Ways to Display Children's Art

I came up the stairs today & noticed my little boy had been helping me decorate...

It's a lovely way to display his Lego creation!

It got me thinking that we really do need a space for the kids to display their works of art. 

 I found some inspiration via Pinterest & most of them link back to other wonderful blogs!

I thought this was a great idea to hang up clips inside empty frames, it would make it easy for them to switch out their artwork too.

Source via Pinterest
Which will link back to the blog
 Less Than Perfect Life Of Bliss.

This is probably my favorite.... I love this framed art gallery!

Source via Pinterest
 which will link back to the blog
 Laura Winslow Photography.

Another great idea is to paint a board with their name &  glue on clips to hang their pictures.

Source via Pinterest 
Which will link back to the blog
Baby Rabies.

I think that when I figure out where our art station will be, I'll do a mix of shelves & frames...this way they can also display their Legos or things they make out of clay.

Source via Pinterest 
Which will link back to the blog Centsational Girl.

You have to love kids....they'll always help you find a way to display their masterpieces!!

This actually made my day & gave me a good laugh!

My little boy is 4....
I love this age, they are so funny!
I'm sharing with:
Thrifty Decorating

Refinished Nightstands....

We recently sold our old bed & nightstands because we were ready to change our Master Bedroom.  

We found our new bed, but didn't have too much money left to buy nightstands.  It's shocking how much these can cost!

I did some searching through the classifieds & scored a pair for $20 bucks.  They weren't the perfect color, so I just stained them a darker color & they matched the bed perfectly!

This is my FAVORITE stain!  

The color is American Walnut

It is water-based so it doesn't stink & it cleans up well.  I've used it on a lot of furniture & on our staircase. I'm so sad though, because Home Depot doesn't sell it anymore!  Now you have to buy the water base stain & have them add the color, so it cost a lot more.  If anyone knows who still sells it, I'd love to know where.

Here they are before...

And After...

I also stained the lamp to match...

I love finding cheap furniture & changing it up...it's kind of addicting!!    

You can see the whole master bedroom makeover HERE.

I'm sharing with these blogs:

The 36th Avenue

Somewhat Simple

The Sasse Life

Thrifty Decorating

At The Picket Fence

Chic On A Shoestring Decorating

Finding Fabulous

Lolly Jane Boutique

Funky Junk Interiors

Too Much Time-Get Schooled Saturday

I Heart Naptime

Sisters of the Wildwest

Kristen's Creations

Craft-o-Maniac

My 1929 Charmer-Sunday's Best

Home Stories A to Z

Cherished Bliss

My Uncommon Slice Of Surburbia

Beneath My Heart

Fireflies & Jellybeans

Thrifty Decor Chick

Domestically Speaking

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries....How To

This is such an easy & yummy treat! 

It's our Valentine's tradition to make these every year!

There are only 2 ingredients...strawberries & chocolate chips.

These Ghiradelli are VERY good!

Start by washing your strawberries & make sure they are completely dry before dipping, 

or the chocolate won't stick right.

Next, just dump your chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave for 30 seconds & stir...repeat this process until the chocolate is completely melted.  I think I did it about 4 times.

Then you are ready to dip!

I just place mine on wax paper to dry.  

ENJOY!!

We sure did!

It's sure to bring a smile to your face...
My "Little Lady" started her 1st Valentine's Day off right!

IF there are any leftovers be sure to store them in the refrigerator.

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's day!!
I'm sharing with these blogs:
The 36th Avenue
Fireflies & Jellybeans
Thrifty Decorating
Crafty, Scrappy, Happy Thursday
Kristen's Creations
At The Picket Fence
Chic On a Shoestring Decorating
Finding Fabulous
The Girl Creative
Ladybug Blessings
Ginger Snap Crafts
Craft-o-Maniac

A dying buffalo!

No, not a real buffalo. The wireless on my Buffalo WHR-G125 is slowly dying. About a week ago, I took a chance at ordering a refurbished Linksys E2500. I've had good luck with refurbs in the past and I used to have a Linksys WRT54G prior to the Buffalo, so I thought it would work out fine.

The E2500 only came with the router itself, an ethernet cable, power cord, and installation CD. It didn't come with any manuals at all. I used the CD, but it just got stuck on "downloading updates" for well over half an hour, so I manually went to 192.168.1.1 to set up the router. Thankfully, the manual setup worked.

Unfortunately, the E2500 got very poor signal to the same room compared to my WHR-G125. Even after a firmware upgrade and reset, nothing seemed to help much at all. The only place with excellent signal was in the same room as the router, which defeats the whole purpose of using wireless. So, I sent the E2500 back and in its place, I ordered an Asus RT-N10+.

The RT-N10+ isn't a dual band router, but after using the E2500, I found out that my laptop doesn't support the 5 GHz band anyway, so I have no use for a dual band router since all of my devices are 2.4 GHz.

I haven't received the Asus router yet, but hopefully it'll work a lot better since I'm back to using the Buffalo again until it gets here, which sucks since my wireless connection keeps getting dropped or is extremely slow that I can't do much of anything unless I feel like plugging in and being wired (which still works excellently).

Ruffles...

I think adding ruffles to anything makes it better...especially on clothing.  

A few months ago, I got a few tank tops on clearance for $1.00 at Walmart.  I got quite a few in different colors.  I knew they had potential.

This is what I have done to the first one

I added ruffles to the bottom of it.

I cut my fabric into strips...

The width was 7 inches.

Then I put a 1/2 inch hem on the bottom & sides of each one, so the fabric doesn't fray when we wash it.

Then I started at the bottom of the tank top & worked my way up.

 I left 4 inches between each ruffle.  I put on a total of 4.  

My daughter was so excited with how it turned out!

It was a little low in the front so she layered it with another tank top underneath.  

Then I took an old black long sleeve shirt that I had & cut it to make a jacket!

No sewing involved...it's knit so it doesn't fray when you cut it!

I'll show you how we did it on the next post, but I think it completed the whole outfit!

A close up of the ruffles...

The back...

Put it with some leggings & you have a new "ruffle" shirt for a total of $6.00!

Which makes for a happy girl 

And

A happy bank account!

I'm sharing with these blogs:

The 36th Avenue

Some What Simple

Thrifty Decorating

At the Picket Fence

2805

Stuff & Nonsense

Chic On a Shoestring

Lolly Jane

Funky Junk Interiors

Sisters of the Wild West

I Heart Nap Time
DIY Showoff
Craft-o-Maniac
Homemaker On a Dime
Making The World Cuter
The Girl Creative
Under the Table & Dreaming
Brassy Apple
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Home Stories A to Z
At Home With K
Mom 4 Real
Fireflies & Jellybeans
The Sasse Life

Custom Frame: On A Budget

When we had Sophie's newborn pictures taken, I was so excited because they did a collage, which would be printed as a 12X12.  I couldn't find a frame that would work!  

Then when I got a quote to have one made it would have been over $100.00.  

Then I was at Hobby Lobby &  I saw what I was looking for...only it was a picture.  It was the style I wanted & they were 50% off, so it would only be $24.99.  

So, I decided to make it work.

I removed the glass & ripped off the backing & covered the print with pink polk-a-dot paper.  

Then I spray painted it pink...to match her room!

Then the collage picture didn't turn out...when the pictures printed they had a weird tone & couldn't be fixed.   :{

So, I just took an 8X10 picture & glued on some pink ribbon to the front & added velcro pieces to the front & back corners.

 This way I can switch the picture when she's older!

Then I just put velcro on some flowers & velcroed those onto the corners of the picture to dress it up a bit.

I really love how it turned out & I love that I can still change the picture when I decide to. 

It's hard to find frames that are "chunky" & matted without spending a lot, but luckily this worked out just right for the space!

 If you would like to see more of her nursery, you can view it HERE.

I'm sharing with these blogs:
Thrifty Decorating
The 36th Avenue

Fireflies & Jellybeans

At The Picket Fence

My Simple Home Life

Funky Junk Interiors

Lolly Jane Boutique

Craftomaniac

Under The Table & Dreaming

Thrifty Decor Chick

Home Stories A to Z

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The Sasse Life

Savvy Southern Style

Ginger Snap Crafts

Organize & Decorate Everything
Kristen's Creations