Barn Wood Height Chart DIY

 I saw a picture of a height chart similar to this quite some time ago and have been meaning to try and make one myself. We started one on the wall when we first moved in, and Everett thought it was SO cool to be measured! I thought something like this was a little more pretty than marks on the wall and also potable if we ever move.
This project was super easy and only took me about an hour and a half all together.
What you need:

• An old piece of wood(I got this for free from an old shed my brother torn down).
• Painters tape(the thick kind would work best, but I didn't have any on hand).
• White paint. Spray paint or canned paint, whatever you prefer(I used both).
• Number stencils.

First measure your board and mark off every 6 inches. You don't want to start inch one right at the bottom of the board(unless you're planning on nailing the bottom of it flesh against the floor). Next, tape off every other six inch space.

 Start spraying(or brushing) your paint on.

Once your painted sections aren't sticky anymore you can remove the tape and start painting your number stencils on.

Optional step: You can finish with a top coat if you want it to last a little longer. I also went over it later with a light sanding to give it a little older look.

And... Viola!

Lace Print Coffee Table DIY

I bought a $5 Vintage coffee table the other day that had some slight cosmetic issues. As I was getting ready to spray paint it I came up with this idea so it wouldn't look so plain. I really didn't intend for it to turn out so good because it was a very spur of the moment thing, but since it did I'll pretend like I'm a professional and know what I'm doing.

What you need: 

• A clean surface you're painting
• Spray paint
• A few tacks
• A piece of patterned lace large enough to fit over your surface

What you do:

1. pin the lace to the underside of your surface until it's tight and there's no wrinkles.

2. Give your surface a good 2 to 3 even coats.

3. Let it dry completely and peel off the lace.

4. You can leave the edges unpainted, but I wanted to paint mine. If you paint yours, take painters tape and stick it flesh against the corner and lightly or not at all on the top of the surface(pictured below) to keep from ruining the paint.

 5. Once everything it completely dry lightly sand off any drips or paint clumps. Give it a good 2 to 3 layers of clear coat and you're good to go! xo -Liz

B&A

So, I thought that I had a better before picture of this shirt, but it turns out I deleted it on accident. Before, this shirt was huge, like XL and it had no shape whatsoever, but I loved the color and print. After a few times trying it on and going back to the sewing machine it turned out pretty good, I think! xo -Liz

For the Love of Grapefruits

We just got three big boxes of citrus fruits the other day so I've been trying to figure out different things to make with them. I made some home made grapefruit salad dressing the other day and it turned out great! My husband is not a grapefruit lover like I am, and since this dressing had a pretty tart grapefruit taste to it, it was pretty strong even for a grapefruit lover, but all the more for me! 

Here's how I made it:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a pan with half a cup of chopped shallots(or onion and garlic). Cook for about five minutes or until browned.

2. While that's cooking juice 2 cups of fresh grapefruit juice(about 3 grapefruits)

3. Pour it in with the shallots and bring to a boil until reduced to about half (about 7 minutes) and let cool.

4. In a blender place 2 Tablespoons of chopped, fresh cilantro, 2 teaspoons of sugar, some ground pepper to taste, and the cooled grapefruit mixture.

5. Slowly add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil while blending and blend until smooth.

 I suggest it with some yummy feta or goat cheese. Enjoy!

Salad in a Jar

I saw this idea and thought it was ingenious and had to try it! Why would you want to make salad in a jar?

1. It's easy to grab and go
2. They stay fresh for Days if you layer it right
3. It encourages you to eat better 
4. It looks pretty!

I had so much fun coming up with new salads I wanted to try. The combinations are endless!
P.S. I didn't put dressing in mine, but if you want to have it all in one make sure you put the dressing at the bottom. Enjoy! xo -Liz

Racing Striped Sleeve DIY

I did this for a sweater I designed for a Christmas present this year. I really like the look of these stripes on guys clothes. They're kinda vintage and kinda motorcycle racing style. Here's how to do it:

1. Gather all your supplies. You'll need:

• A long sleeve top
• Spray on fabric paint
• Painters tape
• An object that fits inside the sleeve
• A wide rubber band or piece of elastic
• Exacto knife (if needed)

2. Put the object inside the sleeve and make sure it fits very snug. (I was using a big sweater so I had to use a pretty big object.)

3. Put the rubber band (or elastic) right where you want the center of your stripes. If you're really good at making things straight you can use the painters tape and exact-o knife instead, just make sure you stick it on evenly all around the sleeve.

4. Put painters tape evenly around each side of your rubber band and space them as far apart as you want your stripes.

5. Hang you clothing outside so it won't make a mess or have fumes lingering around inside.

6. Start spraying with fabric paint. You'll need to do more than one coat and let them dry in between. Follow the paint bottles instructions.

7. Let it dry completely. Normally this takes more than a day. If you have any spots or mistakes you can use a q-tip and rubbing alcohol before you put it in the dryer.

I hope you enjoy! xo -Liz

Snow Globe DIY

This is such a fun little craft during Christmas and it's probably my favorite too!

What you'll need:

• Clean, white egg shells
• Baby food jar (or another globe-like jar works)
• Distilled water
• liquid glycerin
• Silicone glue
• a figurine that won't rust
• glitter (optional)
• craft foam (optional)

1. Grind or chop your egg shells. I just used a chopper. You'll need less than one egg shell per jar (depending on how much snow you like).

2. glue your figurine the the bottom of your lid. We used foam to give the figurines a little boost and because a few of them were formally plant decorations, we could just stick them into the foam. Let everything dry.

 3. Fill your jar with some water and a little glycerine and stir it up well. You can test how much more glycerine to water you want by putting some "snow" in your jar and watching how fast they fall. Finish filling up your jar with snow, water, glycerine (and sparkles if desired), but leave a little room for your figurine.

 4. Glue around the top of your jar with silicone just before screwing on your lid.

5. Enjoy!

Popcorn Christmas Tree Garland DIY

Yesterday we put up all the Christmas decorations which always turns out to be a lot more work that I perceived. I made a popcorn garland for our tree this year and it turned out pretty cute. I really like the look of it on our tree this year! Here's a little tutorial on how to make one yourself.

1. Gather all your supplies. You'll need:

• thread 
• needle
• popcorn popper
• popping corn

2. Tie a knot around the needle just like it's pictured above. The smaller the needle the less the popcorn likes to fall apart.

3. Pop your popcorn

4. Begin threading your popcorn just as it's pictured above.

5. Continue to thread until you have a good sized stand. It's easier to make small strands at a time (pictured below) as you put it on.