Day 8

I chose something super easy for today since we had a relatively busy weekend. By relatively, I mean we actually left the house. Ian is a total home body and I could be going 100 MPH at all times. We meet in the middle and do things here and there are on the weekend. He complains every time and then always has fun. I used to throw a fit and get mad trying to drag him out of the house. Now I just gently persuade and wait for his annoyance to wear off and we end up having a great time. I've also learned not to plan too many things in a row...I have to take what I can get! On the other hand, he has taught me to just relax and that doing nothing sometimes is doing something. It gives us all (the girls included) a chance to slow down and decompress. On that note...here is my super easy decorative "basket" project!

Step 1. find an old cardboard box to fit the space you need. I used a shoe box, but any 'ole box will do! I cut the top off and decided not to use it.
Step 2. find some fabric: buy it, re-use it, use a pillow case, a baby blanket, some old curtains, your husband's underwear! whatever!
Step 3. grab a glue gun. I'm sure super glue or even Elmers would work here!
Step 4. wrap your box! I wrapped it like a present to give it some "flare" on the sides. You could trim the sides to wrap it any way you want!

Now, I'm sure I saw this on one of the many DIY/crafter blogs and websites I peruse, but I don't know which one. I didn't come up with this, but I'm sure many people have shared it before. This project has the potential for being FREE! I don't have a sewing machine, so I don't keep a lot of fabric around. I did happen to buy this yard the other day, because it was on sale in the scrap basket. So for me, this project was $2.50! Woo to the Hoo. Way better than paying upwards of $10/basket! And it's an excuse to buy those new shoes you've been eyeing for the last 2 weeks. You can "upcycle" the box. Upcycling is ALL the rage.

and VIOLA!

Day 6 & 7

These projects are short and sweet!

Day 6:
Yesterday I made a chalkboard for the kitchen. It is super easy and I'm not sure why it took me this long to make one! I found large empty frame at a thrift store for $2.50, primed and painted it, cut some super thin plywood to fit, primed that sucker, then rolled the chalkboard paint on. I tacked the plywood on the back of the frame with some small nails, and boom -- a new chalkboard! I put it up in the kitchen so I can use it as a calendar or menu or whatever! Like I said before, the frame was $2.50, the chalkboard paint was $14, and I already had the green paint. All in all, $16.50, BUT I have a ton of chalkboard paint left-over...so I foresee many more chalkboards in my future...

Day 7:

Since we got the big room painted, I can finally put some stuff up on the walls! I decided to use some super simple picture frames I have to make a photo wall. I'm a sucker for linear design. I updated some pictures and busted out my level to make sure I did an A+ job on this! The absolute best part about this...it was FREE, today at least. I've had the frames for a while, but if my memory serves me correctly, they were about $2 or 3-something a piece from Walmart. They are actually diploma displays! Sorry for the glare, I tried shutting every blind, but I still got some glare. I'm also going to add another row or two on top, hopefully wally-world still carries these!

PS to family: send me an updated family pic, please!!

Day 4 & 5

I did do a project yesterday...but after having a play-date in the morning, having lunch with a friend, cleaning up the house I've been ignoring for the last couple of days, and then making dinner and having wine...I fell asleep on the couch super early -- like a champ. Needless to say, I didn't write a post, but I did do something!

I found a couple of old 2x4s laying around the yard somewhere and thought they could make a cool sign of some sort. I washed them off and tacked them together on the back with some scrap wood and nails, luckily they were basically the same length. I grabbed some paint testers we have and decided on a light blue. I left some wood showing so it looked a little distressed. I tried to Pinterest some ideas for a phrase or something witty to put on it. You can see the outcome in the photo...honest people...is this cool or dumb. I need perspective! I'm still deciding where to put it...if anywhere! When it is up above the cabinets from some perspectives it look like it says, "FAT --->" HA!

For today's project, we painted the family room. It has had about 6 different paint colors slapped up on it for about 6 months. It was time. We struggled to decide what color to put up, obviously. At first we wanted something different than the rest of the house, maybe a green or blue or gray. Well, we couldn't find anything we liked...not even close. The fireplace is a presence and it was hard to find a color that went well. Today, when I couldn't handle the paint splotches all over the room, I ran by Lowes after yoga and came home with some paint...some tan paint. It looks good and now I can start to actually do something with that room! We did want to paint an accent wall across from the family room, the wall that goes upstairs, but it turned tan too! Ian did it. Maybe some day when we find a color we love we can repaint. It went pretty fast with Ian's amazing rolling skills. I just followed along and did the trim. It was actually a nice Saturday project together. He started the afternoon by blasting a playlist that included Lionel Ritchie, Metallica, Phil Collins, and Skrillex? Whatever makes the paint stick to the wall! Nothing too exciting going on it that room...YET. At least the walls are done! In total, I spent $27 on paint for the family room. All other supplies/paint I recycled from other projects. Not to shabby. And I have an easy, inexpensive project to share for tomorrow!

before

during. 

Day 3

Bookshelf continued...

I sanded that baby down allllllllllllll morning. This is character building for me. I usually would have set it aside, annoyed that I messed up the first time or gotten impatient and painted over my screwy paint job. I am starting one project and finishing it, the right way! Sometimes these projects we take on can be discouraging; they don't always turn out exactly how he imagined them in our minds. I read DIY blogs for fun and inspiration and sometimes I'll see these ladies say,

"I found this super ugly dresser at a thrift store for $3. I cut off one side, whipped up a new top with left over wood from my totem poll project, widdled new legs, miter sawed intricate molding  grabbed my blowtorch and custom-made new hardware from the iron I have laying around in my upstairs closet, and sanded and applied 6 layers of paint and glaze...and look what I made...a brand new sun-room addition!"

Like, huh? Some of these DIY-ers are intense! I'm just learning and hoping to someday be able to tackle almost any home project that we want to accomplish. Thankfully the girls were entertaining themselves by destroying anything in their path. I found Willow by following the items littered in her wake. She was in the backyard, wet and carrying the dogs' water bowl. I found Piper on the side of the house playing in the dirt, with her face and hands absolutely filthy. Whatever keeps them entertained! I would say finding the time to really dig in to big projects is my biggest obstacle at this point.

I grabbed new paint last night for the bookshelf; this time I got a different brand, a slightly lighter purple, and satin finish. It turned out so much better. I first have to start off by saying I went WAY out of my comfort zone with purple. I usually tend toward neutral tones, and if I'm feeling crazy, I go for a green or blue...sometimes yellow.  For a little girls room, I thought I can go a little brighter in here. I like the color, but I don't love it. I also wanted to put a back on it so it looked more finished. I found an unused pillow case, wrapped it tight around some super thin particle board, and tacked it right on the back of the shelf. All in all I spent $5 on the shelf and $10 on the paint (since I messed up the first time around I can to buy 2 new cans).

Here is Piper's new reading nook! She couldn't wait to check it out!

Day 2

Epic Fail. I found a little microwave cart at a thrift store for $5 and thought it would work perfectly for a nightstand/bookshelf in Piper's room. It's the gross 90's laminate and it had plastic wheels on the bottom. I figured with a quick paint job and a fun-patterned back, it would be super cute. I have scored a couple of bed frames from thrift stores and need to repaint those as well. Eventually, when Willow is ready for a big girl bed, the girls will share a room. I want to paint their beds white, so I can change other decor around easily if I want. I have a couple of bright accents in her room now, and I wanted a pop of color, so I let her pick between turquoise and purple...she picked purple.

Well, enter using the wrong primer and trying to spray paint anyways...and you get the worst attempt at a paint job in the world. It also isn't quite the purple I was imagining...and I accidentally got glossy. I'm more of a satin finish fan.  Now I'm sharing this with you because we all mess up projects and get discouraged...but I am determined to finish what I start! So, for some comedic relief, I will leave you with the picture of the ugliest attempt at painting a shelf in the history of man-kind. I'll sand it down and try again tomorrow!

I forgot to take a picture before I started priming and I had already taken the wheels off.

dripping, peeling, ugly purple hot-mess.

30 Days of Projects

I suddenly have an itch to do some creative business. I think I'm just sick of having ideas and not doing anything about it. Plus, I find myself staring at a screen way too often (whether it is the TV or my phone). So, I'm going to challenge myself with 30 days of projects. Now, is it plausible to actually do 30 projects, one each day? Not with my destructors -- i mean my kids -- running amuck. I'm attempting to spend nap time doing some sort of project. Whether it's painting a wall, refinishing a bookshelf  making a wall sign, sewing a pillow (I wish! I NEED a sewing machine), or any other thing I see on pinterest or I make up in my head. I was inspired by finally finishing the upstairs bathroom. Well, almost finished (typical Aimee style). I still need to stain the lower part of the vanity...I just hate sanding. With a passion. Anyone want to come sand for me? I pay in Halloween candy!

I'm also going to try to do these projects on the cheap! I wanted a backsplash for the bathroom, since we ripped out the tile that was there when we put new countertops on, and accidentally ripped off the drywall along with it. OOPS. I found this tin looking stuff at Lowes, and thought, this would be perfect! I needed something I wouldn't have to grout on and was big enough to cover up the gaping holes from our shotty tile removal. Now, is this the correct way to fix this? No. But, I wasn't in the mood to re-drywall anything ..so for now, I jimmied it. Anyways, I found the Fasade brand sheets and cut them to fit. They also sell moulding for the top and bottom to make it look more finished. After I put that up, I decided it wasn't quite enough. I grabbed some recycled moulding from the garage (it used to be the edging of our old countertops in the kitchen/bathroom), cut them to fit, sanded them down, and stained them from a can of dark cherry stain I had from a previous project. Boom, framed mirror. Now all I need to do is sand/stain the vanity...which I plan to do this weekend! How much did I spend on this lovely project...$32 on the backsplash and adhesive. A little pricier than I would like for one project...my goal for the remainder of this challenge is $10/day (since some projects will take longer than one day to complete and some may be free!). Stay tuned for each project!

Day One: Bathroom backsplash/ framed mirror

TV Comsumption

I love mornings. And by morning, I mean mid-morning. I'm not a getter-upper at 5am type of gal. Luckily my girls are usually on the same wavelength and we wake up around 7-7:30. Key words there are "wake up." Then we usually lounge around in bed and play upstairs for a bit, making our way down for breakfast eventually. This is as long as we don't have to be somewhere super early. I've learned to not make plans early because we like to take our time, we live 30 minutes from anywhere, and I'm usually late to begin with. I love being able to enjoy breakfast, have my tea and just go with the flow. The girls, on most days, end up outside. Since we live in the dessert and our yard is very natural (as in we haven't done a single thing to groom it, YET!) I anticipate tears pretty much every time we go outside. Whether it's falling and scraping hands on rocks, stepping on a giant thorn, or running into a cactus. I should just send them out in full armor...swinging may not be as enjoyable at that point. Either way, it's beautiful up here in the mornings, especially now that "fall" has set it. It's hard to complain when I don't have anything to technically do. I mean, there is always cleaning, laundry, parenting, etc, etc...but sometimes I just want to watch Modern Family while eating fritos dipped in cream cheese and ignore my kids for 30 minutes. I'm not alone here, right? RIGHT?

Speaking of Modern Family. It's hilarious. Ian totally had a Phil Dunphy moment the other day and it made me laugh. I wish I could remember the joke he made. He was so proud of it and I just stared at him blankly, wondering how he thought that could ever be funny. More importantly, how much TV does your family watch? I'm not super concerned with my kids' well-being because they watch cartoons. I used to be weird about it, but I notice Piper does learn from some shows and still enjoys playing with toys, friends, and has a blossoming imagination. I'm not worried she will be a slug that stares at the TV screen whilst chomping on chips, otherwise known as a "couch potato," or basically myself as I described above. HA! Fritos are made of corn, so it doesn't apply....I digress.

I would say on average, I sit down and watch TV for an hour a day. I'm not going to add in the SEVEN hours of Grey's Anatomy I watched on Saturday (I may or may not have had too much wine the night before). It's usually in the evening after the girls are in bed or in the afternoon if they are both sleeping and I can actually watch something, uninterrupted. Now, if Ian is home, that number jumps significantly. He is a total TV guy. It's on alllllllll the time when he is around. Even if he is in the garage listening to 610 radio, it's on. It drives me insane. As for Piper --Willow could care less about TV, she's too busy attempting to summit anything taller than her -- she watches on average 1-2 hours a day. This number fluctuates obviously. Some days cartoons never get turned on and others they are on for WAY too long. We do limit what she watches, it's usually NickJr (with the exception of Spongebob), PBS, or a movie.

So again, how much TV do you guys watch? What do you think is average?

here are the pics from this morning...enjoi!