Halloween "Smell My Feet" Kids Decor

It's that time of year again! My favorite season of all.. Fall! With everything pumpkin, all the stores get their holiday stuff out, and everyone becomes a little nicer (so I think). To start off October I made a cute Halloween home decoration using my daughters feet and hands. Okay this is one of my better and cuter homemade projects. I got the idea off (non the less) Pinterest and put my own touches on it. Lets get started! If you have multiple kids use each kid for each of the canvases... It is somewhat time consuming so keep that in mind it might take two days to fully complete.

What you will need

3 8X10 inch painting canvases

purple, black, orange, yellow, green and white acrylic paint

different sized paint brushes

Halloween ribbon of your choice

regular or orange burlap

scissors

glue

...and don't forget you need your little one!

How to

Step 1

Prep time! You need to paint each one of your canvases different colors. Two with a black background and one with an orange background. You may need a couple coats. Let each coat dry fully before adding the next one. Also before going onto the next step make sure it is fully dried. So be patient!

Step 2

The fun part! If your child is really little and doesn't understand to sit still, use a high chair or ask for help to keep from your little one from being a wiggle worm. I had to use a high chair! Make sure the child's feet and hands are very clean. 

To make ghost: Use the white paint on the black canvas. Paint a good layer of white paint onto your child's foot (one at a time) and place somewhat (not too much) at an angle in the center. Then take the other foot and repeat and place next to the other foot. Make sure to press down on their toes. Let dry.

To make spider: Use the purple paint on the orange canvas. Paint a good layer of purple paint onto one of your child's hands. Only paint the four fingers and not the thumb. Place in the center of the canvas with the fingers facing out. Then take the other hand and repeat. The two palms of the hands will over lap making the fingers as the spider's legs.  Let dry.

To make Frankenstein: Use green paint on black canvas. Paint a good layer on to your child's foot (one at a time). Place in the center of the canvas perfectly (as best as you can) straight. Then take the other foot and repeat. Placed side by side but with a little space in-between each foot. Let dry

Step 3

Time to add faces to these beauties. 

For the ghost: You want the toes facing down. Use the heal of the feet for the face. With your black paint add two circles for eyes and then below a bigger oval for the mouth.

For the spider: With your white paint add two circles side by side and then a "U" below for the mouth. Once that is dry, with your black paint add two smaller dots inside of the white eyes to complete.

For the Frankenstein: You want the toes facing up. With your white paint add two circles side by side right below the toes. Mix white and black to make gray and where the eyes are you want to add screws to the Frankenstein. Make a vertical line and then at the end of it make a short horizontal line with your paint brush. Then take your black paint and draw a vertical line below the eyes and then make four small horizontal lines across the vertical line. Once the white eyes are dry add smaller black circles inside them.

Step 4

Decorate time! This is the part where you can use your own creativity and make whatever design you would like. I add spider webs to my spider one and a boarder to my ghost. Do this before you write the quotes on each one and let them fully dry.

Step 5

The stressful part. This part stresses me out because I am a perfectionist and the littlest error will drive me nuts. Time to put the quotes in! In between the ghost I wrote "Boo!", the spider's quote "Happy Halloween!", and the Frankenstein "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet!". Where you want to place them is up to you but this is where I thought they looked best. Let it dry fully!

Step 6 

Ribbon time! Take your canvases with the ghost on top, spider in the middle and Frankenstein on bottom. Line them up vertically with an inch in between them. Take your ribbon and cut a long enough piece to cover the bottom all the way to the top with a 5 or 6 inches left over. You will need two of these, so make sure they are equal. Take one of your ribbons and glue it an inch from the side starting from the bottom, making your way up. (See photo). Repeat on the other side with other piece of ribbon. Let fully dry before moving onto next step!

Step 7

Flip over your canvases so they are face up. Take the top of your ribbon and make a "V" and glue together. You can make it shorter if you want. While that is drying this is the time to do last minute touches paint wise. I added a couple more layers and added a few designs to the letters. Also if you got some paint everywhere you can use this time to cover it.

Step 8

Take your burlap and make a big bow. Once you perfected how your bow looks glue it onto where the "V" on your Halloween ribbon meet. You may need a hot glue gun for this part depending on what kind of glue you are using. I also used a heavy book on top of the bow while it was drying. Cut off any remaining Halloween ribbon that you see after the bow.

Step 9

Your finished!!! Time to hang up your master piece! Don't forget to show it off!

All-Natural Make Up Remover Wipes

Okay so the majority of us ladies wear make up. Whether you wear a lot or bare minimum it is still a pain to get off! So you head to the local store to pick up a bag of make up remover wipes that cost a FORTUNE, and last a month, at most. Not to mention most of the brands dry out my face or make it too oily. What a waste of money I thought? Since I have been really into a "homemade" kick, not necessarily homemade cookies cakes and buns.. But more along the lines of cleaning supplies, beauty products etc. I haven't gone off the deep end and started making my own shoes or anything like that. The more and more I find myself looking for alternatives to high-priced, over-packaged, chemical-filled stuff. Sure it is economical but I like the feeling of accomplishment. 

After a little research I have found my own DIY homemade all-natural make up remover wipes! Also the cost is nearly more than half of what you spend on the store bought brands. All you need is a sealed tall jar, coconut oil, water and tea tree oil.

Some interesting facts I came across about using coconut oil for make up removers is that coconut oil contains Luaric Acid, which has natural antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc properties.

The process is SO simple that I am not even sure you need a "tutorial". 

 

Photo Cred: One Good Thing

All you need to do is take a full paper towel and cut it in half, and place it in a containing soaking in 4 cups warm water, 1-2 cups coconut oil, and a couple drops of tea tree oil. I like to let it sit for a couple hours or even over night before using. Just to make sure the paper towels are very moisturized and soft. 

Photo Cred: One Good Thing

Yup... It is THAT simple! I'm obsessed and in love with these that I even decorated my container to match my bathroom. Soon I'll share on how I did that with all of you, so stay tuned!

*** Tip: mix all your ingredients in a measuring cup first, mix well and then add to your paper towels. ***

Update!

Hey everyone! I decided to extend my blogging into my personal life. This main blog "Crafty Mom Couture" will be where all my DIY, beauty finds, recipes, and crafts. If you are interested into knowing what is going on in this crazy family's life, check out up top the tab called "Our Open Diary." This is just to keep everything separate and more simpler for my readers. Hopefully this didn't confuse anyone! Feel free to "like" both pages on Facebook for current updates! Here are the links...

Facebook Page Crafty Mom Couture

Facebook Page Moments Treasured With Love

DIY Instant Dry Nails

I haven't brought Olivia with me to go get our feet done just yet. Not that I am against toddlers getting their nails painted but because I can't justify spending $15 or more when she will instantly going to ruin them. I have painted her toe nails at home but they last for maybe a couple hours, a day if I am lucky! Lets be honest. After spending a half hour to 45 minutes on getting your nails or toe nails done you want them to last and look perfect. Being a mom I instantly break a nail or my toes get messed up that day. There has to be a SOLUTION!

I have tried the cold water method. Where you put your nails into iced water for a couple minutes and they are supposed to dry. Yes it is true they do try but they peel almost instantly. Finally I came across this gem on Pinterest (of course). 

Pam! You know what you use to spray your pans with before cooking?! I know what you are thinking but it really does work! First clean your foot and paint your toes or nails. Simple right? Then spray the Pam onto your wet nails and let it sit for a minute or two. Wash your feet or hands and WALA! Perfectly dried nails. I ended up using this method on Olivia and after a WEEK they are still perfectly painted! If a toddler experiment doesn't prove it to you, I don't know what will! 

Victoria Secret's Punch Drunk

After my recent post about our fun Saturday, I got a lot of feed back on my make up. I don't normally get that glamoured, especially after becoming a mom. It is easier with one kid when they are infants to get all beautiful, but the second they can start moving it starts to become a sport. Balancing your baby while putting on make up is down right HARD! Anyways, I wanted to feel like myself again and actually do my make up. Not thinking people would notice, THEY DID. Not sure to be embarrassed by it or flattered. Either way I wanted to share with you one of my favorite beauty products.

I should clarify; I do always wear make up, but the amount I put on depends on the day. The average day I have foundation, eye line, toner, mascara, and blush. Simple. (Maybe even too basic). Ever since I went to beauty school and saw all the girls rocking these beautiful, fierce lipsticks I gave it a shot. I never thought I looked good in lipstick and thought it was way too over the top on casual errand days. Boy, I was wrong! Even wearing my simple make up routine, when I added some color to my lips, everywhere I went I got compliments. Ladies even if you aren't the over the top make up user, always add some color to your lips! The results and confidence booster you will receive will instantly remove that fear.

Lately I have been into bright colors; reds and pinks. I found this gem from Victoria Secret when shopping for a bra. You know they put those little purse items on the stands as your waiting to be rang up (dang you marketing people). Out of boredom I started to check out what they had. They have several different colors but this one I found was calling my name. It is their "shine drama lip gloss" and the color is "punch drunk." Not too bright of a pink but draws the eye to your luscious lips. I'm obsessed. I probably wear this lip product the most. My review is medium in weight, you do know it is on. It does come off when you eat or drink, and I do find myself reapplying throughout the day. BUT for $5 I don't expect it to stay on all day.

DIY Savings Jar

Everyone has bank accounts now including a savings account. On Pinterest I came across this lady who turned an old shoe box into a secret savings account. Whether she found loose change or put extra cash at the end of the month in this box. She sealed it shut and couldn't see inside of it. In a year she opened it and had over 5 thousand dollars saved up! On top of her normal savings that she had going. I love this idea! You can make one for a future vacation or DIY project you have been wanting to do. I made one 4 or 5 months ago and opened it last week and we had almost $500 saved up! Now I'm making a new one and wanted to share with all of you! This is great to teach your kids to save too.

 

Supplies

Krylon all purpose spray paint (pick a color that isn't see through)

Plastic or glass jar from the dollar store (make sure it has a lid you can cut through)

Tissue paper of your choice

Glue

Ribbon

Construction paper

Emblems (like jewels or flowers etc.)

Instructions

Take the lid to your jar and cut a good size hole on top. Be careful! Mine was plastic so using my scissors worked. Not the most beautiful job but it did the trick. Then take your tissue paper and you want to double up. Meaning, cut your square to fit your lid but fold it in half so that way you can't see through it. Apply glue around the edged of the lid and neatly fold over the tissue paper. Don't forget to cut the center too! 

 

Next, spray paint the bottom part of the jar! Make sure you are in an open space, no need to breath in those chemicals. Keep your distance while spray painting to avoid paint streaks. Let it dry, both lid and jar. Once they are both dry, glue the lid and jar together and again wait for it to dry. (You want to make sure you can't access this on the daily bases. Hence gluing it all together.)

Time to decorate! Take your ribbon and trace the top rim of he jar. Here is where you can add your own touches like flowers or jewels etc. Get creative and make it your own!

I then added with my construction paper a label. (I like to label everything!) I wrote what it was and when to open it. These were the colors I chose for my savings jar. I keep it in our laundry room with my cute bright teal theme. Hopefully this sparks the creativity in you! It's a lot of fun for kids to put coins in it too. Olivia loves to help me!

Personalized Mason Jars For Organization

Hey everyone! Another easy DIY project that helps with storing things. I use mason jars for EVERYTHING! I'm obsessed with these jars. They are cute and I know they are sealing whatever I am trying to store. You can use any size mason jars for this project but I personally used mini ones for the project that I am doing. (Which is organizing and storing all my homemade beauty body products.) 

Supplies

Arcylic paint

Paint brush

Mason jar (Walmart is cheapest. I got a 12 pack for $5!)

Glue

Pen

Instructions

1. Because the lid on the mason jars are separate (see photos below) you need to glue them together. You don't have to do this, but I recommend doing this if you are going in and out of the jar a lot. Just makes it easier and less work. Carefully glue around the part where the two pieces fit together. Tip: I glued on the rim and then placed the center piece on top of it.

 

2. Once the lid is fully dried flip it over. Time to paint! Mine came with a cute circle design on the lid and I wanted to keep it. So I carefully painted only the center circle part. I ended up doing two layers and it only took about 30 minutes to dry. Make sure you wait for it to fully dry until moving onto the next step.

 

3. Take out your pen (which ever color you want.) And write what it is that you are storing. Simple right? Your finished! I love little cute touches like this for storing and organizing. Gives it an extra touch and you can choose colors to match your decor. Also, if you wanted to do different designs, add ribbon or bling to it, it would still turn out great! I kept this one simple since no one really sees it but me.

DIY Cellulite Scrub

The dreaded word cellulite that us ladies NEVER want to hear. Well I hate to be a negative nancy but every woman will have cellulite on their body by the time they reach 40. Having a 'mom' body (where I actually have hips now) I joined the cellulite club. I've tried a couple expensive creams but they haven't done much improvement. I hate when people will just say to you "go work out." Um... I run 5 days out of the week on top of yoga multiple times a week. Guess what?! It is STILL there! Being in my mid 20's I was mortified but after doing some research I found it to be quite the norm.

Back to the store bought creams. First they are expensive. Second you go through them super fast! Third it doesn't work! It did reduce the appearance but as soon as I stopped using them it came right back. I wanted something that would permanently work to help at least minimize the appearance, or if it couldn't fully get rid of it. Then I came across this DIY cellulite scrub with simple ingredients and let me tell you, AMAZING! Ladies this works! And you can find these ingredients in your house. Cheap and effective, just how I like it! First I'll tell you how to make it and then afterwords I'll explain why it works.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Ground Coffee
1/4 Cup of Sea Salt
1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil (Not coconut oil because at low temperatures it hardens)

Directions
Mix all the dry ingredients first. Then add slowly, while stirring, the olive oil. Put your scrub in a clear container; I used a mini mason jar (Click Here). Works out great! While you are showering, apply some of your scrub onto your upper thighs and bum in a circular motion. Then rinse with warm water. Do this about twice a week and you will see a huge improvement fast!

The importance and why fresh ground coffee works so well. Caffeine in the coffee reduces the redness of the skin. It also firms and tightens the surface of your skin through constriction, that is why it reduces the appearance of cellulite. Coffee even is effective for promoting circulation, preventing from cellulite to form. A lot of spas use coffee as apart of regiment. It is highly effective! TRY IT, what do you have to loose? Beside that cellulite!

Recipe credited to paluaparrish

A Natural Way To Correct Dark Spots

Summer is coming to an end (booo) and lets face it, I didn't wear enough skin protection. Did you? After pregnancy and the summer sun my face is suffering from a couple dark spots. First thing I did was go to a local thrift store and picked up a dark spot corrector. I've never used one of these before and thought this has to be simple. The smell was terrible! OMG. Which led me to look at the ingredients (thinking I was putting pure bleach on my face.) Little behold, it had hydroquinone in it. For those of you who don't know what that is let me tell you... In most skin lightening creams it is their most common ingredient. It has been linked to cancer and, ironically, ochronosis, which is known as SKIN DARKENING. Yikes! With a little research I came across a natural way to get rid of sun (dark) spots.

With two kitchen cabinet ingredients and about five minutes, you can start the skin lightening process to naturally reduce dark spots for good! Probably one of the easiest and simplest natural beauty DIY I've tried and it really works!

Ingredients
Lemon
Raw organic honey

Instructions

1. After you wash your face with your normal face wash, cut your lemon in half. 
2. Remove any of the sticking out seeds
3. Hold half of the lemon with your hand and rub the juice all over the sides of your face. (Avoid your eyes!)
4. Leave lemon juice on your face for 5 minutes or less. Much less if the stinging is too much.
5. Rinse off
6. Because lemon will dry your skin, apply honey. (You don't just want to reduce brown spots, you want to help fade the end-of-summer dry skin wrinkles too, right?)
7. Leave the honey on for as much as 20 minutes.
8. Then rinse off. 

Honey has antiseptic qualities as well, which means it helps to clear up breakouts. Bonus!! You will see a big difference after the first use, with how soft your skin will feel. I started to see a difference of my dark spots within a week. Depending on the damage it might take a couple weeks. Oh and try not to eat the honey off of your face... Just kidding! (But no, really, don't eat it). Hope this helps!

Resource credit to mommygreenest

Everyone Should Oil Pull!

This new thing called "oil pull" is becoming very popular and more people are hearing about it. But what they don't know is oil pulling is an ancient method for detox and rejuvenation. Very simple, with quite remarkable results! So what is this mystical and exciting vibe around it? What is it exactly? And what does it do? I'm going to tell you in a (coco)nut shell:

Oil pulling is not what you are probably thinking. It involves coconut oil. To oil pull, simply swish coconut oil in your mouth; similar to the way you would use a mouthwash. This can be done anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. The process attracts and removes bacteria, toxin, and parasites that live in your mouth. And also pulls congestion and mucus from your throat; which loosens up your sinus (which is amazing!!!) With the help of your saliva, all these scary undesirables bind with the oil, ready to be disposed of.

I'M NOT DONE YET! Pulling also helps re-mineralize your teeth and strengthen your gums by thoroughly cleansing the area. AND whitens your teeth naturally!

How to start? Scoop 1/2 to 1 full tablespoon of oil into the mouth; if it's cold, allow the oil to melt. Now push, swirl, and pull the oil between your teeth. Allow it to touch every part of your mouth except your throat. You don't want the oil getting in contact with your throat because it is now carrying somewhat toxic material. Do NOT gargle! Then spit into the toilet or trash can, not the sink; it can clog the sink!

You will experience a result after the first time you oil pull. You will be blowing your nose and clearing out your throat; you will be amazed how quickly this happens! I began pulling to benefit my gums and teeth. My gums strengthened, and teeth became so much whiter! In the past, no matter how much I would brush, or floss I would always end up with 'bad' teeth. The dentist hygienist actually recommended looking in to this. It has been about six months and the dentist confirmed how much healthier my gums are! The first week it did make my teeth sensitive but then quickly got used to it. Some actually help with the sensitivity, and some said it made there skin clearer and more vibrant. (Which my acne cleared up and haven't had an outbreak since.) Everyone MUST try this!

Resource credited to mindbodygreen

Homemade Natural All-Purpose Cleaner

Having a baby really changed my views on what chemicals we are using around the house and foods we are eating. Every time I would spray the 409 I would cringe thinking of all the chemicals my newborn was breathing in. Freaked me out! So I am slowly finding new ways how to make homemade all natural products. I want to share with you this natural all-purpose cleaner that is even safe for GRANITE OR MARBLE! Super easy to make and has actually saved us money. 

Ingredients
1/4 cup alcohol
3-5 drops of dish soap
5-10 drops of essential oils (optional)
2 cups water

Container
Spray bottle (you can get one at Walmart or Target for no more than $2. Or use an old cleaning product spray bottle, just make sure you thoroughly wash it out.)

Instructions

1. Add alcohol, dish soap, and essential oils to spray bottle. Swirl to combine
2. Add water and shake to mix thoroughly
3. Ready for use! Make sure you shake it good before use, just to make sure all the ingredients are mixed well.

So simple! My counters look great and I know my daughter isn't breathing in harmful chemicals.

***Tips*** If you are having problems with it drying, even after you wipe it up, try using 1/3 cup alcohol instead. Also, I recommend using a soft cloth instead of a paper towel.

DIY Children's Learning Book

Olivia has been so fascinated with books. Honestly she would prefer to have her book than any other toy. Which is great! But I noticed we had a lot of story time books and not really learning books. Which gave me a fun idea. I love doing crafts and now I can share that passion with my daughter. Instead of buying a normal learning book, I decided why not make one? It is a work in progress but I wanted to share with other moms a fun idea, super easy/cheap, and keeps the child entertained. Also, it makes it personable and super cute!

Here is Olivia's Learning Book.

Here is the inside of the book, this is all I have gotten done so far. Eventually I will add a color page, animals, fruits, veggies (you get the idea). Simple for a toddler. I put the print paper in a 3 ring page protector from 'opps' that kids have.

For The front page of it, I wanted it to be creative and personable for Olivia. So I stripped her down to only her diaper, gave her paper and some blobs of paints. At first she was very unsure about this paint (make sure it isn't toxic, she did eat some...) but after a few touches, she LOVED it! Once it dried I added some sparkly letters for the title. 

To keep the pages from sliding out, I sewed the corners and it works perfectly. To bind the pages together, I found some cute ribbon and just doubled knotted it. Easy, cheap, and down right adorable!

This seems so simple, almost too simple, but my toddler is obsessed with this book. She constantly brings it over to either my husband or I and points to everything. The best feature is that she is learning but having fun! If you aren't artistic, find some photos online to print or cheap kids magazines you can cut and paste. Use your imagination and make it your own! Don't forget to have fun!

Making Most Of A Small Workspace

I've always had a small work area for crafts and other fun projects, as in sewing, but today I needed to prepare my work space for attending school. It still feels so surreal that I am going to be a student again. Nervous, yes... But so excited! This time around it will definitely be harder because I am a mom. Challenge accepted! Anyways, I went to Target today to get a cork-board and little behold, they have a huge going back to school sale! Perfect. My husband is also in school (this is his last semester), so I ended up getting him a couple things too. I'll probably end up on going back for more things, but right now I am focused on organizing and making more room for my desk.

Here is some of the haul that I got. The two bins (which I ended up getting more of) were only $1! Perfect for a kids play room too. The pens, high lighters, pencils, and markers were only $1-$4 at most. Even the cork-board was on sale for $5. Also I got some notebooks, binders, paper organizer all for so cheap! Even if you aren't a student nor have a child in school, I would still check it out to restock the hobby/craft pile.

Here is the before and after! (Small space, I wasn't kidding). The husband has the bigger desk for his accounting work and school. Just adding those small storage's, shelf, and corkboard frees up so much more room. And it is all nice and tighty! Use your imagination and get creative when it comes to reorganizing, and making most of your small (or large) space.

The famous cork-board. This always keeps me right on track, along with my daily planner. Reminds me of important dates, and any other crazy stuff that is going on in my life. I'm seriously in love with these things! (If you couldn't tell already). Well this is my short, fast and easy how to make use of a small work space. Hope this gets your brain thinking of ways how you could get most of your space!

Coconut Oil For Diaper Rashes

The title speaks for itself! My daughter doesn't normally get diaper rashes but since she turned one she has an outbreak almost every week. Yesterday she woke up with the worst one yet! I felt SO bad. Lightly trying to wipe her, she screamed in pain. (I definitely cried with her). I have tried so many things, thinking of what was causing these out-breaks. We have changed diaper brands and wipes, journal the food she is eating. Even the pediatrician couldn't give us an answer. Also, we had tried many different types of ointments. The ones for treatment and prevention. Nothing works for this little girl, and putting all these different chemicals on her was driving me nuts.

I'm trying to become more and more eco friendly/all natural, but lets be real here. Some stuff is expensive to start and/or it is time consuming. At this point though I was desperate to give Olivia some type of relief, and I was whiling to try "odd" things. I came across an article about how much coconut oil works for diaper rashes. Being a home cook (I even make my own dressings) I knew I had some coconut oil laying around. I was very skeptical about it. I used it twice and this morning it is nearly all cleared up! Ladies, she had blisters and they are gone! Not even 24 hours. Also, when your little one breaks out in a rash, stay away from wipes (even the sensitive ones). Only use a soft wash cloth and warm water. If there is poop, use a bar of Dove's sensitive skin soap with the wash cloth and warm water to clean. Don't forget to rinse the soap off afterwords.

So now that I know this is a miracle for diaper rashes, I have mini mason jar that I filled with coconut oil. I keep it next to her changing table and now use it every time I change her diaper. It is even small enough that I can place it in the diaper bag and takes up little to no room. Healthy, cheap, and effective! I highly suggest giving it a try.

Black Out Curtains To The Resue

My daughter, Olivia, has always been a great night sleeper. Since two months she would sleep through the night, maybe got up once if her diaper was that full. Nap time has been a whole different issue. Unless you were moving (like the car or stroller) she would only take 30 minute naps. Frustrating for me and her. People would always say to me "be thankful she sleeps at night." So annoying! She needs to sleep during the day because babies are supposed to. It is essential for there mental and physical development.

Olivia has been sleeping in her own room and crib since 3 months. For some reason this caused stressed mentally for me and now (to this day) I suffer from insomnia. Which led to our investment for those expensive baby monitors that you can watch and talk to your child. Never thought I would spend that kind of money for something so simple. It did ease the anxiety I had though, so completely worth it! I noticed during her nap times she would toss and turn A LOT! So I started to research about uncomfortable crib mattresses and I came across light sensitivity.

Our bodies produce Melatonin which is your biological clock telling your brain when it is time to sleep. Melatonin is produced primarily in darkness and inhibited by light. Pretty much if it is too light for some people their bodies keep them awake. So I read this other moms blog who bought some inexpensive black out curtains from Walmart. Her son began to take naps and actually helped him sleep better at night. At this point, I said I would try anything. LET ME TELL YOU! Genius! My daughter takes naps like a champ now. We are talking about 2-3 hour naps every time (unless she is teething or feeling unwell). I wish I would have came across that from the beginning. Also, they totally made her room way cuter! If your little one is struggling nap wise, I would highly suggest trying this out first.

Chalkboard Kitchen Menu

Well I'm on the bandwagon of the 'chalkboard' making. I really wanted something creative and matching our kitchen. I've been looking into kitchen menu boards for decor and nothing was quite what I was looking for. So, of course, I made one myself! Super cute, cheap and easy! Kind of time consuming; definitely a project when the kids are at a play date or napping. I found all of my supplies at the local craft store (Micheals). I'm sure you can go to Walmart or Target for these supplies as well. Remember that this is what I choose, color wise, but please be creative and make it your own! Doesn't have to be exactly like mine.

Supplies

A medium size white painting canvas

Small bottle of chalkboard paint

Paint brush

Acrylic tiles

Chalkboard markers

Stencils

Hot glue gun

Regular chalk

Wash cloth

Instructions

Take your white painting canvas and start painting (simple right?)... Do one layer of the paint vertical, let it dry fully. Then paint another layer horizontal, and let it dry fully. I only did two layers, if you feel like it needs another layer do the opposite way you left off. Example if you did horizontal last then do vertical, vica versa.

Take your chalk (not the markers) and you are going to condition your board. Which means cover it ALL in chalk. Don't leave any space open. Get a damp wash cloth and whip it off fully. When you are conditioning it, all it means is now when you use the markers it won't stain. Again, make sure it is dry before continuing.

Get your hot glue gun and acrylic tiles. Figure out your pattern before hand and make sure it all fits before you start gluing. One by one glue the tiles around the boarder. Careful not to burn yourself (which I did.) If all your tiles don't fit and you have a small gap, find a cute flower to cover it with an emblem. See the finish project to know what I am talking about. I had to do this.

Yay! You are almost done! Time to decorate. Get your stencils and chalkboard markers and get creative! This is the fun part. If you don't like it wipe it off with a damp wash cloth and start over. There is no right or wrong here. It took me a couple times to be completely satified with it. I'm in love with this! And now my husband stops asking what is for dinner tonight (haha).