All About the Dollar Bill$

Are your kids constantly asking "mom can I have this" when you walk into a store?  Well mine certainly does.  Even though I think I've done a pretty good job at showing him the value of things, nothing brings that life lesson home like being in control of your own cash.

Growing up one of seven children, we didn't receive an allowance.  It was understood that being a member of such a large household meant you would pull your weight and getting paid for it was simply out of the question!  I happen to agree with that philosophy.  I don't think children should be paid to be a productive member of their households.  So how do you teach them the all important money management skills?  You give them their own money -- an "allowance" -- to help them learn fiscal responsibility.  My son understands that the chores he is responsible for is his contribution to our home.  Making his bed, feeding his fish, clearing his plate, vacuuming his room are all important to help our house run smoothly but these things he is not paid for.  He receives money per month so he can learn how to use money wisely.

When I was trying to figure out a good way to do this, I went on an internet search and found Laurel at Ducks in a Row who was teaching this same life lesson to her three children.  I loved the register that she used so I totally stole it to use for my son.  Hold your horses folks...it's all about the dollar bills ya'll!

Used vinyl to label the jars

We visited a local church one Sunday and the children received these containers as part of the financial responsibility lesson.  What a God send...truly!

Cool quarter stickers to add to the top of each one

Each month he receives $1/how old he is {5 yrs = $5} The register will help him to keep track of the money he receives and the money he spends.

The register book

Simple register -- easy for young ones

The Rules -- because there have to be rules...lol!

Making entries

Counting his money {forgive the dog and the mess in the background..LOL}

This idea has been pure genius.  Since we began back in April, my son has cut down tremendously on asking for things because he knows if he wants something it must come from his own money.  He's learning to think before asking and has learned to decide on the value of an item before dropping his cash.  That to me sounds like a lesson learned!

The Doc Is In!

My best customer has once again asked that I stretch my crafting ability to help with her daughter's 5th birthday party.  This year's theme -- Doc McStuffins.  Now let me tell ya, I love this show personally but my little guy will only watch it when there is "nothing else good on" {the words that come out of that boy...lol}.  So I was excited to help make her little girls' dreams come true with some very cute centerpieces.

The Doc Is In...let's party!

After searching the internet, she found centerpieces that she loved but didn't love the price.  She immediately emailed me the picture and asked if I could do something similar.  Because she is totally okay with my creative license when doing work for her {which I love!},  I was able to use the photo as a starting point to create something that was functional and that she would be proud to display.

I started off the project with the intent to try and get these centerpieces as close to the original inspiration as possible, so when I saw these great buckets in the dollar bin section of Target I was excited.  They were a great size but the wrong color -- nothing a can of spray paint wouldn't fix.

$1 bucket from Target

Sprayed with white primer

Spray painted hot pink

Now for the images.  My customer wanted the centerpieces to look the same from both the front and the back.  She was able to find free images online that we used so the next step was to create each one in mirror image -- the most important step for making them back-to-back.  I don't have Photoshop and wasn't sure how we were going to do this but she was determined and found a way to do this herself {girl power!}.  I took the images to the UPS store to have them enlarged.  The plan was to make the images fill an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper but that proved to be more difficult than either I or the young man at the store thought it would be.  In the end, I had to settle on them being as big as he could make them {which wasn't very large} and that meant I would have to rethink how these centerpieces would be done.

Enlarged image - cut out

Traced on foam core board then cut out with a straight razor.
Each image was then glued front/back to the board.

Since the images were smaller than expected, I needed to find a smaller container.  Target to the rescue again!  After saying a little prayer, I walked in and what did I see in the dollar bin section but a stack of these beautiful white containers.  It was like I heard a choir of angels singing 'hallelujah'...LOL!

$1 container from Target

Using my Silhouette machine, I cut the shapes needed to decorate the smaller container.

Hot pink oval glued to each side

Number five

Adding polka dots

Fifteen minutes and front/back is complete

Sides completed -- total time approx. one hour

When I placed the containers together one on top of the other, I didn't like how 'unfinished' the bottom container looked.  So I decided to make something simple to go around the bottom of each one.

Cut strips of tissue paper in hot pink and purple.  Using hot pink ribbon
I glued the strips on in an overlapping fashion to create a "skirt" for
the bottom of each larger container.

Measured 1 1/2 inches from the bottom and glued the ribbon around the bottom.

At this point in the process I was under the gun.  I was working on three different projects simultaneously and I didn't have the time to document the way I wanted to -- most of this project {and at least one of the others} was done very late at night.

So let me tell you how I wrapped it all up. Using glue {and a three pound weight}, I attached the small white container to the larger one.  I cut off about an inch of the tissue paper and made small slits in each section to give it a "fringe" look at the bottom.  I cut out the name on my Silhouette and glued them on the larger containers {both front and back}.  I attached each image to the base using thin purple craft sticks and inserted them into a cut piece of styrofoam that I purchased from the dollar store.  To finish them off, I took the same hot pink ribbon and glued it over top of the fringed piece at the bottom and filled each container with tissue paper and VOILA...sweet and charming centerpieces!

Lambie

Stuffy

Doc McStuffins

NOTE: Apologies for the poor individual photos.  I was in a hurry to deliver these and realized I hadn't taken pics.  I took several and these were the best.  Must remember to look at the settings on my camera before taking pics...oy vey!

I love helping others make memories.  Happy 5th Birthday Miss Corrine!!!

Where we like to party!

A Year In {Picture} Review

What do you do when you have three projects due approximately the same time?  You work round the clock to get them all done!  This project was smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle that made up the first three weeks of May in Little Blue's crafting room.

Each year, I try my best to come up with an end of the year gift for my students.  I strive for something that is heartfelt and that the parents will think twice about before chucking it in the all too familiar "circular file" {aka - trashcan}.  This project began swirling around in my head sometime in February.  Now, let me be real with ya here -- I thought this up and said out loud "this is great and it'll be so easy, I only have seven kids".   HAHAHA...when am I going to learn??  Every time I say how easy something is, it takes twice as long...LOL!  I was asked by a co-worker would I do this project again.  Certainly!  I loved everything about putting this together and now that I know the time it takes, I'd start waaay earlier!

I'm happy to say that the kids thought they were cool and their parents were overjoyed and a little emotional when they saw them.  They were created in a way that would allow each family to have them framed if they so desired -- a great way to show their child's year in preschool and perhaps it will end up as a keepsake for years to come.

Check out our preschool year in 'picture' reveiw!

Navy blue/light blue for the boys

Yellow/green for the girls

I'm certain that at some point in the not so distant future there will be a post on how I actually created these.  But for now, I'll just sit back enjoying my cup of chamomile tea and smile at a job well done!

Friday Fun Post!

Have you purchased your Mother's Day gift yet? No.  How about that wonderful couple you know that will be getting married this year, have you bought their gift?  No.  What about your "sista-friend" that loves baking but she doesn't have all the proper tools and you want a great gift to surprise her?  No.  Well don't worry, I have the PERFECT gift that would cover any of those occasions!

Pick You Plum to the rescue!  Today {and today only} check out the deal that would help make you the best gift giver ever.

Betty Draper Serving Set -- includes 8" spatula, 4" pie server and 3" x 5" turner -- for the awesome price of $19.99!

Now, what makes this deal even better {I know, hard to believe it could get better than this}?  These can be personalized!  So the next potluck party, not only will you come with a delicious meal but you won't risk losing you tools when time to pack up.

Are you trying to figure out how you can get your hands on this wonderful deal?  I won't keep you in suspense any longer -- simply click HERE!

Friday Fun at a price that can't be beat.  What a great way to start the weekend!

Welcome Spring...Garden!

Happy Spring!  At least that's what the calendar says but the weather outside is still making up its mind.  The last few days have been warmer here so I decided to take the opportunity to help my little guy with the garden that he has been asking me to do for him for over a year now.

Let me start by saying -- I really hate dislike the outdoors.  Nothing about being outside with the bugs flying in my face and being hot makes me excited.  I don't mind going for long walks but that's about where my love for nature begins and ends, but I digress.  My son has changed his mama in many ways.  I have found myself doing things that are clearly outside of my comfort zone and gardening is way out!  Telling him that he can't try to grow plants and veggies was simply out of the question so I took to my computer and surfed the web to come up with not only ideas but tips on how to do this DIY style.

The backyard.  Short story -- it is uneven and there are very limited level spaces out there (including the space I chose to use).  The problem.  Hard ground and little time to get this project finished before heading out of town.  The solution.  Get creative and work with it as is!

The little prince watering the marked off area while pretending to be Rescue Squad Mater  :-)

The original plan was to dig out the space to create a level bed so I had my little guy get the hose and begin watering the area to moisten the ground for digging.  Well, that plan changed as soon as I realized how hard the ground was and exactly how much work doing that was going to take.  Time for plan B.

A trip to Walmart and I purchased a roll of weed cover, laid it in the marked off area and then placed his raised bed where we wanted it.

Marked off an area with brick pavers and filled with paver sand and pea gravel.  I used the sand as a base because of the unevenness of the ground.  This area will make it easy for my little guy to water his garden.

Added the flowers to the bed and some garden soil to the back area.  It's beginning to look like a garden!

My son picked out several plants that he liked but we also had vegetables to plant as well.  The raised bed is called 'My First Garden' that we found at Lowes Home Improvement and it's pretty small {2x2}.We quickly realized there would be no room for the veggies so back to the store to buy another bed.

We made a matching pea gravel area on the other side of the new bed and filled the entire back area with garden soil {I plan to add some bulbs back there}.  We planted seeds -- green beans, carrots and cucumbers and he wanted his strawberry plant to go right up front {we have a tomato plant that we'll put in a vertical hanger to grow that way}.  My son insists that we have signs for the veggies so people will know what we have growing, so I'll be working on that soon.

Welcome to our garden!

I found this sign last year in the dollar store.  What a sweet little addition and we lucked out, it even matched the garden beds.

Here is the final product.  As you can see it isn't level {we'll work on fixing that later} but we are so proud of what we accomplished as a family!

His beautiful flowers!

And his fruits & veggies!

His watering can hanging above for easy access.

We even thought about our little bird friends and bought this colorful feeder.  I found a cute bird bath idea on Pinterest that I think we'll incorporate some time in the future.

Garden area DIY and a feeling of complete satisfaction that we did it ourselves!  What a great way to spend our Easter weekend.  It wasn't conventional but it was filled with family and that to me is how you celebrate a holiday!

***PHOTO UPDATE***

Time to show the progress of our little garden.  We are very happy with how well things have progressed so far -- as the saying goes 'so far, so good' {smile}.

April 13, 2013 - the beginning of green beans.  YAY!

April 13, 2013 - we even have cucumbers.

We don't have any carrots yet, but the seed package said 75 days, so we still have some time for those but we are hoping that they are as hearty as the other two.

April 25, 2013 - Look at all the growth! YIPPEE!

April 25, 2013 - they are more than just green bean sprouts now.

April 25, 2013 - the cucumbers have grown too. 

April 25, 2013 - our strawberries look good.

April 25, 2013 - our tomato plant in the Topsy Turvy

April 25, 2013 - Flower bulbs beginning to grow

I have a confession to make -- I'm more excited about this garden than I ever thought I would be.  My son's enthusiasm for growing food we can actually eat has me hoping and praying each day for a good outcome with our garden experiment.  As you can see from the pics, our veggies/fruit are growing well.  I do have some concerns such as spacing of the veggies {too much/too little??}, the depth of the container for the carrots {learned that when they hit the bottom of the container that they stop growing}, and the coloring {white-ish} on the leaves of the cucumbers, but we plan to see this thing out to the end.

Stay tuned...our next update will be a post showing us harvesting some good veggies and fruit {we pray!}


Where we like to party!