my cup of tea

Blank Project Collage Mug

Modern greeting cards and party invitations by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Our train and city on wheels

I finally secured the tracks and am happy our "city" on wheels still fits under his bed. The stores have to be removed, but everything else slides right under the bed. So happy about this project. I had to share it again :)

Dollhouse gets drapes

I thought the dollhouse needed these. Easy to make curtains from an old flat sheet. I didn't pin and measure perfectly so if the flaws are really noticeable...don't tell me you see them ;)

Mom look! It worked!

My mom and I were talking the other day and she put this idea in my head. The idea was to make a larger storage solution (like the smaller cabinet and drawers I made last week) using cardboard boxes and paper mâché paste. I used 3 identical boxes from a local wholesale store. The're available at checkout so I grabbed them as we left from our shopping trip. I stacked and taped the boxes, then paper mâchéd it using old brown paper that comes in our boxes from online orders and then painted it. I plan to cover it with fabric or wrapping paper and either add drawers or doors to the front. Still deciding. It's going to store dress-up clothes and accessories...I think. To be decided :)

Toy cabinet all grown up

I love the piece of furniture. It is huge and very heavy (just ask my husband and brother-in-law who had the job of moving it here). It stores most of our games, toys, an entertainment system, puzzles, movies and more. Up until last night I had to look at most of the stacks through the cabinet doors. Always bothered me but I just never made time to cover the doors. I finally did and so glad it's done. Makes this piece the most "grown-up" piece of furniture in our playroom.

Middle of the night project

Because I couldn't sleep. Here's what I did. I took 4 boxes and a photo to make these book-sized storage boxes. It turned out pretty close to what I envisioned. I might paint the boxes black on the sides closest to the photos...maybe later. For now, the project helped me most by burning off some of the energy that prevented me from sleeping through the night. So now I'm headed back to bed before the world around me wakes up.

Thinking outside the box

In my attempt to better organize the house, I've purchased several storage bins, boxes and totes. The cost adds up really fast (even with all bargaining shopping finds). So I thought "why not try to make my own?" I considered sewing boxes similar to the collapsable fabric bins, but decided to start with a regular cardboard box, cover it and line the inside with paper, fabric or both. I also paper mâchéd a few of the boxes to make them sturdier and to cover any print on the outside of the boxes (so it wouldn't show through after I covered it). The process is simple, but does take time to dry. Cost is cheap and now I can continue my organizing mission to give everything a "home" to tidy up our home.

Valentines day pizza

Put love and creativity into everything

Mini chest of drawers

I took 3 boxes and stacked them together. Glued them together and covered them with scrap fabric. Then I lucked out while shopping, I ran across these empty red display cardboard boxes. I asked the ok to take them with no idea they'd fit* in this project. Then I added rope as pulls to each drawer.

Kids paper mâché project: lady bug

I'm so proud to share photos of the kids' first paper mâché project. I pieced it together, but they helped rip paper, apply with paste mix, and paint it. It's hanging in our playroom. As you can see it's a pretty big bug. I think they legs spook it up a bit, but the kids wouldn't have it any other way. No legs? That's silly!

Kids' room art

I made this for my son's room. I took a bunch of mismatched 5 x 7 frames layered and secured them together with scrap wood (paint sticks). The photos are of puzzles and old birthday gift bags. I had a Snapfish credit for 5 x 7s that came in handy for this project. Then I painted the frames with sample valspar paint (free promo!).

Fun, free, and easy DYI decor :)

Tent photo

Kids' tent

I started this tent once, but the fabric I chose bored me. So when I was going through a box of scrap fabric I decided to piece it together and use it to finish the tent. I also used a hula hoop for the top. Not much needed for this project. It only took a few hours to make and the kids love it. Success!!

sharing GROUPON DEALS on my blog now

I decided to sign up to receive Groupon's special deals so I can offer them to friends, family and readers of the blog. Groupon has really been streching my $ lately. Making it easier to be creative :)

The first one I want to announce is the $10 for $20 at Barnes & Noble (online and in stores). This is going to be an awesome groupon. I'm so excited. It's not available until 3 p.m. EST through this link, Groupon's $10 for a $20 Barnes & Noble deal.


I have so many books I want to get with fun ideas on photo editing, DIY, and kids' crafts. This should help me get a few of them.


Hope you enjoy this new feature to the blog. More to come soon!

Bubble gum machine lamp

I bought the kids a bubble gum machine with plans to fill it with candy and use it as a reward system. This bubble gum machine was rigged to give out candy money or no money paid. Hmm. That's not going to work for us. So yesterday I thought it would make a pretty cool night lamp. So I took apart a small lamp and inserted it into the machine. I used a bowl inside to stabilize the light fixture and then added colorful marbles and a 10 watt bulb. Best part is the globe is thick plastic. I've had a hard time finding a light made for rambunctious kiddos. This is a fun repurpose project. So if you end up trying this please share.