Take That, You Wascally Wabbits!

(Insert trumpet sound) Presenting our new veggie garden beds! Ta da! Aren't they beautiful?

We've had a problem around here with some pesky little bunnies eating up anything green in the backyard. And now we think we may have a nest of baby bunnies brewing in the back. Lovely.

I've pondered a few different solutions - ranging from tolerating them to calling in the marines - and finally settled on a couple raised garden beds as the most humane and least taxing option.

Here's the before pic of the back of the yard where the garden is...

As you can see, it had become a dried up mess where no one wanted to be, except for a little girl and her shovel.

We used some plans from Ana White (that site is amazing!) and headed to Menards for supplies. The corner posts and a few of the end pieces are actually leftover boards from when we built the deck seven years ago. The rest are cedar fence boards - this is the cheapest way I've found to do it.  Add in a roll of chicken wire and some landscape fabric (or cardboard would likely work too) and you're in business for about $30.

I mentioned the plans to my father-in-law Tom, who loves a good project as much as I do. So he came over one Sunday and we put them together. (And by "we" I really mean Tom, although I did do my best to stand around and look helpful.) Just screw them all together and wrap and staple with chicken wire. It took less than an hour.

Then we had a couple yards of garden-blend topsoil delivered and my hero of a husband helped me by moving most of it to the backyard. I did a royally good job of ordering WAY too much, so kudos to Ben for moving a lot more than he should have had to.

Later in the week, I took a trip to the little garden store around the cornerand bought some plants. We now have tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, a pumpkin, basil, sage, parsley, lemon balm and dill growing in the back.

I've seen the bunnies visit the new garden a few times, but so far they haven't eaten anything. I also got a bottle of some organic bunny repellent and sprayed the perimeter of the boxes and the plants on the ground. 

I'm looking forward to all the yummy veggies coming in a few weeks!

DIY Canvas Photos

Remember how I said it was time to finally hang some pictures around the house? Well, friends, we are one step closer. Hurrah! This doesn't mean there are actually new pictures hung up anywhere, but it is progress nonetheless.

Thanks to our awesome dining room redo last year, we have a lovely little space for photos on the back wall of the room. Until now, it's been a place for clutter to pile up, with the occasional frame or scrapbook sitting on the buffet.

My problem is that we take too long to decide what pictures to hang, and then it's time for another photo shoot. So we're in this perpetual cycle of indecision and self-imposed waiting. But not this time folks! We got our rears in gear and started the process of beginning the project to put some photos on the wall. (It doesn't sound so impressive when I put it like that, does it?)

Step 1: Order photos. I'm liking the 12x12 size lately and ordered 6 photos from UnitPrints for about $5 each.

Step 2: Buy the backing for the photos. I debated using foam core, boards, or straight up canvases. Just something other than frames that would make them stand out a bit. And then one day, I'm wandering Hobby Lobby and I come across BLACK 12x12 canvases for $7 each. ($4.20 with a coupon!) See, I was thinking of doing some Pinteresting up in here with the mod podge and the paint and the DIY canvases and all, but let's be honest. I am busy. And lazy. These black canvases eliminate a significant number of steps. This makes me happy.

Step 3: Glue the photos to the canvas. Take some spray glue, spray the back of the photo and place it on the canvas. 

 

This spray glue is nasty stuff and will get ALL OVER. So be careful because there will be overspray. Lots of overspray. And you will be thinking evil thoughts about why you used the stuff in the first place. So do yourself a favor and cover the ENTIRE work surface with newspaper first. Put a new clean sheet of blank, white paper underneath the photo each time before you spray any glue to avoid any newsprint transfer. Change out the newspaper often to avoid a sticky mess. It will get all over your finger tips too and again you will think not-nice things while you scrub it off.

Why then, you might ask, don't I use something else for my adhesive needs? Time and convenience, my friends. I am willing to put up with some sticky newspaper if it means results in seconds and not having to deal with multiple coats of Mod Podge. Again with the laziness.

Step 4: Roll it out. A shout out to Holly for sharing this little trick with me. Take a rolling pin and roll it over the entire photo, paying attention to the edges. This will (I hope!) keep them from coming up in the future. Use a rolling pin that is longer than the photos to avoid any creases in the middle of the canvas. I used a shorter one the first go around (I was too lazy to go downstairs to the basement to get the long one) and now there is a crease on J's head.

As Ben says - if you can't take the time to do it right, you'll have to make the time to do it over. I usually roll my eyes when he says this, but I do see his point here.

So here we have it - six beautiful photos mounted on black canvas and ready to go on the wall. Progress! I love it!

I feel like we need some kind of office pool for when these will actually get put up. Hopefully before the next photo shoot.

The Summer To Do List

There hasn't been much DIYing going on over here lately. This winter has dragged on and on and on, and all this cooped-up-ness hasn't lent itself to many projects. There are finally a few signs of spring - daffodils, tulips, green grass, oh my! All the fresh air has me dreaming of new projects to tackle this summer.

Plan the Garden Last year, our resident bunny couple ate up pretty much everything in the garden. This year, I'm determined to win the war over these rascally rabbits and send them packing for good. Just don't tell E - I think she's become kind of attached to them. Any and all suggestions are welcome for how to rid our backyard of these pesky wabbits. I think it's going to be June before the garden gets in, but I'm already thinking of what yummy veggies to plant.

Elkhorn Flea Market - this is one of my favorite day trips each year. This HUGE flea market takes up the entire Walworth County Fairgrounds and hundreds of vendors sell pretty much anything antique, handmade or vintage that you could think of. I love wandering through the stalls and coming up with lots of ideas. Last year, I got the dresser in the bonus room and a side table that I plan to sand down and refinish at some point. Add it to the list! This year's dates are May 19, June 30, August 11 and September 29.

Garage Mudroom - I was hoping to have this done last fall before J was born, but it didn't happen. We did buy some stick-on floor tile when it was on sale, but it's still in the box in the garage. I really like this mudroom plan from Ana White and I may just be ambitious enough to give it a go.

Basement Layout - we're starting to think about talking about coming up with ideas for initiating plans to finish the basement. I'm sure it's still a few years down the road, but I would like to at least get an idea of what walls should go where and how best to use the space. First up is figuring out how to get that pesky sump pump to cooperate and stop flooding the basement during heavy rains.

Paint the Upstairs Hallway - I really should stop talking about doing this and just get it done.

Hang Pictures - The walls around here are pretty bare. And now that we have some great new photos from Lily Bella Photography, it's time to get some pictures up on the walls. Has anyone done the DIY canvases that are all over pinterest and would you recommend them?

Finish Window Treatments - another thing I need to just finally finish. Almost there!

Milestone Monday!

We've hit a milestone here - this little ol' blog of mine has hit 10,000 page views. Exciting! So thanks to all of you for reading my ramblings and sticking with me through infrequent posts, crazy projects and my sub-par photography. (And I realize it is not Monday as the title suggests, but Milestone Tuesday doesn't sound as great, now does it? And I did think of it yesterday.)

Honestly I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately with all the projects that are unfinished around here - the mud room in the garage, the bonus room window treatments, the unpainted upstairs hallway, etc. And did I mention that the basement flooded again? That's the third time in seven years. Ugh. Fortunately we learned our lesson the first time and everything was off the floor or in a waterproof bin. And we caught it before there was too much of a mess.

Lately I've kicked it into high gear and am finally powering through some things that should have been done ages ago. Our bedroom is now painted and has curtains again, and yesterday I finished sewing the kitchen window valance. I'll post pictures once the house is not a complete disaster. Oh yeah, and the valance still needs to be hung up. Lucky you, tomorrow is cleaning day and my handyman (i.e. Bubba) is coming over tonight.

Because I have many projects going on at the same time, one of the ways that I keep everything organized is my house binder.  I like to have all the info about every room handy when I'm out shopping for stuff, because you never know when you'll wonder whether the fabric in the quilt is raspberry pink, bubblegum pink, or pinky pink.

I bought a small 7x9 inch binder from Office Max and some business card inserts and filled it full of paint swatches and fabric samples. Each room has its own page, so it's easy to find what I'm looking for when I need it. I love having everything all in one place!

Master Bedroom Painting

It seems like I always have multiple projects going on at once. I have a tendency to start projects and then let them hang on forever, either because of indecision, inability or lack of time. One of my New Year's resolutions was to finally finish painting all the rooms in our house. We've been here for about seven years now and there is still rough, scratchy marked up builder paint in spaces.

In the fall, when we stained the deck, I also got a few estimates for painting our master bedroom. The numbers were a bit higher than I wanted, so I figured I could do it myself. How hard could it be to paint the walls and ceiling of a huge bedroom with 11 foot vaulted ceilings and a ceiling fan smack dab in the middle? Well, I can tell you it was HARD work. Imagine me standing on tiptoes on top of a ladder, maneuvering between fan blades, using a small brush to paint a very large space.  It took a solid weekend and there were times I wasn't sure I was going to be able to pull it off. But now it is done, nobody got hurt, I got a great workout and I love the color (Jogging Path by Sherwin-Williams).

Took me forever to get that tape around the light fixture!

Just starting out - this part took the most time!

The room already feels much cozier and homier. Now comes the fun part - new curtain rods, window treatments, lamps, pillows, etc. And here's a small confession. I'm not that great at pulling together all the coordinates. In fact, Ben is much better at it than I am. He can look at something and decide instantly and accurately whether it will look great or awful in the space. If only he shared my belief that you can never have too many pillows.

Half done with the ceiling!

Finally finished with the paint! Now on to accessories!

I've been loving the new Threshold line from Target. The other day I went on a buying binge (it's all on sale this week) and snatched up a bunch of lampshades, curtain panels and lamps. Now comes the part where I stare at them forever before deciding whether Ben is right (he usually is) about what should stay and what should go. The other option is using some of the newvstuff in the bonus room, which also has new paint but no accessories. I hope to have pictures of both completed rooms soon. I have lots of great ideas for the walls, thanks to Pinterest, so we'll see where we end up.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It wouldn't be Valentine's Day without something yummy to eat. We have a weakness around here for the salty/sweet combo. This year, E and I whipped up some dipped pretzels. (Yet another idea from Pinterest.) We used some vanilla-flavored red candy wafers (about $3 a bag from Michael's or Hobby Lobby) and some Valentine's Day sprinkles for a fun and festive treat.

You just melt the candy wafers in the microwave, dip the pretzels in the candy and then dip again in a bowl of sprinkles. (I added a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil to the candy wafers after melting to get the consistency I was looking for, and I think it helps them not harden so quickly.)

Set them on some waxed paper for about a half hour for the candy coating to harden. Yum, yum! Super easy and a fun project even the 2-year-old can help with.

Fabric Bins for the Nursery

I am a huge fan of open storage. I like to be able to throw something in a bin easily and not worry about taking off or putting on a lid. (I'm lazy, I know.)

Both kids have the ClosetMaid Cubeicals in their closets to store books and other things. There are lots of storage options for these, but I've never liked how their fabric bins take up the entire square. It makes it difficult to just chuck something in, or to see what is in the bin from far away. I am both a slob and obsessive about organization, so I need something that can be organized chaos.

I found this great tutorial for fabric baskets and thought I could adjust the measurements to fit the Cubeicals. It was important to me that it was wide enough to fit a tub of wipes and a stack of diapers, and short enough to leave some room when put in the Cubeical. I also wanted something that could serve as a diaper storage bin for the top of the changing table when needed, but be able to be put away in the Cubeical when not in use.

Here are the measurements I used (replacing what is in the tutorial link above) -

Exterior Fabric - 2 pieces 11"x10", 1 piece 12"x29"
Interior Fabric - 2 pieces 11"x6.5", 2 pieces 12"x6.5", 1 piece 13"x14"
Interfacing - 2 pieces 11"x10", i piece 12"x29"

I used a combination of sew-in and iron-on interfacing, mainly because I didn't know what I was doing when I went to the fabric store. Having used both - the iron-on is a lot easier, but more expensive. The sew-in isn't hard, but takes a little more effort. Just make sure you baste it in so it's easier to take out if you screw it up. (This is experience talking here.)

I used some foam core I had lying around for the bottom piece, and some old ribbon for the handles. If I were doing it again, I would probably use something a little sturdier so they would stand up better.

I was only going to make one, but they were so easy I ended up making three. With basic sewing skills, I'd say this takes 3-4 hours each. I did the second and third simultaneously, which helped speed things up a bit.

 Want to customize this for yourself? Here's the formula I used to determine what size fabric I needed to cut.

For the exterior fabric:
2 of these: (Finished Width +1 inch) X (Finished Height + 3 inches)  (for the front and back)
1 of these: (Finished Depth + 1 inch) X (2xFinished Height + Finished Width + 5inches) (for the bottom and sides)

For the interior:
2 of these: (Finished Width + 1 inch) X (Finished Height - 1/2 inch) (for the front and back)
2 of these: (Finished Depth + 1 inch) X (Finished Height - 1/2 inch) (for the sides)
1 of these: (Finished Width + 3 inches) X (Finished Depth + 3 inches) (for the bottom)

Interfacing: Same formula as the exterior.