the fun part, but don't picnic once you've started the process (aka - don't take your time, be a bit speedy). Using the sharpies, draw dots, lines, etc on the fabric. Fill your eyedropper with alcohol and begin dropping in the middle of the circle. I usually start with approx 10 - 15 drops and then see if it needs more. As the marker reacts to the alcohol, it begins to bleed or "dye". The colors will blend together and will dye up to the rubber band edge. You can do one big design or go crazy and dye the whole item. There's no right or wrong! The really cool part is that the "dye" dries very quickly so no 24 hour wait. And, because sharpie is permanent, there's no need to worry about dye bleeding in the washer, yay! Enjoy!

-HAPPY COLORFUL TIE-DYE-

Color Wonder!

It's late and my hands are covered in Sharpie marker. And not just regular old black Sharpie, but a rainbow of color goodness! I've been practicing for tomorrow's Craft Social Workshop and having way too good of a time. Here's a sneak peak at what I'm teaching - "Sharpie tie-dyed undies". If you're in Chattanooga, here's more info. Tutorial to follow shortly... yay!

-HAPPY UNDIES, HAPPY LIFE-