Mini-Mantle Makeover + Front Closet Fun

You might remember my recent mantle makeover HERE.  Once Halloween had pasted I wanted something a little more Autumn feeling and did a quick switch up.

I moved a few things around and took off a few things.  I found the silver frame on the left at Goodwill for $2.99... it was brown and hideous so I spray painted it silver.  I eventually want to put the glass back in it with a photo or a piece of art but until then it's framing the vase and flowers I stole from my dining room table.   

The picture frame on the far right was one I just had laying around, so I found a free printable that is a countdown to Thanksgiving and has a place to write what we are thankful for each day.  My kids have loved this!  They enjoy taking turns choosing what we will be thankful for each day and it's nice to see what they come up with.  We just write on the glass with a expo marker... think I'll be saving this for next year.  

Yesterday, I randomly decided I was going to make over the front coat closet.  It's a place that never gets much attention and always seems to be a mess.  I recently found a small shelf at Goodwill for $2.99... seriously I think I'm addicted to Goodwill shopping I've been to 4 different ones this week!  Anyway, I found this shelf that I wanted to use for the shoes and then I picked up a cute hook rack thingy to put up for the kids to hang their coats on.  Because honestly what 3 year old actually hangs their jacket back up on the hanger?  So before I hung that up I wanted to paint the closet.  The final product was great and it was nice to start and finish a project in one day.  

I decided on a dark color because the wall was covered in black scuff marks from the kids throwing their shoes in the closet, and because I had a whole gallon from a previous project ;) .  I added the stripes for some color, that happened to perfectly match the color I spray painted the hook rack.  

Here is the BEFORE: 

And the AFTER: 

The rack is tucked inside and is a perfect height for the kids to hang their jackets. 

I didn't plan on a makeover on the shoe shelf, but after painting I realized I wasn't gonna be happy with the plain wood.  I ended up spray painting the edges and sides of the shelf.  On the shelf I Modge Podged on some fabric I dug out of my basement.  I like how it adds a pop of bright color.

Overall I'm really happy with the changes... and thinking I might have to give the upper half some love down the road.  

Fall Decorating on the Cheap

I love the idea of holiday decorating but I hate the idea of spending money on something that is only going to be up for one season.  After a few too many hours on Pinterest I was dying to make something festive happen.

I decided the mantle would be the perfect place to start, this is what I started with. (pretty much... I had replaced the "C" with a new one, and added the candle sticks)

I started with the garland.  I've seen so many fun tutorials on making these and I wanted to give it a try.  I started by searching the house for any scrap fabric or felt.  I ended up using felt to hot glue the candy corn triangles together.  I kept the triangles uniform my making a paper pattern to cut out all the flags with.  The black triangles were also felt and the polka dot fabric was from an old curtain.  To connect them all together I ripped a piece of scrap grey fabric about 1.5" wide, then glued down all the triangles on the bottom half of the strip.  After they were all glued on I went back and folded and glued down the fabric.  It was fast and simple and I didn't have to get out my sewing machine :)

I wanted to stick with a black, white, with hints of color scheme.   I stole the tree picture from my bedroom and pulled my other black and white canvas out of a closet.  Then I headed outside to gather some branches.  I just snuck those into the empty white frame and taped them down on the back inside of the frame.  I printed out a crow silhouette and laid it on some black felt to cut out.  Then taped it to the branch and a little tape on back to the glass on the frame.  The branches really added a nice touch of dimension that I liked a lot.  Not too bad for FREE. 

After feeling successful on the mantle I decided to spice up my dining room table.  This is a room we don't use very often but I have to walk by it all the time.  With 4 kids running around decorating has to be strategic... well, unless you like cleaning up glass.  I decided to try something that I normally wouldn't do in a more high traffic area in my home.  

I used a curtain that I folded under to make the table runner.  For the "tree trunks" I wrapped a few vases and a straw dispenser with some white paper and then used a black marker to make it look like an Aspen tree.  Then, back outside for some more branches.  The flowers were left over from a wreath I made so I thought they might add some nice color.  

Total cost for this... $3 if you count the flowers that were used for a different project.  

The Best White Elephant Gift EVER!

Here it is, after 15 minutes of cutting and sewing a pair of yoga pants... I created (with inspiration from THIS VIDEO).... the JOG STRAP!

This was my first one that I made for our Crossfit Christmas party. 

I assumed that most people had not seen the video so I included some instructions... 

 

Today my friend called in need of a white elephant gift... so I told her to bring over a pair of yoga pants  and we would make another jog strap.  This time I took some decent pictures to show you ; )

Late Night / Nap Time Crafts

I don't know what got into me yesterday but once the kids were in bed I went to work on some fun crafts and the next thing you know I'm up until 2 am.  

I made this letter? letter wreath? monogram? Not sure what to call it... that "W" thingy. 

I made this for a craft exchange that I'm doing.  It will end up somewhere in Texas with a nice lady named Summer W. 

Then onto my Winter wreath.  I bought the wreath a few weeks back at a yard sale for only $0.50, I've been wanting to decorate it ever since I got it.  So I braved Michael's with my four children on Friday and somehow was able to walk out with some super cute flowers and snowflakes which were all 50-60% off yay!  I wrapped it in some fabric from an old curtain. Then started hot glueing like crazy.

When I was done I was so excited I wanted to hang it up.  I got the hook up and then tried to hang it... I ended up dropping it about 4 times before I actually got it on the hook.  Needless to say there is a nice dusting of glitter on my floor ; ) 

 After my night of crafting I just couldn't stop so today I pulled out a blank canvas and made myself a Christmasy painting.  I think I have officially fulfilled my creativity itch for the month.

The Great Failure

Recently I've been having many conversations with women about how difficult it is to be a mom.  The constant struggle of trying to keep the house together, the kids alive, the husband happy, the laundry done, and looking beautiful during all that.... not to mention all the others things but I don't want to bore you.  Then, we are constantly bombarded with images of all these amazing ideas on Pinterest of perfect mommies making beautiful food, having super organized homes, and children that are surprisingly clean and stylish.  In the midst of all this I find myself feeling like a failure on a daily basis, and in talking to other women about this subject I have found that I am not the only one in this boat of failure.

I began to think about the things that make me happy and bring a bit of light to my dark world of failure.  I am a photographer and I LOVE photographing people, I think photos are priceless treasures that capture moments in our life that will never happen again.  Being honest with myself I also enjoy when people compliment me on my work.  It brings a smile to my face and makes me feel great!  As a mom, I feel like it's almost wrong to take such praise when I have failed day after day in house work or disciplining my children but the other day I realized why these small moments in my life are so important.

If you don't read any other part of this blog this is what I really want to share....
"The reason we need to do things we are good at is so that we can be reminded that we are not failures." 

We all have something we can do well... some of us can run fast and long and that makes us feel good. Some of us are creative and can make things that people rave over.  Some of us are just amazing at throwing a party that people talk about for years.   We all have something that we know deep inside that we do well and when we choose to take the time to do those things in the midst of giving everything we have to our families it keeps us from flipping out.... literally.

I'm not suggesting we give up on our families or being an amazing mom, I'm just suggesting that we pay attention to when we need to give ourselves a reminder that we have amazing beautiful wonderful gifts inside of us that need to come out.  I've told my husband many times that I don't want to get lost in the world of taking care of everyone else and end up not even recognizing myself.  In turn he has supported me in my creative endeavors and moments of being myself.  I don't think it is fair to us or our families for them not to see who we really are... honestly what is that teaching our children?

I would love to hear what some of the things are that make you feel good about you, or that make you who you are... please leave them in the comments, you might just remind someone else of something they love that has been lost over the years.

*Why not end this post with a hilarious picture of me taking pics in the dark morning hours with my snuggle bugs?*

Father's Day Craftiness...

UPDATE: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GREAT GIFT I AM OFFERING THESE CUSTOM MADE MEMORY BOARDS FOR $40 +shipping.  CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFO: jesscoffelt@gmail.com

I was trying to think of something original for Andrew for Father's Day.  I remember him saying he wanted to eventually have a frame with pictures of all the kids as babies.  Then, I ran across this idea (where you can order your own customizable print here)...

**photo credit: Connie at www.thememorygallery.etsy.com***

that I really loved.  So, I decided to combine the two... what's better than important dates + a photo (a picture is worth a thousand words)?  Not to mention this would greatly increase the chances of my husband remembering all of my kids birthdays... I don't blame him for forgetting there is A LOT of them.

I had a piece of wood left over from a previous project that was a nice long rectangle shape that just happened to be about 10" wide and about 30" long.  Then, all I had to do was track down some pictures add some dates and format them 2 to a page on an 8x10 photo.  After googling a coupon code for Walgreen's I had the prints ordered for 40% off the normal price : )  Then, after painting my board black I cut the photos in half and Modge Podged them to my board.  I have to admit it was embarrassingly easy and quick.  I love the finished product and so did Andrew.

The dates include:
#1.  The date that he confessed to me that he had loved me for 2.5 years... mind you I thought we were just friends the whole time. *(this story should probably be a post in the future)

#2. Our wedding.  The quote "the promise to out serve" is what we committed to as a couple before we even got married.  That the rest of our lives would be dedicated to out serving one another... it's worked out pretty great so far : ) .

#3. Our first baby Marinn + the meaning of her name.

#4. Our second baby Taurin + the meaning of her name.

#5. Our third baby Shaw + the meaning of his name.

#6. *see a pattern yet?  Our fourth baby Blaize + the meaning of his name.

I did this project on my own but you could easily involve kids on this one,  it would be pretty hard to mess up.

To add something special I wrote a note to Andrew on the back telling him how much I appreciated him as an amazing father to all my babies.  Then had all the kids sign their names (well, the ones that could) and we traced their hand prints.  I'm not a big fan of cards because they end up in a box somewhere or the trash, this way the sentiment that would be in a card ends up in a permanent place on the gift.  Not to mention it saves you like $4.99+.

Cork Board Project

I found this great 30"x 42" cork board on Craigslist for $10, it had never been used and it was in perfect condition.  

 I almost forgot the before picture, but here is what it looked like before.  I think cork is very boring so I thought I'd spice it up.  

 I did the back round color in a flat finish, and the design was metallic of the same color.  I drew out a template for the design I wanted and cut it out.  I would just lay the template out and paint about an inch around it, so the template wasn't getting covered in paint, I also didn't want the pattern to be perfect so I wasn't super concerned with following the pattern exactly.  

I am not a naturally organized person, so it has been my goal since becoming a wife and mother of four to learn some organizing skills.  I found this great website called iHeart Organizing and printed out some great free printables that will help me keep track to appointments during the week, meal plans and a few other things. 

My fabulous cork board is now hung in my kitchen and ready to keep me on track.  

Nap Time Crafts: Jewelry Hanger

I met up with my sister today to pick up some coupons she snagged for me, as we were having a quick chat she mentioned she wanted to make her own jewelry tree or hanger.  I expressed how much I needed one as well and after hearing her fabulous idea I said, "Let's do it right now."  So.... we did.  That's right, we forgot about the dishes, checkbooks, laundry, and other mundane household chores and decided to create something much needed and awesome.  Her idea was to get a piece of board and paint it fun and add some large nails for hanging the jewelry on.  

We headed to Home Depot and found a sheet of plywood that was thick enough for some heavy duty nails but not too heavy to make it difficult to hang on the wall.  Home Depot gladly did 2 cuts for us giving us 3 jewelry boards! Two boards 12"x 34" and one 14"x 24".  We also picked up some 1 1/2 inch nails with a nice large head, and some metal picture hanging brackets for the back.   

Total cost: UNDER $20!!! 

We painted a base coat of black (this is my favorite back round color, everything looks amazing on black!).  And from there let our imaginations wander.  

This is the one we made for her roommate, it's a bit hard to tell in the picture but the birds are a metallic silver, and the large dots you see are the nails.  Now, the only difficulty we had with this project was getting the nails to stay.  Some of them went in nicely but others would seem in and you would move onto another and they would start popping out, if I did this project again I would consider using screws or smaller nails.  You also had to be careful how far you pounded them in because if you got them too deep they would come out the other side of the wood.  

 This is my sisters... it will match her bedroom perfectly and I LOVE these colors.  She did a great job painting it, but we ran out of time to get the nails in so she took it home to finish that part.

Here is mine... I was so excited to hang it up that it was still partially drying when I hung it on the wall. I painted my nails black so they would blend in and you don't really even notice them when you look at the painting.  

Here is a side shot so you can see how much the nails are actually sticking out and the thickness of the board.  I only painted the head of the nail, but because the angle of the light it looks like the whole nail is painted black when you see it on the wall.  

I love that we were able to combine art and function all in one inexpensive project.  It was such a fun surprise for my day and I'm so glad we were able to accomplish 95% of it during nap time... SUCCESS!!!  Thanks to my sister for the fabulous idea and willingness to set aside her full "to do" list and join me in the creativity!  

Before and After Fabulousness!

So a while ago I purchased a great dresser for the girls room... and thus began my first furniture make over! 

Here is the before pics that I almost forgot to take... there were gold pulls on these drawers

 Here is the dresser with some primer on it...

After the beautiful aqua spray paint : ) I was in love already. 

Then from some fabric I had got inspiration for these cute trees. After many layers of pink and yellow I finally finished yay!! This is what held up the process the most. 

 

Here is the close up of the schnazzy handles that I love! 

 What goes better with a cute dresser than an newly refreshed head board?.... no before pic here, but it was just a plain white head board before.  We (me and my sister...a pro upholsterer) added 4 layers of batting and then this super cute fabric accented with some brightly colored rick-rack. 

A close up of the cuteness : )  We completed this all in just a few hours soo rewarding!

After finishing up the head board we got inspired to start the quilt that started it all... and finished it in just 2 days of working a few hours here and there.  All it needs now is a backing and to be quilted :)

 

This flower is applique' ...it's the first time I've ever attempted it and I was pleased with my results.

 This isn't the girls bed... just need some muscle to get the room moved around and then we'll have a final pic with all the components all together : )

Soo... after 2 days of finishing the dresser painting, making a head board, and a quilt I'm feeling accomplished and so excited for the girls new colorful room.

Advent Calender

I was wanting to do an advent calender for the kids this year and I was trying to find one that was inexpensive to make.  I found a great idea HERE ....and after a few hours of hard work between me and my mom it was complete! I think it turned out great and I am just happy to have one complete before the 1st : )

 Here is a side view so you can see our fancy pockets....

Materials: 

-1 cereal box for base

-1 Rachel Ray Christmas magazine issue for pics on pockets

-Wrapping paper to cover the cereal box 

-Ribbon for hanging

-Black card stock for pockets

-Glue stick for attaching pics
-Hot glue to secure pockets

I found ALL these items around the house so.....
Total cost: $0.00 yay!!

Valentine's Creations...

These are some cards I made for the girls for Valentine's.  I really like how Taurin's turned out. On the back I made it look like the back of an envelope.  It's amazing what you can make with a piece of white paper and a few crayons. 

Nothing says I love you quite like a heart pancake.  These were my last 2 and they had the best shape of all of them.  I think it was because the batter was a bit smoother and runny by the end.  Definitely a better consistency for making hearts.