Yellow Distressed and Stained Headboard

 Ahhhh.....she's finally done.  Not because it took so long, but because I started her...

...then the store ran out of the paint

...then we left for 3 weeks on vacation

...then it was too cold to paint

...then someone wanted her and I was waiting to hear what color i should (re)paint her

....then I decided that if you really want a bed custom painted it shouldn't take a week to respond

...then I ran out of sandpaper

...then I finished her.

Here's what she looked like before....

And after some primer, paint, sanding, and staining...

Here's where I'm selling her. {SOLD}
Here's my first post about her and my inspiration.

Linking Here:

My little secret....

...well I guess its not really going to be a secret anymore!?!?

I love to start projects.  

But...

I'm not so great a finishing them.

There.  I said it.  I'm admitting I have a problem.

Here's a great example.

and

 

I walked around the house yesterday and found these.  They are all the paintbrushes I have that are wrapped and waiting for me to finish a project.  I can actually tell you what each of these are for.  

1. The frame that I am mod podging.

2. The headboard that I am staining.

3. The footboard that I have to finish glazing.

4. Three brushes used to prime some furniture.  They need to be cleaned.

5. Our dresser turned changing table turned (still turning) entertainment center.

6. Um...well...I guess this is another priming brush?  (I found it in our garage fridge.)

This is just an example of the paintbrush projects, not the home improvement, decorating, and sewing projects that are part way done!

My husband had about reached the end of his rope with my "projects."  Looking around, I can't blame him.  So...I'm going to start finishing things...which means more things to post.  Its win-win-win.  I get things done, you get to read, but most importantly the hubs is happy.

Moss Ball {tutorial}

I rescued this little urn from a dusty, unappreciated life in a random junk shop sometime last summer with the sold purpose of doing this to it.  (It was $3 or $5 or something like that and is about 4" tall.)   Well, almost a year later I finally got around to it.  I had all the supplies on hand, so what in the world was I waiting for!?!?  I mean 20 minutes start to finish and that is clean desk to clean desk and I made TWO!

Supplies:

Urn or pot of some sort

Foam ball

Moss

Glue gun

How to:

I used light green reindeer moss and it was a tough decision between light and dark green.  My 3 year old picked light green.  Sheet moss might have been easier, but this is soft and spongy and I was thinking it wouldn't make a dry moss mess everywhere.  The reindeer moss had little stick stuff in it that I had to pick out, so still made a mess.

I had a 3" green styrofoam ball in my closet so that's what I used.  Green is better than white, because if you see some green through the moss, it blends right in.

Heat up your glue gun, pull some moss out and try to flatten it a little.  Put some glue on the ball and place the moss on top.  Press gently and try not to burn your fingerprints off.  (This is not something to do right after you've gotten a manicure....well, not that I'd know since It's been years since I've had one!)

Work your way around the ball glueing the moss on until its all covered, filling in where needed.

 

I tried it on a few different things to see what I liked.  

A small candlestick.  Another urn.  A tall candlestick.  Then back where it started.

Homemade Bubble Solution

Do your kids go through bubbles like mine?  The little ones end up accidentally dropping the bottle and spilling.  The girls can each go through a bottle in one trip outside.  I just get lightheaded trying to blow them, so we bought a bubble machine that eats the solution or gets knocked over.

Here's a recipe to make your own!

4 C water

4 oz glycerin (1 container)

1C liquid dish detergent

Upcycled flower Tshirt {tutorial}

As I process laundry on a daily basis, I'm amazed at how many items of clothing just do not come clean anymore.  Those so called "washable" paints and markers aren't as user friendly as they say.  My children also seem to not be able to use the napkins they are given at each meal.  Why use a perfectly clean napkin when I have this shirt right here?

This is my attempt to cover up some stains and keep this shirt out of the play-clothes drawer.  You know those clothes....the ones I make them wear to "help" in the garden.  (I say that like I actually have a garden...you know what I mean.)

Supplies:

Tshirt

Tshirt material (or another tshirt)

Pins

Thread and needle

Scissors

How to:

I took an old pink baby pajama jumper that was a little stained due to a three baby girls using it.  Since we are done having babies *sniff* I figured it needed a new life.  I cut along the seams to have a flat surface.  

Then ran it through my die cut machine with the 4 circles die.  I cut 5 sets of 4 circles.  This can easily be done with a template and set of scissors, too.

I then stacked the sets from biggest to smallest and pinned them in place.

  I started with the center "flower" and worked my way out on each side.

I sewed the "flowers" first by putting an X through the center and pulled rather tight so they would squish up.  Before cutting the thread, I sewed them on the shirt.  Once again, I started with the center flower and worked outwards.  

 

I pulled #2 out of her jammies to try it on (hence the mussed up hair) then we switched out her clothes for the next day so she could wear it to school.

Edible necklace

Grab some leftover yarn or string and dig into the partially eaten cheerios or fruit loops.  Give your kids a bowl and have them string the cereal onto the yarn for an edible necklace.  

Monogrammed Wall

Can you tell our last name starts with G?  

I started collecting and making G’s when I got married (almost 11 years ago.)  It started with one G that I had centered in a collage of pictures on the wall.  Then I got some more than were put here and there in bookcases.  The last time we moved (we move quite regularly) I kept pulling out the G’s and putting them in a pile, since we no longer have bookcases to display them, I was at a loss for what to do.  

So I put them on a wall.  

The reason I can’t give you a wonderful picture of all the G’s together, is because this wall happens to be in our powder room....which is a little small and not the best for photographing.

You can do this with any collect you might have.  Plates.  Crosses.  Keys.  Arrange them on the floor first, so you don’t go pounding holes in your wall.  Another trick...command strips.  I love them.  They are a little spending, but come off the wall cleanly and you can   easily adjust so that your collection is level.

In the next few weeks I will post some of the tutorials for ones that I’ve made.  Some of them are Mod Podged, glittered, embroidered, painted, and even just a paper cutout!

Flashlight Safari aka Hide and Seek

A fun game to keep the kids busy so you get make dinner.  Or do some laundry.  Or (shhh) check your email.

Supplies:

Stuffed animals

Flashlights

How to:

Grab a dozen or so of your kids stuffed animals, dolls and toys.  (Make sure you know how many you have or you might not find them until the next time you move.)  Park the kids somewhere and hide the toys around the house.

Turn off the lights and close the blinds.

Give each child a flashlight and  let them go on a safari searching for the toys.

Depending on how many you hide, you just might get half and hour to catch up on some stuff!