Homemade flubber!

This rainy day project was all hubby's doing! Ty wanted to make a "potion"... so Mike did a little googling and found this recipe for flubber, or "slime". 

All you need is Elmer's school glue and borax! If you've ever made the homemade laundry detergent I've posted in the past you'll have borax on hand. If not you can find it in the laundry aisle at most grocery stores for a few dollars. One box lasts forever. We also happened to have several bottles of the school glue because I like to stock up when the stores have it ridiculously cheap for back to school. I think I got ours for 25 cents or something crazy like that. 

Here's the recipe:

In one bowl mix one bottle elmer's school glue (the white bottle- 4oz) with 4 oz water. Set aside.

In another bowl mix 1 tablespoon borax with another 4 oz water (warm is better). Stir until borax is dissolved. 

Then add the borax mixture to the glue mixture. Stir and knead until incorporated. Add food coloring if desired! This green turned out so cool!

Mike ended up adding a bit more borax to his recipe, and the longer you work with it the better it gets. So keep kneading!

Store in a lidded container and it will keep for several weeks! Our boys had so much fun with this! It's really cool how it sort of stays together in one glob. Ty especially loved it, and asked to play with it again after Beckham went to bed, then again the next day. It keeps him occupied forever. 

I sat down to play for a while too, and it really is fun stuff!

It really doesn't make much mess either. Better than play-doh in my opinion. I gave him a placemat to use, but the globs that slipped off were no problem. They just lift right off the table. 

Hubby thinks we should make a few big batches of different colors and package them individually to hand out to trick or treaters on Halloween! With a 'do not eat' label of course. Fun idea I think!

Garden updates

I planted a spring garden this year for the first time, and what a great year for it! Instead of the usual summer stuff, which would have sat in the ground rotting and barely growing due to the never ending rain and lack of sunshine, my cool weather crops thrived! I believe I started planting in March. Lettuce and snow peas were the first plants, and they did great! Got lots of early salads, and we've been picking the snow peas for a couple months. Then I planted broccoli and cauliflower- two of my favorite veggies. Both did so great!

Here is my third cauli, almost ready to pick. 

These garden fresh cauliflower are so delicious. Can't believe I've never grown them before.

I never got photos of the broccoli but they did great too. Both are new favorites that I will plant every year. I think normally they would be ready much earlier... but the weather and all.

Walla walla sweet onions! Delish! These are almost ready too- I planted them in late April I think. I really ought to keep a garden journal or something so I can keep track of what I'm doing. But I can't wait to pick these and put them in something fabulous. 

This is probably my tenth lettuce plant. I get a little too excited about beautiful vegetables, but isn't it gorgeous?! I've really tried hard to plant them successively all season, starting really early, and it's been so awesome having fresh salad whenever we need it! I've hardly bought any at the store and we eat a lot of salad.

I've also planted endive and pepperoncini! Very excited about those. We shall see how well they do. And as always, an array of herbs and one lonely little tomato. I adore tomatoes- one of my favorite things. Especially fresh from the garden. But all my cool weather crops took so long to be ready that I didn't have a lot of space for my warm weather stuff! Need to plan better next year. Again, a journal would be handy. Or a much bigger garden. 

Do you plant a spring garden? Anyone grow Kale? I've really wanted to grow that one. Also spinach! Maybe next spring. How are the tomatoes doing? Mine seems to only have a few little flowers so far- no fruit yet at all. Sure hope I get some ripe ones!

Repurposed chalkboard

This next project was all hubby's! He did it to surprise me; isn't he creative?! 

He and Beckham went to the Rebuilding Center (that place is SO fun!) and picked out an old, framed window. I think he said it was $2. Then he painted the glass with chalkboard paint! He even wrote the cute message himself. He says he isn't happy with his writing, but I think it looks great. 

Isn't it cool and shabby?! I absolutely love it. I think it'll be really fun to change the message for seasons and holidays. 

When I was pregnant with Beckham I ordered a gorgeous wipes case on etsy. It was one of my favorite things. But sadly, there was an unfortunate incident recently that may have involved a particularly messy diaper... I won't go into detail. And you can't really wash these fabric covered wipes cases. So I had to toss it. But I really missed it! So I decided to attempt my own. 

I'm only a little bit happy with it. I hate that the case I happened to have lying around was a green one. Wish it was white. And I really like the fabric, but don't love the way the ribbon around the edge looks. But for just using supplies I had around the house, and for my first attempt, it'll work. 

Here's the back. It's padded with a little batting under the fabric. I just used a lot of hot glue. We shall see how it holds up to everyday use! I may be making more of these... if I can perfect them I think they'd make a great little gift for mommas-to-be. And it seems everyone around me is expecting right now! Better not drink the water.... ;)

Destination deck

 Our house backs up to a big greenspace, and our yard slopes steeply down towards it. It tends to be wet and marshy down there, due to a small creek. Soon after we bought the house, we brought in several dump trucks full of dirt to fill in the yard and make it a bit more usable. But it's still pretty small. It'll work for five years or so, but we are always looking for ways to get more use out of the space we have, because we love spending time outside.

Hubby came up with the idea for a tiny, second deck near our new sign. It hangs over the steep edge of our yard and makes the useless space functional. The adirondack chairs we got on clearance at Joann fabric store for $27 each! And they even came whitewashed already. 

We decided to paint the deck one of the colors in our sign to unify the look a little. The color we chose is called 'head to the beach'. Love it. 

We are hoping to build a short railing of some sort across the back since the drop-off is pretty steep- but we aren't sure yet what would look good on this funny little deck. Hubby also plans to add some stairs to the left side to make it seem bigger. 

There is a small, ornamental tree to the left of the deck that provides a bit of welcome shade during the hot afternoons- the only shade we have out back. 

This spot provides a 180 degree view of the entire yard, so it's much easier to see the kids while they play than on our upper deck. 

On a side note, here's our pretty new banana tree from my parents! It's a hardy banana, so it grows here in the NW but doesn't produce fruit. Just gives a great tropical look. They get super tall, too- and if you plant them in the ground they multiply like crazy. Even in the pot ours already has three baby shoots starting. 

Front porch makeover

Busy, busy summertime + camera memory card on the fritz = long blogging hiatus. But I fixed the card today! So here is our front porch makeover. This post isn't as fun as it would be had I remembered to take before pics... But I'll just paint ya a little picture:

Imagine shapeless, faded cushions and throw pillows... no cute curtain... and horribly stained Trex decking since I'd never pressure washed it before!

Can I just say how much I love pressure washing? Best thing ever. I did the porch and the driveway, then halfway down the sidewalk before I realized I had to stop somewhere. What a difference! 

In the background you can see the curtain I sewed to make our little porch feel cozy and private, since our neighbors' house is rightthere. We spend a lot of time out here, since it's east facing and gets lots of morning sun. It's our breakfast and coffee spot on sunny days. 

We bought these outdoor fabrics so I could sew the curtain, then the two throw pillows on each chair. They are actually the existing pillows that I just recovered. Saves some money not having to buy new pillow inserts. The seat cushions we just happened to find on sale at World Market and I love the way they look with these fabrics.

I even sewed piping for the first time! It was so much easier than I thought! And really gives the big pillow a finished look.

Hubby got a set of four of these chairs on uber-clearance at Target a while back. One fits perfectly by our front door and gives us a little more seating. We've started another project out back that may make room for these chairs at some point... but for now the other three are still in boxes in the garage. 

And... off the subject but here is my test photo from when I was attempting to fix the memory card:

Quinn got all cozy on some recycling I was sorting. Isn't she pretty? Love these kitties of ours. :)

Check back tomorrow for another project! Lots of catching up to do, now that I can actually import photos. 

Tissue pom pom tutorial

Ok, here's a fun and easy tutorial. My sis-in-law and I made these for a baby shower we hosted, and they were so cute hanging as decor!

Here's what you need:

tissue paper

scissors

floral wire (or any wire, really)

Lay out a stack of tissue paper, 8-10 sheets. The paper I used came in packs of 20 sheets, about 20"x25". I was able to make four pom poms per pack. 

Cut your stack in half so you have two stacks of around 20"x12.5". This doesn't have to be exact- different brands are different sizes. You just want rectangles, basically. 

Set aside one stack for your second pom pom. Then start accordion folding a stack, starting at the short end. 

Your folds don't have to be perfect, but I think the narrower the folds, the prettier the pom turns out. Maybe an inch or so. 

While holding your accordion, cut the ends into a curve. You can also cut them into a V shape for pointy petals. 

Now find the center and cut a small notch on each side. This makes it easier to fluff once it's held by the wire. 

Now bend a piece of wire into a hook...

...and wrap it around the tissue into the notches you cut. Twist the end around the rest of the wire to secure. 

Open it up into a nice little fan...

....and start gently peeling each layer away from the rest of the fan. Peel all the way down to the wire so your pom gets really fluffy. Peel a few layers one direction, then switch and pull from the other side so you get an even sphere. 

Shoo the kittens away over and over and over...

Keep peeling and fluffing until you have a gorgeous pom! Bend your wire into a loop so you can hang it, then fluff the tissue around it to help hide the wire. 

You can really experiment with variations... Use the entire stack of 8-10 tissues without cutting it in half for a giant pom. You may need more than 10 to keep it nice and full when it's that large. You could also cut a six inch strip off your big stack to make one big pom, then cut the 6" strip into two for mini poms! I've discovered the smaller the pom, the fewer tissues you need to make it full. So the minis could be made with less, but the giant ones will need more. 

You can also peel your layers just one direction to make more of a flower rather than a full sphere. In that case keep the wire straight and use it as a stem. 

I'm thinking these could be really fun July 4th decor! Also Christmas!

Fun fun! 

DIY succulent terrarium

I'm obsessed with succulents. Many of you know this. They are just so adorable! And so easy to grow. Plus they grow just about anywhere, and if you plant little clippings they grow into a new plant! I know I've mentioned this, but it thrills me to no end. Guess I'm easily amused.

I came across this glass container today while cleaning out a cupboard. I never really use it for anything. 

So I put a little potting soil in the bottom, then a nice layer of moss (left over from my mother's day creation... which by the way is so happy it's blooming!!). I added a bunch of water, then poured out the excess. Then I clipped a few stems of succulents from my existing plants, and pulled off one hen. Or chick. 

I tucked them into the moss and added some cute little pebbles for a rustic look.

Et voila! 

Super simple, took about five minutes, and looks so cute. I've been meaning to check the thrift stores for interesting containers to fill like this. I just love instant gratification. Especially when it's basically free!

This is way off the subject, but I thought you'd like an update on our new kittens!

On the left is Cleo and on the right is Quinn. They are almost 5 months old and driving us crazy! In that wild, chaotic, into everything kitten way. But oh, how I am enjoying them. 

They play hard, then crash. Often on our laps. Usually together. I just love having these little sisters. They have so much personality, and they are each so different from the other. Just like kids I guess. Love them. :)

Curtains for Beckham

My perfect sleeper went through an unwelcome phase a month or so ago, when the sun would beat through his many bedroom windows (2 of which face east) and wake him promptly at 6am. This does not work for me. Nor for him- he would be ultra cranky all morning and need an earlier nap, which made for a longer and crankier afternoon... not a good schedule for us. 

So I decided to sew some curtains to help darken his room in the mornings. Also for bedtime, since it's still light out at 7 when he goes to bed. 

I found this adorable owl fabric quite a while ago and bought a yard of it, knowing it would be perfect in Becks' owl room but without a plan in mind. One yard isn't enough to cover his three windows but I thought this owl fabric would make a great accent for curtains. So I headed to my local fabric store in search of something sort of neutral to complement it, and also match his room. I wanted something heavy to block the light, but not too expensive... tough criteria!

My husband stumbled upon this celery green fabric on the clearance rack... it was home deco weight and width, and lined- just what I needed! Plus it has this great velvety texture, almost chenille-like. And the best part? There were exactly 4 yards, clearance priced at around $3 a yard!

So here is what I put together with my fabrics: 

This is his single window, and I could've used a bit more than the 4 yards of fabric to make the curtains more ruffly when closed, but I think it looks great as is. Beckham loves these owls. He points at them whenever I change his diaper and makes hooting sounds. 

Here they are opened. 

This is the double, east-facing window wall. This heavy fabric really does block the light- completely solved the 6am problem.

Aren't they cute?! Most owl fabrics I find are super girly. I was thrilled when I saw this one in neutral, woodsy colors. It's a pretty heavy, canvas-like texture. 

Lined! You can see the texture of the green fabric pretty well in this pic. It almost looks like some kind of upholstery fabric to me. I could see a fab vintage love seat recovered in this. 

I had a couple small pieces of the owl fabric left over so I sewed up a simple little pillow for Beckham's chair...

...and backed it in green with a little appliqued owl.

My baby loves it. I love when I can sew things for my boys; it's so much harder to find cute handmade ideas for boys.