Playroom Organization - Labels

Looking for the Pizzazzing You Giveaway? Click here and enter to win a fantastic ceramic wall hanging for your nursery!

• • •

Need a little playroom organizing inspiration? Here's how we organize most of our toys!

Most of the kids' toys are kept in these drawer units. {purchased from Target or Walmart} But, I ran in to trouble having my kids clean up because they didn't know which drawers things went in.




New Sponsor - And A Giveaway! Pizzazzing You!

NOW OPEN TO CANADA TOO!!! {yay!!!!!}

You may have noticed a really cute new button located on my sidebar as a sponsor.

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Pizzazzing You Children's Boutique is such an adorable shop! It is a family owned business and is operated by 3 generations of women! How fantastic is that!? They carry items made by some big name baby designers and have it all put together in one shop - making shopping for a baby gift or item a snap {or a click... haha... get it!?}

Mingle Monday 5.29 - Happy Memorial Day!

To quote sometime my First Graders shared in a school production when I worked in their classroom a couple years ago...

On Memorial Day in peaceful May
We honor our soldiers, the blue and the grey
And all the brave men who have fought for us
To keep our country victorious! 


To anyone who has served our country, or for those of you who currently serve our country to help  maintain our freedoms,  I say.. THANK YOU! May you and your family have a wonderful Memorial Day!

And the winners are...

Thanks to everyone who entered my Alphabet Print Giveaway. Our random number generated winners are:

#1Christin said...
Awesome! TY:)

and

#10 - Anna said...
I'm redecorating both my kids' room and this would look great in it.
The winners have been emailed and you have 48 hrs to respond to that email or new winners will be selected.

Stay tuned for a really great giveaway coming on Monday. Have a great weekend, and for us US folks, happy Memorial Day!!

Look what I am getting.....

Though I suppose a better title for this post may be "I have the best husband in the whole wide world!!"

As my annibirthday {his word} present, he let me get one of these! My birthday {the big 3-0} and our anniversary {6 years}  are within 4 days of each other, hence annibirthday! Isn't he just the best-est!!!



I can't wait to start using it and share all the fun crafts and things with you!

Mommy Lesson #2

I think little boys are genetically programmed to take things apart and put them together!

I almost never use my old hand mixer. Since we moved into our home I have been able to get my Kitchen Aid mixer out of storage.


Recipe: Cupcake Ice Cream Cones

Looking for cupcakes that are a little more that ordinary!? I saw this online somewhere and had to try it for myself!


They would make a fun treat for a birthday party, a family reunion, holidays, or just because!

Here's what you need:
• 1 box of cake cones {flat bottom}
• cake mix and ingredients
• frosting
• hand or stand mixer
• 9"x13" baking dish

Instructions:
*Set your oven to your cake mixes specified temperature. Usually 350°F

Mix your cake batter togther as usual. I used a boxed cake mix but adapted it to be dairy and egg-free {if you wonder why read here}. If you are looking for a great recipe that is allergen-free and gluten-free, this is a great one!

Next, grab your 9"x13" baking dish and place your empty cones in it. {I found that once I had them filled I could actually fit 12 in the pan. }


Then, fill your cones. Since my mix had no egg in it and I knew it wasn't going to rise very much, I filled mine pretty full. With a regualr cake mix, you will want to fill them about 2/3 full. Otherwise your cupcake will spill out over the top of your cone while it bakes.


VERY CAREFULLY place your baking pan {with the filled cones} into the oven. Set your timer for about 12-18 minutes {depending on your mixes directions}. Once your timer goes off, check to see if they are baked completely through by inserting a toothpick in center. If it comes out clean, they are done. If it still has some batter on it, let them cook a little longer.


Once they cool, it's time to frost! I have one of these guys:

It is a pampered chef frosting gun. It comes with several different attachments for different frosting shapes. I just used the largest opening top. You can also use a ziploc bag, or frosting bag and tips... whatever works for you!

I suggest, if you happen to use store-bought frosting, that you either buy the whipped frosting or whip yours with your mixer before you put it on the cupcakes. It adds a nice fluffy feeling to it and makes it taste homemade{ hiding the fact that it is actually store-bought frosting }.

Then just swirl your frosting on the top to make it look like ice cream! I didn't cover all of the cupcake part because my kids are little and I don't want them having TOO much sugar frosting.



ENJOY!

BUT... be beware... they can be messy!



Mingle Monday 5.23.2011

Have you seen my latest giveaway post? Click here and enter to win a nursery alphabet print using colors of your choice! Two winners will be selected. You have until this Wednesday {5.25} to enter.


Now, let's join in some fun!

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If you are new to the hop, leave me a comment with the link to your blog and I will stop by this week and follow you!

Here's how to join in the fun!
• Become a follower of mine (GFC - on the right-hand sidebar)
• Grab my button!
• Link yourself to the list
• Visit whoever you want and tell them you are stopping by from Mingle Monday
• Tell your friends.. and come back next week! ☺

{** Open to family friendly blogs ONLY, please!}

Alphabet Nursery Wall Hanging Print Giveaway!!!!!

I'm sure you all read my post here about the fun new nursery and kiddo decor prints that are hitting my little shop!

 This morning I woke up thinking... why not start this new branch of my shop out with a BANG!

So... I am giving away an alphabet print to TWO lucky winners!!

Soft Pillow Slip Cover Tutorial

I have two small throw pillows that are old, and a definitely don't go with my house decor anymore. I bought them several years ago with a couch slipcover, but the cover has since been donated and the couch is gone! I hung on to the pillows though because they are nice fluffy, large, pillows! I figured I would get around to doing something with them someday... and that day finally came! YAY!


Each are removable covers that can be machine washed -- thank goodness since I made them as TV and reading pillows for my kiddos!

Want to make your own?

New Designs Hitting My Store Today - PLUS a Great Offer!

I recently made a couple of these for my own kids and I absolutely LOVE them! So, I have made a couple more designs and they are hitting my shop today!

My To Do List

Do you ever find that you just have a never ending list of things "to do" constantly going through your head, all .. day.. long!?! I do! So, the other day I set out to organize those chaotic thoughts a little more.

I created a "To Do" list. A simple thing really. But, it has helped me to better stay on task throughout the day!  Here's my list:


Mommy Lesson #1

Never leave a 2 year-old alone. Even if it's just to get dressed. Why not? This could happen....




Good thing I was planning on cleaning bathrooms today anyway! Plus... my little guy now smells minty fresh!

{P.S. Yes, we've been in our house almost 6 months and this bathroom still isn't finished yet! It's driving me nuts... but for what I want to do, I need to save up for! I can't wait to reveal it once it's done!! }

Mingle Monday 5.16.2011

I hope everyone had a great week last week! I have 2 quick things this week before we jump into the hop!

1. My Do You Bake? giveaway winner never contacted me.... SO.... I am picking a new winner. The new winner {thanks random.org} is # 15.

Sharlee Asay said...



Seasoning and spices. It would be a toss up between Hamburger or Meatloaf Seasoning Blend and the apple pie one. This is seriously making me hungry!

Sharlee, you seem to have great luck on my blog! Congrats! Send me an email within 48 hrs with your choices of 2 mixes and 1 spice and I will let Melissa know so she can send you your goodies!


2. Just so you know, my chenille blankets are now sold with FREE SHIPPING! Order any chenille blanket, and it will ship for free. Order a burp cloth (or two, or three) to go with your blanket and pay ONLY the shipping for the burp cloths! {I have to do a shameless plug for my shop every once in a while!}

Oh, and BTW... if you haven't stopped by here lately, you may have noticed something different.... I am now officially a .com {as is... not a .blogspot.com anymore!} I also added a new tab to my page about PR, so if you are interested click up there and take a look!

Alrighty.... let's Mingle!






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If you are new to the hop, leave me a comment with the link to your blog and I will stop by this week and follow you!

Here's how to join in the fun!
• Become a follower of mine (GFC - on the right-hand sidebar)
• Grab my button!
• Link yourself to the list
• Visit whoever you want and tell them you are stopping by from Mingle Monday
• Tell your friends.. and come back next week! ☺

{** Open to family friendly blogs ONLY, please!}

**If you are having trouble following through GFC, please click here to be directed to my .com page! It should work fine from there!

DIY Flower Topiary

If you haven't already noticed I made the jump and took my .blogspot blog to a .com! Yay!! So, I am in the middle of changing out all my buttons and links {so you'll have to be patient}. In the meantime, if you go to my olg .blogspot address it will send you here! If you want to bookmark me... add my web address as http://www.kdbuggieboutique.com/



I had a tough day the other day - as I'm sure all of us mom's have once in a while, right??! - so I desperately needed a craft project to regain some sanity!! Sometimes I find that doing a craft/sewing project - even if it's only a 10 or 15 minute thing - helps me to relax a little.

So, here's what I did... {sorry about the funky shadow behind it.. }


It is a flower topiary that now sits on top of my piano .. next to Max and Ruby! {and yes... we still have our Easter decorations up... I suppose it's about time to take them down!}


It's a really simply project! My pot, green spongy stuff {I'm sure that's the technical name for it} to stick my dowel in, and the moss were from the Dollar Tree. The dowel I had, the flowers and foam ball are from Joann's. I already had all the items on hand because this is something I have been meaning to do for a while.



Want to make your own??? I followed this tutorial from Becky Higgins.



The cool thing about this project is you can do so many different things with it! Choose colors that match your decor. Spray paint your cheap-y pot to stand out. Paint your dowel a fun color. Use plastic fruit instead of flowers. The possibilities are endless!



Have a great weekend and happy crafting!


Kids Closet Dividers

Just about every time I go to Target or Wal-mart {mostly Target though} I check out the kid's sections and their clearance racks! Sometimes they have super great deals! If you remember this post, you know that I scored some really cute skirts for my little girl for just a couple of bucks!

I was at my local Target the other day, browsing the clearance section, and couldn't pass up a great deal {my hubby may argue otherwise}. I found some t-shirts for my little guy for just over $1. I bought one in every style they had in a 4T. My little guy currently wears between a 2T and a 3T. So, why did I buy a 4T?!?! I am thinking ahead!

This is where my hubby and I disagree. He is an accountant {a CPA in fact} and thinks that spending money is not a good deal. So, when I tell him {all excited about my "steal"} he just rolls his eyes. Me, on the other hand, I know how worn my sons clothes become. I also know, since I do just about all the clothes shopping for my house, that the price of clothing is not cheap! My son already has enough 2T and 3T clothing {since we got some hand-me-downs - which I LOVE}, so I thought ahead and purchased them in the next size up! He'll need them anyway... why not spend $5 now and hold on to them instead of $25 later!! Good idea, right!??!

Now that I have these clothes though, what do I do with them!?



 I decided, what I will do, is to store the "too big" clothes in his closet. This way I can see what I have, and I know what - if anything else - I need to buy to have for him when he out grows his current size!

I designed these closet size dividers to do just that! I printed them on heavy 110 lb. card stock, cut them out, and voila! Then I just sorted all of his clothes and stuck them behind the corresponding divider.



Normally I only hang up nice collared shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets. BUT, since I don't want to stuff his dresser drawers to over flowing with all sized clothing, I am hanging up everything  in the larger sizes in the closet.

Here's your chance to do the same! I put together 2 files - pink and teal - with dividers sized from preemie to 5T. To make your own, just download the file, open the PDF, and print them on whatever kind of paper you would like. Then, cut around the outside circle, up the middle {the white rectangle} and around the white circle so that it looks like a donut with an opening on the bottom. If you want them to last a long time, have them laminated!





Enjoy! Feel free to share the link to this post on your blogs. Just make sure that any post you make links back to my blog and this post! Thanks!!





I May Be Obsessed!!

With what? Project Life by Becky Higgins.


And the winner is ....

Did you enter the Do You Bake Giveaway? If you didn't, you TOTALLY missed out!

But... thanks to random.org, our winner is #4
Tanyia said...

I am an FB fan

Congrats!!! I am sending you an email right now to claim your prize!

You have 48 hrs to respond to my email {so check your spam folder if you don't see it} or I will choose a new winner!

Mingle Monday 5.9.2011 - Happy Mother's Day!!!!

To all of you mom's, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, and best friends out there...



I hope you all have a wonderful day today celebrating woman-hood!





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If you are new to the hop, leave me a comment with the link to your blog and I will stop by this week and follow you!

Here's how to join in the fun!
• Become a follower of mine (GFC - on the right-hand sidebar)
• Grab my button!
• Link yourself to the list
• Visit whoever you want and tell them you are stopping by from Mingle Monday
• Tell your friends.. and come back next week! ☺

{** Open to family friendly blogs ONLY, please!}


Creating a Family Home Evening Sign - Tutorial

If you are like me, then you have a night each week dedicated to "Family Home Evening". You may call yours family game night, family movie night, or a myriad of different terms. Well, I wanted to start letting my children have an opportunity to participate in the planning of this evening. SO.... I decided I was going to make a sign to keep track of who's turn it was to do what! ()


My ultimate goal is to create name tags to hang on each knob {but that will be saved for another post!} and then rotate the names each week.

Here's how I did it!

Supplies:
Piece of wood - I just used cheapy plywood because I was painting, not staining. If you plan to stain, buy something a little nicer. I got mine at Lowes. If you know the size you want it... a nice person will cut it for you there! How easy is that!?
Paint or stain - I used a paint sample can from Home Depot that I already had. If you want a color to match your decor, they can customize any sample can to your color... and they are only like $3.
Paint brush - make sure it's clean and dry!
Power drill
Cabinet knobs and screws
vinyl lettering
• Picture hangers
• Hammer
• Screwdriver

I bought my vinyl lettering from Inspire Your Walls. It was a custom order, but I know there are LOTS of vinyl lettering companies who do this sort of thing!

Okay, let's get started!

Since I had my wood pre-cut, I just needed to paint it! I grabbed my dry paint brush, my wood, and my paint. I dry brushed my paint on -- meaning -- you put very little paint on your brush at a time trying to keep your brush as dry as possible. It gives your wood a textured, aged look. PLUS, you can still see just a tiny bit of wood poking through the paint.


See that tiny bit of wood poking through in between my brush strokes? That's the effect that dry brushing does. If you want your a solid color, I suggest you prime it first (or buy paint with primer) and paint two coats of your top color. You can spray paint it too for an even coat!


After I let my paint dry - which is very quickly with dry brushing - I opened the box to our new sander {woohoo!}. I sanded the edges and the corners just slightly to add to the "old" look of my sign.


After sanding, I went back and added just a tad more paint on the corners with my dry brush.


Now it's time to apply your vinyl lettering. Wipe off any excess sanding dust so that you have a nice clean surface to work with. Then, take your vinyl lettering sheet. It should come to you with the vinyl letters sandwiched between what looks like 2 sheets of contact paper. You want to peel off one sheet so that when you look through the other sheet you can read your wording.

Then take that sheet {which now has the vinyl letters on the other side} and gently lay it down on your piece of wood. {If you want to be super exact, you can measure the center of your board and the center of your wording and line them up - I just eye-balled it!}


Once you have your wording where you want it, take an old credit card, a pampered chef stone cleaning squeegee thing {if you are a pampered chef consultant I apologize for not knowing the technical term for that item}, or in my case an old wooden ruler - and press firmly while moving it across the lettering. You want to push firmly so that your lettering will adhere to the wood surface. Make sure you go over each letter!


After doing that, I used my ruler to measure where I would drill my holes for my cabinet knobs. I chose a point that was half-way between the bottom of my sign and my wording. Then I centered each knob for each word and put a dot there with my pencil.


Then it's time to remove that paper from your vinyl lettering {insert suspenseful music here}. Start on one end and VERY SLOWLY peel back the paper. Keep your pressing utensil at hand. If your vinyl sticks to the paper as you peel, simply lay your paper back down, press your lettering again, and re-peel.



Voila!


Now it's time to bring on the power tools again! {woohoo!!!!!!!} I wish I could say I have a nice workbench on which to do these kinds of things..... but, I don't ... at least not YET! So... I borrowed the side of my BBQ. My darling 4 year-old took this picture for me ... as proof that I did it myself! {No help from the hubs on this one!!} I used my power drill and drilled the holes that I had previously marked. Make sure you choose a drill bit big enough that your cabinet screws will fit in!


Ta da!!!


Next I added my picture hangers to the back. I find it easier to do this step now vs. after the knobs are on because once you put the knobs on you won't be able to lay your wood flat to hammer these suckers in! You can buy these little guys at the hardware store... or even at Joann's!


So, you measure 1" to 1.5" from the top of your sign and about 3"-4" from each side and mark where your hangers are going to go.


Okay, if anyone has a better way of putting these little guys on, let me know! The nails are teeny tiny, so here's what I do... since you can't really hold the nail and hit it with your hammer at the same time. I line up my picture hanger with my markings, then take a nail and push it into the wood {through the hole in the hanger of course} as hard as I can so that it stands up on it's own. {this is easier if you are using a softer wood} Then with one big BANG of my hammer I smack that sucker into the wood! Just make sure you don't miss!


And there you have it! Next {and lastly} you screw on your cabinet knobs. I hold the knob on the front of the sign and turn the screw into the back with my screwdriver. You could totally use a power screwdriver, but I was too lazy to swap out the drill bit for the Phillips screwdriver bit... so I went manual on this one!


And that's it! I managed to get this sign done during my sons 2.5 hr nap one afternoon! I love when I can start and complete a project in 1 nap time!