A Budget Friendly Fall Decoration

Posted on October 6, 2017 by mommaalwaysknows

If you’ve read any of my other posts you’ve probably gathered I am a HUGE fan of Fall. It is, without a doubt, my favorite season. I’m not sure if it’s because as a child I loved school and back to school and fall go together like Peanut Butter & Jelly. Or maybe because I went to Notre Dame where football is life and football starts in the fall. It could be because I LOVE fall clothes and fall scents and fall food – okay, it’s probably all of these things!

That said, I can’t wait to start decorating my house for fall every year – and come Labor Day my house it “Fall-a-fied” which often seems strange since I’m now in the South and it’s still almost 80 degrees here on October 2nd!

I could easily spend hundreds of dollars on fall decor each year but that just doesn’t work for our family – okay, it doesn’t work for my husband and my boys kinda like having food on the table, so I guess that means it doesn’t work for our family. But I still want to add new decorations each year and I want them to be classy and pretty not cheaply made and blah!

Since I love a good Mommy Arts and Crafts project, this seemed like a perfect way to add some fall to our front porch and not break the bank!

What you’ll need:

4 of those pumpkin buckets you can get for $1 at Walmart
Spray paint of your choice – I used a Rose Gold color that I grabbed for less than $5
Some sort of floral arrangement – you could make your own but I grabbed this one at Walmart for under $6. I ended up grabbing a few of the flower picks and adding them after the fact. Also, you may need something for it to sit on to be the right height.
Rocks or something to weigh it down (especially if your’e keeping it outside)
Hot glue gun (if you want it permanently stacked together)
Permanent adhesive stickers with whatever you’d like on your pumpkins – you could easily skip this step!

Remove the handles from the pumpkins – I had to get our a pair of scissors because those straps are tough y’all!

Get to spray painting! I did several light coats of the spray paint on my pumpkins. Follow the instructions on your can – mine said to wait a minute between each coat and to wait 24 hours for it to be fully dried!

Originally I filled the pumpkins with some of those landscape brick pieces we have a huge pile of on the side of our house. Side note: NEVER use those to landscape – they are a pain in the behind to get rid of when you’re sick of them! Even glued together the pumpkin was blowing over so easily. After MUCH trail and error the bottom pumpkin has a small can of paint in it, the next has a TON of those brick pieces, the third has three tubs of plumber’s putty and the top one has more of the brick pieces. That seems to have worked best for us but it also means I’m not gluing it together. That hasn’t been a problem so far!

I made sure to line the faces up and turn them toward the back – they are less noticeable when they are painted but they are still there!

I thought about leaving it plain because it did look nice that way.

But, after much debate, I went with our last name for the top pumpkin and “Happy Fall Y’all” on the remaining three! I used a navy vinyl for everything but our last name – which I just used white.

I LOVE the way this looks (well except for the fact that a round pumpkin makes it hard to apply the vinyl straight when you’re rushing and “fall” is a little off – but from the road it looks okay.)! It looks like it cost WAY more than the $18 I spent on it. It was easy enough for me to do during two naps times as well!

I haven’t finished our porch yet – I need to get some fun pumpkins & gourds & maybe flowers to add to the bale of hay!

If you’re looking for something to add a little touch of classy fall to your front porch and not break the bank grab these supplies and spend a little bit of time making this fun pumpkin decor!

DIY Dish Towel Apron

Posted on August 22, 2015 by mommaalwaysknows

Have I really taken another summer “off” from the blog? How do I keep doing this? Well, to be fair, we had some pretty exciting things happen this summer!

There was this:

And then just a few days ago, this:

But now that I feel more human and I actually have a bit of energy left over at the end of the day after chasing Lucas around all day I feel like I’m ready to get back to it.

This first post back isn’t super exciting, but something I worked on back in FEBRUARY!

In case you didn’t know, we love Disney in our house. Okay, I love Disney and Lucas loves Disney but Daddy isn’t a huge fan! He puts up with it though because it makes his wife and son happy and that’s what matters. We took Lucas back to Disney World for his 2nd birthday and had a dinner at Chef Mickey’s planned. I wanted a cute outfit for him to wear but wasn’t sure what to do (and I didn’t want to spend a million dollars). That’s when I found this dish rag (yes, you read that right) on clearance at Target and this was how our Chef Micky’s outfit was born. It will actually be heading back to Walt Disney World with us in September when my mom and I take Lucas for his third visit.

Honestly, this was the easiest project and cost under $5. We haven’t used it as his apron when we cook together at home (because I’m trying to keep it in good condition for our next trip but once we come back it will probably be what we use for cooking. And it’s made so it can kind of grow with him, which I like.

**Disclaimer: This was the first time in like a year or maybe two that my sewing machine had been out – I was feeling pretty rusty and the stitches are NOT the best.

Here is what you’ll need:
Dish Towel
Ribbon
Scissors
Thread
Sewing Machine

(Or skip the thread and sewing machine and use the no sew iron tape)

First I ironed out the wrinkles from the towel (this is my least favorite part and I never do the best job).

Next I held the towel up to Lucas and measured down to where his armpits are and did a simple corner fold. I gave us a little room to grow (it’s higher on him now than it needs to be). I did a simple stitch about 1 inch away from the diagonal fold on the outside edge

Then I cut along the stitching to get rid of the extra fabric.

I wanted to add a pocket so it was just a simple fold up at the front of the apron. I sewed both sides together. I wanted to get a little “fancy” so I added the fold over back down at the top.

After that you just thread the ribbon through the folded down corners – I didn’t even tie it off at the ends, but you can if you’d like.

After that all I needed was the Chef Mickey’s logo, which I found online and did a reverse image of to print onto iron on transfer paper.

Two minute later and this was our final product:

Lucas was just he cutest little Chef at our Chef Mickey’s dinner this past February and I can’t wait for him to wear this again in September!

Pantry Organization – My Latest (and GREATEST) Organization Project!

Posted on February 13, 2015 by mommaalwaysknows

This post has been a long time coming! Before Christmas I started getting really frustrated with how messy our pantry was. And L’s art supplies. And the playroom. And our guest bedroom. But alas, I digress! The pantry was in need of some help. I tried to organize it a little before the holidays but made a promise to myself that after the new year I would do something about it.

I began to pin inspiration and then I started some Amazon Wishlists. After I priced out my Amazon Wishlist I realized my husband would probably file for divorce if I spent $450+ on reorganizing our small pantry. With that in mind I changed up my game plan but still ended up with a pantry I love. No, really, ask Darrin, I talk about how much I love that pantry All. The. Time!

So first things first…what did our pantry look like before? This wasn’t as bad as it was before Christmas but it still makes me a little shaky just looking at the picture!

{BEFORE}

So not awful, but take a look at this beauty!

{AFTER}

And a view from the side:

Y’all I am totally in love! The whole project cost under $200 to complete. So yes, I get that may seem like a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a pantry but we had some Christmas money and Darrin said I could do what I wanted with it (he really is a gem!).

Now let’s break down what I did so you can recreate my masterpiece in your own house.

I was really, really coveting the OXO Good Grips Pop Containers but since they’re close to $20 each I decided I needed to rethink that aspect. I ended up going with Better Homes and Gardens Flip Tite storage containers that you can buy at Walmart. I purchased a few of the sets (4.5 cup, 7.5 cup and 10 cup containers) and then some individually (2 cup, 4.5 cup, 7.5 cup, 10 cup and 11.5 cup). I really, really like these containers. I wasn’t too sure of the quality at first but I asked some people who had used them and they had positive things to say. I’m so glad I went with these and saved some money. The 3 containers set was only $15!

Next I needed to get something to hold cereal and oatmeal. Darrin loves his cereal so I went with two 1.5 gal containers for cereal and another for the oatmeal. I really like the Rubbermaid Cereal Keepers I ended up choosing! **As a side note, I made sure I put the waffles/pancake mix recipe on the Flip Tite container and the oatmeal cooking instructions on the Rubbermaid container just so I knew I had them.

My baking supplies needed some organizing as well. I found these great containers at TJ Maxx for my flours and sugar. I ended up using more Flip Tite containers for the rest of my baking item.

Next up was finding some baskets to store items that I couldn’t put in storage containers. I ended up finding some really nice nesting baskets at Old Time Pottery for a great price! I also ended up needing more than I thought so I had to make multiple trips.

I also needed something to hold our tupperware-type containers. The baskets I bought just weren’t big enough so I made yet another trip to Old Time Pottery and found that awesome black and white bin you can see at the bottom left of the AFTER photo. It was perfect!

The last step was getting some labels for the baskets. I had a vision of what I wanted but I couldn’t find them anywhere. I ended up going with plain Avery Shipping Labels and making them a little fancier with markers!

Here are some more photos of the finished product:

After it was all said and done I realized I needed to do something about our plastic bags so I hung a 3M hook on the back of the folding door and they fit perfectly! Plus they are out of sight, which I love.

I also chose not to label most of my storage containers. This is because what’s in them changes often. I even keep an empty one or two in the closet to fill as needed. I didn’t want to have to peel labels off all the time when I went to wash the containers.

The basket containing my oils and vinegars also has honey and hot sauce and a few other things like that. It can get pretty messy so I made sure to line the basket with some aluminum foil to keep the mess contained and easy to clean up.

I thought about painting the inside of the pantry but didn’t want to have to deal with drying time. Then I thought about using contact paper to add a design to the walls but after a disastrous experience trying to cover our kitchen table with contact paper I decided to give up that pipe dream and just let it stay white! Maybe someday, when I do Pantry Organization 2.0 I’ll add some color!

So now our pantry is super organized and finding what I need is so easy. Plus I know when we’re running low on something and I need to get some more. And on top of that it’s so pretty to look at and makes me super happy! I did this several weeks ago and I STILL smile when I open the doors.

And there you have it, my organized and easy to use pantry! Life is just so much simpler when things are organized. And with a toddler, a husband and three dogs I need all the simple I can get!

Do It Yourself: Homemade Carpet Powder

Posted on January 8, 2015 by mommaalwaysknows

Some of you may know that we have three dogs. If you don’t, well, now you do. Now, unless you have three dogs, you may not realize what a mess they make. The shed, they track in dirt, the don’t believe food should be kept in their bowls. It gets a little crazy keeping up with them.

Before Lucas was born I used a lot of carpet powder to help keep the carpets looking clean and the odor at bay. Once I had a sweet precious baby who was laying on the floors and then crawling everywhere I just didn’t feel comfortable using it anymore. I was always so afraid I’d miss a spot vacuuming and somehow Lucas would get some in his mouth (I was a crazy first time mom worrier!). So I just stopped using it all together.

About a year ago I was introduced to the world of Essential Oils. They have changed the way I treat injuries and illness and even how I clean! With just two ingredients I have started using carpet powder in my house again and my carpets (and my nose!) are so grateful.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Baking Soda
Essential Oils (I used about 25 drops of lemon)
Mason/Canning Jar (with lid)
Poster Board
Hole Punch
Knife

This is really super simple to make – it takes about three minutes!

First, add the baking soda to your mason jar – I had a 32 oz jar so I filled it almost to the top.

Add in your essential oil. Like I said, I used about 25 drops but you can adjust it depending on how strong or mild you want the scent to be.

Use the knife to stir it up.

Then I took the sealing part of the lid and used it to trace a circle in the poster board.

I cut it out and used my hole punch to make holes. I only have a 3-hole punch so my holes are all around the perimeter but you cut put them where ever you’d like.

Secure the hole-punched poster board with the screw on portion of the lid and you’re ready to go! See, I told you it was super easy.

I’ve refilled my jar a few times now and played around with the scent a bit. I am loving this natural, kid friendly and awesome smelling powder.

If you haven’t used oils before, there are several places you can purchase them. Just make sure they are of a high quality. I purchase mine from a local shop, but I have a lot of friends and family that use Young Living Essential Oils. My friend, and fellow blogger, Christa has been a great resource for me in learning about oils. You can find out more about Young Living and even place an order by visiting Christa’s site, Love Little Oils.

Are you making your own cleaning products? Share some of your favorite “recipes” below!

MommaAlwaysKnows

Mom knows best…because she said so!

Category Archives: DIY