Home Interior Ideas For Bedrooms: fun stuff

Showing posts with label fun stuff. Show all posts

Easy Entertaining

Hello there! Thanks for the encouragement on the <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-new-kitchen-island-start.html" target="_blank">kitchen island</a>! I’m so excited to see it come together. I really wanted to get a lot of it done for the party I hosted over the weekend and I did get it about half way done. The best part was the larger surface area for all the food. :) I love to entertain…LOVE it. The cleaning the entire house like a MAD CRAZY woman beforehand, notsomuch. I laughed when a reader commented a few weeks back about how she’s usually cleaning up to the last second and rushing to get ready and sweating as she answers the door because that is so me. I always underestimate how long it will take to get the house clean. And then I focus on the upstairs and the basement and then no one goes to those parts of the house and when I don’t worry about those areas everyone wants a whole house tour. ;) So I err on just cleaning the whole place. (I love when friends want to see our whole house!) Because I always plan on getting the house cleaned up way ahead of time and that never happens, I always try to go with easy food and decor so I’m not stressing at the last minute. I shared how to make these <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/09/tissue-poms-poofs.html" target="_blank">tissue paper poofs</a> years ago and they a staple for showers now. You can make a HUGE statement for less than ten bucks: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5nY8EiCBc9pHWLl7otZI1ImLQ7dou8T-W90mev7Ht54TTAowhZU-sZNw9jmkJqOpaSJHPA3laBzZwbYtw0aBFeQi3S42DqQfEklxd08F6QD7E4ka9QfbTOnLTwzOEYsn0of7nK5oF1o/s1600-h/IMG_1849%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="tissue paper poofs" border="0" height="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKdoWVwzRie7ZnxWyUkYY3ruzw2rWK6qURSYGaZcIHJ1n1D3P6jrwUPKhF7n1hCxMDkPuk8VV6pKj9L8Key_WkvT77qpcKEvv38LMCwtb9ZnvandJfdw-aY_B_uNDUANoC0mEHz9LVls/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="tissue paper poofs" width="500" /></a> I got the polka dot ones from Hobby Lobby already made – you just have to poof them out. But the rest my sis and I put together in less than an hour. And the Mama took them home to use in the nursery! It will be so cute! I spent about ten bucks on balloons for inside and out: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRPyZMVyjO7f_n1_e4CmlJLwojtJLq4yJtkrRsciT_RFxlTpQ7gNxeEJCblvPFz0XRH0z9B9s_YqAji2_McUzgkUTh36ZEDtBjSxeccOAvs_INafxUrSI9vohK1qIYeqww5UfTAFkMhs/s1600-h/IMG_1850%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="metal and wood etagere" border="0" height="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm0RbyMAHNhoJI1tyL6-WYL6FTy33bcFCk5Q-dhRQEr0yfsCTxT4ji2lflSfDhkfqm8W22l9YBAZO29Ehp5q8FJ-sU11IlkKcjKn_PqpKUO1vmcVP0a7ZhOl4Xnx-jjXYiAQ2-PxCOJA/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="metal and wood etagere" width="500" /></a> I still haven’t decided what I want to put on this bookcase <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-in-kitchen.html" target="_blank">after Christmas</a> so it was pretty empty – which was fine because we filled it up with one of the games which was SO CUTE I had to share it. One of my girlfriends who helped me host found this scavenger hunt game where you get all kinds of little baby things – headbands, socks, bibs, barrettes, etc. and put a few of each pair in the bags. Then you hide the match to the pairs around the house. The first person to find all of their matches wins – and the Mama gets to keep all of the items. :) This was a perfect game for this shower because it was for twins – the “pairs” theme was so cute. I always get fresh flowers for any party – they make the space even prettier without breaking the bank. Especially when you have a Trader Joe’s nearby with super cheap flowers!: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk3rieAId4_8ttp9NTUYNWNsbUykSccraPrgksEnvZXFcU6NwRGRgkYLaUjOrBAzSZJBJcXOSMkEmMNDZrkHrSV5pP47Tl3p17joHeYmvUvEOs-MJFxQaxWX-ijFnjHPubkPEGnCatZk/s1600-h/unnamed%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img alt="hydrangeas in pitcher" border="0" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbI0jPzQKG99Al8LSpIj-krDCsBX_v7gWBzMKEQj0sZeKLE7QNCLhCQId_ecu_n-Dze-mThJm8pWefzVDEjt9hzAhryk0t2M0P_-HV2sG30b_2W_LTi_67UPMAT4Nx2ouFbCXEu8ZUFYw/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="hydrangeas in pitcher" width="500" /></a> We had simple sherbet punch, pink lemonade from TJ’s, soda, wine and my <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/06/best-sangria-ever.html" target="_blank">homemade sangria</a> to drink: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYmaMKzTDoz23ICVxC6eFj9sHZfxI54eT-fYC8WTvQKvT1f-YdrjF_0nn3Pi7dt2Y35TxqLOf9SDXXbP5g11oQfbTBoott1iUTutmPYzHt2kbaazjPkqwmBEiA4hS_BG-vVP7nRWXo6g/s1600-h/sangria%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="best sangria recipe" border="0" height="701" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcDxZCf3s4J2W32c0hZk7tLQwxzdQnip0qYzzd6yxsCCACThQa63iIGnX59m_B0TiSNtYlth3kXpQoGy4LpjVR1Jiwg0K0AnQLw2jZvsba239zTiR5ipLG1eJZxf1cM6GdPrwdJM4MRI/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="best sangria recipe" width="500" /></a> SO GOOD. A friend of mine makes cakes and cupcakes and they were yummy! I was impressed because I don’t usually like frosting and hers was so good I think it was my favorite part: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGT44MNxFThEKaA7qbxxlnu1Du92O0iDWmlGQkbBbZTfCEz3RCI8txiw9raWegvQB61E4HaTJHlym-6p1wglQU7X3puL6LS1oH7_QDArjmqsZvcvPR19eB41YO4lS3Njb-3pym0oxLWA/s1600-h/IMG_1852%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="cupcake stand" border="0" height="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiST3lG2WDh8dCq5rI72jLtAIVmz0Pd3IwegwVecSRocBzRRE7ocR3xEfkGy5i_cpquzpCKYywETPXBOQdYsmRLUuwhoUrPr9OVaklrQoRj43WwXjiFtenb9T1CgFLljeos6aLJw7Y8MA8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="cupcake stand" width="500" /></a> If you live on the north side of Indy you can find her on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiffany-Takes-the-Cake/206822209516716" target="_blank">here</a>. The other food was a mix of store bought and homemade: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1JCogEvBzA6Fe231G7o2rKf8ZsQ-BSeh0e8WdvQkHUxt_NT19v-7XsU7DJLIES5Ikob7tAX0VKg1iD_VcPmfJWTvmdFuRI4cFzBK5IYHkOAL3DgFU2RQEyf3htmcCtGYeAxWlee0gYsI/s1600-h/IMG_1851%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="baby girl shower" border="0" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBmxwjTH5AG6RCVmSpdXmDG9hxY46rB_XkCKzCgy4AnT1tK4l8mVWS046zE08vTziQatdGeKtc9LquWisoUCBeNl_ZFNTfKZzyUjtcIiukUZrtlRdy0e-kfrpbzFRs3AMJsS7Q9CNNU8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="baby girl shower" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2011/07/love-for-my-garden.html" target="_blank">Caprese salad</a> is always a hit and super easy. Cream puffs from the freezer section are a favorite of mine so they always end up at our parties. :) My friend made a scrumptious bruschetta dip (I need to get the recipe) and havarti dill cheese and apples on crackers – that was SO good. I found a Hawaiian roll sandwich recipe online but didn’t end up making the dressing that goes over it. I just put the bottom of each roll in a pan, layered black forest ham and provolone cheese on them, then smeared cream cheese on the bottoms of the tops of the rolls. I baked them at 350 for about ten minutes and they were yummy and so easy! I’ll be making these for dinner in the near future too. We had so much fun celebrating these baby girls and their Mama! I am SO thrilled for her. Isn’t she so beautiful?? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhq9TCzfb09yQGv0_PIARmy44_Z6BkyRhBpwC5F8yQDcx7rhsJTBUoNCoA2hjsrYjKYhdx_JvjFApXJ6gQuyFnu6Wu2PVEkxjAEGbAUkTKOQhp2erxGACmdu7lAX-jnRKBNdg3dg9Nzzs/s1600-h/FullSizeRender%252520copy%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0O5lMR4Uiho0yFPD1K_dziFf1CwnADTZRVxSKKm51Lg0VXFhyxIKLuTy8w0MS9BJkQ8qQqXkBhllX7-ML5f4-6UtMu7FNs1HzmF7JroTVOmmmkchwhFDODp4ra1kltYyFI20Bls8MMy4/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="450" /></a> I get to do it all over again next month for my sister – for a baby girl again! :) Do you have any staples when you entertain? Any easy recipes?

Easy Entertaining

Hello there! Thanks for the encouragement on the kitchen island ! I’m so excited to see it come together. I really wanted to get a lot of it...

7:33 AM

TDC do-it-yourself ebook

Well hello! I am interrupting the DIY and decluttering this month to talk about an AWESOME project I’m involved with that kicks off tomorrow. I’ve had a plan to write an ebook for years now (a DIY-focused one) and that plan has stayed just that…I just haven’t dedicated the time to it yet. So when the folks at Ultimate Bundles contacted me about pulling together a DIY ebook, I was all in – cause they helped me do it. ;) We picked about 15 of my favorite DIY projects from the blog and put them into the ebook – and they are projects many of you have seen through the years. BUT the awesome part of this is the “bundle'” part – they have pulled together a TON of ebooks on so many fun topics and you get 76 of them (yes, 7-6) for less than $35. Most ebooks cost $5-$15 each so that price is just crazy good. <a href="https://us154.infusionsoft.com/go/diybundle/a3162/"><img alt="ebook bundle" border="0" height="168" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XMHNwXu9y7o/VL6BAJdom_I/AAAAAAAAuQ0/jv7sOHOZOCM/Screen%252520Shot%2525202015-01-20%252520at%25252010.18.17%252520AM%25255B6%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="ebook bundle" width="573" /></a> This one is called the <a href="https://us154.infusionsoft.com/go/diybundle/a3162/">Ultimate DIY Bundle</a> and I have to tell you I’m stoked to get access to my copies. There are crafting and event books (printables, gifts, entertaining), home and garden books (creating your own natural cleaning supplies and personal care products), home decor (my DIY ebook, furniture painting, thrift store transformations), and a bunch more including books on photography, sewing and scrapbooking. I mean, a ton of great info. Here’s my cute little ebook: <a href="https://us154.infusionsoft.com/go/diybundle/a3162/"><img alt="thrifty decor chick ebook" border="0" height="276" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HsVj00Spb24/VL6BA0TJPcI/AAAAAAAAuQ8/eyquC10Wwo8/ThriftyDecorChicksDIYHandbook-225x300%25255B11%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="thrifty decor chick ebook" width="214" /></a> :) I’m excited to read so many of these so I thought you may find them worthwhile as well. You can go <a href="https://us154.infusionsoft.com/go/diybundle/a3162/">here</a> to purchase your ebooks -- this DIY Bundle will only be on sale for six days. It starts this Wednesday morning (the 21st) at 8 a.m. EST and goes until next Monday, January 26. I was impressed that they offer a 30-day full refund as well if you aren’t happy with all of the content. So there you go! I’ll be back this week with a few more simple projects I’ve finished up recently. I’m getting so much done in this no-spend month!!

TDC do-it-yourself ebook

Well hello! I am interrupting the DIY and decluttering this month to talk about an AWESOME project I’m involved with that kicks off tomorrow...

8:23 AM

Two ingredient scrubs

Well hello all! Are your kids almost done with school? We’re done tomorrow – whoot! I am SO grateful we didn’t have to go an extra week this summer with all the snow days we had this winter. Most of our school systems nearby added some time onto each day to avoid that. Today I’m gathering some goodies for the teachers and bus driver as a thanks. I like to include something handmade if possible, along with what they really want (a gift card and a handwritten thank you). :) I’ve seen so many great hand and foot scrub recipes over the years – some complicated and some incredibly easy. I’m going with the latter today. These are all easy, quick scrubs that only take two ingredients each! I love the first one because it makes a great lip scrub as well. Cause you can eat it. :) It just takes sugar and honey: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvn54WkVjeiIymiQcghPBjxZhCirKigpaNkFogjjV2Zi6O6LEdqMeG2yMgO_ABdVjeClJtv0bpss755ylUL7Jne_w3WcOC7GBjyF8zlIhUDFiz-RDGebbKu8SPEx9hsu3Es4A298Q5Rw/s1600-h/IMG_9127%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="honey sugar scrub" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdsZU1e_tZ2dgDoCZ0Vm81NxlL4AaNaaCxDkUkMTduGByOyLML_2hFZ91_fa8UL42ozu67IswRVki8tFBF1phbNx-3tenGpLA8NGhPXFvei_NCXebpOB_7Tjl7zJSTFpHJ8-BfteFvCw/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="honey sugar scrub" width="500" /></a> I’m not going to give exact measurements here and I know that will stress some of you out – but I found you just mix till it’s the right consistency. You really can’t mess it up! I just did a small batch for this one as a lip scrub: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAl-Hef3YMTOGYFN0JNh9JmQnSdVnPc6MjBXXGxMpulGyfRXzcZdGOxxNlMMFJ4JCNnUBMuYglL7nGkq7jXfUOsVampNLNIRLIL-_R6cv17jMLYVMFCqhaeWnx1fTOkm-Bw7TzXSV2C_A/s1600-h/IMG_9128%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="honey sugar scrub" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMXrXgosAKswj_PpvfXQt9m_LaFl2HDxE4I3G7kNqEQHbBS_fBm1jPq9JpZe0VSJgYWxd24zLVIACC4H4TItltVvpgJt8BIzHzZ4_R2upPOPRo0jhLtVz5PWcpLv9z82CZcbHGMkVpB8/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="honey sugar scrub" width="500" /></a> You’ll want to make sure it’s thick and pasty but not too dry. This is a great hand scrub as well! I know honey can get expensive though so I think this one is best for the lips. My sister came over a couple weeks ago and whipped up this <a href="http://organizerbyday.blogspot.com/2014/05/homemade-coconut-sugar-scrub.html" target="_blank">super easy scrub</a> for Mother’s Day: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ltf7edZt5_ZS6bb60nyp82XPKwDfJ5KrY2uhEWejhwKV4hf97m4Bv_CC-6l4MvGmyKRm2VmxC6GGMqj9xbdN1-LFynM4kDTvwo9pxaqxBq8fk9VW4pBYXoDU8kgvEcIG1DBNEnvrIis/s1600-h/homemade%252520coconut%252520sugar%252520scrub%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="homemade coconut sugar scrub" border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVle1TGLne-wfCJL7dWSnoFRK8BD9DlEJWOJfPeCuM2xcpE6wKIZjiB9WQz4OZW27kJh4aGwsMwfQWSkhwAH85s98jcUWVkotAmAeDKPVrEfajhxEkQgCj7cQmByH6Lfziw3BbdJOfYZ0/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="homemade coconut sugar scrub" width="500" /></a> Again, only two ingredients! I LOVE coconut oil and use it all the time when cooking, but it’s great for your skin as well. I added a few drops of lavender oil to it as well. Coconut oil isn’t cheap either, so this next one is the cheapest version I’ve found and it works GREAT: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7IpiiN2tzC-MNOHaKjupaSzm8Dc8Kzirya3444IlXLaOG2yTtXVl4qXXYsjXXdkTUw06iWJhPoSO6rZdsjD3ACR7htjCEb9ngR4U0Cz3FkgaSUij0QWkBSCQcj2nOQJMxul1WMOgvxQ/s1600-h/IMG_9132%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DIY hand foot scrub" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VL__olwgqLiYVItjHmZoN9uAlejKzV8Q9ASig4seWOjxaZxoo22y_3ZOEcJhyphenhyphenvXjIEa68LQAa3aTa0XlOGcDG3n0Hh4xxT9tQmHjAy2_9p6nLFHdpEq-Y2MYoGt34tsozg5auiM1d64/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="DIY hand foot scrub" width="500" /></a> Just mix sugar and dish soap. Done. Extra points if you have pink soap! :) I just used what I had so the slight color was a bonus. I used one cup of sugar and just poured and mixed the soap till it was the consistency I wanted. Test it out as you go to see if it’s just right. SUPER simple and super cheap! I love this one because when you use it with water it foams up just a bit. I found two glass containers in my stash and then used Target dollar spot goodies to label the scrub: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0XqaXgh5089A3-5pGoJqldKXqor-qXmXeRs7j4kdbkUhc3fzNs5iDV_fOQhK1iS0FipJecy-4LDEKS9MPlv0CrNvyGV2dQ9nY55-RHsy_Z3P-R_3q-lGVkxyYkWenNMQZWITnEpYKmI/s1600-h/IMG_9137%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="two ingredient hand and foot scrub" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcRYpz00ZyBtn-B6M09y9KgmcOwBHES21A1miIY-fY-V-QQc7XUxYajB0hDE4UAW6IvSaq1lBqZBSCKnGPrcoHLDrDCswQzizWNM5Fcjk4l_M_pJRKmFAu42SoC2IZ832D7hX-RQlE9U/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="two ingredient hand and foot scrub" width="500" /></a> I simply cannot walk away from the cute craft stuff in that aisle so it was nice to put the little stickers and stamps to use: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuJTIUHzLysz-WCgj9ue0YEYLQ6WHvORPv9S5vJQSG1piloGmvzx3YZDJ1mBGln9pgLcHIwRyJ5MBartPmwg2YSpUQRUHDG9Bp3vEpo3_dxzOsD_rNb55rl7IfMLj-FrGOqQlSMBoFxQ/s1600-h/IMG_9135%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="letter stamps" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiG5IJZA5FSiGzmcGTws_M-St7kWqxEiLg75OSJ31l2N_3EreGL-4SCoGDuQdE4lwEU59KjvCIptqGFHsflR0tqqCYaxr2Wefz8ICgFcsfRgl0mw_kdA5sALO2Xg98NE1d-SSMOO0rrDI/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="letter stamps" width="500" /></a> So there you go! Three easy scrubs with only two ingredients each! I’ll combine these with gift cards and some other goodies for the teachers: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_duyatB1jLbtJ_jDEmEvzamCYAAS8jU99CuXyRHz53yd1ZeeYh0yI5MjViqK8vyvhFy7O07rhHw8gehJtIYm8e0KP8i-t3sVOCiKcvxDaFTzx5t-XjogNbvT3nb-F2s7m_3opSD7i1M/s1600-h/hand%252520and%252520foot%252520scrub%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="two ingredient hand and foot scrub" border="0" height="732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWXyFtE2VbUv2Z1f6ZltVz1DP7x43uYdaU0RqgXTdo-j-hTy6w-X6TX8EXSLAB4SBbXFa55xOeGisGkZcAxz_SkIUW3K9BNd86J1kdZeo1nZgE8qvY3QB8OiScFEErwKzXrqcB4w6EeI/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="two ingredient hand and foot scrub" width="500" /></a> And at least this part of the gift was free! If you don’t have dish soap and sugar you’re looking at less than five bucks to make quite a few of these. This would have been perfect for my boy’s preschool days when we had six or seven teachers to buy for! Do you do anything special for the teachers at the end of the year? Are you ready for summer?

Two ingredient scrubs

Well hello all! Are your kids almost done with school? We’re done tomorrow – whoot! I am SO grateful we didn’t have to go an extra week this...

8:12 AM

Fun Easter ideas

Hello and Good Friday to you! I hope you have a lovely weekend planned, whether it be activities with your family or just relaxing. :) I had a cute Easter-themed project planned for this week but I just couldn’t get it done. Wah waaah. I know it’s down to the wire here but I thought these other Easter-themed projects and ideas were too cute not to share! I am totally in love with the pretty colors of these naturally dyed eggs: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehVLl44KcIpV1xkMMndwYj_0miN6HBaas9odRFOJtqRXV_pMiirNR8nxgl8SsxHm9i_NuvwnRbplGIawcoZPEQcokSMtyy6OndSl6dNGIjZyKNYGQr04ppTQRUUtFWawehCZPbmCX3RQ/s1600-h/16a25678381ced2e801756f3e1f635af%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="naturally dyed eggs" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlox6J4KuhjtNan8wxDq68D5Dmss9nYC47XsWqNBjIwxsdLyNCuhOhZ8zIE-hLcs2HPt7QRuAVsHr6l6Ds6bZq24K4NlPPKp0lUlzo6YNAuthqJYHSJO_oozf9eZYA5nZvePZT7KJKr9A/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="naturally dyed eggs" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/naturally-dyed-easter-eggs/" title="http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/naturally-dyed-easter-eggs/">(source)</a> I love ours as bright and as obnoxious as possible but these colors are so lovely! (And who knew red onion would make a green egg?) We’re big Despicable Me fans in this house, so of course anything minion makes us smile: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgg4C3YL5QM93tel1eADjVPjBL_94DsX3TXmyIXPDATZhIXdyPg8fdIPiRm0faeCpf61ipjdaFJfSQV874bWsDmnXdEnstHkO2ZXQ5RS1CmTW9mHHDnXRZSNYOEnu4qkuaXRKAMy0k6Q/s1600-h/76758240c89357fa51ff7e23d238b21b%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="minion eggs" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1LIDp39V_ZM8LZl3PlybJKctKiU5jlaBxchzudGnfvGj-nA4mscsT5lG87iwpyPezRZXFaEG3jPOjjK3LSLZ6KPfjR93t-10ptsGUWjTcHjd292UevZHoLSQg8uU5FUOcpGYVUkvFfk/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="minion eggs" width="478" /></a> <a href="http://catchmyparty.com/photos/1623874" title="http://catchmyparty.com/photos/1623874">(source)</a> How CUTE are those? And totally easy to pull off too. I pinned this the other day and didn’t end up digging the plastic eggs out in time…fail! My son will get this lunch next year for sure: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVw4iBF6-x2KVz_dRS1gRStIOTIlkDalbMHjYg00_uTlritXjYj4EGAK8B0vHZ5OjB-Y0b1qFkMhpwdBWCGkF-7vnF94AXlS7_gd8htWZxRl9csrE82tqemQlFuf9bvB7hfxn-9eTqgU/s1600-h/47058bbb1e0fd86e6fe87475202f17c4%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="lunch with Easter eggs" border="0" height="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtJsbR1e-BysRh3H-2TtqOm5cSD7aoi8CjmS69gVTBKC_EMZNCqqGCR_6rzDmCsom7_FyKIEJtPej0AYQ4xxK81WK9fJrXDfClwQGIoXbMsvJFYebJOrtcuV5pBPDQgDLS2aDRAoAQSk/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="lunch with Easter eggs" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://www.pigskinsandpigtails.com/2012/04/easter-crafts/">(source)</a> One of my all time favorite tables settings I ever put together was <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/03/spring-table.html" target="_blank">this spring/Easter-themed one</a> from a few years back: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpYOkyrYtS-OgSik395CBPOtup3ysq12Oa6XGKMq1GI13AF5PUoJwLsXyuUoO6PbpxctAbrN8fecRqU6syyzee7N1dwIz8tNS6rUMT6E5VrM3BWDZXE3KI_8Os3KC9X3pbPDvotlfDrU/s1600-h/043%25255B3%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="twine wrapped eggs" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgku803ja1So49KkmlFTtN_OSHdnFNB8tcKrYk8K9k8b07Ue9-hP_06nIrcbXdILobTIOX3VU8JHfDdQSI8zRxLJH8NIPwiUTM3wLWqIPoVXnzhv6R12TSNF1iI7NHhC-0NSBjrVxmLYT4/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="twine wrapped eggs" width="360" /></a> I wrapped some plastic eggs in twine and yarn and nestled them in burlap – so easy. The rest was just flowers stuck inside my <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-dining-room-centerpiece.html" target="_blank">Goodwill glass centerpiece</a>: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTlkACf7N8BIOcv60ZGhHoNarJZBW595eXV9rdTE3heim9knMmuQj6LrI4bXSOuL4dgH8FFcwRHh2pk8S4j220qcegVYojTewPaf13BrJ_L9S7cC1EJqK5K8WC5wVyMjBHW3N2xxPxVCs/s1600-h/060_thumb%25255B6%25255D%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Easter table setting" border="0" height="694" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmWLM-JkeCyxw0tOP5bVOYaGnBqbwThKisQotA3BRsVd7iRD6J1EWM6Pu4y4y8jwFzJK-MIjelUoYIxEPyc_AmEbWYfxC_gk6oKYAInmJD7aLjkxBrqaHRyqcZlZKlQ_uZ4aeKSezZVA/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="Easter table setting" width="500" /></a> This idea is absolutely gorgeous – I wonder if you could use fake eggs or if they would float too much: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gQvGddpgtmkjQXFvxMdxNBOyGsCSetfv1ye6Z21LDAoHzTLkhLz8FpH7L77PN4XbDftq46MscGnTSGUknYMANRUZgOlXFUlCpPQMFOnZ1g0a7HNwE6Hu8lw0oI0wr54plwbQM2q78i0/s1600-h/3393b853d7a328cbdd5d592dcff60245%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Easter centerpiece " border="0" height="780" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVLV-9wX_l5hwJCW7m-Mvo4_pY_ezdhh4kyeN0toA2VADN6T82P7nAHlwYRciKF5HWbNlwvsBxRTM6G82Yj131pcZ8nd-0lcl2PGrQfn8yGE4V7BY7z3cWwHztdHy3egiEo0NpgUOpIc/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="Easter centerpiece " width="292" /></a> Those are two of my favorite flowers – ranunculus and gerbera daisies! Isn’t that so pretty? What do you make for Easter dinner? Our standard is Pioneer Woman’s prime rib: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKC8IM-wSZFq8alPyeR1nWlIVrDhkAt3q0m_5YC7mHVhl5gygQg0Czf_Ipt-1GiQ-bjXsiA-elmX65Hx50FhwqC0L1fux69tvnKdjKe0UFNaGf3bDkrT4_VXXSkWmzhzY85ImOAJMKw54/s1600-h/6269847270_4fcb939a4a_z%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="pioneer woman prime rib" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtXwAQfJ4j6cGqZAw9AzNswaEnIi_x8Tt2Y7aAOx72CK_Ie6wbuqseNm_wIn58IryIhFAqDZDDVu290w-U-wMCmrWcPPo8cN4pCNJw9q0heLh1yW3yAgdrxM7APeaA4688P3YTrrsbwlA/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="pioneer woman prime rib" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/prime-rib/" title="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/prime-rib/">(source)</a> GOODness. It is delicious. I’m not a big cook by any stretch and I now make this for both Easter and Christmas (and sometimes Thanksgiving!) and it’s SO easy to do. I thought this snack idea was so adorable!: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0w3La8I-whAHWwpbf7xOVuenJTzR_hyXlrFsSxsjM4DH5L5MZfUh9QCpQO9IJPQiQGIKt8UE6oqKdqAiF74nFqxao21_TJoI_hFVb7fqf6VJg1jKpTQ108PAezFTRGVP7YbPEDSeZUA/s1600-h/Easter_Party_-_Giant_Vegetable_Carrot_gallery%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Easter snacks" border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJQZk3Wrm-VsPkAFugbor95mdFbH8hZa5ojyMm5pla6ilg8yxQFSHs3oM4msuCsHaVPUJ1lUlQ71mmKrUSnp_eLPmjCfNwqQOa_tKEmy6tybAwFwi_ozShcwgHgSw5d3OrUkovh4OaFc/?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="Easter snacks" width="280" /></a> <a href="http://www.savvymom.ca/index.php/partysavvy/recipes/vegetable-carrot" title="http://www.savvymom.ca/index.php/partysavvy/recipes/vegetable-carrot">(source)</a> I mean, come on. Dying. That is the cutest! Do you have Easter plans? We’re going low key this year – just enjoying a weekend without a lot going on. We are planning to see Heaven is for Real and I’m bringing my tissues because I bawl at the trailer alone. :) Hope you have a lovely, blessed weekend!   P.S. I have the pin it button installed on my photos but I ask you visit the sources and pin from there. :)

Fun Easter ideas

Hello and Good Friday to you! I hope you have a lovely weekend planned, whether it be activities with your family or just relaxing. :) I h...

9:58 AM

House happy

Hey hey and welcome to this beautiful Friday! (At least here…hope you’re having a nice one too!) I call these posts house happy and I’m not sure why because it’s not really stuff from my house. It’s mostly fun stuff from my Pinterest, Instagram, etc. that I like to share occasionally. I need to change it. Social media happy perhaps? Doesn’t have quite the same ring. Anyway, it’s just fun stuff to end the week. :) I shared this one on Facebook and it couldn’t be more true: <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9HJ-AsV4BIc/Uyxpy6kOOFI/AAAAAAAAmE0/7469sTqC6hs/s1600-h/email%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="email/letters cartoon" border="0" height="396" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-amaa60rozUY/Uyxpz4GmUkI/AAAAAAAAmE8/pw7MGCMUivg/email_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="email/letters cartoon" width="324" /></a> For real. Good mail is the BEST! I learned that Siri has a sense of humor and she’s up with the latest: <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iWzsxFM6o7I/Uyxp0kwGizI/AAAAAAAAmFE/SncbFCu1Sxk/s1600-h/siri%25255B5%25255D.png"><img alt="siri" border="0" height="682" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LWbq183SHJk/Uyxp1WCJAKI/AAAAAAAAmFM/DhFz6bp4jl8/siri_thumb%25255B7%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="siri" width="400" /></a> Ask her who took let the dogs out too. :) There are only 37 spots left for the upcoming <a href="http://www.havenconference.com" target="_blank">Haven Conference</a> this summer!: <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qo8Icl4pVJc/Uyxp2asqctI/AAAAAAAAmFQ/Hfqu71bpppM/s1600-h/1888804_10151903699902186_1579665767_o%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Haven Conference " border="0" height="400" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zhvIu7x1C3c/Uyxp3cRUUOI/AAAAAAAAmFc/f9nKEl8yuIQ/1888804_10151903699902186_1579665767_o_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Haven Conference " width="400" /></a> Did you see that Chip Wade is our keynote? I LOVE <strike>HIM</strike> HIS SHOW. We are planning on having the sessions and speakers up online by April 1st – it’s going to be another great event! Every year Target comes out with cute new gardening tools and every year I feel I must get new ones: <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kf0net4CxLY/Uyxp41tyjLI/AAAAAAAAmFg/QSMMY5VmPqw/s1600-h/unnamed%25255B4%25255D.png"><img alt="target gardening" border="0" height="545" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xoHr__dh1B0/Uyxp50hW3lI/AAAAAAAAmFs/PRvb46we8KI/unnamed_thumb%25255B6%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="target gardening" width="400" /></a> My dream has always been to have built in seating around a kitchen table. This is dreamy: <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-w6_mEa4titA/Uyxp7WbO_PI/AAAAAAAAmF0/Ur9aeRJx3EY/s1600-h/08b5efe7cca4807d4a070672435a7be5%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="built in banquet" border="0" height="594" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1piENp9XMU8/Uyxp7yARMYI/AAAAAAAAmF8/pJnn-xH3tsA/08b5efe7cca4807d4a070672435a7be5_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="built in banquet" width="422" /></a> I pinned this one from <a href="http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/23321168" target="_blank">Houzz</a> but it’s originally from Southern Living. Gorgeous. This mud room (it actually just looks like a little mud room “nook”) is just beautiful: <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4lfq751lE6M/Uyxp8-WBm6I/AAAAAAAAmGE/POCvqFEsDR0/s1600-h/c971b6286cfd74db76f60f146b3fa139%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="mud room with mirror" border="0" height="480" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-I8SifrBCqrE/Uyxp9lp64II/AAAAAAAAmGM/pCHCFIY1vdw/c971b6286cfd74db76f60f146b3fa139_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="mud room with mirror" width="360" /></a> (<a href="http://www.bhg.com" target="_blank">BHG</a>) I wouldn’t change one bit! I’m sharing ten awesome spring cleaning tips over at the <a href="http://ext.homedepot.com/community/blog/spring-cleaning-tips-10-tricks/" target="_blank">Home Depot blog</a> – there are some really good ones in there people! I use all of them and they all work great. :) <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PfhAVI_ZUF0/UyxtQnqnWdI/AAAAAAAAmGo/5D5PN9aJSUQ/s1600-h/Screen%252520Shot%2525202014-03-21%252520at%25252012.47.14%252520PM%25255B3%25255D.png"><img alt="" border="0" height="92" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IMYpPxKt35s/UyxtRXmfwBI/AAAAAAAAmGw/6IbmRrP3yQ8/Screen%252520Shot%2525202014-03-21%252520at%25252012.47.14%252520PM_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="" width="500" /></a> And finally, I haven’t meant to hold on out on this so long, but I wanted to share a picture of my BEAUTIFUL grandson: <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-uRpVhQkJ7CY/Uyxp-m_LjUI/AAAAAAAAmGU/aFJZcNHFt7M/s1600-h/999970_10153939466920230_680901415_n%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="cheeks" border="0" height="500" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EKzKJ4Vw8Rk/Uyxp_t6FJgI/AAAAAAAAmGc/hJo_UwBGVQs/999970_10153939466920230_680901415_n_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="cheeks" width="500" /></a> I don’t share many photos of my son here so I won’t be sharing many of sweet cheeks either, but my stepdaughter said this was fine. He is seriously precious and cuddley and smooshy and such a good baby. We are SO blessed to have him in our lives and family. There you go – some good, pretty, fun, precious stuff to kick off your weekend. :)Hope it’s a great one!   P.S. The pin it button is now on all of my photos but I ask you visit the original source to pin from there.

House happy

Hey hey and welcome to this beautiful Friday! (At least here…hope you’re having a nice one too!) I call these posts house happy and I’m no...

9:34 AM

Building a Lego house

Hey all! Can you believe it’s July? This is one of my favorite weeks of the year! It’s even better than years past because our temps are unseasonably cool and we’ve had tons of rain – two things I like very much. Last year we had drought conditions and couldn’t set off fireworks, so we’ve already made up for that this year. ;) Oh by the way, I wrote this whole post and then realized it’s the first Monday of the month so I should be doing the Before and After Party today. I totally forgot. We’ll do it next Monday, hope that works! This weekend I finished up a DIY in the basement that I’ve been planning for a while. Since we had the built in <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/02/basement-built-in-cubbies.html">cubbies installed</a> I’ve been hoping to get this done, just to take advantage of some odd wall space down there. I have never built true floating shelves – I have built shelves (<a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/10/library-bookcases-done-boom.html">here</a> in the dining room built ins, <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/02/no-more-wire-shelves-pantry-redo.html">here</a> in the pantry, <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/04/diy-floating-shelves-bathroom-progress.html">here</a> in the basement bathroom) but all of those had supports on the sides for me to attach supports to. True floating shelves with no side support are another thing – but I think I did pretty OK at it for a first try! I didn’t follow any specific tutorial, just used what I’ve seen here and there and winged it myself. This is a relatively simple project if you work with tools. And sometimes I make relatively easy projects total pains in the butt, so yeah. This was one of those. :) I started out with some 1x2’s from the hardware store – I cut them down to the length I wanted the shelves to be and then cut supports (same exact length) and glued them on with wood glue: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBp0ImMy9Euy4zGqe3Bqq6r_Gn3YNB37RX1_goLwdFwwrmClhX4LsbEZ54_xkp7TMX2VfmQjJwSZ4w_5kH42PVoybczFvmf6L6erMXq3h2LTU_DjQj_1MDieNjm0PbkjuPq0NcldoRZw/s1600-h/IMG_65973.jpg"><img alt="building floating shelves" border="0" height="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gJR-smghOks2UrrJQuECs3ZTzsBqp8LpjS7tnKsr6cWLlyPhz4XZ96cABI1AV7wKj7SggBCXuPwzbw9ES7_CiL06A4jv4IIfIizayrFqXq6yY6V_vWyOn2b8Q8WJbUz1rypmCC4CwFg/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="building floating shelves" width="450" /></a> Then when I thought I had let them dry well enough, I flipped them over to secure them even more with screws. That’s when I realized I didn’t let them dry enough and every. single. support. fell off. Sometimes I look like I know what I’m doing. This was not one of those times. I’m sure my neighbors were all, awww, look at her, trying to DIY! So cute! ANYWAY…I always go way overkill with nails/screws/glue and this was no different – I used two (long) screws in each support: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2xLsFHnlTBsHc7UZDUV4ScHAAY2dfEp2ddogaoQPCLI48WOP1EsKiNL7rnBzXVPq4I_epb1JZdBe6lJHFRawLXIUo2HomfblVbGE8Eva0ZUykMUuxMTpUw_GXHvp9nWk2bMftKOMVkA/s1600-h/IMG_65993.jpg"><img alt="building floating shelves" border="0" height="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OYT1_hrtQ-mt2pV1MYm7dxtsbuPgBOLctLslyFLV_Pnoj1hz246eGGM8Gxv7FXf4oeZyE5ptbg0cvLFeyOpeJtEBagKOD9IBj4pgWZnAxXhPbQ4IlZ1YbcBzAcbM3WFPHLk_h9luijM/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="building floating shelves" width="450" /></a> Before I put the front of this support on, I installed them on the wall. This way I could get the screws into the wall straight on (if the front support was on I’d have to work around it, make sense)?: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigu5-lEiqdCnk9iCl9W2-cDl53KiSHEJP76cXURcNxAP6D1eBViGkYhoEna1WTuIHVUfbqcYPhbJtxrvQndQk1ZE_FEjexbrjpGmSB-y0U8IzWdpDeVddwaCRcxg7PWPBLu-wkaW5btyA/s1600-h/IMG_66003.jpg"><img alt="building floating shelves" border="0" height="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQvsEHhCIKdggzDMZ-GtGB0QqdUe1tS01Vcn8N5Hvqha3txuKeLoBL0Py4_MMoZMutHQEyfzsVt9ZmyCqtXTZnRBJ2rMdACw0AoXUHSu8T3bDDhAh_75A_ZIAUkIryzfDAica28IIWHw/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="building floating shelves" width="450" /></a> After both supports were up I went to grab the wood I had bought to make the actual shelves I was going to build to slip over them. And I realized I had totally made the supports the wrong size. DOH! So…back to the store I went. I ended up getting a big sheet of stain grade particle board cut down instead, which in the long run ended up being better anyway (a lot more light weight and less bulky): <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy_c7xzkLCbPL6wEKchsyCW58bBmrYjtY33NxSi4ZLl07-R8lgR9WWTvo5CLNBIvOF9YL4PpNvMt1SLkXxBnGm0UeF84sAQUOOo9MO6zvvQpj106ADLNTxT5-ruvkqHXX_P7y33kjd_s/s1600-h/IMG_66023.jpg"><img alt="building floating shelves" border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XW1ayb9C5IzNQYLnaSVNBWSHM_T_Y29orPwNWJSZqgeclPgaIngV7N7v-s-zplKz_thwxtLhARpB9M5VT5NhoyN0aLOHXUdgFky7stsp5PN5_lmJnxifjEchnTf0BDlJ6owin8AA4nw/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="building floating shelves" width="400" /></a> That photo is why I have an SUV. That photo is also why I don’t have a nice SUV. ;) So instead of making a shelf that slips on over the support, I ended up just securing all the wood to it instead. Which is fine, I just won’t be able to take these down…like, ever. Good thing I like them. Here’s the process as I started covering the supports with the wood: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAN59URuP2C-ZGFUR8YPF_9WkFmHlQkGfphhCGjBxRsMVp3BQ0o_vPefDH7YwHQ73V71uwmwXs8R1Jgp08ZG_LlI6q8mBclYeEVr41d9P1_ZHzcRia-Q0HwSEzaWf7QrAF1wF5mzyxQGM/s1600-h/IMG_66043.jpg"><img alt="building floating shelves how to" border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5c33ytKcyhxKSMo2SOeRJ0WwVy1iDyYzZikUpkHeaBrMTPOcyo7oZpo1nef0O31N7oAagdgg3eHdW1kKTcJSiORYrixvc_A24mvxR6DVUp33yIyebwmh8OSi8xXEEF2HcyvtfH1PVzk/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="building floating shelves how to" width="550" /></a> I hope that makes sense! The trim on the right is just the start of what I wrapped around the whole shelf to make it look finished off. Here they are all done – I taped off the walls with FrogTape so I could get them stained with little mess: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgiGaxNx7wvAvD1CiILYQ9xoiSxJ-y-oEVMviO9VNZY0ZEANn9zoXYpiejaNC-fdcSZB1TQ5PK8cqfpLUQ41JwLWdvfKnptsbhe6IpazGAXdtQQKGoqEDiV3L6f0ka2LTT7S8cs6F41g/s1600-h/IMG_66063.jpg"><img alt="DIY floating shelves " border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0LzbW0xgjCHDR6VeK2nxUk_-pwFTSB5omzZcZXfzM3G24SUxg_NaRPxKj3UQL-9xtXp4El-n0cjvK1Hv5YIMXDTMFvSp45FgVwcCUOULivMq82Os4EkHdmC3t0rCywqwH3DAk727rgo/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="DIY floating shelves " width="290" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxbdCN6yJMM6gJQLyPsXT8wR-4BDpRiEBNMDSZLQ-CB6c1r-yOgtqTOMCEU2Hmeo3cMR1jRc2xJDI-g42kl5Bi1Sfxe6ZbeiW6xxxvgfRmXCxp2Vzll6Xq6XFCAcl9ngyiuv0TaiChhxo/s1600-h/IMG_66053.jpg"><img alt="DIY floating shelves " border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaDhvdtQ85slv9d2MGmU6ctIA14JnZO20kJthM8cOdDmT_CDroaQF_6a7PD5TUTas1UZWjzSynTvi9xTlA4vZ4eTR1FqaZLKnIa0ha1z6tu0BuFzqLU9snVIlazC_KBBSmUtv85zBKAU/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="DIY floating shelves " width="290" /></a> So sometimes I recommend you paint before you do a project because I think sometimes it would make the project easier. I NEVER do this and many of you ask why. It’s mostly because of projects like this – they are rarely perfection. So I fudge with stuff, have to recut many times, sometimes make additional trips to the store – and if I had painted the wood I originally wanted to use for this I wouldn’t have been able to return it. So…sometimes it’s easier to paint/stain before – I just work better doing it all after all is done. That usually ends up being quicker for me. I used the beautiful Kona (Rustoleum) stain I’ve used elsewhere in the basement – love it!! When that was dry I did a coat of semi gloss polyurethane and called it done. Then I loaded them up with the little Lego sets that have been all over the countertop for months: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjW_UIP1uNAANnPYTz3YJRZkKQBstOyLEl__IkLGcwjCO1IjOQq0Jjyc0hGkVxdNOfJ4OsMc9CbtybzXWGeRILTb7uH3-9PQVOVNbQqJE53nCa0PW8mVaEvmCvgOHq9zutGA-gV1p8JE/s1600-h/IMG_59043.jpg"><img alt="DIY display shelf" border="0" height="793" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicS9mx-LJ33mZchMzv_RFTwJizNISxVgZ6KIr03oBqzFdZ6slqvrcNc0CYJ8QLKf1IM3gKR9cLrACQ8hccELnwzj32WBSZvTucfJ6p2zQnIGtV4610doJMyzqdYTobvWBJWRnvxqSIcTs/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY display shelf" width="500" /></a> I’ve been planning these shelves forever now – their purpose is two-fold. Obviously as a place to display all the little Lego sets our boy makes, but to keep them up off the countertop as well. I just want to use the storage space as best we can. The basement is such a fun space for us and my goal all along has been to make the art down there be very personal to our family. So the Lego sets, although not styled to perfection, are just us. :) Here you can see how the trim looks and how the bottom piece of particle board hides the supports inside: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzqu1QqxyDXE_0YvOIJ06fcKhKx_KVGBMv14qmpZTavHDGvY-zB5diofLv2dbnN23aeihrojuDFNRXVb7DsdXlZuHWep5f1bA6A-512nQJiR7eB0Vx_ZIRo2Z0J24vmwsyGwB6pzJiA8/s1600-h/IMG_59093.jpg"><img alt="DIY display shelf" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg222RCxBj7iC6TUijNWvOuAmaQ3oFoKwJksZwKGuG2UAdISOBjk1wbV4oU1Ph9magRSyeR88no8IcNqoFCJB5sz81334Z6l639ARdsFHSYIjb1oDuSy31_duwtddAdr6X8GDe1U4VM6xE/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY display shelf" width="450" /></a> I just started grabbing the Lego sets and putting them on the shelves – there’s not much hope that this is ever going to look “perfect” but I kind of LOVE it: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwvfS6a4oHogt9asYAGql30bQP8XMhIfhHEuIw_TECuh8pRU4V3LfomMhmJI8zGfYMJjVj0LmSzwmR4ylJIl6kv5sA7FXR9ir0X4oVLELuyelJgnXoARiucDwPxDqb78Ha8wRejFRfuE/s1600-h/IMG_59023.jpg"><img alt="DIY floating shelf dark stain" border="0" height="751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ou8RpL7bc_aCSO2OsU7Vj_IAKmvp6eVqk_LZ0oYADrG2L4rBFjtEGXQnlnlnXZ2wGGfuHJe1R9gDs5qAB4RSJ8E_ROXiHz2T1ralcu_ADaS0FZHlh8ogmN60Y5B63Il60aLcLxlvFO4/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY floating shelf dark stain" width="500" /></a> Although the Bub did say later that it’s a “little messy” so he’s going to rearrange it. Gah. (He did NOT get this from me.) Of course these are all sets he plays with, so he needs help getting them from the top shelf, but he can reach the bottom shelf easily. They are both fairly low because of the bulkhead in that spot. I had to include a pic of us on a roller coaster in Legoland -- we had it made into a Lego set: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGxg-FY62_XRUiNJZPx_YBkK7jjr9XCWPGW7OD2IFyF3NTg9I2R-NEOEBhrrhQx9eCVnZaJm5mZL6ZIinmDt8geAlU8U4lRYIGrSFQchdn1sxzZsI-svc2l6Ij_p_4XBcS9OJWIgPX14/s1600-h/IMG_59083.jpg"><img alt="lego storage" border="0" height="751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2muCXxKnwJg2jrDrVdHhBjYQS-rjG7vy4yBfSD1jzEppz_OUSic1qtgd2oCUzATElsF5VW0RNqx_Q8IbtKtw98O8wM4lA9U9oJNasW2Pi0CDQJhQHJVafYjF3_FVGgSkjOac8zywpDUg/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="lego storage" width="500" /></a> It’s hard to see but it makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it. You can’t even see the Bub because he’s ducking down, totally freaking out. My husband has his eyes tightly shut, probably praying for his life. And I’m in the front laughing my butt off – it’s pretty obvious who loves roller coasters in this family. Now this little spot is dedicated to what the kiddo loves – I’ve mentioned a few times that he’s a Lego freak and we encourage it (within reason). I like that this part of the room really speaks to what he loves: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj425GR_TVVS58VBMPwOTjZ4OJE3jywfJ6fqOzWiXnl43E4-3i9uQ79zduYrhMicu9veH-tYAJYz3jpVLiphCDM7u6p1_ry2gtadPAOm3eflinEhyqBzFEa_gIAINLG9Sn7AAxoM1Uu2_I/s1600-h/IMG_59223.jpg"><img alt="DIY floating shelves as Lego storage" border="0" height="751" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrfu6HCsbl2at0_AjvWpzfmoGrvldeTG2ICqMuGXWmw_xF3rL5NVM1oHHEMSLfKa-oJrDAc7lcO5iS91hUoUHJ7m67cxIqQps1qKNOcG1HuVtASIqcaqYMpgNmfAy5moD5l3DKOFhh4M/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY floating shelves as Lego storage" width="500" /></a> Like I mentioned, this was my first try at the true floating shelves – and I think they turned out pretty well! Just don’t look too close. :) The bottom one is secured to the wall on one side so it’s super secure. The top one is definitely staying put but I wouldn’t do any pull ups on it. Good thing I can’t do a pull up. Have you tried this DIY project? Did you do them any differently? Do you have a Lego house that you try to organize too?

Building a Lego house

Hey all! Can you believe it’s July? This is one of my favorite weeks of the year! It’s even better than years past because our temps are uns...

9:18 AM

DIY (hideaway) Lego tray

Hey all! Whooee, that was a jam-packed weekend! I shopped (at the vintage mart, twice!) and met up some awesome readers and fellow bloggers, went to a party, attended a school event for the kiddo, had a girl’s night with one of the BFFS, went to a Lego event at the fairgrounds and hung with my stepdaughter and her boyfriend who were home on spring break. It was a whirlwind but fun!! We surprised the Bub with a trip to the Lego event yesterday – to say he’s a a fan would be a huge understatement. He got started on Legos when he was only four (he could never be bothered with the bigger, toddler ones – he only wanted the smaller, big boy sets), and from that very young age was putting together sets with 600+ pieces by himself. It blew our minds but he’s been hooked ever since. Which for use means a LOT of Legos. I mean…people. They are everywhere. I’m working on getting them corralled to the basement and succeeding…it’s slow but sure. And I think I finally found a storage method that works for us – I’ll show you soon. (It’s not what you think either.) ;) Anyhoo, a couple years ago I got this <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2011/04/accidental-redo.html">Pottery Barn table</a> off of Craigslist for the playroom: <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Dr1AjxT3jA8/UT3tuT_tzkI/AAAAAAAAbks/_G3fLaCqc5I/s1600-h/redtable3.jpg"><img alt="red table" border="0" height="601" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EWd1q0XpzNI/UT3tur_ZDEI/AAAAAAAAbk0/y-e-GOp-eaA/redtable_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="red table" width="400" /></a> My goal for two years now was to paint it and then cover the top with Lego sheets so it would be a big huge table for him to play on. Well, it moved downstairs about a year ago, into the almost-finished basement, and I swear to you I haven’t seen the top of it since. We (he and I) were always throwing stuff on it and even when it was kinda cleared off he rarely sat at it and used it. He’d much rather be on the floor doing Legos (or games/toys), or at a higher table, like in the kitchen. What’s funny is we gained all this additional square footage with the basement, but all I’ve done is get rid of stuff that was down there. I want the basement family room to be open and non-cluttered but when that’s the goal there’s less room down there than we thought there would be. So a few weeks ago I came up with a plan. First part was to get rid of the table – it was a clutter-catcher and a beast. Huge. To set things up the way we wanted there was just not a spot for it so thankfully a friend took it off my hands. The second part of the plan is this tray I came up with. I’ve made wood trays before – you just start with a base: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sPWz7gnJBhVkVXlLifm194AnGdrHSwqrjQVDA5FIPjNh1IdP2cwIRwva0mRj1PFugPjZfgso6NUx9ZlXOUwDqRRzCOIce-MkfBOxhCOlCmQcb7vchlOLzkefoYNAKOhZ0Iwtz8D94ks/s1600-h/photo3%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DIY wood tray" border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpL9Xw3RDXm_XF8_3ainMhwdWMWmV-SppdBF1SnYzD0h5i3MohpTg5_8ONMMXhnouqJMKW9ii0b54YCbwCrKCI3IflBVu600vzPYDBJ3lDNz2d7ZAHGUCKqQz_sPjuQBDsT1ibEiUSAM/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY wood tray" width="360" /></a> I got a piece of wood from the hardware store and had them cut it down to 30 inches – I wanted it that size for a number of reasons. First, I wanted it HUGE so the Bub had a ton of room to play on it. I also needed the Lego tiles to fit just right and they were ten inches wide. I didn’t take pics of putting it together, but you can see how I made the tray in our <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2012/10/diy-wood-tray-overcoming-tool-fears.html">family room here</a>: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpOPl9wnQEUuyaHWBabT1B5CxbufOvD3ra5_TENELbSOuio107LZnx7fOa7dVfW9EQ7Wmr8ePy1uVZillSDh5an14dzGgziuv4dSD4tLsCla_XfC65DMd1xlve0Pi2qpexieS1fT-plc/s1600-h/7_thumb13.jpg"><img alt="DIY wood tray" border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloqoA0YG4kyJh1uc19V8RmQE6ZwG3APxG54LK_uhdwzQ7nm_a_Xv1WwqODnfpfGCx7nHjfQc9HT7pB9qQ2RmuD1G13-9ficW9DxZIjjngG2yuQ6KtAD4sw_3vTDTxENIEvLXJoJUauBc/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY wood tray" width="360" /></a> It was the same exact process for this one. Initially I was just going to stain the sides of this one because I knew the bottom would be covered with Lego sheets. But at the last second I had an idea and stained the whole thing. I used the dark Kona stain I used for the top of the <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2013/02/basement-built-in-cubbies.html">basement cubbies</a> and then added hardware: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXcfouHDkuIfYmx6xDj0ZJI4qi-aC13Q0djfuyYH9G2Majv3ijstidMbgHMnQvrVCyob3utrvPGgKqv9yNhdtMRk73fK1Gcn1lWmtZe4-1rFjnWQXBOWIiIyG3cS1yqvSUxtRJtEcWLA/s1600-h/photo33.jpg"><img alt="DIY wood tray hardware" border="0" height="479" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUD6qlhrdH3kAmhkgtA4pCl6bqSQzywtgd10BYDoNldOYV-4jsHWL7WoTzkP0bpqeBUqzqauk6YTrZQgsrP95s-bh1N3cvzWhf-1vhfRjX1kcSccMeOAFva5PFN7wvrlTr0-LUzg_k9s/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY wood tray hardware" width="360" /></a> I got these from Lowe’s – they were inexpensive and simple but I wanted the handle to be really easy to grab. We laid out the Lego mats and immediately the kiddo was playing: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTu2KHBODQoCyPcah-GOlQrOkrgBrDCxtXoMYDV0MiaC0SxATN4joCw5mk_GtXYnwUUlz9jz41aW2WflxuiwI11J5s31pzwbY2MTfXLfoWBWWS-h3vEmhuWAbGIeMJU7u_dBGY2cKDKY/s1600-h/floor%252520tray2%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="lego tray for floor" border="0" height="575" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKmor7HCcCwwzUSZ4ME6RxZEMNjYAnznq4iaL3INouCJkigAntExBkmeCgCYxuPbDYYhtAfk-LHJdcLDi9Wks2ZcZqtVXzvGR_m6QdRyZS6yl9TQXqxFxASpyNUklc9Z0NXeufKr5J1I/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="lego tray for floor" width="450" /></a> He loved it! When this idea came to me I planned on gluing the tiles down, but later decided not to (more on that in second). They stay in there just fine. And at one point the width was just slightly under 30 inches so I had to cut down a couple of the Lego mats just a tad – but I just did it with regular scissors, so easy! My boy was in heaven – the first set up was a basketball game because he’s absolutely obsessed with it right now (thanks to Daddy and the Big Ten Champs IU! Whoot!): <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOcidLazaDFEoSxdMCCKy1hyphenhyphensuowO3kC_laoc8D0KiS_U0gQj-v3ZweKoahX8R1hFxHQWchi6-BmrjpPoeJhbSU9P1c2iGB-wteolPhzNLSbbHHC47FFSRoWuMJU4Zlnu-QriKE72NR0/s1600-h/photo24.jpg"><img alt="lego tray floor" border="0" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfUxU8IielQX9ONM_S5eL9vG7xRqKIE6tZ6HW46kvGKIoLJcAeBXW10WZXtO5Z62loSnt9LpeZDjh-2MIA5mUF4k8np1otnjxDuUdks9SN_8LtP88IwgVcjcVOwtS7A4qwHa9Elo0faw/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="lego tray floor" width="501" /></a> Legos are not cheap but we are happy to encourage his love for them (well, I’m not happy when I step on pointy ones in the dark, but whatever) – I love how his creativity comes out – he found pieces to make basketball “hoops”: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6BDA0Ygr1vq-1EhKVMw9NBQwN_M5I2otyWYhkJpjUwbopGC7S_dBc-8ZHkKS0i4uOy1ZG4YMqblu6cNrkStnU8W8yG9nCcqZyPlic6FBe_jgMrSSc1tS4vzKTurGYkDU5QYoG1M96HM/s1600-h/IMG_50473.jpg"><img alt="lego tray floor" border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfTIos9JhjAwqD79zEu-p-RX5Ld8YwpGGK8pBuuwe5P3t2Wp0ZddalOFcjqRSK_iMoYaYfoeCRvhtGS1yE2FgibVAuBTlWstyfg48106h6fZtsBaZJ8Ccc9JfS9BB0I7kJLjlNBDvYFM/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="lego tray floor" width="290" /></a> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tf6DL9poDY8/UT3t1HQwcxI/AAAAAAAAbmc/WLccFLCr78I/s1600-h/IMG_50493.jpg"><img alt="lego tray floor" border="0" height="436" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tdXfDF5VlFQ/UT3t1lrPNWI/AAAAAAAAbmk/gyC1ecuZntQ/IMG_5049_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="lego tray floor" width="290" /></a>  Did you know Harry Potter was a basketball player? Me neither. So here’s the thing – I made this tray so it did something extra special:  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBE6hee9WsZq9aXRjzz3YBRbqD0GGzORm88xp9-9qoPtocDS3zhH3gdo9JhFEPYi0s6eRf3aP96rYX5UtqmWVPb0_LkifN6pgci3jVXkIp9MOuByfFV0Q-Ldz4GXtM_UzIuwKwMBu3ek/s1600-h/IMG_50513.jpg"><img alt="lego tray floor" border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4KeZAHMvUZgZmopNALo8WPgp3w63oLyz2fF6BQr3meq9UiTkBIvpPbdFNVWq7E8MoiCft0Jy1-VB4FXfPVxolz1jEcLydTvWeQCEaQ2omT21QvevQyE4yck2z-SlrTJrGHuKBhZ6m8s/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="lego tray floor" width="290" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nxKg-qUdd1zXSnCUjJKIcxx7QPYDKfFbuCBhNxNgFcuZIxd3jUY46GbvAldIti6WQHvo-Ti_SdQuOG2O4QLgSJel9rHS3ctvc5smWyDJKtmD_jBRp5SJxRZRRgjYvFN-o-BcZv2-PAs/s1600-h/IMG_50503.jpg"><img alt="lego tray floor under sofa storage" border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRO1rTxtG0m1wglc__kiZIfcG4PRtTk4UEhdBkfb9rTLp5QnkeYJcEVYzXzpw0-i-_o_33I9KAPePnB_DIZFJK9TvVNUBjkGnUCUrEpP8GoXTEEC6H9AURKuqvNgO7OOBVhvSm7bhqc0A/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="lego tray floor under sofa storage" width="290" /></a> Awww yeah bay-bee! It hides perfectly away under the sectional. Ours is really low to the ground and it still clears it just fine (I was prepared to raise up the sectional ever so slightly if I needed to). That is why I wanted the handles to be easy to grab. It’s accessible from both sides of the sofa but he likes to pull it out in the open space behind. WE LOVE IT. Another reason I made this so big was so we could use it for other reasons too – we can easily carry it over to the top of the ottoman down there so he can put sets together up higher. But we also use it to play games: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHySjsoXipk-1tHfIbPLZYUlNd0oiqtqIjvbq8iPRBHpgXRgzUlUu5E7RXhIwaPLZPsLjy0flroqwuW_hj7Wqjzb4osbLEBRGKLVovPhllA8kd_P9QRBz94Vqx6O6wii7eQ1yFXNJUhlc/s1600-h/photo43.jpg"><img alt="DIY wood tray game tray" border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGFoIjL2SguUrMYeUVnyomfu5yZFaq7xGPGfRHA6AR55tHeq3_yD944Zu619g5VSD9NWIXPaSlwHoK0qGjnQEulvL3ntQNFl5Oj1KxF_kwW0yBqRbVUxRpEu7bYtBnvpgXcYmvSVveKI/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY wood tray game tray" width="400" /></a> At first I thought we would remove the mats but there’s no need at all. They are a great surface for the game boards: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMViIlOtzzBJytlSahrVbY32PvRrXPObQl8R1vQQ5iquLu9m189rYjIMCRF14uDR_y-ivqoQI_Wpa4dgvV4gxL9vfY5HSJyaOdBRW4FIsMfUMDUrMG8emeQGkHRUjHJNsbVeEWhpfuN_Q/s1600-h/IMG_50593.jpg"><img alt="DIY wood tray game tray" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-G7SW9YsduC3XPYB4Q8XlUsX7e6uI0GSukPpc1K8IdHwBvhU6PMwRK0IKzn5Qiv3OB4VQoV3YQRKsrVXrwWzlpkxGPwNNvJkaIcHVWJgIUM1BnPnjsT1Pfi6SYjdJnYE0UQNGLxLWS2s/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY wood tray game tray" width="450" /></a> And I’m so glad at the last second I decided to stain the bottom too – because now we use it for movie nights, pizza dinners, snacks: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyXsPeDH5RyIN4oHk7en__L-cpRkV7nUfRAFrMI9JY6KOE9owPnXfP9zOv18FMrMpbCH1je_NRVqjLR5t0R1L7T9Q7lR7xWxoHjohJe2F35Ctpij7_qhAhNp8Vm-oRTQIKEG7LHsSBis/s1600-h/IMG_50677.jpg"><img alt="DIY wood tray entertaining" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimdswvds3G_XCNRsQMCt-LpsfnHWEmwEapcWMUkDHop3_NLEaKdu_KgTnMyTO41mf0ykU_QzAdRNwxQb9_zRJezqIc-pZONQ1SDO5eTs74l4eyTYywQkAhw7eLZejEqSpALQJlzqFhFHI/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="DIY wood tray entertaining" width="450" /></a> Again, we could just leave the mats on (it takes 30 seconds to take them off or put them back on) and most of the time we probably will. (With them removable that means I can wash them too!) I love how big it is because it fits over the ottoman perfectly – it’s like it was made for it. ;) And it’s sturdy enough we can put our feet up on it and it’s not going anywhere. So I was able to get rid of a big table that was taking up tons of space and not being used and replace it with a multi-functional one that we can hide away when we’re done: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqhz2h5qbaXyCT4OvNS7pEzlfV1HnChnetKVE3MW1MQzCKScH6w9At5v96q62c_5PifV_hdBzysInm2slQKB2GgSxNLSLb_m1e1ymZ8EfUHkbopf5RshlR8LDwk_FtjUh5frJX1QI9h4/s1600-h/header7.jpg"><img alt="hideaway Lego tray for floor" border="0" height="676" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMbkFBSbGqWbdFdLWlvL2LL91F_OmTfHeX-std-wBR6Btlk3LgqUjj6WefTN388hvp6mk9qb8PTb0VF0GmgF6NqyJVQ5j-k6BBSN7C5ujI2gGjw8AMLtjRXzSZHMGKQN93K_0SQdCzDNA/?imgmax=800" style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="hideaway Lego tray for floor" width="450" /></a> Love!! The cost to make the tray itself wasn’t too bad – I think about $20 for the base and $4 for the handles (I had the trim pieces for the sides), which I didn’t think was too bad for that size. The Lego mats were the cost here – but we will use this and the mats for years to come so it was a worthwhile investment for me. I love figuring out a way to make things work better for everyone in the family, but I’m most thrilled that the Bub loves it so much. He uses it every day. So do you have a Lego-obsessed kiddo (or adult??) in your house? I gotta admit, even though they drive me bonkers some days they are fun to do – almost cathartic in a way. And I love seeing what my son comes up with! Linking up at Traci’s <a href="http://www.beneathmyheart.net/2013/04/best-diy-projects-of-march-linky-party-3/">Best of March party</a>!

DIY (hideaway) Lego tray

Hey all! Whooee, that was a jam-packed weekend! I shopped (at the vintage mart, twice!) and met up some awesome readers and fellow bloggers,...

7:45 AM

Home Interior Ideas For Bedrooms