Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Transform Tuesday -- Countertop Organization

~*~Reminder~*~  There is still time to enter my FREE ad space giveaway here.  My giveaway for $50 to spend at my store is being hosted at Thrifty Decor Chick and is running until noon today, so be sure to enter both.

Sometimes the best transformations are the easiest ones.  I don't know about you, but it seems that no matter how hard I try there is alwasy a pile of "stuff" on my kitchen counter.  I go through it all of the time, but I just can't seem to keep it clean.  (Please tell me you have piles too.)

Before:
On a good day my pile looks like this.  I won't show you the bad day, but picture my counter half covered with school papers, crafty stuff, random stuff, and more stuff.

I was walking through the clearance aisle at Wal-Mart and found this cool little container.  It was $3.00 and I brought it home with no idea how i was going to use it.  I kept thinking it would be really great as a centerpiece on our table with some candles in it, but I wasn't sure so I set it on the counter with the other stuff for a couple of days.  Then it hit me...use your new stuff to hold all of your other stuff.

After:
And now my counter looks like this.  This was less than a 5 minute transformation, but what a difference it makes!  Someday I think I am going to spray paint it black, but I'm in no rush.

What have you transformed?  Link it up!

Here are the rules:

1. Use the link to your actual post, not your blog address.

2. Grab the Transform Tuesday button and add it to your blog somewhere.



 

3. check out what everyone else is up to and leave them some comment love.

I linking this to these sites.  Go check them out!
• Anti-Procrastination Tuesday@ New Nostalgia
• Take a look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Craft Edition
• Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
• We Did it Wednesday @ Sew Much Ado
• Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
• Strut your stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple

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Monday, June 14, 2010

Messy Monday -- Handprints for Father's Day

First off, there is still time to enter my giveaway for free ad space on The Pumpkin Patch or my giveaway at Thrifty Decor Chick for $50 at my etsy shop.  So don't forget to enter both!

I LOVE my kid's handprints.  I love watching them grow through the size of their handprints.  Today's post will be a compilation of different handprint projects we have done over the years and will hopefully give you some great ideas.

We made Salt Dough keepsakes for Mother's Day.  The directions are here.  It would be really cool to roll out the dough, put your child's handprint in it, and then put the circle into the bottom of a bowl or on a curvy plate before you bake it.  Doing so would turn up the edges a little so it can hold all of the stuff Dads take out of their pockets when they get home from work.

Or you could make "pop-art" out of your little munchkin's hands.  You can get larger items laminated for a small fee at teacher stores.  Then you can put it in a frame or use it as a placemat.

Every year for Father's Day I have made Mr. Wonderful a tie with the kid's handprints on it.  I have always made it out of paper and laminated it and put yarn at the top so he could wear it.  And yes, he does wear it to church every single year.  What a guy!  These are the ones I made for the last two years.  The white one is from 2008 and the green one is from 2009.  You can actually see how much bigger their hands are from one year to the next.  I love it!

This year I am going to make him an actual cloth tie that he can wear like a real tie.  I'm going to follow this pattern and trace the kids handprints all over it with a fabric marker.  Then I'm going to use one color for each kid and embroider over each handprint.  I can't wait to see what it looks like.

What have you done for Messy Monday?  Link it up!

Here are the rules.

  1. Use the permalink to your actual post, not your general blog address.

  2. Grab the Messy Monday button and display it on your sidebar or in your post.


     
     

  3. Go check out what others have done and leave them some comment love!
I'm linking this to the following sites:
• Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
• Market yourself Monday @ Sumo’s Sweet Stuff
• Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter
• Anti-Procrastination Tuesday@ New Nostalgia
• Take a look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Craft Edition
• Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
• We Did it Wednesday @ Sew Much Ado
• Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
• Strut your stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
• Favorite Things Friday @ A Few of my Favorite Things
• Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
• Home and Family Friday @ Home is Where my Story Begins



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Friday, June 11, 2010

Giveaway Extravaganza!!!

Welcome to The Pumpkin Patch!! Are you ready for a GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA?!? If you are, you came to the right place! Keep reading for all of the juicy details…

For anyone who doesn’t know me, let me quickly introduce myself. My name is Sarah and I am from a little corner of the world that I like to call The Pumpkin patch. I am a stay-at-home mom to 4 little pumpkins. When we decided to start our family, we really got down to business and had them all in 4.5 years. It definitely gets a little crazy around here, but that is just how we like it. I also teach a preschool in my home for my daughter and her little 3 year old friends.

I started The Pumpkin Patch as a way to document and share what I have learned about in my life. There is a little something for everyone. On Messy Monday I share a kid-friendly craft or activity that is sure to make a mess (but not a big one) and make you and your kids smile. This is a linky party, so come join the fun. This past Monday we made Melted Crayon Art and it was so fun!

Transform Tuesday is for before and afters. We bought our house 3 years ago and the last time it was decorated was the early 80’s. We had a LOT of work to do when we moved in! I love this day because I see how far we’ve come in making our house a home. This is also a linky party and any transformation is welcome. Here is my boys' bedroom. It is my favorite so far.

Wednesdays are for Whatever I want. Sometimes it is a craft, recipe, or tutorial. Sometimes I host giveaways for others, and sometimes I feature blogs or ideas that I have seen and really like. If you’re having a hard day and need a little pick-me-up, then stop by for Thoughtful Thursday, and if you need a really great recipe, then Foodie Friday is just for you!!

Now for the giveaways…

The first giveaway is over at Thrifty Décor Chick and is for a $50 gift card to anything in my Etsy store. You should definitely go there and enter.

The second giveaway is through Blogger Chix Designs. She will be hosting Ad Spot Giveaways for different blogs/sites throughout June and July, so if you want some free advertising, you should definitely go check her blog out. My giveaway starts today and ends on June 18th at midnight. (This is a family friendly blog, so I will not advertise for anything crude or obscene.)

Who: 2 lucky people

What: 125 x 125 (px) ad spots

When: Ad spot will last for 1 month (with a discounted rate of 50% off for the next 6 months)

Where: Here on The Pumpkin Patch

Why: Because I like you. :)

How: There are lots of different ways to enter. Just make sure you leave me a comment for EACH entry so I don’t accidentally miss one.

1. Become a follower of The Pumpkin Patch.
2. Become a follower of Blogger Chix Designs.

Want more chances to win?

3. Grab my button and add it to your blog.
4. Grab Blogger Chix Designs button and add it to your blog.
5. Tell your friends! Blog it, tweet it, or shout it on facebook.

So that’s it. Aren’t you excited?! I know I am. Let’s get this GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA started!! Don’t forget to check out my giveaway at Thrifty Décor Chick.

Hope you have a great weekend!
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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Transform Tuesday -- Praying and Waiting

I don't have anything for Transform Tuesday today.  I've been a bit distracted.  My brother was in a car accident last week and he is not doing very well.  He will not die, but will need a lot of time in recovery.  The Dr.s aren't sure how long it will take, and if he will have a 100% recovery.

If you have something for Transform Tuesday, link it up.

Rules:

1.  use the link to your actual post, not your blog address.
2.  grab the Transform Tuesday button and add it to your blog somewhere.
 

3.  check out what everyone else is up to and leave them some comment love.

P.S.  Come back tomorrow for a giveaway from Bonnie at House of Grace.  I promise you won't be sorry!!


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Monday, June 7, 2010

Messy Monday -- Melted Crayon Art

I remember doing this as a kid and thinking it was the absolute most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  My definition of beauty has changed a little bit, but I still love the way these look and how each one is different.

Materials
  • waxed paper
  • crayons
  • hand held pencil sharpener
  • paper towel
  • iron
  • cookie cutters
  • scissors
  1. Sharpen your crayons making sure that the wax bits fall into a bowl.  Use whatever colors you want.
  2. Take a piece of wax paper (about 12-15 inches long) and fold it in half.  Open it back up and lay half of it on top of a piece of paper towel.
  3. Sprinkle your wax bits over the half of wax paper on your paper towel.  Make sure to sprinkle them evenly over your wax paper.
  4. Carefully fold the wax paper back in half and put another piece of paper towel on top.
  5. With your iron on "medium", iron on top of the paper towel.  Check it after every 2-3 swipes.  You want the wax to melt, but not run together.
  6. This is what it looks like when you aren't paying attention and iron it too long.
  7. This is what it is supposed to look like.
  8. Trace around a cookie cutter and cut out the shape.

You could use these for all sorts of things.  Hang them in your window, put them on the front of a card, use them as table decorations, decorate scrapbook pages, and a hundred other things.  We made ours very colorful, but I thing using different shades of one color would also look really great.

What have you done for Messy Monday?  Link it up!

Here are the rules.

  1. Use the permalink to your actual post, not your general blog address.

  2. Grab the Messy Monday button and display it on your sidebar or in your post.



     
     

  3. Go check out what others have done and leave them some comment love!
p.s.  Check back Wednesday for a super great giveaway from House of Grace.

I'm linking this to the following sites:
• Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
• You’re so crafty @ Miss Crafty Pants
• Market yourself Monday @ Sumo’s Sweet Stuff
• Making the World Cuter Monday @ Making the World Cuter
• Talk About it Tuesday @ Blogger Chix Designs
• Take a look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Craft Edition
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