What's Cooking in the Kitchen

After six years of living in our home with the honey oak colored cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms, we've decided to pull the trigger - of our paint sprayer that is! We're taking the project in small, manageable steps since we are doing it all ourselves and only when we have enough free time on a weekend to get things done. It's tricky with small children and a very full schedule, but it's going well and I'm so happy with the results!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear Valentines for 3 Year Olds

My little Carolyn is now in preschool and gets to pass out Valentines to her class of fellow 3-year-olds and again at her music class too. I know candy would be the easy option, but I always like to do something non-food, that's why this year we are passing out mini puzzles based on the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

Wild About You Toddler Valentines

This year I have two little ones to prepare Valentines for! My newest daughter Cassandra is only 6 months old and gets to participate in the ritual of passing out Valentines to her music class! I was inspired by a friend of Carolyn's who passed out little finger puppets at her first Valentine's Day, we still have the little piggy finger puppet and she still plays with it!

Carolyn's 3rd Birthday - Tea Party for Toddlers

My sweet little girl just turned three years old. As you probably have already guessed one of her favorite activities to play is tea party. Therefore it was an easy decision to plan this year's birthday party as a tea party for all her toddler friends and family.

Playhouse Makeover

A little over three years ago (when I was pregnant with Carolyn) our neighbors across the street decided to get rid of their old playhouse, and gave it to us for FREE! My favorite word! Weeellllllll, there was a reason it was free, it was very much weather/sun beaten and needed some love. We had full intentions of fixing it up, but a certain little lady entered the world and we forgot all about it. Happily she doesn't mind what it looks like and has loved playing in it, but we decided we'd waited long enough, time for a playhouse makeover!

How to Make a Mary Poppins' Hat and Bird Umbrella

Have you checked out the price of costume props? Eeke! Why buy what you can easily make? All you need is some creativity and a glue gun! Check out how I easily made the Mary Poppins' bird umbrella and her iconic daisy boater hat out of felt.

Mary Poppins Costume

You could buy a Mary Poppins costume, but where's the fun in that? I made Carolyn's adorable little costume for less than $20 and the best part is that most of it she can wear again.

Fall Front Porch Decor

I'm so excited for fall, I couldn't help myself and already decorated the front porch!

New Fall Wreath

I can't wait for fall to come any longer, it's been a great summer but I'm totally over this HOT weather. So I'm going to imagine that it's cooling down here and start decorating my house for fall. Maybe I can trick myself into feeling like it's getting cooler. Hehehe. In part of my excitement for fall I decided to make a new front door wreath times two, because we have double front doors.

Cinder Block Strawberry Planter

We decided to try a new location for our strawberries this year. Many people make strawberry planters out of plastic products but I would prefer not to have my fruit bearing plants growing in possibly chemical laden containers. I had seen examples of herb gardens growing in cinder blocks and I thought why not strawberries! It's only April right now but I will keep you posted how to strawberry fare over the summer.

How to Make a Hair Bow Hanger

I think I'm not alone in saying little girls have A LOT of BOWS!  I finally decided it was time to pack up her infant head bands, and boy did Carolyn have a lot of those!  Now we've moved on to the little hair bow clippies and because I have a feeling she'll be wearing these for a long time I decided it was time to get organized.  So with a little help from my husband (he's my master spray painter) we made her this cute hair bow hanger.

Nursery Progress

The nursery has been a work in progress for the past nine months, but we're finally done! Before I show you the finished product, I'd like to show you how it came to be...

Tardis Blue Night Stand

We have another trash to treasure story for you today!  This little night stand was on the curb for trash pickup but we saved it and inadvertently painted it Tardis blue!

Homemade Lavender and Rose Potpourri Sachet

I always thought potpourri was fancy and had to be made from expensive ingredients, boy was I way off! For my Grandma's birthday this year I wanted to give her something handmade and heartfelt.  So I came up with the idea of making her homemade potpourri sachets from the flowers in my backyard!

How to Install A Mailbox

Say hello to our new Mailhouse!  Yes that's right, not mailbox, mailhouse!  We learned all about the proper way to install a mailbox and now we want to share it with you.

Seashell Vase

Summer is such a great time to incorporate some beach into your decor.  This fun craft actually began as a gift for my mother.  I came across something similar and loved it, but had a little bit of sticker shock.  So I decided to make my own version, and it would be that much more special as a gift because I made it!

Easy Cardboard Picket Fence Decoration

Sometimes you just need a faux picket fence!

How to Sew a Slipcover for a Popazon Chair

In preparation for having family over for Easter we had some spring cleaning to do.  The problem here is that some items are difficult to "clean."  This popazon cushion has seen better days, and sadly there was no way it would fit in my washing machine.  Therefore I decided a simple solution would be to make a slipcover for it!