My New Laminator + Dry Erase Markers = FUN!

As a preschool aide I spend a lot of time helping kids write their names. Last year I had an epiphany; laminate name tags (found at the dollar store), and let the kiddos use dry erase markers to trace their names. They trace, I wipe the name tag with a damp cloth to remove the marker, repeat, repeat, repeat. 

Laminated name tags to help preschool aged kids learn to write their name.

Over the holidays I impulsively bought myself a laminator during one of Amazon's daily deals. I absolutely love it! I try to think of all kinds of things that need to be laminated. I call this one my Sunday project, because I thought it would be fun for Macy to use at church or at home on Sundays. She can give her family facial hair, etc., and afterwards I wipe the laminated photos clean, and store them away in the coupon holder for the following week. 

Materials needed

Coupon holder from the dollar store. Holds laminated 4 x 6 photos, wipes, and dry erase markers.

One last thing that I wanted to share, is a tip to help a child hold their pen correctly. Have the child hold the pen lid with their last three fingers, Then place the pen between their index finger and thumb. If you are using a writing tool without a lid, anything similar in size will do (broken crayon, pencil eraser...). This isn't the best picture (my model wouldn't hold still), but hopefully you get the idea. 

Weekend Project Part 1 - Simple Queen-sized Headboard

We recently moved  and things have been slowly getting to where they need to be around here. I finished decorating the living room and my son's room but our bedroom was a not-so-hot mess. We decided to turn our master bedroom closet into my daughter's nursery and I had tons of sewing stuff laying around the room because the garage was occupied with boxes. Last weekend I had had enough of the master bedroom clutter and I cleaned out the garage and organized it. I moved my sewing/craft stuff out there (yay!) and started organizing our horrible clothes situation (you know, since our closet was no longer available for clothes storage). Now that the clutter was gone it was glaringly obvious to me that our bedroom was in serious need of a makeover. Pictures were just sitting around waiting to be hung, our dressers didn't go together (which wasn't a big deal before since they were in the closet!) and our old headboard somehow got lost in the move. It was time for a room intervention!!!

The first project was a headboard. I did my usual research and had the usual debate with my husband. That debate goes something like this:

Husband: "Let's just buy one"

Me: "But headboards are expensive."
Husband: "What, like $20? No biggie."

Me: "More like $50-$75 and that's if you want a crappy Walmart one that will break when you blow on it. If you want a nice one you're looking at a couple hundred, easily." 

Husband: "I'm sure you can find a nice one on sale somewhere. Just look around, it will be easier to buy one. Do you really want to spend all weekend in the garage on another project?"

Me: *secretly squealing with joy inside because projects excite me* "Sure, I'll look around first."  

So, I did. And you know what? I was right. I drove all around town with kids in tow looking at headboards. I bombarded him with pictures of everything and he hated them all and couldn't figure out why they were so expensive. I even tried to convince him to let me buy one I had found and let me recover it. But that one was $100 and then I'd still have to buy fabric and be in the garage all weekend. So, he caved and off to Home Depot I went with a smile on my face. 

The end result put a smile on his face. Oh, and it only cost us $27. Well worth it, he says! 

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the process but I'll do my best guiding you through it. 

First, supplies. 

At home depot I bought 4 pieces of "2x3"s. These are always cut a little smaller than advertised. Mine were 2.5x1.5 and about 98 inches long. I bought the cheap ones and they were about $2 each. I had to sort through the pile of wood to get ones that weren't splintered or cracking or anything. Next you'll need to get a piece of plywood. I didn't need to because miracles of miracles as I driving out of my complex one of my neighbors was throwing a piece of plywood away that he had miss-cut - it was perfect for my needs so I scooped it up! FREEEEEEEEEEE! Most plywood is pretty cheap though since you don't need too big of a piece and you don't need it to be very thick either - at my Home Depot you can get a sheet for about $8. Lastly, you'll need 4 L-shaped brackets and screws if you don't have any on hand. Oh, and a screw driver, saw and staple gun if you don't have one already. :) You can have them cut your wood at most lumber stores to the sizes you need (see below) if you don't have a saw at home. 

TIP - if you chose to get yours cut in store, make sure you are very clear with them that it needs to be measured twice and cut exactly to your measurements. Sometimes their machines aren't very accurate so stick around and have them measure it one more time after it's cut so you don't get home and have it be too short or crooked (this has happened to me in the past).

Here are the instructions I drew for how to lay out your frame and the cut sizes you need for a standard Queen but please, please measure first and then measure it again and again just to be sure! Measure from floor to top of mattress and then from floor to projected top of headboard and then measure width of your bed and width between where it screws into the frame. 

Lay out your 4 pieces of cut wood on top of your piece of plywood and make sure everything is lining up. Also, make sure you measure you bed AND your bed frame. These instructions are for my standard queen size frame. Now put your 4 braces in the corners and screw them in. Next, flip it over and attach the plywood with screws to the frame. You'll notice this will give you a hole in the middle and that's where you'll be putting your foam. Which leads me to the next step - buying your craft store items. 

What you'll need from your craft store: 

A piece of 2 inch foam. This will need to be 56 inches long. 

Your desired fabric - 2 yards should be enough if it's a wide fabric. 

Nail head trim (picture below)

Fabric glue or some other kind of strong bond glue
Batting, if you want extra padding

TIPS: I never, ever shop at my craft store (Joann's) unless I have coupons. I scored my fabric for only $6 ($3 a yard) and my nail head trim for only $10. My foam was free (usually around $30). Joann's fabric allows you to use competitors coupons - Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc. and you can use one of their coupons on your phone and one printed. Restrictions apply, of course. Most are for regular priced items but occasionally you'll find ones that discount your entire purchase. This weekend I had a 50% off one item, a 40% one item (including sale priced items) and a 25% total purchase. The foam was free from a previous Joann's sale that I stocked up on because I'm a pack-rat like that. Also, if you're willing to shop online you can find even better deals and promotions. Fabric.com is a great place to get stuff and they will send you a 20% coupon just for being a new customer. 

Now back to the headboard - Take your foam and cut it to size (I used an electric knife -the one we use to cut turkey and Thanksgiving- and it cut straight and perfect like a dream). Put your glue (I used wood glue) in the hole you created and then press your fabric down on top of it and let that dry completely. Next, drape your fabric (and batting if you bought it) upside down on a bed or clean floor. Place your frame foam side down on top of the fabric and then start pulling your fabric tight (but not too tight, you don't want it to pucker) and secure it to the plywood with your staple gun. Now just flip it over and attach your nailhead trim around the edge of your foam into the wood. Here's a closer up picture of the almost finished product:

The last thing I did was wrap the legs in fabric and attach it to the headboard (see holes from my drawing) with some bolts we had left over from our old headboard. 

FYI, I calculated this out for a friend and her King sized headboard without the 2 freebies (plywood and foam) came out to be about $70 after coupons. That's a pretty awesome deal if you're willing to put in the labor! You could also do button tufting on a headboard like this too. 

Sticker Tip

Do your kids ever rip their stickers trying to get them off the page?

Simple trick: Take the outer sticker sheet off the paper leaving only the actual stickers behind. 

Cooking for picky eaters – some cheats I have learned along the way

When I married Bill seventeen years ago I knew he was “picky” about food, but my love for him made me think that it would be a non-issue. Turns out it has been a huge issue, especially with the arrival of our first child, Hailey, who is also an extremely picky eater. As for myself, I love to eat just about anything, and I really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes.  Growing up as one of eight kids, I had some picky siblings, but with so many of us, my mom could actually make two batches of a dish; one with onions and one without. I don’t have that luxury, so I end up opting in favor of the pickiest. Here are some things I have discovered along the way.

1.     After so many years of doing without onions, I really don’t miss them in a lot of food. Of course there are dishes that absolutely have to have onions (pico de gallo is at the top of that list), and I refuse to alter those recipes. But if something calls for onions I either ignore it altogether, or use onion powder. I have also sometimes cut an onion into huge pieces, and removed them before serving.

2.    Cream of mushroom soup is replaceable. If I am making a chicken or pork based dish I switch to cream of chicken or cream of celery. For other recipes I use cream of potato. In fact I have a cheesy potato recipe that is requested more than any other, and all I did was switch out the cream of mushroom soup to cream of potato.

3.    Most salads are best served “salad bar” style. Instead of mixing them all together, keep everything separate, and let diners make their own salads. You have to chop everything up anyways, and it is actually easier to save the food if it isn't mixed together already. Then it can be used for other purposes (omelets, pizza toppings, etc.)

4.    Make individual pizzas instead of one or two large ones. Kids (and adults) enjoy creating their own pizza pie. I usually use Rhode’s Texas rolls (found in the frozen food section). After they thaw for a few hours, each one is the perfect size to roll out into an individual size pizza. You can rest assured that your son’s olive didn't accidentally jump onto your husband’s half of the pizza. 

5.     A mesh strainer is your best friend. Seriously, I saw this sink strainer (never used it for that) while shopping one day, and a whole new world was opened up to me. I run so many things through it! Spaghetti sauce and jarred salsa (to remove the onions, chunk tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms), which leaves the flavor, and a smooth texture. Whenever I use a seasoning packet, I mix the entire packet with the required amount of water, let it sit for a few minutes (to reconstitute the offending onions), and then pour it through the mesh strainer over the dish.

I hope some of these tips help chefs struggling to cook for picky eaters. After seventeen years I don’t complain as much (maybe only twice a week) about not being able to cook “real” food. These cheats have really helped me though, especially when I don’t have to hear how much somebody detests something I made. Bill and the kids know that although I am willing to make these changes at home, if they are dining in someone else’s presence, they just have to grin and bear it, or swallow it as the case may be. 

DIY Decopauge (aka Mod Podge)

I love Elmer's Glue! It is so useful and when there are back-to-school sales, I stock up. Here is a wonderful FAQ from the Elmer's Glue website:

http://www.elmers.com/about/faqs/how-to

"How do I make decoupage medium?

Making an excellent and inexpensive decoupage medium is easy with Elmer’s Glue-All and water. To make decoupage medium, use craft stick to mix together three parts Elmer's® Glue-All® with 1 part water in a paper cup. Stir well. Use sponge brush to spread mixture over surface. Papers may stretch or bubble up initially, so smooth out air from bubbles with finger and then go over area again with foam brush. Minor wrinkling will shrink and flatten as it dries. Let thoroughly dry over night and then spray surface with matte sealer.

TIPS:

• You can adjust the measurement of glue to water if necessary
• When cutting out intricate designs or special shapes, an X-ACTO knife works great!
• Magazines, greeting cards and pictures make great cutouts for a decoupage project"