Fast Wire Shelving Surface Solution

All of the closets and shelving in our house is the standard

builders grade wire stuff.

A few years ago we removed the wire shelf in our laundry room 

and installed a nice 3 door cabinet. 

Other than that, all shelving has remained the same.

And if you have wire shelving you know how much fun it can be.

Especially in a pantry.  

All the little boxes or envelopes that tip over or

settle into the gaps between the wires.

I felt like my pantry was always in disarray.

I will hang my head in shame and embarrassment and show you my pantry.

::::wincing::::

Told you it was a big old mess.

Ooooooh, Sparkly.

Here is a tutorial for a quick, easy and pretty pendant.

I have been on a look out for a pretty pendant on a long necklace

for some time.

I while looking for the supplies for my wire cabochon TUTORIAL,

I came across this pretty filigree circle.

A light bulb went off.

Turns out I had everything on hand to make my own necklace.

Isn't sad when you don't realize or remember all the craft supplies you have?

20 inch silver chain

3 silver jump rings

faux pearls

bead spacer

twist clasp

Just the right fit

So, I'm talking shoes again.

I'm my issues with shoe sizing and fit.

(again, sorry for making you look at my feet)

I found these adorable sandals last month for $5.

I mean, they are cute AND in my size so I snapped them up quickly.

Then I realized that they ran big.

So even these size 5's were too big for my right foot.

Like they were more like size 6.

But they were so cute!!!!!

See.

After staring at them a bit, I realized that I could

adjust both the front and back straps.

In theory

And if I messed up, it was only $5 down the drain.

So I bought them.

Clipper Hair Cut Success at Home!

Take a look at my handsome little man and his fresh new haircut,

done by me!

This is a big deal.

After a few

TERRIBLE

at home trims I have given him, I vowed not to torture him again.

Exhibit A:

Poor baby, his bangs were a hot, crooked mess. 

He looked like Friar Tuck.

Notice he is flipping me off.

Ever since, Jaime insisted we needed a pro to cut Michael's hair.

But this kid has a TON of hair and it grows so fast.

Visits to our local place were either every 3 - 4 weeks or

my kid ran around like a mop head 

(albeit, cute mop head).

I was catching up on my blog reading when I stumbled upon THIS

post from Young House Love and how Sherry cuts John's hair.

It was a really good tutorial and gave me new hope.

Only thing was she uses scissors.

That had been my downfall before. 

See Exhibit A.

A few weeks later, as I was running my hands through Michael's really-needing-to-be-cut hair,

I decided to google boys haircuts and clippers,

since I had a perfectly unused clipper kit in the closet.

If I can see it done, I'm sure I can do it.

I found two great tutorials that gave me the confidence to try again!

Besides, it's summer and no one would question it if my kid went to school with a buzz cut.

Buzz cuts hide all mistakes.

The first site is Frugal Fun for Boys and THIS post has great pics and videos.

The second site is Heavenly Homemakers and THIS post has a wonderful picture of hair angles.

Using all three posts and reviewing the video several times, 

I set out to tame Michael's tresses.

(hey, it was fun to say)

I forgot to take a before picture.

His hair was long around the ears and had no shape.  

Basically a long, fuzzy brown ball.

I started at the bottom and used the size 3 guard all around the back and sides of his head.

I figured I could make it shorter if necessary.

I then used the size 4 guard at the temple and top back of the head.

I like his bangs longer, 

so I used the size 8 guard for the front and cut the top.

I decided to go back over the bottom with a size 2 guard to tighten it up.

Lastly, I cleaned up the sideburns and back hairline with a Jaime's beard trimmer.

It really was just like the videos.

Granted, Michael giggled and flinched throughout the process,

but at least I didn't mess up his hair or have to buzz him. 

I did have to give him the hairy eyeball a few times.

Jaime came to supervise right at the end and was very impressed.

He even said I can cut Michael's hair all the time.

I think he was happy about saving the $15 per cut.

If you already cut the hair in your family, do you have any tips?

If you can work up the nerve, try it.

You may surprise yourself and save some cash. 

XOXO,

4th of July Wreath

We normally don't decorate for Independence Day.
Yes, I feel a bit guilty about not flying the red, white and blue.

But I have been loving all of the amazing decor I've been seeing on

blogland and pinterest.

There was a 5 Below store right next to the restaurant where we were having dinner last night.

Outside was a huge bin of pool noodles marked $1 each.

Didn't I see some cool, pool noodle wreath tutorials?

I can give it a try for $1.

So after dinner, we headed over and I picked up a few noodles and 

some amazing decorative duct tape.

(for my next project)

After reviewing my pins and doing a few google searches,

I put this little number together this afternoon,

 I am really digging it.

And it was so easy to make!

and literally cost me $1!!

(insert happy dance)

What do you need to make your own wreath:

Pool Noodle

Packing Tape

Blue and White paper

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun

Spray Paint - Optional

Ribbon - Optional

I angled the ends of my pool noodle slightly

so it would make a perfect circle.

Once I got the right fit, tape it up.

All Wrapped Up

Hi All!

Sorry I've been MIA, just been busy at work and at home.

But I'm back and wanted to share my latest craft, a

Wire Wrapped Cabochon Pendant

I am a sucker for all things sparkly and intricate.

This pendant has all the things I love,

and it's easy to do,

and it's purple!

You don't necessarily need a cabochon, any oval shaped

jewel, stone, rock would work just fine.

Supplies needed:

Cabochon

22 Gauge Wire - I used Sterling Silver (found at Michael's Craft store)

Needle nose pliers

Round nose pliers

Ruler

Jump rings

So here is my pretty cab.  I actually made this guys with dichroic and purple glass.

oooooooh, shiny.

You can't see me.

* DISCLAIMER * 

I want to apologize to anyone who is weirded out by feet.

I'm sorry you have to look and my goofy ones.

I don't mean to offend.

Feel free to run away screaming.

:)

I wanted to share my solution to a small problem I have.

I have 2 different sized feet.

Like a size and a half difference!

As you can imagine, it makes for interesting shoe shopping.

Some of my shoe problems:

• Going broke buying 2 sets of sizes for every pair of shoes I'd want to wear.
• Always having one tight shoe and one loose shoe.
• Always having to wear shoes with straps; Mary Janes, T-Strap, Ankle Strap, blah blah.
• Longingly gazing upon Peep Toes, Wedges and slip on Sandals.

Then I had an A HA moment one night while watching Dancing with the Stars.

No, it wasn't how those fringe pants would look awesomely fantastic on me.

I noticed that the female dancers had something on their shoes 

to make sure they didn't fall off.

Invisible Straps!

Immediately, I googled and found you could purchase one pair of "Dance Shoe Straps"

for approximately $10.

Dude, I have a lot of shoes.

So, considering the straps were made of clear elastic, I got to googling again.

I found you can buy clear elastic for pretty cheap.

I got 3 packets of 3/8" Lightweight Clear Elastic (each 5 yards long)

for $10 shipped!

I could make makes lots o' straps and buy more shoes!

When my shipment arrived I got to messing around with the elastic.

Glue didn't work.

I didn't want to sew it.

So I came up with the below process that has worked beautifully.

Learning the ropes.

Rope Trellis that is.

I had a small issue in my extremely small and basic garden.

How to I support my pea and clematis plants.

How can I make something fun and colorful.

So I started searching the internet saw so many fun ways to build a trellis.

Horizontal

Vertical

Circular

Conical

I figured I would try a fun design on the fence.

This way I could hopefully support the plants AND get some fence coverage.

So, to start I had to finished the second half of the 12 foot flower bed.

It had been raining the day before so the ground was damp.

It made digging up the remaining grass a snap.

Thanks to Jaime for the manpower.

Then we had to adding gardening soil and top off with mulch.

Michael doesn't use the wagon much anymore, so I snagged it for my project.

So much easier on the back.

All set for a trellis and plants.

Angry Birds Party

The Angry Birds Party was a big hit!

I had a pretty ecstatic 5 year old on my hands.

Before we get to the party pics, 

I wanted to share one last craft, the goodie bags!

And as the kids tell me, it's the most important part,

besides cake,

and presents. :)

I started off by buying some red and blue bags at Target.

I then pulled some graphics off the internet and enlarged them to fit.

Get the face downloads HERE and HERE

Cut out your faces and bring out the bags.

Glue the faces as shown.

I used Elmer's Glue.

Take a sharpie and add the little feather bumps over their heads.

Pull String Pig Pinata

Say that 5 times fast!

Most of the Angry Birds Party Supplies are sold out in my area

and I knew I wanted a pull string pinata for Michael's Party.

So why not make one?

and for a fraction of the cost!

This one cost about $3 to make.

Woot Woot.

I saw a few terrific instructional posts HERE at Young House Love.

Aren't they he cutest!

And HERE at Frugal NJ

And HERE at Fancy Frugally

Gather your supplies:

Balloon in the size you want - I chose a large punch balloon.

Bowl to hold the balloon

Newpaper and/ Flyers

Paste

Curling Ribbon

Construction Paper

Crepe Paper

Scissors

Glue - Hot and Elmer's

Pinata Filling

Luckily I already had some punch balloons from Target on hand.

They were leftovers from Easter.

I got Jaime to blow up the balloon, since I didn't want aggravate my jaw.

Then I laughed when he almost passed out once he finished.

Don't worry, he was fine.

I also grabbed all the grocery store flyers I had been hording

and cut them into large strips.

I found that larger strips made the process move more quickly.

Angry Bird Invasion

Eeeek!

I honestly could not stop laughing when I took this picture.

I even called Jaime over and he laughed, too.

They were just glaring at us.

Ok the birds were glaring and the pigs are kinda scared/clueless. :)

I saw a super cute version of these poms on PINTEREST and knew I wanted 

to make them for the Michael's Angry Birds Party.

They would make a perfect addition to the goodie bags.

And then I got my wisdom teeth out.

And then I got really sick from the meds.

Tack on Dry Socket.

I has been a lovely 2 weeks leading up to Michael's 5th birthday

and my party planning (and blog, and face) suffered.

Luckily I was able to work on these little guys in bed and with little head/jaw movement.

I decided on making the red bird and a pig.

If I had felt better, I would have totally made more colored birds.

Below were the supplies:

Yarn

Scissors

Large Needle

Pom Templates in Medium and Large -  Get the template from MEYAMO

Reusable Swiffer Pad Tutorial

As I had mentioned before, I love my Swiffer Wet Jet, but really suck 

at keeping the soap and pad refills on hand.

So, after my success refilling my Lysol Soap Dispenser and Swiffer Bottle

from THIS post, I knew I needed Swiffer Pads.

After looking around online for a bit, I came up with the style above.

It is super simple, 4 pieces, and cost $1 for 2 pads.

Yeah, I did use the sewing machine, but it doesn't have to be perfect.

AND

If you can sew a basic line, believe me, you can do it too!

The Details

First, I picked up an auto Shammy (or Chamois) cloth from the dollar store.

Cut the cloth base to the same size as your Swiffer Wet Jet.

Next, cut 3 strips, 2 inches wide and the length of the base pad.

Take the 3 strips and position them on the base.

One in the middle and one on either side.

Then sew them to the base by sewing right down the middle of each strip.

Now take your scissors and make a snip every inch down both sides of each strip.

Feel free to fluff them up.  :)

The shammy material adheres to the velcro on the bottom of the Swiffer Wet Jet.

You don't need to sew pocket or anything!

Isn't that great!

I told you it was simple!

You can now Swiffer and then toss these guys right into the washing machine.

Make a bunch and you will always have a fresh pad ready.

I was again inspired to mop every hard surface in the house tonight.

I must really like this project. 

I had no issues with the cloth moving or slipping.

Hope you like it too!

XOXO,

Featured on:

Linking up to these great parties:

Monday Craftomaniac *  Skip to my Lou * Mad in Crafts * Keeping It Simple * Sumo's Sweet Stuff * C.R.A.F.T. * Making The World Cuter * Alderberry Hill * So Very Creative * Singing Three Little Birds *Ask Anna * Get Outta My Head Please * Three Mango Seeds * Lisa's Craft Blog * Polly Want a Crafter * DIY Home Sweet Home * Sew Can Do *  Cooking with Karyn * An Original Belle * Destination: Craft * Toastie Studio * I should be mopping the floor * Everything Under the Moon

Tuesday - Tip Junkie * Sugarbee Crafts * Funky Polkadot Giraffe * My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia * Crafty Confessions * Home Stories A to Z * Homework * Not Just a Housewife * Project Queen *A Diamond in the Stuff * Cherished Bliss * Blackberry Vine * Uncommon * The Southern Product Queen

Wednesday - Someday Crafts *Sew Much Ado * Tea Rose Home *A Little Tipsy * The Thrifty Home * Fireflies and Jellybeans * My Girlish Whims * Gingersnap Crafts *  Raegun Wear * The CSI Project* The Stuff of Success * Lil' Luna * The Sasse Life * Fine Craft Guild * Embracing Change * Go Team Duncan

Thursday - Somewhat Simple * The Shabbycreek Cottage * The 36th Avenue * Thrifty 101 * A Creative Princess * House of Hepworths * The Artsy Girl Connection * Katie's Nesting Spot * Between U and Me * A Glimpse Inside * Christina's Adventures * Made in a Day * Adventures in Dinner * 52 Mantels

Friday - Thirty Handmade Days * Romantic Home *Tatertots and Jello* Simply Designing * Creation Corner * Blissful and Domestic * Young and Crafty * Delicate Construction * Happy Hour Projects * Sassy Sites * A Blonde's DIY Life * Whipperberry * Little Inspiration * Serenity Now * Here Comes The Sun * Tidy Mom * Raising Oranges * Happy Go Lucky * The Grant Life * Toys in the Dryer * Fingerprints on the Fridge * Bacon Time * At the Picket Fence * Miss Mustard Seed

Saturday - Positively Splendid.com * Be Different Act Normal * Family Ever After *Lovely Crafty Home * Lollyjane * Funky Junk Interiors * Too Much Time On My Hands * Six Sisters Stuff * Country Momma Cooks * Nutmeg Place

Sunday - The Girl Creative *The DIY Showoff * Nifty Thrifty Things *Petite Hermine * I Heart Naptime * Flamingo Toes * Cherished Treasures *My 1929 Charmer * Embellishing Life Everyday * Sunday Social * Sassafras Salvation

Guest Posting at Between U & Me

Hey there, Everyone!

I am thrilled to be guest posting today on  

Between U & Me

Today I am sharing a tutorial on 

Sand Etched Glass Drink Coasters!

Below is a sneak peek:

I hope you stop over at Between U and Me to check out the full post!

Courtney is just great and has an amazing blog.

XOXO 

Featured on:

Linking up to these great parties!

Monday - Craftomaniac *  Sarahndipities *  Skip to my Lou * Mad in Crafts * Keeping It Simple * Sumo's Sweet Stuff * C.R.A.F.T. * Making The World Cuter * Alderberry Hill * So Very Creative * Singing Three Little Birds *Ask Anna * Get Outta My Head Please * Three Mango Seeds * Lisa's Craft Blog * Polly Want a Crafter * DIY Home Sweet Home * Sew Can Do *  Cooking with Karyn * An Original Belle * Destination: Craft * Toastie Studio
Tuesday - Tip Junkie * Sugarbee Crafts * Funky Polkadot Giraffe * My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia * Crafty Confessions * Home Stories A to Z * Homework * Not Just a Housewife * Project Queen *A Diamond in the Stuff * Cherished Bliss * Blackberry Vine * Uncommon * The Southern Product Queen

Wednesday - Someday Crafts *Sew Much Ado * Tea Rose Home *A Little Tipsy * The Thrifty Home * Fireflies and Jellybeans * My Girlish Whims * Gingersnap Crafts *  Raegun Wear * The CSI Project* The Stuff of Success * Lil' Luna * The Sasse Life * Fine Craft Guild * Embracing Change * Go Team Duncan

Thursday - Somewhat Simple * The Shabbycreek Cottage * The 36th Avenue * Thrifty 101 * A Creative Princess * House of Hepworths * The Artsy Girl Connection * Katie's Nesting Spot * Between U and Me * A Glimpse Inside * Christina's Adventures * Made in a Day * Adventures in Dinner * 52 Mantels

Friday - Thirty Handmade Days * Romantic Home *Tatertots and Jello* Simply Designing * Creation Corner * Blissful and Domestic * Young and Crafty * Delicate Construction * Happy Hour Projects * Sassy Sites * A Blonde's DIY Life * Whipperberry * Little Inspiration * Serenity Now * Here Comes The Sun * Tidy Mom * Raising Oranges * Happy Go Lucky * The Grant Life * Toys in the Dryer * Fingerprints on the Fridge * Bacon Time * At the Picket Fence * Miss Mustard Seed

Saturday - Positively Splendid.com * Be Different Act Normal * Family Ever After *Lovely Crafty Home * Lollyjane * Funky Junk Interiors * Too Much Time On My Hands * Six Sisters Stuff * Country Momma Cooks * Nutmeg Place

Sunday - The Girl Creative *The DIY Showoff * Nifty Thrifty Things *Petite Hermine * I Heart Naptime * Flamingo Toes * Cherished Treasures *My 1929 Charmer * Embellishing Life Everyday * Sunday Social