Lasso The Moon

Father's Day '13

Happy Father's Day, Donnie!

You are everything I ever hoped for as a father to our kids.  They want to be like you, and I hope they succeed!  We can't get enough of you when you're here, and when you're away, we can't wait for you to walk back through that door.

Thank you for loving us, and keeping us safe.

Thank you for providing for us, and especially for your love for Jesus.

And thanks for not getting mad when you found out that one of your pancakes had been on the floor.  And that you already ate it.

Happy Father's Day!

Beyond Bath Time :: Giveaway Winner

 

I had a great time reading all of your sweet comments about motherhood.  I wish I had enough books to share with all of you!

But since I only have one, I'm going to use the random number generator to choose who gets it.

So here goes....

The winner is....

Oh, the suspense is killing me!!!

Just kidding.  The winner is...

Abby!

Abby wrote:

Also posting on Facebook!

Posted by: Abby | Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 10:06 PM

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Wow, won it with the extra ballot!

Abby, I'll be contacting you later today to talk about getting this book to you.  You are going to love it!

::

For the rest of you, don't worry!  I still have lots of stuff to give away, including another book from Moody Publishers.  Meet me back here on Monday to put your name back in the hat.

And until then, do something sweet for your little ones.  They deserve some extra snuggles.  (And don't forget Father's Day is this Sunday!)

::

You can get your own copy of Beyond Bath Time here (an affiliate link):

Beyond Bath Time: Embracing Motherhood as a Sacred Role (True Woman)

DIY Headboard from a Vintage Door

**Be sure to enter the drawing for Beyond Bath Time by Erin Davis.  Winner will be picked tomorrow at 9am! Enter here.**

When Donnie told me that he was going to build me a headboard from the door that he bought at the Glen Rose antique shop, I never expected it to turn out this awesome.  I knew it would be good--I mean the idea alone is great.  But I never expected this work of art.

 

In its original state, the door was in pretty bad shape.  Besides the chipping paint (which I kind of liked) it was filthy, had been written on in ink and spray paint, and had three bullet holes in it!

Since most doors are not horizontally symmetrical, and we wanted the bed to be symmetrical, Donnie cut a strip from the bottom of the door, and glued it to the top.  You can see that in the picture below.  The glued on strip is on the right side.  We didn't think it would show after being sanded and painted, but we put that end on the side that would be farthest from our bedroom door,  just in case.

Using some measurements from these Ana White plans, we used 4x4s on each end as the posts.  We screwed the door to the posts using pocket holes.  I wish I'd taken a picture of that part, because they are so cool! And we used the jig that Donnie gave me for my birthday!  To get the door in the very center of the post, we rested it on some scrap wood while we were screwing them together.

Then we placed a 2x4 on top of the door and posts, lining it up exactly with the 4x4s.

After that we attached the top rail, which is a 2x6. We centered it on the 2x4, and extended it about 1 inch on each side.

Construction finished!

After sanding forEVER, Donnie primed and painted the whole thing.  He used a Kilz primer, and paint tinted in Martha Stewart's Flagstone. It's a warm beigey-grey that I think will go with anything.

My favorite part of the new headboard is what he did to the panels. I never would have thought of it.

We celebrated our "tin" anniversary in April, so this was the whole starting point of his inspiration to build the bed.  His original intent was to find enough old, vintage ceiling tiles to work inside the panels, but we either didn't like the ones available, or the ones we liked were too small to work.

That's when we found Tin Ceiling Xpress online.  We bought three 2x2 foot panels for $7 each!! Even with shipping, it was just over $30.  When you only need a couple pieces, this is the only place to go apparently.  The pattern we got was fleur.

Donnie painted the three pieces of tin with the same bright white that I used on the coat rack in the entryway.  Then he palm-sanded them, but was careful to not go overboard and to keep the wear very uneven.  We wanted it to look as close a possible to the old "found" tin pieces.  I think he nailed it.

With tin snips, he cut the tin to the exact measurements of the panels (they were all slightly different) and attached them using a strong construction adhesive.

My favorite part of this gift is that we got to work on it together.  I like that even more than the headboard itself.  Donnie's a perfectionist, but somehow he maintains a cool patience when he's working with me, who knows nearly nothing about constructing things from wood.

I am in love with my new headboard.  And my old husband.

Now to think about some fun new bedding to go with it!

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We'd be so flattered if you used our idea to make your own piece of furniture!  Please let us know that you did, and we'll feature a photo and link here on our blog!  And if it's a future project you're thinking of, slap this post on pinterest so you don't lose it!

 

Salvaged Door

**Be sure to enter the drawing for Beyond Bath Time by Erin Davis.  Winner will be picked this Friday! Enter here.**

Donnie and I were in Glen Rose, TX before Elijah was born, doing a little antique shopping.  It was one of those rare all-day dates where we could hear each other talk without interruption, navigate shops without having to buy something accidentally broken, and eat pie without having to sacrifice the last bite (the best bite!) to a greedy little kid who'd already inhaled her own slice.  We felt very grown up.

We found a fun, junky store where the front lawn was piled high with rusty relics.  That's the best kind, I think.  Always a treasure to be found.

As we were leaving, Donnie started flipping through a stash of salvaged doors.  He found a beat-up, solid wood, 5-panel door and said, "I think I'm going to buy this." 

Be still my heart.

We folded down the seats in our newly-acquired mini van, and slid in right in.  Apparently, 4 kids = mini van.  Hey, it's good for junking.

You aren't going to believe what he made me out of this door. 

Come back tomorrow, and I'll show you.

 

 

Entryway :: Coat Rack Complete

**Be sure to enter the drawing for Beyond Bath Time by Erin Davis.  Winner will be picked this Friday! Enter here.**

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The first half of this post was published way back in March, so to avoid making you click back and forth, I'm just re-posting it, along with the finished product.

A couple months ago, Donnie and I started work on our coat rack.  I wanted to make one from scratch for two reasons. One, I need to save money, since everything I do this year for the house is coming out of a tiny pocket-change-sized budget. And two, our entryway is long and skinny, so I wanted a rack that really fit the space.  How hard could it be?

It turns out, not hard at all!

At the hardware store, I bought three pieces of lumber, making sure they were each nice and straight.

1 - 1x6

1 - 1x2

1 - small piece of decorative molding

7 - sturdy hooks

wood screws

I bought 6-ft pieces, so the only thing that needed to be cut was the thin piece of molding.  Easily done with a handsaw.

With Donnie's help, I glued and nailed the 1x2 to the top edge of the 1x6, forming a shallow ledge.  We used a lot of glue, and lots of clamps to keep things in place:

We also glued the trim right under the ledge formed by the 1x2.  The trim won't have any stress from hanging objects, so there was no point in trying to nail such a tiny piece.

Donnie's tip: You can't use too much glue.  And you can't have too many clamps. (Clearly!)

Make sure you wipe up any excess glue drips before it dries!

I filled the nail holes with wood filler, sanded down the rough spots, and started painting.

The paint is just the basic, un-mixed bright white by Behr. 

I wondered if the trim would even show under the ledge when everything was painted, but I think it offers a nice, subtle detail.

I thought about distressing the corners a little with sandpaper, but since this coat rack is about to be used several times a day by six people, I think it will get all the authentic distressing it needs.

Next step: add some cool, chunky hooks, and hang it up!

I found these classic-looking black hooks at Hobby Lobby.  They are so cheap and pretty, that I've been seeing them all over the place.  Search hooks on pinterest, and you're sure to see them.  I bought 7 of them for about $2.50 (maybe $3.50?) each.

Getting the hooks onto the rack with perfect, even spacing is a little tricky, but here's what I did.  Start with the two outer hooks.  Measure 2 inches from each end and attach those hooks first. Then, measure the distance between the two outer hooks, divide it in half, and place the center hook at this measurement.  Lastly, measure the distance between the center and outer hooks to determine the spacing for the rest of the hooks.  I think ours were around 11" apart, but be sure to measure and place them visually before screwing them in.

Donnie screwed the rack right into the studs, and then I filled the holes and repainted over them.

We love the rack.  It has been up for a few weeks, and it has already proved to be hard-working and critical.  I don't know how I lived with that tiny one for so long!  Making the rack only cost $25-30.  Imagine what a 6-ft rack would cost at Home Goods!

Here's the progress on the entryway so far:

Still on the list are: hang some mirrors above the hooks, replace the bench with something longer, and find something else to hold the umbrellas.  Not too bad. 

Here are some other project posts you might want to check out while you wait:

Interior Front Door

Entryway Paint Color

Entryway Inspiration

Beyond Bath Time :: a Giveaway!

"Motherhood is like running a marathon in your church shoes, because your toddler decided to play hide-and-go-seek with your sneakers." -- Erin Davis

Although it's a little book, Beyond Bath Time by Erin Davis, is surprisingly deep. It explores the lies that women have been told by the world about the impact of their role as mothers.  Erin explores what the Bible says about the role of moms, and uses that to encourage women who might be having a hard time finding fulfillment in a world that is pulling them in every direction.

At the end of every chapter there are discussion questions--some of them difficult--to work through on your own or with a group of other women.

This book is an excellent resource for first-time moms, soon-to-be moms, and moms who are in the trenches of diapers, snotty noses, discipline, and screaming kids, trying to remember their identity and purpose.  Having just given birth to my fourth, this book came to me at the perfect time.  It's a breath of fresh air in a world of polluted messages about motherhood.

And guess what? Moody sent me a second copy just for you!

Two Chances to Win:

Leave one comment at the bottom of this post, and on Friday I'll pick at random from all the entries, and send the winner her very own copy of Beyond Bath Time. Tell what you love or hate about being a mom, or just say hi.

Would you like another chance to win?  Share this post on facebook, and then come back and leave me another comment telling me that you did.  The more friends you get to enter, the better chance you'll have of getting to borrow it from one of them!

The drawing will be held at 9am on Friday, and I'll announce the winner around lunchtime.

 

 

Easy Teachers Gift Totes That Look Like a Million Bucks

Today is the first day of summer break.  I thought it would never get here.  The combination of early-morning lunch packing, breakfasts and drop-offs; sleepless nights with my newborn; and a relentlessly energetic toddler have made the last six weeks feel like I'm running through waist-deep mud.  I am so glad summer is finally here!

Yesterday was the last day, and I wanted so badly to blow off the idea of teacher gifts.  But I couldn't let it go. These women have spent so much time building into my kids. How could I let the year end without doing something special for them?

So I decided to make them some tote bags, because who doesn't love a tote bag?

Aren't they cute? Would you believe that these only cost about $4 each, and took less than an hour to do all three!  It's true.

The secret is starting with these pretty reusable totes that I found at Walmart.  They were near the checkout lines.  $4 each.  Score.

Next, print off your monogram onto regular printer paper.  The space between the straps was almost exactly 7 1/2 inches, so print it out nice and big.

Cut the paper letters out.  This is your  pattern.

Next you'll need some coordinating fabrics, and some fusible web.

There are several brands of webbing available.  Just make sure that you get the "sewable" kind.  The no-sew will gunk up your sewing machine needle.

Following the directions on the package, iron a piece of paper-backed adhesive web to the wrong side of the fabric.  The webbing and the fabric should be as big as the letter pattern you made.

Turn the fabric paper side up, and trace your letter up-side-down. (You must trace the mirror image onto the paper, so it turns out right.)  Cut it out.

Then, carefully peel the paper backing off of the fabric, making sure that the adhesive is still stuck to the fabric.  Position the monogram exactly where you want it on the bag, cover with a dishtowel to protect the bag fabric, and iron to set the adhesive.  **Note: the bags I bought had a pocket on the inside.  Make sure you place the monogram on the side without the pocket.!** Again, be sure to read the package, because some brands require steam at this point, and some don't.

Be careful not to melt the bag with the iron!

When you are done with this step, it should look something like this:

So cute, right?

For the final step, rev up your sewing machine, and sew a straight stitch once or twice around the very edge of the monogram.  This will hold it in place and give it a little visual border that will help it stand out from the pattern on the bag.

These were a hit with the teachers!  They felt special, and I didn't lose any more sleep over it than I needed to. 

Emma with Mrs. Williams on the last day.

I like how these turned out so much, that I may have to make one for myself.

If you make one using this tutorial, let me know! I'd love to see how yours turned out.

And make sure you pin this tutorial onto your pinterest board so you can get to it next time you need an easy gift idea.  You can follow mine here.

 And here are some other gifts we've made for our excellent teachers:

Child's drawing tote bag

Child's drawing pillow