My cousin-in-law (-in-law) and friend Heather recently introduced me to my new and absolute favorite waste of time, Pinterest. Since this Internet goodie was completely foreign to me until a couple of weeks ago, I'm going to to venture a guess that it's still somewhat unfamiliar to most of the Internet-ing and social media-ing world at large. Not that I'm ever current on all things fun and trendy, but my friend Heather is completely with it (in every good sense of the term), and she was kind enough to not only acquaint both me and every other female member of our shared family to the site, but also host us at her place for a fun Pinteresting party.
So before I go any further, I feel it my duty to advise you to search for this site and request an invitation to join in on the fun. I'd love to explain what it is, but I've learned that my descriptions of this site fail me, and that it's more of a "check it out, and you'll be convinced" kind of thing. Basically it's a site that collects gazillions of fantastic ideas from clever and talented people, and allows you to ooh and ahh over said ideas, and then copy and repurpose to your heart's content. My favorite "stolen" ideas are usually within the DIY/craft project arena, but I've also snagged some sensational concepts that have to do with cooking, holiday decor, and even teacher appreciation gifts. It's fun, and I believe that everyone should check it out.
I recently happened upon and was completely inspired by someone's fantastic project on Pinterest, and after showing it off to Ryan, we decided it was something that we wanted to adapt for our own home. After perusing the sales ads for Michaels and Hobby Lobby and slowly gathering my needed materials, this weekend I got to work on our new children's art gallery for our family room.
For this project all I needed to collect were some open-back frames and binder clips. After covering the boring black of the binder clips with some Mod Podged covered scrapbook paper (Pinterest Idea #2), I was ready to once again recruit my able-bodied husband for the measuring and frame-hanging.
and then Ryan did his measuring magic (with the help of his lovely and bedazzled assistant).
Once he got all of his measurements just-so (see kids, you DO need math as adults!), he started the tedious task of hanging the frames.
Why, yes, that is toothpaste that you see. Another amazing Pinterest jewel that I found recently suggested using toothpaste on the backs of your frames to help ease the arranging and hanging. Just figure out where you want the frame, dab some toothpaste on the hook or wire on the back of the frame, and then place it against the wall.
The toothpaste will leave a mark precisely at the spot where the nail will need to go.
I have this filed in my "Genius" category.
The second part of the project used those pretty binder clips from before. A little more measuring, and we quickly slid the clips on some nails within the frames.
For the last step I went through my collection of Jordan's artwork and selected a few pieces that I wanted to display this season.
Ta-da! Our new gallery. We're both looking forward to showcasing both of our kids' projects on this wall of fame, and I'm giddy at the idea of changing out these pictures for the upcoming holidays.
Later in October we celebrated Jordan's third birthday, Sesame Street style. It has been so wonderful to watch her personality develop, and we are so thankful to God for allowing us to parent her sweet-tempered soul. She has a very kind and generous nature, she knows and loves both the concept of family as well as the people that are hers, and she loves to take care of others and "help". Jordan loves princesses, pink, purple, and red, fruit and Swiss cheese ("cheese with holes"), shopping, and books, and she enjoys pretending, puzzles (her patience with them AMAZES me!), and going to school. She likes to talk about her people (both friends and family), and she loves to remember everyone's favorite things. She has really become interested in matching her accessories to her clothes (her father's daughter), as well as picking our her outfits for big events, like which dress she'll wear to see her prince, Kelton. Her spirit is absolutely beautiful, and her overflowing love for others humbles me and teaches me every day. I'm so very thankful for the relationship I get to have with her.