Pallets

        I know that pallets have been a big thing lately but I am just discovering them for myself. I have a lot of upcoming projects that have to do with them, I'm having so much fun coming up with ideas. One of my favorite things about them is that they are free. Wood can be costly and it's always nice to be able to save when you can. Most of my pallets came from Craigslist or from my Dad. I also love the rustic feel they have. 

             The first idea I had was to make some toy boxes for my boys. I'm redecorating their room and I thought it would be nice for them to have their own toy box. Luckily for me my dad offered to make them. Somehow I thought I would be able to do it on my own, I like to think big! After watching my dad I know that it would have been a little more...okay a lot more than I could have done. I did serve as his assistant though and I learned a lot from watching him.

          I won't reveal the finished product yet, I'll wait until I'm done with the boys room. Pallet wood makes a big appearance in there :)

          I did give woodwork a try, I needed a small table to put between the boys beds.  It had to be narrow since there was not a lot of space between them.  

         I am pleased with the way it turned out and it was a lot of fun to build! I used a vinegar and steel wool stain. (Place steel wool in a glass jar with vinegar and let sit overnight and you get a beautiful aged stain for wood) Next time I will try maybe a larger project for myself. 

        Soon I will have the boys room ready as well as a few other spaces I have been working on in my home. Until next time...  

Leslie

Anthropologie Bag *Update*

  Hello everyone! I've had a lot of emails about the Anthro knock-off purse pattern I made. I'm glad so many of you like it! There was a problem with the downloadable pattern, but I have now made it so you can just click on the picture and print right from there. It will fill up an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. 
   If you have anymore questions please feel free to ask. And I'd love to see the purse you all have made!!

Hallway Fix-Up

 I have a small hallway off of my garage and I felt like it was a wasted space and not being used to its fullest advantage.

I found five really nice hooks at Goodwill for $3.99 each. Which is perfect, one for each of my kids! My husband put up a 1x6 board and attached my hooks to it. I added stenciled numbers above each hook. 

It's going to be so nice to have a space to hang the kids jackets or backpacks. Anything that helps keep me organized, I love!

It's not a huge transformation, but it's a helpful one!

Upcycled t-shirt Dresses

I have been working on some one of a kind upcycled knit dresses, they are so cute and comfortable. My daughter loves them. I'm hoping to get some up in my etsy shop soon, so stay tuned...

I have been pretty busy lately, with this little one...

Samantha is 2 1/2 months old. She's such a sweet baby, her 4 older sisters and brothers are in love with her. And so are her mommy and daddy :)

Getting Ready for Baby

I have been doing a lot these past few weeks getting ready for our new little one to arrive. We have about 8 more weeks to go before she gets here. I have been wanting to make so many cute things for her but haven't had a lot of time for that. I finally sat down and made a few knitted baby hats for her. I love them and can't wait to put them on her tiny little head.

 

I first made the sock monkey hat and all my kids loved it and now want one. I made one for my 3 year old and now I have 3 more to go.  I made a snowman with a bow to add a girly touch to it and a cute little cupcake. I'm having so much fun making them, I'm trying to come up with other ideas for more hats! 

 My next project is to knit a baby blanket, better get started soon!

Re-Purpose: 1 Dress into 7 Items

I love finding new ways to re-purpose items, it's creative and affordable! Fabric can be costly at the craft stores so I found this dress at a thrift store and decided to use the fabric to make new items.

 

I turned one dress into 7 items. Not bad for $3.99

 

 

My daughter has a Hello Kitty sewing machine, (which by the way is a really nice starter machine. I have even used it when I didn't feel like dragging out my bigger machine.) I used part of the fabric to make a dust cover for her machine.

And on the back of cover I used the neckline of the dress where the buttons were to make a pocket for scissors or her sewing accessories.

I received an ipad for my birthday recently and wanted a cover but found them all to be too costly. I thought this would be a good opportunity to make one myself!  I lined the cover in flannel for a soft non-scratching lining. I love it and it fits snuggly inside. Helps to keep it from getting scratched! I really like the lace embellishment. I have a tutorial coming up soon on how I made it.

I have been wanting a nursing cover to use for our new baby girl due in November and thought I could possibly make my own. I looked online and found some tutorials and got some ideas and came up with my own version. Everyone I have talked to seems to really like these covers, I don't remember seeing them when I had my other 4 babies. It was really easy to make and I saved myself some money :)

 

Next I made my daughter a skirt and embellished a t-shirt. 

And a matching skirt and top for her doll. She loved matching her baby! 

Oh, and a matching hair clip to complete her look!

I think it was a quite successful re-purpose!! It was so much fun coming up with ideas, I think my $3.99 stretched pretty far!!

 And one more, just because I think shes so cute!! 

I'm being Featured!!

Today I am being featured over at Knock Off Decor!!! I love all of Beckie's sites! 





She is featuring my Pottery Barn Knock off Owl Bookends. Go on over and take a look, there are great ideas to inspire you to create beautiful looks for so much less!!! Thank you Beckie!!

On a little side note... I know I have been away from here for what seems like forever!! I do plan on starting up again with new projects and ideas. The reason for my little break was I found out that I am pregnant with our 5th baby! A little girl!  It was a rough first few months, but now I feel like my old self and can't wait to get back to all the craftiness!!  Thanks so much for sticking with me!! 


Leslie :)