Voila!

What I've been doing

2011-06-04T10:42:00.004-06:00

Ryan's Office!

The company my husband works for recently closed their local office. They offered us a relocation package and things for their Fremont, California office, which we declined after much thought and prayer. Then they offered him an opportunity to work from home. We were hesitant but so far we are really liking it!

We will definitely like it more when he has a finished office. Right now he is working in the family room in the basement. It is so hard for him to focus and not be too interrupted. It is the kids family room/playroom so it has been hard, for everybody!

But he should be moving into his finished office really soon! I need to do some caulking & painting and then he is a go!

BEFORE:

DURING:

We have never done any project like this. No clue how to hang drywall or anything. We had a good friend give up some Saturdays to help Ryan do the electrical, hang drywall, tape, mud and all that fun stuff.

Then Ryan and I textured the ceiling and primed the room (Thanks for the ceiling texture how-to, You Tube!). Then we laid a wood floor (probably my favorite part of the room!).

Then my friend came over and helped us get started on trim. She taught us a few of her tricks and we were off and running! We had all the trim done in an evening.

Should be done really soon!

Spring Break

2011-04-20T09:32:00.003-06:00

It is cold. It is not as cold as Winter Break, but it is not as warm as Spring Break should be. I wish we were going somewhere very warm and tropical, I would even settled for hot and sweaty and not tropical at all, but alas we are here. Where it is still not awesome weather. It is better than it was a few weeks ago, but not great.

So we spent the first few days of Spring Break playing a lot of Halo and Angry Birds. After my bum was falling asleep from all the unproductive sitting (Unless you consider achieving a new rank on my Halo game productive...) I decided we needed to make a plan.

So we sat down and thought of all the things we would like to try to do for Spring Break. We make a similar list for Summer time and the kids always love it. I could have made it cute and crafty, but that didn't make the list.

Hope you have a great week! From the looks of our list, I think I will.

Jobs I will leave to the Professionals.

2011-04-14T22:05:00.003-06:00

I am a Do-it-yourself-er, that is for certain. But there are a few jobs that although I can do myself, I likely won't ever again.

Like, moving. When we made our move from Arizona to Utah (on freezing cold springy days like today I am questioning said move...) the company that hired Ryan spoiled us rotten in our move. I am not sure I can ever move again unless some company is footing the bill.

Last spring when Ryan crashed his bike, my plate was full. He had a very broken clavicle, among other things, and so mowing the lawn got bumped right off my list and a new line appeared in the budget titled "Landscaper".

This leads me to my current DIY job. The one I have learned I am completely capable of, I just don't wanna. We started construction on the last unfinished room in our house. It is in the basement and will soon be Ryan's Home Office. I have always wanted to learn how to finish a room. I learned how to hang drywall. I learned how to tape drywall. I learned how to mud drywall. I learned how to sand drywall. Mud again. Sand again. Mud again. Sand again.

Just because I learned how doesn't mean I will do it ever again. It isn't a fun DIY job, in my opinion. It is messy. My back is sore. My hair looks gray all the time from all the dust. I have a suspicious looking white powdery dust in my nose at all times, I have a layer of dust all over my house. And I just plain old do not like the job.

I have learned how to do it. And now I have learned that next time I will hire someone to do this part. Hopefully very soon I will post pictures of a finished office.

So.Help.Me.

According to my 5 year old, this kitchen make-over was EPIC

2011-04-07T18:18:00.012-06:00

Just to recap:

I decided to redo my kitchen. I had the "No surface gets left behind" philosophy.

The Cabinets: Structurally okay. The previous owner (who thought he'd update and flip) slapped some stain on. No sanding or other prep work. Okay from a distance, hideous up close. Painted them a very close to white cream.

The Countertops: Concrete. The "Flipper" did them himself and did a HORRIBLE job. Theisland is bowed, they are cracked and awful. I filled in cracks with Magic Putty and it worked fabulously. I sanded, primed, primed, stained, stained, stained, stained, stained and applied a wet finish top coat. I love the look. But the countertops are still crappy concrete. Eventually they must be replaced but these will give us more time.

The Hardware: The cabinets had handles. They were fine for me. The hinges, because they were double overlay or something like that, needed to be special ordered. The hinges alone would have cost more to order then my entire kitchen make-over cost me. So I spray painted them with the oil rubber bronze. They have peeled a little where they open, but it isn't terribly noticeable. They'll be fine for now.

The Backsplash: This is EASILY my absolute favorite detail in the kitchen. It was also EASILY the most tedious part. I hand painted each and every little tile. It required patience (I am impatient) and a lot of time. But it was so worth it. It is definitely the part of the kitchen that makes it very unique and fabulous to me.

The Table: I restained the table. The chairs and table were bought separately and never matched. Turned out to be a horrible project. A nightmare. But I did not want to paint it, I wanted to have some natural wood left in the kitchen. The chairs were already black with a wood seat. I just painted the seat part. I love it. I should have taken the vinyl off for the pictures, but I was lazy. Forgive me? I always said I would never do vinyl on my table. Until my 5 kids destroyed it so easily. So vinyl it is.

A new light fixture, a few new decorations, a curtain. And Voila. It is love.

Let me also recap: This took a LONG time. I did one section and then put my life back together for a few weeks. Then repeated. During the time I was doing this we took several vacations, My husband had a bike crash that required 2 surgeries, months apart, and normal life. I knew it would take a long time. I planned about 9 months, pre-bike crash. I wasn't in a hurry because I didn't want to completely disrupt my family. It took about 10 months. There were several weeks (sometimes even 3 months at a time) that the kitchen went untouch. Specifically during the broken clavicle and post-op times. So technically it didn't take too long, but still.

I spent about $350 total. That included a few new tools. Seriously BARGAIN make-over.

Oh, wait. You wanted pictures???

Fine.

But, for the record, I have told you before I am NO photographer. I wish I was, but alas, not a gift of mine...

BEFORE:

Not horrible in a picture... from a good distance...

The Countertop before we bought:

AFTER:

Bad Photo, taken right after I finished this section, but I forgot to get one from this angle..

Even the old calendar holder thingy got a makeover... cutest bread holder, tray thing-a-ma-jig I've ever had.

This is a bad photo, but it is what you see when you walk from the entry/living room into my Family room/kitchen area. Do you see that? Do you see how bright and cheery and welcoming it looks? I love it it really is so bright and open. The kitchen looks bigger and more comfortable. Which is my goal in my home, I like cute and pretty and all that, but what I love is comfortable and inviting. Somewhere you can just gather with people you love and enjoy each other.

If you want any detailed posts on how I did certain things, let me know, I'll be happy to accommodate.

Linking Up:

99 Bottles of {insert drink of choice here} on the wall

2011-03-01T09:09:00.005-07:00

I was at a garage sale forever ago... definitely not recently because it is too cold and snowy here for year round garage sales... something I loved abut Arizona... What was I saying??? Oh, right, garage sale. This guy had a ton of glass bottles. I said I would take 10 for like, a dollar and he said I could only take all of them for a dollar. Um, deal!

I actually did this project about 9 months ago (edited to add: I wrote this post about 8 weeks ago but blogger wouldn't upload photos that day.... and I am just now getting back to it...blast.) You may have notice I haven't blogged lately. Anyway, I took a handful of the bottles and let Sunny help spray paint them. She chose good colors and went for it. Then we decorated them with scrap-booking paper or other pictures printed off the internet. The Blue bottle with stamps all over it belongs to Sunny. She keeps 1 single fresh flower in it most of the time. She said the stamps mean "All the places I'll go someday". She keeps a fresh flower in her room and has already made extensive European travel plans. Is she my daughter or what?!

By the way, I am blogging my kitchen. Now. It'll be up within the next few days.

Saving a trip

2010-11-18T13:43:00.003-07:00

Many times I run to Home Depot with one thing in mind. Paint Swatches. I plan to go there, pick some colors, come home. I tape the swatch to the wall, hold it up to everything. Making sure it is the right color. Then I decide there is too much green in that blue, so I go back, get more swatches and come home and test them out again. Plus, OF COURSE, while I am there for "just a paint swatch" I buy other stuff.

So about 2 months ago, I sat at the home depot. I took ONE of EVERY SINGLE Behr Ultra Primer Paint in one. It took about 45 minutes. Then I came home and broke them into groups based on colors or undertones, warm, cool, you get the idea.

Can I say WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!?! I Love having every color right here at home. When I get to have them at home, it seems like I have had lots of people borrow the. But I share well, so it's okay. But seriously. Every crafter/home refinisher/ woman should have one of these.

I took this picture of them fresh after I put them on rings, I think I have decided a cute and functional way to store them and stay cute at the same time... working on it...

Still Here!

2010-11-18T13:36:00.004-07:00

I'm still here, just busy! I am 4 FEET away from a finished Kitchen!!! HOORAY!!! In the meantime I have made plenty, but will just post 1 at a time, I suppose.

My sons school teacher got married. I am getting over so much vinyl, some is okay and fun, but I don't want everything to be in vinyl. So I have started painting more. At first I would paint, then put vinyl, paint over the vinyl then peel it off. But this one, I actually painted without vinyl. Just me, the board, paint and a nice (NICE) brush... She loved it. She has it on a stand on her fireplace mantle.

I aged it a LOT. She had said once she liked old vintage looking signs. So that was what I wanted it to feel like.

Candy, Candy, Candy!

2010-10-07T09:28:00.005-06:00

I found mismatched (and way cute) jars at a thrift store. They were .50 cents each. I cut out the Vinyl and filled them up with candy. As soon as I did, Boy #1 grabbed a handful or 3 of lemon heads, so I'll need to top those off again. But I love how it looks on my mantle.

I made a wreath, like THIS ONE from some Halloween scraps.

(The "Boo" sign is from Taipan)

I love the Mantle. So festive and delicious. (Ignore the itty bitty too-small candles. I need to go get new, bigger ones...)

But... I told the kids they couldn't eat the candy (Oh, the HORROR!!!) so it is driving them crazy! But it isn't like we have no other treats in the house, so they should be fine. Besides, sometimes it is a valuable lesson, teaching your kids to withstand temptation, no? :)

So this is love.

2010-09-27T21:08:00.005-06:00

Once I saw this picture in Pottery Barn magazine.

Loved the picture hated the price forgot about the picture.

YOU LOVE IT, RIGHT?!?

I knew you would.

Then I found this blog. Which I might have loved even more than the picture.

Check out THE FABULOUS BLOG.

Trust me when I say get comfy and check it when you have plenty of time to poke around.

Her signs are so fun and fabulous.

I saw THIS post. DIY Pottery Barn Vintage Keys picture!!!!

So, of course I got right to it.

This project cost me under $10.00 and about 2 hours work. But the work was OH SO FUN.

I followed her instructions except for just one thing. She traced her letters on and then hand painted it. Mine looked like a 2nd grader hand painted the letters.

So here is what I changed.

I drew my lines and circles like she said. Painted it an ivory color.

Then BEFORE I filled in my black circles, I put vinyl letters on the inside of each circle:

Cheater, Cheater.

But worked so much better for me.

So next I filled in my Black circles. Once they were dry, I peeled off the vinyl. Easy Peasy.

And I LOVE it.

Susie mentioned that the only downside to this project is figuring out where to hang it.

SO TRUE.

But what a fun problem to have!!!

But you guys, hang on. Wanna know what I did? IDIOT. I put the parenthesis over the ZERO the WRONG DIRECTION! How stupid!!! Ryan said it can go to the outlet :) I had enough fun making it, I will certainly make another. With the stinking parenthesis going the RIGHT WAY. Bigons.

(WHY can't I take a decent picture? Bah! I swear it is not green at all. Stupid.)

Polka Dot Lamp

2010-09-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

I got this ugly brass lamp at a garage sale. When I picked it up the lady said "Ugh, you can just take it".

Um... Lemme think... OKAY!!!

I spray painted it a glossy black. And found a red lamp shade on clearance at TJ MAXX for $1.99 a few years ago, I liked it so I stuck it in the "I'll do something with this someday closet". You have you, you know the spot.

We cut out white circles on my vinyl cutter. Not permanent or fancy, but she rarely even turns it on or touches it, so it should last just fine. I let Sunny stick every polka dot on the lamp shade. I desperatley wanted to go back afterward, when she wasn't looking, and rearrange the polka dots, fill in spaces, stuff like that. But I couldn't do it. She worked so dang hard on those stickers. She took maybe an hour doing each one so carefully. So I decided it was TOTALLY PERFECT. It sat so tall that I tied tulle around midway. Just the right finishing touch.

It ended up being one of my favorite little things in her room. Love.

The Nightstand

2010-09-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Years ago, Ryan rescued a furniture set from a donation pile that belonged to his grandpa. Ryan knew he would suffer serious consequences if he let this stuff go to D.I. and not my house.

It was a vanity and 2 night stands. The Vanity you've met, HERE. And one night stand made its home in the salon as well.

But the second nightstand has been waiting for its place.

Sunny's room needs to keep a queen bed because ~~she is the queen~~ our parents can sleep in it when they visit. But all the furniture in her room was so big and bulky. So now the nightstand has a new place.

It started like this:

Sunny helped paint, which was fun for both of us.

Sunny wanted yellow, she prefers EVERYTHING to be yellow. Here room is yellow and red, so we painted it yellow and the handles red.

It looks perfect in her room. Sunny and I both love it.

Tomorrow, her lamp.

A Chore Chart. That is actually working!

2010-09-21T07:51:00.003-06:00

All over crafting blogs everywhere, people are using frames for dry erase boards. I would link but to which one? Everyone I read has done one. So why not me, too? :)

I have seen a ton of them used as chore charts, HERE is one for example.

So I had a .25 cent frame from a garage sale. I spray painted it and put scrapbook paper in the frame.

Huh, really crappy picture. But then I have never claimed to be a photographer, so... You get the idea, right?

It hangs in Sunny's room. I posted the jobs she does everyday, the ones that never change. I can write on an extra job if I need to. The dry erase marker fits nicely on top of the frame. I hung it at her height so that she can see it on her way out of her room each day.

The best part is, we have had it hung for 3 or 4 weeks maybe, and for 3 or 4 weeks, every single day, her room has looked like this when she has left for school!

A project 12 years in the making.

2010-09-20T08:00:00.001-06:00

The year was 1997.

I got pregnant with my first child.

I was eager to get started on a nursery and I wanted it all done around one picture.

I wanted a girls nursery. All about shoes.

Somewhere in a magazine or something, I saw a similar idea. So I got right to it.

I started all willy nilly.

No pattern. No nothing. I didn't use a hoop or frame or anything. I just started stitching and hot gluing buttons.

Then I found out it was a boy.

So the project made itself a home in a box. Never to be removed again.

Until a few months ago.

What I would have LIKED to have done was scrap it and start all over. But this one was done. All it needed was some fabric sewn to the edges and a frame. Since I didn't use a hoop or anything, there is a wrinkle in between the shoes that drives me nuts. Someday, I think I will take it somewhere and have it stretched and framed properly. Or perhaps I will scrap it and make a new one. One where I measure and stuff.

But in the meantime, my daughter Sunny loves it.

They were meant to look like Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, but I used buttons, not actual rubies, so close enough for me.

Ugh, see how wrinkly??? I ironed the life out of it, but still, it wrinkles. I mean, in fairness, it was in a box for 13 years. So...

They were Too Blue

2010-09-10T18:03:00.010-06:00

I had these candles. I wanted blue and at Hobby Lobby, they were just the right shade.

But when I got them home... They were too blue.

Not right at all.

I have this book.

"WALDEN"

"or, Life in the Woods

On the Duty of

Civil Disobedience"

By Henry David Thoreau

My husband especially loves this book.

Loves it a lot.

So of course, I cut the pages out and mod podged the pages onto my "too blue" candles.

Because, of course I did.

That way he loves the "too blue" candles too now.

(although he can no longer read his book... bigones...)

If I ever finish my kitchen, that mantle is next to get painted...

I teased that I was going to put candles like this in my older boys' bathroom so that they can still read in the bathroom but I don't have a pile of books, I just have cute candles. :)

It's Coming... I promise.

2010-08-16T22:48:00.002-06:00

You guys.

I promise I haven't quit my big kitchen make-over.

But the weirdest thing has happened this summer.

It is called "Life".

And it has been happening like CRAZY.

It isn't as done as I would like it to be, but it is getting closer.

So in the meantime... I got a new app on my phone called "Retro Camera". When I was playing with it (trying to figure it out...) I took this picture.

Such a tease.

I will say, I am LOVING it.

Soon! I swear.

End of Year Teacher gift...

2010-06-04T11:32:00.004-06:00

This year, I actually let my kids have a say in what they gave their teachers. They all decided that a heartfelt letter from each of them, written BY THEM, not me, was a good idea. I agreed.

I showed them some ideas I saw during Teacher Appreciation Week HERE and they all loved the Rootbeer idea.

So Rootbeer was a go.

Then they all talked about what kind of candy their teachers liked and they asked if they could throw in a treat with the Rootbeer.

So we bought candlesticks at the Dollar Tree and cute plastic (kinda... that really thick hard plastic...whatever...) bowls from Hobby Lobby. The bowls were $2.99 but 50% off (Hooray for the Hob-Lob!). So we ended up with our $.86 root beer, our candy dish that was $2.50 and some treats in it. Plus? The really cute heartfelt notes (they really were cute, I should leave them alone to write all the notes, so cute).

I sanded the edge of the bottom of the candlestick and a little on the plate where the candlestick would be glued on, used E-6000 glue and that was it. Easy enough that the kids could do it.

Copycat Earrings

2010-06-02T10:39:00.006-06:00

I saw some really cute earrings made from scrapbooking brads and knew I needed them. Since I am a copycat, I got right on it.

Peasy weasy....

Buy this:

I also got these sets:

Sunny and I have enjoyed giving away some pairs.

I used Ryan's cutter-thingers to cut the brad part off the back. The little bit I couldn't cut I just opened up. Glued and earring to it with E-6000 and that is it. I made about 20 pairs of earrings during one episode of Parenthood. So easy.

Plus Hobby Lobby often has them on sale for 50% off (normally $3.99), so 6 pairs of earrings cost me about $2.50.

Voila!

EDITED TO ADD: I finally found the site I saw these at! I need to start bookmarking or something, takes me forever to refind ideas... Anyway, check them out HERE

Not a seamstress.

2010-05-23T20:40:00.002-06:00

I learned basic sewing when I was young. My mom taught me, I took sewing my freshman year of high school and I think I have maybe sewn a curtain since then. Maybe a table runner or two. Hem some pants. Skirts for Sunny. Nothing fancy.

So when I decided to make a dress for Sunny, it may not have been my best idea ever.

In hindsight, a pattern would have been useful, to say the least.

Although it was total trial and error, it actually turned out. And it is even not to embarrassing for her to wear!!!

I started out thinking I would do a skirt. But that morning she ripped a t-shirt climbing a tree, so I decided to attach a t-shirt. Then I had to put something over the seam where the shirt and skirt met up so that you couldn't see how crooked I sew. Then the t-shirt was boring. So then I did ruffles. I have never done ruffles of any kind, so I was pleasantly surprised to have figured it out.

Anyway, it turned out okay, if I do say so my (un-sewing) self!!

Mostly, though, it made me want more. I signed up for a sewing class. I actually really, really enjoyed it and am anxious to learn more.

Another Kitchen Sneak Peak!!!

2010-05-21T08:20:00.005-06:00

The whole "Crashgate 2010" put a stop to my work, but I am back on it.... Happily back on it.

So one more section is finished. And I LOVE it. LOVE. It is light and bright and cheery. It makes me happy.

BEFORE:

The plug on at the desk is broken and driving me nuts. I have someone coming to fix it so I can fix the wire madness. I also wish I had any sort of photography skills, because the pictures do it very little justice. But still, you get it.

(also, my floor is so dirty, it's like I sanded, painted and bled right there on the floor...)

AFTER:

Someday I will get those floors refinished. Darker, like an espresso. But not until I can afford to have someone else do it for me....

One of my favorite D.I. finds. Pretty much ever.

2010-05-20T18:00:00.001-06:00

I found a table at D.I., a thrift store.

The second I saw it I knew I needed it.

But even though I knew I needed it, I still hesitated...

A split second.

And another woman swooped in and nearly stole it from me.

Good thing I'm feisty.

Super Feisty.

Guess what I had to do to it to "refinish" it.

Paint? No. Guess again.

Sand? Distress? Nope.

Nothing. I did nothing to it. Not.one.thing.

I don't know if I have ever bought something at a thrift store and left it exactly as it was.

It needed something above it, so I made the wreath... I copied Kierste HERE. The wreath might have taken a whole 10 minutes to make. Seriously. The only difference was I didn't have a drop cloth, I had some left over fabric from this bench and I only had a styrofoam wreath.

Everyone should have a Gina.

2010-05-19T17:08:00.004-06:00

My sister-in-law, Gina is so creative. I can hardly even attempt a project without getting her opinions and ideas. She is always doing something that costs next to nothing and looks like a million bucks. Her house always looked staged for a magazine spread. No kidding. I love her, I love her creativity, I love her sense of style, I love her house, I love her frugal...um...ness? I just love her.

Here, let me link you to her totally fabulous crafty-blog. Oh! Wait! I can't. She doesn't have one. Even though she should. It's weird, it's like she is busy or something. So, instead, let me link you to her etsy shop. OH, WAIT! I can't do that either. She hasn't opened one.... even though she needs to.

Instead, because I like you guys, I got her to take pictures of things when she does them. For a few reasons.

1. To inspire me.

2. I live in Utah, she lives in Arizona, so I need to see what she is up to.

3. To post here and show you when she does something that costs pennies.

Recently, she wanted to change the look of her family room a bit. So she bought a drop cloth. I think she said IKEA is where she got it. A drop cloth. Never has a drop cloth looked so good. She cut some off and made a little ruffle at the bottom.

Then, she found some really cute wrought iron hangers at Hobby Lobby (On clearance, for under $2.00 each, I wanna say she bought them for $1.50 each). Everything in her house is cute, cut look at these curtains! And they totally changed the look of the family room. I love it. Clean and simple.

She took these with her phone, but they still show how cute the room looks. I love the door with the "HOME" banner. Love.

Enjoy!! Hopefully I can share more of her cute stuff soon!

Washer Necklaces

2010-04-25T15:35:00.002-06:00

I saw these washer necklaces HERE and ran right out to Harbor Freight. Got myself a set of stamps, and started making necklaces. These were the first three I made and I have to say, they have only improved. I would include a photo of the improved ones but we didn't keep any... gave them new homes.

I will make some more this week, we have a long list of cousins to mail a necklace to, so I will take more pics. With a real camera... instead of my phone...

Desk Pad...er...thingy...

2010-04-18T20:43:00.004-06:00

What's that called? The thing you set on the desk to protect your desk, or in my case I set it there just to be cute.

Here is what you need:

Fabric

Mod Podge

Surface Guards (those clear, vinyl bumper things)

Another technical name here:

Thin wood like the kind use for clipboards

Is that called clipboard-board?

Whatever.

I just spread the mod podge on the board, laid the fabric down, smoothed it our and Mod podged over the top of the fabric. 3 times. After it was dried, I flipped it over and pulled the (about 1 ich) edge over, mod podged it down. 3 coats.

I stuck those vinyl bumpers on the bottom.

And Voila!!

I would show a picture zoomed a little further out but I am a tease. I don't want to reveal more of the kitchen yet (plus I am not done with the doors and drawers...)

It is coming along. I am using this bench as a seat at the desk. Had I known this I would have had a much better matched fabric, but oh well. I am not about to redo that. And mis-matched is in... right?

DIY Hardware

2010-04-15T13:00:00.000-06:00

The Kitchen Before had chrome Hardware.

I am not too picky about the look of them (in fact, I prefer something more simple when it comes to cabinet handles), the style, but I AM picky about the color.

With how dark the countertops are in contrast with how light the cabinets are, I wanted dark hardware.

I LOVE the hinges on the cabinets, I like that they show on the outside. BUT... they are hard to find. Only one company makes them (Amerock) but you have to special order them.

I needed 60 hinges.

So instead, I bought this:

Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint.

I cleaned all the handles and hinges well.

Then, it was easy, one step... Spray. :)

The hinges aren't done, I had to spray, dry, open hinge, spray, dry, close hinge, spray, dry. You get it. So they aren't done, the ones in the after pictures are still the brushed nickel or whatever.

Before:

Sorry about the crappy picture. It is late and I don't care enough to go back :)

After:

Makes a big difference, right?

Ugh, these pics are crap. Sorry!

Such a tease...

2010-04-14T21:22:00.002-06:00

This is my backsplash before:

Now:

More to come!

Cake Platter

2010-04-13T22:38:00.004-06:00

I saw this platter made by Gina over at Shabby Chic Cottage and had a need for a cute platter, so I got right on.... Forgive the pics, I forgot to take them as I went. Also, I apologize that I didn't have time to dig up the exact post of Gina's, just search yourself, she has great stuff.

So I got the candlestick thing-a-ma-jig at D.I. for 1.25, I forgot an actual before pic... but here it is as I was painting:

I had a very cute plate I found at TaiPan (I can't remember but I think it was 2 or 3 bucks). I used E3000 and glued the plate to the candlestick.

Done and Done.

It is really nothing terribly fancy, but I needed one and this one I love.

Forgive me that I didn't do anything cute with it for the picture. My focus is totally taken by "Kitchen Makeover 2010" and my broken husband. So you get what ya get!!!

I am SO EXCITED to show you my backsplash. Ya know how sometimes you are so set on the idea in your mind and you worry it won't turn out just like you hope??? Well, it turned out just as I had hoped. Soon!!!

What Else

2010-04-02T09:38:00.003-06:00

These last few days I have painted my backsplash. Hand painted each and every little tile (in one section, so far). It has been tedious, but so far I love it. I was worried it wouldn't turn out the way it was in my head... That happens so often.

I also repurposed the cutest little stepping stool.

Also, I made a cute little cake stand.

And, Surprise! Painted more cabinets.

Somewhere in the place formerly known as my kitchen but currently known as a huge mess, is my camera. And the second I find it, I'll show you all I have done this week.

Tools needed for all of the above projects:

Five cute kids who, with every single brush stroke say, "Mom, that is looking awesome!" or, "Mom, your doing such a great job!" or, my favorite, "This is going to make our house even more awesome! Thanks for doing all this , Mom!". This really will help keep you motivated when you have quite possibly taken on too much at once.

The Kitchen Project Begins...

2010-03-30T08:41:00.001-06:00

What have I started?!!?

I started the island countertop.

The island.

My kitchen is pretty big.

This is going to be a really.REALLY. big project.

Here is my kitchen:

From this distance, it doesn't look too bad. But when you get up a little closer, you can see that someone bought this house and decided to update it and flip it. Right. So he did not do a great job. Cracked and very poorly installed, glazed and sealed concrete countertops. Streaky, dirty and patchy stained cabinets.

So it was time.

I feel very accomplished. But sadly, all I have done (countertop and 3/4 of the island) is the island. So clearly I have quite a way to go. Maybe I will finish around next August.

Please let me finish by August.

The countertop before:

And Now:

The picture doesn't do the color much justice, not accurate but that is okay. Good enough. If you really want to see what it looks like you'll have to come visit...

My Totally unusable kitchen table:

And while I am letting you in...

My kitchen, and entire house for that matter, is a huge mess. Covered in sanding dust, wet paint, paint cans, tools, take out and regular everyday mess that has been complete neglected.

But it will be worth it, right??

Please say it will be worth it.

No seriously. Say it.

Super Cute- Super Finn

2010-02-10T20:29:00.003-07:00

I will talk more about this later, super easy. Maybe 30 minutes, tops.

Don't be jealous...

2010-01-24T16:52:00.003-07:00

I saw this at D.I. and knew I needed it:

I showed it to Ryan, super excited, and he said "Did you pay for it?"

Oh, Yeah. I paid for it. $4.00.

I know. I know your jealous.

I had some "Vintage Yellow" Glidden paint. My free glidden paint sample.

I also had some batting and some great houndstooth fabric already on hand...just barely enough...

So the total cost of the project was, well, the $4.00 I paid for the bench.

I painted, sanded, stained and stapled.

And I love it.

Antiqued Pumpkins

2009-11-01T21:58:00.004-07:00

I know Halloween is over, but Pumpkins make fabulous decorations through all of November, too.

What you'll need:

Pumkins

Painter's Tape

White Spray Paint

Stain (whatever color you have handy)

ribbon

A really cute helper (I prefer ones named "Sunny")

Tape off the stem like this:

Next, Pray paint it white. Cover it well.

Wait for it to dry...duh :)

Use a damp cloth and carefully (and lightly) wipe the stain on.

Careful so you don't rub the white spray paint right off.

I let Sunny wipe the stain on (which was a mistake because she FREAKED when she got it on her hands and arms. She panicked thinking it would never come off. Then she said "UGH! Now my arms are gonna look like yours!!!")

Tie a ribbon around your stem.

Easy Enough:

Thanks to SweetPea for another FABULOUS idea!!!

Fabric Flowers. LOTS of fabric flowers...

2009-10-11T17:08:00.015-06:00

My creative and talented sister, Gina, was in town all week and she showed me what she has been making lately.

I loved them. And have ALWAYS wanted to attempt them.

We made several different styles. All of them were cheap. And all of them were VERY EASY.

You'll need:

scissors

Hot Glue Gun

varying shapes of circles (cups, mugs, whatever)

Needle and Thread

Remnant Fabrics

Buttons

Felt

Optional: tulle

Here is the first one. Super Easy. Just cut about 8 layers of circles. Varying fabrics. Big to small. Do mostly fabric, but mix in a layer or two of felt and you can also add in a layer or two of tulle. The differing textures add a lot.

Layer the circles (as shown below) and then sew the button in the center. Let the fabric pucker a little when you sew your button, it adds uniqueness. :)

The next one needs just 3 layers. Small, medium and big. Cut a circle in the middle also. Like this:

(This picture doesn't show the size difference, but there is a difference)

I saw similar ones HERE.

I used a plastic cup, the big end, upside down, for the largest and just found cups smaller and smaller.

Stitch around the center circle with a needle and thread, pull it tight, so the circle scrunches closed and puckers up and repeat with each layer. Add a button. And your done. I didn't mind when the layers weren't completely centered. Still darling.

The next one I found HERE. I love this one. A little bit more work, but that means 10 minutes instead of 8... So worth it. They look fabulous. Follow her instructions. I printed the pattern and pinned it onto the fabric. I love these ones. I don't love the buttons I used, but it was what I had.

Besides the cute headband, how cute are these two?!?

This one TOTALLY needs a button with Red in it. But alas, I did not have one...

This last one I hope I explain okay. These are really easy, but I learned it best when I sat and made them with Gina. So cut out 8 CIRCLES OF FELT. We used the thread spool for our pattern. You will need 8. Fold them in quarters and stitch 4 circles (folded in quarters) together. Stitch it about 2/3's out toward the edge...

So you will have 4 of your circles stitched like the picture above. Are you following this? It is so easy, but tough to explain.

Then you will start the next layer of 4 CIRCLES. You will off center it from your first layer. Stitch this one just at the point...

When your done, shape it as needed and your done. On this headband Gina is wearing, she made a second flower with smaller circles and hot glued them both on next to each other.

I have been loving these ones. Some of them we put buttons in. All of them we loved. Most of them we made with Felt, one we made with a regular cotton fabric.

Hot Glue any of the flowers on a headband, stitch it to a bobby pin or I used a safety pin to pin it to a cardigan. Glue them onto your favorite flats. OR: I have a very plain pair of tan flats. I think I will attach velcro to the shoes and then velcro to the flowers, so I can change the flowers to match my outfit. You could also put them on a purse. I pinned one to the end of my scarf and it looks pretty dang cute, too. The possibilities are endless and so much fun.

I bought the cheap goody fabric covered headbands (at Target they were a 5 pack for $2.99) and cut the fabric and pull it off. It is the cheapest route.

Have Fun!!! I promise they are ADDICTING. You need one in every shape and color. Right???

Addicted...

2009-10-10T21:11:00.003-06:00

I have stayed up every night this week making something.

I have made several.

Every night.

They are cute.

I can't seem to make enough.

I will write up a post about it tomorrow.

Because tonight?

I have to make one to match my outfit for church tomorrow.

Wait for it....

Leave a message...

2009-09-20T15:17:00.004-06:00

My kids love these plates. Their favorite thing to do with them is write how many days until their birthday. Sometimes the number on it is over 100. :)

It is easy. Not kidding. I buy my plates at Hobby Lobby. I think they are between $2.00 and $4.00. I string ribbon through. Then I write on it, with Dry Erase markers. That's it.

They make great gifts. This particular one was a Thank You gift, in case you couldn't tell...

I have only found about 3 plates that the Dry Erase Markers don't work on, one from Cost Plus and 2 from Target. Just test the marker on the back of the plate. If you really love it but you can't erase the marker, paint it with a spray paint, clear lacquer. You should be fine writing on it.

Happy Writing!!

Ice Cream Sundays

2009-09-13T19:48:00.002-06:00

My husband has a calling at church that requires me to sit alone. Hardly alone, actually. More like parent alone. So every Sunday morning I get the kids ready and to church with plenty of time to sit close enough to the stand that Dad can give a threatening look if necessary.

My kids are young. 11, 9, 7, 6 and 4. They are okay at church. But when I am going it alone... okay doesn't always work. They need a little motivation.

My kids love ice cream, so every Sunday they start with 3 scoops of ice cream. During the hour+ meeting at church, if they are naughty, they do not get a threat from me. They do not get taken out. They get something much worse. They get 1 scoop taken away. THE HORROR!!! I made a little folder to take to church with velcro ice cream scoops. So when they are naughty, 1 scoop goes. If they get mad and even NAUGHTIER because I took a scoop, it's easy. I take 1 more.

At night when Ryan gets home, we sit down and enjoy whatever amount of scoops each child managed to keep. Sometimes, they earn chocolate sauce or sprinkles.

Today at church was day 1. My kids were angels. They have never sat so still, so straight and tall with arms folded and mouths closed. It.was.awesome! I sat in church, listening. Actually listening! I wondered why on earth I had not ever done this before. Why didn't I make this years ago?!?

Front

Inside

Creative Writing

2009-06-14T18:24:00.005-06:00

I had so much fun with the Window Chalkboard a few weeks ago, that I decided to do another chalkboard paint project.

So forgive me. This is not an original idea, I saw a picture of this somewhere on the internet when I was blog-hopping and I do not know where. But I filed it away in my brain and when I was shopping this weekend at TaiPan Trading Company, I saw a plate I loved and new it would be perfect.

Step 1: Find a plate you can't live without. :)

Step 2: Tape it off. Leave a square in the center

Step 3: Go grab that Chalk Board Spray Paint again. I did 2 coats. Waited about 20 minutes in between coats. Let it cure again. 24 Hours.

Step 4: Remove tape. Wrap the chalk in a damp paper towel for a second before you write on it so the chalk is soft.

Step 5: Remind your family how awesome you are. Display it for all to see.

Voila!!

That's it. So easy and super cute. I really wish I could find the picture I had seen somewhere. I have no idea. But thanks, random picture, I love it.

It is a great gift idea, I already gave 2 away for birthdays.

Well, it only took 2 years.

2009-06-11T21:21:00.005-06:00

I tend to procrastinate. Just a little.

2 years ago, I bought an armoire from my sister.

She was going to sell it on Craigslist, I needed an armoire.

So I bought it with intentions of painting it and doing all kinds of cute stuff with it.

Then we moved. Like, 3 times or something.

Then I tackled the kitchen cabinet redo. It was a big job.

So I swore off painting anything.

...that only lasted about 2 weeks.

But I swore off painting anything big with a brush.

So I bought a paint sprayer. Which I am totally in love with.

This is the armoire before. It is big. And as a side note, aren't my nieces and nephews the cutest?

I loved the shape, but it was not really my style. I ditched the side pieces (well, I put them in the garage, where they are waiting to be ditched. still.) because I had NO room anywhere for such a big piece.

So I painted it. With the sprayer I purchased for the project, I painted the whole thing in about 40 minutes.

Done.

Then it sat.

For TWO YEARS.

Which actually turned out to be a good thing. I had all kinds of plans for it. And then they kept changing. Color schemes changed a few times, too. Then we bought our new house. It was supposed to be a home for the television in the family room in the basement. But the beast would NOT fit down the stairs and around the corner.

Pooh!

I wasn't willing to get rid of it so it made it's way to the kitchen.

Where it sat. Still unfinished. Until today.

There was a giant hole cut out in the back so that a big TV could fit in there.

Here it is midway. Painted black, sanded a little and needing beadboard. Waiting for curtains and drawers.

I made curtains for the bottom. I put new drawer pulls. And added the bead board. And here is the finished project......

Voila!

Now, all I need is some cut stuff to put in there. I think I am also going to put a shelf in there. I am going garage selling this Saturday, so it should be full of old, new to me, stuff!!!

Feels good to finally have it done.

Windows!

2009-06-03T23:11:00.004-06:00

I know, you have been on the edge of your seat, right?!

I stumbled across what quickly became one of my favorite Blogs... The Shabby Chic Cottage. Gina can seriously transform anything you think is junk into something you wish you could buy. For real.

I have a stack of old windows. I am addicted to them, really. If I see one I cannot pass it up, but I have been needing something fabulous to do with them.

I would give you the play by play tutorial, but it is easier to link you to Gina's tutorial. Go see how to do it HERE. It was really easy. The hardest part was just as she said... the 24 hour waiting period.

Please ignore how smashing I am looking tonight... Why am I in the picture?!

Anyway, I love it!!

Longest 24 hours. Ever.

2009-06-02T18:09:00.002-06:00

OMG.

I just made something really cute.

I can't wait to show you.

But I have to.

My Paint will take 24 hours to cure.

The longest 24 hours.

I have not been this excited since I finished my Vanity, like, a week and a half ago.

Gina, You are FABULOUS.

Pictures and Links tomorrow.

In the meantime, leave me a link to one of your favorite projects.

Anything.

Inspire me.

Fab Floor

2009-05-31T19:36:00.006-06:00

And so easy!!

Here is the room before:

First, I scoured the internet. I had NO IDEA how hard it would be to find Black and White Vinyl tiles. I went to every flooring store in all of Salt Lake County. NOTHING. Lowe's carries it but only at the "midwest" stores. I could have ordered it from them but it was pricey and wold have taken 5-8 weeks to get here. Forget that.

I finally found them at a wholesale website. If I could remember the link I would tell you. So they were a great price, ($9/box, 30 tiles/box) best I could find anywhere. But.... shipping was nuts. The total cost of my tile was about $60. I ordered plenty so that if a tile ever needed to be replaced, I would have plenty left over. Shipping was $100!!! YIKES!!!

They are the peel and stick. Self-adhesive, giant vinyl stickers.

They were here quick, about 5 business days.

Next I tore out the carpet. I did not even break a single fingernail in the process. Which, in my book makes for a very successful project!

Next, just to be sure it stuck well, I primed the floor. I bought a primer at Home Depot. It came in a gallon, I poured it all over the floor and rolled it with a paint roller. Not perfect, just got it on there. In hindsight, I would have done a leveler, which basically levels out your subfloor before you lay your tile. My floor was level, except where the board seams were, they didn't match perfectly, so I wish I would have filled it. But oh well. Not a perfectionist, remember?

Next I laid the tile. I sectioned the room in quarters, finding the middle point and working out.

Peel off the backing, and get it as close and tight to the other tiles.

On edges, I used a piece of paper as a pattern to know how much to cut. Corners, anywhere, make a pattern with paper so it fits snug.

Someday I will lower my baseboards, but not this week.

It took about 30 minutes to lay all the uncut pieces and about 1.5 hours to do all the cut pieces.

I LOVE it. It makes the room.

Vanity and Mirror

2009-05-28T15:31:00.008-06:00

Thanks for being patient (cough Deanna cough... just kidding, hot stuff)!!

So this is the table before:

Step 1: I roughed it up. On the table top, the paint was really peeling and cracking bad, so I completely sanded that. The legs, sides and drawers, I just sanded lightly.

Step 2: Paint. I choose a blue. I used a brush. Wasn't rocket science.

Step 3: Paint 2-3 coats.

Step 4: I brushed a stain on (dark chocolate brown). I brushed it on the entire piece vanity. After I applied everywhere, I wiped off in the order I applied. I did this twice. I wanted it to take better in the grooves.

Step 5: I was bored. It was so solid and so blue. So I was at Joanne's and found some great paper. Since I heart Mod Podge, it was perfect. I made a pattern with regular paper and used it to cut the scrapbooking paper. The drawers were a piece of cake, the front piece was bigger than the paper, so I had to match the paper the best I could. I put a coat of Mod Podge on the front of the vanity, then on the back of the paper and stuck it on. Waited 30 minutes and applied a coat of Mod Podge to the front. I did 3 coats over the top.

Step 6: I VERY LIGHTLY and with a very LIGHT GRIT sand paper, sanded over the paper.

Step 7: I used the same stain over the paper. Wiped it off. 3 times.

Step 8: I used a spray paint poly top coat, sprayed the whole thing.

Vanity: Free (Thanks Grandma Bird)

Paint: $18

Stain: already had a can, couple bucks?

Top Coat: Already had it (everyone should, same with the stain, so handy) $3

Scrapbooking paper: 3 sheets 3/$1

Time: Total, about 2 hours of work. 3 days including waiting and setting times.

Mirror Before:

I painted it with the same Blue paint. Tape it off. Paint 2 coats. Rubbed same stain on. Sprayed Poly spray paint.

Mirror: Free. These mirrors are so easy to find at garage sales and DI, but this was also Grandma Birds.

Paint & Stain: Same from the table, spray paint works awesome on these mirrors though.

Time: 20 minutes.

The Final Products!!! I love them They turned out great!!!

Wait for it....

2009-05-14T18:50:00.003-06:00

Look what I made:

I love it.

It is probably my favorite piece of furniture I have ever refinished. Writing up the How-to tonight.

It'll go up really soon...

Flip-Flops

2009-04-27T10:45:00.006-06:00

This is a fast and easy project. Great for the spring.

Sunny loves flip flops. But hates anything "boring". You have probably made these before, but we have been averaging about a pair a week around here, so I thought I would remind you of the easy project.

We buy our flip flops at JoAnn's. We bought them for 2.99 a pair.

We buy remnants of fabric also at JoAnn's or just use a mix of anything we have laying around at home.

Cut into strips and tie them on in knots. Trim them shorter if you want (Sunny likes hers on the longer side because it looks "crazier").

Emily did a "FLIP-FLOP BIRTHDAY PARTY"and it turned out great. Check it out!

This week I am working on finishing out my hair salon so I will post projects along the way:

Pulling out carpet

painting the floor

possibly laying tile if I don't like the painted floor

painting furniture

installing sinks

shopping my house for fabulous salon decor

See you soon!

Lunch Time: Costco Style

2009-03-31T09:01:00.002-06:00

My kids love samples at Costco. I know I got this idea from somewhere, on the internet, but forgive me for forgetting where. I can't remember but I LOVED the idea. So I copied! And now you can too! My kids love "Costco Lunch" and ask for it probably once a week. It is fun.

When I made this particular lunch, we had just moved in the new house and the only muffin tins I had were the large, 12 cup tin. So we shared. 2 kids to 1 tin.

Sit down, Relax.... Go the bathroom!

2009-03-31T08:13:00.012-06:00

The bathroom of this new house was....well, it was nasty. We had it cleaned but one bathroom, the one that guests would use, was pretty yucky. Nothing paint can't fix, right? None of the bathrooms had towel racks. Just giant holes where a towel rod once was... and was yanked off the wall with great force. Also, all the bathroom cabinets have holes for hardware, but no hardware.

We moved in the house and had 2 weeks to unpack and do some settling so that my in-laws could come stay with my kids while we went to Hawaii. So I had 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS. That is not very much time. To settle in. Do some unpacking. Pack and prepare for a trip. Prepare to leave kids. And? Paint my bathroom cabinets!!!

They were stained at one point, just a boring color. Oak, but a the stain was a dark oak. They did a crappy job. They didn't tape anything off so there is stain on the walls. Which still needs to be touched-up but did I mention I only had 2 weeks?!

Before:

see the oak color? boring. also, see that weird shower head? needs to go, yeah?

See the stain on the wall? TAPE!!!

Painting Cabinets is such an easy way to update a room. I redid our Kitchen in our house in Arizona. It was a much bigger job than the dinky little bathroom, though.

Painting Cabinets:

1. remove doors and drawers (and hardware if you have it)

2. Sand. I just sand lightly. If you sand TOO much than too much of the natural grain is exposed and will show through your paint, which wasn't the look I wanted. Just rough it up good so the paint adheres better

3. Tape off. Don't be silly like the last owner. You don't want people to know you painted them yourself.

4. Paint! I either use a small roller (the 4 inch one) or a brush. In my Kitchen I did acoat of primer. I did not prime this project. Use glossy paint, I use a kitchen/bathroom latex paint... holds up better in the bathroom.

5. Keep Painting. I do 3 coats. I still need to do some touch ups, but... that whole 2 weeks bit.

6. Let the paint set!!! Be patient. You DO NOT want to put things back together pre-maturely. Trust me. I let it set for 2 days. Other wise the paint sticks and peels where the doors and drawers meet the base.

Piece of cake!!!

Now that I am home from Hawaii, I need to do touch-ups... But it looks way better!!

Nice, huh? What a difference!! I just did a chocolate brown. It seemed the most neutral. I like to change my mind on decor a lot, so this was a good color I could do a lot with. I used Brown and green in the decor.

Project #2 for the bathroom:

Towel Rack. I do not have a before picture. But imagine you have a rod hanging on your wall. Now imagine your child hanging from it (if you have kids like mine, that is probably not hard to imagine at all). Now imagine hearing a crashing thud and running into the bathroom to find 2 GIANT holes where your towel rod used to be. And if your imagination is like mine, you also see your child with a very terrified look on his face. Except in reality, it wasn't MY child who tore this particular rod off the wall. But it creates the "Before" visual nicely.

I bought a wooden cupboard door in the "as-is" section of IKEA (Holla!! I love the as-is section. Just projects waiting to happen!!!) for 49 CENTS!!! WOOT!! The hinge was broken. But WHO CARES!!! I was taking the hinges off anyway!

1. Paint the door with the same paint I used on my cabinets

2. Do a second and third coat.

3. Use long wood screws (I used 4, one on each side) to screw it into the wall

4. screw on the hooks (that I also purchased at IKEA, 2/$9.99)

5. Hang your cute new towels that you just found at Target

AFTER:

I did paint over the screws once it was hung, I just took the picture before that.

I also had Ryan switch out that weird alien shower head:

There is a kinda funny glare I see on the Towel Rack. But this is a project blog, not a photography blog so I am going to ignore it.

You could do some distressing on both the cabinets and the towel holder-thingy. I decided not to. Everything I paint I distress, so I decided to let this be. If you want to though, jut sand the edges and rough it up a little. You can do a stain afterward on the areas you sanded.

While we are talking about it, here is a picture of the finished project of my kitchen cabinets. You can do it!! It was fun! And I loved, every time I walked in the kitchen I was so proud of it. Because I did it.

So have fun!!! It is easy!! And MUCH less expensive (and more satisfying) than paying someone else to do it!

Voila!!!

Good News!!

2009-01-22T16:23:00.002-07:00

All of my projects came to a screeching halt when we found out we were going to have to move. But I have good news! We bought a new house!!! And with the new house comes several new projects. First up, I am refinishing cabinets. Again! Because it didn't stink enough the first time! Also, I am finishing all of my almost finished furniture while I have my paint sprayer at work. Plus, we are not moving again, for a VERY LONG time. So I am actually doing things instead of filing away ideas for the house we are gonna live in for a long time. Because after nearly 5 years of trying, we finally got the house we are staying in for a very long time. I have things waiting for me, and I promise I will be a lot less talk and a lot more action.

For now, I pack.

Cookie Sheets

2008-11-19T08:18:00.003-07:00

Sunny and I were trying to think of something fun to make for Christmas Gifts and she insisted on a magnet board like this one I made for the Kitchen. Sunny is ALWAYS taping notes and pictures up on her walls and doors (Grrr...) So she wanted her own magnet board. I promise after this I will do something NON-Magnetic. Since I wasn't going to make the metal ones for friends or cousins or teachers, we found a cheaper route. Sunny loved it because she almost did every bit of it by herself.

Time to Make: about 15 minutes (Not including drying time)

Cost: Around $3.00

What you'll need:

Cookie Sheet (An old one you have on hand or one like this that I bought at the Dollar Store)

Scrapbook Paper (2 sheets)

Magnets

Magnet Fronts (You could do glass magnets like THESE or I used Scrapbooking thingy's. Embellishments? I don't know what they are called...)

Modge Podge

Paint

Glue (not pictured, but you'll need it)

Foam Brush

First paint the edges. We used Tan and then Sunny decided she wanted a darker brown. I didn't have dark brown acrylic paint but I did have spray paint. So we spray painted the edges, which was way faster and easier. Just paint the parts that won't be covered in paper.

Here is Sunny making her magnets. We just put a drop of glue on the back of the flowers and she pressed it on. Not too much glue.

I prefer Aleene's Tacky Glue because it is strong stuff. It is my favorite when I am out of E6000.

Make the magnets while your paint dries. Cut the paper the correct width, then round the corners of the paper a little. Spread a layer of the Mod Podge on the back of your paper. Stick them onto the cookie sheet, try matching the paper where it overlaps. I let Sunny do the Mod Podge, so it wasn't totally straight, but I am going to try to be okay with that :)

Here is Sunny with her project completed. She was SO PROUD. It was really easy. She is excited to make some more. We are making a BYU one for Ethan, a University of Utah one for Tyler and a camo one for Calvin.

Today I think I will Glue Ribbon on the back of the cookie sheet to hang it from.

Have Fun!

In the meantime.

2008-11-03T15:33:00.005-07:00

My time has been filled with time consuming projects that are not cute. But some other things have required all or my spare time. So while you wait for a "fresh" project here are some random projects.

Some cheap decorating ideas:

In our guest room, I could barely afford a decent new mattress and box springs but wanted a cute head board. I found these great shutter doors (they were old closet doors that my sister-in-law removed and was throwing away. Throwing away! I took them. I didn't know what I was going to do with them, just that I was going to do something. So they are my new headboard. I need to paint over the nails near the top. Someday I might paint them and distress them. But for now, this is it.

Also, since I am cheap. I found the chair next to the bed in the IKEA "as-is" section. I love this section. The chair was almost $15.00. It is a ladder-back chair. Except in this room it is not a chair, it is a bedside table. I draped an extra blanket over the back of the chair. I love this chair. I wouldn't like it much as a chair, but I love it as a table. I have a bit of a chair fetish. One cannot ever have enough cool, old, mismatched chairs.

Another Cheap decorating idea:

I bought these clocks at IKEA for $9.99. I cut the letters in Vinyl and made a fun wall.

I did work on this project this week, I know it does you absolutely no good until next Halloween but it was a project this week!

I just bought a black sweatsuit. Pearly White paint and a tube of glow-in-the-dark paint. I used chalk to draw on the bones then painted them with the pearly white. After the white dried I outlined it with the glow-in-the-dark.

I have some other projects lined up. I will get them posted more frequently, I promise! I will get the table up next.

Waiting for my paint to dry!

2008-10-11T18:03:00.001-06:00

I am in the middle of making some stuff. Paint needs to dry so I can finish and I will be back!

You guys are sooo funny! :) I am actually refinishing a table. That takes time, ya know!?! Like, a whole pay period ;)

Give me a link to something you made and I will post that while I refinish.

Stick Your Cute Magnets Here

2008-10-02T19:57:00.001-06:00

So I showed you cute magnets. I mentioned I would show you something you could stick them to. I keep seeing cute framed sheet metal. It is always REALLY pricey though. So I made this one.

I like it, but I bought the frame at Michael's and would have preferred a chunkier wood frame. That I could paint myself and distress and stuff. But this is cute for now. I think I will hit D.I. or Goodwill and find a big chunky wooden frame to replace this one eventually. If you do buy it at Michael's or JoAnn's wait until the frames are 50% OFF or you have a 50% off coupon.

What You'll Need:

Sheet Metal (I wanted big, so mine is the pre-cut from Home Depot in 36 x 24)

A frame (that fits whatever size your sheet metal is)

Ribbon or any other embellishments you want

This is easy. Just remove the glass and back of the frame.

Next, you can tie ribbon around if you want.

Put the sheet metal in. Handle the sheet metal carefully. With gloves if you are smart. I got a nasty giant cut. Think Paper Cut with sheet metal. Put the back of the frame back on.

That's It! How easy is that??? Voila!

Other Ideas:

Like I mentioned, I think it would be way cuter in a better frame. I just didn't have one handy.

Also, if you had a flat frame (one that perhaps you made yourself) you could decoupage the frame.

You could get tall skinny frames, 2 or 3, and hang them next to each other.

Have Fun!

Hang On!

2008-10-01T09:34:00.000-06:00

I am coming, I have 2 projects to post but the batteries in my camera died. I just need to take after pictures of the finished stuff. So I am gonna run to the store today and I will get them up!

A Family Favorite

2008-09-24T19:20:00.000-06:00

Cooking is a "project", right? I think so.

This is a family favorite. My kids LOVE Omelet night.

I got this tip from my sister Katie in an email a long time ago. I have NO idea who she got it from and who that person got it from and so I do not know who to give credit to. But the idea? Brilliant.

I will just copy the photos I got in the email. And thank the nameless hands in the photo.

These are AWESOME when you are camping. And the clean up, whether in the Kitchen or the campground is easy-peasy.

Enjoy!

ZIPLOC OMELET

Start a big pot of water boiling.

You will need FREEZER Ziploc bags. The Freezer part is muy importante because of the double zipper. You will want these or the omelet will get wet. Ew.

Crack 2 eggs into the ziploc bag. Right into it. Then Squish the eggs so they mix up.

Add your Junk.

Here are some ideas:

Cheese, Cooked Bacon or Sausage (or both!), hash browns (cook them first), onions, tomatoes, ham, salsa, Ryan and I like zucchini in ours, whatever you want.

Add in the junk and then squish it up to mix it together.

Put it in the Water.

Boil them for 13 MINUTES.

Take it out and eat it.

We like to do "Omelet Parties". Just use a magic marker to write each persons' name on the bag, so everyone can personalize their omelet and not get them mixed-up. You can cook about 6-8 (there are 7 in our family and it works great with all of them at once) in a large pot.

Ryan and I LOVE Veggie omelets. Cheese, zucchini, onions, tomatoes topped with fresh homemade salsa.

So Good. You can thank me later. Or now.

Magnets

2008-09-22T22:40:00.000-06:00

These are really easy. I like cute magnets. Who doesn't like cute magnets?

What you need:

Flat Glass Marbles (you can usually find them at any craft store, sometimes by floral stuff)

scrapbook paper

magnets

E6000 glue

Trace the flat glass marble onto the scrapbook paper. Use a dab of glue on the glass to stick the paper. Then a dab of glass onto the back for the magnet. Let them dry!

I use glass flat thingy's that are big, about the size of a silver dollar. If you can find the smaller ones, the perfectly round ones that are the size of normal marbles, you can by a circle punch (like for scrapbooking) that is about the right size and faster than cutting. If ya wanna...

You can use scrapbook paper, photos, stickers on scrapbook paper. There are lots of ways to do it. You can use scrapbook paper and put vinyls letters of initials. Be Creative!

Another idea is Drawer Pulls. You can buy wood round pulls at Home Depot or Lowe's. Paint them, sand them, stain them and glue a magnet to them!!!

Soon, I will show you what I made to stick the magnets on!

Kid-made Stuffed Friends

2008-09-19T14:18:00.001-06:00

Ever wonder where you could get a Pokemon like this:

Or a friend to cuddle like her?

This is a fun, easy project your kids will love. At my home, these projects have been named and are now my kids favorite friends.

Supplies:

Fabric Markers, Muslin, Stuffing (cost under $10)

Begin by taping the fabric to the table and let your kids go to work.

Then, cut out the shapes leaving at least 1/4 inch for seam allowance. Like this:

Then, lay the art work face down on another piece of Muslin and cut another piece of fabric the same size. (My kids worried about this when they saw their artwork upside down- they thought I was doing it wrong). Sew the pieces together leaving an opening to turn it right side out.

Stuff and hand-stitch closed.

And the end result... happy kids, fun toys.

Tutu Tutorial

2008-09-19T09:35:00.000-06:00

I have mentioned on my other blog that my daughter Sunny likes to dress fancy. Fancy always includes a Tutu. We make them often so we have plenty around when she has girlfriends over to play dress-up. She has enough laying around that she can even send them home with her girlfriends. I think she sends them home with friends so that she has an excuse to make a new one. They are easy, but a little more time consuming.

Cost: $10 at the most

Time: About 90 minutes

The cost totally depends on where you buy your tulle, how many colors you want and if you have a coupon. JoAnn's usually has tulle for $1.99 a yard. So $10 might be high. You will need about 2-3 yards total, depending on how full you want it. I usually buy 2 yards of each color because then I can cut all at once and then I save the leftover strips for the next Tutu.

What you'll Need:

Tulle (it looks best with 2-3 colors), Little girls stretchy headbands, Optional: ribbon and Buttons

Fold the tulle as evenly as you can lengthwise and cut into strips. When you buy the tulle, it is folded, for Sunny's shorty body I cut that in half (does that make any sense?) the fold it over and over and cut about 1.5-2 inch strips. You might have some uneven, but it won't be noticed, especially by your grateful 5 year old.

I put each color in a grocery sack. Especially because I like to cut lots of extra strips, keeps the mess down. When I am done, I can just store the sacks someplace.

Next, get comfy, it takes a little time to tie them on. You might also want a soda.

Next, now this one is really important. You want a good chick flick. This is a requirement on most projects. This one was P.S. I Love You. Since Sunny was helping me we ended up changing the movie quickly to Never Been Kissed. She is so my daughter.

Get a chair and put the headband around the chair back. The cute little girl should be included. This is best done in two's. (Or more if your family was lucky enough to be graced by several little women)

Next, and these instructions are very technical, you want to fold the strip in half and do that thing where you loop it around the headband and loop the ends through the folded side of the strip. Ha! I know that made no sense, look up at that picture. Does that help? You can also just tie knots but I find that to make them EXTRA-out-of-control poofy.

I do about 3 of each color and make a pattern of whichever colors you want. Since the chair back is probably bigger than your daughter's waist (unless, are you making this for yourself? if you are, that's okay, I won't judge you. I have one that is perfect for when I wash windows and wipe bums.) I suggest spacing them a little. If you push them too close together then it doesn't "unstretch" and the waist will be big.

While your tying them on, your 6 year old son may want to help, or just play. He will want a few strips. Go ahead and give them to him. It will keep him busy for a very long time.

Look how busy (and creative!) he stayed.

Now this step is totally optional. We like to tie ribbon throughout the tutu. Makes it "fancier". I usually use 1 inch ribbon but this was on sale for 19 cents! Woot! Skinny ribbon it is. Also if you bought some cute flower buttons, you can tie them on the bottom of the ribbon. Just adds to the fancy. We didn't do it. You can also tie little knots in the bottom of each piece of tulle for a more pixie looking tutu... think tinkerbell.

This next step is also totally optional. I wrap ribbon around the waistband because it makes it a little less itchy around the waist. Use 1 or 1.5 inch ribbon and wrap it around the waist. Tie a knot to start and wrap around the knot. Leave a tail when you begin and at the end. If you run out of ribbon, tie a knot and start a new ribbon to cover the knot.

Tie a bow when you are done. I like my bow a little longer but I ran out of ribbon.

This one turned out SUPER POOFY. Sunny thinks poofy makes it fancier. If you don't want it so poofy, just tie less on.

Ugh, why won't this photo stay turned the right direction?? Oh well, sigh.

Voila! Get Fancy!

OTHER IDEAS:

Make a black and yellow one to dress up an extra cute bee costume for halloween! Or black and orange for a very cute witch. These are great for Halloween costumes or birthday gifts!!!

Edited to Add: Another way you could do them is to fold a piece of Tulle in half and sew a casing and slide ribbon or elastic through, but before you sew the casing, put flower pedals in the bottom. Thanks for the tip, Katie!

Decoupaged Canvases

2008-09-18T08:50:00.000-06:00

I posted a picture of these this week over on my Family Blog and had lots of people ask me how to make them.

I am almost embarrassed to tell you since it is so easy. I bought my Canvas at Michael's, it was on sale this week for $1.99 for a 8 x 10. I prefer an even square, but that wasn't on sale. You can find them online for pretty inexpensive (and they have square ones) if you need a lot of them.

Cost: $3-$5 per canvas

Time Required: 10 Minutes (it is that easy) per canvas

What you'll need:

Canvas, scrapbook paper (of your choice), Mod Podge, Paint (color that coordinates with your paper) and a Foam Brush.

First, Paint your Canvas. The edge and about 1/2 inch (or more if you let your sweet daughter help) on the top.

Next, I use the (dry) canvas as a pattern. I trace the canvas. When I cut the paper, I cut just inside of the line. If you want your paper to wraparound the edge a little, then leave it, I don't.

Next, Apply Mod Podge (with the foam brush) to the canvas. I apply pretty liberally to the canvas. Then apply a THIN coat to the back of the paper. Using a light touch, just smooth out the paper on the canvas. Be sure to smooth the edges well.

LET IT DRY about 15 min. I made 6 at a time. So by the time I applied the paper to each canvas they were dry enough to apply the next coat of Mod Podge. Apply another coat of Mod Podge across the top of the paper and canvas.

And your done! Voila!

HELPFUL HINTS:

Before you apply the Final Mod Podge coat, make sure the first is pretty dry or you can get bubbles.

If you get bubbles, I read somewhere (?) that you can use a blow dryer AFTER IT IS COMPLETELY DRY and i will help the bubbles go down. But if you are patient and smooth the paper on well and let it dry, you should be fine.

OTHER IDEAS:

You don't have to use Scrapbook Paper. You can use photos or fabric too!!! I LOVE the scrapbook paper that is heavily textured it looks really cool.

My finished project:

Have Fun! Let me know how it goes or if you have questions!

My friend Lee made some canvases with photos. They turned out awesome!!!

Next Up: A Tutu-Tutorial

Ghetto Fabulous Crayons

2008-09-18T08:47:00.002-06:00

So some of you asked about the crayons....Thanks for asking!

If you are anything like me, and hopefully you are not TOO much like me because if you are... sorry. But, we have a million broken crayons. VERY few whole crayons. Most of them are missing the paper wrapper. Some are not. Either way our crayon collection is pretty ghetto. And not in the fabulous way.

So we make them new fabulous crayons. I keep saying the word fabulous because Sunny actually calls them fabulous. Every time the color changes she says "Oh my goodness this is fabulous". Thank you Miss Fancy Nancy for making my daughters vocabulary so extensive. (Side note: Today she learned that Plume is a fancy word for feathers. How stinking cute is that???) If you have a daughter, you really need some Fancy new books. Anyway, where was I? Oh, right... crayons.

So every once and awhile we collect all of our broken down crayons in a bowl, along with a box or two of new crayons. We sit and talk about stuff (sometimes we talk about The Bachelorette, to each their own...) while we unwrap the crayons. Sunny loves this part. She loves when she finally gets the whole wrapper off. She does one while I do the other 29. Cutie. Then we break them all, she also thinks this is fun. My boys especially love this part. Not only are they allowed to break stuff, but I am asking them to. Break each crayon (if it is whole) into maybe 3 or 4 pieces. Watch Finn though, he eats those little bite size Crayola pieces.

Next I usually do this part really carefully. This batch though I let Sunny have free reign, which honestly I ought to let her do more often, they aren't my crayons after all. Anyway, when I do it I like to mix the oranges, yellows and reds in one crayon. The blues, greens and yellows in another. You get the idea. But Sunny likes to put a little of this and a little of that and a little Pink in every.single.one. Just for good measure. Actually it was probably to make sure the boys wouldn't WANT this batch. Sneaky girl... So we used mini muffin tins this time. Somewhere in a cupboard I have some cute tins I have collected at various stores, mostly Hobby Lobby and Michael's, that are airplanes and hearts and Easter eggs and junk like that.

Pile the broken crayons in the tins, you can pile them in good, a little taller than the tin if you want because they shrink. Mix them however you want. I put them in the oven at 350 or 400 depending on how late it is. It only takes about 5 minutes so keep a close eye. They will melt until they are totally liquid. Then you take them out of the oven and set them on the stove top or somewhere away from where little hands can reach and let them cool. For awhile, I usually make them and night and the are hardened by morning. Pop them out, it's easy since they are wax. Be sure to have some coloring books on hand and some good shows on DVR because once they start coloring my kids will color for a very long time!

And there you have Ghetto Fabulous Crayons!!

So, out of curiosity, how do you pronounce Crayon? I know the proper way (at least it is MY proper way) but be honest, do you say it fancy like Cray-yawn or do you say it a little more ghetto like Cren. Bet you can't guess how I say it.... Here is a clue... My English stinks, just ask my Father-in-law. I can't get no wronger.