Archives for July 2011

I Am Talented?! Who Knew.

July 7, 2011 By Michelle Barneck 4 Comments

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

I love blogging. I love how it keeps me connected to the outside world as a SAHM. I love the new friends I have met through blogging. I love being able to share ideas with all of you and marvel over those of others. But, I have to admit, sometimes I get overwhelmed. I see an amazing sewing project or a piece of fabulous re-finished furniture and start wondering if I measure up. I had a slump like this a few months ago. I started comparing myself to others and it got depressing quickly.

Image source

I opened up my email for my end of the night scan and found this in my box:

“I just have to tell you that I am in LOVE with your project! It is my absolute favorite out of all of them! I am totally going to do this one. Props to you! I am so glad that you are part of our creative collaboration. You really are incredibly talented. That’s all. “

It was from Jonie, a member of Point of View. She had not known me long (we chatted for a few minutes at a cookie exchange a few months earlier), nor did she know me well, but her message changed me. There was one particular word that struck me, talented. I had never thought of myself as talented. Creative, sure. A little wacky, yes. But talented? I was so honored that she chose that particular adjective.

She did not have to take the time to email me. She could have left it in a blog comment or just kept it to herself. But she didn’t. She was excited about something I did and wanted to share. I will be forever grateful that she did.

I challenge you to email someone you admire and tell them why. Let them know what you love about them and make their day like Jonie made mine.

Heck you could even do it through messenger. See they’re online, shoot them a sincere compliment. It’s as easy as that!

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DIY Under $5 {Organize It}

July 6, 2011 By Michelle Barneck 8 Comments

Lately, I feel like thing have been crazy and with us always on the go the house becomes a mess quickly. So what to do but organize it so everything has a place and it is easier to keep things in order. I decided to tackle our master bathroom vanity and found that there are so many great affordable options to help organize it.

Eight Ways to Organize it for a Dollar or Less

Top drawer:
1. Metal mesh silverware tray-holds chunky jewelry and extra make-up.
2. Face wipes container-holds other jewelry
3. Plastic zipper pouch (from chapstick)-holds my red beaded jewelry.
4. Week pill box (in the middle of silverware tray)-organizes rings with one in each day

Second drawer:
5. Dollar store plastic drawer organizers-organize hair accessories
6. Ovaltine container (to be covered in cute paper, I didn’t want to get distracted in the middle and not get the other drawers done)-holds stiff headbands on the outside and fabric headbands inside

Third drawer: more dollar store plastic organizers for pedicure and moisturizing supplies and face wipes container for nail polish

Under sink:
7. Wet wipes containers-for small items
8. Plastic shoe bins-for extra products like soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.

I hate running out of stuff, so I always have an extra of everything stored under my sink.

So far this has worked really well. Even the hubs is putting things away and our counter is staying clear! We’ve had it organized for about to two weeks now.

If you like these ideas, you may also like my DIY Jewelry Organizer for the back of a door.

Now it’s time to link up your $5 projects!

Please remember:

Only link to your own projects that cost you $5 or less (price does not have to include items you had on hand)
You can link past projects that fit the dollar limit, but please only link each project one time to one DIY Under $5 party. Do not link the same project week after week.
No linking giveaways or items for sale
Please link back so others can join the party and so you have the opportunity to be featured on Saturday!

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Game Table featuring Krylon Dual Paint

July 5, 2011 By Michelle Barneck 8 Comments

I have been working on re-vamping my game/playroom, as many of you know from my recent dice and dominos projects. What better way to take another step forward than with a game table re-do. Up until this point I had not tackled a piece of furniture of this size so I was slightly hesitant to dive in. But, every journey begins with the first step right?

My husband loves chess and has fun trying to teach our son. I like the checkerboard pattern and thought it would be great to re-do a table to have a cute pattern that is also functional.

Game Table

Supplies needed:

Table
Handheld Sander & sandpaper
Blue automotive paper towels
Measuring tape
Pencil
Vinyl Squares (mine were 2 1/4 inch)
Tarp or drop cloth
Krylon Dual Spray Paint in Black (4 cans)
White spray paint (1 can)
Spray Grip (pictured below)-optional
Clear spray paint
Sunny day preferred

My table legs were removable so I took those babies off and put the table top right on the ground. I appreciate the hand me down from my parents and it has a cool pattern, but I was not crazy about the color.

1. Rough up the surface of your table using the handheld sander until it is not shiny so the paint will go on nicely.

2. Use damp automotive paper towels to wipe off any dust without leaving furry debris. Allow the table to dry completely.

3. Spray the table top with a couple thin coats of white paint allowing it to dry between coats. This is just for the checkerboard pattern, so don’t worry about getting the sides or legs of the table.

4. Measure where you want your checkerboards to be on your table depending on how big they are and how big your table is. Mark where each edge will be with a pencil so you can see if that is where you like it before you commit.

5. Start placing your vinyl squares on starting with the inside edge center and moving out. This was you know they will be centered on your table. If you are picky and want to board to be competition chess grade, make sure you place them so the lower right corner of your board has a vinyl square and will end up white. (Long story as to why mine are not, blah)

6. Begin spraying with black using light coats. When sweeping back and forth be sure to go off the edge of the table so you don’t get dark pooling spots on the edges. I nearly stopped after the first coat because it had a cool marble effect. Keep spraying light coats and letting them dry until it has your desired look.

I like how it left some texture from the table pattern showing through.

7. Peel off the vinyl squares to reveal the white.

8. Coat with clear spray paint to protect the surface and let dry.

Find a checkers or chess set (this is my hubs Lord of the Rings set) and go to town!

During this project, I used two reputable brands of paint side by side and the Krylon Dual Paint coated the large area a lot more smoothly. The Krylon also worked easier with the spray grip I used. I did not have to push as hard so it made several coats nearly effortless. I can’t wait to get more so I can get started on the matching chairs.

Krylon sent me the new Dual Paint to try out. Check out their latest promotion, The Dual Duel, where Krylon is looking to find The Ultimate Restorer. To win this title, enter your spray paint restoration project and encourage friends and family to vote for your project as their favorite for their chance to win too.

Disclosure: Krylon sent me paint, but I was in no other way compensated for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Make a Memory {Movie Night with Personalized Concession Boxes}

July 4, 2011 By Michelle Barneck 3 Comments

Here we are, week 5 of the Make a Memory series. Each Monday now through the end of August I will feature a special family tradition from one of my favorite bloggers. It is so important to create lasting memories with our families and this will be a fun way to get ideas for fun traditions we can start with our own families. So let’s dive right in and see how Kierste from Brown Paper Packages and her family make a memory!

Hello there! I’m Kierste, from Brown Paper Packages, and I’m delighted to be here today!

I love summer. It’s full of so many of my favorite things–the beach, BBQ’s, watermelon, the 4th of July, flip flops, campfires in the backyard, and much more. But there is one more thing that our family loves to do in the summer, and has become a favorite summer tradition…movie nights!

Movie night is much loved at our house. A lot of the time it is spontaneous and casual, and we all cozy up together to watch and munch popcorn. But there are also extra special times during the summer when it’s an “official movie night”–planned in advance, and highly anticipated…mostly due to the concession stand.

The week preceding movie night, all the kids are able to earn concession “money” (in Monopoly form). They do this by being good listeners, obeying quickly, keeping their room clean, going the extra mile, being kind to siblings, extra chores, etc. (Want your baseboards or windowsills cleaned? This is a great week for that!)

That evening, I set up a concession stand with popcorn, cans of soda, candy bars, cookies, and cotton candy, all labeled with prices. I also have fruit available, for free. 🙂 They can even purchase a variety pack, that comes with pop (if you’re under 5, it comes in a sippy cup!), popcorn, and a candy bar for a set amount. It is SO fun. The kids love it, we all look forward to it, and it’s an extra incentive and reward for good behavior and helping around the house.

With all this yummy concession food, I needed something for them to keep it all together. Using the cardboard flats that canned goods come on, you can have adorable boxes that are perfect for movie night.

Movie Concession Boxes

ITEMS YOU NEED:

cardboard flats with sides–pick them up at the grocery store on your next trip! Look for boxes with sturdy sides and bottom, and no nicks or cuts.

spray paint

scrapbook paper

distress ink

Mod Podge and foam brush

craft paint

foam stamps

DIRECTIONS:

Dust off your boxes, and make sure they are free of any lint.

Paint them with the spray paint. The inside bottom and sides need to be done well–no cardboard showing, but the outside doesn’t need to be perfect, since you will covering most of it up with paper. Let dry.
***Painting tip: Take several large pieces of plywood or solid wood boards, and hammer in very long nails into them, so that they poke through on the other side at least an inch or more. (see my painting pics…you’ll see mine) When you’re ready to paint, lay the wood down with the nails pointing up. This will provide a great surface to set the items you’re painting on…allowing you to get at all angles and not have to stick to the surface.

Measure the sides of your boxes, then cut scrapbook paper to fit.

Distress all edges.

Using the foam brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge directly onto the box. Place your paper on the box, then add another layer of Mod Podge on top.

Repeat on all sides. Let dry.

Stamp desired names in the middle of your box using craft paint and foam stamps. I like to use my finger to apply the paint to the stamp–it allows for more control over your paint.

You’re done! You’re ready for a movie night of your own!

P.S. We LOVE our popcorn containers from the One Spot at Target…only $1, and SO fun. We use them all the time. Our Target has them right now, so yours might as well!

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Thanks so much for having me Michelle, and to all of you for reading. It was so fun to be here!

Come on by brown paper packages to say hi–I’d love to have you!

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What a fun idea to let them earn concessions. It is amazing what kids will do for some candy! My little guy would flip over having his very own! Thanks Kierste for a great idea on how to make a memory!

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