Ikea Lekman Repair - Helmar Creative Team

I found myself needing a 2x4 Kallax instead of the 2x2 that I had for my scrapping stash, so I browsed Facebook Marketplace regularly in the hope of finding a bargain nearby, finally I scored a white 2x4 that came with 5 Lekman inserts (4 white which I gave to my daughter and 2 smokey), 1 of the smokey ones was broken at the back (the lady had felt pads on the side that faced the walls, which saved me doing that myself).  I contacted Ikea to see if you could get a replacement part and unfortunately you can't so Helmar came to the rescue as I really didn't want to send this to the tip if I could save it.

I grabbed out my Helmar Silicone Adhesive and Sealant and applied it to the break on the parts poking out and the inside. 
Note - I would later realise with the way this had to be forced back in place that I should have worn gloves and had some turpentine at the ready to clean up the excess when done.

 
I don't have photos for the next part as my photography assistant was off in Uni class.
Basically I pulled and pushed at the 2 sections that needed to go back together until I had them together, this is why I overdid it with the Helmar Silicone Adhesive and Sealant, I wanted to ensure some wound up in the break once I had it together.  This is also why I should have worn gloves, if you get it on your skin wash immediately.
This is when you need the Turpentine, so you can wipe off the mess you made when trying to get the 2 sections to click back together.



As it's at the back you can't tell it was repaired when it's on the shelf, it is now a perfectly functional Lekman to stash away goodies in.

Grungy Kaiser Fusion Holder Helmar DT

I picked up this Kaisercraft Fusion Holder on clearance for $12 as it had damaged packaging and the shop owner was retiring.  As my boys love drawing Anime I thought it would be perfect for storing their alcohol markers in.  We got C a set of Ironlak Striker Tri Grip Markers last year which are just gorgeous to colour with and since E has joined him in loving this style of drawing we recently got them 2 of the Aldi sets to add to their colour range. 

I put this together with Helmar Craft and Hobby Glue as though it is slow drying it gives a much better hold.  Between waiting for the paint to dry and waiting for the glue to dry this became a ongoing project that say on the end of my dining table, which was great in a way as I had something crafty waiting for me to do so whenever I had a crafty urge I would do something on it.  You will notice that my marker dividers have 2 shades of paint on them, I mixed a custom colour with some silver, black and white to paint the half that will be to the front and then painted the back black as you can't see it but I wanted it to be dark.  Some other parts I had not painted after assembled I decided they needed pain and so added black pain, again it is internal and to the back so it works really well.

I wanted to give this Fusion Holder a look that would suite being on the desk the boys use when drawing and colouring.  I selected this old single sided Pink Paisley paper from their Fetching range called Rugged and used a scrap from Kaisercraft Factory 42 for the drawer front.   I glued the papers down with the Helmar Craft and Hobby Glue, I squirted some around the edge and a squiggle in the middle and then spread it with a brush before adhering down and smoothing out any bubbles.  I did adhere the paper to the outside pieces before assembly however as it has been 4 years since I put a Kaisercraft item together I did this incorrectly so after assembly I had to cut new paper and glue it over my original pieces, so glad I had 10 sheets of this gorgeous Pink Paislee paper.

I wanted to embellish it with cogs and gears but I needed it to be flat due to future storage needs, I know I am going to need to have things butted up against it and maybe even on top of it in a few months so the Kaisercraft Factory 42 Collectables were the perfect way to add interest without bulk.  I adhered these down with Helmar Acid Free Glue.

E chose the word I was putting on the drawer, he wanted it to say colour since this is their sketch and colour station so I used some very old rub ons on another scrap from my Kaisercraft Factory 42 papers and created a cluster that says colour on the left of the drawer.  The rub ons no longer rub on so I fussy cut them from the sheet and stuck them down with some Helmar Acid Free Glue.

I love how my clusters have turned out, the fact they are die cuts meant I could fold them and adhere them over the sides so it flowed to the top.

And here it is on C's desk with all of their alcohol markers and other drawing and colouring supplies in it.  I am hoping since their supplies are now out and visible instead of tucked away on a bookcase they will create even more wonderful drawings.

I love the results and I love knowing it will last thanks to the use of Helmar Glues.

Doctor Who themed planner set up for Mr C

Mr C changed schools this term and that meant he could return to using his filofax after using a standard school diary for 2015 and 2016 and a electronic diary for the first semester of this year as that is what his schools were using.

He asked to go up to a A5 so it was fortunate that I had a TARDIS blue Pennybridge that I got on clearance at the end of 2016 as it was the cheapest way to get 2017 inserts, notepad and note paper for my husband's planner (he prefers the standard column filofax inserts over any printables I have accessed).
The handy thing with this Pennybridge is it fits the boys iPad so he can access apps that he needs to use during school hours while using his planner also.


You can see Mr C's previous set up that worked really well for him in 2014 in this video I did on both boys planner set ups.

I had spent some time over recent weeks trying to find free inserts for Mr C that would suit his needs so I printed what I had and he thought about what other things he wanted in there.  A teacher in a Planner group recommended I get him a spiraldex insert so he can track his time so I found this great insert unfortunately I can't find the original creator of this insert, the pinterest post just opens to a photo.
I also found these great study inserts, I edited them in a word doc so the class schedule/time table would be a fold out and he could have his monthly or weekly inserts open with it fully visible.

Mr C went through my sticky note and sticker collection to select some he thought would be good for him to use.

As the Pennybridge is a gorgeous TARDIS blue he asked for Doctor Who themed dividers and dashboard.

I did a Google Image search for some positive quotes from Doctor Who which lead me to discovering this gorgeous piece that features one of my favourite Dr Who quotes from an artist on Devianart, I have requested permission to use her work, hopefully I hear back from her soon.

I tried to find the artist for each piece that Mr C wanted for his dividers but unfortunately 3 of the pieces there was no identifying information available.  Finding the artist on Devianart involved me googling the name of her watermark.  
I usually would not use something that has no way to identify it but this was for Mr C so I made a exception.


The Quotes I wanted to use for him include:
"We are all stories in the end.  Just make it a good one."
"900 years of time and space, I have never met anyone who wasn't important."

"The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant."

Mr C loves his new set up and is looking forward to seeing if the inserts and set up work for him.
In addition to the homework inserts, spiraldex, monthly inserts and time table I printed off a Essay Planner and Assignment Tracker for him to try.
He asked to have a sketch section, brain dump section and for me to get his Physio and OT exercises reprinted in A5 so he has quick access to them.

I still need to make him a Dr Who themed page marker as he is using the Project Life divider that he was using in his personal planner, I just added a 7th hole that I cut a slit into so that the marker can be used in either A5 or personal.

We are a week into using his new set up and he is loving having his time table open out the way it does.  He says this set up is working for him.

Does your child have a planner?
If they do what inserts have you found that they love?

Rethinking toy purchases and toy purging.

Apparently I missed hitting publish on this post I typed up 6 months ago, hubby is currently on long service leave so we are hoping to finish this big project that caused this rethink on purging toys and craft supplies soon.

We are in the midst of completely reorgnising majority of our home, I rethought how we use our home last year, we only sleep in bedrooms and the rooms used as a office/craft room and a therapy/playroom were the 2 hottest in the house during the day in Summer and Coolest in Winter during the day (post coming when we finish) so we now have the boys sharing a different room as they only sleep in there and the room they were in is now despite being a bedroom our new office/craft/therapy/play room as during the day it is the coolest in Summer and warmest in Winter.

I do like the rule "Anything not used in 6 months purge." however since we started our journey with Occupational Therapy for myself and the kids I have realised the important value of many toys and craft in building fine motor and gross motor skills and changed the way I purchase toys and the way I purge.
So when purchasing I think about if this toy can improve fine or gross motor skills, when purging any toy if it can improve fine and gross motor skills even if it has not been used in 6 months I will not get rid of it.

The kids get very bored with their therapy and getting things needed is expensive so I am always thinking about what I have already including craft supplies and toys as to whether they will suit the outcome the exercise is geared towards for example Scrapbooking Punches are now part of the therapy budget as the motion using certain brands is a motion the OT wants them doing to build wrist strength as a example.

We do not refer to it as therapy but play or craft time or just let's have fun.

In addition to Occupational Therapy Art Therapy is also very important when you are in pain and Distraction Therapy so here is a list of some of the toys I won't purge, of course there are many toys that need to be in our Therapy Room that we don't have just yet or that I have neglected on this list.


Lego - the collection is huge, the boys get Lego from friends and family for Christmas and Birthdays, they inherited their Dad and Uncle's collection but Lego is great for fine motor skills, distraction, of course is great for creating and building.
Play Doh, Air Dry Clay, Plasticine - the OT gave them specific exercises with Play Doh and I try to get them to create a creature or something with it to make it fun.
Board Games - particularly those that require dexterity like Kerplunk, Operation, Wiggle Giggle, Pick Up Sticks, etc.  And kids can create new games with the supplies by making games up.  We have other Board Games also so that we can mix it up to keep it fun.
Marbles - flicking marbles can be good for exercising certain muscles in the fingers.
Toy cars and Hot Wheel Tracks - putting the tracks together involves dexterity so helps with fine motor skills.
Dress Ups - great for imagination and distraction, of course at 9 and 10.5 they are getting a bit old for the dress ups they have so Cosplay is on the horizon.


Transformers - transforming them from robot to car, truck, plane is good for dexterity.
Rainbow Loom - the recommendations for us are create something small every 3 days or so, so a charm or part of a bigger item, over doing it can aggravate things but the movement is very helpful for building certain muscles in the hands.  Our collection has grown quiet quickly.  Assisting with their first 3D item allowed my dislocated carpel knuckles to go back in, so it is on my must do list also.
Model Kits - again the dexterity involved is useful for improving fine motor skills and can be a pleasant distraction as they put it together and paint it.
Fun card games like Munchkin can be great for distraction when you are in pain as they are always funny.
Water Guns, Nerf Guns, Squirt Bottles - great for fine motor skills and lots of fun but of course safety guidelines are important.
Dominos - great fun to play the game and build with.
Silly Putty - squeezing it is great for building hand strength.  That reminds me I need to buy some more.  Stress balls will also work.
Action figures/Dolls - great for distraction via using their imagination to tell a story or something with the figures.

Remote/Game Controller Storage

We have this nook between the couch and 2 bookcases where the phone point is and a power point, the dogs really like to curl up there but they keep knocking the phone cable and that makes things fall so we needed to block the corner but still be able to get to the bookcase.

We had this 5 drawer storage cart on wheels in our office and it seemed like a perfect solution, we can easily wheel it out of the way to access the books on the bookcase and it is stopping the dogs from knocking the phone cable.
What to put in it so it wasn't wasted storage?
 

Currently our remotes were in a box on the bookcase taking up valuable book storage space and our Game Consul bits were in the cupboard the TV is above.

So remotes and chargers go in the top drawer, tablets and even laptops can be charged on the top of the cart.

 Second drawer has PS3 controllers.
I placed everything that would fit in a ziploc bag that was going in the bottom 4 drawers in a ziploc bag to protect them from dust and dog fur.

The bottom 3 drawers have Wii supplies.

Op Shop Finds

I love op-shopping. 
The area I live in it can be difficult to find a great bargain though but every now and then I have some pretty good op-shop finds.  Here are some of my op-shop finds of 2015.

 I found this lovely bag at the RSPCA op-shop that is perfect for a mobile office for myself.
I was expecting to be studying in Semester 2 and spending a lot of time waiting so thought taking my study needs with me would be a great idea, unfortunately things changed and I was unable to study in Semester 2 but I am looking forward to Studying Semester 1 2016 and using my mobile office.

 It has multiple sections that are very useful, a space big enough for a small laptop or large tablet.
Plenty of room for my study essentials, wallet, phone, and my other regular handbag items.
And the section with all the pen loops, sunglasses pouch, mobile pouch (though too small for my current phone), business card slots, etc is so very handy.

I found this lovely old book that is a collection of Jules Verne's stories for my husband.

A collection of handy stationery that were bargains, including a cheap no-brand planner that has come in quiet handy in addition to my Filofaxes.

 This massive bag of flowers for $2 from the RSPCA op-shop.
There is a mix of fake flowers that have been cut off their stems, craft flowers and ribbon flowers.
I just love this big bag.
I have now sorted into colours.

 I found the perfect laptop bag for hubby to use as a mobile office for his second job at the Salvos.

Handy business card slots, a spot for his external hard drive, pen loops and more in the front section.
It has a large compartment that is padded that suits a laptop but has 2 sections so the big presentation binder he has to take with him can fit in there.

It has a file section so he can take essential forms with him.

 One side has a mobile pocket though it is too small for current mobiles and the other side has a pocket to keep the shoulder strap in.

This TYPO satchel that appears new was $2 at the RSPCA op-shop.
Love a bargain.








I got this cute Christmas Present bathroom container at the RSPCA op-shop for $1 which was a bargain as the same one in red was $4 at another op-shop.
I got a Santa soap bottle at Lifeline for $4 and for a while these 2 items were our only Christmas decorations in the house.
Some other great finds this year included a lovely leather satchel I gifted to a friend who loved it, a purple JAG handbag I got myself that was like new, 2 more letter writing kits and plenty of great clothes for the boys some brand new.  Mr C has had a massive growth spurt going from a size 6 to a size 12 in just a few months, he was size 10 for only 1 month so op-shopping for quality clothes for him has been a great way to cloth him without breaking the budget.

Bookcase in the Bathroom for hiding all the mess of a large family

I got rather over the big mess at the end of the bath due to at the time our household comprising of 6 people including 2 teenage girls.
So I bought a 30cm wide bookcase with 6 shelves, the younger kids didn't have a heap of bathroom supplies so they didn't need a shelf.
Sorry I don't have photos of the original set up as I wasn't blogging then and Miss 19 has moved out of home.
The original set up each teen had a full shelf, the rule was all your stuff must be kept on the shelf or in your room, it is not to migrate to the end of the bath, the basin or beside the basin.

I have now added 3 baskets as I needed to hide my teens supplies and she was overflowing into other shelves, her basket is full to the brim with everything including her sunglasses.  I could only get 3 matching that fit in my shelves via local shops, so I have put 1 on every second shelf.

Sorry only showing the top 3 shelves as the kids seem to always have mess in front of the bottom half whenever I go to take photos for this post and a 7month delay is long enough :)









Hubby and my shelves have items that are family use such as I have first aid supplies behind my skin care and he has nit shampoo in his basket (we live in Qld so this is a essential in every houshold, though we don't use the chemical based one due to my eldest having a severe reaction when she was 5).
On the top of bookcase is other items needed to be out of the reach of children such as peroxide, nail polish remover, hairspray, etc.
Note while my children are no longer young enough to need this I do have visitors with young children and like to keep dangerous things out of their reach.
There is a shelf for dental supplies.
Another shelf has a basket full of sanitary supplies so any female guests or household members can easily access these if they need them.
 

Baskets are great for hiding things and getting more into a storage space, heaps of room left in this basket.
I wish I could find 2 or 3 more of these baskets, or just a set of matching baskets that fit the shelf space as well as these 3 do.





What is your storage solution in the Bathroom?

How I have organised my Desk Drawers

Currently my desk is a 4ft folding table so I have popped a little bedside table underneath to my right.
I thought I would share what is in the drawers.

 Here is the top drawer with my old CM case on the right, pencil case from Michelle in front (I keep this open so I can easily access my planner pens), on the left at the back is a box of deleted ribbons and some crochet thread, middle is a op-shop find pencil case full of cheap washi with my handmade enamel dots in a container on top (please when DIYing enamel dots read up on melting plastic and maybe look at the safer options of paint or enamel accents).

 Here I removed the pencil case so you can see what is tucked in around it hard to see but at the very front is some PL dividers I cut down to planner page markers, some pencils with these, and in front of the box of ribbons is some colourful scotch tap, a sharpener and a squirt bottle.

 Inside my CM case a part to my magnifying light (it got put in storage and hasn't been seen in some time), buttons are under the ink blending tool, some replacement blades for my old CM 12inch trimmer are under the ink blending tool foams.
Scissors and jewelery tools in the front half.

 Under the scissors and jewelery tools are staples and staplers.








Bottom Drawer

 My CM border maker and cartridges, Smiggle case and paper flowers at the back.

 Pencil case from Alicia under the Smiggle case.

Paper flowers.









Here are links to my other posts on both my blogs that cover desk and craft organising.
My Desk
Inside my Pen and Pencil cases
Aldi cart storage
Basic needs to scrap
Boys Desk Organisation
My space is very small so I have to cram things in where they fit, hoping one day we will live in a house that I can have a bigger space and spread things out a little and put things away together.

My Pen/Pencil cases including my new Kipling 100 Pen Case.

For those who weren't aware I been a party plan Consultant for various scrapbooking based party plans off and on since April 2006.
When I was a CM Consultant I loved their pens but due to price they are only used in my scrapbooks, never in my planners.  Due to the propensity for lines to be changed, whether it be bold tip being cut, changing colours in a set or dropping the line to replace it with double ended I wound up with a large collection by taking advantage of specials.
Through my planner friends I discovered the Kipling 100 Pen Case and the lovely Michelle organised a group buy during a sale (check out Kipling USA's Facebook page for our feedback on our poor experience).
Anyway Today Kipling case arrived and I set about working out which pens to keep in it. 
Do I keep my pens and highlighters I use for my planner? 
Do I keep my CM pens in it? 
Do I save it for something else?
In the end the best fit was my CM pen collection with 3 extras thrown in.
And so my lovely Typo case from Michelle remains home to my planner pens, with some washi stashed under them that won't fit in my washi storage.

 Graphic Arts design, I wanted something bright and fun that didn't have to fit into the colour scheme of the room.

 I got a pink Gorilla, my daughter got a Turquoise, I love the Turquoise.  Gorilla is super cute no matter the colour though.

My CM Fine Tips

My Round tips and Bold tips, a Red Eye reduction pen, 3 of the double ended CM pens & 2 ZIG Caligraphy pens.

2 black Sharpies for writing on my plastic flags, 3 frixons (need a black and red still), 2 4 colour pens, cheap red and blue pen, pen my best friend sent me and a set of 6 highlighters on top.

Under the pens is a stash of washi, mechanical pencil, correction tape, eraser and various mechanical pencil leads.

 My Smiggle case is my long trip case, it still has my A6 Visual Art Diary and sketching supplies in it from my last trip to Brisbane for medical appointments though my on the go planner supplies have been taken out.
I allow myself this with what I can fit in it and the planner I need to take and that is it, the rest of my bag is for clothes and food.

Alicia sent me this cute pencil case, I keep my alcohol markers in it, I have 2 packs of bic markers in there unopened and another brand that has since been pulled due to drying out, I only have 12 of their markers and several dried out before I could use them.  Very disappointing.