How to make easy hanging shelves for kids room: What I'm Makin' Monday

I saw the cutest image on Pinterest of these hanging wall shelves. I followed the link and found pictures of an adorable little girls room, but no tutorial for these cute hanging shelves, but it looked simple enough so I decided to try it myself.

Source: Bees Knees Bungalow via Order in the Court! -Organization on Pinterest

My first idea was to use fabric like in the picture, but after a long week of work I was too lazy to cut and sew a bunch of fabric so I decided I'd make it even easier--A four-step process that'll get you some cute shelves for less than $5.

I like it because it's a quick and easy way to decorate a wall and hang stuffed animals and other light things we might want on display. I've never been good at hanging real shelves on the wall, with all the extra mounts and screws needed, big gaping holes my husband hates, so this works great! And they look like fun little swings for your stuffed animals.

All you need is some wood planks, ribbon (or fabric), and D-rings.

I got about 1.5in D-rings (you can get these at craft stores or online for way cheaper, I got brass as Home Depot which ended up costing a bit more-Like $1.50) and used 1.5 in wide grosgrain ribbon, and since I have SO much tulle I'm trying to utilize, I used some of it for these shelves. I started to buy paint to paint some 2x4s for planks but then found some 1x4in-ish primed wood that was 8ft tall in the trimmings (like baseboard area) section of Home Depot (is it just me or is everyone here SO helpful?!). I had it cut into four 2-foot planks. That was $6. So I didn't need to paint it (I may add some fun color to the sides later with my craft paint).

So once you have all of your supplies here's what you do:

1. Cut your ribbon/fabric. I did mine about 35in long, because once it's folded in half, and the board is placed inside, it'll hang about 15in.

2. With right sides of the fabric/ribbon together, sew a straight stitch across. For safe measure I went back and forth a few times.

3. Place the D-Ring upside down, between the two halfs of fabric/ribbon and sew another stitch across just below the first line of stitches, sandwiching the D-Ring between them. Go slow, if your needle pounds the ring it'll break. One of my needles fell victim to the D-Ring.

4. Turn the ring and fabric/ribbon right side out, repeat process with another strip, hang with some little nails or hooks, add wood plank and enjoy!

TADA!

What do ya think? They aren't perfect, but they're good enough, and that's my style when it comes to crafting.

Please excuse my horrible photos. It was bedtime, so no sunlight, and harsh lamp lights. I'll try to take better ones for examples today.

If you made something this week (or any week) and blogged about it I'd love to see. Let us know in the comments so we can check it out!

DIY Kite Hair Bow Organizer: What I'm Makin' Monday

Finally got the craft bug again. Moving took it all out of me, but a huge blank wall in Lil' J's room was driving me nuts and I had to do something about it.

Something else I needed help with? My bow addiction. I've realized I have a bow hoarding problem. It's ridiculously hard for me to get rid of any bows because right before I do I think "but it'll go great with X-outfit" or "I can make a skirt to go with this."And I hang on to it. Unless I'm giving them away to friends, I can't bring myself to toss them out or even donate them yet.

I've already made a headband tree, used oatmeal cans to make more headband holders, and a picture frame to hold some clippies, but we still have more that need a home.

Thanks to Pinterest, I found another bow organizing tutorial that would also fill the annoyingly blank wall, and give a solution for her growing bow collection.

So I've seen ribbon bow holders. Simple strips of ribbon hanging from a doorknob or such, that you can clip your bows to. I found a genius tutorial that took it a step further and made the strip into kite tails and the bows clip to the tail.

With the amount of bows she has, and the amount of wall space, I decided to make four kites with long kite tails to string across her room.

Here's how I did it.


I used: Hot glue, scrap fabric, wire hangers, coordinating ribbon.

Step 1: Bend the wire pulling the bottom part of the hangar down so it becomes shaped more like a triangle. Straighten out the hook too (I kept mine slightly curvy since I wanted to look like it was flying across the wall.)

At this point, Lil' J already knew they were going to be kites. She ran around yelling "Kites! My kites!" After wrangling her I moved to step 2.

Step 2: Cut the scrap fabric to be about 1/2-1" wider than the kite shape.

Step 3: Hot glue the fabric to the wire one half of the kite at a time. Pull it tight as you glue the second side down.

Step 4: Cut and glue ribbon strips 1" longer than the length and width of the kite and glue them around the back side of the kite.

Step 5: Cut the ribbon for the kite tails/ bow holder and tie a knot with extra slack at the base of the kite, then glue the ribbon on each side of the hanger hook.

Hang on the wall and enjoy! What do ya think? Link up, I'd love to see what you've been makin'!

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Homemade Easter Eggs with a Crazy Toddler: What I'm Makin' Monday

I'm going to start off with a bit of good old fashioned TMI, for old time's sake. Afterall, this is the stuff I started this blog to write about...

Well, I was taking this birth control you see, and it was making me crazy. Not certifiably but I was getting so emotional, and moody, and I was COMPLETELY unmotivated. Yes, I blame my birth control for killing my drive (in more than one way) and making me a lazy blob that goes to bed as early as (GASP) 8:30.

So, a week ago I decided to toss it to the curb (yes my husband knows, I'm not going rogue) (and no, I haven't 100% convinced him for #2 yet).

Another thing I kicked last week... Caffeine. I didn't drink a lot of it. Mostly just on the weekends for my 4:30am shift, and I'd split a 5-Hour Energy 1/2 Saturday 1/2 Sunday. But I successfully survived my first (half) weekend without it (I was sick Saturday and had a fill-in).

All that to say that I'm proud of myself for composing this post at 11:30pm (now 2:10am). I just put Lil' J down for bed at 11:15. No, that is not the norm, but for some reason, tonight I couldn't bear to let her go any earlier.

Since I have been going to sleep early, and I already packed my sewing stuff, I'm going to have to get creative with my Makin' Monday posts these next few weeks. This week, I made this silly child one happy girl.

Dress from Grandma!

The day started Sunday morning around 4am. I got up just before my husband and hurried to get ready for work. The babysitter arrived just before I left and my husband followed shortly behind me.

Sadly, this month we've both had to work weekend mornings and the overlap is brutal. Daycare plus a weekend nanny... Not ideal. But during the week we have each been able to spend time more with Lil' J at home.

I perused Facebook at work and kept seeing everyone post their adorable Easter photos and talk about the Easter Bunny visiting. I was SO envious. I couldn't wait to get home and go to church and play Easter Bunny with my girl too.

Unfortunately, I hadn't done a good job preparing for our fun time ahead. I had already packed/given away our plastic Easter eggs, had no candy, and wasn't sure if we had real eggs in the fridge.

I checked during my break and we had just over half a dozen, but they expired February 4th. .... Woops. Oh well, we didn't have to EAT them, just decorate them.

One thing I remembered is that we had some egg dye in one of our cupboards from last year that we needed to use or lose before the move. Perfect timing! I set a mental game plan and counted down til I was off work.

I went straight to church to meet our nanny and Lil; J. She was in the nursery, so I went to sacrament meeting of another ward to hear the Easter service, and we met up at the end.

BINGO! Her nursery teachers handed her three plastic eggs, I had a fourth a friend of mine gave me at work. That would be enough for hunting!

When we got home the fun started. I pulled out a pot and the eggs and Lil' J knew we were about to do something fun. She wanted to help in the entire process.

I don't even really know the correct way to boil eggs but I figured since we weren't going to eat these anyway it couldn't hurt if I did it wrong. Lil' J helped me put the eggs in the cool water then I set the pot on the stove to boil. I let it boil for a good half hour while I cleaned off the table and got the dye ready.

Sadly, I packed most of our Tupperware too so our dye containers were a nice eclectic assortment of tubs ranging from condiment containers to breastmilk storage cups. Nice.

Lil' J repeated the colors after me while I added vinegar and water and kept ooohing and ahhhing as they bubbled (and of course tried to dive out of my arms to stick her finger in them).

We let the eggs cool then I asked her which color she wanted to start with.

"Boo" she said. Ok, blue. Good choice.

The glitter packets that were in the kit long surpassed their best by date and were all dried out... Sad face!! But she still had fun using the squirt tube things (she was very serious about this).
I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but for some reason I expected my one year old to gracefully show me her Easter eggs while I snapped photos.

No.

She'd pick it up for a moment then drop it on the floor. Where Snoop was waiting, hoping to escape with one.

Then I'd flip out.

"No!! Be gentle with the pretty eggs!! Don't drop them!! No more!"

Lil' J: *Tears* and "AAAHHHs"

"Ok fine, but don't drop it ok?"

"Ok."

*SMASH*

*Face to palm*

I asked her to show me the pretty egg, thinking she'd choose her favorite and she picked the blue one, but I snapped the photo just as she let go. Here it is shattered anyway.

Then I got a grip and just had fun letting her make a mess, dropped eggs and all (though trying to selvage as many as I could for a hunt.)

My husband texted me saying he was going to be late, though luckily he was only a couple hours late, and home in plenty of time for an egg hunt. He got her dressed again while I--I mean, the Easter Bunny hid them outside (luckily he makes late afternoon stops for weekend-working parents).
The eggs were hidden yet somewhat obvious. Tall grass, notches in a tree, between branches on a fallen limb. I figured she'd need help with a few.

Now let me tell you, I don't know if she remembers the hunt we went to last year where eggs in front of her were snatched by big kids on the prowl; or if she had practiced hunts at school; or if she just understood when I handed her a basket and said "go find the eggs" but she went to town and snatched them all up on her own, with only a few general direction cues.

It wasn't easy capturing pictures of her running around and grabbing eggs, but I got a few decent ones, and some blurry ones that were still too cute to ignore. If anything I'll remember how dang excited she was to hunt for eggs.


I thought she would be more excited about her purse, I specifically picked out the pre-made, UN-origional, generic basket with a purse because she's always carrying around my purse and she actually just started saying "purse" but she barely wanted anything to do with it. She wanted the eggs and what was inside them.

Daddy had no problem obliging.

Then we had a very-not-fancy Easter dinner, and an evening Skyping with long-distance grandparents, aunts and uncles. Good times for sure.

My husband took off for bed before 9 and I decided I wanted a few more snuggles with my crazy bunny. By 11, she was pointing to her room, and jumping into her crib with pleasure. As I rocked her before setting her down I thought what strength it would take to sacrifice my child as God did. Goodness gracious, that's love.

It was a long, beautiful, day. One I know I'll always cherish.

What did you do this Easter?

Just because I didn't make anything crafty doesn't mean I don't want to see your domestic skills. Link up and share!

Need home decorating advice

In all of the places we've lived and move over 7 years together, I've never been very good at decorating. Go figure.

Currently, I have a total of four deorations hanging in my living room, making it look bare. I really want to start fresh at the new place and maybe do a photo-wall or something. I have tens of thousands of photos of Lil, J but no recent ones printed and none hanging at all.

I know, it's a disgrace.

This is one I'm thinking of blowing up and making a sequence of three similar black/white photos of her.

I need to get family photos done so I have some of those to choose from, but I'm waiting for my photographer to stop being pregnant.

Then, I need to go through my photos, and print my favorites to hang.

I was thinking of getting a bunch of thrifted frames and spray painting them all a similar color scheme. I don't have a livingroom color scheme now ap I'm planning to start fresh.

In fact, is it a good idea to donate the few random decorations I have so I 1. Don't have to move them and 2. Don't feel obligated to use them in my new place?

I'm not exactly a hoarder but I do get a slight anxiety about getting rid of something. I worry I'll end up needing it tomorrow. The thing that helps is knowing its going to someone who needs it.

Pinterest is a good resource but I don't really know where to start.

We are going to get new (to us) couches and I'll make curtains. Other than that I haven't a clue how to get the home decorating bug and how to do it right.

Start fresh, or bring what I have to start (which isn't much).

I'd love to hear your ideas!

Also, I have a cool nook area in the livingroom that I'd love to make pretty. What would you put there?

I hope to document my progress and with your help, pull something off that looks somewhat cute.

**Added** We are renting, so I'd prefer not to paint and have to re-paint back to white.**

Ruffle Mini Skirt: What I'm Makin Monday

I made Lil' J the easiest little ruffle skirt right before St. Patricks Day. Sadly, I didn't take photos during the process, so this post isn't a tutorial, but I hope to make one this week. I didn't follow a pattern but I used some sewing tools that made it easy breezy, and I will share that when I post it.
It was all made with scrap fabric I had that could have been thrown away. Instead I turned it into what my mom called a little "cheerleader skirt."

She even looks like a mini cheerleader being tossed up by daddy.

We celebrated my husband's graduation and had a blast with family visits, now it's time to pack and prepare to move. Sorry I'm not very chatty around these parts lately, promise I'll be back to my normal self soon.

Shirt from Maddie's Bowtique

In the mean time, I leave you with a preview of the skirt tutorial I'm going to work on. Don't mind the name "Journey" on Lil' J's shirt. That's her "stage name" for when she does Etsy and boutique modeling. It's a cute name, but not what hers really is.

What do you think? Adorable, no?

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How to fold scrap fabric into equal sizes and make mini fabric bolts

I went fabric shopping Saturday and was so excited to get home and... No, not sew, put my fabric on the shelf. It's a little sad, I know. I've started to hoard the stuff. Just when I think I have enough I get a new pattern and then want to get new fabric and start the vicious cycle all over again.

 I fell in love with some cardboard fabric folders but they are something like $6/ board. I decided I'd cut up some cardboard boxes to the sizes I want, until I realized that would take forever. After a few Google searches I found some comic book boards that would work. I got 100 for about $11 on Amazon.

I had scrap fabric stuck in a corner of my living room and decided to wrap them and conserve space by settling them on my book shelf.
Here are some photo demos of how I did it for fabric and scrap fabric, let me know if you have questions.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this was helpful! If you did a craft this week, link up, I'd love to see!

My craft button.

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