Ladybug, Ladybug

My daughter has a ladybug themed bedroom.

I wanted to make a canvas with a ladybug quote, but the only one I knew of was the one about the ladybugs home being on fire and her children being home and seemingly burning up. 

 Not exactly the feeling I was going for to create a calm and serene haven for my four year old.

After some research I found a sweet one

With a butterfly kiss and a ladybug hug, sleep tight little one, like a bug in a rug.

Muuuuch better.

I painted the canvas a spring green color to match the comforter and then went to town with  my stencils...again!

I found little butterfly and ladybug stencils to add a bit of color.

It still needed something, so I used some fabric scraps to make the little gingham bows on each corner.

It coordinates with her bedding perfectly and the little ladybug decals are on their way from this print out her door and window.

It is just so sweet and she loves it, which is really all that matters!

Inspire Me-Loft Redo

 As I was linking up at some of my awesome parties this week one post jumped out at me. A loft/craft room redo on a small budget. 

Umm, that's me, in the middle of a big loft mess!

Amy over at Home Remedies gave me some awesome ideas and I wanted to share her beautiful work with you!

Love the bookshelf and desk skirt...wish I could sew!

This sewing organization display is so fun (tutorial coming soon)

My favorite piece is the ready made closet, using curtain rods and sheets! 

(Oh, and those neatly organized and labeled baskets!)

I just want to lounge here and stay a while....

Amy, thank you so much for sharing and helping me with some fresh ideas!

Now, go on over and get all the photos, ideas, tricks, and tips!

Earth Day Thursday- Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

 I have all this washing soda and borax leftover from my homemade laundry detergent, so I did a little research and found a recipe for eco-friendly dishwasher detergent. 

Let's give it a try, shall we?

Recipe

Washing Soda- 1 Cup

Borax-1 Cup

Kosher Salt- 1/2 Cup
Citric Acid- 1/2 cup

Mix all of these ingredients well.

When you do a load of dishes use 1 TBSP of powder mixture in the detergent cup, then

add distilled white vinegar to the rinse aid compartment.

I  read conflicting views on needing citric acid. My dishes seem clean and clear without it. Maybe a few spots here and there, but barely noticeable.

So, give it a try, save some dough, and save the earth from unnecessary chemicals. Let me know how it works for you and if you have any top secret tricks we should all know about!

***Ok, without the citric acid, after about a month my glasses started getting cloudy and spotty, so I ordered some  (cheap-get it here) and added 1/2 cup of the citric acid to the batch to help with the issue.

Reader Tips:
1. Someone even uses fruit drink mix (see comments below) because that has citric acid in it!
2. Another guy uses 1 TB of dry rice mixed in with the batch to help with the clumping and it is safe for your dishwasher,

Wall Shelf

 


I invaded my brother-in-laws scrap wood pile and came up with this!

I started with 5 unfinished boards and stained them with a walnut stain.

Then I painted them white and distressed them after they were dry.

I attached mending braces on the back and top and screwed in my wrought iron brackets. Half price at Hobby Lobby, so tough and sturdy-love 'em.

I found some hooks to screw into the front for all of our stuff. And I grabbed a 3-pack of generic canvas totes from Hobby Lobby while I was there. I used stencils and mixed some fabric paint medium into my black paint and put each of my kid's initials on a bag.

These have been great for gloves, hats, sunglasses, flip flops and all the other miscellaneous "stuff" these little people seem to need. (We live in Colorado and go back and forth between flip flops and hats on a daily basis in springtime)

This shelf has really been a lifesaver helping us with our clutter!

Earth Day Thursday- Homemade Laundry Soap

  

 I have seen a few articles about making your own, but I have been to busy (lazy) to give it a shot. My friend Nichole jumped on her free ivory soap coupons last week and took the plunge, so I am here to share her  recommendations with you and try it myself this weekend!

Laundry Soap Recipe

 32-64 loads

(everything is in the laundry aisle)

1 bar of shaved soap (she used Ivory)

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda (she used Arm & Hammer)

Mix, mix, mix till you have a fine powder. Nichole used her food processor to get it really fine and mixed. Use 1 TB per load or 2 TB for a heavily soiled load

Nichole loves it. She has been using it for 2 weeks and is thrilled with the results. Her son's rash from every other detergent she has ever used is now gone and her clothes smell super fresh!

If you have an HE machine, never fear, this is low sudsing and is safe for your washer!

I am going to be saving me some big bucks with this new idea!

P.S. Check out these comments, my readers have some more excellent tips!

Nooks and Crannies

 

 I picked up this little shelf at the thrift store forever ago. It was originally blue with daisies painted on each drawer. I immediately repainted it black and cream and then forgot about it for a year.

A-HA!

It is perfect for little brads, doo dads, what nots, and whose its I use for my crafty nonsense. But this was too plain and needed some sprucing. I wanted it to coordinate with my storage boxes I made last week.

I cut my brown craft paper into one inch strips, crumpled it, and mod podged it on.

The edges were giving me grief so I had to sand them down so they would open and close cleanly.

HMMM, what to do with the little pulls, I really wanted to yank 'em off and put something else on there, but those suckers were really attached and I was worried about destroying a box and ruining the entire piece. So I had to paint them and distress them.

I like it. I LOVE the storage for the little bits I can never find when I need them.

I am really getting excited about this office/ craft area. If you are playing along here, you know this is a "1 Room for $100" challenge. Thankfully I had leftover Mod Podge from this project and all the other stuff already on hand so this was a freebie too. We are still at $92 left!

Read the Writing on the Wall

Will you just look at what I found on Pinterest! This A-MA-ZING display was created by Nat at

Almost Never Clever

(UM, my arse almost never clever-this is SO clever)

I am looking for some inexpensive and fun wall art for my current 

"1 Room for $100"

room makeover, and this is perfect. So I stole Nat's idea. Stole may be harsh, she knows and even offered tips and pointers if I needed them. And isn't copying the most sincere form of flattery anyway?  Seriously, she gets all the credit and hers is way more meaningful because she chose each book (no repeats) and carefully selected a meaningful passage to showcase. 

Here is where I got lazy. I am pretty conscious of using meaningful books when I use them to create....now. Mostly because last Christmas I accidentally used a World War II book to make a wreath. Yeah, "Hitler" "death" and "blood" are not usually words you want to read on your Christmas wreath! So I smartened up and used Walden by Thoreau for a spring wreath.

Here is my interpretation of Nat's idea...

However, I am not comfortable cutting up my most favorite books, and since this loft redo is for under $100, I could not go and buy new (even thrift store new) books for this project. So I settled for unoffensive books at least.

Cork board Frame from my storage area

+ 

old books

+ 

staples from my old teacher stuff

= Free Project

And really, is there a better kind? Now, Nat has amazing tutorials for this entire process and hers is the best so go over there for the details. I am just going to show you my finale!

Inspire Me- Headboards

  We are heading back to my hometown (Allentown, PA) in a few weeks for my twenty year high school reunion...whoa.

My entire wonderful extended family still lives there, tons of aunts, cousins, friends, fun fun fun! However, we are going to be there for a WHILE, like 11 days and I know I am going to need a little somthin to keep me busy. My sis-in-law asked if I would help her make a headboard for her master bedroom.

Yes, mam, sign me up! And my grandfather has an awesome work space in his garage with fun tools I can't wait to get my hands on! (Yes, Pop, I am talking about you and I am coming to dig around and mess with your stuff, so look out!)

Thanks, Kasandra for giving me another good reason to play on pinterest (follow me here) and do some serious blog stalkin!

Girl in Air....love the green!

GENIUS! From Natural Home

These upholstered panels are beautiful and cozy

An old mantle as a surprising focal point.

So simple and relaxing.

I am in love

The shape of this headboard is perfect.

WOW! This nail head detail is amazing.

Gorgeous flower embellishments.

That turquoise is mighty cheerful!

GRAND!

Creative AND Cool!

Love this all the way!

Dramatic with a capital D

How fun!

Funky Junk Interiors is one of my fave places for ideas!

Color City!

I love this elegance.

This is amazingly creative

Never seen anything like this before.

Nothing but fun!

We are thinking upholstered for my sis and this is fab.

This is my kind of headboard!

This bird painting is so sweet.

And last but not least, the chalkboard headboard.

Some serious inspiration...maybe we need to make more than one! Anyone else in Allentown need a new headboard?