diy: christmas hand print pot holders

this christmas, i wanted to come up with a cute handmade gift for the boys to give to family. these hand print pot holders were pretty east to make, inexpensive and turned out even more adorable than i expected. take the time to try this out before christmas. i know these will be a huge hit with the grandparents for sure and i can't wait to see their faces when they open them. 

supplies:

•pot holders --i purchased these at my local dollar store--they were 2 for $1.

•fabric paint - you can find these in any craft store. the colors i used were:      green, yellow, red, blue, tan and black.

•paint brushes

•a little patience :-)

directions:

for each design, i simply painted the boys entire hand one solid color and then carefully placed it onto the pot holder. be sure to use pressure to ensure a solid print. the only design where the entire hand was not painted one solid color was the santa pot holder. for that design, i painted their hand prints 3 colors to represent the hat, face and beard of santa. here is an example of how their santa hands looked before making the hand print onto the pot holder:

after making the hand prints, allow them to dry fully before painting on the details.

the details can be the hardest part. some of the designs i had in mind ended up being a little labor intensive. in my opinion, the easiest designs are the tree and santa. the most labor intensive was the snowmen...but how cute did they turn out?! 

feel free to use my designs or come up with your own. this project was so much fun and the boys are so excited to give their special hand print pot holders to their family. which one is *your* favorite?

making memories at the newly remodeled home depot genesee

this is a sponsored post by me on behalf of the home depot.

on saturday i had the pleasure of attending the grand re-opening of my local, san diego home depot store located on the corner of genesse and balboa.

the newly remodeled store features a 40,000 feet outdoor garden center, larger kitchen and appliance showrooms, a millwork showroom, an improved pro-desk and expanded tool rental. the store is beautiful, clean and open with large aisles and the associates were so kind and helpful.

the event was made extra special for me because it was a time for just me and my first born. as a single mama with two fun loving boys there isn't a ton for time for just one-on-one special moments----i seized this opportunity as one of those times and we had so much fun!

first up, we went straight to the kids diy workshop to learn how to make our own mini soccer game/foosball table. we worked together and ended up with an awesome new game to take home with us and enjoy. 

home depot kids workshop runs the first saturday of every month from 9am until noon. there is no signing up and it is *free*. if you are local, check out the home depot genesee on facebook for information on all of their frequent events. you can also find information on all of the home depot workshops for kids and adults on their website. i am really looking forward to attending more diy workshops in the future!

aside from the diy workshop, my little man's favorite things were spinning the prize wheel and the awesome balloon artist. he won a baseball on his spin and the balloon artist was even able to make the "buzz lightyear spaceship" that he requested. impressive!

we had a blast participating in the scavenger hunt around the store searching for clues and riddles hidden in homer buckets--what a fantastic way to explore the store and enjoy a little friendly competition with my little man. we downloaded the home depot app and it provided us with a helpful advantage to locate items and needed information.

mommy's favorite part of the newly remodeled store was the incredible 40,000 square foot garden center. it was filled with so many beautiful plants, flowers and veggies that it made this aspiring gardener truly inspired to try my hand at some new landscaping/gardening projects that have been on my pinterest "to-do" list.

a wonderful time was had by all and the only dilemma i am left with is what project i want to start first. once i decide, i will be headed back to the beautiful, home depot genesee store to stock up on supplies and get to work!

the newly reopened home depot genesee now features a 40,000 square foot outdoor garden center, larger kitchen and appliance showrooms, a millwork showroom, an improved pro-desk and expanded tool rental.
it also provides workshops and events year-round that the whole family can participate in. please visit https://www.facebook.com/Home.Depot.Genesee.Ca for more information.

this is a sponsored post by me on behalf of the home depot.

valentine's boxes

i had no plans to post anything tonight but as i looked over what i needed to accomplish for the next couple of days, i decided this might help some mommy, somewhere.

my boys love valentine's day. they love the candy, the cards, the fun little gifts. they love it all. what they don't love is a bunch of pink hearts and flowers. 

each year i get tasked with decorating shoe boxes to hold the kids' valentines. (*tip*: find some place in your garage to store empty shoe boxes. you will need them at some point and as soon as you throw them away, you'll get your next "shoe box" assignment.) this year my boys were staring at the boxes and wondering what in the world we could do to make them look cool.

here's what we finally decided upon:

the boys thought these were perfect...and definitely *boyish* enough to satisfy them on valentine's day. i'm happy to say they are made by kids and look that way. it took a little bit of time to help them out but they are so excited to take their creations into class.

the only part that created a bit of a problem were the eyes. we just used wooden kabob sticks broken in half and taped them to the back of the eyes. problem solved!

what about you? any cool, creative ideas for your children's valentine's boxes?

diy chore chart

everyone seems to have their own take on chore charts. i was looking for something that somehow motivated my children to work and still looked nice in my home. this is what I came up with. it's pretty easy and inexpensive to make and, so far (it's only been used for two weeks) the kids are pretty happy with it.


head to a home improvement store and pick up a two foot square piece of plywood. try to find one in relatively good condition without a bunch of wood splits.


in the paint department, search for a primer that creates a magnetic surface. paint the board with several coats of this primer. the more coats, the more magnetic the board seemed to be.

once the primer has dried well, apply a coat of colored spray paint. or takes a few coats for the best coverage.

purchase some wood moulding at the home improvement store. paint the moulding in a contrasting color. once paint is dry, cut the moulding to form a frame around the board.

attach the moulding using a nail gun or very small finishing nails. touch up paint.

find a fun coordinating paper. cut it into half inch strips and attach to the wood using a decoupage medium. allow to dry.


purchase empty buttons you can fill yourself. remove the pins and attach magnets using a glue gun.

fill the buttons with coordinating paper and your chore assignments.


if you are hanging your chart, attach ribbons with a glue and nail gun.


i hung mine using a wreath holder to make the buttons within reach of the kiddos...

happy choring!

diy painted flower pots

our friday fun finds about brightening your front porch inspired me. i love spring colors and the blooming flowers that can liven up my day. so, i decided to paint my own pots for the front porch. this is a super easy project you can do with the kiddos. so paint, plant and enjoy!

what you'll need:

• terra cotta pots in various sizes: i found these at hobby lobby, home depot, lowes, etc. just find the place where they are the cheapest. i found them priced from about a dollar to five dollars depending on the size.
• paint brushes
• stencils: i'm not good at free hand painting so these are helpful for me.
• painter's tape
• outdoor acrylic paint: these can be found for about a dollar at a craft store. look for the ones designed for the outside and that are water based for easy clean-up. please note: acrylic paint will not come out of clothes. if you get any on your clothing or your kids' clothing, wash it out immediately before it has a chance to dry.
• spray adhesive
• a stencil brush or sponge

1.  start by coating your pots in a solid paint color. i painted the insides as 

     well to make it a completely covered surface. this will help protect your 

     paint as well. terra cotta pots naturally absorb water so sealing the inside 

     will help keep your paint from bubbling or peeling. this may take a few 

     coats of paint.

2.  after the paint has dried completely, use painter's tape to mark off   

      areas you want to add a contrasting color. paint on the contrasting 

     colors and wait for it to dry completely before removing the tape.

3.  attach the stencils with the spray adhesive. 

4.  stencil in a contrasting color. again, this may take a few coats to make it 

    visible over darker colors. remove the stencils and replace, painting again 

    until your pot is covered in design. 

5.   wait for the pot to dry. this can take some time to make sure it has dried    

    completely.

6.  finally, seal the pot with a clear indoor/outdoor sealer. i like the ones  

     that come in a spray form like krylon sealers. wait for this to dry    

     completely before adding plants.

diy: tissue paper pom-poms

diy tissue paper pom-poms

i made and hung these fun and festive tissue paper pom-poms in the trees for my kiddos train-themed birthday party. i originally got the idea from the fabulous martha stewart, of course. they are *super* easy to make and added to the ambiance of the backyard celebration. 

here is what you will need:

tissue paper (20 inches x 30 inches). Choose one to three colors, or similar shades of the same color, to keep things from looking like a circus.

scissors 

monofilament: aka fishing line (photo below of the one i found at a local sporting goods store that worked well).

wire. white, if you can find it. i couldn't and ended up opting for a thin wire that i was able to find at home depot instead of the traditional floral wire. worked like a charm.

directions:

stack four to eight the sheets of paper on top of one another, depending on you puffy you want them to be. i ended up using 10 for each one to make the large and puffy enough to work in the trees.

now, fold the sheets into 1.5-inch accordion folds, all the way across.

cut the ends of the tissue into round shapes, to give them a petal-like look.

cut about a foot and a half length of floral wire.

wrap the wire around the center of the folded tissue and secure it by twisting.

now the final part! pull apart each layer, separating it from the center one piece at a time. do this slowly and carefully. you don't want to rip the tissue paper.

measure the length you'd like to hang your pom pom from and cut a piece of monofilament accordingly.


knot the monofilament to the floral wire and hang!

i actually wish that i had made even more to fill the trees and maybe to hang from the porch, so don't be shy......make more than you think you will need.


i think that they turned out so cute. what do you think?