Towel Rack {tutorial}

I’m slowly making over our hall bathroom. We tore down our hideous mallard duck wallpaper (you think I’m kidding…) and painted it a nice beachy blue. Unfortunately the bathroom did not come equipped with towel bars. But that’s ok! I happened to have an old backpack and coat hanger from my childhood (I didn’t need one that said “Brittany” in neon pink anymore). Plus I knew it would work better for my girls’ hooded towels.

Supplies Needed:

• Coat rack (you could also just get a board and put dowels into it)
• sponge brush
• white paint
• stencil (ignore the chipboard letters and pretend there’s a stencil there instead…I changed my mind after taking the picture)
• sandpaper

Step 1: Sand down your rack. I used a rougher grit at first and then went over it with finer, but I still purposely left some scratch marks from the rough paper to give it a worn look.

Step 3: Grab your sponge brush. Get it nice a wet. I mean, you don’t want it dripping, but you don’t want it just slightly moistened either. Dip your wet brush into your white paint and paint the wood. Let the paint dry between coats. Continue painting until you get the look you’re going for. I think I did about four coats. And I originally didn’t paint the dowels, but I decided to go back and sand and paint them as well because I thought it looked better.

Step 5: Using a dry sponge brush, stencil the words “towels 50¢” with the white paint. I had to let each letter dry before moving onto the next, so this may take a little while. If you want, you can cut the letters out of contact paper so you can paint them all at once, but I liked the look of my Helvetica stencil.

Step 6: Time to hang! If you are hanging this on just drywall, make sure you use some anchors first.  Then screw it into the wall. You want to make sure it will hold the weight of wet towels. Enjoy!

I’m linking up at these fabulous parties:

The Cure for the Common Monday, Addicts (Not So) Anonymous, Tip Me Tuesday, Pity Party, Tinkled Pink, DIY Under $5, Making Monday Marvelous, Every {Body’s} Creative Endeavor, {Once Upon a Weekend}, Sundae Scoop, Show Me What Ya Got, Fridays Unfolded, Weekend Wrap Up, Get Your Craft On

Show Off Saturday {Memorial Day}

I’m pretty sure the first thing most people think of when it comes to Memorial Day. And it makes sense! It’s a great day to get together with friends and family. My family is actually going the Southern route this year and having a crawfish boil instead.

But Memorial Day is more than just delicious food with great company. It’s a day to honor all of our fallen soldiers who have fought for our country. Here are some great ways to add some patriotism to your Memorial Day party.

1. Push Up Pops are quickly becoming all the rage. Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons has some really cute red, white, and blue ones!

2. Poofy Cheeks made this adorable sign. This would be great as party décor or just around your home!

3. Not only do these cake pops from Lady Behind the Curtain look absolutely delicious, but they’re on top of pencils too! What a fun gift for your guests to take home.

4. What kind of party is it if you don’t have games? Roots and Wings Co. came up with this super fun balloon pop game.

5. I always love décor that can be functional too, like this utensil garland from The DIY Dish. Plus you don’t have to worry about those pesky napkins flying off the table!

What’s your favorite way to party on Memorial Day?

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Tulle Pom Poms

We're slowly getting our nursery put together (yes my baby is 4 months old…what?). We finally painted the other week. I promise I'll be doing a full reveal soon.
I decided I really wanted something above her crib, but instead of a traditional mobile I wanted something that would look good in a big girl room too. So I decided to make some tulle pom poms in the colors of her room, purple and blue. (Just FYI, this is the same tutorial to make the pom poms for the princess wands from my daughter's princess party, just on a smaller scale) I love how they turned out. I think they add just the right touch of whimsy to her room.

Supplies Needed:

• Thin cardboard (I used an old cereal box)
• Tulle
• Fishing line
• Scissors
• A plate and a glass to trace for circle

Step 1: Trace the circles (the small in the middle) and cut out two identical templates, like the ones pictured (keep in mind that the size of your pom pom will depend on the difference in size between your two objects).

Step 2: Place the cardboard circles together and wrap your tulle around them. Make sure to have your starting end towards the outside circle. I think I wrapped it around about 3 times. It's up to you. The more you wrap, the thicker your pom pom.

Step 3: Place the tulle circle on the table. Carefully cut between the cardboard layers. Don't let the tulle escape through the middle hole!

Step 4: Thread fishing line between the cardboard circles and pull tight. Tie off. Make sure to leave enough line on one end to hang the pom pom.

Step 5: Attach the end of the fishing line to a push pin. Pin to ceilings and enjoy! Once I do the full nursery reveal I’ll show you what they look like in her actual room!

I’m linking up at these fabulous parties:

The Cure for the Common Monday, Addicts (Not So) Anonymous, Tip Me Tuesday, Pity Party, Tinkled Pink, DIY Under $5, Making Monday Marvelous, Every {Body’s} Creative Endeavor, {Once Upon a Weekend}, Sundae Scoop, Show Me What Ya Got, Fridays Unfolded, Weekend Wrap Up, Get Your Craft On

Show Off Saturday {Mother’s Day}

Mother’s Day may be tomorrow, but there is still time to make a last minute gift. In years past I have definitely been a last minute gifter. But I’ve rounded up some great—and easy—gift ideas.
1. I think all moms and grandma’s would love these bird’s nest necklaces from Crafting With My Cubs. They feature the kids’ birthstones to make them extra special.

2. A Pumpkin and A Princess put together this adorable, yet simple and inexpensive, vase for her mother. I love the touch the rhinestone pearls add.

3. I absolutely love the color scheme on this smoothie gift basket from Our Pinteresting Family. Plus all the little goodies inside are so much fun!

4. I think I can speak for all moms when I say the most special presents we receive are the handmade ones from our kids. And Come Together Kids has compiled a list of great crafts your kids can do for Mother’s Day.

5. If you know any moms who love gardening, then this photo flower pot from A Diamond in the Stuff would be perfect for them! What a great way to personalize something so common!

So what are some of your favorite Mother’s Day gifts? My gift from my hubby is that I’m actually going shopping BY MYSELF today for clothes! Woohoo!
And if you were featured don't forget to grab a button!

S’Mores Cups

Summer is almost upon us. And even though I love a good s’more as much as the next person, here in Texas it is way too hot to be sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows. So I came up with these s’mores cups, no fire required.

Ingredients:

• Butter
• Graham Crackers
• Marshmallows
• Chocolate Bars

1. Start by crushing graham crackers (about 1 1/2 full crackers per cup) into crumbs. Mix with some melted butter to make a graham cracker crust (I just added butter until the crumbs started to form together). Press the crumbs into muffin tins to form little crusts.

2. Place 3 pieces of chocolate (I used Hershey bars) in the crust. Top with a large marshmallow.

3. Bake at 350* for about 10 minutes, or until the marshmallow turns just barely tan (otherwise you might overcook the chocolate and the marshmallow).

4. Using a fork, carefully lift the cup out of the tin and onto a plate. The crust might crumble a little, but that’s ok because it will still taste delicious!

Apple Candy Dish {tutorial}

It’s almost Teacher Appreciation! Time to start thinking how you’re going to show your kids’ teachers just how much you love them and appreciate what they do for your child. My husband is a teacher so this is an extra opportunity for us to show how much we appreciate him, especially since we don’t have any school-aged kids yet.
So I made him this candy dish for his desk in his classroom. He fills it with candy. Wouldn’t it be so cute to give your teacher filled with gummy worms? Seriously.
Supplies Needed:

• Small Glass Bowl
• Small Terra Cotta Plate (both the bowl and plate can be found in the floral section)
• Wood knob
• Green Felt
• Brown paint
• Red Paint (you can use spray paint)
• Small Terra cotta paint (optional)

Step 1: If you want your dish sitting on a pedestal (which is totally optional) then you can paint it. I made little stripes of blue on mine. Set aside to dry.

Step 2: Paint the outside of your glass bowl red. I used tole painting paints but you could just spray it. Then paint both sides of the plate red. Set aside to dry.

Step 3: Paint the wooden knob a nice dark brown. Let dry.

Step 4: Using a strong glue (I just used hot glue, though you may want something stronger) attached the red bowl to the bottom of the pot (this is only if you want a pedestal).

Step 5: Cut out a little leaf shape from the green felt. Turning the plate upside down, glue the leaf to the middle of the top (does that make sense? Look at the picture). Then glue the wooden knob on top of that.

Step 6: Fill your bowl with candy, place the lid on top, and give to your favorite teacher!

PS...Sorry the pictures are awful! :)