Rustic Frame Makeover

Summer is officially here. We've had an interesting few days to say the least!
*all three boys went to my parents' for a visit*
*a business trip cancelled after we were already headed out of town*
*shopping instead of tripping*
*first movie of the summer*
*last tennis lesson until fall*
*running 2 miles*
Needless to say I am more than tired which I'm using as an excuse to avoid my blog for a few days:) Instead of posting something new for you today, I am reposting a guest post that I did last week for Yanet over at 3 Sunkissed Boys.
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Today I am sharing a simple spray paint project that is part of my bigger Master Bedroom Redo.

I started with these really cute frames that I bought a few years ago. I loved them because the colors were perfect for our room and they had that rustic yet tropical feel that I was going for at the time.

Since I decided to add red into the decor, the two tones of blue just weren't working in the room anymore. The easiest solution for that problem is a little bit of red spray paint, some newspaper, and some painters tape.

I used the painters tape to mask off just the darker color blue and then I used the newspaper to protect the rest of the frame that I didn't want the red spray paint to get on.

After the paint dried overnight, I used a piece of sandpaper to rough up the red a little bit just to make it match the rustic-ness of the rest of the frame.

I added in some new black and white pictures, and now my frames are ready to go into my {still in progress} master bedroom.

Thanks, Smiles, & Fabric

Today is the last day of school. Somehow this school year has flown by....and it has been a great one! We were blessed with amazing teachers for both Henry and Grant this year, and I just couldn't finish out the year without showing them our appreciation one more time.

I sent these really cute canvas bags for each of their teachers filled with a few happies and a gift card to Target:) The bags are monogrammed with an iron on initial that I cut out with my Cricut. Then I added a little tie to the handle for a little extra flair!

 Yesterday Eli and I went to eat lunch with our Kindergartner and 1st grader for the last time this year. It was kind of sad, but the boys are already saying they will be a 1st grader and a 2nd grader after today:) I think Eli is most excited because he will finally have someone to play with during the day!

 I've been working hard to finish up a few projects around the house before summer break starts. This bolt of fabric has been measured and cut and my re-upholstery project is about halfway finished...now I have less than 2 hours to get done before the madness begins:) Hopefully I can share the finished product with you one day next week...that is if we aren't already spending our days at the pool by then!

We have a birthday party on Saturday and a little trip planned for Sunday, but inbetween I hope to work on some new summer door decorations! Have a great one....and spend a little time working on a fun craft this weekend:)

Sidewalk Chalk Paint!

This SUPER fun project {Sidewalk Chalk Paint}was orginally posted over at Postively Splendid as part of Amy's Summer Survival Guide. I am reposting just in case you missed it, but please go over and check out all the other awesome summer ideas that have been {and will be} posted throughout the month of May!

We love regular chalk at our house. It's relatively cheap, not too messy, and it is the perfect outdoor activity! Basically the kids love chalk because it's fun and I love chalk because they are making a mess outside and not inside:) What I don't love about chalk are all the little broken pieces that pile up after a few weeks of use. I hate to throw them away, but they are just too small to use without scraping your fingers on the concrete!

Instead of throwing them out, we are going to turn those broken piece of chalk into paint! Start by sorting your chalk by color. This is a great teaching activity for any kiddo who is working on learning their colors.

Put each individual color into a zippered bag.

Seal up the bag and then break up the chalk using a small hammer. This should be done by an adult or a {very} well supervised child. Try and break the chalk into a fine powder to make you paint as smooth as possible.

One you have your powdered chalk, pour each color into small plastic cups.

Add a little water.

And stir around with a paint brush to dissolve the chalk powder. We used some inexpensive art brushes that are now our chalk paint brushes:) All of the chalk powder may not dissolve, but your paint should still work fine. Use a different brush for each color and then let the kiddos get busy making art on your sidewalk. The colors may be hard to see at first, but as soon as they start to dry the individual colors will show up well!

The best part about chalk paint is that if someones spills it, it isn't a big deal because all you need is a water hose to clean up the mess!

And that is how you turn broken chalk pieces into a ton of summer fun!