Crafts: Chevron Rug

My mom gave us this cute "Home Tweet Home" door mat as a housewarming gift when we moved in our new house last summer. My nickname has always been Tweeter, so it was so fitting.

Unfortunately we moved it to the back patio during Christmas time when we were decorating with our Christmas rugs.

 Muddy backyard + 3 Dogs = Ridiculously dirty doormat! 

I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. I looked up cleaning tricks on Pinterest. Nothing got it looking neat again. Ugh... Right? Wrong! Why not give it a facelift? I'm in love with chevron right now (as most women are), and for some reason I keep leaning toward orange. I've never liked orange! Why do I all of a sudden want it everywhere??? I blame it on these back-to-back pregnancies. So... The doormat got a facelift! Easy peasy Japanesey!

First I sprayed it white with Rust-o-leum outdoor paint. It took two bottles. It was SO dirty!

Next I made a pattern using an old shoebox lid. That helped me get started on the taping.

After I got the first little bit done I used that as my guide to tape out the rest. It would have taken waaay too long to tape the entire thing the way I did that first little bit!

I cut the strips as needed to give me the chevron look.

See how it doesn't stick good to this kind of rug? I knew this would be a problem. I debated on several solutions, but finally I decided to just be lazy and go for it. I sprayed it orange, let it dry a bit, removed the tape, and couldn't believe how good it looked!

I may do a few touch-ups here and there. But overall I'm very happy with the end result!! Now to pair it with the right things for the front porch!

Check out our You Make the Call page to join in with your opinion on how we should fix the front porch! We'd love to hear your ideas! Comments or questions on this project? We love some comment love!!! 

Thanks for joining us! Please feel free to share!

Everyone Dies

"Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives."

~ A. Sachs

Make It Happen

"If you really want something, you can figure out how to make it happen."

~ Cher

How to Fail

"The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed."

~ Richard B. Sheridan

YMTC: New Wreathe

I decided to go with burlap for my next wreathe, and I loved the burlap! I got all of it at Hobby Lobby, and then I dug through my paint storage to find a blue close to the shade in the chevron ribbon. I painted the D, and I planned on adding dark brown accents on it (i.e. big polka dots, outline, etc.). Now I'm not sure, though. So... YOU MAKE THE CALL! Leave as is or add dark brown accents? Different idea I haven't thought of yet? Let's hear your thoughts!

Happiness

"Happiness is not a destination, it is a method of life."

~ Burton Hills

The Heart Leads

"Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow."

~ Norman Vincent Peale

Enthusiasm

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm."

~ Walter Chrysler

Organizing/Home Decor: Hanging Box Shelves

The next project for my husband was a set of shelves that I saw in a book and wanted. I love a contemporary look, but our house is rustic. So we thought these shelves would be a good mix. I failed to take pics of this project along the way like I did with the laundry room cabinets. Lesson learned. But at least you can see the final. I'm still working on getting them decorated.

He used 3/4 inch birch plywood for these shelves. One 4' x 8' sheet did the entire thing. He used 1/4 inch plywood for the backs of each box. He ironed edge banding onto all the edges to give them a more completed look. Then he stained them and applied polyurethane. I wish I had pictures of how he hung them, because he had to really engineer it up. Those suckers are heavy! They are hung in three separate sections.

The Situation

"It's not the situation; it's your reaction to the situation."

~ Robert Conklin

Optimism

"Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other."

~ Brian Tracy

It Can't Be Done

People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Situations

"You cannot tailor-make the situations in life, but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations before they arise."

~ Zig Ziglar

Attitudes

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?

Crafts/Organizing: Laundry Room Cabinets

One of the problems with our house is lack of storage. We are planning to put our house on the market in the spring, so we are trying to create some good storage areas to add to the appeal. Plus, I tend to be a little ocd. Messes stress me out. My husband got some new tools for Christmas, and he couldn't wait to use them. It took several days because the doctors are trying to teach him to pace himself better so he doesn't knock himself down for several days in a row. Otherwise this could probably be done in a day. But I couldn't be more proud of him for how they turned out.

Here was the "Before." I wanted to scream every time I walked in here.

He started with base:

Then he added bracing for support around the middle:

Awww.... Isn't my hubby handsome????

Here is me pretending to do something while wearing my new pink toolbelt that I LOVE!!! 

After getting the middle braces, he added the shelves and the top support: 

Next came the face frame: 

Here it is from a straight-forward angle:

Next he painted the frame:

And finally he added the doors that he built and painted in the garage. (I didn't realize that bottom drawer to the dryer was open when I took this):

The final close-up:

Happiness

"Happiness is not by chance, but by choice."

~ Jim Rohn

Passion

"Live with passion."

~ Anthony Robbins

Responding vs. Reacting

"To respond is positive; to react is negative."

~ Zig Ziglar

Breaking Down

"It's not the load that breaks you down; it's the way you carry it."

~ Lena Horne

Fate

Although fate presents the circumstances, how you react depends on your character.

Organizing: Coffee Container Boxes

A recent craft post showed the containers I made to store my coffee. Today I'm showing the boxes I made to house my coffee jars. I bought these boxes in the unfinished craft wood section at Hobby Lobby during a week they were on sale, but if I made them again I would just have my husband build them. I painted the inside and trim with the colors I use as my main accent colors in our great room. Then I decoupaged scrapbook paper onto the outside. I'm still working to perfect my decoupage technique as it is an artform, and I do not have enough experience with it. But I did the best I could. Then I took a sponge applicator and dabbed brown paint onto the edges in an attempt to make each side fade into it's edge. I hung them on the wall and placed my coffee jars in them. Bonus... the top one hides our thermostat.

From the side you hardly even notice the thermostat. It used to stick out on that wall like a sore thumb.

Notice on the decaf jars I flip-flopped the colors. That way we don't mistakingly grab the wrong one and end up staying awake all night. I recently got a new Cricut cartridge that has coffee on it, so I will add a coffee dye cut under the words "decaf coffee" to complete the look.

Here is a close-up of the sides and edges:

Open Minds

"Minds are like parachutes - They only function when open."

~ Thomas Dewar

Handling Life

"It's not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it's how you handle what happens to you."

~ Zig Ziglar

Mt. Magazine Family Camping ~ Spring 2010

In the spring of 2010 Connor had just turned 9 years old. He has spent his life around campers, but he had never camped in a tent prior to this. So we decided he needed a tent-camping adventure. We loaded up the 4-wheeler in the cargo trailer and pulled it up to Mt. Magazine in Arkansas. The two of us had gone as a couple the year before (see our previous Mt. Magazine post for details), so this was time for a family adventure.

He learned how to set up a tent as he helped Tim with the task.

Then it was time to be a true outdoorsman. He hopped on the 4-wheeler to go find some firewood.

After bringing back a tree, Connor attempted to karate chop it into firewood.

Ok... enough outdoors stuff. Time to paint the face like joker.

Daddy helped smooth it out a bit.

Learning to whistle with a blade of grass.

Morning time!!! Wake up everyone!!

Cooking breakfast over the campfire. Sausage with biscuits wrapped around them.

Time for more face painting! This time it was Two-Face.

We used a tripod to cook burgers over the open campfire. It makes it so much easier, and boy are they yummy!!

Waiting for dinner to be ready.

For very little money we were able to have a fun-filled, memory-making weekend trip full of adventure! If you haven't camped with your kids (I mean real tent camping) I highly recommend it! It's an experience they're sure not to forget.

Burdens

"Everyone has a burden. What counts is how you carry it."

~ Merle Miller

State of Life

"The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind."

~Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Making the Most of Life

"The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them …"

~Michel de Montaigne

Hobbies/Crafts/Decorating: Monkey Baby Shower

Here are the final pictures of the monkey themed baby shower.

Rubber Ducky Punch:

Food Table:

Cupcakes, Gift Bag, and Monkey Decor:

 We used paper lanterns sitting on the buffet for decorations, and we scattered some of the extra rubber duckies around:

 

And no party is complete without a chocolate fountain with all the fixins:

 

Family Fun: Relaxation at its finest (minus the crashing waves of the sea)

Talk about relaxing! Tim and I are reclined in our zero gravity chairs, cuddled in blankets and sweatshirts, watching the fire snap, crackle, and pop, listening to the crickets and frogs, and enjoying sweet "couple" conversations. (Well, we were until we picked up our iPads). It's a crisp 63 degrees... practically unheard of for a July night in Arkansas where the summers are hot and humid. The fire warms us as it casts a flickering glow across each other's face. The only other light is the ambient glow of the lanterns hanging from our canvas gazebo. The campground is quiet of human traffic. Peacefulness is bliss!

Although I didn't get my morning hike today, I feel good from the workout I got yesterday. This morning we had to load up and drive home to take Brantley to school. He only goes 2 days a week, and he seems to benefit greatly from every interaction with other kids. So we try to not let him miss days. Luckily we were able to schedule the heat & air guys to come fix our a/c during that time.

We made it back to the campsite this evening. I decided to attempt a different veggie with Brantley tonight since his reaction to avocado was not favorable yesterday. I don't like the idea of feeding him store bought food, but I had some my mother-in-law had given us. So I decided to give carrots a shot.

SUCCESS!!!!!!!

He loved them! He kept trying to steal the spoon from me and shove it in his mouth. It was so cute! 

We got a 4th of July craft sent home from school today. Oh how I treasure these! 

I think I'll attempt our own 4th of July craft with him tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

IPad is turning off to enjoy some more time with my sweet hubby. Bye for now!

Perspective

Some men go through a forest and see no firewood.

~English Proverb

Smile

Learn to smile at every situation. See it as an opportunity to prove your strength and ability.