Fun DIY domino art

Welcome back! I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend! I spent a lot of time shopping with my youngest. This coming weekend is her birthday party and we were busy tracking down all the decorations and items we need for the big day!

Today I am going to be sharing some fun artwork I made as part of my basement makeover. If you haven't been following along my journey to redo our lower level you can catch up here, here and also here!

We use our basement for playing games, family movie nights, eating and scrapbooking! If you look up multipurpose room in the dictionary it will have a picture of our basement! In keeping with the game theme I made some domino art out of scrap pieces of plywood from our garage!

I really LOVE how they turned out! This is the first wall you see when you come down the stairs and I wanted something to really catch your eye, but I also didn't want to spend any money!

We've already established that I pretty much suck stink at explaining things so I tried to take lots of pics as I went along!

I started off by cutting my pieces to size {no they didn't end up being all exactly the same size, but close enough}. I then painted them white and painted the sides black.

I used painters tape to make the line in the middle.

I cut out circles from paper and placed them on the board. I played with them awhile to see what numbers I wanted.

Once I decided on the placement I used a pencil to trace around the circles.

Then I painted in everything with black craft paint.

Lastly I used some of the gray wall paint on a wet rag and wiped it around the boards for a more distressed finish.

Can't wait to finish up all my basement projects and show you the completed room!

Have a great Monday!

Don't forget another Whimsy Wednesday link party will go live tomorrow evening!

                                                                                       Amy

linking up to serenity now

Theatre sign tutorial

Today I am going to be sharing with you how I made my THEATRE sign for our basement! If you missed the work I've been doing in our basement you can check it out here, here and here.

It all started when I found this one from Ballard designs on Pinterest {I looked today and it is no longer available}.

I knew this sign was the perfect fit for the basement vision I had in mind. Unfortunately even though I HEART Ballard designs very much my wallet doesn't feel the same way. I knew I could create something myself using this as my inspiration piece.

Here is what I came up with...

I've shared in the past how I made my wood signs. If you missed that tutorial you can check it out here.

I apologize to begin with because I am not the greatest at explaining things.

I started my project with just a scrap piece of wood we had on hand. 

First I painted the entire piece black {I wanted a black border and black letters}. 

Then I used painters tape and taped off the border around the edges so no other paint got on it.

I cut out my vinyl letters with my Cricut machine and placed them out on the board. 

I measured and marked where the lines would go between the red and white and used painters tape to mark the lines.

I adhered the vinyl letters in the red boxes first

Then I painted on the red paint {it took about three coats}

Once the red paint dried I removed the painters tape {not the tape around the edges} and the vinyl letters

Then I did the same thing with the white 

I know it sounds confusing. I promise it was really easy. Here are some pics I took as I was working.

I think I'm a little addicted to making my own signs, but my theory is it's better to make something yourself then go out and buy it.

Hope you all have a fun and relaxing weekend! My plans include garage sales, party planning & shopping, Church, and a soccer game!

                                                                                     Amy

Bookcase reveal

You do not even know how HAPPY these bookcases make me!

Goodbye clutter hello pretty and organized!

If you remember last week I started here.

I cleared out the clutter and used fabric to pretty it up!

Tuesday I took a very fun field trip {with the hubby-extra bonus} to one of my favorite places Ikea! I purchased several packages of storage boxes to house our large DVD collection. I also purchased some larger boxes to hide puzzles and smaller games. So now it looks like this...

So excited with how the basement makeover is coming along!

paint basement

redo/organize bookcases

fix up bar area

reorganize scrapbook nook

make artwork for entry wall

Can't wait to share each project with you as I tackle our messy basement!

Forgot to mention that I also made the THEATRE sign above the bookcases {yes, I do have to make one for each room}. Tomorrow I will share how I made it. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

                                                                                         Amy

Linking up to

Athoughtfulplace

Whimsy Wednesday party features!

I'm back today to share some features from last weeks Whimsy Wednesday link party! Don't forget this week's party has already started so go link up your newest FAB creations!

I love the bright and fun colors in this spring butterfly wreath created by Ashley from Ashley's dandelion wishes.

Jessica from home with baxter whipped up this very cool painted canvas art!

Jenn at One thrifty chick made over this beauty with her own  diy chalky paint.

If you were featured today don't forget to grab your FEATURED button {above}.

Please stay and visit with some of the links from this week's PARTY!

Enjoy your day!

                                                                               Amy

Whimsy Wednesday

Welcome back for another fun round of Whimsy Wednesday! I apologize I didn't have time to get the weeks features up, but I will share them with you tomorrow!

Just a few quick rules...

Please only share your own creations {no Etsy shops or giveaways}

You can link up as many projects as you like just don't link up the same one's week after week

You MUST place my party button {above} somewhere on your blog or a text link

I would love it if you would follow me through GFC, Linky followers or Facebook

Please stay awhile and visit with others

Basement progress bookcase makeover

Happy Monday everyone! Today I am celebrating my 100th blog post! Whoo hoo! It's hard to believe I've been pouring my heart out over the Internet for this long! Thank you to all my followers for making me feel like this is something I really should be doing. Thanks for listening and hanging in there with me!

Now on to my newest project...remember last week I shared that I was going to begin a fun makeover on our finished basement. If you missed phase one good bye yellow paint hello gray you can catch up here. Today I moved on to my bookcases. These laminate babies aren't the prettiest, but they have been around forever {I think they are older than my kids} and are super durable and practical. We use them for housing our DVD's and games. Let me give you a little peek!

This is what they looked like last week.

I began today by clearing everything off the shelves. Then I removed the cardboard like backing. I used some fabric I fell in love with from Hobby Lobby and covered the backing with it. Then I simply nailed the backing back onto the bookshelves. All in all I think it took me about 90 minutes to complete both bookcases.

Tomorrow I'm planning on organizing the shelves. I might make a run to Ikea to hunt down some storage boxes to hide house all our DVD's. So check back tomorrow for an update plus another Whimsy Wednesday link party will begin Tuesday evening.

Happy Monday!

                                                                                          Amy

best diy project contest of 2012

Carnival party ideas

Okay I admit it, I am a sucker for throwing theme parties! A few years ago I threw a carnival themed birthday party for my daughter. It was so much fun, the kids loved it!

Today our church hosted a kids carnival and I was in charge of organizing all of the kids games. I wanted to share some of my ideas with you today! A carnival is fun for kids of a variety of ages and adults as well.

Here are some of my game and activity ideas...

A ticket booth at the entrance is a must. You can purchase a large roll of tickets online or in stores inexpensively. Give each child a certain amount of tickets to use for games.

Bean bag toss is one of my favorites. I used sheets of poster board to paint clown faces and made a hole where the mouth should go as a target. I then simply attached them to large cardboard boxes and cut a hole in the box as well.

Bulls eye- I attached a plastic cup to poster board and attempted to paint circles around it {painting a perfect circle isn't that easy}. You can have the kids try to toss ping pong balls into the cup.

A photo booth is also a lot of fun. We assigned one person to be our photographer for the day. I hung a large red tablecloth as a backdrop and then had a box of silly props the kids could use in their picture. The dollar store is great for this!

We also had a face painting booth! You just need a talented artist willing to do the painting!

Ring toss is another good game. I used plastic rings I ordered online and 2 liter pop bottles. The more 2 liter bottles you can get the better!

Lastly we had a kissing booth! I promise it isn't what it sounds like! I filled a jar with Hershey kisses and let each person write down there guess for how many were inside. Winner gets all the kisses!

Here are some photos I took of the games I made and a few from today's carnival! 

For the food you can serve hot dogs, bags of popcorn, and of course cotton candy!

Throwing a large scale party is definitely a lot of work, but if you start planning in advance it helps. I'm looking forward to my next party which is in just a couple of weeks. My daughter's ninth birthday is coming up and we have been planning it for a few months now. You will have to wait to see what theme we are doing though!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

                                                                                           Amy

The power of paint

Even after all of the painting I have done over my lifetime {I wonder how many gallons of paint I've used over the years?} I am still amazed at the transformation a few cans of paint can make in a room.

Since I'm back to my healthy self again I decided to dive right in to a project I have wanted to do since we moved into our house, the basement! I've actually been planning this room makeover in my head for months now, but the thought of painting that entire lower level kept me from moving forward with it. Don't get me wrong I actually don't mind painting, sometimes I even like it, but the basement is such a large space.

So I spent ALL day yesterday painting away and finished up this morning. My arm feels like it is going to fall off, but I am so happy with the new color. Now I can start the fun part, the decorating!

Here are some before shots. Sorry the basement is a mess, but it usually is.


I took these after shots this afternoon as soon as I finished the painting.

From bright and yellow to calm and gray. I can't wait to get the room cleaned up, reorganized, and decorated. Of course, I will be sharing with you all as I go along!

 

                                                                                   

                                                                                      Amy

Whimsy Wednesday features and link party

Wow, where does the time go? I can't believe another week has already come and gone, and it's time for another Whimsy Wednesday link party!

Before we start the party I want to share some of my favorites from last week.



Helen from A brit of happiness shared her daughter's Parisian room makeover. I adore all the little touches she did throughout the room. Plus stripes are involved, enough said.

This burlap wreath made by Erin from Chronic christian crafter looks fabulous.

Kelly from live laugh rowe showed how to turn washi tape and a simple chipboard letter into a cool piece of art.

Back for seconds shared a recipe for these yummy treats, gooey chewy pretzel bars.

If you were featured make sure to grab your button. I'll also be pinning all my features on Pinterest.

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Now on to the rules;
please link up your own creations {no etsy shops or giveaways}
Place my party button or text link somewhere on your blog to help spread the word
I would love for you to become a follower on GFC, linky followers or Facebook
Please stay for awhile and visit with others

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Powder room reveal

It is officially Monday and back to school for my kiddos! Spring break was a lot of fun except the few days that I was too sick to do anything with the kids. Thank goodness for my parents who love having all the grand kids over for sleepovers!

I am feeling much better now. Had an appointment this morning with an ear, nose and throat specialist who confirmed my hunch that I had tonsillitis. A few more days on antibiotics and I should be as good as new again!

With the kids back at school and my medication kicking in I can finally put two sentences together and give you a proper reveal of my main floor powder room.

Our half bath is just off our entry hall and very SMALL. I guess you don't really need a whole lot of room in there, but it does make it difficult to photograph well! For the life of me I cannot find my before pics of this room. It was basically just a boring plain little box with a wallpaper border and standard oak cabinet.

Let me just start by saying that I completed this makeover for FREE, that's right no money spent here! I started by tearing down the border and painting out the room. I also painted the oak cabinet black. The room was still looking a little boring so I decided to bring in the stripes from our entry hall into the bath. I didn't want to overwhelm the tiny room so I only painted two walls. All the decor items I either made or already had.

 

The framed art I put together myself with a frame I already had. I just riped the backing off the frame and removed the picture inside. I replaced the picture with a scrapbook page I made. I also made the little wood sign and stamped burlap art.

 

I'm really happy with how it came together and even happier that I didn't have to spend any money. I still have to get in there and paint the brown trim {my favorite}.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your Monday! Remember to come back tomorrow evening for another Whimsy Wednesday link party!

 

                                                                              Amy