Tutorial Tuesday!

Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday - If you are new here, this party is to showcase your weekly tutorials. What counts as a tutorial? Anything to "teach me stuff" counts - a recipe, a kid's craft, a DIY project, how you got your baby to sleep through the night ... I'm not picky.

Scroll down to see my favorite tutorials from last week!

Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog address) using your name and a the subject of your tutorial to generate interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!



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Stuff I Learned!

I, hands down, ADORE this idea! I want to make them for all my kids! Better yet, I want Gail to open a shop and make them for me!



These little Scarflettes are perfect when you have a little chill:



Can a lamp be beautiful? Because this one is!




CLICK PICKS (most clicked links from last week's party):

#1 Tie between (my favorite) Put a Name to a Face and DIY Sewing Cabinet, which was brilliant!

#2 Another Cottage Hill link for a Dry Erase Calender (clearly, we all need some organization!)

#3 Peanut Butter Pie Parfaits - yum!

Are You a Tiger Mother?

Do you even want to be? Let's hear from Amy Chua, author of the controversial parenting book, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”. Why "Tiger Mother"? Amy explains that the tiger is the living symbol of strength and power, generally inspiring fear and respect.

Amy explains that this concept is the foundation of "Chinese Parenting" which produces stereotypically successful children. According to an article Amy wrote for the Today Show website, her "Tiger Mother" parenting rules prohibited the following:

• attending a sleepover

• having a play date

• being in a school play

• complaining about not being in a school play

• watching TV or playing computer games

• choosing their own extracurricular activities

• getting any grade less than an A

• not being the #1 student in every subject except gym and drama

• playing any instrument other than the piano or violin

• not playing the piano or violin


It's Feedback Friday and time for you to weigh in...

Are you a Tiger Mother?

Do you agree with this parenting philosophy?

Do you believe this parenting philosophy will produce superior children?

My friend, Janet, added this to the discussion:

This is a quote from her book..I have a very real problem with this type of parenting..

"I gave the card back to Lulu. “I don’t want this,” I said. “I want a better one — one that you’ve put some thought and effort into. I have a special box, where I keep all my cards from you and Sophia, and this one can’t go in there.”
“What?” said Lulu in disbelief. I saw beads of sweat start to form on Jed’s forehead.
I grabbed the card again and flipped it over. I pulled out a pen from my purse and scrawled ‘Happy Birthday Lulu Whoopee!’ I added a big sour face. “What if I gave you this for your birthday Lulu- would you like that? But I would never do that, Lulu. No — I get you magicians and giant slides that cost me hundreds of dollars. I get you huge ice cream cakes shaped like penguins, and I spend half my salary on stupid sticker and erase party favors that everyone just throws away. I work so hard to give you good birthdays! I deserve better than this. So I reject this.” I threw the card back."

Hmmmmm, what do you think Moms?

Why don't you,.. Reduce Clutter!

It's Why Don't You Wednesday and it's time to reduce some clutter! Let's play a game...

It's the New Year, we've just added lots more "stuff" to our homes since Christmas and it's getting a little tight in here!

Grab one of those boxes you have stacked up in the garage and set a timer for 30 minutes. Quickly move from room to room collecting things you no longer need/use/like and try to fill the box with donations for Goodwill before the timer goes off!

Then, our friend, The Treat Girl will swirl in there and buy all your cast offs and turn them into something amazing like this:

Ready, Set, GO!

Don't forget to scroll down to enter my Tutorial Tuesday giveaway this week with Vintage Wanna Bee!

Partying at Kara's place, so click here to join the par-tay.

Tutorial Tuesday with Vintage Wanna Bee!

Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday - If you are new here, this party is to showcase your weekly tutorials. What counts as a tutorial? Anything to "teach me stuff" counts - a recipe, a kid's craft, a DIY project, how you got your baby to sleep through the night ... I'm not picky.

Meet my newest sponsor, Nichelle from Vintage Wanna Bee...

You might recognize Nichelle's blog from her regular links on Tutorial Tuesdays,



But, did you know she also has a Vintage Wanna Bee Etsy Shop full of her "unique, classy, and beautifully quirky couture designs"? Well, she does! Along with her fantastically whimsical Headbands:



Nichelle embellishes Handbags:



Bobby Pins, and more!



Are you wondering how to get your hands on one of these one-of-a-kind Vintage Wanna Bee creations? Read on to learn how to win a $15 gift certificate to Nichelle's shop:


Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

*Visit Vintage Wanna Bee and tell me your favorite item.

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog address) using your name and a the subject of your tutorial to generate interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!



<center><a href="http://www.HopeStudios.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss202/hopestudios/2-2.jpg" /></a></center>

My Fave Tutorials!

You guys were on a roll this week with so many great ideas that anything I had prepared would pale in comparison! We have some major construction going on at my house:



So, I have home improvement on the brain.

It also means I have very little time for my own tutorials with this one giant project sucking up all my time!

So, allow me to present...YOU!

Sharpie Marker + Drapes?



Amazing "Ironwork" Wall Art



Chandelier Makeover




Fake Wainscoting



Revamp your old couch!

Revamp your old light switch!

Revamp your old daybed!


Come on back tomorrow to link up your own Tutorials for Tutorial Tuesday!

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Kids on the Payroll? Feedback Friday

My oldest son is 12 and we, occasionally, let him babysit his brothers for a few hours at a time. We have a 16 year old babysitter we use for longer stretches and we pay her $10/hour.

Question: Do you think your own children should be paid for babysitting or do you think it should go with the territory as being a family member?

It's Feedback Friday...

Do you think I should pay my son for babysitting his brothers?
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It's 2 O'Clock - Let's Shop! New Year's Resolutions

Is your New Year's Resolution to get in shape? Yeah, mine too. In fact, it seems that lots and lots of people have this goal!

Though I exercise regularly, it's hard to get motivated to leave the house when it's cold and snowy out there. The one fitness item that I can say I use regularly for at-home workouts is my stability ball, like this Yellow Studio Series Ball from BodySport:

When I work out with my own ball at home I like to follow this Stability Ball Workout from Fitness Magazine. There is an exercise for every part of your body here. I ripped this workout from their magazine years ago and still refer back to my crinkled and worn copy!

I would recommend doing this workout in front of the TV while watching whatever guilty pleasure reality show your family hates...like the Kardashians or The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills!

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The Aftermath

Did you have a fantastic Christmas? Is your house as trashed as mine? Please say yes! Here is my Christmas, in pictures...








There is still time to join Tutorial Tuesday in progress right now...scroll down to join in!

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Tutorial Tuesday!

Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday - If you are new here, this party is to showcase your weekly tutorials. What counts as a tutorial? Anything to "teach me stuff" counts - a recipe, a kid's craft, a DIY project, how you got your baby to sleep through the night ... I'm not picky.

Scroll down to see my weekly tutorial: I Spy Game for Kiddos!

Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog address) using your name and a the subject of your tutorial to generate interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!



<center><a href="http://www.HopeStudios.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss202/hopestudios/2-2.jpg" /></a></center>

Make an I Spy Game for Kids!

Right around Christmas time my kids spotted a "Find It" Game at Target they were begging for.



I saw on opportunity for a fun project! We began by having a scavenger hunt for lots of tiny, random toys.

Next, we dyed rice three colors for the filler. (If I could give any advice, it would be to make this from Acini de Pepe pasta rather than rice as the little balls would be more like the actual game. I didn't think of this until after the game was constructed and the dying process for pasta is exactly the same.)



Simply place white rice or pasta into a jar and cover with ordinary rubbing alcohol. Add food coloring and shake. Leave overnight or to desired tint. Strain the rice and lay out to dry on a paper towel. (laugh when your kids start crying because it smells "like a shot at the doctor's office!")

Mix dried rice and little toys in a bowl.



Add the whole mixture to some kind of clear tube. We used an empty ornament container, but a tennis ball tube would work as well. (And, I'm pretty sure someone linked up an idea like this on Tutorial Tuesday on time using a ziploc baggie.)



To make it more like a game, keep track of all the objects in the tube and type up and cut out cards on the computer. They can draw a card and look for that object!



Come on back tomorrow on Tutorial Tuesday to link up your own tutorials!

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