Preschool Artwork Collage for the Scrapbook

This was big sis' first year in preschool and and while I knew I wanted to save pieces of work from her year for her scrapbook, I didn't really understand how impossible that would be until I had a whole box full of stuff!!  I decided instead of putting the actual work inside of her scrapbook, I would do a collage of some of her best pieces to put opposite of her class picture.  Picasa (google's free picture organizing and editing program) has an easy-peasy collage tool, so I was able to throw this together in about 30 minutes while the girls played on the back patio this afternoon.  I found a good lighting spot in my living room to take a picture of each of the pieces, threw them onto the computer, did a little cropping and editing, then put them into the collage.  Even better, Costco does cheap 12X12 prints that I can slide right into her scrapbook- double win!!

Now I just have to decide if I am going to keep all her work as well- yikes!!  LOL!  Anybody have any good tips for your kids' artwork and school papers??

An Easy DIY Hat Holder

 We just completed a quick and much needed morning project.  When I say quick, I mean less than 30 minutes start to finish including the time it took for the hot glue gun to warm up.  What did we make??  A hat holder!!  And when I say we, I mean me and my two trusty side kicks, big sis and baby sis.  (As you can see, baby sis played a crucial role!)

The Problem:  Too many hats, not enough hooks!!

The Materials:

3- 12" wooden dowels (less than $2 for a bag of 5)
2 to 3 yards of thick ribbon
4 decorative buttons
1 1/2 to 2 feet of rope (I used some thick hemp I already had)
12 wooden clothespins
Hot Glue Gun

How To:

Cut your ribbon so you have two equal lengths.  Just over a yard each is what I had.  Lay out the ribbons good side down, and place one dowel at the top, one in the middle, and one at the bottom.  Glue the ribbon onto the dowel at the top and bottom, wrapping the ribbon around each dowel.  Glue the center dowel on with just one line of glue on the ribbon.

Next, turn it over so the good side is up.  Lay out your clothespins so they are equally spaced, 6 on one side, 6 on the other (each of mine were 2 1/2" apart).  Glue each wooden clothespin down.

Next glue on your decorative buttons at the top and bottom and tie your rope to both side of the top dowel.  Use a dab of hot glue to keep the rope knots in place.  And, ta-dah!  You are finished, that quick and easy!

To hang the hats, simply clip on with the clothespins.  Pretty much any type of hat works this way; beanies, sun hats, cowboy hats, and even baseball caps.

Gone are the days of searching for just one beanie to keep those little ears warm- they are right there on the back of the girls' door!  

Are you as over-run with hats as we are!?  Who knew girls could accumulate so many hats!!!  I am so happy to have this little project done!