Bookcase Makeover!!!

Since I painted the new TV stand white, I wanted it to match other things in the room, so I decided to paint our bookcase white also!! I had just enough paint to do it too!! But let me tell you something, i am DONE painting things for a VERY long time!! :) It is a lot of work!! The bookcase was easy enough, but I'm too impatient to wait in between coats. I'm an instant gratification kind of girl :) Anywho, here is the before and after picture!!

BEFORE

AFTER

Doesn't it look better?? I took a lot of things out because it was WAY crowded.. I went to Hobby Lobby armed with my 40% off coupon and found this cute fabric:

Before I started, I had envisoned something more colorful, but I decided to keep it safe so I wouldn't alarm Alax with my decision :) I figured I could add some fun colorful accents if I wanted to later!

Then I went to the dollar tree and bought three foam boards. I cut them to fit the back of all three sections and taped the fabric onto them. Then I just pushed the board up onto the back of the bookcase! Does that make sense?? The boards were a really tight fit, so I didn't even secure them to the back..They're just hanging out back there, which will make it really easy to take out if I wanted to change up the fabric one day!

Here it is with nothing in it

and a close up to see the back a little better!

I'm happy with the way it turned out, and I have enough extra fabric to make some cute pillows for the couch too :) I think I'll make those tonight after the little one goes to bed. Stay tuned ;)

Linking up to Not JUST A Housewife!

Dresser into TV stand

So, I did this project almost a month ago, and am finally posting it :) I've seen the cutest dresser into TV stand transformations on Pinterest and have been wanting to do one for a while!! I had something very particular in mind, and wasn't going to settle unto I found exactly what I wanted. I looked every time I went to the thrift store down the street, but just never saw anything that special..untilllll I went to DI in Layton and i found it!!! It was EXACTLY what I wanted! The only downside was the price tag...$50..for an old, ugly, thrifted dresser seemed kinda steep to me!! But I couldn't pass it up :) We loaded it in the car and I went to work!! I did a lot of research on painting furniture and decided not to sand it at all!! I found a great primer that went and stayed on great!! Here are some pictures!!

Here is what we had before. It made the whole room seem so dark. It is also nice to start weeding out the cheap Ikea furniture :)

I was so excited to get started on it, I didn't take a before picture :( But here are what the drawers looked like. It kinda gives you an idea... (yes that is crayon colored all over it..)

This was the original hardware. Call me crazy, but I kinda liked them..Alax hated them though, so we changed them out.

Here is the paint and primer I used. Primer: Zinsser oil based primer. As for the paint, I had no idea what kind to get, so this is just something that seemed good at the time :) It ended up working great.

Here it was with 2 coats of primer!!!

Here it is all finished!!

I really love the detail of the bottom of it, including the legs!!

It's really a lot cuter in person!! I'm horrid at taking pictures, and I don't have a fancy camera :) but I love it so much, and besides wanting to change out the tracks on the drawers and other little things, It is exactly what I was looking for!! So don't be so quick to pass by all that ugly looking furniture at the thrift store!! It's amazing what some paint and a good chunk of time can accomplish :) Have a happy monday!! Stay tuned for another piece of painted furniture coming soon!!

Pom Pom

I've seen these all over Pinterest and have been wanting to make some for Marlee's room. I finally got around to it last night!! It took me a while to figure out how to hang them so it would work, and I don't know if i quite accomplished it, but I tried. I also got them up and realized I should have done green instead of yellow to match her room better...Oh well, It will do for now!! They were really fun and easy to make, and i bought everything I need at the dollar store!! Here's a link to a great tutorial !

I did a couple with two colors, used white thread to hang them, and instead of floral wire, I used white pipe cleaners, because I already had them lying around. :)

Apple Pie

I made the most delicious apple pie last night (if i do say so myself...) I didn't take any pictures because there wasn't much time from the time it came out of the oven to the time it was on my plate...and it wasn't the prettiest pie ever. I haven't mastered the beautiful crust technique yet.. anyway, trust me, it was delish and if you're in the mood for apple pie, give this one a try!!! I adapted a recipe I found and this is how I made it!

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 TBL all purpose flour

1 TBL cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

dash of cinnamon

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

6 granny smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced (I used the cheese slicer on my food proccesor to slice the apples)

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cornstarch to form a paste. Add water, vanilla, cinnamon, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pie pan. Mix 3/4 of sauce mixture with apples, and place in crust. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top of the crust. Bake for an hour, or until the apples are soft.

**I placed a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any drips.

original recipe

Ornaments

I've been so bored lately, so I decided that Marlee and I needed to do a little fun project together. And when I say Marlee and I, I really mean Marlee watched for all of about 3 minutes and I did the rest myself...It's okay though, I still had fun doing it myself, and she had

fun playing with her toys. win, win. I found a recipe on all recipes and made homemade ornaments!!

You need:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

Preheat oven to 325. Mix flour and salt together and slowly add in water, stirring with a large spoon. Once it hold together knead with your hands until it's soft. Roll out the dough and cut with cookie cutters or make your own fun designs!! You'll want to poke a hole in the top so you can hang it later too. I used a straw. Place on a cookie sheet and bake until hard. The recipe says for about an hour. Mine took about 40 min. Let them cool completely and then have fun decorating!!

I tried making one with Marlee's hand print..It didn't work out too well. You have to look reallllly hard to see it :)

I made a cute little snowman too!! (Yes, I have too much time on my hands...) I'm letting this one air dry.

I left Marlee alone while I took pictures...notice the upside down tray...

and my not-so-clean-anymore floor...

Well, that was my day today. Pretty fun, and gave me something to do!

I LOVE Christmas!!!!

Laundry Detergent Update and Apothecary Jar

So, I've been using my homemade detergent, and I've gotta say, it's been great!! It was a pretty thick at first, but i just stirred it a few times and it's been great!! it smells good, and feels clean, so I can't complain!

Now onto my Apothecary jar! I've seen them all over Pinterest and have been wanting one so bad!! I love all the things you can do with them/fill them with. Sooo, lucky me, I found one at Savers and got a little candlestick holder at the Dollar Tree, glued them together and, viola!!!!! I love it, and am sooo ready to decorate for Christmas now!!! So be on the lookout at your thrift stores for these cute jars, I know I'll keep looking for more!

I think it needs a little ribbon on the top...Thoughts?

Oh, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Laundry Detergent

I've been looking for little ways to save money here and there, and when I saw a recipe to make your own laundry detergent, I thought I'd give it a try! I made it today, but haven't tried it out yet. But let me say that my whole house smells amazing!! :) It was really easy to make, and according to the recipe it will do 576 loads!!! and guess how much i paid?? Right around $6.00!!! I'm sooo excited to start a load and see how it does. Once I find a really annoying crayon that is stuck in the dryer somewhere, and causing blue spots all over our clothes, I can finally do laundry again :) I'll post an update on how we like it!! Here's a link to the recipe and directions!! Oh, and for the soap, I used a Fels Naptha bar of soap. I found Everything I needed right in the detergent isle atWalmart. Enjoy, and have a beautiful Sunday!!!