Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Sharing a Smile: Easiest Cuff Bracelet EVER!


How cute is this!!  She-Sheds are the new Man-Caves!


Little sis and I made a trip to Michael's to pick up some supplies for a new light fixture I'm making for my latest work-in-progress:  a "She-Shed".  We have a great storage building in our backyard that has electricity, cabinets and paneled walls and it is currently holding a hodgepodge of camping gear, horse blankets and tack and a few bicycles.  My plan is to clean that out and make it another gathering place or a hiding place, as the mood strikes.  More on that to come!

As I was in the jewelry section to find some cute pieces to add to the light shade, my trusty helper found a cute and easy craft for us to make.  I love a leather cuff bracelet and Shortcuts from Blue Moon Beads makes it super easy and fast to make one.

First you choose the cuff you want.



I chose the hot pink to try something different and sister chose the gold.  
They come with little clips on them and you get to pick out the metal connector 
you want to add to the middle:



Steps involved:
  1. Remove cuff and connector from packages
  2. Snap connector onto clips on cuff
  3. Put it on!
I chose a silver wing and little sis chose a gold cross cut-out.

The cuff and the connector are $3.99 each, but this past weekend they were on sale for 50% off.  I don't think they're on sale this week, but there's always the magic 40% off coupon!

Hope you enjoyed this complicated tutorial.  Never fear--with a pair of scissors and 90 seconds, you too can create this intricate piece of jewelry!  Have a great day, friends!

Artistic photo shoot fail  :-)



Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Apache Stronghold Caravan Makes it to DC--#saveoakflat


The Apache Stronghold Caravan that has been traveling across the country to protest the selling of public land to foreign mining interests has made it to Washington, DC.  They are hosting a rally on the west lawn of the Capitol tomorrow, July 22nd, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Last December, in the closing days of the 113th Congress, in the dead of night, Rio Tinto’s Congressional supporters stuck the Oak Flat land exchange onto a must pass national defense bill.  The land exchange became Section 3003 of the defense bill.  Section 3003 has nothing to do with national defense, but Rio Tinto’s supporters knew that the land exchange would not pass on its own. 
Here's a link to a blog post I wrote about it with pictures and a short video, along with a little more history on the land swap.
Just a few weeks ago, Congressman Grijalva from Arizona introduced HR 2811, the Save Oak Flat Act, which will repeal Section 3003 and keep Oak Flat as public land.  As of now, 17 members of Congress from both parties have cosponsored this bill.  Please contact your Congressional Representative today and ask him/her to cosponsor the Save Oak Flat Act to repeal Section 3003 of the National Defense Authorization Act.
With your help, that number will grow and the bill will become law!
INSTRUCTIONS:
So far there are 17 co-sponsors of the bill--14 Democrats and 3 Republicans.  If you don't see your representative's name on this list, please consider contacting them and asking them to co-sponsor the bill. 

 
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Oak Flat is sacred land to the Apache.  This disregard for their rights, as well as selling off public land that belongs to ALL Americans, should be something everyone can rally around.  Please contact your Congressional Representative and keep the protesters in your prayers.  Thank you.
courtesy of Arizona Mining Reform Coalition


Saturday, July 18, 2015

Be Brave Today!


I  find myself asking my children on a regular basis "What in the world are you doing?"  When I saw this metal sculpture, that phrase popped in my head and I asked myself the same question.  Intentional living sometimes get lost in the day to day.  Taking photos for the "Be Brave" posts on Saturdays help remind me that every day counts.  I hope they help you as well.

What brave thing will you do TODAY?

Friday, July 17, 2015

PB Teen Junk Gypsy Collection-Blue Jeans and Turquoise Heaven!

Pottery Barn Junk Gypsy Collection
When I saw the new Pottery Barn Junk Gypsy collection on Junk Gypsy's Instagram, I commented "I wanna be a teenager again!"  They responded "This collection is for every age"--and they're right!  It is so fun--cowgirl chic, a little junk-tique and a lot of rebel.  I've been dying to go to JG World Headquarters in Round Top, Texas, for ages and this may prompt a road trip in my very near future.  I haven't gotten to watch their show on GAC because we don't get that channel (grrr!), but there's tons of eye candy on their website and their Instagram feed is a bright spot when I've got a minute to scroll through.  Clothes, decor and jewelry--what's not to love?  I've got my eye on this cuff:


The Pottery Barn JG Collection has some great furniture, chandeliers, throw pillows and bedding.  What I liked most were the art pieces, and of course PB's styling was just perfection.

A little pallet art DIY in my future?


I loved this owl pillow and the sweet bedding takes off a little of the edge of the rest of the room.  And, of course, the El Paso throw and pillow are just the right kind of 
Southwestern vibe with a girly palette.


We've got some old galvanized tin we need to rip off an outbuilding on our land.  
I'm thinking a flying heart may be a great way to repurpose some of it.




Love this!

This chandelier may be making its way to my little home office very soon:


There is a lot more to the collection.  Give it a look and tell me what you think! 
 Are you wishing you were a teenager again?  :-)




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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

I've Always Been Crazy or How I Got Talked Into A Second Tween Room Makeover


So, I'm a sucker for my kids.  And I'm a sucker for a room makeover, so, it didn't really take little sister too much time to talk me into redoing her room this summer.  When we first moved in, we repainted the plain white walls pink so we could re-create the room she had in our old house.  That worked for about a year.  Then she sweet-talked her Dad into painting the room a more neutral color while we were painting the hallway and her brother's room.  And, of course, if you give a mouse a cookie, she is going to want new accessories and maybe even a new bedroom set.

Fast forward all of two years and little one decides the hipster type room she was dying to have doesn't go with the preppy look she really loves more than life itself (which looks suspiciously like the room she had at the old house, but whatevs...)  I agreed to spend a minimal amount on bedding and a new floor rug, plus some cute DIY crafts, if she was ready to pack up the toys she wanted to keep and give a significant amount of stuff away to charity.  She came through on the charity portion, plus a couple of large trash bags full of stuff headed to the dumpster.


After the clean out, little sister and I:


One reason we love this house, even though it's a pretty ordinary 1980s ranch style home is that the bedrooms are HUGE.  This desk is actually a dining room table that seats 6.  She has tons of room to spread out for art or craft projects or LEGOs or whatever she wants to do.  The pegboard holds her duct tape, scissors, and tins filled with little odds and ends.


We lined the large double bookcase with wrapping paper from TJ Maxx.  I'm still not sold on the hot pink, but it's a quick fix if I decide to change it out for a more muted green gingham check I bought the other day at Hobby Lobby.  We've got journals, art paper and scrapbook paper organized in the paper sorter and the white baskets from Target, plus her seashells and other collections have a place, too.


This is a little vintage child's desk we bought for her way back when and she uses it for her nail polish collection and a place to put on a little bit of make-up in the mornings.  The lamp is from Target and the pinboard is an easy DIY.  We special ordered the blue whale/monogram vinyl piece from a cute etsy shop--I was very pleased with the quality and easy application process.  The fun decorative touches made a sweet little vanity area for her.



We hung the tennis racket art above a small bookcase next to her vanity area.  The galvanized tin hardware sorter spins and keeps little loose ends tidy.  


The bedding is from overstock.com and the lobster pillow is from Target  (doesn't seem to be available right now).  We hung little Japanese lantern lights under the top bunk so she can read at night.  She also has an IKEA Dignitet wire hanger running the length of the bed where she can hang photos, quotes and anything that strikes her fancy.




We put this pretty outdoor rug down in the middle because it gets a lot of traffic and her cat has been known to sharpen her claws on throw rugs (grrrrr..)  It's not super soft, but it's easy on the feet as far as outdoor rugs go.

The absolute best part of this room was doing it with her and making it all about the little girl she is and the young woman she is becoming.  I think this room will grow with her and it gives her a space to enjoy and just be herself--and that is perfect, in my book.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Pinterest Projects That I Actually Completed: DIY Canvas Pinboard


Well, little sister and I finally got the pinboard made and decorated.  It was super easy--here's how we made it.

We started with a canvas.  She had painted it in an art camp a few years back, but wasn't particularly attached to it.  In other words, it did not bring her joy a la Marie Kondo, so, we felt free to alter it.

Bye, bye, purple Jackson Pollack-ish painting.  Thank you for your service!
We flipped the canvas over and cut foam board to fit between the wood stretchers.  There was enough from the one piece of foam board to make two layers:


You should have enough clearance to wedge it under the wood and that will keep it together, as well as making the canvas on the front taut.  (That's a great word, isn't it?  Taut.  Note to self:  Must use it more often.)

But I digress...  Now you're ready to make it pretty.  Little sis picked out a hot pink canvas type material.  If you're using an old canvas that is painted, you'll want a fabric with some heft to it so the paint won't show through.  The heavier material is also better for holding the pins.

Place the fabric right side down on your cutting surface.  Place the canvas, right side down on top of the fabric, lining up any patterns like you want them.

Next, follow these delightful directions, complete with awesome photos, on how to finish wrapping the fabric around the canvas.  Do not, as I did, do it willy-nilly (note to self:  add this word to "use more often" list).  Fortunately, my sweet hubby helped out with the staple gun and prevented me from having to go purchase more fabric.  Love him!

You can leave the canvas as it now is, or you can hotglue ribbon around the edges to give it a more finished look.  Lil' sis chose navy ribbon with hot pink anchors.
We have less than $10 in the pinboard with coupons, discounts and using what we already had, so, this was a great budget DIY for her room.

Here is the finished product over her little make-up desk!


Here room is complete and I'll share pictures of the whole room later this week.  Hope you all have a beautiful day!

I'm sharing this at Thoughts from Alice's Sunday Linky Party.
Come on over and check out all the inspiration!

Thoughts from Alice

Monday, July 6, 2015

Walking in High Cotton--Magnolia Market


Just wanted to do a quick share of what I picked up at Magnolia Market (!) this past weekend.  The Fixer Upper is one of my favorite shows and I was so excited to get to pop in to the "little store on Bosque".  There were SO many pretties to look at--eye candy heaven.  I've been looking for something to go in this flat wall tin for a while and these cotton stems were perfect.  Joanna Gaines' shop is absolutely precious, but it is literally bursting at the seams.  I couldn't get any pics of the store because it was INSANELY crowded.  Just gives me an excuse to go again, right?  They have a major renovation planned.  Can't wait to make another trip when they get the silos opened! 
More Info. Here
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Any special stores on your road trip bucket list?

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Happy Independence Day Mantel & Free Printable

A Quick Fourth of July Mantel

We've had a busy morning!  The kids and I got in from a road trip to see my parents late last night and big brother had to meet to march with the band in our hometown parade at 6:30.
(Yes.  SIX.THIRTY. IN. THE A.M.)

We dropped him off, did a little flag work for his scout troop (a fundraiser) and then headed to the parade.  It was inspiring to see so many people lined up to support our veterans groups, high school bands and other civic groups in the parade.  

There are lots of things to do after the parade-quite the festival- but we headed home to get some rest.  While my husband was flipping through various war movies on the t.v., I fluffed our living room mantel with things I had around the house.  The flags were purchased this morning from a cub scout pack for $1 each and the rest of the things were "shopped" from around the house:
  • a galvanized bucket with a glass jar inside filled with marbles to hold the flags
  • a battery-powered pillar candle and stand
  • bell jar filled with seashells
  • photo of our kiddos
  • piece of coral from a favorite trip
  • picnic basket--awesome find at a church yardsale
  • and a super cute printable from My Fabuless Life that I just printed out on card stock and popped on to a clipboard 
Don't you just love talented and generous people!

Now for a little lunch, (hopefully) a nap and then out to our land this evening to set off fireworks.  Hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July!