found the perfect teacher Halloween costume!

In my previous post, I talked about how I was Boo'ed by a fellow blogger. I mentioned a few of my favorite October things, and one of them was my Costumes board on Pinterest.

Looking through the costume ideas again, I noticed one that I had completely forgotten about. The Book Fairy! It's the PERFECT teacher Halloween costume!!!

This is the Book Fairy Costume I pinned from Lilliedale.
She has a complete tutorial on how to make the costume on her blog!

Isn't that adorable?!? Unfortunately, I might not even be in a classroom this year for Halloween. I say might not, because the long term substitute position that I am doing could start any day! The Title I teacher I am taking over for is due to have her baby November 1st. Maybe I should start working on this costume, just in case. ;)

I know that some schools don't allow students and staff to dress up for the holiday, but this is one of those costumes that could work for other events. I mean, what better way to get your students excited about books! I can just imagine how engaged students would be if the "Book Fairy" showed up every now and then to read aloud to the class, or teach a lesson.

I wonder what other teacher costumes are floating around out there. Let the hunt begin!

jazzed up some drawers!

I have to take a moment to show off another one of my pinterest projects. It's one of my favorites because the end result is pretty fabulous for such a simple project. Also, I didn't have to go out and buy any supplies or materials!

Here's what you need:

• a Sterilite Cart (or any brand of the plastic drawer carts) - I used the clear, 3-drawer model from Target. I actually received this as a gift at my baby shower.

• Scrapbook paper - You could also use wrapping paper, but I wanted to make this very "little-boy-friendly" and had the perfect pack of designs amongst my stacks. It included images of tire treads, flames, camouflage, etc.
• Mod Podge - A crafter's best friend!
• Paint Brush - to spread on the Mod Podge, of course.

I made sure to wipe down the outside of the cart so the Mod Podge would stick well.

The trickiest part of this project (and it's really not that tricky, actually) is tracing a template of the drawers to use as a stencil. I used a piece of cardboard out of my recycling bin and just trimmed and snipped until it was a nearly perfect fit.

Once I had my template, I simply traced it on to three different sheets of paper, then cut out the shape.

Using a paint brush, I spread an evenly thin coat of Mod Podge on the backs of each paper and stuck them on the outside of the drawers. I should mention here that I tried to stick one on the inside, thinking it would be less likely to succumb to wear and tear in the future, but it didn't look the best through the plastic, so I removed it and started over.

I let the paper dry for a few hours...I didn't need to wait that long, but wanted to be sure it was completely dry. Then, I used the paint brush again to spread another thin, even coat of Mod Podge to the outside/top of the paper. This helps seal the paper, and gives it a protective coat. Therefore, I shouldn't have to worry so much about possible wear and tear after all.

After being so excited about how well it turned out, I decided to cut out another template and attach another design to the top of the drawers.

Overall, I was very happy with the end product. If my son, Jack, could talk, I'm sure he too would tell me how awesome his new drawers are.

Right now, I'm using them to house Jack's clothes that he hasn't quite grown in to. When he gets a little older, I'm thinking...matchbox cars in the tire tread drawer, Lincoln Logs/blocks in the lumber drawer, and other "tools" in the top? We'll see.

I got this idea from pinterest. You can check out the original repin from Angela Aldridge here.

gave it another try with magnetic makeup boards.

You might have read my earlier post about how I made a Magnetic Makeup Board. I was pretty pleased with the outcome of the project, originally found on pinterest - of course. However, as I mentioned before, I didn't pay much attention to the cost of the project. What was I thinking?!? I'm out of work and living on a pretty tight budget these days. Shame on me for being so impulsive!

Well, I didn't let that stop me from giving it another try. This time I was MUCH more aware of how much I was spending on materials, and in the end, I actually made a little bit of money, but I'll get to that later.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I drove south a few hours to attend a friend's birthday party. On the way, one of us spotted a huge thrift store, so of course we had to check it out.

Let me stop to explain something here. My husband is OBSESSED with finding and buying records. He has everything from SesameStreet to Johnny Cash to ZZ Top in his growing collection. So anytime we come across a thrift store or garage sale, he has to stop and "take a look at the records".

Of course, I don't mind. I usually have my eye out for a specific item or two myself. This time, I had picture frames on my mind. So I was ecstatic when I found 4 new frames for $1 a piece! If you remember, I paid $5 for the one frame I used in my first project, so already I was off to a great start.

Another big change I made to the project was adding fabric to the sheet metal, instead of paint. I found some discount fabrics at a nearby craft store for about $5.50/yard. I figure I can cover about three boards with each yard. The only downfall to using the fabric, is that the magnets with the stick-on backs aren't strong enough. So I had to buy stronger, and slightly more expensive magnets from my local True Value Hardware store.

With my first board, I kept the original bracket on back of the frame to hang it on the wall. Unfortunately, it only had one bracket on the center of the back. Well, this made the entire board move back and forth on my wall every time I took makeup off or put it back on. With my new boards, I bought some small brackets (the ones with the little teeth) and attached one on each corner in the back. This solved the problem and keeps the board pretty stable and tight to the wall.

The one thing I still can't figure out, is where to find a cheaper pencil holder to keep the brushes, eyeliners, etc. in. I'm afraid to admit, I caved in and bought two more from Walmart at almost $4 a piece. I really like these, but when I brought them home, I realized the magnets they come with are also not strong enough to work through the fabric. So, I had to super-glue four stronger magnets to the back of each holder.
I know what your thinking, did you really save any money on materials, with all of the extra magnets, and the expensive pencil holders? Well, not a lot, but I did save some. In the end, I decided to only make two boards, and to keep my eye out for cheaper pencil holders.

Drumroll, please...

 

 But, if you remember, I also said I made money on these! It turns out I'm not the only one who thinks these boards are pretty fantastic. I sold them for $25 each, within 24 hours of making them!

I have a feeling there will be more Magnetic Makeup Boards in my future. :)

made a magnetic makeup board.

I've decided that if I'm going to continue to be completely addicted to pinterest, which I am, I have to start making an effort to at least make/create/test out the pins that I've added to my boards.
I can't tell you how happy I was with the results of my recent pinterest project! It's a magnetic makeup board, which I pinned several months ago here. Unfamiliar with these? Well, if you're like me, you've kept your makeup in some kind of basket/drawer/bag/container in your bathroom. The problem I've always had with this kind of storage is I find myself having to rummage through the makeup each morning, searching for whatever it is I need. Things end up on the bottom of the basket and I forget about things that I don't use on a daily basis because they end up buried under my everyday items. Let's not talk about how disgusting the bottom of the basket gets after awhile. I don't know how, but it always seems to get so full of gunky powder. I know I put the lids on tightly, but it happens, nonetheless.

Enter the Magnetic Makeup Board! By attaching magnets to the backs of my makeup containers, purchasing a frame, attaching some sheet metal backing, and making it cute (of course) I was able to get all my makeup out of the basket and on the bathroom wall; spread out, organized and easy to see and grab.
The project was relatively simple. I have to start by giving a huge thanks to my father for providing me with the sheet metal, which he also cut for me. I know that saved me time and money I would've spent getting it from a home supply store.  I LOVE MY FATHER!!! :)

I will admit, besides the money I saved on the sheet metal, I know I spent too much for the other materials. But, you have to realize I live in a very small town and other than True Value, the nearest store is a Walmart, 20 miles away. So, I bought most of the materials on impulse because I wanted to try this out right away! If I would've shopped around a little more, I know I could have made this project much cheaper.

Materials:
I bought my frame, pencil holders, and magnets from Walmart. The frame was $5, and pencil holders (with magnets on backs) were almost $4 a piece - YIKES! The magnets were about $2 for 10 (these came with stick-on backings). The Rust-oleum spray paint was bought at my local True Value store for about $7. Of course, I will use the paint for other projects.

Assembly:
Like I said, I had my father cut the sheet metal to fit the frame. He just took out the glass and traced/measured it to fit. I then used the Rust-oleum spray paint on the frame, sheet metal, and pencil holders. I let them dry overnight. The next day, I put the sheet metal in the frame, like you would the glass. Finally, I attached the magnets to the backs of my makeup (and bobby pin container). I found the perfect place to hang the makeup board on my bathroom wall, and was SO excited when I got to finally stick on all of my items. It worked like a charm!

Results:
I use the board every day and no longer have to dig through my basket! I admit, I was a little worried about having my makeup on display - maybe my husband wouldn't appreciate the whole idea as much as I did, but it was all good. It looks neat and organized, and saves me a few minutes getting ready each morning, and you can't beat that!

I'm so happy with how it turned out, I plan on making more for my friends. Only next time, I will be on the look out for some garage/thrift sale finds.

has joined the blogging world!

I often wish I had kept track of every single thing that has ever inspired me to do something, think a certain way, create something, or react a certain way. Since my discovery of pinterest, I guess I’ve been able to do just that. Well, okay, not everything that inspires me comes from something I find online, but lately, quite a bit. Anyway, after pinning and repining for the past year and two months [1,606 pins and counting, to be exact] I have realized that I’m just not satisfied with collecting pictures and links to things that have inspired me. No need to panic! I will never bail on pinterest and plan on continuing to add to my boards on a weekly daily basis. I LOVE PINTEREST!!!

However, I have come to the realization that I need my own place. I need a place to write/talk about what inspires me, a place to share a little bit of the story behind my creations and designs, a place for me to empty my head out every now and then in order to make room for the constant ideas and thoughts I have pouring in, and a place for me to share the sources of my inspiration.
Welcome to that place! I am so excited to join the blogging world! What a WORLD it is! My knowledge of how to start up a blog and make it look like some of the other fabulously adorable blogs out there... is not quite there yet. All great things have to start somewhere, right? Well, here I go!!!