Friday, August 23, 2013

roundup { diy flower headbands }

a looooong time ago, before my trip to cali, when I photographed this little sweetie pie, I made some headbands.

true story.

and I couldn’t share them with you back then because they were a surprise for the little miss and her mama.  and they have been in my blog photo folder ever since.  needing to be shared.

and now they are shared…

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After I pinned these ideas, it took some digging around to find tutorials, free tutorials, good tutorials… you how it goes when you pin something, buy the stuff, and then realize it’s not actually a tutorial.  Yeah.

So left to right, here are the tutorials I pieced together to create these beauties…

1.  Giant rose: this was the inspiration ($10 for tutorial), this was closest free tutorial I could find

2.  Tiny bow (my own creation), made of lace trim, hot glued onto the headband

3. & 4.  Felt flower headband tutorial (how to make the headband portion and also gives age/sizes for headbands)

5.  Felt flower tutorial (they made theirs into clips / I put mine on headbands)

6.  Pinwheel tutorial (it’s for paper but I used the process with felt)

So there you have it.  If any tiny girl people in your life need some pretty hair things… well, now you have no excuse.  =)  And if you want to check out my photoshoot here, you will see some of the headbands on my baby homegirl. 

 

Have a blessed day!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

diy { spend/save/give jars }

 

My hubby and I went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Freedom courses several years ago, and have handled our finances based on this education ever since.  The principles are simple, biblical and attainable (with some hard work).  If you’re interested, I recommend reading his book, Total Money Makeover.  It’s an easy read and well organized.

Dave talks about starting children young on a - give / spend / save - division of funds. 

We have worked to teach our son (age 6) the value of working hard and tried not to allow the spirit of entitlement to creep in.  Our daughter (age 3) is still a little young.  But we’re working on saving for her first big thing right now (which she has yet to pick out).

This might seem a little backwards, but for us phase one was Spend. 

I first tried to get my little man to work and save, but quickly was frustrated with his lack of motivation.  I found to teach him about money, the experience of (short term) saving for that little $6 toy that they can do two or three special chores for (we paid especially well in the early stages), and walk in the store and hand over their hard earned cash and walk out with a toy, is a big “aha moment” for the little ones.  Our son didn’t “get” money until we let him spend some.

That first spending trip was for a little item, but we quickly worked in the next phase: Saving.

We would take our son to the store and let him pick out something more expensive, that he didn’t have enough money to buy.  We would remind him of this when he was working for money, encourage him to keep working for it and counting his money each time until he had enough to go buy it.  He usually has something he is saving for at any given time; recently he bought a scooter, and has purchased many Lego sets with his own money.  He quickly became very interested in saving.

Well now it is time for phase three.  Giving.

It’s starting to bug me to hand them change out of my purse as they head for childrens’ church.  To hand them cash out of my grocery budget for the charity fundraiser at VBS.  I want them to have a heart for giving.

So it was time to implement the Dave Ramsey recommended piggy banks to make a place for designating “give” funds. 

Which, of course, I had to DIY.

 

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budget jars

Girly Give / Save / Spend Money Jars:

Supplies:

3 Bonne Maman jelly jars and lids

floral scrapbook paper

pencil

scissors

Mod Podge

paint brush

3 tags

Sharpie (fine tip)

baker’s twine

washi tape

Instructions:

1. Cut your scrapbook paper into three circles.  Each circle should fit perfectly inside the little ridge that goes around the top of the jar lid.

2. Mod Podge the area inside the ridge on the jar and apply your paper.  Immediately Mod Podge over the top of the paper, and just over the edge so it seals it from grubby little hands.

3. Write “spend” “save” and “give” on your tags.  I printed the words out, put my tag over the top of the word, held it all against a window, and traced a perfect outline of the word in pencil.  I then traced it in Sharpie, erased the pencil, and colored it in with Sharpie.

4. Loop baker’s twine through the hole in the tag, and tie a knot just past where you want to fasten it to the lid.  Put a short strip of washi tape between the two strands, taping one strand to the lid.  Then criss-cross another short strip of washi tape across that one, taping down the second strand.

 

And if it’s a little man you’re planning this for, check out my boy take on the project for my son…

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Boy Give / Save / Spend Money Jars:

Supplies:

3 canning jars and lid rims

cardboard

map paper

pencil

scissors

Mod Podge

paint brush

Exacto knife

Tacky Glue

3 tags

Sharpie (fine tip)

baker’s twine

washi tape

Instructions:

1. Cut three circles of cardboard.  Each circle should fit perfectly inside the lid.  Then cut three map paper circles the same size.

2. Cut the holes in the cardboard where money can be deposited.  Mod Podge the map paper circles to the cardboard circles.  When dry, cut a slit with “v”s at the ends like this: >--------< in the map paper inside the deposit hole of the cardboard from the back side with an Exacto knife so that you can fold the map paper sections to the back and secure with washi tape.  Mod podge the tops of the map paper lids.  Then assemble your lids: I added a circle of tacky glue around the lid edge to hold it together permanently.

3. Write “spend” “save” and “give” on your tags.  I printed the words out, put my tag over the top of the word, held it all against a window, and traced a perfect outline of the word in pencil.  I then traced it in Sharpie, erased the pencil, and colored it in with Sharpie.

4. Loop baker’s twine through the hole in the tag, and loop one end around your jar lid and through the deposit slit.  Tie.

 

I hope you like these simple little projects.  I am excited to emphasize adding money to the “give” jars as they earn money now.

And I should add that we do not pay our kids for doing chores.  In the beginning we did a few times, just to get the ball rolling, but now they are expected to be responsible for themselves and their belongings without monetary reward.  They get paid for doing harder, longer jobs that are above and beyond their normal responsibilities.  Those jobs also pay well.  =)  We by no means have it all figured out, but I thought I’d share what has worked for us thus far. 

 

Have a great day!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

ikea style

The number one thing I hear about IKEA is, “Isn’t there stuff cheaply made?”

The answer is yes… and no.

Truth is, most places you go you have to be aware of quality.  Great example: I once purchased a Pottery Barn corner desk for a client- it was great and big and bulky… and was fake wood and chips all the time and dents and scratches very easily.  It was about $1000.  = No matter where you shop, you have to be aware.

Yes, IKEA’s design, process and shipping methods allow for them to make some super affordable products.  And, yes, that for sure means some of those uber cheap products will not stand the test of time.  But they have a really great team of designers, making some nice on-trend items, and with a little discretion (mainly I look for solid wood pieces, and inspect other quality before I purchase), there are plenty of items to choose from that will hold up well over time.  And that’s coming from a mom of two little rough and tough country bumpkins.

So just for fun I thought I’d show you a few of IKEA’s items that I’m crushing on lately…

Okay, “few” may have been an understatement. 

Let’s just say they’re organized by color.  =)  or… You could say I went completely overboard.

 

The WHITES…

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1. Foto Pendant Lamp (15”) – $24.99      2. Ursula Throw (white) – $29.99      3.  Socker Greenhouse – $19.99      4. Sockerart Vase (12”) – $19.99      5. Stenstorp Kitchen Cart – $199      6. Ingolf Chair – $49

 

The GRAYS…

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1.  Forsa Work Lamp (nickel plated) – $24.99      2.  Arod Worklamp – $39.99      3.  Hektar Pendant Light – $69.99      4.  Hektar Floor Lamp – $69.99      5.  Byholma Chair – $89.99      6.  Strandmon Wingchair (svanby gray)– $279      7.  Dalfred Barstool – $39.99

 

The COOL tones…

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1.  Raskog Kitchen Cart (turquoise) – $49.99      2.  Morkt Lantern for tealight – $5.99      3.  Notudden hanging storage (graphical / multicolor) $9.99      4.  Foto Pendant Light (green, 10”) – $19.99      5.  Knodd bin with lid – $14.99      6.  Stockholm sofa (sandbacka green) – $999     7.  Salmbar plant pot – $16.99      8.  Fabrikor cabinet (light green) – $179

 

The WARM tones…

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1.  Solvinden solar pendant – $9.99      2.  Riffla Basket – $7.99      3.  Stockholm Fabric – $8.99/yd                  4.  Foto Pendant Light (red, 10”) – $19.99      5.  Lyndby Throw (zigzag) – $9.99      6.  Valkand bowl and dish (yellow) – $24.99      7.  Hemnes linen cabinet – $299      8.  IKEA PS Cabinet (red) – $99

 

And for the KIDDOS…

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1.  IKEA PS swivel chair (blue, white) – $89.99      2.  DUKTIG 14-piece vegetable set – $7.99      3.  DUKTIG 4-piece cookware set – $9.99      4. MYSIG bed canopy – $14.99      5.  DUKTIG mini kitchen – $99      6.  SOLRUN fabric – $7.99/yd      7.  CIRCUSTALT childrens’ tent – $19.99

 

So there you have it.  My IKEA favs, all rounded up in one post. Did you know the list would be so long?? 

Wanna know a little embarassing fact about myself?  I have a compulsive need to point out IKEA furnishings in commercials, advertising and movies.  I can’t help it.  I know their stuff.  Now my crazy is out there on the table.  Take it or leave it. 

Either way, have a blessed day!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

thrift junky chronicles { 23 }

 

I’ve been A) distracted and B) trying especially hard to stay within my budget lately, which = not much thrifting or yard sale-ing.  That sounds backwards, but for us, thrifting and yard sale shopping is usually for decorating and fun projects – not so much saving money on normal every day stuff.  So I’ve been trying to finish projects have supplies for already and trying not to buy any. more. vintage. goodies.

Insert sad, pouting face here.

It’s been killing me.  Every. Time. I drive past a garage sale.  A little piece of me dies.  Overdramatic?  Yes.

But seriously, I’ve been suffering withdrawals.

Until this weekend.

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I didn’t even have my own garage sale profits in my pocket for 24 hours before I found this loot on the roadside.  $20 total.  And I didn’t get a great close up of the 3 doilies and the hanky.  Everything at this sale was amazingly vintage.  It’s a locally famous charity sale at an old farm house.  A+ every time.  They don’t even advertise; they just put a sign at the driveway and people pour in.

I also purchased a vintage sink, but was vetoed by the hubby.  I guess it was a little *too* vintage.  Purchased for $10; sold on CL for $20.  Back to plan A.  It’s okay, plan A was a good one.  Someday when we actually execute the plan, I’ll share the bathroom.

BUT I have been executing some plans around here.  Moving a boy upstairs, and trying to now make a boyish boy room and a girly girl room.  Fun stuff.  Not to mention a bathroom finish-up AND a bathroom freshen up that need to get done.  Tying up loose ends.  It’s boring here on the blog but it’s needed on the home front. 

I’ll try to be back soon with something share-worthy.  In the mean time, have a lovely day/week/ “until next time!”

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Farmhouse Friday on Saturday

I had this all ready to go yesterday but had no Internet! Can we let it slide on a Saturday "just this once?? "

We were road tripping this past week on a little family vacation. Lame campgrounds were visited. A highly popular vaca destination lake was discovered to be so frigid you could hardly go in it, let alone play in it. An expensive dinner was purchased at a restaurant with the word "inn" in the name. I think Ty now agrees that's generally a bad idea. But we spent three whole days together which was needed after hubby worked 16 days straight. It was good. And we did have one hit - a family friendly water slide park was enjoyed for most of a day. We're now happy campers.

And I did find a farmhouse and make Ty flip a u turn on the freeway to get a shot of it. It was a small freeway. And the house was in an orchard, and had an old Ford in the driveway, people.  When we passed it again later there was a lady wearing a summer dress watering the garden. So sweet. Enjoy!