P & K's 2nd Birthday Party

AHHH!  I seriously can't believe my little peeps are now 2!  They say time flys when you're having fun, and no statement is more true for our life with P & K!  To celebrate we threw a party with friends a few weeks back.  In wanting to throw a joint party, I found picking a theme a bit hard.  Being boy / girl twins, with very different personalities, I wanted to ensure their birthday party was special for both of them!  My other design dilemma, was how to throw a somewhat seasonal birthday bash without associating their special day to Halloween and costume parties.  They both currently love animals, P thoroughly likes our days spent at the zoo and K loves her crew of stuffed animals (and by love, I mean we bring them everywhere).  So, we decided on an appropriate 'Party Animal' Theme with touches of fall!  Everything was DIYed, from the invitations to the kids table that Brian and my brother made!  

Invites where written on faux white pumpkins, adorned with cut out animals from this wrapping paper.  That was the starting point for our overall color scheme and design.  Guests were asked to bring their favorite stuffed animal which were then adorned with these mini size party hats!  The cake may have been my favorite, you can see how we made it in this post here!

The kid's table was a labor of love from Brian and my brother.  The perfect height for our little guests.  Faux white pumpkins acted as centerpieces, wrapping paper was used for a table runner, as well as to make the large P & K signs (to make I glued wrapping paper to oversized dollar store poster board.  Then cut out white letters...an easy, cheap, statement piece!)  Felt crowns doubled as favors and place cards for each guest.

Balloons are an absolute favorite in our household, so I made a big point to make them a highlight.  Using hues of pink, blue and white with a touch of gold.  I made a HUGE garland of balloons that strung across the backyard (To Make:  Blow up a bazillion balloons in all different sizes, then use embroidery thread and a thick needle to string them together.  Accents of tissue paper flowers and chinese lanters add texture to.  This all sounds harder than it truly is.  Mainly just time consuming.  We were lucky to have good weather, so I actually started a few days ahead, with only a few balloons popping before hand.  Keep in mind they will deflate a bit if blown up extra early...fyi, these weren't helium).  I also decorated the front fence and blew up plenty of helium ones for guests to take with them!

We also had plenty of festival games and crafts for our mini party goers.  From gourd bowling to can toss to punch cup.  You can see all our games, along with the how to, in this post here.

So grateful for my little peeps and the joy they bring into our home every.single.day!  Looking forward to our many adventures ahead!  We seem to have gone through our tantrum phase around 20 months, and with communication becoming easier and easier, I don't see anything terrible about turning 2!  Happy Birthday P & K...can't wait to see what's ahead!

DIY Magnolia Wreath

This time of year I love love love making Magnolia Wreaths.  When we purchased this home, we also inherited a huge, old, Magnolia Tree in the front yard.  I've always been a fan of these festive holiday wreaths, but the ones made with real greenery can cost a pretty penny.  So after experimenting a bit, I've figured out the best way for us to DIY our own!  And every year since, we've displayed one of these on our front porch.  Case in point, here's the first Magnolia Wreath I made 3 years ago:

 These are super simple to make, a bit time consuming, but considering they only cost the amount of a wreath form, it's well worth an afternoon!  I prefer using Styrofoam Wreath Forms, they're typically only one use, but I like not having to use floral wire.  Quick Note:  Be sure to display this wreath either indoors or hidden from the elements outside.  Heavy rains or wind can blow the leaves out of the styrofoam, I've displayed mine under a covered porch and have had no problems with this wreath staying in tact.  For this particular wreath I used a round 17 inch form ~ this makes a large wreath appox. 33-36 inches in diameter, depending on the size of leaves used.  I've made smaller ones using a 10 inch frame ~ this size works great indoors.

 Once you have your frame, find something to prop it up on.  A planter typically works great, in my case this Lowe's bucket was perfect size as the lip held my wreath up.

From there, you'll need your magnolia leaves.  We typically prune our Magnolia Tree a bit, so I use the leaves from the cut branches.  TIP: When cutting your leaves, cut at a diagonal, this creates a sharp point that easily pushes into the styrofoam.  

 Then I organize the leaves from largest (longest and widest) to smallest.  Staring with the largest leaves, begin inserting leaves individually at a slight angle.  Adding additional leaves clockwise around the form.  For my first tier, I start near the bottom, leaving space between each leaf: 

 Now that you're done with the first tier, move up a level and start the process again.  Moving clockwise, place leaves centered to the tier below and also start alternating some leaves backwards, showing the underside of the leaf (this will help create texture and color variation to your wreath): 

 Once your first two tiers are completed continue the process moving up the form while at the same time starting to use slightly smaller leaves. 

 Once you make your way to the front of the form, keep downsizing your leaf size and start inserting each tier at a slightly more defined angle. 

Before you know it, you'll have a completed wreath!

DIY | Belt Strap Tote

The weekend's upon us, and with fall weather on its way, I'm envisioning Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market.  This simple DIY is the perfect project for fall.  Use old or unused belts to make this DIY tote.  View the slideshow above [mobile users: view below].

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DIY Nursery Art

Earlier this year we showed you our

small space before & after

, and so many of you asked about the art on the wall.  It happens to be from an old project we did for a friend years ago for her baby-to-be nursery.  The simple answer is the prints came from this vintage book...

ABC du Pere Castor

, a 1930's French children's book we found online, while pursuing through old books.  Now the easy thing would have been to tear out the pages and have them framed.  Which is still a great idea for easy art!  However, we wanted the prints to be a different size and we wanted the aged pages to have a white backdrop as well as translate each to English.  For the white backdrop, we had the pages scanned by a high resolution scanner, making the files digital.  Then used a simple, old version, photo editing program from Microsoft to edit the pictures.  For the translation, some pages didn't' need to be edited...

Others needed the names translated to English ~ which we did in Mircrosoft Word.

And then others we needed to change entirely.  Case in point this Donkey we changed to the letter "D" and had the Monkey changed to the letter A for Ape...and so on.

Proving, you can edit old pages from a book to make great, relevant art!  And if all that seems too tricky, frame the originals!  For this room, we used our leftover copies, and framed them in

these $2 frames

!

Now, the funny side story on this project is once we finished, we found

this image

 online, then, after some online digging, found out that these flashcards had been sold through Martha by Mail then later at Michaels in either 2009 or 2010.  I recently did a search to see if I could find them for you guys and unfortunately, I came up empty handed.  So, if you're LOVING these prints, search for the original book or keep your eye open for Martha's flashcard version through places like ebay.

Chevron Herringbone Accent Wall

Last week we shared our twin nursery progress and many of you asked about our wood accent wall.  We were super pleased with how it turned out and even more excited that the total cost came in right under $40!  The hardest part was deciding on measurements, once that was taken care of, the cutting and install were done rather quickly and pretty straight forward to execute.  Making this Chevron Herringbone Accent Wall an easy DIY!

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Our small, 100 sq. ft. nursery has definitely brought on some design challenges and after deciding to paint the nursery white, we knew we wanted to have plenty of texture and color on the walls without plastering a ton of frames everywhere.  The wall we were most challenged with happened to be right behind our new white glider making that corner of the room looking washed out and way too white (even for this gal who loves a good neutral space!)

We originally thought to leave the door on the left natural, then debated staining it a dark stain, but ultimately decided to paint it white based on another idea we have.  So, once again, we were left with needing to bring warmth and texture to this little nook.  We love how our wood accent wall turned out in our bedroom and ultimately wanted to re-create that look in a new way for the nursery.  So, after going over multiple options and being inspired by other chevron and herringbone feature walls, we decided to install our own chevron herringbone accent wall made of cedar.  

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HERE'S HOW WE DID IT:

First things first, we measured out the space.  We wanted this to look more like a piece of hung art, rather than a feature that spanned the entire width and height of the space, plus none of our walls, floors or ceilings are perfectly square, so we decided to leave a border around our accent wall.  The blue dashed line below represents our pencil marks.  We  used the center line as our guide when installing each board, ensuring our accent wall came out straight.

Once our measurements were decided, Brian used these 3/4" x 3" x 8' cedar boards, cutting them to size using parallel 90 degree cuts on each end of the individual boards.  One thing to note, for our particular sizing, the top and bottom 3 rows require perpendicular 90 degree cuts.  (this sounds way more confusing than it is, these boards were cut to be parallel to the floor or ceiling rather than the side walls) 

Before installing, layout all your pieces.  This step was crucial for us since we decided to leave the cedar boards natural.  We were able to rearrange boards based on color and texture.

To install use a spacer to ensure constant spacing between each board, we used a 1" spacer.

And because we have the benefit of solid wood walls behind our drywall we used common black dry wall screws to adhere each board to the wall (2 screws per board).

By using our center pencil line, Brian was able to easily get each board attached.

We hung this mirror that we found on sale:

And there you have it ~ an easy wood chevron herringbone accent wall.

DIY Lawn Dominoes

It's officially summer!!  And what better way than to celebrate in the great outdoors with friends, family & fun?!  Inspired by our summer game-nights we decided to make an oversized version of a classic!  An easy DIY Lawn Game of Dominoes!  Add a splash of color that screams summertime and what you've got is a weekend favorite!

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Here’s Another Project We Think You’ll LOVE!

Click here for all the details for our Modern Playhouse!

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This DIY is so easy and simple ~ I promise it'll be a sure-fire hit at your next backyard BBQ!

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Materials Needed for a Set of 28 Dominoes:

1 Quart each of Glidden® Paint in the following colors:

Glidden Paint Peacock Blue

Glidden Paint Hawaiian Teal &

Glidden Paint  Muslin White

in Glidden Paint's Premium Collection Exterior Paint, Flat

Paint Brush

Paint Containers for Mixing Colors

Non-treated Pine Wood

Two 2x6x10

One 2x6x8

Miter Saw or Saw to cut wood

Sandpaper

Pencil

Cardboard for Domino Template

Cutting Tool to Create Domino Template

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To Make:

Start by cutting the wood into 28 individual pieces that are 11 inches long:

Using sandpaper, smooth any rough surfaces and edges.

Because our oversized dominoes are made for outdoor use, we chose to use Glidden Paint's Premium Collection Exterior Paint, in flat.  One thing we love about Glidden Paint is that you don't have to go through a bazillion color swatches to find the one you like.  Instead, they've done all the narrowing down for you, creating a simplified palette that makes color selection a breeze!  Which, let's be honest, we'd all prefer spending time enjoying a finished  project, rather than wasting endless time deciding on paint colors.

After only a couple minutes we decided on a tropical inspired, turquoise palette of Glidden Paint Peacock Blue, Glidden Paint Hawaiian Teal & Glidden Paint Muslin White.  To achieve our ombre color scheme, we painted 5 dominoes  Glidden Paint Peacock Blue, 5 dominoes Glidden Paint Hawaiian Teal, and 3 dominoes in each variation below:

In planning for this DIY we assumed we'd need to paint our dominoes a minimum of two coats, possibly even three since we opted not to waste time and money priming them (this was our first time using Glidden Paint's Premium Collection Exterior Paint).  So of course I was jumping for joy when I saw how thick and amazing the coverage was on just the first coat.

And I was even more shocked to see how that the first coat dried with full coverage.  Brian couldn't believe I had only given them one coat of paint ~ and given my current case of pregnancy-brain, he kept asking are you sure this isn't two coats?!  Needless to say we were more than pleased with the results and decided not to give an unnecessary 2nd coat of paint.

While I worked on painting, Brian created our Domino Template.  Cut a piece of cardboard to size, 5.5" x 11".  Then trace and cut out 1 1/8" circles and a line in the middle (finished it will look like the green template below).  Remember: this is for a set of 28 dominoes, 6 will be the largest number.  Once your template is made, use a pencil to trace onto each domino.

Then use a small paintbrush and Glidden Paint Muslin White:

Making your individual dominoes look like this:

Once your set is done, enjoy a friendly (or competitive) game of lawn dominoes!!

To store, use a large basket or laundry bag.

Wishing you a summer filled with FUN!!!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Glidden Paint through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select.  While I was compensated to write a post about Glidden Paint, all opinions are my own.

DIY | Belt Strap Bins

A couple weeks back I shared this DIY on The Handmade Home.  I'm determined to include more functional, but stylish organization into our home.  I love leather goods and have a soft spot for cute fabric bins, but boy oh boy can those things add up quickly when buying retail!  After making fabric covered shoe boxes for my new studio, I decided to try my hand at some larger fabric covered storage bins and this is what I came up with:

These DIY bins are nothing more than cardboard boxes, utility fabric and upcycled leather belts ~ yup, that's right, leather belts that I bought from a thrift store!  They currently make the perfect catch all in our entry,  storing and organizing scarves, gloves and umbrellas.

 What You'll Need

Cardboard Box

Rotary Cutter and Mat OR Scissors

Fabric

Spray Adhesive

Old Leather Belt

Binding Post Screws 

Flat Head Screwdriver

Industrial hole punch or Exacto Knife or 

something to make holes in the box and leather.

To Make: 

Start with your cardboard box.

Tape securely then fold down box top (photo, bottom left).  You could cut the box top off, however folding it in on itself makes the box stronger, especially if adding pulls or handles.  From there cut your fabric to height and length, to fit inside your box (photo bottom right) ~ to maximize my fabric cuts, this piece didn't quite fit on all four sides, I'll address the fourth side below.

I've become a huge fan of my rotary cutter and mat (photo bottom left), not necessary for this project, however if you plan on making a lot of these, it comes in very handy when cutting fabric.  Once fabric is cut to size, iron the fabric to ensure a smooth finish.

 To adhere fabric to your box use spray adhesive.  To ensure your fabric in aligned straight and smooth, spray small sections at a time. 

 Once this piece is adhered to the box it will look like this:

 Again, by the way I cut my fabric, it only wrapped three sides.  So the next fabric I cut fit along the bottom and up the fourth side.  (Again, I ironed the fabric before using Spray Adhesive to glue the fabric down.

 Once the inside is complete, it's time to wrap the outside of the box.  Cut a piece of fabric to size, leaving approximately two to four inches on each side, this is the section that will be glued to the inside of your box.  Once this piece of fabric is cut and ironed, lay it on a smooth surface then place your box directly center.  To ensure the box stays in place and doesn't slide around, use clothespins to secure the fabric to the opposite side you begin working on.  

On the right and left corner, cut out a square/rectangle.  This step solely removes excess bulk that would otherwise be glued onto the box.  If you look closely at the photo below, you don't want to cut directly up to the corner of the box, but rather leave approx an inch.

 After cutting the excess fabric by following the guide above your fabric should look like this:

 Now pull the fabric taught and use the spray adhesive to glue the fabric to the inside of the box.  Then repeat the steps above to the opposite side.

 Now, 

this next step looks trickier than it is.  The best frame of reference for you is to think of wrapping a present.  Apply spray adhesive, then press the right corner in and fold in excess fabric like photos below:

 Then fold the flap up and over and adhere to the inside of the box. 

 Secure with a clothespin until dry and do the same for the left side.  Once again repeat steps above for the opposite side. 

 Once your box is dry, now it's time to attach your pull or handles.  

  For our leather pull, we simply cut a leather belt with scissors.  By leaving the buckle holes, we didn't have to make holes in our leather for the binding screws.

 We measured where on our box to place our leather pull, then made two holes with an x acto knife (hint, to make a hole simply cut an X)  From there it's as simple as screwing our leather pulls onto the box. 

To make leather handles, again we used an old leather belt.  After determining the length of our handles we cut with scissors and rounded our corners.  We have an industrial strength hole punch that makes the perfect hole, but to ensure this is doable without that tool, we made our hole using an x acto knife, then hammered a large nail into our leather to ensure a round hole large enough to fit our binding screws.  

 One more tip:  The fabric on both bins is the same.  To get the stripes on the larger bin, I simply used a ruler and a blue fabric marker to draw on stripes! 

For more DIYs and additional home inspiration be sure to stop by

The Handmade Home!

Market Backpack

Love this natural tote!  Perfect for weekend picnics or farmer's markets, hands down my favorite for fall!

BUY NOW >>>

DIY | Fabric Covered Binder

No matter how technologically advanced we become, I still

love

a good hard copy, nicely organized in a pretty binder.  But my issue was my binders weren't pretty.  In fact, they were well worn and simply the standard stark white.  So to give my binders and office space a bit of a makeover, I decided to wrap my binders in fabric:

This DIY is very similar to the tutorial for our

Fabric Covered Shoe Boxes

.  Not only is it easy and affordable, but it allows you to customize the colors and textures for your space!  Customization for a cheaper cost than the store versions?!  Gotta love that!

What You'll Need:

Binder

I used old, worn 1/2" white binders I already had

Rotary Cutter and Mat OR Scissors

Glue

*You could use Fabric Glue, it typically dries clearer, but I found 

Tacky Glue

 did the trick, just be sure not to get the stuff on the outside of the binder, depending on the fabric you use it may visible through the fabric*

Fabric

I found this stripe upholstery fabric in the clearance aisle at

Joann's 

 marked down to $4 a yard.  Making my 1/2" binder makeover about $1 a piece.

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To Make:

Cut a piece of fabric leaving approx a 1/2"-3/4" around the border. 

 Then iron your fabric, this step is crucial to ensure a smooth surface.

 Center the binder onto the fabric and secure the top and sides with clothespins, this ensures the fabric stays in place as you start working on the bottom section.

On the bottom right corner, cut out a square/rectangle.  This step solely removes excess bulk that would otherwise be glued onto the binder.  If you look closely, you don't want to cut directly up to the corner of the binder, but rather leave approx a quarter of an inch:

 Once you do that on the bottom right hand corner, do the same for the left corner.

From there it's time to glue.  Start from the center working your way outward.  Being sure to pull the fabric somewhat taught and ensuring it goes on straight.

 Once the bottom fabric is in place secure with clothespins.  This helps it to stay in place while it dries.  Now do all the same steps above for the opposite side.

 Once the top and bottom are glued it's now time to do the sides.  To finish off the edges you'll want to first bring in your corner like this:

 Then add glue (photo bottom left).  Bring up and secure in place (photo bottom right).

 Again, secure clothespins and allow to dry.  Once almost dry remove safety pins and cut two pieces of fabric that will fit over both sides.  To give a professional finish, be sure you spend the extra time ensuring this piece of fabric is cut straight and iron to ensure a smooth surface.

Once the fabric is cut (photo bottom left) slide a section of it under the binder clips (photo bottom right).

 Then carefully open it up like a book ~ keeping the fabric straight, but still under the binder clips (photo bottom left).  Add glue, the press the fabric in place, ensuring a straight finish.

 For excess glue use a foam brush (or your finger) to smooth out and lumps and ensure the edges are glued down.

 Do the same for the other side, let the binder dry entirely, then fill and enjoy!

What organization projects are keeping you busy?

DIY | Fabric Covered Box

Fabric Covered Shoe Boxes

I'm a huge fan of hidden storage and when done correctly, it can be the perfect example of both form and function.  But boy, oh boy, can organizational boxes add up quickly when buying them retail.    So to save some dough, I decided to make my own ~ and I'm now wondering why I haven't done this all along.  Don't be fooled by all the photos below, this project is easier than it looks!  Once I got the first one done, the others were a breeze.  For this project I used shoe boxes, but you could do the same with any square/rectangular box with a lid.

What You'll Need:

Shoe Boxes

Rotary Cutter and Mat OR Scissors

Glue

*You could use Fabric Glue, it typically dries clearer, but the stuff is pricey and I found

Tacky Glue

 did the trick, just be sure not to get the stuff on the outside of the box, because it is visible through the fabric*

Fabric

My tips on Fabric

Take a box to the fabric store with you!  If you're lucky and all your boxes are white with no writing, then no need to worry about this.  But most shoe boxes are colored or have labels, so when purchasing fabric you don't want it to be too thin and see through.  Of course you could always double it up, but that's double the work.  Also, you don't want the fabric to be too thick, because if it's too bulky, odds are your lid will no longer fit onto the box.  I ended up using a utility fabric from Jo-Ann's Fabric that was $5.99 a yard ~ but I used a 40% off coupon, making it $3.60 a yard.  Depending on the size of my box (how much fabric used) and the size of the book plate used ~ the total price for my Fabric Covered Shoe Boxes were $2 - $3.25 each.  Not bad compared to similar ones for $12-$20 a piece!

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To Make: 

 Start with your shoe box:

 For $29.99 I invested in this 

Dritz Rotary Cutting Kit

.  Not necessary for this project, but if you plan to do a lot of these, it cuts the cutting time down significantly rather than using regular scissors.  Either way, cut your fabric to size, giving approximately, a quarter to half an inch extra on each side (this is the section that will be glued to the inside of the box).

 Once your fabric is cut to size, iron the fabric.  

This step is crucial to ensure a smooth finished surface.  

Once your piece is ironed, it's time to start:

 Lay the fabric on a smooth surface, then place your shoe box lid directly center.  To ensure the lid stays in place and doesn't slide around, use a clothespin to secure the fabric to the opposite side you begin working on.

 On the right corner, cut out a square/rectangle.  This step solely removes excess bulk that would otherwise be glued onto the box.  Should you leave it, more than likely the lid will no longer fit onto your box due to excess thickness.  If you look closely, you don't want to cut directly up to the corner of the box, but rather leave approx a quarter of an inch.  Look ahead a couple steps to see how this forms a seamless edge for your box.  

Once the right side is complete, do the same for the left::

Now this next part sounds trickier than it is.  Bring the fabric up and crease the fabric where it goes over the lip of the box, see where the crease is below:

Then you want to cut that quarter of an inch that you originally left as extra.  Be sure to only cut it down to the crease and not all the way to the box (see photo above).

 Once you've cut you're little piece, take about 1/2 of it off (photo below) ~ again, this is to eliminate excess bulk. 

 Do the same for the other side, then grab your glue. 

 Add glue only to the part of the fabric that is going inside the box (squiggle line below), and add a thick line to the right and left side (this is the fabric that will make up the corners.

 Press the fabric firmly to the inside of the box from the center outwards, this will smooth out any bumps. 

 Then place clothespins on the sides and center to hold the fabric as you start the opposite side.   

 Do all the steps above for the opposite side of the box and once again, place clothespins:

 Now for the remaining sides.  Hopefully, you worked quickly enough and the glue you placed is still not entirely dry, if it is feel free to put more glue to each corner (you can see the original glue dripping slightly on each corner below:)

 Again, this step looks trickier than it is.  The best frame of reference for you is to think of wrapping a gift.

 Press the right corner in and fold in the excess fabric, like in the photo above.  

 Bring fabric up and over trying to ensure you have a nice straight line on the corner.  

Do the same for the left corner, then add additional glue to the edge of the fabric and glue in place.

 Again, add clothespins to hold, then do the same for your last side.  Once all four edges are complete, do the exact.same.thing for your box body.  Once the top and bottom are finished allow them to dry completely.

 Once dry take off the clothespins.  The inside corner should look something like this:

If you feel the inside needs more glue add a thin layer, otherwise, you're good to go!

To give this box a finished look, I added these

Book Plates

.  They're perfect for inserting labels and they stick nicely, although if you want them to be permanent I do suggest applying them with additional glue.

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There you have it, an easy DIY that looks good and is easy on the pocket book!  

These are great for storing personal keepsakes like photos:

Or for organizing craft, art or office supplies:

And also work great for your closet, organizing scarves or accessories:

DIY | Easy Star Centerpiece

Brown paper lunch bags and white plaint is all that is needed to make these fun practical centerpieces!

Cut off the top third of each lunch bag.

Use any white craft paint.

Trace, then cut out a star to make a stencil.

Using a sponge, blot paint onto the bag using your stencil.

Once dry fill your centerpieces with an edible snack.  Un-shelled peanuts are always a crowd-pleaser.  Helpful Tip:   Double up each bag to give more stability!