Walk Two Moons: December 2008

Installment One: Corrina's Craft Corner

I have neglected to provide a real house tour since we moved into our place almost a year ago. I have always meant to, but felt that things were never really decorated and in place. Slowly we have been getting there, so here is a mini series I will be doing. It won't be a once a week guaranteed post. Rather, it will follow a schedule of rooms that are clean and I have time to photograph!

I am just so thrilled about this new space I created for Corrina so I thought I would start my tour with Corrina's Craft Corner

Here is a link note: You can also see this craft corner development here, at Flickr.

Otherwise, let the tour begin.

This is Corrina's new little craft corner/space! The table and chairs, as well as the white shelf are from Ikea . I've been hoping for a space like this for about 10 years, either for myself, or my child. I finally had the time and energy to put it together tonight, but it has taken a lot of forethought. I bought the white shelf about 2 years ago. We do not live near an ikea so our trips to ikea are very premeditated. I loved this shelf the minute I saw it in the catalog, picked it up when we were at the store, and stuck it in my basement until I had the perfect spot for it. Originally it was to be used for organizing deskish things by out computer, but as soon as our daughter became interested in crafting I instantly reallocated it's use to her space. It's perfect!

The "Corner"

I surprised myself when I found that we did not even have enough displayable craft items (that we wanted at Corrina's reach) to fill the shelves! I like it this way though.

Some orange juice containers covered in wrapping paper, are helping corral felt pens (markers, I am told), and glue sticks. The top shelf has some foam beads that we string and string again, and of course pencil crayons for those days when fat markers are just too cumbersome.

What better way to organize and ikea shelf than with Ikea plastic bins! There are little pads of paper slid in beside a tub of crayons and a tub of foam & Dora stickers. The tops shelf has an unopened christmas present and a christmas tag (aka I had nothing to put here).
Why the heck is there an unopened Christmas present still linger around? For Christmas I did a craft supplies stocking and this little parcel just got skipped over in the enamorement with glitter!

I love jars. Always have, always will. Corrina will also love them by the time I am done with her! Inside: googly eyes, star and circle sequins, a glitter shapes shaker, and of course buttons!
Above I've hidden some small things away in tins: pompoms, glitter containers, mini clothes pegs, and stick on jewels. There is also a little box of beads with elastic string and pipe cleaners, for those jewelry making days when Corrina just has to have a new necklace to go with her dress-up outfit.

The smallest jars I have ever seen came from an English hotel Grandma and Grandpa stayed at. These were the jams for the morning breakfast. I think Grandma shoved a few extra's in her pocket knowing we would all love them!
I love that in North America we get plastic jam packets, and in England they get real little glass jars. I think I'm moving!

I found child sized ripply/zig-zag/wavy/scalloped (whatever the decorative ones are called) scissors at the dollar store. Corrina can actually cut with them, whereas I can hardly shut my adult sized ones sometimes. Maybe I need some new ones...
Scissors are out of her reach here because I am all about prevention: prevention of hair cuts, random re upholstery, baby doll surgery, wall carvings, manicures, and purposeless cutting up of fun foam, the most likely to actually occur.
It's about prevention people.

I love how easy it was to use wrapping paper to glue around this recycled orange juice container. The paper was already curled up from living around a tube, so it naturally conformed!
Nothing new here really, just age old reuse and beautifying!

It's just so pretty I can't stop looking, although you're most likely thinking "I can!!" Tough Toast.

We use the space around shelf to hang up art from home, daycare, and other activities. You can't see it very well here, but the paper on the very right wall is a "seasons" mural Corrina and I paint together each season. It's a great way to teach Corrina some must-know vocabulary, show her letters and words, teach her things that go together, learn about weather, and inspire our other art projects. The list is endless really.

We painted this boring, white, press board shelf red when were first married. Actually, I was pregnant, and Dave was using tremclad because the lovely lady at the hardware store said that this would really be the only paint that would stick to a press board, melamine coated shelf. This was the worst painting experience ever. The priming sucked, the painting was awful and gooey, the clean up was horrific, and I had to stay out of the picture, in the bedroom, the entire time so as not to poison our unborn child with fumes.
This shelf started as my craft cupboard, transitioned into a pantry in our second apartment, and has regained it's original purpose of holding all things craft related.

Yes, I know, everything is red. I had a red organizing theme in our last place. This handy little basket hold alot of fun foam, some papers, and a few coloring books. Corrina is oblivious to it for the most part, until the scissors come out. She is a cutting maniac. This is not the best way to store this stuff, but it's working for now!

The craft corner exists within our dinning room. Such an odd little nook just needed to be filled with a place to create.

This is the little crafter herself. Of course, she is not crafting in this photo!

Or in this one.

Or in this one.

Or this one.

Like I could leave these adorable photos out!

This is how she feels about not crafting! Actually, this was her pulling a fake frown for the picture. The other similar picture of her above is the joy she experienced after pulling a fake frown!

Okay, here is a photo of the space in use.

Well, that is one little section of our house! Tour completed! I hope you are inspired, or at least in awe of me. Either is fine. Don't you think I should be included on this website? I do! Maybe they will discover me!

Lots going on here! We've had a busy last few weeks, with paper writing (thank goodness it's over, for at least 2 more weeks), decorating for Christmas, attending events, and having good friends over. Corrina's language is continuing to develop at a rapid pace. She has most of her Christmas words down, and is able to share her imagination and daily thoughts with us using language now.
Here is a little conversation with Corrina:

Oh, FYI, the glasses are lens-less! Just for looks!

Today Dave got up with Corrina, leaving me to dream about selling my house (which I was very pleased to learn was just a dream when I woke up... often I get confused and it takes minute to return to reality and shake the emotions from the dreams. When I awoke it was to footsteps coming up the stairs. I turned to the clock, saw it was 9am, and thought "oh no, I'm in for a lecture about sleeping in too late..." and jumped out from under the covers. And then Dave began, but with words I did not expect AT ALL: "Get back in bed!" He practically barked it! Anyway, I can forgive him his yelling when the sight that follows is a tray of breakfast and Corrina carrying a little flower. This is the third breakfast in bed I have ever had. It was divine.

Speaking of bed, that is where I am heading again. Tomorrow I intend to begin my day with some major iron pumping at the gym, followed by some intense present selecting. I hope to get it ALL done tomorrow. You see, the truth is that I haven't begun at all. It has taken me a week to shed the stress of writing papers, but now that I have my creative mind back I can get down to giving (for, they say, it is, after all, better than receiving!)