DIY Farm House Skirted Table

This has to be one of the easiest things I have EVER done!  I am serious!  If you have ever considered doing this, stop thinking about it and just DO IT!

Sorry for the lack of pictures.  We did this the night before my daughters first birthday party and pictures of the process where the last thing on my mind. 

I had a small table and needed a bigger serving space.  I went to our local hardware store and purchased a few 6 in planks.  I like the wide plank look, but since this was to be like a buffet/server table, I didn't want to do too wide.  I put liquid nails down on the table, lined up the planks where I wanted them then the hubs screwed them in from underneath.

DONE!  I did end up putting a coat of stain on it but I really wanted to try this pickeling process.  But I was crunched for time so we will save that for another day!

Just recently I added a drop cloth table skirt.  The table is rustic and the skirt dresses this girl up a little bit.  I cut, ironed and simply stapled the drop cloth to the underneath!

Kids work space

So, My little one is on the move and sometimes I need her to hang in the kitchen while I am cooking or cleaning.  So I made this little corner her own! I obviously tidied it up a bit after she went to bed for the purpose of this picture.

I brought the table downstairs from her room(she never used it in there).  Then there is this great post I found while browsing pinterest and I sort of made it my own.  You should check out her blog and info thought, super cute!  http://nicandkate09.blogspot.com/2011/08/alphabet-board.html

The drip pan she used was just tooo big for the little space I was working with.  I went to the store and had it hanging out of my buggy and just couldn't check out with it.  Way too big!

So I headed over to the dollar store and picked up 4 cookie sheets.  The flash cards were extras and the alphabet magnets were a gift.  So this cute little station coast me a grand total of $4.  She loves that she has her own space in there and it keeps her occupied while I put up groceries, prep my food and cook! Plus it is a perfect spot to share a cup of tea with my little one!

Book Bundles

I have had a few people ask me about cheap display items for shelves.  I LOVE to go thrifting for display items on the cheap.  One of the cheapest and chicest things I can think or are book bundles.  These are uber popular right now.

Pottery Barn sells these little bundles for like $25 a piece I think.

Restoration Hardware sells these for $49 a piece and they have been sold out!  Crazy, right!  I hope none of my readers actually bought these, because they are sooo easy to make yourself. 

I have some books that I am no longer reading anymore and my librarian mother in law would kill me for doing this for the sake of decor!  Yes, I tore off the spines of my old high school pleasure reading books! 

You can also go to a thrift store, antique mall, goodwill and get the cheapest books for like .25- 1.00  and recreate this same look.

I have a big roll of hemp that I like to tie them off with.  Some look cute with ribbon.  I am all about using what you have!  Happy Bundling!

All Natural All Purpose Kitchen Cleaner

I am all about being green while saving some green! hehe!  As I am running out of my kitchen cleaner, I decided it was the perfect time to make my own. 

Before we move on to the simple instructions with household products-can we talk about the junk that is in our cleaners!  ummm hello- I prepare food on that countertop!

These products contain harsh chemicals that harm the quality of the air in your homes, plus they are on your hands, and can even seep into your food, YUCK! 

Many of these have been connected to health problems, and as the cleaners and chemicals are eliminate from ones lives, so too are the health problems!
Take one bottle, read the ingredients and google them, I guarantee you will be freaked out!

So what do we do about it- make out own!

I decided it is wasteful to just get rid of the scary cleaning chemicals all at once and replace with natural homemade ones!  Wasteful on the wallet too! so I have been slowly adding them in as I begin to run out of items! 

For those of you that think this is crazy, it really isn't!  It is so simple and they all clean really well!  PLUS, it saves you money, and who doesn't want to save a little money.


All-Purpose Cleaner

Using funnel, put 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon dish soap, and 2 tablespoons vinegar into your spray bottle. Give it a stir/shake. Let it sit for a minute, now fill bottle with warm water and shake it up. Give it a few more minutes to calm down, and add a few drops of essential oil if you have them.  This really just makes it smeel nice like the Meyer and other natural products out there, but is totally not necessary to cleaning.  If you happen to have them, throw it in there, if not, save your money.

I use the clear spray cleaning bottles that you can get from any major store.  They seem to work well and I sharpie them on the outside.  One of these days I will make my own cute little labels, but for now, the sharpie does the job!

I borrowed the picture and recipe from apartmenttherapy.com
This is a great site for green cleaning recipes plus a lot more.

At Home All Natural Facial Cleaners!

Did you know that Americans spend about eight billion dollars a year on cosmetics?  Crazy, right?

Well, my days of waking up fresh faced and looking fabulous are gone.  I need some help now a days! What a better way to reguvinate your skin than made at home products?!

Ok, this one kind of cracks me up but I had to try it.  I am calling it

A Shot of Astringent.

2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons vodka and 1 teaspoon distilled water.

So simple, right?

The next one is kind of a mask and even more simple!

Mix a little greek yogurt, honey and apply it to your skin!  The lactic acid in the yogurt and the anti microbials in the honey help rid of old skin and unclog pores. The honey is also really good for mild skin irritations and reducing redness!  

A nice tightening mask recipe I found is just two egg whites and a squirt of lemon juice.  Whisk until eggs are a little frothy.  Apply to your face.  The protien in the eggs whites is great for firming of the skin.

You know you want to give this a try.  Let me know what you think or share your own homemdae facial cleaners recipe with us!

2012, Here I come!

As the month of January is quickly passing, I have decided for the first time I am going to make a few New Year's Resolutions.  Don't get me wrong, I have always set both short and long term goals for myself.  This is sometihng my father had me doing at a young age.  But actually writting out New Years Resolutions...I can't say I have ever done it!

1. Blog More.  I have had a good excuse for the lack of blogging(She has 10 fingers, 10 toes and is pretty stinkin cute)!  I have still been getting projects completed, but I just couldn't find the time to take photos and share them with you all.  Here is to making the time.

2.Learning to Coupon.  With sites and tv shows dedicated to couponing, there is no excuse for me NOT to coupon. 

3.Manual use of my Nikon. I LOVE this camera but I feel I am holding it back by only using it in auto.

4. Get more organized.  I feel like my closets, cabinets and garage could use a little organizing.  I have unfinished projects everywhere and now TOYS and tiny socks have taken over my house.

5.Make baby clothes!  I have done handpainted onesies and hand appliques, but I want to do dresses, bubbles and shorts for this summer.



6. Go green!  I know, I know.  This can be overwheling, but I am a big believer in every little bit helps.  PLUs it saves money in the long run.  I no longer use napkins or paper towles.  I do save the occasional fast food napkins and use them-it is just so wasetful to throw them away.  I use cloth napkins or hand towels.  This took my husnad some getting use to, but I love it. 

7. Make cleaning supplies.  I have dabbled in this before, but never stuck with it.  I want to make bathroom cleaner, countertop cleaner, toilet cleaner-everything!  Have you read the ingrediants on the back of cleaning supplies? YUCK!  So many chemicals that I do not want going into my body, but certainly not into my curious little ones body!



8. Spruce up my yard.  We had so much that needed to be done to this house(understatement) that our yard was put on the back burner.  I did plant a few shrubs, but nothing fancy.  I want window boxes, flowers, something with a little life!



9. I want to start back gardening.  I have my herbs every year and a couple of tomatos plants, but sadly that is it.  In our other house, we built a raised bed, brought in good dirt and I had ocra, all kinds of peppers, varieties of tomatoes....I grew up with a garden and I want my little one to know how to pick beans and snap them.



10. Turn my passion into money, honey!  I love to renovate, create, paint and share it with others.  So how cool would it be to actually make money doing it?!?

That is a tall order but I am hoping to start chipping away at it.

So 2012, look out here I come!

Fool Proof Mantel Decor

So, I change my mantel decor ALL the time.  But I have a few basics I tend to go by when decorating it.  It is sort of a guide that helps.  I actually saw it in a magazie a while back and whenever I follow it, my mantel looks fab.

1. Choose something large for the main focus and center it above the mantle.  A large mirror, painting or picture works well.

2. Next you layer in a smaller piece of art or photography in front of the mirror.  I choose a vintage linen that I framed. ( I love cheap DIY art projects ;)

3. To the left of the smaller picture, place something with a little height.  I typically use candle holders here, they add heighy, warmth and really ancor everything else going on.

4.on the right side of the main center piece-add something with height,movement and wimsy.  For this, I love branches, flowers, leaves-any old stick from the yard in a pretty vase, glass or jar will do!

5. Then you can add items that sort of "finish it off."  Books and boxes are great.  I added a small group of old books of poems, topped off with a porcalin flower candles holder.

My last bit of advise is to step back and look as you place the items and adjust as needed. 

After stepping back and looking-I had one more candle holder and decided the right side needed it. 

   I swear this is fool proof!  Happy deocorating!