Beyond the Picket Fence

 

Okay, an entire Link Party of ideas under $100?

YES PLEASE!

Beckie at Infarrantly Creative

So I was poking around the internet yesterday, and I found the coolest blog project for those of us with an established (or even sporadic) Family Game Night and storage issues with 

all of those flimsy, self-destructing boxes:

Beckie at Infarrantly Creative

Framing a game board isn't the huge revelation, I know, but flip the frame over...

 ...and you have genius!

Do you even believe how cool this is? Zero shelf space, perfect storage, and bargain artwork all in one! This would make really wonderful "big kid" room art as you start stockpiling Shoots and Ladders and Candyland too. Make the hop to her blog for REALLY easy, detailed instructions.

House of Hepworths

 

Allison is having her very first Link Party!

Got something to show off?

The Pothole Gardener

What are your gardening challenges? Bad soil? No vision? You have the ability to kill everything but dandelions, which thrive? I know, I've been there. My husband makes me apologize to cilantro in advance every time I put it in the Home Depot cart. My orchids are alive due to sheer will. I have even killed indigenous plants that grow like crazy in the wild. And yet, year after year, I'm at the garden center picking 

out victims like a deranged serial killer.  

Why?

Because the joy is in the attempt.

Enter an unusual blog a friend IMed me yesterday.

The Pothole Gardener

This is a cyclist who was dismayed by the ugly and potentially dangerous potholes in his neighborhood. His solution? No activism or protests, no heated letters of outrage; he planted flowers in them to make them highly visible.

 

His creations rarely last more than a few hours because of where they're planted, which is sad, but it doesn't slow him down a bit.

And it makes me think that perhaps futility is just the beginning stages of practice. Why not keep trying? Even a short-lived triumph is a win, right?

Pop by his site and poke around. I guarantee it will make you smile.

Then meet me at the garden center. I need some impatiens.

Thrifty Inspiration for the Weekend

 

Just a reminder, it's time for another Penny Pinching Party over at The Thrifty Home. This is a great round up of inexpensive inspiration from some really cool bloggers. Hop on over and see what's been created!

Sneak Peek: Outdoor Inspiration

Okay, so I was further exploring my new blog stalkee, Liz at It's Great To Be Home, when I hit the

 very page I'm sending you to. She has compiled a fabulous section of ideas, all organized conveniently by rooms, to inspire and get your creativity in high gear.

Okay, that's what she did to me. I mean, LOOK at this! Green and growing, and made of cinder blocks! It was featured on Apartment Therapy (awesome site, even when you own the world's largest 2300 square foot trailer like I do!), and I immediately KNEW this had to 

be the back wall of my back yard.

 

The whole thing is simply stacked together with liquid nails.

The levels jutting out have cut cinder block as a bottom, also secured with liquid nails.

The original project was done with succulents, but I have this vision of a mix of herbs 

and perennials trailing over it.

And since the back patio is right off the kitchen,

that would make it convenient for my spouse the chef to step out and help himself.

Tag, You're IT!

It's Great To Be Home is participating in a fun blogger game where you reminisce about your first and sixth posts EVER, then you tag other bloggers to do the same. If you decide to accept, leave me a comment so I can see what you thought of your own early handiwork!

134 posts ago on September 27, 2009, I'd recovered enough from the fire to subject my readers reader to this:

 

Actually, I still like this project a lot. The post however is kind of rambling and dry. But I was determined to get my life back on track and get really energized with my new bloggy hobby. I should probably go back and tweak this stuff a little. In my spare time.

A month later, on October 27, I decided to show the world how beautifully I decorate:

 

It had been two months since the fire, and we’d had all of the adjusters parading in and out for weeks. We finally had clearance to start ripping the damage apart, and we went at it with gusto. The children got a twisted sense of pleasure from learning to demo something without my usual warnings (“Don’t hit the walls while you’re shredding that floor!”). They were almost wrestling over who got the crowbar. And we did get tons of pictures of the whole fiasco.

It’s hard to believe this is the same view six months later.

So 7 months. I’ve only been at this for 7 months. I guess that’s not really too bad. When I launched my first post, I had no header, one follower, no picture on my profile, and no real path or plan. The first couple of ads that appeared were for rehab facilities (I had to laugh at those. I’ll bet they got zero clicks!).

Mere days after the August 16^th house fire, when we got partial electricity back, I was doing a web search for remodeling ideas. I was determined to come back from this as quickly as possible. I’m not one to wallow, seriously. I was going to start at This Old House, and This Young House appeared in the search. Click. Helllllooooooo, John and Sherry Petersik! Sheer luck, since they changed their name to Young House Love soon after. I found out they had started blogging about their first home and fixing it up to keep friends and family up to date on their progress. Well, to tell the truth, I WAS kind of anticipating a phone call or two, so this might be a way to answer those questions and keep me motivated. But do other people do stuff like this?

Um, yeah…and I started discovering there’s a whole lot of us out there inviting random strangers into our homes and lives, and becoming internet friends along the way. And have you noticed how encouraging and positive everyone is? You spray paint a box, and your cheering section shows up to tell you they love it! How awesome is that?

On days when the lack of privacy, one working bathroom, the sliding glass door that’s jammed open, the wreck of a yard from trucks driving through it, torn up floors and boarded up areas start to get to me, I can always log in here and read my latest encouraging, kind comments, and all I can do is smile.

Thanks guys.

Posh Pieces

 

Don't ask questions. Just go. It's worth it.

Patio Inspiration

This is embarrasing. I was on a blog that I found on another blog (as usual), and I was so enthralled by this simple patio that I nabbed the picture to draw up plans and asked my darling Hubster for it for Mother's Day. I made a few modifications to it so it will accommodate a Feline Overlord Hammock tarp, and I wanted to also introduce you to her blog in the process...

 

...but I didn't save the link! 

Does anyone recognize this creative genius so I can give her credit? And add her to the blogroll?

Help!

Banner Event!

My Blog Buds over at Branches and Beads, Ruby and Emerald, are having a cool giveaway for a handmade pennant party banner just in time for showers, graduations, and swanky summer soirees. If you've never clicked their link on my blogroll, now's a great time to discover their site!

You Know Those Shelf Bins They Sell?

I love them for stashing clutter. They aren't expensive, but I prefer things that match a little more seamlessly.

 

I also really preferred to keep the $6.99 in my pocket

Start with a sturdy, straight sided box like this one. You can even check with local restaurants to see if they'd be so kind as to set a few aside for you.

 Trim the handle with an exacto knife.

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Then trim the flaps.

A little duct tape reinforces the bottom nicely.

 Spray paint in the desired color. This is going in the boys' room.

I had purchased this scrapbooking paper a while back to decoupage  their light switch covers just like THIS, so the room will have a very coordinated look.

 Lay the box on the paper and sketch the size you need.

 Grab your Mod Podge. This stuff lasts forever.

Spread a nice generous coat evenly on the surface.

Then smooth your paper over it, flattening any air bubbles.

Slather a nice even layer over the top of your paper.

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Now, while it's wet, take your exacto knife and cut an X where the box handle is.

Fold the wet paper in and smooth the opening with your finger.

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Allow it to dry. I then hot glued some white bias tape around the top as trim. One game bin, done!

How to Make a Death Ray

I promised a Death Ray, and I do try to deliver, so without further ado, here's a post from my oldest son, Sam, who is heavily into theater and film, about helping his sister with her first play:

Hey ho, this is the son of this blogger, Sam. My sister and the drama department at her school are doing a stage performance of "Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog" and they needed help. What they needed were some props for the show and the props were the guns used in the movie. My friend Chris and I were up to making the guns, this post is on one of them: The Death Ray. We took several different parts from random things that were lying around:

-the stock of a toy shot gun

-the handle of an pellet gun

-several rigid tubes

-a large cardboard mailing tube

-the barrel of that same shot gun

We put all of this stuff together with hot glue and duct tape. After attaching and securing everything, we spray painted the entire thing with Plastic Primer. The Primer is used to make a sure that the final coat of paint will stick better.

After twenty or so minutes I spray painted it gun metal gray.

For the final touches, I Sharpied "Stun Ray" and then put "Death" on tape and put it over "Stun". If you see the movie they actually do that for one scene. So there you have it. A Death Ray fit for a play.

I hope this looks good and stays together, and I hope it was awesome for you to see it come together.

Totally Cool Receipt:
Junk, trash, and broken toys: FREE
Leftover spray paint and tape: FREE
Getting along with your siblings this well: Priceless
Taking over the world: We'll let you know