Crib Bed Transformation

I mentioned how we got two cribs (one without all the parts) and a mattress for $2.50 at a local estate auction ... but I didn't want to just throw the crib bed away & KNEW there must be something to do with it ... then it hit me!
I thought about this cute pottery barn idea. We were putting these in the boys room (which now holds a almost 8 year old, 3 year old & will soon hold Jax who's 19 month), and I've had to come to the unfortunate realization that a cute little schoolhouse was NOT going to be an appealing idea to my oldest son, I realized we could still make the art section of each square with the two sides of the crib! :)

**He was so sweet to pose for that picture for me ... in the snowy/windy garage ... after spending all day under our van trying to get it fixed. Thanks honey!**

After cutting off the spindles & filling in the gaps they left on the top & bottom, we primed & painted all around the molding section that was left.

Then Ryan was sweet enough to do the three coats of spray paint all around & I cut some galvanized sheet metal (it was about $16.50 for a HUGE 3 x 4 sheet at Home Depot), and painted the sheet metal with some chalkboard paint we already had. We used liquid nails to glue it on & left it weighed down (with the laundry detergent ... lol) for 24 hours. It's awesome now that it's up on the wall!

I wanted to do both panels as magnetic chalkboards, but the sheet metal was FOUR inches too short on one side, we didn't like the idea of sharp edges ... so I'm trying to find some large sheet of cork board to fill in the other ... the boys LOVE it and are always playing "school" on it, and coloring pictures for me to see ... perfect! :)

Hey everybody!

I'm finding my mojo again ... it's been a long time since I crafted, sewed or did anything crafty and I've realized how much I've missed it. So, I've been hanging up picture frames and finishing projects that I started and for the first time since the move, I feel more like me, more like things are okay & even though my house is getting messier in the process ... I'm also de-junking and getting that slowly under control, yeah! :)

So, here's the first thing I've started on ...

There is a fun little estate auction here in town. I have been able to score some GREAT deals before and this last week was no exception. I was able to pick up two cribs (with no guarantee that all the parts were there mind you) and a crib mattress for $2.50!!! While we had all the pieces for one crib, the pieces for the other were missing. So, I racked my brain for a few days on how we could utilize the crib walls and then I saw this, and this on the pottery barn kids website.

So, we are in the process of chopping off the tops & legs, filling in the holes with putty & getting ready to spray paint! Hopefully, I'll have a finished project to show you on Monday! :)

Newest Creation

So I have been very, very busy ... unfortunately and it hasn't left much time to make stuff for myself.

But, I love, love, love this art that I made ... I used President Hinckley's 9 B's as the wording, and then just re-sized, and re-sized and re-sized until it fit right. Not necessarily in the most perfect order, but it works, right? :) I listed one on etsy too if you're interested. It makes me happy. :)

Homemade Christmas

What are your plans for the weekend? I need something mindless & easy and finished in a timely manner. Which got me thinking about the ornaments I bought.
There was 90% off Christmas ornaments at Target last month and I seriously filled three shopping carts with 1200+ ornaments ... for a little under $50. It should make between 12 - 15 wreaths. So excited about this gift! I got red/silver combo for some, red/gold for others, and a couple colored filled for some fun & funky family members who I think would really enjoy them.
And the best part ... this kind of tutorial is something I can do with the kids. :) Sorry to any who read this blog and are family (none do ... but just in case). You now know what your Christmas present is. Pretend like you are surprised anyways, okay?

Snowy Weekend

Our weekend was filled with lots & lots of snow! We finally got a chance to go sledding and the kids LOVED IT!!! Unfortunately it should be in the high 30's tomorrow, so the snow will melt away much sooner than the kids would like. But the non-icy roads would be a nice thing.I broke my sewing machine needle & with the snow & freezing cold temps, I never ventured to the local Wal-Mart to pick up a new one. The only real outing we've had in the last four days was on Saturday morning. I stopped at the local Goodwill & picked up the newest treasure to work on for Hunter's room! This little dresser. I picked up some clearance handles from Target for $5, and we're planning on filling in the design with wood putty & painting it dark blue. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am with this $22 little treasure! :) Now the remaining big question is what to do with the funky mirror???

My New & Practically Free Diaper Bag

Snow has been coming down off & on since Wednesday! FINALLY!!! :) Although, trying to open my frozen car door was fun last night ... we're going sleddin' tomorrow! Woo-hoo!!!
We're stuck indoors for the next few days, so I've been trying to figure out what project to finish. And then I remembered how much I really want to make this bag ... adjusted like she did for the diaper bag kind of idea. Since my diaper bag is practically in shreds. But ... the goal was to complete more projects without accumulating more stuff. So I picked up my old fabric from the curtains & throw pillows in the last house & have started cutting it out. I'd like to pick some lighter fabric, but this is what I have, & this is what I will use! Nothing is as good as practically free. Now to just figure out what a dart is ...

Birthday Cake & Another Almost Finished Project

So I mentioned yesterday about the cake. It was so yummy! I would definitely recommend it again and it used a lot of basic ingredients we already had around. Just make sure to have LOTS of milk ... it's very rich!

Last night the ward (church group) here in Cheyenne had their once a month get together for a charity group project they are doing. They have made it their goal to make 30 quilts for us to make & to donate to charity by the end of the year. So I volunteered to take home 20 pairs of jeans and cut, lots & lots of squares for jean rag quilts (enough for over 2 quilt tops). Yesterday I was supposed to take them back, so lots of time was spent cutting them up. All the loose jeans took up 2 overflowing boxes & the scraps filled up an entire garbage bag.I was feeling pretty good about it, until my husband said we should volunteer to cut up all the jeans they have (I've been told there's at least 4 or 5 boxes) ... so guess it was finished & now it's started again. LOL.