New picture wall!

Without the pictures!
So I was surfing on Pinterest sometime during the past 100 bazillion times I've surfed Pinterest, and I found this photo.

How cute is that? Seriously cute. And i looked at it an instantly I knew in my heart...this...was meant to be. In my home. On my wall, forever and ever amen.

This is what my wall previously looked like. Snooze McGee.

So, I got my hands on lots of frames. I already had several, and I bought a few more at the thrift store. My sweet grandma got the kids a little chalkboard for Christmas, and I already had the paint!
I got to work.
Painted, waited, more paint, wait. Measuring, leveling, mapping out, etc.  Finally, I felt like I had enough frames ready.  Got them up on the wall.

Seemed like something was missing. It just wasn't enough awesomeness, am I right? I wasn't satisfied. So I looked around my house for more un-used or waiting-for-a-new-purpose frames and found 2 more plus a cute little hoop. VOILA!

I am so pleased! I love it. And the kids like the chalkboard more than before because now they get to take it off the wall and use it, then put it back to display their masterpiece.  And I just LOVE being able to put my kids school stuff on the wall, instead of the fridge, where it often gets lost in the mix of calanders, pictures, etc.

I've been working on lots of other projects as well, like finishing the kids rooms and my office. It's coming along, but slowly. You may have noticed my extended absence from blogging (again.), oops. I was going NUTS making all the Christmas gifts I had committed myself to! Made one for every family member, except a few of the kids. It was so fun, but sure was time consuming.

For the kids room, I hung up a few pieces of art that I made, and one that I just printed from the Interwebs, and then I made this garland. And then this. (the pic is the one I was inspired by.)

It is so cute.  As soon as I finish the boys duvet covers, I'll post the before/after. I know you are all on the edge of your seats!

Some amazing news happened amidst all the crazy though! I am an aunt for the very first time, on my side of the family! My big sis, Bets, had her first baby, Maggie, on Christmas day! Mommy and baby are doing fine, although a bit sleep deprived, but as soon as that passes, I'm excited to see how much they enjoy life together.  So happy for that cute little family! And I have to say, it's fun to be an aunt. :)

Bless you guys! see ya when I see ya.

Jenn

DIY Sweater Pillow

I know you might all be thinking "When will she do a post that I don't have to SEW for?!" Well, not today. Sorry. :) I am in the middle of redecorating the kids bedrooms and was about to start on this pillow for Bell's bed when I realized, hey, this would be a great DIY for beginning sew-ers. So, here it is! Go dig through your or your hubby's closet for a sweater that you can cut up. Or head to your thrift store and buy one for super duper cheapies.

Supplies:
A sweater
A pillow
Scissors
Velcro (forgot it in the picture. woopsadaisys.)

1. Put the pillow on top of the sweater.

2. Cut the sweater to the size of your pillow, with the bottom side of the pillow at the bottom edge of the sweater. (like in my picture here.) That way, when you add the velcro, you don't have to hem anything because the edge is already finished!

 

3.  Turn the sweater inside out  if you haven't already and sew up all but the bottom side of the sweater.

4.  Grab your velcro and pin it in the desired locations. In my project, I only did one strip of velcro.  I wish I'd done it at least twice as long. Or maybe 2 strips evenly spaced. My little strip wasn't really enough, but here is what it looked like.

5.  Sew it on and you've got your pillow cover!!

Pardon the grainy photos. The lighting up there in the bedroom is not the greatest for pictures but you get the idea! Don't you like her new duvet cover? I am in love. The top part is a vintage sheet and I just adore the pairing with the black and white checks.  Abs Gorg.

Enjoy!

DIY Infinity Scarf

I love all kinds of crafts, but my favorite is sewing, if you haven't noticed. I've always loved it, and am therefore always looking for cheap, easy, awesome projects that I can do quickly.  When I saw these scarves for sale at Old Navy for $15, I gasped.

For reals? I could make that in like 3 minutes! Noted. And guess what, I did! There are a few ways to make these scarves; I've chosen the simplest and cheapest.
Thought I'd share with you how I did it. Get ready to make one of the simplest things you've ever made!

Supplies
Knit or Jersey fabric
Scissors
Sewing machine
Measure

1. I use knit or jersey fabric because there's no need to hem it; it doesn't fray! Ok, so measure and cut your fabric.  The wider you cut your strip, the fuller your scarf will be.  And the longer the strip, the more times you can wrap it. I like to cut about 10-12" by 44" (a yard) so that I can wrap it twice.

2. Since I just used one long 44" strip of fabric, I put the two ends together, right sides facing and sewed, so it ended up just being one big loop.

4. Trim off excess threads and voila, your new scarf!! Wear it with love this fall. :)

Blessings! Have a great weekend, y'all. :)

DIY Wreath Roundup

Hi all! Since I didn't have time this week to do my own DIY, I thought I'd give you guys a bunch of cute ideas for decorating your front door for the holidays.  For your crafting pleasure, I present...wreaths of all kinds! Ta-da!

Clothespin Wreath

Acorn Wreath

felt flower wreath

Pencil and Cork Wreath

Shimmer Wreath

Non-creepy Halloween Wreath

Yarn and Felt Wreath

Tulle Apple Wreath

Paper Leaves Wreath

orange burlap wreath

evergreen wreath at BHG

Martha's Autumn Wreath

I hope all have fun looking at these and getting inspired to decorate!
Blessings!

DIY Matchbook Style Mini Notebooks out of Paint Chips!

Cost: $0.
Fun: Lots.
Cuteness: off the charts.

I thought this is a really cute idea to make for a stocking stuffer for Christmas, or you could make a bunch of them, put them together in a set and give them as a gift! Add little stickers or stamps to them to make them even prettier, or personalize them with initials, etc. So many possibilities.

Go get your stuffs!

Supplies:
Paint chips (Lowe's, Walmart, Home Depot, just go grab a handful in all sizes!)
Paper
Pen
Scissors
Stapler

1. Take your paint chip and fold the top down, I'd say about 3/4". Like so.

2. Fold the bottom part up so that it tucks under the top flap. Like so!

3. Cut your paper to fit inside. I cut mine about 1/4" smaller than the inside of the packet.

4. Tuck your paper in under the top flap and staple it in.

5. Tuck your bottom flap under the top to close your notebook and voila! A cute little matchbook style mini-notebook. :) You like? I do!

Go check out this tutorial also, for some cute ideas on how to personalize these little notebooks! Bye now!