In Arts, Inspirations on February 11, 2010 at 8:00 am
It was a cloudy and rainy Saturday last week. My cabin fever temperature was around 105 degrees. Time for an excursion. Leonardo da Vinci was at the art museum. That sounded interesting. No photography was allowed in the da Vinci exhibit. Understandable.
Leonardo da Vinci was a genius. More than just in art. He said…
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
I want to plaster that phrase all over my house. He had such great insights into life having lived an eventful life himself. He also said…
“Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.”
“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.”
“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
As da Vinci attempted to create the world’s largest bronze horse statue, he had this on his mind…
“He who lets time pass does not grow in virtue: the more I think of it the more I grieve. No man has it in him to be virtuous who will give up honor for gain. Good fortune is of no avail to he who does not toil.”
“Gluttony, sleep and idleness in bed have banished every virtue from the world. So that our bewildered nature is almost overcome by debauchery. Henceforth, it would be well to rouse yourself from sleep, the Master said, because lying down will not bring thee to Fame; nor staying beneath the covers. He who, without Fame, burns his life to waste, leaves no more vestige of himself on earth than wind-blown smoke or the foam upon the sea.”
Is that great or what? What do you think about the quotes?
In Entertainment, Inspirations on February 3, 2010 at 12:39 pm
So, another 6 weeks of winter according to Punxsutawney Phil, huh? I was through with winter about a week ago. Cabin fever settling in on us. I dug through old pictures and found activities Kaye and I did last winter to beat the stuck-at-home blahs. It was nostalgic to look at pictures of Kaye from last winter. She was so little and cute. And what do you know, some of it has to do with reusing household items. Kid friendly, eco friendly.
1. Box car.
We had a ton of diaper boxes lying around. So Kaye and I got a little creative and made a box car using packing tape and paper plates as wheels and steering wheel. Then she sat in it while I pushed her around the house racing in her car.
2. Color your own fort.
I taped a few diaper boxes together to make a little fort for Kaye to color and draw. She called it her princess castle.
3. Make a shoebox alphabet fishing game.
Kaye helped me paint the inside of the shoe box with blue paint to make the water look. I made a fish pattern, traced it 26 times. Had Kaye color and decorate the fish. Then I wrote each letter of the alphabet on each fish. Cut out. Put a metal paper clip on each fish. Then found a couple sticks outside. Tied a string to it as the fishing line. Finally, glued a small magnet to the end of the dangling line. It helped teach her the alphabet.
4. Magic carpet ride.
This was a game Kaye played at my parents’ house. Kaye hopped on a rug, held on to dear life and my dad pulled on the other end of the rug. They went all over the house like that. She laughed so hard.
5. Cookie cutter and wearable Play Dough.
Make bracelets, anklets or use cookie cutters to cut fun shapes.
6. Ball pit.
Your kids will love me for this. You will hate me for this. We had a small inflatable pool and filled it with balls. I purchased special ball pit balls
at Wal-Mart or you can find it at Target, too. I do have to say, I was happy to put the balls away when the little pool popped a year later. I was tired of picking up 300 balls day after day. However, my kids and their friends all loved it. It was by far the most popular toy in our house. And in the summer, you can pack away the balls and fill the pool with water, in your backyard of course.
In Crafts, Inspirations on December 9, 2009 at 8:59 am
My mom came home from her two month trip to Taiwan with these goodies in her luggage. Too bad I can’t read Mandarin. But the visuals were eye candy. I’ll have to get my mom to translate. Here is a sample of the gorgeous pages that filled those books.
In Inspirations, Products on November 18, 2009 at 9:01 am
I had a hard time with this one. I didn’t realized I liked winter coats so much. I am a sucker for big buttons. And the colors, I am the two extremes. I like the neutral colors and the bold colors. What do you like in a winter coat?
In Inspirations, Products on November 17, 2009 at 9:00 am
I am the shoes and purses type of gal. And these boots are just darling. Where did you find your winter boots?
In Inspirations, Products on November 16, 2009 at 12:01 pm
This time of the year we’re so busy thinking about what to get everyone else we tend to forget about ourselves. I’m in search of some elegant holiday dresses and other fabulous finds for you. Go ahead, spoil yourself just a little this year. Have you found your holiday dress yet? Comment and link to your holiday dress or dresses you are eyeing this season.
In Home, Inspirations on November 12, 2009 at 9:00 am
{image by Country Living}
If you have guests arriving this holiday season, give the guest room a little more luxury feel by providing…
- Luggage rack. If you don’t have one, it is nice to have a place for them to put their luggage, even if it is a short stool or ottoman.
- Light reading material. Pull some books from your library or even borrow some from the public library or magazines. Place it on the nightstand with a note, “Thought you might enjoy a good read.”
- Extra towels. Fresh towels in the bathroom, but also provide a set of extra towels in the bedroom.
- Toiletries. Although most guests bring their own toiletries, it is nice to have some extra in case they forgot something like a blowdryer.
- Places to visit. Provide your address and a list of local shops, markets, and events you think your guest may enjoy during their stay.
- Sheet spray. Provide a relaxing scent by spritzing lavender sheet spray
on the linen.
- Alarm clock. Don’t want to miss a flight or an appointment.
- Water and glass. A small glass pitcher or carafe is great so the guest won’t have to go in the kitchen for a quick drink.
- Stationary. Even postcards are nice to have around for them to send letters home.
- Mirrors. Preferably a full length one.
In Inspirations on November 5, 2009 at 10:00 am
This is my Kaye. She is 3. She is all girl… to the max. Even worst than her mother. Pink is her color. Polka dots are plastered everywhere. Disney princesses are her best friends. She raids mom’s closet for heels and pumps. She can cry on demand. She walks better in high heels than flip flops. She wants to wear mom’s makeup, but mean dad won’t let her. She loves candles and anything that smells pretty. And when people tell her she is cute, she replies, “Babies are cute. I am beautiful.” No idea where she got that.
Anyway, yesterday she noticed she was out of skirts. We were in a rush to get out the door and over to the library story time. I usually let Kaye pick out her clothes. It is a battle I’d rather not fight, especially with her who has a 3-year-old opinion about everything she fashions. But since we were in a hurry, she was forced to pick out pants so we could get out the door. Uh, as I was backing out of the driveway, I realized I missed library story time by a day. Yeah, I’m doing too many things all at once and sometimes I just space. We went anyway because I needed to return books that day.
When we got back from the library and a few other places she decided she needed to change. She went up stairs to her room, flipped through the clothes in her drawers and came out looking like this. It didn’t surprise me that she was in a different outfit because she changes her clothes several times a day. But she was wearing a skirt I didn’t recognize. Then it caught my eyes… the sleeves dangling from the sides. Aaahhh… she’s wearing a 3/4 sleeve white shirt upside down as a skirt. And since it was a bit drafty to be wearing skirts bare legged, she put on her leg warmers.
Yeah, I can see fashion design in her future. If the sleeves weren’t dangling down, it would be a cute bubble skirt. Hum… that’s an idea. I’ll have to draft that in my notebook. In the picture, she’s a bit embarrassed when I discovered she was wearing a shirt as a skirt. But she kept it on the whole rest of the day.
P.S. Please excuse the work-in-progress in the background. And my craft glues on the floor. That was Elle’s work.
In Crafts, Home, Inspirations on November 4, 2009 at 9:00 am
To tell you the truth, I own only two wreaths. Some of my neighbors have one for every season and they keep the off season ones hanging in the garage. I see them when I walk by and wonder if I should be ramping up my door decors. I am picky about my wreaths because I’m not into the fake flowers and plastic fruits glued to wreath shaped foam. If you can’t tell, I’m the simple and classy kind of gal. The wreath above is my fall wreath. I purchased it last year.
This wreath I made two winters ago. It’s was the first wreath I owned. I had been on the hunt for a Christmas wreath and couldn’t find one I loved within my price range. That’s right, did you know that wreaths could be outrageously prices? Some of the ones I liked were around $80. I decided to attempt designing and making my very own. Nathan laughed because I ended up spending more than I wanted to on it, but still nowhere near $80.
Here are some other wreaths that I like and would like to try one day. Click on photos for more information about each of the wreaths.
- Dried flowers and vines.
- Photo embellished.
- Green gourds and leaves.
- Pearl.
- Shimmering rectangular leaves.
- Quick and simple tape to the wall.
{image by BHG}
{image by BHG}
{image by BHG}
{image by BHG}
{image by BHG}
{image by BHG}
In Inspirations on November 3, 2009 at 9:28 am
{images by GapKids}
Stella McCartney is the new designer at GapKids. Fabulous stuff, especially if you like the unisex classic rockstar look.
In Inspirations on July 23, 2009 at 9:00 am
A friend of mine, Emily, was cleaning out her craft supplies. She asked if I would be interested in taking any of it. Of course! I inherited a collection of patterns, even vintage patterns of children clothes. I also received sewing books and years worth of magazines- Sew News
, Burda World of Fashion
, and Threads
. I’m excited to go through all the stuff. Thanks, Emily!
