My Top 10 Backyard DIYs

I love the outdoors, and I love DIYs!  Not having a yard is one of the hard things about living in an apartment, but it can't stop me from building dreams of projects I want to do when we do have one!
Pinterest has become my craft/idea hording place :D It is absolutely wayyy to much fun to get on there, but it is such a danger hazard to losing a good chunk of my day on there too. 

All summer long I've been thinking of fun things I would do if I had a backyard.  I miss just sitting and being surrounded by green life all around me.  I've put together some of the ideas that I've been dreaming of to share. Maybe you will have some time and will add one of these fun DIYs to your lovely space! (If you do, please invite me over. I will even help with the DIY!haha ;-) )

So, here they are, my top 10 backyard DIY dreams (In no particular order, I just love them all).
I'm sure there will be plenty more than 10 when I actually do get a yard though ;-)
Enjoy!

DIY mosaic table

Outdoor Pizza Oven

DIY Standing Wooden Cooler

Painted Canvas Rug

Outdoor Patio Seat Cushions-Tutorial!

Tree Swings...get inspired with these fun swings!

 Horse Shoe Pit

DIY Outdoor Theater (Projector Screen)

Pretty Lighting

Adjustable Shade

Picnic Table Gutter Cooler

Nope, you didn't count wrong, there are actually 11 DIYs that you just viewed.Oops. ;-) I couldn't help but add that last gutter cooler idea. SO neat, right?

And, just because I'm on a roll, I'm going to share one more. It's a beauty, and will make you want to be right in the picture. 

Ultimate Hammock-DIY Pallet Swing Bed

Awesome! Don't you think? It makes you relax just to look at it :-)

I hope you all have a good weekend! Maybe do a DIY! If you do, please share it!

God bless!

Here is a sneak peak at a upcoming post!

Yes! It's a Big Sister photo shoot! We are excitedly awaiting a new Kennedy baby, due April 2014!
Keep a lookout for the newest baby news post & Alicia's Big Sister photo shoot!

Organizing & Cleaning Inspiration! - My Pinterest To-Do list ;-)

I love being organized. But I am one of those people that has things for almost every kind of craft or project, so being organized can be a challenge.  I have been completely organized though! I truly have! And I love looking back on those days...Everything in its place, everything pretty and organized.  I have had a hard time getting organized since I got married.  All of a sudden their is twice the amount of stuff and then baby comes along and you have all things baby to organize as well.
Well, I am still determined to get organized, and I thought I would share some things that are helping to inspire and motivate me to get it done! I've picked 4 areas that I really want to master in our apartment before I move onto other things...

#1

My Thinking Spot

 

I've been wanting to get my sewing/crafting/scheduling/planning(etc ;-) ) space organized.  I am loving everything dry erase friendly for my planning needs right now.  I used photo frames in my kitchen (dry erase markers work awesome on them) and printed out a blank month sheet and a blank sheet with 'Shopping List' on it and framed them (You can find the tutorial here ).  I am loving them! I use them every single day!
 

 #2

 Utilize My Small Spaces

 

In any home the art of using your space wisely is something to master, but I think this is especially true if you live in an apartment. I am so thankful that we have quite a few closets in our place, unfortunately, they seem to fill up way to quickly! 

Something I've noticed in almost all homes and apartments is that the space under counters and sinks is always huge and has FEW-to-NO shelves for storage.  This leads to lots of unused, wasted space, but it doesn't have to be if you know how to get creative with it! Little stand up shelves, stacked baskets, or tension rods like in the picture above free up space and help keep things organized and accessible. I am hoping to give some ideas like this a try in each bathroom and in the kitchen. Might post a picture with the finished product ;-)

 #3

Clean & Tidy Fridge

 The fridge...that small area of your home that you wish would just stay clean, because honestly, who enjoys cleaning the fridge?  I've been wanting to figure out a few ways to make it harder for the fridge to become dirty, and while I've been using a container idea like this for a while, I am planning on using more, almost like drawers, to save space and keep my fridge a little cleaner.

 #4

 Consistency With My Cleaning

 I have been terrible about doing a little cleaning here and there to cut down on the amount that needs done at once. I end up needing a big cleaning day.  

I love this cleaning schedule by tipsandpix.  It is so much more manageable to know what you are doing and on what day so that you don't become overwhelmed with everything all at once.  I will let you know how it goes!

More organizing ideas can be found on my pinterest board, Get Organized!! Make sure to check out some of my other boards for cleaning (Look at board, Handy Home Help) and other fun DIY ideas!

#Babylove

Baby date :D She couldn't take her eyes off of him. haha :D

Weekend is only one day away! Enjoy!

First Week of August, 2013 - Baking and DIYs

 I've been making cloth diapers for our little one.  I've done a little research on the different designs.  The design I decided on is a little different, but similar to the Bum Genius brand. The biggest problem I have had with cloth diapers is that they either are thin, and leak, or overly bulky, but catch most everything.  I have been playing with the design to see if I can fix the problem and find a nice medium.  Any thoughts or advice, cloth diaper mamas?

(Most diapers look a little different than the finish product I'm showing here. This one is a size S while the rest I did with the one-size fit all idea, I'm liking them a lot more. I will post some pictures when they are all finished!)

My sewing buddy, Aja.  She knows she is not supposed to be on any tables, but she likes to be close to me so she jumped up on the table and tried to hide :-) lol.

I've been wanting to try this out for a while. I've had several wooden object (I got each for $1. Some are from dollar store some are from Joann's) that I planned on painting with chalk board paint (How to make your own, here). I've had the supplies for a while, just haven't set aside the time to try it out.  This past week I decided to make it happen, and I did! I'm really happy with how they have turned out, and I can't wait to do a few more fun things for around the home :-) (some may end up on my etsy site! :D)

I made these cookies TWICE this past week because they were so good!

Use your favorite chocolate chip recipe (you can try my favorite here) and add chunks of Reeses to it. SO YUMMY!

 And something new and fun; Homemade Carnival Corndogs! They were amazing! I've never been a big fan of corndogs, but for some reason I was craving them and wanted to see if I could make some, so I gave it a shot! Mission accomplished! These were soooooo goooood. (Planning on putting together a blog on the recipe I used ;-) )

Hope Monday has been easy on you! You can smile, it's over! Have a good rest of the week! You are one day closer to the weekend! ;-)

How To Make Your Own Printables! FREE!

You've seen printables everywhere. If you have photoshop (I should say, if you have it and know how to navigate the designing aspects of photoshop) then you can make yourself pretty much whatever kind of printable and design you like.  But, if you are like me, and don't own photoshop, then you have to get creative, and you wont have quite so many options. But, you can still make yourself some fun and lovely printables, and I'm going to show you how!

I do most of my design work through a site called picmonkey. There is a lot you can do for free. If you want to get full use of all their features then you do pay a little, but it is very inexpensive.

Here are a few examples of some very simple party printables that I did in under 5 minutes (each) using the free features. 

These are fun for snack or goodie bags.

They also have some cute things to make printables for boys.

Here is how to make your very own!

First, go to www.picmonkey.com

You will see that you have two options, you can 'edit a photo', or 'create a collage'.

If you want to add text to a picture, simply go to 'Edit a Photo' and upload the picture you want to work on.  Once it is on the site you will see all of your options for editing on the left side of the screen.

THE PHOTO EDITING ICONS
Click on the first icon to crop, rotate, re-size etc.
The Second to add an effect to the whole picture.
The Third icon allows you to do detail touch-ups, like teeth whitening and removing blemishes.
The Fourth is where you add text boxes. You can add as many as you like.
The Fifth is where you get shapes, labels and graphics.
The sixth allows you to add a border or frame to your picture.
The Seventh lets you change the texture.
and the Eighth lets you create a theme.

Now, if you want to completely use their graphics and create something new, go back to the main page and lick 'Create a Collage'.

There will be a default collage setting, but you can change that by clicking on the second icon and going through their options, or, you can scroll over that default collage and click the little "x" that is inside of each photo box (in the right corner) to delete some of the areas.  In a like manner you can add more pictures by dragging a picture next to one of the existing boxes and dropping it there (it will take up half the space of the box next to it).

If you scroll over the lines in the collage you will see that you can change the size of any box to suite your needs.

Back to the icons

THE COLLAGE EDITING ICONS
So, the first one is where you download the pictures you want to use in your collage.
And the second one is where you can choose a collage style.
The Third one has an assortment of swatches that can become the background to your collage.
And the Fourth one changes the color of the background (don't have to use a swatch at all), and the shape of the photo boxes (you can round the edges).

If you want to use a plain white background, don't do a thing to the collage. Simply add your photos and go ahead to the photo editing.  Likewise, if you want just a plain white surface to edit with graphics, then simply click 'create a collage' and then go straight to photo editing (don't even worry about sizing it here unless you want a specific size they offer).

To get to the Photo Editor from the Collage:
You will notice these options at the top of the collage page.

'Open' 'Save' 'Share' 'Edit' 'Auto fill' 'Clear All'

Cick 'Edit'. This will take you from the collage section, to the photo editing section.
You will see that you have a clean white board to begin your work.  You can re-size (first icon), add text (Fourth icon), place graphics (Fifth icon), or do whatever you like from here, and when you are done, simply save it to where you want it on your computer,
and Whala! You have your very own printables (or anything else you want to use it for!)

Hope this helps some of you busy budgeting mamas!  I know it can be frustrating to either not know how to make these fun things, or not have the means to buy them! I'm budgeting too!
Hopefully this will help some of you out!
If anything doesn't make sense or you need some additional help feel free to ask in the comments!
Enjoy!

Easy, Framed Shopping List Tutorial!

I've been a bad blogger this past week. Working on way to many projects at once and I can't seem to finish any and take a long enough break from everything else in life to sit down and post about them.  So here is a simple DIY I did today. Pretty self explanitory, but here is a walk-through just in case! 

Have a great week!

I don't know about you, but I will think of half a dozen things to put on my shopping list while I am cooking or cleaning and will forget about them before I can find a pad and pen or my phone to write them down.  Something that worked well for me in my last apartment was to hang a picture frame in (or right outside) the kitchen with a dry erase marker and jot things down there whenever they came to mind.  

Well, I am going to be using the white picture frame I used then in my daughters room and decided to put together my new one today. Here is what I did :-)

What you need (so simple!):

1.Paper of choice to frame 

(I printed out 'Shopping List' in a fun font on some light blue card stock)

2. Picture Frame

3. Cutting Board or scissors

 

1. Choose some stationary, scrapbook paper, or print off "shopping list" on some cardstock (Like I did. Download PDF and print here), or whatever you want to put in your frame.

2. Cut down to frame size.  I usually do this by taking out the picture the frame comes with, measuring it or holding it up to what I'm framing and then cut accordingly.

3. Using everything that was already in the frame, simply place your piece in front. This will help keep it looking flat and crisp in your frame.

4. Select where you want to hang your easy to use shopping list! Then, grab a small dry erase maker and set it on top of the frame to make it quick and accessible when you want to jot down things you want to remember for your next shopping trip. 

Enjoy!

I've got lots of big projects whirling in my head that I can't wait to work on and share!

What are some things you would like to see?

DIY/Tutorial for Sewing clothing or maybe a home Craft?

What are your needs or what do you want to know how to do?

 Comment with requests and I will see if I can make them happen!

To finish off this tutorial I thought I would share something to make you smile.

Here's something for all the moms out there...:D Enjoy!

Crinkle Tag Toy Tutorial

My little girl loves things that make noise.  Her favorite toys have been an empty water bottle that she pushes around, her wipes crackly plastic container (will refer to as wc from here on), and the large tag on her floor play mat.  I've been keeping the containers after the wipes are all out and giving them to her to play with, and it is from them that I thought of this DIY.

1. Cut 7 pieces of ribbon, each 7"long (or however many at whatever length you desire)

2. Fold in half (right side OUT). On right side of fabric - measure 2 1/8"from each corner and place and pin a ribbon. On longest side measure 1 1/2" from either ribbon and place last ribbon. Pin the ribbons down to the center of the triangle so that they do not get in the way of sewing. Sew ribbons in place and remove outer pins only.

3. Place second half of triangle (right side down) over the ribbons side of other triangle. Pin & sew the two shorter sides, leaving the longest one open to place wc. Remove pins.

4. Remove the hard top of the wc (It should pull off fairly easily) and cut off the sides.

5. Take top corners and fold down, meeting in the center.

6. Fold bottom up, covering the corners you just folded down. (to get sizing correct, try placing inside the sewn triangle, make any needed adjustments)

7. Fold corners over and tape into place

8. Insert wc into the open side of the triangle.

9. Starting at center, turn edges under and pin together.

10. When you reach the end trim the point even with the edge.

11. Open the end with your finger and make sure seam is flat.

12. Turn corner to inside.

13. Finish folding edges under to the ends. Pin.

14. This is how it should look pinned and ready to sew. Starting at any corner, sew 3/8"seam all the way around. 

Whala! You are done! Let your little one play away! :-)

Happy Baby, Happy Momma :-)

This is definitely the most detailed DIY I've done.  I'm working with some new programs and still trying to learn how everything works, but I'm happy with the over all turnout on this one. I have several more that I am working on and excited to share! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Sewing!

Simple and Cheap DIY's for the 4th of July

On a budget? Yeah, me too. And that can be really hard around the holidays, especially when you love doing crafts and decorating...but, it can also inspire your creativity!

My husband and I both like saving money, but we both love gatherings, parties, game nights...I guess you could say we are both people persons :-)

Here are some easy and cheap DIYs I put together for this 4th of July

I thought I would show different ways you can work with some basic things, some you might already have around the house!

1. My big DIY for the 4th - This Paperclip Flag Wreath. I only Spent $1!

I already had a pack of clothespins (It took 43 pins) and paint (I've had the paint since High School, believe it or not :P).  I only spent $1 for the circular plaque in the middle.

(I'm guessing the clothespins might be around $5 for the big pack - I got them at Walmart quite a while back.. They come in handy all the time and are worth having some around...just look at the fun wreath I made with some of them! :D)

2.  Red, white and blue rice + tea light

This one is really simple.  I selected the glass I wanted to use, filled it with rice, and then divided up the rice as I wanted in 3 plastic cups. Add red color to one cup and mix well. Then add blue to another and mix well. The third cup remains plain. Pour them one on top of the other into your selected "candle holder" in the order you desire and whala! Just add the tea light and you are set!

3. Ways to display/set your silverware

 I love the cup, napkin, and silverware are all in one here...It looks cute, festive, and simple.


You could decorate a jar by painting or using ribbon. 
Makes a cute addition to your buffet table.

Or the simple, roll the silverware in the napkin...
(Or roll up the napkin and stick in the silverware like I did here, haha :-) )

4. Napkin fun...I chose a star...or flower? lol It is my attempt at a star anyway. :-)

I bought the flag fabric at Walmart for under $2 a yard and just cut big squares to make my napkins...sewing the edges will have to come later. I also still have some left over fabric that I have some ideas for.

There are more napkin folds with links on how-to on one of my earlier blogs here.

4. Use ribbon

You can spruce up just about anything with a little ribbon. :-) 

5. Red, white or blue dishes...even if they have a pattern of some kind, if they are in those colors then you can probably work them in ;-)

6. Paper Flowers

Top left are handmade paper flowers. I had the white ones and made the red.

7. Use some fabric in red, white or blue over your table as a runner or table cloth.

These are simple. It's not a huge collection of decorations, but they were fun and it was what I had time to do this year.  The fun part is that I will be able to add to what I have every year and hopefully have a really fun assortment after a few years.

This shows what I made...I will show how I use them for the 4th festivities later and add the pics below :-)

Have a blessed Independence day!