Category Archives: INSPIRE

Last-Minute DIY Projects

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After a series of seven days of workshops, we capped off the orientation for the new hires with a really cool activity. It was a birthday party-inspired Culminating activity. Instead of the usual and very formal (and boring) activities to formally welcome them, we thought of doing this instead. However, we only had a couple of hours to set up and half a day to plan. What can you do with half a day of prep? Scramble ;-)

I’ve been notorious for doing last-minute DIYs lately. I seem to find myself in situations that require me to be resourceful and efficient.

I thought of making some really easy DIY projects for this birthday party-themed activity:

1. Lollipop Topiary

2. Candy Tower

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Since it was children’s party-inspired, we had candies, lollipops, cupcakes, etc. We used baking cups and filled it with lots of candies and arranged it on the Candy Tower. The Candy Tower was a very easy project and since it was made on the 11th hour, I had no choice but to use whatever was available in my craft supplies. I only had gift wrapping paper to cover the sides and bottom. Couldn’t even find my pinking shears so I just made crude scallops on the edges. But I think it came out pretty.

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I had a lot of birthday party decorations sitting in my tiny craft room. This was strawberry shortcake and Dora themed-decorations that I bought from Party City in Baltimore. I kept them and was put to good use yesterday.

Our team did a really great job preparing everything from the AVP to the food, loots, decorations and our most awesome dance number (wink *wink).

The Paper Pompoms were very last-minute but tied everything together for the theme.

A birthday party won’t be complete without loot bags. It was a simple Dora paper bag that we cut to look like t-shirts and we had the participant’s faces on to a superhero caricature of themselves. How cool is that?

Who says office workshops and culminating activities have to be so boring?

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Organizing Jewelry-making Tools with Vintage Tins

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The husband’s law books has taken over the tiny craft / office room (sob! sob!). Thus, I find myself beading and crafting in any space I can find around the house. Sometimes in front of the TV, on the dining table most days or even outside the house in the late afternoons.  I have to carry my supplies all over the house and it’s a mess, to say the least.

Ok, I hate to admit this but I have become quite the craft supplies hoarder. Over the years, I’ve learned new and interesting crafts and have collected quite a number of craft supplies. They have in fact taken a life of their own with my craft organizers overflowing with stuff. Yikes!

Organizing and decorating has become a bit of a challenge. Recently, I’ve been looking for something to help me organize my jewelery-making pliers. I’ve seen a lot of inspirations on Pinterest and almost tried installing the magnetic knife strips but thought I didn’t want something permanent like that on the wall. The organizer racks or bench are very pricey online. Some retail as much as $300! it’s not only pricey, I’m not too keen on the industrial design of these racks. I wanted something I could carry around, but it has to be pretty.  It should be something that can be an organizer but pretty as a decoration as well (and not cost me $300!) .

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Here’s my idea: Vintage-inspired Tins!

I like the versatility of these cans. I can use them as decorations and organizers all together.

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What do you guys think? What other ideas can you think of to organize jewelry-making pliers?

Updating the Memory Box

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I have about a week more to go before dragging myself back to work. I’m enjoying my summer vacation too much I  wonder if I could ever get the strength to wake up early again.

While on this long summer break, my diet seems to be in a bit of a vacation too. Yes, diet just went out the window  this entire break. I’ve been feeling kinda sluggish and thought I was pregnant. We’ve been trying and really praying for another baby…probably in God’s own time it will happen.

Not to feel too depressed about the whole thing, I took out my little girl’s memory box. It was actually the husband who insisted that we create a Memory Box for our five-year old.

When the husband was still trying to pursue me, he showed me an old heavy box full of stuff from his childhood. He even  had his school ID in kindergarten! He had pictures of his 4-year-old self making silly faces, an article from the newspaper with his picture and name on it as a contestant in a Spelling Bee Competition..precious, precious memories to last him a lifetime.

Looking at him with his memory box and smiling from ear-to-ear, I said to my single-ready-to-get-married self that I was going to marry this man with the memory box! Tee! Hee! He had me at ‘memory box’.

Please do’nt stop reading, I know it’s too cheesy and too over-the-top but I will stop getting too melodramatic. Trust me, it’ll get better in the next sentences.

Fast forward today, our little lady has her memory box too. We had actually changed it to a bigger and more sturdy box. We’ve kept her kindergarten class picture, her first school ID (too cute!) her pretty onesies when she was just 3 months old… Ah, so many keepsakes that bring smiles to our faces.

Memories to last us a lifetime.

Do you keep a Memory Box?

Nursing A Very Bad Cold But Still Beading

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Day 2 and it’s getting worse. I’m probably down with the flu. I’ve been sneezing the whole day and finished a box of kleenex. Hubby was talking to me and the next thing I knew, the little lady woke me up. I had slept for more than an hour.

Errands can wait tomorrow, I guess.

I woke up a few minutes ago (the nth time I fell asleep) and got my beads to cure my boredom. Somebody asked me to make those necklaces I posted. It won’t be long before I fall asleep again :)

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DIY Phonics Phone

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The little lady in the house is learning to read. She reads just about anything she sees, even billboards or food labels. Sometimes she cracks me up the way she tries to read just about anything she sees with letters on. Oh I’m so proud of her. Now that it’s summer vacation, I have some catching up to do on my blog and emails sent by readers.

One such question I got and I’ve been really meaning to post this one is on some reading activities I do with my daughter and my kindergarten students. I do a lot of Phonemic Awareness Activities with my daughter and my students. I have a Literacy Center in my classroom and my kids use this cute little Phonics Phone. I used this in my Pre-K – K class back in Maryland. Phonics Phones help amplify the child’s voice when reading or producing letter sounds helping him or her to focus on the sounds and reading. It’s fun and an effective way when doing Phonemic Awareness activities and practicing to read.

It’s very easy and inexpensive to make.

I went to my local Home Depot store and purchased the blue PVC pipes. I think I paid less than P200.

You will need:

  • 1 inch size PVC pipes cut into 3 1/2 ” or for younger kids I cut the pipes in 3″ long ( The local Home depot store I went to sold these pipes at 1 size only which was quite long. Thus, I was able to make a lot of these).
  • 2 pieces of 1 inch elbow joints (you will need 1 elbow joint on each end) – They were sold at P12.00/elbow joint
  • washi tapes to decorate your phones

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Just ask assistance from your local Home depot store to cut the pipes in 3 to 3 1/2 inches in length. If you’re not lucky to find assistance, you’ll have to do the cutting yourself using a little saw used for cutting through pipes. This can get your hands dirty though.

Put elbow joints on each end. Makes sure you thoroughly wash the phones with soap and water. You can in fact, make this an activity with your child. I’ve learned many times in school and at home that getting children involved promotes responsibility, confidence and independence. Not to mention, self-discovery promotes cognitive skills for children.

Decorate it with colorful washi tapes. That’s it!

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Here’s the little lady using her Phonics Phone.

If you have any questions, just leave me a comment or email me at marrylallwrite@yahoo.com