Making Wall Photos Stand Out

These canvases were some of the first things to be hung in the new house, but I knew they needed a little something...

The black "frame" behind the pictures really makes them stand out on the wall.  Who says a frame has to go all the way around a picture?

I did something similar in our old bedroom to draw attention to the paintings behind the bed.

I painted the black rectangle right on the wall.

This is what the photo canvases looked like before I framed them

They were looking a little sad.

I just took an old IKEA shelf that was in a pile destined for Goodwill

filled the exposed side with joint compound

spray painted it

and I put it on the wall!  I used nails to hold the canvases to the board and anchored hanging wire to the back.  If you'd like to see how I made the canvases, click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jamie

 This post is linked here:  
Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Activities to Keep the Kids Busy on a Road Trip

We took a trip to the beach this summer... 11 hours each way.  Long trips with preschoolers can be challenging, especially when one just finished potty training.

I tried to be prepared for this trip.  In addition to the Leapsters and DVD players, we brought along some new activities this year.

Magnet box

This is just a metal bin from IKEA that we repurposed for the road trip.  This is awesome because it both holds the magnets and provides a surface to play on.

Felt boards

I put this one together the night before.  I just took some foam board and hot glued a large piece of felt to it. 

Voila!  Instant letter fun.  Each child got his or her own to limit fighting.

Crayon apron

This can be worn while in the car so the child has easy access to her crayons the entire trip!  Just be sure you don't tie the knot in the back, where it might get uncomfortable.  If you're interested in reading the tutorial on how to make it, click click here.

Each kid got his/her own basket that we kept on the floor of the minivan.  It was easy to keep things separated and organized that way, and it allowed me to have easy access to reach items they wanted to play with.  It was still a long trip, but being prepared helped!

So, have you been anywhere fun this summer?  Tell me about your road trip tips in the comments!

Blessings,

Jamie


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This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Easy Access to Makeup Brushes in the Bathroom

We actually have countertop space in this new house!  It is glorious.  The "master bathroom" in our old house was a tiny basement bathroom.  I'm taking advantage of all the counter space and keeping things out for easy access...

Now I can grab what I need easily!  I found the idea on Pinterest, but I can't find the original source.  Do you see what is holding all the brushes in place?

That doesn't mean I've been wearing makeup this summer, but I do like the way it looks.  I found the idea for using coffee beans on Pinterest.  Yes, the handles smell like coffee now, but I looooooove the smell of coffee.

These glasses also work great for cotton swabs.  We each keep our toothbrush and toothpaste in one.  I like the uniformity of using the same size/shape/color container for all the countertop storage.

One more thing before I go:  I didn't win that dresser from Su Casa.  They came to get it this week and now there is a big empty space in our bedroom.

Here it is driving off (in an unmarked van so that it is harder for me to stalk them and get it back)... sniff sniff.  

Thanks for all your help and support throughout the contest!

Blessings,

Jamie

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life>

How to Make Your Curtains Longer

I love everything about the new house, especially the big windows!  But there are a few drawbacks...

Uh-oh.  Looks like the old curtains are too short.

I'll be showing you how I made them longer in this post.

I took the shower curtain from one of the bathrooms and cut it about 6" longer than the length I needed.  I then hemmed the bottom and sides with the sewing machine.

I then sewed them to bottom of the existing curtains.

Ta-da!  I'm not crazy about the brown and pink for my daughter's room anymore, but we don't have the money to redo the entire room.  Hence the upcycled shower curtain.

Here are a few more views

Do you have any curtains that are too short?  I'll be using this trick throughout the entire house... it is really difficult to find {cheap} curtains long enough for 10 foot ceilings!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jamie 

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life