Making Monday - Mushroom Magnets!

Don't these look adorable?  I saw this idea used on pencils first (check out her other projects - adorable!!) and then my sister sent me some cute little Japanese mushroom magnets (like this) for Christmas so I thought it would be easy to make some too.  Here is how I did it.

First, buy these little wooden button plugs at your local hardware store (I found these in the tool section).  They come in different sizes so pick whatever suits you.  I bought these teeny little magnets at Michael's but the hardware store has them too I think.

Gather your supplies.  Button plugs, magnets, paintbrush, paint, glue*, something to put your little dabs of paint on.  (* see note below about the glue!)

I used this little enamel dish to put the magnets on and then glued the mushrooms on.  *Realise the gorilla glue does not work AT ALL and switch to Aleene's Tacky Glue.  Leave them to dry.

Paint the tops red (leave the little 'stem' natural).  As Kimanh says in her pencil tutorial, paint from the top down so you don't get paint on the 'stem'.

Use the other end of your paintbrush or a skewer to dip into white paint and do your spots.  I actually cut the tip off the sharp end of a skewer so I could get a smaller dot.  Let it all dry (it doesn't take long).

 

Use on a magnetic noticeboard or your fridge or anywhere you need a little mushroom love!

Yet more snow... that is why they call it Minnesnowta!

It is snowing yet again.  It is March and the official first day of Spring is in exactly two weeks.  Someone should tell the weather or this is what I am going to look like..... (hee hee, this puppet was at the Christmas display at Macy's downtown - I keep meaning to send this to my Mum, she would find it hilarious).

On a more positive, less whiny, note, look at my thrift shop score yesterday!  I was so happy to find these vintage beauties.  So pretty.  I have found quite a few other things recently that are all getting little or big makeovers and I shall be revealing them over the next few weeks.  After the temperature gets high enough that I can use spray paint anyway.....

Serving plate makeover

I have these two little serving plates.  They are not too big, I love the colours and I like that they are a rectangle and square - so handy for lots of things that aren't round cakes.  I thought this would be a cute way to jazz them up a little sometimes.

I cut out some pretty scrapbook papers to fit in the bottom, laminated them and popped them in (securing them with double sided tape is a good idea).  I can make as many as I like and change them out for different parties and so on.  I am going to do the same for my small cake plate as well.  This would be a nice way to use your plain white salad plates as serving pieces also.  Too easy! 

Better late than never and a quotable quote free printable

I never got around to discussing the whole New Year and all that it usually entails.  Resolutions and so forth I mean mostly.  The New Year just kind of whooshed past taking January and February along with it, it seems.

Well, I like to say that I don't make resolutions but, truthfully, I make dozens of them!  In fact, I could just trot the same ones out every year really.  So, in the spirit of resolution making, I have made one more.  To not make so many resolutions!  ha ha.  Here is my very short list:

1. To become a wealthy business owner who has scads of people to do all the dirty work for her.
2. To grow very long legs.
3. To own a private jet so I never have to wait in line at customs, immigration and security with the other 400 people who just exited planes ever again.  EVER AGAIN.

Oh wait, that's not my list!!

Here it is:

1. To learn how to use my mobile phone (tragic but true).
2. To learn how to access my home voicemail (again, tragic but true).
3. To appreciate the joy in the ordinary day to day minutae of life.

Spot the hard one.  Oh, you have trouble with your mobile phone too?  :-)

Anyway, back to the distant memory that was New Year's, I started off my year with this quote which is my motto for this year and I am going to share it with you as a free printable.  Better late than never I (too often) say.  It is framed and up on my mantle so I can remember my intention and I thought you might find it inspiring as well.  This file has four pages - a different colour for each page.  If you desperately want a different colour just let me know and I can do that easily.  Oh, I am trialling a different file sharing facility here this time as well so let me know if you have any problems with accessing it.

Free quote by Howard Thurman

Hope you enjoy it and I hope it inspires you this year as well!

Update:  I actually started writing this post in the middle of January and you will all be ecstatic to know that I can now access my home voicemail!  Yay, progress!!  I knew you would sleep better knowing that....

Cabin fever

Another 16 inches or thereabouts of snow....

Basketball hoop required inside.

Quickie address book

I am continuing with organising and decluttering my house and looking for every little area where I can do that.  One of these is an address book.  For quite a few years now I have been trying to do this electronically and, for whatever reason, it just isn't working for me.  I end up with addresses in different programs or in my email and I don't get around to putting them all in one spot.  I think being a very tactile person also interfere's with my good intentions when utilising technology.  I just like to feel paper in my hands sometimes.  I am trying to overcome this with my personal calendar too.  I have a perfectly good phone with a very good calendar system and am trying to get in the habit of using it whilst walking past all the gorgeous paper calendars.  The problem with a paper calendar is that I don't like taking it in my handbag because I like to keep the weight down but then I don't have it with me when I am making appointments and so on.  Anyway, that is a whole other topic, I am digressing.

To solve my address book problem, I made up a very simple system that works for me.  I used 3" x 5" inch ruled index cards to write everyone's details on.  A separate card for each family/friend.  I can write quite a bit on each card.  As well as the usual address and phone numbers, I also add things like their email addresses, birthdays, the names of their children and any other notes I feel like.

I made up front and back covers in Powerpoint and printed them out.

I laminated them and then hole punched the front and back covers and all the cards.  Then I used little hinged rings to hold it all together.  Similar to my recipe folder, I haven't used alphabet dividers or anything.  All the cards are alphabetical but that is it.  I have spare cards at the back so if I need to make major changes to a card or add another one, they are already there.

Oh, by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed my four days away and have come back all refreshed (and looking forward to lots of hugs)!  These are the sorts of views I enjoyed in the beautiful Banff and it was wonderful to share it all with a good friend.  I have to say one of the things I really enjoyed about my trip was sitting in the airport reading a book and, for once, not being the parent struggling with kids!  Oh yes, and eating at nice restaurants and going into shops that are not kid friendly and sleeping in and eating breakfast slowly and....  Aaah, the simple joys. :-)

Where I will be for the next 4 days....

Ok, who knows where this is?  I will be catching a bit of well deserved R&R by myself (yes, BY MYSELF) for the next four days.  Well, I am travelling by myself.  I should clarify (tips hat to sister #3 - she gets the joke).  I am actually going to visit a girlfriend there.  Should take about 24 hours before I miss my husband and kids horribly but I will suffer through the remaining three days.  I am a trooper like that.

Let's pray for Queensland

I cannot believe this monster of a hurricane is about to hit Queensland, after all they have been through.  I come from Queensland but much further south from where this is going to strike.  I invite you all to hope and pray that this cyclone won't cause too much damage or loss of life.....

Link to the satellite loop