DIY Holiday Poppers and New Years Goals

Well, December 21 has come and gone and it looks like we're going to live to see a new year after all! 

New Years eve is one of my very favorite holidays. Not only is it the one time of the year that we get to visit with old college friends, but it's a time to celebrate a fresh start and new beginnings.  It's time to set some healthy goals, forgive some old wounds (even those self-inflicted) and reinvigorate important relationships.  

And while our NYE celebration tends to be pretty low key (Railroad Tycoon and Wii anyone?), I still love to make a celebration special.  Some day I'll host a soiree where I can finally wear that perfect party dress.  But this year, I'll settle for a little DIY crafting.

Our kids spend the holiday with Grandma while we're off with our friends - but I didn't want them to feel forgotten.  So I dug into my pile of empty toilet-paper tubes (I love upcycled crafts) and threw together some festive party poppers for my kids to open on the big night.  I want them to know that even if we're not together to ring in 2013, Mommy is still thinking of them.  Here's how to do it.

DIY Holiday Poppers

(also known as party crackers)

Gather: 

 empty toilet paper tubes

wrapping paper scraps (at least a few inches longer than the tubes)

candy or trinkets

ribbon or string

1.  Cut paper scraps so they just wrap around the toilet paper tubes and extend 2" beyond each end.  Tape in place.

2.  Fill tubes with candy or small toys.

3. Tie string around each end of the tube.  

4.  On the big night, untie string or pull on paper until the ends tear off.  

Variations:

1. For a more 'grown-up' look, use leftover scrapbook paper in coordinating colors.  Cut one pattern as above, then fashion a sleeve the exact length of the tube and wrap around the outside.  

2.  Decorate with butcher paper, twine and custom stamps.

3. Use fabric scraps and monogram a paper sleeve.

4. For a "girls' night" fill with mini polish bottles, chocolates and jewelry.  

5. Consider including a small fortune or blessing for the new year inside each popper.  

6.  Up the stakes and create a "grand prize" popper for one lucky recipient. 

The possibilities are endless!!  

After all the celebrating is done, I like to write down my list of goals for the new year.  For 2013 I plan to work toward the following:

1. Get into the best shape of my life.  No more eating disorders (super skinny but unhealthy isn't attractive), no more junk food binges.  I plan to make healthy meals (and not cheat on my new food-sensitivity diet) and get my tush to the gym.  I'm hoping to start dancing again and I am definitely going to work on building muscle.  Who cares what the scale says, I want sexy abs!

2. Spend less money.  There are so many worthy things we want to put our money towards in the near future (private school for the kids, animals for the farm, charitable causes) but somehow it seems like money just vanishes from the bank account.  I'm going to make a very concerted effort to keep tabs on spending and to save save save.  I'll be canceling the subscription boxes, finding ways to DIY any decorating or household wants, swapping for 'new' clothes instead of hitting the stores, learning how to stretch my grocery dollars - and reading every 'frugal' blog I can find (this one is a great start).

3. Get organized and STAY organized.  I am so tired of living in chaos.  I'm tired of toys all over the floor, of overflowing shelves, of helter-skelter kitchen drawers.  In a few weeks we'll be moving to a new house and I'm looking it at a chance to start over.  If I can't find a logical, attractive place for something, it doesn't come in the house.  The new playroom will be organized top to bottom (no more messy bedrooms or toys in the living room).  The office nook will be both immaculate and easy to use (no more bills piling up on the table).  The kitchen will be tidy and logical (no more hunting for the spatulas).  If you haven't read The House That Cleans Itself, I recommend you do it now.  It has revolutionized the way I think about cleaning and organizing and I cannot wait to put that system to work for me.  I'm pretty good about cleaning binges - getting everything lovely and clean for a big event - but inevitably it all deteriorates again in a few days.  This time we'll find a cleaning routine we can stick to, and set up the house so that staying neat is a nobrainer. 

4. Spend more quality time with the kids.  I spend a lot of time with my kids.  I'm with them from the moment I wake up, till the moment they go to bed most days.  But the realization that they'll soon be headed to all day school has thoroughly freaked me out.  It made me stop to take a good hard look at how I use the time I have with my kids right now and I don't like it.  Sure, I'm with them physically - we're always in the same room, sometimes even in the same chair.  But I'm a little ashamed to admit how infrequently I'm really, truly engaged with the kids.  It's more "they play while I cook/clean/finish my book/check my email/get distracted" than "we play/cook/clean/read together."  Which means that they don't get quality Mommy time, and I'm robbing them of important life lessons (learning to cook, learning to clean, learning to read).  It's my goal, once we're moved and organized, to stop 'doing near' and start 'doing with.'  Sure it'll take longer, but they can help me fold that laundry, stir that soup, read the easy words in that book.  I want to have a daily craft that I do with them, not leave them to do while I'm off doing xyz.  Pretty soon I'll be sitting at home wishing they were there to mop the floors and chop the peppers with me while they're off at school.  I'll be wishing they were snuggling in my lap with a book while they're off playing with school friends.  I want to make the most of these moments instead of letting them slip by unnoticed. 

So - those are my new years goals.  Leave me a comment and let me know what's on your list - I really love to hear what other people are hoping and planning for their fresh start!

Toilet Paper Tube Trees

With five people in our home, we go through a lot of toilet paper. And while it drives my husband crazy, I tend to hoard empty toilet paper tubes.  Why?  Because they are so handy for crafting!!  We've used them for everything from safari binoculars to beads for stringing (on huge necklaces). 

This time, we're making holiday trees!!  Here's how we did it.

1) Corral a bunch of empty toilet paper tubes.

2) Paint the inside of all the tubes green (we skipped this step and it doesn't look nearly as nice).

3) Decorate the outsides in various manners - coat them in mod podge and glitter, decoupage on green tissue paper or wrapping paper.  Or if you're in a big hurry, just coat them in green paint and get on with it.

4) Let all tubes dry thoroughly.

5) If any tubes have gotten squashed, roll them gently until they round out again.

6) This is the part that made my liberal-arts brain hurt a little - stack tubes in rows, adding 1 tube to each row until you run out.  I had to divide my stack between 3 kids, so doing the math made me a little dizzy.

7) Hot glue the bottom row together.

8) Attach next row by hot gluing tubes both to the row below and to each other.

9) Embellish! (Add stickers, glue on tiny ornaments, cover the ends with colored tissue paper - what ever your imagination dictates). 

We left our trees fairly plain and they sit on each child's night-stand guarded by his brand new nutcracker. 

If your trees will be getting a lot of use, or if you used a bunch of glitter, consider giving each a coat of spray-on acrylic sealant. 

Happy holidays everyone!!

Tuesday Tutorial: Second-hand Dresser Redo #2

We had such success remaking little brother's dresser that big brother begged to have his done, too.  We'd bought his off Craigslist before he was born, and we'd already sanded and stained it once.  But the top had been roughed up a bunch from toys and sippy cups and there were places where the wood-filler didn't take the stain too well, so I was more than happy to give the dresser a new look.

I've been talking a lot with Big Brother about what he wants his room to look like in the new house.  I happened to have this photo canvas lying around (I printed it on a whim when canvases were on sale).

He loved it and now he wants a whole collage of kite canvases on his new wall.  In the meantime, we decided to paint his dresser to match, and I'm also working on updating his curtains to keep with the blue and red theme.  So here's how it all went:

1) Remove all drawers and sand dresser and drawers

No knobs to remove on this dresser!

 2) Prime dresser and drawers

The dresser was dark and I wanted to paint it a lighter/brighter color so I knew I needed to prime it.

Lesson Learned:  

Never store paint in a hot garage.  By the time I got around to using the primer, something had gone wrong with the paint.  All I got was aerosol and even when the paint stopped spraying I only had a thin layer on my dresser and drawers.  I was too lazy to buy more paint, but now my dresser has a slightly mottled texture.

3) Spray on paint

This time I  was more careful about applying the paint in thinner layers, so I greatly reduced the amount of dripping from what I experienced on the previous dresser.

Lesson Learned:

Be sure you cover all visible layers.  I forgot that two thin strips around the front edges would not be covered on the inside by the drawers.  I'll have to go back in and add more paint later because they are really splotchy at the moment.

 4) Return drawers and enjoy!

I was thrilled that the new dresser even matches his current wall decorations, though they won't be coming with us to the new house.  Big Brother is thrilled with his new furniture and eagerly awaiting the rest of his bedroom accessories.  And I'm thrilled that we got away with decorating so cheaply!

 

Tuesday Tutorial: Second-hand Dresser Redo

Our middle child is growing more independent each day.  He is finally of the age where he can dress himself, and wants to start choosing his own clothes.  He is also beginning to learn to respect furniture instead of climbing all over it.  So, it was time to buy him a dresser for his room. 

We tend to be a little, uh, 'thrifty' in this family, however.  After checking craigslist we found a used dresser that was within our price range (hello $40), in decent condition and, most importantly, would fit in the minivan.  We got it home, gave it a good washing down - and realized it was still pretty gross.  It was sticky in places, had pen and crayon marks all over it, and the white paint had become generally grimy.  Here's the boring before:

 

No problem!  Time for a little DIY!  I wanted the dresser to match F's current bedroom theme - these cute little monkeys.

So I headed to Walmart to find some spray-paint.  And here's how it went:

1) Remove drawers and set up work space

I moved out to the garage where I could work without waking the kids during nap time.  I took out all the drawers so I could sand each piece individually.  I made sure to put down lots of plastic under the dresser to keep paint and dust off the garage floor. 

See how disgusting this thing had gotten? 

2) Remove all hardware

I made sure to take off the pretty new dresser knobs they'd added at the antique shop (apparently the originals were ugly green flowers).  I wanted to keep these a shiny gold color, so I unscrewed them and set them aside.

Lesson Learned: 

Keep all hardware in a plastic bag out of reach of kids.  I set them on the stroller and baby girl ran off with a few pieces - took me ages to round them all up again.

3) Sand well

I started with a sanding block, but the paint on this dresser was so thick I finally had to switch to a power sander.  Even then I barely made a dent, but I managed to get off most of the grime.  I opted not to prime since I was painting a darker color over a lighter color.  

Lesson Learned:

Prime anyway.  This dresser still had a couple of gunky spots that wanted to repel the darker spray paint.

  

4) Apply paint

 I was so busy painting that I totally forgot to take pictures of this step.  I bought a Leather Brown Krylon indoor-outdoor paint for the main dresser, and a light green Valspar for the drawers.  I also coated all pieces in a spray sealant to protect against water/kids.  A couple days and several coats later, it was done!

Lessons Learned:

Always use spray paint in a very well ventilated area.  I thought our garage with the door open would be good enough, but next time I'll spray outside, then move the dresser back inside at night.  My lungs are not happy with me.

Also, use several thin coats of paint.  Toward the end my arms got so tired from holding down the buttons (the Valspar cans were nearly impossible to depress) that I started getting sloppy and putting the paint on too thick.  I have a couple drippy spots on the brown, and a couple of areas on the very edges of the drawers that could have used more paint.  If I'd been more patient and used more light layers, I would have avoided those problems.

5) Allow to air out, then enjoy!

I had to let the dresser sit for about a day (in the garage with the door open) before enough fumes had dispersed for it to be safe to put back in F's room.  But now it's all done and he is thrilled!  H has been begging me to start on his dresser "right away!" so keep an eye out for that big reveal coming up soon!

 

Tuesday Tutorial: Spice Rack Redo

I've become a little addicted to garage sales.  With the kids on break from preschool and Kids' Day Out, we have lots of time to kill.  Time that the kids are thrilled to fill with driving around town and looking at other people's junk.  Except, the crafting side of me shouts "That's not junk!  That's treasure!"  And a couple weeks back we hit the jackpot.  We found an estate sale brimming with vintage and antique items in need of a little TLC - for 75% off.  For $11 I walked away with a tiny vintage bench, a cute wooden crate, a gorgeous old magazine rack, and a counter-top sized spice rack. 

The only problem?  The spice rack was blue.  Bright blue. My kitchen accessories thus-far are white and stainless steel.  Not blue.  No problem - time for a little DIY touch-up and it would be good as new.  Easy peasy.  Almost.  Let's just say I learned a few lessons as I attempted this project - but I love the results.  Here's how it went:

1. Sand Off Old Paint 

I really didn't think this was going to be so hard.  It's just a little paint - right?  Wrong.  It was a lot of paint.  And it was powdery paint.  It got all over my skin, my clothes, the deck, the house.  My sand block was ruined.  And I didn't get off much of the color.  I gave it a good washing down and figured I'd just paint over it. 

Lesson Learned: Always sand off as much paint as possible.

2. Paint On Base Coat

So I got out a basic white acrylic paint to cover up the blue.  I thought a couple coats should do it. Not so much.  It was still very blue.

Lesson Learned: If your under color is dark, and you want your object to be light, use a thick primer paint, not something light and chalky like acrylic (which does much better on bare woods or when you want your dark base to show through).

 

3. Attempt Darker Base Coat

I wanted my final color to be ivory, and since my background was going to be a rust-colored paper, I figured a brown would be a good undercoat for the ivory.  That way, if it showed through the lighter paint, it would make a nice "shabby chic" effect that matched the backing.  Well, I was close.

Lesson Learned: Make sure your dark undercoat is the exact color you want to show through.  

After several coats of ivory paint, I decided there wasn't enough orange in my undercoat.  So, I mixed up a small batch of orangy-brown, dry-brushed on some streaks, then immediately blended with another coat of ivory paint. It's hard to tell in the terrible cell-phone photos, but the spice rack is now a nice "shabby" blend of rust and ivory.

4. Make Backing
5. Seal Backing and Spice Rack

To make the backing, I just used mod-podge to affix a piece of scrapbook paper to an old sheet of thin carboard.  I then gave both the spice rack and the backing a good coat of mod-podge to seal them up and make them easier to wipe down (this will be next to the stove after all).

Lesson Learned: Be careful with brushstrokes.  Make sure they go "with the grain" so they look natural.
 

6. Apply Backing


This step went exactly as planned.  Thumbtacks + rubber mallet = firmly affixed backing and no cracked wood.

 

7.  Enjoy The Finished Product


Not everything went exactly to plan, but I learned some important lessons, and I love my pretty little (cheap!) spice rack.  It fits just right on the counter, and I like the flowered background that peeks out at me when I remove a jar. 

Now I've got an even bigger project ahead of me.  Both boys have dressers that we snagged off Craigslist that are in serious need of refinishing.  Since they will soon(ish) have new rooms that I can actually decorate, I'm itching to give both dressers new coats of paint that match their new rooms' color schemes.  Keep an eye out for those before-and-afters soon!

 

Tutorial: Love Bugs

This is our second day in a row sitting around home with nothing to do, so I thought I'd put together a craft for my kids. Here is what we came up with!

Love Bugs

Supplies:

1 pair baby tights in red, pink, or white (or use a pair of socks)
Needle and thread in matching color (or yarn)
stuffing
4 google eyes
4 chenille stems (red or pink is ideal, we only had black)
6 small heart stickers
hot glue or craft glue

Procedure:

1) Cut the legs off the tights (if using tights)

2) Stuff the legs (or socks) 1/3 full with stuffing

3) Thread needle through tights just below stuffing, wrap several times around the body, then tie off (or, wrap yarn around body and tie in a knot)

4) Repeat 2 more times to make 3 body sections

5) Wrap chenille stems around body creases and fold ends for feet.  Cut off excess stem.

6) Hot glue google eyes and one heart sticker to head to make face

7) Hot glue remaining heart stickers to bent chenille stem remainders, then glue to head for antennae.

Voila!  All done.  My kids have been buzzing these around the house all morning and are very excited to have their very own Valentines. 






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