I Love Granny Squares

I have fallen in love with granny squares and have decided to design my own pattern. I have never done a granny square before, so I have been going through loads of patterns and tutorials. I will like to make a large throw for my bed, but I still have to decide on the final colours.

I have the finished pattern in my mind, and I have found a few patterns that are very close but are just not right. It would be easier to follow an available pattern, but I think I will try a little longer to see what I can come up with.

The pattern I have designed needs some more work and I think it still looks too generic, I will like to add a few more elements to make it a bit more interesting.

The colours I have used for my sample has a very earthy tone (which I like), however I am thinking of using soft spring colours in a monochromatic colour scheme.

What do you think about granny squares?

Toilet Paper Roll Napkin Rings

When I was thinking about what to do for our craft project this week, I remembered making napkin rings from toilet paper rolls as a child. I decided to try it out and see what I could come up with.

One toilet paper roll can make about four napkin rings at approximately one inch each. I covered two of my rings with 2 inch x 5 1/2 inch scrapbook paper using Mod Podge, and I hot glued jute twine to the third ring.

I added a little "blink" on the first napkin ring with a rhinestone embellishment, which I attached with a little hot glue.

For the second napkin ring I hot glued some flowers and a ribbon for a little touch of spring. I think this napkin ring will be really cute for a picnic in the park. What do you think?

The last napkin ring I made is wrapped with jute twine. I hot glued the twine directly onto the cardboard ring. This was quick and easy to make and turned out a lot better than I thought it would.

I really like all three of the napkin rings I made and I will be trying some other ideas. I might even let my boys in on the fun as part of our family art night.

Have you ever tried making DIY napkin rings from a toilet paper roll or anything else?

Home Organization Challenge: Home Office

I started last week's challenge by collecting all the items in the home office that did not belong and I added a few knick-knack items into a donation box. The office has a four-draw legal size file cabinet, which I have had for more than ten years. The file cabinet stores tons of files, but really needed some reorganizing.

I emptied the contents of the filing cabinet and cleaned the drawers. I then designated a drawer for our household files, businesses and office supplies. I manage two home-based businesses, and originally I had a drawer for each business, but I have decided to condense them into one draw (I will see how well it works). I also removed my eldest son's school materials and filed it in the file cabinet that is in his room.

Using different colour file folders I created files and sorted the contents by date. Each folder is labeled and placed in the file cabinet in alphabetical order. Admittedly, a lot more filing needs to happen, but I got a great start on the process, collected needed tax documents and updated all the current bill folders. I am also working on a few Excel spreadsheets and workbooks for Crafted Spaces and Verona Collections.

The office supplies drawer is a much needed change. I was using a wicker basket before, but it did not do the job as well. Now everything is within easy reach and the IKEA transparent plastic box, helps to keep things separate.

My husband and I like to keep the surface of the table as uncluttered as possible. Mind you there is the occasion when it gets covered in paperwork and file folders and you are unable to see the table. We both share the office, but we also have a computer in our individual studios. The computer in the office is dedicated to specific task, and all the computers in the house are connected through a network.

I added a few personal touches to the space, but kept the clutter to a minimum. The room was originally designed to be a mudroom and when my husband and I moved into the house we converted it into a home office. The space therefore has a few limitations, but it is a wonderful little office with lots of natural light. I hope that you have found this post useful and have gotten some insight on how you can organize your workspace.

How do you manage your office files and clutter? Leave your comments below!

As we continue our Home Organization Challenge we move into the eight week. This week the focus is on creating a laundry room that works for everyone in the home.

Week 8 - Laundry Room

To Do List:

• Clean behind washer and dryer
• Clean dryer
• Clean washer
• Organize cleaning tools
• Organize storage cabinets
• Organize laundry
• Clean light fixtures
• Wipe walls, doors, cabinets
• Clean sink
• Clean floor
• Discard empty containers