Tag Archives: DIY

Playroom Alphabet Wall {DIY Playroom Decor}

Decorate - House Style, Make Something - DIY Projects, Mommyhood & Kiddos Leave a comment

Alphabet Wall

The Alphabet Wall is pretty popular right now for kids rooms & playroom. Though I normally try to avoid the trendy or the popular since it can go out of style so quickly, I just don’t see how a wall of letters to use to teach the kids can go out of style. So I jumped on the bandwagon. Since I didn’t do anything ingenious that others haven’t done, I wanted to focus on a few of my favorite letters and my technique for decorating them.Plain Letters

In preparing for the wall project, gather all of the wooden or cardboard letters from your local craft stores. I got all of mine from JoAnns & Michaels. & don’t forget – their coupons ROCK! The letters aren’t cheap so use the coupons, people! But, I digress. Mix and match the letters to give the wall character. Use big & small, fancy & fun, wood & cardboard. Break it up. While you’re there, gather your decorating supplies; paint, spray paint, craft paper, fabric, buttons, stickers, glitter, etc. Get creative!!!! You could also do faux flowers, feathers, beads, etc. Use your imagination! Oh, and don’t forget Mod Podge, glue, paint brushes, hot glue sticks, and all of that good stuff.Spray Painted Letters For some of the letters I kept it simple and just spray painted them a solid color. Super easy. Just use a drop cloth, newspaper, or cardboard – though I recommend cardboard or a drop cloth because the letters won’t stick to them like they do newspaper.  I did two coats with a light sanding in between the two.

Now, bring on the glitter!! I wanted the letter for the kids names to stand out amongst all of the other letters so I decided to glitter them both. I spray painted one coat on the letter then let it dry completely. Once it was dry I used Mod Podge & a foam brush to brush a thin layer of the glue onto the letter and quickly poured the glitter onto it. After it sat there for a bit I tapped the excess off so that I could save the excess. And they just sparkled away!

885 886 887 888 889Green Glitter Letter

While I had my Mod Podge out I decided to use some of my scrapbook paper on a few letters. Since it’s the same technique for every letter, I opted to just show you the Z for (green) Zebra because it’s my favorite. It matches one of the pillows I made for the reading area which I LOVE. (Stay tuned for a post on that area of the playroom) So, to cover the letter in paper this is what you do… trace the letter onto the paper & cut it out. Sand the top of the letter slightly. I find this step really useful especially if the letter has a varnish previously on it. Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge and very carefully adhere the cut out paper shape onto it. Let it dry onto the letter. Trim the paper part as needed. Apply a coat – or two – of Mod Podge on top of the paper that is glued onto the wooden letter. Let it dry.

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F is for Flowers! So, I wasn’t very literal on all of the letters, but the ones that I could make work, I tried to make their decoration coincide with the letter. (Like the Z above!) So for the F I decided I would use all of my leftover flower stickers and die cuts from the scrap-booking that I just never got around to committing to. Some of the flowers required a little dollop of glue while others were already sticky. I just kept sticking them on trying to cover the letter completely. It turned out pretty cute. And I love that it provides texture to the letter, too. Oh, and I painted the letter first a very soft minty green.

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Now, my favorite letter! Well, the letter isn’t really my favorite… I don’t have any particular attachment to it. But, the decoration for the letter is my favorite. And, Poppy’s favorite, too! We love our buttons. Poppy can sit and play with my jar of buttons forever. To cover the O in buttons I just hot glued the buttons on. I used all shapes, sizes, and colors & covered the letter. This was tedious. Even more tedious than gluing on all of the little flowers for the F.

Button Covered Letter

Button Covered Letter 2

Look how cute the buttons are!

Finished Alphabet Letters

I am really happy with how my letters turned out. Some might need a little paint touch up & others could use some decorations instead of being solid. But, when you spend so much time staring at something you’ll always find things to ‘fix’. But all in all, I am so happy with how it turned out. I cannot wait until Poppy is able to sing the alphabet with me!

Enjoy!!

xo

ER

Custom Stairs + Wallpaper {DIY Home Decor}

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I have every intention to post about the huge remodel that we did on our home with details of all of the custom and DIY projects, however, I am lagging like crazy on so many posts that I am just lucky to get anything up on here! But, do stay tuned for a couple of consecutive posts that will be all about our new playroom/Poppy’s big girl room, Hudson’s new bedroom, and a couple of other rooms that got a complete facelift. All which have details about the inexpensive and/or DIY projects I did within them.

In the meantime, I wanted to write about one of my favorite parts of our remodel; our custom staircase. We are very fortunate to have my dad, one of the best most innovative contractors, as our contractor for our remodel. Aside from being the smartest man I know, he is so unbelievably talented that I am constantly in awe of him and his work. Our home was a 1-level townhouse up until about 9 months ago when we added a 2nd story on. Yes, we added a 2nd story. We had a huge attic space that wasn’t only large in square footage but it was tall. My dad had the perfect vision to convert this into additional living space – and that he did. You’ll see the transformation in posts to come. So, in doing this remodel he had to build custom regulation stairs to get from the ground floor upstairs. We removed a coat closet & the furnace closet so that the stairs could be in our hallway and take up as little room as possible.

Closet Removal

*Please ignore my paint testing on the walls in the left picture – I knew the wall would come out ;-) *

Spiral Staircase Construction 070 074 075 076

 It is considered a spiral staircase but they are unlike any spiral staircase I have ever seen! They’re awesome. Everyone who saw them after first being built was so concerned about how narrow & steep they are, but, Poppy has mastered them just fine! To soften the steps for the kids – and in case of those occasional falls – we went with a tan carpet on the actual step, but, since I hate carpet I just refused to have it on the riser as well. We will soon have no carpet in any room of the house (we are doing hardwood throughout) so I didn’t want this random carpeted staircase sticking out like a sore thumb. I decided to wallpaper the stair riser so that they would be fun and funky & really pop.
Wallpapered stairs 587 (2)We had the luxury & ease of being able to wallpaper the risers before the carpet was installed. This made things a lot easier so that the wallpaper could be perfectly smooth and have  really nice seams without the carpet getting in the way. On the other hand, this is tricky because if the carpet installer isn’t careful, they could scratch or tear the wallpaper. I found my wallpaper on Amazon and spent just $35 on it. I used maybe half the roll which is great so that should we have to replace a piece we have plenty of extra. I used a wallpaper stock (plain white wall paper) behind the patterned so that it would smooth the surface of the wood riser before applying the fancy wallpaper. I measured each stair & cut each piece out. I left a little extra on top, bottom, and the sides so that we could cut off the extra in a clean-cut once it was applied. Both processes of applying the paper is just like wallpapering a normal wall. The wallpaper I chose is washable, too. I have 2 little ones, let’s be smart here!

Carpeted Stairs*Please note, the balusters were removed to apply the carpet – safety is important with kids so this will NOT be left open!*

& Finally, the carpet was installed! For 9 stairs plus a landing it took the guy about 6 hours. And, I am SO happy to say; he didn’t hurt the wallpaper! Woot woot!  To better protect my purty wallpaper from the dirt, grime, and potential coloring of my 2-year old, I decided to Mod Podge the wallpaper. I used the Mod Podge Luster so that it would provide some shine. I did 2 coats to be safe. Finished Stairs w/Mod PodgeMod Podge Wallpaper Stairs

I plan on taking a picture of the completed stairs with the handrails and all of the balusters. Stay tuned for that pretty picture!!!

*TIP OF THE DAY* When mod podging the wallpaper, use a soft & fine brush. If it is a coarse paintbrush it will leave an uneven finish. Also, I kept a slightly damp cotton rag & wiped the brush off before doing each stair. This helps to prevent carpet fuzz, dog hair, your 2-year-olds glitter, etc to get into the glue

Enjoy!!

xo

ER

LOVE Wreath {DIY Valentines Day Decor}

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I’m not normally one to decorate for Holidays, mostly because I cannot stand clutter & having ‘stuff’ out just collecting dust for a month. I know, I sound like a bah-humbug. But, I’m not. I just am not a tchotchke kind of girl. However, I am finding that as the babes are getting older and are more aware of Holidays it is probably time to start with some light decorating to help get everyone in the spirit of the Holiday.

I like fun wreaths to hang on the front door & it’s the perfect decoration for me because I don’t have to see it constantly, except when I am checking for packages on the door step… which does seem like a daily occurrence ;-) I previously made Poppy’s Birthday Wreath and a sweet Easter Wreath (which reminds me, it’s time to  bring that back out!) and what I love about both wreaths is that they’re not the typical wreath. If you follow this blog you probably have realized that I don’t like the typical and I strive for uniqueness. It’s a bad habit.

For Valentines Day, the hubs was out-of-town for business for the week so the extent of decorating and celebrating with the kids was the wreath on the door & Chinese food with my parents. Thankfully my wreath was the perfect amount of decoration for me. Here’s how it turned out & how I made it…

Love Wreath Finished

 

This wreath was pretty quick to make. The only issue I had was that my hot glue gun just wasn’t doing the job and wouldn’t keep the letters together. So, I got creative (& frustrated) and whipped out the staple gun. Stapling the letters together was definitely a quicker method so that was OK with me. I should note that obviously the wreath can be made in any color & with any letters, etc. This just happens to be a Valentines Day themed wreath.

You’ll need:

Letters of your choice
Spray Paint
Staple Gun
Sand Paper
Ribbon
A surface to spray paint on

 

Lightly sand all letters, lay them out so that they aren’t touching. Spray one even coat on all letters. Let set until tacky. Spray a second coat on all of the letters.


Painted Letters I wanted to do something fun for the ribbon so I used 3 pieces of 36″ (1 yard) long wired red and white heart print ribbon and braided them all together.I stapled the ribbon on two sides at my desired length.

Braided RibbonRibbon Stapled

I tied a sweet big bow with an additional 24″ piece of the same ribbon on the top. I did this for two reasons; 1) it would finish it off and 2) It would be the base for me to add an additional piece in order for it to hang. In order to hang it, I used a very thin piece of red ribbon and tied it horizontally onto the back of the knot from the bow. I tied it tight with a double knot. This is what will hang on the hook on the door. *see the 2nd picture below*

 

 

photo (3)photo (2)

And voila! A cute & simple super easy DIY Valentines day “wreath”.

*TIP* Make sure that you make it so that your peep-hole is still functional and not blocked by a letter or ribbon. Safety first, ladies!

Enjoy!

xo

ER

Fabric Quarter Toddler Skirts pt.1 {DIY Toddler Clothes}

Make Something - DIY Projects, Mommyhood & Kiddos, Sew Leave a comment

Poppy in her ruffle skirt

 

Lord. If she isn’t the cutest little girl, ever… Ok, OK, I know I am just a proud bragging mama. But seriously, she’s gorgeous. And look at her modeling on that chaise lounge in Starbucks. Girl knows how to work! Also, check the skirt. It’s super cute, right?!? It cost me a whopping $7.00 & 25 minutes to make. Hallelujah  that’s a quick deal =)

Supplies needed:
(2) 18″x21″ Fabric Quarters from your local fabric store – I bought mine at JoAnn’s on sale for $1.99/each
(1) Non roll 1/4″ elastic  - Also from JoAnn’s on sale for $2.50

I cut the fabric & the elastic. Cut one fabric in half so that you have (2) 18″x10.5″ pieces. Cut the other fabric to 18″x5″  because it will be used as the peplum/ruffle. Cut the elastic to 18″, also.

Fabric & Elastic pieces

 

I sewed the two short ends together of the pink fabric to begin the skirt. Than I folded the fabric down 1/4″ and sewed that as it will house the elastic. Once I had the long strip, I hemmed the ends and the inner seams. I did the same with the peplum piece, as well.  Than I sewed the short peplum/ruffle onto the skirt base. Only sew at the top. I left 1/4″ of the ruffle fabric on top of the seam just to add a little ruffle. Pinning a safety-pin to the elastic I threaded it through the casing on the skirt base. Pin the elastic/skirt on the short end. Sew the skirt/elastic down the 11″ side – this will create the skirt. Adjust the fabric so that it is evenly bunched up and ruffled.

Note: I used my serger to make life easier, however, you could use a basic hem.

Sewed edge

 

Once the skirt is complete  you can sew another stitch around both fabrics to ensure they stay ruffled.

 

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And, my adorable little model rockin’ her ruffle/peplum skirt with her Starbucks smoothie…

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Enjoy!

xo

ER

 

Chevron Melted Crayon Art {DIY Playroom Decor}

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Crayons!!

Crayons!!

I love crayons. I love all of their pretty colors. I love how they smell. I love all of the potential that they hold for beautiful art.  Because of my love for crayons, I was sucked in to the “crayon art” craze. I wish I was the one who thought of this awesome colorful idea!! Alas, I didn’t invent it but I did my own version of it and that’s sorta like inventing it, right? Yeah… I’ll keep thinking that.

For the new playroom I wanted very bright, colorful, and fun decor and I wanted as much of it made by myself as possible. For the crayon art all I needed was a canvas, 3 big boxes of crayons, spray paint, and a heat gun. A hairdryer could be used instead of a heat gun, however, my hairdryer is crucial in my life so I was not willing to risk blowing it up for the sake of art.

I spray painted the 20×30 canvas with a glossy bright orange:

Spray Painted CanvasWhile the canvas was drying I obsessively organized the crayons by color than by shade. Once they were organized I started to align them in a chevron pattern to get a feel for how it would look:

Color coded crayonsOnce I decided I liked the layout, I would lift a crayon and apply a strip of hot glue and then put the crayon back down. It was important to make sure that all of the crayons stayed close together and in their spot. I glued every crayon down.

Glued Crayons Love the ROYGBIV Chevron pattern! I plugged in my heat gun (industrial) and held it about 1″ away from a section of crayons for about a minute and just went across the row at the same pace. This started the melting process. I then went back from the beginning for a second and third time melting some sections more so that they would drip more/better. I wanted the drippings to be scattered to create good dimension.

Melted Crayon Art

Look at how fun & pretty it is!!! I love how it turned out. The orange section towards the right didn’t show up too well because of the canvas color, but that’s ok. The fabulous art is now hanging in the playroom – but I am waiting until the playroom is 100% complete before I show all of the rooms details. So, stay tuned for a shot of the art hanging up.

Enjoy!

xo

ER