Eileen

How to Make a DIY Watermelon Headband

July 31, 2017 by Eileen

There’s little I love more than felt crafts. I have stashes and stashes of felt and have made so many felt activities over the past few years. I’ve done felt Advent calendars, felt hopscotch mats, and tons of felt boards for preschoolers. I have a bit of a felt obsession 😉 And, that’s exactly why I’m so excited to share our summer blog hop post today. Our friend Jen over at JENerally Informed is showing us how to make an adorable DIY watermelon headband out of felt.

The felt headbands are simple to make, kids love them, and they get tons of compliments on how adorable they are. Plus, with all of the back-to-school supplies and commercials, it’s nice to soak up a little more summer with a cute summery craft.

Be sure to hop on over to Jen’s blog for her DIY headband instructions!

To learn a little more about Jen, here are some fun facts:

If you could join any past or current music group which would you want to join? Not Justin Bieber’s posse. Other than that, I would pretty much be up for anything else.

If you could master one skill you don’t have right now, what would it be? I would like to have Ninja skills. That way I could threaten to use my ninja skills if the kids didn’t get into the car fast enough.

Every summer Monday and Thursday we are sharing DIY inspiration from 10 awesome crafty bloggers. We’ve shared some great DIY projects so far and have a lot more coming!

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

From Play Dates to Parties
JENerally Informed
Hey Fitzy
Dazzle While Frazzled
Just Measuring Up
Health, Home, and Heart
Crafting a Family
A Purdy Little House
Confessions of a Mommyaholic
The No Pressure Life
Flourish and Knot

If you missed any of our Summer Blog Hop posts, they are listed below! Remember to come back on Thursday for more DIY inspiration.

How to Creatively Organize Kids Rooms

July 27, 2017 by Eileen

This summer, I’ve slowly been making my way through the house trying to more efficiently organize. Ash and I are all about trying to more efficiently organize things – from the CD rack we installed in our pantry to our sliding garage shelves to most recently emptying an entire closet by utilizing wall space.

We love getting the most out of the space we have – and we always attempt to keep things neater for longer when everything has a place.

That’s why we LOVE the DIY post we are sharing today – from our friend Amy over at Health, Home, and Heart. She recently made over a sweet toddler girl room, and her kids room organization tips are stellar! I love hearing other people’s ideas and tips because it provides more inspiration for keeping our own home organized.

Amy has some awesome ideas for hair bow holders, shoe containers, and toy storage. Isn’t the room just gorgeous?!

Be sure to hop on over to Amy’s blog for her room organization tips!

To learn a little more about Amy, here are some fun facts:

What is one thing you will never do again? Pierce my tongue. Ha! Yes, I actually got the crazy notion to do this in college, and it didn’t go so well…

If you could bring one fictional character to life, who would it be and why? Harry Potter. I think it would be a blast to hang out with him and have fun with all of his wizarding tricks.

Every summer Monday and Thursday we are sharing DIY inspiration from 10 awesome crafty bloggers. We’ve shared some great DIY projects so far and have a lot more coming!

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

If you missed any of our Summer Blog Hop posts, they are listed below! Remember to come back on Monday for more DIY inspiration.

Easy Pasta Recipe for Quick Summer Night Meals

July 24, 2017 by Eileen

I’m absolutely beside myself that it’s already the end of July! How do the winter months go so slow, but the summer months go so fast?! I feel like I’ve barely put a dent in my to do list this summer. But hey, that’s more motivation to make the most of the next few weeks.

We are about halfway through our Summer Blog Hop, which has been a collaboration that we are doing with other bloggers to bring you awesome DIY inspiration all summer long. It runs until the end of August, so we have lots more coming!

If you are a little behind with your to do list too, save some time with this easy pasta recipe that our friend Tammy over at Hey Fitzy is sharing today. Her recipe for a light and easy pasta is the perfect summer dinner. It’s quick to make and calls for fresh ingredients, including garlic and olive oil.

If you don’t eat gluten, like our family, we are loving this red lentil pasta. It’s a combination of lentil flour and brown rice – and it tastes just like regular pasta. 🙂

Be sure to hop on over to Tammy’s blog for her easy pasta recipe!

To learn a little more about Tammy, here are some fun facts:

What was your first job? Cleaned tables at a local restaurant.

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep? Kiss my hubby!

Every summer Monday and Thursday we are sharing DIY inspiration from 10 awesome crafty bloggers. We’ve shared some great DIY projects so far and have a lot more coming!

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

If you missed any of our Summer Blog Hop posts, they are listed below! Remember to come back on Thursday for more DIY inspiration.

How to Make an Amazing DIY Lamp from Anything

July 23, 2017 by Eileen 49 Comments

I love when inspiration strikes – especially when it makes for an awesome DIY project.

When we put my grandma’s house on the market, we did a ton of cleaning, emptying, selling, and donating.

One of the last things left was a homemade fishing lamp that was set aside for my uncle who enjoyed fishing. He wasn’t interested in the lamp, so on closing day, my dad grabbed the lamp on his way out of the door. It was the very last item left.

That’s when the inspiration came.

My dad does not fish – however, he is a model train collector, and he noticed that the base of the lamp would perfectly fit one of his trains.

So, he repurposed the old fisherman’s lamp into a train lamp, rewiring it with a three-way light switch that toggles the main lamp light as well as a train cabin light.

How cool is that?!

My dad’s friends loved his repurposed lamp so much that my dad decided to make one from scratch for his friend’s birthday.

How to Make a Lamp

Today, we are sharing how to make this amazing DIY lamp. Ash made the base, and my dad did the rest. For clarity, we’ll state all the directions in first person point of view. Without further ado, here are all of the details on how you can make a DIY lamp too.

You can use any item or model that you’d like 🙂

DIY Lamp Materials

Model for lamp
Piece of 2 x 10 for base
2 x 1 ¼ wood for lamp pole
Electrical lamp components (3 way 2-circuit socket switch and threaded lamp pipe)
Lamp wiring, shade and bulbs

How to Make the Base of the DIY Lamp

First I started with the base of this DIY lamp. It is 15 ½” by 9.” Depending upon what model that you are putting on the lamp, it can be larger or smaller. I used a train that was nearly 12″ long so these measurements worked out perfectly.

To make the base, I started with a rectangular block of scrap wood (cut from a 2×10 board). My plan was to shape it into an oval, route a groove around the top perimeter and sand it smooth.

To get a perfect oval, I used the computer. I created an oval in software, printed it and laid the cutout on the scrap wood. I then outlined the cutout with a pencil.

With a perfect oval outline on the wood, I made a rough cut with the jigsaw. Then, I used an orbital sander to smooth the edges.

When I was happy with the result, I used my plunge router with a quarter round bit and cut a groove around the edge to give the oval a professional touch.

To finish the base, I used the orbital sander once again to smooth the flat surfaces.

Here is the completed base:

How to Make the Lamp Pole

Next was the lamp pole. The pole was 2 1/2″ by 1 1/2″ by 8 1/4″ high upright. So, 2″ by 1 ¼ ” wood could be used. When choosing your model to go on the base, keep in mind the height of the pole, as it might need to be greater to allow room above the model and below the shade in order to reach lamp switch.

First, mark the center of each end of the upright wood pole. Then carefully drill from both ends. Use a level, so that holes drilled closely align in the middle.

A small round file is helpful if the holes do not align.

I used 3/8″ drill, as it perfectly allowed for a standard threaded lamp pipe to fit snugly in the hole.

Here’s the threaded lamp pipe inserted into the pole.

Applying Finish

After that, stain and then polyurethane both pieces of wood. I did two coats of stain on the base and it was perfect.

I let the stain, and then polyurethane each dry overnight.

Additional Lamp Pole Work

Returning to the lamp pole, on the side that is to be the back of the lamp, I drilled a 5/16 hole. This hole was made at a 45 degree angle about 1” from the bottom. I drilled until it connected with the existing ⅜ hole.

Then, on the front side of the pole, drill a very similar hole, about 2″ from the bottom.

Here’s one of the 45 degree holes I made:

Assembling the Electrical Parts

Next, I threaded the electrical lamp cord (stranded) into both holes until there are a few inches of each above the top end of the wood.

Next, I aligned the electrical lamp components.

Note that the socket has to be the type with a three-way switch. This way it will work both it’s own socket and a remote one sequentially.

The spacer and the socket bottom will thread into the threaded lamp piece that will be inserted into the wood.

Attaching the Lamp Pole

Once that is done, I centered the upright wooden lamp pole at the rear of the base.

Then, trace the outline with a pencil. Divide that shape in two, and locate the center of each of the two halves.

Afterward, drill pilot holes through the base at those spots.

Next, turn the base over, and enlarge the holes. However, they should be a diameter less than that of the screws to be used. So, use a countersink drill bit so that the wood screw heads will be recessed.

Then, insert the screws until they protrude slightly from the top side.

Afterward, set the post in position so that the screw tips mark the underside of the post where the screws will enter the bottom of that post.

Next, drill screw holes in bottom of the post where marked, and hold the two pieces of wood together tightly while screws are tightened.

I used 2 1/2″ wood screws due to thickness of the base. If post is not level due to any warp in the base, insert a shim under the post or remove post and trim its bottom surface.

Assembling the Lamp Parts

Next, you want to very carefully read the instructions that came with the socket.

With both wires extended through the threaded lamp pipe and the socket base, push the pipe down into the wood base. If it doesn’t fit tightly, put some wood glue on the threads first.

Next, very neatly wire the socket exactly as the instructions state, noting which wire will go to the wall outlet and which to the model.

After, put the metal cover on the socket, and slowly pull the excess wires at both small holes at the base of the posts.

Then, I snapped the socket cover into its base. Make sure that the lamp switch is to the right side.

Customizing the Model

Next, I disassembled the model I was building into the lamp. I used the mounting holes in the small socket as a template for drilling holes in the floor of the model for screws to attach the socket.

Also, I drilled a hole for the electrical wire to enter the model.

With the small socket attached to the model with screws, washers, and nuts, use a pair of 5″ or longer twist ties to securely fasten the model’s axles to the rear rail of the track.

Next, I installed the small frosted light bulb into model’s socket. You could also consider taping thin yellow plastic sheet pieces over the insides of the model’s windows to dim glare.

Finishing the Lamp

After, install the lamp cord plug for wall outlet, allowing about 6′ of cord.

Then, reassemble the model, adding the lamp shade and a standard light bulb.

Here is the finished DIY lamp, featuring a model train.

Here is the finished DIY lamp along with the repurposed lamp that was previously a fishing lamp. Not bad, right?! The best part is that now that you know how to make a DIY lamp – you can make one with any kind of model. The sky’s the limit!

Making Homemade Popsicles for a Summertime Treat

July 20, 2017 by Eileen

With summer in full swing, we LOVE making homemade summertime treats. One of our favorites is homemade popsicles – they’re fun to make and kids love them!

Last summer, my Aunt gave us an awesome popsicle-maker that freezers popsicles in minutes! It’s great because you can use whatever ingredients you like and avoid all of the frozen stuff in the supermarket.

Today for our Summer Blog Hop, a collaboration that we are doing with other DIY bloggers, our friend Janine over at Confessions of a Mommyaholic is sharing a fun recipe for homemade popsicles with gummy bears. It calls for only a few ingredients and makes for a fun, colorful treat that her kids love.

Be sure to hop on over to Janine’s blog for her watermelon mojito drink recipes!

To learn a little more about Janine, here are some fun facts:

If you could change any of your physical attributes, what would it be? When I was younger I would have said a smaller nose. But I inherited my nose from my grandfather, who I grew up so very close with. So even though he is long gone, having passed on in 1999 this small part of him lives on with me.

Did you love or hate school when you were a kid? I loved school so much that I wanted to become a teacher when I grew up.

If you are just joining us for our Summer Blog Hop, every summer Monday and Thursday we are sharing DIY inspiration from 10 awesome crafty bloggers. We’ve shared some great DIY projects so far and have a lot more coming!

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

If you missed any of our Summer Blog Hop posts, they are listed below! Remember to come back on Monday for more DIY inspiration.

Refreshing Watermelon Drink Recipes

July 17, 2017 by Eileen

We finally joined our crop share (a little late this year) and have been loving all of the fresh fruit and veggies. One of the things we love about this farm is that they include fruits, and not just vegetables, in their share baskets. So, we have been enjoying fresh blueberries and strawberries – and their melon has been amazing.

Seriously, there is nothing better than fresh fruit in the summertime. One of my favorite things is to juice fresh fruit – especially oranges and watermelon. So, when I saw my friend Sue from A Purdy Little House was sharing her watermelon drinks recipes for our Summer Blog Hop today, I was super excited.

On her blog, she is sharing watermelon mojito recipes – an alcoholic and non-alcholic version. The drinks look amazing and are garnished beautifully.

Be sure to hop on over to Sue’s blog for her watermelon mojito drink recipes!

To learn a little more about Sue, here are some fun facts:

What was your favorite food when you were a child? Strawberry shortcake.

What story does your family always tell about you? OMG! So, one time when I was about 8 or 9, I opened up some of my christmas gifts. I then tried to re-wrap them, but did a terrible job, so my mother realized what I had done. It was literally 3-4 presents that I opened and re-wrapped, but my mother tells EVERYONE that EVERY year I opened ALL my gifts, blah blah blah. It sucks because it was literally only that one time, but not the way she tells it.

I hear ya, Sue! My family seems to tell stories differently than I remember them too 🙂

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

If you missed any of our Summer Blog Hop posts, they are listed below! Remember to come back on Thursday for more DIY inspiration.

Beach Printables for Summertime Decor

July 13, 2017 by Eileen

We are in the midst of a heatwave over here – it’s hot, muggy, humid, and I’m trying to spend as much time as I can indoors – blasting the air conditioning. A better idea would be to head to the beach, as it’s perfect beach weather.

Today for our Summer Blog Hop, our friend Victoria at Dazzled While Frazzled is sharing her love and her printables for the beach. She created gorgeous summertime beach printables that she’s giving away on her blog that capture the true essence of beach season in the summertime.

Victoria used these summertime beach printables to create a seasonal gallery and even gives a few tips on how to create a theme wall. I LOVE her ideas – especially the baking tray one. Head on over to her blog to check out the printables and tips.

Be sure to hop on over to Victoria’s blog for her summer printables!

Here are some fun facts about Victoria:

Who is the most intelligent person you know? My husband is pretty street smart and has a great way of dealing with people. I admire his ease of making conversation with anyone and remaining calm in the face of *junk*.

If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future? I’d love to go back to the Roaring ‘40s. I absolutely love how the women dressed.

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

If you missed any of our Summer Blog Hop posts, they are listed below! Remember to come back on Monday for more DIY inspiration.

How to Plan a Kid-Friendly Picnic in Your Backyard

July 10, 2017 by Eileen 3 Comments

There’s nothing better than the lazy days of summer. We’ve had a lot of cool mornings and evenings here, which we love to spend enjoying the outdoors.

Speaking of outdoors, our friend Susan at Crafting a Family is sharing an awesome post today for our Summer Blog Hop about how to have a kid-friendly picnic in your backyard.

From fun picnic recipes to DIY placemats, Susan details exactly how to throw an amazing backyard picnic for kids. Before the summer gets away from us, we’ll definitely be planning a backyard picnic. It’s an easy summer bucket list item that kids just love 🙂

Susan even shares free printables to make a cute summer banner for your backyard picnic.

Be sure to hop on over to Susan’s blog for her kid-friendly picnic recipes and printables!

Here are some fun facts about Susan:

Why did you start blogging? I started blogging to share my and our family recipes and crafts with my two older girls who are on their own and now cooking and crafting with their family and friends. I soon found out what fun blogging is and how I enjoy connecting with other bloggers and moms.

What is something you learned in the last week? This past week I have been learning how to improve my blog’s SEO.

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

If you missed any of our Summer Blog Hop posts, they are listed below! Remember to come back on Thursday for more DIY inspiration.

Easy Corn Cake Recipe (Traditional Huminta)

July 3, 2017 by Eileen

Happy 4th of July, friends! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend. If you are still looking for a great barbecue recipe for tomorrow, impress your friends with this corn cake recipe – a South American traditional corn bread.

As part of our Summer Blog Hop, our friend Leslie, over at From Playdates to Parties is sharing her family recipe for Bolivian Cornbread (or Huminta) that is both meaningful and looks amazing. The ingredients may surprise you – but the taste will leave you wanting more.

I love when Leslie shares recipes because she not only details the instructions, but she gives notes and tips of what has worked for her – and what hasn’t. It’s perfect for people like me – whose cooking always seems to be trial and error 🙂

Leslie also shares a little background about the traditional corn cake recipe – and how it came to be a staple in their family.

Be sure to hop on over to Leslie’s blog for the Huminta recipe!

Here are some fun facts about Leslie:

What is your favorite social media platform, and why? Pinterest is where I go to find things, but lately I’ve been loving Instagram for finding new people.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Try to go back to sleep.

And, if you are just joining us, twice a week for the entire summer we are sharing awesome DIY posts from some very talented bloggers. We have DIY projects, crafty tutorials, kids activities, free printables, and recipes. So much fun, right?!

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

If you missed any of our Summer Blog Hop posts, they are listed below! Remember to come back on Thursday for more DIY inspiration – and up next is us! We’ll be featuring our new craft room debut 🙂 It’s a good one!

The Secret to Organizing Home Projects & Repairs – Free Printables

June 29, 2017 by Eileen 48 Comments

While in the paint store the other day, a lady looked at my samples and said to me with a smile, “Choosing a paint color is more difficult than buying a car.”

I laughed, looking down at my dozens of shades of blues and greens.

I was sitting in the paint store with my toddler (who behaves perfectly when he gets to choose his own paint chip at the end) looking through samples of whites and greens, in an attempt to choose colors for my parents’ living and dining room.

Also in hand, I had a sample of the flooring we were putting in, and I was trying to envision the white chair rail running through the dining room. It was a little overwhelming!

You see, my sister decided to redo my parents living room and dining room while they were on vacation, so we were making all of the remodeling choices, leaving my desk looking like this:

Rather than dumping all the paint chips and floor samples in a drawer, I wanted to have everything organized for my parents – so they could see the exact paint colors and flooring sample we used, for their own reference. Thus, my DIY home improvement printables were born!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place to store your paint chips and room samples along with notes on the work you did or had done in your home? Heck yeah! And, I needed this organization for my own home too.

Keep Your Home Improvement Efforts Organized

I created these free DIY home improvement printables that I used for my parents house as well as my home – to store all of the home improvement updates in one, easy-to-access place.

Not only will the home improvement printables keep a reference of paint colors and floor samples, but it serves as a record for all of your house projects and repairs. I divided the worksheets into three categories – interior, exterior, and appliances.

You can keep a log of the home improvement work you or your contractor completed by room (including walls, floors, cabinets, countertops). This serves as your paint color reference too.

You can keep your exterior work organized (tree work, siding, roof, etc), and appliance maintenance (including when they were serviced/replaced and contractor information). The DIY home improvement printables keep all of these records organized in one place.

Also, you can download all of the worksheets in one download, or you can download just the pages you need, but these printables will have you organized in no time!

Simply hole punch them or put the printables in a sheet protector and place them in a binder, according to section. You can also keep contractor receipts and records, stored behind the log of the work done.

No more digging through file folders looking for the contractor that installed your fans. No more searching the garage for that leftover can of paint that may or may not exist.

And, the best part?

Down the road, when you go to put your house on the market, you can leave out the bound home improvement printables for your showings. It will show prospective buyers that you took great care of your home and are leaving them with information that goes above and beyond.

With all of the time you spend updating your home – choosing paint colors, installing new flooring, researching contractors, you owe it to yourself to keep all of this home improvement information in one easy-to-find place.

All of your home improvement updates, records, and files can be placed in this binder, in an organized, seamless fashion.

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Eileen

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

How to Make a Lamp

DIY Lamp Materials

How to Make the Base of the DIY Lamp

How to Make the Lamp Pole

Applying Finish

Additional Lamp Pole Work

Assembling the Electrical Parts

Attaching the Lamp Pole

Assembling the Lamp Parts

Customizing the Model

Finishing the Lamp

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

Keep Your Home Improvement Efforts Organized

And, the best part?