Happy Halloween!

Yesterday we had no school so went and bought some pumpkins, patterns and all the tools needed to carve. Riley chose the the spider and Brody chose the ghost and tree. We sat around the kitchen table cutting the tops off first, then cleaning the insides out...the boys thought that was lots of fun to reach into the pumpkin and dig out all the seeds and mush. Then you had to follow the pattern by poking hundreds of tiny holes into the pumpkin...then cut it out. Riley poked all the holes himself while I poked Brody's then I cut them out. They turned out great. We put a candle in them as soon as we got home and had them lit all day.
We are looking forward to getting dressed up tonight to go trick or treating... have a safe and happy Halloween.
xo
nikki

Art Journals...how to

(a picture of my art journal cover) Have you ever wanted to create an art journal, but not know where to start...well, I was thinking about what type of class I wanted to teach the next couple of months at K2...and art journaling kept coming into my mind. So, in doing some research here are some fun and informative articles I found...

This link here is a great start with lots of articles on what art journaling is and how to get started!
How to create an art journal...click here.
How to use an art Journal...click here for great wiki article.
Fantastic art journal photos from flickr are here.
This blog Pinch me to see if you are dreaming is fantastic...her outlet is art journaling and so she has lots of inspiration! On her blog here you will find a list of basics to get you started. The great thing is...I dont necessarily have these exact items...but I DO have things I can use in their place!
Check out this site here for free ebooks on art journaling and such!

Other fun things I found:
In looking for art journaling articles and ideas...i ran across this article on how to fold a paper into a secret note...if this doesn't take you back to high school, I don't know what will! I ran and got a piece of paper and folded it up...now i am going to have to put it into my journal and write a little something, like who I used to write notes to in high school...this is what art journals are all about...what inspires you right then!

dream.design.create an art journal.
xoxo
nikki

Art Journals

...check out this cool video about 2800 artists who each created a moleskin journal into a work of art!

Halloween Crop

This is the FREE digi LO I created for the K2 Halloween crop on Oct 23rd...yours will be minus the three black and white adorable pictures of my kiddos though- LOL! More good news...is K2 was bought by new owners Kathy and Jessica...WooHooo!! So, I will still have my place to go crop, teach classes and buy all my scrapbook goodies!
xo
dream.design.create.
nikki

Day Ten- any other areas or room you did not get to...

Today is the last day of spring cleaning our home. I tackled our laundry room and my studio.
Goal (for laundry room): To be able to functionally use our laundry tub and do the laundry with ease.

• empty room of everything but washer/dryer
• divide into my 3 piles: keep/give/trash
  
• replace cabinets with books/notes that i feel I will reference to in the future (this is where I store all my SLP,PTA and continuing education books)

Goal (for my studio): To have all my art/scrapbooking/sewing supplies organized in a way that I can find what I am looking for in 2 minutes or less. To make a space that inspires me to create.

• empty bins/cabinets/drawers and sort into 2 piles keep and give
• re organize in a way that keeps all "like" items together and labeled
  
• create a functional work space for scrapbooking and one for sewing and an area where one of the kids can create with me
  
• donate all unwanted items to either a new scrapbooker or use them for school projects or other projects where I would otherwise need to buy supplies
  

Goal (for office): This is Sean's room, and he keeps it clean and organized...so I am not going to tackle this room...Sean is! :)

Have Fun and SIMPLIFY
xo
nikki

Day Nine- Master Bedroom and Bath

Goal: To create a calm, relaxing area for just Sean and me.

• empty dressers, nightstands and armoire and sort into 3 piles: keep/give/throw
• empty closet and bathroom cupboard and sort into 3 piles: keep/throw/give
• create a nice reading area
• create a unique storage for towels and extra tp in bathroom
• give a local women's charity all my excess clothes and toiletries etc, and donate all Sean's excess to a men's shelter

Have Fun and SIMPLIFY
xo
nikki

Day Eight- Kids Room (charlotte's room)

Goal: To create a safe, clean and organized place for Charlotte to sleep and play.

• empty out armoire, changing table and closet and sort into three piles: keep/give/throw
• replace only toys that are age appropriate
• refill armoire and closet with clothes that fit and keep only one bin of clothes that are clothes she will grow into (we have quite a few people who give us their clothes...and as much of a blessing as it is, it can also be very overwhelming when we get too much)
  
• re evaluate all baby items and determine if we really need them or if they are just cluttering up her already small bedroom (really think if I already have something that could fulfill that same purpose) ie: a sling and a baby carrier
  
• gather toys/clothes that are not age appropriate and find another family(s) that could really use them
  

I have said this before and I will say it again...when you have a specific someone or a family who has a need...it makes giving so much easier!! Send an e-mail to your friends, family, people at church, your mom's group etc and see if someone has a need. You never know... and that way two families would be blessed. Yours, because you just simplified your home and theirs because they had a real need fulfilled!

Have Fun and Simplify
xo
nikki

Day Seven- Kids Bedroom (my boys bedroom)

Goal: For the boys to be able to find all their toys/books quickly and easily and to create an organized way for them to store their stuff. For them to enjoy playing in their room.

• take all their toys and sort them into three piles: keep/give/throw (I did this when they were not home, so I did not meet any resistance) :)
  
• organize all toys we are going to keep into like areas and keep only what fits into the organizational bin you are going to use. This I did WITH the boys, so they felt a vested interest in their room/toys.
• gather all toys and give to a shelter or another organization that deals directly with children in need

Have Fun and SIMPLIFY!
xo
nikki

Day Six- Bathrooms/Linen Closet(s)

So with half our house behind us, we start our second and final week of cleaning!
Today we will be tackling our bathroom(s) (minus the master bathroom, which we will address the day we clean our master bedroom) and our linen closet(s).
Goal: To keep towels and other essentials in the cabinets... nothing else! To have the bathrooms decorated with only my fav items displayed.
Steps:

• empty out each cupboard
• declutter (make 3 piles: trash/keep and give)
• go through kids tub toys and get rid of anything broken or moldy
• keep only a small basket of hotel freebies
• keep only 2 bathroom towels in good condition for each person in our family. Keep a pool/beach towel for each person in our family...we are in Florida for goodness sake! Take the towels with stains and holes and cut them up for rags, and when i get a full bag, Stop!
• re inspect all my linens for the beds and keep only 2-3 sets in good condition
  
• take all my extra towels, linens and toiletries to a local shelter
• organize and place only what is needed back into cupboards, find items around the house to use as organizational bins

I keep our plastic ice cream buckets and use them to organize the kids toys, cleaning supplies, socks etc (they work out great cause they have a handle on them!)
Have Fun and Simplify!!!
xo
nikki

Day Five- Foyer/Entry area

My foyer closet...before
My foyer closet... afterMy pile of things to donate... It feels great to get rid of all this stuff. Seriously, I had a leather jacket from high school, an extra vacuum (that was broken), sweaters and jackets I never wore...why I felt like i needed to hang onto this stuff is beyond me...but now its GONE!! (with NO regrets)Goal: For my guests to immediately feel welcome in my home.
a. entry/closet

• create my 3 piles: purge/give/keep
• organize and replace only what is needed

Have Fun
xoxo
nikki

Day Four- Kitchen

The first three pictures are of my kitchen (and little desk/computer area) all cleaned and organized.

My small appliance drawer...before.

My small appliance drawer after purging ALOT!!!

Above the cabinet display of all my favorite "white" antique bowls.

I love old printer's type... and so I use them to display different words on my backsplash.

Goal: To keep only my essentials/display what i love in a beautiful way and to get rid of any "appliance" or item that I already have that does the same function.
a. empty out each cupboard
b. declutter (make 3 piles: purge (anything that is broken), keep and give away)
c. organize only your essentials and place back into cupboards

Have Fun
xoxo
nikki