"I Know Right Where You can Stick it!"

I have a weird thing about hanging stuff, by magnets on the front of the fridge, I know its weird, because I have yet to meet anyone who does not stick stuff on their fridge. I don't know why, but it is the first thing I see when I walk into my kitchen and if its covered in papers, magnets and lists, It just makes me feel cluttered. Not to mention that stuff constantly falls of, gets lost , or ends up on the floor. My kids, play with and rearrange all the magnets, nothing is straight or even, its just a mess...There must be a better way!!!

Today I am going to introduce you all to my Friend the Cork board!!

My board is 3ft by 4ft, approximately, we started with a smaller one, but out grew it. They can be pricey if you buy one new off the shelf, this one is normally 50 bucks, so I would look at goodwill, closeout stores, garage sales etc...I buy cute boarders to go abound it every 3 months or so, at the teachers store here in town,( and I get a MOPS discount too:) But that is not necessary to do, I also get the big over sized push pins so the girls can use them to hang there own things.

My Girlie's bring home hand fulls of papers, drawings, assignments etc...every day. This was not that big of a deal when it was just one daughter, now that its doubled, I had to think of a system, and this one I love!.

Here is the rule:

SAVE THE BEST, DITCH THE REST!

Go ahead and let them choose what they love most of all, put it  up on the board, with all of  the  home work, important papers,sports schedules,  book it sheets, awards, permission slips, etc...

everything will be in one place. When they bring home new things, go ahead and REPLACE something that is already up.

Now if you have sentimental kids, (like I do)...most of the pitching and replacing has to be done while they are away at school. If there is something I want to keep that no longer fits on the board, it gets 3 hole punched and put into a binder.

 1 binder per child per year of school.

 This may seem impossible for the mom who is sentimental. I have an overwhelmed girlfriend, who has a

tote per kid, filled to the top with papers, from just this year so far!! Ahh! She has 4 kids, so lets times that by 4, and just told me she needs to go buy more totes, and doesn't even have a place to store them! What?...No wonder you are overwhelmed, and don't know where to begin! Poor thing...

Here is what I suggest, get rid of anything you don't absolutely LOVE or need. When I look through the binders from last year, I know that I am looking at their best work! I don't miss anything I  threw away:)

It keeps my refrigerator doors clutter free, as well as my counter tops, table tops, desk tops, and my mind!

**If you don't have kids, you can get a smaller size and stick, important papers, to do lists, church directory, calender, grocery list, take out menus, receipts etc... and keep your counters clutter free too!

I have been using a cork board since long before I had kids!

OK...that was your Quick Tip for the day!!

~Now go De-Clutter Your Lives~

*~!~*Balls in the Air~!*

I have come to grips with the fact that I am the type of person that needs to be  involved in many different things all the time. I wear many "hats", if you will, and I am always juggling.
Recently I was asked, "Does your brain ever stop going?"
Ha ha, I would have to say yes, but sometimes no. I am just wired that way I suppose, and it's just fine with me. Busy people get things done!

My days are loaded with projects, planning, home businesses, parenting, promoting, coordinating, Savings Angel ha ha, and consulting...not to mention the stuff I do for fun, like Bible study homework:)

I am a pretty observant person and I have noticed that so many women, are tired, stressed out, timed out and tapped out. Its tough to do what we do as women, mothers, wives, workers, and students. So I hope this will help someones stress level go down a few notches today:)

I do not get stressed out very easily and I think I may know why. Here goes~

#1)  Apart from Him I can do nothing! If I start to put the Lord on the back burner, the stress and pressures of this world are soon to follow me!

#2) I have a purpose for all the things I fill my days with. When you are passionate about something... it just gets done. "You have time for what you make time for". There is no shame in stepping down, or giving up something that you are not good at, not passionate about, and don't want to do...just say no!

#3) I have an extremely supportive husband! It says in Proverbs 31 vs. 11&28b "Her husband has Full confidence in her...Her Husband also, he praises her." Now I am not suggesting that I am a Proverbs 31 woman, But I defiantly have a Proverbs 31 Husband, and it makes a huge difference.

#4) I have my Ladies!! Oh my...what can I say...the Godly women in my life are like a balm to my soul! No woman is an island, and we need each other to keep from going crazy! The key word here is "Godly". I have have a number of toxic relationships with women,based on superficiality, competitiveness, jealousy,  drama, and more drama! For a while I just gave up on women all together. So imagine my surprise, when I felt led to the beauty industry. OH my..its just loaded with women! I prayed for months and years, to have women friends, and boy did God deliver! I could not live without them, and they are to numerous to list. you know who you are!
Just yesterday, I got the privilege of spending time with my dearest friend Roxanne, I call her Foxy:)

Isn't she exquisite~!
I have had the privilege of  knowing and being bestest friends with her for most of my life~what a blessing!
When you find an awesome lady of God, or better yet a whole group of them...(hello MOPS, and Thursday Bible study girls!) do not let go! They can be your sanity, a listening ear, and a shoulder for your tears~

#4) I am an organized person...My mind gets cluttered, just thinking about clutter. I am not some freak who who sweeps under the refrigerator, but I do have a place for everything...(yes this is possible with kids)
and tomorrow I will tell you some fast and simple ways to de-clutter, and organize the main part of your house.


Now go and tell someone you are thankful  for them in your life, and also paint or color something pink, and know that you are loved~<3


*Hugs*
ArtsieMama

Collage generated with Smilebox

Color Wonder~101

This post is a little long, I promise I wont do this again, but its a lot of much needed info, for the artist/Decorator in us all~ He who endures to the end of this Blog will be rewarded!!

I recently Painted my Dining room Purple, and I love it~

I Love all color, I live in Color...and I think you should too:)

Painting your walls is the Cheapest and most dramatic way to give your living space a much needed face lift! **painters tip** Splurge for the good stuff, I used Kilz 3 in 1 , painter/primer. It painted over the red in 1 coat!, and I still have about 1/3 gallon left! Amazing!!

My house is full of color, on purpose, and for a purpose. But so many people get it so wrong...no worries, read through this and you will be a pro!! Once you understand color, decorating is a breeze~

All Color has meaning....Lets go through the rainbow together....

COLOROLOGY BY KATHIE~
Here we go

RED~ red is the "look at me" color,when  u wear it, paint a wall with it or put it on your lips, the color red will always draw the most attention, because it catches the eye. Its the warmest of all colors, and infuses passion, intensity, and high energy. When using red in your home, go easy.. just one accent wall should do, and it works best in the kitchen, or dining room, because it also increases appetite~I Love Red, the former color of my dinning room was a maroon red, and worked great!

PINK~pink is the color of Love and acceptance, my master bath is painted powder pink, and I am not sure that I will ever change it. In fact a lot of people mistake my favorite color for pink, because of how much I use it, wear it, craft with it etc...But the truth is pink is a very  welcoming, warm color, that promotes calm feelings...
*fact* more and more prisons are painting there hallways,  muted pink, to dissolve aggression....and I have my daughters room painted the same color for the same reason..ha ha*
Pink clothes bring out a healthy skin color in anyone who wears it. Everyone...yes even men, look there best in Pink!

ORANGE~ orange is the opposite of pink in many ways, its the color of aggression, and hostility, use it very sparingly in your home, but don't be afraid to use it! I have one wall in my kitchen, that is a very spicy, pumpkiny, orangy color, and It works great, in small amounts to promote healthy food choices:) So keep that under your hat~
too much orange in the house can be very off putting...(hello Brady Bunch)...so go easy on it and stick to earthy tones....

BROWN~ brown is a very versatile color, when used appropriately it can be a stabilizing color for the home and wardrobe, but to much brown, on brown, on brown...can give a very dull effect, and promote laziness, and slow moving. If you love brown, stick with the warm shades, and do a classy amount, and you can create a sense of Wholesomeness and clear thinking~
*fact* Most coffee shoppes are painted in abundance of brown, not because its the color of coffee, but because of the laziness factor. They want you to stay, as long as you can~*

YELLOW~ I love yellow, however, it is so miss used...let me share. yellow brings clarity, and order to a room, it promotes creativity and joy. Yellow works best in small closed off rooms, basements, and creative spaces, you can even use it in living areas, if you want a bigger wider feel to the space, works great.....HOWEVER if you to not select the right shade you will dislike the results. Yellow is the most miss tinted paint, either you get mustard, or dandelion, or too white.
*here is a Kathie tip*
Go to your refrigerator, pull out you tub of butter, and never stray over 2 shades away from it!!
The wrong color yellow, can and will produce feelings of anxiety, and messy thinking.
*another Kathie tip*
When creatively brainstorming, use a yellow pad, to provoke thought.

GREEN~ green is my favorite color to paint on the walls, it is in my main living area, hallway, and foyer. Green promotes health,growth, safety, motivation and is the color of life. You cannot go wrong with green...almost. Green is a balancing color, if you want a punch of red, orange or purple somewhere, you can balance it out with green every time.
*side note* Beware of mint green walls, you do not want to live in a mental institute.

BLUE~blue is the coldest color, it ushers in relaxation and peace of mind. I have had sleep issues in the past, and changing my bedroom, from brown to blue, has been awesome! Put blue in quiet places, do not use an abundance of it in you main rooms...esp, the kitchen. your kitchen should never be blue. Blue in a kitchen represents mold, and does not attribute to healthy food choices. Make sure you choose a muted quiet blue, for the bedroom, laundry room or kids room...don't get me started on baby blue....it should never be on anyone's wall...ever...

Purple~My color for 2011!!!Its the color of change, purpose, and royalty, it stimulates imagination, calms over activity, enhances most environments, and is the color of glamour! Need I say more? Always use it in moderation, as you can see, my dining room , has 3 door ways in it, very narrow walls, and lots of natural light, so the dark plumb shade works great!
Purple is the combination of the warmest and coldest colors...its the best of both worlds!
Surround your self with purple when you want to be reminded of valuable you are!

Wow this is getting to be very long...I have to add this though..

GREY~ grey is the color of sorrow. I know its the fad right now, but grey is lifeless, void, lacks emotion, or movement, and gives feelings of isolation, and loneliness...I am yet to understand why anyone would live between walls of grey. If you like grey, decorate with it, accent with it, small amounts of grey can be very classy, but it is not to be the focus of the room!

Black and White...neither are colors, and neither should be on your walls...

If you live somewhere that does not allow paint on the wall, first of all, I am so sorry..and I am grieving with you...but you can add lots of color with out painting! Curtains, rugs, throw blankets, furniture, candles, paintings, plants, and flowers work great for that extra punch of color!

Let me know if there is a color I have not covered that you would like to know about, Id be happy to share~
Thanks for spending tome with me today, I hope I helped a little~
Colorfully Yours~
ArtsieMama~

Here's to You~

Well I did it! Here I am blogging , thank the Lord there is a spell checker on this thing! I am not a writer or even much of a reader, so these posts are sure to be short and sweet.
So here it is~
Let me tell you a secret~I know a little bit, about a lot of things, and I fake what I don't know.
and that's OK because all I do is for the Glory of God~ and if he is OK with me not knowing it all...than so am I
I am a Painter...sort of
I am an interior Decorator...sort of
I am a costume designer
production Director
Sketch Artist
Chef
and
Scrapbook artist...sort of
also I am a
Coupon clipper
bargain hunter
and I can really design on a Dime!
I am also a
Make up artist, Skin Care specialist
and Jewelry Advisor
 I have coordinated Weddings
Directed stage productions
written and taught skits
headed up numerous programs and events.
  I am  Small Group Leader,
MOPS steering team member
I run 2 Home businesses, and am a stay at home mom to boot.
and now I am a blogger as well! Yay!

I am considering opening up an etsy shop, and selling some of my handmade pretties, but for now I am just going to blog about what I do, why I do it, and how I do it:)
I am Blogging for you....I am giving out all my secrets, tips and tricks....

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to tell you all, how and why I painted my dining room purple~;)
until then read your Bible and get some rest~