I actually made this bracelet a few years ago but I’m sure a lot of you missed it and didn’t even know my blog existed back then, so I decided to share it with you again. I love it and still wear it at least once a week. Because of all the colors and patterns it basically goes with everything. And it’s a total one of a kind!

I started with these awesome sequined bracelets I found in the dollar spot at Target. Obviously I didn’t really think they were awesome, but they were perfect for this project and the price was right. It has a center insert that I took out before I added the magazine pages.

Then I went through my magazines and found pages that appealed to me, either because of pattern, color, or design.

I cut rectangles 1 1/4″ x 3 1/2″ making sure they were the pattern I wanted for the bracelet. Here’s what some of the strips actually are, from left to right: tile, apron, wallpaper, dress, vase, and rug.

I applied a generous amount of mod podge to a section of the bracelet and attached 1 strip wrapping it around the bracelet. Then I smoothed down the piece as much as possible. It was still a little rough, but I like how it turned out. I continued adding the pieces, overlapping them as I went. It took 11 pieces to get around my bracelet.

It ‘s really messy and my fingers got really gooey. I applied more mod podge, with my fingers, where the ends of each piece meets. After I let it dry for about 15 minutes I hot glued the insert back into the center of the bracelet. If you don’t have an insert you can make one out of felt. Just cut it a little smaller width than the bracelet. It helps hide the raw edge and have a finished look.

I wanted my bracelet to be shiny and well protected so I used a clear acrylic sealer. This one said it was good for maps and documents so I figured it would work on the magazine pieces. I sprayed 3 coats.

Isn’t it cute? I love it! Like I said, I wear it at least once a week. It was so quick, easy and inexpensive to make! Now go make a fun bracelet for yourself.

Here are some more bedrooms from last year’s Parade of Homes for your viewing enjoyment. This time I thought I’d share more mature bedrooms. I hope you can get some great ideas from these rooms also. From the color combinations, artwork, headboards, wall treatments, and bedding, there are just so many great ideas to implement in your own space.

Which room is your favorite?

Happy Weekend!

I found a camera card with all the Parade of Homes pictures on it from last year. As I was looking through them I thought I’d post some of my favorite rooms. I decided to start with juvenile bedrooms. I always get such great ideas from the Parade of Homes whether it’s ideas for a whole room, a wall, an accessory, or even a color scheme. I hope you can get some ideas from these pictures as well. Parade of Homes Bedrooms Inspiration:

[click to continue…]

Do you want a quick, easy, and wonderfully tasty treat to serve at picnics and barbecues this Summer? It’s my favorite “go-to” dessert and it also makes a wonderful presentation. Make this Berry Berry Trifle for your next get-together and watch it get devoured.

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake

Vanilla Pudding- 3 oz. box

Cool Whip- small container

Blueberries- fresh or frozen (I prefer fresh)

Raspberries- fresh or frozen (I prefer fresh)

Tear sponge cake into bite size pieces. In a large bowl, prepare pudding according to directions. Add cool whip to pudding and mix thoroughly. Start layering trifle bowl in this order: sponge cake, pudding mixture, blueberries, sponge cake, pudding mixture, raspberries, sponge cake, pudding mixture. Garnish with remaining berries.

That’s it! So easy and perfect for a quick and beautiful dessert anytime.

Our wedding anniversary is Saturday. I think I’ll be making a Berry Berry Trifle for my honey.

You can read The Story of Our RV (part 1) and The Story of RV (the cabinets) if you’d like to see how far we’ve progressed to this point. It has been pretty slow going at times, but there has also been a lot accomplished. Some of the biggest and most time consuming projects were more mechanical and not very pretty, unless you’re really interested in vehicle repair we’ll just skip over that part. Since I like the pretty stuff that’s what we’ll stick to.

Remember this is being completed on a very strict budget (hence the slow progress) but we’re also trying to put a lot of thought into it. I talked about this before but we want it to be light and airy and homey, a little less like a standard RV.

The wallpaper was put up next since that has to be done before any of the furniture and built-ins can be put in. Please excuse the bad pictures but you’ll get the idea, they were taken with a phone in really bad lighting. The awnings on the outside of the RV had to be lowered to stop some of the glare.

This is what the same area looked like before. RV walls are covered in wallpaper but this paper was torn and burned. Hubby had to peel it all off and make the surface as smooth as possible. Luckily a lot of  these surfaces are going to be covered by furniture and cabinets.

We chose bead board wallpaper from Lowe’s because it looks awesome and is timeless. I’ve decided hubby’s really good at hanging wallpaper and has a new job around here.

The kitchen area is coming along really nicely. We have another great idea for under the microwave and behind the stove. Hopefully that will be done next.

The flooring will be next and since we’re looking at a trade, it will be free. You can’t beat that price! Hubby’s put in wood floors before so it should go pretty smoothly. Cross your fingers!

Okay, we’ve also made a few changes in the floor plan since the last post. This is our final decision since we’ll be making and adding permanent fixtures soon. I had a great idea for the bunk beds, so cross your fingers it will work. The bunks will be going where the dinette is, the dinette will be where the sofa sleeper is, a sofa sleeper will be where the leather sofa is, and a wardrobe will be where the pantry/ice maker is. The changes will actually be pretty simple since it’s basically gutted. There’s the RV update. More to come soon.

We love our front porch. It was one of the things that sold us on this house. It’s always been the perfect place to sit and relax, read a book, or watch the kids play. I’ve had all this furniture for years but now I thought it was time to add color to the pieces. You can check out the separate posts about painting the tables, bench and chairs and the drop cloth curtains.

I made a large rug last year by attaching 4 small rugs together. I used the same rugs this year and put them back together after I washed them, using duct tape on the back. It held up really well last year so I hope it does again this year. I’m not completely sold on the cushions but I’ve had them for a few years. Maybe I’ll cover them later.

Yay! I finally potted some flowers thanks to my Lowe’s gift card. I painted the polka dot clay pots last year, the white pots came from IKEA (last year), and the other pots are from Home Depot (last year), the plant stand is from J & J Nursery (about 7 years ago). As you can tell from the first picture I still need to plant flowers in the planters on the rail.

I love my new door mat. I was going to paint another one, but then I saw this one at Target and had to have it. I think that added a bit of color, don’t you?

I made the chalkboard message board last year out of an IKEA tray, chalkboard paint, and vinyl. I love how it looks next to my front door and if we’re not home don’t forget to leave us a message. I think I need to take the smiley face off, because solicitors are thinking it’s okay to come to my door. I even pointed to it last week and the solicitor just smiled and continued talking. Ugh!

Here’s a view of the whole sitting area. I added a cushion to the hose box for an additional seat. Ignore the wrinkled curtains, they were twisted in a knot one night in a rain storm.

And here’s a view of the front door. I think I did pretty well at adding color to the porch, don’t you? I love how welcoming it feels. I still need to paint the front door. It’s one of those things I’m putting off because it kinda scares me and I haven’t exactly decided on a color yet.

Here’s a sneak peek at something else I’m working on for the front of the house. Looks like I have to decide another paint color. I hope this doesn’t take me 2 years as well.

As most of you know my husband is gone a lot (like 85% of the time). But this is not entirely unusual for a lot of families right now. For whatever reason your family is apart there are things that can be done to keep you close and connected. This is not the first time we have been in this situation and there are a few things I have learned along the way to help our family stay close while we’re apart.

1- Learn to do things for yourself but don’t leave him out. I would do everything that needed to be done and wouldn’t ask him to do anything when he was home. Wrong! He needs to feel needed and you need to not be stressed all the time with trying to accomplish everything yourself, so leave a few things on “the list” for him. Or work together on a project. I’m not promising there won’t be any arguments but at least you’re accomplishing something together (and that feels great).

2- With that being said, have normal housework completed so you have more time for each other and the family. Have all the laundry, basic cleaning, weeding, etc. done so the house looks good and you don’t waste time on the basics when he is home. I always have a candle melting too, because for some reason it seems to hide if the house isn’t perfect.

3- Make time alone. That has meant something different almost every time he’s been home but we always make time for each other. We’ve taken time for full date nights, sometimes we’ve just taken in a movie, we’ve snuck away for frozen yogurt, we’ve gone grocery shopping, and we’ve even had a few nights away.

4- Make time alone with each child. He needs to catch up with the kids too so give him time to do that. My kids go crazy when he comes home and if it’s late at night they’re up early in the morning just to see him. He makes them breakfast every Saturday morning while I sleep in and they talk and laugh and then wake me up. Some of the things the kids have done with their dad are: breakfast (McDonald’s seems to be the favorite), lunch, working on a project together, run to get ice cream or Slurpee’s, bike rides, the park, camping, golf. It gives them time to talk about school, sports, friends, problems, etc.

5- Clean sheets, towels and pj’s are a must. Also a favorite dinner and dessert one night. Since I’m not there to wash his sheets and towels I have no idea how often he does that, probably not as often as he should. If your hubby is staying in a hotel they get changed all the time so now he’s used to it. Either way it’s a nice, welcoming feeling to come home too. I always try to have one of his favorite meals or desserts ready for him too.

6- Talk, text, message, facebook, email, and/or instagram a few times a day, everyday. Do anything you can to stay connected throughout the day.

7- The kids need to talk to him everyday too even if it’s just for a few minutes each or on speaker phone. They need to connect also and know that he is still available for them. If they can’t wait to tell him something they leave a message or text him on his phone.

8- Go to  him, if you can. We’ve gone to him a few times and are planning to go again sometime in July. I’ve gone by myself and with the kids. It gives him a reprieve from having to travel  plus it gives us all a little mini vacation. We stay in a hotel, visit places he wouldn’t normally go by himself, and spend all our time together. It’s a great way to reconnect.

9- Still involve him in decisions with the kids and household. Sometimes it’s easier to take care of things yourself but that doesn’t mean it’s always better. Remember you’re a team and need to parent together even if you’re miles away. Discuss what activities the kids will be involved in, what discipline will be taken if needed, what household purchases will be made, etc.

10- Have a call every night before bedtime with the whole family, whether it be face time or just a phone call. Read scriptures, say prayers, read a story, and talk about the day. Whatever you need to do to connect before bedtime. It gives me and the kids that sense of security we need.

While our living situation isn’t ideal it’s what we’re having to deal with right now and we’re making the best of it. I can’t say it’s getting any easier but I am handling it better and I cherish the time we do have face to face.

Is your spouse gone for long periods of time? Feel free to share how you stay close and connected.

My hubby has a love of many things and he seems to be able to pass those things along to his children easily. He’s very musically talented and most of his kids can sing and play guitar just like him. He also enjoys golf, road trips, and camping. The kids have grown up with his love for these things and have grown to love them almost as much as him. If you’ve been following my blog for a while you know my husband has a huge project he’s been working on that has included basically rebuilding a motor home from the ground up. It’s been a dream of his to have a motor home for his family to travel around the country in. As you can tell he can basically do anything. Finding Father’s Day Gifts can be a little difficult because he seems to already have everything he needs or he buys it himself.

Since he is also very nostalgic and loves to tell stories of his childhood, I decided to throw him a BBQ with an old fashioned twist. I saw this metal camper trailer in the Outdoor Furniture and Decor area of World Market and knew it would be the perfect thing to center the whole party around to celebrate him.

The huge selection of old fashioned sodas and candy caught my eye right away and I knew it would be perfect for the nostalgic BBQ I had in mind. Not only was I able to get the candy at World Market but also the awesome glass jars to display them in.

We love picnic baskets that are ready for impromptu picnics in the park or up the canyon but this metal plaid basket also works really well as a soda cooler.

I made a stop in the chip section since he love chips and any barbeque wouldn’t be complete without a great selection of chips. I lucked out since the bags were “buy 2 get 1 free”. Have you tried Veggie Sticks? They’re delicious!

I also bought some french fry liners to be able to already portion the chips out at the BBQ. This was especially convenient for the little kids. I also used the soda bottle carrier from World Market and a few of the burger baskets to hold the french fry liners loaded with chips.

The mini condiment set was a must buy so the kids could add their own condiments to their burgers or dogs. They are going to be perfect to take camping or picnicking.

World Market has a huge selection of BBQ and Grilling items so if your favorite man is low on any supplies you can find almost anything you need there. Wouldn’t a basket full of these supplies make the perfect Father’s Day gift?

I was also able to pick up some paper straws and handled mason jar glasses to round out the nostalgic feel. The mason jars were perfect for holding the utensils and who doesn’t love paper straws?

And since hubby loves to add a little extra flavor to his burgers I purchased NOH Hawaii BBQ sauce. World Market has a wide variety of sauces but I knew he would love this one and it was gluten-free for me.

The best thing about the BBQ was being able to celebrate him being a great dad and a perfect companion for me. It’s always fun when you can celebrate with family!

What will you do for your dad this year?

School is out for some and will be getting out very soon for others. Have you decided how you’re going to spend those long Summer days and nights? What about making a Summer Fun List to keep track of all those ideas? We just wrote ideas in colored markers  on poster board the first few years and that worked really well, but there’s nothing wrong with kicking it up a notch.

The kids loved the banner. We copied pictures of things we wanted to do during the Summer and clipped them on twine to make the banner.

As we did each activity we would replace the example picture with a real picture of our family. You can check out more details about the banner here and here.

At the end of Summer we put them in a Summer Fun Memory Book.

Another year everyone in the family wrote down what they wanted to do that Summer and we made another fun display for our list. I cut out the letters and sunflowers using my Cricut then hung them on the door using double sided tape.

As we did each activity we would take the sunflower down and put up a picture of the activity. You can find out more about this Summer Fun List here.

I’ll have our Summer Fun List for this Summer up later this week. Do you make a Summer Fun List? Share it in the comments if you’d like.