Playroom Progress: DIY Painted Play Sign

Since moving into the new house we've spent a lot of time staying cool at the pool. We've been trying our best to get every box unpacked and everything put in a logical place and that leaves little time for projects. Transforming the big room over the garage into a playroom is on the top of the 'to do' list.
Here is a sneak peek at some of the progress so far.

I painted some mdf letters from with red and white stripes and then coated them with a couple of coats of varnish for shine. They're mounted with hanging putty so when I'm ready to decorate the whole room or if I get tired of the crooked style, I can change it!

I found this Pottery Barn Kids bookshelf on Craigslist for $20 and love the little nook created by tucking it into the corner as you come into the room.

There are two steps down into the room and they make a little seat for reading and allow the shelf to be at a perfect height for little ones.

The Willkommen puppy sign is a souvenir from Germany and I found the Smile, Giggle, Be Silly at Homegoods. I wish it was a little bigger because it's so perfect for a playroom.

Decorating a playroom might just be more fun than decorating a nursery. I have a lot of cute things in store if I can find a little more time in the day!

What a Difference New Knobs Make: Easy Vanity Makeover

Since we're spending the next few years in a rental house, our days of painting rooms red and having a kids' bathroom that looks like this, are temporarily over.

When I first saw the upstairs bathroom in this house I knew immediately that the knobs had to go. Never mind the fact that there are two different color doors and one drawer is clearly another color. How and why does that happen?? I wasn't about to paint the vanity but knew I could ditch the knobs!

I used these red knobs for a quick and inexpensive makeover.

 These faucet style red knobs were $5.99 each but were marked 50% off so for around $25, I was able to transform a shiny, gold knobbed vanity into a much more fun and kid- style bathroom.

These cute little knobs almost make me forget there are two different colored doors.

The faucets and the light still give me a headache to look at but it's a start. When we move back to our house with the red kids' bathroom, these are going to be perfect on the vanity!

Our Kitchen Feature on Remodelaholic

Happy Weekend! I'm so excited to announce that our 'Oh-Noing to Glowing Kitchen' is being featured on Remodelaholic today!

I've been a fan of Remodelaholic for a long time and it really is an honor to be featured in the company of so many creative projects. Go check it out when you're in need of some serious DIY inspiration!

A huge thank you to Cassity for sharing with her readers how we used paint and fabric to set the stage for new counters, flooring, and appliances and completed a DIY remodel that changed the way we felt about our house.

Having recently moved, I have been so overwhelmed by the task of unpacking boxes, organizing, putting away, and decorating yet another house. I have yet to even locate the boxes with my craft supplies.

This feature is such a perfect and much needed push for me to get back into the swing of things and get to work making this new house work for us the way our last one did. We have our work cut out for us this time since we are renting and there are things I just won't be able to change so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading and many thanks again to Cassity at Remodelaholic for featuring our remodel!

'All Aboard' Party Banner

 I made a quick and easy fabric banner for the train party and loved the way it turned out.

 I bought a red ticking striped fabric and used foam board to cut out the shapes to make the train and attached them with double sided tape.

I printed out a photo of the 'conductor' on a carousel so his hands were in the right position and then cut him out. It was really cute how amused he was seeing himself driving the 'choo-choo'

The "smoke" billowing from the stack was styrofoam balls attached with tacks.

I probably would have left the banner up for way too long like I did with the first birthday party banner if the movers hadn't come days after the party!

Two Two Train Cake

I'm surrounded by boxes that need unpacking and have no energy to get that done so I'm going through photos from the train party. Here are the details on how we made the cake!

The two-two train party ended up being red and blue just like our puppy dog tails first birthday party. What can I say, I love the combo. Instead of decorating a white fondant cake like last year, my sister and I used red and blue as the base and I'm so happy with how it turned out!

We drew a sketch of the cake a couple of months ago and it helped keep the project from getting lost in the idea shuffle. (A side effect from spending too much time on Pinterest)

 I baked two six inch rounds for the top layer and two eight inch rounds for the base. Rather than make things easy I colored white fondant to make the red and royal blue but I'll buy colored fondant in the future!

My sister smoothing the fondant

Here is the chaos on the island after the cake was covered with fondant.

We decorated it with a train puffing clouds of smoke with 2s in them and then made a paper ticket for the top to finish it off.

We made the train and the clouds out of sugar sheets and it ended up being a time saver and adhered really well to the cake.
They also held up well in the heat because they were so thin. If I'd used fondant to make the shapes, I think they may have slid off the cake in the 90 degree heat!

All Aboard the Two-Two Train Party

I had so much fun throwing the little one a train themed birthday party this May when he turned two. He has been obsessed with trains for quite a while so it was great to be able to decorate with some of his favorite things.

My sister and I made his cake and I'm so happy with the way it turned out! Friends and family climbed aboard the 'two- two' train and helped us celebrate.

We decorated the walkway with railroad tracks made from duct tape and made a railroad crossing sign to greet guests as they arrived.

I created these invitations I showed you here using powerpoint.

Our little conductor got the biggest kick out of seeing himself drive the choo-choo on the banner I made him.

I painted red and blue trains to decorate the mantel and painted a red and white striped 2.

I found some fun red, white, and blue decorations that I'll be able to use at many other summer holiday parties.

We rented a hot dog roller both so we would have the food covered in the event of rain and so that no one had to man a hot grill all day in the sun. It was nice to just set it and know that the food was ready.

I'm so happy that we were able to share one last party with our family and friends before we move and am grateful for every laugh and smile that filled our backyard that day.

Stay tuned- there are more party details to come!

It's Summer, It's Fun....It's a Target Shopping Spree!

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Our weekend included pizza, ice cream, a bounce house, and carousel rides in the park so I can't complain. This week I hope to tackle some fun summer projects and take the now two year old to his first amusement park. Fun! To help get your summer started right, I'm joining a talented group of bloggers to bring you  

10 Fun Summer Ideas and a $100 Target gift card! 

I'm teaming up with:
Cathy from Lemon Tree Dwelling
Melissa from Redfly Creations
Kirsten from Made for a King and 
Janette from Style With Cents

So take a minute to check out all of our ideas for summer (either clicking directly on the picture or on the link to the post below) and then enter to win the $100 Target shopping spree! Whether you're looking for a recipe, a DIY, a project to do with the kids, or a decorating idea, we've got you covered.

 Summer Fun Ideas:

Lemon Bar Muddy Buddies,  2-Minute Summer Centerpiece,  Make Your Own Tetherball,  Create Your Own Summer Reading Program,  World's Easiest Homemade Ice Cream, Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes,  Chicken Dip Summer Salad, Simple Slipknot Napkin Rings,  Build a New Fence Using Old Scraps,

Summer Skirt Tutorial 

And now ....... The Giveaway!
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Two Minute Summer Centerpiece

Things have been so hectic for us lately that it feels like spring was over as soon as it began and with a birthday party to plan and an upcoming move, my summer decorations have not made it out yet. I'm embarrassed to admit that there were bunnies on the mantel until this weekend. I guess I have good reason to be posting a summer decoration that can be pulled together in two minutes.

Our patio in the backyard is surrounded by several enormous hostas. I love to use the leaves for place settings and centerpieces. Here is how I put one together:

I cut the brightest leaves that I can find and then trim off the stems so they will lay flat.

Cut whatever fresh flowers you have and arrange them in a short vase on top of  the cut hosta leaves so it looks like the flowers have giant leaves. I used four here but I think it also looks great with twice as many.

This could work if you're going for a tropical look but for me it's usually just a quick, last second pick me up for a summer table I need in a hurry!

Here's hoping this summer brings a lot of fun gatherings to use these at!

Sharing this post with some of my favorite sites! Check them out here:
Cozy Little House
By Stephanie Lynn
Savvy Southern Style
It's Overflowing
House of Hepworths
Somewhat Simple