Barbie Closet – Part 2

Posted on October 16, 2018 by

Okay, this was kind of a mess.  It did not turn out AT ALL like my imagined closet of Barbie’s Dreams.  Se la vi.  Harlow still loves it, and that’s really all that matters, right?  Right… mostly.  Like, 80%.  Anyway.  When I last talked to you, I was fighting Mod Podge.  UGH.  That stuff.  Maybe someday I’ll figure it out?  Maybe?  Or not.  It was a mess.  I would probably do… almost every single thing differently if I were ever to attempt it again.  The only thing that actually worked out perfectly was using the bamboo skewers as hanger rods.  Perfect for Barbie-sized hangers!  Anyhoosies, here’s the final product.img_20181011_170429_345img_20181011_170429_344

For me, gluing in thin pieces of cardboard to use as dividers did. not. work.  So, I used entire, folded sheets of cardboard covered in paper, and glued the whole shebang on there.  I also did end up cutting off the flap on the front, because it just wasn’t feeling useful.  img_20181011_170429_346

Not perfect, but like I have to constantly remind my perfectionist 5 year old, nothing has to be perfect… just your best.

Have a great day living your best.

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Barbie Closet DIY – Part 1

Posted on October 9, 2018 by

Hello!  Greetings from 85 degree Michigan Fall!  Ugh…  I’m so over summer weather in the middle of autumn!

Jumping right into it…  I’ve been looking for a Barbie closet for Harlow to play with for eons!  She has somehow accumulated a thousand Barbie hangers, but can’t really play with them without a closet.  I found one for $25 online, but it is fairly cheap looking, and I just didn’t think it was very cute.  I did a Google search, and came across a few options for DIY.

Here are some of my inspirations:

http://egolonsville.weebly.com/wardrobe-for-dolls–armario-para-muntildeecas.html

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My Froggy Stuff, that guru of all things Barbie-related, also has a tutorial for a great one.

Well, I decided to take a stab at doing one of my own.  It is proving to be much more difficult than I imagined.  I always think things are going to be really simple – probably because all the tutorials make it look SO easy! – but projects like this are never easy for me.  This post will be in sections because it is taking longer than anticipated, and it is more involved than I originally thought.

So!  First, I got an empty laptop box.

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We had one lying around that hadn’t been recycled, yet, from our recent laptop purchase.  It was the perfect size for a Barbie to walk into!  The first thing I did was cut the front out, leaving just a little on the sides for shelving.

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For the time being, I’ve left the front flap on as a sort of flooring/runway.  I’m not sure I’m going to keep it.  I thought I could close it up for storage, but…  I’m just not loving it.  We’ll see.  Next, I covered all the cardboard areas with craft paper and Mod Podge.  I don’t know if it is just me, but using Mod Podge is SO DIFFICULT!

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Today I cut out and papered/painted cardboard pieces for a few shelves/dividers, and painted the bamboo skewers that will be the clothing bar for the hangers.  I still have several of each to go, but I’m getting there!

Crafting is SO MESSY for me!  I’m totally not one of these YouTube crafters that has a work area that looks so clean and put-together!

Stay tuned for Part 2!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out!  I love to talk about crafting!

 

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Halloween Kitchen/Coffee Sign

Posted on October 4, 2018 by

Hi, Ya’ll!

I know this is BRAND NEW INFORMATION, but I love Halloween and Coffee!!!

I’ve been decorating the house and digging through costume bins, and basically just going HALLOWEEN CRAZY!  Yes, I already bought Harlow’s Halloween Costume.  Yes, I’ve already had countless Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  I am proudly the most basic of… well, you know.

 

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Anyway, in my search for some new Halloween swag, I was trying to find a kitchen decoration to replace my “Coffee” sign.  Apparently, like so many other things, they don’t exist.  So, like so many other things, I made my own!  I got the wooden sign frame from JoAnn Fabrics on clearance for $5 or $6 dollars.  I had the glitter iron-on (YES!  You can use iron on material on wood!!!) and, Ta-Da!

 

 

To cover the hook hanger, I stuck on a spare sparkle spider from my wreath project (I just bought the wreath over the mantle and added a couple of sparkly bats and a spider to fancy it up – not worth a post…) and literally just stuck it on the hook… I’m not sure it will stay, so I might have to figure out something else, but for now it works!

OH!  And I finally got to break out my Halloween Haunted House leggings!  So cute!!!

 

Happy Thursday, everyone!

 

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN MONTH!!!

Posted on October 1, 2018 by

Happy October!  It is HALLOWEEN MONTH!  I love, love, love Halloween and I’m so excited for fall!  I’ve been crafting up a storm of Halloween items!  Perfect for chilly days, and sipping Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

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Cleaning Toys in the Washing Machine

Posted on September 30, 2018 by

So… I’ve written about my mouse problem a lot lately.  I am so, so, so sick of them!  They are so smart!

black and white mouse

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

But I digress…  One issue I’ve had, is that toys I temporarily stored in the back room in the basement in open-topped bins (see “temporarily”) had mouse poop (and some unidentifiable orange goo that I attribute to the mice) on them when I tried to take them out to use them again.  GROSS!  I almost just got rid of them, but we have a TON of Fisher Price Little People sets, and Harlow still likes to play with them.

So I had to wash them.

Because I’m a little lazy, I didn’t follow the online search advice to take a disinfectant wipe and wipe down each individual piece.  Instead, I gathered up all the small pieces without batteries or stickers, stuck them in a few mesh laundry bags, and threw them in the wash on a hot cycle with a little soap.  Set the machine to NO SPIN!  Trust me!!!

They came out nice and clean.  A few had some water in them, but I was able to easily shake it out.  All I have left to clean are the castles/large toys, and the few items with stickers on them!

 

Have a great day!

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How To Turn Your Old Baby Stuff Into $$$

Posted on September 28, 2018 by

Happy Friday, All!

I have accomplished next to nothing this week.  I did not run (I was on day 5 or 6 of my C25K), I did not craft, I did not blog, I did not accomplish anything on my to-do list.

What I did do, was battle mice and mouse poop, clean out the back storage room in the basement (initiated by aforementioned mouse and mouse poop), and make money on old baby gear!

close up of pink indoors

Let’s back up… in July, I got it in my head that all the baby stuff had. to. go.  I was sick of it taking over my storage room, and since I knew there was zero chance of baby 2 (or 3 or 4), I just wanted it gone.  I took a couple of days to sort out the baby clothes into sizes, then trudged around 8 huge bins to our local resale shop.  I would NEVER do this again.  After two months (and a ton of stuff given back to me, making me have to lug huge, heavy bins up and down stairs and in and out of cars), I went back to collect $40.  This included clothing, a pack-n-play, newborn accessories, sleep sacks, and shoes.

I took the items they didn’t want, and slapped them on Facebook Marketplace.  In ONE WEEK, with only the discarded clothing and some baby gear they didn’t want, I have earned over $100.  I really, really wish I could undo giving my “good” stuff to the resale shop.  Oi.  Lesson learned.  I still have to keep going back periodically for months (until all my stuff is sold) to see if I have any measly bits of cash coming my way.  What a pain.

A friend told me about Facebook Marketplace ages ago, but I was totally not interested.  I was SO wrong!  It is so easy, quick, and painless.  Plus, it is getting stuff out of my basement!  I still have several things for sale that I’ve been getting lots of interest on, so I anticipate even more money coming my way!

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This isn’t something I would only recommend for a stay at home parent… if anything, that has hurt me!  I am only willing to meet people for an exchange during school hours, and most people want to meet after work hours.  So this is literally something anyone can do and succeed at!

Happy selling, and have a great weekend!

 

 

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Last Summer Day

Posted on September 21, 2018 by

Yesterday was gorgeous.  And so, so very hot.  Just before it was time to pick Harlow up from school, I had the idea of heading downtown to the splash pad.  We had only made it there once so far this summer, and I thought it would be a fun treat for her on our rare evening off to celebrate what most likely was the last summery day of the season.

I picked her up from school, let her in on my plan, and she was over the moon!  We got down there, and it was closed.  ARGH!  I was disappointed.  She was devastated.  Luckily a quick search online told me it was only closed for another hour, and we were within walking distance of the beach, so… plan salvaged!   Whew!20180920_164631

 

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I was a little concerned that everybody would have the same plan as me, but as you can see, we had the entire splash pad to ourselves!  It was so much more relaxing than it normally is, with 30+ kids running around!

Now that our summer is officially over, it is time for all things fall!  I am sitting, sipping a Starbucks Instant Pumpkin Spice Latte, and working on some fall crafts!  Hopefully soon, I will have a page on here where you will be able to purchase some of the fun items I make!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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