More Christmas Printables!

I guess I'm in a printable kind of mood.  I love creating them, and it's such a great way to really personalize your home decor any time of year.

I created two printables that you can use together or individually, based on John 3:16 & 17.

Take a look:

I know these aren't considered traditionally "Christmas" verses, but I believe they are very fitting. 

Aren't we amazingly blessed to be so loved by our Creator?

Click on the images above to DOWNLOAD.

Tip & Tricks: Fall Kids Crafts

It's that time, again, and this time we would love for you to link up your fabulous kids crafts!

With the kids being out of school this week, they may have a tendency to get a little bored while everyone else is cooking. With your help and your kids craft tip and tricks, boredom will be busted!

Don't forget to follow all of your hosts.  We all work hard to put this party together and want to be able to stay connected!

Heather - Stringtown HomeFacebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Bloglovin'
Jessica - Prairie Girl to Southern BelleFacebook/Followgram/Pinterest/Bloglovin'
Jonell - Like Gramma's HouseFacebook/Pinterest/Bloglovin'
Kathleen & Samantha - Fearlessly Creative MammasFacebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Bloglovin'
Ursula - Kraft MintPinterest
Denise - Stl MotherhoodFacebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Followgram
Karissa - A Fresh Start on a BudgetFacebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Bloglovin'
Gina - Gina's Craft Corner
Christa - Controlling CrazinessFacebook/Pinterest
Leslie Monroe - Be Simply BetterFacebook/Twitter/Pinterest/LinkedIn
Amy - Trip Worth TakingFacebook/Pinterest/Twitter/Instagram/Bloglovin'
Wendy - A Daily Dose of Del SignoreFacebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google+/Bloglovin'/Instagram
Krysta - Krysta Steen.comFacebook/Pinterest/Instagram/Twitter

Get ready to show off your handmade gifts next week!

Weekend DIY: Boy's Bedroom Makeover

We had a great weekend! I hope you did, too.  

Any time that we do some DIY I have a great time.  You know how it is.  

This weekend the project was less than $100, and we made over a whole room.  

Yes! Less than $100! Crazy, right?

It was maybe more of a mini makeover, but it made a dramatic difference in the younger boy's bedroom.  

Let me refresh your memory on the before sitch:

We had the bunkbed happenin' and they stayed a major mess. They were hard to make up, and they stayed piled with junk all the time.

 

There was just TOO MUCH STUFF to really be able to make the room look neat, and not nearly enough storage. 

Awesome signs were just stuck in corners where they didn't really stand out.

I made the Drop Cloth Cockpit (which the Littlest loved), but it just encourage more piling of junk behind the flap.

So, there were lots of problems that needed to be solved.

1. De-crapify the entire room

2. Make the beds more user friendly for the actual users. The Middle-un is 13 now, and he is tired of climbing up into bed every night.

3. Curtains!

4. Organization after de-crapification.

We were in project mode when we got up on Saturday morning.  Even with grocery shopping and a birthday party on the to-do list, we were determined to get it done. 

And, much to his chagrin, the Littlest had to help out with the de-crapifying. It's mostly his junk anyway, so he should have a say in what stays and what goes (with me having the ultimate authority, of course). He did great! He was ready to donate lots of things that he wasn't ready to let go of just a couple of months ago. We were even able to toss lots of McDonald's toys. Yea!

We would never throw away books, but we are donating a ton of them.  Both of the boys that share this room are readers, so we are always going to need more room for new books.  

Then, we un-stacked the bunk bed for easier access for the Middle-un. He had been saying that it was getting harder and harder to climb up with out waking his brother up. Problem solved.

Since we un-stacked the beds we had to reconfigure their storage in the corner of the room.  There were two corner units that we took out completely, and just shifted the dressers and hutches around.  

Now for the ridiculous number of pictures with more explanations. 

This is what the beds look like un-stacked.  Notice how the posts on one bed come up higher? I don't really care.  I doubt most people would even notice it!

I kept the same bedding and shifted the plane wall art to the middle of the wall.  We added the C's above each bed with reading lamps mounted beneath.

So far, we have spent $22 dollars on the lamps.  Everything else we already had.

We moved the map that was thumbtacked to the wall down a bit, and used pine boards to frame it out.  We simply nailed them to the wall, securing the map beneath.

The boards were about $13 at Lowes. 

Total, so far, $35.

You can see that we moved the propeller to wall with the window, and now you can see the prop from the hallway, which I like. There were no curtains in the room, so I bought a rod and a single flat white sheet at WalMart. I simply ripped the sheet down the middle and hung each half with clips, folding in the rough edge. 

The rod was about $14, and the sheet was $10. Now we are up to a whopping $59!

We took one of the hutches off and it's now being used between the beds as a stand alone shelf. We moved the dressers to be side by side, and relocated the Charter sign to this wall. Eventually, a small tv will reside where the globe is sitting.

I bought a few more fabric bins (which are empty right now!), they were only $4 each and got 3. 

$59 + $12 = $71

That's the total! 

I know that it's not a complete makeover, but it really makes such a difference in the room.  It feels so much bigger without the everything being so high in the room.  The bunks were up high, and the wall units were massive in the corner.  Now it feels much more spacious and more suitable for older boys.  

We were able to store all the Littlest' Legos in bins that he can slide under his bed. And, now we are working on putting away bins before getting out something else.  

Since we finished, he has spent a lot of time in here.  He loves his reading lamp, and the signs above the beds.  The Middle'un is thrilled that he doesn't have to climb anymore.

Over all, it's a big hit. And, we didn't break the bank or our backs.

Note: The wall color looks absolutely awful in the pictures! It's really not that green. It's more of a khaki color. 

What room do you need to give a good de-crapifying to?

Linking up:

Shabby Creek Cottage House of Hepworths The 36th Avenue Design, Dining, and Diapers Funky Junk Interiors Tatertots and Jello Six Sisters Stuff 

Skip To My Lou Craft-O-Maniac That's What Che Said The DIY Showoff Under The Table And Dreaming Flamingo Toes Thrifty Decor Chick 

SNAP! Show & Tell Someday Crafts Somewhat Simple Todays Creative Home Stories AtoZ The Owl's Skull  The "PIN IT" Party @ Creative Geekery The Girl Creative Weekly Creative Inspiration Serenity Now The Best Blog Recipes Live Laugh Rowe Lolly Jane Chef In Training Home Coming-The DIY'ers

My Favorite Christmas-y Fonts

Fonts add so much personality to any DIY artwork that you create and they add fun and and spice to invitations and greeting cards.  But, there are many holiday fonts around that are a bit over the top; covered with illustrated snow drifts, stars, ribbons, and more. 

I love the decorative fonts that are a little more understated but still interesting and different.

Here is a collection of some of my favorites that will be fun to incorporate into any of your projects for the holiday season.  

Have fun using them! I would love to know how you plan to use them!

Cherry Swash

Holiday Springs

Janda Cheerful Script

Maratre

One Starry Night

Plum Script

Ritz Condensed

Santa's Big Secret

Santa's Full Sleigh

St. Nicholas

31 Days: Artwork, Family Style

Hey, Everyone! So sorry I missed getting to hang out with you yesterday. The Littlest was sick and I was tending to him and dealing with a migraine. Yuck.

I hope you got to read the guest post from my niece.  It's too cute.

You can go HERE to read all of the posts in the 31 Days Series, too.

Today is all about artwork for your home that can really showcase your love for your family.

There are so many ways to do this and I want to share some of my favorites.

This Scrabble Family Art from One Creative Housewife is great, and it would be really simple to do with scrapbook paper and scrabble tiles.  She used a stencil to create the background, but I'm a sucker for using scrapbook paper in projects to simplify the process!

via One Creative Housewife

Here is a great idea from a lady that I don't think has a blog. But, she knocked this gallery wall out of the park! Also, she explains what she did in her description on Pinterest. I'm linking here to her board on Pinterest that is all about her craft room.

via Pinterest

This Family Tree from Leaves of Love would be a great idea to create when your whole family is together. And, it would make a neat keepsake for grandparents.

via Leaves of Love

I still love all the different interpretations of Important Dates artwork, and there are so many to choose from on Etsy.  I like this one from A Custom Design with the "First Comes Love" rhyme included:

via Etsy

This one that has the "family" math is really cute, too.

via Etsy

There are just all sorts of ways to display your love for family in your home. 

What is your favorite?

31 Days: Our Family Rules and a Free Printable

First of all, don't miss out on THE Pin It Party going on right now! 

Get your project linked up!

For a while, Family Rules art was really popular.  I'm sure it still is, you just don't see as much of it floating around blogs and Pinterest as you did.

Before I started this blog I saw the family rules art of Shaunna over at Perfectly Imperfect and fell in love.

via Perfectly Imperfect

Her version was pretty time intensive since she cut each strip of paper and layered all of them.

But, I knew I could come up with something that wouldn't take as much time and be pretty inexpensive, as well.

Family Rules 

These rules are super important to our family. 

No, we don't recite them every day, or really even look at them.

But, they do say a lot about who we are and what we believe in.

We owe our thanks to God for everything that we are and everything that we have. That includes each other. 

We strive to teach our children responsibility, respect, and wisdom to make appropriate choices.

I truly want my boys to speak kindly to their friends and each other, and encourage one another when things are hard.  (Um, sometimes that one is easier said than done!)

Our children know that listening to what we tell them and doing as we ask it extremely important for our lives to run smoothly and for their safety.

Friendship is one of the most valuable gifts that God gives to us. Friends extend our family, and bring such joy to our lives. 

I always tell my children that if they are doing their best, then I am a happy mama.  I don't ever expect perfection. After all, I'm not perfect, either, and I never hesitate to give myself an "Oops" when I need one. 

Creativity (and fun) is a big deal in our family. (Obviously!)

Creativity sparks new and interesting ideas, and keeps us learning all the time. 

We should all be ready to forgive one another.  We have been forgiven by Jesus Christ and offered the gift of salvation without doing anything to deserve it, so we should be willing to offer grace, and ask for it, when necessary. 

We say our prayers at every meal and every night.  Our boys all take turns saying grace at meals, and it warms my heart to hear them talking to God.

God is the center of our home and everything that we do.  Without Him, we would be lost.  

These rules reflect our values and our beliefs.

God

Family

Friends

I love it.  

My version fits us perfectly.

I created it on the computer and ordered a large print for framing. 

If you would like to have your own copy, I'm making it available for download for free.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

DOWNLOAD FAMILY RULES ART

THE Pin It Party #24

Welcome to THE 25th week of THE Pin It Party! 



Let's try something new this week! For every post you link up, please pin another blogger's post! So if you link up three posts (which I hope you will), please be sure to pin three other posts!



Have you "liked" THE Pin It Party yet?

Have you been "pinned" at one of our TWENTY FOUR parties? If you can't remember, be sure to check our THE Pin It Party - The Best of the Best Pinterest board. We have a surprise for you! Grab one of these babies and add it to your sidebar or to your featured post. Yay you!

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Are you interested in co-hosting THE Pin It Party? It is a WHOLE lot of fun and a great way to grow your Pinterest following. Go here to get more information and to reserve your spot now! 

Grab the code for our button here!

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1. Please follow the host and co-hosts on Pinterest.

2. Send out a tweet about the party! Just click here: 

3. "Like" THE Pin It Party on Facebook by clicking on the button below. 

4. Grab the party button above and add it to your blog's sidebar or link up party list.

5. Post 1-3 links to your blog's most "pin-able" posts from the last few weeks. (Please, no links to other parties, giveaways or shops please. If you are an ETSY shop owner, come back this weekend and link up at the Weekend Blog Block Party!) 

6. Mingle! Reach out to somebody new and pin their stuff. You never know when you will meet your blogging bestie!

7. Have a FABulous day and come back next week for more Pinterest fun. XO 

Host: Ellie @ Creative Geekery

Co-Hosts:

Kristin @ One Organic Mama 

Amy @ Life is a Trip Worth Taking

We will each choose our three favorite posts from the party and pin them to this party's collaborative Pinterest board: THE Pin It Party - The Best of the Best! Woot woot! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Month in the Rear View Window

Can you believe it's already October?

This is my favorite time of year and I am so looking forward to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the the BIG ONE-Christmas!

But, right now, I thought we would look over the highlights from September.

I shared these yummy Brown Sugar and Cream Cheese Breakfast Rolls really early in the month.  

My kiddos loved them.

Then we revisited my super simple Mini Command Center that hangs in our hallway.

And, I showed off a re-use for shelf brackets.

I shared an easy recipe for Zesty Chili Dipping Sauce paired with Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips, too.

Then, I reminisced a little about fall from years past.

I hope you didn't miss my inexpensive porch update for fall and the free printable that I shared.

And, then, just yesterday, I showed off my favorite costume that I have created for The Littlest, along with some other ideas for DIY Halloween costumes for boys.

Also, last week, I got together with a few friends and recorded my blogging story for The Story of Us Podcast. It was so much fun! Head over there and check out my story, as well as the past stories.  My dear friend, Paul, has a passion for sharing the stories of the everyday extraordinary that is in each of us. Subscribe to The Story of Us Podcast on iTunes, and follow @thestorypodcast on Twitter.

I hope you've enjoyed this month's posts as much as I have.  I have some more fun fall projects to share with you soon!

DIY Halloween Costumes for Boys

The time is coming for getting started on any DIY Halloween Costumes that need to be created.

I haven't created many over the years, but began the tradition about two years ago.  The Littlest wanted to be Captain Jack Sparrow and none of the costumes that I saw really made me happy.  I thought I could do better! And, in my opinion, I did!

The hair was the biggest issue, of course, but I had to get it right for the costume to turn out well.  

I visited our Hancock fabric store and found some yarn that I thought would be perfect.  It was a brown variegated nubby yarn. Don't you like my technical description? This was pre-blogging days, so there aren't any pics of the yarn or the wig making process. I'll do my best to describe it.

I took 3-4 strands about 12-15 inches long that formed the center of the wig.  Then, I tied groups of 3-4 strands, about 12-15 inches in length to hang off each side of the center strand. Some of the strands I braided, and included string and even some burlap.

I added a head scarf of some stretchy red fabric from the remnant bin and a coin earring I found in an old jewelry box to complete the wig.

I created a brown vest out of felt, and made shoe covers to look like boots, as well.  

When all of that was paired with an older brothers dress shirt, a kitchen towel for a belt, and a toy pirate sword, he was all ready to go!

Here is what we came up with:

DIY Captain Jack Sparrow Costume

Close up of the wig:

Captain Jack would never smile in a photo!

Cutest pirate ever...

I have to admit that I was super excited about the way that it turned out.  And, so was the little pirate.

This year may be a bit more time intensive.  He wants to be Jack Skellington from A Nightmare Before Christmas. Eek.  I better get busy.

I was browsing Pinterest and found some really creative DIY costume ideas:

It's Uncle Si!

via Pinterest

These Minions are too cute!

via Pinterest

Steve!

via Pinterest

I've created a Pinterest board with DIY Costumes for boys.  I will be adding more to it all month!

Do you create DIY Halloween costumes? I would love for you to send me the link to be added to the Pinterest Board.  Shoot me an email to amyfenn1 @ gmail . com, or leave a link in a comment below.

Remove the spaces of course!

I can't wait to see what you've created!

THE Pin It Party #24

It's that time again!

Are you ready?!

Welcome to THE 24th week of THE Pin It Party! 

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Are you interested in co-hosting THE Pin It Party? It is a WHOLE lot of fun and a great way to grow your Pinterest following. Go here to get more information and to reserve your spot now! 

Grab the code for our button here!

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1. Please follow the host and co-hosts on Pinterest.

2. Send out a tweet about the party! Just click here: 

3. "Like" THE Pin It Party on Facebook by clicking on the button below. 

4. Grab the party button above and add it to your blog's sidebar or link up party list.

5. Post 1-3 links to your blog's most "pin-able" posts from the last few weeks. (Please, no links to other parties, giveaways or shops please. If you are an ETSY shop owner, come back this weekend and link up at the Weekend Blog Block Party!) 

6. Mingle! Reach out to somebody new and pin their stuff. You never know when you will meet your blogging bestie!

7. Have a FABulous day and come back next week for more Pinterest fun. XO 

Host: Ellie @ Creative Geekery

Co-Hosts:

Kristin @ One Organic Mama 

Michelle @ Our Three Peas

Amy @ Life is a Trip Worth Taking

We will each choose our three favorite posts from the party and pin them to this party's collaborative Pinterest board: THE Pin It Party - The Best of the Best! Woot woot!