Our patio makeover

I guess I never did an official post on our patio makeover. Back in June, we hired a landscaping company to lay the concrete and I laid down the stone border around it. It took the crew about 3 days to finish their part, and I finished the border in about the same time. It felt really good ripping out the grass that came over into the border area. Very cathartic!

I figured we have such a hard time keeping the grass green here anyway, that I didn't want to bother with new grass seed. But of course, the rocks have become a nuissance because Lachlan likes to dig in them, and the dog's kick them up. So I'm kind of kicking myself for my idea, but it looks nice once no one messes it up!

Before (basically, ugly AF and unsafe AF)




During






After

Everything you need to know about rock painting - My latest obesession!

A few months ago I joined a group on Facebook that's all about painting rocks and hiding them in our town. And it's not just in our town, it seems to be happening more and more across the U.S. And I was seeing people post about hiding rocks in parks, playgrounds, and trails that me and Lachlan would visit during the week. So at first I was trying to find some rocks. Instead, I got inspired to paint my own to hide. As usual with new found "obsessions" everything happened really fast. I got a bag of rocks, some acrylic paints, brushes, paint pens, dotting tools, and outdoor sealant and got started! I have to say, I LOVE it. I'll search Pinterest for really simple ideas of things to draw, quotes, and lately, I've been into mandalas.

Read on for info on supplies, steps, and ideas!

Here's a list of basic supplies you'll need to get started painting your own rocks:

Bag of smooth rocks - I recommend getting a bag of large garden rocks from your local garden supply store like Home Depot or Lowes. Or if you have any in your yard, those are good too. Just don't take any from your neighbor's yard or public places!

Acrylic paint - I bought a set of acrylic paints from Michael's with a coupon.

Brushes - Get a bunch of brushes in a variety of sizes.

Outdoor spray sealant - I like to use Krylon sealant in clear satin finish (use in a ventilated area!)



If you want to take it further than the basics:

Dotting tools are great for mandalas - You can use nail art tools you may have on hand, or buy some on Amazon.

You can also use wooden dowl rods in different widths for dots too!

Paint pens - Posca paint pens are my favorite and you can buy them on Amazon. They are great for writing or painting smoother lines on your rocks and have great coverage. They come in different sizes. Extra fine tips are perfect for writing words, while medium tips are great for filling in larger areas.

Mod Podge - Good for sealing a label on the back of your rock with hashtag information (not necessary). Mod Podge is also recommended for sealing on top of art made with Sharpie markers before spraying with an outdoor sealant because Sharpies will bleed if sprayed directly with an outdoor sealant (necessary).

Sponges - They make great textures in the paint.

Painters tape - Great for making straight lines.

Chalk or pencil for sketching on your design before painting.



Steps for painting rocks:

Wash your rocks with warm soapy water and let dry.

If your rocks are dark, you may wish to prime them with a white or light color first. If your rocks are already white, you don't have to do this step. But white paint on dark rocks looks pretty cool too!

Draw your design on your rock in pencil or chalk if necessary.

Get painting!

If you use Sharpies in your art, make sure to seal with Mod Podge first to prevent them from bleeding, then spray with an outdoor sealant. The spray sealant will cause the Sharpies to blur if unprotected by Mod Podge first.

Mod Podge alone will get sticky if it rains or is really hot outside, so it's best to use an outdoor sealant on top of it.

Acrylic paints don't need to be sealed with Mod Podge, but they must be sealed with an outdoor sealant to protect them from damage and to protect the environment from running paints if it rains.

Search for a local Facebook group to post pics or hints of where your rocks are (not necessary, but it's fun to see who finds them!)

Some groups will have a printable sheet of labels you can adhere to the back of your rocks so you don't have to write the hashtag info on each one.

If you are going to add a label to the back of your rock, use Mod Podge to stick the label to, put another layer on top of the label and let dry completely. Then spray with an outdoor sealant.

It's really important to seal your rocks to prevent paint from leaking off into the environment if it rains. I like to put my rocks on a piece of cardboard in my opened garage and spray the back completely, wait for them to dry, then turn them over and spray the front. That way, if the spray isn't totally dried on the back while you're spraying the front, the back will be the side with the damage and not the front.

Where to hide your rocks:

Anywhere really!

But some fun places are the park, library, playground, parking lots, outside stores, on a random bench, in a shopping cart, on a hiking trail, in a tree, under a bush, in a restaurant's drive-through.

I like to hide my rocks in plain view so anyone who doesn't know about this rock thing and isn't hunting rocks still has a chance at finding one and feeling special.

Plus it's easy for little kids to find rocks that way and have fun too.

Hide rocks where you would want to find them because most people who find a rock, will be inspired to make their own and hide them too.

National Parks don't allow you to take or leave rocks behind so make sure you read your local Facebook group's page with info on this so you won't get in trouble.

And some stores might not want you to hide rocks inside.

A Super Easy Father's Day Gift Idea

I am friends with Tiffzippy on Instagram and Twitter and I knew she has a laser cutting business, so I asked her if doing a profile silhouette was something she could make for me. She said yes, and I am so happy with the way it came out! I highly recommend contacting Tiffany if this project is something you'd like to do! Read more for steps on how to make your own framed silhouette.



Materials:



Birch wood laser cutout of child's profile from Tiffany (which is 8 inches tall and .25 inches thick)

I took about 100 photos of my kid in order to get one where I captured his face in a true profile and emailed it to Tiffany. She did the rest and shipped it to me.

Back acrylic paint (or any color you like)
Paint brush
12x12 white card stock (or any color you like)
12x12 picture frame or shadow box (if you get a frame, make sure there is a little space allowance between the glass front and the back closure since the silhouette cutout is thicker than a photo. My frame had a matboard inside so I knew it would fit). This frame is from Target.
Double sided craft adhesive

Steps:
Once I had all my materials, I painted my silhouette cutout with the black acrylic paint and let dry (though it would look pretty cool in other colors too!). I ended up applying two coats.


The cutout was burnt black by the laser as it was being cut all along the outside, so I didn't have to paint along the perimeter. But if you do have to paint yours, I recommend using a tiny paint brush to get inside all the little spaces and angles. Try not to let it get too goopy or the sharp details might get lost.

Remove the matboard from the frame (unless your silhouette is small enough to fit inside)
Make sure the card stock is trimmed so it will fit nicely inside the frame
Apply the adhesive to the back of your silhouette cutout and place it centered on the white card stock.
Place this inside the frame, and voila!

DIY Faux Fur Pom Pom Tutorial

I was crocheting this pretty awesome plaid hat (pattern by Whistle and Ivy), when I realized a fur pom pom would look pretty cool on top. But two of my local craft stores didn't have any in stock and Amazon sold them for too much money. Then I remembered I had a piece of furry fabric stored away in my craft supplies and voila, my own DIY faux fur pom pom tutorial!

This tutorial covers both an average sized pom pom and a jumbo sized pom pom.




To start, make a circle template. This circle is 5 inches in diameter and will make a great average sized pom pom, about 2 inches when finished. Trace the circle on the back of your fabric and cut.



For this tutorial, I used a contrasting color of embroidery floss, but you may wish to use a similar color thread so there won't be any chance of it showing in the finished product. Run the thread in and out around the circumference of the circle. This doesn't have to be perfect. Make sure to place your starting knot on the inside of the pom pom (the back part of the fabric that's facing you) and your final stitch coming through towards the same side.



Then gently pull the thread so it cinches the fabric closed, but don't pull it all the way, you have to stuff it first.



Gently stuff your pom pom enough so it won't collapse on itself, but not so full that it's rock hard.



Continue pulling the embroidery floss until the opening is completely closed and secure with a knot.





Here, I did the same thing but with a 8 inch circle to make a jumbo pom pom, which is about 5 inches when finished.

DIY Pom Pom Nursery Mobile: A step-by-step tutorial

I knew I wanted to make as many of my own nursery decorations as I could (so far we have blackout drapes, pillows, blankets, and now this mobile). And once I realized how easy it is to make your own pom poms, I was set on putting together a custom colored mobile for baby D's nursery. I am so happy with how it came out! It took me a while to finish, but only because it was sort of a figure-it-out-as-you-go project for me. I didn't follow a tutorial, I made my own!

So this post will not only give you a sneak peek at the nursery, but also a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own pom pom nursery mobile.



Materials

• Embroidery hoop - 10 inch diameter


• 2 paint colors of your choice (I used a white and black acrylic)


• Foam sponge brush


• 6 yarn colors of your choice, a 100g ball in each color will be enough
  (I made pom poms with Cascade Sateen Worsted, found here from Craftsy, in opal, goldenrod, silver, true blue, and emberglow. The string portions were in cream).


• Clover pom pom makers in 3 different sizes: 1 ⅜ inch, 1 ⅝ inch, and 2 ½ inch


• Gorilla glue (or regular craft glue. Takes longer to dry though).


• Yarn needle


• Pencil


• Measuring tape


• Sharp scissors


• Thin metal wire and wire cutters

Directions
1. Start by making all your pom poms. (This is a great video tutorial on how to use your Clover pom pom maker!) I made 6 large, 18 medium, and 13 small. Secure each of your 6 large pom poms with a very long piece of white yarn instead of using the same color yarn like you usually would (you can see what I mean in her video at 1 min and 39 seconds in). I'd say use about 4 feet and tie the knot in the middle. This white yarn will be what you use to string all the other pom poms to later and tie to the embroidery hoop so you want this long. You can tie all the other sized pom poms with the same color yarn as the pom pom itself.

2. Take apart your embroidery hoop, and paint both pieces inside and out with white (or whatever color you choose). I did 2 coats. When dry, take your measuring tape and wrap it snuggly around the outside of the larger outer hoop. Mark with a pencil every inch around (or whatever space interval you choose). Take your foam paint brush and dab it in the black paint (or whatever color you choose). Press it lightly but firmly on each pencil mark all the way around to make your lines. Let dry, set aside.

3. Play around with the color arrangement of your pom poms so you won't end up with two colors too close together. Now you will begin stringing the bottom dangling portion of pom poms together. Here's how:

• Take a large pom pom, thread a yarn needle onto one piece of the white yarn that you left really long. Next, poke your needle through the very center of a medium pom pom, and pull it onto the yarn. Do this again with another medium pom pom, and finally a small pom pom. You will have 4 pom poms making up each bottom dangling portion, including that large one. Do not knot them yet. Do the same thing with all the rest of your large pom poms. You will have 6 medium and 7 small pom poms left over for the remaining top portion.

4. Now, you will take each dangling string of pom poms and attach them with a double knot to the outer embroidery hoop with the stripes. Make sure your knots are facing the inside of your hoop so you won't see them. Space them out as evenly as you can. Once you are happy with the spacing, secure each knot with some gorilla or craft glue. Just dab a blob on each knot. Leave the other end of the white yarn (without the pom poms), to be used for the top portion, alone for now. Let glue dry, set aside.

5. At this point you can insert the inner hoop back into the larger outer hoop and secure with the screw on the outside as tight as you can to hold things together. This inner hoop will hide the knots!

6. Now we will put the pom poms on the top portion. On each top string, thread on a medium pom pom, and then a small pom pom.

7. Carefully gather all the pieces of string from the top portion in one hand to secure in a knot leaving a loop to hang the mobile later. But make sure your mobile isn't lopsided! It may take a few minutes to get the tension right with each string before you make the knot. Once you make the knot, do not cut the extra off just yet.



8. Once you have your top knot done, it helps to have a place to hang your mobile now, so you can arrange the top and bottom pom poms evenly. I hung mine on a metal wall mounted plant hanger. Or you can use a very patient friend!

9. Now you will space out the bottom pom poms and secure them on with a knot at the bottom. To do this, the piece of string that's hanging out of the bottom of the smallest pom pom, you will thread with your yarn needle, and insert your needle back up into the bottom of the pom pom and come out the top. Don't pull it too hard. Make a strong knot here to the other white string and snip the tail so it hides in with the rest of the pom pom. Don't snip too close to the knot, it might fall out. Do this for all remaining pieces.

10. You should have 1 small pom pom left. This one will go on the very tippy top covering the knot below the hanging loop. In order to thread this hanging loop through the center of the pom pom, you'll need to make a makeshift needle. Cut a 6 inch piece of thin metal wire, insert it through the yarn loop and twist the wire closed. Now poke the pointy end of wire through the center of the pom pom and pull the yarn loop through until the knot hides in the center of the pom pom. Now you can cut the white yarn ends so they hide inside. Don't cut too close to the knot though.

That's it!
And just as a note for safety, I recommend hanging this mobile above the changing table or nursing chair instead of the crib just in case your pom poms come loose and may fall on baby.

DIY Pom Pom Nursery Mobile: A step-by-step tutorial

I knew I wanted to make as many of my own nursery decorations as I could (so far we have blackout drapes, pillows, blankets, and now this mobile). And once I realized how easy it is to make your own pom poms, I was set on putting together a custom colored mobile for baby D's nursery. I am so happy with how it came out! It took me a while to finish, but only because it was sort of a figure-it-out-as-you-go project for me. I didn't follow a tutorial, I made my own!

So this post will not only give you a sneak peek at the nursery, but also a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own pom pom nursery mobile.

Materials

• Embroidery hoop - 10 inch diameter


• 2 paint colors of your choice (I used a white and black acrylic)


• Foam sponge brush


• 6 yarn colors of your choice, a 100g ball in each color will be enough
  (I made pom poms with Cascade Sateen Worsted, found here from Craftsy, in opal, goldenrod, silver, true blue, and emberglow. The string portions were in cream).


• Clover pom pom makers in 3 different sizes: 1 ⅜ inch, 1 ⅝ inch, and 2 ½ inch


• Gorilla glue (or regular craft glue. Takes longer to dry though).


• Yarn needle


• Pencil


• Measuring tape


• Sharp scissors


• Thin metal wire and wire cutters

Directions
1. Start by making all your pom poms. (This is a great video tutorial on how to use your Clover pom pom maker!) I made 6 large, 18 medium, and 13 small. Secure each of your 6 large pom poms with a very long piece of white yarn instead of using the same color yarn like you usually would (you can see what I mean in her video at 1 min and 39 seconds in). I'd say use about 4 feet and tie the knot in the middle. This white yarn will be what you use to string all the other pom poms to later and tie to the embroidery hoop so you want this long. You can tie all the other sized pom poms with the same color yarn as the pom pom itself.

2. Take apart your embroidery hoop, and paint both pieces inside and out with white (or whatever color you choose). I did 2 coats. When dry, take your measuring tape and wrap it snuggly around the outside of the larger outer hoop. Mark with a pencil every inch around (or whatever space interval you choose). Take your foam paint brush and dab it in the black paint (or whatever color you choose). Press it lightly but firmly on each pencil mark all the way around to make your lines. Let dry, set aside.

3. Play around with the color arrangement of your pom poms so you won't end up with two colors too close together. Now you will begin stringing the bottom dangling portion of pom poms together. Here's how:

• Take a large pom pom, thread a yarn needle onto one piece of the white yarn that you left really long. Next, poke your needle through the very center of a medium pom pom, and pull it onto the yarn. Do this again with another medium pom pom, and finally a small pom pom. You will have 4 pom poms making up each bottom dangling portion, including that large one. Do not knot them yet. Do the same thing with all the rest of your large pom poms. You will have 6 medium and 7 small pom poms left over for the remaining top portion.

4. Now, you will take each dangling string of pom poms and attach them with a double knot to the outer embroidery hoop with the stripes. Make sure your knots are facing the inside of your hoop so you won't see them. Space them out as evenly as you can. Once you are happy with the spacing, secure each knot with some gorilla or craft glue. Just dab a blob on each knot. Leave the other end of the white yarn (without the pom poms), to be used for the top portion, alone for now. Let glue dry, set aside.

5. At this point you can insert the inner hoop back into the larger outer hoop and secure with the screw on the outside as tight as you can to hold things together. This inner hoop will hide the knots!

6. Now we will put the pom poms on the top portion. On each top string, thread on a medium pom pom, and then a small pom pom.

7. Carefully gather all the pieces of string from the top portion in one hand to secure in a knot leaving a loop to hang the mobile later. But make sure your mobile isn't lopsided! It may take a few minutes to get the tension right with each string before you make the knot. Once you make the knot, do not cut the extra off just yet.

8. Once you have your top knot done, it helps to have a place to hang your mobile now, so you can arrange the top and bottom pom poms evenly. I hung mine on a metal wall mounted plant hanger. Or you can use a very patient friend!

9. Now you will space out the bottom pom poms and secure them on with a knot at the bottom. To do this, the piece of string that's hanging out of the bottom of the smallest pom pom, you will thread with your yarn needle, and insert your needle back up into the bottom of the pom pom and come out the top. Don't pull it too hard. Make a strong knot here to the other white string and snip the tail so it hides in with the rest of the pom pom. Don't snip too close to the knot, it might fall out. Do this for all remaining pieces.

10. You should have 1 small pom pom left. This one will go on the very tippy top covering the knot below the hanging loop. In order to thread this hanging loop through the center of the pom pom, you'll need to make a makeshift needle. Cut a 6 inch piece of thin metal wire, insert it through the yarn loop and twist the wire closed. Now poke the pointy end of wire through the center of the pom pom and pull the yarn loop through until the knot hides in the center of the pom pom. Now you can cut the white yarn ends so they hide inside. Don't cut too close to the knot though.

That's it!
And just as a note for safety, I recommend hanging this mobile above the changing table or nursing chair instead of the crib just in case your pom poms come loose and may fall on baby.

DIY No Sew Blackout Drapes: The Final Reveal!

When we moved in to our house, we spent weeks sleeping in our bedroom without drapes and everyday we were up with the sun. That got old real quick so I got to work on these no-sew blackout drapes.

I had my eye on this fabric by Anna Maria Horner ever since I first saw it months back on Pinterest. And then I saw a blog post on View Along the Way, where she used the same fabric for drapes in her nursery and I loved the way the fabric looked hanging up, so I made the decision to go forward with the design.

This project used about 2.5 yards of fabric and blackout material for each panel. The blackout material seriously does a wonderful job at keeping the light out. I'm super sensitive to light when I sleep and this does the trick.

Also, I decided to make these no-sew because I am horrible on the sewing machine. I can't sew a straight line and I always end up jamming the needle somehow. But it was also really physically hard on my body to sit on the floor for an hour ironing each one together, so if you can use a sewing machine, I would recommend you go ahead and use one over this method. But if not, these will still come out just as wonderful.

Here's the breakdown of costs for materials for all 3 windows:

• 15 yards of fabric: $9.50 a yard x 15 = $142.50


• 15 yards of blackout material: $4.68 x 15 = $70


• 2 rolls of stitch witchery: $5


• Grand total for each individual window panel: About $35.43

But then we had to buy hardware because the previous homeowners took the rods with them:

• 3 curtain rods: $20 x 3 = $60


• 4 finials: $15.00 x 2 = $30


• 1 corner rod attachment: $8


• 40 top clasps: $10 x 4 = $40


• Grand total for hardware cost: $138

Here's what I did:

• I measured how long I wanted the drapes to be, which are about 87-88 inches (we have high ceilings and I wanted a dramatic look).


• I laid the fabric out on the living room floor to cut to size, which I admit, isn't very accurate per panel as it was really hard to cut straight. I received an entire bolt of fabric so that's why I had to cut each panel myself. If you buy from Joann's or another craft store, I recommend asking them to cut the fabric for you in the lengths you need!


• After cutting the first panel to size, I used it as a template for the rest so there was some slight variation in length which is hardly noticeable in the end result.


• I laid the blackout material on top of the fabric and cut to fit nicely inside.


• I ironed the edges of the fabric in about 1 - 1.5 inches to make nice crisp lines where I would later fold over again and iron the stitch witchery in between the blackout material and the fabric, fusing them together.


• I laid the fabric and blackout material on the kitchen floor and after carefully lining them both up, I ironed around the entire perimeter with stitch witchery to fuse them together, wrong sides together.


• After installing the curtain rods, I attached a clip every few inches to the top of each panel and hung.

Overall, I don't believe I saved any money on this project by doing it myself. And having to buy curtain rods was like a punch in the gut because the previous home owners took all the rods with them for whatever reason, so we had to start from scratch.

But the entire reason I did this project was to get custom made drapes in the exact design I wanted. And for that, I am happy! It was hard work and I will probably never make drapes like this again, but it was worth it for the look and darkness they provide at night.

And now, we have to buy new bedding because the blue we have now totally clashes. So add that to the cost of materials too.