WYLTC? Spring Theme Wreath Hanger

Make sure to pop over and check out the fun "SPRING" themed wood crafts this week over at

WOOD YOU LIKE TO CRAFT!

We are up today with our Picket Fence Wreath Hanger!

As you can see it holds signs too and is so easy/inexpensive to make!

From The Crafty Sister Vault~Bunny Silhouettes

Picking from the Crafty Sisters vault today is our fun Bunny Silhouette Weather Vanes we did a few years ago.

Make sure to go HERE for the full tutorial!

One of our fun readers Tracie and her craft group just did 15 of these beauties and sent us a picture!  We love getting pictures from our readers!  I love how they did some in black!  Aren't they great?

We have the best readers!  Thanks again Tracie for sharing!

I've finally downloaded most of my pictures for our Church Talent Show from last weekend.  I was so grateful for Pinterest and the ideas I got there.  I'll have a post up soon!  Have a great weekend!

Fireplace Built Ins

I finally finished my fireplace built in's and never got around to taking a picture to share.
I can't even begin to tell you how much I love them and they were worth all the hard work!

I was trying to find a couple of pictures of before~honestly I don't have hardly any because I hated this room.  It had an awkward feel with no light and a fireplace that was ho hum.  So, we never took pictures in there.
About 1 1/2 years ago my hubby and his friend installed the windows....which was a chore since the whole wall was actually 12" thick.  It had the original wall, then a wall of solid pinkish brown brick and then a faux wall over the brick to hide it's ugliness from the unsuspecting new home buyer.....me.

This room was dark and dreary.  It made the golden tan paint I loved look olive green at night.  Not the good olive green either.

So I thought about ideas for a while, begged my contractor brother-in-law for ideas and finally settled on the one I liked best after searching endlessly on Pinterest for ideas.

I found stock cabinets at Home Depot on sale that I got for my birthday.  I had to use upper cabinets because I had only about 16" to work with before I hit the sliding glass door.
I built a base from 2x4's to sit the cabinets on.  That's when I realized the original mantel for the fireplace wouldn't work either and had to rebuilt it from 3/4" MDF.  It actually wasn't too bad since they are basically boxes put together.  The key to making them look professionally done was investing in the right router bit for the edges.

The best part was the top piece of the mantel.  I couldn't find anything that was thick enough without buying a huge big board to cut a 6" wide mantel.....so......I took two pieces of 3/4" MDF and using a lot of Gorilla Wood Glue, glued them together and clamped them overnight for a snug fit.  The next morning I was then able to run it through my table saw for a perfect clean cut and then run the router along the edge for a custom look.  It turned out better than I could have hoped!

 My Dad helped me to put together the basic shelves that sat upon the cabinets that I then trimmed them out with 1 1/2" MDF molding.  I spent a whole day filling in with wood strips and then caulking all the nooks and crannies from my old home which was very evidently not level.  The base boards went back in and covered the bases perfectly.

Dad also gave me a great lesson in electrical work as we moved the electrical outlet for easy access for the DVD player and HDMI cords to run up behind the TV which my hubby and I installed without any swearing if you can believe that.:)

I then painted the whole thing with Behr self-priming Interior Semi-Gloss Enamel which was delicious to paint with. I painted the room as well with Kilim Beige, a Sherman Williams color that you can't go wrong with.  It is the perfect warm neutral beige.

 I found the perfect rug at Home Depot in their random return section located in the back of the store that tied in the black fireplace and brown brick for only $100.  We installed a ceiling fan that makes all the difference in the summer.  Yes, I still need to tackle the popcorn ceiling.....eventually.

I'm just so happy with the result!  I have so much light in my family room now, it's my favorite room in the house!
Cost Breakdown:
Cabinets $150
MDF boards $72
New Router Bit $20
New Outlets $10
Paint $30
Caulk $5
Misc. $10
Grand Total: $297

Not bad for about $300 right?

Next project.....where do I start?  Have a great weekend friends!

The North Pole Sign Holder

I just had to share this quick and easy North Pole Sign Holder I created for our school holiday celebration with you.  It's super easy and is so cute to put on display.

I made a base about 11" square from a 1x12" board.  For the pole I used a 6' 2x2" post.  Then I topped it off with a 3" knob ball from Hobby Lobby.  I think I made the whole thing for about $15!

I painted each part seperately and knew I didn't want to tackle stripes going up it, so I picked up some cute holiday ribbon I wound up the pole.  I secured it with hot glue.

I screwed 2" screws along the board where I wanted my signs to hang askew.

For the signs I cut out arrows from 3/4" thick MDF that were about 18" wide.  This size easily accommodates cute scrapbook paper with letters cut from my Cricut.  I attached little D rings on the back for easy hanging.

Easy and fun!  You could personalize it any way you want!

I have some great Posts I created to partition off the area for Santa too I'll share next!

Happy Monday Friends!

Wood You Like To Craft Baby Jesus Ornaments

We are so excited to kick off the week over at Wood You Like To Craft!
This month the gals decided to do an Ornament Exchange with a Baby Jesus theme.
(enter SQUEAL of delight here!)

Make sure to head over and check out our full tutorial at Wood You Like To Craft.
Then make sure to check back each day this week to see what Wendy, Melinda and Krystal will share!

Also, I joined in this year with an online ornament exchange. I haven't done one for years and this was so much fun!  Do you do ornament exchanges too?  We'd love to hear your tips and fun stories!  Here's the first one I got in the mail~isn't it so cute?  I'll keep sharing them as they arrive~it's like Christmas every day when the mail comes!

Happy Monday friends!

WYLTC Welcome Spring!

With all the crazy weather going on across the country lately we thought 

this month's theme for Wood You Like To Craft was quite fitting~ Welcome Spring!

Here's our Grassy Mound of Flowers that we put together!

Pretty simple and easy!

Make sure to stop by to see what the other Gals have put together~Wendy did an adorable kite yesterday

that we just love!

Happy Tuesday friends~we hope the sun is shining wherever you are today too!

WYLTC Valentine Love Birds

This week Valentines is in the air for the ladies at Wood You Like To Craft!

We are up first with our "Love Is Tweet" Love Birds.

Head over to Wood You Like To Craft to check out our latest project and make sure to check back each day this week to see what Wendy, Melinda and Krystal have up their sleeves!

P.S.  Where did January go?

Pinewood Derby Time!

It's Pinewood Derby Time of year!
How many of you participate in the Boy Scouts of America Pinewood Derby with your kids?
Above is a picture of our two oldest brothers sporting their winning car and trophy.  They'll probably kill me for putting it on here but I couldn't resist!
Candace is busy preparing for her son and I got the chance to cut one out for a neighbor boy.
I never, ever, ever, did I mention ever....thought I'd be doing this but how do you refuse a little boy who brings a picture to your house and begs you to help him?

I seriously stressed bullets over it~I did manage to snap a quick snapshot before I turned it over to  him.  The actual car next to his reference picture.  I tried~I'm going to go to the race to cheer him on now!

My Dremel was the most successful tool~I don't know what else you could use to carve these guys out.
My daughter and I spent some time peeking for more inspiration cars and here were a few of our favorites from around the web.  Enjoy!
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Aren't these fun?  Last night my hubby actually arrived home as we were polishing the axles and it was so fun to hear his stories from childhood about his cars.  I learned all about the art of the axle, the perfect wedge...and it was hilarious to hear him insist on us shining the car up with a thick coat of polyurethane.  Yes, my hubby talking about paint and "crafts".  I will admit I had a glisten in my eye as I listened to him.:)

What are your most successful cars?  
Best shapes?  Best tips?  Do share!
Have a fabulous weekend!

Wood You Like To Craft Snowman

Make sure to check in this week over at Wood You Like To Craft
for our January theme of SNOWMAN!!!

Krystal shared her cute snowman yesterday and we were up today with ours!
I'm just glad to have something to hang up now that all the Christmas decorations are down.  I always feel weird putting up Valentine decorations too soon so this snowman will do the trick for now.
Happy Tuesday friends!

WYLTC~December Nativities

Have you visited Wood You Like To Craft this month yet?
This month's theme is Nativities and Melinda from Under My Umbrella had
the best idea for all of us to use her original pattern she created years ago
and to do our own version of it.

We are up today sharing our version~make sure to hop over and see what Melinda and Krystal have already shared!  Wendy will round us up tomorrow so check back then to see hers too!  I will have to say what an honor it is to be able to craft with these incredibly talented women.  They are amazing and inspire us!

Tomorrow is our School Christmas celebration~I'm out in the freezing garage trying to make Santa barricades.  You know, those post thingies to keep the kids in a somewhat organized line....I think it will be a miracle if the cement sets up instead of just freezing.  If they aren't a colossal fail.....I'm may just share them tomorrow!

Happy Christmas scurrying!

WYLTC November Turkey

Come join us today over at Wood You Like To Craft
with November's Thanksgiving/Turkey theme!

I've had this turkey mostly cut out for over 4 years begging me to get around to making him.
Another thing checked off my long list "for me" that I've been working on.
Come see what the other gals have done too!

No school tomorrow~I think I'm about as excited as my daughter is!  Happy Thursday!

WYLTC Halloween Beware Sign

Happy Monday Friends!
Today we are over sharing our quick, easy and inexpensive Halloween Beware Sign
over at Wood You Like To Craft!
Make sure to head over for a peek and some tips on how to make this fun sign and don't forget to check back in the rest of the week to see what Krystal, Wendy and Melinda have to share!

I'm attempting to get out all my Halloween decorations today to suprise my little girl when she gets home. What is it about purple, orange, green and black that make me so happy?
Bonus of the day~Hobby Lobby has Simplicity patterns on sale for .99 cents, so I no longer have any excuse to not get working on my daughter's costume.

How about you?  Do you prefer to buy or make your Halloween costumes?

Wood You Like To Craft September

Today we are sharing our take on Kitchen Decor for September's theme

over at Wood You Like To Craft!

Make sure to head over and check out the cute Menu Planner that Krystal did yesterday and to see what Melinda and Wendy have up their sleeves for the rest of the week!

                                      

This sign about sums up our summer....

Sorry friends!

It was a crazy one~family in town for 8 weeks straight (I'm not kidding either)!

Lot's of trips to several states~Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Nevada and Utah.

Our first niece got married in St. George Utah (which we fell in love with, it's so pretty down there!).

Here's one of my Instagram's from her reception~aren't they cute!

                                

Lots of fun trips and family made it a summer to remember but unfortunately not a summer for crafting.

Plus guess what landed at my door last weekend~not one but two baby squirrels!

The larger one is about 5 weeks old and the tiny pinkie was maybe a day or 2 old. 

Yes, I'm completely sleep deprived from feedings every couple of hours, but they are so fun!

We did get some fun projects done which we'll be sharing in the next few days

and a bunch that we are getting ready to do.

What is it about Fall that brings on my crafting itch?

Do any of you get that way too?

It's good to be back, we've missed you!:)

WYLTC July Pennant

Happy 4th of July!
Candace and I hope you are having a wonderful holiday
and we're excited to share our cute little wood Patriotic banner with you that we are also sharing over at Wood You Like To Craft today!  Make sure to head over and see all the cute Patriotic ideas shared this week!

It's pretty simple~we just made elongated pennants approximately 4 x 10 inches.
We cut them from 1/8" MDF, it's perfect for banners, not too heavy, not too thick, and makes them
a whole lot sturdier to store and hang.

What made these pennants fun was that we cut out a separate piece to layer on the top.
Scallop, round and triangle edges add a bit of pop and depth to each pennant.

I find that my banners all end up looking very similar though, I can resist to bejewel them
for a little pop!  I guess it's okay to go along with today's "sparklers" right?!

Wishing you the best from Crafty Sisters and a very grateful thanks for all those
who serve to make our freedom possible!

Teacher Appreciation Door Sign

This week has been C*R*A*Z*Y!!!!
We've gotten such great feed back from our school on how
spoiled the teachers all felt!
I love hearing that!
Our final gift this week was a door sign for my daughter's teacher.
I made one a couple of years ago for her other teacher
who had just gotten married.

I cut out a cute pencil shape and decoupaged papers and letters onto the front.
I think this one turned out fun too!
I'm going to list them in my Etsy shop if anyone is interested for end of year teacher gifts.

The funniest thing about this week was yesterday as I chatted and confirmed that I had the sign all done with my Co-Room Mom Meghan~who also teaches at another school, she said that she wished that one of her students would make a sign for her!  I could barely keep a straight face since I had just finished making one for her too!  I hope all of the wonderful teachers out there know how much they are loved!  Thank you for all you do to help our little ones!

Labors of Love

I have to admit I've been horribly distracted the last little bit.
A week and a half ago our 3rd squirrel Fifi disappeared, at dusk, which only means one thing.
Big bird gobbled her up.  No not the one from Sesame Street, most likely a Great Horned Owl.
We're not sure we are liking owls very much right now.

She has been our sweetest squirrel so far and our little family is heart broken.
I know, you're probably thinking, wow, it's a tree rat, a rodent.

There is something that happens when you feed and care for a little creature from the very beginning of it's life, it awakens the Momma in you.  I'm especially sensitive to this since I have suffered with infertility.
If you wonder where my crazy animal/pet fetish comes in, it's because I've always wanted to be surrounded by the pitter patter of little feet.  I just didn't know "how small" they would be.

So when my Dad called me the night before my hubby went out of town last week
I completely jumped at his offer to help me with a project I've been wanting to tackle for years now.

I've been wanting to rip out our fireplace ever since we moved in here.
Yes, that's popcorn ceilings~that's another project to tackle...eventually.  That's my hubby in his lucky Ohio State hat.  I don't think people even recognize him if he doesn't have it on.  Go Buckeyes!
I realized I don't even have a picture of the "before" fireplace wall really.

The wall is about 12" deep, with a faux wall, laid over a solid brick wall (so the house would look updated to sell~to us of course.), then the original wall.  When we moved here I traded in my large house for one almost half the size which was fine because the yard was too die for!  Huge trees and not a sign or peep from any neighbors, my very own little private park!

Right before Turkey Day my hubby and his friend installed 2 windows that I fought tooth and nail for with the hubby.  Now he can see the errors of his ways.  Period.

My hubby~I let him be "the man" for the day.  I didn't even touch a power tool, just ran for drinks and lunch.  It was really nice!

I bought cabinets for my birthday 1 1/2 years ago that have been sitting in the garage waiting for the "opportunity" to be used.

Here's my Instagram photo of my Super Man Dad!  He gave me 30+ hours in just 3 days to remove everything and haul it to the dump.  Oh did I mention that we also lost his hearing aids in the debris and had to dump out all 4 garbage cans of rubble to find them?  We did find them though and they still work.  He is the most amazing man I know, he'd do anything for his girls~and boy does he get the opportunity for us to take him up on it!

Stay tuned and I'll keep sharing everything as we get closer to being done.  I ripped off the entire mantle yesterday and got all my wood cut to rebuild it.  Also next Friday we'll be decorating doors down at the school for Teacher Appreciation Week.  Photo's will be posted that night, I promise!  Now back to installing those cabinets.....