tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9290322815132399032024-03-13T04:12:09.128-07:003 Little Things...3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-36090242050877655732013-07-13T12:28:00.002-07:002013-07-13T12:28:54.711-07:00DIY Puppy Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of my sons is obsessed with puppies! He has always loved them and I was in the mood for a new project so I decided to make him a custom piece for his room. </div>
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I started with 4 pieces of cheap pine which I put 2 coats of black stain on. I wasn't sure what I was going for but I knew the black stain wasn't enough so I pulled out the acrylic paints.</div>
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I put off white, blue and brown on a paper plate with a bit of water. Using a paper towel, I began rubbing the wet paint right on to the stained wood. I used one color at a time. I kept adding more and more paint and it became weathered looking. I wiped it on and smeared it off with the paper towel. I made sure to stay going with the grain of the wood. </div>
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I added a few spatters as well. </div>
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This is what I ended up with but I knew it needed something more. That's when I decided to give it a sanding all over, being careful to get the edges really well. It gave it a much more weathered look! I don't have a close up of that part unfortunately. </div>
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My husband used one inch pine strips on the back to attach the pieces. </div>
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I drew a puppy on and painted it black. My son wanted it outlined in yellow and I think that really made it come to life. </div>
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And there you have it. A one of a kind custom piece of art for your home. Think about all of the possibilities. You can put ANY animal your kiddo loves, add quotes, or Mod Podge a large photo right on top! I hope you have a blast creating your own! Happy crafting!</div>
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For more wood panel art check out my posts <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-mepart-4-love-sign.html">here</a> and <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/04/too-stuffy-for-me-part-6hand-painted.html">here</a>.</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-28973137236305227032013-07-13T12:08:00.000-07:002013-07-13T12:31:54.571-07:00Mocha Madness! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I wanted to try a new twist on chocolate cake for my coffee loving friends. So I experimented a bit and according to my husband, this is the best tasting cake I've ever made! And it was SUPER easy to do!</div>
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To get the mocha flavor, I used a box of chocolate fudge cake mix and substituted the water for vanilla flavored coffee that I brewed at home. Before I added the coffee to the other ingredients I made sure it was room temperature. I wasn't sure if it would work hot or not. After the cake was baked, I soaked more coffee right on to the cake with a basting brush. </div>
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I also made regular chocolate buttercream and added quite a bit of room temperature coffee right to it. I cut back a little on the milk and continued adding coffee and powdered sugar and cocoa until the flavor and consistency were perfect.<br />
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I found several recipes on Pinterest for chocolate ganache and used bits and pieces of each to make my own. And of course, I added more coffee. </div>
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I frosted the cake with the mocha buttercream and spread the ganache on top, allowing it to drip down the sides. The last thing I did was add Heath Toffee Chips to the top. </div>
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Personally, I do not like, coffee, mocha or anything of the sort so I can't tell you if it's any good or not. But the few people who did eat it, all told me separately, that it was the best tasting cake I've ever made. So that made me super excited and I wanted to share with you!</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-71455071205058126422013-07-08T14:09:00.003-07:002013-07-13T12:29:08.220-07:00Keely's Big Girl Room Make Over; Part 2!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The biggest change in my daughter's Big Girl room is her new bed! I got SO lucky and scored this super heavy, iron bed from the 1920's on Craigslist for $50! And my husband's BFF even picked it up and delivered it to our house for us! It was white and in great condition. I spray painted it hot pink. Inspiration for her room came from two rooms in particular, which I saw on pinterest. They gave me amazing ideas and I was able to translate them on an extremely small budget. Check out the other rooms <a href="http://www.thelilypadcottage.com/2013/03/big-girl-bedroom-reveal-finally.html">here</a> and <a href="http://ginnyphillipsphotography.com/blog/?p=430">here</a> for some incredible ideas!</div>
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We also moved Keely's bookshelves (which she's had since birth, a Target purchase.) to the same wall as her headboard. I was lucky that she decided to keep her pink walls, which meant I didn't have to paint! We also kept her name on her wall that I painted years ago. We found the bedding at Home Goods for $40. Keely picked it out. It's totally different than what I was thinking of getting but it's her room and she liked it so I went with it.</div>
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Even though I did little bits and pieces over several weeks, the day the bed went in the room was a big deal! I decided to keep her out of the room while I set up the bed and bookshelves. We brought her in with her eyes closed and had her open them on the count of 3. She loved it!</div>
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I picked up some really inexpensive "big girl" accessories at Hobby Lobby... a pretty mirrored tray and some shiny glass bottles. They averaged about $3 a piece and I bought them all for 50% off. I also bought her an ugly brown owl from JoAnn's and painted it the same hot pink as her bed. Now it's cute and girly! Owls are her "thing" and have been since she was one. We always have little touches of owls around.</div>
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Another little project for Keely's room is this bulletin board. She loves hanging art all over the house so I wanted her to have her own special place to display her favorite things. When I bought this it was a plain cork board with a white frame. I removed the cork and painted the frame turquoise. I wrapped the fabric around the cork board and reassembled it. Then I added a little flower explosion at the bottom. It was so easy to make and didn't cost too much either! </div>
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By making just a few changes her room has been totally transformed. Hopefully you can find some inspiration here! </div>
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The next post will show the collage walls.... can't wait to post it!<br />
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/07/big-girl-bedroom-makeover.html">Part 1 of the make over here!</a></div>
3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-46486421862742485132013-07-08T13:27:00.001-07:002013-07-13T12:29:20.548-07:00Keely's Big Girl Bedroom Makeover!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am in the process of making over my 7 year old daughter's bedroom so that it is more "Big Girl". She loves to read so I wanted her to have a cozy spot to relax while she dives into her books. </div>
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Here's what I did...</div>
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My parents had this beat up, old love seat sitting and wasting away in their shed. It was my great-grandma's. I brought it home and stripped off the old, yucky fabric. Then I gave the wood a light sanding. After sanding, I spray painted it turquoise (paint which was left over from the <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/02/too-stuffy-for-mechair-make-over.html#more">chairs I previously painted</a>. Yay!)</div>
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It had a big tear in the padding so I filled it with stuffing and laid a fresh sheet of batting over the entire seat.</div>
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My daughter chose this fabric and I stapled it on to the seat. I pulled it tight and stapled all the way around. </div>
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I also added batting and stapled fabric to the back rests and arms too. Then I took some fluffy trim and hot glued it on to hide the staples and unfinished edges.</div>
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And there you have it! A perfectly pretty reading place for my little bookworm!</div>
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Think about the endless possibilities of making over old seating. Have fun!</div>
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/07/keelys-big-girl-room-make-over-part-2.html">Part 2 of the make over here!</a></div>
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3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-87605613565923085892013-05-08T14:38:00.000-07:002013-05-08T14:38:16.201-07:00Easy Homemade Pirate Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is an easy to make pirate cake that the kids go nuts for. Even if you don't decorate a lot of cakes, this is one you should be able to tackle. </div>
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I made a double cake and frosted a crumb coat. As you can see, this cake was very crumbly! After the all important crumb coat, I stuck the cake in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to let the crumb coat harden.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FS6uipS7ddg/UYL4vhzt3_I/AAAAAAAACGY/e5uNTn9uw_0/s1600/IMG_3139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FS6uipS7ddg/UYL4vhzt3_I/AAAAAAAACGY/e5uNTn9uw_0/s400/IMG_3139.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next I frosted the sides of the cake in blue buttercream. Then I used a toothpick to draw an outline of where I wanted the ocean and beach to be. I spread brown icing on the beach side and blue icing on the ocean side. The nicest part about this cake is that you don't have to get any of the frosting smooth! Just smear it on! I even used my spatula to make the water extra wavy.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWDMEd3Qd7s/UYL4ka3KxrI/AAAAAAAACGQ/Skt70Pd2smQ/s1600/IMG_3140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWDMEd3Qd7s/UYL4ka3KxrI/AAAAAAAACGQ/Skt70Pd2smQ/s400/IMG_3140.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next, I decided to pipe the top edge so that when I added the graham cracker "sand" the piping would act as a barrier to keep the sand from falling off. It worked GREAT for the graham cracker crumbs! Just to let you know though, it did make adding the gel for the water a little trickier than it would have been without the piping there. </div>
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After the piping was complete, I sprinkled crushed up graham crackers all over the brown frosting to look like sand. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Mr9yReSM-s/UYL42FkvfRI/AAAAAAAACGo/p_8RxTvnZbo/s1600/IMG_3142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Mr9yReSM-s/UYL42FkvfRI/AAAAAAAACGo/p_8RxTvnZbo/s400/IMG_3142.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is what it looks like after the beach is all on. You can stop here if you want...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nhBMzgGErNc/UYL5EcOlOLI/AAAAAAAACGw/Xb0GojvIJNQ/s1600/IMG_3143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nhBMzgGErNc/UYL5EcOlOLI/AAAAAAAACGw/Xb0GojvIJNQ/s400/IMG_3143.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Or you can add piping gel! Piping gel comes in a small container that you can purchase at JoAnn's or Michaels. I added just a touch of blue food coloring. Then I smeared the gel on to the cake, right on top of the blue buttercream, being careful to just set a layer on top and not mix them together.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mu-PdPOh1gg/UYL5JxwkMzI/AAAAAAAACG4/L2pq9z9loYY/s1600/IMG_3144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mu-PdPOh1gg/UYL5JxwkMzI/AAAAAAAACG4/L2pq9z9loYY/s400/IMG_3144.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a close up.</div>
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I added some piping to the bottom and popped the cake back in the refrigerator for a bit.</div>
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There are a ton of options for decorating this cake. You can do a red X with little dotted lines, add gold coins or pearls, use small pirate toys or do as I did and use scrap booking stickers. I taped toothpicks to the backs of the stickers and stuck them right in the cake. Some people might think this is cheating, but hey, I'm just a mom making a cake for a friend's birthday party. The kids love it and it makes it easier on me. </div>
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I pushed a few gold coins in the side to jazz it up a bit too.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VxA2tUOqHtc/UYlznTTy7oI/AAAAAAAACII/oxCpmoNH5tc/s1600/IMG_3165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VxA2tUOqHtc/UYlznTTy7oI/AAAAAAAACII/oxCpmoNH5tc/s400/IMG_3165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I think the kids always like to have their names somewhere on the cake so the last thing I did was add Reese's name and I was finished! See! It's pretty simple and it's pretty cute. Just a little heads up... the kids ALL want to eat the water side. So plan accordingly and make sure you make the ocean big enough for all of the little pirates to enjoy!</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-60139887075658916622013-05-07T14:26:00.001-07:002013-05-07T14:44:44.828-07:00Painted Backyard Furniture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My backyard chairs needed some love. They were boring brown and the cushions were shot. I decided to spruce them up with a can of spray paint and some new cushions. Now they are bright and cheery. And they look brand new!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTuBwVXgLqE/UYlvmONDS0I/AAAAAAAACIA/NVZu6Ov0sRg/s1600/IMG_3255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTuBwVXgLqE/UYlvmONDS0I/AAAAAAAACIA/NVZu6Ov0sRg/s400/IMG_3255.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I found some cushions for $15 each at Home Goods. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vTylG65MEAk/UYlvj4BQBAI/AAAAAAAACH4/xqP1eNVzN24/s1600/IMG_3251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vTylG65MEAk/UYlvj4BQBAI/AAAAAAAACH4/xqP1eNVzN24/s400/IMG_3251.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This is what my chairs looked like before I painted them. Faded cushions and plain tan metal. The chairs are really comfortable and they're good quality so I thought a coat of paint would bring them back to life.</div>
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This is the color I chose from Lowes...$4 a can. I used a total of 3 cans to paint 4 chairs. The color is called Plum berry.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igWvFtRGSLo/UYlvkYl9ZII/AAAAAAAACH8/7MuYX39pm_4/s1600/IMG_3254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igWvFtRGSLo/UYlvkYl9ZII/AAAAAAAACH8/7MuYX39pm_4/s400/IMG_3254.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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There you have it! New again chairs for my backyard. </div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-9046558986400999452013-04-16T13:57:00.001-07:002013-04-16T13:57:42.438-07:00Too Stuffy for Me Part 6....Hand Painted Sign<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Its been a while since I posted anything new about the living room and dining room transformations. I'm still working on them slowly but surely. My latest addition is this painted sign. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o9zE1EtjW74/UWW9cHA84HI/AAAAAAAACFA/AQhx2b66JXA/s1600/IMG_2889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o9zE1EtjW74/UWW9cHA84HI/AAAAAAAACFA/AQhx2b66JXA/s400/IMG_2889.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's very similar to the <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-mepart-4-love-sign.html">LOVE</a> sign and is actually hanging on the same wall. I used the same technique I used on the LOVE sign and painted these sayings I found on Pinterest.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TaeeQlkkh5E/UWW9lQ7r8_I/AAAAAAAACFY/uYc289loQdE/s1600/IMG_2883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TaeeQlkkh5E/UWW9lQ7r8_I/AAAAAAAACFY/uYc289loQdE/s400/IMG_2883.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Here is a shot of both rooms that I took with my panoramic camera. My wall is actually flat (not curved). You can see how the two rooms are connected, yet still separated by a hallway down the middle. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"> I thought the second sign helped balance out the big LOVE sign. Sorry for the cruddy lightning. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_6BDY5LWPRk/UWW9nyvddgI/AAAAAAAACFw/4Bv11UBQxJQ/s1600/IMG_2887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_6BDY5LWPRk/UWW9nyvddgI/AAAAAAAACFw/4Bv11UBQxJQ/s400/IMG_2887.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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The opposite wall has a faux "built in" made with Ikea cabinets and bookshelves. I keep meaning to blog about this installation so here is a quick mini post about it. <br />
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We purchased the two lower cabinets and three bookshelves from Ikea. Then we painted the back of the bookshelves the wall color (photo wall). We stacked the bookshelves on top of the cabinets and added a piece of trim to the fronts of the bookshelves (where they come together), as well as trim where the bookshelves and cabinets butt up against the wall. We also added crown molding around the top. Then we painted the new trim to match the bookshelves. My dad did the installation for us. He braced all of it to the wall so it actually is built in. I know it would cost a fortune to have this made from scratch but it only cost us about $400 total! I obviously still need to accessorize it but that's not in the budget for now.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FiTWWL3Dets/UWW9jFBaX9I/AAAAAAAACFU/N48zNnkLA7Q/s1600/IMG_2879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FiTWWL3Dets/UWW9jFBaX9I/AAAAAAAACFU/N48zNnkLA7Q/s400/IMG_2879.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a panoramic of this side of the room. As you can see, I still have no sewing table but we will get to it eventually. In the meantime the empty room makes a great hula hooping area for the kids! :)<br />
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Happy decorating!<br />
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For more posts about this room transformation check out the links below...<br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/09/too-stuffy-for-me.html">Painted Stripes</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-mepart-4-love-sign.html">Love Sign</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/11/too-stuffy-for-mepart-2.html">Photo Wall</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-me-part-3-chevron-table.html">Chevron Table and Chairs</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/02/too-stuffy-for-mechair-make-over.html">Chair Make Over</a><br />
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3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-7842027823152198822013-03-25T15:41:00.000-07:002013-03-25T16:49:52.400-07:00Camp Cash! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We survived birthday season! </div>
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We just had my son's 6th birthday party....Camp Cash! With the exception of the party favors (homemade tents), this party was extremely inexpensive and very easy to do!</div>
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Here's what we did... </div>
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We had a Smore's bar! </div>
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We had several types of chocolates, different flavors of marshmallows and two kinds of graham crackers!</div>
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The food was easy! Pigs in a blanket, chips, nuts, trail mix.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jslHBRbMb18/UVDFEI-nOeI/AAAAAAAACAk/BBxdvRGatL4/s1600/_DSC6487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jslHBRbMb18/UVDFEI-nOeI/AAAAAAAACAk/BBxdvRGatL4/s400/_DSC6487.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The water bottle labels were made on my word program with free clipart and a burlap background.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HOUK7DQV230/UVDExGm9mUI/AAAAAAAAB_8/TaeQMxmtqXE/s1600/_DSC6478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HOUK7DQV230/UVDExGm9mUI/AAAAAAAAB_8/TaeQMxmtqXE/s400/_DSC6478.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These tents were the main attraction and what I wanted for the party favors. I found a <a href="http://bookmarks folder “Misc. Wants”">tutorial</a> on Pinterest. Unfortunately they were a little time consuming (for my husband) and they cost twice as much as I thought they would (about $10 a piece). They were also very big and had to be delivered to some kids after the party since they didn't fit in most cars. </div>
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That being said, they <u><i>were</i></u> a HUGE hit with the kids and I think they all liked them a lot. It just ended up being a bigger job and more expensive than I thought it would be. </div>
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Check out this cute little camp fire made out of rocks, sticks and tissue paper.</div>
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It's hard to believe my little guy is 6.</div>
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Our first craft was making bird feeders. They were easy and cheap!</div>
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The kids spread peanut butter on pinecones (that we found on our walk to school) and they rolled them in birdseed. We tied some twine around them and the kids took them home to hang on a tree. </div>
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Next we had pillowcase races. </div>
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Luckily my mom had a ton of old pillowcases we were able to use. Warning: they ended up getting really dirty so we had to toss them afterward.</div>
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Our next activity was a Nature Hunt. The kids used compasses (from Oriental Trading Co.) and this check list to hunt around the yard for different things found in nature.</div>
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The last planned activity was making S'mores! The kids selected their graham crackers, type of marshmallow and chocolate.</div>
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I found some Sterno cans at the dollar store. We used them to toast the marshmallows.</div>
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We made sure every kiddo had a grown up close by to help them so that they were all safe.</div>
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The roasting only took a few minutes then we put all of the flames out.</div>
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The kids sat around the pretend campfire to eat their S'mores and drink hot chocolate.</div>
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This was one of my favorite parts. They were so cute!</div>
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My little one got a tad messy.</div>
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I love this picture of my daughter and her BFF enjoying cups of hot cocoa. </div>
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Cash opened his gifts next.</div>
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We sang Happy Birthday and Cash blew out his candles. </div>
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The kids took their cake outside and ate in their tents! It was adorable.</div>
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After all the trouble for the tents I was so happy the kids loved them! They ended up being worth it.</div>
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The party was a big success and as you can see from this photo, my son had a wonderful time. Those smiles are why I make the effort to throw my kids parties at home. This party was easy, cheap and can be easily adapted. </div>
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Now that birthday season is over I need a new project.....hmm....what to do, what to do???</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-28848854899196687712013-02-26T15:52:00.000-08:002013-03-25T16:50:07.123-07:00Easy Bear Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My son just had a camping themed birthday party and I wanted to make a special cake for him. After searching the internet and Pinterest we decided that a bear cake would be perfect! Even though this cake looks difficult, it's one of the easiest I've ever done! You can totally do it too!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHd5VW2RlVM/US05laOYanI/AAAAAAAAB-c/xL8BZ-WxK2s/s1600/IMG_1822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHd5VW2RlVM/US05laOYanI/AAAAAAAAB-c/xL8BZ-WxK2s/s400/IMG_1822.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I came across an adorable polar bear cake <a href="http://thedomina.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/polar-bear-love.html">here</a>. I loved it and decided it would be the cake to use as inspiration for my son's.</div>
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Here's what I did...</div>
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I made a three 8 inch round cakes, leveled them with a knife, and put buttercream frosting in between the layers. I also made 6 large cupcakes (one for the bear...the rest for us to eat). I frosted the bear with chocolate buttercream first. Then I frosted one of the large cupcakes in brown tinted <i><b>regular</b></i> buttercream and placed it upside down on the cakes. This became the snout. </div>
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I used 8 store bought rice crispy treats for <u><b>each</b></u> ear. I just smashed them together until they started looking like an ear. I ended up using a knife to finish shaping them. I frosted them with the chocolate buttercream too. And then I stuck them next the the head so they looked like ears.</div>
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The eyebrows were made out of one small chocolate donut that I cut in half and then in half again (length wise to get a flat bottom). I also frosted the donut with chocolate buttercream.</div>
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Next I smoothed some brown tinted <b><i>regular</i></b> buttercream on the ears for the middle sections. Then I used <a href="http://www.wilton.com/technique/Grass">Wilton tip 233</a> to cover the bear in fur. I started on the back of his head at the bottom. I covered his head in rows working across the bottom then moving up. I continued adding fur until the entire bear was covered. You want to start low and work high so the fur lays on top of each section. That's what makes it look real. I took breaks while making the fur...my hand was killing me. You might want to make your frosting on the slightly thinner side to avoid a cramped hand! Or plan to do it in sections.</div>
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I tried to think about the direction his fur would go and made sure to pipe in the right direction. </div>
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The eyes and nose are made out of Wilton melting chocolates. I rubbed them with my fingers so the chocolate would heat up just enough to be shiny. The nose is two made from two pieces of chocolate cut and then rubbed together with my fingers. </div>
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Finally, I took a couple pieces of white Wilton chocolates, melted them, and placed a small white dot on each eye. </div>
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And that's it! </div>
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Here are a few more shots from different angles.</div>
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Happy baking!</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-14072310824285955402013-02-08T14:44:00.006-08:002013-07-21T19:47:59.090-07:00Angry Birds Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here is my Little One's Angry Birds party!</div>
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I'm not that great at printables and I don't have the money to buy them so I do my best. These were made in my word program. I just made text boxes and filled them in with different patterns and free clipart. </div>
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Thank goodness for these <a href="http://www.thepartyanimal-blog.org/Downloads/Angry_Birds_Balloon_Templates.pdf"><b><i>FREE PRINTABLES</i></b></a> ! </div>
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Somebody was a wee bit excited about his party! </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g_F-SjTWUwE/URV24DneovI/AAAAAAAAB8g/u76veG3-3VU/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g_F-SjTWUwE/URV24DneovI/AAAAAAAAB8g/u76veG3-3VU/s400/IMG_1004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/no-sew-angry-birds-masks.html"><i><b>No Sew Masks</b></i></a>.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jk0Z37Vkpqg/URVzwX0BQ1I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/7OMpj_vB2yo/s1600/_DSC6094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jk0Z37Vkpqg/URVzwX0BQ1I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/7OMpj_vB2yo/s400/_DSC6094.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Seriously! How cute are they in their masks?</div>
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I found a ton of adorable free coloring pages on the web.</div>
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I ordered plain balls from Oriental Trading Company. Then I painted faces on them with regular craft paint. I'm not sure how long the paint will actually last but they survived the party and the kids loved them.</div>
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Here are the kids getting their own bird or pig ball.</div>
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Once the rain stopped we went outside to do our next activity before the rain came back. We used a parachute to toss the Angry Bird balls all around. </div>
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Not necessarily "Angry Bird" like...but the kids thought it was cool.</div>
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Most of the kids were wearing their masks so I'd call out a bird color and those kids got the chance to run under the parachute. We did each kiddo several times and they loved it.</div>
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Here is the <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/diy-pin-beak-on-angry-bird.html"><i><b>Pin the Beak on Red Bird</b></i></a> I made.</div>
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The kids liked this game too.</div>
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Now I know bubble wrap has absolutely nothing to do with Angry Birds but my kids LOVE it! Some friends had a huge roll that they graciously donated to us so I made a huge dance floor out of it. iTunes sells the Angry Birds music so I downloaded it and we did the freeze dance on the bubble wrap dance floor! It was hilarious because you always knew when one of the kids forgot to freeze...POP!</div>
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The last game we played was a life sized Angry Birds game. I purchased 10 boxes at Lowes (and spent about $8). Then I wrapped them in craft paper and let the kids draw wood grain on them. I also had already purchased balloon balls from Oriental Trading for the kids' goodie bags. I took out all of the green balloons and stuck piggy faces on them. The same faces I used for the balloon decor. I gave the kids beanbags to knock over the balloons and they went to town with this! The other grown ups helped by replacing piggies on the boxes throughout the game so that everybody had several turns to knock them over.</div>
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They really got into this game and we only ended up with one broken jar. And honestly it was totally my brother's fault. He told my niece to throw the beanbag as hard as she could. And she did! Nobody was hurt and my brother had to clean up the mess so it all worked out. :) </div>
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This game would definitely be a lot of fun to play outside but it was raining so we just made it work inside the family room. </div>
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Overall it was a really cute party and I think all of the kids had a wonderful time.</div>
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The best part for me is all of the love my Little One gave me. He was so excited about this party. And I'm so happy I was able to make his birthday special.</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-56423388594081718082013-02-07T17:12:00.001-08:002013-02-07T17:12:55.050-08:00Construction Cake With a Twist!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
If you are looking for a little change in your standard construction cake, here is one I did using the same technique as I used on my other construction cakes...but this time I changed the colors a bit! Check it out!</div>
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Here is the <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2011/08/chocolate-buttercreamwho-knew.html">original cake</a> I posted. And here is a <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/05/cars-cake-tutorial.html">tutorial</a> for a similar cake if you want to know how to do this yourself.</div>
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Just changing the colors a bit gave it a totally different feel. I actually ended up using my cousin's construction vehicles once we got to her house. They were red and blue and looked adorable. </div>
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And here is the cute little smash cake made for the birthday boy.</div>
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2011/08/chocolate-buttercreamwho-knew.html">Construction Cake</a> or <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/05/cars-cake-tutorial.html">Cars Cake Tutorial</a></div>
<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-91686702303448735012013-02-07T13:29:00.000-08:002013-02-07T17:13:10.523-08:00A Little Piece of Happy....Family Chalkboard!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
How cute is this? My friend gave me a gift card to Hobby Lobby so I went shopping! Check out what I bought! I picked up a large chalk board and hung it in my kitchen. I also grabbed 2 sets of chalk markers so I would be able to decorate with ease. My husband added some cheap molding around it so that it had a more substantial frame and I painted it to match the other trim in the house. Then it was time for some fun.....decorating the chalk board!</div>
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This was the first thing I put on it. The kids thought it was funny that the house rules included things like have fun and laugh. I actually searched Pinterest for sayings about "home" and this was the one I liked best. </div>
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It makes such a cute backdrop for photos of the kids too.</div>
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We just celebrated my Little One's birthday so I erased the House Rules and made a Happy Birthday sign for Gage. It really added to the overall decor for his party and made him feel extra special.</div>
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Each year I can take a photo of the kids in front of their special birthday sign now!</div>
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Yesterday I erased this birthday sign and made one for Valentine's Day! I am looking forward to changing it for each holiday and including it as a new family tradition! </div>
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Total cost: about $24 ~ pretty good!</div>
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chalkboard $14</div>
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chalk markers (with coupons) about $7 each</div>
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trim $3</div>
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paint $0 (already had it!)</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-66233271160685970442013-02-07T09:47:00.002-08:002013-03-25T17:16:34.030-07:00Too Stuffy For Me....Part 5 ~ Chair Make Over!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My living room/dining room... soon to be game room and craft/sewing rooms are still a work in progress. A few weeks ago we tackled the chairs to set around our new <a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-me-part-3-chevron-table.html">chevron</a> table.<br />
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Here's what we did...<br />
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Before and After!</div>
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We found this set of 4 chairs on Craigslist for $40 total. </div>
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We removed the seat and ran my husband's hand sander over the entire thing to remove all of the shiny finish.</div>
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Next we primed them with some spray primer.</div>
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After the primer was dry we sprayed the chairs with this popppy turquoise. Which I totally love!</div>
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I bought a curtain panel at Target for $20 to use as my fabric for the seat cushions. I really <u><b>loved</b></u> this fabric! And since I was already at Target and didn't want to make a trip to JoAnn's I figured I'd just go with it. After all it is the right weight and I had enough to cover all 4 chairs <i>PLUS</i> add it to the bottom of my curtains to tie everything together. Win...win!</div>
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Ta-dah! Here is the finished table and chairs! </div>
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And notice the "built in" in the background? I still need to blog it but....it's actually a "faux" built in! It's made from Ikea cabinets and bookshelves that we trimmed out! Awesome, right?!?! I seriously need to blog that one of these days.</div>
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If you look closely you can see the curtains I was talking about. They are actually made out of 1 curtain panel that I cut in half. I simply stitched up the raw edge where I cut it and added the black and white chair fabric to the bottom to make them longer! Easy! And I love how they go together but don't match.</div>
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Here is a shot of the room (before I made the <a href="http://Here is a shot of the room (before I made the LOVE sign). I">LOVE</a> sign). I still need to accessorize the bookshelf but for now I am happy with the room! So we ended up spending $40 on the chairs, $20 on the seat fabric (and were able to get curtains too), and about $25 on spray paint. That's just over $21 per chair...not too bad, right?</div>
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For more on this room design, check out these posts!<br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/09/too-stuffy-for-me.html">Painted Stripes</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-mepart-4-love-sign.html">LOVE Sign</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/11/too-stuffy-for-mepart-2.html">Photo Wall</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-me-part-3-chevron-table.html">Chevron Table & Chairs</a></div>
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3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-89213479289461513432013-02-06T09:47:00.001-08:002013-03-25T16:52:06.429-07:00King Piggy Cake from Angry Birds! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My little one loves the Pig King from Angry Birds so he asked me to make him a cake with him as the main focus. I had no clue how to do this but I stumbled through it and it turned out pretty cute. Here is what my little one's cake looked like for his super fun Angry Birds party!<br />
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Ta-dah! One homemade (and not perfect) King Piggy cake! He loved it! </div>
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I made a 4 layer cake, alternating yellow and chocolate. And I put homemade chocolate buttercream in between each layer. I used wrapping paper to cover my cake board.</div>
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Then I put a crumb coat all around it in the chocolate buttercream. I placed it in the fridge for about 20 minutes then put another layer of chocolate buttercream.</div>
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For the head I baked the cake in a glass kitchen bowl. I filled it half way and baked it for right around an hour. I checked it a lot toward the end. I did this twice making two halves of my sphere. Then when they were cooled, I leveled the bottoms flat and placed frosting in between the two halves. Then I frosted them sphere with green buttercream.</div>
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I smoothed out the chocolate buttercream and drew lines for slats. Then I piped a very thick line of frosting on each side and across the top and bottom. This gave it the raised effect. I did this technique all the way around the cake and on top. Then I took a toothpick and carved in wood grain. I also used white frosting and piped on a sign on each side. And red frosting to write my son's name and "TNT".</div>
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Pretend my counter isn't a complete mess....but I make a mess when I decorate. Notice all of the piping bags behind? </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x3_Hd7N4lkg/URKSm4z-NFI/AAAAAAAABws/cdD71v3cyiE/s1600/IMG_1474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x3_Hd7N4lkg/URKSm4z-NFI/AAAAAAAABws/cdD71v3cyiE/s400/IMG_1474.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I made a thick cake board for underneath my piggy head so it wouldn't sink. I also placed several dowels in the lower cake too. Then I used Rice Crispy Treats (store bought) to make the ears, crown and snout. I frosted over the Rice Crispy Treats with buttercream.</div>
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I used white frosting for the eyes and made black for the nose, ears, eyebrows, etc. I used fruit snacks for the jewels on the crown.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dDDl4MV1Fxo/URKSpWN1g2I/AAAAAAAABw0/NbVujsM31R8/s1600/IMG_1477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dDDl4MV1Fxo/URKSpWN1g2I/AAAAAAAABw0/NbVujsM31R8/s400/IMG_1477.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here is a shot from the side.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RmDfkykHdKY/URKSrd3NEjI/AAAAAAAABw8/ss9kbB2rHv8/s1600/IMG_1479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RmDfkykHdKY/URKSrd3NEjI/AAAAAAAABw8/ss9kbB2rHv8/s400/IMG_1479.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I wish I had more time to smooth out the green a little better but I was kind of in a hurry and needed to get it done.</div>
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I put a 4 on the back for my little one.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iva9qh9UouU/URKSx1uZ_xI/AAAAAAAABxU/MRFNVAwgKFY/s1600/IMG_1483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iva9qh9UouU/URKSx1uZ_xI/AAAAAAAABxU/MRFNVAwgKFY/s400/IMG_1483.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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And there you have it! One homemade Piggy King from Angry Birds! </div>
<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-57323339401205576962013-01-15T12:26:00.001-08:002013-03-25T17:17:25.884-07:00Too Stuffy For Me...Part 4! Love Sign<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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DIY Distressed Love Sign!</div>
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I saw a sign like this on Pinterest and fell in LOVE with it! I knew that with a little help from my husband I could make it and hang it in the new game room. To check out the post from Pinterest, go <a href="http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2012/03/wood-love-sign.html">here</a>! </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iZYM3w8k3-4/UPW3o6I5afI/AAAAAAAABuo/wUTQN__hGjc/s1600/IMG_1223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iZYM3w8k3-4/UPW3o6I5afI/AAAAAAAABuo/wUTQN__hGjc/s400/IMG_1223.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I am really into reclaimed wood lately but it is SO expensive. I thought I'd try distressing on my own to see if it could look good. This is what I made and I'm super happy about how it turned out! </div>
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You can make this...</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G-19Q4pyGR4/UPW3aPLbPOI/AAAAAAAABtg/HTdkMtWeJDw/s1600/IMG_1212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G-19Q4pyGR4/UPW3aPLbPOI/AAAAAAAABtg/HTdkMtWeJDw/s400/IMG_1212.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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From this! </div>
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Here's what I purchased...</div>
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1x12x48 Pine (3 of these)</div>
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1x4x48 (one of these)</div>
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1x3x48 (one of these)</div>
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1x2 pine for the back</div>
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Kona colored stain</div>
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Total cost...$35</div>
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We set the pine boards in the garage and distressed them. My kiddos even helped with this part. We hammered, scraped and gouged the wood.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zc6F_GvltJQ/UPW3cTv1SgI/AAAAAAAABt0/8FDDjE8jp1E/s1600/IMG_1215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zc6F_GvltJQ/UPW3cTv1SgI/AAAAAAAABt0/8FDDjE8jp1E/s400/IMG_1215.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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We also used a stiff wire brush to scratch the surface.</div>
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Next we added Kona colored stain.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xRDLfe7J51Q/UPW3eJ-nSFI/AAAAAAAABuE/q1oX1tXZZpU/s1600/IMG_1217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xRDLfe7J51Q/UPW3eJ-nSFI/AAAAAAAABuE/q1oX1tXZZpU/s400/IMG_1217.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a close up. My husband attached the 1x2 pine strips to the back. He placed them vertically to hold the boards together. He did one on the left, the right and the middle so that it became one large piece. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hTe5PrFfY10/UPW3l3NGDEI/AAAAAAAABuQ/sy4MzJcBYjw/s1600/IMG_1219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hTe5PrFfY10/UPW3l3NGDEI/AAAAAAAABuQ/sy4MzJcBYjw/s400/IMG_1219.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I don't have a fancy machine to make letters so I drew them out on poster board and traced around them.</div>
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I used regular craft paint that I watered down. Then I painted the letters.</div>
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My husband used a nail gun to hang the sign.</div>
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And here it is! All finished! I LOVE it! I'm ready to make another one!!!</div>
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For more on this room design, check out these posts!<br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/09/too-stuffy-for-me.html">Painted Stripes</a></div>
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/11/too-stuffy-for-mepart-2.html">Photo Wall</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-me-part-3-chevron-table.html">Chevron Table</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/02/too-stuffy-for-mechair-make-over.html#more">Chair Make Over</a></div>
3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-5851174519743751152013-01-07T15:25:00.000-08:002013-01-09T14:35:50.947-08:00DIY ~ Pin the Beak on the Angry Bird<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Little One is having a little Angry Bird party in a couple of weeks. I don't want to spend a lot of money but I still want to make it cute. This is a "Pin the Beak on Red Bird" game that I made for a whopping $1.50!</div>
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Here's what I did...</div>
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I purchased a red and a yellow poster board at the dollar store. They were only 50-70 cents each. Then I Google imaged a picture of Red Bird to copy. I sketched Red Bird on the red poster board. Then I took some craft paints I had at home. If you don't have craft paint, you can get some as cheap as 75 cents at Michaels or JoAnn's. I painted his tummy, eyes, beak and eyebrows using white, yellow, and black paint. I made the dark red spots with red paint and a touch of black paint. You can also just buy the color red you want but I'm cheap and I <i><u>really</u></i> didn't want to go to the store. I just made due with what I had to work with. Next I outlined the entire bird, as well as, his eyes and beak in black paint. Then I cut him out. </div>
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For the beaks I used regular computer paper to trace the beak on red bird and then I cut it out. I used the cut out on the yellow poster board to trace as many beaks as I would need (one for each kiddo). I used the black paint to outline the beaks and then cut each one out. </div>
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I plan to stick a piece of double sided tape on the back of each beak when the kids play the game. This big Red Bird will hang on the wall during the party pulling double duty....party game AND decor! Woot! Not bad for about $1.50 and about 45 minutes time to create. </div>
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Let your imagination go wild too. I'm sure you can do this with any party theme you choose. Pick an easy to draw character and create a fun game for the kids. Good luck and have fun creating!</div>
<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-11994863235164382162013-01-05T17:30:00.002-08:002013-02-08T14:59:31.369-08:00No Sew Angry Birds Masks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My Little One is turning 4 this month and he is obsessed with Angry Birds! So naturally we are having an Angry Birds party to celebrate! I always do homemade parties and they are always on a budget. I made these adorable little masks yesterday! I still have to add a piece of string to hold them on but I was so excited about them I wanted to get them posted. Don't worry if you don't sew...all I used were scissors and glue!</div>
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Since my mom and I do sew, we had enough felt between the two of us that these were totally free to make! But even if you don't have any felt at home, it's really cheap and you don't need very much. </div>
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I pulled up Google images of each pig and bird I wanted to create. Then I drew a picture of it on some paper. I cut out the drawing and used it as my template to cut out the felt.</div>
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My mom was over so we did this project together. We got all of the pieces cut out first.</div>
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Then we used regular school glue to stick the pieces on. After they were finished, I went back with my glue gun and put a dab where it was needed.</div>
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The masks seemed very flimsy so we needed to thicken them up.</div>
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I hot glued each mask on top of another piece of thick felt. I made sure to get quite a bit of glue on any of the pieces I wanted to stick out, like bows, eyebrows, etc. It made the pieces stiff so they'd stand on their own.</div>
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Then I cut out the entire mask and re cut the eye holes too. That made the mask nice and thick.</div>
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I picked up some party hats from the dollar store. I used the elastic from them to secure the masks on to the kids' faces (not shown here). I simply used hot glue on the back of the mask and took a small square of felt on top...causing the string and hot glue to be sandwiched between the mask and felt square. It worked perfectly and they did not fall apart! So yay for that! :)</div>
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And there you have it. Easy, affordable and cute! And the kids will be so super excited to wear one too!</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-48657864176005546522013-01-05T09:06:00.003-08:002013-03-25T17:17:42.939-07:00Too Stuffy for Me Part 3 ~ Chevron Table & Chairs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
As you may know, we are in the process of turning our formal living room and dining room spaces into a family game room and craft area. It's something we have been doing slowly and as cheap as possible. This past week we conquered the game table!</div>
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We started with this Craigslist purchase for $80.</div>
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My super awesome husband did the math and taped out a chevron pattern on the top. I have no clue how he did it. My brain does not work when it comes to this sort of thing.</div>
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I painted a creamy white over the tape to prevent the contrast color from bleeding under the tape. It only took a few minutes to dry. Then I took some left over wall paint (from the striped wall) and I painted the top of the table gray. I waited about 15 minutes then I peeled the tape off while the paint was still wet. I let it dry over night, then sanded the top very lightly the next morning. Then I applied a layer of Mod Podge as my sealer. I think you could use any kind of sealer or clear acrylic spray but I had a ton of Mod Podge in the house so I painted it over the top to protect it and make it shiny.</div>
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Ta-dah! Here it is! </div>
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I purchased these chairs on Craigslist a few days later. They aren't exactly our style but I was hopeful that with a little work we could make them perfect. It was only $40 for the whole set!</div>
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We sanded the chairs with my husband's sander.</div>
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Then we spray painted them with white primer.</div>
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I spray painted them this turquoise color and added a coat of clear acrylic.</div>
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Target had a curtain panel for $20. It was the perfect fabric! It was the right weight, pattern and buying it meant I didn't have to make a trip to JoAnn's. My husband ripped off the old fabric and I cut a piece of batting that I had at home and placed it on the seat cushion. Then I cut the black and white curtain panel a few inches bigger than the seat cushion and just wrapped it around like a present. I stapled the back and made sure my corners looked nice. Then we screwed the new seat back on the freshly painted chairs.</div>
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And here is the finished product. A one of a kind table and chairs perfect for playing family board games! </div>
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For more on this room design, check out these posts!</div>
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/09/too-stuffy-for-me.html">Painted Stripes</a></div>
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-mepart-4-love-sign.html">LOVE Sign</a></div>
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/11/too-stuffy-for-mepart-2.html">Photo Wall</a></div>
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<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/02/too-stuffy-for-mechair-make-over.html#more">Chair Make Over</a></div>
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3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-80631905886168810982012-12-12T16:47:00.001-08:002013-01-09T14:05:07.171-08:00Grandmas and Quilts Just Go Together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I love, love, love my grandma! She lives in West Virginia and I'm in California. She's super feisty and is always doing something! She is always on the go, keeping busy, doing things an 89 year old shouldn't. She even travels to CA a couple of times a year to visit with our family. She just had her 89th birthday and unfortunately she wasn't feeling very well. She has a very bad back and will need to rest a bit. I wanted to send her something special as an early Christmas gift that she would be able to use while she recovered. </div>
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My own mom has been crazy busy making beautiful quilts for all six grandkids. She always makes each kiddo something special for Christmas. This year she went a little nuts and bit off quite a bit. However, as of 2 days ago, she is finished with all of them! Not only did she make each of the grandkids a special quilt, each quilt is made specifically with each childs' interest in mind. So for my three kids she made an owl themed quilt for my daughter, a puppy themed quilt for my oldest son and an elephant themed quilt for my little one...all of these things are their <i>FAVORITES</i>! I've been hearing about these quilts for months. She's been telling me all of the details and texting me photos of everything. I decided that it would be fun for me to attempt to make one of them for my grandma too! I didn't want to bother my mom since she already had her hands full (even though I know she wouldn't consider it a bother) so I decided to try to make one on my own. And guess what! I <i>totally</i> did it and it's super cute!!! I used this pattern ~ McCalls Crafts 3901. </div>
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I am just an OK sewer. But I have been branching out and I've surprised myself at what I am actually able to do. I stick to basics but this quilt actually is very basic. It's a ton of cutting, sewing straight lines and clipping a bunch of seams. </div>
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Here it is...<i>nearly</i> finished. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo after I washed it. Washing it makes all of the ends around the squares fray and get shaggy. It looks way better so you'll have to use your imagination for that. Sorry...</div>
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I started off with a really pretty peacock fabric and used it for my starting point. My grandparents had a farm and they had peacocks. Growing up we always had peacock feathers in our home and my brother and I loved finding them on the farm. Once I saw the beautiful peacock fabric, I knew I wanted to do this for her. In fact, one of my cousins named her Grandma Peacock.</div>
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My next job was to find 7 other fabrics that would coordinate with the peacock fabric. I was lucky enough to find 2 companion fabrics, then I just found fabrics that had similar colors and patterns. After everything was cut out I did an assembly line. I sewed rows together first, then went back to sew the "X" on for the "quilting" and after that I sewed my rows together. </div>
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Here are a few close ups (pre-washing) to show the different peacocks. I bought slightly more fabric in order to have them centered. </div>
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There were 4 different peacocks total. Again...use your imagination. The raw edges fray after washing and it really brings the quilt to life!</div>
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I'm not sure if this will make sense or not, but when I was selecting my fabrics I tried to find 2 that kind of went together. If you look in this photo you can see the fabrics above and below the peacock are similar in color and pattern size. My goal was to have the quilt feel balanced since I was using so much pattern.</div>
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The McCalls pattern tells you how to set your squares out. The only thing I did differently is I used quilt batting between the layers rather than interfacing. I wanted to give the quilt some weight.</div>
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I got it shipped off to my grandma and my cousin was nice enough to film her opening it. She absolutely loved it. Here she is proudly displaying her new quilt...yes...it's backward buy hey, she's 89 years old and if she wants to wear it this way, I'm not telling her any differently!</div>
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After Christmas I'll be sure to post photos of the quilts my mom made for the kids. They are <i>SO </i>good!</div>
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3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-38653741344043357612012-11-30T12:35:00.000-08:002013-01-09T14:05:30.121-08:00DIY Homework Station<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months ago I realized that I would not only have a first grader doing homework but I would also have a Kindergartener who needed a homework space too. I wanted to create an area for my kids to do their homework without the distraction of the t.v. or toys. I also <i><b>really</b></i> wanted to stop using our kitchen table as a desk! I searched Pinterest to see what fabulous ideas other families had done. Most of them were out of my budget and above my skill level but I knew I could come up with something...and I wanted it to be easy and cheap. </div>
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Our house has a niche at the top of the stairs that I believe is supposed to have a built in desk. Since I couldn't afford a real built in, I decided to make a <i><b>faux</b></i> built in instead. </div>
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And here it is...</div>
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The double door cabinet is a computer desk we purchased from Cost Plus World Market about 8 years ago. I found two $20 bookshelves at Target. I placed the computer desk at the far right and the small bookshelves all the way to the left against the other wall of the niche. My husband went to the lumber store and bought a big piece of MDF. (Unfortunately he tore his bicep picking up this huge piece of wood....but that's a whole different story. And one I'll never get to live down.) After his trip to urgent care, my awesome (and injured) husband made two cuts on the MDF. He cut the depth so that the top would slightly hang over the computer desk. And he cut the length the exact length of the niche. Then he just placed the MDF right on top of the computer desk and bookshelves. It's wedged in between the walls really tightly too.</div>
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Here is a close up of the two bookshelves I picked up at Target (terrible photo, I know). They were in the closet organizing section.</div>
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This is a shot showing the left side so you can see the niche.</div>
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Next, I took the kids to Michaels and let them pick out scrapbook paper that they liked. They chose this greenish, blue paper because it has maps and birds on it. I tore the paper into a bunch of strips and pieces and Mod Podged the pieces right on top of the MDF. It's not exactly what I would have chosen but the kids like it and I wanted it to be a place they wanted to spend a lot of time.</div>
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We went to the dollar store and found all of these metal cups and holders. I painted them with some clearance spray paint from Michaels so they'd match the color scheme.</div>
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I also found this lamp at a furniture store on clearance for $12. I tore a coordinating piece of scrapbook paper and Mod Podged little pieces all over the base. I cut out larger pieces and stuck them on the shade.</div>
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Before this little project I had 3 matted pictures hanging. I'd had them for a good 12 years or more. I still really like them and didn't want to ruin them so I bought a scrap piece of burlap from JoAnn's and covered the mats with it. Then I chose a piece of artwork from each of the kids and placed them inside the frames, behind the burlap mats. If I decide I want to use those old pictures again they are waiting right behind the kids' artwork with no harm done! I also had an old picture stored in a closet so I picked up a piece of cork board and some fabric from JoAnn's. I took out the glass (and tossed it) and wrapped the fabric around the cork. I painted the frame with the same paint as the metal containers and made a coordinating cork board for the kids.</div>
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We had a bench that had seen better days so I pulled off the old fabric and stapled new fabric and batting on top. Now all 3 kids can sit together and do homework or coloring! And they <i><b>love</b></i> the bench!!!</div>
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My mom found some metal paper organizers at Target for $10 each. She picked them up for me and I spray painted them to match. I used the coordinating paper (also used on the lamp) to spruce up the fronts of them. And there you have it! An organized place for my kids to do homework and get creative!</div>
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As it turns out, this was one of the best things we've ever done in our home. I know it's not the most beautiful or even the most sturdy thing in the world but my kids literally sit and color at their "homework station" <b><i>EVERY SINGLE DAY</i></b>! They <u>love</u> it! And I love that they are being creative and using a space in our home that we used to just pass by. I'm sure there are more efficient ways to do this project. And I'm sure there are ways to make it a more beautiful space but this is what works for us! Hopefully you can take a few ideas, get inspired and create a workable space for you and your kids too!</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-56609922639615673432012-11-27T12:14:00.001-08:002013-01-09T14:36:34.913-08:00Holiday Pinterest Party!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm sure you know by now that I am kind of <i><b>in love</b></i> with Pinterest! I'm convinced it's one of the best things ever created! Not only do I pin a ton of things....get this....I ACTUALLY do them! Sure I pin things for my imaginary home that I will never be able to afford, awesome recipes I'm not qualified to make and my new exercise plan that will have me back to my pre-baby weight in just two weeks, but I also pin things that I have every intention of doing. And I do! </div>
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I began pinning a bunch of adorable Christmas crafts and decided it would be fun to have some of my Pinterest obsessed girlfriends come over and make them together. I wanted to get us all in the holiday spirit so I got my mom on board and we planned a holiday Pinterest Party! <br />
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And here it is...</div>
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We asked each guest to bring an appetizer or dessert they saw on Pinterest. I made cupcakes (using a baking technique I found on Pinterest) and I also made Potato Cheese Soup in the crock pot. And yes, the recipe was from Pinterest.</div>
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I used Christmas wrapping paper to cover some of my tables and created my own printables with my word program by simply cutting and pasting images found on Pinterest.</div>
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I crack up over some of the sayings I see on the site so I printed several of them out and used them as decorations.</div>
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I also picked up plates and table cloths at the dollar store. My mom & I used 60% off coupons to buy Mod Podge too.</div>
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I printed out directions for each project.</div>
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I sent an evite to my Pinterest loving friends and had photos and links showing the crafts we would be attempting.</div>
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I also had a table set up with activities for the kiddos. Almost everything came from the dollar store.</div>
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These are a few of the kids crafts. Painting ornaments, making snowmen and Christmas trees and lots of coloring and stickers!</div>
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The best craft we made were these Christmas countdown blocks. My dad cut the wood for us and I made a few samples. Everybody loved making these and they turned out SO cute!</div>
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This was another table we had set up and ready to go. There were a total of 3 crafting tables to work at and the kids used the kitchen table.</div>
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I wrapped my dining room table in wrapping paper to protect it and to add a little decor.</div>
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Each table had a funny e-card for decoration too.</div>
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This station was for making Christmas plates by using glass plates (from the dollar store) and tissue paper (also from the dollar store). It's so simple to do and turns out so pretty! Some of the kids did these on their own too.</div>
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I also asked each guest to bring a holiday photo and we Mod Podged them to card stock to make hanging ornaments that can hang form your banister. My plan is to use our Christmas photo cards from every year so we can see how we've changed over the years. I still have to finish the rest of them...and soon.</div>
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We made sure that every table had all of the supplies ready to use and within arm's reach.</div>
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We used the clear plastic cups to hold the Mod Podge once guests arrived.</div>
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Not only did the ladies have a great time making Christmas crafts, the kids were really excited too. I have found that kids are on their best behavior when they are given creative activities. </div>
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The blocks were the biggest hit. I think I could have just planned to make the plates and the blocks and it would have been enough.</div>
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Each kiddo worked on a different activity. There were plenty to choose from and all of them easy enough that they didn't need help from an adult.</div>
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Check out one of the desserts a friend brought. They were as delicious as they looked!</div>
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By the time everyone arrived the table was full of tasty treats.</div>
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And it was ALL delicious!</div>
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Even though this Pinterest party was a lot of work to organize and put together, it was really fun. I think if I do it again I will scale back and only choose 2 activities to make. I think everyone had fun and it definitely got me in the holiday spirit. It always feels good to get together with friends and just be creative. Hopefully this will inspire you to do a little less pinning and a lot more creating! Happy pinning!!!</div>
<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-33435702324867412332012-11-21T09:44:00.000-08:002013-03-25T17:15:45.131-07:00Too Stuffy For Me...Part 2!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My photo wall in my former living room/dining room...soon to be craft room/game room, make over is complete and I love it! </div>
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My original idea was to use canvas prints. However, I quickly learned that I'd either have to win the lottery to afford that or I'd have to alter my plan a bit. I chose to switch things up since there is no hope of me winning something I don't play.</div>
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Here's what I came up with!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQpcddmjpe0/UK0J5DW62OI/AAAAAAAABYw/RDQ_ejkTU5c/s1600/IMG_9837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQpcddmjpe0/UK0J5DW62OI/AAAAAAAABYw/RDQ_ejkTU5c/s400/IMG_9837.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It wasn't a difficult process but there is no way I could have done it without my husband's and dad's help (a huge thank you and 'I love you' to both of them). I started off choosing photos I wanted to use. I chose all photos that I'd taken rather than using professional pictures. I want this entire space to feel casual and comfortable so I thought snapshots and home photos would be a good way to go. I used old photos I'd taken with my DLSR as well as pictures from my iphone and Instagram. I added filters to many of these photos so they'd be a little more artsy.</div>
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Originally I was planning to do 16 large square photos. After looking on line I decided it would be cheaper to do a more standard size, so I chose 16x20. I uploaded my prints to Walgreens Photo Center and had my photos printed on poster paper. They had them ready for pick up with in the hour! I never pay full price for anything so I used an on line coupon and only paid half price for each print. If you wanted to have all black and white photos, you can do this <u><i>really</i></u> cheaply by using Staples Engineered prints (only about $2 each). I wanted color pictures since my family room has an entire wall of black and white prints.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FM2We9Xw5_o/UK0J0G9Y3EI/AAAAAAAABYo/ZoXxCy3UDTI/s1600/IMG_9714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FM2We9Xw5_o/UK0J0G9Y3EI/AAAAAAAABYo/ZoXxCy3UDTI/s400/IMG_9714.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's how I did it.</div>
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My awesome dad cut 1/4 inch thick plywood into 16x20 inch rectangles. He also created a cleat system for hanging them but you can also pick up sawtooth hangers at the hardware store. I purchased Mod Podge from JoAnn's (with my 60% off coupon) and got to work! I slathered Mod Podge on a plywood piece and then painted more on the back of my photo. Then I set the photo on top of the Mod Podged (is that a word?) piece of plywood and made sure it was straight. I smoothed it out starting at the center. Since my photo paper was rather thick, I did not experience any problems with tearing or bubbling. The next step was to add a coat of Mod Podge right on top of the photo. I wanted them to be streaky so I put it on thick and let my brush marks show. Apparently you are supposed to use the Matte Finish Mod Podge on photos but I didn't. I used gloss and I love them!</div>
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I did this over the course of a few days. I Mod Podged a few at a time and put them away until the next day. After I had them all done I set them on the floor to get an idea of how I wanted them arranged. I even ended up swapping out a couple of the pictures for different shots. </div>
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When it was time to hang the pictures I measured the wall (with my wonderful husband's help) and put a few pieces of tape on my floor to mimic the size of the wall. I started out deciding where I wanted the finished top and bottom to be. I had to contend with an outlet on the bottom too. I set the pictures on the floor and saw that they looked good about 5 inches apart so we decided to make 5 inches the spacing size for them (vertically). We put the center row up first, working top to bottom. Next we measured out to the side 6 inches and worked horizontally, leaving 6 inches in between each photo. It left about 7 inches on the ends but I like that.</div>
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So here is the finished product! I'm very happy with it and I know that I can easily Mod Podge a new photo right over the old photo whenever I want to change the look! The room is slowly coming together. Now I have to decide where to go from here! Wish me luck!</div>
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For more on this room design, check out these posts!<br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2012/09/too-stuffy-for-me.html">Painted Stripes </a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-mepart-4-love-sign.html">LOVE Sign</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/01/too-stuffy-for-me-part-3-chevron-table.html">Chevron Table</a><br />
<a href="http://mythreetinythings.blogspot.com/2013/02/too-stuffy-for-mechair-make-over.html#more">Chair Make Over</a></div>
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3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-14510959752103138112012-11-18T09:27:00.000-08:002013-01-09T14:06:55.379-08:00A Birthday Filled With Memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My dad's birthday is in November and he is so hard to shop for! Seriously, it's near impossible to find the perfect gift for him. I always feel bad because I end up getting him some kind of gift certificate to a restaurant or the movies. Sure, he likes the gift certificate and he enjoys using it. It just never seems special or personal. This year I decided to check around on Pinterest (my favorite place) to see if I would be able to find something unique. And boy did I ever! Thanks to "Nothing But Bonfires" blog, I was able to give my dad a gift that I think he truly loved and was excited about. </div>
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Check out the post I used for my inspiration...</div>
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http://nothingbutbonfires.com/2011/06/sixty-years-memories</div>
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And here it is! My dad's gift! It doesn't look like much, but it really is special. This stack of envelopes contains letters and birthday wishes from every person my dad knows and has known over the years. It has letters from acquaintances he only slightly knows to friends he's had for over 50 years...some of which he's lost contact with. I sent a simple email (most of which was borrowed directly from Nothing But Bonfires) that stated my dad was having a birthday and I wanted everyone to write him a birthday wish or a special memory they have of him. Here is the letter I emailed and posted to friends on Facebook.</div>
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<span style="color: #444444; line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">If you're receiving this email, you must know my dad, Don, will be celebrating his 68th birthday in just a couple of weeks! To celebrate, I'd like to put together a little surprise to let him know that his nearest and dearest are thinking of him. I'm going to try and create "68 Years of Memories" by filling 68 envelopes with a memory his friends and family have of him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">And this is where you come in! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">If you have a spare moment in the next few days, I would be so grateful if you'd jot down a favorite memory you have of my dad or a simple birthday wish and put it in the post (or even email it to me). It doesn't have to be anything fancy -- you can just write it down on a piece of paper and sign your name. You can mention anything you like -- although the more nostalgic the better! Please absolutely feel free to send more than one memory (in fact, I welcome it -- I've got 68 envelopes to fill!), but please write them on different pieces of paper (and sign your name to each) so I can split them up. In fact, a separate note from each family member would really help get me to 68! Include the kids too! My dad loves looking at pictures drawn by the little ones! Also, if you know of anyone else who may know my dad, please forward this email to them as well. There are so many people my dad has met over the years but I really only have his address book to go from. Please include anyone who would like to wish my dad a happy birthday!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Thank you so, so, so much for participating -- I know everyone is busy with their own lives, and I do appreciate you taking a few minutes to do this. It will be so worth it when he reads all the memories people have of him! (Please don't forget to keep it a surprise until then, though!) </span></span></div>
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I included my address and email at the bottom of the letter I sent and the birthday wishes started pouring in. The kids drew pictures and the adults wished him a happy birthday while others shared funny stories from his past. </div>
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Some people included an old photo. Some letters were sweet and sincere, while others were funny and reminded my dad of some of the more "interesting" things he's done over the years. </div>
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I placed each letter in a separate envelope. I picked up this set of cards and envelopes at Target for $10. I cut the emails out and glued them to the blank cards before putting them in the envelopes just to make them look a little nicer.</div>
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Then I wrapped a pretty bow around the stack and his gift was ready to give to him.</div>
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My kids gave my dad the stack of envelopes and I don't think he was really sure what to think about it. Even after explaining what I'd done, I'm not sure he was overly excited.</div>
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But as soon as he opened the very first letter; a very special letter from his 10 year old grandson, I could see that HE GOT IT. He knew this was special and he knew this was something made with love.</div>
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My dad sat there and read through so many of his letters and he enjoyed every single one. He loved elaborating on the stories people wrote about. I know these letters touched his heart and made him feel loved. Some of them were so funny too. You see my dad is a total trouble maker! And let me tell you...people did not let him forget this. His letters were full of funny stories and people poking friendly fun at him too. He loved it. He had the perfect mix of silly, funny, and sincere birthday wishes and I actually think I was able to finally give him a gift that he REALLY liked. I am so appreciative to "Nothing But Bonfires" blog. This is exactly what I wanted for my dad! </div>
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST DAD EVER!</div>
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3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-62738394394610539762012-11-09T13:57:00.000-08:002013-01-09T14:37:06.739-08:00Art & Owls Party...Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pw-1TA-iku4/UJ1kEpjxELI/AAAAAAAABQk/pOEXMMKTH-E/s1600/IMG_8015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pw-1TA-iku4/UJ1kEpjxELI/AAAAAAAABQk/pOEXMMKTH-E/s400/IMG_8015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So the first Art & Owls post showed the set up. Now here are some action shots from the party!</div>
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When the guests arrived they headed to the backyard where they colored a mural.</div>
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After everyone arrived the kids went to each art station to complete the projects. This is the Picasso station. Kids decorated paper bags with pastels.</div>
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One table was set up with a Kandinsky watercolor project and a Van Gogh watercolor/crayon resist project. The kids seemed to really like the Kandinsky.</div>
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The Pollock station was where things got interesting. The kids spatter painted canvases and they loved every minute of it.</div>
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My little one decided not to spatter. Instead he did an abstract.</div>
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More spattering.</div>
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The kids were really into each activity and were super quiet while they worked. It was a very mellow party.</div>
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Here is the birthday girl spatter painting!</div>
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She got a little on her face. Since it was washable paint, it didn't matter!</div>
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Lexi had a blast spattering.</div>
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And her artwork was beautiful!</div>
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They concentrated so hard on each project.</div>
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Everybody was focused.</div>
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And some of the kids got a little messy...</div>
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But come on! How cute are those feet?</div>
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Even the littlest one made beautiful artwork.</div>
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Inside, the kids made original owl artwork and a Mondrian piece. Notice the colored bags in the background? Those are the owl party favors the kids received later in the party.</div>
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They came up with some adorable owls.</div>
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I purchased pocket folders during the back to school sale. Each kiddo received a folder to keep all of the finished artwork inside.</div>
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We hung the paintings outside to dry.</div>
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And set the canvases in the grass to dry too.</div>
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They turned out awesome. </div>
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Even the drop cloth looked pretty afterwards.</div>
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Remember these guys? Well, after completing all of the art, we gathered around and each kiddo received a bag. Inside the bag was an adorable owl to adopt. They LOVED getting their owls. Unfortunately I was busy handing out owls so I didn't get ANY photos of the kids opening them up! Boo! Sorry. </div>
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Next we sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed some cake and ice cream.</div>
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If you look closely you can see all of the kids holding their owls. Every owl was different.</div>
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All of the kids fell in love with their owls.</div>
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They all held them the rest of the party. It was also nice for each of the kids to get to have a present before my daughter opened the gifts her friends brought. They all held their little owls on their laps while Keely opened her gifts.</div>
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After my daughter opened gifts some of the guests continued doing art projects and others had to get going. Before they left they got to choose an owl bag that was filled with markers, crayons and colored pencils. Pretty cool! Each kiddo received art stuff, all of their artwork and their very own owl.</div>
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My sweet birthday girl loved her party! I'm so happy she had such a special day.</div>
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And I'm pretty sure the rest of the guests enjoyed it too. </div>
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Now it's time to plan a party for my little one...stay tuned! Get ready for some Angry Birds heading this way!</div>
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<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929032281513239903.post-10695436978816786452012-11-08T12:13:00.000-08:002013-01-09T14:37:26.665-08:00Art & Owls Party...Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My daughter's Art & Owls birthday party was a success! She loved it, the guests loved it and I didn't go broke throwing it! Yay! </div>
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This post is going to focus on the set up of the party. The next post will show actual party photos of the kids and the activities. </div>
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Here is my little sweetie next to her cake. Since she keeps getting taller but no bigger around this owl jumper I made her for <u><i>preschool</i></u> (2 years ago) still fits! It was perfect for the party!</div>
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Here is the main party table. I recycled most of the decor from previous parties. I did buy plates, napkins, etc, but all of the hanging decorations are pieces I bought or made in years past. Luckily for me, the girl loves pink so I have a ton of reusable decor.</div>
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I splurged on a piece of owl fabric that my daughter fell in love with. I used it as the table cloth but I'm planning to use it to make a basket liner for her new bike's basket!</div>
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One way I save money is to host my kids' parties in the afternoon. Feeding a ton of people a full lunch is super expensive and I don't really think the kids eat very well at parties anyway. Our party table always consists of sweet treats, salty snacks, water, juice and a special cake. Basically a whole lot of yummy junk!</div>
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Here are some close ups of the goodies...</div>
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My mom made these delicious sugar cookies with M&Ms to look like paint pallets. I also grabbed some candy sticks from the dollar store.</div>
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Cost Plus World Market advertised the cutest owl bread pan. It cost $10 but it is something I see myself using a lot. I was able to make pumpkin bread shaped like little owls! Perfect for this fall party!</div>
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I also always grab a couple of boxes of Little Debbie treats. They are delicious and SUPER inexpensive (like $1.79 a box)! I unwrap everything and put it all on a pretty plate. Nobody ever knows they are Little Debbie!</div>
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These pretzel paintbrushes were really easy to make. I just dipped the pretzel rods in melted milk chocolate. After they dried, I dipped the tips in another color of melted chocolate. </div>
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While I made the pretzels, I also dipped rice crispy treats in the chocolate and pushed a stick in the end. They made sweet little paint brushes too. </div>
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With the leftover melted chocolates, I was able to make tiny paint pallets. I just smeared a glob of milk chocolate on some foil. I dropped a spot of the different colors around it and ta-dah! Little chocolate paint pallets! Yummy!</div>
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One special tradition we have is to get a story book that goes along with the theme of the party. All of the guests write a message on the inside cover. We keep the story book, read it over and over, and are able to remember all of the people who celebrated with us. </div>
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My kiddos made a small "art gallery" on the wall. They drew several pictures of owls inside frames. I like the kids to have a lot of involvement in their parties so I thought it was a cute idea...and one they came up with on their own.</div>
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For some added decor I used acrylic paint to paint a picture of an owl on my sliding glass door. It added a lot of color and easily washed off with soap, water and paper towels when the party was over.</div>
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Another tradition is to include a photo for each birthday. You can see your baby grow before your eyes.</div>
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Since it was kind of a rainy day we decided to set up one of the art stations inside. </div>
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The table was set up with every supply the kids needed for the two projects assigned to it.</div>
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This end of the table was set up for Mondrian. There were different sized squares in primary colors, black strips and glue all organized and ready to use. </div>
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The other end of the table held supplies such as markers, colored pencils (purchased during the back to school sale in August) and artist pens (from the dollar store) so the kids could create their "Original Artwork".</div>
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I had a sample of the projects next to the table along with a brief history about the author and directions for how to complete the artwork.</div>
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Everything was organized and easy to get to.</div>
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The main outside table was set up for watercolor.</div>
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Again, all of the supplies were set up and ready to use.</div>
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I had a smaller table nearby to show examples and give an explanation of the artist and artwork they'd be completing.</div>
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One project was Kandinsky.</div>
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The other project was Van Gogh.</div>
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There was a small table set up with pastels and paper bags so the kids could create a Picasso piece.</div>
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The last art station was set up for a Pollock piece...spatter painting! This was by far the kids' favorite station...not to mention, the messiest. </div>
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I blew it and didn't take a "before" photo of the mural so here it is after the kids decorated it. We stapled a roll of paper to the fence and set out a jar of markers. This was what the kids did as soon as they got to the party while we waited for guests to arrive.</div>
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I also hung a piece of ribbon along the fence to hang wet artwork. We stapled the ribbon to the fence and I used free clips from the grocery store to clip the work up.</div>
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Obviously a lot of preparation went into this party. But I started early and stayed organized. I really didn't have to spend much money at all. I bought all of the art supplies during the back to school sale in August and most of the other items came from the dollar store. The most expensive part was ordering the owl plates and party supplies. However, I did use a coupon and I also got free shipping! I hope this will inspire you to get creative at your child's next party. I was a special day for all of us. Best of all, my daughter loved her party! </div>
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Stay tuned for more party photos coming soon!</div>
<br />3 Little Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07176713453788870057noreply@blogger.com0