Thursday, January 19, 2012

Dr Seuss Teacher Gifts Made with Vinyl

This post contains affiliate links
 
I love creating unique year end gifts for teachers that have some meaning of the current school year.

 

These were so simple, using vinyl and childrens books. I don't currently have a tutorial up, but will now be working on one as I remember how fun these were to make. They are sooo simple, promise!!

Our school is very big on Dr.Seuss, we even have a big Dr.Seuss event in the spring!

Here are some pictures of the different gifts I have made.  The first couple are for the teachers, and has every students name for that year.





This one was for our principal that was retiring.  She was with our school for 5 years, so I added those dates instead of student names!



Here is another one for another teacher.



A few years ago I also created a chalkboard with the same idea.



And one last little gift.  At our school they have the 4 B's they follow.  So I created a fun wall hanging for the first grade classroom.  3 years later it is still hanging in there, along with the other fun gifts!




All I used for this project was my Cricut, Vinyl, Mod Podge, craft paint and old childrens books.   
 



Thank you for stopping by today.   Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, and you can find me on  Periscope @OneThriftyChick.



Photobucket

Come Join me weekly at the following Parties:
 
                Mad in Crafts
Wednesday: Gingersnap Crafts,
 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Mom's mini Makeover {Kitchen Board & Batten}

Wow, what a week it has been already.  I am a year older, YUP it was my birthday on the 14th!!  I had an amazing little birthday party with some amazing friends, and even went out and did a little dancin'!

Today I wanted to share with you a project I did back in October at my mom's house.  My dad went away for the weekend, and we did a little "while you were out" sort of thing.  My mom has a pretty large dining room, and it was your basic tan builders grade style.

Here are a few before shots, they are the only ones she got, so sorry if they aren't the best!



Now isn't that the best photography skills you ever did see?  It was one of those.. oh crap mom we forgot to take before pictures.... hurry grab the camera.  My mom will be the first to admit, she does not have a knack for photography.... but we all get the point of what the before looked like, right?

I had 3 girlfriends all come over to help, I may have even offered them a beverage or two just for being so crazy nice!  We wasted no time.  One person rolled the walls, one person was cutting in the trim, and 2 of us were busy working on the Board & Batten!


This went really fast!  I truly think it only took us about 4 hours to get the painting done, and all trim put up!


Here is where we left off on Friday night!  note: the bottle of wine was only for photo purposes......

 The next morning I called in my hubby to help spray the room.  He is in fact a pretty darn good painter, with a sprayer or brush!  He pays attention to every detail.  The taping process of course took the most time, but nowhere near as much time as it would have taken to brush these walls!




We sprayed two coats of Behr Ultra (paint and primer in one) and then let it dry overnight.  Here is what the room looked like when we left on Saturday night....  Amazingly different right?


And here is the final reveal once my mom brought in her french provincial rooster furniture and some of her accessories.  I did tell her that the tablecloth had to go, but she did not take a new picture for me.


This was such a fun and easy project to do in just 2 days, and it was less than $200 for all materials!

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out where I party at over on my sidebar! 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Feeling a little PINspired! {My 2012 Goals}

I am still in shock that 2012 is already here, and I hope this year brings a lot of completion to our home, and no more problems.  

Last year we were less than blessed with the trials of raising our nephew, Our home that started to fall apart right before our eyes, the hallway reno catastrophe with sick kiddos, our unexpected week long stay in the hospital, a few other things that I did not blog about... like the flood in our front yard from the water meter, our whole street being torn up for 3 weeks, my diamond fell out of my wedding ring, and the NEVER ENDING sickness that took over our home in 2011.  

Did I mention our fridge broke, and so did our washer (we fixed it twice) and the dryer died.  Yep, that sums up 2011... I was very eager to wave BUHBYE!  Oh and I almost forgot, we added a 14 year old boy into the mix!  We love him to pieces, but man what a change having a teenager in the home! 

Onto more fun things!  For 2012 we are not going to use the "R" word, but rather we are making ourselves a list of goals to complete in our home.  And where do you look to get inspired, well Pinterest of course!

First on our list is converting our Garage/Stockpile room into a workshop for me and the hubs!

I love the idea of this one, to store sheet goods, and longer pieces... with shelving on the wall too!
                                                               Source: familyhandyman.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

I also am inspired by this little goodie... now to find several of these magnets.  This would be so much better than digging in the tool box.

             
                                                                      Source: Uploaded by user via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Something about this style really grabs at me as well.  Something that you can hide behind closed doors at any time!

                                                               Source: Uploaded by user via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest


                                                                  Source: toolcrib.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest


                                                                   Source: Uploaded by user via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest


Next I want to paint my hutch that holds all of my Fiestaware!

I just have no idea what color!  White?

                                                                Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest


Two tone with stained top?  (I would not choose black, so use that imagination)

                                                                 Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Or a pop of color?  Any color, I am open for suggestions.....  I have every color of Fiestaware....


                                                                           Source: thedecorologist.com via Rebekah on Pinterest


Then would be the biggest goal of them all!  THE KITCHEN!!

We know we are going to do oak floors, just like the rest of the house, and white cabinets, but other than that.... I am open!

I am in love with the butcher block countertops, and the farmhouse sinks...

                                                                 Source: brynalexandra.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest


I love subway tile as well.  Our kitchen is not huge, so we would actually do the tile up both walls...

                                                                     Source: 1805anita.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest


One thing for sure, is storage!!  I want all the fancy storage possible!!

This is genius but so simple.....

                                                                  Source: google.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest


I LOVE this too!  I get so tired of the paper towel holder on the counter, especially since we are limited on space.

                                                                            Source: Uploaded by user via Sandy on Pinterest


I go back and forth on the plate display, yes it would look amazing with my Fiestaware, but do you think it would get too dusty and be hard to clean?  I need input here!

                                                                              Source: bhg.com via Susan on Pinterest


This is a must for under the sink.  I already store cleaning supplies under mine, but it looks nothing like this beauty!

                                                                  Source: familyhandyman.com via Victorina on Pinterest


We have so many other little projects on the list, but these are the big ones, and the most important!  What are your plans for 2012?  I would love for you to share your links in the comments if  you have posted about them!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Bed of Roses {Bedroom Remodel}

Roses you ask?!? Well I am from Oregon and our Ducks just won the Rose Bowl! And while the hubby was away at the game I had a wild idea to take over the bedroom!! Come along wont you?

Here are a few before pictures.  This is literally an hour after the hubby crawled out of bed to head off on his trip.  Look closely and you will see we never did finish the crown moulding in the last 5 years!


It is apparent that I have issues with letting go of furniture, so our bedroom became the dumping grounds for those pieces!




Once I got all of the furniture moved out and put in my daughters room, I was ready to go.  I had plans to place 6 inch boards horizontally along the wall my bed is up against.  I was going for a "Cape Cod / Hampton's" feel.  A little rustic with a little chic, and industrial.. I guess its my own style?

Back to the remodel... I grabbed dug through my husbands VERY messy shed to get the chalk line.  Have you ever done a string line vertically by yourself??  My toes were turning red, I looked like Rudolph and my hands were an awful shade of orange... so I had my 6 year old daughter come in and assist me!  I marked out all of the studs along the entire wall.



I slid my bed to the center of the room, because there was NO way I was moving that on my own!


My Dad has the most amazing best friend ever!  He owns a local lumber mill here in town, and has everything I will ever need!.  Did I just hear a little squeal??  He is so gracious with his lumber and always gets me anything I need, and wont let me pay him a thing.... I try, but no go.  So he loaded up his truck that morning and delivered the panels!  (we had this all worked out about a week before the hubby left)


Bob insisted that he stay and help me install the boards... so here is our progress.....


Once we finished installing the boards, I was left to finish the room on my own!  No problem!


I went straight to priming the wood.  While that dried my great friend Bonnie came over to help me with the rest of the process.  So we hung a dozen or so paint chips on the wall, called the neighbors over and came to the final wall color decision, so it was off to Home Depot!
  
We returned and got right to work.  Painted the wall, painted the wood white, and installed my cheap mini blinds so i could sleep in there that night.

Here is what it looked like just before i climbed into bed....


Notice I am using a step stool as my night stand.....  a must have for a blogger, gotta have a place to set my laptop....


The next morning I woke up to the brightest room ever!  I was in absolute love, and it took everything I had to not tell my hubby about the amazing change!

This was the day that the Oregon Ducks would play in the Rose bowl, and I was having everyone over for the game... so I did not get a whole lot done in the morning, and by the time the game was over it was dark and rainy outside.  So we brought the project inside....

Look at the dog in the back,  That is my moms dog, who decided it was a great idea to walk over all of my boards and track paint through my house!  Shes not the smartest dog, but we love her!


When I was at Home Depot the night before I found these light fixtures, and knew they were exactly what I wanted in my space!  Only bummer..... they are outdoor light fixtures!!  But I knew there had to be a way to work around that....

I purchased a switch box, a cord end, and then bulk yardage of light duty electrical cord.  Bonnie and I wired both of them ourselves, and to this day.... they still work!!!


Once the lights were installed, we hung the trim pieces that we painted in the living room.... this is the final reveal of the make-over!  It is a blank slate at this point, so I still have a lot of decorating to do.


Here it is with the lights turned off.


We will be painting the dresser white to match the armoire (spelling?)!




I could not be happier with the results, and most important I DID IT!!  I had a few other things I wanted to tackle in the room while he was gone, but I knew I needed to focus on the basics so he would come home to a complete project!   He LOVES it!!  I made him proud, but truthfully I think he was relieved he did not have to do it.  haha!  He loves his wife that never slows down and is always dreaming up a new project!

Thanks for stopping by!  You can usually find me at the Link-Up parties on my sidebar!  Come check them out!!