Craft Night: Make It For 'em March

Gina's felty creations!

We recently finished up another addition of Craft Night. This month's theme was Make It For Them March. We were encouraged by our lovely hostess, KMac, to work on a project for someone else.

Lisa's super cute framed hair clip holder.

Most of us chose our kiddos, and there was a lovely variety of crafting goodness gathered around the table including felt flowers, upcycled bracelets from old ties, a pillowcase dress, reusable snack bags, tissue box beautification, framed hair clip holders, and upcycled headband holders from oatmeal cans.

Bonus: I think this counts as upcycling!

There was also a friend working on a digital vacation scrapbook, someone catching up on her crocheting, a new mama of three getting ready for her kiddos' upcoming birthday parties, and T got a lesson on her new (!) sewing machine (shout out to Cousin Kristin!)

Hard at work and only a teensy bit staged.

I happened to have two empty oatmeal containers (how often does that happen?), and I've had my eye on this tutorial from Plucky Momo for a while. This wasn't my most inspired craft night, but in the end I went home with something functional, pretty, and I daresay upcycled (otherwise known as #13 on my Year 32 list).

For my Ella Bella...

Emilie @ Plucky Momo did a great job outlining a supply list and all the steps in her tutorial (note: this is an easy sort of craft). The only thing I did different was that I Mod Podged the paper to the outside of the can (watch out for bubbles!) because I thought that would give it a little more of a finish and protect it from grimy little hands.

...and my Madelyn Mae.

If you are love with the the satin & tulle puff headpands (like I obviously am), you can find them here {regular} and here {petite}.

insta.life {catching up}

A friend posted on Facebook this week that she had no idea what Instagram was and what all the fuss was about. So in case you are still in the dark, Instagram is an iPhone app, and it's a great way to catch every day life.

I don't always have my camera with me, but I usually have my phone. I love capturing the little details of life. I love all things square. And I really love that there are all kinds of filters to choose from that instantly make your camera phone snapshot look super cool. {My username is @katieterp in case you want to follow along in real time.}

I've been busy working through my 40 bags list and my DIY leap list, so I've missed a few weeks of insta.life posts. It's been an eventful (for us...everything is relative!) couple of weeks for the Terps.

1. It's tool time.

2. I finally got smart and hung her magnet board on 2-year-old level.

3. The Upside of Being an Introvert! {Who knew?}

4. Much needed coffee out of my favorite mug - picked out by my yellow-haired girl at Secret Santa's shop this Christmas.

5. We're going through a bit of a Sorry! phase around here.

6. Ella spotted this card while shopping downtown Holland.

Inside: Happy Birthday from Justin Beaver.

7. Another great round of report cards and conferences...

8. ...equals dinner at out, kid's choice.

Can you guess where they chose to go?

9. Grocery shopping with a cart full of girls.

10. The sunshine broke through the clouds, 

and I knew it was my opportunity to get crafty.

11. Dylan's car dealership.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

12. Always, always a good day when this shows up in my mailbox.

13. Guess what's in the bag?

{Answer}

14. Camera shopping wore this baby out!

15. Now's that's a salad.

{Making peace with salads in the name of cleansing & community.}

16. My first order of Instagrams arrived from PostalPix.

I'm going to scrapbook some and find a way to display the rest.

{I'm thinking something like this}

{Linking up to}

InstaFriday @ Life Rearranged
It's My Insta-Life @ It's My Life

Monday Link Up @ a {little} dash of ash

My Insta.Week @ let birds fly

40 bags: week two

It's week two...

I've been averaging six spaces a week (there are technically 46 days in Lent, so I am taking Sunday's off for the most part). 

I'm posting an update every 6-7 days, so here are spaces 8-14:

{week one update here}

Day 8: fridge & freezer. 

See you later expired salad dressing, droopy produce, 

and freezer-burnt chicken.

Day 9: laundry room cupboards.

I figured the extra inspiration was a nice touch, featuring T's thoughtful 6-month workout challenge gift to us girls.

(And this Instagram totally made us want to crack Gary & Elaine jokes.)

Day 10: mudroom closet.

Our laundry room and mudroom are one and the same. 

Mudroom lockers are on the wish list, but until then this is it. 

(We also have some hooks and storage out in the garage.) 

The non-everyday coats are hung up higher, and I moved their flip flops and Crocs to a basket in the garage. I cleared out a box of outgrown shoes as well. On average, my scariest space.

Day 11: make-up drawer (+ other master bath drawers), before.

My dear friends didn't believe me that this the actual state of my make-up drawer. I'm flattered, but this is really what it looked like.

Day 11: make-up drawer, after.

Lots of trash and parting with not-for-me colors. 

In Matt's drawer, I found an Avon calendar chapstick dated 2007 :)

Day 12: the rest of the master bath.

It's not a huge bathroom, but I went through our toiletry stash in the shower/tub and in this little storage closet. I'm parting with some things that either didn't work for me or that I just didn't use. 

I'm bringing them to some craft night girls who will be happy to use them up for me instead (everybody wins!).

Day 13: dresser drawers.

This included socks, undies, jeans, swimsuits and workout clothes. 

Threw out a bag of trash (good-bye sad, old socks!) and added a handful of nice (but not for me) things to the donate pile.

Day 14: my closet.

I went through the mother of all closet purges about a year ago this time after being inspired by Project 333. The idea is to limit yourself to 33 items of clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes as an experiment in living with less. 

I didn't quite go that far, but I did get rid of a lot (after three pregnancies in five years, things were in a sorry state.)

This made Day 14's task that much easier, but I still had accumulated some clothing riff raff in the meantime. One of my favorite things about last year's closet clean-up was the addition of these wooden hangers. The pile above is what I emptied out today.

I have found that when you start out your day in an organized space - a neat closet, dresser drawers that aren't overflowing, a bed that's made (if you need 10 reason why, go here), a make-up drawer that's under control - you start your day off on the right foot. 

The kids still need breakfast, the laundry needs to be put away, your to-do list is still sitting down by the desk...but at least for the first few minutes of your day, there is order and peace.

{Linking Up}

12 Steps to Craigslist Cash

Through the years, Craigslist has been my friend. It's an easy, cheap, relatively hassle-free way to rid my house of clutter.

Now that I'm working through 40 bags in 40 days, I'm finding one or two Craigslist-appropriate items each day to post. I have a pretty good success rate, and I'm enjoying a little extra cash in my wallet and knowing that my unused items are going to someone who can use them.

Here are my 12 steps to Craigslist cash:

1. Clean your items up. Make sure you have all the parts. Only post new, like new, or in good condition items. 
2. Take good pictures. Use the best light you have available to you, and take multiple shots from different angles. If it's a name brand item, take a picture of the tag.
3. Write a clear description of what you are selling. People often search using keywords, and you want to increase your chances of your listings popping up in their search. Check your spelling. 
4. Google your item and add product links to your posting whenever possible. You can also use the stock photo as an additional photo in your listing if it captures the item better than your photo did.
5. Post multiple items at one time. Add a unique search term (i.e. your initials or a one-of-a-kind keyword) to each of your postings. Do a practice search to make sure it only pulls up your listings. This helps people to see more of your postings and might inspire them to buy multiple items at once.
6. Add keywords like "NEW with tags", "from a clean, smoke-free, pet-free home", or "well-cared" for when applicable.
7. Be up front in your posting about why you are getting rid of an item. That's often one of the first questions people will ask.
8. Be realistic with your pricing. Price it to sell, and price it for what it's worth, not what you paid for it (ask yourself, "How much would I pay for this?")
9. Only post larger items ($10+ is a good rule of thumb) otherwise it's a waste of your time. For smaller items, save them for a garage sale or just donate and take the tax deduction.
10. Post/renew your postings on the weekends. People tend to be more active on Craigslist on Saturday's and Sunday's. Take advantage of the fact the Craigslist now allows you to renew your items periodically, which moves them to the top of the list (but don't do this too often or you will annoy people).
11. Pre-screen your emails before handing out your address. If something seems fishy to you, wait until you are confident that this is a legitimate buyer before handing out personal information. Sometimes I even google the person's name or email address before proceeding.
12. Be willing to take lower offers - in my experience the first offer you get is often times the best one.

Good luck turning your clutter into cash!

insta.life {leap list, part II}

My apologies if you're not into the Instagram-ing thing, but right now, it seems to be the easiest way for me to catch the daily details. We are in the beginning stages of camera shopping (our first SLR might be on the horizon!) and then perhaps I will be excited to snap pictures with something other than my iPhone.

Until then..hang tight.

Here is the second half of my {mini} leap list, first mentioned about 2 1/2 weeks ago (first half here). I was hoping to have all nine items done by Leap Day and I came pretty darn close. Eight of the nine were completed in time, and I just finished up #9 today.

First up:

Mady's Pinterest-inspired, Ikea-hack, spice racks turned bookshelves.

I love this new little reading nook 

(it's in the corner of her room beneath two windows). 

Great light, comfy pillows, and toddler-appropriate reading material.

What's not to love?

Next up: conquering a new picture wall for Mady.
This Expedit shelf is new too, and it would have looked better staged if my two-year-old assistant hadn't walked off with the cute toy that usually resides in cubby #1.
I'm a recovering perfectionist, however, so I'm letting it go.

Again, like with Ella's collage wall, the frames were all re-purposed, the printables were free {owl, birds, love, child of God}, 

the tree is from Hobby Lobby, 

the newborn photo is courtesy of the fabulous Mindy Leigh, 

and the 'M' was handmade with love by yours truly.

It's a work in progress, but finished is better than perfect.

My {actual} Leap Day project was this bucket of cute, girly fabric-wrapped balls (first attempted here). I love how they bring an extra pop of color and personality into the room.

Truthfully, it seemed like a lot of effort at the time for a five-year-old's room, but it only took me a couple of hours to whip them up and after taking a step back, I realize that I do really love them. 

Also, being the mom to little girls is an honor and a privilege, and I'm going to take full advantage of my right to do frivolous, pink (!) things on their behalf.

Lastly, here is the final member of my {mini} leap list.

D & E are at the age where we need to start teaching them a little bit more about money and how to handle it. I was looking for a simple way to help them be more intentional about their spending habits. I first spotted this idea at Lil Light O' Mine. 

I found this DIY version (dollar store jars!) and went to work. 

I made more homemade chalkboard labels and Mod Podged strips of paper to pretty them up.

* * * * *

Long story short, this has been quite the spurt of crafting for me. The key (for me) has been to pick simple crafts with lots of meaning. It's been extra fun doing projects for the kids because they are eating it up.

Time to rest up. Craft Night {Make It For Them March} is right around the corner!

{Linking up}

 How To Nest For Less

40 bags: week one

Week One of our 40 bags in 40 days challenge is in the bag (Literally. Ha!), and it feels pretty amazing. I started out in my kitchen and aside from my fridge and freezer (tomorrow's task) I've made it through every square inch of the room.

So far I have purged our junk drawers, pantry, kitchen desk area, spice cupboard, under the kitchen sink, and the upper and lower kitchen cupboards/drawers.

I've been Instagram-ing as I go, and here's a peek at my progress:

1. A pre-load off to our favorite local charity.

2. My {first ever} homemade printable displayed in my kitchen.
And yes, I think the chicken is beautiful.

3. Day 1: junk drawers, in progress. (Bonus: I now have a completely empty drawer! I still haven't decided what to do with it.)

4. Day 1, complete.

5. Day 2: pantry.
All cleaned out and sporting some DIY chalkboard labels.

6. Day 3: kitchen desk cupboards (where all the random stuff in our house ends up). The little containers are from Ikea and hold things like batteries, loose change and hair ties. The medicine organization was inspired by my friend T's medicine cabinet.

7. Day 4: spice cupboard.
The first step in my purging process - clear EVERYTHING out.

8. Day 4, complete.

9. This week's to do list.

10. Day 5: under the kitchen sink.
Buh bye, old cleaning products and other riff raff.

11. Day 6: upper kitchen cupboards. 
Side note: Fiestaware makes me happy.

12. Day 7: lower kitchen cupboards & drawers. 
I love me a crumb-free silverware drawer!

When it comes to kitchen stuff, I try not to hold on to it unless it's something I use on a weekly basis (with a few entertaining-related items like our ice bucket and a handful of serving pieces), and I try not to keep duplicates unless I really need them. I also look for pieces that can do double duty, like my Fiestaware. The kids eat cereal out of the bowls in the morning, but they're pretty enough to put out at parties too.

Seven days in, and so far I absolutely love the finished product - I'm kind of a dork, but to me there's nothing like opening a cupboard door or looking in a drawer and seeing a stream-lined, organized space. A prayer: May this Lenten season free me to share more and consume less.

10 things I love about myself

I had a moment of self doubt the other day that I voiced to my workout buddy in the locker room after our 6am swim: sometimes I feel like I am just too much. 

Sometimes I almost want to apologize to people for being me. And it's not really the bad things that I want to apologize for, it's the good things. I realize this is a little crazy (and I consider myself to be a fairly secure person), but I think most of us have been there at one point or another.

Later that morning I received a very affirming text from said workout buddy.

A couple hours later, I spotted this tweet: @iancron It's national self-compassion day. You're okay, really. 

And after that, I spotted this blog post from one of my favorite bloggers. Sarah of Yes and Yes fame {because yes is more fun than no!} actually went as far as to list out 10 things she appreciated about herself.

Spotlight, anyone?

Theresa and I talked about this idea later on that evening over a couple of martinis, and we decided that maybe more self love was in order.

Our favorite Holy Yoga teacher pointed out to us a few weeks ago in class that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mark 20:30-31). Loving others is important, obviously, but before we can love on others, we have to first love ourselves, and love ourselves well.

I'm not talking about bragging here or needlessly tooting your own horn. I'm talking about appreciating the things that make you different, the things that you are extra good at, the unique qualities and talents that God has gifted you with.

In the spirit of self-compassion and of celebrating the good in each of us, Theresa challenged me to put myself out there and write this post (she also wrote her post here). We hope this encourages YOU to contemplate your own special awesome-ness and to allow your light to shine that much brighter.

{10 things I love about myself}

1. I'm half-full. 

There's a reason why my friends call me Half-Full Kt. I'm quick to chime in with the good in a situation or the upside or the "it could be worse..." comment. Sure, sometimes people want to sock me, but I think mostly, overall, they appreciate my sunny disposition.

2. I see the good in others. 

This goes hand in hand with being half-full. I can most always see the good in people around me, even the ones that kind of irk me. Everyone has a mother. Everyone was created in the image of the Creator himself. And we all have a story to tell, a story that has shaped us and made us who we are. Yes, even that angry driver in the Hobby Lobby parking lot who is shaking her fist at you was once a child. And she is probably, currently, fighting a hard battle.

3. I'm a good leader (when I need to be). 

I am what they call a "reluctant leader". I by no means need to be in charge, but when the teacher asks for the fourth time for a volunteer to be Room Mom or when we desperately needs to get a Girls' Shopping Day date on the calendar, I'm your gal. And once I am in charge, I'm organized and diplomatic.

4. I'm smart. 

When this comes up, I almost always downplay it. You see, I come from very smart stock (Have you met my parents? Or my brother?? I know...I'm doing it again). But the truth of the matter is I am 4.0-Wyoming-Park-Class-of-'97-Valedictorian, 29-on-my-ACT's, Hope-College-summa-cum-laude, I-can-kick-my-friends'-tails-at-Smart-Ass smart.

4. I'm funny. 

I don't have a stand-up career in my future, but I do pride myself in witty remarks, intelligent humor, and playing off of inside jokes. Ask any of my friends, and I'm sure they'll tell you. I'm h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s.

5. I'm generous.

The truth is I find giving to be really fun. I'm not one to give just anything to just anyone. The real joy (and my specialty) is finding a person who needs a certain thing and matching that with something that I am (often uniquely) able to give. If God loves a cheerful giver then I'm his girl.

6. I'm a beaver.
If you haven't read it, The Treasure Tree is a must-read for kids and parents alike. I identify strongly with the beaver character in the book. He is analytical, self-disciplined, industrious, and organized. I very much appreciate my lion, golden retriever, and otter friends, but I really do love being a beaver. I wouldn't have it any other way.

7. I'm not a worrier.
I generally trust that most things will work themselves out, and I tend to believe Jesus when he says, "Do not worry about tomorrow." (Matthew 6:34) My logical {beaver} self is able to talk myself out of worrying, and I've saved myself a lot of needless stress and anxiety this way.

8. I gather friends like it's a full-time job.

I have to smile when Dylan's 1st grade teacher tells me that when she asked the class to write down three of their friends' names on a piece of paper, almost every single child wrote Dylan's name down. He's not the most out-going kid or the most dynamic, but he is kind and caring and when he's with a friend he makes them feel important. I smile because I know that this is how I am. I am able to mesh with many types of people and make others feel welcome. I am thoughtful, helpful, and caring. I realize it is a gift to be able to make and maintain all different types of friendships.

9. I'm getting better with age.
I'm telling you, life begins at 32. I feel stronger, wiser, and more fun than ever. Besides an occasional grey hair, I'm aging surprisingly well. I can only imagine how awesome my golden years will be. Watch out, world!

10. I have the ability to inspire others.
I really don't mean to, but if had a nickel for every thanks-for-sharing-what-you've-been-up-to message, email, or comment that I have received, I'd probably have, like, 50 cents or something (see #4. I told you.) But seriously, I love sharing, I love encouraging, and I love helping others move forward.

That's my ten. What are yours? Take some time today to celebrate yourself, love yourself, and stop hiding yourself. You're the only you there is. 

Closing thought:

“I celebrate myself," the poet Walt Whitman wrote. 
The thought is so delicious it is almost obscene. Imagine the joy that would come with celebrating the self — our achievements, our experiences, our existence. Imagine what it would be like to look into the mirror and say, as God taught us, "That's good.” 

― Joan D. Chittister, Light in the Darkness

40 bags: here we go!

I'm starting 40 bags in 40 days today. We're enjoying an amazingly warm, sunny, spring-like day today in Michigan, and it's the perfect setting for cleaning, purging, and organizing. I have already tackled my junk drawers, and I'm feeling tremendously free.

I like to rotate the "art" in my kitchen by using printables I find on Pinterest. I couldn't find anything 40 bags or Lent appropriate,

so I created one myself.

(Disclaimer: This was my first stab at this. No guarantees about the resolution. 

Also, please note: I checked my perfectionism at the door. "Good enough," I say!)

If you're interested in reading more and following along, these two blogs are doing series on the 40 bags idea right now:

Clover Lane {tips and tricks} - featuring updates every Wednesday

White House Black Shutters - featuring a link party every Friday

I'm hoping to post some of my progress {Instagram-style}
every now and then as well. 

Happy purging!

{Linking up here}