Little desk makeover

So, I found this desk on the side of the road! Loved how tiny it was and Lydia has been needing a desk. She LOVES to do art! I was drawn to these colors. Lydia is a very bright person, and her room is not painted, so it needs some color. I am disappointed that the teal does not look like it does in this picture. The picture looks turquoise, but it has more green in it. Closer to aqua. The drawer I covered with Washi Tape. I put a layer of spray adhesive on the drawer front (after removing the knob), covered it with washi, then sprayed a clear coat of spray paint on top. I had to glue (with Elmer's glue) the ends down, just because washi is not the stickiest, and I didn't want it to peal off.

Re purposed canvas painting

 Found this little painting at D.I.

 Vinyl lettering from Hobby Lobby.

 Paint over everything lightly. Whatever look you like.

While paint is still wet, peel off the vinyl.
I made this for Zoe because she loves all things French, except this painting :) She ended up painting over it and had me write Amore on it in black. Whatever. She knows what she likes.

Downstairs bathroom redo/ chevron painting

 Decided I wanted some color in the bathroom so I painted it purple. I am not even sure I like it. I like the way the oval white mirror (that I snagged from Zoe's room) looks next to the purple. I still need to put up some quarterround or something to help transition from purple to white.

 I wanted something hanging on the wall, so I made this chevron stripes painting. It is a fun burst on color, but after Travis said it looked a bit 80's I don't like it quite as much, because I see what he was saying.

I did find this little iron bird hook for the towel that I was excited about for $3 at Hobby Lobby.
The bathroom is better than it was, but not finished yet. It still needs some stuff. I just don't know what yet.

Painted rocks

We had fun gathering rocks then painting them. Zoe and her friend, Alexis, then took the rocks and annonomously left them on people's porches. My kids are always wanting to paint, so this was a great project.

Stego-Pedaled Airscrew Helio Saurus drawing

My dad drew this awesome picture. Love it. Reminds me of a Miyazaki film.

Painted jar with blossoms

 Take an old jar that you like the shape of.

 Paint the inside your paint color of choice. Let it dry.

 I filled mine with dry beans. I followed Martha Stewarts tutorial to make this stick with paper blossoms on it.

It makes it feel like Spring, even if it doesn't feel like it outside.

Tutorial: Framed dry erase board

1.Get an old frame from a thrift store. Just choose a size you like.

2. Take out the glass and picture and backing. Clean everything really well.

 3. While you could easily spray paint the frame any color you choose, we painted because we had the paint we wanted to use. Craft paint dries really fast. Because the frame was a dark green we first painted the frame a pale pink as a primer. Then we painted over that two coats of a darker pink.
Just paint your frame until you are happy with the way it looks, then let it dry completely.

 My daughter did almost everything on this project in an afternoon. Super easy, super fast project.

 4. Choose a fabric that you like, that matches your frame. Cut it the same size as the glass. We ironed ours so that no wrinkles would show.

5. Replace the glass in the frame, then the fabric and put it all back together. Use dry erase markers on the glass.

New custom-made dry erase board: $3

Refinished credenza

 I have been looking for a credenza to house the flat screen T.V. that we didn't yet own for a long time. Travis texted me a picture of this nasty old thing that he found at D.I. In the picture he texted me it looked like real wood. When he got it home I realized it wasn't. It was a veneer, and a pretty crappy one at that. There were many times throughout this process that I cursed myself for even trying to refinish something that should have been in the dump. But I had a vision and couldn't stop. Now I am happy I tried because I am pleased with the outcome and now I know that if I can make a piece of junk functional that I am excited to try on some real wood.
I followed a few different tutorials online. Basically Travis lightly sanded the veneer. Just enough to take off the shine.

 Then we primed the entire outside. We didn't even bother with the inside, because, frankly, this credenza isn't going to last long.

 Then I painted a couple coats of Behr Ultra with Primer. The color is Behr Darkest Grape. We used the finish that is in between Semi-gloss and Flat. What is that? Satin?
These pictures DO NOT do it justice. This is looking almost dark lavender. The piece, while certainly purple, is deeper than this.

Lego Head Pinata tutorial

So, you can buy pre-cut circles of foam. I (always on a budget) went the cheaper route and bought a huge sheet of styrofoam and cut out circles. Also buying this one item I was able to use my Joann 40 % off coupon. I traced the circles onto the foam with a Sharpie. I actually traced some plates and saucers I had.
Two doughnut shaped ones for the top piece 7(?) inches diameter, 2 pieces 8 1/4 in. diameter circles for top and bottom, one circle 8 inch diameter for the very bottom connector piece. If this is confusing look at a minifigure head and it may be more clear.

Cut out the circles and round the edges a bit. I just used a serrated kitchen knife.

I used painters tape to attached the two doughnut pieces together and set them on the "top" piece.

Tape the "bottom" piece to some posterboard. This is horrible but I have forgotten the measurement I used for the paper. Ten inches maybe? Try out different measurements until it looks right. (Hey, this is my first tutorial. I guess I am learning a lot :)

The "top" piece needs a hole cut into it, that the candy will eventually go into. Keep the piece that comes out to "cork" it back up after candy goes in. Also, if you look closely you can see that I cut some little holes for the rope to go in.

Here it is all taped together. You begin to see it taking shape. This part was really hard. The painters tape was not super sticky so the top kept falling into the paper tube. I resisted using duct tape for fear that it would be too sturdy and we wouldn't be able to get into it when it was time. Also, keeping the paper from collapsing (you can see the dent on the right side) was a challange.

The next challange was trying to get the sticky, gluey, newspaper to stick to the foam. It did not want to stick. I ended up just laying it on in places and letting it dry. The next layer wasn't so hard. But the shape was really compromised because of these sticking difficulties.

I put the rope into the holes and knotted it. It stayed in really well and it was really sturdy.

I use a 1:1 ratio of water to flour for the glue. I put on one layer of newspaper with the glue, covering the entire pinata then let it dry completely. Then do another complete layer of newspaper and let it dry. It usually takes many hours to dry. Even in the direct sun can take 3-4 hours (that is why I start making the pinata several days ahead). You could probably put a heater on in front of it to hurry the process.
After the two newspaper layers are dried I put on a layer of plain white paper. It takes less paint to paint over white, rather than newsprint.

When completely dry start painting. When the paint is totally dry, fill it will candy, then put the stopper back in. This was definitly a plus about this particular pinata. Usually with a balloon based pinata, when the second newspaper layer is dry you cut through the layers to make a little "trapdoor" in an inconspicuous spot. Also, a spot that isn't vulnerable. So, not toward the bottom and not close to where the rope is connected. Fill with candy (not chocolate if you are drying in the sun :) Then proceed with white paper layer and paint.

Then decorate. I saw somewhere on the internet someone used a scared face on their Lego Minifigure Head Pinata. I thought it was a must. I penciled it on first, then used Sharpie. For the mouth I used a piece of heavy white paper, with Sharpie then glued onto the pinata.

Look at that puffy toddler hand grabbing for the goodies inside. No wonder Lego head is so scared, a labotamy is looming.

What questions do you have? Is this rather clear? It is harder to describe than I thought it would be.

Paste paper!

 This is one of my favorite projects that always ends up with such beautiful decorative paper. Simple enough that anyone (except two year olds :) can help.
This paste is a mixture of 2 1/4 C. water combined with 1/3 C. white flour. Mix and let sit on the counter for a couple hours. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for ten minutes. You want it to end up the consistancy of heavy unwhipped cream. Let it cool completely. Strain. Add paint.
We used cheap acrylic and it worked out just fine. I let each of the kids choose their own colors, then we all shared. The paint lightens a little as it dries, so make it good and bright!

The next part is the fun part. You can fingerpaint the goo all over the paper, experimenting with amounts, textures, designs, and patterns. You can get some really fun results. Some of our favorites included making designs with a serrated knife, my wedding ring, a clothes pin, and then sticking two pieces of different colored paint together then pulling apart.

 This is Austin making some artsy paste paper which he later used for the cover of his book.

Beautiful results. Next I will share some things we make out of them!

Freezer paper stencil T-shirts

Using this tutorial, or this (they are different) we decided to make St. Pattys Day shirt. Really only Liam's is technically St. Pattys. The girls wanted something a little different.

Since Travis was out of town, Steve and Shawna dropped by to visit and I made them stay and help with the t-shirts. I was very happy to have their help! One t-shirt (with a decisive child, or predetermined design) would be pretty easy, but 3 were more involved.

I think they turned out super cute. You can't see the bottom of Lydia's shirt but it says Lydia in "princess cursive".

I have to give complete credit to Steve and Shawna on the girls' shirts. They cut out all the frezzer paper and helped the girls figure out what they wanted.

Laundry/Craft Room Redo

There is a great little area in my laundry room that I have claimed for my crafting/sewing stuff. I was so grateful to have a spot that I don't even mind that it is hot and small in there (and sometimes noisy).
When my recent girls trip to Portland was cancelled (sob, sob) I told Travis I was still vacationing, but would be locking myself in the craft room, to paint and decorate.
I painted the room robin's egg blue. The table was our first table when we got married that I repainted. The fabric is hiding all of my clear storage which holds all of my supplies. Although in the picture it is being held up with a combination of duct tape and push pins, I have since then put it on a rod, so that it can be pushed aside for easier access. (Thanks for the brilliant idea, Shawna!)

I already had a bunch of bins that I could use on this handy shelf above the washer and dryer.

This is a shelf that my dad made for me for my dolls when I was little. It was stained oak, but I sanded and painted it and it holds a bunch of treasures from my Grandma that I have never had a place to display. The shelf isn't hung up yet, but you get the idea.

Everytime I enter the room I get excited! It is so functional and happy!

face painting

My friend had recently gotten into face painting. One day Lydia came home from a playdate with a butterfly on her face. I had never seen this kind of face painting before and loved it. When it came time for costumes, my friend had moved. So I went to the dollar store and bought some make-up that I thought would work. I think it turned out great. Lydia was great to sit still while I did it, and while I washed it off.