DIY Reclaimed Wood Framed Mirror

Years and years ago, probably when I was in college, I bought a $10 standing mirror at Target. Tacky cheap frame and all. A few years ago, that tacky cheap frame broke off and got tossed. And the mirror never got replaced! It just sat there, naked and bare, against my bedroom wall. Talk about tacky.
But it is tacky no more!

Thanks to my brother and his torn down shed, I obtained a good pile of old, weathered, reclaimed wood. I brought it home for another project (sneak peak at the end of this post), and used some of the extra scraps to make a frame for this sad and lonely mirror.

The pieces weren't quite long enough for me to do angled corner cuts, but I think the straight cuts work due to the rustic-ness of the wood.

I did have to deal with a little bit of warping, but it wasn't too bad. I love the cracks and knots and holes and coloring in the wood.

Now I have no training in this type of construction, but I did a little research, a little brainstorming, and just kind of figured it out. It's not rocket science. So if you're interested, here's how I did it.

1. I first glued all the pieces together with liquid nails (carefully measuring the inside space to make sure it was all squared, given the warping). No wait. I first measured and cut, and scrubbed with a brush to remove loose particles. A very light sanding too, but you can't do much or it takes that weathered finish right off.

2. I then screwed in the corner braces you see below. Most of them are crooked because of trying to avoid cracks, or reinforce cracks in the wood. It doesn't need to be pretty on the back (though I would prefer it).

3. In the above picture you can see I filled in a crack or two with liquid nails. Unnecessary, but I figured why not. A little reinforcement can't hurt. And see that duct-taped corner below? I know, I know, why am I still holding on to this old mirror? Because I can't stand to just toss it when it will work fine. I chipped that mirror corner in the process, but just a little, so I taped it for safety and it's hidden anyway.

4. After the frame was secured together, I used a little liquid nails (ignorance on my part--shoulda' used Mirror Mastic--if I had known what it was) to glue the mirror to the frame.

5. Then I added mirror clips (more visible in the above photo) to really hold the mirror on there. And that's it! I started to spray it with a sealant but had a hard time getting an even coat, plus I figured it's been so weathered that any old chemicals that were on there are pretty much washed and worn away by the years of weather.

And here's a little peak at a few other things. Me at 16 weeks (I'm pregnant!) And also these are some old work pants I cut off and turned into Bermuda shorts. They were a bit flared at the bottom so I hadn't worn them in years, but they fit nicely in the waist and behind so I hated to toss them. Perfect solution and super easy to do, a great way to upcycle your clothes. Of course with my growing belly, this will probably be the last time I wear them for a while.

And one last thing. The purpose of my collecting the reclaimed wood in the first place was to make a headboard for my bed. I'll show you the whole thing once I get a duvet cover and some night stands (can you tell my bedroom is in sorry shape?). But this will have to do for now:

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Ava's Pirate Princess Party

My daughter, Ava, has been lately loving the Disney show, Jake and the Neverland Pirates. And she loves princesses (much to my surprise... I grew up in a family of 5 girls and one boy, and none of us were princess girls). There is an episode of Jake that is about a Pirate Princess, so I thought that would be the perfect theme for her birthday party.
I started with the idea of some mini treasure chest cakes (I thought this was going to be so brilliant). I used mini bread loaf pans to make the basic shape. Only I over-filled the first batch so they looked like they had tumors. That was the beginning of a downhill slide. For possibly the first time ever, I bought a tub of frosting instead of making my own (figuring 4 yr olds wouldn't care). That was mistake #2. I bought chunky gold sugar and rainbow confetti sprinkles to fill the "treasure chest" cakes, which was one thing done right. I liked that part. I had planned to also put a ring pop inside each one but I neglected to buy enough, so I opted for plastic rings of which I had plenty.
Mistake #3 was trusting in my cake making skills. Apparently frosting (at least with store-bought stuff) is not my forté! I'd call these a big CRAFT FAIL. But the 4yr olds didn't seem to notice. They're nice like that.

Almost everyone dressed up (mostly as princesses). Including me. (I didn't include pics of the other kids because I don't have their permission.) Ezra is giving his best Aaaarrr. This was a last minute throw-together costume. Can you tell?

Ava is showing off her tattoo. Sorry for the overexposure.

I traced a picture of the pirate princess for the kids to color. And they each got a little necklace pouch with pixie sticks (their pixie dust, like the girl in the show has).

Then they decorated home made felt pirate hats with sticky-backed gems (I bought a big pack on Amazon for cheap). They had a lot of fun with that.

To take home they got a pink treasure chest with a ring pop (every kid's favorite, I swear). A plastic necklace and another ring, a pirate tattoo, some chocolate gold coins, and Rolos. If I was a bigger fan of sugar I would have given them candy necklaces instead of plastic dress up ones.

 Not the most put-together party I've ever done, but it was fun for the kids and that's what really matters.

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Sleepy Eye Mask

It's been a while since I've made one of these, and it was time for a new one.

This time instead of batting I just used some leftover thick gray fleece on the inside, so it provides more light blockage and is just as soft and cushy. The back side is a dark gray silky satin. Now I can sleep in until 7:00 if my kids don't wake me up first.
Oh, and Ava just went to a pajama party birthday and they decorated their own little eye masks with glitter and pom poms, and now she loves to put hers on at night, even if it's already dark. Cute.

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A Little Birthday

My son just turned 2, and although he isn't of age yet to have any birthday expectations, I wanted to at least have a little family party for him. I went with a summer theme but I hardly have any photos, like hardly any at all. And my daughter deleted the photos of my handmade piñata, so I don't even have that to share! But all of these ideas were taken from other people, none of them are mine, so I'm okay with that. I just didn't feel like I had enough time to be uniquely creative.

What I do have is watermelon on a stick, which I must say I loved. Made it easier for the kids to eat it too. (These are easy, just make a little slit with a knife in the rind and shove a stick up in it).

 And caterpillar grapes, which I snapped a quick photo of before they disappeared (they are already half gone).

And to go along with the popsicle piñata we had popsicle cupcakes with orange dreamsicle frosting, yum!

We also had kebabs for dinner, and of course corn on the cob. The weather was lovely in our shady back yard. It was a fun little family party and now I think he knows what "birthday" means in the celebratory sense of the word, anyway.

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DIY Chalkboard Decor

You would think that being a designer and creative Do-It-Yourselfer, I would have a nicely decorated house. You would think. But you see, I'm an overly practical person. I can't bring myself to buy or make any decor that doesn't also serve a useful purpose. Lame, I know. I'm working on it. Doesn't help that I'm "frugal" either, and have commitment issues with furnishings.

Enter the kitchen framed chalkboard. Attractive but useful. I can use it to write notes, messages, recipes, grocery lists, reminders, or just leave it as decoration. I had this frame from a previous project and was needing to do an experiment with making your own chalkboard paint anyway, so it was a perfect opportunity.
Here's how to do your own.
1. Spray paint a frame.
2. Take a piece of foam core or other stiff smooth surface and cut it to size.
3. Roll it with either chalkboard paint or a homemade version (mix 1/2 c latex paint and 1 Tablespoon non-sanded grout).*

*My experience with the homemade stuff: Its pretty good actually. You should probably sift your grout with a flour sifter or something, because the only issue I had was a few small clumps that had to be smoothed out and covered again.

I got the paint for free and the grout for free and the frame was like $3, so not a bad deal overall! (see, I told you I'm frugal) Pin It

Father's Day Free Printable

Here's a little banner I thought I'd share, to add a little pizazz to your Father's Day treats.  You can download it and print it onto colored cardstock, or have your kids color it with pencils or markers or whatever. Glue some toothpicks on the back and then add it to his pancakes, french toast, ice cream cake, brownies, pizza, or whatever to make it extra special!
Like so.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there who probably do more for their kids than they realize.

Oh yeah, and here's how I made this ice cream cake, in case you are interested:

5 ice cream sandwiches
1/4 gallon oreo ice cream, softened
1/2 recipe of chocolate mousse from here
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
5 crushed oreos
caramel sauce

Line a bread pan with wax paper. Line bottom of pan with ice cream sandwiches (trim if necessary). Spread ice cream over sandwiches. Freeze while you prepare the mousse, as directed in the link post. Spread mousse over ice cream. Spread whipped cream over mousse and top with crushed oreos. Freeze. Before serving, thaw for a few minutes and drizzle with caramel sauce.

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Shabby Apple Giveaway!

Giveaway Closed

Since the first winner was unreachable and never contacted me.
using Random.org the new winner that was selected is

Linnea

who said: There are so many dresses and skirts I have my eye on, but I think I'd have to go with the Conductor Dress - I just got a new job and it would be such a great office staple piece!

Congratulations Linnea! I will contact you to get the appropriate information.

And thanks to everyone who entered, I hope you win next time!

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I'm excited to share with you another fabulous giveaway! This one is for a $50 gift certificate to Shabby Apple! They have a great selection of vintage clothing, dresses, skirts, tops, swimwear and more. I've had my eye on the Gondola dress for a while now. I love simple graphic looks.

I'm also loving their selection of tulle skirts. They look so fun to wear!

This top would be so great for summer (and I love her hair!)

So go check out Shabby Apple and leave a comment telling me what you'd love to buy with your $50 gift certificate, and you'll be entered in the drawing! The giveaway ends Friday June 14th, so hurry!

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