Summer Math....

Not to worry......no actual math was performed in the writing of this post.

After a little bit of a blogging break, I afforded myself some time to get a few mundane projects completed that have been hanging over my head.

Once I completeled those projects, I felt like I had the freedom to do some of the creative things that I've been postponing until the important stuff was done.

What I learned was that I really need to be plugged in to my creativity. It energizes me, inspires me and gives me the umph I need to take care of the mundane crummy things I need to do. I guess it's just all about balance.
So, here are some of the more fun tasks that I've been able to complete lately in the form of a few simple math equations:

Equation #1:
Grandmother's victorian-style pitcher that doesn't really go with my decor...

PLUS
Craft Paper & Mod Podge I already had

EQUALS:

Nice little watering pitcher for my sunroom.

Equation #2:

Receiving blankets that have great use with newborns for the first 2 weeks of their lives...

PLUS
a pair of scissors or pinking shears....

EQUALS:
Tons of awesome, soft little everyday clothes to wipe messy mouths at the table, use when baby has diaper rash so as not to add chemicals to their soar bottoms, throw in your diaper bag for messes on the go, or to stash in your car for invariable messes. What I love is that you can just throw them away if you don't want to have to deal with the super-yucky messes and not feel guilty about wasting money.
I keep mine in a fancy shmancy crystal napkin holder that I rarely use.

Equation #3:

A pair of scissors or pinking shearsPLUS

four yards of tulle (I used pink and white)

EQUALS:

A TuTu for my sweet little ballerina.

Here's the Tu Tu Tutorial I used that I found on You Tube.

And just in case you missed my TuTu post and want to see 48 pictures of my sweet baby girl in her TuTu....HERE'S THE LINK.

Equation #4

Silver 'Plated' Tea set that started chipping and I got tired of polishing:

PLUS

Craft Paper & Mod Podge (one of my favorite combinations lately!)

EQUALS:

Cutesy new little shabby chic tea set - whose purpose I've yet to discover.

Equation #5:

Old faded sand box that I've had for years.

PLUS

A can of special FUSION spray paint for plastic (less than $5 at Wal-mart)

Equals:

Brand spankin' new (looking) sand box

Equation #6:

Cheap little wooden frame from Michael's (on sale)Plus craft paint and ribbon I already had:
Equals:

sweet little frame for almost nothing

Equation #7:

A few bags of balls you can get at most superstores. (I used 3 bags for $8 each.)

Plus:

An old play pen I had in the attic. Equals:

A ball pit for my very busy little munchkin as well as a sanity preserver for her mommy.

Original Ball Pit post is HERE:

Equation #8 (a little more on the practical side):
The following ingredients (less than $10 for the whole lot)

PLUS:

A big ol' pot and water & a five gallon bucket.

Equals:

Laundry soap that will last for MONTHS and only took 30 minutes to make (it comes out to about a penny a load).

There are tons of tutorials in blogland. I used THIS ONE. ***

*** I have to say I was a little bit tentative about trying this, but I am delightfully surprised by the results. It doesn't suds up like regular detergent and once you've mixed it, it has a gelatnous consistency (which my husband and I think is pretty cool.) They suggest you add essential oils to scent it, but I gagged in the health food store smelling them all. I didn't add anything and it smells super-clean. I also have $1 containers of the Oxyclean knock-off brand from Dollar Tree to add to loads with a little extra mess.

Now, this is the kind of math that I don't get tired of!