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Saturday 29 September 2012

Scrappy Towel

Hey All,

You know the toy box I did for the kids room? Well I had a small amount of the Sesame Street fabric left and wondered what I should do with it.

Then I remembered I had pinned this idea from The House of Smiths and I thought it was a really good idea for jazzing up plain towels. She used ribbon, which I want to have a go at in the future, but I figured it would work for fabric and it did!

A Fabric Embellished Towel.



Supplies:

Towels
Fabric scraps

Cut the fabric to your desired size mine are about 3&1/2 inches.


Then I overlocked (serged ) the edges to prevent fraying, you could also use the fold under method if you don't have access to an overlocker. Pin to towel.


And sew her on!



These are so easy and a cool way to use up those scraps.

DIY Delight or Disaster? Meh an easy project, delight. It's a little hard to get over excited about a kids towel but hey, one less scrap and I needed new towels.

Actually my scraps are a little out of hand, so if you have any scrap projects, feel free to leave me a link.

Thanks for reading,

Mel xo

Friday 28 September 2012

All You Need is a Friend

Morning All,

Over the last few weeks, I can honestly say blog land has been a wonderful place, filled with kind people willing me on to do bigger and better things. Sadly, sometimes another blogger can ruin your night!

To understand where this all started I must take you back in time, cue the violin!

Wednesday the older kids had an attack of the whines, the boys decided they could no longer share a room, great, I hope they can build themselves a nice room somewhere, or, the most obvious solution, is for them to suck it up and realize this house just doesn't have the space.

The folks kindly took them overnight, with the knowledge the babies are at daycare on Thursdays. Brilliant an entire day to myself, I'm going to get heaps done.

The next project that I was going to died, crap is not the word, so I went on to project number two. Sewing machine decided it didn't want to cooperate, so I turned to Facebook to whinge.

Problem is, I didn't realize I was posting as my page and not my personal profile and that was that.

After wallowing in my self pity, I decided I was going to make a night of it. I grabbed a block of chocolate to drown my sorrows and wrapped a throw around me, hoping that after the kids returned, my moping would guilt them into making me cups of tea all night long, ridiculous because it was 27 degrees Celsius (80.6F)

I made the mistake of checking my emails on my phone, and I find an email from Amberly of Bingo Buttercup Crafts. Having seen me whinge, she made me the most beautiful printable and it even included my own quote.


So of course that pulled me from my planned activity of moping on the couch, rudely making me happy and reminding me that of course I'm going to make mistakes, I'm human.

Oh and get this, she does all this, plus has about a million AWESOME free printable over at her blog and she's ready to pop with baby number 2 at any time, I mean, who needs a friend like that when all I wanted was to wallow. Please go over to her site Bingo Buttercup Crafts and give her a telling off that fits this kind of betrayal!

Love ya Amberly, thanks for being a friend!

Mel




Tuesday 25 September 2012

Tales From The Toy Box

Hey all,

Well I'm glad to say, that the holidays so far have been good! The kids have been helping me spring clean and the sun is being very kind, so who knows, I might just end up staying sane after all.

I'm happy to be sharing the Toy Box.




This is my first ever attempt to redo a piece of furniture and I have to say, I'm addicted! I want to redo everything, but I think Jules will hold me back a little, so of course I'll start any future projects while he is at work, hehehe.

There were a few learning curves, so I've made a couple of mistakes but on the whole, I think I did okay.

I started with the toy box, I have a few of these that I've collected over the years, doing this has actually given me some ideas, for future rooms.


 I decided to act like a pro and got all the safety equipment out and started sanding.


The goggle things were so blurry, I took them off and just put my sunglasses on.

Then I primed, I was really impressed no drips, getting excited, then I sprayed, I did get a little dripping but it's barely visible.


At this point it's night time, Julian gets home and I show him the reason dinner is not cooked, otherwise known as, the toy box. He sees the safety gear out and says to me, "Why didn't you use the eye gear?", I was surprised he guessed and told him about the glasses being blurry, please note the reason why.


I didn't see the plastic scratch proof packaging - Oh my goodness, I can't begin to tell you how dumb this new foray into DIY has made me feel!

Got the foam and how's this, I bought this Sesame Street fabric about a year ago and forgot I had it, score!


Stapled it down and then hot glued the piping around the box, just realized my flip flops are in the background, told you the sun has been out!



Obligatory Before and After 




There it is in the room.




DIY Delight or Disaster? I have a comfy new seat to read bedtime stories, the toys are sorted, and most of all, I just like it. Next time I'll spring for better paint, I think that may have contributed to the little bit of dripping. I also discovered that wood may look smooth but can have little dints and things, so I'll be more aware of that, it did affect the finish a bit. End of day, I am happy with my first furniture paint job, so I'm going with a delight? What do you think?

Thanks for reading,

Mel xoxo


Saturday 22 September 2012

Holidays - Now I Know It's Spring!

Morning all,

It's that time of year, School Holidays, my kids as of today, are off for two weeks.

I wish I could write a glowing report of how I love them being home and all we do is sit and cuddle and spend quality time together making ever lasting memories, but then I would be lying.

They will drive me crazy, broke and eat every last crumb in the house.

The babies will be horrid because they do not nap well, with three noisy people in the house

On the last night, around 6 pm, they will remember the homework I have been nagging them about for 2 weeks and spend the night cramming.

So what does this mean for me?

If I wish to hold onto the last remnants of my sanity, and I do, posts over the next two weeks will be a little sporadic.

If you want to chat, hit me up on Facebook or email, I'll reply, I just don't think I will get much stuff done to blog about while they're at home.

Here's to our Spring and the sun is finally starting to warm up! YAY!

Thanks for Reading,

Mel xo

Friday 21 September 2012

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.



Once upon a time, there was a brave lion named Mel, what she lacked in DIY skills, she made up for with enthusiasm. One day, she came across a challenge so huge, that even with all her enthusiasm, there was no guarantee she could defeat the evil witch, who went by the name of 70's decorating.

The lion knew that to defeat this mighty enemy, she would need to take it one small battle at a time, this chapter begins with the wardrobe doors in the babies room.




The first line of defense was to get rid of the yellowing old doors, but paint alone was not going to defeat this beast. So the lion began by smothering the doors in paint - able wall paper.



Then with all her might, she taped off the wardrobe, but forgot to take a photo


She began the arduous task of painting, it would take 4 colors to bring down this beast.



Once the painting was complete, she attempted to spray paint the hardware, while one of these enemies came down easy the other put up a fight, permanently scarring the wardrobe, the lion was unsure how to fix this.



To forever more, end the witch's work, she held back the yellowing paint by placing two shields, which much to the delight of the children who resided in the room, would be able to hold items, such as their bags, coats and towels.



When the battle was over, Mel stood back to admire her work, she can see where the witch was able to get the better of her, but all in all the wardrobe is now safe!






Okay folks, please take a moment to allow C.S.Lewis to stop rolling in his grave before we decide whether this is a delight or a disaster.

Alright, that's enough time, DIY Delight or Disaster? Well the overall outcome is okay, there were a few issues with bleeding and the tape was a little strong for wall paper and some of it peeled. This was the first time I attempted spray painting the handles and putting up wall paper. I think I might have been too close for the spray paint and the wall paper was a nightmare, but I will give both another go in the future.
However it is a darn sight better than it was, so terrible fairy tale aside (my version not C.S. Lewis) I'm hesitatingly going to give it a Delight.

Oh and since The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, happens to be a favorite of my father, husband and two eldest sons, I'm in huge trouble when they see how I um improved on....their favorite book.

What do you think? Delight or Disaster?


Thanks for reading,

Mel xo


Thursday 20 September 2012

Rack 'Em Up!

Hey there.

Well yesterday was better so I actually managed to get some crafting done.

Check out my coat rack.



My good friend over at Keep It Simple, made this cool coat rack for her boys and I loved it, unlike her, I didn't have one to upcycle so I thought I'd make one from scratch.

This project kept changing, because sometimes, "my vision" (excuse the tool like expression), doesn't quite match my ability, so if I am the master of anything, it is adapting!

Pictorial evidence as I can't complete the original plan change my mind multiple time!

Here are the supplies:

  • Wood
  • Paint
  • Vinyl
  • Hooks
  • Figurines
  • Glue Gun



So first I painted, three coats and screwed in the hooks



Then I started measuring and it I wanted to put 3 photo frames with Sesame Street Characters, I played around in Photoshop, with a lot of help from the hubs (Photoshop is my Nemesis) then while he was at work I could not get the pictures laid out properly. So deleted them in frustration!

Then I measure and realized I didn't have enough room for the frames anyway, a whole day wasted! 


Then I remembered I had some stickers, but when I opened the box they were too little.


I continued on by cutting the vinyl for the hook names, measured cut and oh deary me, measured incorrectly  (why does this keep happening?)


Re cut the the vinyl to the correct size and stuck it on.


Then remembered I had some Sesame Street figurines in the kids wardrobe, I hate figurines, they are like rodents, hiding around on the floor waiting for me to either step on them or trip over them.



So I hot glued those rodents on - btw if you wanted to make this you could also use the toys McDonald's give out, to lure our children into obesity. Our McDonald's always "forgets" to add them to the meal, when the kids aren't with me, translation I tell them not to put them in the box. 


Then I slapped it on the wall




Confession, I made two but they are part of a bigger project which hopefully will be finished today - she says with fingers crossed!


So DIY Delight or Disaster?  I'm going with Delight, sure the actual making it was a big old mess but I like it. It's a bit plainer than I was going for, but with the rest of the project, that might turn out to be a good thing. Also a couple less toys to pick up from the floor, DELIGHT!

So tell me, do you often change mid project or are you a planner who knows exactly what it is you need to do? I wish I was a planner, it would probably cause a lot less frustration.


Thanks for reading,

Mel xo

Wednesday 19 September 2012

The Reason Why I have No Post Today!

Morning All,

I have almost finished my next three projects, I would have had something for you today but this was how my day started yesterday.


I didn't get much more productive than cleaning up after this little whirlwind of grossness!

Here's hoping I get a little time today, that Max does not require a change during meal times and Madeleine's meal stay in their bowl.


Mel xo

Tuesday 18 September 2012

The Grouchiest Task of All - Laundry!

Hey All,

What do you think of the new laundry hamper?


I'm pretty excited over this!

The other week when I was looking through the linky parties I saw that Danita over at Delightful Order
had been helping her sister organize her sisters sons' room. She had a heap of great ideas, so of course I pinned it, so I could steal borrow some of them when I get to my boys room. One of her ideas, was using a trash can as a laundry hamper. All of a sudden the brain starts ticking, Oscar the Grouch lives in a trash can.

So I started looking for trash cans, but all of them were too big for the babies room. I thought I was going to have to skip it, when I walked into the Reject Shop (similar to the dollar store) and found an Oscar colored green trash can. Last one left and right up the top shelf.

I was so excited I ran around the shop, looking for an available teenager (notice they only hire teens???) to drag away from their usual conversation, you know, "OMG are you going to Joe's party?" as they give you a filthy look for interrupting their conversation. Oh yes people, I hate bad service more than anything!

Anyway, I made her drag the ladder out and get the last can, I literally hugged it all the way to the car.

Grabbed my supplies:

Embarrassingly enough I didn't photograph anything but the bin, because I was so over excited, doh!

Cut the face, as per my draws and stuck it on


Samuel (no.1 son) offered to kick it around so it looked dirty and dented, like Oscar's, I offered to do the same to him if he touched it!

So this was what I was using


Even though it had Elmo on it, it is so flimsy that it often fell over, or Madeleine empties it to put it over her head.

Now I have a sturdy laundry hamper, and I love it. Laundry is making me slightly less grouchy..come on, I had to say it!

DIY Delight or Disaster? Why of course, DELIGHT!!!!!!!!

Now I've just previewed my post to discover, I never took the tag off the bin, told you I was excited!

What do you think?

Mel xo


Monday 17 September 2012

It Doesn't Always Pay To Be Frugal!

Morning All,

I made a couple of name signs for the babies room and learned a invaluable lesson along the way.


Sometimes being cheap, is just not worth it!

Craft Vinyl, here in Australia is very expensive! First time I bought it here I paid $13.95 for a 12*24 inch roll plus shipping so I wasn't overly impressed. Then I checked out Expressions Vinyl in America $1.89 for the exact same stuff, but the international shipping is expensive, so I waited for the coupon (I so wish we were more into coupons here!) but I had to buy a lot for the shipping to pay for itself.

Then I found, a really cheap place here, selling on eBay, $20 more than I was about to pay for my second order from Expressions Vinyl and bonus it was in bulk 12 * 9 meter (10 yards) rolls of my color choice.

So excited, I ordered it, turns out I know have a pile of cheap vinyl that is of crap quality, and I had assured my husband that this would mean I wouldn't have to buy the stuff for years.....Darn it! So in future there will be lots of pattern vinyl projects, can't get that here and I may have to buy some "extras" just to make it worthwhile hehehe.

What this means, for the moment, is every time I want to place a color on top of another I have to double up or else you can see the color behind coming through and it doesn't always line up easily. Oh well!

Supplies:
Vinyl
cutting machine
seam ripper



Cut my files, so easy just a rectangle and a semi circle plus the name, I use a seam ripper to weed the vinyl, cheaper than the weeding tool, and works great.



This is where you can see, the color issues, if you can see where the yellow is not right on top of the other so the green shows through. It's not a huge deal but it's not perfect.


There we go, 2 name signs.





DIY Delight or Disaster? Vinyl issues aside, I like it, I wish they were a little bigger, but I'm not confident with the cutter to use the tiling function and give the color issues, that would be a nightmare. All in all, I'm going with delight, what do you think?


Mel xo


Sunday 16 September 2012

ABC it's as easy as.....Wall Art


Hi All,

The room is really starting to roll along now, the draws  have changed the look to the Sesame Street vibe I was after. Sesame Street is all about educating the little ones on the Alphabet which is the first stage of reading.

Now yesterday, I have to confess, I thought my two year old might be a genius, turns out she just has a rather dumb mother. I was at a one year old birthday, (happy birthday Zoe) and our friend has just moved into a new home and Madeleine wandered into the nursery, while I'm in there getting her out I notice the wall art, which had the words to, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Madeleine points and starts singing it, my heart shines with pride and I say "Oh my goodness she's reading", I'm already thinking Mensa membership, can she get her medical degree by 12 and become a real life Doogie Houser, T.V. interviews, that I'll modestly admit that she does take after her mother.  
While I'm planning her career and what I will wear to the aforementioned interview, I notice all the little stars surrounding, the words. Doh! Thankfully, the only person who heard me was my 10 year old and she  knows her Mother may actually be insane.

So for the moment, we will stick with learning the alphabet, here's how I made it.

Supplies:


Frame
Wall Paper
Paint
Cards
Hot Glue Gun
Alphabet Flash Cards

First I glued the paint able wall paper onto the board.


Taped it off and painted




Glued the letters on 


Framed it and stuck it on the wall




Easy project that has added some color to the walls.



DIY Delight or Disaster? Well I like it, my sister  said I should have painted the frames and I know that probably most of you would agree, but I liked the fact the it was plain compared to all the busy colors in the frame. My verdict is a delight, what do you think? Do you agree with my sister that I should have painted the frames?


Thanks for reading,

Mel xo

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