It’s time once again for Heather from Family Volley to share with us some Parenting Tips as part of her “Parenting Tips Series with Heather Johnson” here on The Idea Room. I for one, really enjoy all her great tips and advice on things that most of us as parents struggle with. Here’s Heather in her own words…

–Amy

________________________________________

Have you ever been in a public situation and one of your children will not talk or answer questions? Maybe you followed up their actions with “Oh, he is just shy”. Sound familiar? 


All children are different. They have different personalities and temperaments. As parents, we tend to worry and even be embarrassed by our less outgoing, more reserved children. There are things we can do as parents to teach our children so they feel more comfortable around new people and in social situations.


First… The DON’TS


DON’T LABEL YOUR CHILDREN
When we label our children, our children are more likely to “become” that label. If your child is asked a question, and refuses to answer, you don’t want to say “he is just shy”. The more we make comments like this, the quieter our child will become. 
Don’t let other people label your child either. “Are you shy”, shouldn’t be something your child has to hear from others. When someone does decide to label your child, respond by saying something like, “No he isn’t shy, just not very talkative right now”. This is a much more productive approach than labeling.

DON’T RESCUE YOUR CHILD
Don’t answer for our children when they won’t talk. Just go on with the conversation and let your child participate when they are ready.


DON’T FORCE OR PRESSURE
Pressure will most likely turn into a power struggle where your child will act exactly how you don’t want them to act, just to prove that they are in control.


DON’T BE EMBARRASSED
It can be embarrassing to have our 3 year old hiding between our legs, refusing to talk to our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We might think it makes us look like bad parents, like we don’t have control of our children, and that they don’t respect us and won’t obey. Maybe we worry people will think we haven’t taught our children. We have to get over those thoughts. If others judge, it is their problem. We know our children best. We need to do what is best for them. Don’t let what others think affect our actions.

Do…PREPARE YOUR CHILD BEFORE HAND
Explain to your child what will take place in the upcoming situation. Explain that there will be new people who want to say hello, shake their hands, and ask them their names. Give them a good idea of what might happen so they are not caught off guard. Don’t just explain what will happen, talk about what you expect them to do in the situations.


DO…EXPOSE YOUR CHILD TO ALL DIFFERENT SITUATIONS
Don’t shelter your children. Expose them to lots of different situations with different people. Give them opportunities to be social, but don’t force them to perform in the situations. Give them lots of new experiences and opportunities.  

DO…PRACTICE SOCIAL SKILLS
Role Playing is a very important teaching tool and will help build your child’s confidence. Practice what to say when they meet someone new. Practice making eye contact. Practice how to introduce themselves. Practice speaking up, so others can hear them.


DO…ARRIVE EARLY AT SOCIAL GATHERINGS
Many times, kids just need a few minutes in new situations to feel comfortable. Arriving early to social situations, parties and gatherings will allow your kids a few minutes to “assess” the setting, and even meet a few people before everyone arrives. It gives them time to warm up to the people and the environment. They are able to already establish their position in the environment instead of “arriving into an environment already in progress”.

DO…ATTEND FAMILY GATHERINGS and PROVIDE LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
When your family is together and you know your child is comfortable, give them the opportunity to lead and be in charge. Use situations that are already occurring and give them special tasks and assignments. Teach them public speaking skills, and let them practice. 

Kids have their own personalities and inner feelings. Instead of labeling and assuming, work with them and you will see huge differences in their actions when it comes to public situations. All kids need to learn the skills, it is just quicker and easier for some than others. As parents, we need to be patient.It can be a phase, or their age, and with time, things will get easier for them and for you. 

DO YOU HAVE A CHILD THAT IS LESS OUTGOING AND MORE RESERVED? 

This is a story about a Candy Cane Swirl Cake that tasted better than it looked…

Pin It

{Don’t let the picture fool you…that is some creative photography…}

I don’t really share my craft/cooking fails with you guys and I don’t want you to think that I never have any…cause believe me…I do.  Not everything turns out like I had imagined it in my head.  Can anyone relate?  I wanted to share this delicious cake we made over the Christmas holidays but it was just not pretty enough to make the cut.  Even though it tasted really great. 

{See?  I told you!}

I originally saw the Candy Cane Swirl Cake at Betty Crocker.  But instead of using a box cake, I decided to make my favorite white cake recipe from scratch.

White Cake Recipe

• 1 cup butter

• 2 cups white sugar

• 4 large eggs

• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 3/4 cups milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease and flour pans lightly. I used three 8 inch round pans.

3. Cream together butter & vanilla extract.

4. Add sugar slowly until all is added and it is mixed well.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

6. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt together twice.

7. Now add flour mixture, alternating between the milk and flour. Mixing well after each again.

______________________________

1/2 teaspoon red food color (see Directions #1 below)

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (see Directions #1 below)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Generously grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube cake pan. Make cake batter as directed above. Pour about 2 cups batter into pan. In small bowl, pour about 3/4 cup batter; stir in food color and peppermint extract. Carefully pour pink batter over white batter in pan. Carefully pour remaining white batter over pink batter.

2. Bake cake at 350°F and cool completely.

3. In small bowl, mix white icing ingredients. If necessary, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until smooth and spreadable. Spread over cake. Sprinkle crushed candy on top. Store loosely covered.

White Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk or water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla, if desired

I am not quite sure why my cake fell apart.  Maybe the box cake would have been better to use in the bundt pan.  But it sure did taste good.  And there were several salvageable pieces of cake that I was able to serve up that looked halfway decent.  Hehe.  And with some creative photography I was almost able to make it look…well…somewhat presentable.

I have decided to share more of these creativity failures with you as part of trying to keep it real.  What do you think?  Are you looking forward to seeing some of my creative catastrophes??

Pin It

So this means if you would like to still get my posts you will need to sign up to receive my posts to your email inboxes (which is totally free) or you will need to come directly to my site to get them.

Just don’t want to lose any of you if you still want to follow along!  You can sign up here through my RSS feed to get my posts sent to your inboxes.

Simply click on blue link below.

Idea Room RSS Feed

Then choose your feed type or click on the dark blue link that says: “Get The Idea Room delivered by email” and it will take you to a box where you can then enter your email address.  Don’t worry…I will never sell or use your email address for anything other than to send you new updates and posts.

Ways to follow along with The Idea Room so you can still receive the content…

Idea Room RSS Feed

Idea Room Email Updates

Idea Room on Facebook

Idea Room on Twitter

Idea Room on Pinterest

Idea Room on Google+

I will be removing The Google Friends Connect from the sidebar of my blog here in the next couple of days.  I would love to have you continue to follow along.

Thanks so much for your continued support of The Idea Room.  I truly appreciate you and know that you are one of the main reasons, other than my love of sharing and creating, that The Idea Room even exists.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite crushes right now.  Remember when I shared my first crush list with you here?  Well I thought it was time for round two.  I also thought it would be a fun way for me to get to know some of your crushes as well.  If you would like to play along with us…feel free to come up with your own list and link them up here to the linky party I have added to the bottom of this post. 

image credit

This first item is something that I use everyday…multiple times.  I love it.  I use it on my hands (in the winter), on my hang nails, and on my lips!  Love it!  We also use it on my daughter’s who tend to get little patches of eczema in the winter time.

image credit

Chocolate Xtreme Dairy Queen Blizzard? Yes Please! My husband like to get one and share it for a simple date night out.  So rich and chocolatey with some nice big brownie chunks.  What is your favorite Blizzard?

image credit

Love this lotion.  Love the feel and the smell of it.  I like to use it on my hands when I get up in the morning and before I go to bed.  I keep it right on my nightstand so I won’t forget.  My hair dresser will give me a hand massage with this while we wait for my color…I know…she is awesome!

image credit

Wall Clocks.  I have an obsession!  I have one in several rooms in my home.  One of my favorites came from Target of all places!  Of course it did!

image credit

I love Citrus scents! Especially this foaming soap from Bath and Body Works.  It smells so good and I love the foamy soap bubbles.

image credit

And…are these Moroccan inspired soap sleeves not the cutest things ever?  I have one in the Master Bath!

image credit

Ummm….these are the best! I may have eaten so many of these in one sitting that my tongue was sore for a few days…Candy crack!

image credit

Loving this mascara which I recently made the switch too.  Have to have the very black and the waterproof version!

image credit

Crushed Ice!  I Love to chew ice…(I know how bad it is and all of that…but I still love it)  Well call it “good conga”!  I have been an ice chewer for as long as I can remember.  I know it is bad for your teeth so I try to just suck on it now.  I really want to install a crushed ice machine in my kitchen…wouldn’t that be awesome?  Like having a Sonic in your own home! 

*edit—I do get my anemia levels checked routinely now by my thyroid doctor and they are normal.  Thanks for those of you who expressed concern.  I had not heard of the connection of chewing ice with low levels of iron. 

image credit

Warm and cozy sweater socks!  Living in Utah these are a must.  I love pulling on a pair of these and hunkering down in front of a roaring fire.

What about you?  What are some of your favorite crushes?  Do we have some of the same items we are crushing on?

Pin It

Pin It

I wanted to share a bit of our progress and where we are at right now.  My office is mostly finished.  I am just sharing a little sneak peak today but hopefully plan on getting all the small details finished up here soon so I can share the full reveal with you.  I am loving it so far.

My cabinets were finally delivered to be installed almost 3 weeks ago.  Then when the guy came to install them he discovered that they were built 3 inches TOO TALL!!!  What?!  He was the one who came out and did the measure (twice). I saw the measurements that he sent in to the cabinet shop…but somewhere the numbers were entered wrong.  So….We had to wait another week for the cabinets to be rebuilt.

{love the curtains but took them back for some different ones which look much better in there now…}

This was good news to the girls who got to keep their dance studio a week longer.  Why is there a fan in the room?  Well first it was out because the new toilet we installed had an invisible hairline crack in it and was slowly leaking onto our newly laid wood floor….gah! But then it became one of the girls “props” to blow their hair back whilst dancing :)….Who doesn’t need one of those while dancing? Ha Ha

I shared one of my daughters dancing in the “dance studio” here.

The cabinets finally got put in and I couldn’t be happier with all my storage space.  Here is my old office space.   I had a few other closets in the house where I had some of my sewing supplies and material and my office supplies…not to mention all my craft STUFF!  So it is nice to have it ALL. IN. ONE. SPOT!

{we threw those pants in the fire last weekend…}

Most of my stuff has now been transferred except for a few loose ends here and there…but we are making progress people!  We put all the moldings back onto the wall and repainted everything.  I have to repaint the ceiling (not my favorite) but we are getting so close!

And….did I mention the dust?  Yikes!  I knew it was going to be messy…but I never imagined it would be THIS messy…and it is EVERYWHERE!  Maybe that is why I have been sick off and on for the last 6 weeks or so.

The floors are now finished and I am in LOVE! I will be sharing those later.  I have never been more happy to be on the downhill side of such a huge undertaking.  But I am liking where we are heading.  Hoping to be able to share some more updates soon. 

Pin It

Pin It

They literally just take seconds to make but can be worn to provide a little extra festivity to your day.  Or you can whip some up really quickly and give them to someone special. 

Of course we had some empty ring forms laying around which I found after cleaning up my craft room recently *ahem*!!  We simply took some Sweet Tart Conversation Heart Candy and glued them right onto the ring forms with some hot glue.  They held up really well and then when my little one wanted to eat her ring, we simply broke the candy off.  Part of the candy broke off and left a perfectly good piece of candy for her to eat…sans glue.

Now, I personally would not eat the candy after wearing it…but this particular child has no qualms about that sort of a thing…

We also tried our hand at making some jelly candy rings.  We just simply stuck the candy right onto a ring pop form like we used on these past Candy Rings.

Such a simple idea that your kids can help you create.  And would be a fun little gift idea or a party favor for a little ones birthday.  Change up the candy and make them fit other holidays too for greater flexibility!

I hope all of you have a Great Valentine’s Day!!

Pin It

Pin It

Valentine’s Day is next week and I just barely finished up the girl’s Valentine’s cards to give to their friends.  I have seen some fun versions of these around the internet and decided to make theirs a bit more personal this year.  So I am sharing with you some different valentine card ideas today.

There is not a lot too these Valentine’s ideas other than just simply taking a photograph of your child in front of a white wall if possible…in our case we used our garage door and then I was able to Photoshop the hinge lines out of the pictures.

For the youngest, I just took a picture of her in the snow in front of a rock.  Busy backgrounds are not the best choice if you want to add some writing to your photo.  Then just using my Photoshop Elements program I drew some hearts and added some simple heart shapes and some text.

I also created some Valentine Bag Toppers (which I originally saw on Martha Stewart) by placing one of the photographs onto a new blank creation that measured 3 inches x 5 inches to place on a candy baggie that measured 3 inches x 4.75 inches. 

Then placing the photo on the bottom half, you fold the topper in half and then staple it onto your baggie of candy.

Fairly quick and easy and I think it makes a great little Valentine gift for their friends.  My son did not want to have anything to do with these sorts of Valentines…and I can’t really blame him.  He went for the standard Valentine’s in a box.

I attached some candy to each Valentine.  On some we glued on some Dove chocolate and on the youngest we stuck suckers through the card by placing a small hole above and below her outstretched hand.  This card has been circling the internet for a couple of years now and I finally made one.  And I have to say, that it has been a big hit.  She is so excited to hand them out to her pre-school friends this year!

This is the first year I have done anything other than the boxed Valentine’s.  Do you do anything fun or special for your kids Valentine’s Day cards?

Need some other Valentine’s Day ideas?  Check out some of these past posts:

Valentine Bingo Cards

Valentine Hand Prints

Hearts Yahtzee Game and Printables

Valentine Heart Suckers

Valentine Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Valentine Candy Cane Heart Suckers

Valentine Heart Wax Paper

Valentine Heart Pancakes

Valentine Heart Felt Wreath

Valentine’s Day Candy Corn Bark

Pin It

Pin It

When our son turned 7, he went through a phase. A lying phase. I am happy to say that it isn’t a problem any more, but at the time, it brought a lot of frustration. All kids tell lies.

Young Children tell lies based on make-believe. They are usually made up stories of who they wish they were (a princess or a superhero), or what they wish they could do (today I crossed the street without holding anyone’s hand).

Elementary School Children tell smarter lies to sound cool, avoid being punished, and to get what they want. If they find that their lies get them what they want, the lies will become a habit. We want to stop them before they get to that point.

Teenagers will tell manipulative lies to protect themselves and their friends. They will also lie to avoid arguments and punishments and to get what they want. An occasional lie is not the end of the world. We just don’t want it to turn into a habit.

So what can we do to stop the lying?

First, we need to be the type of parent that sets fundamental rules with reasonable expectations, and we need to be willing to listen to our children. When we really listen to our children, they feel more comfortable talking to us and will be less likely to hide things from us. They will be more open with us because they feel respected and therefore will give respect back to us.

Then, pay attention to why your kids are not telling the truth.

• Are they worried about getting in trouble?
• Are we being too hard on them?
• Are our expectations too high?
• Are we stressed out so we are taking it out on them?
• Are they trying to get attention, because we are not listening?
• Are they hanging out with friends who lie?
• Do they have low self esteem?
• Are they looking for approval?
• Are they trying to get what they want?
• Are they trying to avoid responsibility?
• Is it to protect themselves or someone else?
• Are they trying to please you?
• Are they testing us?

When our son went through his lying stage, it was new behavior. He hadn’t really done anything like it before. I took some time to try and see if there was an underlying issue.

Next, be an Honest Parent. Kids will primarily do what they see us as their parents do. Do we ever fib? Sneak into a movie? Lie about our kids ages to get lower prices? Pretent no one is home so we don’t have to answer the door?  Kids will pick up on these lies. We have to be honest so that our kids will be honest.

Also, we need to teach our children that in our house, honest is the only policy. Teach them that you will be honest with them, and you expect honesty from them. Make this a family rule, and that they are expected to follow the rule, just like you are expected to follow the rule.

Remember, don’t be too harsh. If we are, our children will not feel safe talking to us about what they have done wrong because they will be afraid.

When your child does tell a lie…

1. Don’t accuse them of lying, this will only make them feel trapped and make the situation worse. During our son’s lying phase, I noticed one day that he was biting his nails.  I asked him about it and he lied. "I don’t bite them, they just flake off", he said. Yeah right. Instead of continually emphasizing, "I know you are lying, I can see your nails", which is what I wanted to say. I explained that "you probably don’t even realize you’re biting your nails. That happens to mommy and daddy sometimes also. Do you think that is what could be happening?" He was much more responsive to this approach. This also means we shouldn’t call our children a liar. We should always avoid giving our children negative labels.

2. Don’t overreact. If your child knows that you are going to stay calm, they are more likely to tell you the truth. They will never want to tell the truth if they think it is going to get them in a ton of trouble. Stay calm.

3. Be sure there is a reasonable consequence for telling lies. When our son lied about picking up his backpack and shoes, when he really hadn’t, I made him go back and finish the job like I had asked. The punishment fit the crime.

4. Stick to what you know. The facts. "Your backpack is still on the ground, be honest, did you pick it up like you were asked?" "I can see that your nails are very short and that your fingers are red, I expect the truth, have you been biting them?"

After the fact…TEACH

As we talked to our son during his "lying stage", we told him some personal stories about telling the truth and telling lies. He was able to relate to them and see the blessings and consequences that come from our choices. Use stories to teach your children. If you don’t have any of your own stories, George Washington tells a really good one about a Cherry Tree. :) Teach your children that people who are honest don’t lie, you can count on them, they keep their word, they admit when they do things wrong, and they stand up and tell the truth, even when it is hard or unpopular.

Teach your children what happens when they lie. You get in trouble. People don’t want to be your friend. People can’t trust you. It can hurt other’s feelings, etc…

Teach what is real and what is make believe. Kids need to understand the difference between fiction and real life. When our children are honest, praise them, thank them. Reassure them that honesty is always the best policy. I am pretty sure I heard that a few thousands times growing up.

Do you ever pretend no one is home at your house so you don’t have to answer the door? Do you have any fibbers in your house?

Pin It

Pin It

These have been around for a while but I was reminded of them when my mom made one of these with a group of her church friends.  Hers was much larger and the blocks are about 3 inches (I think) each. I thought it would be fun to make one on a much smaller scale and  make one of them for my kids or to give as a gift to someone.

So I found some 1 inch craft blocks at my local craft store.  They came in a large package of several of them for just a couple of dollars. 

Then I found a box that measured 2 inches x 3 inches. So that six 1 inch blocks fit almost perfectly into the box.

Then I found 6 pictures that I wanted to include on my block puzzle.  One photo for each side of the block.  So you have essentially 6 different photo puzzles.  I loaded the photos into my photo program and cropped them so that they measured 2 x 3 inches each.

I tried to make sure that the lines I would be cutting on would not cut through any important details of the picture.  This will help it so that the final picture will not be distorted.  Then I glued the pieces on the puzzle with Matte finish Mod Podge.

Then I simply rotated the blocks all in the same direction and then added another photo.  I continued that process and tried to make it so that the photos were on the same plane…if that makes sense.  Either way it will work out.

When you are finished, every block will have one piece of each puzzle on it.  And you literally have six fun photo puzzles to play with in a nice little box.

These would be a great activity for your little ones in church with faces of the people they love.  Or a fun way to ask someone to a dance…do they still do that in high school?  Or to give to someone as a small gift idea.  There are so many fun ways these could be used.

What would you make one for and for who?

*And I would like to thank Kristen Duke for our fun family photo.  It is from 2010 but is still one of my favorites!

Pin It

Pin It

My Colortopia and their team of experts can give you some advice and help with the process of  finding your perfect colors, creating a mood for your room, learning paint techniques, adapting design trends and more.

Well, today I get to introduce to the next component of the My Colortopia tool set called…

My Image Inspiration.

My Image Inspiration takes an inspiration piece that you love and then creates and pulls together several harmonizing color palettes which you can then choose from to use and to help you create your perfect room.

As you know, I have been struggling as to what to do with my color palette in my laundry room.  I shared this post with you and have still been trying to decide exactly what to do.

I had wanted to add more color in this room and love the feeling and colors in this picture below. 

So I uploaded this image into the My Colortopia My Image Inspiration site and moved my mouse over an area on the picture that I wanted to find some harmonizing colors for.  Then I was given 5 different color swatches to pick from.  If you don’t like any of the color options given, simply move the cursor over another area of the image.

I really loved the colors I was given and chose “Icy Waterfall” as my favorite.  Then after clicking on it, I was given some different harmonizing color palettes to choose from again. 

I really like the middle color palette and have not gotten some ideas about what direction to go to finish up my laundry room.  I also love how much of the guessing work has been taken out of the process of choosing a main paint color and some coordinating colors.  It can be so overwhelming trying to find the perfect color for your style and tastes and I love how this tool can help you narrow down the hundreds of choices that are available. 

What do you think? How do you usually try to pick a paint color? 

Be sure to head on over to My Colortopia and try out both of their color design tools…

My Life, My Colors

My Image Inspiration

I can’t wait to share with you some of the ideas and inspiration this has given me for my updating and refreshing my laundry room.

* I have partnered with Glidden/Akzo Nobel Paints to participate in the My Colortopia program. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Pin It

So I have not been crafting much.  But I did manage to make some fun printable Valentine’s Day Love Potion no. 9 Labels and/or tags.

Pin It

These are a really simple addition to a cute bottle filled with candy or your favorite drink.

I burned the edges of this label and colored the label with a brown crayon very lightly but darker around the edges to make it look like aged paper.

Or you can cut around the edges of the label and then glue it onto your container…a plastic test tube in this case to make it like a sticky label.

And, because I like sharing, I have made it available for you to download for your own purposes if you would like.  I made them in brown or in white if you want to color them on your own.  If you would like a different size you can simply choose to print them out at greater than 100% to make them bigger or smaller than 100% if you need them smaller.

To make the labels for the test tube I printed them at 75% of the original size.  For the round glass container I printed them at 100%.

(*click on the links below to download the labels)

Love Potion no. 9 White Labels

Love Potion no. 9 Tan Labels

I would love to see if you end up using them and how!

Linking up here: Today’s Creative Blog

Pin It

I spent a lot of time thinking about words and their respective meanings.  I wanted to find the perfect word that would ring true for me and my thoughts as we transition into a new year.

I am not very good about setting New Years Resolutions because every year I seem to choose similar goals to the year before. Hmm …something about that feels very wrong! Right?  Then I realize another year has come and gone without any real resolution. Can anyone relate? (please say yes?!)

But I like the idea of having a word…one word.  A word that I can reflect on throughout the year…and word that will help me choose to see things as they really are. A word to help me keep my perspective as to the events and everyday moments in my life. The word is have chosen is…

Pin It

Clarity. Clearness. Freedom from ambiguity. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to be able to view a situation in life for what it really is.

Most will never be rescued by a handsome prince.

Most of our kids are not going to be perfect.

Sometimes things get broken.

Sometimes things get misunderstood.

Sometimes people are mean.

Sometimes we may lose a loved one.

Some of our dreams may never come true.

Sometimes we get the short end of the stick.

Let’s face it…sometimes life is messy.

But I believe that if we choose to see things as they really are, we can be happy with what really matters.

I have chosen the word Clarity because there are a few areas in my life that are of the upmost of importance to me.  I want to be sure that they will not fall to the wayside as I get caught up in all the “other trappings” that compete for my time and attention.  What is important is having the…

to determine just exactly what they are!

For me…the list is short…

my Religion

my Marriage

my Children

my Health

my Individuality

my Authenticity

I realize that when I am focusing my energy 100% towards my children…I can’t possibly focus on my other equally important roles…and vice versa.  We can’t possibly be 100% in everything all the time.  It just isn’t possible…for anyone!

But…when I get a chance to spend some one on one time with my husband…I can focus on him 100%.  Or when I have a quiet moment with one of my children, I can choose to be be 100% present in that moment.  It may not be possible to have several of these “moments of clarity” in one day.  But as long as we are looking and seeking for these moments of clarity and taking advantage of them while we can…I think I will be on the right track to living a life filled with clarity for the things that matter most.

This year I want I to remember to not let my life be muddled with too many extras…extras that can “muddy” up my clarity and ability to determine what is truly important.

Pin It

Pin It

These are pretty easy to make and would be a fun little treat to leave someone special this Valentine’s Day.

We made them with our favorite soft Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Recipe.  Then we cut the cookies into some fun Valentine’s Day cookie cutters…hearts, lips, and some X’s and O’s.

Then bake your cookies according to your recipe directions.  And let them cool completely.

Then we melted some white chocolate.  If you don’t have chocolate you can also use Almond Bark or Candi Quik.  I poured a small amount onto one cookie that I turned onto it’s back.  Place your sucker stick onto the melted chocolate and then add a little bit more chocolate on top of the stick.  Then place another cookie on top.

Then to speed up the process, I popped them into the freezer for a couple of minutes.  Then you can dip them into your melted chocolate.  Instead of dipping I actually spoon the chocolate onto them as I turn the cookies at different angles to make sure that the entire cookie is covered on the front and back.

Add some sprinkles or some other fun edible embellishments.  I did take a small heart cookie cutter and poured some melted Wilton’s Candy Melts into it to make some hearts to place onto the cookie pops too like the ones shown in the pictures below.

I also used some fun striped straws instead of sucker sticks to make them a little bit more festive. 

Package them up and give them away!

Pin It

Pin It

I have had several people email me and ask me about my painted cabinets.  So today I thought I would share with your how we painted ours so that YOU can paint your cabinets.  But, I must first start off with a disclaimer.  We are by NO means professionals.  We asked our local Lowe’s stores and their helpful employees several questions and did some research before deciding to paint them. 

The cabinets in our home were 30+ years old and had a bit of wear and tear to them.  A lot of the finish had been worn off and some had some big knicks and dents in them.  So for us this was a good choice to give them new life and to update our home to our own personal style.  Not to mention a lot cheaper alternative than buying new cabinets.

Here are the steps we took:

1.  Tape off any areas that might get paint on them that you don’t want paint on.  For example a wall right next to the cabinets or the floor along the bottom and even inside the cabinet doors if you are not painting the insides.  We LOVE frog tape at our house.  It has worked a lot better at getting crisp lines as opposed to the blue painters tape.

2.  Remove cupboard doors.  This is probably not necessary.  But since we wanted them to come out nice and smooth without any drips, we removed them. 

2. Lightly sand the doors to remove any rough spots.  If there are any nicks or dents you can fill them with wood filler or plastic wood.  Just something that is paintable. 

Then wipe them down with a damp cloth and some denatured alcohol and be sure you have removed all of the excess dust.

3.  Paint all areas you want covered with paint first with a primer/sealer.  Painting with a primer will make it so that the paint will stick to the cupboards and will cover up any areas that you may have needed to add some putty or wood filler.  We like Glidden’s Gripper Grey.  But there are a lot of different options available.

We paint in the creases and the smaller areas and around the edges with a paint brush.  My personal favorite paint brushes are the Purdy XL Glide.  I usually use a 2 inch brush for cabinets.  I really believe having a good brush is the key to having a smooth paint finish.

For the flat, larger areas of the cabinets I like to use a small foam roller.  This leaves a nice and smooth finish as well.  This is KEY too!!  We like Quali-Tech Ultra Smooth High Density Foam.

4.  Paint your cabinets with your favorite semi gloss enamel paint like Valspar’s.  Some people like to use a high gloss paint and that is fine too.  We just prefer the finished look of the semi gloss.  I feel it to be a bit richer.

You will need at least two coats.  Be sure to allow proper drying time between each coat.  I wait at least 4 hours between coats.  Check on your paint can for specific drying times.  I always check and double check for any drips as I am painting.  Nothing worse than having to go back and sand a drip off.  Sometimes in the creases of your cabinet door you will have to go back and do a touch up third coat.

I like to paint on top of paint cans.  {Please disregard the lack of painting tarp…Ha.  Always a good idea to use one}.  I paint one side first and let it dry completely before turning it over to paint the other side.  After paint is still wet you will also want to check the other side of the cabinet door so there are not drips on the other side as well.

Pin It

Pin It

You can download your copy of this cute Valentine’s Day Printable below:

Valentine’s Day Printable (8 x 10)

Valentine’s Day Printable (11 x 14)

If you do end up taking a copy of the free download be sure to leave a little note of thanks to Charlotte for sharing her amazing talent!  She deserves to hear how much you guys love it!

If you missed some of our fun this week you can see what you missed by clicking on the links below for some fun Valentine’s Day ideas. 

1. Pink Lemonade Pie from Hoosier Homemade

2. Valentine’s Day Mantel from Shabby Creek Cottage

3. Valentine’s Day Envelopes from Nest of Posies

4. Chalk Board Mugs from Yours Truly…The Idea Room

We also hosted several giveaways. If you haven’t already entered, be sure to head on over for your chance to win.

1. The Paper Cupcake Giveaway

2. BayBee-Dahl Boutique Giveaway

3. The Shabby Creek Shop Giveaway

4. Nest of Posies Giveaway

And…if that is not all, we are hosting a fun Valentine’s Day Link Party where you can all link up the great Valentine’s Day things you have been creating too.  You can add your link at any of the sites of the participating Valentine’s Week hosts and it will all show up in this fun Link Party.  So go ahead and link them up.

Pin It

Guess what?  You get two posts today!  But the best part is that I get to give away one of these adorable posie clusters.  Kellie is so sweet and makes some of the cutest bags and accessories in her shop Nest of Posies.

The Spring collection of Posie clusters burst with the hippest colors in fashion right now & will bring your wardrobe to the next level.

They all include a brooch style pin for easy attachment, and are designed to mix & mingle with your sweaters, coats or tops.

Kellie is giving one Lucky Idea Room Reader their choice of one Posie cluster from her Spring Line.  (a $20 value)

Main Entry:

Head over to Nest of Posies shop and look at her fun items.  Come back here and leave a comment on this post telling us which items are your favorites!

Additional Entries:

1. Follow Nest of Posies on Pinterest. Come back and leave a comment here letting us know.

2. Follow Nest of Posies on Twitter.  Come back and leave a comment here letting us know.

3. Share this giveaway and leave a comment telling me where and how you shared it.

This giveaway will close on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 2:00 pm MT.

You can also find Nest of Posies on Facebook which is a great way to stay updated on items in her shop.

*This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nest of Posies.

However, the opinions and text are all mine.

Contest runs January 26- January 30, 2012.

A random winner will be selected and will be given 48 hours

to claim their prize before a new winner is chosen.

Pin It

Target was even kind enough to have some different colored mugs on sale for $1.99.  So I snagged a couple.  Here is how I made mine.  I cut out a heart shape from my vinyl collection.  Contact paper will work well too.  Make a stencil in the shape or design of your choice.

Then I used some Folk Art Bake-On Enamel Paint in Engine Red.  I mixed it with some Non-Sanded Grout to Make Chalk Board Paint.  You can find the recipe for that here:

Make Your Own Chalk Board Paint

Then I simply painted a couple coats of it onto the mug and baked in on low heat in my oven for an hour to set the paint.  So easy.

Prime the chalk board paint by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk onto it first and then wipe off the chalk.  This should prime your chalkboard label so that you can write new messages to your hearts content. (pun totally intended)  I also put the word “love” on the other side of the mug using the same process as above.

A super easy and inexpensive gift idea.  Spruce it up by adding a gift card to Starbucks or attach a package of your favorite hot cocoa mix…or…my personal favorite…fill it with CHOCOLATE!

Oh…and where did I get that adorable framed picture?  That would be from the talented and lovely Lara from Less Cake, More Frosting!  You can purchase your own copy of it in her shop Announced Design.  There are a lot more where this came from.

This post is dedicated to a week-long series with some other bloggers and shop owners: Gina from The Shabby Creek Cottage, Kellie at Nest of Posies, Liz from Hoosier Homemade, and Charlotte from The Paper Cupcake!

On Monday, Liz her adorable Pink Lemonade Pies and a giveaway for The Paper Cupcake. On Tuesday, Gina shared her fun Valentine Mantel and a giveaway for Baybee-Dahl Boutique.  Wednesday, Kellie from Nest Of Posies made some darling Valentine Envelopes.

We have also set up a Pinterest Board for Valentine’s Week if you are as addicted as I am.

And…if that is not enough…come back tomorrow when we share an amazing Valentine Printable from The Paper Cupcake! Just wait till you see it! Love it!

Need some more Valentine’s Day Ideas? Check out these past Idea Room Valentine’s Ideas.

Pin It

Pin It

 

 

____________________________________

Valentine’s Week is still going strong.   Today Kellie at Nest of Posies is sharing a craft project – as well as a giveaway from The Shabby Creek Cottage’s shop.  Tomorrow I will be sharing a fun Valentine’s Gift idea and a fun giveaway so be sure to check back in!

Pin It

Pin It

Now I must warn you…this is not a high quality production. I simply propped up my cell phone between some cracker boxes and had my son push record and stop when I gave him a cue. He he! But hopefully you will be able to see how I am twisting the paper. I tried to get in as close as possible so you could see the tissue rosette in as much detail as possible. Hope this helps you.

For the original tutorial you can go here: Tissue Paper Rosette Kissing Balls

I also made some of these and hung them in my daughter’s room which you can see here: Crepe Paper Flower Balls

This is was a really easy addition that really made a the regular old cabinets feel a bit more upscale.  We simply added a couple of finial feet to the base of the cabinets.  That is it.

Pin It

I love how they instantly give the cabinet a much more expensive look. 

We simply purchased a couple of the finial wood accents at Lowe’s who had a pretty good selection with different styles and sizes.  They cost $5.98 each.  A lot cheaper than those expensive custom cabinets.

We removed the screws because we did not want to screw them in.  These finial pieces were a little bit too short…so we simply took a couple of pieces of scrap wood and cut them into squares so that they fit perfectly on top of the base of the circle and then under the cabinet.  Then we glued them to the big circle with Gorilla Wood Glue.

After the glue was completely dry, we painted it the same color as the cabinets (which we painted as well…I will share how we did that later this week as I have had several questions from some of you).

We had to paint two coats to cover it completely.  Then we simply glued them into place.  Then we added a touch of white painter’s caulk to fill any cracks.  You can also touch up any paint if needed where the new finial foot attaches to the base of your cabinet.

Here is the cabinet BEFORE we added the finial feet…

And here is the cabinet AFTER adding the finial pieces.

A pretty simple addition that can dress up and update your older cabinets.  They look and feel like new cabinets.

If you are interested in seeing some of the past posts for some of the other changes we made to this bathroom you might want to check out the following posts.

Painted Rug

DIY Trumeau Mirror

Framed in Builder’s Grade Mirror

(We framed in the mirrors  in our Master Bedroom and also our Girls Bathroom…the tutorial is for the Girls Bathroom but it is the same process.)

And for those who may be interested, the paint color on the walls is Benjamin Moore’s Rockport Gray.

What do you think?

______________________________________

Oh…and one more thing!  I am participating in a fun Valentines’ Week Long Party with some other bloggers:

Hoosier Homemade

The Shabby Creek Cottage

The Paper Cupcake

and the…

Nest of Posies

Today is the first day of a week long of fun Valentine’s Day Posts, food, gift ideas and some great giveaways.  Be sure to head on over to Hoosier Homemade today.  Liz is sharing her amazing recipe for Pink Lemonade Pie!  Stay tuned for all the other fun!

Pin It