Kraft Paper Roller

This is the best thing I've made (with the help of my pops, of course) for my kitchen-- to date!  My kids love this kraft paper roller almost as much as I do.  The holder only took a couple of hours from start to finish!  I wanted to post a DIY of this project, but I lost all of the step by step pictures I took during the process, so I'll just share the final product.   If I have enough comments, I will dedicate a post for making this as a DIY.  I know you will love it as much as I do.  So far, we've used the paper to tear off and draw pictures while eating at the dinner table, writing weekly spelling words for the kids, my grocery list, inspirational quotes, and sweet notes to the hubs.  But, ever since I drew my kids outline of their tiny bodies, I can't manage to tear the sheet off for anything else.

 The Kraft paper was purchased from Amazon and the mint clock from Target.

 Aren't those knobs fun!?  I purchased them from our local craft store and it added the touch of personality I was looking for.  Do you see that greasy handprint down below?  I promise, it wasn't me.  I am putting all of the blame on my littlest.  She gets away with everything!  But, look at the cute outlines of my sweet children though.  Ahh, it makes me want to freeze time and let them be little for a while longer.

So, what do you think?  Are you a fan of the Kraft paper roller?  What would you do with your paper roll and what room in the house would you put it in?

Back to school

The first day of school has come and gone, but believe me, I didn't forget to snap a picture of my sweet babies as they headed out for a day of firsts!

My Cambria moved up to first grade.  She was so excited to be where her brother has treaded before and do it side by side with a few of her besties!  

Can't you just see the sass squeeze out of this picture? 

My Addison moved up to second grade, and we are thrilled for him!  He has an amazing teacher who happens to live around the corner from us.  He's got a great group of boys in his class, and a couple are on his baseball team.  This boy is our spelling master!  He's already come home with two spellings tests with a 106 score on each!  Way to go buddy!

I just know these two are going to be heartbreakers this year!  Good thing they have eachother's backs and their classrooms are in the same hallway.

This munchkin here is stuck with me!  This is her first time as a busy toddler to be without her big siblings around during the day to play with.  For the first week, she would walk up the stairs looking for Ad and Cami in their rooms.  Turns out she wasn't happy when she couldn't find them and little Miss turned into a cranky mess.  Well, she finally settled in with me, and now I'm in good (fingers crossed)!  I can be a fun substitute for a playmate I'd say.  This girl cracks me up all day, just look at that happy face!

We sure are glad to be back in school, and back in a regular routine!  Now, we are just patiently waiting for fall to arrive so we can play baseball in the crisp evenings.  Until then, we just play in the humidity and spray ourselves down to keep the bugs away!

Summer fun!

Our family planned a full two weeks of visiting National Parks to celebrate the Centennial of the National Parks Service.  Leaving from Texas, we zig-zagged our way through New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah as our children earned Junior Ranger Badges and learned a better appreciation for our country and the beautiful landscapes.  We visited 10 National Parks that truly made an impact on our family!  We will definitely keep exploring other parks and historic sites to keep earning those badges.

We drove seven hours on our first leg of the trip with our three cuties in the back!  They did great, and thankfully slept most of the way since our drive began in the early evening.  This was a first big drive for our Sierra! As long as she had her bottle, her binky, and a toy close by, she was happy!  This blog post, I'll be talking about our first stop, CARLSBAD CAVERNS:

After a good nights rest in Carlsbad, we drove out to the National Park's visitor center to get our tickets to hike down to the caves.  We opted for the self-guided walking tour since our littles were too little for the ranger guided tours.  So off to the Natural Entrance we went for a 750 foot descent through the Earth!

Our mile and a half hike through the caves brought wonder and imagination to our kids eyes as we saw the many creations the caves made over thousands of years!  It was so fun to take the steep hike down with the kids to the "Big Room" and wander around the dark chamber and view the extensive collections of stalactites and intricate formations.

  
We opted for the elevator to bring us back to civilization!  After a fun full day of this National Park our kids earned their first Junior Ranger badge which they were so proud to receive!  Their sights were set on the next National Park for their JR activities and we knew their hearts were won by this beautiful land and the start of our vacation was a successful set up for the remainder of our trip.

This particular stop brought me back in time to my childhood memories with my family and sweet cousins as we all met in Carlsbad for an adventurous cave dwelling weekend.  I am so glad I could instill this same love into my children's hearts and create a memory that will last a lifetime for them as well!

Chalkboard Reveal

 Y'all!  I've always wanted a large chalkboard in my house.  The problem was that everywhere I searched, they were way too overpriced.  I decided that this was another project that I could take on myself.  I only needed a few supplies from the local hardware store to tackle this easy project.

SUPPLIES
-Hardboard
-Black Chalkboard Paint
-Paint rollers
-Lumber
-Wood Stain (Dark Walnut)
-Paint brushes
-Cloth for staining
-Chalk
-Cloth for seasoning chalkboard
-1/2" Nails and screws
-Hammer
-Drill or screwdriver
-Hanging wire and hooks

I went to Lowe's and purchased a hardboard wall panel for under $10.  It's the same material that you use for a peg board, just without the peg holes.  It's not too heavy and was perfect for the large chalkboard that I was making.  The best part was that I even had the board cut to my specifications, right there at the store, so I didn't have to worry about any saw dust mess.  My board is 5' x 3.5'. I also had my frame cut at Lowe's.  The four strips of wood for the frame were cut to measure 62" for the top and bottom of the frame and 40" for the two sides.

Step 1
Lay your hardboard out in an area for painting.  I prefer to do this type of work in my garage with the garage door open for nice ventilation.  Open your black chalkboard paint and start painting your hardboard with your paint roller.  You will need to do two to three coats of chalkboard paint for this project waiting two to three hours between each coat.

Step 2
Lay out your lumber that has been cut for your frame.  Brush on the wood stain.  I waited about 20 minutes before I used my cloth to wipe off the stain.  The longer you wait, the darker your stain color will be.   If you do not wipe off the stain, your wood will be very sticky.   Wait for this to dry completely.

Step 3
Once your chalkboard is completely dry, you will need to "season" your chalkboard.  Take your chalk and lay it down flat rather than holding it at the end.  Cover your entire board with chalk by gently rubbing the chalk horizontally and vertically.  It's going to be messy...and dusty!  Now, with a dry clean cloth remove all the chalk from the board.  Do NOT get the cloth wet or you will have to start the process all over again.

Step 4
Now it's time to frame your chalkboard.  Lay the board chalkboard side down and get your stained lumber out.  You will take the lumber and line it  up underneath the chalkboard.  Once you have the frame in position, you will take your nails and hammer the hardboard to your frame.  Be sure not to use nails that are too long, otherwise that nail will show through the front of your frame.  I think I purchased 1/2" nails for this.  Then in the corners, screw in the frame for extra strength.

Step 5
Finally add your hooks and hanging wire and find the spot you want to hang up your finished chalkboard!

I love mine and know you will love yours too!  Stay tuned for the rest of my dining room reveal!  I can't wait to show you all of the work we have put into it!

Fruit Pizza

This is the last week of school for our kiddos! I can't believe how fast this school year has flown by, and now two of my babies are 1st and 2nd graders! But first summer! Summer to be together and explore!  I cannot wait for this precious time that I get to spend with them.

This Fruit Pizza just screams Summer to me, and I had to make it for them this week.  It's so simple and fun to make.

Fruit Pizza

Crust

Pre-made sugar cookie dough

Roll out dough on round baking dish (I use my Pampered Chef Stoneware) and bake according to directions on the package.  Set aside to cool.

Cream Cheese Mixture

8 oz. package Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

Combine all ingredients in mixer and spread over cooled cookie crust.

Fruit

1 pkg. Strawberries

1 pkg. Blueberries

1 Kiwi

1 Peach

(use any fruit desired or what is in season)

Cut fruit into bite size pieces and layer on top of cream cheese mixture.

Chill for at least one hour before serving.  Enjoy! 

African Juju Hat Tutorial

I have been eyeing these African Juju hats as they seem to have hit the trend in home design the last few years.  

During royal court affairs, tribal chiefs and dignitaries in the Cameroonian Kingdoms wear a spectacular headdress known as the tyn, or juju hat. The feathers are symbolic of prosperity, and represent the wealth of positive qualities associated with birds. The pieces, which are woven onto a raffia base, splay out into huge circles and make impactful wall art.

With this rich history, you can see why it has become so popular. This traditional hat can bring amazing texture and color to your home, but can be a bit pricy if you go out and buy one. I found some at Horchow and Trouva, even fellow esty crafters are selling at a steep price. I couldn't bring myself to purchase one, just thinking about it made me feel guilty! So instead of splurging, I went the DIY route and mine turned out to be just as beautiful as the ones I found.  

Here's how to make your own juju hat:

SUPPLIES
-A minimum of 3 rooster coque strung feather strands 6-8" strands (I bought mine at The Feather Place) 
-Large circular item, such as a charger or a placemat approximately 12-15" in diameter
-Marking pen 
-Scissors 
-Rug Pad 
-Backing material, such as a drop cloth or any extra material in your sewing stash 
-Hot glue gun with A LOT of glue sticks 

Step 1
Take your feathers and lay them out to make sure the strands are nice and straight and untwisted from the packaging, then set aside.  

Step 2
Take your large circular item and place on top of your rug pad to trace a circle. I used a Christmas charger that was 13" in diameter. If you go larger that 15" you will need to purchase more feather strands. Cut out a square from your backing material, larger than your rug pad. Place your rug pad on top of the square cut out. As you glue the feathers to the rug mat, the backing material will prevent the hot glue from seeping through and will hold the rug mat and feathers in place. Although your material doesn't seem thick enough, it actually is! You will be surprised when you are finished of the thickness of your juju hat.

Step 3
Plug in your glue gun and get your glue sticks ready!  You will be using a lot of glue for this DIY.  Take your feather strand and lay it out so that the feathers are curling down.  Glue your feathers along the outer rim of the rug mat.  Once you've come full circle, cut the strand.  Now, take your feather strand and flip them the other way so that the feathers are curling up and glue your next circle right below the first.  This is how you add more volume to your juju hat.  Cut your string after each circle you glue around the rug mat and alternate the angle of the feathers.

During this portion of the project, I stopped taking pictures because I didn't want to get my juju hat stringy with the dried hot glue.

Step 5
When you reach the center of your juju hat, take three to four feathers at a time and glue in various angles to conceal the center and cover the remainder of the rug mat.

Step 6
Once you've got your juju hat glued together, flip it over and take out your scissors to cut your backing material.  Leave a small border around the rug mat and be sure to leave a large area to hang with.

To hang, I simply used a pin needle and placed above the master bed.  I could not be more happier with the outcome of my juju hat and love that I was able to save money by doing this project myself.

Our next project in the master is painting the walls.  What color do YOU think I should go with?  I am feeling a little daring and want to use a dark grey or blue.  Do you have any suggestions?  I'd love to hear your opinion and please tell me what you think of the juju hat too!

Fireplace Redo

When we moved into our house, our fireplace surround was tiled with the same tile that was used in our kitchen.  Not only was the tile found on the floors, but the backsplash as well.  And with the openness of our home, our fireplace was needless to say, lacking in personality.  This is what the fireplace looked like before our redo.  

I knew we had a collection of bricks leftover from the builder's materials in the garage and I got to thinking that we needed to put these bricks to good use.  The only logical thing that came to mind was for the fireplace.  Hubs agreed that this would be an easy change that would bring a pop to our living room.  So to add a little trend to the rebuild we decided to use a herringbone pattern in the new design.  This idea came from a Pinterest pin that I had saved from a while back.  With materials at hand and Lowe's right down the street, our idea suddenly became a reality!

Via Our Southern Home

In no time, hubs started tearing out the tile and there was no turning back.  With my in-laws in town, we were able to knock this project out in a few short days.  My FIL took each brick and cut them down to tiles which made the brick set back and flush with the wood floors.  He helped draw out my idea onto paper and luckily he had enough brick tiles made to finish the job.  We couldn't be happier with the outcome!  Take a look!

I love the brick wash and the herringbone pattern that brings this fireplace to life!  We decided not to seal the brick because we didn't want to add any shine or gloss to the look.  The cost was less than $150 for all of the materials and the labor was free.  All the hard work put into this project was definitely worth it!

The differences of color in each brick and little imperfections really add character to the fireplace.