My journey into greener living has been exciting and eye-opening. One of the first big steps I took was taking control of what sorts of products we use in our home. Keep in mind I am far from “perfect” [ie: still using my bed head root boost, loving the Victoria's Secret body spray I've had for years, and cleaning up after a raw chicken adventure with Clorox.] However, I decided to tackle all of the other cleaning products. I dreaded cleaning our hardwood floors, because the scent of the swiffer cleaner sent my kids into coughing fits, not to mention the money I knew I could save if I made my own.

So, recently I decided to just go for it. I happily loaded up all of my old cleaners, recycled what I could and passed others along. I hit up the dollar store for empty spray bottles, then the health food store for some yummy essential oils and I was on my way. Now, does it make you a bad person if you still prefer Windex over a vinegar and lemon cocktail? Of course not! We all have our faves… I’d encourage you to try out a homemade cleaning recipe some time! You just might be hooked!

Okay, bust out those basic items and have some fun!

For the windows

Mix equal parts of the following into a spray bottle: white vinegar & water. spray onto windows and wipe with a newspaper for a streak free shine!

For the potty

This is something you will create with each cleaning. The kids will think this is great, so be sure to get them in on the fun! Grab your glass jar and mix 1 cup of white vinegar and 1/4 cup of baking soda. It will fizz, so go ahead and pour it into “the potty”, let it sit for a bit, then return and scrub-scrub away.

For the air

This is one of my absolute faves, and is where your yummy essential oils come into play! Fill one of your spray bottles with water, then simply add about 12 drops of any combination of essential oils. I recently made a lavendar / lemon freshener. Mmmm. Shake & spray around your home for a lovely burst of fresh. [Sidenote: this blend also works well as a surface cleaner, as the oils are naturally anti-bacterial!]

For the mold

In another empty spray bottle, combine the following: 2 parts water + 1 part hydrogen peroxide. spray on areas of nastiness, leave for at least 30 minutes, and return for a good rinse.

For your floors

Our previous home was equipped with 90% hardwood floors. As I mentioned, the swiffer being as awesome as it is, leads us all to nearly choke from the strong aroma of the hardwood floor cleaner. I was ecstatic to come across this recipe, and have found in our new home [equipped with tile floors] the recipe works just fine! Yes, another spray bottle… very simple. cCombine 1 part water with 1 part white vinegar and 10 drops of essential oil. Tea tree oil is a great one to mix in, you could also add lemon or orange for a nice fresh scent. Spray directly onto the floor and go ahead using the swiffer [why not recycle it this way eh?] : )

For your veggies

This was an exciting find for me! Especially if you are like us and can’t afford to strictly buy organic, cleaning those fruits & veggies prior to eating is so important. Simply add 1 cup of water to 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 15-20 drops of essential oil [i use lemon] or if you have fresh lemon, squeeze the juice into your mix. Clean those freshies and let them dry, love it!

For everything else

In yet another spray bottle, mix 1 liter of water with 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Add 10-12 drops of essential oils [i like sweet orange & lavender personally] and shake. This is an all purpose cleaner that has the added benefit of the essential oils which of course are a natural antibacterial. Use this on surfaces, your shower and bathrooms, in the kitchen and more.

I’ve even created a free, down-loadable PDF with green cleaning recipe cards. Click the image below to get yours!

That’s right, I said I’d be talking about this and talk about it I shall! As much as my weekly routine is a big deal to me, I’d venture to say pre-planning my day is a smidge more important. When I wake in the mornings I immediately find my daily task sheet and browse it over. If we have morning plans (such as mops or church days) I know what to get started on first. But those aren’t daily. Most of our mornings are spent here, and if i’m not on top of things and prioritizing…

life gets messy.

I really wanted something that would work best for our family, something I would want to use. Quite a few hours later I came up with my very own, personalized, daily task sheet. I listed out the things during the day that I needed to keep track of and put it in a document format.

Let’s break it down

Daily tasks

This is where my weekly routine sheet comes in handy. The night before as I’m filling out my daily tasks sheet for the following day, I’ll browse through to see what is on my list for the next day. There are never more than five daily tasks as to not overwhelm myself. These items I take care of as soon as possible (after the kids are fed, dog is walked, I’ve had my own quiet time, etc). Getting to these strait away is truly imperative to my feeling relaxed the rest of the day.

Taking care of me

After a successful journey through weight watchers, my dear wee one was born and well, here I am again :) Getting my waters in, being active, and keeping track of my points is a huge part of my day. This keeps me on track, and might be my fave part of this entire thing!

The middle blank spots

These two middle lists are really just my other to-dos. I like to specify certain things I’d like to accomplish in their own categories (The Creative Mama & my photography business) so that I can easily see what needs to get done. I typically work on this bottom section in the afternoons when the boys are down for naps.

The to do list

This little corner is usually taken up by phone calls that need to be made or emails to be written (not in relation to either this blog or my photography business). It can be so easy to let your to do list pile up. I try to only put down things that are really the most urgent.

Notes

Pretty self explanatory. I just like having a little section that I can jot down a cute thing one of the boys did, or a reminder for tomorrow’s daily task sheet.

Dinner / Start prep

Way down here at the bottom sits the thorn in my side. I’m not a fabulous cook, it really isn’t my ultimate favorite thing to do during the day. If i don’t menu plan, and have our dinners written out – well, we wouldn’t eat ;) Again, it’s all about looking ahead.

I think the most exciting part of this, was my discovery that I don’t have to print each day – wasting not only paper but ink as well. I simply slide my daily task sheet into a plastic sheet protector and use a dry erase marker. not really that genius, but it works! I clear it off at the end of each day and start fresh.

A few downloads for you!

I’ve included two downloads for you – one with the weight watchers points and one without. Click to download and enjoy!

How do you get through the daily grind?

I was romping around an antique store not too long ago, looking for some vintage-y fabric to use for an upcoming photo shoot. I spotted this old ladder made useful and just knew I had to have it. For less than $30 it was mine. Although I am thrilled that I was able to score such a cool element for my house the beauty of it is that it can easily be copied.  All you need is an old ladder, chalkboard, a bit of chicken wire and fabric.

chicken wire with fabric stapled behind. a few clothespins makes it a photo holder!

the chalkboard portion perfectly squeezes and stays between edges. the chicken wire and fabric is secured using a staple gun.

This could be used in a bathroom with a few hand towels thrown over and the chalkboard used as a place to leave morning notes for your family. It could also be used in an office as storage for reminders and magazines that inspire. Or what about a baby’s room with blankets, updated photos and again a place to leave sweet notes. The options are endless!

What are some other creative things to do with an old ladder? I’d love to hear!

p.s. if any of you decided to make one of your own, please email me. We’d love to see it! [jessica@503photography.com]

I often create sample wall displays for my clients, to get them inspired to hang their family photographs on the wall and really encourage them to give their images the “artwork” status they deserve.  Don’t get me wrong, gorgeous albums are a wonderful place to keep photos, and they are actually the number one selling product in my photography business.  But sometimes images need to be seen on a daily basis, and bring a smile to the family inside that home, whether it’s as they’re eating breakfast, lounging on their living room sofa, or playing in the children’s rooms.

If you’re like me, you have several (okay, hundreds of) photographs printed, and thousands more still living on your hard drive.  Today I’m going to show you some inspiring, yet simple and fun displays you can recreate in your own home, using those images!

So let’s get those images onto the walls, shall we?

Line Them Up | A Balanced Gallery Wall

Some of my favorite arrangements are calming, orderly, linear, and precisely displayed.  If you’re looking to bring a calm aesthetic to your space (such as over a bed, in a hallway, over a sofa), then this display idea may be just the ticket.

I love the above example of a stairway display.  The white mats draw your eye directly to the photos inside the frame (even though they’re small prints), and it gives off a very clean and airy presence.

Love the horizontal line of space running between the rows in this hallway gallery.

What drew me to these galleries was the calming order and the sense of peace they seem to bring to their space, whether the images are black and white or vivid color.

Here’s a fabulous method to recreating a pleasing gallery on your own walls, without any unnecessary nail holes.  You will need:

• kraft paper
• hanging hardware for your frames (including hammer and nails)
  
• painter’s tape

1. Arrange your framed photos on the floor or large table.  Take your time, and create a display you love!
   
2. Once you have a pleasing arrangement, trace each frame onto kraft paper.
3. Carefully measure the hanging hardware on the back of each frame from the top of the frame – mark in pencil on the corresponding kraft paper.  (Measure twice, nail once!)
   
4. Tape the kraft paper to the wall to match your arrangement, and drive a nail through the mark you’ve made.
5. Rip the paper off the wall and hang your frame in its place!

Modular | Change It Out

These are fun little display ideas for kids’ rooms, the kitchen, or even little nooks that don’t allow for much wall space.  The below display can be recreated using this little set from Ikea.  Or, you can go as simple as some kitchen twine, rustic clothespins, and a couple of nails like I did.  Don’t be afraid to try different materials, such as a wide grosgrain ribbon and some pretty decorative tacks!

Here is my warm and rustic version of the above idea…

Some of these images are polaroids from the early 1970s, taken from my grandfather.  I have them hanging by wooden clothespins from ordinary kitchen twine in front of my home office window.  I love glancing up at them, and I always smile when I see him and remember his stories about taking these photos… some several hundred feet in the air.  ;)

Another easy solution for those of you who like to frequently rotate your favorites is a simple little piece I picked up at a childrens’ store a few years back.

Talk about a super easy DIY!  Just a plank of wood painted to coordinate with your space, four bulldog clips, and 4 screws.  Almost as easy as the kitchen twine project!  ;)

Want more inspiration and a few more “how-to’s”?  Check out these links:

Pottery Barn | Create a Memory Wall (Printable templates and several display ideas to get you started!)

Martha Stewart’s Picture Wall Photo Project

Apartment Therapy’s Photograph Cubby

I hope these have inspired you to get those family photos off the hard drive and on proud display! Whether you dedicate an entire wall to your most recent photo session, or devote a tiny space to some antique family images, the point is to highlight your sweetest memories in a visible way.  Personally, I have a lovely little spot over my sofa in need of a makeover… I’ll come back here and post my finished wall soon! I’d love for you to do the same and link back to this post. Have fun with it, and I can’t wait to see your results!

So, you don’t have a room that you can just take over and steal from your growing family just to dedicate to you? Do you have a closet that could be of more use? The one in the spare bedroom that just holds all the extra blankets or winter coats? Pack up those items in some plastic bins, slide them under the bed and get ready to take it over!

Here are some amazing closet make overs and inspiration for you! It is amazing just how much efficiency can come out of a such a small (and enclosed) space!

This one has so much personality! And check out how they even used the insides of the doors for even more storage! Find the before and after and how to on CountryLiving.com

Cute little modern closet! Check out the “how to” from Unplugged.

Read more about this lovely fresh closet here.

Clean, crisp, colorful, and lots of storage. Image from diyideas.com

Fresh white and pink from Design to Inspire!

]]> http://thecreativemama.com/office-space-on-a-budget-and-in-a-closet/feed/ 8 http://thecreativemama.com/outdoor-decor/ http://thecreativemama.com/outdoor-decor/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:00:01 +0000 Angie http://thecreativemama.com/?p=4440 After a long rainy season in Northern California I’m quite enjoying the summer sunshine! Searching for inspiration I came across some lovely outdoor dreams I just had to share. Enjoy!

I just adore this cabana meets forest feel. I’ll take a nap there thankyouverymuch.

How soothing is this number?

This old wooden bench brings back memories of my childhood. Love.

In my dreams I have this in my backyard, how about you?

Doesn’t this little nook feel so cozy?

We could all use a comfy space to enjoy the summertime breeze. I know I could!

Sand or not, I just love this little table set!

A bit more of a modern look, so simple and adorable!

Sling chairs anyone?

[ Images courtesy of: Decor Pad, Apartment Therapy, Pink Wallpaper, Pottery Barn, Stek, Pottery Barn Kids ]

We have beads and beading supplies all over the house thanks to my daughter and her jewelry business.  After struggling to keep all the little bottles and boxes together, we started looking for a better solution.  Bead stores and catalogs have great storage units, but a not so great price.  As I looked at some of them, they reminded me of the storage that my dad used to keep nuts and bolts and other small items.  So, we headed to the local hardware store and found this great storage chest on sale for $9!  It is very similar to the one we saw in the bead catalog for $50!

I hate opening drawers and seeing it littered with little stuff.  I like things contained.  These plastic storage dishes fit right into my kitchen and bathroom drawers.  They are great for holding everything from medicine cups to lipstick to paperclips.  Since I am slowly switching my food storage over to glass, I needed a way to recycle these anyhow.

My daughter’s room is by far my biggest clutter challenge!  I have found she does much better when she comes up with clever organizers herself.  She is always writing and always creating, so she needed something to hold her pens and pencils and her scraps of ribbon which are always all over her room.  This adorable pink pail with brown spots was a favor from a recent baby shower.  It’s the perfect size for holding writing utensils on her desk.  The container on the right is a quart glass jar that my daughter decorated with some of her ribbon scraps.  Perfect for storing the rest of her stash!

What are your favorite small scale organizing solutions?  Got any creative containers to share?

I‘m sure many of you have heard about The Creative Photographer – our 2 week long series on… photography. Something else in the works for the fall is a series on none other than… blogging.

Tell me, tell me.
Since this series on blogging is for you, we’d love to hear from you, who you’d like featured. What topics interest you most? Please do share in the comments section, your opinions matter and will help us to shape this into a fantastic event.

So do share, can’t wait to read your thoughts!

Quilt Basket

This basket was given to me as a Christmas gift this year, filled with delicious wonderfulness. I had to think about it for some time before deciding what exactly I wanted to do with it – given it’s unique shape and qualities. Ultimately I thought it would make a great home for my favorite quilt. I love how it pops right off of the distressed, black table below it and really it is just the perfect size for my folded blanket.

Shoe Basket

Though not as big as it should be for a family of four, without reason or intent this basket became home to the shoes we wear most often. It sits next to the front door and takes quite a beating as the boys toss, throw, and plow it with their shoes. It’s become a part of their daily routine and our toddler even knows his shoes belong in there when we get home.

Linen Basket

A Target find from years ago I loved the handle on this one. Though it has seen many different residents (magazines, and yarn to name a few) it now holds our bath towels. I roll them to save some space and it is just big enough to stuff the clean ones into as we cycle through.

I’d love to hear how YOU make you of the baskets in your home! What are your favorites and why?

Yep, that was what I thought too. Really, you know, unschooling is pretty much like the ugly step-sister of the homeschooling world. Often, folks are afraid to fess up and “come out of the unschooling closet” because of the reactions from family and friends. It can be harsh. The first thing people jump to (including myself once upon a time) is the sterotype of a lazy family that just doesn’t want to parent and just tells the kids “do whatever you want” or some similar story we have seen portrayed by the media. Why didn’t I realize that listening to the news these days probably wouldn’t be the best “resource” for learning what unschooling actually is about? You would think I would know by now. Once upon a time everything I thought I knew about homeschooling, but turned out to be totally wrong too. Why wouldn’t unschooling be the same?

So lucky me belongs to a great group of homeschooling women that hosted a presentation by the wonderful Jeanne Faulconer. See, one of the great thing about homeschooling mothers would have to be that we are always learning new things…just like our children. So I had to go! I had to see if maybe, just maybe, the stereotype that I had in my head was, indeed, not true.

So in walks Jeanne. Oh my…she changed my view on just about everything. Hands down one of the smartest woman I have ever come across. Her ability to share her story in a way that was intelligent and common sense was just amazing. I wish I could bottle her up and share her with the world! But until I figure that out, I will simply have to settle for sharing some of the knowledge she passed onto me.

{The very first thing that I loved

She has two older children and both are in college! Meeting any homeschool/unschooling parent with children in college will always automatically lead to this feeling of relief for any mother who has spent any amount of time second guessing every homeschooling decision she makes. So seeing that you can indeed unschool and have successful young adults that are thriving in a college is fantastic!

{Stop filling buckets and start lighting fires

I so get this one. Let me first let you know that for the last two years I have followed a good old fashioned curriculum each year (I have actually followed several…lol). After all, that is what you are “supposed to do” – right? I have known for the last 2 years that what my children are actually retaining is the knowledge they have asked for and sought out on their own. We spend the first half of everyday deep in a curriculum and the second half on field trips, playdates and sports etc… It never seems to fail. They will always recall and tell you anything you could possibly want to know on the subjects that fall on the second half of their days. The field trip half especially. They can rattle off nature and history facts like it’s going out of style, with excitement! It never fails – if they are not interested in something I have told them they “have” to learn, they just do not retain it with that same excitement and vigor or knowledge of the subject.

Do we all grow up to become “generalists” who know something about everything and use it everyday in our lives or do we tend to be “specialists” and do one thing or job? I am a photographer and have yet to see an algebra problem in the last 20 years. I can remember the shame and disappointment of bringing home that D to my mom and just how badly I felt about myself. Oh, if only someone had told me that my life would go on without Algebra. If only I had been allowed to take the photography/yearbook class, but my mother thought that was just a waste of my time. The fire she could have lit, instead of trying to stuff my bucket with Algebra. And yes, I do hold a grudge…lol ;-)

{Strewing

I love this one. So the idea is for the child to find interest in a subject and seek out further information. Oh, I hear you out there! “My kids would search out video games and television.” I can attest to strewing working big-time in our house. I have tested it even further in the last week and can tell you it works. Basically, you leave things strewn about your children’s environment that you would like them to learn. The hope being that they pick the book/subject up and find interest.

An example for us: Last week, I laid out an insect encyclopedia at the breakfast table. The kids come down to breakfast and find the book. They pick it up and by 9:30 am they have grabbed tons of mason jars and lids out of my canning closet and have run outside to find every bug they can. They bring them all back in and then proceed to find each one in the book and learn about each bug. Not to mention, my youngest is reading because she is dying to know about these darn bugs! By noon, they had a whole “bug club” going and microscope out as well. All this merged into a trip to a little pond to gather tadpoles and into learning all about tadpoles and amphibians.
Strewing can make a day full of learning.

{Facilitate pursuit of interests. Then facilitate some more.

I LOVE this one…LOVE. Basically, allow your children to find their passion. I hate nothing more than hearing a grown adult tell me “I have no idea what I am good at”. Why is that? Somewhere along the way, “interests/creativity” were probably placed below test scores and math facts. This doesn’t have to be the norm. This is something any parent can do. No homeschooling required. Give your child a chance to shine where their interest truly lies. Guess what I loved as a child? Children, animals and cameras. Guess what I do as an adult? Professional photographer for children (an occasional animal) and I teach my children everyday. I believe even the smallest child can indeed tell you what they may like to be when they grow up. Give them a headstart and a little help. Feed that fire.

Oh I could go on and on and on…but let me instead give a few resources that Jeanne shared if this post on unschooling has piqued your interest. I will be spending my summer reading her booklist she shared and really trying to get the hang of how to fit it into our family a bit more. Obviously, unschooling is not for everyone, maybe not even for us, but I definitely think of it differently than I used to. Will we ever call ourselves full unschoolers? I am not sure…only time will tell :-)  As always we will take this adventure of learning one day at a time. As long as our children continue to grow and thrive we are happy.

Unschooling America

The Odysseus Group

John Holt

Psychology Today (they have many great articles on their studies of unschooling children.  Very interesting)

Jeanne Faulconer works with Home Education Magazine as their articles editor and you will often find her sharing her wealth of knowledge speaking at conferences, homeschool groups, education groups, and parenting groups on homeschooling and family life. If you would like to have her do her presentation for your group feel free to contact her at Jeanne.Faulconer@gmail.com

“In the end, the secret to learning is so simple: Think only about whatever you love. Follow it, do it, dream about it…and it will hit you: learning was there all the time, happening by itself.” -Grace Llewellyn