Pirates Arrrrgh Aboard

The Homestead is a great house, with just under 1500 square feet. We have to maximize every use of our space but I we also have fun creating fun things for our space. I love letting my kids get involved in the planning especially when it comes to their bedrooms. When we started having Thing 1 and Thing 2 share a room I let them pick a theme. Pirates was their choice. So the following are some of the fun things we did to make their space full of all things Pirates.
We also are on a tight budget. Like maybe $40 with bedding. Below we used this picture frame from IKEA. I had the anchor and the netting that I had found on a Clearance Wreath a few years ago. I pulled them off to use in other decorating. I used burlap that I had copied this quote and used my light board to write it on with a sharpie. The background is Pirate wrapping paper I found at Seagull Book for $1 a roll. The quote is actually two quotes I combined from Harry Potter it says:

Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right....

For it is our choices that show what we truly are more than our abilities. Prof. Dumbledore.

I put the compass in the middle to remind them to make good choices. Total: $1





This map/wall hanging I picked up for free. A friend of mine was moving and gave it to me. I knew I could use it for something. It is made of felt and is lightweight and perfect for this space. Total: $0

I wanted a banner of some kind and was planing on making one but found this part banner at Hobby Lobby for $4. It was just what I wanted for this room.

Total: $4

These pirate hats were 3 for $1 at JoAnn's fabric. I used the same wrapping paper and then just made signs the top says Captain....Boys Name and then underneath A Pirate's Life for Me. The frames we had they are from IKEA and they hang on either side of the window. The Boys love them. I love their magnet board from IKEA we have had this for awhile. They can put things they draw up in their room.

Total: $1


We love this book and have had it for awhile. I read it in my best Pirate and say things like skalleywag and arghh a lot. Thing 1 put it up on his shelf.

Total: $0



This summer we went to Cherry Hills Water Park and picked up this little sign that says "No Trespassing Pirates Only." I already had the life ring from a previous decorating.

Total: $5

I would have loved to get the boys the Potter Barn Kids Pirate bedding, but it wasn't in my budget. I kept Thing 1's bedspread but found this PB Kids pillow at Down East for $4. It has another name embroidered on it which I just carefully unpicked. I found this Jolly Roger inspired fleece at JoAnn's on clearance and the last part of the bolt. He loves this blanket.

For Thing 2 I dug around at Down East to find another one like above but none were to be had. So I picked up this pillow sham also a PB kids unpicked the name and embroidered this pirate ship. I just found a pirate coloring page online and then used my light board to transfer the lines unto my fabric. I actually love how it turned out.

Total: $8 - pillow shams

$2 - fabric for embroidery.

I had to include this picture. Thing 1 loves to draw. Several years ago he drew this picture of Jesus for his room. I love it and he loves having it up in his room.

So I already had these chairs. They are from IKEA and I found them in the as is section on clearance and just cleaned them up. I added the vinyl lettering that I did up on my Silhouette. The table is actually the top section of shelf we weren't using. Thing 1 instantly saw it as a Lego building table. The Ship Wheel in the corner I picked up from DI for $3. It is fun for the kids to play with.
Total: $3 Pirate Wheel

Grand Total: $24

The best part of this room is that my boys love it and they helped me in creating items in it.

Hope you are having a wonderful Week.

Emily

A Good Quote....Praiseworthy Inspiration

A friend of mine sent me this email today with this quote in it. I was supposed to forward it on to eight people. I figured I would post it on my blog instead. It has some good words to practice.

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us." - author not known


May this be a mantra today.


Emily

Finding My Creative Voice

I have a personal blog that started out as my own and has evolved into my family blog and so became private by invitation only. This blog began because I felt a need to have a place where I could just focus on the things I love, the things I enjoy, and the things that spark my creativity. Over the past year I have found so many blogs that are full of brilliant creativity, and in the process of perusing others ideas I found I started to doubt my own. So many of the blogs I see have thousands of followers, they post daily with new creative ideas. I find sometimes I barely can get a shower in during the day, plus trying to stay on top of homework, laundry, bathrooms, serving others, and although I love to create things sometimes it is only once a month and even then it seems to be simple in comparison. I don't have the budget to craft everyday, and quite honestly I don't have the desire. I don't really know how to use power tools and find it a challenge to learn with a curious 2 1/2 year old trying to help in all I do. My husband is wonderful, but he doesn't jump right on board with my projects and doesn't really have time to help me either. I don't really sew although I love fabric. I don't scrapbook, but love paper. At every turn I have felt lacking and so have remained silent.

I realized the other day that this has nothing to do with anyone else. This is about me having a place to go, a haven where I can voice my thoughts and ideas. One of my favorite blogs is Joys of Home, mostly because she is very real. A few months ago she posted this quote, "Comparison is the thief of joy" I have found this to be true.

One of my goals this year was to find my voice. As a mother of three, a daughter, a wife, a sister and a friend I have many titles with many voices, but the voice I feel like I haven't heard in a awhile is that of Emily. So this next year is going to be a bit of an exploration for me to find my voice. This blog is a tool for me to do that, so if you are reading this I hope you will come with me on my journey and see where it leads.

Emily

Dickens & David Copperfield...Movie Review

So I have a very dear friend and her favorite book is David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. We give each other book suggestions. I have read quite a few of her favorites and she mine. However I have a tread for Dickens. It might have been that my first introduction to him was with Great Expectations in my Sophomore English Class in High School. I struggled through several chapters...eventually watched the movie and read the Cliff Notes. I have continued to find the task of reading Dickens Daunting.

My friend suggested I watch the 1999 Masterpiece Theater version of David Copperfield starring a young Daniel Radcliffe. For months the book and movie have sat at my home, and this past week I finally watched the movie. It has a wonderful storyline with typical Dicken's twists and turns. It shows characters that are like able and yet flawed. And others who are despicably evil. And others that you truly want to like, can see their potential for goodness and yet they choose poorly and sacrifice happiness. It is said to be a bit autobiographical of Dicken's life which was not always joyful.

It introduces wonderful characters and takes the viewer on a journey of understanding. So I have added David Copperfield to my list of TO READ's for 2011 and I am actually looking forward to reading Dickens.

My sister and I were talking today and we started talking about how as children we disliked certain foods, but now as adults with a different perspective many of our dislikes have been dispelled and now have become more bearable. Maybe like my sisters dislike and now tolerance for cucumbers I too will find a tolerance for the classics of Dickens. I certainly enjoyed the movie.

What are some of your new found book loves...or movies? I would love to hear.

Enjoy!

Em

Silhouette Give Away on Kara's Party Ideas

So there is a great give away going on right now on a wonderful blog called Kara's Party Ideas. It closes tonight at midnight, but just in case here is a link to her sight... so you can enter to win a free Silhouette Machine. I totally want one of these. You can go to her sight and enter up to four times. Best of luck.

Gratitude for Creating of Beauty

I have been able this week to be inspired by those who have an ability to create beauty. I wanted to share some of that with all of you.

I went to a concert this week for Dan Cahoon. It was his Senior Recital in Provo. I was so impressed. It was a delightful evening. He is incredibly talented and I left humming his music in my head. If you want to take a listen to a sampling you can go here to Amazon. I love his song "All About You". You can also get his music on Itunes. It is fun and beautiful and I am definitely adding it to my music library.

Dan and Mindy Gledhill performed a duet that was so fun and so I also checked out her music online. It too is so amazing and inspiring. If you want to check out and listen to a sampling go here. I am asking for her CD for Christmas. In fact I watched a YouTube clip of her song "All About Your Heart" and just cried.

I feel so blessed for those who are able to take their creative talents and create beauty that is touching, and inspiring.

Finally, I wanted to share with you a darling idea that I saw this week. My sister-in-law Brynn is an incredibly talented and creative person. I stopped by her home this week and she had such a darling idea. I am going to try and make one and get a picture but for now I will do my best to explain.

She folded a piece of paper it looked to be about 6x12 into fanned sections. You need enough to write out the word GRATITUDE.

She then put white paper on each section with the letter's spelled out G R A T I T U D E

Below each letter a piece of white paper large enough to fill the remaining space, then for each letter she wrote things she was thankful for that started with that letter. It was so fun to read her lists, they were both fun and creative. She had it sitting on the mantle of their fireplace, a daily reminder of being Grateful.

It love that something so simple is really a creation of beauty and thanksgiving. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Em

Creating a Thanksgiving filled with Tradition and Gratitude

We have had some truly perfect Autumn days lately. I love the crisp air, the leaves falling, the magnificent color that surrounds me everyday. We have also started our planning for Thanksgiving. Do you have traditions that make you focus on gratitude?

My family has been providing ideas we would like to try this year and create some new traditions. Here are some ideas that have been tossed around and some I found that I thought were great.

A Thanksgiving Cornucopia: You could really do this all year or just during this month. Have pieces of paper or other cutouts and write down your blessings and fill up a Cornucopia . My brother said it best when he talked about this being an opportunity to recall the tender mercies. And I would add the moments of grace, beauty and love that surround us daily.

A Gratitude Journal: You could add to this every year or even put the things from your Cornucopia into it. A way to remember the blessings and find gratitude where you are.

A 5K run: My sister in law did this last year and mentioned how it provides a way not only to move more but also to show thanks for our bodies and the strength we have or that we have been working on. If you live in this area check out this link for the Bountiful Turkey Trot.

For kids:
A Plymouth Rock Corner: you could put books about the first Thanksgiving. A place to make crafts, I will post some of the craft ideas we are doing later on this month. You could make a Turkey with your hand traced onto a paper. Make feathers of thanks to put on them. How about a vest out of paper bag to decorate, or decorating your own rocks. Years ago my hubbie and I went to Plimouth Plantation and Plymouth Rock and I have lots of pictures and post cards that I could put up on a poster board or you can go online for pictures here.

Take the kids on a nature walk and pick up leaves, acorns sticks or other things and make a collage with them.

Give:
We are also doing some service. What a perfect way to show how grateful we are for what we have than to help others who are in need. We have discussed a couple of options that work for our family; the Davis County Safe Harbor which is for women and children are always in need of items. We are also collecting lightweight items to send to the orphanage in Bulgaria where my sister just spend to weeks volunteering.


Simple ideas:
Today we are making a Thanksgiving countdown, you could do this as reverse advent by adding instead of getting something, so each day you could fill up a container with words of thanks or deeds of service.

I would love to hear what you do in your family. May your day be filled with peace and gratitude.

Em