Paper Scraps Make a Window Wrap (tutorial)

This is another peek into my office make-over. I decided to keep the teal walls and bring in black, white, grays, and pinks. A large part of my design involves the use of scrap paper, so it seemed to be the natural fit for a unique window treatment.

Here's the easy-schmeasy how-to...

My window is 38" wide, so I did the math and decided I needed 18 two inch strips of paper (That equals 36" with 2" to spare for space between each piece.) I picked eight pieces of scrap paper (four pinks and four black & whites), because I wanted to repeat my patterns.

Punch holes in the center of each end of the paper. Don't skip out on measuring here, even if you're good at eyeballing it. You want the holes to be in the same spot on each piece of paper. (SHORTCUT:  Measure and punch the holes on the first strip and use it as a template to mark the other pieces.)

This step isn't exactly mandatory, but you will be happy you took the time to do it. I'm talking about grommets. They give your project a finished look, and they add strength to the paper. Unfortunately for me I had the wrong kind of grommets. Each one required 12-15 "punches" to set and took four times as long, so I decided to skip the step I said not to skip. I didn't add the grommets to the top holes, but I'll go back and do it later.

I used binder rings as curtain rings. My original plan was to use clip rings, but they were $22 and the the binder rings were $4. Don't forget, this project is an effort to get the best look for the cheapest price. (By-the-way, this is what the top holes are supposed to look like with grommets. I totally cheated in this shot, because these are the bottom holes.)

My final touch was to add a two bead drop to the end of each strip of paper. I just raided my jewelry and craft supplies and used what I had on hand.

A simple tension rod is all it took to get it in place. I love the outcome. I even like the movement in the paper and the way it doesn't hang perfectly. What is perfect are the horizontal lines. The strips line up well and so do the beads. Now if I could just figure out how to rid myself of the mini blinds.

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Oh, the Mama

Mom: "Hey, you know that Baby Doll Goo Goo?"

Me: "Huh? Oh wait, do you mean Honey Boo Boo?"
       

Mom: "Yeah, that's her."

We started laughing and never finished the conversation.

(Side note: I've never seen the Honey Boo Boo show.)

Office Makeover Sneak Peak

I've missed the blog world. I have so much catching up to do, and there are about a ba-dozen posts I want need to read.

Here is a tiny peek into the office fix-up. Keep in mind that I am doing everything on a budget. That means that I don't always get to do things the way I would like... for now. The lamp below is a great example.

I found an adorable glass and gunmetal lamp at a local Goodwill. The lampshade was purchased at the same store. Together the price was $5.00. That definitely works for me.

What didn't work was the lamp itself. I knew this before I paid the $2.00 for it. It's a touch lamp, and I knew I could remove the sensor and reconnect the wires. It doesn't have an on-off switch, so I have to unplug it to turn it off. That's cool because I plan on putting a low wattage bulb in and leaving it on like a night light. (Please no anti-green environment hate mail over that last part.)

I didn't have any twist-on wire connectors, so I wrapped my wires in electrical tape and secured them to the bottom of the base.

Another thing that didn't work was the color of the shade. (Too bad I didn't get a picture of that.) It was a purpley-goldish hue, and that didn't fit into my black/white/gray/pink color scheme. So what do you do when you want a cheap fix? You spray paint the shade.

Looks pretty good, huh? Unfortunately It didn't look so great 

when I plugged it in. 

EPIC FAIL! That did not work. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I stink at spray painting. That's not true. (Although it may be true about spraying fabric.) There's about 3/4 of a can on that shade. That lampshade sucked the paint right out of the can. I'm not even sure I had to press the nozzle. Besides the pitiful paint marks, it still glowed golden brown. 

That meant a new plan.

I decided to wrap the shade with this adorable striped ribbon. Once it was covered I was going to belt it with a baby pink ribbon around the middle to accent its slender waistline. Cute, right? Of course it's cute. Unfortunately I didn't have enough ribbon and it was going to cost about $8.00 for more striped ribbon. That cuts into my el-cheapo plans, so onto a new idea.

Plan C was to wrap the shade in black tulle. It isn't as cute as the ribbon, but it is a good compromise for now. 

And the finished product. My original inspiration was an Audrey Hepburn style lamp, and this still fits. I'm sure I'll leave it that way for a while. (But be on the lookout for the striped ribbon in the future.)

Thank you for visiting creative confetti!  Please take a moment to "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest. And I'd love to hear from you via the comment section or the email option on my profile page! 

Forgive Me, I've Missed You

Puss in Boots from DreamWorks Animation's Shrek

It has been too long since I've been on the blog.

I've been a bit neglectful due to illness and a new job.

Please do forgive me for being away,

And thanks to those who stopped by to play.

It won’t be long before I return,

With new ideas my brain doth churn.

It will be much fun to share with you,

A few fun things to create anew.

Some you may have seen but have not tried,

And maybe a few that will be a surprise.

As soon as I finish my office re-do,

I promise to log on and get back to you.

But don’t get your hopes up too high,

These are simple ideas that are easy to try.

I love you guys for your loyal support.

I promise to make my absence quite short.

Thank you for visiting creative confetti!  Please take a moment to "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest. And I'd love to hear from you via the comment section or the email option on my profile page! 

focused on Glory (painting with clouds)

Week 38

Last night's sky. 

This morning's sky.

Thank you for the beauty Lord.

Thank you for visiting creative confetti!  Please take a moment to "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest. And I'd love to hear from you via the comment section or the email option on my profile page! 

focused on Glory (Investing in Youth)

Last month I learned about a YMCA program that provides free bikes and helmets to youth. As it turns out, the program also welcomes adults.

WOO HOO!

The program takes place over three Saturday mornings. The first week we picked out our donated, refurbished bikes. We spent our time cleaning and making minor repairs to our bicycles. Any major repairs were completed by volunteers over the following week. Week two was for safety. We went over road rules and practiced riding through intersections.

I attended the class with my friend Brenda. She invited another friend named Tonya. We were the only three adults in the program without a child. The rest of the class was made up of a group of kids from Children's International. And may I tell you how much I enjoyed those kids! What a fun group with which to spend a few Saturdays.

Today was the last Saturday. We went for a short ride past the Clinton Presidential Library and onto the new pedestrian bridge. As we rode past the library we encountered a large art festival. High school art clubs from around the state were gathered, and they were drawing amazing, chalk images on the sidewalks. It was a visual delight.

We rode back to the warehouse and said our goodbyes. I am going to miss seeing "our" kids next Saturday. Then Brenda and I took our bikes to her house for storage. (I CANNOT believe I forgot to take a picture of my bicycle!) I got an amazing cruiser (circa early 80's) with a sweet wire basket on the front. It is chocolate brown, but I am going to paint it baby blue. I will post before and after photos.

Here are a few of the photos I snapped with my phone today. The old saying is that the best camera is the one you have with you, so I hope you don't mind the picture quality.

Everyone was given a helmet. All the helmets had a shape similar to what you see professional cyclists wear. All of the helmets but mine. None of the "tear drop" helmets would fit on my enormous melon, so I got stuck with the white combat variety. (I'm blaming the thick french braids I was rocking on helmet fitting day.) I looked like I was going to be shot out of a cannon.

I decided to embellish my helmet. I had plans for a more creative design, but being sick for the last two weeks left me with little motivation. The circles still look better than leaving it plain. Note the silver, glittered nickname added to the front. Fun, fun!

Brenda and me over the Arkansas river.

Our motley crew of bikers. I will miss those personalities.

Beautiful chalk art in progress.

Doesn't this make you smile?

I really liked this flaming bird.

This is Malcolm. He is one of the program volunteers. He makes sure the bikes are in good working order for each participant. He is such a delightful character. You will smile if you are in his presence.

I can't express how much fun it was to participate in this program. Not only did I get a free bike and helmet, but I got to spend time with amazing people. The Children's International sponsor said she was happy that we (the grown up girls) were in the class with her kids. She told me that she thought we were good influences and short-term mentors for the children. I was humbled by that remark. It was an honor to help with her group.

One last mention for the YMCA leaders who headed up the program. We were blessed to have God loving folks who were interested in investing in children of the metro community. They were the true role models. They showed God's love and generosity with such enthusiasm. The whole experience was a blessing.

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New (Blue) Adventures

I started a new position as the Children's Ministry Assistant at my church. I can tell that it is going to be an adventure. To say that this job wasn't on my radar is quite the understatement. However God knew I would land here, and He put everything in motion to make it come to fruition.

Here are a few pictures of my new office taken with my phone. I was told that I was stuck with the colors, but that's okay. I can work with that shade of blue (and the purple too).

Chalkboard paint as you walk in. That has all kinds of  fun potential. 

The door "leads" to a dead-end alley between two of the church buildings. I think the key to the deadbolt  has been lost for a long time. 

The copier is a new addition to my office. It is extremely handy and horrifically ugly. I must find a way to camouflage it.

The rocker is also new. The previous rocking chair was much larger. 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do to soften the eyesore of this wall, but I hope to come up with something. The door on that wall leads to the office next door.

Finally, the view from my desk. There is much work to be done.

Stay tuned in the weeks to come to see the office make-over. I can't wait! Now to come up with a plan or two.

Thank you for visiting creative confetti!  Please take a moment to "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest. And I'd love to hear from you via the comment section or the email option on my profile page!