8 DIY Ideas to Transform a Dull Backyard or Patio

8 DIY Ideas to Transform a Dull Backyard or Patio on the Better Homes and Gardens blog.

Trend: 8 DIY Ideas to Transform a Dull Backyard or Patio

The rain is slowing down a bit here in Portland, so I’m just about ready to spend some time out in my garden. We tore down our detached garage last Fall, so my husband and I are exploring the Internet to find inspiring ideas to help makeover the mud pit. I found 8 DIY Ideas to Transform a Dull Backyard and shared the amazing before and afters on the Better Homes and Gardens blog.

To check out the full list of before and afters, head on over to the Better Homes and Gardens blog.

I want to see what you’re crafting! You can share a link to what you’ve made in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram with a photo (my user name is @thepapermama).

– Chelsey

P.S. I am a paid contributor for the Better Homes and Gardens blog. The images in the first photo are from: One Kings Lane, Remodelaholic, and The DIY Playbook.

Categories: BHG, favorite blogs


The Baby Is Sleeping No Soliciting Sign – Free Printable to Download

Baby Is Sleeping No Soliciting Sign - Free Printable to Download

Baby Is Sleeping No Soliciting Sign – Free Printable to Download

I CANNOT get the solicitors to stop knocking on my door. We get a solicitor about 5 times a week. That’s 5 more times than I want to answer my door. I’m a bummer and I really don’t want to chat with a random person at my door, especially with a little grumpy baby. The worst is when they knock while the baby is sleeping. That gets our dog barking and it’s all over, baby is awake. I’m desperate to make it stop, so that’s why I made these signs! No more knocking on my door. Anyone I know that comes to my door can text me, but everyone else can go away. Just kidding, sorta. Ha! You may notice I added a little post-it note to my sign for today and tomorrow. It’s time to vote here in Oregon means even more people coming to my door.

Baby Is Sleeping No Soliciting Sign - Free Printable to Download

I’d like to share these signs with you and hopefully you can keep the solicitors away. I’d suggest using it even if you don’t have a baby. Click on these links to download the signs: Blue, Green, Purple, Pink, or Gray.

– Chelsey


Free Printable Piñata Cards and Invitations – Perfect For Your Summer Parties!

Free Printable Piñata Cards and Invitations - Perfect For Your Summer Parties!

Hello friends!

I got together with Rachel, from The Crafted Life, to create this cute little piñata friend for her DIY Piñata Coloring Book Tote project (check out the project in the photo below). It’s free to download on her site, then you can order it printed onto a tote on Zazzle! Grab some paint pens and color. SO fun.

To celebrate this awesome project I created these cute Free Printable Piñata Cards (pictured above) with my piñata illustration. My “I’d hit that.” card is perfect to send out to your significant other just for fun, and my “Have a smashing day!” would make a fun summer party invitation.

Click here to download the Smashing card and click here to download the Hit card. These cards are sized to be 5 x 7 (after it’s cut out and folded), but you can shrink down the size before printing if you need a smaller card.

DIY Coloring Book Tote with Free Printable. Illustration by, The Paper Mama.

Head on over to The Crafted Life blog to download this free pinata image to make your own piñata tote! How fun would these be for a kids craft party this summer?

– Chelsey

P.S. Just a reminder that these cards are for personal use only. No commercial use. Thanks! I was paid to create this pinata image for The Crafted Life’s post with Zazzle. All opinions are my own.


How to Make a Simple Eye Pin Loop for Jewelry

How to make a simple eye pin loop for jewelry.

I should start this post off with a quick note: I’m no where near a pro when it comes to jewelry making. I’ve just taught myself a bunch of random things throughout the years. So, now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you what I did last weekend. I took a jewelry making class at Michaels and learned some better ways to do some basic jewelry skills. One thing I learned was how to make a simple eye pin loop for jewelry and now I want to share it with you. I’ve always made my own, but my Michaels teacher taught me a better way to create these so they always come out round and lovely.

How to make a simple eye pin loop for jewelry:

Step 1: Cut a 2 inch length of 20 gauge wire. Grab some round nose pliers and hold them in your hand with the the palm of your hand facing up towards the ceiling.

Step 2: Pick up the 2 inch wire piece in the opposite hand. Grasp the end of the wire with your round nose pliers. Begin to curl the wire by slowly rotating your wrist towards your body until a loop has formed.

Quick tip: if you are making multiple eye pins and need them to be the same size, be sure to grasp them on the same spot on the round nose pliers. If you grasp the wire near the smaller end of the pliers the loops will be smaller. If you grasp the wire near the larger end of the pliers the loops will be larger.

Step 3: Now that you have a loop, let’s straighten it out. Grasp the base of the loop with the pliers and bend the loop back until it’s centered.

Step 4: You’ll notice the loop is still open a bit. To close the loop grasp the open end of the loop with the pliers and gently move it back and forth while pushing it closed. If you need to open the loop to add it to the jewelry use the pliers to twist the loop to the side, don’t pull the loop out (you don’t want to ruin that pretty round loop you just made), and then you can easily move the loop back to the center and close it.

Before I took this class my eye pin loops were never perfectly round. Now I have this technique down and I love it! Have you ever taken any classes from Michaels? I really enjoyed it and it’s really pretty inexpensive since the items needed for the class were already provided for me, but I did buy some fun bright pink beads to make something fun for my daughter.

Smiley rocks.

Did you know that Michaels also offers free classes in their stores? You can try out a new craft skill for just the cost of supplies. Another great way to explore your creativity is by trying out a craft kit. Michaels has everything from sewing kits to art kits and everything in between.

If the class I attended sounds fun to you, check out what classes these other bloggers attended…


49216_MS_MM_May Challenge_l

– Chelsey

P.S. Michaels provided me with a store gift card to share this blog post with you. All opinions are my own.

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Categories: diy, Tips and Tricks


15 Spring Organizing Ideas

15 Spring Organizing Ideas on the Better Homes and Gardens Blog.

Trend: Spring Organizing Ideas

Spring is here! Something about the days getting longer and the weather getting warmer makes me want to clean my house. Maybe all this light shows off the mess in my house better? Ha! Whatever it is, I’m ready to tackle some Spring organizing in my home.

Check out the full list on the Better Homes and Gardens blog. If you love this Spring Cleaning post, here’s another Spring Cleaning Organization Ideas post I put together a couple of years ago.

I want to see what you’re crafting! You can share a link to what you’ve made in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram with a photo (my user name is @thepapermama).

– Chelsey

P.S. I am a paid contributor for the Better Homes and Gardens blog. The images in the first photo are from: Making Nice Midwest, Iron and Twine, and A Beautiful Mess.

 

Categories: BHG, favorite blogs


14 Closet Organization Ideas

14 Closet Organization Ideas on the Better Homes and Gardens blog.

Trend: 14 Closet Organization Ideas

An organized closet can really change a home. A while back I gathered 14 Closet Organization ideas and shared them on the Better Homes and Gardens blog. A closet is usually closed off from the rest of the home, but if it’s organized and clean you’ll smile each time you open that door.

To check out the full list of closet organization ideas, head on over to the Better Homes and Gardens Style Spotters blog.

– Chelsey

P.S. I am a paid contributor for the Better Homes and Gardens blog. The photos in the first image are from Lana Red Studio, A Beautiful Mess, and Classy Clutter.

Categories: BHG


Mini Toy Basket DIY – Encourage Your Kids To Pick Up Their Toys!

Mini Toy Basket DIY - Encourage Your Kids To Pick Up Their Toys!

Whenever I’m asked what I want for my birthday or Christmas or any gift giving time my answer is usually anything that will make my life easier, like a clean house. With a 4 month old baby it’s even harder to keep up with all the mess four people can make in this little home. So when I gave my mom the challenge to craft something with my kiddo to make a mothers day gift for me, she came up with something simple and perfect to help my 6-year-old keep the toys cleaned up and out of our living room.

They found a super cute metal basket, some acrylic letters to spell out “toys”, and paint at Michaels to make this project. The whole idea is to keep this basket in our living room and I can toss any toys that are sitting around ALL OVER the place into this basket. Then the big kiddo can take this basket in her room and put all that stuff away. It’s really quite amazing how fast a 6-year-old can drop toys wherever she is. This cute basket also came with a promise from my daughter that she will put those toys in the basket away. This is the best gift my kiddo can give me!

Mini Toy Basket DIY - Encourage Your Kids To Pick Up Their Toys!

Supplies needed to make this mini toy basket DIY:

  • Basket
  • Acrylic letters
  • Paintbrush
  • Gold paint
  • Pink paint
  • Washi tape
  • Hot glue
  • Optional: clear fishing wire

Directions:

1) Paint a couple coats of the gold paint onto the back of each letter. Let those dry completely.

Mini Toy Basket DIY

2) On the front of the letter use the washi tape to mark off a couple spots to paint some pink lines. Tips: I recommend peeling the tape off while the paint is wet (it’s less likely to peel the paint off).

Mini Toy Basket DIY

3) Use some hot glue to attach the letters to the basket. To make the letters extra secure, tie some clear fishing wire around each letter.

Mini Toy Basket DIY - Encourage Your Kids To Pick Up Their Toys!

4) Convince your kids to help keep the living room clean!

Do you have any tips for keeping your living spaces clear of kid clutter? If you don’t know where to begin for Mother’s Day gifts, you can always take a look at some of the fun projects on Michaels.com or the other 49 Makers’ ideas on The Glue String for to see how they personalized their crafts!


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– Chelsey

P.S. Michaels provided me with a store gift card to share this blog post with you. Michaels has everything you need to craft the perfect handmade gift that will make Mom’s day.

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