Sweet Gum Ball Wreath

My backyard is covered with these pokey things that fall from the trees. I have never seen them in NY, only down in the South. I'm told they are called gumballs. Funny how the South makes everything sound nicer than it really is.  Anyways, they do have a lot of texture so I thought it would make a cool wreath.

1. I started with a wreath base and wrapped it with burlap.  I bought 1/2 yd at Walmart for $2.50.  I cut the burlap in strips and hot glued them to the base.

2. I then had all three of my kids gather a large bag of gumballs from the backyard.  I love putting my kids to work but making them think its a game.

3. I cut off the stems and hot glued one gumball on at a time. Yes, it did take forever. But I think it was worth it.

4. I layered two wire ribbons that I purchased at Michael's for $10 and made a loop at the top

5. I made a pretty bow at the top and tied it to the loop

6. What I love about this wreath, is that I can change up the ribbon for various holidays and it can look completely different. So for this month coming up, Happy St.Patrick's Day!  .

Laundry Room Finished!!!

My laundry closet is finally finished.  I already shared how I made the curtains and in this post I will show you how I made the other two pieces.

This was my inspiration for the colors.  This adorable picture was made for me by my friend Angie.  It finally found a home.
The Laundry sign was pretty easy to make.
1. I bought a piece of wood at Lowe's for $7.00
2. Primed it with white paint and used a Cricket to make the letters as a stencil. If you do not have a Cricket you can always pick up stencils at your local craft store.

3. I then painted the piece of wood orange. I used a small tube of acrylic paint that cost $1.00 from Walmart.  I traced around the stencils and painted the letters brown with acrylic paint. (also $1)
4. I then roughed up the edges with sandpaper.

5. I applied some stain with a rag and wiped it off immediately with a clean rag.

6. I attached a hanger to the back and it was finished.

I also made this item for the ironing board.

1.  I used a scarp piece of wood and followed the same steps that I did for the Laundry Sign.
2. I bought two coat hooks from Lowe's for $3 a piece and screwed them to the wood.
3. I screwed the wood into the wall and hung up the ironing board.

Total cost : $2.00 for paint, $7.00 for wood, $6.00 for hooks = $15.00

Not too bad for a weekend project!

Fun with a Sharpie marker

Why do kids think it is so much fun drawing on themselves and the walls?  Sweet little Lily was so proud of herself.  She didn't do as much damage as her brothers did previously with the paint, but it was tricky getting off the couch.

Operation Closet Organization (part1)

Ok....So the challenge that I have set for myself is to organize all the closets in my house.  I will organize one closet a week and share my photos.  This will help me to stay accountable and actually get it done.  It amazes me how my closets get so funky and cluttered.  I hate even opening them up.  My first closet....my laundry closet.  It's so small I can't even call it a laundry room.
This is my Before.........

and After......

I used a tension shower curtain rod for my rod.  I sewed two panel curtains and hung on the rod.   It hides the clutter so well.  For the curtain:
1. Measure the length of your wall and make 2 panels that length.  The height is up to you, I just wanted them long enough to cover my big box of rags and toilet paper.
2. Sew a hem around three sides of each panel.

3. Fold the top of the fabric down at least 5 in and make a slot for the rod to go through.

4. Sew a straight line and you are done!  I like having two panels because I can put my laundry soap up on the shelf and it makes it easy to open in between the panels.

I also bought two baskets from the dollar store to keep on top of the dryer.  One holds all my missing socks, and the other is for lint or garbage.

Total cost for this project =$2.00

I already had the rod, but Walmart carries them for around $10.  I also had the fabric, but you can use sheets, drop cloths, etc... be creative.

I still have two small projects for the laundry room that I haven't completed yet.  I will post them soon for the final reveal

So my laundry closet isn't super fancy, but organized (for now).  Maybe this will help me keep up with my laundry..uuggg!

Changing up the centerpiece

Last week I posted a centerpiece that I made.  I decided to switch it up with some fresh flowers.  I took out my small plants and used my regular drinking glasses in their place.  I put my Valentine flowers inside and I think it makes a beautiful arrangement.  What do you think?

Spray Painted Lamp

 Another great find at Goodwill.  This cute little lamp was only $2.99.  I needed a lamp for my guest room and knew this would be perfect. It just needed some work and a shade.
1. Get some spray paint.  I really like RUST-OLEUM spray paint. (heritage red - satin finish). But,  I'm sure any kind would be fine.
2. Cover all the places you don't want to get paint on. I used saren wrap and painters tape.

3. Spray in a well ventilated room.  I prefer to use a drop cloth outside.  This day it was raining, so I did it in my garage.

4.  Allow to dry and enjoy!

5. Total cost = $22  , $3 for base, $4 for paint, and $15 for shade.  I probably could have found a better deal for the shade, but I haven't had a lamp in my guest room for 2 years and I was ready to get it done.

My two little Picassos

  So I went to get my hair cut... and left my husband in charge of the kids.
This is what I came home to!
For those of you who know me, you can tell that this picture is about two years old but I thought it might make you laugh......They sure were having a great time with the paint. Not only did they make beautiful pictures on the walls, but they also got paint all over the carpet and furniture.  Luckily, we have a friend in the carpet cleaning business and he could come over right away.  It was pretty close to a miracle that he got it cleaned.  Needless to say, we did have to repaint the walls and I found a new place for my acrylic paint.
PS. In my husbands defense, he was taking a shower when the boys were so creative!

From bed posts to candlesticks

As I was shopping at the thrift store, I came across a wooden bed frame for $.99. It was definately beat up, but I loved all the curves.  I thought it would be fun to try to make them into candlestick holders.  Here goes....
1. With a table saw, cut off the top and bottom ends to make a flat surface. I also took the two parts that I cut off the posts and glued them together to make a third candlestick holder

2. Fill in the holes with wood putty and let dry completely.  Sand the entire piece with med. grit sandpaper.
3.Paint the holders any color you like and let dry completely.
4.Rough up the edges with sandpaper.
5. Apply stain with a rag and then wipe off immediately with a clean rag.
6. Place candles on top and you are set!

Uuuggg! Its Monday, please make me laugh.

Why is it that when you just get done cleaning your floors, your child decides that they are hungry?

A fun centerpiece

I first saw this centerpiece on Pinterest and knew I had to make it for our kitchen table.  It said that is was from cellardesign.com, but I could not find it on their website.  This is my version.....

1. Cut wood into 3 pieces.  2 that are 5x4x3/4 inches and 1 that is 5x25x3/4 inches.
2. Trace out 4 holes on the large piece of wood that are slightly larger than the base of your plant or mason jar.  Drill a hole using a bit that is slightly larger than your jigsaw blade in the center of the traced circle. Place the jigsaw blade inside the hole and cut out the circle.

3. Screw in the smaller pieces of wood to the larger piece of wood to make a table.

4. Paint it white and allow to dry completely.
5. Sand the whole thing with med grit sandpaper.  Go especially rough on the edges.
6. Using a rag or sponge brush, apply stain to the wood.  Remove immediately with a clean rag.
7. Allow to dry and......wala!  You have a centerpiece.
I bought $3 plants from Wal-mart and filled mine up. You could also use herbs or use mason jars and fill them with fresh flowers, crayons, candy,etc...
 Because I used scrap wood and old paint from my garage the total cost of this project.... $12