A Time for a Budget Friendly Make-Over

Over February vacation I began the task of giving our playroom a make-over. A funny thing has happened...my kids are growing up! For many years the finished room in our basement served us well as a place where all of the kids could play and I didn't worry about the mess...too much. Since the girls share two rooms and have plenty of room for their toys I decided to weed out the toys that the boys no longer play with and switch the room into more of a game room. I was working with a $500 budget so I had to be thrifty and search for bargains to make my money go as far as possible. This is one of those room make-overs that is ACTUALLY budget friendly. 

To start I needed to paint the walls. I know a dark color seems like an odd choice for a basement room that has minimal day-light but I wanted a color that would hide the marks and scratches; my kids can be really rough on walls! The carpet in this room is the carpet that was there when we bought the house and is a dark blue color so I needed something that would coordinate well with it. Grey is what I landed on and the pictures really don't do the color justice. I love the way it turned out! The doors and shelf also had to be painted so I chose a very light gray that is almost white. 

*The shelf holds board games, Nerf guns & Star Wars gear. I also bought bins to
store a few of the toys we did keep like Lincoln Logs and Rescue Heros.

The only seating we have had in the room is a futon, which we use when we have people staying over. To update it I purchased a new futon cover. I wanted more seating but because we do have to fold out the futon at times I didn't want seating that was bulky and hard to move. Bean bag chairs were the obvious choice and the kids love them! I do have a small wooden chair that I am in the process of painting to match the room and for what the kids do down here, it makes for plenty of seating.

Who doesn't love a chalk board wall?! The wall you see in the picture is a removable wall, because the furnace is behind it and it allows us access to it when it needs servicing. I was nervous about using chalkboard paint because I wasn't sure if it was easy to work with our not. It's actually not hard to use at all; in fact, the boys each had a section and painted it themselves. It turned out really great. I hung a bucket off of the beam (a bucket I already had) to put the chalk in. In front of the chalkboard are two 4-in-1 table top games that were given to the kids last Christmas. The table is just a folding table we already owned and eventually Ben is going to make a table on wheels, which will also have storage underneath for the ones we are not using. In the foreground of this picture you also see a black chest. I painted it and inside we store the kids costumes and all the accessories to the game tables. On top, we took the chess board/backgammon table that came with the game tables and drilled it to the top of the chest. Now there is a chess board always out (my boys LOVE chess) and the pieces are stored inside the chest.

I wanted some sort of sport game for the boys to do inside but was nervous to spend money on something that was poorly made and would break after a week. My boys play hard and things get broken! I found this basketball hoop on Amazon and we love it. It's meant to fit over a door but it didn't work on our doors so Ben took the hooks off and just drilled it into the beam. That's one of the perks of living in a post and beam house! The rim is metal and has springs so you can be rough on it and it's not going to break. It also came with a small basketball that, surprisingly, bounces really well on the carpet. The boys have spent hours playing with this already.

Then there were the accessories that I wanted to get. On top of the bookcase in the picture to the right

is a very small CD player. It's the perfect size and the sound quality is great! I didn't want to spend a lot of money because they all have CD players in their bedrooms. I also didn't want anything big and bulky because the space is small. Above the bookcase I purchased a frame and plan to put a picture of each of the kids in it, I just haven't had the time yet. I also had to purchase curtains for the two small windows. I ordered two valances and they work perfectly! One thing I did but didn't have to was replace all the light switch and outlet plates. The last things I bought was a DVD player and two wooden signs. One has "Family Rules" on it and the other is one that I have been wanting for a long time. My grandfather used to sing "You are my Sunshine" to me all the time when I was little. Every time I hear this song it reminds me of him!

We are all so pleased with the way the room turned out. I will break down what I purchased for the remodel and (if possible) will include a link to where I got the items. Anything you see in the room, but do not see it listed with a price, is an item we already owned.

*Paint: $160
*Bean Bag chairs: $60
  LINK
*Futon Cover: $30
  LINK
*Basketball Hoop: $20
  LINK
*CD Player: $38
  LINK
 *DVD player: $30
   LINK
 *Wooden Signs: $25
   LINK   
*Bins: $35
  LINK 
*Clock: $9
  LINK
*Light switch/outlet plates: $16
  LINK
*Picture Frame: $18
  LINK  **The day I purchased this free shipping was offered**
*Valance X 2: $22
  LINK

TOTAL: $463.00

So there you have it! This is how we remodeled our basement room for under $500. I loved the challenge of finding just the right items I wanted for this space and searching for the right price so I could stay within my budget. I know I could have gotten some of these things cheaper or even free if I had had the time to go to different thrift stores or ask around. Since this is money that was gifted to us, I felt less guilty splurging a little!

Since there are still plenty of rooms left in our house in need of a make-over, feel free to share your budget-friendly tips. I'm sure I'm going to need them!
                           

A Time to Build Up

It is clear in God's word that we are to "build up" one another. In other words, encourage each other! Being an encouragement to others, whether it is when I encounter you face to face, on Facebook or through this blog, is something that is really important to me. It's something I pray about and try to be very intentional about. Encouragement can manifest itself in many forms and I am fortunate to have several encouraging people in my life that I can learn from. Recently I have a lot of friends who are looking for ways to provide for their family from home. We live in a time where there are more opportunities then ever to earn an income from the comfort of your home. This is a really great thing and for some, the difference between putting food on the table or not. I want to use this blog post to highlight some of the businesses my friends have with you. Maybe one of these great products they sell will interest you! If it doesn't, that's fine but I would ask that you take a few minutes to encourage them by clicking the links, taking a look and maybe even hitting the 'like' button on their Facebook pages!

1. Thirty-One with Kathy: Kathy recently became a consultant of Thirty-One products, as a way to earn money to bless others! That's right! Kathy has raised her family and has a full-time job but wanted to have extra funds in order to give to others who are in need. Whether it's a Pastor who needs encouragement or a neighbor in need. However the Lord leads her and her husband to give, is how they use all the money she earns selling these products. She is such a testimony to me of someone who is kind, generous and always goes above and beyond for others! If you have never had experience with Thirty-One products I will tell you that I have always been pleasantly surprised with the pieces I have purchased. They are of quality construction and always roomier than you expect. Click the link to go to Kathy's page and maybe consider hosting a party or making a purchase from an existing party.

Kathy's Thirty-One

Kathy's Thirty-One Facebook Page

2. New Hampshire Home Made Creations: My good friends recently started their own Etsy shop selling things they make; from furniture to purses! There is a piece in their shop, a hand made wall tree, that is absolutely beautiful! It is quality craftsmanship with attention to detail and definitely worth taking a look at. I am purchasing the 'cup cozies' to give the kids teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day and the cups to go along with it (the cups are not on the site yet but will be soon) because I have a set and use it everyday! I think this set with a gift card to a coffee shop is the perfect way to say thank you to the awesome ladies who teach my kids each day! Click the link and encourage this young couple...and buy a cup cozie; you won't regret it!
New Hampshire Home Made Creations
NH Home Made Creations Facebook Page

3. It Works! with Tara: It Works is a company I had not heard of before. Tara and I went to high school together and I began seeing her post special's the company was offering on facebook. One particular offer really sparked my interest and so I contacted her and dug deeper. I have since become a fan of the products I have used. I am still very new to it so I would not be the best person to ask questions about it (that's Tara's job!) but I can tell you I am a satisfied customer. I  particularly love the line of supplements they offer. The 'Greens'-Berry flavor is so good and I add a scoop to my morning smoothie. That is just the beginning of what they offer! From body wraps to skin and hair care it's all there and you can check it out for yourself by clicking the link!
It Works! with Tara


4. doTERRA essential oils with Amy: You may remember a blog post I wrote awhile back about my recent experiences with essential oils. If you missed it, you can read it HERE. Amy is the one who introduced me to essential oils and she also sells them. As the wife of a youth Pastor and a busy mom of 5 children who also homeschool's, selling essential oils has been a great way for her to not only earn a little extra money but also earn free oils for her and her family. Amy has a facebook page where she shares a lot of helpful information about the oils. Take a minute to visit and if you are interested in getting started with oils, leave her a message on her page!
Revealing Natural Solutions Facebook Page

5. Ambit Energy with Laura: This is a brand new one to me but I really wanted to share this with you! Laura is the sister of a friend of mine who has recently become a consultant with Ambit Energy. Her husband is attending seminary right now and they are raising 3 young children so in an effort to help make ends meet, Laura has signed up to sell energy. As it has been explained to me, Ambit provides energy and natural gas services in deregulated markets across the United States. In short, they can provide electricity through your current supplier at a reduced rate. I'm still learning about how this works but I am intrigued. Laura was sharing with me some great incentives this company offers to anyone who signs up including a 2-night hotel voucher and the ability to earn free energy! One thing to note is this is only available in 14 states currently, so click the link to see if you live in a state it is offered in. Lucky for me I do live in one of them!
*Ambit Energy
*Ambit Energy with Laura
*Prospective Consultants Click HERE! (FREE enrollment ends tomorrow night at midnight, Pacific time)


This list contains a lot of fabulous people selling some great products! I hope you can spare some time to show them a little encouragement and visit them via the links I provided. If you are reading this and you have a home business or Etsy shop and you'd like to get the word out, you have an invitation to include the link and a brief description in the comment section! And if I may add...while you are 'liking' Facebook pages, don't forget to stop by mine and show a little love by hitting the 'like' button or becoming a follower of this blog!
To Everything There is a Season Facebook Page

A Time for Essential Oils

And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick,

and healed them. ~Mark 6:13

I have recently entered the world of Essential Oils. I will admit that I tend to be on the skeptical side when it comes to things like this. I am by no means a natural, make-it-all-myself kind of mom. You will not hear me talking down doctors or hospitals because I do not believe they are bad and I don't believe that all medicine is bad. We are so fortunate to live in a time when there is so much available to us. So many lives are saved because of what God has allowed men and women to achieve in the world of medicine. When my 3-year-old needed open-heart surgery you better believe I was thankful for the skilled & compassionate surgeon we had to repair his heart and for the advancements that have been made, making this surgery possible.

My interest in EO's started about a year ago when I became very sick with high blood pressure during the end of my pregnancy with Tess, which continued for months after she was born. The medicines they had me on to bring my pressure down, while necessary and life saving, came with some pretty severe side effects, including depression. It was a really difficult & scary time for Ben and I. Once I found out I was pregnant with Emma I had to be taken off the medicines and God was extremely good to me and allowed my blood pressure to come down to a safe number throughout my pregnancy with Emma. I did, however, start reading up on some natural ways to help high blood pressure in case I would develop the same issues once I neared the end of my pregnancy because I did not ever want to go through what I did before while being on those medications. I was still very skeptical though and never pursued EO's any further until I found out my friend was not only using them with her family but also selling the oils. She came to my house, taught me about them, answered my questions and helped me purchase some.

After a little over a month of using only EO's to treat our family, I am a believer. I can't say Ben is as convinced as I am but he is getting more so every day. Just today he asked me if I had anything for a sore throat (we have a nasty cold going through our house). I wasn't sure what he meant so I said, "well...I have an oil for that". I made him a gargle and when I asked him to tell me honestly how it worked he said it made the sore throat go away. (You have to know that it was very hard for him to admit that to me!) I've had him gargling a few times today and it's helping him a lot. Here are a few other ways we have had the opportunity to use Essential Oils in our home over the past couple months:


1. Bee Stings: it just so happened that shortly after receiving the oils two of my kids got stung. On both of the stings I immediately put a couple of drops of melaluca and a drop of lavender on the sting and both the kids said the pain went away almost instantly and a few hours later you couldn't even tell where they had been stung.

2. Snoring: Someone in our house snores and it keeps me awake. I will not say the oils have cured the snoring but it definitely helps. The snoring is not as loud or as prolonged. He will snore for a minute or two then stop. I can now tell which nights he uses the oil and which nights he doesn't. What I did was filled a roller bottle with 20 drops of Thyme and filled the rest with Fractionated Coconut Oil (a carrier oil). He rolls this on the bottoms of his feet at night (targeting specifically the big toe) and it truly helps! I also make a rub of doTerra's Breathe oil blend with some coconut oil and massage that into his chest.

3. Headaches: This is what sold me completely on the oils. I suffer from headaches. Really bad headaches and almost every day. I had been taking a lot of Ibuprophen and suffered a lot with headaches during pregnancies when I couldn't really take anything except Tylenol, which doesn't work for me. When I feel a headache coming on I put a drop or two of Peppermint oil on the back of my neck and rub it in. Then I use what is left on my hands and massage it into my temples. In 20 minutes my headache is gone. I haven't taken any over the counter medicine for a headache in a month and I am someone who took something on an almost daily basis!

4.Earache: Last week one of the boys got sick with a bad head cold and was complaining of an earache. I put a couple of drops of melaluca and lavender on a cotton ball and had him place it on his ear for 10 minutes. I also put a few drops of lemon around the outside of his ear and throat. I repeated this 3 times that day and by the next day he no longer was complaining of any pain and even his cold had improved significantly.Oregano is also supposed to be really good for this but his earache never got worse so I didn't need to use it.

5. Immune Building: I have been having the kids rub doTerra's oil blend, On Guard, to help keep them healthy this school year. I can't say for certain yet how much this will help or work since we are only a week into school but I have confidence we will see results. My friend uses this regularly on her children and has seen results.

These are just a few of the ways we have seen results with EO's so far...and we are only a couple months into it. I'm still learning as there is so much to learn. Finding which oil works best for you for a specific ailment also requires a lot of research since there is usually more than one oil or combination of oils you can use to treat something. One website I have found extremely helpful to me is the Everything Essential website. Click the link and learn about how you can treat some of the ailments you are experiencing with EO's. While I am a believer in the oils I also believe that there will be some things that oils cannot treat. I just wanted a way that I could treat my kids naturally, without running to the Dr. for everything. If you are at all interested and want to learn more I would be very happy to put you in contact with my friend who sells doTerra oils, or you can do some reading and shopping on your own! I just purchased the book, Modern Essentials, which my friend
recommended I do because of all the valuable information it has in
regard to EO's. I can't wait for it to come in!


***One note I will make is that not all essential oils are created equal. Do your research before purchasing. I was curious for myself if I could get the oils for a cheaper price and ordered one oil made by a different company. The quality was not comparable. Compared to the lower priced oil I bought, doTerra was a superior oil. In most cases, you get what you pay for.

A Time to Shop at Home

If you are like me you find it difficult to get to the store, whatever your reasons are. We all have busy schedules making it difficult to find the time to get our shopping done and some of us find it challenging to shop with young children in tow. If I can go shopping alone I'm always so grateful, not because the kids misbehave but because shopping without them is faster! 

In this season with little ones if I take all my kids with me shopping I do not have room left in my cart for the things I need so it is really out of necessity that I leave some home, which means I have to wait until Ben is home from work or go on weekends. Right now with school and extra activities our evenings are pretty booked and we usually have something going on during the weekends making it difficult to fit in a shopping trip...or two or three. So because of this and also because we do not live a convenient distance from stores I have learned how to use online shopping to my advantage and I thought I'd share with you.

First it's all about free shipping! I have to drive such a distance to get to most stores (have I mentioned I live in the woods!) that sometimes even if I have to pay shipping it's still cheaper than the gas I would spend to get to the store BUT I'm always keeping an eye out for free shipping offers. Before I get to that though I want to introduce you to something called Mr.Rebates. If you click on the link it will take you to their website. If you open up a FREE account with them (and you might list me as your referring person!) you can earn rebates from your online shopping purchases. Before you shop at a store online, first go to the Mr.Rebates website and see if the store you are purchasing from offers a rebate. If so, it will come up in the search bar. Clicking on the store name will bring you to the store's site. Now when you make your purchase you will earn a rebate. Because I do this I receive a $20 or so rebate check about every 3 months (the amount depends on how much shopping you do). You also earn a rebate from anyone you refer...when they make purchases. 

So now here are some places that I have found to be of great benefit to me in regards to making online purchases: 

1. AMAZON: About 6 months ago we decided to purchase an Amazon Prime membership. They recently raised the price of the membership so we paid a little less when we subscribed but currently it is $99/year for a membership. You can add up to 4 people to your membership and I know several people who split the cost of the membership with some of their family members making it very cost effective. With a Prime membership you receive free 2-day shipping on most items and from what I have noticed if it's not a prime item it is an "add-on item" allowing you to have it shipped for free with an order of $25 or more. Because all our family lives away from us we have to ship gifts at birthday's and Christmas so we are saving a ton just on the free shipping. Because it is difficult to get to the store though we have found that we are doing the majority of our shopping on Amazon. If you know your prices then this can really work to your benefit. Shortly after having Emma it was so impossible to get to the store and I ran out of deodorant. I looked on Amazon and the price for the one I use was the same as Walmart, plus it was a prime item so I was able to have it shipped directly to my house, it arrived in 2-days and I paid no more than I would have if I'd gone to Walmart. A Walmart trip would no doubt have ended up being a $100 trip...who can get out of there or Target without spending way more than you intended?! 
On top of receiving free shipping you also have access to Prime Instant Video, which is included with your membership allowing you access to tons of free movies & TV shows. We stream it through our Smart TV but you can also stream it through a computer, iPad, etc. We do not subscribe to any kind of cable plan so the only "tv" we have is video streaming or DVD's we own. Previously we used Netflix but everything we watched on Netflix we had access to on Amazon with our membership so we canceled our Netflix subscription (which was about $10/month give or take). Basically, cancelling our Netflix membership pretty much paid for our Amazon Prime membership. Amazon Prime also allows you to rent movies at a very reasonable price where with Netflix the only way we had access to the movies and tv that were not included with the instant streaming membership was to pay the extra fee each month to receive the DVD's in the mail, which we did not do.
Another really great thing about Amazon is the lending library. My kids do a lot of reading, especially Noah. For his birthday this year we got him a Kindle (not the tablet kind) so he could store books there and save space! It is much cheaper to purchase books for his kindle and because we have a Prime membership he is allowed to borrow books for free. Amazon also offers lots of books for free...most of the classics like Tom Sawyer, Wizard of Oz, etc. Noah read for free after downloading it from Amazon onto his Kindle. If you have an iPad, as I do, you can download the Kindle app and buy books as well as download free books when they are offered. The only thing you can't do is borrow books from the lending library. 
There is so much more I could say about Amazon. Many people have told me they purchase their diapers here. While I agree their prices for name-brand diapers is competitive, it's still not a better deal than what we get at BJ's so we don't buy our diapers here. BUT...if by chance we were to run out and a BJ's trip isn't in the near future I would definitely come to Amazon to purchase them because the price is good and they ship for free. Take some time to go to their website if you are not familiar with it and do some research for yourself!

2. WALMART: If you shop at Walmart at all then you can pretty much get anything you buy in the store online...and much, much more! If you spend $50 you receive free shipping. I used to buy my infant formula at BJ's but Emma needed a special formula, which BJ's doesn't offer in the generic brand. We have been buying all our formula through Walmart and it ships free to the house with a $50 purchase...a price not hard to meet when you are buying formula! We also buy all our cereal at Walmart. We buy the huge Malt-O-Meal bags and those are available online. Those are my main items but when I'm ready to restock my supply of them there are usually a few other things I'm in need of, like printer ink for example, that I can add to my order...and it all arrives at my doorstep...for free. I've saved the gas it would have taken me to get there and I definitely save money because I didn't get distracted by all those other things that I "just have to have!". Walmart is evil that way! 

3. GYMBOREE, Old Navy & OTHER RELATED STORES: I don't have to buy the kids a ton of clothes because we do receive hand-me-downs from time to time, mostly for the boys as well as from generous family members who buy them stuff. I don't get a lot of girl clothes so I find I have to buy most of Jena's clothes. As kids get older though it is harder to have clothes to hand down as they wear through their clothes more. My preference really is to shop at second-hand stores for their clothes but we don't live close by to any so it's not convenient at all right now to shop at them. I'm not guaranteed I'll find what I need so it could end up being a waste of time (that I don't have much of) and gas! When I do have to fill in holes in their wardrobe my go-to store is Old Navy because you can purchase from the 3 stores (ON, GAP, Banana Republic) and combine your shipping, which is free if you spend $50 or more. It is actually very hard right now to find a clothing store that doesn't offer free shipping for meeting some spending limit. Old Navy always seems to have a pretty good sale going on and their prices for jeans and dress pants are very competitive and the quality has held up for us. I purchase most of my own clothes from ON and GAP as well because they offer Tall sizes online only. 
One thing I always buy brand new for the kids is an Easter outfit. It's the one time of year I splurge a little on their clothing. This year I got a steal of a deal. Gymboree (a store I do not shop at often because I find their prices too high...as much as I love their clothes) had all the girls dresses on sale plus they were offering "Gymbucks". For every $50 your spent you received $25 Gymbucks to spend at a later date. After getting the 3 girls dresses and the four boys ties and socks (all coordinating of course!) my total was $101 (which by itself is a great deal...that's outfits for 7 kids!) but I got $50 in gymbucks to spend later. This works out really great because Jena is going to need some summer clothes so I will spend the $50 on things she needs. Keep an eye out for these kinds of deals because they can really work to your benefit...and yes, I did get free shipping!

4. Oriental Trading: We do a lot of crafts here. We teach Good News Club, have a Sunday School class we teach as well as VBS some years and kids who like doing crafts. I always have a lot of activities and supplies on hand here at home and for our SS classroom. Oriental trading has an awesome selection of supplies and craft kits along with birthday party supplies all for a great price. They have everything! From time to time I go to their website and check out the clearance section. This is where I purchase the majority of my crafts and activities for our classes as well as to have on hand for school vacations for my own kids to do. The only thing with Oriental trading is the shipping is high and they don't always offer good deals on free shipping. I will not make a purchase from them unless I have a coupon code for free shipping and it has to be on orders of $50 or more. So when I do have a coupon and am placing an order I try to think as far ahead into the future and think about what I will need. I order from here only a couple times a year and try to make the most of my coupon when I do. 

5. LLBean: Around the holiday's and possibly other times throughout the year LLBean offer's $10 cash back on every $50 you spend. I really love LLBean. Not only do they have a lifetime warranty on all their products, the quality is superb. I like to purchase the kids outerwear from here and we also own a few pairs of their children's snowshoes. I have not been disappointed at all with anything we've purchased or with their return policy, which we have had to use from time to time. Their customer service is unbeatable and while a trip to the store is a real adventure for the kids, I take advantage of the free shipping (on all orders, no min) and the cash back promotion. Its also a great place to purchase gifts.  

There you have it! This is my list of stores that have helped me with my shopping and that I feel I benefit a great deal from. While I love being able to get out of the house (usually winding up at the grocery store!) now and then I am very thankful to be able to do the majority of my shopping from the comfort of my own home at basically the same price that I would if I was shopping in the store. Shopping this way has not only saved us traveling time but time spend in the store as well. We save money on fuel and unnecessary spending on those items we never knew we needed until we saw it in the store. I am also spared the effort and at times aggravation of bundling up the kids in this never-ending winter to go out shopping! 

I'm sure there are a lot of other great places for online shopping that I am not aware of. Please feel free to share! 

A Time for Canning Jar Storage

Please don't notice the set up of this
cupboard too much. It's a work in progress
as I figure out what to do with it!

I have been using mason jars for several years now to store food. I just love the look of mason jars and they're a practical way to store food, especially bulk items, which we do buy a lot of things in bulk. 

One day when I was browsing on Pinterest I saw this idea for storing loose leaf tea. I loved that the cover was spray painted in chalkboard paint and she had written the name of each type of tea on the lid. I thought, this system could work really well for me since I already use canning jars in this way. The other reason why I wanted to spray paint the covers is because I wanted them black. 

The blog where this idea came from did not mention where she was able to find chalkboard paint that you paint on with a paintbrush and I couldn't find any. I have only ever seen it in spray paint form so that's what I used since I had it on hand anyway. I will say this is not the easiest, cleanest or most efficient way of doing it. One I laid out all the lids and bands I started spray painting them (in a well ventilated room, like a garage with the door open). It took several coats to get the bands fully covered. Once they were dry I was able to put the lids back on the jars and start labeling. What I like about this is if I decide to use the jar for something different once it's emptied,I only have to erase the label and write it on again. I am really pleased with the look and am happy I tried this. It's a cute idea for gift giving too!

A Time to Refinish a Desk

Remember these? I love these old desks. There was a time I wished I had been called to home school just so I could say I had a reason to buy 5! But thankfully God blesses me above and beyond what I deserve and provided this one to us for free! It was quite worn and ugly looking and it was only recently that I realized I could do something about that...paint it! (Remember from earlier posts my recent obsession with painting?). Since Gabe is so excited about preschool at home I knew I wanted it to go in his room so I began looking through old paint cans to see if I had any left over from when we painted he and Will's bedroom...and I did! I painted the metal blue and the wood white. I thought I had taken a picture of what it looked like before but I can't find it so am not sure what happened. I am really bummed about that because the difference a coat (or 4) of paint made is incredible! 

Since I am doing a patriotic/Sept.11 theme in their room I took a flag we had received at a birthday party and glued it on the back of the seat to make it fit the theme. I'm really happy with how it turned out and with the fact it cost me $0.00 to do this! 

***I thought it would be a good idea to embellish the front with some patriotic themed scrapbooking paper I had in a scalloped shape. I didn't think this through because it took them about 2 mins. to start picking it off. I think I am going to have to modge podge it on and am hoping that will work and not make it look awful. This is an idea that in hindsight wish I had abandoned!***

A Time for Painting

I have been introduced to a little thing called Pinterest and it has not only been a wonderful avenue to waste time but also of great inspiration. After one day of being on I had plans for just about every inch of space in our house. That is when I began painting everything in sight! My husband joked that he would come home one day to find I had spray painted our suburban.


The first thing I really wanted to do was from an idea I saw on a blog called Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss. I scoured my house and attic for frames I wasn't using. I then located as much leftover paint from various projects and got to work. I have also seen in "blog land" people doing different things with letters of the alphabet and  I really liked those ideas too so I decided to combine the two ideas. I found unfinished letters at Ocean State Job Lots for $1 each and just picked random letters. Then I painted...and I painted....and I painted. The end result was this

It's not quite finished as there is still about a foot or so of this wall left to fill and I still need to find some of the kids art work to hang in the frames. I don't know if you can tell but the larger frames have a nail on the top of the inside of the frame that I hung a butterfly clip from to hang the artwork. The smaller frames are too small to hang art work but I know one of these days I will find the perfect idea for them on Pinterest...yes, the website is just that good! The picture doesn't do this space justice. It's super adorable in person.