Monday, July 12

i used to scrapbook

yup, back in the day- good old 2005. it was before "the blog" had entered my life. i would spend most of the time baby velzy was asleep hulled up in my room- her crib was in the living room and i could not go anywhere but my room during naps- cutting paper and gluing pictures. it was fun. i got really into it. and i lived in virginia and we spent a lot more time indoors then. every time i went to target i would just happen to park by the scrapbook store and would have to go in and see what new papers were out, or what was on sale and usually buy something to reward myself for something.
now fast forward to today- i have a hell of a lot of scrapbooking gear that is just sitting. and my mom made fun of me when she was out here for how much stuff i have- but i need to remind her that she bought most of it for me. anyways, like i said for the most part it's just sitting. i use bits and pieces of stuff for cards or packaging for my etsy shop (remember when i was motivated and did that?). but i told myself i am going to make better use of it all.
with the not-so-baby velzy starting school and the need for a morning routine i made a chart for her a few weeks ago. she loved making hearts in the boxes every morning when she had finished getting ready and it really did make things easier in the morning. last week i got out "the paper" and "the rub-on's" and made some charts for the girls:
i had a lot of fun making them- the girls picked out "their papers" for their charts and i excitedly took them to the copy center today to have them laminated so we could use dry erase makers on them all year (in case your wondering, the blank strips on the bottom are for rotating weekly chores). i was so proud of myself. the little college girl who laminated them said they were so cool. i actually felt cool. and then i came home and tried a dry erase marker. and it didn't just rub off like it should. i had to really scrub with window cleaner to get if off. and now i am no longer proud of myself.

my question for you- any suggestions on how i can make these re-useable for week after week? i have not come up with any good ideas but i really want to be able use and re-use them. i did just read that clear contact paper works with dry erase markers... who knew?

oh, and head on over to the how about orange blog and download this template for a really cute weekly menu planner. i may have made one for myself to put on the side of my fridge and motivate me to not suck and weekly menu planning. but of course, it's now laminated and i have to figure out how to make it re-useable too.
weekly menu

21 comments:

Testing said...

so cute! i wish i had an ounce of your creativity to do things like that! it'd make my kids want to check their charts too!

Stephanie said...

we bought an ugly reusable chart for amby a while ago and he sorta liked it and i forgot about it! maybe we would all be way more excited about it if it was cute like yours!!! and i love the meal planning one. i tried to meal plan on our dry erase board when we first moved in and even did it for two weeks and the same two weeks has been up since then but i was cool for two weeks ok!

:)

i think the contact paper is a super swell idea and i like all the color schemes you did. and i like you.

the end.

ps- you were at turtle bay!!!?? sad we missed you. we were all the way over by the rocks from like 9:45-almost 12 i think.

stef j. said...

haha!! that' SO awesome!!

but i have no suggestions...

heidi said...

those do rock and i like the meal planning idea....i have something like that for my boys, but when i first started i just drew on the wipe board and o erased it. i was just about to laminate and do same thing for this year--glad i'm slacking b/c i would be in the same boat. what if you covered the laminated with contact paper? would that make it too thick to see through well? or maybe there are reusable stickers out there that can be taken off easy and used again? not sure but you got me thinking. i will let you know if i figure it out...

Greg and Diana said...

What works really well are the clear page holders for 3-ring binders. The good clear and thick ones, not the cheap ones. We have used those tons of times to put papers in for the kids to draw on and then erase =)

We've never had a problem with lamination, but we bought our own laminating sheets and used a machine my mother-in-law had....so maybe it was the type of laminating sheets they used??

Very cute, but a bummer - I love your idea and think I might steal it....I will give you proper creative credit when asked where the idea came from!!

heidi said...

okay i've been thinking. you could either frame them & use the glass from the frame to wipe clean OR you could put them on the fridge and use little magnets as your check off's....

Melissa said...

So so cute! One reason I never scrap booked is because I SUCK at it! Haha you should see some that I tried...horrible! Lol

I like the frame idea, but I heard clear contact paper works good too, one of the teachers I worked with did that and it worked great.

Leilani said...

i was going to suggest clear contact paper as well, not sure what else is out there...

chanel said...

very cool. wish i could remember to actually use all the random charts we've made.
i was thinking of decorating little magnets and using them as your markers, but the framing them sounds like the best idea.
pregnancy really sucks a lot of motivation out of a lot of things, like getting dressed and feeding your family- wait im talking about myself now.
youre awesome.

mahina said...

i have the same problem with all my scrap booking supplies being sorely neglected! good for you for making something out of it! no suggestions, though!

i love your charts! super cute!

The Trotter Family said...

I love both. I just tried to make a chore chart and although the idea was cute, it turned out lame. Yours are way cuter and I should probably bust out scrapbook paper and copy you. I am going to try and be a grown up and use a menu planner. I think maybe you could get little clothes pins or cut out pieces of contact paper to fit the pot and write on those since the dry erase comes up pretty easily off that.

The Trotter Family said...

One more. You could use velcro and have them velcro buttons (or whatever you have around) to their chore chart as they do their job.

The Peterson Family said...

Hmmm, our laminated chore charts work just find with dry erase markers. Not that we use the chore charts...
But I would suggest using a magic erase marker to erase - it will come right off. And maybe it's good that it doesn't rub off so easy so the cute hearts stay all week.

Anonymous said...

get some cheap frames with glass. write with dry erase markers and clean off easily.

Smiths said...

Those are fantastic! I always make Micah use his artistic skills to make our charts, but they get thrown away. I really like the reusable idea.

As for the erasing- try a dab of soft scrub. works wonders with about any pen!

Jana said...

I know some other people already suggested magnets but here are some fun ones to make that I think are cute and would work for the chore charts.

It would probably be fun for the girls to pick out their own pictures to put in their magnets too.

http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/marblemagnets/

Missy said...

ashley, ashley. can you PLEASE tell me how to make one of those morning charts?? that would save so much grief for me in the morning. I've thought about making one, but my craft skills are lacking...and I LOVE these.

Kelli Radmall said...

I know this is way way late, but you could get the vis a vis markers-the ones teachers use on the overhead. Wipe off with water instead. p.s. congrats on your adorable new baby bump.

Leisa Tapia said...

oh my gosh! Can I steal those charts and make them for my girls? Those are so cute and something I've been needing to do for my two stinky girlies!

and ps. your pregnant belly is beautiful! you're a buff, hot mama :)

Leisa Tapia said...

oh- laminate and use white erase markers...?

Tracey said...

lol. (that's me just laughing at you. And how much you sound like me!)