SCRABBLE ART

I have been working on a gallery wall for my stair way, it is almost ready to show you all!! I just finished making scrabble art. Scott and I play words with friends all the time so I knew this would be a fun addition. This is such an easy project. 

You will need: 

Scrabble tiles (I found a game at Goodwill)

cork (fabric would work too)

a frame

spray adhesive 

hot glue

The how to:

Play with your letters to get the right lay out. Take a picture of it to revert back to. Using grid paper works well also. Cut cork to fit the backing of your frame. Use spray adhesive to attach it to the back piece of wood. This prevents and ripples or bumps. Lay out your letters in the frame. Hot glue them down one at a time.

This cute, easy project would be fun for holidays, a babies room, or a family motto!

Happy 4th of July Mantle

Happy 4th of July!! In honor of the 4th and due to the fact that I have had a house full of guests and took no WIWW photos,  I am linking up with Honey We're Home  for the 4th of July link party

I love to style my mantle with the seasons and the holidays. For me it is some what therapeutic. I have this blank space that I can play with. Usually with out spending any money.

In my new house I have red walls in the family room and I am amazed at how well they coordinate with most holidays and seasons. This mantle is one of my favorites yet!

Take a look..

I love how the red walls look with all my red. I worried because sometimes red on red doesn't work. The previous home owners chose this color. Most of their decorating choices I don't like, but this was a home run. If I can find the color, I will share it!

The fireworks were a craft show find. They would be so easy to make.  I found a bunch of great old jars at a garage sale and used them here.  I used cheerful daisies in the blue glass jars and filled the others with shells. I am a beach lover!

My mom went to the Oregon coast and brought me back some star fish... they tie in the beach and the 4th of July theme.

The books are from around the house. I use books in decorating they add the color and the height you need. Peek under the jackets of your hard back books.. you might be surprised at the colors you could use in your decorating.

The horse is a favorite find from TJ Maxx. I left him twice and when he was still there the third time I knew we were meant to be together! ;)

Some milk glass and a blue candle and the mantle is complete!

In between the apple pie and the fireworks today please stop and remember those who have sacrificed for our freedom. I am proud to be and American and I am so thankful for those who serve our country. My grandfather was a POW in Japan for almost 2 years. Tomorrow I will share his story of heroism.

This year my niece is in Afghanistan. She is a nurse in an ER unit. She will be away from her husband and two baby girls for a year. Talk about sacrifice. Thank you to Nichole and all the men and women over seas and all the heroic men and women that have come before them who serve our country and make sacrifices most of us couldn't even imagine and would never even consider.

Here is a picture from her  face book yesterday from Afghanistan. Proud Americans? Absolutely.

God bless America!!! Have a safe and happy 4th!

Milk bottle faker

A few weeks ago at the Farm Chicks show I found this great old milk bottle holder. I thought it would be great as a drink carrier.

After getting it home I decided it would also look so very cute on my table with milk bottles in it, filled with daisies. I only had one old milk bottle and it was to fat to fit. I knew I could scour garage sales and antique stores and find some but I like instant gratification and didn't want to pay very much.

 My solution .. Starbucks frappachino bottles.

(this was my day 7 on the photo a day June from fatmumaslim.) So fun, check it out! It's never to late to join!

 I showed here how to get labels off of bottles and jars.

Cute, cheeerful little center piece.

 I am shelbyjojo7 on instagram, follow me!! Also I'd love for you to be a follower on my blog so I can get to know all of you too! ;)

Summer Fun List

It is officially Summer Vacation at the Johnson house!! We have always made a summer fun list, just written ideas on a piece of notebook paper. This year I was inspired by Lisa Leonard and Lindsey at Pleated Poppy and had to make mine cute too! Be sure to check out theirs as well! Too cute!

 So for the price of a $4.00 canvas from Hobby Lobby, I too have a super cute Summer Fun List!! Here is how I did mine. I used...

Colored Sharpie Markers, yellow wasn't a great choice! ;), Canvas, Water Colors. (I used a fat brush)

I drew lines across the canvas with a fine tip black Sharpie. It's not perfect but you know me... it's close enough! ;)

Wrote out our summer fun ideas with the colored Sharpies. Then used water colors to tint each section. (Use only a small amount of water and gently wipe off any excess with a rag.)

It now hangs in the laundry room waiting to be checked off!

How about you? Do you have a summer fun list!? What are you looking forward to doing this summer?

I'm linking up with Southern Institute for Creative Me!!

Saved from the thrift pile...

So, I told you here how I thought I might spray paint Mr. Rabbit orange for my front porch. I bought orange spray paint and got to sprayin!

Here is how Mr. Rabbit turned out...

Actually the photo makes him look better than he actually is! He was radioactive orange. He looked hideous on my front porch.

He sat around in the garage for a while and I took him out of the Goodwill box twice.

The other day (in between rain storms) I brought out my sweet little picnic table from the shop. My kids sat at this on the patio for many snacks when they were little. I adore it. It came from Target probably 9 years ago.

It now sits in my back yard... shabby and worn, just the way I like it! ;)

It looks lonely.

 A plant won't do because I forget to water it out there, no candle because it will melt in the sun.

So I though of Mr. Rabbit and how he had avoided the thrift store twice, he must have a place in my house. I had some leftover Valspar Yellow Creme spray paint and decided to give him another chance.

So radioactive Mr. Rabbit went through his transformation...

I used a black paint pen to give him some features.

Much better.

 What have you saved from the thrift pile lately?

Family Prayer List

I told you last week about how Maddie decided we should have a spot in the house to write down people who are in need of our prayer.

I was delighted with this idea! I love that it makes us think of others and makes us thankful; remembering those who are less fortunate or dealing with tough times. As soon as she mentioned it we got busy writing down names on the pantry chalkboard.

I felt our list needed a more special place, so I created one. I used word to type out a verse and a quote on card stock.

My first plan was to have it laminated but I decided to put it in a frame. My frame came from the dollar store, they have lots of  8.5x11 frames to choose from. We just write on the glass with a dry erase marker. The menu was a gift from a friend, you write on it with a dry erase marker also. That's where my genius idea came from! :)

I am in love with this project!

 ~ Shelby

Ice cream in a bag

As the weather gets warmer we love to make Ice cream in a bag.

 Fast, fun and yummy.

Here's the line up.... EASY PEASY....

ICE CREAM IN A BAG

·         1/2 cup milk

·         1/2 teaspoon vanilla

·         1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

·         6 tablespoons rock salt

Put milk, vanilla and sugar into a pint or quart-sized freezer bag. Seal well.

Fill a large, gallon-sized freezer bag with ice. Add the rock salt. 

Put the smaller bag into the larger bag and seal.

Shake, shake, shake and mix until the ice cream thickens, about 10 minutes. You can also let the kids gently throw the bag back and forth to help mix the ice cream. The bag gets very cold, so you might want to use towels to hold it. Remove smaller bag and rinse off salt. Cut the end off of the small bag and squeeze into a bowl. Add toppings like sprinkles if you wish. Enjoy!!! 


*this is definitely "soft serve" ice cream and it does melt rather quickly... almost didn't make it through the photo! You can serve it in a cup for kids so they can drink the end.

** My kids like to add food coloring! ;)

Makes 1 serving.

 Send the kids, and the dog ;) outside to run around the house a few times while they shake their bags. 

                     

Sunny Sunday and Front Porch preview

Sunday we had AMAZING weather! This cute girl asked to wash my car.

She apologized on the way to school this morning because it actually looks worse than it did before she started!! She told me to go get a real car wash today and she'd pay for it! Informed me that she just isn't that good at it yet, because she is a beginner!! Sweet girl.  Don't worry I won't let her pay for a car wash.  I don't care one bit, she had fun.

I got started on the front porch over the weekend. I sprayed the urns gray last year , they started out beige. They need a few touch ups after the winter.  As soon as we have some consistent sunshine I will stick some ferns in them.

I made this J last year also. I copied Sarah at Thrifty Chick Decor. I just stuck a cute, little, vintage owl pin into the moss.

I sprayed the bird cage white and think this little corner turned out cute. The chair is super old from my Grandma's house. I love the green and orange so I'm going to run with that color scheme here this year.

I'm on the hunt for some green and orange fabric to recover the pillow and I'm thinking I might spray the bunny ORANGE!

A few ferns here and there on the porch when the time comes and I'm set!

                                                 (look at cute Doyle in the window!)

Happy Monday! ~Shelby

Magnetic Chalkboard Pantry Door

I love how this project turned out. All you need is chalkboard paint, magnetic primer, foam rollers and patience!


I used these products.

 

Have the store shake them. Mine were settled and so hard to mix. Ask the paint department to give them a good shake to mix up the paint.

Before taking the doors down paint the inside seam with the magnetic paint, one coat of this is fine, you do not need it magnetic and do not need to write in there. This is just for the color when the doors are open.

When this is dry to the touch remove the doors and put them on saw horses or a table, how ever you can make it work. Then you go to town. You will need 3 coats for magnetic primer followed by 3 coats of chalkboard paint. Here is where the patience comes in. The coats must dry between applications. What I thought I could do in a day actually took me more like 2. You need 30 minutes-ish between coats. It does say on my magnetic primer to not use more than 2 coats of any top coat, in my case this was the chalkboard paint. I used 3. My doors are not super magnetic because of this but holds most magnets and a single piece of paper just fine.

After the doors are painted and dry, put them back up. Now you need to cure the chalkboard. To do this simply coat the entire surface with chalk, the side of a piece of chalk works best, then wipe it off.

To clean it, wipe off chalk a soft rag, or chalkboard eraser. Once and a while I will wipe it down with a damp cloth then wipe it with a damp cloth in a bit of mild detergent. Allow to dry completely before writing on it.

I have found that a cloth diaper (also what I dust with) works best because it does not leave any little fibers behind.

I have my family write down grocery items we need on there and I either add it to my big grocery list or take a quick picture with my phone if I am running to the store for a few things. I have also just added a weekly section. All our appointments are in my phone. (Cozi is a great calendar app.) I write them all on there Sunday night so the whole family can see what's coming up. Sometimes I write quotes or To-Do's on it. I also often have a little artist using it!

I changed out the knob with this cute J from Hobby Lobby. I love their knob section and their half price sales!

The door looked like this before, it was cheap and nothing special~

and after~

Happy Tuesday! ~Shelby