The One Room Challenge Begins!
Exciting news! The Fall 2020 One Room Challenge has begun! Check out all of the details!
You can get all the details on the One Room Challenge and my projects here:
I hope you will stop by!
XOXO
A
Hello, Fall!
Fall is my favorite season! Check out the projects and ideas I have for this coziest of seasons!
Friends,
It’s been a minute — or a month! I hope you are well and are staying safe wherever you are. If you are new here, and there are a bunch of you, WELCOME! I don’t email often, and I always try to make it worth your time to read. So, thanks for following along, and always feel free to ask questions!
My favorite season is here! We are still staying home and staying safe — that’s not going to change for a long time. We have spent the last six months or so living outside. It has been truly wonderful, actually. A few weeks ago on Instagram, I did a look back on all the projects we have taken on this summer. It was eye-opening!
Here are some of our summer highlights:
We did four major backyard construction projects this summer: putting in a Stock Tank Pool, building a stage with a screen, putting a tree house in our Maple tree, and building a deck off of the workshop.
This was also the first summer that I have truly gardened in this house. We put in a vegetable garden — my first successful veggie garden ever! And I have had cut flowers all summer long which makes me incredibly happy. We even saved the garden from our freakish cold snap and SNOW at the beginning of September. Oh, Colorado! You always keep us guessing!
During this pandemic period, I have also taken up embroidery — it keeps me from doomscrolling at night! I’ve done several patterns and ventured out into creating my own free-form patterns, too.
Now it is time to celebrate Fall and bring the beauty of the season into our home! I have lots of easy, DIY fall projects that don’t require leaving the house — or even spending much money at all.
I didn’t spend any money to decorate this year. I used some old books, feathers, and paper grocery bags. Seriously. Click the link to see what came together!
DIY Fall Decorating Ideas
If you or someone you know is struggling with school at home, don’t forget I put together some tips and ideas to help make that a little easier. It isn’t perfect, but our school at home experience is SO MUCH BETTER than last spring! I hope you feel the same!
Successful School at Home
And finally, I am getting ready for the Fall 2020 One Room Challenge! It starts on October 7 which is somehow NEXT WEEK! Yikes!
The One Room Challenge is a super-fun event where hundreds of people around the world commit to truly finishing one room in their home over six weeks. Some people are very ambitious and gut and redo kitchens or bathrooms. Others tackle those rooms that just never seem to take shape or style without a real deadline. There are designers and professionals as well as DIY’ers — and everything in between — who participate. It is a ton of fun!
Next week I’ll be able to tell you what I am taking on. I have some really fun projects planned for this round, and I know there will be lots of people doing amazing work.
Until then, check out my rooms from the 2019 ORCs. I love doing this — and actually finishing a room in my house!
Stay safe! Stay home and wear a mask!
Cheers!
Angela
DIY Workroom Makeover
Fall 2019 One Room Challenge
DIY Guest
Room Refresh
Spring 2019 One Room Challenge
Ah, the End of Summer!
Tips for at-home learning, a tutorial for comfortable face masks, and more!
Hello, friends! Here we are at the end of August. It’s a bittersweet time made more so by the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic.
Many of you have children and teens in your life: children, grandchildren, friends. Those children are headed back to school in one form or another — and it is likely they will have a very disrupted year this year. So I offer these words as a former teacher and now parent: it is ok that this year is different. To expect anything else just isn’t fair to anyone. It is different, and we must bend, adjust, and adapt accordingly. It isn’t going to be easy, but we can do it.
And to all of you teachers out there: I am thinking of you and praying for you. This isn’t the career you imagined, I know.
As for us: we will be doing school at home, online, for the foreseeable future. I’m comfortable with this and hope it will be a good experience for Bambino. With that in mind, I have created a range of resources for families doing school at home. Whether your children start out at home or transition to at-home learning, I hope these resources will be helpful for the children and families in your life.
And since kids of all ages, and adults, too, need comfortable face masks, here’s my face mask guide as well as a video tutorial on how to make any face mask more comfortable for all-day wear.
Be safe out there, friends! I hope you are well! Wear a mask, stay home, and take care of yourself!
Hugs!
Angela
Make Any Face Mask More Comfortable
Make any face mask more comfortable with this easy, no-sew hack! All you need is elastic!
Great for Kids at School | Keep Any Face Mask on All Day
Simple no-sew tutorial to convert face masks with ear loops into a mask that will stay on and is much more comfortable.
For anyone who is looking for a comfortable way to wear a face mask for a long time: here's a quick fix solution. In our family, we can’t stand ear loops, and personally I can't imagine a whole classroom of kids with ear loops constantly coming off! So here's an easy no-sew solution to convert the ear loops using elastic. We all wear masks like this, and they are quite comfortable!
I hope this is helpful for you and your family! It’s so important that we all wear face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, and making them as comfortable as possible makes this even easier!
Be safe!
Angela
Some other posts you might enjoy:
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School Supplies for School at Home
School at home is a new experience for us all! Check out this list of school supplies to make sure your children have what they need at home to start the school year off right!
It’s almost time for school again, and as many of us face school from home, lots of people are asking: what do I need to buy for my kids? Your school may send home a supply list. If so: buy the supplies! Being prepared for school is important, and during a pandemic we need to limit our trips to the store for that last forgotten item as much as possible!
If your school has not provided a supply list, however, here are the standard supplies we keep around the house for school work and creative activities, too.
For more on organizing your school supplies and doing school successfully at home, click this link:
Planners
I am a big believer in a good planner. Planning work and tracking progress can be the difference between success and struggle. For parents, tracking the work and expectations for one child or several can be a bit overwhelming. I turned to the Whaley Planbook to track Bambino’s assignments. It is simple, straightforward, and inexpensive. It can be used for multiple students — or just one. For middle and high school students who can learn to do their own planning, I like the Passion Planner. This is the planner I use in my daily life, but there is an Academic edition which is perfect for older students.
For more on planners, how to use them, and my favorite planner tools, check out this link:
All Ages
These are the supplies we keep in the house for school and other projects. Your school may have previously supplied a lot of these things, so keeping them on hand and organized can help make school a lot smoother at home.
Elementary School
Many of these items may have been supplied by your child’s school. They may expect you to have these things at home to complete assignments.
Middle & High School
Depending on you child’s school requirements, they may ask for more specialized items. But this is a good general starting place for middle and high school grades.
However you and your family are embarking on school for the year, I wish you all the best. Remember, it can’t possibly all be the same, so give yourself and your child some grace as you begin this unprecedented voyage.
