Brown Flower Throw Pillows

Find my inspiration here.  Which looking back I like more way more than mine!  I guess that's the difference between a $7.97 spool of lace and a $1.00 spool of lace ribbon stuff! But, it works and is still better than the plain brown pillow it was before!

Photo Key Holder Tutorial

I love to hang my keys now with this beauty.  I wish I could say the same for the hubby! He does like to hang them sometimes, but the kitchen table is a much better target. And in his defense, he seldomly drives or uses keys, so they usually stay in his backpack. He's a champ and walks a mile to catch a shuttle for a free ride to work.  But this post isn't about my hubby and it's going to be long enough as it is without all my extra thoughts!

The Photo Key Holder

Isn't it cute!?  Useful and practical :) 

Here's how it's done...

Supplies:

14"x22" board (I found mine in the scrap section at home depot and had them cut it to the size I wanted, it was a 3/4" piece of plywood)

4 5x5 canvas or another size of your choice (found mine at Michaels for $1 a piece! They were in the kid/dollar art section and I've seen them periodically since then. See picture 2)

4 Hooks and screws of your choice (Home Depot, Target, Walmart all have a cute variety, vintage knobs of some kind would be super adorable as well!)

1 toothy hanger thing sorry! I can't remember what the technical name is.  See picture #1

4 Pictures either print in 5x7 from a store or 5x5 from your printer, just make sure it's the same size as your canvas.  

Cricut cut letters/Stickers/Stencil I cut letters using my fancy smancy Cricut, but you could easily use stickers, stencil it, or if you're really brave freehand it.  :)

Brown Paint To paint board

Green Paint To paint canvas

Modge Podge

Quick Grip or another heavy duty glue

Foam Brushes For Modge Podge and paints  

Pencil

Ruler

Hammer

Drill/Screwdriver

Directions:

1.  Prepare your wood, sand if needed, I roughly sanded mine because I wanted a rough surface.  Paint the wood the color of your choice.  Find your center about 3/4 up from the bottom. Mark with pencil and nail in your toothy hanger. 

 

Picture 1

2.  If you printed your picture bigger than the canvas you'll want to place your canvas on top of your picture and trace around it with a pencil.  Remove the canvas and trim around your pencil line.  

3.  Set your pictures aside and paint your art canvases the color of your choice.  But wait, you can let your kids have some fun and color them first if you want. :)

4.  Break out the Modge Podge and coat the top of your canvas.  Place your picture on top of the canvas, press evenly, cover picture with a thin layer of Modge Podge.  This helps to make sure the picture is secure, protected, and not going anywhere! :)

Picture 2

 

5. Wait for them to dry :(  Anyone else hate this part?!  Oh well, go grab a snack, go to the bathroom, or doing something really productive like start a load of laundry.  Snore! 

Ok your back hooray and you can thank me later, especially if you decided to grab a diet pepsi and m&m's!

6.  Ok I don't have a good picture of this part and as you'll learn I'm not very technical with measurements and such.  I kind-of just eye it.  

You are going to lay out all of your items on your board, spacing them evenly.  If you need measurements and something more concrete: for the canvases, there ended up being 1.333" between each canvas and around the edge.  Use a ruler and pencil and draw guidelines on your board. Once you've done this grab your Quick Grip Glue (or other heavy duty glue of your choice) and glue your canvases onto your board lining them up with the lines you've traced. 

7.  Next you're going to figure out where you want your hooks.  Just use a ruler and space them evenly towards the bottom of your board. Use a pencil and mark where your screws will go.  Now break out your drill or screwdriver and screw in your hooks where you have marked.  Now if you're not super technical and cheap like I am, you'll just use included screws even if they poke through the back of the wood.  You can saw them off later or just leave them.  If you are more technical you'll just need to make sure the length of your screws is shorter than the width of your board.  (ie 3/4")

8.  Now decide on the phrase you'd like on your board and either use a Cricut, stickers, stencils, etc. for your phrase.  I used the Cricut to cut out paper letters approximately 2 1/4" tall.  Once cut out I spaced them out on the board, grabbed Modge Podge and glued each letter to the board.  I then coated the entire board in Modge Podge, working around the hooks and canvases, but gluing over the letters.  Vinyl would have been easier to use, but I wanted the patterned paper for added cuteness!

 

8. Now just wait for everything to dry and hang and admire your work! 

(Oh how I miss painted walls!)

And please let me know if anything is unclear or you have any questions! The kids are now awake and to be completely honest I haven't proofread yet! :) 

   

Toddler Backpacks

I'm heading out of town soon and flying across the country by myself for the first time with both kids.  I won't lie, I'm pretty nervous and freaking out a little! The first thing I did was brainstorm on how to lighten my load (I'm a habitual overpacker!!!) So of course, one of the first things that made it on to the must-do's was have them carry their own stuff.   

As cute and easy as it would have been I just couldn't bring myself to go buy one from the store.  Not when the potential for little matching backpacks was there! So really what could be more perfect than 2 of Made By Rae's Toddler Backpacks!? Have you seen her spring top competition? Go check it out, you won't be disappointed!  http://www.made-by-rae.com/ Go now you won't be disappointed. :)  

But first...

I smiled all day long yesterday.  I seriously couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  Well really I'm still smiling! And the hubby gave me the biggest compliment EVER! Normally when I show him something he says something like, "yea sweety that's neat" spoken of course in grunts.  His response this time was, "wow those are pretty cool, they will be really useful."  USEFUL! That's the key word, I just need to explain the usefulness of any item I want him to be excited about.  That and food, almost 8 years of marriage later and almost 14 of dating him, I've finally figured that usefulness and food are his motivators! But this is my crafty blog so you don't really care about that! 

I switched things up a little from her pattern and added a front pocket to the bag.  Added storage and I think it adds to the pack.  I also wanted them to be pretty sturdy so I used home-decor canvas, med weight interfacing AND used a think vinyl to stabilize the bottom.  It was hard on the good ol' machine, I broke 2 size 14 needles and of course found my size 16 after I had finished, but hopefully it was worth it for the added stability and durability of the pack.  

Simply put... These backpacks rock!!!!

Chalkboard Table Needs Your Help!

Help! If anyone out there actually still (or ever for that matter!) reads this blog I attempted to paint the kiddos table while the hubby was out of town a couple weeks ago and I'm not loving it... at all.  

I do love the chalkboard paint on the top... it's been loads of fun, but I just can't seem to envision a color that will look good with it!  There are so many cute ideas out there in blogland, that I may just end up getting rid of the "chalkboard top" and adding some fun fabric on top.  Who knows!? The table lives in our living room/dining room so I don't want it to be anything too crazy, but if you ask me as it is right now- it's SO boring!! So if you're out there... Please Help! 

(and ha ha I just noticed they are both wearing Christmas pajamas! Don't judge me! I guess you could just say that's how we do things around here!)

Link Party at somewhat simple: "The Happy Chair"

 

Just found her splendid blog today! So excited she's got some great stuff!

Mr. Turtle... The Coolest Turtle Bean Bag EVER!!

I've been planning a giant bean bag since before Micah and Hallie were born, and soon after I decided it would be a turtle. We had one until I was well into my teens, and quite possibly out of the house and we loved it! So for the last few years I have saved all of my scrap fabric... we're talking little 1/4" strips scraps and used them to stuff this sweet little fella!

So without further ado... meet Mr. Turtle the Bean Bag


He'll be loved for years to come...

And quite honestly, abused for years to come!

(I'm so sorry Mr. Turtle but they really do like you... I promise!)

Cardboard Box Dollhouse

What do you get when you combine, 2 snowed in kids, 1 bored mama (with no TV or computer!), 2 cardboard boxes, and a little creativity? An over-the-top cardboard box doll house! See for yourself...

This little beauty comes complete with a spraypainted exterior, custom wall paper, a swimming pool, and a set of beautiful french doors leading to a private deck.  :) What can I say?! I was really bored!

Homemade Headboard Saga

Do your best to look past these 2 munchkins and what do you see?! Besides 4 other unfinished projects? (Yes I counted them... nightstands need to painted, lampshades need to be replaced with something bigger, curtains need to be hung instead of towels (seriously!), and decorative pillows need to be made and/or bought... and that's just 1 picture in 1 room... my life is full of projects in the waiting right now!)

Well if you can look past all of that you will see a beautiful handmade headboard! Thanks to Lis and her persuasion, enthusiasum, and persistance; my hubbies mad skills with a rip saw, desire for me to actually finish a project, and willingness to help desire to get our house back in order; and last but not least :) my crazy ideas, blogging addiction, and inadequate/incorrect plans... both households have rockin' headboards! (How's that for a run-on!?)

Lis and I drew out plans Friday night for these beauties, went to Home Depot at 9:00 at night to "price them out" or so I thought, and much to my hubbies dismay, came back with the materials to build them. 

Add a snow storm into the mix and you get a weekend full of building a headboard in your living room, including, but most definitely not limited to... drilling, sanding, and painting!  Hey at least we Tyson saved the sawing for outside on our front porch, I'm sure our neighbors got a kick out of that one. 

We're absolutely giddy about them!

Clean Up

In order to organize and streamline, I'm moving all of my craft posts from the good ol' family blog over here.  I'll leave them on the family blog as well, but just want to have all crafty related stuff in one place! So don't mind us there may be lots of repeat posts over the next little while, but my be a nice refresher! :)