New Slipcovers…

Our old sofa and loveseat found a home in the office/bonus room of our new house.  This old furniture had seen better days.  We purchased it many years ago and was one of the first big purchases my husband and I made together.  It was time to give the poor things an update. 

Here is what our old sofa and loveseat looked like…





I cheated.  I did not make time to sew slipcovers.  I ordered some from Surefit.net. (I have not been compensated or paid for this post, I'm just sharing a home solution that has worked for my house).





I also got some “tuck once grips”.  Which are basically 3-sided plastic chunks to stick at the back of the seat cushions and around the sides.  I dislike having to re-tuck and rearrange slipcovers.  Since the kids were going to be using this room, I didn’t want to spend time daily re-tucking or fixing slipcovers or worse... I didn't want the slipcovers to get a loose edge caught on a toy and rip.

Here is the After…





I also decided to try out their futon and lift chair covers.  We have a futon in the basement that is in the kid’s play area.  We also have a lift chair stored in the basement for a family member when they come to visit.



Since the futon is located where the kids play, I wanted to protect it and make it easier to clean.



The lift chair is bright red and sticks out like a sore thumb among our other furniture downstairs.  So to make both the futon and chair fit in, I decided to choose a dark brown fabric for both.



Here is the After…





So much better!  I’m glad I found a solution that works for us.  I’ve had the slipcovers for a few months now, and they are in great shape and fit well.  I took these pictures right after I took the slipcovers out of their boxes.  The wrinkles in the fabric have fallen out and are no longer there today.

Tell me about your slipcovering stories (homemade or purchased).  I’d love to see pics!

As Always,
Sandra

Basement Completed!

Don’t adjust your monitors… Yes, the carpets and walls were GREEN!… YUCK!

Before

After we got the basement cleaned up from the sewage backup, we got to work repairing the damage.

After the clean up, the walls were repaired and rebuilt.  All the basement walls were painted with “Ballet White” from Benjamin Moore. 



The green carpet was torn up and replaced.  We were not sad to see it go!  The new carpet is much lighter and a neutral color.  I also like the new carpet because it does not leave vacuum cleaner or footprint marks!

Before

After

Before

After

We decided to sell the pool table. With the pool table out of the space, we have so much more room!

Before

After

The rocking chair got moved from the living room upstairs, to its new home in the downstairs family room by the office door.

After

Beside the stairs, this area seems to catch junk that was in transition.  The tubs, boxes and bags are full of clothes and toys to get rid of in a garage sale.  Right now, we have a futon against the wall.  The futon works well as an extra bed when company comes over to stay the night.

Before

After

The kids’ toy area is in the same place, just brightened up by new paint and carpet.

Before

After

The downstairs bathroom got a makeover, click here to see the bathroom’s transformation.

Bathroom After

Overall, our basement is more inviting and brighter.  Even the kids enjoy playing in the basement because it is not “DARK down there”!

After

As Always,
Sandra

Simple is Pretty Parties Here…

Free Printable Babysitter Notes

Here is a new FREE Printable for you!…



Use the ‘Babysitter Notes’ printable to write down important information for your babysitter.  Keeps all information that your babysitter will need to need to know in one easy access place. 

Includes sections for:

• Child Info
• Parent Info
• Eating
• Sleeping
• Rules
• Other Info
• Emergency Info

Click below to download and print the FREE Printable:

Babysitter Notes

Check out more FREE Printables here!

As Always,
Sandra

Free Printable Kid’s Toy Box Labels

A few weeks ago, I organized the kids’ toys and art supplies.  I purchased the containers from Canadian Tire.

The containers in the picture above are actually supposed to be for storing shoes, but they work perfectly for the kids’ art supplies.  I removed all the stickers on the containers.  If the stickers are stubborn to remove, check out my post on removing stickers for a quick trick!

I made some cute labels for the boys’ toy boxes and containers.  But really these cute labels could be used on many different containers, not just children's toy storage.  They are so cute, I've thought of using them to organize my kitchen pantry!

Check out Poofy Cheeks for my post on how to print and attach the labels to the containers.  Click here for the easy instructions.

Click below to download and print the FREE Printable:

Blue - Blank Labels

As Always,
Sandra

I'm at Poofy Cheeks Today...

Today, I'm posting at my friend Kelsey's blog, Poofy Cheeks!  Check out my post with FREE Printables.  Just in time for Spring Cleaning...

As Always,
Sandra

FREE Printable Morning and Bedtime Routines from IHeart Organizing

I love these cute printable kid's routines from IHeart Organizing.  And so do my boys! 

I decided to frame the printables to keep them in good shape.  I had some leftover frames from another project that worked perfectly. 

Since I printed the routines on 8 1/2 x 11 size paper, I just trimmed the printables a little to fit the 8 x 10 frames.

They now sit on my oldest son's dresser and he refers to them daily.  He loves informing me what is next to complete.

Ick, now I just need to do something with that ugly dresser!

As Always,
Sandra

FREE Printable Calendar from Hello, Cuteness!...

I have to share these adorable FREE 2013 Calendar Printables I found from HelloCutness.com.  Click here to check out their website for the full collection.

So cute!  I printed out the full 2013 calendar and laminated each page for durability and to write on with a dry erase marker.

My oldest son is learning the days of the week in playschool.  I realized I don't have a calendar around the house that he can refer to.  I keep a calendar in my household binder and on my phone instead.

This calendar from Hello, Cuteness is colorful and easy to read.  I used a magnet clip to attach it to my fridge for easy access.  I will keep the upcoming months in a folder in a cupboard near the fridge.

After each month is over, I'll give the sheet to my son and he can write things on the calendar with his dry erase crayons and practice his counting.  Super cute!  I had to share!

As Always,
Sandra

Kid's Activity and Craft Area Upstairs

The last few days, I've made some changes upstairs.  I've been moving furniture and placing items in different areas.  One new area I've created is a kid's activity and craft area on our main level.

Normally, the kids would color, play cards and make a mess on the kitchen table.

I needed a new solution because it was such a pain!  We would have to clean up their books and crayons for meals and snacks multiple times a day.  Since the table is large, crayons would roll across the table and soon the boys would be chasing them and crawling all over the table.  I also have my laptop on the kitchen table so it got a little crowded.

I wanted an area that the kids could access when they want and push their own chairs in.  Currently, when they want to color (which is about 10 different times a day!) I have to push their chairs in for them.  HUGE pain!

The newly created activity space is by our back door.  We hardly use this door, especially in winter.

If we need to get outside, we usually use the patio door that is a few footsteps away instead.  So far this space is working well.  I can see them and keep an eye on them from the living room and the kitchen.

I used 2 IKEA tables we have had for years.  The kids were using these white tables downstairs with their kitchen set.  They are triangles and are the perfect size for them.  A separate table for each boy is working well.  Fights are reduced since they each have their own space to play.

These chairs are the right height, inexpensive, and don't match.  Every time I walk by the chairs, I giggle inside because they look so odd to me.  Maybe no one else notices how they don't match, but it definitely bugs me!

Each boy has a basket of things to do.  My youngest has washable crayons, coloring books and a set of picture cards.  My oldest has crayons, dry erase crayons (the dry erase crayons are great, they don't dry out!), coloring books, stickers, and card games. 


Things to Improve/Change:

1. Get matching chairs - not only are the chairs different colors, they are also different sizes.

2. Curtain - this small window can let in a lot of light since it faces west.  A curtain will help my oldest boy see his coloring book easier, and stop the blinding sunlight.

So far I'm loving this new space.  I'm saving time and my sanity because their mess is now contained to an area and not all over my kitchen table!

As Always,
Sandra

DIY Easy Kitchen Cleaner

I made this cleaner a few months ago now and it works GREAT!

Here's what you need:

• water

• a few drops of Dawn dish soap

• a spray bottle to put the cleaning solution into (I use an old Method daily shower spray container)

That's it!  Combine a few cups of water and a few drops of soap in the spray bottle and give it a quick shake to mix.  If you find the solution too strong or too weak for your liking, add more water or soap accordingly.  Slap on a quick label using your label maker...and DONE!

I use this solution to spray on the table after a meal, kitchen counters, on the kid's highchairs and booster seats.   

So EASY to make and use, not to mention less expensive than cleaners you'll find at the store.

What are your quick cleaning solutions?  I'd love to hear about them, leave me a comment!

As Always,
Sandra

House Tour 2012: Kids' Rooms

Little Boys' Rooms

The boys' rooms are the two doors on the right.  My older son's bedroom is at the far end of the hallway...

After

Just for giggles, here is a before pic of the hallway from the opposite direction...

Before

Our home's previous owners loved their peach paint!

Blue and Orange Bedroom

When we were deciding paint colors, we wanted bright colors.  We also wanted colors that would work with the room for a few years.  We decided on Behr's Sapphire Lace (S-G-570) and Volcanic Blast (S-G-210):

Choosing a combo of white, blue and orange... here is how it turned out... (I was sure to choose and orange that would not be to peachy!)

Using Frog Tape we almost completely eliminated paint bleed on our painted stripes.  Well worth the extra money!  We did have a little paint bleed, but it was from not adhering the tape properly to the in all places on the wall.

Source

I made an alphabet picture for the wall, as my son loves letters!  I printed out the letters on card stock paper.  Next, I cut them out and stuck them to blue wrapping paper using double sided tape and framed them in an IKEA frame.

An old dresser we got years ago from a garage sale, got a few coats of the same blue as the walls and we added new hardware to update it.  The other wood dresser needs an update, and is still on the "To Do" list.

Orange Bedroom

My younger son's room is a lighter shade of orange...

Pittsburgh Paints Candied Yam 123-6

 

I love this shade of orange, it is bright but not over powering.  The orange gives the room a warm feeling and it is easy to match other colors to this shade of orange.

We decided on an animal/zoo theme for this room.  Gender neutral, we used this room and theme for both of our boys before we knew we were having a boy or a girl.

Our oldest son had this room first, and it was pretty much decorated the same way when he was in it.  When we were pregnant with our second child, we moved our oldest son into the room down the hall.  This way we could have the gender neutral animal theme room for our new baby.  Not to mention, this room is a few foot steps closer to the master bedroom, which makes getting up in the middle of the night with the new baby a little easier.

The changing table is second hand, given to us by family.  The table works wonderfully in this room.  I store diapers in a basket on the shelf so they are easily reached.  Extra blankets and sheets for the crib are in the drawers at the bottom. 

The Ikea striped lamp on top of the change table adds a punch of color to the room.  The lamp also worked really well when the boys needed a diaper change in the middle of the night when they were younger.  The light has a dimmer switch so the amount of light could easily be adjusted.



This white clock is originally supposed to have family and personal photos placed in the photo holders.  Instead, I found images from the web that fit the zoo/animal theme in the room and printed them on photo paper.  Next, I cut out the animals and stuck them to white paper which would fit in the photo holders around the clock.  To hold the animals to the paper, I used double sided tape.  I seem to use double sided tape for everything!!!

The IKEA PAX closet is great because inside there are 6 pull out drawers.  Perfect for storing and sorting all the baby clothes.

What colors or themes have you used to decorate your child's room?

As Always,
Sandra