pantry organization idea!

I like to stock up on non-perishables when they go on sale, but keeping them organized is a real challenge. Tin cans in particular seem (seemed!) impossible to keep organized; they all look alike from almost any direction! I've been fumbling with this problem for years and never had a satisfactory solution until now.

 

I cut four dividers from an empty grocery box -- using the wide side panels of the box, and cutting each one in two. I did not cut off the top or bottom flaps. The cans sit on the bottom flaps, which helps the dividers stay in place.

 

Here is the result. I love it! It's like having four drawers for cans, only they're all resizable. Best of all, the kids can now pack away groceries without messing up too badly. I think I might label the rest of the pantry as well.

 

bubble letters tutorial - fruit store sign

This is from last summer.

 

 

I wish I could say the girls made it, but it wouldn't be exactly true. I taught them how to make the lettering but I also ended up doing the entire lettering. However, the fruit was almost entirely their work.

 

I showed them first how to make a big arc across the page by swinging your arm like a compass with your elbow staying put. (Is there a simpler way to describe it?) Then we planned where to place each letter... I got their input re how much width to allow for each letter. I made the bubble letters by tracing a bottle cover for the round corners and then drawing lines by eye to connect those round corners. The kids outlined the letters in marker and later colored them in crayon.

 

I told them we'd draw five smiling fruits possibly holding hands. I chose the cover of a big yogurt to estimate the size of the fruits. The girls positioned and then traced the cover lightly in pencil five times. Then they drew each fruit. (I pointed out first that they should think about how the shapes and colors would look together, before deciding where to put what.) It was E's idea to trace a bottle cover for each grape (the same cover I'd used for the bubble letters) -- I was so proud! I had a bit of input in drawing the fruit (the pomegranate's crown and the dimple-stem of the orange) but the smiley faces are totally theirs. I knew they could do cuter smiles than I could but I was blown away by the actual cuteness of the finished product!

 

Anyhow I let them finish coloring the whole thing that night although it was really time for bed. No time for a background, although I'm not sure what kind of background would look good anyway. What do you think?

9th birthday Picture Pie birdies

I've been looking for these round paper doilies for a while but for some reason all the stores I visited seemed to be out of them. Suddenly this week there they were -- at half price! Two cents per doily. (The store is ABC Discount, if I have any local readers.) Just in time for the twinkies' ninth birthday. Personally I prefer the cleaner, simpler hole-punched look, but this super-ornate pastelly style is exactly my kids' taste.

 

It was a family project and worked very well. We already had the blue sky. We'd put doilies all over the birthday table for decoration, so I just gathered all the doilies, cut them into fractions, and stuck a bit of fun-tack (the blue stuff) onto each piece of doily. I also drew suggested Picture Pie arrangements on small paper plates, and invited the kids to choose. First in pjs was first in line for Picture Pie!