Hey hey to our favorite people!

It’s time for more of our small spaces series here at The Handmade Home! We’ve covered foyers + entryways, living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens. Last week we discussed small master bedrooms, and today, we’re discussing small shared children’s spaces. (Click here, to see the entire series.) I’ll probably cover individual spaces next week, but I think that ever since our own boys room redo, I’ve been obsessed with shared spaces. Our kids love sharing a space at night, and with the current economy, this is certainly a trending topic.

I know that for me, personally, my biggest hang up with planning a shared space was thinking beyond the usual expectations, and looking at the space in itself as an entire unit to utilize. What would work best? What made the most sense? What would look great spatially?

ps I love this

Obligatory disclaimer: space is all relative, isn’t it? Some of these rooms probably aren’t as tiny as we’d expect…but they all still had something in common: I found them to be packed full of great decor ideas, clever use of space, awesome styling, or a little bit of all of the above. This is more of a wide angled lens view for inspiration, if you will.

Originally found in Domino Magazine via the fab Sunshine Ruffalo, this space is perfect for the boy girl combo. It also shows us that not everything has to match. It just needs to ‘go.’ When I spied these beds, I knew I needed one for Emerson’s room.

Traditional bunk beds have really made a come back over the last few years.

And I think we’re only seeing the beginning of the built in phase. Especially when it comes to saving space.

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Technically, this is not a shared space. But I do love this arrangement for a little one. {And of course, her style.}

I love how each little one has their own space.

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Three boys share this space! Brillz.

I love the combo of the Jenny Lind again.

And how cozy this space feels!

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I am loving the blown up photos of kids a-la rockstar to really capture their personalities in the space. I’m also adoring this color scheme.

Yes. I’ll take those headboards.

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This kind of makes you think outside the typical when it comes to furniture arrangements. I love all their beds so lovely in a row!

I’m not so sure this is actually a child’s room, so much as adults sharing a bedroom with their baby. I love how they made it work with the fabrics and colors.

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Look carefully: this is two beds in one space.

The ultimate storage.

Click on over to see this adorable room tour

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Another adorable room tour. Love the clever play of color.

Note to self: get a cute guitar.

Not necessarily a child’s room, but it’s something to think about.

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I’m not usually a red gal, but this room has me.

more fun citrus and pink

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I love how real this room feels.

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These window treatments make me swoon!

Wrapping it up: I think that the best shared spaces are considerate of the use of visual space and actual storage, while giving each child their own boundaries within the room. Aesthetically, they have a real consideration for proportions and elements.

Shared rooms are all the rage…at our house at least. Any of you share a space? What have you found works best for you?

Wow. The response to our first font snobs post was so overwhelming, I couldn’t help but turn this into a regular occurrence here at our lil site. We’ve decided to prevent the abuse of fonts by bringing fresh fonts to you, oh so fabulous readers, as a regular installment.

Welcome to the font snob club.

I don’t really do buttons, at least not since the 80′s when I had a giant NKOTB button with Jordan Knight splayed in his glorious existence on my blue jean jacket…but these make me feel like the biggest dork ever super happy. And if we all had secret meetings a-la Dumbledore’s Army once a week where we bashed fonts, we would totally wear these.

I’m pretty sure I just singlehandedly explained in the paragraph above, why I don’t get out much. ;}

It just makes me really happy that someone actually took the time to make this. A little birdie informed me that some of you were pinning our last post, only to be brutally attacked by fellow pinterest cohorts who, apparently, were deeply offended by our humorous distaste towards comic sans. I’m talking disagreeable dropping of expletives, people. We really strive to be positive here on our site (when we’re not joking on ourselves, of course) and people were acting as though we’d shoved their grandmother. Off a curb. Into an ocean of shark infested waters.

Remember to stand strong in your distain towards poorly designed fonts. And, if necessary, explain that it’s just a little design humor. Fonts are like humans. They just need boundaries. This site may help in explaining that a little.

You’re welcome in advance.

Also, without further adieu, here’s our next little round up of favorite fonts. Just remember…it’s all about a nice healthy dose of moderation. ;} And the balance of a display font with the gloriously faultless Helvetica… but alas, this isn’t Type class.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 

PS. Again, they’re all free. Thanks, y’all. Happy font downloading!

When the awesome people at Apartment Guide contacted us with a challenge they had for us, we were more than happy to oblige. {It’s kind of what we love to do, after all. ;}} The challenge: To makeover, revamp, repurpose or create something for our home, for under 100 smackeroos. So when I literally stumbled across this crate, I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing with it. For a mere fifty dollars I was totally in love.

It was totally great as it was, but I thought I’d {gasp!} throw in a little fun and give it a personal touch for our home. The first part to one of our favorite songs {and favorite shows!} fit the bill. Bob Dylan’s Forever Young, anyone? Lately, I’ve been a little sentimental. Sometimes I wish they really could stay forever young. Sometimes, I’m glad they won’t because I think it gets even better. ;} It’s a vicious thing, parenthood.

Here’s how we did it:

After wiping it down again, and again, and again…{I’d LOVE to know what this thing was used for back in the day} I broke out some foam letters I had. {You can find these at any craft store-I’ve had mine for years} The initial plan was to dip the letters in paint, and go from there for more of a rustic look. Because I didn’t want to ruin the crate, it took a little planning ahead of time. So I cut a piece of butcher paper to size, and mapped out the first three lines of the song. As it turns out, the letters were the wrong size, and were much too large for what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to overwhelm the crate with paint, but rather give it a touch of something fun.

So, onto the projector we moved. We simply printed the song lyrics out on some transparency, {font = chunky. yes, I am obsessed.} adjusted it to the right size, and started tracing. From there, careful to cover the dark lines, we filled it in with paint and a small brush. I went behind it with an exacto knife and touched up any little mess ups that occurred, as well as scraped away the paint in a few of the places, to make it look older, and distressed.

So there you have it! Our new little addition to our space. It was definitely time for a bit of a spruce up.

Whether you’re living, looking or moving, Apartment Guide offers how-to tips for making the most of your space on a budget. If you’re ready for a whole new space or looking to move, Apartment Guide has the photos, floor plans, features and tips to help you find the perfect apartment community. If your furniture needs a facelift,  you’re searching for some great vintage pieces or budget friendly ideas and DIY how-tos for any sized home, this site is a great lil resource!

Today, Apartment Guide is here with an awesome giveaway, so one lucky reader can try their own little revamp: A fifty dollar gift card to Home Depot! Want to win?

1. Like Apartment Guide on Facebook and leave a comment here, telling us you did.

2. Follow them on Twitter and leave a comment here, telling us you did.  

3. Circle them on Google+ and leave a comment here, telling us you did.

4. Share this fun giveaway on facebook, twitter or pinterest. Leave a separate comment here each time, telling us you did.

Giveaway ends Thursday night, {2.23} winner announced Friday {2.24}!

GOOD LUCK! May the luckiest commenter win!

Obligatory Disclaimer: Apartment Guide and owner Consumer Source, Inc. partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in their monthly blogger programs.  As part of that program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used, and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

A big fat Monday kind of hey to all our favorite people! We hope you had a restful weekend, and that this day finds you well. Remember my fabulous friend Kay with her amazing sweet potato dumplings? I’m pleased as pie {pun intended} to have her back today, so she can share another easy peasy recipe idea with us! So without further adieu, here she is to share her great egg rolls!

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In an effort not to overload everyone with “dumpling” recipes right off the bat (because I have another fabulous one that I will share soon enough) I decided to give y’all my egg roll recipe. And my decision for this may or may not have had anything to do with the fact that I almost ruined dinner last night.

While attempting to salvage my roast, I decided to crank up the fryer so I could drop in a few of these suckers, just in case the roast didn’t make it (which it did by the way and with flying colors, I must say).

I always prepare these in advance because they’re just too easy not to have on hand.

And here’s how you do it:

Brown hamburger meat and then drain

Toss package of pre-made coleslaw in with the meat mixture.

While this is cooking down, scramble your eggs {make sure they are scrambled very small.} After you put them in the meat mixture and stir around, you can remove from the stove and begin rolling.

You want to take your wraps out of the freezer a few minutes before the rolling begins. They need to thaw a little so they’re flexible. I have found that putting my hand on them for a bit helps if they need a little encouragement. But do go ahead with the wrapping as soon as they are ready. You don’t want the wraps to get hard.

Place a large spoonful at the corner of your wrap and fold the corner over the mixture. Roll until you are even with the other two corners, fold them over each other. Continue to roll until you are almost to the end. Don’t roll all the way. This is where you will use the uncooked egg as a “glue” to seal the egg roll. Dip your finger in the egg and spread it on the last corner and then finish rolling. If it doesn’t stick as well as you would like, just dip your finger again and put more on that corner once it is rolled.

I like to make 50-100 at a time so I am sure to have plenty on hand…you know, in case I have to pretend that I meant for them to be the main course. ;} Put them in freezer bags and just pull them out when you’re ready to fry ‘em up. Just a side note for when you take them out of the freezer: you may want to get the ice crystals off before popping them in the grease. Grease and ice just don’t mix well.

Once they’re done dancing in the grease and are a golden brown all the way around, drain them on paper towels {if you don’t have a fryer, as shown here, no worries. Just put a little oil in your pan and cook them on your stovetop.}

Dip ‘em in that lovely sweet chili sauce and enjoy! So there you have it! Snack, appetizer, main course (or save the day little heroes), these little guys can serve just about any purpose.

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Hurray for meals that you can cook in mass quantities, freeze, and break out in an emergency! I think I’m trying these for my next dinner partay.

This week, we were feeling a little under the weather at the Millz hizzy. Thankfully, there was nothing of the voms variety {knock on wood to the ten quadrillionth power} but more of the sniveling, slight fever, yucky-enough-to-stay-home-and-miss-our-valentine’s-partay-while-we-laze-on-the-couch, variety.

Since I desperately needed to get a little work done, I pulled out the big guns. Which really, in retrospect, weren’t that big at all. They just felt that way since the kids are endlessly mesmerized by them. It had me thinking about the three consistently engaging and limitless activities around our home that we either keep coming back to, or are a great resource and learning tool for our children. SUPER simple, tried and true ideas that were initially given to us as gifts, and we just love to use with our little ones.

Some days, I’m one scream away from pulling out every single last one of my eyelashes. {After I dangle the offspring from their toes, of course.} So I thought I’d share three of these gift ideas, for beating down the winter doldrums.

1. Create an art bin. For Christmas, I asked my super creative mother in law for some art supplies. We were running low. The markers were dried out. And the clump-ability factor of the play doh population was a true tragedy. She always puts a lot of thought into her gifts, so when we received these seemingly simple art supplies for the kids, I knew they were thoughtful. I just wasn’t aware of how throughtful. These little plastic bins are jam packed with personalized, age appropriate art supplies for each child. From activity books and finger paints, to Play doh and water colors…opened at least once a day. I think the kids love having their own little personal containers. Rainy day? No problem. I simply remind them of their stash. I usually have to pry them away from the table to clean up before dinner. And we just keep adding to it…And who doesn’t love it when their kids are thinking critically through a worksheet or creating a beautiful work of art?

2. Simple design as teaching tools. When the super sweet Courtney of Lil Light O Mine generously sent us these awesome goodies, I was completely in awe of these adorable products. If there’s one thing we’re trying to teach our kids, it’s both of these valuable life lessons. We love the idea of working scripture into their every day lives with these adorable flash cards also cleverly designed in the form of the alphabet. We’re covering a different letter, learning them one at a time as a family, each week. The money jars are the simplest of concepts…the idea of saving up, and planning ahead: something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. We love these brilliant little products with a big impact, and think they make one of a kind, awesome gifts.

3. Lighten up. This may seem silly, but it’s truly the little things with us. We keep a huge {hidden} stash at our house. It may as well be likened to crack, and it’s composed of a never ending supply of glow bracelets and flashlights {per the tarjay dollar bin + dollar store.} But their worth is equivalent to gold at our house. They’re used for scavenger hunts, story time, camping sessions, bunk bed parties, bath time…the possibilities are oh so joyfully endless. When our friends come over, and the weather is warm, we sit on the porch and simply toss about fifty into the air and make the kids hunt them down in the dark. The adults can actually have a conversation…Need I say more?

So there we have it…three of our family’s favorite things when it pertains to my children, and the sweet little gift ideas that keep them occupied for hours!

So now it’s your turn. What are some of your tried and true methods you’ve used to entertain or teach your children around the home? Please do share some of your faves!

Happy Thursday, everyone! Though I’ve created a few designs lately, we were overdue for an official freebie of the month club giveaway… illustrations style. They are my faves, after all.

So I thought I’d spiff up a few of these vintage camera illustrations.

Here they are, just for you wonderful people! Whether it’s a card for someone, decor for your home, or just about everything in between…these illustrations work by themselves or in a group. They print out to 5 x 7 and beyond.

Want them? Click here to visit our downloads page, and grab up these little freebies. {camera 1, camera 2 + camera 3.} Click here to see the rest of our freebies…they’re just for you!

Tada! We’d love to see what you do with them!

Have an inspired day!