DIY Centerpiece Box

For some time now, I have been wanting to either find or build a wooden box for our dining room table. I've seen a lot of smaller planter boxes used as centerpieces around the blog world and really loved how cute and functional they appear to be. It wasn't until recently that I decided to make one using some left over scrap wood we had stored in our garage. 

I actually just used some 1x4's we had left over from a picture frame I made years ago...it was falling apart and I ended up saving the extra wood after taking down the frame. Glad I did because it saved me a few extra bucks! Since we already had everything on hand to create this project, it cost me nothing but time. My kind of project! :)

I had my little helper available to hammer the nails to the board. She really loved that part and did a good job!

Once it was put together, there were a few areas that still needed to be stained. Thankfully, I had some left over Espresso stain from a previous project (used to make those picture frames). 

I also decided to add some handles to the side using pulls we already had.

I simply love how it all turned out! Now we have a place for all of those Mason jars I've collected. :)

If you are looking to spruce up your table, give this project a try! It's super simple once you have all of the materials and it's totally functional as well!

Some Large Photographs for the Dining Room

Recently, I found out that Staples not only does B/W engineering prints, but they also make engineering prints in color! I was pretty ecstatic to hear about this and had to give it a try!

One day last month, my family and I went to Colonial Williamsburg. The weather was a little bit overcast and windy, so we didn't stay too long. However, I was able to snap a few photos while we were there and decided to try a couple of them out in the colored engineering prints that Staples offers. 

I have to say that for the price, you can't beat this! The photos might not look 100% clear and may be slightly fuzzy, but you wouldn't really notice unless you look up-close. I don't think anyone will be looking that closely at these pictures in my house. And if someone notices, they can get a cookie. ;)

Also, I paid around $7.00 for BOTH of these prints which is pretty fantastic given the size ordered- 18"x30". That's a pretty good price for the size if you ask me!

To give these prints a little bit of that "canvas" look, my daughters and I shopped around the Dollar Tree, of all places, and found a large poster board that I cut in half. 

This is what the poster board looked like after it was cut in half. The size was what we needed for each print.

Regular ol' tape did the job of keeping the prints attached to the poster board.

I just used a few small nails to hang up these pictures and that was it! I haven't decided if I am going to make wooden frames for these like what we've got in the stairwell yet. I think they don't really need them, but it might make them "pop" a little bit more among all of the neutral colors.

Although, flowers do help add some color!
My husband bought me these beautiful red tulips and I love how much they add to the room! :)

If you decide to give these engineering prints a go, let me know what you think! Overall, I'd say it's worth a try if you are looking for large prints at an unbeatable price!!

DIY Wooden Frames- On the Cheap!

I have mentioned before that Staples offers some inexenspive B/W prints. Each one comes in a pretty large size to start. 

To my surprise, I just learned that they now offer colored engineering prints for under $10. I will be sharing more about that kind of print soon, but for now I want to share how you can create inexpensive frames for those engineering prints- so here it goes!

Once you order your prints and pick them up at Staples, wrap them around some inexpensive canvases. I purchased ours at a local craft supply store. You can secure your pictures either by stapling them or even taping them to the back of your canvas.

So here is how you make the frames.
Once you have your print and canvas ready, take some 1x2's (I purchased these at Lowe's) and measure the size you need to frame each canvas.

Next, take a and simply cut each 1x2 to size. Take a few small nails and hammer the 1x2's together to create your frame. (Just make sure to double check your measurements before cutting!)

Once the frames are done, make sure your canvas print will "fit" inside of the frames.

Stain each frame/wood piece using whatever stain you prefer.
I generally love to use Minwax Provincial stain. This can be found at any hardware store. I think we got this one at Home Depot. A little bit goes a long way.

Once your frames are dried and you've placed your canvas print inside, they are ready to hang!
I hung ours on the wall going up our stairs. A small nail did the trick since each one of these pictures/frames is pretty lightweight. 
That's another thing to love about this project! You don't have to worry about anchoring a heavy photo or frame to your walls.

I decided to place 4 on this wall. And I believe I chose the 18x24 prints for these pictures. 
All in all I'd say the total for this project cost roughly $20. And that also includes the frames!
Because we had the stain already on hand, I didn't include that in the price- BUT even if you do, this is still a pretty inexpensive project that makes a HUGE impact!

So if you are looking for a pretty quick and easy/inexpensive project, give this one a try! It makes for a rustic yet personal project that can add some character to your home. :)

And They're Off....

the training wheels, that is!!!

One day, after school, my kids wanted to play outside with our neighbors (something we've been happily doing a lot since the weather has been pretty nice). My oldest asked me to take her training wheels off, and I was pretty hesitant...mainly because I didn't think she was ready yet. However, she was pretty persistent about it, so I took them off. With a little help, she was riding without training wheels in about 10 minutes. 
I couldn't believe it! 
So, of course, like any happy mom, I had to take tons of pictures and a couple of videos- because it was a pretty exciting!!

This little booger was trying to catch up with his big sis- but also making mama a little nervous with how quick he was to run out onto the road!

She just loves riding her bike even more now than she did before. It even encouraged her sister to give a try riding her little bike without training wheels. But, she is still pretty young, and can't do it yet. :)

Here is a picture of her after she first learned to ride her bike without her training wheels:

You can see from this photo that it was a pretty warm day...which is unusual weather for late February. Needless to say, we are having pretty cold weather this week...but as soon as it warms up again, you can bet this girl will be back on her bike riding around like a boss! ;)

Kids are pretty amazing, I have to say. It always seems like they can do the unexpected. And I'm not saying that riding a bike without training wheels is unexpected...but it wasn't something we encouraged her to do that day....she just decided she was going to learn how to do it and with much determination, did! 

Where does the time go?!