researched plenty of door stoppers but I really did not like any of them. Most of them reminded me of being at school or in a gymnasium. I wanted to make something that could act as a doorstop by day but then turn into a decorative item at night (though I don’t want it to hang on the door). Right now I have an oversized pom pom that is doing the trick but I wanted something more long term so here we go to make one out of clay! It is super simple and so fun but just keep in mind that it is a multi day project!
I feel like I can never have enough rainbows in my life. To be honest I have always felt that way. I really wish the trend of rainbows being cool was when I was younger because I was constantly decked out in rainbows and people did not think it was as cute and fun as it is now. Another fun new fad is these clay earrings. They are literally all the rage and also so cute!
Ever since quarantine happened and KC and I have been home together a lot more often we are working and not spending time together, so we made a pact that we would watch a movie every single night during quarantine to 1. Watch more of what was out there and not just the newest “features”, 2. To spend more time together actually watching something and not only half watching/ half working or being on our phones, 3. To put a routine in place and 4. To pass the time of quarantine a bit better.
I think my dad is cool. Do you think that your dad is cool? If you answered yes to that question you should probably make your dad this pennant. It is easy and you don’t even need a sewing machine!
Every year at around this time, I come across the same question. What do I get my dad for Father's Day? My dad, like many others, is the type of guy who just buys himself something if he really likes it. He doesn't wait for someone to get it for him, though sometimes he will tell me or one of my siblings to get him something that he saw and liked and didn’t want to buy himself. Every year I end up looking at these lists that do not scream my dad at all. They are very focused on fishing and grilling which may work for your dad, but does not work for mine which is why I am making this list. I hope that your dad is like mine and you can benefit from this list.
Okay, so we all know that I am the pom pom queen and that I need to have my apartment be filled with as many pom poms as possible, including on the curtains. I am of course obsessed with Urban Outfitters and I was shopping for curtains on there and found the most perfect sheer pom pom curtains, but honestly, who has the money to spend $30 on one panel when you can make these curtains for a total of $30. There are also a very minimal amount of steps, making this one of the easiest DIYs on this website to date.
n this apartment, this is the first time that we have a separate living space and bedroom space, which has been something new and fun to navigate for us, especially because now there is no bed in our living room and vice versa. The fact that we also moved during a pandemic and quarantine, meant that we were going to be spending A LOT of time at home and we wanted to make this living room space the most comfortable and inviting.
The best part of this night stand is actually how easy it is to build. The build took a quarter of the time that it took to prep the wood, so keep in mind that if you want to keep the wood raw, this table will literally take you no time. Also good to know, you need no power tools because you can get all the wood cut at your local Home Depot and you can use sandpaper to hand sand but you also could get a power sander for forty dollars. Let’s get this show on the road!
I have been pretty open about my experience with buying furniture during this pandemic. It has been basically non- existent, but I am not upset about it. This whole situation has allowed me to be able to really lean into the love that I have to make and build furniture and also build up my collection of tools! Currently have a power sander and a saw. Hopeful to get a jigsaw soon as well. With all of this in mind, getting furniture for a new home has been quite difficult, so I decided to build it myself. I started with some shelves, the original plan was to have two shelves, but the wood I used was a little thin so I needed to layer the shelves to make it be the thickness that I actually needed.
When you make as much art and as many crafts as I do, having a perfectly organized art supply storage is a must. To be honest, there is truly nothing worse than looking for supplies and not being able to find them. Also, a pet peeve of mine is not having easy access to all materials. In our last apartment, my supplies were in a long hallway and though there was plenty of space, there was just truly not enough for what I needed and I could not access it all.
When we first looked at this apartment, one of the biggest selling points was the kitchen, how large and bright it was and the fact that it had a full walk in pantry. Not just a cabinet, but a large closet sized pantry with extra prep space and a window. It was full of shelves that went floor to ceiling and I knew that I just had to have this apartment as a result of it. One of the things I wanted to make sure of though, was that if we were going to have this amazing patry, that everything and I meant everything had to be perfectly organized. Everything had to have a spot and things had to look and bright and inviting as the rest of the space.
Like I have said in some previous posts, I knew the kitchen in this new apartment was going to be 100x better than any other kitchen we have had and therefore I wanted to bake a lot more. Since being in the apartment for 1 week, I have decided to make a mix of a few of our favorite things: cookies, brownies and candy! In this recipe I am using a box mix that I found at the store for “Brookies” but you can also make a cookie batter and a brownie batter if you want more of a home made flair (though, box is just as good).
Moving, which is like getting a tooth pulled or driving a long distance with a small child asking, “are we there yet”- is something that all people must face. It is sometimes unpleasant, never any fun, but usually leads to a positive outcome. Naturally, with moving, the success of the endeavor, really depends on avoiding moving mistakes and planning ahead to make the moving process as smooth as possible!
So, do you remember that Friends episode where Phoebe tells Monica that her Grandmother made the greatest chocolate chip cookies which then sends Monica into a tail spin where she needs to figure out the greatest cookie recipe? By the end of the episode we as the viewer (and Monica) come to find out that this amazing recipe is the Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe.
Get ready to transform a t-shirt that you never wear anyway into chunky yarn for crocheting, knitting or weaving! I went through my closet recently and got rid of a bunch of tees, but a few were very sentimental to me. I wanted to make a quilt, but with us doing frugal April and a need for yarn for weavings, this DIY is going to have us rolling t-shirt yarn for years to come! I also feel like maybe making a blanket out of the shirts that are sentimental to me could be just as cool!!
ne of the first things I learned to crochet was a hat because it was super simple! Over the years I have looked at different patterns, both knitting and crocheting and found out what pattern works best for me. That's because I wrote it! I like using yarns that change colors as you go which is why I have chosen a Caron Tea Cake because the yarn is different throughout! Lastly, I love having a rib on my hat so we are going to be working towards making a hat with a rib on it, and it is much easier than you think!
Making friendship bracelets is one of my secret guilty pleasures and one of my favorite things to do. Honestly, if someone gives me the chance or the excuse to make a friendship bracelet, I am running to do it. I remember when I was in grade school I used to spend so much time taking them that when I got in trouble I would “punished” from using the string (LOL). I know that most people know how to make friendship bracelets, but let's just say this is the refresher course!
I love soap making. I became completely obsessed with it this past holiday season when I wanted to make gifts for people that were not incredibly overwhelming but interesting and cool looking so people thought they took a lot more time. I always use melt and pour soap because they are incredibly easy to shape, add color and also add scents! I also live in an apartment and do not have the space by any means to mess around with the chemicals that are needed to make soap.
KC and I are moving next month or hopefully June depending on the state of the world. Yes, we have already put the money down on the apartment, but worried that if we go into lock down what would happen! Anyway we felt that because we need to save some money to get some new furniture, especially this fun storage desk, that we would follow DIY Playbooks Frugal February guidelines to do it in April. You can find out more about what Frugal February is, click here!
have made banana bread so many times over the past years that I just have my own recipe that I follow and to be honest it is a mix of like 7 recipes. The truth is, that banana bread is super forgiving so just as long as you have the baking soda and bananas (duh), the rest is like whatever you got.
