Basket o’ projects

I don’t make resolutions for the new year but I do have a dreaded Basket o’ Projects staring me in the face. Oh believe me, we have tons and tons of craft and project stuff in the garage that we really need to go through but since every bit of advice I’ve read tells you to “start small”, I figure this innocent-looking basket can be more motivating than a whole garage worth of stuff.

So before I embark on any new project, i.e. anything I need to purchase stuff for, I need to use up three items from this basket.

What’s in here, you ask?

Well, let me tell ya – from the back to the front, sorta:

  • A small scrapbook I’ve had for 3 years. It was meant to be a bridal shower gift with recipes brought by guests but no one brought anything so I couldn’t make the gift.
  • Patches for my boys’ jeans. And boy, do they need them. My oldest loves to save the world and slide all over the kitchen floor , so his jeans have lots of holes in the knees.
  • A bunch of fleur-de-lis patches my mom got me.
  • A few clothespins I mod-podged with spring scrapbook paper. Two years ago.
  • Brown fabric dye.
  • A digital camera filter kit I got 4 years ago.
  • Adhesive magnets. I used a few because we love to give out fridge magnets with pics of our boys to the grandparents and aunties, but I need to use up the rest.
  • Labels I made for my freshly re-organized pantry.
  • Magnets and labels are sitting on a cute notecard box I want to mod-podge for jewelry bits.

So there you have it, my current Basket o’ projects. I hope to start using up some items and add a few more from the garage. That way it doesn’t look so overwhelming – I hope!

While the wife’s away . . .

After a recent trip to see my mom and sister in Chester, I came home to a couple of surprises – my husband had been hard at work while the boys and I partied. First, he got new curtains for the playroom/office in my new favorite shade!
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The room is so bright and light with these, I just love it. He also installed cellular shades, the new look is awesome.

The second project he got done was a shed in the side yard, made from the wood from our old fence. My mother-in-law helped out and they got it done, with some help from my oldest once we got home:
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We are very lucky in that we have lots of space in our yard – my poor husband ended up so tired after his busy weekend, but very proud of what he accomplished!