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Easy DIY Draft Catcher

February 6, 2016 by Kathleen Clegg

Is it still cold where you live? It’s still stinkin’ cold here and will probably be cold for another 3 months or so. Also, where I live the wind blows so bad, so many days, and it comes right in my doors. You see, I live in an older house and while this house is a work in progress, the doors are kind of drafty. Not so awesome when it’s 10 degrees outside. I put a towel at the front door and a blanket at the back door to help, but it was kind of tacky, so I made an Easy DIY Draft Catcher for each door. These babies are easy to make and really do help.

This is Louie. I’m pretty sure he liked the blanket at the back door more than he likes the draft catcher. He seems to lay a little bit away from the door now instead of right next to it. He just stares at the draft catcher. Kind of funny really. Poor mistreated cat.

This is what was at my front door before I decided to make it a little less tacky.

As I said, these are super easy to make. First, measure the doorway of where you want it to go and add 4 inches. Cut the fabric to that length and 10 inches wide. I used a metal tape measurer because I didn’t have a fabric one long enough for the back door fabric.

Fold the fabric in half, lengthwise, and sew along two sides. Trim the edges.

Cut the corner to take the point off of the fabric, as shown in the picture below. The turn the fabric right side out.

To stuff the draft catcher, you will need some fiberfill and bigger dried beans, like pinto beans.

To fill, first put about 2 cups of beans in the draft catcher. Then put some fiberfill in, to measure about a foot of fiberfill. Repeat until it is filled.

A couple of tips. First, when you’re adding your fiberfill, use a yard stick to push it down and pack it is well, a little at a time. Second, use a canning funnel to add the beans. I have beans all over the place now because I dropped some and Louie ran off with them.

You want to finish with beans and a small amount of fiberfill, as shown below. The beans on the ends help hold it in place.

Turn the edges under and sew the end closed. This will be a little tricky. Squish the filling down so you have room to sew the end closed. When you’ve got it closed, move it around a little to fill in where you squished it down.

Finally, you have a lovely draft catcher to keep the draft out of your house. This will help keep you warmer and help with your heating costs. The perfect win-win in my book. Do you have drafty doors or windows? You could use these at window openings too. Stay warm out there!

Other DIY Home Projects you may like…

A Chore Chart that looks Great in your House

February 2, 2016 by Danielle

Since moving into our new house, we’ve been pretty random with chore assignments – especially since we still have quite a few boxes to unpack. Sad, I know! Luckily it was super easy to make this DIY Chore Chart – or should I say ‘chore buckets’ – to help decorate our walls!

Our Family Chore Chart worked great before – but it doesn’t really match with the decor I’m enjoying in our new home. I wanted something that wasn’t only functional, but looked good – an attractive chore chart. Hmmm….that could be interesting, right?

I was really happy with how this turned out, though, and it really does look great on our wall! It doesn’t even really LOOK like it’s a job chart, but just some shelves and decor on our wall. Love it!

Supplies

Wooden crate or shelf
Small buckets
Stickers/labels
Popsicle sticks or this size
Thin marker/good pen for writing
Command strips (or something to attach it to the wall, if desired)

Directions

If you want to paint your crate/shelf, go right ahead. I really liked the semi-rustic look of mine so left it how it was.
Place a sticker or label on each bucket – one per family member (unless you assign chores to groups/pairs) so they know who’s is who’s.
Write each chore/job onto a Popsicle stick.
Hang your crate/shelf, if desired, then place your buckets inside. Just move the job sticks around as you switch who has which chore!

It’s so easy to rotate chores, which is nice in a family with 4 kids (hopefully adding more soon via adoption!) and 2 parents sharing the household cleaning responsibilities. And if the kids are down for trading jobs with each other, they can pull out their stick ‘I’ll trade you sweeping the kitchen for cleaning the downstairs toilets’ or something.

Other Chore & Organization ideas you may like…

The Keepsake Kitchen Diary

January 30, 2016 by Danielle

I received a free copy of this item to help facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who else believes food is such a family thing? I sure do! I remember helping my grandma in the kitchen when I was younger, loving her delicious home cooking. I still enjoy the times I get to help her make recipes we’ve had for years! The Keepsake Kitchen Diary from Lilly & Val is the PERFECT heirloom type item that makes passing down recipes from each generation not only easy, but beautiful and fun!

This idea is so neat – a beautifully designed, spiral-bound recipe book with everything you need to keep track of your family’s favorite recipes! The cover is sturdy, and even the pages are a durable, thick cardstock type so you can be sure it’ll last. There’s pockets inside the front and back covers for you to stick notes or special keepsakes, and the cute pink tabs make finding things super simple.

For each chapter, there’s a neatly organized table of contents – don’t you LOVE it when things are easy to find? They also included several useful pages such as a Quick Calorie Guide and Ingredient Substitutes. Yup, going to be using those plenty!

As you can tell, there’s hand-drawn illustrations (by Valerie McKeehan) all throughout this DIY cookbook, from the random sketches and accents, to the fabulous chapter pages like this Dessert one…

Inside each chapter are the pages for inputing the recipes – everything from instructions, notes, difficulty level and even plenty of space for memories involved with that recipe! Fudge would be a BIG one for me, since it’s something I truly enjoy making with my grandma and have since I was little. In the back they included 12 easy-tear-out recipe cards to make sharing easier! Of course each card has a cute illustration on the back 🙂

There’s room for approximately 200 recipes in the one-of-a-kind heirloom, making it beautiful and easy to bring joy to you and the people you love (and love cooking with) for generations!

Grab your copy HERE!

Stenciled Tables

January 21, 2016 by Kathleen Clegg

Have you ever started on a project, got part of the way through it and decided that you wanted to go a completely different direction? This is that project for me. I bought these two tables for really great prices and thought I might fix them up and sell them for lots more than the price I paid. Today I am going to tell you about my Stenciled Tables, how I stencil and the outcome of said tables. They look nothing like they did when I bought them, that’s for sure.

[Read more…]

Cricut’s January Mystery Box

January 6, 2016 by Danielle

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.

Guys, this is such a killer deal I just HAD to share it with you! If you love creating things on your crafty machine, then you’ll LOVE what Cricut is offering right now….

So what’s inside Cricut’s January Mystery Box? I would love to tell you, but that would ruin the surprise! However … I am willing to divulge a few bits of information:

While it’s valued at $139.95, you’re able to purchase it for only $39.99!
It includes 5 cartridges

And that’s all I’m sharing because I don’t want to spoil the surprise contained in this wondrous January Mystery Box! Purchase it for yourself or as a gift and solve the mystery of what’s inside! With Cricut, you know you won’t be disappointed. Plus, you’ll get Free shipping on orders over $50 with code JANUARYSHIP at Cricut.com!

Hurry and nab your Cricut January Mystery Box before they’re all gone!

Pennant Banner

January 6, 2016 by Kathleen Clegg

Are you a lover of sports or even just a good party? I love setting up decorations for whatever the thing is I’m celebrating. Since it’s football season, I thought it would be fun to make a Pennant Banner in honor of my favorite team, the Pittsburg Steelers. Now, if you aren’t a Steelers fan, don’t leave because you can use these same instructions for another team or even a theme birthday party.

You may be wondering why I am a Steelers fan, since I live in Southeast Idaho. Well, let me tell you, it all started way back in 1979, during Super Bowl XIII. Yes, I know I am seriously dating myself. That’s okay. I’ve earned every one of my years. in 1979 we lived in Hawaii and my parents decided to have a big Super Bowl party. The teams playing were the Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys and my younger brother decided he was going to root for the Cowboys. Well, I couldn’t really root for the Cowboys, so I picked the Steelers. It stuck with me and all of these years later, I am still a fan. My brother is a fickle man though and he says if he likes any team at all, it’s probably the Denver Broncos now. So now you know why I like the Steelers. I have been to their stadium once, but alas, they weren’t there. So sad.

To make a banner this exact size, you will need:

1 piece of stiff card board measuring 6 inches by 9 inches
1/2 yard of the main fabric
1/2 a yard of border fabric
1/2 yard of medium weight fuseable interfacing
matching thread
pins

First, make your pattern with the card board, as shown in the picture above. If you want bigger pennants, then use a bigger piece of card board and buy more fabric.

Trace the card board on your fabric. You will need 12 pieces of fabric. If you have a patterned fabric, be sure you get at least 6 pieces that are upside right. I used the same fabric for the back and front, but you could use a different fabric for the back if you want.

Now trace 6 pieces of the interface. If you do it just right, you will be using the negative space for part of them, thus not wasting the interface.

Next, cut your fabric binding. If you don’t want to make your own binding, you can buy it ready made at the fabric store. I cut 12 pieces of 9 1/2 inches by 2 inch for the sides of the pennants and then one that is 6 feet by 2 inches for the top binding.

Now you need to adhere the interfacing to the front side of each pennant piece, as shown below. If you don’t know how to adhere fusible interface, you can read this post for instructions. Do this for all 6 pennants.

Next, make your binding. The instructions are the same for the short pieces and the long pieces.

Fold the pieces in half long ways and iron the seam in.
Fold both sides in towards the center and iron.
At the end that will be the bottom binding, fold fabric in a quarter inch and iron.
Fold in the ends at an angle, to form a point and iron.
Iron the whole piece again.

Attach your side bindings to your pennant. Be sure when you do this, you get the pennant all the way into the center so you catch all of the fabric when you sew it. Also, be sure to cover one point with the other so it is covered completely.

If there is any binding over the edge of the pennant, cut it flush with the pennant fabric. Then sew the side binding in place.

Each one takes about 2 minutes to attach. I did 6 of them.

Next, attach the pennants to the top binding, spacing them evenly apart. For my spacing, I left 5 inches between pennants. Sew it all in place.

Now your pennant banner is done. I really love it! It isn’t difficult to make, but the whole cutting out and ironing part takes a little bit of time.

I used two different kinds of Steelers cotton fabric for my pennant. I think my husband wants a Seahawks banner too.

Are you a football fan? I have to admit that I started making this before the Steelers won this past weekend. I was a little worried that they wouldn’t make it into the playoffs. I’m so glad they did. What kind of banner would you make?

Check out these other amazing banners!

Reversible Valentines Day/St Patricks Day Banner

DIY Chalkboard Banner

Fun Easter Scrappy Banner

Printable Minion Birthday Party Banner

DIY Shaving Caddy

December 9, 2015 by Danielle

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

You know those people on your holiday list that are just really difficult to shop for? My hubby is one of those – because everything on his list is way above our current budget! Since we just moved and ‘misplaced’ some things, it’d be really nice to get him something to help him on a daily basis – like the Multigroom 5100 grooming kit. I also made a fun DIY Shaving Caddy where he can easily store his razor, attachments, plus his other essentials in easily-moved and easily-washed storage. Then I put it with other items to make a Hot Date Night Gift for Hubby!

My hubby is a hairy man – he can shave every morning and by evening his face has some scruff on it. He enjoys a clean feel, but to be honest – he’s picky about what he uses! I love that the Philips Norelco Multigroom 5100 men’s grooming kit comes with a fully washable, turbo-powered trimmer, detail trimmer, mini foil shaver, beard and stubble combs, nose trimmer, and a hair clipping comb. It’s like everything he could need! I even grabbed the last one one the shelf at our local Target…

It only took me about 30 minutes to put together the DIY Shaving Caddy – and it could work for all sorts of things, not just shaving supplies!

Supplies

Washcloth or hand-towel (1 per row)
Sewing machine/thread/scissors/etc.
Ribbon or something to hang it with

Directions

Fold the bottom of your washcloth up to create your pocket.
Sew the two side edges.
Sew inside to create more pocket compartments.
Sew a ribbon or something to attach your rows together – up along both side edges.
Tie to a hanger, if desired.

I gathered a bunch of things that’d be great for him to store inside his new caddy…some items he already has, as well as new ones like the Multigroom 5100 set.

Some other things I got for our ‘hottie date night’ were sparkling cider, and even a nice new shirt for him to wear on the date!

Now he can put his best face forward with the nice, clean shave he enjoys (and I sure like it, too!) – plus store it in a handy place!

What would YOU put in your own caddy?

Memories with Portrait Innovations

November 27, 2015 by Danielle

This post is sponsored by Portrait Innovations. All opinions are mine alone.

Guys, I love decorating with photos! Really, I dream of a gallery wall up my stairs, over my fireplace, in the bedrooms, all of it. Not every each – but tasteful and beautiful. My family is my biggest blessing, and I love looking at photographs we’ve taken through the years – how they’ve grown, the funny moments as well as the sad. That’s what life is all about! That all being said, I dread getting family photos taken. What outfits should we wear? Don’t yawn, don’t blink, don’t hit your brother! It’s often a huge stress – but this month I captured AMAZING Memories with Portrait Innovations, and can’t wait to display them all over my home!

Look at those images – they’re BEAUTIFUL! And check out the eyes on Thor – he NEVER looks at cameras. As in, NEVER! I have maybe a handful of images the past few years where he’s looking AT the camera, instead of up, down, to the side, or turning his head all-together. Our photographer at Portrait Innovations, Rayven, was amazing and he looked in 99% of the shots!

We all had a great time – they made it fun for the kids so they were excited to follow instructions and lasted through the different background changes and such. I should point out – they allow an outfit change, but I completely forgot our second outfit set at home. Oh well, at least we wore my favorite!

Not only did we get plenty of pictures for decorating the walls of our new house – but they have some great gift options, too. I had a hard time choosing which holiday cards I wanted out of all the choices, but finally decided on this pretty and festive one…

Of course I had to get some gifts for the grandparents! This mini-photo books made it so I didn’t have to choose just two or three pictures to send, and the Grandma’s have a cute little book to easily carry in their purse!

We’ll definitely be going back to Portrait Innovations for our family photos, and I won’t stress nearly as much as in the past! You can easily schedule your appointment at a studio near you HERE!

Sharing Moments with MixBook

November 20, 2015 by Danielle

This post is sponsored by Mixbook.com. All opinions are mine alone.

Sometimes it’s really hard to figure out what gifts people will most enjoy – you want something perfect, especially for family and close friends! Will the wear that shirt? Do they have a place to put that decoration? It’s kind of a gamble with some folks. Now there’s so many ways you can give the gift of Sharing Moments with Mixbook.com – you can please even the pickiest of people! And the best part? They’re having a HUGE Black Friday Sale!

This about it, you spend all year taking amazing photos of moments that will never be exactly the same. That time your 2-year-old covered himself with marker? He may do it again (chances are, yes) but he’ll be older and look different. That perfect family photo with everyone smiling and nobody blinked? Ya, not going to be the same next time around. So why not give the gift of these MOMENTS with other special people in your life?! That’s where Mixbook.com comes into play – making it easier, more flexible and affordable – especially with this fabulous sale!

Mixbook.com Black Friday Promotion

50% off all cards & 10×10 photo books + 40% off site-wide

The coupon code MIXDEALS15 is automatically applied during checkout. Expires 11/30.

We just had our family pictures taken this week, and I can’t wait to order some fun prints, beautiful canvas wraps and even Christmas cards to send to our family and friends!

I love that you not only have a huge variety of cards to choose form – but you can even get photo address labels! My handwriting is awful, so these would look SO MUCH better.

Photobooks are always a huge hit! Most of our family lives in another state and we don’t get to see them often, so sending a neat photobook with images from the past year is a gift they’ll truly treasure. And with Mixbook.com’s new Montage option, it’s easier than ever to create your special book! Just add your photos, it handles the rest. We could all use a little more ‘easy’ during the holidays, right?

Don’t forget, that discount code MIXDEALS15 gets you 50% off all cards & 10×10 photo books + 40% off site-wide for their big Black Friday promotion! Head over to Mixbook.com now to check it out!

Ceiling Fan Update

October 26, 2015 by Kathleen Clegg

Do you have ceiling fans in your house? When you’re watching those home improvement shows, they always say that you should take down your ceiling fans because they are “so last year”. Well, we have five of them in our house, all upstairs, and I’m not taking them down. Today I’m here to show you how you can do your own Ceiling Fan Update, with minimal heartache.

Where we live, most people don’t have air conditioners, including us. There isn’t really a need. We have a free standing air conditioner and it was only one about two days this summer. However, the fans are a must to keep the air moving. When we moved back into our house, I decided they needed an update. Actually, my good friend Lisa, who happens to be an interior designer, told me they needed an update. So, I did what she said and they looks so much better.

[Read more…]

Endless Ideas with Wipeable Chalk Markers

October 18, 2015 by Danielle

This post is sponsored by ChalkOla. All opinions and ideas are mine alone.

I love markers, and coloring, and decorating. The only problem is that I do NOT love being stuck with the same thing all the time – I like to mix it up! I was so excited to try out ChalkOla‘s new creation, and am loving the Endless Ideas with Wipeable Chalk Markers!

I admit, I was a bit nervous for trying these chalk pens at first because there’s so many products out there that say ‘easily removed’, but end up not being. These new wet wipe markers came off perfectly, even on the variety of surfaces we tested it out on, like my dresser…..

At first, you do need to prep the markers according to the back of the package. Shake about 30 seconds, then push the tip up and down so the ink will spread into the tip….

As you’re writing/drawing, if it starts to get dry just push down for more ink. Simple as that! We have several white pieces of furniture, like my dresser, that I can’t wait to decorate. I can even do holidays, since it’s super easy to wipe off and change!

Imagine the possibilities – seriously endless! I’m thinking of buying a pack for my kids’ teachers this year for the holidays, since I’m sure they’d be a hit in classrooms, too. I’ve been enjoying the bright colors they add to my shopping list and menu – they glide on easily and wipe nicely off my pantry door. They’re even perfect for changing up my kids’ frames above their backpack hangers – they can change it up as much as they’d like with these chalk pens! They’re even offering a discount code just for Busy Mom’s Helper readers! 20% Off on Amazon – Use Code -> CHALK20A

Since most of our stuff is now in storage for the week while we’re in the middle of moving out/in houses, I thought it’d be more fun for the kids if they could decorate their paper cups. The markers are non-toxic, acid free, and child safe so I don’t have to worry.

Win your own pack of ChalkOla Chalk Markers today!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tin Pumpcans

September 15, 2015 by Lynn Driver

Yes, I know I spelled it wrong. I couldn’t resist. And even though it’s not official on the calendar yet, I have to say it: Happy Fall Y’all! I’m kicking off the season with these DIY TIN PUMPCANS.

I’m Lynn, and I’m excited to be visiting from Riggstown Road with a fun little fall project. I’m a busy mom, and a thrifty one, too, so I love how this décor only took about five minutes and was virtually free! If you have any canned food in your pantry, you have just about all you need to make some cute Tin Pumpcans.

I got to thinking the other day, how a tin can would make a cute, rustic pumpkin. I thought I’d paint it orange, since I love orange pumpkins and fall colors in all their glory {#fallismyfavorite} but then I realized that (1) a creamy neutral color would add a touch of sophistication, (2) it would look good with my neutral color scheme, and (3) I already had a can of ivory spray paint.

I went outside and found some nice, round sticks to use for the stalks. I broke them to get the length I wanted. I already had a bag of moss in my craft stash.

I wanted a large pumpkin, so I bought the biggest can of vegetables I could find… 6 lb. 10 oz. (If you’re not ready to use this much corn or beans at once, transfer them to a freezer bag, and save for later.) I also used a smaller can I had on hand for a small pumpkin.

Total cost: $0 !!! OK, I did buy the big can of corn. But. I figure that I bought the corn, which we will eat, and I got the can it was in for free. 😉SUPPLIES

Tin cans with lids
Spray paint
Moss
Small sticks
Hot glue gun (and glue sticks)

DIRECTIONS

Open cans using a can opener that will leave SMOOTH edges. (I use a hand-held Pampered Chef can opener.) Set contents aside.
Remove label; wash and dry can and lid.
Paint the can and lid and allow to dry.
Use hot glue to add moss to lid, leaving an empty spot for stalk.
Add glue to center of lid, and press stick firmly into glue, continuing to press for a minute or so.
Place lids back on cans, and you’ve got pumpkins!

Arrange on a tray with the rest of the moss, and you’ve got an instant fall centerpiece!

What better way to use the cans from all that veggie soup you’re going to making on these chilly fall days?

And shhh, don’t tell the kids, but the inside makes a perfect place to store fall treats. 😉

Other DIY Home Projects you may like…

Supplies

Directions

Other Chore & Organization ideas you may like…

Grab your copy HERE!

Hurry and nab your Cricut January Mystery Box before they’re all gone!

Check out these other amazing banners!

Supplies

Directions

What would YOU put in your own caddy?

Mixbook.com Black Friday Promotion

Win your own pack of ChalkOla Chalk Markers today!!! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win your own pack of ChalkOla Chalk Markers today!!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway