Sunday, June 28, 2015

Much Ado About Monday {No. 118}

Hey guys! Welcome back to another Much Ado About Monday!

We hope you had a fantastic weekend and are ready to party with us! My family and I headed up to Dallas this weekend for the wedding of one of my cousins. The wedding was beautiful and was held at the Arborteum, where the drinks were served out of an old canoe and the kids were able to run around outside on the boardwalk overlooking some wetlands. We got so caught up visiting and having fun that I neglected to take any pictures and had to hijack one from my mom for the post. Oops! We really had a lovely time and it's always wonderful to see two people in love, starting  out their lives together. 

My youngest daughter with my sweet second-cousin. Both rocking the gold dress.

This week, I shared my one of my favorite art projects ever, the fabric wall art in my daughter's room. I just love it!


This week our features are:


  Lydia's pick: Red, White, and Blue Flat Front Skirt via Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
Jamie's pick: Best Strawberry Shortcake Ever via Blissful and Domestic
Jill's pick: Frozen Yogurt Dipped Fruit Clusters via As The Bunny Hops
Emily's pick: Scrap Wood Project: Bead Board Address Sign via Refresh Living

And our most viewed post this week was DIY Painted Photo Backdrops via Vintage Zest. I love a simple project with fantastic results!

DIY Painted Photo Backdrops on Diane's Vintage Zest  #paint #photography #blogging



Congratulations to all of our featured bloggers!! Make sure to grab our 'I Was Featured' button to display proudly on your blog.




 Now let's get ready to party!

The Rules:

*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:

Follow on Bloglovin




*You can also find us at these favorite social media sites: FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagram, and Google+
* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!
* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)

*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+
* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.
* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.
* You may link up to three posts a week!
* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.
* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by to party with us!! 








Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Pottery Barn Inspired LOVE art {DIY Project}

Hey guys! If you are anything like me, you get a little giddy when your Pottery Barn catalog comes in the mail. I don't think I've ever actually bought anything from PB though; I just love getting ideas from that glorious magazine. This art project for my daughter's room was inspired by a canvas from a few years ago. Now that I am finally getting around to completing her room {see former projects here, here and here}, I thought she really needed a statement piece above her bed and this idea immediately jumped into my head. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out {see what I did there?}



I came up with the idea after looking through some old magazine pages that I ripped out for inspiration {please tell me I am not the only one with folders just full of magazine pictures}. This particular picture was from a Pottery Barn catalog.


I loved this patchwork canvas art but didn't have a place for it at the time. And now that I do have the space, they don't sell it anymore. Cue sad music. So, what's any good DIYer to do? Make it herself, which is just what I did. 


First, I found this amazing, ornate large frame {it's 35" by 23"} on a Facebook garage sale site. I picked this up for only $10, if you can believe it. 


I painted over the gold with some leftover Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint and I love how it turned out. Chalk paint can seriously paint over just about anything. 


After we hung it on the wall, using some heavy duty screws, I measured the inside of the frame to figure out how large my letters should be. 



Using my Silhouette program, I drew a rectangle the size of my frame and after I found the font I liked, I enlarged the words to fit within the rectangle. Once I was happy with size of the font, I printed out the letters {since the letters were so large, I had to cut them so they would fit on a page, then I just taped them back together once they were cut out}. 


I used my I-Beam Level and drew straight lines on the wall and placed my letters within the frame to make sure I liked the way it looked. Once I was happy with the placement, I ironed my fabric, traced the letters and cut them out. 


The fabric is Tanya Whelan's Sunshine Roses collection, which is the same fabric that Jill used in her DIY Fabric Hoop Art. Total coincident but just goes to show you why we love blogging together--great minds think alike. And apparently, decorate alike too. 

Now that my letters were cut out, I mixed up a batch of starch to apply them to the wall. I used the recipe recommended here which is:

1/4 cup cornstarch mixed into 1/2 cup cold water,
then mixed with 4 cups of boiling water


I laid down some plastic to protect the bed and used a cookie sheet and a paint brush to liberally apply the starch solution to the back of the fabric letters. 


Then, using the pre-drawn lines, I arranged the letters on the wall and smoothed some more starch on top of the fabric. I worked out any wrinkles and bubbles with my fingers. 

And that's it! I let it dry, re-hung the frame and my daughter has a truly awesome piece of art for her wall. 




The cool thing about this process is that the walls are not damaged at all and I can simply peel the letters off when I am ready for a change.

I plan on moving my littlest daughter into this bedroom eventually {she is in the nursery/guest room right now} and when I do, I will simply save the L and the E from the word LOVE and reapply them over each of their beds, since their names start with those letters. Thinking ahead, guys. That's what I do. 


I love, love, love how this project turned out and how simple it was to make such a huge impact in my little girl's Big Girl room.



Sunday, June 21, 2015

Much Ado About Monday {No. 117}

We are so glad you could join us for another edition of
Much Ado About Monday!

First, we want to start off by saying Happy Father's Day to everyone out there!

 
We hope it was a fantastic day for you all!

This weekend was also the dance recital for several of our little girls. The performance was Aladdin and the production was amazing! It was so much fun to watch our tiny dancers on stage, dancing their little hearts out, and loving every minute of it. So happy they are able to experience these milestones with their best friends!


Our features this week are:



Lydia's pick: 10 Coastal Decor and Craft Ideas for Summer via the Organized Dream
Jill's pick: Small Table Makeover via Karen's Up on the Hill
Jamie's pick: Raspberry Ruffle Cupcakes via Divine Lifestyle
Emily's pick: Cream Cheese and Chicken Taquitos via Tornadough Alli

And our most popular link this week was Roasted Butternut Squash & Spinach by Vintage Zest. Doesn't this look mouth-wateringly delicious?! Yum!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Spinach on Diane's Vintage Zest!  #recipe #healthy #vegetarian #vegan



Congratulations to all of our featured bloggers!! Make sure to grab our 'I Was Featured' button to display proudly on your blog.




 Now let's get ready to party!

The Rules:

*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:

Follow on Bloglovin




*You can also find us at these favorite social media sites: FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagram, and Google+
* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!
* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)

*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+
* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.
* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.
* You may link up to three posts a week!
* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.
* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by to party with us!! 





Sunday, June 14, 2015

Much Ado About Monday {No. 116}

Hey guys! Thanks for joining us for another fabulous 
Much Ado About Monday party!

We are slowly settling into our summer routine and joining playing all day together. This week, we cooked up a few science experiments, which the kids loved. We made elephant toothpaste, a diet Coke geyser, and put an egg in a cup of vinegar to see what would happen (the vinegar eats away the shell but leaves the membrane behind...very cool!). I can't wait to explore and experiment some more with my kids!

This week, on the blog, Jill posted about a cute crayon roll she made, and also gave several great tips for traveling to a waterpark. Be sure to check them out if you haven't already!


Our features this week are:


Jamie's Pick: Canada Day Centerpiece by Love Create Celebrate
Jill's Pick: Frozen Lemonade Colada by Frugal Foodie Mama
Emily's Pick: Peach Ginger Sorbet by Jenna Grace
Lydia's Pick: Homemade Fabric Birdhouses by Pillar Box Blue

And our most popular link last week was Watermelon Watercolor Gift Tags by Weekend Pursuits. Aren't these the cutest?!

watermelonwatercolor_photo


Congratulations to all of our featured bloggers!! Make sure to grab our 'I Was Featured' button to display proudly on your blog.




 Now let's get ready to party!

The Rules:

*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:

Follow on Bloglovin




*You can also find us at these favorite social media sites: FacebookTwitterPinterestInstagram, and Google+
* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!
* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)

*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+
* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.
* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.
* You may link up to three posts a week!
* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.
* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by to party with us!! 




Saturday, June 13, 2015

Fun at the Waterpark with Little Ones {10 must bring items}


Hi, Y'all!
Summer has been wonderful so far. I think the best part has been the spontaneous day trips that we've taken to the beach, the lake, and now to the water park. And not just any waterpark, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, the water park of all waterparks. And as an added bonus, we get to celebrate Miss Emmie's 3rd birthday while we're there! I don't know who is more excited to go to this week, the kids or myself! 

This is just one area of the massive park at Schlitterbahn New Braunfels.
There are so many fun attractions for kids of any age!

I'll make sure to post all about our trip, but first I'd like to share some things to bring to make the best of your trip to the water park with little ones. I know on our last trip (with a 4, 3, & 2 year old) to Schlitterbahn Galveston, these things really helped out. I was so overwhelmed anticipating all that could go wrong, but turned out to be an awesome trip! And I'm anticipating an even smoother adventure this year as the kiddos are all potty trained--yay for no more swim diapers! 


1. Sun Protection
Of course you'll want to bring water resistant sunscreen and lip balm, but there's also a few extra things that I like to bring along for sun protection. I love that rash guards are in style for both boys and girls. My kids all have them for those long days in the sun.  Also, sunglasses for my hubby and I. We've got a few pair of cheap sunglasses we keep around for the lake and trips like this. And we'll bring along hats for everyone, but I'm not sure how long they'll keep them on. 

2. Snacks
The great thing about Schlitterbahn is that you're allowed to bring coolers and outside food in to the park! This is a really good money-saver as our kids are constantly snacking to keep up that energy. Think healthy! We like to bring a cooler full of lots of mini waters, mini sports drinks, fruit, veggies and dip, and drinkable yogurts. No one likes soggy snacks, so I like to make everything single serving. I'll split all of our snacks into ziplock bags, including the fruit and veggies in the cooler. We'll probably pick up some sub sandwiches for a sit down lunch and eat out for dinner. We also like to bring some special treats, so our kids aren't begging us to buy snacks all day. 

3. Water Shoes
The ground between attractions tends to heat up and little toes may refuse to walk. Plus uneven and sometimes slippery surfaces may cause unexpected accidents. To avoid carrying your kiddos all day, bring along water shoes for everyone. Flip flops work, but they're really easy to lose on waterslides and along that lazy river. A comfortable pair of water shoes will stay on all day and protect those little toes. I'm picking up some cheapos from Walmart or Target. You can't beat $5 shoes! 


4. Waterproof Camera
We're bringing our GoPro because it's waterproof, and takes excellent photos and video. We bought this floating wrist strap so that we can hold onto it and hopefully rescue it if it leaves our hands. I can't wait to capture those faces as we're going down a waterslide! 


5. Lifejackets 
Lifejackets are usually available at the park for no additional cost, but we prefer to bring our own. The kids really don't mind wearing them, and we give them breaks depending on the ride. We have strong swimmers, as my 4 and 5 year old are on swim team, but I'd rather be safe. 

6. Wristlet/Waterproof Wallet 
We keep most of our things in a locker most of the day, but it's nice to have cash and a few cards on your person. I really like this waterproof wallet on a lanyard. 

7. Cash
Lockers at Schlitterbahn cost $8 with a $2 deposit. We usually like to get the kids (and ourselves a treat) and like to have a little extra cash for those unexpected wants or needs. 

8. Towels
Towels are usually available for purchase at waterparks, but you'll want to bring your own to avoid costs. We bring enough for everyone plus a terrycloth coverup for the girls. 

9. Dry clothes
After a long day of being wet, chances are, your toddlers will want to wear comfortable dry clothes. I usually bring a jacket for each of the kiddos so they don't get cold in the restaurant or car. Depending on your plans, you may want to leave these in the car for a quick change at the end of the day. We try to lug around as little as possible! 

10. Simple first aid supplies
I usually bring a mini first aid kit complete with bandaids, antibiotic ointment, butterfly closures, pain & fever reducer, and tissues. Compact is better, as you hopefully won't need it! You don't want to pay park prices for these, or spend time in the park filling out paperwork at the first aid station for something small.

Be sure to check back to read all about our visit and some tips and tricks I found along the way. I can't wait to share our trip to Schlitterbahn New Braunfels! 

This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links. All opinions and ideas are my own.