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Eileen

How to Create a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle

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My sister is sharing a cute little craft puzzle that she gave our little guy. Not just a puzzle, it had a sweet request for her upcoming wedding. Below she shares the details so you can make your own 🙂

I love a good excuse for crafting. With my busy schedule, I feel like I never have a reason to make fun things. So when an opportunity arises, I jump on it.

I recently got engaged to be married, and I could not pass up the opportunity to make some sentimental gifts for my immediate family members, who have always known they’d be included in our wedding.

Backtracking a few years, Eileen and Ash decided to announce their first pregnancy with a surprise photo puzzle. We all love puzzles and thought nothing of being given a puzzle to complete.

Totally clueless, we worked on the puzzle and were completely surprised and excited when we figured out it was a pregnancy announcement for our sweet little nephew.

Fast forward to present day, our nephew just loves completing jigsaw puzzles. He assembles 100-piece puzzles with ease and a lot of excitement, shocking the adults around him. If the puzzle has numbers or letters, he recites each, one-by-one.

It’s endearing and sweet and helped us decide exactly what we wanted to do to ask him to be our ring bearer – with a custom jigsaw puzzle!

Make a custom puzzle with a message

How to Make a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle

I looked at various DIY puzzle products and wandered around the craft store for quite some time to decide on the best materials.

Then I found a pack of 9 plain, wooden puzzle pieces that were 2.5 inches – ready to decorate!

I grabbed two just in case and went looking for some letter stickers.

I decided on stickers from the scrapbooking section, about 1.25″ in height, in a very dark navy blue so they would be in a good contrast with whatever I decided to paint behind the letters.

Materials

  • Wooden puzzle
  • Acrylic Paints
  • Alphabet Stickers – like these
  • Xacto Knife
  • Sand paper
  • Paint brush
  • Scissors

How to Make a Custom Puzzle with a Cute Message

Planning the Wedding Message

I anxiously assembled the puzzle pieces and was pleasantly surprised at how well they fit together out of the package. A few were snug but I knew I wanted to sand them down to be safer for my nephew’s hands.

I also couldn’t wait to test out the letters, so I cut out each letter of our intended message to place over the square puzzle before getting the sandpaper.

The three rows of pieces easily fit:

Will you

be our

RING

bearer?

I ran out of lowercase Rs, but I improvised.

Cute Gift Ideas for Wedding Party

As awesome as I thought it looked, it was really missing the personalization of all of our names!

Then I remembered I got a second set and I could easily add one more row of pieces.

So, I combined the two sets to make a larger puzzle.

Sanding the Rough Edges

These new pieces were not as easy to fit with the rest, but I was ready to get sanding!

I grabbed a sheet of sandpaper and smoothed each side and divet until each piece fit well with its adjacent piece and made sure each pair worked well whichever one was placed in on top.

Painting the Puzzle Background

While working on the letters, I decided to paint a landscape of a grassy hill on the pieces, just like our ceremony venue! I gathered my painting supplies and assembled the now 12-piece puzzle on a few layers of newspaper.

Then, I painted a cartoonish outdoor scene with colors overlapping the puzzle pieces so each looked unique.

I made sure to paint lightly to avoid getting excess paint in between the pieces. It was quick-drying acrylic paint, but I let it dry overnight before placing the stickers.

Next, I took the pieces apart and sanded some of the pieces again as needed for one final run before placing the stickers.

I cut more of the excess white off the back of each sticker for a better idea of the background before calling it a finished picture.

Attaching the Letters

Ready to go, I grabbed a book slightly larger than the puzzle for easy transport later. Then I pulled off the backing of the first letter and not entirely to my surprise, the outline was much thicker than I thought.

I immediately pushed all of the letters closer to the center of their row then placed the first letter more to the right than planned.

Make a custom gift puzzle for kids

After adding the letters, I placed another hardcover book on top and put the two books on a table puzzle-side down. For good measure, I added another stack of books on top and let it sit overnight.

Making the Puzzle Piece Letter Cuts

Next, I grabbed an x-acto knife to carefully slice the stickers between puzzle pieces. This was a daunting task, but I was very happy at the level of sanding I had done.

I originally thought I would have to turn the puzzle over and run through each, but it was not necessary!

Making a customized puzzle craft

(first row omitted from pic)

To secure it once more, I put the pieces unassembled under a stack of books again. I left it for a day while I decided how to box up these pieces!

How to Make a Custom Jigsaw Puzzle - Perfect for kids

If you’re looking for a unique gift idea for your wedding (like us) or just a simple craft to make for the kids, these custom-made jigsaw puzzles are cute as can be and very simple to make 🙂

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

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This Christmas I haven’t done any projects with the nativity scene, which is what Christmas is all about. So of course, I wanted to incorporate a nativity scene into my holiday DIY this week.

This week is the conclusion of our holiday blog hop – Deck the Home, which is a five-week series of amazing Christmas DIY projects of the home. Hundreds of projects have been shared by 25 very talented DIY bloggers. Be sure to scroll to the end of the post to check out everyone’s home decor. And even though the hop is ending, we have quite a few weeks before Christmas, giving you plenty of time to work on some of your favorites.

So back to the nativity scene project. I wanted to create a giant nativity scene for the yard, but my hubby insisted on a simple reindeer and Santa sleigh instead. Since it was the last week of the hop, it was final chance to incorporate the nativity.
I had also been wanting to try DIY string art because I’ve seen so many cool designs. Therefore, I decided to try my hand at creating a DIY string art nativity scene.

Nativity scene string art on wood

How to Make a String Art Nativity Scene

Here are the steps I took to create the DIY string art nativity scene. Since this was my first time doing string art, I hope you find all the string art tips and tricks for beginners helpful.

Tools and Materials for DIY String Art Nativity

White DIY string art nativity scene on wooden board

Nativity scene with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and the star on a wooden board

Drawing the Nativity Template

First, I drew the nativity scene on a piece of card stock. I figured the 8.5×11 paper was about the size that I wanted the nativity. You could draw the design out yourself or you could use the one I drew.

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Nativity scene homemade drawing on paper

Marking the Nail Holes

The next thing I did on my DIY string art project was I marked my nail holes with a black pen. You want your nails to be about 3/4″ apart. The more consistent, the better because then you can make more even/symmetrical patterns. In fact, you could even use a spacer (grab a drinking straw and cut it down to 3/4″) to be consistent.

In Hindsight: Some of my nails were marked way too close. I did this to try to get the curves of Mary and Joseph and a tight outline of the manger. But it makes your string harder to tie – and the pattern more confusing to follow.

Also, I ended up leaving the hand off of  Mary because there wasn’t enough space in between her and baby Jesus to give a nice outline. When you are drawing and marking your nail holes, be sure to have a nice clean outline of your shapes or people.

Marking the nail holes on the nativity scene string art sketch

Tapping the Nail Holes

After I marked the nail holes, I taped my picture to a piece of wood. Then I took one nail and started tapping it through the paper into the wood, to mark the hole.

I used the same nail and continued to do this for all of the holes.

Marking the nail holes on wood for the nativity scene string art piece

When I removed the paper, I had each of my holes marked for the string art.

Nail holes marked on wooden board for nativity scene string art

If you look at the below picture, you will see that my holes are marked too closely between Mary and baby Jesus. Again, you want to make sure that each area has a clean outline. It shouldn’t be hard to decipher, like this part.

Marking the holes in the wood for the nativity scene string art

Trimming the Wood to Size

Next, I used my table saw to trim off the top of the wood. I sanded down this side and any rough areas too.

Wooden string art project ready to start stringing

Stain the Wood

After my nativity scene pattern was on and my wood was trimmed, it was time to stain the wood. I used a homemade natural stain for this – which I absolutely love.

Hammering in the Nails

After the stain on the nativity scene dried, I then hammered in all of the nails into the wood. It took about a little over 100 nails. Here are the results:

Hammering silver nails on the wooden board for DIY string art nativity scene gift

Nailing into the string art board for DIY string art project

Wrapping the String

I did a lot of research to learn how to wrap the string around the nails to create beautiful string art. However, everybody the same thing – there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Although true, I like a little more guidance than that, so here are my DIY string art tips for beginners:

First Things First

  • Decide you want to use the positive space or the negative space. I went with the negative space – which means instead of filling Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the star, etc in with string, I left them blank. Instead I filled the space around them with the string. When you are thinking about positive and negative space, think of using a cookie cutter in dough. The actual cook is the positive space and the scraps around where the cookie cutter went are the negative space.
  • Take your string and start in a corner. Wrap your string around the nail and tie it a couple of times. Be sure to leave a tail on your string so you can hide it later.
  • If you are starting with a busy scene or design, such as this nativity scene, then start with an outline of your scene. It will help you see your pattern and go from there. Here I am using my pattern to making an outline with my string.
Wrapping string around nails in a wooden board to create DIY string art nativity scene
Here is the finished outline of the nativity string art. I’m sorry for poor pictures – I get most of my projects done at night when the kids are sleeping. 🙂
Making an outline with string for the DIY string art project nativity scene.

How to Wrap the String

  • To wrap your string, you can use a variety of different ways.
    • You can weave the string around the nail holes in an almost zig-zag pattern – like if you were running an obstacle course lined with cones.
    • You can wrap the string around each nail hole in a loop. This is good for keeping a straight line or for anchoring your string once in a while.
    • You can make patterns – such as lines coming out from one point, zig zags back and forth, or up and down hills with the string, making almost triangular mountains.

Basically, you can wrap your string any way you want it.

  • Once you have your outline, bring your string over to where you want to start “filling in” the nativity scene.
  • To bring back your string, you just keep wrapping it or weaving it around the nails until you are in the desired place.
  • Then, start “filling in” the nativity scene using one of the ways above – or using your own way to wrap the string.
  • Be careful not to cross the string over any areas you don’t want filled in. I did that waaaaay too many times.

Below is a picture of me starting to do a zig-zag pattern with the string art, working my way around the picture.

Wrapping string around nails to create nativity scene string art project

You’ll keep wrapping your string and filling in your picture until you are content with it. I used a ton of string and kept wrapping and weaving in all sorts of patterns to get a filled in look. Using string and nails to create a beautiful string art nativity scene Finishing up wrapping the string around the nails on the DIY nativity scene string art project

More String Art Tips

  • If you feel like you are losing the shape of any of the things in your  nativity scene, then work your string to the point and outline it with the string again. To do this, just work your string around the perimeter of your shape. I did this with the star – I had so much string everywhere and I had only outlined the star once, that I felt that the star got lost.Then, I just worked my way around its perimeter again and again until I was happy with how it looked. I also went around the perimeter of the stable a few times too, to give it a nice clean outline.

Placing the finishing touches on the nativity scene DIY string art project

Finishing your DIY String Art

  • Once you are satisfied with your string art scene, then bring your string back to your starting point. (Do this by weaving or wrapping it until you are in the desired place).
  • Then, take your ends and tie them together.
  • With the tails, you can either weave them through your string art (easiest way is by using an embroidery needle). Or you can just hide it underneath.
  • Tying the ends of the DIY string art as the final touch

Here is my finished string art nativity scene. Not bad for my first time with string art!?

DIY nativity scene string art on wood held in front of colorful Christmas tree

Here is a close-up of the star:

String art nativity star in white on a wooden board

White string art nativity scene on wooden board

Time and Cost

It was a little time-consuming to hammer all the nails and to wrap the strings. However, wrapping the string was very therapeutic. Like doing a puzzle or coloring. Of course, you had to pay attention to your outlines – but overall it was a very calming activity.

As far as total time, I would say maybe about 3-4 hours total. The cost for me was just the string, which I bought for a buck or two. The nails and wood we had – and I made the stain with ingredients from my pantry.

Also, factor in whether you are going to add hanging hardware to back. I think I’ll keep ours leaning on the wall.

If you are looking for a fun, calming holiday DIY project that you can decorate your home with or give as a gift, definitely try string art. There’s no fancy skills involved!

Just you and some string 🙂

DIY nativity scene string art with pinecones and twinkle lights

That’s it for our holiday Deck the Home DIY projects. If you missed any, check out all of the 2018 Deck the Home holiday projects.

DIY string art nativity scene on wood

8 DIY Gifts that You Can Easily Make

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Hands down, the holidays are my favorite time of year. Growing up, my sisters and I loved making creative DIY Christmas gifts for our family members.

I remember painting small scrap wood blocks to make buildings for my dad’s hobby train setup. I drew signs on each of the buildings and stores, naming them after our family, such as Momma’s Art Studio and Bridget’s Bakery.

More than 20 years later, my dad still has these little buildings.

Years ago, I made everyone in my family crocheted scarves handpicking the yarn and style for each person. This past weekend, my mother-in-law was visiting and was delightfully wearing the cranberry red scarf I made her so long ago.

That’s the thing about homemade presents – they become such cherished gifts. So much more thought and time goes into them that they really do become treasured.

8 Creative DIY Christmas Gifts

So today I’m sharing 8 DIY gifts that you can easily make this holiday season – along with a homemaking bundle that you and your family members will love. These can be easy homemade gifts for friends or family or even kids.

Creative DIY Christmas Gifts for Anyone

Homemade Lamp from Anything

Did you know that you can make a lamp from anything? This DIY lamp was made using a model train! How cool is that?!

The idea came from an old fisherman’s lamp that my dad repurposed into a lamp that he would enjoy. His train-collecting friend loved it so much that my dad made another one from scratch. It was simple to make – and we have really thorough, easy-to-follow instructions here.

If you have someone in your family that’s difficult to shop for, think about their hobbies, and turn one of their interests into a cool lamp. This is a perfect homemade gift for friends or family members.

How to Make a DIY Lamp from Anything

Gorgeous Canvas Wall Art

If you are looking for an easy DIY gift that looks store-bought but has creative charm, make these homemade canvases.

First, find some cool wall stickers (we love the wall stickers from My Wonderful Walls). Then, paint a few canvases. Let them dry and then apply the stickers. You can also adorn them with washi tape or letter stickers – the possibilities are endless.

I made the ones below for my toddler’s big boy room. I included the letter stickers in an effort to get him to start spelling his favorite vehicles. 🙂

We have a full tutorial here – along with links to the products we used.

With this easy DIY gift, you’ll have beautiful wall art in a matter of minutes. These are great creative Christmas gifts that kids can make for mom or dad – or that gifts that siblings can make for each other. It’s also a great gift idea for craft lovers to make.

Using Wall Stickers to Create Cool Wall Art

Themed Homemade Gift Basket Ideas

One thing people love is a thoughtful gift. And, giving homemade gift baskets enables you to be so creative and thoughtful.

But I’m not referring to the premade gift baskets that you buy online or from the stores. I’m talking about one that’s hand-picked and made with your recipient in mind.

Homemade gift baskets are without a doubt my favorite gifts to give – I love everything from picking out the basket to finding creative gift ideas to put inside.

I have so many gift basket ideas on our blog – from an ice cream sundae gift to a cookie decorating gift basket.

Heck, I even made a huge list of all types of items to include in themed gift baskets. From “gift baskets for mommas” to “gift baskets for practical people,” check out the full gift basket list here.

These are easy and creative DIY Christmas gifts to make, and you’ll definitely find something for every person on your list. As an added bonus, your friends and family will love the thought that you put into this easy DIY gift. It’s a simple homemade gift idea that always goes over well.   200+ Gift Basket Ideas that aren't junk

Easy Picture Ledge from Scrap Wood

Who loves photos?! And who would love to not make a million nail holes in their walls?! These picture ledges are perfect for those on your list that cherish photographs and would love an easier way to display them.

If you have the right tools, they take just an hour to make and they look amazingly elegant.

We have the step-by-step instructions here. And, did I mention that the cost was less than $10?!

This creative gift idea could be paired with some pretty frames or gorgeous photos or a photography gift card. Or, the standalone shelves are a perfect Christmas gift too. Easy DIY gifts are simply the best 🙂

Thoughtful, Themed Photo Book Ideas

Speaking of those who love photos, we have a gift that we love to give in my family – photo books. But not just any photo book. We love making our books personal by pairing pictures with funny or special sayings.

You see, for my mom’s 60th, we made her a book with pictures all throughout her life paired with cliches and common sayings she frequently utters. For my sister’s 30th, we made a book of pictures from her life paired with hilarious Seinfeld quotes (her favorite TV show).

And, for my in-laws who have lived in a few different countries, we paired pictures from their life with sayings from those countries. To see these books, check them out here.

You can make these books scrapbook style (pictured below), or you can make them with a photo site, such as Walgreens. We’ve done both, and they both turn out awesome.

I can’t even express how much our friends and family have loved these books. The extra thought has made the books something they cherish.

Not to mention photo books are extremely reasonably priced, and they are one of the easiest DIY gifts to make. Using sayings or quotations makes it a creative gift too – that’s always so appreciated. These easy homemade gifts are perfect gifts for parents, grandparents, and significant others.

These photo books make for the perfect homemade gift!

Stenciled Wall Art

This gorgeous world map was DIYed with just a wood canvas, a stencil, and acrylic paint. Just choose a stencil and you can make a pretty piece just like this one. It’s a really thrift gift because something like this would cost a pretty penny in the stores.

Easy DIY wall art of the world map

DIY Finger Puppets

If you’re searching for an easy DIY gift for kids, these super cute, no-sew finger puppets are made from card stock and felt.

My toddler has a blast playing with these. He loves singing the Finger Family Song, so these finger puppets certainly made his day.

You only need a few materials – including a hot glue gun, and in less than an hour, you can churn out these cute little finger puppets for the little ones that you love.

These are perfect for a homemade gift for kids, or they make for a great gift that kids could make too! They are simply one of the easiest and most creative DIY Christmas gifts to give.

Perfect Homemade Gift for Kids

Homemade Hopscotch Mat

This diy hopscotch mat is simply adorable and so easy to make. It’s a perfect creative DIY Christmas gift for kids. It’s another felt, no-sew project that you can complete in an hour. The mat is perfect for indoor or outdoor hopscotch as well as the perfect reading mat for kids.

We have one of these for outside, and my kids loved it so much that we have one inside too. It’s my toddler’s favorite reading spot 🙂

I even have free printable letters for you to download – to make the tracing easy.

This easy DIY gift idea is perfect for kids – or it’s so simple that kids could help make it for others too!

How to Make a Homemade Hopscotch Mat

These 8 creative DIY Christmas gifts certainly are very simple to make and in my experience are always so appreciated! They are definitely some of my favorite gifts to make.

With these easy homemade gift ideas, you can make someone’s day with the extra thought and creativity you put into their gift this year. Not to mention, you can definitely stay on budget by saving with these thrifty ideas that make for easy DIY gifts.

In years to come, I’m sure your friends and family will treasure the homemade gifts you made, just as my dad still has his scrap wood train buildings 🙂

Black Friday Deals for DIY and Craft Lovers

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When I was a kid, Black Friday was one of my favorite days. I loved getting up early and shopping before the sun came up.

I loved all of the freebies that the stores were giving away – even if I had no use for them (how many of those Disney J.C. Penney ornaments can one collect over the years?).

And, I loved the time my sisters and I spent together shopping.

Even though everything is online now, I still love grabbing a newspaper on Thanksgiving and looking through all of the store ads.

However, I have to say that I do most of my Black Friday shopping online. The deals are incredible and you can start shopping after Thanksgiving dinner 🙂

With Amazon being one of my absolute favorites, I have put together a list of Amazon Black Friday Deals for DIY and Craft lovers. It’s organized according to when the deal goes live.

And, I’ll be updating it frequently. Please note that you do have to be a Prime Member to get these deals.

Best Black Friday Deals for DIYers and Crafters

Craft Deals

DIY Deals

Home & Organization

I’ll keep adding to the list over the weekend as I find more great deals! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

8 Organization Mistakes You’re Making (and How to Fix Them Now)

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8 Organization Mistakes You’re Making (and How to Fix Them) Post Preview: Tired of coming home to a disorganized house? Check out these DIY organization tips and ideas for the home, and you’ll have an organized home in no time. Ideas such as wire closet racks, cubby storage, wall storage, kids storage and more are discussed.

With my eyes half open, I sluggishly got out of bed. Making my way across the room, I lost my balance on a toy car that wasn’t put away.

After a loud sigh, I scooped it up along with a few other toys and dumped them in the corner. I head to the closet to grab a towel, where I am greeted by a completely disheveled mountain of linens.

Room after room, the story was the same. The closets were overflowing, toys were strewn, nothing seemed to have a place.

Truth is, if I didn’t start using my space wisely, my home “organization” would remain a mess. In order to keep my sanity, I had to figure out what I was doing wrong.

Organize your home with these DIY space-saving solutions

DIY Organization for Your Home

The following home organization tips will help you add some DIY organization to your home.  From using closet space wisely to utilizing wall space, these simple home organization ideas will help you bring more order and less chaos into your home.

Mistake #1 – Not Using Closet Space Wisely

Closet space is gold. I mean, it’s storage space hidden behind closed doors. Because it’s out of sight, it usually becomes embarrassingly sloppy.

In our current home, all of our closets contained only a clothes rod and a top shelf. So as you can imagine, each of these closets became a disaster in a matter of weeks.

In our previous home, we had wall-mounted wire shelving configurations in each closet, so everything was much more organized with wire shelving that already existed.

However, custom shelving configurations for closets can be really expensive.

So to save money, we simply installed a few standalone wire shelving racks for our closet shelving.

Rather than have piles of items shoved into the closet (I had so many of those huge storage bins stacked up), you can neatly slide storage bins, laundry baskets, or other containers on and off the wire shelves.

The wiring shelving was especially helpful in coat closets and kids rooms, where that single clothes rod isn’t always the best use of space.

The closet shelving gave us extra space, and I can easily find everything. Installing some of these standalone wire shelving is definitely one of the best DIY organization ideas for your home.

How to Organize Your Closets with Simple Wire Racks

Save money buying a few wire closet racks rather than a whole closet system

Another home organization idea is to install double top shelves in your closets. Rather than have one shelf running across the top, add another one above it. This is an easy change that doubles your shelving instantly, using more of that high space wisely. If you use wire shelving, it’s easy to install another top shelf.

Speaking of wasted space, I then took a look at our closets to see where else I could utilize otherwise wasted space.

To add more home organization, I hung small racks on side walls and hooks on standalone doors.

These diy home organization ideas for your closet space will have you using every inch wisely, making more space for all of your things.

How to Efficiently Organize Your Home - Use Double Top Shelves in Closets

Install an extra top shelf in your closet and double your space.

Where to Buy Closet Shelving:

Closet shelving sets can be really expensive, so rather than buy a hundred dollar kit, just buy a few wire shelving racks that are right size for your closet and attach them to the wall.

I found a few wire shelves at a flea market for a couple bucks (you could also check out your local Habitat for Humanity Restore).

If you can’t find some cheap wire shelves, home improvement stores have the racks for about $10-$15 plus the hardware, which isn’t too bad for quick, cheap organization.

How to Make Closet Shelving:

If you don’t want to spend but have extra wood laying around, you can install a few wooden shelves instead of the wire shelves. Paint them white and they’ll blend right in, creating a more uniform and organized look for your closet shelving.

Also, look around for anything you can repurpose into closet shelving.

Every time I’m ready to kick something to the curb, the wheels in my husband’s head start turning. His most recent trash-night-intercept was a CD tower that he installed in our pantry as extra side shelving.

By making great use of closet space, you can really up your home organization game. You’ll get more into your closets, which means less laying around the house. With these DIY organization tips, everything in your closet will have a space.

Mistake #2 – Disregarding Empty Wall Space

Closets overstuffed? Attic full? Start using the walls!

Wall space is one of the best space-saving secrets and my absolute favorite of the DIY home organization ideas.

My husband recently mounted a huge shelf to the wall behind my desk. What once was an empty wall is now housing all of my desk and craft supplies!

Corner wall space is the perfect spot to put up some floating shelves or even cubby shelves. You can fill the shelves with baskets and bins of anything – craft supplies, shoes, extra towels, toiletries, accessories, bows, kids clothes, etc.

Putting up a few extra shelves and utilizing empty wall space can easily thin out your otherwise packed closets, making your closets and yourself more organized. 🙂

Using Your Wall Space More Wisely - DIY Home Organization Ideas

Use otherwise overlooked wall space to add tons and tons of wall storage

If you have a little extra floor space – maybe in a basement or garage, you could use it for a vertical storage tower. We did this in our garage with a space about 6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, and gained tons of storage space. The storage tower holds all of our Christmas decorations (and I have 3 trees!), Ash’s oversized tools, and more.

Ash and I are little storage-obsessed… I mean, half of our DIY projects are about storage organization. Ash goes around tapping on walls looking for hollow space, and I am always oogling at empty wall space 🙂

So, take it from us – look for areas that you could turn into a little extra wall storage and you will be thrilled with the DIY organization that space provides.

Where to Buy:

There are tons of great shelves that can easily be mounted to your walls for vertical storage. This iron pipe shelf holds a ton of items and looks amazing. I also just adore farmhouse floating shelves. Aren’t they charming?! I love the finish on these shelves, and farmhouse style shelving looks amazing in any home.

How to Make:

If you make your own shelves, you can choose your exact measurements, which is beneficial because then you can customize them to fit exactly what you need.

We built two basic shelves for my office and made the measurements to fit four fabric storage bins on each shelf. With two shelves, that’s 8 storage bins that are organized and filled. And instead of taking of space elsewhere, they are on the wall!

The shelves were simple to make and mount, and we have free plans available.

Using wall space is definitely one of the best DIY organization tips I can give you. It has created so much space, where we thought we had none. When thinking about ideas for organization, don’t forget to look on your walls.

Mistake #3 – Not Using Cubby Storage

Cubby storage is an organizational gem. The individual cubbies keep items super organized and in plain sight. You don’t have to dig through drawers, toy bins, or storage bins to find what you are looking for. Everything is compartmentalized in neat little spaces using cubby shelves.

Cubby shelves also make for for the perfect bookshelf (no more books sliding around). Cubby storage is an excellent use of corner or closet space and is perfect for organizing toys, crafts, or office supplies.

8 Organization Mistakes You're Making and How to Fix Them Now

Cubby shelves are inexpensive and make for the perfect bookshelf.

Yet one of the best parts about cubby shelving is that you can stack your items in the cubbies, or you can also use storage bins in some or all of the cubbies.

Cubby storage is also very versatile, as you can arrange them in many ways – vertically, horizontally, stacked, or even hang them on your wall.

Where to Buy Cubby Storage:

We love these cubby shelves from Amazon – they have quite a few finishes and are really nice. We use cubby storage in our kids’ rooms for bookshelves along with the playroom for toy storage and organization.

As far as storage bins, the dollar store is carrying storage bins now as well as lots of other useful containers. You can’t beat that for cheap storage.

You can also get some good deals on storage during back-to-school sales. If you don’t feel like running to the store, Amazon has lots of cute storage bins too.

How to Make Cubby Storage:

Although buying cubby shelves is probably cheaper than making them, Ash made me customized cubby storage for organizing all my craft supplies.

But here’s the best part – he mounted the cubby shelves to the wall, which frees up ground space AND uses otherwise lost wall space.

I was able to empty my entire desk out with cubby storage!

No more digging through my desk or my filing cabinet or those huge storage containers that were in my closet.

Each little cubby holds something different, and I just need to spin my desk chair around to find what I’m looking for.

As far as storage bins, you can also make your own. I made several DIY storage bins for our changing table and coat closets (holding mittens, hats, scarves, etc) from cardboard boxes, contact paper, and knobs.

Using Cubby Shelves to Organize Your Home

Attach cubby shelves to the wall – and gain space and organization

When thinking about how to have more home organization, think about where you could add cubby storage. They don’t take up too much, aren’t too expensive, and they add a lot of DIY organization.

Mistake #4 – Leaving out items that could be hidden

You know that feeling you get at the end of the day when your house is nice and organized – there aren’t toys everywhere, the pillows are back where they belong, and everything is in its place. It just looks so perfect.

Unfortunately, this usually isn’t the case.

However, if you create a spot for everything, you can hide some of those eyesores, keeping your home always looking organized.

My favorite trick, especially for toy storage, is to use pretty boxes to hide otherwise ugly things.

Our toddler has toys in every single room (literally every room except the master bathroom). The biggest problem area was our family room. I mean, blocks everywhere, tools scattered across the room, puzzle pieces wedged between couch cushions.

I was attempting to organize the toy mess with those clear storage bins – the ones that are a little bigger than a shoe box. However, I just didn’t like the way these tacky storage bins looked in our family room. They certainly didn’t complement the Pottery Barn pillows that I spent way too much on. 😉

So, I started buying cute baskets and boxes that were on sale at craft stores. Rather than have tacky storage boxes, I have trendy bins and baskets all around the house.

The great thing is that you can’t see the contents of what’s in the bins. So, you would never know that the boxs and bins contain toy storage.

Even if your home isn’t filled with toys, take a look around and see what you can hide. Cleaning up some of these things and creating a space for them definitely makes for a more organized home.

DIY Home Organization - Hidden Toy Storage Ideas

Decorative boxes make for great hidden toy storage

DIY Home Organization Tips #5 Use Pretty Boxes to Hide Things

You’d never know this box houses the entire Mr. Potato Family 🙂 How’s that for toy storage?!

Where to Buy:

You can get baskets and boxes super cheap at Michael’s when they have end of season sales. I have purchased many of these boxes for just a few dollars at 70% off. Pick things you like to hide those toys or other storage items.

I would definitely recommend checking there periodically because I have gotten so many bargains on end-of-season bins and boxes.

As far as baskets, AC Moore and Michaels have a great selection and you can either use one of their coupons or catch one of their frequent 40% off sales. These craft stores offer so much as far as diy home organization ideas.

How to Make:

To make boxes, you could reuse any box and cover it with contact paper to make it look nice. I have a tutorial on how I DIYed these storage bins. You can usually find decent contact paper at the dollar stores too 🙂

As far as home organizing ideas go, finding a space for everything definitely works wonders. And using pretty boxes to store some of the things that need to be organized is a great home organizing technique.

Mistake #5 – Ignoring Messy Drawers

Who doesn’t have a junk drawer in their home… or like five or six of them? I think every drawer in our house became a junk drawer at some point.

There’s little I despise more than wasting precious time looking for something. Rather than succumb to disorganized drawers, think what solutions will work for your items.

I eliminated my entire desk of office and craft supplies by using cubby shelves and pegboard. At first, I wasn’t sure I would put things back on the pegboard after I used them. Yet, there’s nowhere else for it go, since I ditched my old desk.

I am loving the pegboard organization – I can clearly see everything I have, and it looks really cool.

DIY Home Organization Ideas - Using Pegboard Instead of Desk Drawers

Mount a pegboard to the wall and empty a few drawers

If you don’t have a huge space for a pegboard, it’s no problem. You can use small pieces of pegboard in creative spots, such as on the back of kitchen cabinet doors to hang measuring cups or special utensils.

You’ll be surprised just how many messy drawers you can empty with this DIY organization trick.

Another idea is to use drawer dividers to separate things. I put these in our kids’ bedroom drawers to separate socks, bibs, accessories, and more. I also organized our kitchen junk drawer with bins.

And, as another home organization tip, don’t forget to give your drawers a good ole clean-out, especially those kitchen junk drawers.

You don’t need to keep take-out menus because everything is online. Those extra ketchup and soy sauce packets never get used either.

Lotion, nail polish, and make-up all get old after a while.

So, definitely clean up your drawers a bit as you are organizing, and you will easily gain some coveted space.

Where to Buy:

The Dollar Tree and Big Lots are my favorite places to find storage and organization bins, especially around back-to-school time. You’ll find lots of neat little bins and baskets.

If you like your storage bins to match, buy a few more than you need because it’s hard to find the same bins and baskets again. But overall these stores are great for frugal diy home organization ideas.

If you would rather shop online, these interlocking bins are awesome. There’s eight of them, and you can use them individually or interlock them. Did you know they make adjustable drawer organizers too?! I love anything that can be easily customized.

Last, here’s a great drawer organizing kit for dressers.

How to Make:

Look around your house, or your recycling bin, for things you could use as drawer dividers.

You could use empty plastic or cardboard bins or boxes, such as shoe boxes or cereal boxes. Cut them to size or reshape with some masking tape, and you’ll have yourself free organization.

You could even make dividers from cardboard – and spiffy them up with some cute contact paper.

This DIY home organization tip shouldn’t be overlooked. Handling those messy drawers will make for a much neater and more organized home.

Mistake #6 – Not using doors and walls for hooks and racks

Every time I came home with the kids, I would always drop the diaper bag on the ground. Sometimes it would make its way over to the closet and embarrassingly, sometimes it remained on the ground for a few days.

I don’t know why it took me so long to realize the solution was to buy a $2 hook for the mudroom.

I can now easily grab the diaper bag when I’m on my way out the door, and it doesn’t drive me crazy on the floor for days. If you always have school bags on the floor, add hooks in your mudroom or entryway for kids to hang their bag up.

If your kids are always leaving their hoodies around, put some hooks up for them in a hidden spot.

Simply find the problem areas, and then think about how you can create a spot for it. Don’t disregard your doors and little spaces on the walls, where you can easily add a hook or a rack.

DIY Home Organization Tips

Don’t overlook the organization that hooks provide – they are also an easy DIY project

The back of the closet door is perfect for holding towels – rather than throwing them over a door, having kids leave wet towels on the floor, or cramming them all on the same towel rack.

Closet doors are also perfect for little containers, such as spice racks, to hold toiletries. Pantry doors are perfect to add basket storage too.

Look around your home and identify what is driving you nuts and then create spots for these things.

Where to Buy:

You can buy command hooks to attach easily to walls (no tools involved and easy removal). These provide a solution in just minutes. You could also go for a more classic hook. These hooks are very inexpensive and add classy organization.

I love this hook rack with a cute shelf. It’s so modern-looking, and I love the way three of them look on the wall – it’s like a gallery of home organization. 🙂

If you are trying to maximize closet door organization, this organization rack is huge and can hold so much! You can even attach it to your door (or wall) with command hooks. It doesn’t get easier than that!

How to Make:

You can easily DIY a hook rack with a wooden board and a few hooks from the store. Or instead of hooks, get a little creative and use washers or screws, as long as they have enough length to hold your items.

To DIY racks to attach to doors, use dollar store bins and a few screws to get the same effect. If you have any spice racks that aren’t being utilized in the kitchen or garage, you can attach them to closet doors to hold toiletries.

How to Organize Your Home For Good

Attach spice racks (or other containers) to closet doors of panties or linen closets for easy DIY organization

Adding hooks and containers to doors and walls is a great DIY home organization tip that definitely keeps your home neater.

Mistake # 7 – Missing out on furniture storage

Furniture takes up most of the space in our rooms, so why not capitalize on it?!

If you are looking for a new piece of furniture, think about  furniture with built-in storage. We were in the market for a couch that converted to a bed, and we found one that had a massive amount of storage under the cushion.

Stools, ottomans, and end-of-the-bed tables all usually have storage space built in too. If you are looking for a kids bed, lots of them have drawers built-in underneath the bed.

You can also buy under-the-bed storage containers to slide under beds. These are great for holding things like kids artwork collections, craft supplies, pillows, out-of-season clothes. Depending on the size of your bed, you can get quite a few bins underneath.

As far as DIY home organization ideas go, using furniture as storage is really underutilized and can offer so much additional storage.

Where to Buy:

Amazon has lots of options for under-the-bed storage – from the plastic containers to carts to clothes storage bags. I am loving the clothes storage bags. I purchased a few of them to store comforters, blankets, and extra throw pillows in and was able to clear out two shelves in our hall closet!

Think about all that storage you will gain by using the space under your bed more wisely.

How to Make:

There are tons of awesome tutorials out there that have storage built-in furniture. You can make a platform bed frame that has tons of storage underneath. I’ve also seen cubby bookshelves built into beds. There also are coffee tables you could make, where the top opens and provides hidden storage.

And, if you are feeling really ambitious, you could make a couch or chaise lounge with storage entirely underneath. We haven’t tackled any of these projects yet. If we do, we will be sure to post them 🙂

Thinking about furniture storage is a great DIY home organization idea that really creates extra space.

Mistake #8 – Lack of using labels

If you have ever felt the frustration of pulling down bin after bin looking for something, then you know the importance of labels. I’ve pulled down many closet bins looking for scarves – only to find shoes, hats, and everything in between.

When you label items not only do you save yourself time when you go to use those things, but you keep yourself and your items more organized. You get used to seeing the labels, so you know where everything is. And, you know exactly where to put things back.

Labels are great for kids too, giving them the tools they need to put their own things away. For younger kids, include a picture of the item, so they can clean up on their own. (The picture label then becomes a learning activity – as kids see the picture along with the word and learn the word.) This will easily help you with toy bins and toy storage. 

Additionally, labels are great for husbands too. 🙂 You’ll notice things get put back in the right spot much more easily.

Using Labels for Easy Home Organization

Using labels with pictures encourage kids (and husbands) to put toys away

How to Make: 

For extra home organization, labels are really easy to make. Just use masking tape or paper, but I do love the idea of adding pictures for kids to help clean up.

Simply google the item, grab a picture, and paste it into a printable document. I was definitely surprised at how much cleaner my toddler’s toys were when he knew where everything went.

Where to Buy:

As easy as masking tape and paper are for labels, I love my label maker. It makes everything look much more neat, organized, and consistent.

I LOVE this label maker– and it is a dream come true! It has tons of fonts and decorative options, making for very cute labels and of course, easy organization.

You can also find cute labels at the craft stores. I found a bunch of mini chalk boards attached to a clothes pin and used these to label my fabric storage bins. The dollar section at Michaels never lets me down as far as DIY home organization ideas 🙂

Taking Action

Picture a completely organized home. You can walk to the bathroom without tripping on toys. You can reach into your linen closet and easily find a pillow case. You can find a pen in the junk drawer with one swift reach.

Everything has a place. It’s perfection.

By choosing a few of the above DIY home organization tips and ideas and seeing them through, you will start to regain your sanity. Start small – with just one or two items, and you’ll start to see a great change.

You’ll make more space in your home. You’ll create places for things to be put away. And, you’ll use the space you have more wisely.

Above all, you will no longer be stressed out by a disorganized house. Instead, your organized home will be your place of zen.

Throwing an Amazing Puzzle Theme Party

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When deciding what kind of birthday party to have for our toddler, I was stumped. He wasn’t really into too many cartoon characters. He did enjoy tools, dinosaurs, and building – but none were a huge interest right now.

I started to think about how he spent most of his playtime and realized how often he gravitated toward puzzles. He enjoyed putting things together, he relished in accomplishment when completing a puzzle, and he loved staring at the pictures he put together.

So, a puzzle party it was! 🙂

How to Throw an Amazing Puzzle Party - Games, Activities, Ideas, and FREE printablesThere weren’t too many ideas on Pinterest or google for puzzle parties, which was great because I got to start with a blank canvas. Sometimes there are too many ideas out there, and it gets so overwhelming.

Now usually I’m a super crazy organizer and planner, but I have to be completely honest and say that I didn’t start planning this party months or even weeks ahead of time. I was super behind and quite a bit pregnant, so the entire party came together in just a week and a half. However, I took my own party planning advice and kept everything extremely simple.

I also created printables each step of the way, so I can easily share them with you!

Making Puzzle Decorations

My favorite part of every party is working on the decorations because you can take one little idea and run with it. To your guests, it will look like you went overboard, when really you are using the same item over and over.

 

 

Puzzle Piece Cut-Outs

Used for Goody Bags, Food Labels, Banners, and Balloons

Since the theme of the party was puzzles, I just cut a bazillion puzzle pieces out – and used them everywhere. (I have puzzle piece cut-outs in our free resource library in two different sizes, so you can efficiently use your paper).

I used large puzzle pieces for the birthday banners. Then, I cut medium-sized ones out of card stock (I love using bright color colored card stock.) With the medium sized pieces, I decorated the goody bags, labeled the food, made puzzle banners, and decorated the balloons.

I found the cute striped paper bags at Michaels and used my 40% coupon – then I simple taped a puzzle piece on. Simple and pretty, right!?

How to Throw an Amazing Puzzle PartyWhat’s inside the goody bags?

Inside the goody bags, I included blank puzzles (gotta love Amazon!) with crayons or markers, depending upon the age of the party guest. I also put in small wooden puzzles that I found at the dollar store for the younger kids. For the older kids, I included puzzle pair puzzles that I found at the dollar section of Target.

I also threw in some other things – bubbles are always a thrifty yet fun summer choice, and I found a few puzzles-in-a-bag at the craft store too.

To save money, I definitely recommend going to the dollar store, dollar section of Target, and the craft stores to find items that work. 🙂

Puzzle Piece Banners

For the puzzle banners, I simply glued a bunch of puzzle pieces to fishing line and then strung them on our shade sail outside.

I had my son work with me on counting and patterns as I put the banners together.

Balloons and More

You can use the puzzle pieces that you cut out for pretty much anything – decorating entrances to the party, taping a few to the balloons or pom-poms. Just cut out a whole bunch when you’re watching some mindless TV, and you’ll be surprised at how much you have to decorate with 🙂

Decorating with puzzle pieces for a puzzle theme partyIf I had a little extra time, I would have done pom-poms too, but when you are short on time and super pregnant, something gets cut from the list 🙂

Download the Puzzle Party Pack

To make your puzzle party or puzzle activity planning simple, I created this party pack for you! It includes puzzle piece cut-outs in two sizes, all of the below game signs and activity descriptions, blank puzzle piece signs, and more. Simply join our mailing list 🙂

Painted Puzzle Pieces

Used for banners, party hats, and party crowns

For other decorations, I wanted to use smaller puzzle pieces, but didn’t want to spend the time cutting out such tiny pieces. So, I bought a bunch of dollar store puzzles (24 or 30 pieces seem to provide the best size pieces). I flipped them over and painted the back of the pieces. It helps if the back of the puzzle piece is white and not brown cardboard.

I then used these puzzle pieces to glue to party hats and to our little guy’s “Puzzle Prince” crown, and I even made a few fishing line strings of puzzle pieces to decorate the DIY photo booth.

How to Make Thrifty Party Hats with Puzzle PiecesDecorating Parties with Puzzle Piece StringsThis is a great pre-party activity that kids can help with too!

Making Puzzle Party Games

For the little ones, I love having party games that are more like activities or centers. Kids can freely move around and play at the stations – it’s perfect for toddlers and little kids.

Here’s a list of puzzle party games that I put together, and I have the signs and descriptions available to you in our free resource library.

Almost every game was super, super simple, but all together the array of activities was perfect.

Puzzle Activities and Games for Puzzle Theme Parties - Free Printables

1.) Puzzle Dig

This puzzle party game was simply a “sandbox” with puzzle pieces. I just took an under-bed storage container (with a lid) and filled it up with rice.

Then, I hid puzzle pieces from the dollar section at Target in the rice and tossed in some scoopers and sand toys from the Dollar Store.

The Simplest Puzzle Party Ideas You Can Imagine!This entertained my son for DAYS before the party, and the kids loved it!

2.) Puzzle Pitch

This party activity was simply a ball toss with a puzzle spin on it. I bought two foam boards from the dollar store and drew a huge puzzle piece on them.

Making a Ball Toss for a Puzzle Party - Budget-Friendly!

Then, I did a little taping and then painted it with acrylic paints that I had laying around the house. After that, I cut a few holes for the bean bags or balls to go through. Last, I taped it to wooden dowels, so it would stand firm in the ground.

How to Make a $2 Ball Toss - Easy Party Ideas for Puzzle PartiesI tossed a few balls and bean bags in a bucket, and voila! The puzzle pitch was ready to go 🙂

3.) Puzzling Obstacle Course

This was another super simple party activity. I grabbed six pool noodles (another Dollar store find you can reuse) along with a few cones and threw together an obstacle course suited for little ones.

Then, I used duct tape to shape each pool noodle into a circle and then taped the circles together.

Making a Pool Noodle Obstacle Course - Easy Backyard Party Activity I spread the cones out to elongate the obstacle course. Also, I put out a few soccer balls, so kids could kick around the cones.

4.) Puzzle Island

This was by far the easiest of the puzzle party games. I just filled the water table up and threw in some foam puzzle pieces (yet another dollar store find!). If you are having a backyard toddler or kid party in the warm weather, a water table is the perfect thing to keep kids occupied and entertained.

Using a Water Table for an Easy Party ActivityEvery year, I’m impressed at how much time the kids spend playing in the water table at our summer parties. It’s definitely a must-have for easiness and entertainment!

5.) Giant Jigsaws

This was by far my favorite of the games, and it made our little guy the happiest! With his love for puzzles, he couldn’t have been more excited that instead of building shelves and painting walls that Mommy and Daddy were building and painting a puzzle for him!

How to Make a Giant Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle - Easy Puzzle Party Ideas We shaped it into a dog and painted it with acrylic paints. We used…. but more details will be forthcoming on a future post 🙂

How to Make a Giant Wooden Puzzle - Fun Backyard Activity6.) Puzzle Palace

I also placed a Puzzle Palace sign on the little playhouse we have in the yard and tossed some more foam puzzles in the little kitchen area.

I was going to add a craft station, where kids could decorate their own puzzle crown, but I figured this age group was a little young for that.

How to Throw an Amazing Puzzle Party with Easy Backyard Activities and StationsThis was the perfect example of how something so simple (hanging a sign and tossing in some puzzle pieces) makes for another cute touch at a child’s birthday party. See, you don’t need to go crazy to throw a great party. Simple ideas and activities can tie everything together nicely.

And for the grown-ups…

With Ash and my large immediate families, we always have a decent amount of adults at our little kid parties. I thought it would be fun to throw a bunch of puzzle pieces in a container and have party attendees guess how many pieces were in the container. And, of course the prize was…. a puzzle!

It was super cute, and I had my son stand on a chair and announce the winner. He was really excited – and it gave him the opportunity to give someone else a gift on his birthday. 🙂

Awesome Puzzle Party Ideas - Guess the Number of Puzzle Pieces in the Jar

Making a DIY Puzzle Banner

For every party or small celebration we have, my go-to banner is this simple one that I made – which is available in our free resource library. I love it because it’s easily customizable (no printing extra letters) and you can easily glue the letters to any kind of background.

For this banner, I used card stock that I cut into puzzle pieces. I simply taped the Happy Birthday letters to the puzzle pieces. Then, I used fishing line and hot glue to attach the pieces.

How to Make Easy, Free DIY Banners for Any Occasion

It was quick and worked like a charm!

Puzzle-Themed Food?

As far as food, I love a good theme party, so I can label all of the food after the theme of the party. (Check out the amazing menu from our Beatles party). However, not only did the puzzle party theme give me less to work with – but our eating has really changed the past year or so.

Our family has moved into a gluten-free, high fruit and vegetable-based diet. We love eating this way, and we want our parents and sisters to be eating well too. So chips, sugary cakes, cheesy pastas, and hot dogs won’t be found on our table. Instead, we made a really healthy spread (that went over really well!), and as far as creative food labels, we just used the puzzle pieces to label what everything was. It wasn’t as creative as our past parties, but it tied everything together well.

Puzzle Theme Party Food LabelsSo, I guess you are probably wondering about the cake. We did have a cake of some sorts – it was chocolate coconut fudge that I last-minutely shaped into a puzzle piece. Perfect for a puzzle party!

There was some sugar in the chocolate chips, but overall it was a pretty healthy dessert that we were comfortable with and everyone loved!! It’s our new go-to birthday treat in our house – check out the recipe here 🙂

Chocolate Coconut Fudge Cake in the Shape of a Puzzle - Easy & Healthy Puzzle Party Ideas

So, why did my super pregnant self still throw a party this year?! Because there’s nothing more special than seeing that smile on your child’s face when they see the decorations and games you made for them 🙂

And, through keeping the DIY party decorations, games, and preparation easy, it was completely manageable. If you were wondering if you can pull off a DIY party, the answer is yes!

Just keep it simple and reuse the same decorations again and again.

Games, activities, and ideas for throwing an amazing puzzle party

 

How to Make Easy Fall Puppets (With a Puppet Theater)

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I was sitting with my toddler the day after his birthday, surrounded by all kinds of new gifts. But what was he playing with? An empty cardboard box that previously housed one of his new toys.

All these new toys, and he’s playing with the with boxes and wrapping.

Every time we have an empty box – usually a diaper box – our son climbs in and pretends he’s driving some kind of vehicle. Or he fills it with his stuffed animals and pushes it around. Or, he tries to get the dog in the box.

Just as much as our toddler loves to play with the diaper boxes, I love when I can upcycle them into something useful. We’ve made a fire truck diaper box halloween costume, storage bins (you can’t tell they are diaper boxes when you cover them with cute contact paper and add a knob), and pretend race cars.

I was looking for an easy fall craft for toddlers, and as my son was running around the house with the empty diaper box on his head, inspiration struck.

We could make simple popsicle stick puppets with a fall theme and use the diaper box for a puppet theater. I got to upcycle a cardboard box, and my son got his “toy” of choice. 🙂

Easy Fall Craft for Toddlers - Popsicle Stick Puppets with a Theater

Easy Fall Kids Craft

I love to keep things simple. If it’s too many steps or materials, then it’s not the craft for us.

For our popsicle stick puppets and diaper box puppet theater, all of our materials came from around the house – making the cost nothing!

It was also an easy craft to do, which gave my son enough room to be creative.

Making Popsicle Stick Scarecrow and Monster Figures - Easy Fall Craft for Kids

Making the Popsicle Stick Puppets

I figured the easiest way to make popsicle stick puppets for fall was by using simple shapes to do so. Since my son is still so young, I drew a few shapes – circles, squares, triangles of various sizes, ovals, and trapezoids and cut them out.

To make the fall craft even easier for you, I created a printable (scroll to end for free printable) with all of the shapes we used – that you could simply print, trace, and cut.

Making Popsicle Stick Puppets - Black Cat and Jack-O-LanternMaterials for the Popsicle Stick Puppets

  • Card stock or construction paper – I prefer card stock for kids crafts because it’s thicker and easier to work with
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Markers, crayons, or chalk – for drawing faces
  • Embellishments – yarn, googly eyes, stickers, buttons, or anything you have around the house
  • Glue, Tape, and Scissors
  • Optional – Shapes Template (see bottom of the page)

How to Make Popsicle Stick Puppets for Fall

First, trace and cut out the shapes. Then, I placed all of the shapes in front of my little guy and helped him to create fun fall faces. For example, we matched a big triangle to a big oval to make the witch’s hat.

Then, we simply glued the hat to a circle to make the witch’s face. Next, we decorated her face with yarn hair and googly eyes. Last, we taped the face to a popsicle stick.

How to Make Popsicle Stick Puppets with a Cardboard Box Puppet Theater

For embellishments on your puppets, you can use anything that you have around the house. I like to go around and collect things and put them in a bin – and then we have all of our materials in front of us. It’s fun to also include the kids in this – like a scavenger hunt.

My little guy loves running around and finding things to use for our projects. In collecting things, we found some leftover burlap from a banner and cut a piece to use for the scarecrow’s hat. I think that was our best find 🙂

So, we then continued to choose shapes and decorate, turning our shapes into fun fall figures for our puppet theater. My son, who barely sits still, looooved decorating the faces.

I was so impressed with this cute little monster he made. That’s one of things I love about doing crafts with kids – they will surprise you 🙂

Perfect Fall Craft for Toddlers - Popsicle Stick Puppets with a Theater

Making the Cardboard Box Puppet Theater

The puppet theater was fun to make because I love upcycling things – less to recycle too 🙂 I simple grabbed a diaper box and got to work 🙂

Materials for the Puppet Theater

  • Cardboard box or even a piece of cardboard that you can bend into a trifold
  • Xacto Knife (to cut the window)
  • Item of your choice to cover the box with – felt, wrapping paper, construction paper, etc
  • Ruler
  • Glue (type of glue depends on the material you use to cover the box)
  • Optional – embellishments such as stickers, felt shapes, letters, etc

Easy Kids Craft - Making Popsicle Stick Puppets and Puppet Theater from a Diaper BoxHow to Make a Cardboard Box Puppet Theater

Since our diaper box was on the small side, our puppet theater was going to be a tabletop theater. You could always use a bigger box or a big trifold and make it a bigger theater. However, I like to use what we have, so a diaper box it was 🙂

First, I cut off the top flaps of the box. I also cut off one of the four sides – to turn the box into a tri-fold. I also removed one of the bottom flaps. Next, I drew a window and cut it out with an Xacto knife.

 

Using a diaper box to make a puppet theater for kidsAfter that, I grabbed some felt and hot glued it to the box. Surprisingly, I only used three sheets of felt. I love to work with felt and had a huge stack of it, but you could also use wrapping paper or construction paper or whatever you have lying around the house.

Last, my son decorated the front of the theater with shape stickers.

Making Easy Popsicle Stick Puppets with a Puppet Theater

Learning Extensions – Easy Fall Kids Craft

There are so many ways you can tie learning into crafts with kids. This easy fall craft for toddlers was centered upon shapes.

Not only was my little guy identifying shapes but he was working with them to create fun fall puppets – i.e. small triangles make cat ears, large triangles are perfect for hats, and heads can be circles or squares. Other skills that this easy fall craft for toddlers included was the use of fine motor skills to glue, cut out simple shapes, and draw faces.

You can also tie this activity in with a fall book, like this pumpkin shapes book. This one is a great Halloween lift-the-flap book – the drawings in this one make it easy to pick out different shapes you see. You could also take a trip to the local library for an extension too.

How to Make Popsicle Stick Puppets with a Diaper Box Puppet TheaterLast, if your kids are not toddlers, they can totally do this craft and more independently. In fact, you could simply print the shapes template, have them trace, cut, and decorate themselves. And, puppet theaters are perfect for kids of all ages.

So, if you have a box laying around the house or if it’s a rainy, cold day and you are looking for something to occupy the kids, making these easy popsicle stick puppets with a cardboard box theater is the perfect activity.

Your child will love playing with the decked out cardboard box, and you’ll have yourself a few hours of free time after an easy upcycled project. 🙂

 

10 Day Living Room and Dining Room Makeover Reveal

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Do you ever watch those HGTV shows just wishing they would come and make over your home? Well, have I got a story for you.

My parents recently went on vacation, and my sister decided to renovate their home while they were gone – in just 10 days. I’m talking ripping up the carpet, peeling the layers and layers of wall paper from the 1970s, painting the walls, and installing new flooring.

My sister’s timeline was a little crazy, so she had to have a little help from us – but the results were phenomenal.

When my parents returned, they were completely shocked. Of course, they loved it and were so happy to not have to tackle these projects themselves.

How to Renovate Your Home in Just 10 DaysSo, here are the before and afters, along with the details, of the 10-day home renovation challenge.

First up is the living room makeover. Below is a before picture, showing the view looking in from the hallway.

Living Room & Dining Room Do-It-Yourself Makeover in Just 10 Days

Living Room Renovation - Floors and Walls in Just 10 Days!Such a difference, right?! Here’s another view of the living room before and after pictures.

Living Room Renovation in Just 10 Days - You won't believe the after!

Living Room Makeover in Just 10 DaysLast, here are befores and afters of the dining room.

Living Room and Dining Room Renovation in Just 10 Days! How to Renovate Your Living and Dining Room Yourself - in Less than 10 DaysThe difference is pretty incredible! In just 10 days, my sister, along with some help, was able to rip down layers and layers of wall paper, fix up the walls, paint the walls, rip up carpeting, and lay down new flooring during this dining and living room makeover project.

Preparing for the Renovation

The living room and dining room renovation was a complete surprise to my parents. After they left for their vacation, the first order of business was to prepare the rooms.

First, we took pictures of all of the photo arrangements and knick-knacks, so they could be placed back properly. This is a good idea even if you are working in your own house. This way you can put everything back exactly the way you had it.

Then, we moved most of the furniture out of the rooms. Any furniture that was too heavy got moved to the center of the room. It would also be a good idea to cover it with plastic.

Next, we removed the outlet and light switch covers – which were later replaced with clean white covers, as opposed to old gold ones. Small changes like this have a huge impact.

Since the plan was to first remove the wallpaper and then remove the old carpeting, the floors didn’t need to be covered.

It was then time to start ripping down the layers of wallpaper.

Removing the Wallpaper

The first, and most grueling task of the living room makeover project, was undoubtedly removing the wallpaper. The first layer came off in huge sheets, which was unfortunately not indicative of how the rest of the wallpaper peeling went.

It would have been magical if that was the only layer of wallpaper. However, underneath that top layer was more wallpaper – uneven, stubborn wallpaper.

Living Room Renovation Reveal - Removing Stubborn WallpaperRemoving Stubborn Wallpaper

To remove the stubborn wallpaper, it was necessary to use a steamer. At first, we used a portable hand steamer, but it was taking too long. To make matters worse, the handheld steamer was cordless, so we kept having to take breaks to charge it.

Productivity was so slow that we looked into renting a bigger one from Home Depot. It turns out that it was cheaper just to buy a steamer than rent it.

And, it was totally worth it.

The wall steamer was much better than the portable one, and it came with an enclosure to confine the steam to the wall, which greatly improved the efficiency of removing the wallpaper.

As we were steaming, we used a paint scraper to get underneath the wallpaper and peel it off. Use a flat blade though, to avoid damaging the wall.

After all of the wallpaper was removed, we found any holes and cracks and filled them with dry wall compound.

Once the compound was dry, we went over the walls with the sander to smooth everything done and get the walls ready for painting.

As you can imagine, the sanding made a huge mess. So make sure you have things covered or completely moved.

Throughout the dining room and living room makeover, we used the Shop Vac to clean up all of the debris. It was great at getting the fine pieces (and came in handy later with the carpet removal too).

Removing the Carpet

Removing the wallpaper was eating up more of the timeline than we thought. How awful would it be if we hadn’t finished the dining and living room makeover before my parents came home?!

On top of that, trash day was coming, so we were anxious to get rid of all the garbage that we could. We didn’t want to leave heaps of trash for my parents.

So, Ash started removing the carpet while my sisters continued on with the wallpaper. Luck was on our side with the trash company too, as they took carpet in 4ft rolls. That greatly helped.

This old pink carpet that covered both the living and dining room had seen better days, and we couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Aside from the dust, the carpet removal wasn’t too bad.

Ash started with a corner and pulled it up with some vice grips. While pulling, he also started cutting it into strips to help with cleanup afterward.

The carpet was not too dusty, but the padding underneath was full of dust. So a dust mask was critical in the process. The padding was nailed down in numerous areas, so care had to be taken to remove all the nails.

Also, there were tacking strips along the perimeter of the rooms that needed removal as well. They were full of rusty nails so extra care was taken when removing them.

Ash found that a pry bar worked best to remove the tacking strips. After all the carpet, padding, tacking strips and nails were removed, the Shop Vac was used to give the floor a good cleaning.

Here is the dining room, minus the old carpeting.

Removing Old Carpeting and Replacing with Laminate Flooring

Painting the Walls

While Ash was removing carpeting and my sisters were working on the walls, it was time to start thinking about painting. After all, the perfect color is one of the best things about room makeovers.

Choosing Paint Colors

So, my sweet little helper and I took a trip to our local paint store. We love Benjamin Moore paint – the odor is minimal and their colors are simply the best. My little guy loves our outings, especially loves the paint store – because if he’s a sweetheart, I let him choose a paint chip to take home 🙂

We brought a sample of the new floor along to the store, to hold up to various paint colors and help us determine the colors for the dining and living room makeover.

Choosing Paint Colors for the Living Room Dining Room Renovation Not only are Benjamin Moore paint chips 100% representative of the color your wall will be (which unfortunately isn’t the case with all other paints) but the quality and sheen of their paint is amazing. We tend to go with the Natura collection because this puts the least amount of chemicals into the air.

If you think choosing paint colors is hard, imagine choosing them for someone else.

As if I’m not indecisive enough, I went back and forth trying to decide what colors to choose. The dining room had a chair rail, so I needed one color for the top and one for the bottom. The living room needed just one color, and the hallway didn’t need paint – as it was freshly painted a few summers ago.

Lucky for me, my parents love the color green, so I just needed to pick a shade. I went with Benjamin Moore Feather Green, which had more of a white base than a gray base. For the second color, I chose White Dove, which is my favorite of the whites that Benjamin Moore makes.

Priming and Painting the Walls

Once the wallpaper was finally down and the walls were patched, sanded, and ready to go, it was time to start painting. This was quite a milestone in the dining and living room makeover project!

So, after taping off the ceilings and the chair rail, my sisters painted a nice thick layer of primer.

After the primer in the living room and dining room, it was time to move onto painting the walls green. We did two coats of the green.
With the dining room chair rail, we decided to paint the lower portion White Dove and the higher portion Feather Green. It turned out really pretty.

The chair rail and tape didn’t leave the neatest edge, so in hindsight, we really should have pulled it off and then put it back.

10 Day Living Room RenovationFeather green already brightened the room so much. The dining room and living room makeover project was well on its way, with just a few days to spare.

Installing Laminate Flooring

To keep everything moving along during the dining and living room makeover, Ash started to work on the flooring in the dining room, while my sister finished painting the living room.

Ash loved working on the flooring – he found it really fun to work on. And, I love the way the laminate flooring turned out. It was so much prettier than carpet, and the white baseboard was the perfect touch. Now I’m thinking about where we can incorporate laminate flooring in our house 🙂

Laying Down the Laminate Flooring

As far as installation, the laminate was pretty easy to install. The pieces fit together like a large jigsaw puzzle.

Each alternating row was offset by half the length of a full piece. Not only did this add to the visual appeal, but it was essential for a rigid floor structure.

The laminate flooring tools (pull bars and tapping blocks) were heavily relied upon to get the pieces in place.  1/8″ spacers were also used along the perimeter of the wall to enforce a gap to allow for floor expansion during different times of the year.

The gaps were going to be covered by baseboard trim later on. Ash will have a full post on installing the laminate flooring soon. 🙂

Tackling the Tiles in the Hallway

The hallway tiles proved to be very labor intensive.  The problem was that there was another layer of plywood sheathing nailed into the subfloor, followed by the vinyl tiles.

Removing Tiles and Installing Laminate FlooringThe plywood sheathing was there to raise the height of the floor so the tiles would be even with other room surfaces.

Unfortunately, it was a huge pain removing this second layer of plywood. It did not come up very easy. Yet, we endured and got all the plywood and tiles removed.

How to Install Laminate Flooring in a 10-Day Two Room RenovationInstalling Baseboard

Baseboard was the easiest part of this dining and living room makeover.  It was just a matter of measuring all the walls that needed baseboard, and buying the appropriate amount from Home Depot.

We pre-painted all the baseboard pieces. Once they were dry, Ash used the miter saw to cut 45 degree angles on the ends of the pieces. These angled cuts would create scarf joints between the baseboard segments.

Scarf joints are ideal for trim because they hide the seam pretty well.

Finally, Ash attached the baseboard to the walls with some construction adhesive and a few taps from the finishing nail gun.

Installing Baseboard during the 10-Day, Two Room Renovation ChallengeCleaning Up and Organizing

From start to finish, the Shop Vac came in handy the whole project – from vacuuming up the dust and wallpaper scraps, to any nails left behind from the carpet removal.

After all of the work was done, we went over everything again with the Shop Vac. Then, we used a wet swiffer to get up more lingering dust. There was dust everywhere – so when preparing for the makeover, definitely move (or cover) everything really well.

While my sister and Ash were hard at work finishing up, I was looking for a way to organize the floor samples and paint colors for my parents.

Rather than toss them in an envelope, I created home improvement printables and placed them in a binder with the samples. This way, they knew exactly what paint color, floor, baseboard, etc that we used.

Get Your Free Home Improvement Printables

If you are thinking about a home renovation project, or are just trying to keep your projects organized, you can get your free home improvement printables below. They will undoubtedly help you keep track of your paint colors, cabinet choices, home repairs, and more.

The Moment of Truth

When my parents returned from their vacation, they were so amazed at their home. They loved the flooring, the walls, and they were happy to see that old carpet gone.

Moreover, they were ecstatic to come home to a completely updated living room and dining room. My mom has been enjoying going around with the swiffer, instead of the vaccum in the mornings. She had fun gathering braided rugs that my grandma made to compliment the new flooring. And, my dad said he feels like he wakes up in a dream 🙂 Isn’t that a sweet compliment?!

How to Give Your Living and Dining Rooms Complete Makeover in Just 10 DaysSo, if you find yourself watching one of those HGTV shows wishing for your own renovation, know that you can do it yourself. Now is as good a time as ever to start working on those tasks.

Removing wallpaper, ripping up carpet, painting walls, and laying down new flooring are all things you can tackle yourself. And, you’ll be so happy that you did.

10-Day Dining and Living Room DIY Renovation

How to Make an Amazing DIY Lamp from Anything

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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 to Make a Homemade Lamp using Any Item!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

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 a DIY Lamp from AnythingHow 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.

Easy Tutorial for Making a DIY LampFirst, 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.

How to Make a DIY Lamp from AnythingI used 3/8″ drill, as it perfectly allowed for a standard threaded lamp pipe to fit snugly in the hole.

How to Make a DIY Lamp from AnythingHere’s the threaded lamp pipe inserted into the pole.

How to Make a Homemade Lamp from AnythingApplying Finish

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

Staining a homemade lamp with this easy tutorialI let the stain, and then polyurethane each dry overnight.

Making the Base for the DIY LampAdditional 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:

Making a DIY Lamp from Anything!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.

Threading the Electrical Cord into the DIY Train LampNext, 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.

Electrical Components for the DIY LampAttaching 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.

Making a DIY Lamp from any item Making a DIY Lamp from any itemNext, 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.

Connecting the Base of the DIY Lamp to the Post Connecting the Base of the DIY Lamp to the PostNext, 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.

Instructions for Making a DIY Lamp from Anything Instructions for Making a DIY Lamp from AnythingAssembling the Lamp Parts

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

Placing the Socket in the DIY LampWith 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.

How to Make a DIY Lamp from Anything How to Make a DIY Lamp from AnythingThen, 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.

How to Make a DIY Lamp from a Model Train How to Make a DIY Lamp from a Model TrainWith 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.

How to Make a DIY LampHow to Make a DIY LampNext, 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.

How to Make a DIY Lamp from Anything How to Make a DIY Lamp from AnythingFinishing 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.

How to Make a DIY Lamp from AnythingHere 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!

How to Repurpose an Old Lamp into a DIY Creation

 

Beach Printables for Summertime Decor

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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. Summer Beach Printables

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.

Summer Blog Hop - Tons of DIY InspirationIf 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:

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 Monday for more DIY inspiration.