A Hawaiian-Hula-Mermaid Bedroom Makeover!

{This is my attempt at a panoramic photo... The lighting from her window is weird so forgive my amateur photography skills.}

This year for their birthdays, our kids are both getting bedroom makeovers. They have enough "stuff", but wanted new updated rooms, and that sounded great to me!

A has had the same owl themed room since she was 18mos, so for her 7th birthday (which is not until Saturday - she got this a little early) it felt time to update. This girl is after my own heart in her love of Hawaii (she has only been there twice, and once was in utero...and the other she was not even 2, so I don't know where her obsession came from - but it's not from memories!) She even had a Hawaiian birthday party a couple years ago! She has been asking for a Hawaiian-Hula-Mermaid room for a couple of years and I love that it is a theme that can grow with her. My challenge was that I did not want it to turn out tacky looking. No offense to Oriental Trading Co and their great party favors, but their catalog is not what I wanted it to look like ;) 

We went with a loft bed to give her more space to play underneath - and because they are COOL! :) It is surprisingly a very sturdy and good quality bed for just being Walmart. I wanted bedding that was fun and bright, but not necessarily married to this theme forever. It took me a looong time to find what I was looking for, but I absolutely love the look of this and it is great quality and super soft and cozy too. I used a grass skirt fringe that was made for a deck and was able to cut it into pieces for her bed, window, and closet. There was about an inch of it leftover - I love it when things work out so perfectly. I hung it with 3M velcro strips - love that stuff. (In fact I hung almost everything in her room with it!)

(Forgive me on the dresser... I ordered these adorable chevron knobs (and counted from memory instead of looking - oops) and I did not order enough. 2 more are on the way to complete this :) Crazy how just updating knobs can change the look of a piece of furniture so much! We took the doors off her closet and put her dresser inside (amazingly it fit with room to spare!). This was an after thought - we just couldn't get the furniture set up in her small room in a way we were happy with. This solved the problem and I am really happy with it. On the sides of the dresser, the closet goes back in on both sides, so that is where we can hang dresses and longer items. If we choose to keep it this way when she gets older, we can always raise the hanging rod up too as her clothes hang longer. My one challenge with this will be helping her keep it looking semi-tidy since we can't just close the doors. We also may add some shelving to her walls at some point for her dance trophies.

I wanted her to have a cool little hangout space. This dollhouse was mine as a child and though she loves it and plays with it everyday, it has taken up a lot of her small room - this works much better! Our girl loves to read, so this reading nook was a must. (We got her that Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair for her 1st birthday and it has been such a great purchase - I can even sit comfortably in it!) of course her Frozen calendar has to be in there too - she loves checking the date and counting down to special days.

I got to get super crafty and make a ton of stuff for her room! I have pulled some pretty late nights over the past few weeks, but it was worth it ;) The hardest part by far was painting the waves along the walls - a very tedious process I was so glad to complete, but it really made the room.

I made this memory board (the picture is crooked, not the board). I ordered some hawaiian fabric from Sweet Kapua on Etsy that shipped straight from Hawaii itself. 

And this is a re-purposed drawer front from her nursery furniture. My husband thought I was crazy for saving this, but I knew I would find a use for it. I made the Aloha and hibiscus flower to dress it up for the room, and she can hang her medals on it. Love how it turned out. 

I also made this canvas painted artwork and I love the results (and the colors!! I am loving mint, turquoise, and coral together - and luckily she does too!) these photos do not do justice and you can't really see that these are sparkly - it's really cool in person. (Once again, the picture I took is crooked, not the wall hangings)

This box for her books she already had, but I decided to dress that up for the room too. Again you can't tell how sparkly this mint mermaid is. And A's idea to paint the starfish sparkly is cool in person too. 

And finally, I made her this wall letter with "mermaid-y" glass beads and decorated this cool frame with sparkly starfish. (Again my photo is crooked, not the hanging - I can't handle crooked stuff lol!)

This was a lot of work but so fun to do and I am so happy with how it turned out - and more importantly, so is A! She had to sleep in her brother's room (which was more like "she got to" since they love having sleepovers) for a week and we did the big reveal yesterday morning - she was thrilled! Of course her brother had to join her for an inaugural sleepover and they have been playing a new game in there called "going to Hawaii" all day :) I find myself wanting to hang out in there too!

Maybe next year we can go back to Hawaii :) :)

Now we need to get through Easter and then time to start on G's superhero bedroom makeover!I don't anticipate his being quite as time intensive, but I'm looking forward to updating his space for him too. Stay tuned...

Re-purposed Photo Hanger

As my hubby was getting ready to throw out a piece of wood from my daughter's old dresser, I probably startled him as I yelled for him to "STOP! I can use that!!" I think he is used to this from me by now though :)

The piece was already a laminate white, which worked fine for me. All I did was glue ribbon to the front of some clothespins to coordinate with her room, and then hot glued them to the board for her to hang pictures on. So easy and a fun way to re-purpose a piece of wood that was about to become garbage.

"Faux" Barn Wood Photo Board Tutorial

Almost two weeks ago, I began this project, and finally I found the time to finish it! It was worth the wait :)

It began with inspiration from this, and changed a little bit to my preferences.

Materials Needed:

6 Balsa boards (these are extremely lightweight so they wouldn't be heavy to hang. They had different thicknesses and I picked one that did not feel like I would accidentally snap it in half.) Also, They only had 5, and being the impatient person that I am, I did not want to wait. So I bought 2 thinner pieces and glued them together and just made that work. Shhh - now you know my secret ;)
Balsa Support boards for the back
Glue Gun and Extra Glue Sticks
Wood Stain and Rag for Applying (I used soy stain in Walnut and applied 3 coats)
Wood Stain Varnish (I used Soy Varnish)
Printed Phrase from Computer and Ballpoint Pen (for etching letters to paint)
Acrylic Paint (For letters - or you could use vinyl lettering if you have the ability)
Mini clothes pins - or whatever size you like
Picture Hangers - obviously, for hanging :)
Assorted Photos

And here's how to do it:

1. Lay out boards how you want them. I staggered mine a bit for the look I wanted. 

2. Hot Glue support pieces to back of boards to hold them together.

3. Stain your wood with an old rag according to stain directions.

4. Print out your saying (this might take some trial and error to find the right size and font you want. I specifically chose a san serif font for painting ease, since painting is not my strong suit). Cut out your words and put them on top of the wood where you want them. (I used small pieces of scotch tape to secure, though that left some marks and I ended up having to re-sand/stain that board a little after, so can't say I recommend using tape!) Very carefully, firmly trace the outside of the letters with a ballpoint pen. 

5. Voila! Now carefully trace and fill in with paint color choice.

6. After applying varnish and allowing to dry, decide how you want the clothespins arranged and glue them on.

7. Add photos and DONE! Admire your new home decor piece - interchange photos as desired :)

I would love to see how your project turns out!!

Crafty Front Door Wreath

Yesterday I made a wreath for our front door. I'm in-love with it. I was inspired by this. I used a cardboard letter and wrapped it in twine, made some fabric rosettes, and voila. Oh and I also used the upside down command hook trick on the inside of the door to hang it. Simple project that dresses up our front door :)

Addison's 5th Birthday Party {A Hawaiian Luau}

 
Addison had a hard time committing to a birthday theme this year. Every time we talked about it, she would change her mind. UNTIL she told me she wanted a "hula girl Hawaii party".

You see, this child of mine takes after her mother, and her grandmother whom her middle name is after. She is obsessed with Hawaii. For most of the last year, she has asked me anywhere from 2-5 days per week if we can move to Hawaii. The last time she was there, I was pregnant with G, so she was maybe 18-19 months old --- there is no way she remembers it. What she does know about it, is that the sun shines and it is warm everyday. That she could play outside EVERY DAY there. That she would never have to wear socks there (which is a bit of a battle with her in the colder months...and also one I completely understand). Barefoot is in her blood. SUNSHINE and warmth sound perfect to her. She is a true fish since the day she could splash in the water. So it is no wonder that she has an obsession with Hawaii.

For now, we will continue to vacation in Maui... and have a Hawaiian 5th Birthday party!

I wanted to keep it fairly simple, which was hard - but this theme was so fun, I seriously could have gone nuts, so I had to reign myself in. Originally, I was thinking of fun luau type food, but then I thought about what my 5yr old likes to eat...and it didn't match up. Afterall, this was HER party. So we had butterfly shaped PB&J's (and sub sandwhiches for the adults), lots of fruit...the stuff she really likes.

Every child received a lei when they arrived. I attached cut out hibiscus flowers with their names on them, and below that, their names in Hawaiian. Look up your Hawaiian name here! Why not, it's fun.

The food spread

Sub sandwhiches, Butterfly shaped PB&J's, Fruit with marshmallow/cream cheese dip, carrots with ranch dip. I cut up my first pineapple ever for this party. I know it's not a big deal, but I was proud of myself :)

Chips (had to have Maui sweet onion), Goldfish

Cupcakes (Addison picked funfetti...I don't do from scratch on those). I did however make the buttercream frosting from scratch and that was good and SO easy. I will never buy chemical-ridden store bought frosting again. I added a lot more vanilla, and used vanilla almond milk since we don't do cow milk at our house. Kept drinks super simple with 100% juice capri suns, and bottled water. My kids don't usually get juice, and if they do, they get one of those kinds with the vegetables in it too, and then I cut it in half with water (yes, I am THAT mom), but I had just learned that the Capri Sun's are all clear...which means no stains on my carpet - perfect! Did I mention I also didn't have to buy cups or keep refilling a punch bowl?

And THIS is her hula girl cake. I was quite proud of this lovely lady! Addison was so excited for me to make her one, and I was quite nervous I would disappoint. Ya see, I can't even frost a cupcake pretty... I have tried those special idiot-proof tips, and I just end up having to spread it on with a butter knife...I don't even try anymore. SO, you can see why I was nervous for this cake. Cake decorating is just not my thing - I have a couple friends who sculpt masterpieces out of fondant, but it's not my talent. Oh and it was SO easy!! All I did was use the Wilton Wonder Mold pan. I bought it for $5 off craigslist from a lady who attempted and failed once...encouraging right!?! When she gave it to me, she said, "good luck" with a smirk. Sure glad I didn't let that intimidate me too much. I had full intentions of a practice cake, but that never happened. So I made this cake in the special pan, (which I had to cook much longer than the instructions told me in order to get the cake cooked all the way through) and I bought one of those little legless dolls for doll cakes. I raided Addison's barbie clothes for a bikini top for her to wear. Then all I did was spread green buttercream frosting all over the cake, kind of thick... and then took a fork and used that to make it look like grass. And amazingly, it turned out, who would have thought :) 

Favors for the kids: sand buckets, with Hawaiian temporary tattoos, fruit snacks, each girl got a flower hair clip, bubbles (don't get me started on these...I ordered these bright bubbles that looks tropical and were priced well...and when they arrived, they were the tiniest bubbles I have ever seen. ever. I gave each child two since they likely would blow 6 bubbles each). Oh and each kid got their lei when they got there, so that was kind of a favor too.

For games....what to do with these children!! I came up with "pin the coconut on the palm tree" and that worked well. I bought the palm tree cut out, and then I printed out pictures of a real coconut on cardstock paper. I wrote each kid's name on their coconut so they would be able to keep track of which one was theirs. We also played "Hot Potato" with the bright orange fish in the picture above.

My two blondies. And as our sweet birthday girl waited to blow out her candle, she instead lifted her little brother up and let him blow out her candle - how sweet is that?! She is such a great, thoughtful big sister.

And here is one more of our birthday girl (sporting an "Aloha" tattoo) handing out cupcakes.

Overall, it was a really fun party and Addison had a great time! Now I have less than a month before it's time for her brother's party!

Invitations, cupcake toppers, birthday banner, and favor tag were all DIY and designed by Pink Monkey Prints - excellent, speedy service, great prices, and SUPER CUTE designs :) I just had to print everything and put it together. 

Meal Plan 3/18-3/24

I started a new organic produce co-op near our house, so I'm making sure to use recipes that will utilize some of the surprise items we get :) It's kind of fun, and forces me to try new things and new recipes.

{The Menu}

Monday - Grilled Chicken w/kale pesto bowtie pasta & broccoli. I have never had kale, but it was in our share this week, and this recipe was recommended, so we will give it a try!

Tuesday - Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup - I leave out the beer, and top with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Wednesday - Grilled Chicken w/balsamic tortellini, roasted yams, and sauteed veggies. My brother is the genius behind the balsamic tortellini, and it is one of our favorite ways to make it now. Just boil your tortellini until it's cooked how you like, drain and mix with some olive oil and balsamic (you have to play with the ratio to get what you like best), add some parmesan and stir together. Roasted yams will be something new for me to try...they were in our share this week, and not something we usually eat - we'll give it a try :)

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Tator Tot Casserole (this made it on the menu because we have everything on hand for it, and haven't had it in a long time).

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Crockpot Turkey Goulash w/tri-color rotini - one of our faves!

What are you cooking up this week?

A New Wall

We have a small space of wall in our kitchen table area that I could never figure out what to do with. My kids' art easel hangs out in that corner (and is used daily), so that made it even harder to figure out what to put behind it. I decided I was tired of it being bare though. I decided to make a couple of cork frames where we can hang kid art, and mixed it in with some favorite sayings.

The "A" is the first letter in our last name, but my daughter is convinced it is there for her, as her first letter in her first name is also "A". Of course it is, sweetie :)

The "Thankful" print, I got several months ago on Groopdealz and just love this saying so much...because it is SO TRUE! I'm so glad it has a permanent wall to display these awesome words now.

The other two are free printables I found on Pinterest. The top one "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all" has kind of become our family mantra. I just put it in a 5x7 Ikea frame that I already had. The bottom one, the family "rules", I originally had in a frame somewhere else, but decided to mod podge it onto a blank 8x10 canvas I had in my craft room.

The Green and Blue cork boards are just unfinished wood picture frames from the craft store. I painted them and replaced the inserts with cork. We can use push pins to hang kids artwork downstairs, or I may later attach some sort of clip on them too.

I am not a measurer for this type of thing. I simply do not have the patience and prefer to wing it. I kind of had an idea in my head of how I wanted everything laid out, and then I just started hanging things where I liked them best. I love the asymmetric-ness of it.

Meal Plan 3/11-3/17

{the menu}

This week is pretty simple, but here it is :)

Meal Plan 2/25-3/3

This week we are taking a mini-vacation mid-week, so keeping things simple and avoiding any grocery shopping by using what's on hand. We also get a date night - he is taking me to my first MMA fight... I am not one for watching people beat the snot out of each other generally, but any chance for an evening out with the hubby is always good :)

{Menu}

Monday - Beef Stew & Corn Bread (aka: comfort food for this cold, windy day)

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday/Thursday - Great Wolf Lodge!!!

Friday - Artichoke Chicken w/veg

Saturday - Date Night :) :)

Sunday - Turkey Vegetable Soup w/Barley

Frozen Banana Soft-Serve "Ice Cream"

I think most of us have seen various "recipes" for this on Pinterest. I did not invent this, and I'm not sure who really did or I would praise them repeatedly, but it is AMAZING. Delicious "soft-serve" without the guilt. Perfect! My whole family loves it and we make a toppings bar to make it fun. (This part adds a little unhealthy to it, but not in comparison to what you would get with real ice cream or frozen yogurt. And technically you can keep this part totally healthy too if you want.)

Ingredients:
Bananas (just starting to brown - NOT black ones, but not greenish either)
Peanut Butter (1 spoonful or to your taste)
Dutch Cocoa Powder (about 2tbsp or to your taste preference)

How to make:
1. Slice up bananas in coins and put in ziploc freezer bag. Freeze until frozen. I froze ours last week so they were ready any night we wanted some.
2. Take out of the freezer 10 minutes or so before you are ready to blend. I used this time to cut up strawberries and get our topping bar ready.
3. Blend slightly thawed banana coins... this process takes a bit, I won't lie, but it's worth it. If you have a vitamix or a really great blender this may be much easier for you. You can use a spoon to carefully help the bananas into the blending blades. It also helps to do a little at a time versus filling the whole blender up. Once it gets started it will go from banana gravel to creamy soft-serve. It's magical. If you are really struggling, you can add a tiny bit of milk, but be careful as the consistency without milk is already very soft, so you don't want it runny - we aren't making milkshakes here.
4. Once bananas are completely blended into smooth soft-serve, add the peanut butter and cocoa powder. Blend again until mixed well.
5. Put it in bowls and use desired toppings. (This time we had strawberries, chocolate sauce, caramel, mini marshmallows, and sprinkles as options. In the past we have had blueberries, raspberries, chocolate chips, etc)
6. Serve and enjoy without the guilt!

I love it when healthy food tastes amazing! This is also great for people who can't handle dairy well (myself included). I don't have any pictures of the finished project because we ate it all too fast.

Enjoy and let me know what you think! :)

Meal Plan 2/18-2/24

Well this week's meal planning was poorly planned...and then I just did not have time to post it until now (which is pretty much halfway through the week). Sorry about that...life happens sometimes.

{Menu}

Monday - one of my oldest, dearest, best friends was in town from NC, so we had dinner at her parents' house. Hubby took the kids home to bed and I stayed chatting until after midnight. Good times.

Tuesday - This was a swim night, so we are always rushed for dinner. Something quick and easy is key. We had grilled chicken, bowtie pasta, and peas, all mixed together with a little parmesan cheese.

Wednesday - Crockpot Italian Chicken. (3 chicken breasts, bottle of Italian dressing, some quartered red potatoes, chopped up onion, chopped up carrot - I add carrot in the last couple hours because we don't like mushy carrots...it cooks them a little, but still leaves some crispness.)

Thursday - leftovers

Friday - Turkey burgers

Saturday - leaving this open because we have a later afternoon birthday party for my niece and not sure what time we will get home, or if we will likely end up grabbing something while we are out.

Sunday - Italian Meatloaf with red potatoes and green beans

DIY Birthday Board

I made this for my dad last year for Father's Day, after I realized he was using chicken-scratched post-its on the wall of his office to try to remember kids/spouses/grandkids birthdays... And his system wasn't working well (apparently it was my fault he forgot my hubby's birthday since I didn't remind him lol).

Here was a solution. I saw some on etsy, and decided to just make my own. All it took was a small board from the craft store, stencil letters, paint, round wooden disks, some eye hooks/rings, some little stars from the craft store and a sharpie. I included some extra discs too so he could add other birthdays to the board that he wanted to remember.

I think it's working because he hasn't missed anyone's birthday to my knowledge :)

My first Annie Sloan Chalk Paint projects...more to come!

We have had an armoire in need of updating for as long as my husband and I have been together. At one point about 6 years ago, I changed out the old brass hardware, but always knew it needed a paint job to truly be a piece we loved. Problem, is I do not like painting furniture...not even a little. I love the finished project, I am just not patient for all the prep work, waiting for coats to dry, blah, blah, blah.

Since we moved into our current home 2+ years ago, the armoire has been hanging out in the garage. We even put it in a garage sale and a lady almost bought it... I'm so glad now she didn't. Everything happens for a reason.

I finally decided I was just going to do it. I was still looking for any possible way out of sanding and prep work, but had accepted that as my fate for this project.

UNTIL...I was informed about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (picture hallelujah playing now). NO sanding. NO prep other than a quick wipe down with vinegar and water. AND quick dry time between coats. Plus you can use it on anything - wood, plastic, laminate, walls, etc. SOLD!!

I googled the only store within 30 minutes of me that carries the paint and off my 2yr old and I went to get my supplies. I quickly fell in love with the color "provence". These little cans of paint are pricey, but they go a very long way. I was able to paint a huge bedroom mirror frame, another large frame, the armoire, and I still have paint left for another smaller project. Bonus points for having no odor and low-VOCs. I justified the cost because I didn't have to pay for prep supplies, and because my time and sanity is worth something. I also had to buy the clear wax, but that stuff should last me a crazy long time, I barely put a dent in the crisco tub of it. I did not care much for using the wax - not sure if it was the odor, or the fact that I didn't buy the $40 wax brush that may have made things easier, but it was not my favorite part.

Without further ramblings, here are my projects, befores and afters:

{The Armoire}
Eventually, I envision a different kind of wine rack system, like one of those wine cubes, but I am going with what we currently have in our house right now. I wanted to make this piece work in our dining room, instead of looking like bedroom furniture. I have no idea what to put on the tiny shelf now, but it looked better with it there. If anyone has suggestions for how to make the shelf useful, I'm all ears. I took off the doors and will use them for some sort of re-purpose project in the future. New hardware was also necessary and it turned out I had to order these online because nothing in the store fit this thing.

{The Chalkboard}

This project has had some stages. First it went from framed art to a chalkboard, and then I decided I was bored with the frame and so that got painted too. I think I am done messing with this one for now.

Next on my list is painting our bedroom furniture, and a clock frame in our great room. I just have to decide on some colors and block out some time!

I promise Annie Sloan did not pay me to write this post, nor do they (or probably anyone else) know who this little mom blogger is, but seriously can't say enough good stuff about this paint!

The Relax Jar

I have been wanting to make one of these for quite a while. There are various tutorials I have seen and pinned on pinterest with various names (Mind Jar, Meditation Jar, Timeout Jar, etc) but they are basically all the same. I'm calling mine the Relax jar. A jar filled with glitter that you shake up, and then your child holds it and waits for the glitter to settle (which is supposed to be relaxing) before they come out of time out or chill out.

I liked the idea of this for a few reasons. It is is a nice peaceful way for a child to calm down and it also distracts them from the fit or issue, whatever that may be. And it's fun.

There is one thing I didn't like though. All of the tutorials I saw were made with a GLASS mason jar. While it looked pretty, it did not seem practical for us. Maybe I am the only mom out there (I highly doubt it) that has kids that can get really angry sometimes, but I envision handing this peaceful jar to my raging child and telling them to relax and calm down....and then I envision it possibly being thrown or something and glass jar full of glitter and food coloring shattering all over my house. My kids are not generally throwers, but hey, it could happen... and that is not something I wanted to risk happening. Additionally, what if tiny 2yr old hands accidentally drop this glass jar... I used a Costco size PLASTIC peanut butter jar.

Here is how I made mine:
1 Empty and clean PLASTIC peanut butter jar (clean off label/glue with olive oil)
1 tube of glitter glue (I chose blue)
Very warm water to fill it almost to the top.
Glitter - I just dumped some in, shook it, and kept adding more until I had the look I wanted.
Food Coloring - I used blue,since it is a color that evokes relaxation. I used too much, but it worked out. I always seem to forget (and then am quickly reminded) how little food coloring you need to make a lot of color.
Super Glue - for gluing the lid on. Wouldn't want little hands opening it up - wouldn't that be a fun mess.
Hot Glue - I'll explain why I needed this later. It explains why my lid does not look pretty.

And here is what you do:
1. I filled my jar half full with the water and then added the whole tube of glitter glue.
2. Put the lid on and shake, shake, shake, until it is blended pretty well.
3. Add the rest of the water and glitter. Shake and continue adding glitter and shaking until you have the look you want.
4. Add food coloring until you have the color you like. Then shake some more.
5. Super glue that lid on tight.
6. Now this is where I thought I was done...until I realized my jar was LEAKING every time I shook it. This is not good. And that is probably why everyone used glass jars. The plastic jar when squeezed a little made enough gap at the lid for drops to come out. So... I decided to do some "caulking" with my trusty hot glue gun. I used a lot and made sure it was sealed really good and thick. Now it was not leaking anymore - but it didn't look too pretty. Still, I'd rather have it look less pretty and NOT leak glitter food coloring water all over.

My almost 5yr old wants to make another one and this time put fake fish in it too. I think she is on to something :)