white Bookshelf Makeover with Removable Lining

This black, beat up bookshelf of ours has been screaming for a makeover for awhile now. However, like with most things, I couldn't decide which color to paint it. I really didn't want to have to paint it my usual three times before I like it. So, I went with the classic white and to add a some pop of color to my gray dining area, I put wrapping paper on thick poster board for lining. That way when I change my mind, I can just unwrap the poster board and put a new color on or leave it white.

Did I say, I put the wrapping paper on??? Oh yes, my sweet mom did it for me while I laid on the couch, sick and wanting to throw up (these was about a year ago when we found out about our upcoming surprise baby). Not only did my parents fly into town to help my kids and me while I was sick, my mom finished all my craft projects and my dad fixed EVERYTHING around the house and still managed to do a puzzle:)

I saw this wrapping paper at Target on clearance!!! So much cheaper than using fabric which was my original plan.

Well, that surprise baby is now 3 months old and this bookshelf is finally finished!!!! Some projects just take me A LOOOONG time. I LOVE the clean, fresh look of it!

linking up to these parties:
craftomaniac, between naps on the porch, stories from a2z, not just a housewife,  tip junkie, sugar bee, blue cricket design, night owl crafting, somewhat simple, tater tots and jello, at the picket fence, remodelaholic, whipperberry, i heart naptime, thrifty decor chick, diy showoff, be different act normal

fabric flower canvas

it usually takes me at least 3 times of doing something before i am satisfied with it. . . 

take this canvas. it has been painted brown with a green V,

black with an attempt at a coat of arms of the netherlands,

and finally mod podged with pages of a very old mythology book and decorated with fabirc flowers.

3 totally different takes.

that is me for you.

 

it was just a flat 22" x 28" canvas that i have had for who knows how long,
so i glued 2" square dowels on it to make it look like a canvas and "pop" off the wall.

here are the flowers i used and the tutorials that helped me.
flower #1 by sew ritzy titzy
rosette by little birdie secrets
ruffled flower by creation corner
rolled flower by the pilot's wife
flower #2 by house of smith's
yo yo by studio calico
and leaf / tulip flower well, my mom just kind of made that up. that is what she does. amazing woman.
she just took a little square, folded it in half, than folded the corners down and sewed around the bottom.
the stems, of course, are just a basic ruffle stitch

here is the final product. i am sure i will change the color of that "v" a few times.
for now, i think i like the subtly of it because i have so many other v's around my house.

and on a side note, this is what happens when i try to bake

this little monster gets into EVERYTHING, including the green food coloring while i was using the red and blue. if only some of his cuteness could have rubbed off on our 4th of july cake. . . 

i still have a green little monster running around. 

BBQ Baked Beans . . . and a recipe card to go with it

i am sure you all have your bbq baked beans for the 4th, but for all those bbq's you will be going to the rest of the summer . . . this is a must try.

my sister-in-law gave me this recipe with cubed cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon that gives it that scrumptious punch of flavor.

pretend that bbq sauce bottle is ketchup and their is a can of butter beans in the picture.
i have taken 3 trips to the store in the last 4 days and was not about to take another one to get another can of beans (i just used black beans this time around. . . shhh don't tell)

 perfection.

and here is a 4 x 6 recipe card because you will most definitely want to make it again:)

linking up to these parties:

craftomaniac, dittle dattle, stories from a2z, not just a housewife, tip junkie, blue cricket design, somewhat simple,

tater tots and jello, at the picket fence, remodelaholic, whipperberry, funky junk, i heart naptime, thrifty decor chick,

diy showoff, just a girl, the shabby nest

growth chart tutorial

i really wanted to make a growth chart before my first son was born. . . 

well, he is 3 and my other little man is one.

better late than never.

neither my husband or i are over 6 feet, but i come from a family of tall people so i have high hopes for my sons. . . no pun intended:)

 i got a 6 foot tall, 12 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick piece of wood at home depot,

painted it white and sprayed painted some polyurethane on it after it was dry

(polyurethane in a spray can. . . my new bff),

again, using my sisters cricut (who lives 3 states away so that is my excuse for taking so long) 

cut out 12" numbers 1-6 and little tabs for the inch and feet marks with vinyl,

used a ruler and measuring tape to put on on the little tabs

and hung it in the boys barthroom!

 it is HUGE!

 don't even think my boys will really be into me measuring their height once they get over 5 feet but a mom can dream:)

p.s. does anybody have that cute frog pod that NEVER stays up? if you do and have figured out a way to keep it from falling, usually in the middle of the night and scaring the *#%! out of me, let me know!

linking up to these parties:

craftomaniac, dittle dattle, stories from a2z, not just a housewife, tip junkie, blue cricket design, somewhat simple,

tater tots and jello, at the picket fence, remodelaholic, whipperberry, funky junk, i heart naptime, thrifty decor chick,

diy showoff, just a girl, the shabby nest

{before and after} HIS and HERS end table

forgive my "before" pictures. . . i painted these a few months ago and did not think to take a "before" shot. so a pic taken 3 years ago of my son crawling under them will have to do:)

 

all it took was a little sanding, a lot of white paint, some antique paint, and a stencil for the HIS and HERS made from my sister's cricut. . . 

yes, i hope to be cool enough someday to have my own cricut or silhouette. . . someday abu

linking up to these parties:

craftomaniac, dittle dattle, stories from a2z, not just a housewife, tip junkie, blue cricket design, 
somewhat simple, tater tots and jello, at the picket fence, remodelaholic, whipperberry,
funky junk, i heart naptime, thrifty decor chick, creation corner

diy showoff, just a girl, the shabby nest, addicted to decorating, between naps on the porch, 

4th of July Bunting Banner Tutorial

i can't get enough of these fun banners. . .

and my mind just wouldn't be at ease until i made one for the 4th of july!

here is a quick tutorial on how i made this bunting banner:

what you will need:

1/3 yard of red fabric (more or less depending on the size of your flags)

1/3 yard of blue fabric (more or less depending on the size of your flags)

1/3 yard of burlap

yarn or string

3 different circles to trace (big, medium, small)

my big plate was 12" across, medium 8.5" and small 5"

fabric scissors

marker and pencil

thread (i used white, red and blue)

sewing machine

step 1 - put 2 little marks on the back of your plates (or whatever you are using to trace) on either side (between the top and the middle of the plate) so the flags would be be bigger than a half circle.

step 2 - cut out 3 of the large red flags

3 large blue flags

6 medium burlap flags

3 small red flags

3 small blue flags

(you can do all your flags the same but i liked the look of the alternating flags)

cut 12 12" pieces of string/yarn in red

cut 12 12" pieces of string/yarn in white

(again, you can use anything you want here and don't have to use 2 pieces of string)

step 3 - sew a zigzag stitch all around the edges of all the large flag pieces with white thread, sewing the strings on either end as you go.

step 4 - sew the medium burlap flags on top of the large flags using a zigzag stitch

(i used red thread for the large blue flag and blue thread for the large red flag)

then sew the small flags on top of that with a zigzag stitch

step 5 - i finished off the flags by sewing a zig zag stitch across the top.

step 6 - tie the flags together and hang!!

linking up to

the stories of a2z, tatertots and jello,

atthepicketfence, whipperberry,remodelaholic,

i heart naptime, blue cricket design, somewhat simple, craftomaniac

a few of my favorite . . . walls

it may be over done, but i still love the photo gallery walls!

the home print can be found here

and the scripture print here

that "V" has been at least 3 different colors. . . i still might paint it again. suggestions?

possibly my favorite room in the house which is ironic because laundry is my least favorite thing to do in the house!

which is why i made this sign. find it here

and painted a fun bird cage with a bird:)

not sure why i am obsessed with all things monster for my little sugar tot but he has just started noticing these little guys painted in his room. love it!

linking up to these lovely ladies:

blue cricket design, eisy morgan, somewhat simple, house of hepworths, tatertots and jello, atthepicket fence, whipperberry, remodelaholic, i heart naptime

{free printable} and chicken wire frame

we had quite the thunder and lighting storm last night, i am still not used to this nebraska weather. . . insane!

anyway, since it kept me up. . . i had time to think (which is usually never good)

the storm reminded me of this print a made a few months ago when i needed a boost. . .

just thought i would share

click here or on the picture to download a 5x7 print

{armoir} before & after

this beast has been with us through 5 moves in 7 + years and has taken a beating.

it was in desperate need of some tlc so what else is there to do. . .

but paint it?!?

yes, there is a some cumin or garlic salt in my family room

thank you tatum for learning how to open cupboards and rearrange the house.

i just sprayed some tsp on that bad boy, lightly sanded it and started painting it blue.

after the first coat dried, i freaked out a little (as did my husband) because it was very baby blue and would be cute in a nursery or kids room but not our family room!

since, my kids were sleeping and i was desperate to get this done,

i just added some tan, black and maybe a little brown in the paint. . .

and i liked how it turned out!

painting the inside white was not my idea of fun. it took more coats than i cared to count.

i decided to just put some white contact paper down on the shelfs instead of paint.

just love those knobs!

a HUUUUGE thank you to my sister for telling me about polyurethane in a spray paint can!!! saved me hours. . . ok, days of work!

Window Makeover

i got this bad boy from a nice old man on craigslists for . . . 1 buck!

he had tons of them and didn't want them to be landfill.

i started sanding and sanded some more

and some more than decided to just paint over it. . .

and sanded some more.

when i was done antiquing it a bit, i realized it looked pretty much like it did when i bought it.

but, i felt better knowing there was fresh paint on it:)

when i was dating my hubby, he sang (and by sang, i mean sang one line)

of george strait's "i cross my heart" to me. . .

and that sealed the deal:) (that has always been one of my fave songs)

so i thought i would put that line in one of the window pane's

after almost a year of living in our home,

i finally have something hanging over our bed