Craft armoire...and the shelves (and stuff) are in

So I haven't exactly be on hiatus over the weekend from my creative endeavors. Trust me, this armoire project is looming over my head and I just want to get 'er done. I had my niece and nephew over for the weekend in addition to my two kids (help!). And although I had all good intentions of making an arts & crafts hour (or two) to make Valentine's cards with them, that never quite happened. This is where having a nicely organized craft armoire where all my arts & crafts supplies are neatly organized into perfectly labeled containers <<insert girlie squeal here>> comes in. This weekend my precious tools were scattered around in my bedroom trying to hide behind my reading chair, under my bed and in every kinda concealed corner I could find. And then of course, there's the box that just couldn't be hidden, sitting right in front of my reading chair just waiting (for a year now) for a permanent home. No way, no now, could there be a successful, organized arts & crafts session with the kiddos. I really wanted them to take something away from their weekend with me and what better than their own homemade Valentine's cards.

The kids went home Sunday morning. And after working out for 2 1/2 hours, cooking mom's amazing tostadas (click here for recipe) and hanging out at my girlfriend's for 3 hours in the afternoon, I came home to "relax". And then I walked into my bedroom, where the beast, I mean the armoire, awaited empty and lonely to be covered up from it's nakedness (missing doors) and filled in with all things nice and pretty (arts & crafts supplies). And there I went again. I added the hinges, doors, shelves and put in place the art supplies in the bedroom. Aahhh. What a relief.

Take a look at 'er now.

Speaking of 'er...what shall I name 'er?

But, I'm not quite done yet. Still need to purchase new door knobs, extra plastic bins, and get all the supplies boxed up in the garage out to be sorted and stored into the armoire. I'm thinking vintage style glass drawer knobs like these to add a touch of whimsy. Or, I may just make a trip to Anthropologie to get a few of these cutie knobs, What do you think?

Then and only then, will this project be completely done. You can view the BEFORE picture and the painting process here.

The armoire (soon to be Craft Armoire) has been painted

I've always wanted my very own Craft Armoire. Well really, I've always wanted my very own craft room. But I'll settle for an amoire given that I live in a tiny apartment. About a year ago, I (finally!!!) upgraded my BIG BOX TV to a Samsung Flat Screen TV like the one seen here. Oh, how I love a light, slim, easy to carry (by myself) TV. This TV being wider than the old big box, didn't fit into my TV armoire. So what to do with the armoire? It made it's way into my bedroom, with no TV to fill in it (I don't believe in TVs being in the bedroom) I started sticking arts and crafts supplies in it. Otherwise, my nifty supplies would be inconveniently stored in the garage, which is very inconveniently not attached to my apartment. I've been stuffing supplies in it, with not much of a rhyme or reason, and there's tons of wasted space. So it's time for it to have a make-over and be converted into an official Craft Armoire.





It will have shelves, plastic bins, a peg board on the back of the doors for storing more supplies, drawers for scrapbook paper, baskets, ribbon spools, oh the possibilities! Just take a look at my inspiration board here!

But first things first. It needed a paint job. And as per my previous post seen here, I selected a warm, gray color in a semi-gloss, Laura Ashley Home Mountain Pass. Now, I've never painted furniture before so this was sure to be an adventure from the get-go. I googled away and did some research until deciding on following the following method.

First, of course, the prep work. Removed all the doors, shelves and hardware. I sanded everything lightly. Then applied 2 coats of oil-based Kilz Stainblock Primer Original. A good brush is needed here to have good results. More on that a bit later. I learned a BIG lesson here! Next time I'll apply only one coat AND I will get low or no VOC primer!! Wow, wowee! I thought I picked up low VOC which was very important to me because this armoire is hideously heavy and sitting in my bedroom, remember? There's no way I was getting this armoire downstairs to the garage and back up to my bedroom just to paint it. So, paint in my bedroom it is. Much to my surprise, the primer stenched up my little apartment. Luckily, the smell was contained by closing the door. Unluckily, I wasn't going to be able to paint over the primer for days. Yup. I slept on the couch for 4 days.  The primer did dry quick, though, and quick is always nice. Nothing like some instant gratification.

Now back to the paint brush. A good paint brush like the one seen here is needed for good results. Don't skimp on the cheapy ones. It will pay off in the end. I used a good brush for my first coat of primer. However, I didn't get to the second coat for 24 hours. I quickly learned that with oil-based primers, it's better in my opinion to discard the dry brush and use a brand new one. I went to Michael's to purchase my second brush because it's the closest to home. I picked up what I thought was a good brush, somewhere in the $7 range, without really paying much attention. And when I started applying the second (unnecessary) coat of primer, I noticed these thick brushtrokes. Half way through, bothered by the strokes, I looked at the wrapper and it read "Gesso brush". Hello??!?! That is definitely not what I needed. But it's too late now. I did sand the armoire lightly before I started painting to ease the look of the brush strokes. It worked, but they never were completely gone. Sigh. Nevertheless, my craft armoire will perform just fine, I'm sure. It doesn't care if it has stripes. Heck, it might even start to feel a little friskeeey...

Primed Armoire

Next, the paint. I applied two thin coats of Laura Ashley Interior Semi-Gloss Latex Paint in Mountain Pass . Mmmm...the smell of fresh paint. It makes everything feel new, fresh and mine. And it covers the smell of that primer like a charm. Whew! I was starting to walk around looking a little tipsy.

Wow! What a difference paint can make! Take a look.





I still need to reassemble the doors, add the shelves and attach hardware. But I haven't quite had the time...single mom, full time job, get the drift?. Come back for an update soon, though. Ciao!

Please note: I realize the pictures are not the best quality, but  my camera has broken on me. What a time for it to decide to break!

Colorful Star Thank You Card

After R&M (Randy and Michelle) took the time to carve our super cute Disneyland Matterhorn Bobsled Pinewood Derby seen here, a thank you was definitely in order. We created this cute Star Thank You Card with scraps we had from other projects.

Used a 7" x 5" piece of white cardstock. Folded it in half and the two bottom corners with my Creative Memories Corner Rounder like the one seen here. Love the soft look this effect creates.

Then cut a 4 3/4" x 3/4" piece of printed paper and cut one of the long edges with Fiskars pinking paper edgers like these. Glued it to the to portion of my card, about 1/8" in from the edge, with pinked edges to the top.

Then cut a 4 3/4" x 2 3/4" of printed paper in a different pattern, and rounded two of the corners. Glued this on the bottom half of my card, overlapping the top printed paper.

Then, with my Cricut Expression like the one shown here (which by the way is an excellent deal!), I cut a star out of dark colored cardstock, followed by a star about 1/4" smaller in a lighter colored cardstock. Glued them together and then onto the card.

We finished with a THANKS with foam letter stickers and we're done. I made about 12 of these to have on hand and ready when an occasion arises. Then I can just pull from my pile at a moments notice.

Craft Armoire Inspiration Board

I've posted the paint chip I've selected to paint "the armoire" here.  But I wanted to share with you my inspiration. Do you see how much more practical this will be once I pimp my armoire with all these nooks and crannies, shelves and baskets, pegs and containers??? It will be so organized! And being that I'm a little on the OCD side, it's just what my little heart flutters for.
Check it out.

Craft Armoire Inspiration Board

Gray Paint Color Selected

Ever wonder what the heck to do with that giant TV armoire you  no longer need to house that big box of plastic called a TV? Now that TVs have been streamlined to be light and much thinner, I no longer need that big, bulky armoire. It's been sitting in my bedroom for over a year now and it's been stuffed with art & crafts supplies. But there's so much wasted space!! And living in a small apartment, I'm all about maximizing my space while keeping a decluttered look. I've decided to repurpose the TV armoire and it's being converted into a.... **drum roll, please**... Craft Armoire.

The project is underway and I will soon post the whole "how to", including the mistakes I've already made.

In the meantime, this armoire has for almost a year held paint chips down it's side to help me select the color it will be transformed into. It's currently just wood toned. Kind of an orangey glaze. Pretty countryish looking now that I think about it. But the lines of the armoire are pretty straight and with a fresh coat of paint it will look updated and sleek. The paint chips started light khaki, to darker tones of khaki, to green khakis, to gray khakis, to light grays, silvery grays, cool grays, warm grays, and charcoals.

I've finally concluded, with the help of Laura Ashley, that the Craft Armoire's color-to-be is Laura Ashley Home Mountain Pass.

Yes, I realize the paint chip is quite beat up. Even has some smudges on it. But you get the gist, right?

Cubmaster's Award and Third Place...woot woot!

Pinewood Derby 2011 has come and gone. We won Cubmaster's Award for best design and came in 3rd place in the Bear category, again. And this time, there weren't only 3 Bears....hee, hee.

Now, for the little detail we added today to the car...Para Mi Abuelo (For my Grandfather). Diego dedicated this race to his grandfather, whom passed away only a couple of weeks ago.

Rev Your Engines! Pinewood Derby Here We Come

Well, we're finally done! The Disneyland Matterhorn Bobsled, with little people in Mickey Mouse hats and Mickey T-shirts. Just waiting to add one final detail which will need to be done tomorrow, once everything dries overnight.

We used these awesome Sharpie Oil-Based Medium Point Paint Markers and they were perfect. They're used like pens, but dispense glossy paint. Dries pretty quick too, if you don't lay it on too thick.

Once painted it was time to work on the wheels. Because apparently, that's where the focus should be if you plan on actually winning the race. Now in years past, I just took the wheels, slid the screw through it and attached to the race car.  But this year I got a real treat from a vendor of mine who holds the 2009 winning race car for his pack...oh boy. So I tried my best to follow his instructions. I sanded the screw for the wheels to take all the ridges off, so the wheels can spin freely. I also sanded the surface of the wheels so they don't wobble. I bought a Wheel Truing Mandrel Set for my drill, actually it's my dad's but hopefully I'll get one for my birthday. Hint, hint. This little gadget, holds the wheels in place, so you can spin them and hold the sandpaper up to it. Pretty clever, huh? Anyway, the wheels are supposed to be super smooth, and the screws super polished. I don't think mine are.

Then we just assembled the whole thing together. Glued the Disney little people on, and added the wheels. But something was still missing. The handles! How else are the little people going to stay in their seats through this ride? Then need handles to hold on to. So luckily, I had black pipe cleaners at home, cut those to size. And thanks to my dad's drill, I drilled tiny holes where the handles should be attached. Poured a dab of glue in them and inserted the pipe cleaners. Voila!

So the race is tomorrow and I've done my creative something for the day.

PS: Would love to show more pictures of the whole process but my camera has broken. :(

Matterhorn Model Magic Madness...the little people

Our BSA wooden block has been dropped off with our friends Randy and Michelle and will be carved within the next 24-48 hours. Oh, the excitement. We can hardly contain ourselves.

Disneyland Matterhorn Ride

In the meantime, we will need to purchase paint pens and make "the little people". Yes, the Disneyland Mattehorn ride looks much more fun with people in them. We made three Matterhorn riders: one representing each of my sons and one representing me.

We used our handy, dandy, quick and easy to use Crayola Model Magic, which you can get here, and made the top half of people's bodies to be glued onto the Matterhorn Bobsled Pinewood Derby once we receive it back from R&M. We want to be ready and prepared, because that's what we scouters do. Be prepared! By the way, if you've never used model magic...it's the best. It's like play-doh, but it's not sticky, oily or stinky and doesn't leave residue. It molds as easily, and dries to a rubbery, foamy texture. It can be painted, glued, cut, etc. It's a must to have in your craft supply box for that last minute school project.

We molded our model magic into three little round heads with mouse ears to resemble Disneyland Mickey Mouse hats, created the upper half of their bodies and let them harden/dry overnight. The following afternoon, R&M dropped off our carved matterhorn...yaaaaay!

We then got the little people all dressed up (painted and glued). Even added face expressions. What da ya think?

The little people are just sitting on the Matterhorn to dry.
They're not glued yet as the bobsled still needs to be sanded and painted.



Disneyland Matterhorn Bobsled inspired Pinewood Derby

Pinewood Derby here we go again...Time to decide on a cool design. My 8 year old has carefully brainstormed the events of the last 12 months to select a design that would clearly describe who he is and what he stands for. You know, what every 8 year old boy worries about.

After visiting Disneyland on MLK Day, one of his favorite rides inspired him....MATTERHORN BOBSLED!! OK, so maybe he only had to look back 24 hours.

Here is the inspiration.

We are very lucky to have some great people in our lives. Randy and Michelle, from the cub scouts, offered to help us shape our car. Whew! It won't have to end up being a wedge again! Stay tuned for updates...

Pinewood Derby...what shall it be this year?

2010 Pinewood Derby- IPOD

My boys are 13 and 9. They have both been in cub/boy scouts since the first grade. The Boy Scouts of America offers a plethora of opportunities to learn values, good morals, and all that boy stuff I was not born with instinctively.

One of those activities the cub scouts enjoy every year is the Pinewood Derby. For Pack 621 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, it usually takes place in January. And this year is no exception. It's always quite the project trying to decide what to turn this wonderfully, solid, block of wood into something super creative, aerodynamic and unbelievably so fast that it not only wins the race, but some sort of "award". Most creative, fastest, slowest, scariest, etc.

A tid bit of history...last year we bought our little Pinewood Derby kit from the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) office in Ontario, CA. And for weeks we googled our brains for some creative idea until finally deciding on a bottle of Tapatio...on wheels mind you. So I took an inventory of tools in my head and decided one day, it's time. My son, 8 years old at the time, and I, took that block of wood out of the BSA box, got my sandpaper out of the "big girl tool box" in the garage and started sanding away. Ha, ha, ha....30 minutes later and the block of wood still looked like a perfectly, rectangular, block of solid wood. I pulled my "big girl tool box" out and started scowering for "bigger tools". Used a hand saw...no luck. Not a significant dent. At that rate, the race would come and go and still no car for us. Hey, I wasn't a boy scout growing up. I don't know this stuff.

Hand in pain, we went back into the apartment and sat on the couch, googling (the internet this time), for a rectangular something we can turn this block of wood into. I finally concluded that I could get someone to at least cut this rectangle into a wedge for me. A rectangle can't possibly win us a race, we needed at least a wedge. Maybe my parents neighbor, a retired gentleman who spends hours upon end making rocking horses in his garage. Yes, a wedge should be pretty easy. Luckily, at work the next day I laughingly retold the above story to my assistant. Turns out her dad does woodworking, made some cabinets for their home, and is retired. She offered to take the block of wood to her dad and have him cut it. And cut it he did. Into a perfectly shaped...wedge.

And so, with lots of creativity, we settled on creating an IPOD. A green IPOD with a dial painted on it and a picture of Jack Johnson's Bubble Toes song on the screen.

My 8 year old won 3rd place for the Wolves category (2nd grade cub scouts). Even got a little ribbon pin which he proudly wears on his uniform. Yay!

I didn't have the heart to tell him there were only 3 Wolves racing last year. But he figured it out at some point during the year. My poor little guy :(

So, creative wheel is turning for some ideas for this year's race. Pinewood Derby kit in hand. We have some ideas in mind and started a pinewood derby mood board. Will make a decision tonight and will report soon enough.

2011 Pinewood Derby Wood Block

To blog or not to blog

To blog or not to blog....

That is the question. I have an urging calling to use my creativity daily. This feeling in the pit of my stomach and everytime I start gathering ideas, googling projects, stick-noting magazine pages, I feel giddy. Yes, giddy. Butterflies in my stomach that want to burst out and fly into this creative aura surrounding me. My creative bubble.

So I've decided that everyday I must engage in this creativeness and just let my ideas flow. I like to decorate, scrapbook, papercraft and help my wonderful sons with their school projects. Being a single mother of two boys provides me with plenty of opportunity to get creative in ways I never thought were possible. Like how to feed two healthy, growing boys on a very insee, teenie, weenie budget until next paycheck. Or how to get a skinny jean off a freshly casted leg. Or, how to get ink off the carpet. But that's not the type of creative I'm going for here.

I'm using this blog to keep myself accountable to me. Sharing my daily creativeness with you, and hopefully, gaining knowledge on how to do things better, cheaper and faster. I don't own a home, so home renovations are out of the question for the time being. But because I rent an apartment, I have to get creative with my decorating, without breaking the bank. I decorate to make this rental as cozy and comfortable for our lifestyle. For my boys and I.

You're welcome to join me in my daily quest. Offer feedback, suggestions, ideas, etc. Let's get this creative wagon rolling!