End Table makeover

Last summer I fould a great deal on a set of Mission Style end tables and coffee table at a yard sale, I was so excited because I've always liked the look of this style. They were banged up in several spots so I knew I'd need to refinish them. I finally decided to bring them in and start working on them.

Here's the before of one of the end tables...

I love the brushed on, distressed type look on furniture. So I took a can of regular wall paint that's a sky blue color and lightly brushed it on.

Next , after a lot of debating with myself, I decided to do the top solid chocolate brown. Again just a can of regular house paint that I had laying around. So I used a foam brush and did two coats.

This pic is after the first coat...

Here it is finished!!

All that's left is a coat or two of clear satin finish polyurethane.

Now on to the other end table then coffee table!

Giant floor pillows!

The other day I was picking up one thing from the craft store and wouldn't you know it, I left with a cart load! I happened to find the remnants basket at the craft store and they were all 50% off!! I pick and chose patterns I liked then found black to use for backing.

Here's the part where perfectionists will cringe, I didn't square up my fabric, I didn't even measure to have them be the same size, I just laid them (pretty sides in) and went to town sewing. I left one end open so I could stuff them.

I'm cheap, so I didn't want to buy filler, so instead I went to a thrift store and bought several pillows (all under $1). After I got them home I washed them then after they'd dried I cut them open and stole their innereds. 

I think they love it! Now to finish the rest...and get more pillows!

Here's the other remnants I picked up...

A new twist on Childs handprint...

I see ideas all the time on Pinterest of cute crafts to do with your child's hand. They're all adorable but I always think of how hard that would be to dip my child's hand in paint and carefully place it on an ornament, or even flat on a piece of paper! Older children would be easier but a 20 month old...not so much.

 

I seen a photo similar to this particular craft. It was using an adult hand and it was a little more sophisticated looking. I wanted mine to be simple and raw.

 

First you must always sharpen a new pencil, because in this house sharpened pencils run away....so do pencil sharpeners. Oddly enough though, pocket knives seem to multiply.

Luckily I had two pieces of sketch paper left from way back when I use to draw.

 



Next I showed my child how much fun it is to hold your hand in place! This step took several tries (hence my hesitation to purposely putting paint on those wiggly little things!)

 



 

After tracing the paw lightly, I then started drawing lines across the paper. Rulers run away from this house too so I stole my sons wooden puzzle to use. He wasn't happy about me borrowing it so I had to move to the dining room table.

 

 

Here's where it starts to get tricky. Where the lines are of the paw you draw a curved line. I wish I had taken this step more seriously and really curved the crap outta those lines! You'll see why later...

 

 

Obliviously the paw didn't want me to center it on the paper, so I just measured best I could to center it to be an 8x10.

 

 

Next I traced over the pencil lines with sharpie.

You can see the paw coming to life...

 

Next I choose to do Rainbow colors, so I counted out how many spaces there were and divided it up so it was evenly across the paw.

If you look closely from the last photo to the next, you'll see I ended up adding lines in between. The paw wasn't sticking out as well as I'd hoped, this is why I'd wished I'd emphasized the curves.

 

Its not as perfect as I'd like it to be. If only I had curved the lines more it'd really make that paw stand out! If I do another, I'll definitely CURVE more!!! But I really like it. It's unique and different, plus colorful much like the owner of this adorable little paw :)

On the back I wrote his name and the date. Soon I'll frame it and hang it in his room.

Dr. Seuss Themed Party!!

 

I'm already planning on being one of those mothers who throws ridiculously over the top (yet cheap) parties. With that little disclosure, here's my son's first birthday party....

 

 

 Dr. Seuss themed parties are not very common so it's a little hard to find party supplies so I had to come up with creative ideas...

 

 

 

For table decorations I took yellow and green deco mesh and made little Seuss-esk puff balls. All I did was take Styrofoam and staple and poof, staple and poof! I figured they didn't need to be uniform or perfect, that's the beauty of Dr. Seuss, the stranger the better!

 

I made his cake the day before the party, I wish I had gotten an inside pic of the cake, I made it so there were polka dots inside it! Super cute and easy! I had never used fondant before so of course I must go all out and have my first time be trying to create Dr. Seuss characters, took a while but I got it figured out. I also put sweedish fish on the cake... one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish ;)

 



 

Super cheap and easy decoration idea: I went to Google images and printed the book cover art to several of my favorite Seuss books and quotes. We have a photo printer so I just used 8x10 photo paper and they turned out great! Then pinned the photos to a string with mini clothes pins. I hung them above each doorway and a string across the living room. They were extremely simple yet really dressed up the party!

 

We have a large living room so I decided that would be the "main" room. On one wall I hung two of those cheap plastic tablecloths you can get then throw away. Then I quickly hand painted (the night before) a truffula tree scene. I also laid another tablecloth out to protect the carpet under the highchair. I used a red tablecloth to wrap around his chair to minimize on cleaning too.

 

We had just gotten a new dishwasher a few months before the party so I took large pieces from the box and painted these life size Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2. It's amazing what you can do with cardboard! For those of you thinking, I can't paint, yes you can! It's only cardboard, who cares if you mess up! Just go for it! Or find a friend that loves to paint and have them do it (cough, cough, me!)

 

 

This is the front door where all the party guests entered, I wrapped the door in an orange tablecloth then cut out of yellow craft paper the mustache, eyebrows, and eyes.

 

I wish I had been better about taking photos of everything but I suppose I was a little busy. For his party invitations I went online and found a free printable for Dr. Seuss themed invites. For party snacks I had bowls of Sweedish Fish, and watermelon "bowls" full of colorful fruit.  I used colorful paper plates and colorful solo cups. I figured above all just make sure it's colorful and fun! Hope this helps give you ideas for your next party you plan!

Another solution to help prevent leaving babies in cars~

I had to run to town today and as I was driving I couldn't help but realize how quiet my sleeping baby was, that got me thinking of all the poor mother's who have lost their children due to forgetting them in the car and then babies overheating. I started thinking about all the solutions I have heard of people talking about to prevent this. Of course these are good solutions for some people but for people like me they're not so great like the purse in the back seat, I don't carry a purse. Or the teddy bear in the front seat, I hardly ever look at the passenger seat. Then I remembered the posts I have seen recently to Ford and Chevy about making a sensor if something is left in the seat heavier than 10 or so pounds, that seems like a good idea. Only problem I could see is for people who use their seats for things other than children, oh and the base you would like to leave strapped in. I know everyone wants to find a solution and a lot of these are great and work for most people! I though of one that will work for me and I hope it will work for a few other Mommy's. I know it's not pretty and there will probably be sticky stuff left over after you take it off but that's what goo gone is for! Now of course I plan on making better looking ones later I just wanted to make quick ones so you could have a visual:)

For me this will work great because when I'm getting out it's in my line of vision, no way of missing them!!!

If this post saves at least one baby it did it's job:)

Oh trash can, why must you be so difficult....

No who'da thunk it! I came up with a brilliant idea to cover my baby's trash can in his saffari room with giraffe print fabric. Of course I though, psht, easy peasy!!! I'll be done with this hour tops!! RIGHT! So here's my THREE DAY PROJECT!!!!!!!

Yeah you heard me right!!!

Now it's not all the cans fault, my baby did steal the logical side of my brain and hasn't returned it so I'm only runnin on my craft side so several things I do are completly messed up and you will probably think to your self, "Self, why didn't she just do this, that would have been so much easier!" Well I didn't!!!!

Okay here's my can I purchased for around 2 buckaroos... There's my Marley, she decided on day one she'd help, sad to say she gave up on me on day two. She didn't sign up for a three dayer.

Here's my Giraffe fabric(I splurged a little:) a yard and a half for $10 somethin but I wanted heavey stuff cause it's going to be washed several times), some left over black sheet fabric from when I had done the curtains in the safari room http://lunaslovelylife.blogspot.com/2012/03/curtainsgrrrrrrr.html  This can is actually for his cloth diapys:)

I took the fabric and held it around the can then cut it that way I could get a close guess on the inside measurement, because I don't do numbers well(remember, logic side..GONE!) Then I held it inside and figured out closer to size and cut it down more.

You can see my tiny pins...I pinned where I needed to sew then went to town!

After that I took some more fabric and set the can on top of it and cut around for my bottom.

Now for the Raffie! This was the really hard part, this can is odd shaped and I didn't want to waste fabric but I also didn't want it to be sloppy, well if I would have realized, like I did later, that the fabric has to be loose because of the can being tapered! Ugh, PLEASE logic come back to me!!!

Anyway, so I cut two different sections because I just couldn't get the fabric to wrap around right without wasting a lot. Then I pinned it.

Here's a shot of what the inside looks like after I had sewn all of the inside lining together. Sorry that's out of order...

Then I sewed the lining with the outside fabric..

 then flipped it! So cute!!

Now you may be thinking, "This took three damn days?!" YES, it did! We're getting to that part, all of this was easy for the most part, a few small hiccups but not bad!  Now after I flipped it I thought ooo I'll bunch the sides and put some elastic around the bottom and bam! I'm done...NOPE! Cut the elastic out start again....OOoo I'll fold the sides in and pin the bottom and each time I need to take it off I'll just unpin it.....NOPE, can't even get the damn pins to go through!!! Ooooo I'll roll the sides and, and, and, and well what will I do to the bottom...NOPE!!! I know I'll burn the MUTHA @#$%*#!!!!!! Finally this morning I came to my senses and realized ok Luna, you need this can, you can't burn it, that's silly! So I looked and I and realized, oh yeah, I can't have it tight because I have to be able to slide it off to wash it! So how bout I sew the sides nicely but loosely, then just bunch the bottom under!

So here below is one side, I should have sewn it on the inside, but again, logic:/ But don't worry the other side I sewed on the inside!

Here it is all done and the bottom just tucked under!

And here it is doin it's job!!! Works just great!!!

Better luck next time logic!!!!! Muhahahahaha!!!!!!!