Thursday, April 3, 2014

Playroom Progress



I love when a pinterest project actually works out! I decided to tackle a project for the kid’s playroom that would be affordable while making the best use of a somewhat small space. When I first posted about it, the playroom looked like this:


When I last left you the playroom looked like this:


 I really wanted to make use of that back corner as a reading space for the kids, but that vent made putting up real shelving hard, plus anything we could find took up too much floor space and blocked the doorway to the kitchen. Rain gutter shelving to the rescue!!

The first step was to pick up some rain gutters at our local Lowe’s. We measured out how much shelving space we wanted and bought enough for that. You can try asking the people in the lumber department there to cut the gutters down to size for you. Depending on your Lowe’s they might be happy to help, but the department was swamped when we were there so we just brought the gutters home as is.

 You will also need to figure out how many end caps and corner pieces you’ll need and grab some of those as well as some anchoring kits (get the ones with the heaviest weight capacity, you’d be surprised how much a bunch of kids books weigh all together!) This will also require a drill!

The next thing we did was cut them into pieces with a hand saw (super easy!) and clean them really well.
Drill holes through the gutter and wall and follow the directions on your anchoring kit to anchor them to the wall.


Put on your endcaps and you’re done! Just add books. 



This was one of the easiest projects we’ve done in our home improvement quest and getting the shelving up was the push I needed to start adding other pieces to the playroom.



I wouldn’t call the playroom completely finished yet, because I still have a project in mind for the cube system. Stay tuned for that one soon, especially if you’re a Whovian!


Thursday, March 20, 2014

Thanks For the Warning




Today we made our first ever mortgage payment! Woo hoo! While parting with hard earned money is never really fun, I have to say I got a bit of enjoyment out of it- just the novelty of it, I’m sure.
I’m pretty ticked off, however, that no one warned me about exactly how much moving with two kids sucks. I was all, Oh this will be so fun! A whole house to decorate! 

NO.

We have been here for two weeks and I’m still not even half way unpacked… and that is after a serious purge of junk BEFORE the move. I just want to do the fun stuff, like pick out paint colors and decorate shit. And trying to get work done while we’re living here? Forget it. It’s a nightmare. I’d rather get lost in pinterest for hours…

I feel bad about how neglected the blog is, but I kept thinking to myself that I would post when I had a COMPLETED project to show off. But I’m starting to realize that is so so so far away. I might as well show you guys what I’ve been working on.


First up we tackled the paint job in the kid’s playroom. The previous owners were using it as a dining room, hence the chandelier. I’m still undecided about keeping it but it works for now. That dental moulding took FOREVER to paint and Mr. CussCraftWear is a former painter and current perfectionist so I’m sure that didn’t help. The transformation isn’t awe-inspiring, but I think getting rid of that weird terracotta trim and putting a light, fun color on the walls was the perfect first step in the face lift. 


Next up, a garbage disposal (a must for this messy mama) and while we were at it a new sink and faucet. It’s okay, you can be jealous. The best part of this sink is that I can take the entire highchair tray off and put it in there. No need to take it outside to hose off after spaghetti nights! (I’m only half kidding)

Before
After

Lastly, the fun project! It may be the smallest and easiest room in the house, but I was DETERMINED to finish the master bathroom. And I did! Woo freaking hoo!!! Here are the before pictures.

 And the after!
 
 
I put all sorts of thought into the little details that no one else will ever really notice- the shell shower curtain hooks, the color-coordinated waste basket with shell design. But the final result is one I am SO happy with. It ended up a perfect blend of function and style and in my favorite calming color scheme.








So that's what I've been up to! What do you think of my progress? Next up I'll decorate the playroom while Mr. CussCraftWear paints Carver's room. Stay tuned for updates, especially once I finally find the box labeled "Crafts" in my garage. ;)

Friday, February 21, 2014

Everyday Cosplay - Disney Edition



I can’t believe it has been three whole weeks since my last post! Things have been crazy around here. We close on our new home a week from today and packing and moving with kids underfoot is hectic to say the least. On top of that, I had oral surgery a week and a half ago and am only just starting to feel like I’m back to myself…. Just in time to move. Oy.

I was planning to write a post about moving with children, but then I decided the best advice for that is easy – don’t.

In all seriousness, though, a moving post was boring. Yesterday (instead of packing) I helped pick out a last minute Snow White costume for my sister. She was taking Sarah Jane to Disney Junior Live and SJ was pretty insistent that Cab dress up too.  We did our best with such limited time but I decided two things:

One. How can I have possibly survived a semi-fashionable life without owning a mustard yellow pencil skirt? This seems highly improbable. 

Two. Disney inspired outfits, or “Every Day Cosplay” are pretty much the most fun ever. 

And it’s not just the princesses you can draw inspiration from! Check out the pics of our attempt from yesterday and a few other Disney Inspired Outfits.

EDIT TO ADD: After this post went up, a friend pointed me in the direction of the Disney Bound tumblr! Apparently this is a big thing out in California, especially with big events held and tons of "Disney Bounders" participating. Check out the tumblr, some of them are amazing and all of them make my versions look like amateur hour!






  

Which one is your favorite? Pin it and share this post with your friends! Have you ever dressed in a Disney or other Character Inspired outfit? Please share in the comments or on our facebook page: facebook.com/cusscraftwear

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Those Damn Pintemoms



Recently in an online mommy group I am a part of, a discussion about Pinterest came up. The original post was innocent enough, and probably something lots of people have felt or thought- Does browsing Pinterest ever make you feel ~guilty~ for not being THAT mom?
I mean, do those moms really exist? The ones who make puppets out of toilet paper rolls and craft with their kids every day right after feeding them a wholesome lunch cut into the shape of their favorite animal?
The discussion evolved in (to me) an unexpected way, though. It seemed that, in fear of being judged or looked down on by the “Pintemoms,” some of the people commenting were doing the same thing to them. One comment, which really stung me personally, referred to overachieving mothers screaming at their children to make the “appropriate” faces and poses for the pictures of their finished crafts before insisting that this is why “Pintemoms” should be avoided.

Uhm, ouch.

Couple of things. 

My parenting is not a commentary on yours.
If I want to make every damn peanut butter and jelly sandwich my kid eats into a snowman or a dinosaur or a middle finger, for that matter, it has less than zero to do with you. Or what I think of your parenting.
Crafting does not a perfect parent make.

This is what I wore today.
I consider myself very, very, lucky when a day pops up where I can convince my 3 year old to wear clothes. Seriously. But, really, doing something creative and fun with my kid is important ~to me.~ Sure, not every day. But Pinterest is full of ideas, and I think it is silly to write off every single one of them because you assume that the ideas are only suitable for *those* moms. YOU are that mom- if you want to be!
Crafting Can Be Easy
Crafting should be fun. Find something that is easy so you don’t get stressed out over it, and try to approach it the way your child would. It isn’t about being perfect or being able to pin something that everyone will ooh and ahh over. Sometimes it is just about the 10 seconds of joy and pride on your kid’s face when they stick their creation on the fridge.

And with that, here is a craft Sarah Jane and I did recently while my husband was at work. She told me that her Daddy was her “Valentime” and she wanted to make him a card with her art kit. So we did. And this one is super easy. Check it out.

First up, you'll need some white computer paper and a white crayon. Sarah Jane can't write her letters yet, so I did the first step by using the white crayon to write, "DAD" on the computer paper. Easy enough!

Then I put Sarah Jane in her little brother's high chair so she wouldn't make too much of a mess with her watercolor paints. I let her go to town and she had so much fun! She was very fascinated by the white letters showing through and we had a fun moment when I explained that the crayons were made of wax so the letters wouldn't absorb the water-based paint. It might have been a little over her head, but it was a sweet moment anyway.


While Sarah Jane worked on painting, I entertained the baby the way all perfect mothers do- with a metal pot and a wooden spoon, of course.

When Sarah Jane was satisfied with her work, we set it aside to dry and pulled out some safety scissors and construction paper. We cut the white paper in a heart and glued it to the red construction paper.


I happened to have a bag of scrabble letters laying around because, being such an imperfect parent, so many had gone missing that they game couldn't be played anymore. I thought this would be a cute addition to the card, and it was another sweet teaching moment to go over letters and their sounds with SJ.



The finished product went on the fridge for Daddy to see when he came home. He loved it, and Sarah Jane was quite proud of herself. And that, I think, is the good stuff. =)