Rainbow party!

I cannot believe that my little Butter Bean is 3.  When you have the pitter patter of little feet echoing about your home, it can feel like time is passing slowly.  So many meals to cook, so many messes to clean up, boo boos to kiss, feelings to patch up, lessons to teach, and lessons to learn.  As time seems to be standing still, it passes at an alarming rate of speed.  I feel as if I just learned I was going to be a mommy and now I have 2 children, who are growing and changing so quickly that I can hardly catch my breath.

Yesterday was our big Rainbow Party for Butter Bean and we had a great time. Here are some photos of some of the DIY's I did and of course our colorful birthday shindig!

Balloon Bowls for centerpieces

Paper umbrella decorations

Rainbow pillowcase dresses

Coloring page and portrait cookies

Cookie pop centerpieces

Rainbow fruit tray

Butter Bean and Sweet Pea

Art Table

Fun to color

More fun to eat!

Bead necklaces

I am looking for my next tutorial.  If there is anything you have seen in this entry that you would like to know how to make, please comment.  It might end up in my next photo tutorial!

If you like what you see, remember to click follow and pass it along to a friend!

Life is Sweet!

This Practical Imperfect mom has been a busy bee lately. I have quite a few new projects coming up and I will be posting them soon!

For now, I have been doing some cookie and cake orders that have kept me on my toes. Enjoy the photos and have a very Happy and Safe 4th of July!

Spell it out! Diy Scrabble tile wall art!

I suppose the Scrabble tile fad is nothing new, jewelry, pillows, wall art, we’ve seen it all.  And if you are anything like me, you think some of the stuff is super cute and super clever but, you don’t want to spend a ton of money to get in on the trend.  I tend to look at just about anything and attempt to figure out how I can make it myself for as little green as I possibly can.

The other night I was looking around on Etsy and after seeing Scrabble wall art a million times, I decided I just had to have some.  Now I know most of you know that I am an artist and a painter, but please trust me when I say that I have put together this DIY so just about anyone can do it! Altogether this only cost me about $12 but keep in mind that some of the supplies I used are things I keep on hand so, your cost will vary depending on what you may or may not already have.

Here’s what you will need:

*4x4 wooden plaques (I found mine at Michael’s crafts for .79 cents each and the quantity will of      course depend on what you would like to spell out)

*Assorted paint brushes

*Assorted colors of craft paint

*Sand paper

*Eraser

*Ruler

*Scissors

*Mod Podge

*Pencil (Preferably a good mechanical one with a solid metal tip)

*Your choice of letters and numbers printed out in a Scrabble font (available on the internet which can be downloaded for free.) Note: Letters will need to be bigger than the numbers and the size you print out will depend on the size of plaques you choose.

Step 1:

Sand your wooden wall plaques.

Yes my nails are blue this week :)

Step 2:

Paint your plaques in whatever colors you would like.  To make it easier you can paint them one color or if you would like them to be a little more dimensional you can blend different colors as I did. Be sure to paint the sides as well. Note: The plaques I found are beveled on the front side and the backside is flat (see photos). If you would like a fancy look you can paint your letters on the beveled side however, I wanted mine to look more authentic so I used the backside. Allow plaques to dry completely.

Step 3:

Cut your paper numbers and letters out.  Place your desired letter in the center of your painted plaque. You may use a ruler to center them if you would like. Using the tip of your pencil punch small holes around the letter so that it makes small indentations into the wood.  If your pencil does not work for this, you can use any implement sharp enough to make a noticeable indentation. Repeat this in the lower right hand corner with your number. Once you have completed the indentations, trace them in pencil. Repeat with all of your plaques.

Step 4:

Fill in your letters and numbers on each plaque with black paint and allow them to dry completely.

Step 5:

Erase any remaining pencil marks on your plaque. Using a large paint brush, apply a thin coat of mod podge to the front of each plaque and allow them to dry completely.

Step 6:

Fall in love with them because they are super cute!

There are quite a few ways you can hang these. You may want to put saw tooth hangers on the back (available at any home improvement store or Walmart) or 3M picture hangers are also another great option.

I hope you enjoy this little project as much as I did. I can’t wait to hang mine up! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section and I will be happy to help. If you just want to say “hi” that’s fine too! Happy spelling!

Brighten it up! Diy-Colorful craft storage

As you may well know by now, with the severe lack of new posts to my blog, I was on hiatus for quite some time.  The family and I have gone though some major changes in the last 3 months. From my previous blog posts you may have seen that my husband began a new job and it was necessary to move so we would be closer to the Happiest Place on Earth. It has been a long and exhausting process, but little by little we are settling into our new home and getting life back on track.

When I stepped back from blogging, I was in the middle of my 5 days, 5 diy gifts series.  I have decided to put the rest of it off for a while (maybe as Mother’s day gift ideas) and post some of the great projects that have been working on amidst the moving craziness.

When you are about move and you start packing boxes, you realize that you have way more stuff than you thought you had.  When you reach your new destination and start unpacking those boxes, you realize that you need somewhere to put it all.  Such was the case with my ever growing craft “stuff” that seems to multiply when I’m not looking (must be elves.)

The other day while in the craft store, (I’m still sticking to my elf theory in hopes I can convince Mr. Practical that’s where it all comes from) I found a cute storage cube for said “stuff”.  Regular price was $40 but as always with Michael’s I was able to get a 50% off coupon. There are several different styles, some with drawers, some with shelves, etc etc. Here is the one I chosse:

They come in plain white so being the colorful person I am, I just couldn’t leave it that way.  Project time!

What you will need:

-Your choice of storage bin (It can be from anywhere, a thrift store etc. as long as it has a paintable surface and drawers.)

-Paint brush

-Mod Podge

-Scrapbook paper

-Scissors

-Xacto knife

-Ruler

-Spray Paint

Step 1-

You will be applying scrapbook paper to your drawer fronts. If you purchase a new unit, build it without assembling the drawer fronts (they will be easier to work on disassembled.)  If you are using a unit that is already assembled, remove drawer fronts.

Step 2-

Prep your drawer fronts by cleaning them off and lightly sanding the surface of each one to help the Mod Podge adhere.

Step 3-

Measure your drawer fronts so that you know the size you must cut your scrapbook paper down to in order to completely cover them.

Step 4-

Cut scrapbook paper to the desired size. I chose to go with a mosaic look so I cut my scrapbook paper into “tiles”. See photos below.

Step 5-

Using your paint brush, apply mod podge to your prepared drawer fronts. Place your scrapbook paper onto the mod podge.  Once the paper is in the position you would like it to be, smooth it down with your paint brush and apply more mod podge on top of the paper to seal it. Repeat with each drawer.

Note: You may find after you have applied the paper, especially if you do a mosaic like I did, that there is some excess paper along the edges. If that is the case, cut the edge with your xacto knife and seal it with more mod podge.

Step 6-

After your drawers fronts have dried completely, assemble the drawers and set them aside.

Step 7-

Spray paint the rest of the unit with your desired color and allow it to dry completely. 

Step 8-

Place the drawers in the unit, stand back, and admire how cute it is!

I just adore how this little project came out! I’m so happy to be back blogging and hope you are all happy to be back reading! As always if you have any questions (or just want to say hi :) ) feel free to ask in the comments!