long time, no blog…sorry

I’ve been a bad blogger!  I plan to get back to blogging soon but in the mean time follow me on instagram (the lazy persons way to blog).  My username is kacyseveryday.  Have an amazing day…stay cool, its brutal out there!!

new spring wardrobe

What girl wouldn’t want a new spring wardrobe?  And all new accessories to go with it??  I know I would…but I’m not that lucky! My 1 1/2-year-old daughter, Ava, is that lucky!  Check out her new spring clothes and the hair bows to go with them…made by moi (the bows, not the clothes).

Most of these clothes were purchased at Crazy 8’s (my fav kids store) or Bon-ton.  The bows took me about three hours to make…it’s a little time-consuming but not hard, and sooo worth it!  Since I learned how to make bows, Ava NEVER leaves the house with one (well actually two – she rocks pig tails).

 

wicker love seat redo

This is my sad, faded, falling apart wicker love seat on my front porch…not exactly welcoming.

The wicker had come undone on the legs…

…so, I used hot glue and sisal rope to re-wrap the legs.

A little better...

Then I spray painted the whole thing cobalt blue.

Much better!

Hopefully this bench will inspire my husband to paint the house…a dreaded job, I know, but MUCH needed!

Her she is…

It’s bright and cheery and I got the cushion and pillows from Christmas Tree Shops for only $30…what’s not to love?  By the way, just ignore the box of Thin Mints that snuck into the picture…hey, a girl’s gotta get her energy from somewhere.  Now…go spray paint something!!

spring

In honor of spring, which has officially sprung (woo hoo), I…

(1) Spring- a – fied my lamps with Easter grass and plastic eggs.

Remember my Christmas and Valentine’s Day versions?

(2) Made Ava a flower shop.

Let me explain…last summer we bought Michael a tool bench; he used the tools but never really used the tool bench so I revamped it for his little sister.

Before

After

All I did was remove the “home center” stickers and replaced them with foam glitter letters that said “Ava’s Flower Shop”.  Then I added dollar store accessories (fake flowers, a watering can, and a gardening apron).  All that’s missing is a pair of gardening gloves.  She loved it! I can’t tell you how happy I am that spring is in the air!  I have a ton of projects, big and small, planned for the next few months…stay tuned. 🙂

abc rocks

In an effort to help my 3-year-old son learn his letters, I made ABC Rocks.  Like every little boy, my son loves rocks…so these should be a hit.

Materials:

Rocks – I got mine from the dollar store…you  could get them from your backyard for free 🙂

Acrylic Paint – I used 4 colors so my son could also sort these by color

Paint Brushes

Clear Enamel Spray Paint – to seal the rocks when you’re done

I had everything on hand except the rocks so this project only cost me $1.

The finished product!

I painted uppercase letters on one side and lowercase on the other.

It took a few coats, especially the yellow, but they dried quickly so there was little down time.  When you’re done, spray them with clear enamel spray paint to make them more durable.  I was thinking of making these into a busy bag but my purse already feels like I’m carrying rocks…the last thing I need is to actually carry rocks!

As always…this post is brought to you by Pintrest 🙂

 

busy bags

Swim season is about to start for my oldest…this means excruciatingly long swim meets.  I need something to quietly entertain my little ones so…I created a few busy bags.  Basically, I just walked around my house collecting seldom used toys.  I only had two requirement: (1) that it fit in a quart sized baggie and (2) that it wasn’t too noisy.

Here are my new busy bags:

Animal Books

Dora Dominoes

Blue's Clues Felt Set

Cars, Train, and Planes

Heavy Duty Pipe Cleaners

Magnetex (minus the metal balls)

All the busy bags can fit in my diaper bag.

I also included a Cars 2 activity book that has its own colored pencils and a small baggie of crayons and paper.  I tried to include enough stuff in each bag so both kids could play with the same one…whatever one kids has, the other will want…garunteed.  I have ideas for more busy bags so when these get boring, I’ll make some new ones.

Busy bags will come in handy even if you don’t have to sit through day long swim compitions.  They’re great for keeping little ones occupied during church, long car rides, or when you’re sick.  Now, if I could just find something cuter to store them in than baggies…the search begins.

simply brilliant

I know you have already run out and got your free craft paper…now, you’re wondering, how are we going to store it…after all it is BIG and HEAVY.  I have the perfect solution.  It’s easy, it’s cheap, it’s a shower curtain tension rod!

Step 1:

Get your paper (free) and tension rod ($10).

Step 2:

Put the paper on the tension rod and “install” it under your kitchen table.

Step 3:

Pull the paper up from under the table and color.

Thank you, Pintrest…Enjoy 🙂

noisy

My house has been way too noisy lately!  I’m not sure if it’s spring fever or cabin fever or the beginning of an actual fever but my kids have been loud…headache-inducing loud…blood-curdeling loud.  Something had to be done.  Here are my attempts…they seem to be working…it’s too soon to tell.

Attempt at not screaming at my kids #1 (ironic I know, screaming at kids for screaming): Quiet time activities.

I found pirate printables that I made into a letter matching file folder game for Michael…can you tell I was an elementary teacher? Honestly, it was simple.  The bare minimum you need to make this is a folder, clear packing tape, scissors, and the printables (they’re free!).  I used a laminator (from my teaching days) and a paper-cutter but they really aren’t necessary.  Michael has to match the lower case letters to the uppercase letters.  The end product looks like this…

I made a few other activities like this and also found some workbooks on sale at Target of 30 cents each.

Attempt #2: a huge paper roll

Who knew paper could be so exciting just because it’s big!?!  I had read on Pintrest that some newspapers sell their leftover rolls of paper cheap so I called my local newspaper…the bad news…they don’t sell them…the good news…they give them away!!!!  For Free!!! I have enough craft paper to last for years…seriously, for YEARS.  The kids think it’s great.  We traced their bodies, colored, and made a town for Michael’s cars.

I taped 2 markers to a toilet paper roll to make the roads. Not glamorous but effective.

My house is a little quieter.  Let’s face it, it won’t be quiet for years…and then I’ll be complaining that it’s too quiet…the grass is always greener.

project update

I’ve completed another step of the mini table project.  Two down, one to go.

I added mini chalk boards for each of the kids.  They were so simple and easy to make.  I used old records, chalk board paint, thumb tacks, ribbon, E-6000 glue, and two wooden animals I found at Michael’s for 9 cents each.  The great thing about this project is that you can basically use whatever you have on hand.  The only thing that is non-negotiable is the chalk board paint, although you could make your own.

These chalk boards help entertain the kids while they’re waiting for food and I was pleasantly surprised at the minimal amount of chalk dust they produced.

The last thing I have to do to finish this project is paint the chairs black…we’ll see how long it takes me to get that done 🙂

a few little projects

I’ve been pretty busy this weekend…nothing too exciting, just a few little projects.

My son’s closet was a mess…too many outgrown clothes and too many outfit changes (now that he can dress himself, he has gotten into the habit of changing his clothes multiple times a day).  It was time to do something…

BAD pictures, BAD lighting…Sorry!!!!!

Pintrest gave me this next great idea.  By the way, have I mentioned I heart pintrest….A LOT!

A mini table and chairs for the little ones… And it matches our big table and chairs!  The “table” is the bench that goes with our kitchen table and the chairs were just laying around not being used for anything in particular.  The kids love it!  It’s still a work in progress… the chairs need to be painted black and I have an idea for a little project to make this cute seating area even cuter… Stay tuned.

And finally… I have been collecting these…

One day, they will look like these…

Or these…

Damn you Pintrest, I can’t decide. 🙂