Color Block Serving Tray DIY

July 13, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

Hosting a party can be crazy, but it’s also fun. Especially if you have pretty plates and trays to serve your food on. Seriously, a pretty party set up can really make all the difference. Last week, on the Better Homes and Gardens blog, I shared this easy tutorial so you can make your own Color Block Serving Tray DIY. Total cost was under $15 and it took me less than two hours to make. It would go even faster if I didn’t have to wait for paint to dry.

Supplies needed for this project (full tutorial can be found here):

24 inch x 12 inch x 1 inch Poplar wood piece (if you use a different type of wood, make sure to avoid porous woods)
2 cabinet drawer pulls with screws (I used the champagne bronze 3 inch Brainerd pulls from Lowes)
Paint (I used this small sample bottle of Valspar Belle Grove Sorbet)
Paint brush
Painters tape
Pencil
Drill
Cabinet bumpers
Optional: Food safe block oil (I recommend this if you will be placing food on the tray)

If you create this project (or any of the projects on my blog), feel free to share a link to the photo in the comments below. OR, tag me in a photo on Instagram @thepapermama with the #papermamafriends hashtag. To check out the full tutorial, head on over to the Better Homes and Gardens blog.

– Chelsey

P.S. I am a paid contributor for Better Homes and Gardens blog. Here are some other fun tutorial I’ve made for their blog: Bucket Hose Holder, Photo Canvas DIY, and $15 mailbox makeover.

An announcement.

June 30, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

Hi guys,

How are you? It’s been a while. I’ve been away from blogging, instagram, and a lot of things…. because my husband and I got a bit of a surprise a couple months ago: I’m pregnant. It’s a shock and exciting and scary. I’ve been so sick with “morning” sickness (it’s really been all day/all night sickness) that I haven’t been a real human for about 8 weeks, so I put the business on hold for a bit.

In the past I’ve mentioned that my husband and I were told I probably shouldn’t carry another baby (due to a rough birth with my daughter), but our doctor (who was there for the first birth) said a lot has changed in the medical world since we had our daughter in 2009 and he believes we will be fine. I’ll just be monitored like crazy and we’ll be having a c-section about 4 weeks before my due date (just to be safe). This really came at a crazy time. We were actually starting to fill out some papers to adopt in the future, and that is now put on hold.

I am nervous, but I trust my doctor and so far (besides all the puking) this pregnancy is going smoothly and uneventful. Yay! I’m just over 12 weeks right now and the birth will be scheduled for December! I’m still exhausted and a bit nauseous, but I hope to get back to making things (and sharing on the blog) real soon.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

– Chelsey

Portland Eats: Lardo

May 7, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

Today I’m sharing another favorite Portland Eats: Lardo. It’s the sandwich world of awesomeness. If you are looking for a sandwich that goes beyond a sandwich, then you need to go here. Oh man. These tasty photos are from a couple years ago and I just found them hiding in my computer. They don’t have this oh SO delicious fried chicken sandwich that you see above (it was a special), but so many other items are just as tasty. I’ve tried most of the sandwiches on the menu, but my go-to favorite is the Korean Pork Shoulder with a side of Dirty Fries (photo below). Yeah. They also have specials that are brought to you by other local chefs, and those are usually amazing.

There are 3 locations. To check out Lardo’s site and menu and all the tasty photos, head on over to their site.

– Chelsey

If you’d like to check out more of my favorite places to wander to in Portland, head on over to my Portland page.

2 Comments

Tags: restaurant

Categories: local love, portland

Outdoor Lighting DIY Ideas

May 5, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

Lovely lovely summer nights are almost here. I see warm evenings, with the BBQ cooking some grub, and me with a glass of wine in the near future. Talk about a nice night. What would make that night even better? Some pretty outdoor lighting. Last week I shared 12 Outdoor Lighting DIY Ideas on the Better Homes and Gardens blog. To check out the full list, head on over here. Just below, in this post, you’ll also find a couple of ideas I found later and wish I could have added to the Better Homes and Gardens blog post. Enjoy!

Easy DIY outdoor chandelier, on All Things Heart and Home.

Hanging mason jar lantern lights, from 17 Apart.

Lucky Tiki Torches, from Adventures in Making.

Happy Tuesday!

– Chelsey

P.S. The projects from the first images are from: A Beautiful Mess, Manmade DIY, A Subtle Revelry, and In My Own Style. I’m a paid contributor for the Better Homes and Gardens Blog.

Portland Eats: Screendoor

May 1, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

So often I’m asked advice for where to go in Portland, and in that moment I can’t think of anywhere to go! My brain draws a blank and that has to change. My husband and I love good food. When we are lucky enough to get a date night, we like to try a new restaurant around Portland. Sharing my favorite spots around Portland has been on my to-do list FORever, and now it’s finally happening.

Screendoor. Oh, how I love you. If you haven’t figured it out already… I love love love fried chicken. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, that would be it (I guess I probably won’t live very long on that diet… anywho). I’m picky about the fried chicken I eat. Not mushy, good seasoning, and a bit of a crunch. It all there at Screendoor. While the chicken is my favorite item there it’s not all they have, there’s also a lovely variety of other delicious southern food (omg, their biscuits). If you come to Portland and need a fried chicken/southern food fix, please go here.

Even though I don’t typically eat flour, we do enjoy this food about two times a year. It’s my special treat.

A word of warning: this place is delicious, and everyone knows it. If you head there on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday… you will probably have to wait. Doesn’t bother me, but you should know. The way around that: order take out. Yup. Take it to go and head to a Portland park, or home.

To find out more info about Screendoor, head on over to their site.

– Chelsey

If you’d like to check out more of my favorite places to wander to in Portland, head on over to my Portland page. Also, check out my past Screendoor post. I love this place.

4 Comments

Tags: restaurant

Categories: portland

I’m back.

April 30, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

You might have noticed that I haven’t been blogging too much. I’ve just been feeling a sort of burnt out the past couple of months and needed a break from the internet. I didn’t leave completely, but I cut back a lot. I’ve realized that I have been blogging since 2008, and I was starting to feel like I was in a rut. This usually happens to me about once or twice a year and I take a week off, but this time I did not want to work on my blog at all, and barely did anything blog-related for 2 – 3 months. So I stepped back and I am feeling a little more refreshed and I’m ready to get back to it.

I think a break is important every once in a while, and it gives me time to really figure out what the heck I’m doing. I LOVE blogging. I LOVE creating stuff. I LOVE talking to myself in blog form. Ha. This whole blogging thing is a ton of work (done mostly by one person) and I had to step back and put some thought into what I’m really doing with my bizzness. Below are just a few ideas that have been rolling around in my brain for some time, plus I have an assistant and I want to introduce you to her:

Share your projects with me on Instagram using the #papermamafriends hashtag: One thing I like to do with my free time is to wander the internet and instagram and check any cool projects you guys are crafting. I also love to see it when a reader creates one of my projects. I’m telling you, it’s awesome. Use the #papermamafriends hashtag in instagram to share your projects with me! I may share them on IG and my blog.
What to do around Portland page, coming soon: I’m often asked what to do in Portland and I always seem to draw a blank. Not anymore. I’m gathering my favorite restaurants, fun spots, and other random places to share on my What to do in Portland page.
More free printables: for the past couple of months I’ve spent a bunch of my time creating fun things for you to print for free. I’ll be sharing them in the next few weeks.
New friend here on The Paper Mama blog, Colleen Zarate: She’ll be around to help me with email and some other blogging goodness. She’s very sweet and talented and I’m so happy to have her on the team. Yay! Click here to learn more about her.
Kiddo room makeover: the room is finished and I’ll be sharing it soon! Check out my inspiration post to see the goodies I picked out.
More ideas for the home: coming soon!

See you around!

– Chelsey

8 Comments

Categories: announcement

Seed Packet Party Favor DIY

April 22, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

Do you have a baby/wedding shower, or any other celebration, coming up soon? This Seed Packet Party Favor DIY will be the perfect gift to hand out to your guests. I created two different printables (for HP Create) for you to use and make your own. Hand them out to the guests, and they can plant these seeds on your special day!

Supplies:

8 x 10 vellum paper
Scissors or a paper trimmer
Sewing machine
Seed packets (regular size)
Printable seed packet covers (found on the HP Create blog)
Washi tape

Directions:

STEP 1: Print out the seed packet covers onto the vellum paper.

STEP 2: Cut out the seed packet rectangles about a ¼ inch outside of each grey line (you can trim right down the middle of the center lines).

STEP 3: Place the front and back of the seed packet covers together. Use the sewing machine to sew around the sides and bottom of the packet (leaving the top open). Trim the extra thread.