Freebies: Printable January 2012 Calendar

I usually have my Freebies on Friday, but couldn't wait to share this one!  Just in time for 2012!

2012 Printable Monthly Calendar

I designed this cute printable 2012 Damask Calendar Set for my etsy shop, and am offering a free printable of the January Calendar for a limited time.  So download yours today!

January 2012

Freebie: December 2011 Calendar Printable

For all of y'all who haven't gotten a start on your December Calendar- here's a little printable to get you in the Holiday spirit!

201112 Calendar

Freebies: Recipe Journal Printable

I am not a natural cook i did not grow up in the kitchen, and when I asked my mom to teach me how to cook, her response was, "If you can read the directions on the back of the box you can cook anything!"

So, this is what I came up with. I print this on the back of my recipe pages that make the cut for my Recipe Binder.

Whenever I make a dish I like to keep track of when I made it, who I made it for, any changes I made to the recipe, and any notes for next time.

For example, early in my cooking days I decided I could substitute chicken breasts for a whole chicken, and tomato paste for fresh tomatoes. I was to purée the tomatoes after cooking, so I thought I was skipping a step. The chicken swap turned out good, but the tomato swap was a huge mistake. I noted this on the back so I would never make the same mistake.

I like to keep track of who ate the meal so that I don't serve the same meal to my friends/family every time they come over!

This printable is formatted for a letter size paper. If you need 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 please comment below and then follow my blog. I will make the most requested size first.

There is a second log I use once the recipe is absolutely perfect.  I print the final recipe on the front side, and then on the back just log the date and who it was made for, and THEIR rating based on comments they make at dinner. This way I can track the foods they like best, and figure out a new menu each time they come!  I will share this printable next week.


I hope you enjoy!

Recipe Log

Life As a Mom: Finding Time to "Do It All"

Okay, so I still haven't found THAT much time, but this is the way I have found to help keep me focused, and feel like I have actually accomplished things during the day.  I don't get burned out cleaning all day, and I don't waste time when I sit down to work on the computer.

My day starts much earlier, but my "schedule" starts at 8 after I have dropped Big Sister off at school.  It looks like this:
8:00 - Household Chores
9:00 - Blog/Computer work for Sunla Designs
10:00 - Crafting work for Lila's Bowtique
11:00 - Household Chores
12:00 -  Lunch and Blog/Computer work for Sunla Designs
1:00 - Crafting work for Lila's Bowtique
2:00 - Catchup before I pick up Big Sister from school


The rest of my day is filled with homework, piano practice, Girl Scouts, and dinner.  The hour-long shifts keep me focused and working as quickly as I can to get a lot done in that little window of time.  If I tell myself "I have all day to get that done" it usually takes all day!

You may be asking why I haven't scheduled time for Baby Brother or errands and such.  It's because I take care of those things as they come up, and resume my schedule based on what time it is.  For instance, on Monday I go grocery shopping as soon as I drop off Big Sister.  It is usually after 9 by they time I get the groceries put away, so I skip the Household chores at 8:00 and start right onto my Blog/Computer work.  I adjust for this by scheduling less cleaning on Monday, and the grocery shopping is actually part of my Monday chores.

At 2:00 it is time to catchup on whatever I didn't get done that must be finished before Big Sister comes home.  usually that means packing orders to drop off at the post office, checking my email one last time, or prepping dinner.

Freebies: Household Notebook- Detailed Focus List

This is a 3 page printable detailing my weekly and monthly chores for my Household Notebook.  I use this a general checklist to make sure I get everything done in each room.  I check it once before I get started, and again when I am finished.  It helps my day move smoothly, and if I get interrupted (which happens often with two kids) I can easily get back on track.

Be sure to follow my blog for more free printables!

Detailed Focus List

Tutorial: Quatrefoil Homework Station

I picked up this cute little wood box from Hobby Lobby for $5.99.  It has a turntable under so it spins! And with a little bit of spray paint and vinyl I turned it into a homework station for Big Sister. 

I should have sanded it before priming, but I will know better next time!

This green really isn't sea foam green- it's more like a dark celadon, but it's 107 degrees here so I won't take the time to make sure the settings are right on my camera.  You'll just have to take my word for it.

So, that's 1 coat of primer, 2 coats of paint, and 2 more coats of clear sealant.  I played with my cricut a bit, and cut out a cute little quatrefoil design in white vinyl (I used the Elegant Cakes cartridge).  And here's the finished product all packed and ready for the new school year:

I kept pencils and crayons on one side, scissors and glue on the back side, and her home reading book in the middle!  I just love the quatrefoil design, and Prince Charming has even agreed to make a stencil so I can paint the backs of the shelves.  This whole time I was trying to figure out how to do the white on top of the yellow, but he says, "Why don't you paint white first and just stencil the yellow on?"  Brilliant!  The colors in our kitchen are yellow, green, and orange.  One day I will show you the whole room, but for now you will just have to get bits and pieces!

Tip:  When using spray paint, save your manicure by wearing rubber gloves on your spraying hand.  For some reason I always end up with a bit of spray paint on my trigger finger!

Mess Management Monday #7: Spice Cabinet

Okay for those of you who are keeping track- there is no #6.  I forgot about one of my early MMM posts, and have decided not to go back and renumber.  This is the seventh post- therefore it will be #7!

My spice cabinet is perfect- well, perfectly placed, and pretty well stocked.  Aside from that, it is a MESS!  Well, it WAS before I got inspired!

Source: google.com via Lisa on Pinterest

No, it isn't mine. I HAVE shown this to Prince Charming, so maybe, one day, if I keep my fingers crossed. Just a bit of inspiration!  The jars in the picture are from IKEA- I have no idea whose this is, so if it is yours please let me know, and I will give you credit.

I always kept my spices on the lazy susan- isn't that what it's for?!  And I would struggle to find that one that got shoved to the center, and spin, and spin, and ... well, you get the idea.  Something would always fall off the back and get lost, and then EVERYTHING would have to come out to find that one lonely spice.  Oh, and I HATE greatly dislike the double-decker lazy susan.  This used to be one, but I took it apart when I kept loosing spices in the middle!

Now, all of my spices are in glass jars I got at Hobby Lobby (glass is 50% off this week- yay!).  I got the smaller size for my standard spices, and the larger jars for whole spices and spices I buy in bulk.  My lazy susan was put on the top shelf to hold all the big bottles of stuff, including the vegetable oil, now I just have to give it a little spin and can easily get what I need!  I can fit 10 large jars under the shelf, and 18 small jars on the little white risers.  I have labeled all the jars with my label maker.  If you do this figure out how the jars will fit best before labeling, I ended up switching the labels from front to side several times before getting everything in the right place.

Spices I use more often in the front, and spices I use less often in the back.  I know you are wondering why there are two lonely jars in the bottom shelf- so much wasted space!  But don't worry, I bought all the jars they had at Hobby Lobby and they are ordering more especially for me!  If they don't come in this week, they will still be the 50% off price- yay!  I am also keeping rice in this cabinet just so it is easy to get to- we eat rice several times a week.

I have many more plans for this cabinet.  The first is something like this:

Source: infarrantlycreative.net via Lisa on Pinterest

Stay tuned for more about my spice cabinet!

Mess Management Monday #5: Craft Room- Printed Ribbons

So I've already shown you how I organize my Solid Color Ribbons, and I told you how much I love Snapware containers when I organized my Crochet Caps and Headbands. My printed ribbons are stored in 6 of these containers with 3 layers in each.  Yes, that is 18 layers of storage!  If you are using my previous Solid Color Ribbon Storage, you will like to know I can fit all of the 5 yard rolls from one bookshelf in 5 or 6 layers of these containers.  If you are short on space this is an excellent solution.  I don't use this method for my solid ribbons because I use them more often and I like to be able to see them. 

Eighteen layers:

An Open Case

1.  3/8" Solids
2.  3/8" Dots
3.  3/8" Stripes
4 & 5.  3/8" & 5/8" Patterns
6.  Swiss Dots
7, 8, & 9.  Polka Dots
10.  Zebra Prints
11.  Animal Prints
12.  Fruits and Sweets
13 & 14.  Stripes
15.  ALL Pink and Brown Prints, Stripes, and Dots
16.  Sports and Team Colors
17.  Gingham
18.  Funky Dots

Freebies: Household Notebook- Cleaning Rountines

This is the Cleaning Routines page from my Household Notebook.  I use this everyday to keep my house cleaning on track.  I can see at a glance my daily, weekly, and monthly chores so I can quickly go about my day. I have a more detailed list I will share later which breaks down the duties for each room.  We have a large home, and without this list my home would be in chaos.  I hope you find this helpful.  I have included the blank list, so you may adjust it as needed to fit your family.

Be sure to follow my blog for more free printables!

Cleaning Routines Blank

Mess Management Monday #4: Craft Room- Fabric Bolts

Last week I shared how I organize my fabrics in drawers.  But when I have over 3 yards of a fabric I like to keep them on the bolt.  When I put my plastic drawers under my shelves I ended up with a bit of space in between so I decided to store some of my bolts there.  I get the cardboard free from the fabric stores.  They usually have a ton, and they are just throwing them away.  I always ask first, and never take more than I need.

I usually buy most of these fabrics 10 yards at a time, so I eventually took over the bottom shelf as well. As for the minky, I only buy about 5 yards at a time, but it has so much bulk to it, that anything over 3 yards is impossible to fold and keep neatly.  Most of this fabric is used for products I sell in my etsy shop (I've reduced my inventory of products until I can catch up a bit).

This last pile of gorgeous fabrics is from Michael Miller's Collection- Feeling Groovy and RoundAbout.  I fell in love with the purple and green fabrics, and when we found out we were having a boy it wasn't hard to convince Prince Charming to decorate his room in the blue and green version of this fabric.  Baby Brother is now 4 months old, and his room still isn't finished, but we are nearly done painting it!  I hope to start posting tutorials for some of the decor in his room very soon!

If you like what you've seen here today, please be sure to follow my blog!
 

Mess Management Monday: Craft Room- Fabric Organization

I tried EVERYTHING to organize my fabrics- neat stacks fell over, baskets overflowed, and even folded and stacked in a dresser made them impossible to find. So here's what I do now:

 

The dressers are full of most of my fabrics.  That's 4 dressers, 5 drawers each, storing about 25 yards of fabric in each drawer.  Of course they don't ALL have fabric in them!  The dresser on the right has finished products ready to ship, and the fabrics that I have more than 3 yards of are stored on top of the dressers. But I will show you that another day.

How it works:

I used to fold the fabric cut ends together- kinda like you fold towels or sheets, but EVERY time I wanted to cut it, I had to unfold the whole thing and refold it.  I'm too lazy for all of that, so I would end up with a huge pile of fabric at one end of my cutting table. 

Now I fold it just like it come on the bolt- selvage ends together, and fold it using a plastic template as my guide.  

Prince Charming cut this plastic piece for me.  It is 6" by 22". If I did it again I would make it 24" so it would be easier to pull out when I am done.

When I get to the end, I simply pull out my plastic piece, and fold it in half. 

All my fabrics are stored by category, then by color.  Categories include solid color cottons, cotton prints, minky, terry, upholstery, flannel, etc. 

 

All of my fabrics are easy to access, and put back in the right place, and I don't have to unfold and refold every time I take a fabric out.

The only rule you have to remember is when you fold directional fabric is to start folding from the TOP!  When you unfold it to cut, your fabric will be facing up, otherwise you have to turn your pattern upside down!  I made this mistake more than once!

I even have a drawer for the fabrics I am selling in my etsy shop since Prince Charming asked if I would sell some of my fabric before buying anymore!

Mess Management Monday: Craft Room Organization- Solid Color Ribbons

Many of you may ask "Why just SOLID color ribbons?"  You may be disappointed that I am not even going to tell you how I organize my 3/8" ribbons today.  It's because it is all done differently, and I find it easier to concentrate on one method at a time.  I have 2 bookshelves dedicated to my solids, and I hold 5 yd spools, 20 yd spools, and 100 yd spools on these shelves.  So, typically when I get an order in, or when I have been making lots of bows, my ribbons end up in boxes at the bottom on my shelves, or piled haphazardly on the shelves.

Now I am left with the task of trying to put everything back the way it should be.  Since I already have the system in place, tidying up is pretty easy.

I have come quite a ways from my original storage system.  When I first started making bows (in 2005) I started out with a small selection of colors in 7/8" and 3/8".  I stored these in the top of a large tackle box.  Similar to this one:  

 

I kept the ribbon rolls in the top and stored my supplies in the bottom.  I had room for clips, scissors, my glue gun, glue sticks, and my lighter.  As my ribbon supply grew, the storage method changed.  I developed this shelf/rod idea (with the help of my hubby) almost 3 years ago, and have recently expanded into a third shelf for my dots!    

I will describe my system now, and then show you the "after" pics.  I have 2 of the cheapy bookshelves I bought from a local superstore.  On the upper portions I have put tension rods instead of shelves.  If you use this method you MUST put additional support across the back to keep the vertical pieces from being pushed out!  Then the 5 yard spools just sit on the tension rods, and the 100 yd rolls sit on the shelves.  Each tension rod holds about 18 spools in various sizes, and I have 8 tension rods per shelf- so in total approximately 140 spools (give or take). 

You will see I have used the rainbow color system.  Also, each color is placed largest to smallest.  If I have any empty spots (which right now I have a lot of) I can easily see which color and size I need to order.  I didn't take a great pic of it, but just below the printed ribbons on the bottom shelf, I have little baskets with my backstock of color in it.  These are NOT sorted by color but rather by size.  They are easier to find that way!  And you get a LITTLE sneak peak of my printed ribbon storage, but I will save that for another day!  

Be sure to follow my blog if you like this idea, you will love how I store my fabric.  I will be posting that next Monday!

 How do you store your ribbons?

Mess Management Monday: Game Storage

So Prince Charming hates to see clutter.  And yes, according to him, board games on a shelf ARE clutter.  He didn't mind the first few, but as Big Sister has gotten older, the board games have multiplied.  And now with Baby Brother here, we can't get rid of the ones she has outgrown for fear he might want/need them.

We went through the games and kept the ones we play/love and sold the rest in The Great Sale of 2011. But we still had the problem, of where to put the ones we kept.  Prince Charming doesn't want the kids to have a play room because he's afraid it will always be a wreck (maybe he's right).  So all of Big Sister's toys are kept in her room.  But the games can't be stored there because (1) there's no more room in her closet, and (2) we play them at the Dining Table.

Why not store them in the Dining Room?  But where?......

After The Great Sale, I was able to combine all of my table linens, serving pieces, silverware, tea sets, etc into the sideboard and had the entire bottom of my china cabinet empty for....GAMES!

You'd never believe how much fun we can have in a formal dining room- there's even room for Twister!

Do you have any furniture that does double-duty in an unexpected way?

Freebies: Household Notebook- Meal Planning

I love using a combined list for meal planning and grocery shopping.  This way I have everything in one place.  I can easily see what meal I needed an item for, so I know how much to buy or what cut of meat I need.  I usually like to keep a blank one on the fridge right behind this week's meals so I can add basic essentials to the next shopping list as I run out!

Be sure to follow my blog for more free printables!

Meal Planning





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