Just a start

Not-So-Custom Cabinets

I am always pinning custom cabinets with room for all the cookware you could ever hope to own ... then I put down the phone and walk into my kitchen. So I finally found a cheap quick fix for my problematic cutting board/cooling rack/baking sheet/muffin pan cabinet.

I found a pot lid organizer at IKEA for cheap ($5 or less) and bought it and brought it home and let it sit on the sewing cabinet a couple of months ... until today. 

This rack is really expandable.  

Everything fits plus some.

 Now I just need one more for the bottom shelf!

Spring is here

A couple of Christmases ago I saw a red frame on Pinterest with ornaments hanging, and my thought was "I can do that."  And so it began.  I bought a cheap  frame and painted it red ... I liked it but didn't love it.  So I painted it glossy black, and it has been up ever since.  I change what I hang in it or in it about monthly.  

So today I took down my at. Patrick's cross and shamrock and put up flowers for spring.   Some months I am at a loss, or can't find the product to match the image in my head, but I have a pretty good collection that is ever evolving.

Upcycled candle sticks

It is storming here tonight, and I like to light candles before the lights go out.  I keep candles in the fireplace, since we rarely have the need for a real fire.

Last summer Chelsea and I saw several pins on pinterest about using string and something flammable (I forget now) to break glass bottles, and we decided we should try it out.  After several failed attempts, I choose to buy a generation green bottle cutter instead of giving up.  There were several successes, but still a few broken bottles as well.  We made these candle sticks, glasses, vases and hurricanes.  I will be posting some of the others soon as well as putting some on my etsy shop as well.

We learned a lot from this project:

• It's not as easy as it seems.
• Some labels come off easier than others.
• The cut edges are SHARP!
• Friends who donate empty wine bottles and liquor bottles are good friends indeed!
• That smell was the garbage disposal :)

If you have done similar crafts, what have you done to smooth the cut edges of the glass?  We are still looking for a more efficient method.  

Borders

This is the first of many borders I am working on.  I hope to have a notepad full of these soon.  Who knows, maybe I will revert to sending hand written letters to friends from time to time, instead of relying on Facebook messages.

Doodle Drawing

I decided to make something for my classroom.  I loved the mugs so much I wanted something to hang up in my classroom.  Excuse the less than stellar photo quality.

Hand Drawn Mugs Now on Etsy!

I have officially jumped into the world of Etsy!  My hand drawn mugs are listed for sale!



Take a look and tell me what you think.



I love making these, and if none sale I will still make them!



Which parts of the design do you like best?

 

Click here to buy a mug ... so I can make more!  Please check out the other items for sale, we are always at All the Whole Heaps!

Doodles and Drawings

I have been doing a lot of drawing lately.  I have been drawing on coffee mugs, making posters for my classroom, and  making gifts.   As a kid, my parents gave me a lot of coloring sheets that looked like scribbles on a page, and my job was color in the sections without letting two adjacent sections matching in color.

When we bought a house (about 8 years ago) I made a huge painting based on this memory, that I thought I would hang over a crib once we had a baby, then we painted his whole room with a mural and I kept the painting in my room.

Then I saw zentagle on pinterest.  Perfection.  I have pinned a ton of zentanlge designs as inspiration, you can follow my board  here.  So, I spent spring break playing around with designs, I added a few to coffee mugs.


And then I followed the trend on family name decorations, and made Robert and I an "established" drawing. I have not had a chance to take a good photo of this, so excuse the sub par image, but you get the idea.


I will be adding more projects and better photos, but I have school tomorrow!

Blue Skies,

Sandy

Welcome!

Welcome to All the Whole Heaps.  I am launching this blog with the hopes of an etsy shop to follow. I love to craft and I am hoping to build a business that can allow my husband to quit one of his three jobs so Xman (our four year old) and I can have more time with Daddy.  I also intend to share our home projects, recipes, party ideas, and other ideas that help us and might help you.  I appreciate you taking time to read our adventures in this new path that hopefully will lead us to a little more time together.