Party! Pool Noodle Style!

Time to break out those pool noodles and get creative!

That’s right, I said pool noodles!  You know, the floating sticks that kids play with in the pool...

Have you seen Shannon's Pool Noodle Wreaths?  Well, I completely flipped over them, and am now dying to make my own!  How about you?  Have you seen all of the projects that are being made using these ridiculously inexpensive pool noodles?  I’'ve seen them turned into swords, croquet sets, backyard games and so much more! 

So, are you up for a challenge???

Join Fox Hollow Cottage, reFresh reStyle, Debbiedoos, and Mom 4 Real for a fun Pool Noodle Craft Party on June 20th!

<div align="center"><a href="http://mom4realky.blogspot.com/" title="Mom 4 Real"><img src="http://refreshrestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-23-at-6.36.15-PM-e1337873498583.png" alt="Mom 4 Real" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

4 blogs, 1 Party!  Grab the button, get to noodling, and join us on the 20th for the fun!

Get your pool noodle on!  Show us what YOU can do with a pool noodle! 


We can't wait to see what you come up with!


Take a look at what Shannon did with her pool noodles from the Dollar Store!

Don't have a blog, but still want to play?  Just email me a picture of your pool noodle project @ mom4real@insightbb.com !

Summer Mantel

Lately I have been so busy that I have pretty much ignored my own home.  I have been doing projects for the shop, some projects for the blog, and trying to get through the end of the school year recitals, parties, graduations, and more.  Well, last week, I decided it was time to focus on my own home for a few days.  First I got the laundry caught up and actually put it away.  Then, I painted this dresser with homemade chalk paint.  Finally, I decided to give my mantel an update!  I started by hanging a metal basket full of geraniums...I love the huge pop of color on the simple white frame!

I made this really cute chalkboard banner to hang across the mantel.  I had bought some adorable wooden premade banner pieces from Pick Your Plum last month and spray painted them with chalkboard paint.  Isn't it just adorable?  And...I can change it anytime I want! 

I took this glass vase that I found at Marshall's and filled it with a little sand, some shells from last year's vacation, and a candle.

My mom gave me these adorable glass bottles that were used in a lab.  I love sticking different plants in them for a little pop of color!

I broke out one of my julep cups and plopped a handful of mint in it...what else would you put in a julep cup?  Then, I added some shells and sand to my trifle dish.  You know I had to sneak my gold boots in there!

Doesn't it just scream Summer?  Literally?

I love that Summer is just around the corner...I cannot wait to spend days at the pool and evenings on our patio!

Linking to these fabulous parties:

 www.tatertotsandjello.com http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/ www.diyshowoff.com

htp://www.getouttamyheadplease.com/http://www.askannamoseley.com/

http://brassyapple.blogspot.com/http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/http://howtonestforless.com
www.homestoriesatoz.com http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
http://www.notjustahousewife.net http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com
http://debbiedoescreations.com/ www.tipjunkie.com
http://organizeyourstuffnow.com http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com
www.lilluna.com http://mygirlishwhims.com www.52mantels.com
http://blah2beautiful.blogspot.com http://atthepicketfence.com http://redouxinteriors.com
www.craftionary.net www.gritsandgiggles.blogspot.com http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com
www.504main.com http://thirtyhandmadedays.com http://ourdiydiaries.com
http://fivedaysfiveways.com oneartmama.blogspot.com www.addictedtodecorating.com
http://simplyklassichome.com http://jill-createcraftlove.blogspot.com http://www.positivelysplendid.com http://www.itsoverflowing.com http://too-much-time.com
www.familyeverafterblog.com http://lollyjaneboutique.blogspot.com

Turn Children's Art Into Tea Towels (Guest Post)

Today, I am so excited to have my friend Heather from Setting For Four here guest posting!  She is truly talented, and I am so happy to have her as my first guest poster!

You are going to love, love, love these Tea Towels...

At my blog Setting For Four, I share home decor DIY's, tutorials and design inspiration from the viewpoint of a stay at home mom of 2 boys, both teenagers 13 and 17. Please stop by my blog sometime and say hello - I love to make new bloggy friends!

Today I am sharing with you a quick and inexpensive way to turn your children's artwork into an adorable tea towel that will make your kiddos feel really special and will add some whimsy and personality to your kitchen!

Can you imagine your child's surprise and delight when they see this? They will love that you gave their artwork a permanent place in the kitchen for everyone to see everyday! My son was very flattered and thought it was very 'cool'!

Below is the picture I used for this project; our youngest boy drew this picture of our family when he was 9 years old. This picture just makes me smile everytime I look at it and now I can have it in my kitchen too!

Look at all the love arrows we have going on here, and the cheery sun with sunglasses! (apparantly I have a verrry long torso and tiny short legs!! Even that makes me smile!)

Supplies:

Flour Sack kitchen towel, pack of 2 - Mainstays brand, Wallmart

Ultra Fine Point black permanent Sharpie marker

Black and white photocopy of your children's art

2 straight pins

Tutorial:

Wash and dry the flour sack towel.

Place photocopy on table, with the printed side facing up (make sure something is under the photocopy to protect your table).

Place towel on top of photocopy.

Pin the towel to the paper in two places to prevent shifting.

Trace the drawing onto the towel using the Sharpie (The towel is see through enough that you can see the drawing underneath). After the first tracing, I went over the lines once more with the Sharpie to make the lines darker.

That.Is.It!!! You're done!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Please visit my blog and say hello sometime!

Again, thank you Jessica for letting me guest post at your inspirational blog today! It was so much fun!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! To see another version of this tutorial take a look at my DIY Sharpie French Label Towel....its so easy to make too!

Come visit my blog to see more of my home decorating tutorials, DIY's and please say hello!

Heather

Thank you so much for being my first guest poster,  you are fabulous!!!

Chalk Painted Dresser

For years I have been trying to figure out what to do with this dresser.  I have agonized over painting it...I have always wanted to, but in my family we were taught not to destroy the furniture that was passed down to us by our loved ones.  So, out of guilt I have not touched it until now.  Well, I love it!  It's now my favorite piece in our home.  Clearly, Blaine loves it too.  He has been lying there on my bed admiring it for hours.  Well, that's what I'm going with.

Let me show you what it looked like before, then you can either commend me, or let the tongue lashing begin...

This dresser was in my room at my Great Great Aunt Irene's house.  I spent so much time there, and she dubbed the middle bedroom mine.  When she moved to a nursing home, and we had to clean out her house, I knew that this dresser had to live with me.  I have loved it all of my life.  It has been through the birth of my two kids, many sleepless nights feeding babies, sickness, and toe nail paintings.  Those lovely rings are from baby bottles, and that nice smudge in the center is from nail polish remover.   This old dresser has taken a beating my myself and my family...I know, I should be ashamed.  So, after many years, I have decided to treat her to a make-over...kind of like a spa day.

So, after agonizing over whether or not to paint her, paint her I did!  I mixed my own chalk paint, and got to work.  It took 3 coats, but went on so smoothly! 

Then I took some sand paper and distressed her here and there. 

Don't you think she deserves some new flooring to rest upon?  

I do...that's what I am lobbying for next...hardwood floors for this lovely dresser to sit on.

I painted this dresser yesterday.  Right after I wrote this post about taking a break.  Funny how that went...the minute I took the pressure off of myself, I wanted to jump back in.  Crazy Jessica!  But, that's just how I roll.  Never do what anyone tells me to, just do what I want when I am ready.  Stubborn and fidgety...just like my Aunt Irene was.

Linking Up To these Fabulous Parties...

www.diyshowoff.com http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/

htp://www.getouttamyheadplease.com/http://www.askannamoseley.com/

http://brassyapple.blogspot.com/http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/http://howtonestforless.com
www.homestoriesatoz.com http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
http://www.notjustahousewife.net http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com
http://debbiedoescreations.com/ www.tipjunkie.com
http://organizeyourstuffnow.com http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com
www.lilluna.com http://mygirlishwhims.com
http://blah2beautiful.blogspot.com http://atthepicketfence.com http://redouxinteriors.com
www.craftionary.net www.gritsandgiggles.blogspot.com http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com
www.504main.com http://thirtyhandmadedays.com http://ourdiydiaries.com
http://fivedaysfiveways.com oneartmama.blogspot.com www.addictedtodecorating.com
http://simplyklassichome.com http://jill-createcraftlove.blogspot.com http://www.positivelysplendid.com http://www.itsoverflowing.com http://too-much-time.com

Time To Live A Little...

I haven't written a really Real post in a while. 

I have been swamped...like crazy what the 3#$@! am I doing to myself swamped!

I am stepping back a bit.  I have gotten the store started, the blog seems to be doing pretty well, the kids will be finished with school next week, and it's going to be time for more laid back living. 

I need it, badly!

I have been beating myself to a pulp, and don't ever feel like I can keep up.  Know what I mean?  I looked in the mirror the other day and thought...who is that?  That older version of myself with dark circles under her eyes, hideously long roots, and jammies on that stared back at me at 4:00 in the afternoon scared the crap out of me.  I thought for a moment, is this what how Matt and the kids see me?  Is this how I want to see myself every day?

Want me to keep it really real?

I missed a parent teacher conference two weeks ago!  I have never missed an appointment in my life!  Never.  My friends all tease me because I am always early to everything, and am a freak attack about schedules and being organized.  I cry too easily now...I used to be so super tough...where is that girl?  She is tired, I guess.  Too emotional.  Maybe she just needs a little break.

See, when I started my blog, it was like a lazy hobby.  I could just jot down my thoughts, and let whoever was interested read them.    What ended up happening is I found myself here.  I've always been a bit different than others my own age.  I have always loved finding old things and fixing them up to be something totally different...it's embedded in my soul.  It is who I am.  So here, through my blog I found YOU...all of you.  My place in the world.  This is where I belong!  Finally, I found the lost land of other crazy, thrifty, re-doing, furniture painting fools, and I love it!

I also figured out what I want to be when I grow up...maybe a shop owner!  I opened a shop within a shop, and love it!  It feels right, like what I was meant to do.  I can find old things, re-do them without totally filling up my home, and make money...yes, please!  And, the best part is...I don't have to kill myself to do it.  Maybe for the first couple of months, just to stock it, but after that, not so much!

So, my plan is to chill a little.  Relax a bit.  Daydream for a spell.  

The store is stocked, the blog is becoming fun again and I have lots to share with you...bonus... we are heading to the beach in a few weeks!

I'm going to try to wash my hair on a daily basis, put a little make-up on, lose these extra lbs. and get out of these jammies...time to live a little!

Perfectly Sliced Watermelon

Last year, I did a post on slicing watermelon perfectly, but let's just say...the pictures weren't very clear.  So, I decided to redo the post!  I bought my first watermelon of the season at the grocery on Sunday.  Watermelon just screams Summer to me!  It's our favorite snack around here...sweet, cold, and juicy...what could be better on a hot and humid Kentucky summer day?

First you have to pick your watermelon.  I asked the produce manager at Meijer how to pick one, and he said always pick one with a big ole flat yellow spot...that's where it has rested on the ground, ripening!

Wash the outside thoroughly.  When you run your knife through the watermelon, you will take any bacteria right through the fruit if you don't wash it first.  

Now, cut from one end to the other, cutting your watermelon in half.

Cut each half in half again, so you have four quarters.

Now, run your along the inside of the rind from right to left...or left to right...whatever floats your boat!

Now just cut slices while the watermelon is still resting in the rind.

Finally, dump your watermelon into a large bowl or dish.  I used to take my time and arrange the watermelon perfectly on a platter, but that is a complete waste of time, because it will only last maybe 5 seconds...this stuff goes fast!  

 Now just enjoy some perfectly sliced watermelon heaven!

Linking Up To these Fabulous Parties...

http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/
htp://www.getouttamyheadplease.com/http://www.askannamoseley.com/

http://brassyapple.blogspot.com/http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/http://howtonestforless.com
www.homestoriesatoz.com http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
http://www.notjustahousewife.net http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com
http://debbiedoescreations.com/ www.tipjunkie.com
http://organizeyourstuffnow.com http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com
www.lilluna.com