Target Envy/ The Wise Old Owl

I have a confession to make.

I have a bad case of Target envy-- being jealous of all the fabulous stuff my fellow bloggers have been finding at Target.  Apparently Target has become the style capitol of the megastore world.  From drool-worthy lamps, and gorgeous rugs, to bedding that rivals/replicates fancier, much more expensive designer styles, what isn’t there to like?

 The problem? We don’t have a Target around here! :(

Most of the time, I manage to console myself with the thought that I really can’t afford any of it anyway. J Honestly, it’s much better for me (and my budget) that we don’t have one any closer than an hour’s drive (which is a drive we rarely, if ever make… thank goodness for my pocketbook) At least, so I’ve been telling myself…

That is, until Bonnie posted a picture of this adorable ceramic owl that she found at Target for $2.50. Okay, even my pocket change budget could handle this adorable fella! (It didn’t help that it is the spitting image of this white one from Anthropologie-- which costs, ahem, $16.00… see how much I’d SAVE by buying it at Target?) I REALLY needed wanted one of these guys!

So when my trip to Indiana took me into Target territory, I knew what I had to do.

Lo and behold, after digging through the dollar bins, I found the LAST ONE—in black, with multiple chips on his poor little noggin. No prob—I knew he’d be soon encountering my trusty sidekick, Mr. Spray Paint (this, however, did not stop me from asking for—and receiving—a 10% discount for damaged goods! That’s right, I bought this fella for $2.25!)

The hardest part was deciding what color to paint him. Do I go for white, like the original one I fell in love with, or for a zippy color-- like my newly-beloved aqua, or the quintessential favorite, bright green?

I finally decided to go with Rustoleum Apple Green. (After all, I can always give him another makeover later, if I really want the white!)

Doesn’t he look fabulous?

And, for now at least, my Target envy has been salved. :)

And every time I look at him, he reminds me of the lesson of the wise old owl…

A wise old owl sat in an oak

The more he saw, the less he spoke

The less he spoke, the more he heard

Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?

-- Nursery Rhyme

 

P.S. If you would like to download a frameable copy of the "Small Things, Great Love" quote, click here!

Boys' Adventure Room Plans

I've got plans.

Source: centsationalgirl.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

Big plans for my two little boy monkeys' bedroom!

Source: carlamossinteriors.blogspot.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

And if you're wondering, yes, it involves maps.

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

Lots of maps!

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

And navy blue stripes-- WIDE ones.

Source: potterybarnkids.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

One bunkbed-- check. Painted blue-- coming up!

Source: ruelala.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

I already have the bedspreads as well, in a very similar plaid pattern to this shirt.  (How often do you find a matching pair of bedspreads at a garage sale? And for $2 apiece? Whoop whoop!)

Source: skonahem.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

The dresser they already have sort of resembles the shape of these stacked dressers. I want to add some funky hardware to enhance that effect :)

Source: google.com.au via Kathryn on Pinterest

And of course, an adventure bedroom is not complete without some airplanes hanging from the ceiling...

Source: schoolthings.info via Kathryn on Pinterest

...and a globe... or two or three!


WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW:

Sorry, I'm not ABOUT to show you the whole bedroom... ;)
Yes, we still have Noah's Ark on the walls! :(

So far, we're off to an okay start... but my big hangup is figuring out how to remove the Noah's Ark border paper without removing the drywall paper with it! :/

Not sure how well you can see, but this is what happened when I tried taking it off of one wall. :( (Why, oh WHY did I ever think border paper was a good idea?!?)

Any suggestions? Have you ever successfully removed border paper (without expensive steamers or other equipment)?

To view my Pinterest board with all of these awesome pins, click here!

Fighting Perfectionism: One Homemade Card at a Time!

If you were my friend, and you had a birthday, chances are you would NOT get a fancy homemade card from me. And not just because I just don’t consider myself a scrapbook-y, paper-crafty type of person. :/ I’d just much rather spend my time, money, and effort on the gift itself—which I carefully select according to your tastes, collections, and any little desire you might have ever mentioned!

But the card? Well, since chances are it will end up in the garbage between one minute to one week from when you open it, I’d much rather scour the Hallmark shelves to find the perfect sentiment—that someone else has already spent hours dreaming up, designing, and printing on fancy paper!

Okay, let’s rewind that. (Insert sound of record rewinding) To be totally truthful, my biggest problem with making homemade cards/gifts is that dreaded “P” word: PERFECTIONISM! I am never satisfied enough with the mediocre results of my handiwork to be willing to present it to someone else!

Now you might not be able to tell this from the condition of my house some(or most) of the time, but when it comes to things that will be seen by/shown to others (including this blog!), I have a hard time with wanting everything to be JUST RIGHT before I can share it with everyone.

Maybe I should start a club… “Hi, my name is Kathryn, and I’m a perfectionist!”

As you can see, I love to pile on the patterns—each card has no less than three different patterned papers involved! The “Friends” card was for a sweet friend from church, and I love the fresh, youthful feel with the stripes and flowers. :)

But when two friends came over to celebrate their birthdays the same evening, AND I couldn’t make it to town to get a card (AND I didn’t have an extra arm-and-leg to buy them), I had to learn to squelch my inner “Martha-Stewart-wannabe”and be content with making them!

Though I’m not a scrapbooker at the moment (I don’t have enough time or space to spread everything out and “scrapbook it right”— I know, more perfectionism…), I do have a LOT of scrapbook stuff! (acquired BK [Before Kids]—back when I did have the time and space!) So all I had to do was dig through my stash and grab a bunch of semi-coordinating stuff, then spread it all out and see what looked good together!

The “Imagine” card was for our “church grandma” (a sweet elderly lady who has “adopted” our kids—or is it they who adopted her?), so I tried for a slightly more old-fashioned feel. Hence, the vintage-y flower “fairy”stickers and the floral photo corners on the frame…

The whole card-making process ended up taking several hours, but I had to finally force myself to be satisfied with the results—mostly because our guests were due to arrive any second! As I’m coming to realize, the whole “perfectionism”thing is based on another “P” word: PRIDE. Wanting everyone to think that I’m a miniature “Martha Stewart”, that every craft I touch and every project I make turns out flawlessly and effortlessly perfect, is NOT a good motive for doing things, and only leads to defeat and frustration! Meaning I end up feeling like this:

So while I still want to do things the absolute best that I can, I’m coming to realize that perfection is NOT attainable—OR expected! Yes, it’s good to do your best whenever you work on a project, but not for your “reputation’s sake”... “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” “Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or WHATSOEVER YE DO, do ALL to the glory of God.”(Ecclesiastes 9:10a, I Corinthians 10:31)

No, I’m not Martha Stewart… or Karianne,Kim,or Abbie… But if one project I make or card I give puts a little more heart into the world and a smile on someone’s face, then I’ll be happy.

And so I work on licking my perfectionism—one homemade card at a time!

P.S. My entry into Overflowing with Creativity at It’s Overflowing is sponsored by Appliances Online and their Best Freezers!