Set your drink down anywhere on this coaster.

I did try to clean my studio a few weeks ago, I swear. I managed to widen the path a little bit! And I threw out three--count 'em, 3!--small bags of garbage. It's just that, well, I think it multiplies and I end up with more of what I thought I had less of.

Take, for instance, ceramic tiles. I have two boxes of them. At least they are painted and sealed ceramic tiles. Last summer, I dyed them for an outdoor project. I didn't use them all, and now they've migrated back upstairs. There's about 80 tiles lurking in boxes on the floor, underneath a bag of empty plastic milk containers (don't ask), tissue paper, and what I think might be a cutting mat. Or cardboard. It could be cardboard. It's probably foam board.

Anyway, tiles. Tiles make good coasters. Sturdy, pretty, kinda fragile. I dyed a bunch yellow, mod podged some red starbursts, added dabs of hot glue for feet, and voila! Coasters!

The down side? 80 is A LOT. Nobody needs that many coasters. I stopped at 14. So, the remaining tiles were shuffled off to a new spot underneath the easel that is holding 4 paintings in progress.  Another time, tiles. Another time.

"Mooooommmmmm!!! I'm Bored!!"

Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of mothers than hearing her children shout "I'm bored!" twenty minutes after school lets out. This year it took a full 90 minutes before I heard the dreaded statement, sung in my daughter's dulcet tones. But I was ready for her. Bring on the "I'm Bored" bucket. 

I am far from the first mom to think of this; a quick search on Pinterest will reveal dozens, if not hundreds, of versions of this concept. Mothers everywhere, rejoice. It's filled with such wonderful activities like "call a friend" or  "create a collage." There's also "organize your toys" or "clean the toilet." Come, child, put your hand in the bucket, and choose. It fills me with glee. 

My daughter stuck her hand in and came out with "practice guitar in your underwear." Needless to say, she found something else to do (after chastising me for putting that in there in the first place. I still think it's funny). Summer might work out after all!

Creating the bucket was simple. It's an old paint can, cleaned up and de-labled. Scrap paper covers the inside and outside of the can in blocky designs. Repurposed paint can = happy mommy.