4theloveofkids's Profile

I love and use Pinterest for all 6 types of pinning you perfectly defined. I think that we are all visual people and Pinterest has captured the ability to inspire people by allowing them to categorically link to images that appeal to them. I would also like to suggest a 7th type of pinner which I will define and explain:

A Creator - You use Pinterest to pin images to links of projects you want to work on or recipes you want to create yourself. I have a laptop but do not like to have my laptop hanging around when I am creating something. So I like to pin images specifically so I can convert my tablet (iPad) into an e-reader. With a tiny kitchen and limited counter space, I like to create recipes I have pinned by taking my iPad and converting it into a recipe book propped against the backsplash. Likewise, I have a pair of DIY framed chalk boards in my house and like to pin things I see under "Chalk Art" so I can "re-create" them using my iPad as a guide. My new mantra - I pin, therefore I create.

The brass lamps are vintage (1989) and were originally purchased from a store in Toronto called Sescolite. They belonged to a friend who used them in his home for many years. He gave them to us a few years ago and we had them tucked under our bed waiting for the right moment. They are crucial to displaying the headboard. Brass is trendy at the moment but despite this, it is also timeless. The fact that they are still so handsome 23 years later speaks volumes. Thanks.

As posted earlier, I think this would be a great project for you and your daughter to work on together. These pieces may yet have a few more years of love to them. Can they be relocated to another part of the house to tackle your clutter problem? Or perhaps store one.

We recently acquired a similar play kitchen for our 2 year old son and made it into a cool mini kitchen makeover project. Our 10 year old got right into the project and in fact now plays with it more than our toddler! Play food has gotten so cool. Your daughter can make her own felt food - our daughter cut up a piece of beige felt into long strips and made instant spaghetti! IKEA has some cool food that is dirt cheap too. Now when my daughter has friends over, I catch them playing like the good old days... in a super cool kitchen :)

For some inspiration, here is a peak at what we did with our play kitchen with less than $75 (which included the price of the kitchen from Goodwill).

http://loopylocks.ca/2012/11/22/play-kitchen-facelift-the-after/

What a great example of practical elegance. Hands down the best teen girls room I have ever seen. Every detail is thought out and executed perfectly. I love how everything that is near and dear to this teen is given the place to be admired and used. A true inspiration for what every girl would love!

Great post with practical tips. Thank you. Going to call a relative!

PAINT IT WHITE. With 4 kids and a tiny galley kitchen, it goes without saying that one must clean as you go. At the first opportunity we painted our dated solid oak (well made) cabinets all white to fool the eye. Now the space looks bigger than it really is. Counters cleared are a dream I aspire to achieve one day. I also elect NOT to hang out in my kitchen if I am not making a meal... out of sight out of mind!

What about regressing to the good old days and take a trip down the baby food section of your local supermarket. I am a sucker for baby jarred food and any excuse to eat it without the guilt is a treat. I also love baby cereal/pablum made with milk to a thin consistency. My guess is that your patient may not be feeling like cooking after surgery, so why bother? Go for it - be a baby :) Heck, throw in some good old favourite cartoons or Sesame Street and Voila... pampering in the truest sense! If you want to take it up a notch, then stir any of the fruit purees into some god quality plain yogurt with a touch of honey if needed and that will add some protein too.

Go for it! For the first time in our holiday decorating history we have said good bye to white lights for our tree and gone with mini coloured lights on a dimmer. Love that the dimmer makes all the colours a bit more muted. Christmastime is about fun. It is permission to be a bit gaudy and over the top with your decorating. Our tree is filled with homemade decorations from our kids and one of a kinds we have collected over the years. I love the look of themes trees but then they always have a bit of a retail cold look to them. I say go for it... have fun. In no time it will be the new year and our homes will be back to business as usual.

What about using a storage bench as seating along one of the sides of the dining table instead of chairs so that the kids can store some of their crafts/toys?

We have a very small bathroom so I found the best purchase ever from the dollar store... a gardening foam knee mat. It even comes with a handle cutout that I use to hang on a hook on our bathroom door. It only took four kids to make me realize that my knees and back are worth the support!