Craft: Headband Canister

If you have a little girl you have the same problem as me. Hair stuff everywhere. My daughter doesn't really do much with her hair but she loves to throw on a headband to hold her curls out of her face so we have a ton of headbands that we can never find.

While on vacation together last week we made these canisters to store her hair things so we can always find them.

Our Hair Stuff Canisters and Heidi giving a Llama!

We took Oatmeal canisters, taped construction paper around them to cover the labels, then decorated with stickers and markers. It was a lot of fun and only took about 20 minutes to complete.

Headbands wrap around the outside and everything else goes inside. What a fun way to store all that random hair stuff!

Hugs!
Kara

What We Have Been Doing For The Last Five Days...

You may have noticed I have been a bit absent the last few days.

Or maybe not.

In any case, things have been nuts at work so I come home exhausted. Home has been nuts because who ever thought it would be a good idea to adopt two dogs within 5 weeks of each other was insane.

Oh, that was me?

Um... I guess I am insane.

Last weekend we went out to see our friends new house. The dogs were in their crates for about 5 hours and when we got home Jess and the kids came over for dinner so it was normal crazy town in our house with in minutes.

Siri went into her spinning out of control mode that we, at this point, are not sure how to curb. She starts dog school on Thursday so that is number one on my list of things to learn.

Anyway, Siri goes outside, is totally cracked out with excitement and pent up energy and she spots a cat in the neighbors yard.

Next thing we know, she is in the neighbors yard.

Just like that! Jumped right over the fence.

Shawn went over the fence after her.

I was in the house finishing up dinner when Heidi walks in.

Let me tell you, this girl needs to upgrade her sense of urgency.  She just walks in the house and says "I have bad news..."

I ask her what her bad news is, expecting her to say Siri popped another ball when she says "Siri jumped the fence right into the mean neighbors yard and dad is trying to catch her."

WHAT?!

Jess jumped in her car and took off to meet Shawn, I grabbed the leash and ran around to the other side of the block to help. By the time I got over there Shawn had Siri by the collar and was tossing her into Jess's car.

That was the moment we knew we needed a bigger fence.

Siri spent the rest of the week on a tie out while on the backyard.

Shawn and I spent the rest of the week being mad about having to build a new fence.

And then we did what we always do.  We got over it and got to work.

First Shawn had to take down the old wire fence along the back of the yard.

Cupcake thought she was helping by surveying the folded up fencing.

Ryan and Shawn, with some help from Willy, and Tony marked where the new posts will go.

This is where the pictures stop for awhile. I was not able to be Team Photographer this time. I stained all the panels and was on Dog Duty. During one Dog Duty task I had to bring both dogs inside to get them out of the sun. I may or may not have watched two episodes of Warehouse 13 on the Netflix.

Many trips to Menards, a few trips to Home Depot, a trip to Patio Town, two days of hard labor, and a lot of sore muscles later, we have a beautiful fence.

We had it fully installed by Sunday night but it wasn't fully stained until Tuesday evening.

Siri posed for some pictures. She is such a ham!

And that's it. That is really all we did this weekend. It's really all we did Friday through Tuesday night.

While we were not expecting to install a fence this weekend, I am pleased with the finish product. And for once we are actually 100% completed with this project when we are walking away from it. No lose ends, no details. It's done.

What made me the most happy about this project was watching Siri and Cakes zoom around they yard together with no worry about them leaving the yard.

When my dogs are happy, I am happy.

Hugs!
Kara

Quick Craft: Fun Flip Flops

A few weeks back, when I was dropping Heidi off at gymnastics, our friend pointed out these flip flops sitting in the shoe area. They were super fun, cheap flip flops with balloons tied to them. I really am not sure if they purchased them this way or if they made them but I thought it would be a great way to cuten up a pair of cheap flip flops for the summer. (Did you know Cuten is not a word?!)

I picked these purple flip flops up at the dollar store and a bag of water balloons at Target for 50 balloons for $2. It took about 75 balloons to decorate both girls size 13 shoes and about 40 minutes of work.

The first flop I tied on the balloons in what ever order I pulled them out of the bag just trying not to put two of the same color next to each other.  The second one I sorted the balloons and circled through each color. I only did this to see if it made a difference.

I decided it did not make a difference. I can not tell which one was random and which was planned.

They turned out super cute so I made a few more for the some of my favorite girls.

Go ahead and give it a try for a special girl in your life or even for one of the billion birthday parties you are attending this summer.

Or check out my Etsy store and order some from me!

DIY Necklace Shelf

I really love DIY projects but for me coming up with the ideas is the hardest part.

Then, with the help of my good friend, I was introduced to Pinterest where one will never be without inspiration! Here is the blog post that inspired this little project - thanks Mini Mannor!

That's where I found a great idea for my necklaces. I pinned it and proclaimed that I would have Shawn make this for me and I would fill it with new necklaces!

So, that's exactly what I did.  I found these silverware trays at Ikea for about $10 each. They were unfinished wood so they were perfect for painting!

Then I made a quick trip to Menards for paint and hardware. I picked up a pint of bright white paint for $9.99 and a package of small hooks for $1.19.

The entire project took a total of about a hour to put together. I had to let paint dry and I wanted Shawn to drill the holes for the hooks so duration was a full week but it really could have all been done on a rainy Saturday.

My bathroom is very difficult to photograph since it's so small. I was straddling the toilet to get these!

Oh! And don't you love my wallpaper? It really is starting to grow on me.

I am very pleased with how they turned out. The lower shelf is right where Heidi can reach so I will only put items there I am willing to share with her. The higher shelves are for Mama only items.

Much better than the peg on the tie rack I had been using!

Bees, Bees, Bees

Last spring we noticed there were some bees hanging out by our front door. We don’t use our front door since it’s falling off the hinges so the bees quickly became out of sight, out of mind.


Summer came around and Heidi was enjoying a popsicle on the front steps. All of a sudden the bees were no longer out of sight and certainly not out of mind.

Shawn located the hive under the siding and sealed the entry point. No more bees hanging out by the front door.

Great! Wonderful! No.

They found a way out. Into the attic. Out of the attic. Into the bathroom.

Last fall we noticed there were some bees hanging out in our bathroom. We don’t use our bathroom… Wait. That’s not right. We do use our bathroom! Uh, oh…

We spent the rest of the fall checking for bees before we sat, before we stepped, before we showered.

We spent the rest of the fall running to the bathroom when Heidi would shriek “There’s a BEE IN HERE!”

We spent the rest of the fall waiting for the attic to get cold enough to kill the bees.

In the mean time we killed bees in the shower, we killed bees in the light fixture, we killed bees on the shower rack, and we killed bees that made their way down to the laundry room via the laundry chute.

As it started to get cold the bees started to get weak and appeared slightly drunk. Some of them would be so slow to react we were able to pick them up with a tissue and flush them. Others were crazy drunk fliers who would buzz from light fixture to light fixture causing you to chase them while looking directly into the light.

Then one day they were gone. It was winter and they were all dead. And since we don’t use our attic quickly the bees became out of sight, out of mind.

Until Tuesday. On Tuesday there was a bee in the bathroom.

On Tuesday Shawn went into the attic and sealed the entry point.

On Wednesday there was one lonely bee in the bathroom. Shawn ran to the bathroom when Heidi shrieked “There’s a BEE IN HERE!”

I cringed. I knew we were in for another spring, summer, fall with bees in our bathroom.

But, alas, Thursday there were no bees. I am left to assume the Wednesday bee was one lone bee who had been hiding out in the attic when the access point to his hive was closed off.

I am happy to say we are now bee free. At least in our bathroom.

I think I should get this ring to commemorate the experience.

(availalbe at Coach.com)

**Editorial Note: We most likely had wasp’s and not bees but we spent the entire year calling the bees and I like the story better that way…**

On to the next project - the Play Room

With the bathroom completed and Shawn going back to work on Monday, we have moved on to painting the Play Room. I always used to call it the Toy Room and that's what it was. A room on the main floor of the house devoted to Heidi's toys. Now, it will be the Play Room. I want this room hold her toys but also all her to play with them in the room, not having to drag them out to the living room. I also want her to be able to be creative in this room so it will have plenty of space for her painting and drawing.

Heidi is painting the magnetic primer on the wall. It's an iron based primer that you put under paint. When complete and dry magnets stick to it. This will be a good place for all of the stuff she has on the fridge right now.

The primer is black but will be covered with a gray paint. This is the wall where the piano had been. The piano is in the dining room now and will be in the basement soon. It's an Upright Grand Piano is it is VERY heavy and hard to move.
I really am bad at before pictures but I am good at progress and after pictures! Part of the problem is Shawn starts the project before I get to take the pictures. But in this photo you can see the old color on the wall around the black primer. And the back wall, by the window, is the new red. The top of that wall will be white.
These two pictures together kind of give an idea of the size of the room. It was built to be a formal dining room so it's pretty big, probably as big as Heidi's bedroom. It has a closet and a window so if we added doors to either side it would quickly be a 5th bedroom.

There had been built in cabinets in the corners. We were using them for storage but they really did not serve the purpose we had intended.

When this is done, it will be red on the bottom, white on the top, the magnetic section will be gray with a white frame around it, there will be white molding on the floor and around the window, and the door to the closet will be painted white. There will also be new white shelves in the corner, Shawn is building these, and we have lady bug decals for the wall above the shelves.

I am very excited for this room to be completed. Our basement currently looks like a toy hurricane hit it. My goal is to have it all completed and set up by end of October so we are not rushing for Thanksgiving. Now that Shawn will be back at work he will have less time to work on the trim and cabinets.

Wish us luck on the next project!!

We are also doing a concurrent project - painting the living room and main hallway. The first coats are up but I am not going to post pictures for a few days.

All Done!!

We finished the bathroom this weekend!! We have been done for awhile now but there were some finishing touches to put on. Shawn is going to make a cover for the vent since I can't find a single one that I like and he is going to make a cabinet door for the laundry chute to replace the old metal door. Other than those two things WE ARE DONE!!

Looks great, huh?? I love the small green tiles in the center. Notice how the shower rod is slanting down. This is because it fell on me the other day and I have not been brave enough to try to fix it again. If it's staying where it belongs the I am going to leave it alone!
This flooring is so beautiful. I like the large tiles and how it looks with the pink rugs.
Shawn added these shelves. He re-purposed the glass from cabinets he removed from the toy room and used scraps from the floor molding as the brackets.

The three other things in this picture that I love... We now have a bathroom fan. I often forget to turn it on when I am in the shower but when I do the mirror is not foggy when I get out. Since we had mold issues going into this I am ecstatic to know it will not be so damp in this beautiful room! Second, the 6 panel solid oak door instead of the old hollow core door. Which allows for the third thing, the hook on the door for my robes and Heidi's hoodie towels.

Our facet is called Bamboo. It has a great old well look to it. The pink carnation was taken from the restroom at my work a few weeks ago. They change out the flowers every Friday night so before this one went in the trash I brought it home for Heidi. We didn't know where to put it so it ended up in the bathroom and was inspiration for the pink accents.
Here you can see the bathtub faucet. It matches the sink. You can also see pink shower liner. This thing is fabric, not plastic, and machine washable! I was smitten!
And finally, the finished product. My husband is the best!

Now we are on to the next project - painting the play room. Since our house has two dining rooms when we moved in we made the formal dining room into a play room for Heidi. It has always been very crowded and didn't seem to serve a real purpose. Shawn has taken down the built in corner cabinets, tore out the carpet, and is starting to paint. Pictures to come, hopefully tomorrow! Stay tuned...

A crafty afternoon

I have been pretty inspired lately do express my creative side. I like to paint, throw pots, and cross stitch. I also like to keep this blog, read books or magazines or blogs, and learn new things.

I have spent a fair amount of time over the last month doing all of the above, except for pottery.

Heidi likes most of these things as well.

This afternoon, after work and school were over for the week, we sat down and did a little painting.

Heidi picked out this house at Michaels last night.

It looks like a nice little hut on the ocean in Hawaii.
She painted it pink, brown, and put in blue for water. She decided this was a house on the water in Hawaii, just like her teacher Judy wants.
She worked so hard on this. We have painted together in the past but we have always worked on the same project. This time we each had our own so she was able to do whatever she wanted with this house.
I think she did a fantastic job!
She has decided to give it to Judy as a gift. I think Judy is going to love it also!
I pick up this letter puzzle at Michaels last night as well. I was not sure what to do with it. But a friend of mine is expecting her first baby in February. Sorry, can't say who, they haven't told everyone yet!! I think I am going to give it to her for a early baby gift.

It turned out pretty good. I think I need a few more small paint brushes if I am going to do detail work like this. And if she has a boy the pink might be a little odd but once you put the letters in I think it will balance out. Or I can just repaint it!

It was a fun, quick little project. Took about a hour to do the entire thing, including taking out supplies and cleaning up in the end. I look forward to my next project!

Inspiration Has Struck

Lately I have felt the need to express my creative side. However, I have always thought that I needed to have something in mind to do with the finished result. Give as a gift or have a place to display it in my house. When I don't have a plan for the craft I lose my motovation. There are always a million other things I should be doing, I should not spend my time making things that will end up packed away or adding clutter to my house.

Recently I came across a website called http://www.etsy.com/ where you can sell your handmade crafts. I suppose that's a good way to express my creative side and also feel like I have a plan for the final project.

Last night we went out to Michaels and ended up hitting a wonderful clearance sale.

They had color/activity books for $1 regular price so we picked up 2 of those. We found a bracelet making kit and got one for Heidi and one for a gift. We are going to make a new Halloween Haunted House. Heidi is going to paint and decorate a box and I found some cute bird houses. I also found a few dirt cheap cross stitch kits.


Here is the first cross stitch I am going to take on.



Put this in a cute frame and someone might want it!

It's so close!!

The bathroom is so close to being done I can feel it! Shawn said we should be able to shower in there by Monday.

As I mentioned before, the design is based on a display we saw at The Tile Shop in Plymouth.


Heidi has been such a big helper. She loves to watch Shawn and she asks a ton of questions. I think this is great. She is going to be able to do her own home improvement projects when she owns a house!

I love my new sink and vanity! I happened to bring this flower home from work for Heidi. We put it in low ball crystal glass and were carrying it around the house trying to find a place for it. Since our house is in complete disarray right now nothing looked right until we put it on the sink. It looks so perfect there! I think I may do my accents in carnation pink...
The floor adds a rustic southwestern charm. And the giant mirror above the sink is lovely! What a wonderful job Shawn has done!!

Another Day, Another Bathroom Post

I am not sure what day we are on in our bathroom renovation but I know we are very pleased with the progress!

First, I need to send a HUGE shout out to Graham for helping with the electrical. THANK YOU SO MUCH! And I am sorry I neglected to mention your handiness in the last post :)

And I am not sure if I mentioned or not but the permits passed inspection and are now closed. The dumpster is also off the driveway. I have no doors on any room in my house and all of the molding in the living room / hallway is gone but we already have the replacement doors in the garage and we just need to pick out the molding. I am so excited to have 6 panel solid core doors on all of the rooms!

Today Shawn started the tile and it looks WONDERFUL!! Here are 2 quick progress pictures. Heidi only helped for 2 minutes before she wandered off to play with Johannah and Briana who are staying with us this week.

Since our shower has been out of commission I have taken to traveling the mile to dad's house most mornings. Both dad and I enjoy this as he has someone to make his coffee and I have coffee before I get to work. I ended up taking a shower after my swim last night and decided to forgo the trip to dad's. Not a good idea, my hair was funny from sleeping on it all night and I missed my coffee. I bet dad missed having me put the pot on!

Once this bathroom is done I will have to have Shawn show me how to program the coffee maker at our house so I can have coffee before work without the mile drive!!

More on the Bathroom

Heidi and I stayed out of Shawn's way for a long weekend so he could work on the bathroom. Unfortunately the inspectors do not work on Friday's so he did not get as far as he had wanted.

But he got a lot done. Here are the pictures of what it looked like when we got home on Monday.

Ceiling above the tub/shower


The new tub and plumbing. I got to take a bath in the tub on Tuesday morning which was very nice.
Here you can see the new sub-floor, plumbing, and the tub. This is looking in from the doorway.



Now all the sheet rock is up and the first round of taping and mudding is completed. It's drying and then one more coat will probably do.

We picked up the paint and the "accessories" last night. We got a towel rack, a small towel holder, a toilet paper holder, a rob hook for the back of the door, and a new flusher for the toilet. I think the only left to pick out is the stain and the trim.

He plans to start hanging tile when we get back from Justin and Dawn's house on Monday.

Bathroom Renovation Day 2 and 3

Shawn is making good progress. He is working long hours and has made a lot of trips to Menards. We sure miss the corner Hardware Hank on Camden!!

Here are some pictures of what the bathroom looks like after the demo was completed.


This picture is of the ceiling up to the attic. I was caught off guard that we would be able to see the attic. When I think about it, it makes perfect sense but when we did the bathroom in the Mpls house we had a second floor so we just saw the studs. Shawn put Heidi up into the attic so she could look around. She thought it was pretty cool.

Justin asked if we found anything cool up there. The answer is no :) Just insulation. We bought the house from a couple who were heavy pot smokers. Maybe Justin thought we would find their stash...

Here is the doorway. The old door is still on but we will be installing a new door. We picked out nice 6 panel doors that will go in all of the rooms that lead to the hallway.


This is where the bathtub had been / will go. You can see how bad it really was. Shawn has replaced the bad studs and pulled out all of the insulation since this picture was taken. And is working on putting new studs and insulation in place as I type. He is hoping the inspector will come out today so he can get the backer board up and start the tub install and tiling. If all goes well there will be a shower early next week!

There will not be any pictures of what happens throughout the weekend as Heidi and I are heading to the cabin and taking the camera with us. He will be happy to have us out of his hair but we sure will miss him!

Here is a picture of my silly cat Eddie. He is not happy that it is so hot and noisy. We don't have the air on because of all the dust. It's really nice in the mornings but a little hot in the afternoons. Not to mention how humid it was last night and is this morning.

I will post more when I return on Tuesday - fingers crossed for tile pictures!! :)

Bathroom Renovation Day 1

Okay, so not really day 1 because day 1 would have been months ago when we started to plan. But here we are, Tuesday July 21st, 2009 and the bathroom project is officially underway! I am so excited to see the end result and enjoy a bathroom that has never been used by people outside my family (unless invited by me).

For those of you who really know me, you know that I cannot stand other peoples "yuck." Yuck is stuck in a bathroom no matter how much you clean it. Since we (read Shawn) are going all the way down to the studs on the walls, floor, and ceiling there is no way any yuck could hang around.

Here are the before pictures. Or as close to before as I am capable of taking. For some reason I always forget to take the before pictures until after we (again, read Shawn) have started the project. But at this point, from this view, all that is missing are the things that sit on the sink and some rugs. And the shower curtain is open. Add in the trash bucket, wheel, broom, and wonderbar and you have a bathroom renovation!!

This is the old flooring.
The old vanity.
Here Shawn has started to remove the wall. It is very interesting. We (read Shawn) renovated the bathroom in the Minneapolis house about 6 years ago. That house had plaster and lath. It was a mess! When we moved I swore I would never own a house that was plaster again. Purchasing a house built in 1955 (instead of 1928) seemed to get me out of the plaster window. Shortly after we moved in we realized we still had plaster. This time it's plaster over sheet rock. Interesting but equally as dusty.


And here is a shot from inside out. You can kind of see the floor in the hallway where Shawn removed the carpet. It is covered in Masonite to protect to hardwood until the bathroom project is done.

Shawn's time line is not as aggressive this time around. For the Minneapolis Bathroom project he had 3 days. This time he has a few weeks if needed. My only "suggestion" was that we try to keep the lack of shower down to a few days as I will be heading to my parents house every day.

I was informed that the shower outage starts tomorrow morning. I greatly look forward to my last shower in the "yuck" and to my first shower in the new "pretty."

And for a sneak peak - here is the display we are loosely copying at the Tile Store.