a little of this, a little of that

DIY {Frozen} Hair!

2015-03-02T14:55:00.000-06:00

I finished a fun project last week, while Dallas was snowed and iced in!

This takes right at an hour to make. So, pretty quick and easy! My kind of project.

Supplies:

White yarn

Silver Yarn

Scissors

"Snow" accessories (to glue on)

Glue Gun

How To:

First up, this is the yarn I used. Both are from Wal-Mart

I love the silvery sparkles!

Then, decide on a length. I know Elsa's hair isn't super long, but little Miss E wanted looooong Elsa hair. So, mine is pretty long. About 40 inches. If you want to make it look more like the movie, just make it (quite a bit) shorter.

Start cutting that yarn!

Here is how I cut mine....

My oldest would pull the string, and I would cut it. I cut up the ENTIRE spool of yarn. I wanted my braid to be nice and thick.

And keep cutting....

Repeat the same process for the silver yarn.

Now you are ready to braid. Simply divide your yarn into three sections, and tie it together with a piece of string.

Start braiding!

To finish off the braid, just tie it all together with a string, like you did at the top.

To make it a "crown" that will sit on their head, simply wrap it around your little one's head to get an idea of where to glue it together. I wanted mine a little snug. The yard will stretch a little with wear, so make it a little snugger than you think.

Glue the end of your braid to spot you just measured/marked.

Then, to make it extra secure, wrap string around the part where the braid connects to the "crown" several times, and tie it off. This will keep it from coming undone!

Next up, glue on any snowflakes or sparkles you have. I found both mine in the button section at Wal-Mart.

Done!

Seriously so cute, right?!

Playroom {Makeover}

2015-01-28T12:06:00.002-06:00

I mentioned here that our playroom has long been a huge collection of toys. Some organization, but mostly chaos!

I've been trying to change that with a few projects, like my DIY Industrial Dress-up Storage, and our awesome Lego Table.

Well, I finally tackled the whole room. I'll give you a run down of what I changed, and maybe you can get some inspiration for your own space!

ART CENTER

First up, I created an art center for my oldest, Miss J. She loves to craft, and that means that my house is a constant mess, in every room.

Her table is the exact same table I used for our Lego Table. It's the IKEA Ingo Dining Table. I spray painted it white, and sealed it well. For a tutorial on painting and sealing furniture, check out this post!

Don't you love the white art cart I found at IKEA? Can you tell I love that place?

It seriously holds so much stuff- and looks super cute!

And can we just admire those curtains? LOVE. THEM.

I also grabbed a lazy susan at IKEA, and some cute metal buckets to create this spinning supply station. Cute, right?!

My child is seriously the queen of tape, so a sturdy wooden tape dispenser was also needed.

WALL DECOR

I found these awesome wood letters (which are HUGE!) at Hobby Lobby. After giving them a quick coat of shiny gold spray paint, they were ready for our {new} playroom!

I transformed our "stage" area with some gold dots from Walls Need Love. This was BY FAR the easiest project in this room. I just kind of randomly stuck them on.

Was going for a "confetti" look. Because you know, our playroom is party central!

STORAGE CABINETS

Those storage cabinets also got a makeover. They were a boring brown. I painted them Sherwin Williams Gauntlet Gray. About 3 shades darker than my walls. I love how they turned out!

To add the numbers to the bins, I just cut out some vinyl. As seen in this post!

ps-the old vinyl numbers I had on there have lasted for the last 3 years!

DRESS UP CENTRAL

We also have the dress up corner.

I LOVE this plastic dresser thing from Target. It holds SO MUCH. Because all you moms know that dress up stuff can get out of control-real fast!

Got all the princess shoes. Lined up!

PLAYHOUSE

The last piece of our playroom to get a makeover was our playhouse. I painted the outside Rich Navy, by Benjamin Moore. And then I spray painted the roof gold.

Because it needed a little glamour!

Love those gold shingles!

This beloved structure is here to stay.

Literally, because it's so heavy and big. And figuratively, because it's Miss J's doctor office!

(a peek inside....)

I think that about wraps up our playroom makeover!

Thanks for stopping by!

DIY {Industrial} Dress Up Storage

2015-01-08T14:42:00.001-06:00

Starting off the new year with lots of organizational projects! First up, for me, is tackling our playroom. It has long been a catch all toy room.

My goal is to get it organized, and cute to boot!

I started with our dress up center. It's long overdue for a cute place to hang stuff.

This is CRAZY easy y'all. It only took about 30 minutes to make!

Supplies Needed

(2) 48" Galvanized pipes

(1) 36" Galvanized pipe

(2) 90 degree galvanized elbow joints

(2) Galvanized floor flanges

(4) Caster wheels (optional)

(1) Wood board, at least 48" wide (depth is up to you-I went with 16")

Wood screws

Drill

Spray Paint

Supply Pictures

Just in case you are wondering what any of this looks like!

How To

First up, clean those pipes. They are SUPER grimy. I used CLR, with gloves on, to get them nice and clean.

Next, sand the edges of that board!

Then, give it a few light coats of spray paint.

While the paint is drying, lay out your galvanized pipe pieces.

It should look like this at the corners:

Just screw the pipes together at the corners, and then add the floor flanges.

At this point, stand up your pipes, and center them on the board.

Use your wood screws, and secure the flanges.

After you have screwed in both flanges, carefully lay your board on it's side and attach your metal casters.

I LOVE these wheels. They are super cute.

Guess what? That's it!

Love the industrial look!

Thanks for stopping by!

I Know My Savior Lives {Printables}

2014-11-30T22:55:00.002-06:00

This year in Primary, the theme will be "I Know My Savior Lives".

I whipped some binder covers for our Primary, and thought I would share!

Let me know if you have any trouble opening the files. Enjoy!

GO HERE to Download now!

Mermaid Tail {Tutorial}

2014-10-23T13:26:00.000-05:00

For Emma's 3rd birthday, I knew I wanted to have mermaid tails for party favors!

Finding a good tutorial or how-to on how to make them = not happening!

I'm here to fix that!

These sequined tails are full of girlie goodness. The mermaid in your life will LOVE this tail.

Supplies Needed

1 yard of sequin fabric (I found mine at JoAnn's)
1 yard of coordinating cotton for back (I bought the cheapest cotton they had)
55" of 1 inch wide satin ribbon
Scissors
Pins
Sewing Machine
Mermaid Tail pattern (download below!!)

Directions

First up, print your pattern and cut it out!

It is 4 pages long, and should look like this when printed and taped together.

(Download here!)

Fold your fabric in half length wise, and lay your pattern on top.

Should look like this:

Ignore my ugly pattern....I used scrap paper to make it!

MAKE SURE you line up your pattern on the FOLD of the fabric.

Cut out BOTH the sequin fabric and the cotton backing.

The fabric will look like this after cut and unfolded.

After you have cut both fabrics, pin them RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER.

Pin all the way around the tail, leaving a small gap in the top of the tail for turning.

Sew around the entire tail, leaving a small gap to turn.

Turn tail right side out and PRESS. Don't get your iron too hot, or you will melt the sequins. A good press will make the tail lay nice and flat!

Now it's time to close up the gap AND add the ribbon. I'm all about combining steps!

Pin your ribbon across the top of the tail, making sure to close the gap with the pins.

Top stitch the ribbon to the tail on all four sides of the ribbon.

Guess what? Tie on that tail, and DONE!

Notes: The length of this tail is perfect for the 3-4 year old crowd. It brushes the bottom of the floor for my tall 7 year old, but doesn't drag. Lengthen or shorten the pattern as needed!

A few cute girlies enjoying their party favors!

Mermaid Tail Pattern

DOWNLOAD HERE!

Linking up here

Mermaid Birthday Party!

2014-10-05T21:19:00.003-05:00

Little Miss Emma turned 3 in July!

(can you believe I'm just now blogging about it?!)

Her current obsession is all things mermaid. A mermaid party it was!

We started out with a few simple games. This is for a 3 year old crowd, after all!

This one was "Feed the shark!"

It was a ball toss game. They just had to throw the ball in the shark's mouth!

The second was "Pin the tail on the mermaid"

(which I forgot to take a picture of!)

After that, it was time for food and cake!

Emma wanted a "fancy cake". This was all I was up for making this year, having a brand new baby!

Ombre rosettes, and a glittery number 3,

Here she is, blowing out the candles on big number 3!

The rest of the food followed our under the sea theme.

Ocean "Jelly" was a huge hit. Kids love jello. It's a fact!

Rice crispies are a fave of Miss E, so we had to have those.

Layered "mermaid" cakes were fun too. Just layered cupcake pops.

We had chocolate AND vanilla. Trying to please everyone!

Love how these "clam" cookies turned out. So cute!

We also had dipped pretzels (another Miss E request).

For party favors, I made all the girl's sparkly mermaid tails and starfish wands!

CLICK HERE for the Full Tail tutorial!

The starfish wands are simple to made. Find large starfish at your craft store, and hot glue on some ribbon and a dowel rod! Easy.

Almost forgot about the cookies. What party is complete without AMAZING sugars cookies?

Aren't these beautiful? So cute.

In all, an awesome birthday for our spunky and fun Miss Emma.

Linking up here

{Frozen} Necklace Tutorial

2014-08-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

Do you have a little one OBSESSED with the movie Frozen?

Oh good, I'm not alone!

For an upcoming Frozen Birthday bash, we needed some fun party favors.

Here's a full tutorial on how to make them!

First up, gather your supplies!

Everything was purchased at my local Hobby Lobby and Michael's.

The images for the bottle caps were purchased here.

First up, punch a hole in your bottle caps.

This tool made it very easy!

Add your jump ring.

(they have a little slit in them where you can pull it apart)

Now, use your 1 inch paper punch to cut out your images.

Carefully peel off your Epoxy Stickers, and place on top of your cut out images.

Now, glue them to your bottle caps.

A small dab of glue will do.

Here's a shot of mine all glued on.

The picture of Olaf on the beach is one of my favorites!

Cut your ball chain (with regular old scissors), to the length you want.

I did 24" chains.

Add your chain to your bottle cap, and you are DONE!

Linking up at I Heart Naptime!

Pink + Gold + Navy Nursery

2014-07-17T14:00:00.003-05:00

This little lady joined our family in May. We are so happy to finally have her here!

Her nursery was so fun to put together. I knew I wanted it to be pretty girly, and a little glam. Here's how it turned out!

Love this rocking chair SO much. Definitely the most comfortable rocker I've ever had!

The wallpaper wall behind the crib was QUITE the project. I could have never done it without my mom! She has serious wallpaper skills left over from the 80's!

Such a fun accent wall.

Close up of the gold. It's pretty shimmery!

I went with navy, pink, and gold for the whole room. really like how it came together!

The changing table/dresser is actually a dining room buffet. Probably my favorite piece in the whole room.

The drapes were an adventure for sure! I knew I wanted an acrylic rod, but finding the right hardware to hang it up was seriously really hard.

I do love the acrylic though!

To fill in the empty corner, I made a few tissue pons. Love the gold paper I found.

And last, that awesome light fixture. Love it! Very girly, and very glam.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up here.

DIY {Lego} Table

2014-06-18T17:06:00.001-05:00

For little man's 5th birthday, he got a few Lego sets. He was in love.

We then inherited a rather....large collection of Legos from a neighbor.

It took about 1 day of me stepping on teeny tiny pieces to decide I had to do something to organize it all!

Thus, the DIY Lego Table!

This table was super easy to make.

Really, if I can build this, so can you!

Supplies Needed

IKEA Ingo Dining Table
IKEA Trofast buckets (I got the medium sized ones)
Jigsaw
Drill with spade bit
Sandpaper
Spray Paint
Clear Sealant

How To

First step-assemble that table!

Next, decide how many buckets you want. I decided on two, going horizontal.

(I felt like going vertical took up too much table space)

I carefully measured out where on the table I wanted my buckets. I used a straight-edged level to make sure my rectangles were perfect.

If you are doing this exact project, here are your measurements:

Each rectangle is 15.75" across, and 10.25 inch tall
I measured in 4" from the side of the table
I measured 2.25" from the top of the table.

Here's an awesome diagram for you visual learners.

Next up, cut out those rectangles.

Use your spade drill bit (you can buy one at any hardware store) to make a hole, up near one of the corners. This is how you will start your cut with the jigsaw.

Next, use your jigsaw to cut out the rectangles, following the lines you previously drew. It's ok if they are not exact!

Here are my rectangles, pre-sanding, and painting.

Sand the edges when you are done.

Now, spray paint (if you want). I wasn't a huge fan of the pine look.

I finished it off with a clear (non-yellowing) sealant.

Drop in the bins, and fill with Legos!
(those bins hold A TON of Legos)

Here it is, getting some use.

To actually build stuff on, I ordered gray 15x15 baseplates from Amazon to glue to the table. I needed three to fill the width of the table.

I used superglue to attach them.

Here they are, attached to the table.

All done!

Many creations have already been made....

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up here

{Boys} Superhero Room Tour

2014-04-25T14:49:00.001-05:00

I've been so bad about sharing finished projects lately! This is another one that has been done for a LONG time!

Here's a before shot of my little man's room.....

Not much to look at! Just furniture, and messy toys all over. Typical of a boys room.

He has a really cool nook in his room, which wasn't being used at all.

As we talked about what he wanted, he told me that he really wanted a superhero room.

The inspiration for the room originally started with these pillows:

I loved the vintage feel. They were superhero-ish without being too character-ish. Does that even make sense?

I was totally on board with giving him a "superhero room" but didn't want it to be cartoony. So, we came up with this!

Here's the new room!

(new, as in, it's been done for 6+ months!!)

I was able to utilize that nook much better by turning it into a reading and project area.

He loves to sit there and "do stuff".

I jumbo clips above the table are the best. They can display quite a few of his endless projects!

Love this white cabinet and world map above it. Little man is fascinated with maps currently.

This map is actually vinyl, made up of a million little dots. It's pretty cool, but was definitely a two person job to put up.

Here's how this side of the room flows together.

Other side of the room:

Probably his very favorite thing in the room is the light up arrow above his bed.

He uses it as his night light.

To keep with the non-cartoony theme, we found these awesome prints!

Little man picked them out, and I must say they are pretty fun.

We have all the important heroes.....Thor & Captain America

Little Man's personal favorite, Iron Man.

And the Hulk.

What really makes this space distinct is the sputnik light fixture.

Can you believe I found it at Lowes? And for a super decent price too!

I've shopped around for a fixture like this for a while, but most of the ones I found were super pricey. Not this one! It even came with all the vintage bulbs-which are the expensive part to buy!

It was so fun putting this room together. Little man loves having his own boy space, away from all his sisters!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up here

Ninja Birthday Party!

2014-04-09T10:08:00.001-05:00

My little man is 5.

Five!

It's such a cliche, but I can't believe how big he is!

To celebrate this big day, he wanted a Ninja Party! After much pinterest searching, we came up with some pretty fun stuff.

Ninja Balloons.

As soon as I showed him these, we had to make some.

Sneaky ninja balloons....

Food

This was so easy to make-the birthday boy and his sisters actually did it!

Rice Krispy bars, swedish fish, and fruit roll ups. Hardly healthy, but oh so cute!

They were a hit. Not one left after the party!

We also had to have cake pops. Little man's favorite.

Presented "asian style".

I found these appetizer spoons, filled them with red sprinkles to give a little contrast, and there ya go. Fancy!

Another great pinterest idea was dipped fortune cookies.

Super easy to make.

There was lots of other food too, but this was the "ninja style" food.

Drinks

(I use the same water proof bottle labels for all my parties-printable at home! Get them here)

And of course, there was cake!

I would love to take credit for this, but I found someone local to make this!

The birthday boy thought it was SO. COOL.

Games

We had some pretty fun games too!

The Laser Course was a hit.

The kiddos went through it over and over and over.

Laser Course

Every ninja can chop wood, right? A few boards of balsa wood from Hobby Lobby made this super fun!

Wood Chopping

Party Favors

Our guests had fun take out boxes filled with ninja goodies to take home.

The Dollar Tree is the best place to find awesome favors!

And can I just point out those AMAZING sugar cookies? They are seriously so tasty, and so cool looking!

Each box had one it in. They taste even better than they look!

Love the ninja stars.

Such a fun party. The birthday boy loved every minute of it!

Decorating a Two Story Wall

2014-02-26T09:30:00.000-06:00

Do you ever have a design dilemma that you just can't figure out? I've had one for the last year!

What in the world should I do with this 22 foot wall in my living room?

This has seriously bugged me for over a year! I have spent a lot of time researching a good way to decorate the space, without spending tons of money. No easy task when you are dealing with a 15 ft x 22 foot wall.

Well, somehow I stumbled on the a company called Fretworks Designs. Basically they design and make large MDF panels for walls or furniture.

Since my space was so large, they helped me design 4 panels to fit just perfect. They have lots of non-custom options though.

Enough blabbing. Here are the panels, and my design dilemma is now solved!

They perfectly fill the space, and I no longer have a ginormous blank wall staring at me constantly!

Just to give you an idea of how large this wall is-each of those panels is 6 feet tall!

The pattern I chose was "Homewood".

I wanted something simple, and classic feeling. I don't want to change my mind about liking them in another year!

It was quite a task to actually install these panels-let me tell ya!

But it's done, and it's one more project checked off the to do list.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up here

Triple Heart {Valentine} Wreath

2014-02-04T13:33:00.000-06:00

I've been in a crafty mood lately. More so than usual!

I realized I didn't have a V-Day Wreath, so I searched for a cute idea. I love the one over at The Idea Room. Problem was, one little heart looked ridiculously small on my door.

So, I tripled it!

This tutorial is SUPER easy, folks. Especially for how cute it turns out!

Supplies needed:

12", 8" & 4" foam heart shaped wreath form

1 yard of felt for EACH wreath

Straight pins (I used about 350 total)

Scissors

Ribbon

How to:

Start by cutting out 3" felt circles. Just use a cup to trace them on the felt.

I used approximately 175 circles for the large heart, 125 for the medium, and 100 for the small.

Fold your felt in half twice (to get 4 layers), and the cutting will go MUCH faster!

After you have finished cutting out ALL those circles, pin them on!

Start by folding one circle in half.

Fold in half again.

Looks like this from the top:

Stick a straight pin through all four layers, at the point of your fold.

Pin that to your wreath!

There is no "right" way to pin them on. Do it randomly-you can group them close together for a super full look, or far apart for a more ruffly look.

I did mine close together. I like the super full look.

LOVING this ruffly goodness. My kiddos couldn't stop running their hands over them as I worked!

One you have covered all 3 wreaths, it's time to put them together.

Cut a short piece of ribbon, and use pins to attach the ribbon to the bottom/top of each wreath.

Not complicated, right?

Same for the ribbon up top. Use pins to secure it to your largest wreath form.

Now, you are done!

Linking up here!

No Rise (Quick & EASY) Cinnamon Rolls

2014-01-27T09:48:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just forget to get breakfast started the night before! My kiddos seem to always want things that take overnight to rise.

For the mornings you forget, or just run short on time, these cinnamon rolls are DELISH. You would never know they were a "short cut" recipe!

Ingredients

Dough
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk

Filling
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tbs milk (depending on how thick you like your glaze)
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F.

For the filling, in a small bowl combine softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to form a crumbly mixture.

Sprinkle 1/2 of the mixture over the bottom of a 9x9 pan.

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut in softened butter and mix until well combined.

Stir in milk to form a soft dough.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
Spread the remaining filling on the rolled out dough.

Roll up the rectangle and with a sharp knife slice into 12 rolls.

Place them in the pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

For glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

Once rolls are finished, drizzle on glaze and serve warm.

ENJOY!

Linking up here!
and Huckleberry Love

Recipe adapted from Food.com

How to {shave} your Area Rug

2014-01-21T13:26:00.000-06:00

Hey there! I have the BEST tip to pass on to you today!

I showed you here and here some of the things I had been working on in our upstairs living room.

See that gorgeous green rug? I seriously LOVE. IT. Great color, great texture, and durable enough to stand up to my rowdy bunch!

After having the rug about 6 months, it was starting to fuzz up. Most people would probably never even notice, but it was driving me super crazy. It just looked ratty.

So, I ordered a fabric shaver-it didn't help. It would "kind of" pick up some of the fuzz.

I realized I needed something to actually SHAVE off the fuzzy stuff.

Enter my hubby's hair clippers.

I didn't use any of the attachments, just the straight up blade.

These are cheap-o hair clippers from Wal-Mart. Nothing fancy.

I gently skimmed the top of my rug. Don't push down! Just skim it across.

NOTE: This is an indoor/outdoor rug with a flat weave. I wouldn't recommend this for a rug with a super plush pile.

That said, here's a little before and after!!

BEFORE

AFTER

Can you believe how different it looks?

It seriously looks BRAND NEW again. So pleased!

This is what it looked like in progress. Fuzz EVERYWHERE.

Master Bedroom {Tour}

2014-01-10T18:00:00.001-06:00

Our Master Bedroom is a place I never got around to decorating at our old house.

It was a priority in our new place!

I've had this room finished for at least 6 months, but am just now getting around to sharing it with you...

That said, here's our retreat!

I went with unconventional nightstands. They are actually quite large chests, but work great as nightstands. One of my favorite elements in the room!

Also seriously loving all the pillows. I like pretty pillows WAY too much.

The reading nook-for when I have a second to sit still!

This chair is quite cozy-and the nailhead accents are just lovely.

This little brass table is a fun touch too.

Across from the bed, is our dresser and gallery wall.

I had a ton of fun DIY-ing this area! I just gathered frames I already had, and made it work! A little spray paint was involved for a few frames.

Love the Mr. & Mrs.

The ottomans on either side of the dresser were a Target clearance find. Love it when that happens!

It's the perfect spot to sit if you are 2…

I made the drapes myself, and I love the bold navy stripe!

I think that's about it! Thanks for stopping by!

Many thanks to Casey Grace Design for helping me conceptualize and plan this space!

Linking up here

and Chic on a Shoestring , 504 Main, Coastal Charm, Not Just a Housewife, A Stroll Thru Life, and Huckleberry Love

{Quick & Easy} Wooden Nativity

2013-12-13T13:56:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been another month since I blogged! I've been working on so many projects, I haven't had time to share them all.

I had to make time to post about this one, though!

A good friend on Facebook originally posted this idea, and I knew I had to figure out how to do it myself!

Supplies Needed

2 in X 2 in X 8 ft Furring Strips (as seen here)

Nativity Scene Stickers (purchased here)

Sandpaper

Mod Podge

Sponge Brush

If the supply list sounds simple, that's because it is!

Directions

(you will need 10-12 pieces per nativity, depending on how many stickers you want to use)

Start with your furring strips.

Cut them into 2.5" lengths. I got about 30 pieces per 8 foot board. If you don't have a miter saw at home, have the guys at Home Depot/Lowe's cut it for you. If you go during an off peak time, they won't charge you.

After you have all your pieces cut, they will be a splintery mess.

Time to sand them down. I have an awesome 3M sander that I use.

(3M does not pay me to say that!)

It totally saves my hands when sanding a bunch.

After sanding, a lot, your blocks should be nice and smooth, like this.

See how there are splits on some pieces? I just made sure that was the back side in the next step.

Now for the fun part!

Stickers and Mod Podge.

Get out your stickers, and decide which ones you will use.

Take a sticker, and put it on the wood.

Easy.

Use some mod podge, and give your block a good coat, right on top of the sticker.

I only mod podged the side of the block the sticker was on.

That's it. For real.

Goes faster with a cute helper!

Here's what your table will look like after making 10 sets. Each with 10 pieces.....

Now you have an easy, cheap, and SUPER cute gift to give to family and friends.

Close up of some pieces:

Happy Crafting!

Linking up here

and Huckleberry Love

Pantry Makeover!

2013-11-08T10:08:00.001-06:00

We recently moved into a new house, and I have had so much fun decorating, painting, and all that a new house involves.

One thing has been lurking-and driving me nuts.

Our scary pantry.

This is the scary before picture.

Brace yourself!

I could never find anything. Ever!

Here are a few {easy} things I did to spruce it up!

First, take everything out. You've got to start with a blank slate!

To add some interest to my plain old walls, I decided to wallpaper! I found some *awesome* wallpaper. (source at end of post)

It's "peel and stick" and "repositionable". It is COOL stuff!

It really was just like a giant sticker.

Cut it to size, and stick it on!

It was SO easy to install.

It only took about 30 minutes to get these prettied-up walls.

I was loving the look of it.

Next up, gather bins, buckets, baskets, crates, and pretty glass jars to organize all your food.

My favorite places to get items like this are IKEA, Target, Wal-Mart, and shopping my own house!

Here is my after picture.

Since I know that's the one you really want to see!

The left side view:

And, the right side.

Here are a few shelves, with details I love.

Baking Stuff

These frosted glass jars are so fun! The lids have a great seal on them too. It's kept my baking stuff fresh.

These "linen" bins are one my favorite things in this pantry. They are perfect for all those random baking supplies!

Legumes, Pasta, Grains

These metal baskets are perfect for holding bags of quinoa, cous cous, rice and pasta.

I heart them.

Love having all my legumes in glass containers. Much more fun than bags of beans falling off the shelf!

Cooking Oils

This bin was a little trickier to find. I have a lot of bulky bottles, and way too many kinds of oil. Plus, my shelves are a little narrow.

This bin is actually for drying dishes, but sure works to store oils in too!

I might be slightly obsessed with those gray bins with the leather handles.

So. Lovely.

Breakfast Food & Snacks

These cereal dispensers, which I wisely put at a level my kiddos can reach, make my day SO much easier. My kiddos can help themselves to whichever kind they want. They can take care of the seconds too!

For sure the favorite after school spot for my kiddos! These labels are just paper, so I can switch them up easily if I need to.

Spices

My spices are now neatly tucked in a corner. Anything that didn't fit into that nifty spinning spice thingy, is now in a pretty white basket.

The spinning spice rack (which also measures your spices!) is something that I use multiple times a day.

DIY Wood Crates

If you are like me, you hate food on the floor. To see how I solved that dilemma, click here!

Source List for Pantry

Wallpaper   Etsy
Food Labels   Etsy
Frosted Glass Containers IKEA
Linen Bins (baking supplies) IKEA
Metal Baskets (grains & pasta) Target
Glass Containers (legumes) IKEA
Large White bin (cooking oils) Target
Grey bins w/leather handles Target
Cereal Dispensers Amazon
White bins (snack foods) Target
Spice Basket Target
Rotating Spice Rack   Amazon
Rolling Wood Crates DIY @ A Little of This, a Little of That

Linking up here!

Pantry Makeover!

2013-11-01T12:44:00.003-05:00

I showed you here my latest DIY....rolling wood crates!

It's been a few weeks since I started using them, and I LOVE them! They are seriously so handy.

I hinted in that post that I was working on a full pantry makeover.

It's finished!

To get the full details, head over to my guest post at Gingersnap Crafts!

DIY {Rolling} Wood Crates

2013-10-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted! I've been so busy with school starting back up, soccer, and preparing for all the upcoming holidays.

In the middle of all that craziness, I've been working on something really fun. A full pantry re-do!

You'll have to wait until November 1st to see the full reveal-when I guest post over at GingerSnap Crafts.

For now, here is one of the many projects I tackled to get our horrid pantry in pristine condition.

As with my of DIY projects, this one started as a need to solve a problem-I needed a way to keep food off the floor (my pet peeve!)

The solution I finally came up with was wood crates that roll!

I didn't want our wood floors to get scratched up by them, so wheels were a must.

I ordered some wood crates from Home Depot. I know Michael's and Joann's carry them too sometimes.

At first, I thought I would stain all of them.

I loved this weathered gray stain. But staining was a total pain!

I'm a FAST DIY kind of girl.

So after one crate, and my feet looking like this:

I was DONE with staining. I had no idea it was so messy, or time consuming.

Out came my trusty spray paint for the other two.

After spray painting and staining were done, it was time for the easy part. Adding wheels!

I bought these wheels that roll AND swivel (fancy!) from Lowe's.

Each wheel took four screws. Save yourself some time and use a drill!

The wheels are cute, and make it so much easier to pull the crates in and out of the pantry!

Add a little vinyl, and done!

Linking up here!
and 30 Days, and Tater Tots and Jello

Fall Wreath Tutorial

2013-09-07T13:11:00.000-05:00

Fall is coming!

At least, in our 100 degree heat, I keep telling myself that!

I made an easy fall wreath, and wanted to share.

Supplies

Wreath form (I use an 18" one)
Brown Yarn
Felt in fall colors
Scissors
Glue Gun
Corsage Pins (found at Hobby Lobby)

Directions

First, wrap that wreath.

I found this great, THICK, yarn at Wal-Mart of all places!

Just wrap around and around. This step will take you a while!

Next up, make some felt flowers.

First, trace a circle on your felt.

My circles were about 3-4" across. You can do any size.

Cut out your circle.

Next, start cutting your circle into a spiral.

This does not need to be perfect, or precise.

Keep cutting.....

Once you have your spiral, start rolling!

Start from the outside edge, like this.

Roll, not too tight, but not too loose.

Should be looking pretty cute by then end!

Roll it all the way until the end.

The very inside part of the spiral is like the "foundation" you will glue your flower to.

Hot glue your flower to the the "tail".

Now, make a ton more of these flowers!

To attach them to the wreath, use a corsage pin.

For the multi-colored ones, just roll 2 colors of felt together.

Told you it was pretty easy :)

Linking up here!

and Huckleberry Love

IKEA Bookcase HACK

2013-08-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

If you read regularly, you've seen some of the rooms in our new house.

(here, here and here)

Lately, I've been working on the upstairs living area. My *favorite* project, maybe ever, has been transforming our plain IKEA bookcases into something WAY more fun!

I started out with the plain old Besta bookcase from IKEA.

Now, I could have just styled the shelves and called it good, but I felt like it just needed something more!

I stumbled on this AMAZING company called O'verlays. They are pros at helping you customize, and basically transform, anything IKEA!

They helped me design some custom Greek Key panels for my Besta units. After I got them in the mail, it was DIY time!

I started out with plain white doors.

(**bonus** the doors are only $5 at IKEA! I love how cheap everything is there!)

I carefully taped the edges. I only wanted the front of the doors gold. The sides needed to stay white.

Then it was time to spray paint. I knew I wanted to use my favorite gold spray paint for the background. The O'verlays were going to stay crisp white.

I did a million small coats, being careful not to soak the doors in paint.

The result was a smooth, gold finish. I was in love already!

To attach the O'verlays, I used a little bit of superglue. The gel kind that doesn't run everywhere.

At this point, I couldn't believe how awesome they looked. I was so excited to get them on the bookcases!

Here's a little "before" shot of the bookcases. Looking a little sad....

Andddddd, after!

Love. Love. Love.

Close up:

Can you believe how a little spray paint and some O'verlays transformed these IKEA bookcases? It's awesome.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up here

DIY Lucite Tray

2013-08-13T14:38:00.001-05:00

I love the look of Lucite trays! They are super classy, but run a little spendy for me.

I mean, it's just a plastic box.

So, I found some Pinterest inspiration, and crafted my own.

It turned out just like I hoped!

Supplies Needed

Clear Acrylic Frame

Scrapbook Paper

Painter's Tape

Spray Paint

How To

This honestly couldn't be easier! SUCH a simple project.

Start out with a clear acrylic frame. I got mine at Hobby Lobby (use a coupon!!).

Remove all the packaging and the backing. You are left with a clear tray!

To dress it up a little, use a 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper. I used a little tape to attach the paper to the bottom of the tray.

At this point, I was loving how it looked!

After a few days, I just felt like it was missing something. Does anyone else obsess over stuff like this? Oh, it's just me!

It just seemed too.....plain.

I decided to add some brassy accents. Not too much. That meant painters tape and spray paint!

Start by taping off your corners. Decide how much paint you want on each edge. I went for a rectangular look, you could do a square.

Flip over your tray and tape off the bottom. You only want to spray paint your corners.

Next, pull out your favorite spray paint. Mine is for sure this lovely brass color by Valspar. I have used it on quite a few projects lately.

Give it 2 or 3 coats, with plenty of dry time in between. Gently peel off your tape.

I started doing a happy dance here. Lovely!!

Put your scrapbook paper back in the bottom, and you now have a *very* classy Lucite tray!

Love the dreamy corners!

Fits right in with our new upstairs living room!

Linking up here

{Homemade} Laundry Detergent

2013-08-08T15:02:00.002-05:00

Let's talk laundry. One of those absolute, must do, chores.

Multiple times a week around here!

About 2 years ago, my mom started making her own laundry soap. She finally convinced me to try some out; I loved it!

It smelled clean and fresh, and it was lacking all those gross chemicals found in the majority of detergents out there.

She helped me mix up a batch of detergent, and IT LASTED ME A WHOLE YEAR!

It cost me 8.77 for all the ingredients.

And because it lasted me a whole year,

It only cost me $8.77 to do a YEAR's worth of laundry!

I would say that's a significant savings.

Want to majorly cut back on the cost of detergent? Read on, my friend.

Homemade

Laundry

Detergent

Ingredients

6 cups Borax

6 cups Washing Soda

1 Fels-Naptha bar

3 (three ounce) bars Ivory Soap, original

Directions

Get a large plastic bucket, and use this to mix it up and store it!

Grate the fels-naptha bar, and 3 Ivory soap bars with a cheese grater.

Measure Borax and Washing Soda into your bucket.

Pour in grated soaps.

Mix thoroughly.

Done!

Usage

To use, simply add 1 Tablespoon to your laundry. I have a front loading washer, and it works great!

Since we're talking about laundry, let me mention that I've also stopped using fabric softener. I now use....

That's right! I just use vinegar instead. Contrary to what you are thinking right now, it does NOT make your clothes smell even remotely vinegar-y! It gets them nice and clean, with no chemicals.

I just add a dryer sheet to my clothes when I dry them, and it gives them a light clean smell.

The best part is it only costs $1.97 for a JUG of vinegar. That is SO MUCH CHEAPER than buying fabric softener!

To make it easier to pour, I use that little blue water bottle. I use anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 cup of vinegar for each load.

Now that you know all my secrets, make yourself some detergent!

Linking up here!

Gallery Photo Wall

2013-07-26T13:39:00.000-05:00

There's nothing I love more than a good gallery wall!

When we moved, we had a TON of frames. This is no exaggeration. I had at least 100!

So, I did what any good DIYer would do. I pulled out the spray paint......

All these frames were various colors-black, brown, oak. That all changed with a little white spray paint.

My favorite frames, for sure, are the swirly ones.

I found a whole rack of swirly awesomeness there!

I also love love this little round frame I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

It was originally white, but I needed it to break up all the white I had going on. So, I went on the hunt for the *perfect* yellow. Oh, I found it. It's called Hubbell House Yellow by Valspar.

Not too bright and sun-shiney, and not too mustard. A great in between.

Here it is in action:

The oval open frame I had. I just removed the glass and backing. The square one, and the yellow flower, is from Hobby Lobby.

The best tip I can give you when creating a gallery wall, is to cut out pieces of paper the size of your frames, and tape that up first. Like this:

source: two twenty one

I forgot to take a picture of this step, but this saved me a lot of time! It's so much easier to move around pieces of paper. Also, you aren't making a million holes in your wall to figure out where the frames should go!

I love seeing our fun memories as I go up and down the steps each day. Every home needs a gallery wall!

Linking up here!