Pretty Pantries

Running out of places to decorate in your home?  Try making over the pantry!  Have you seen the amazing pantry makeovers floating around blog land?  Pretty awesome!  I once had a nice big pantry and I wish I had made it over to something cute.  Maybe one day I'll have a big pantry again!  In the meantime, check out these gorgeous pantries.

House of Smith's Pantry Remix

Decor Chick's Pantry Makeover

The Stories of A to Z Organized Pantry

Amber Lane Living Pantry Redo

A Little of This. . .A Little of That Pretty Pantry

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Kids boredom Busters...

Each day this summer I tried to do something fun & crafty for my kids. I usually made it about once a week!! oops....

I would assign a letter of they day & my girls were in charge f thinking that something that began with that letter that we could make...Here are the pics from our letter "B" day. (I forgot to take pics for the other projects...another oops!!)

This is our magnet Bumble Bee. We used plastic bags for the wings & Pipe cleaners for the Antoni & mouth. I also attached a close pin to the bad so they could hang their other projects from them.

We also made Butterfly puzzles. I printed off a cute pic of a butterfly off the internet & the girls each colored them. They then clus them to a piece of constuction paper & once the glue was dry we cut out the puzzle pieces.

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Children's Aprons...

I have been OBSESSED with aprons lately. I am so excited about the one that I just made for my 2 oldest girls & my 2 of my nieces. I started out by measuring from their torso to their collar bone to hip & then from hip to the knee. I took it from there to come up with the pattern. I made 1 that is just one solid piece of material & the other 3 are 2 pieces....well the pink camo ones are actually 3 counting that I added a belt down the middle. I have NEVER made these before. I have just been blog stocking like I LOVE to do & have seen SO MANY cute aprons out there & thought "I can TOTALLY do this!!" It was a LONG day of sewing & making mistakes & re-sewing. Then I FINALLY got it!! I LOVE THEM & so do my girls. They beg me to wear them all the time...& I just want to frame them because I worked so hard..lol!!! =) But now I know how & so I have a few friends & sisters & more nieces, so I am going to be making a BUNCH more & I'll post pics when I make the adult sized ones. For my 2 nephews I am making some tool belts!! I don't have boys so I was a bit stumped but they are almost done & they are WAY cute!!! I'll post pics once I finish them as well. The hubbs was a bit tired of all the sewing mess so I am taking a break. Let me know what you think.....

I put a pocket on the front of each of them to hold a marker, 2 pencils & some scissors....

This is the one piece...

Hope you all enjoy & it sparks all you sewer's out there to try one out!! This was a Major challenge for me....which I TOTALLY LOVED!!!

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PEACHY COOL!

Holy Moly! I am so excited about these sites!!!!!!!! You probably knew about them long ago, but I just found out about them yesterday. Take a look!

Peachy Chic has the cutest do it yourself jewelry for way cheap. They send you everything you need to make trendy jewelry all by yourself!

Peachy Cheap has daily deals on scrapbook stuff!

A Side of Peaches has a special deal everyday on everything from jewelry and other accessories to home decor!

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Dresser Redo

I finally finished painting my old dresser for the girls' room! Take a look!

Here's the BEFORE picture:

Here's the AFTER picture:

Just in case you're wondering, I used the same technique on this as I did on the bunk beds!

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Another great GIVEAWAY!!!!

ANOTHER giveaway hosted by Lolly Jane Boutique!!! Can I just say that I LOVE THEM!?!! Check them out http://lollyjaneboutique.blogspot.com/

This is the fantastic prize to one lucky gal.......

We know, we ♥ it too :)


So, here's your chance to own a one-of-a-kind Lolly Jane home décor:


1. Be a follower of Lolly Jane's blog
2. "Like" us on FaceBook
3. Leave a comment so we know how to find you :)
aaaaaaand
4. For an added bonus, link it up!


Wait! There's more!
We have a SuRpRiSe twist when we announce the winners... oh darn, did I just ruin the secret? Wait 'n see............ ;)


You have until 08/05/2010 at midnight to enter

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How to create a Football Lampshade...

I had to steal this idea from my AWESOME friend over at Lolly Jane Boutique. It is completley adorable for those of you with boys or a hubs that wants a sports themed office. So here is how to Create a Football Lampshade... or should I say how to make your lampshade look like a football?! Either way, it's a great way to tie in the theme of your little guy's room!

(Seriously though all credit goes to Lolly Jane Boutique!!)


Supplies. What you will need:

Step 1: Measure the lampshade:

Measure the lamp's length and make marks lightly (in pencil) of how tall you want your "football stitching" laces to be. You will make 2 vertical laces. You will also make 6 rows of horizontal laces that will cross the vertical laces, (with 1/2" length remaining on each side after crossing the vertical laces.)



Step 2: Cut holes for the laces:

Using a sharp razor tip, slit a small hole vertically (approx 1/4 inch.) at your markings. Note: it should be conspicuous but large enough the shoelaces can easily slip through.



Step 3: Thread the laces:

Starting at the top, simply poke the shoelace through the top and bottom holes, creating a straight vertical line, leaving a 1/2 inch "tail" hanging from each side. Repeat so you have 2 shoelaces side by side with a 1/4" gap.


Step 4: Stitch the lace:

Stitch the 1/2" tail through the front of the shoelace, creating sturdy "football stitching." This will hold the vertical laces permanently in place. Repeat until both sets of laces are tight. Tip: Hot glue will work for this as an alternative for those who simply dislike sewing ;)



Step 5: Cross the laces:



Cross the horizontal laces over the vertical laces, leaving approx. 1/2" on each side, creating the look of football stitching.



Step 6: Make your whistle pull.
Note: I left my whistle hanging the same length as the original pull.

Step 7: Attach to the lampshade.
Instead of switching the original pull to the whistle pull, I clipped the original shorter (it should not be visible when looking at the shade) and simply tied the whistle to the lampshade.... yes it is strictly "for looks." Easy peasy, right? ;)

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AWESOME Lolly Jane Giveaway....

Today is the LAST DAY to enter so Head on over to........http://whippycake.blogspot.com

.........to enter in this FAMULOUS giveaway from one of my dearest friends. This is the spectacular prize for one luck gal...........

SERIOUSLY who doesn't want ALL OF IT!?!?! I know I totally Want it ALL!!!!

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BUNK BED REDO

Check out my bunk bed transformation! My husband and I had been in the market for a bunk bed for awhile. Wal-Mart has some cute ones in the $250 price range, but really I just wanted an old bunk bed that I could paint, because I LOVE painted wood!!!! I know it's probably trendy, but I LOVE IT! So, then one day we got pretty dang lucky. Back in May, my hubby was taking my daughter to school and on the side of the road he saw a bunk bed with a sign that said, "FREE BUNK BED." He called me and I immediately thought that it must be falling apart and ugly if it's free. Then he sent me a picture of it on my phone and I was THRILLED!!!! It was sturdy solid wood with cool rod iron detail. This is the bed I had dreamed of finding and IT WAS FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! I knew that after a little paint and magic, it would be PERFECT! Please take a look at the before and after.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I didn't even prime this beauty. Just 3 coats of white paint, distressing with sandpaper, stain to give it an antique look and one coat of polyurethane. Oh yeah. Do you like the cute damask bed spreads?? It's a bed in a bag from Wal-mart.com.

I am really into chandeliers right now, aren't you? Check out this one from IKEA. It's $39.99, which isn't too bad for a chandelier.

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Cupboard Headboard

My friend, Jennie made this awesome headboard out of cupboard doors. She bought the cupboards at a place called Restore. Habitat for Humanity gives their leftovers to Restore and then the proceeds of purchased items go to help local Habitat for Humanity Centers. Jennie bought these for $3/each. Then she painted them black, sanded them and hung them on the wall above her bed. I absolutely love the outcome! How creative, at such an inexpensive price and helping a good cause all at the same time! Thanks for sharing Jennie, we hope to have more of your craftiness on our blog in the future!

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