Organizing Art Supplies By Color

Last Friday I found myself knee-deep in all sorts of little boy gadgets, toys, and supplies.  I had begun putting a few of my boys' Christmas things away, and then one thing lead to another and before I knew it I'd emptied every shelf, cupboard, and drawer in their room.  I didn't realize how bad their room looked until my boys walked in and said, "Whoa!  What did you do mom?"

Whoa may have even been an understatement.  I assured them that it always gets worse before it gets better, but I don't think my boys believed their room would ever look the same again.  It took me most of the day Friday, but I was determined to finish before bedtime, and somehow I did. 

I really don't mind a good organizing project, but I actually get excited about organizing art supplies.  That was the first area I tackled.  As I began gathering the crayons, markers, and colored pencils I realized we had multiple boxes (most of them smashed or torn) of each medium and they were here, there, and everywhere.  I don't know about you, but I LOVE getting rid of old, crumpled containers.  And what do I replace them with?  Mason jars.  If I had my way, I'd probably put everything we own in a Mason jar.  I love how classic, uniform, clean, and durable they are.  Plus, when you're storing something like art supplies in them they allow the content to double as decor.  To think I had all these gorgeous colors hidden away in cupboards, boxes, and drawers.

I've recently discovered that I'm a bit obsessed with monochromatic color schemes.  I love seeing varying shades of the same color grouped together.  So, it didn't take me long at all to decide I wanted to try organizing my boys' art supplies by color.  I knew it would not only look beautiful, but I was also hoping it would spark a bit of new creativity in them.  They've always just had a box of crayons, or a pack of markers in front of them.  One or two of each color, that's about it.  I think they'll have a lot of fun experimenting with the variety of hues of each individual color.  I know I can't wait to try them out!

I used pint jars and half pint jars for this project because the markers, crayons, and pencils we had were basically in two different size groups. I wanted it to be easy for my boys to access every size, and not have the tiny little crayons lost below the towering markers or colored pencils.

Once the jars were filled, I typed up my color names in iPiccy.  I used iPiccy because you can get the Sketch Block font for free, and I knew that was the font I wanted.  You could also type your color names in a word processing program.  You can get Sketch Block for free to use in there as well.  After I had my color names printed and cut out, I attached them to the jars with a single piece of clear Scotch tape. (Sorry, I COULD NOT get this paragraph to center.)

Viola!  Instantly better!!  I tell you, there's magic in a Mason jar with a cute label.  

Pardon the overload of pictures.  These colorful jars were just too much fun to photograph!  I hope the pictures give you an idea of just how amazing all of the colors look, and maybe inspire you to do your own art supply organization project.

Now I just need to convince my husband to make me some type of caddy to keep these in.  I put them on a cookie tray to transport them for the photos, and it worked really well.  It just wasn't big enough for all the colors.  I would need something like that, but bigger.  I'm also thinking some type of Lazy Susan would be fantastic.  I'll let you know what I come up with.  And FYI, I am planning to keep one or two packs of crayons in a drawer for quick and easy use or for using on-the-go.  These jars are for more of a permanent set up, like an art station or table.

You might also like these posts.

The Magic of Mason Jars and Labels

Shades of Green 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Right?  I used to get out of bed in the morning just to eat breakfast.  I'd wake up hungry, and be so excited to eat!  Now that I run in the morning before I eat, I actually don't feel as hungry as I used to.  That seems a bit backwards doesn't it?  I still love breakfast, but it's not luring me out of bed every morning like it used to.

 I've always been a cereal and toast kind of girl for breakfast.  There's nothing really unhealthy about that, but I've come to realize there are many more nutritious options available.  I normally wouldn't eat wheat germ or oatmeal (well, on a few occasions) in the morning, but now I do.

My sister Melissa is always trying new recipes. What I love about her, is that she loves to try healthy recipes that I would probably just pass over.  When we were together over Christmas break I realized how many of her yummy, nutritious recipes she's shared with me are breakfast ones. So, I'm going to devote all of my January recipes to healthy breakfast ideas my sister has given me.  Today's recipe actually comes from one of her former roommates.  

Now don't let these pictures fool you.  At least to me, these muffins look healthy (minus the chocolate chips), and often times that means not-so-desirable flavor.  These muffins are anything but disappointing in the flavor department, especially when you add a few chocolate chips.  I know, chocolate isn't exactly healthy, but the oatmeal and wheat germ are, so I don't mind having a few bites of chocolate with my healthy.  I haven't ever tried the bananas or blueberries, but I think I will next time because that would mean adding healthy to already healthy.  I do, however highly recommend trying the chocolate chips at least once.  And, if you can get them, use the large Guittard chips (milk chocolate).  My sister and I are both usually dark chocolate fans, but for some reason we both LOVE the milk chocolate in these muffins.  (And just so I'm not accused of false advertising, the chocolate chips in the photos are regular-sized chips.  That's all we had on hand, so it's what we used.  But I promise bigger is better in this case.)

Click to Print

Don't panic if these muffins seem really thick and dense as you mix them and put them in your muffin tin.  That's normal.  And because they are so dense, they won't puff up when they bake like some muffins.

What are some of your favorite healthy breakfast recipes?  I'd love to hear them!  And be sure to come back next Monday for an unusual, but so, so delicious chia seed pudding recipe.  It's my new favorite!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

Let it Snow Printable

If you follow me on Instagram, or if you've checked out my Instagram or Pinterest widgets in my sidebar, then you probably have noticed we kind of enjoy winter around here.  

Click to Print

I'm completely spoiled to live in such a beautiful mountain valley paradise (Midway, Utah).  This valley is gorgeous year-round, but it's extra special in the winter.   

These pictures were taken during an early October snow we had last year, but they were the most recent ones I could find that showcase a bit of my amazing surroundings.  I never tire of  seeing the first snow of the season, the middle, or the last.  I can't even imagine living somewhere without the beauty, purity, and stillness of a snowy winter.  

Midway, Utah Ice Castles by Roger Blakey

And without winter, we wouldn't be able to witness these amazing ice castles on our town square.  They're truly breath-taking.  My boys and I drive by daily just to get a glimpse of them.  They're stunning in the day, and magical at night with the lighting.  If you're planning on being in Midway any time before March (they expect the castles to make it until the first of March), you have to stop by the ice castles!  You can pay to walk through them, or you can enjoy them from the outside.  We even have an ice rink right next to them, so you can skate and enjoy the scenery.  Click here for more information about the ice castles, hours, and pricing.

So, have I convinced any of you Florida-dwellers to head a bit north?  Probably not, but I have to say I second what today's printable says, "Let it Snow!"  I also love these words from Robert Frost.

"You can't get too much winter in the winter."

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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My Running Journey Part 1 {Running Playlist}

Whether you're a New Year's resolution person or not, you probably have made some kind of fitness goal in your life at one point or another.  For me, it came just about four years ago (more on that next Monday).  In the spirit of goals, and bettering ourselves, I thought I'd share a couple of posts over the next few Mondays on my running experience, (very novice!) goals, progress, and today- music!

If you've ever exercised in your life, I'm sure you have your go-to songs that get your heart pumping.  I have a list, actually several lists, and they change often.  But for today's post, I'm going to share my current running playlist.  My song selections are quite varied, and yes I am aware that I have a Britney Spears song on my list, but these songs work for me.  Some songs have been on my list forever, and others are new this month.  I usually choose my songs based on four criteria.

THE WORDS
I realize that Britney Spear's 'Stronger' is talking about recovering from a relationship gone bad, but when I hear the chorus, as cheesy as it sounds, I can't help but feel a bit stronger as I'm running.

THE BEAT
The beat of those recognizable strings at the beginning of Cold Play's 'Viva La Vida' never fails to get my feet hitting the pavement at a good pace.

THE MEMORY
If a song can take my mind to somewhere other than my tired legs and labored breathing, then it makes my list.  Katy Perry's 'Firework' actually fits every one of my criteria, but it will always be the song that got me up the hills to Snow Basin on my first (and favorite) leg of Ragnar.

THE POPULARITY
Four out of my five radio stations are set to county music.  I love country music, but as much as I love it I can't run to it.  There are a few country songs that meet my memory criteria and I can listen to them, but overall I need something more pop/rockish.  Lucky for me, I have family members who are more well-rounded and up-to-date in their music selection and can give me some suggestions of the latest up-beat melody.  Just over the Christmas break my sister told me her latest favorite song on her running playlist is 'Let It Go' from Frozen.  It's now on my list as well.



So, there you have it.  My current running playlist.  I hope there's a song or two you like, and could add to you list.   I always love hearing what others listen to, so leave me a comment if I've missed your favorite calorie-burning song. 

If you've been here before for my other playlists, then you know the drill.  Head on over to Spotify (it's free) and you can hear all the songs on my list.  

Happy exercising!  Come back again next Monday for part two of my running journey (the one thing that turned me into a consistent runner of four years now). 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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A New Day Printable @ twelveOeight

Happy Friday!  I don't know about you, but I'm still all out of whack with my days and schedule.  My twins don't go back to school until Monday, and without the routine of school I seem to loose all track of days, and even time.  Hopefully I'll be a bit more on top of things come Monday.  

Anyway, Tanya at twelveOeight has been gracious enough to let me continue guest posting the first Friday of every month over at her place.  So, that's where I am today.  Come by and visit for a free new year/new day printable.  This one is going on my nightstand for 2014.  Click here to see my entire post.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

January Pinterest Board

It's been awhile!  We had a picture perfect holiday season with our wonderful families (I hope you had the same).  It was so nice I didn't get around to posting a single post for an entire week, but I'm glad to be back in the saddle!  

Follow Brooke @ blissfulroots.com's board January on Pinterest.

Here's my Pinterest board for the month.  We usually have a lot of winter in the month of January here in Midway, so we like to embrace it, and do a lot of snow, snowmen, snowflakes, hot chocolate, things like that at our house.  I find the more I embrace winter (instead of wishing it away) the more I enjoy it.  It really is a beautiful time of year!

  I also have a lot of New Year's Eve ideas.  Sorry they're a few days late for this year.  You can repin for next year.  You can also take a peek, and follow if you'd like, all my Pinterest boards here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.