Painted Herringbone-Patterned Canvas...2 Ways.

I bought these two square canvases at a thrift store probably a year and a half ago. They had baby-themed seahorses and other items on them. 

I painted over them with white primer and then did a herringbone pattern. The first pattern was intended for the kitchen. But I thought it was too 80's-esque. At least, my husband thought it was very 80's. So I painted over it. So the blue one, seen here, does not exist. 

Then, I went with green. And with four rows. And yes, it's probably just as 80's-themed! But somehow I like it better. I just need to hang it somewhere. 

I followed the instructions from this project.

And I'm sure it's hard to tell which you like better, since it isn't hanging on the wall yet, but what is your opinion? Which color scheme is better? 

Even if I decide I dislike the green pattern as well, I've only spent a few dollars on the project. And I could probably re-repaint the canvases again. 

Colorful Hole Patches

Sometimes there is a right way to do things. And then, other times, I like to make up my own way to do things.



A few (years?) ago, I shared how I patched a hole in my favorite jeans. It worked.

Living Room Decor

I made this little bike print for our living room. I used a map for the background (which is part of a whole map/window project my husband and I did last year that never got onto my blog here) and I added a bike transfer.

DIY Couch Pillows & Covers [the frugal way]

I’ve been wanting new couch pillows for awhile now. I’ve scoured Ikea. (I didn’t like the prints. I didn't like the way all the pillows looked deflated.) I’ve priced new pillows at Target. (Too expensive. Too common.)

Knit Baby Bibs

Only about five more weeks until our new baby arrives! I’m excited to meet the baby and find out if it is a boy or a girl. I love not knowing while I’m pregnant, but I’m always excited to find out when the baby arrives!

I made some bibs for this baby because I bought some new clothes for the baby (I have two older boys but most of their clothes will be in the wrong season.) And if it is a girl, she’ll need a lot of new things! So I figure I’d better cover up any cute new outfits with cute bibs.

Small Sewing Projects

I’ve been doing some small projects before we have our new arrival next month.

This was a quick bath toy organization project. I added some ribbons to the sides of a large mesh laundry bag and hung it from suction cups. I almost bought a special bath toy organization bag but decided to save some money. (This solution only cost about $4.)

DIY Easy Dill Pickles

I had no idea it was so simple to make pickles. I really like pickles. Not the sweet ones. They have to be dill. And my 4 year-old loves them, too. No canning required. (Even though I would love to learn to do that.) 

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Lately I have been enjoying some frozen strawberry lemonade, courtesy of our very own blender. I like it on the tart side, so if you want it sweeter, add a little more sugar.

10 frozen strawberries
1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh or form a bottle)
1 cup water
2 1/2 T sugar
8 ice cubes

Put all the ingredients in the blender and process til smooth. Makes about 3 servings.
This is a far cheaper than going to a coffee shop for a frozen drink!


Places I have linked:
Or So She Says, Train to Crazy, Tater tots & Jello,  Merry Messy Life, Sugar Bee Crafts, Reasons to Skip the Housework,  The 36th Avenue, House of Hepworths, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, 504 Main,Serenity Now,  Fingerprints on the Fridge, I heart NapTime, Classy Clutter, A Glimpse Inside, Somewhat Simple, Gingerly Made, Serenity Now, Today's Creative Blog, The Winthrop Chronicles, Home Stories A to Z, CraftyScrappyHappy

Freezer Paper Stenciled Dyed Onesies

I got out baby clothes a week or so ago in preparation for our new baby, coming in September. And I found that many of the clothes had stains on them. Terrible stains. Some I just made into rags. But some of them, especially the solid white onesies, I decided to try and salvage. That means that the last few days, I’ve been experimenting with fabric dye. Messy? A little bit. But I followed the instructions found here.

DIY Reusable Labels

So. I’m nesting. A little bit. (It’s still early.)

And I’m on a bit of an organization and labeling craze.

Maternity Tank with Banded Bottom

This maternity tank is very similar to this striped tank I made last year. I wore that striped shirt a LOT. And I would wear it a lot this summer, too…but I’m 6.5 months pregnant.

Handmade Tags and Some New Fabric.

I started making crocheted hats and some custom (sewn) bibs for a local store, Perpetual Childhood. Read more about that in this post.

But anyway, the owner wanted me to have tags for my items. She suggested a print shop in town could do them for me. I checked them out, but at this point, they’re a little out of my price range. 

Printed Bias Tape

I am working on a project that I needed bias tape. And you might recall I made some bias tape a few weeks ago. And still haven’t used it.

Framed Wreath with Felt Garland

We have nothing decorating the white walls of our downstairs bathroom. Nothing. I decided it was time to change that.

Random Things & Lentil Soup.

Looking for the tutorial I just posted on making a tote bag?

In other news:
Lots of things have made me laugh this week. Which is great. Some funny things I want to tell you:
-I ordered nine [yes, 9] different pairs of boots. I really want a pair of brown ones. None of them fit. If I was on Instagram, I would show you a picture of the boxes stacked up by the door, waiting to go to the UPS store for return.  To three different websites. I have really narrow feet and the boots were all too wide. (Off topic, but have I mentioned that I don't even text? I know, I'm outnumbered!)
-I found a half of a peeled banana in the diaper bag. It had been there for about 3-4 weeks and somehow I had not noticed.
-Someone ended up getting poop on the [light colored] living room carpet. In just a few spots. It was a diaper malfunction. Good thing the little guy is so cute.
-I shattered a glass in the dishwasher and required shopvac-ing it out. I dislike getting the shopvac out of the garage. I think I should’ve just mounted it in the kitchen.
So I want to share an easy recipe that we had this week. It was super tasty and really easy to prepare. It is from a Healthy Cooking magazine. I slightly adapted it.

Non-Frugal Confessions

I used to make all our food from scratch. Fruits and vegetables never went to waste because I always found a way to use them, even if they were overripe. I would never pay for shipping on items I could pick up from the store. I went to several different grocery stores to get good deals on all of our food.

Then I had two boys. Two wonderful, smiley, energetic, healthy children who don't love running errands. I hate having to buckle & unbuckle two car seats. (Those of you with three, four, or more children, my heart goes out to you. All those car seats must be tough.) With one child, I could manage my formerly frugal lifestyle.

Little Boys’ Fire Truck Shorts

My energetic three-year-old thinks firefighters are super interesting.

He actually calls them “pirepighters”.

Anyway, I had some red twill (that I got for free!) He loves when his clothes have pictures of trucks, diggers, or basketballs, so I figured I’d try something with fire trucks.

These shorts were an instant hit.

DIY Tailored Baby Shorts

I love handmade children’s clothing!

I have a Pinterest board displaying some of my favorites. 

(Including lots of girls’ items, despite not having a little girl to sew for!)

I especially love details on kids’ clothes. Stitching, tags, pockets, even though the kid wearing the clothes doesn’t care. My sweet littlest guy needed some shorts. I had all kinds of ideas to make them extra-special, but I decided to focus on stitching with these shorts. I am sort of a “hurrier” when it comes to sewing, so I often don’t take time to make my stitches look perfect. {And these are far from perfect.} But they are totally wearable.

Refashioned: Banded Bottom Shirt

I have this white shirt I really like. However, I bought it last summer right after I had baby #2, so I was a little larger in the waist area. And now, since I’m back to normal (yay!) the shirt was too big.

DIY Thank You Notes

It was my little guy’s birthday last weekend. He got some very nice gifts from family members and I wanted to write some thank-you notes. We live in a small town and the only place I could make it to for thank-you cards was one of our [many] dollar stores.