Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Blogiversary Giveaway {Subway Art Canvas}

{Heart be still}...
I never thought I'd do a giveaway; I should have learned a long time ago to never say never!

The Creative Imperative turns 1 year old tomorrow!  We are also having our piece of furniture from Su Casa  for the test it, blog it, win it contest delivered this week.  And did I mention I'm moving next week???  Oh I didn't.  That's probably because I've been terrible about keeping up with the blog lately.  Sorry I haven't kept you guys in the loop.

Anyway, I promise to be better about posting more often.  And to make it up to you, I'm giving away an 11"x14" customized subway art canvas!




You get to choose the colors and words on the canvas... many people order the "God made you" design, but I have also created ones with song lyrics, favorite memories or house rules.

this is an example of a house rules canvas, done in 16"x20"

What do you think?  If you would like one made especially for you or your loved one, there are 4 ways to win...

*follow the Creative Imperative and let me know that you did (or already do) in the comments
*follow the Creative Imperative on Facebook and let me know that you did (or already do) in the comments
*make my etsy shop "a favorite" and let me know you did in the comments
*visit Su Casa's website, take a look around, and let me know you did in the comments

Each person can have up to four entries through four different comments!

I'll randomly choose one winner via random.org on June 15th and post the results.  If you are a "no reply" commenter, be sure to leave me your email address so that I can contact you.  If you aren't sure if you are "no reply", check out this link to learn how to fix it!


Thanks so much for stopping by and THANK YOU for your love and support over the last year.  This has been such an amazing experience for me and YOU are the reason all the hard work is worthwhile!

Blessings,
Jamie 

Friday, May 25, 2012

Shopping at Su Casa {Guess what I chose!}

I have to start out by saying that I am not much of a shopper.  I've never really loved shopping and furniture shopping has always been especially stressful for me.

The atmosphere is so different in Su Casa!  The people there are super laid back yet really friendly.

When we went into the store we were greeted by three different people.  People just saying “hi”.  No pressure, no stalking.  One of those people was Derek.

Hi Derek!  Oh my gosh he was so helpful.  And knowledgeable.  And cool.  Not like crazy intimidating hipster cool, but cool like you’d totally trust his great sense of style if you have questions.

Do you want to see what I picked out?  It’s so gorgeous.  But you have to wait a little longer.  Maybe in the next post I'll show you what I chose.

I will show you the other piece I was considering

Amazing, right?  It’s made of reclaimed wood and I know it would have been just incredible in my bedroom.  But there was something even better in the store…

I’ve got it so bad for the thing I chose.  Really bad.  Like fallen-head-over-heels-for-this-thing bad.  Right now I have to wait for it to be delivered and I am like a lovelorn teenager.  I’m in that phase when I’ve met the “guy” and I just found out I have a date with him.  I can’t wait.  I think about him constantly and consider what he’ll look like in my house (OK, maybe I didn’t do that with guys).  I’ll be obsessing until I get to see him again.  My friend Corinne says she gets this way when she’s house-hunting and she starts to fall for a house... she likes to fantasize about her furniture in the new home.  I guess once you’re married, this is the stuff you get to obsess about.

OK, here he is

I’m terrible at keeping secrets; you know I couldn’t keep this from you.  I have "my" in quotes because I don't know if I'll get to keep it when the contest is over.  It's kind of on loan to me.

What do you think???  Do you love it as much as I do?

Here are some pics of the other amazing stuff in the showroom.
clock wall of awesomeness

I'll take one of everything, please!

especially this horse lamp

how cool are these corner photo frames???!!!

they have great gift items here... LOVE these napkin rings

really cool tin tiles

and how cute are these Baltimore neighborhood signs?

I told you it was not your typical furniture store!

Thanks so much for visiting today, and be sure to stop by the Su Casa website, especially if you want to help me win this piece of furniture!  I am a finalist in the test-it-blog-it-win-it contest, in which I get to test a piece of furniture for a month.  I up against some other great bloggers and your click-throughs can help me get to keep this lovely dresser!

Blessings,
Jamie

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Serengeti Baby Room Mural

I've been meaning to show you a mural I worked on a while ago for my friend, Lynne.  She and her sister Leslie have a super awesome blog:  Sweet Midlife.  You should go check it out!

This mural was so much fun to do!!!  Here is the before and after
before

after!

I was humming the Lion King theme in my head the entire time I was painting it hehe.

And here is my favorite part of the room...

"What's so great about that?" you ask...
Cool, right?  There is tintable chalkboard paint and I had it made in the color "coffee" to match the rest of the room.

 This kid is going to have so much fun scribbling on the wall!

Here is one more look at the main wall where the crib is going to go

Let me know what you think!  Have you ever tried the tintable chalkboard paint?  I think I might use it somewhere in the new house... can't wait!

Blessings,
Jamie

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Pink Hippo Party This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Teacher Appreciation: Ruffled Utility Aprons

Someone please tell me whose idea it was to have Mother's Day and Teacher Appreciation Day in the same week???  Plus we have 3 birthday parties to go to this weekend... I don't want to have to wrap or plan another gift for at least a month!

I was tempted to just buy something for my son's teachers, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  These women are AMAZING and I wanted to do something a little special for them.  Seriously, my son absolutely loves them and he has learned so much this year.  I never imagined he would be doing so well by age 4;  Miss Angie and Miss Katie are like preschooler whisperers!


I decided to make them craft/utility aprons.

Last year Miss Angie commented on the crayon apron I made for my best friend's daughter.  I filed that away in my memory bank for such a time as this!

You can find the tutorial here.  The dimensions on this one are for an adult, so you can adjust the other tutorial accordingly:
cut waistband to 4" x 60"
cut main piece for apron to 12" x 24" (gathered to 17" at top)

I also changed the pocket width to accommodate the various items stored in the apron.  You'll see these are all the "must haves" for a preschool teacher!
-antibacterial wipes
-glue
-scissors
-glue stick
-marker
-hand moisturizer


And there's a loop for scissors.

I have to give a shout out to Mr Creative Imperative for his help!  He turned all the "tubes" that make up the waistband and tie for me.  It is a tedious job and he did it gladly.

Here is the one I made for the other teacher

And I slipped in a little treat "in case of emergencies"...

chocolate, of course!


Let me know what you think in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings,
Jamie

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This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Monday, May 07, 2012

Staging the House to Sell {in less than one week}

We sold our house in 3 days after putting it on the market.  Betcha didn't even know we were putting our house on the market.  Neither did I!




I would love to pretend all my hard work cleaning and painting the house is what got it under contract so quickly;  but God gets all the glory on this one.  It is nothing short of a miracle!

I pulled 3 all-nighters painting and cleaning (while my husband was out of town) to get the house ready.  We decided on a Tuesday we were going to list it... it was up and running by Saturday evening!

Our realtor gave us some great tips for staging the house and I'd love to share some of them with you here.  Some of the tips are his and some are my own.

White everywhere.

wall color:  Benjamin Moore Ashley Gray


This part of it was easy.  We have white slipcovers and a white duvet cover on the bed.  It really gives the "illusion of clean" as I like to call it.  Even the walls in most of the rooms are a version of white.  We have Sherwin Williams Antique White in the Kitchen and Kilim Beige in most of the rest of the house.

For $3 a piece I picked up some white bath towels at Target.  The hand towels were $3 for two.  I also found a white shower curtain on clearance at Home Goods!

I took some grossgrain ribbon from Dollar Tree and hot glued it into a loop to give the towels a little decorative touch.

I also rolled up some white washcloths and placed them in a basket

The washcloths were $3 for eight.  *Secret:  I bunched some old rags in the bottom of the basket.  The rolled ones were placed on top, so it looks full!


I painted the cabinet white and the walls a light blue-green color to create a "spa-like" feeling in the bathroom.

I chose Sherwin Williams' color "Watery".  Combined with the white towels, I think it does the trick!  I wish I had some "before" pics... just know this bath used to be chocolate brown with giant pink polka-dots.  I'm serious.  It was cute for my daughter, but I can't imagine too many people would be into that look.

In the downstairs bathroom, I spray painted this thing white (it used to be stained in a dark cherry)

I also placed out some loofahs and river rocks in a glass bowl on the bathroom counter.

and displayed some soaps that we had

Another big one:  Clean off your counter tops.

This means everything!  I don't even get to use my Keurig, so I pull my little coffee press out of the cupboard each morning.

The counter thing goes for your toothbrush and hand soap in the bathroom too.

We also got a storage unit to store any unnecessary clutter.  It was so worth the $30 a month!

Paint your woodwork (all trim and doors)!!!  I cannot emphasize this one enough.  It is time-consuming but so worth it.  Old trim can quickly make a house look so grimy, whereas freshly painted trim gives off a clean and crisp vibe.  As I was looking for our next house I noticed how the trim in the house influenced how I felt about the overall cleanliness.  And I'm usually a fixer-upper kinda person who can see the potential in a place!

 I really splurged here with Sherwin Williams Pro Classic paint.  It costs almost twice as much as some of their other paint, but it goes on so nicely and covers in one coat.  Time was of the essence here so I went for it.


Make it smell good.  I have a terrible sense of smell, but I do know no one likes a stinky house.  I don't know how people sold houses before Febreeze and reed diffusers.  Some of them smell kind of chemically, but I really am impressed with this one from Target.

Again, when we went looking for our next house I couldn't believe some of the smells in the houses.  A lot of them reeked!  There were quite a few that caused my 2 year old to ask, "what's that smell Mommy?" the second we walked in the door.  And this is a girl who will walk around in a poopy diaper, unphased.

*********

We still have to get through the appraisal on our house so this isn't a done deal yet.  My God is bigger than any of the obstacles we need to overcome!  If it is in His will for us to move, I believe it will happen.

Prayer has been the number one factor in selling this house.  Praying for my own energy to get through all the work.  Praying for a buyer.  Praying for His will to be done in our lives.  We put calls out to all our close friends to join us in prayer and I believe it works.

So to sum it up:
*White stuff everywhere (towels, slipcovers, duvets, shower curtains, etc)
*Make the bathroom "spa like" (Sherwin Williams "watery" color on walls)
*Everything off the counters (kitchen and bath) 
*Store any stuff that is cluttering your home
*Paint your trim.  Paint your trim.  Paint your trim.
*Pray!

I also did a little chalk drawing on the blackboard wall in the kitchen...


Is this laying it on a little thick?  Maybe.  But I thought it was worth a shot ;o)  I was inspired by Dana Tanamachi's drawings.  I know it pales in comparison to her work, but it was my nod to her.

I'm really hoping to get back to blogging regularly... between the kids, work, and all the house stuff it has been nearly impossible.  Thanks for sticking with me through it!  I'll be sure to keep you updated when we hear anything.

Blessings,
Jamie

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This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life
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