This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SweetenYourSummer #CollectiveBias
It’s been awhile since I shared some recipes, and this week will be filled with them! Today’s recipe is inspired by the upcoming month. We have a lot of family birthdays in July, and in this household, Both Eve and I have our special day.
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Pajama sets can get a bit pricey, some of them don’t have the best quality even. Why not make your own PJ pants? This is one of the easiest sewing projects out there especially if you’re a newbie. Keep on reading to find out how to make PJs!
If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time, you know that I love all things vintage. Lately, I’ve been especially fond of vintage sheets, afghans and, quilts. I’m always brimming with ideas for repurposing these treasures, and I even sell my finds in my small Etsy Shop.
I shared an article with genius ways to repurpose vintage sheets, and I fell in love with the idea of sewing pajama pants from vintage sheets.
Vintage sheets are really easy to sew and aside from that, they’re very cheap and effortless to find. Those are the top reasons why I gravitate towards this kind of fabric every time I want to create some pajama pants. I highly advise you to try sourcing out age-old linens because they remain super soft even after several washes.
Even if you wanted to buy a cheap set of pajamas from a store, you can obviously see the quality not being at its greatest. They sometimes can get too thin, flimsy, or even worse – very itchy. Why not try using vintage sheets instead? For its affordable price, you get your money’s worth, and even more!
What could be better? The soft feel of summer sheets is paired with gorgeous vintage patterns and didn’t even break your wallet! Read on to learn how to make this.
This shop, Chocolate Caramel Banana Bread, has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DelightfulMoments #SplashOfDelight #CollectiveBias
If you are ready to give up the processed snacks and add more homemade goodness, I have the recipe just for you! This incredible chocolate caramel banana bread is a must make.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EverydayCraftMoments #CollectiveBias
You may have noticed I haven’t yet refreshed my dining area as planned.
My usual design paralysis took hold, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Thanksgiving. What do the holidays have to do with home design? Well, everything.
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t come up with a wallpaper and concept that I was confident I’d love year round. As it turns out, I’m content with my minimalist dining area for now, and I think it really shines when I decorate for a gathering.
I decided to set the table for an inexpensive and easy, but glam fall meal.
I set the table with items I already had on hand: some gold chargers, white dishes, and leftover white pumpkins from Halloween.
I then added eucalyptus branches and pretty fall florals to add a pretty pop.
It’s hard to believe in just a week the kids will be back to school. I mean, WHY does summer break have to go so fast?
Summer break always seems to fly by, doesn’t it? Before school starts back, I wanted to share with you my new favorite part of school lunch making.
If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you know I love a good encouraging lunchbox note! This year, I’ve created my favorite, ever: Secret Message Lunchbox Notes!
When we moved into this home two years ago, one of the first rooms I decorated was my son’s. It’s where inspiration struck first, and I had so much fun creating custom framed engineer prints, pallet art, and industrial pendant lighting. I loved everything about it, and declared his room, “done.”
However, he has since graduated to a bigger bed…which required new bedding…and while I was at it, I decided his room was missing color, and elements that better reflect his personality. Since he’s a little bigger now, he deserves to have a new big boy room to go with it!
My design style, if I had to describe it, is an eclectic mix of colorful, vintage and updated traditional. Today I’m going to reveal his colorful / preppy / rustic / vintage big boy room. Hopefully, this will give you some inspiration on decorating your son’s bedroom and try some of the same things too!
I’m so excited to have my friend, Alicia Bertram of Berties Build on a Budget, guest posting today to share Part II: Our DIY Fixer Upper Reveal – her family’s incredible story of building their dream house, and turning it into a custom home using creativity, inexpensive resources, and lots of elbow grease. To hear how they built their own home, and the crazy sacrifices they made to get out of consumer debt while they did it, please hop over to read Part I of their story!
Last week, I shared how our family built our own home, nail by nail, all while making some incredible sacrifices to get out of consumer debt. This week, I’m excited to share with you the pretty part of our journey – that is, our DIY Fixer Upper reveal!
Pinterest is a girl’s best friend. Am I right!? I knew I wanted to put special touches in most of the rooms but also knew I had to keep our budget in mind at all times. The most important thing I could do in the planning of our house was to first decide how I wanted the house to FEEL. Our last house was dark, choppy but cozy. The dream I had for this space was bright, open and airy. A space that you walk in and just take a deep breath. Cool tones, light wood floors, clean crisp lines and simple.
So here’s what we did:
Entryway: Summer of 2015 we went out to my parents farm where we pulled approximately 500 square feet of barn wood off the barn. It now covers the ceiling of our exterior entryway and also our range hood. We also turned an inexpensive antiqued decoration into a light fixture!
All Photos by Licia Marie Photography
Lately I’ve been a bit obsessed with all things vintage. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed me sharing lots of my favorite finds. My love of vintage bed sheets may or may not have become intervention-worthy, but I can’t wait to share these 15 genius ideas for repurposing vintage sheets!
My mother is a quilter and because of that, I’ve developed an appreciation for vintage quilts, afghans, fabrics and linens.
The deliciously soft texture of the worn fabric, the delightful colors and patterns just make me smile.
Since I’ve become somewhat of a minor hoarder, I’ve been doing a lot of research on how to upcycle these lovely finds.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing simple ideas for upcycling items that have a lot of life left in them with you here. You’re not going to want to miss a single thing, I promise!
Well, hello there (as the sign says)! Today I’m sharing a tutorial for my latest home project: a DIY Letter Board. If you’re been wanting to create a marquee board for your entryway, kitchen, or even a kid’s room, you’re going to love this project!
If you follow me on Instagram, it probably comes as no surprise that I create custom, year in review photo books for my kids each year. I’ve documented my passion for capturing everyday moments, but what good are they on my computer where nobody gets to enjoy them?
Today, I’m sharing the lazy mom’s way to make year in review books.
Plan the ultimate Peppa Pig picnic party with these Peppa Pig birthday party ideas.
When planning my youngest’s 3rd birthday, it was a no-brainer to choose a Peppa Pig theme. She loves the show and her favorite outfit has Peppa on it.
After researching lots of Peppa Pig birthday party ideas, I came up with a picnic theme. Since her birthday is in March, we brought the outdoors indoors for the celebration!
When guests entered our home for the party, they were invited to try on a pair of rain boots for size to jump in muddy puddles.
I used inexpensive craft paper for the puddles and wrote, “We LOVE jumping in muddy puddles! Try on a pair for size and play with me!”
Today I’m sharing how I made my own DIY custom cookie cutter, for my daughter’s Peppa Pig birthday party, for less than $1.
I’m planning a Peppa Pig birthday party for my youngest, and knew she would get a kick out of themed cookies. There are some great Peppa cookie cutters online, but I didn’t want to pay for a cookie cutter I planned to use just one time. Instead, I decided to make my own DIY custom cookie cutter.
Any serious blogger hoping to work with brands and advertisers needs a solid media kit. But if you’re fairly new to this game, you might be wondering where to start? Never fear! Today, I’m providing a free media kit template for bloggers.
I recently just made my first media kit. After a few years of casually blogging, I decided it was time to get serious – and no better way than making a media kit for working with others! I customized mine in design, color and content to match the branding on my blog.
Family is important to us and we live a little too far from the kids’ grandparents for our taste. Now that both Dub and Eve are writing I want to encourage them to work on their letter writing and communication skills via snail mail. To help them (and your little writers), we use letter writing templates for kids.
I’ve searched high and low for letter writing templates that will work for young writers and have struggled to find a template with prompts that are appropriate for casual letter writing.
Many are specific to summer break (we love this one, especially for non-writers), summer camps and travel which is great but doesn’t work year round.
So, I created these letter templates that I’m really happy with.
The friendly letter template includes writing prompts that cover the things we talk about at home at the end of each day: what they’re learning at school, their feelings at the moment, and the best and worst part of their days.
I also added a “weather today” section, just for fun, and an area for them to just draw, which is their favorite part.
With different writing prompts the kids don’t feel like they are writing the same letter again and again.
You can find our letter writing templates for kids below.
Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are the obvious first choices when thinking about who your kids should write letters to but don’t forget about friends that live close by.
Start a neighborhood pen pal program when your kids are preschoolers. It was so great for them to have friends their own age in the neighborhood that they could easily walk to visit. When they get older, they can write letters about shared interests, weekend plans and stories about school.
Another idea is for the kids to list things they want to do with their grandparents when they visit. This way, they can start thinking about and looking forward to their next visit!
If your kids are hesitant about letter writing, have them start with a postcard. They can be found almost anywhere (we even have some from our travels that the kids love to send) and are less intimidating than a full sheet of paper.
Another great way to ease into letter writing is with a fill in the blank letter. These are great for younger kids or those just getting started.
You can also hype up the writing process with cute kids writing paper, special stamps and some washi tape.
And don’t forget that you can always encourage your kids to write letters by writing a few yourself!
I hope these templates help your young writers and that you enjoy getting letters in the mail as much as we do!
Do you have friends and family members who live far away? Are your kids starting to interact with pen pals, or heading off to summer camp? This template is for you! I’m sharing them here for my subscribers. Enjoy!
Moms who want to get in and out of the kitchen quickly, you’re going to love these vanilla almond sugar cookies! The texture of soft almond sugar cookies just can’t be beat and they are so simple to make.
As you may or may not know, I am not the girl who will make a recipe twice if it’s complicated. Not only that, but I tend to ruin sugar cookies. Yes, it’s true. They came out dry, thin, and don’t even get me started on the way my cut out cookies would look when they didn’t hold their shape!
Let’s just say the kids were not impressed. If you have a history of sugar cookie Pinterest fails like me – there is hope. These sugar cookies with almond extract are here to save your baking reputation.
Recently I attended a holiday party at my friend’s house and she kindly passed the recipe to me when she noticed I couldn’t. stop. eating. them. Oh my gosh, the flavor!
They were perfect vanilla almond sugar cookies. Soft, thick, and just a little chewy. There are so many creative ways to decorate them too!
My favorite part of this recipe is that this dough doesn’t have to be refrigerated before cutting out cookie shapes – it’s perfect for impatient bakers like me! Or, you know, your kids. Ahem.
As soon as I got my hands on that recipe, I had to try making them myself. So easy. The kids loved making the different Christmas shapes and decorating them and the time spent together in the kitchen was a total mom win.
It’s almost time to send the kids back to school! And while that may be an exciting time for moms, kids sometimes need a reason to smile during the school day. Enter these sure to make ’em giggle lunch box jokes. If you have a Minecraft lover in your family, print this free Minecraft printable out today!
Dub just loves clever jokes and puns. When I asked him what he most wanted me to pack in his lunch box for his first day of school, he told me he wanted a Minecraft joke. Your wish is my command, kid.
I love the idea that my guy is enjoying a laugh at lunchtime with the Minecraft characters. Maybe he even shares them with his friends and they talk about how hilarious they were. I don’t know, it could happen.
Lunchbox: Happy Jackson
After searching Pinterest I found there aren’t many options out there for Minecraft lunchbox printables, so I created one on my own. And today I’m sharing it with my wonderful subscribers!
Here’s a few of the “punny” jokes included:
Q: How does Steve chop down trees with his fists?
A: How wood I know?
Q: Have you heard of the creeper who went to a party?
A: He had a blast!
Okay, okay. Even if you don’t get these hilarious jokes (humble brag), your little Minecraft lovers will. Let’s be real, anything we can do to make their day go a little better is worth its weight in gold. Or is it goldfish? You get me.
To use these kids’ lunch box jokes, just click the link below and save the file to your computer. Then print the cards out and trim them.
If you want your printable lunchbox jokes to be a bit more sturdy, and be an excellent weight for a mini airplane for the playground, use cardstock to print them out.
Add one of the jokes to your kid’s lunch and voila! Mom of the Year!
They also make great notes for afterschool snack time, to tape over the bathroom sink, or for a long car ride. Jokes are always appreciated.
Click the above image or use this link to grab your copy of the Minecraft lunchbox jokes freebie.
Want to see more printable resources like these? Let me know in the comments below!
Like these printables? Be sure to check out my other free downloads and inspo:
DIY Minecraft Lego Steve Favors
Be Minecraft Printable
DIY Minecraft Birthday Party
Engineer prints are a great way to design a boy bedroom, bringing custom touches through large photo prints on a budget.
I’m very slowly beginning the process of decorating our new home, and focusing on the areas where inspiration strikes me the most. Dub’s room is the one I have the most concrete vision for, and I knew exactly where I wanted to start when I saw this idea for engineer prints for a boy’s room.
I immediately set out taking images of the things most important to Dub. He loved being able to be a part of it in this way.
He loves Legos, video games, and the Wilson brand holds special inside meaning for us
I was able to order the engineering prints online by sending the images to the FedEx Kinkos copy store.
I ordered 18×24 engineer prints. 
For Dub’s birthday this year, he wanted everything Minecraft. He also loves Legos so, naturally, Lego Steve from Minecraft seemed like the perfect party favors.
I did a lot of research trying to find an easy way to do this. To be honest, I was hoping there would be a sale of Minecraft Lego lots on ebay that would allow me to phone this one in, but it was not to be.
So, I ended up making a Minecraft Lego Steve myself using the Lego Pick-A-Brick feature.
While you can do this in-store if you have a Lego retail location near you, they have a varying selection, so I saved myself the trip and did my shopping online. I wanted to be able to have all the pieces I needed for Minecraft Steve! This is where I insert my Lego PSA – I found out after I placed my order that Pick-A-Brick orders can take up to 18 business days! That’s almost a month! So, this Lego Minecraft Steve favor only really works if you are planning out by at least a month to ensure your Bricks get to you in time.
Here’s what I ordered to make 15 favors:
Item#, color – quantity
For the pick axe, I had to go to Ebay where I got a great deal paying $1.47 total for 15 axes. That brought the total to $26.21 for 15 favors, or $1.74, each. (I didn’t see any swords or pick axes in the Pick-A-Brick section when I was ordering. They do have a “mini Fireman’s axe” or a “warrior weapon,” though.)
Then, I went to work making a face for Minecraft Steve in PhotoShop. I measured it to the size of the 2×2 Lego and then I printed it on Avery label paper. Removing the paper backing first, I cut down each face sticker to the exact size and then replaced it on a small square of the paper backing to place in the favor bag.
I took a photo of the complete Lego Minecraft Steve to include with all the kits. The kids had a lot of fun putting Lego Steve together while they were still at the party, and had a great time showing off their new toy when they were done.
I placed the Legos in a small jewelry ziplock bag. Then, I made a simple tag that I stapled to the top of the sealed bag as a finishing touch.
This was a huge hit among the 6 and 7 year old crowd!
While this Lego Minecraft Steve party favor does take a bit of advanced planning, you and your child will will have so much fun sharing these unique and fun activities for the kids to do!
Thinking of making a Lego Steve for your Minecrafter’s party? You can get a head start by downloading Steve’s face here (compatible with Avery 5260* labels), the finished Steve image inserts here, and the favor tags here. Enjoy!
MORE FREE MINECRAFT PRINTABLES: Like these printables? Be sure to check out my other free Minecraft Printables here and here.
Find my other Minecraft Birthday Party posts here:
DIY Minecraft Birthday Party
Minecraft Tinsel Tassel Bunting Tutorial
These bible verses about home can be used for a house blessing for new construction, or used to decorate your home with scripture.
Several weeks ago, we decided to have a little family house dedication on our new home under construction by writing verses that held meaning and hope for our family. A new home blessing, if you will.
I originally got the idea from a young adult Christian book series I read and loved when I was younger – the Glenbrooke series by Robin Jones Gunn, and this per
In the book Wildflowers, the main character is fulfilling her dream of opening a business, and invited all of her friends to the property before renovations for a blessing party.
They prayed, sang worship songs and wrote scripture right on the walls, studs, and sub-flooring.
I absolutely loved the idea that the blessings they wrote and prayed for would forever be etched in their memories.
I knew that if I ever built or renovated a home – I wanted to do something similar.
I love the idea that as we walk through the finished rooms of our home in just a few months, we’ll remember the verses written on the foundation of each room we enter.
And, maybe someday many, many years from now, a different family might have occasion to see the blessings written by us under the carpet or on the wall studs.
Today I’m sharing inspirational bible verses for a new home blessing.
