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DIY Welcome Fall Sign

August 26, 2019 by Danielle 6 Comments

Okay, so I know it’s ‘technically’ still summer, but once school hits I’m in total FALL mode! Especially when it comes to decorating! My front door has been ‘blah’ for awhile, so I needed something cute and fun to spruce it up….and I loved how this DIY Welcome Fall Sign turned out!

I’ve done quite a few wreaths before, such as last year’s Give Thanks Wreath or my Frozen Inspired Wreath during the winter, but for some reason I was in more of a ‘sign’ mood this time around. One of the best parts of this Welcome Fall Sign? It was super budget-friendly, costing me less than $5 for used supplies! Plus how fun are the wire coils? Totally crazy, spunky and awesome!

It only took me a little bit to do, also, so it was a total winner in my book. There’s so many ways you can switch this up to make it fit what YOU like, so just have fun with it!

Supplies

2 wood boards of desired size (I had some on-hand)
2 wood shapes (I did an Owl and a Ladybug, $0.77 each at Walmart)
Googly eyes
Paint of choice
Fake moss or grass
Colored wire
Buttons
Vinyl or stencil for lettering
Ribbon for hanging
Hot glue

Directions

Paint your boards and wood shapes. Allow to dry completely. (note: I used puffy paint to get the textured dots on my ladybug). Once dried, hot glue your googly eyes to your shapes. Glue the moss/grass to the main board.
Glue the top board over the moss. Place your vinyl lettering on the board (I cut mine out with my trusty Silhouette Cameo…couldn’t live without it!) Add your shapes to the corners (or where you’d like).
Twist the wire into swirly coils as loosely or tightly as you’d like. Mix it up a bit, let them go crazy! CAREFULLY glue them to the board (I did long pieces, and glued the center of them to the board). Then (also carefully) glue the buttons over the center of the wires.
Attach the ribbon to the back and hang for display. Enjoy your totally fun and crazy Welcome Fall Sign!

Ultimate List of Star Wars Ideas for May the Fourth

April 26, 2019 by Danielle 4 Comments

Whether you’re with the light side or dark side, you’ll love this Ultimate List of Star Wars Ideas for May the Fourth! Printables and crafts, decor and games, even costumes and more. You’re bound to find some fantastic Star Wars project worthy of the Jedi or Sith in your family!

If you don’t know by now, our family is pretty big into Star Wars. And when I say big, I mean HUGE! Of course we do plenty of fun Star Wars crafts throughout the year, such as our Rebels Tshirts or puppets, but also enjoy the films quite often – lately we’ve been rewatching The Force Awakens & Rogue One!

Ultimate List of Star Wars Ideas

Star Wars Printable Activity Book

Star Wars Paper Crafts by Frugal Fun 4 Boys

Printable Star Wars I Spy Game by Live Laugh Rowe

Snatch up this fun and FREE Star Wars Game! I Spy Star Wars Printable. May the force be with you! livelaughrowe.com

Lightsaber Bookmarks

Stormtrooper Snacks by The Scrap Shoppe Blog

No-Sew Star Wars Rebels Pilot Vest by The Nerds Wife

Glowing Mini Lightsabers by Play Trains

Star Wars Father’s Day Card by Carrie Elle

Star Wars Perler Beads Patterns by Frugal Fun 4 Boys

Darth Vader Costume by Mom Endeavors

Star Wars Bottle Set Printables

Yoda Apple Snack by Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons

R2-D2 Pencil Holder by Crafts by Amanda

Yoda Lighted Canvas Art by The Causal Craftlete

LEGO Star Wars Printable Bookmarks by Carrie Elle

Lightsaber Smarties by Busy Creating Memories

No-Sew Jedi Tunics by Mom Endeavors

Lego Speeders by Frugal Fun 4 Boys

Stormtrooper Marshmallows by Catch My Party

BB-8 Paper Lantern by Desert Chica

Glow in the Dark Lightsaber Slime by Little Bins for Little Hands

Space Shuttle Craft by I Heart Crafty Things

Stitch Craft with Free Printables by Simplistically Living

Tie Fighter Cookies by Simplistically Living

Popsicle Stick Ornaments by Vicky Barone

Yoda Shape Craft by Toddler Approved

Darth Vader Craft Stick Puzzle by Crafts on Sea

R2-D2 Trash Can by Kids Activities Blog

Lightsaber Pool Noodles by Kid’s Activities Blog

Chewbacca Cookies by Simplistically Living

Milk Jug Storm Trooper Helmet by Filth Wizardry

Star Wars Finger Puppets by The Idea Room

Star Wars Rebels Bleached Tee by One Mama’s Daily Drama

Handprint Art by Geek Dad

Lightsaber Skirt

Last-Minute Star Wars Party by Smart Girls DIY

Ewok Granola Bars by Totally The Bomb

Printable Star Wars Quotes by One Mama’s Daily Drama

Yoda Paper Bag Puppet by Gluesticks and Gumdrops

Star Wars Banner

Lightsaber Bubble Wands by The Contemplative Creative

Chewbacca Bandolier by All For The Boys

Star Wars Puppets

Jedi Quiet Book by Julie Gillrie

Star Wars Cupcake Toppers by One Mama’s Daily Drama

BB-8 Quesadilla by Totally The Bomb

Mother’s Day Jedi Card

Lightsaber Sensory Bottles by Little Bins for Little Hands

Super Simple Stormtrooper Costume by Carrie Elle

R2-D2 Luminaries by DIY Candy

Save Han Solo Activity by Fun-a-Day

Star Wars Party Printables by The Kiwi in the Clouds

Lightsaber Sugar Scrub by Totally The Bomb

LEGO Star Wars Lunchbox Notes by One Mama’s Daily Drama

Star Wars Themed Footprint Art by The Pinterested Parent

DIY Rebels Shirts

Death Star Play Dough by Little Bins for Little Hands

Wampa Granola Bars by Totally The Bomb

Paper Plate Yoda Craft by Coffee Cups and Crayons

Lightsaber Pens by Kid’s Activities Blog

The Force Awakens Activity Book

Lightsaber Cereal Bars by The Frugal Mom

Star Wars Mason Jar Gifts by Chica Circle

Star Wars Toilet Paper Roll Characters by Kid’s Activities Blog

Star Wars Crayons by Carrie Elle

Lava Slime by Fun-a-Day

X-Wing Fighter from Office Supplies by Frugal Fun 4 Boys

Recycled Droids by All For The Boys

Lunchbox Jokes

No-Sew Princess Leia Costume by Carrie Elle

Millennium Falcon Soap by Simplistically Living

Other Star Wars fun…

Pirate Growth Chart

February 25, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

My boys are really into Jake & The Neverland Pirates right now. Well, for like the past YEAR. They sing the songs all day long, they call each other one of the characters, and are always fighting Hook the ‘Sneakety Snook’. Way cute! (originally shared January 2014)

I’ve been wanting to do a growth chart for awhile, and have stressed about it more and more since my kids are already growing so much. I’m going to miss all their little growth spurts! So what better for them than an adorable (yet simple and budget friendly) DIY Pirate Growth Chart?!

Supplies

6′ tall board – $13

Small canister stain – $8 (I used English Chestnut)

Small canister sealant – $8 (I used clear semi-gloss)

Vinyl for letters and lines – $8

Vinyl for Pirate shapes – $4

Directions

Take your plain board, lay it on something you don’t mind painting on. Choose an area with good ventilation, too, since the stain and sealant smell STRONG. You’ll also need to leave it in place for awhile to dry, so keep that in mind.

Apply the stain according to canister directions. I did two coats on mine. Be sure to allow it to dry completely before adding the sealant, then after applying the sealant before handling.

I then starting adding the vinyl. I chose to do bone shapes for my FOOT lines, so started by measuring and applying those. I did start with 1′ six inches from the bottom, since I’ll attach the board to the wall six inches off the ground.

Then the ‘fun’ part, measuring out each inch. Tiny vinyl lines are not my friends!

There’s your ‘almost’ complete board!

Now you have the option of applying fun Pirate shapes and fun things: skulls, swords, flags, ships, steering wheels, bandanna caps. Or phrases like ‘Ahoy Matey’ or ‘Yo Ho Yo Ho’ or ‘Walk the Plank’. Have fun with it!

I can’t wait to track my little Pirate Mateys on this fun growth chart!!!

Family Home Command Center

January 7, 2019 by Danielle

With a family of 7, it can be really challenging to keep all of our schedules organized (and not forget all the random events or tasks). Luckily, we spent the weekend putting up this awesome Family Home Command Center that’s been a lifesaver! Not only is it functional, but looks amazing on this big wall on the side of our stairs.

As we’ve been *finally* adding photos and decor to our walls in this house (like our fun entryway with our new family photos), I knew I wanted a central area to help keep our family a bit more organized. A big dry erase calendar was a total MUST for me, because as the kids get older there seems to be more and more activities every month – I need help to stay on top of it all!

And for those of you that are super observant, yes I completely messed up the dates on the calendar at first! My large desk calendar – where I put all my daily to-dos for work, life, and EVERYTHING – starts with Sunday as the first day of the week. I look at this calendar multiple times a day, so that’s what my brain is programmed for – so I went into autopilot when writing in dates. It’s since been fixed, thank goodness, but it’s going to take some getting use to! At the top is another of our fabulous family photo gallery wraps – it’s a bit more goofy, and I love it for our command center.

It took me a bit to decide on a layout – but once I knew exactly WHAT I wanted to put on the wall, it was just a matter of playing with it. I traced everything onto scrap paper and used that taped to the wall until I found what I liked best, then it was easy to put the nail holes exactly where they needed to be, as well!

We’ve been trying something new with our family chores – a sheet with the chores divided up. I laminated it, so each week I just put each child’s marker color by the chunk of chores that they’re in charge of completing that week. Same for who has meal duties (set table, etc.) each meal – just add their marker color. Super easy to switch up, and a nice convenient spot for them to check!

Above that is a cute printable list of the morning tasks all my kids need to complete to kick off their homeschool work for the day – I plan to switch it up each month to play with other backgrounds.

I’ve had my large photo collage LOVE board for several years now, and have always enjoyed it in a central location to look at often, so it was perfect! I plan to start making a new one annually with our family photos from that year, then use numbers to do a vertical 2018 (or whatever the year) in place of the letters. Each year we’ll add to our collection, and the most current will go in this spot on our home command center!

Aren’t my babies so cute? Even the kids really enjoy walking past this and seeing a bunch of photos of the family. This family command center is along our main pathway from the front door to the back of the house where the kitchen/living room are. Across from the wall is the large, open office and homeschool room, so it’s a perfect location for them to check their daily tasks and glance at the family calendar, as needed.

Seriously, I can’t get enough of how great this central area looks – and am loving how convenient it is for our family scheduling, tasks, and chores. Hopefully it continues to keep us a bit more organized for a long while to come!

Do you have a command center? Tell me about it in the comments!

Homework Station for Teens & Tweens

July 30, 2018 by Danielle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BackToSchoolGoals18 #CollectiveBias

Supporting our kids at home can really help their success at school, especially as they get older and into higher, more challenging grades. One way we can provide that help to them is having things organized in a way that makes homework and study time less hassle – and maybe even more fun. We put together this organized and colorful Homework Station for Teens & Tweens as we’re getting nearer to the start of the school year, and stocking up on all of the essentials. We’re even showing you how to make this super simple DIY Pencil Caddy!

Back to school shopping can be stressful, which is why I make sure to plan ahead and go early before the rush. Walmart always has what I need in just one stop, which is a huge sanity saver! Not only that, but be sure to check out their specific Back-to-School section so you don’t have to wander all over the store to grab everything you need for your students.

From my experience, teacher supplies lists can be a bit generic – which is fantastic in finding what you need and covering all the basis – but be sure to stock up on the items you’ll certainly need plenty of for the school year, such as Scotch® tape or Post-it® Original Pop-up Notes. I go through a TON of them all year long, and love that I can keep a good stash of them to pull out whenever.

My tweens have started using Post-it® Notes Cubes and Post-it® Tabs a lot, using them to mark pages in their books (without the worry of leaving marks) or planners to help them stay on track and more organized. Of course they LOVE leaving little memos and friendly notes all over, too – but I’m all for it if it makes learning time more fun for them!

Supplies

Post-it® Notes Cubes and Post-it® Tabs
Box or Container
Paper of Choice
Scissors
Containers or Organizers
Tissue Paper, if desired
School Supplies

Note: If you’re using a box, make sure the top flaps are removed first.

Directions

Decorate the box/container. For ours, we just used some sturdy paper (like construction or card stock). Your teen/tween can even decorate it beforehand, if they want! Start with a strip on the four outside corners, just so they are covered neatly. Next, size pieces of paper to cover all the outside sides of the box. Fold over the top and bottom and smooth out, then use Scotch® Super Hold Tape to secure it into place.
If you want some depth to for your containers, use tissue paper to build up the bottom (we put the back row of containers higher than the front, just because we liked the look of it better).
Place your containers, then fill with all of your student’s school supplies!

See, I told you it was really simple – and it’s a great way for them to customize their supply box, making it a bit more enjoyable when it’s time for them to tackle homework or study. We filled our containers with pencils and other supplies to help them, then set up a nice area for them to store it until needed.

I’m pretty relieved that I thought ahead this year instead of waiting until the last minute – but at least I know I can always grab everything my kiddos will need for back to school during my regular Walmart trip – because I almost always forget something!

Be sure to go here more Back-to-School Inspiration & Help!

Decorating with Stencils

July 6, 2018 by Danielle

This post brought to you by Stencil Revolution. All opinions are mine alone. #StencilRevolution

It feels like we just moved into this house yesterday, while at the same time feeling like we’ve been here years. In all reality, it’s been about 2.5 months – and I haven’t done a single bit of decorating! In all fairness, I still have plenty of boxes to unpack and the more important items to check off the list first, but it really bothers me having nothing on my walls. I was thrilled to get a project to try out, especially because Decorating with Stencils and being able to paint makes me so happy! My kids know when I pull out my ‘painting clothes’, that I’m ready for some DIY fun.

I had so many ideas on what to do with the large 35″x35″ Texas State stencil I got – everything from a collage of photos cut to fit inside, to string art filling up the stencil – but ultimately I decided it’d be a fun addition to this huge BLANK spot on one of my upstairs walls. I mean, check out all this boring wall space….

Yup, it was definitely in need of something. For something a little more unique – and because I received both the outside AND inside pieces to this awesome stencil from Stencil Revolution – I decided to do the state shape itself in black chalkboard paint.

It took three or four coats to get it as smooth and dark as I wanted, but then was a beautiful Texas-shaped chalkboard spot on the wall!

Next, to add a bunch of fun color! I replaced the outside stencil with the inside, protecting my (fully dried, of course) Texas state shape. I chose four different colors (pink, blue, green and purple), then took some old rags and used THE RAGS to smudge each color all over randomly…

I’m sure you could make the smudging work with paint brushes, but I felt that the rags really gave it the random splotches, streaks and swipes that I was going for. At first, I was just going to do it a couple inches out from the black shape, but loved the look so much that I decided to fill that whole indented area on the wall – and I love how it turned out!

Soon, I want to add a red heart on top of the Texas shape right where DFW is, since that’s home for us!

Since I already had my ‘painting clothes’ and all my supplies out, I tackled another one of the fabulous stencils I got from Stencil Revolution – an awesome quote for the kitchen that reads ‘Today’s Menu: Eat it or Starve’ I know many of you moms are chuckling, just as I did as I browsed the site full of stencils! I feel like dinnertime is a constant battle, so may as well have a bit of humor with it – along with a pop of color in the kitchen, right?

There’s not a ton of wall space in my kitchen, which is fine with me because I love all the cabinet space and openness. This 18″x12″ vertical stencil fit perfectly on this column by my island area, and really helped that blank spot that was just begging to be decorated!

I’m thrilled to finally have some fun colors in my house, and had so much fun painting! I’m eager to add some more stencil decorations to my walls (I’ve got a beautiful saying to go in my bedroom, and a fun Iron Man face that the boys will enjoy in the game room or their bedroom), so stay tuned for more DIY projects and colorful fun!

What stencil would YOU want for your home?

8 DIY Travel Savings Jars

June 15, 2018 by Danielle

Y’all know I absolutely LOVE to travel – near or far, it’s so exciting to make plans, pack, check out new sites and meet new cultures! Whether you’re planning a trip to Disneyland, dreaming of an escape to Paris or have no specific destination in mind – just the desire to travel – then these 8 DIY Travel Savings Jars are for you!

I don’t know about you, but I think having a cute jar where you can store loose change or other funds you want set aside for a future trip makes it more exciting – and even a little more REAL! This can be especially great if you have a LOT you need to save up to reach your desired goal. It can also be a way for the whole family to get involved – if the kids see that mom and dad are putting some spare change into the jar for the family’s trip, perhaps they’ll want to contribute as well.

Check out these awesome DIY travel savings jars and pick one that works best for YOUR future adventure!

DIY Travel Savings Jars with Free Printable Labels from Cassie Smallwood

Clay Pot Savings Jar from Laura’s Crafty Life

Honeymoon Fund Jar from Something Turquoise

DIY Wanderlust Jar from SerendipiDIY

Customizable Disney Savings Bank from The Quirky Mom Next Door

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Ear Jars from Moms & Munchkins

Disney Savings Jar from Eighteen25

Make Your Own “Fund” Jar from Something Turquoise

Whichever travel savings jar you choose, or wherever you go, I hope you make wonderful memories to last a lifetime!

Tutu Bow Holder

April 16, 2018 by Danielle

I now have TWO girls in my family, not including myself. And three boys (four if you count their dad, who’s a kid often as well!). Ya, there’s quite a bit of testosterone at our home. Now, I’m not a very girly person. Feminine, yes, but not much for the frilly, pink butterflies, multiple purses and closet full of shoes type. That being said, my girls do tend to be a bit more into things like hair bows, ribbons, sparkles and such, so I get to enjoy the fun frills and butterflies of motherhood, not just the Hot Wheels and airplanes. And, of course, adorable girly crafts like this Tutu Bow Holder! Originally published January 2014

Tutu Bow Holder Tutorial / Busy Mom's Helper

One of the ‘girly’ things I do like are cute little hair bows. Seriously, I was stocking up on all sorts of these before Black Widow even had enough hair to put a piggy in! Now that she’s 11, she isn’t as into bows as she once was. It’s often headbands (specifically Mavi Bandz). On occasion, though, she allows me to stick one of the cute clips in her hair. Plus, Songbird really loves her hair bows. One problem we have is, they’re often just stuffed in a drawer in their bathroom. Hard to get to, harder to sort through to find the right one.

That’s where this adorable Tutu Bow Holder comes in! I was intimidated at first, but then found that Trisha over at Momdot has the absolute BEST tutorial! I loved her very clear and precise instructions. So for the complete tutorial, go over to her tutorial.

Here’s some photos from the one I made Black Widow years ago…

She picked out all her own colors and supplies. It will fit along quite well with her room makeover that’s currently taking place (first room makeover/remodel in our new house – so excited!!!)

I’m so excited how this turned out!

Here’s the one we recently made for my little cousin’s birthday!

Don’t forget to go see Trisha over at Momdot to get the Tutorial!

DIY Popsicle Stick Coasters

April 13, 2018 by Danielle

Please tell me I’m not the only one who has a huge stockpile of popsicle sticks (aka craft sticks)? Not like used ones from popsicles my kids have eaten, so don’t worry – but I buy them in bulk because there’s so many awesome projects you can create with them! The latest fun are these DIY Popsicle Stick Coasters that you can quickly put together, then decorate however you’d like!

We’ve used craft sticks in plenty of things, such as our DIY Valentine Frame, to hold up our fun printable Star Wars Puppets, or even for the kids’ catapults! Seriously, these are one of those craft items that are great to keep in stock – maybe not the crazy amount I have, but still a bag full or so is perfect. Besides, a bunch of these crafts would be great for not just kids, but adults as well – just like these stick coasters!

Supplies

Popsicle sticks
Cutting pliers
Strong adhesive glue
Poster color
Paint brush

Directions

I used 12 popsicle sticks for each coaster, however select the number of popsicle sticks you want and cut off both round ends with the help of craft pliers so that the popsicle sticks are rectangular.
Place a piece of paper on a flat surface and place 1 popsicle stick vertically on it; Place 2 more popsicle sticks parallel to each other; Each of the 2 sticks should be placed horizontally with each ends of the first stick. The 1st stick has been used for measurement.
Now take the 1 st popsicle stick (placed vertically) and glue it on its side onto the 2 horizontal sticks.
Glue 2 more popsicle sticks on their sides onto the 2 horizontal sticks, keeping even gap between all 3 sticks. The base is now ready.
Now take the rest of the popsicle sticks and glue them on the base one by one.
You can either cover the entire top surface or keep small and even gaps between the popsicle sticks while gluing them on the top of the base.
Done gluing all the popsicle sticks? Select a color of your choice and simply paint the coaster (popsicle sticks) as you wish. Once you’re done painting, allow the paint to dry entirely.

They’re really SUPER easy to make, plus I love how easy it is to paint them to match your own decor or style.

They’d also make great gifts, especially as a ‘welcome home’ type package for someone moving! Or put these out at your next party – paint them to match the team you’re rooting for during the game, paint to match the decorations for a birthday, or just to protect your tables from those drinks 😉

How would YOU decorate your craft stick coaster?

DIY Paper Flowers for Spring

April 2, 2018 by Danielle

With all this rain, the leaves and flowers are popping up fast and making it feel like Spring. I’m definitely not a winter person, so my mood has improved with this coming season! Soon there will be colorful plants everywhere – and why not make your own beautiful Dahlia flowers with this fun project? You can do these fun DIY Paper Flowers for Spring to decorate your home or office, give as a sweet bouquet, or just because.

Supplies

Colored craft paper– 3 or more colors of your choice
Cardstock paper
Scissors
Craft glue

Directions

Select 3 or more different colors of craft paper for the flower and cut out square shapes from them. Cut out the squares in 3 different sizes and for each size cut 8 pieces of squares. Also cut out a round pattern, then cut it into a spiral.
Take any one of the square cut-outs and fold any one corner towards the middle of the square.
Now fold the opposite corner towards the middle (keeping the previous fold on its place). Overlap both folds by 1 cm and glue the overlapped part to secure the cone shape.
Similarly create cone patterns with the rest of the square cut outs. Take the spiral pattern and start rolling it from its outer edge towards the center and then glue the roll with the center to secure it; this will be the center part of the flower.
Cut out a round shape from a cardstock paper. The size of the round cut out would depend on the size of the square cut outs. Apply 8 lines of glue around the round pattern; from its outer edge towards the center, the lines don’t need to reach the center. I applied 8 lines of glue because I prepared 8 cones for each layer for the dahlia. The round pattern is the base.
Take the large cones and place each cone on each lines of glue with the cones’ open (wider) end facing outwards. Make sure to keep even gaps between the cones and arrange them nicely.
Go for the next layer with the medium sized cones. Glue the medium cones slightly inwards (joining the closed end of the cones at the center of the base and between 2 larger cones.
Now glue the small sized cones similarly; gluing each small cone between 2 medium cones and towards the center.
And finally, glue the rolled spiral piece on the center to complete the dahlia flower.

You can even mix it up and do variations by mixing and matching different colors of paper, or different numbers and layers of cones. It’s up to you – just have fun with it!

What color of paper flower would YOU like best?

How to Print on Burlap & Valentine Date Invitation Printable

February 2, 2018 by Danielle

This post was sponsored by BurlapFabric.com – as always, all opinions and ideas are our own.

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t always like burlap. In my mind, it was always a bland brown color that had fraying edges that were a mess, and you couldn’t do much with it at all. Wow, that’s sure changed! Now you can get burlap in several different colors, shapes, styles. You can get it as a napkin, a bag, ribbon, banners and so much more. I love the options! I also love that I now know how How to Print on Burlap & I’m sharing a fun Valentine Date Invitation Printable for y’all to use this month!

Isn’t this banner super fun? I thought it’d be unique to not only ‘invite’ my hubby to be my Valentine date, but do it by decorating with a banner covered with the invite – he’s sure to get the message that way, right? 😉

I got this 12-pack of burlap banner pieces for the project, and though I was a bit nervous printing on a weird shape, it turned out really simple and no hassle at all!

Supplies

12-pack of burlap banner pieces
Printer (I used inkjet, but I’ve heard this will work on laserjet as well – but haven’t personally tried that)
Scissors
Hot glue/gun
Valentine Invitation Printable -click on here & the 8.5×11 will download
Colored Burlap Ribbon – if desired

A side note – the reason I really love this burlap banner pack is that it already has a filmy backing to it. Otherwise, we’d need to do additional steps with freezer paper to create a backing for going through the printer. This worked great for me without the extra though because it was already there!

Directions – Printing on the Burlap

Cut just under the top folded-over area of the banner, removing the strip that holds the string – but save it, because we’ll reattach it later! Be sure to trim the edges a bit to get rid of any frays that could get caught in the printer.
Do a test page on your printer to make sure you know the proper direction to load your burlap. You want it to print on the non-shiny side. We designed the file to be 8.5×11 in size, but it’s laid out so it’ll print in the bulky area of these banners, with the top at the largest width of the banner – as you can see below. After your comfortable that you know the direction to load your banner piece, place it as needed in your printer and hit print.

Directions – Attaching Rope Back On

Use hot glue/gun to reattach the strip with the rope to the back of your banner. Don’t go very close to the sides, as you’ll need to trim a bit off so they don’t stick out.

An easy way to trim them WITHOUT CUTTING THE ROPE is as follows:
- Cut a little slit inwards (only on that back strip, do not cut the front triangle in any of these steps) so you can push the rope enough towards the center that it won’t get cut on the edge.
- Cut the excess strip off, keeping the rope away from your scissors – and remember to avoid cutting the front triangle piece, you’re just cutting the excess along the edges!
- Repeat for other side so they’re both hidden/flush with the nice triangle edges

I love this little ‘invitation’ and how simple it was to print on burlap – I can see a lot of fun projects like this in the future! I also used this red burlap ribbon for some added ‘color’ and accent with my banner. I think it really brings out the red text!

If you like it more simple, that’s perfectly great too – it still looks incredible, and almost makes the mustache part stand out even more which is fun 🙂

Whichever way you choose, this fun Valentine date invitation is unique, simple to make and a great way to catch the invitees eyes!

If you have burlap that doesn’t already have that film layer on the back, you’ll need to add it using freezer paper and an iron, otherwise it’ll have issues printing since there’s holes/gaps in the burlap:

Be sure you use freezer paper – NOT wax!
Trim a piece of freezer paper so it fits your burlap shape. Trim so it fits EXACTLY – don’t forget to trim any burlap frays as well.
Put the shiny side of the paper onto the ‘back’ of your burlap and use your iron to ‘stick’ the paper to the burlap.
Follow the printing instructions as above – always do a test sheet to ensure you have it loaded the correct way.
Once printed on, carefully peel off the freezer paper. It should come off easily, but if it’s sticking a bit too much, try rolling the burlap gently so it loosens it up more to peel off. Another option is putting it in the freezer, which seems to make the pieces unstick from each other.

What would YOU print on burlap?

Please note – printers and burlap may vary, so please make the best judgement when putting something other than paper through your printer. We’re simply sharing how we did it and what worked for us. We assume no responsibility if your printer/burlap is different and something gets ruined.

Other Valentine Ideas…

Organize Your Life with The Container Store

December 30, 2017 by Danielle

I have a major problem functioning when a room is in total chaos. If I have to spend forever to find something among piles of other somethings, forget it! For example, we’re currently remodeling my kids’ huge loft playroom. But with so much stuff, where was I to put it all? Thank goodness you can Organize Your Life with the Container Store! Originally shared in 2015, but the big ELFA sale is back and I just had to reshare!

When we decided to makeover their playroom, I knew that one of the major things I wanted to change was where their million toys, action figures, costumes, legos, cars and other kid-stuff was stored. Up until now, it took over my hallway linen closet. For a visual….

See any towels, bedding or other normal ‘linen closet’ items in there? You wouldn’t, because none of that stuff would fit! I wanted it OUT of my storage place, and nicely organized in their HUGE playroom…they’ve definitely got the space for it! I picked out one of their corner areas where I wanted their storage to be….

That corner…totally blank except the couch and occasional forts. Plenty of space to move stuff around! I painted it from the blah ‘Arctic Frost’ color that our house came in to a Pebble Grey on the walls and normal white for the ceiling. Then I headed to The Container Store near us…in Frisco/Plano area…and had the AMAZING people there help us out!

I got so excited, because their Elfa Storage Solutions are ON SALE RIGHT NOW through February 11th! That’s a full 30% off all Elfa products AND 30% off installation services! We actually find it totally simple to install Elfa systems, so choose to do it ourselves. It’s awesome! The store will even help you DESIGN YOUR SPACE FOR FREE. Yup, they’re awesome! We gave them the measurements, then they worked with us to figure out exactly what type of stuff we needed. They even helped us choose between things so we could stick to our budget!

We stuck with the platinum, since it will go with our playroom theme great (shhh…that’s coming soon!) I also love how durable and safe the Elfa stuff is…there’s a slit at the top runner, so it’s not like the kids could slide the down hooks off themselves.

They also have end pieces you can put on so the edges of the shelves LOOK nicer, and are more safe against rough or pokey edges!

After just a little bit, we had our shelving and drawers all set up!

Then it was just a matter of organizing all of the kids’ stuff out there! As we were putting their toys here, we did decide to make a couple changes as to where things went (drawers lower, etc.) and it was a super quick and easy switch!

I’m totally in love with this…how it LOOKS, how EASY it was, how FLEXIBLE, and how much the kids are loving the simplicity of getting out and putting things away! I’m totally in love with how ORGANIZED things stay, too, since even my youngest can figure out where things are suppose to go with this!

So contact your nearest Container Store, have them help you (for FREE) design your own space – whether it’s a playroom, closet, garage, or bedroom – and take advantage of the amazing Elfa sale before you miss out this year!