DIY Vintage Pennant

When I shared my son's big boy bedroom, I promised tutorials & details were coming...and here I am still trying to keep good on that promise!  I made a big pennant banner that hangs above his headboard that's customized with his name on it. I had to make some other ones for a church activity & I knew it was the perfect opportunity to show you just how I did it, so you can make one too!

You can either buy you own prre-made felt pennant flag (from Hobby Lobby) or make your own.  It's the basic elementary concept...fold your paper hot dog style, make a straight line, cut, then trace onto your felt piece.  Just make sure your flag is wide enough to fit your letters.

When you're printing out your letters, be sure to flip it, so it prints out the mirror image.  Because we're taping it onto out peel-and-stick felt.  It can be bought in big packs, or single sheets for .99 at the craft store and it is amazing. It comes in the basic rainbow colors so you don't have to use white.  Using a few pieces of tape, tape down your letters to the paper side.

I like using my small thread scissors to cut them out, especially with the font I chose this time, to get into all those 90 degree angles.

When you're peeling and sticking, I learned the hard way with this font that a little at a time is the best method.  With my son's pennant banner, you'll see the font is totally different and it was easy for my to just peel off the whole back and stick. 

Once you've got your letters on, it's time to give it an authentic pennant look.  Cut a strip from your peel & stick felt and stick it right to the edge of the banner.  Then cute 4 small pieces, the same width, and place them as pictured below.

And you're done!  Customize it any way you want with colors and fonts or even shapes and logos!

There's a Sponge for That!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScotchBriteSponges #CollectiveBias

I've gotten to that point in life where I've started being picky about my cleaning products.  I have a favorite laundry detergent...dish soap...cleaning spray...I'm even biased about my sponges.  But when you're cleaning your kitchen a few times a day, you get to that point! Because you want something that is actually going to work & work better than other products to make your job easier.  There's no substitute for the yellow & green sponges from Scotch-Brite®...trust me on this one!  My love for these tough  sponges has expanded even more now with their products & they take me throughout my day with the right sponge for every surface, it makes me job easier.

 So start your week off with a trip to Target.  Already a great beginning, right?! (Be sure you add this deal to your Cartwheel to use on your next Target run! 8/28-9/3 10% Off 9 Pack of Sponges) Grab yourself some new sponges...I grabbed a fresh pack of Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty Scrub Sponge and also a pack of the blue Scotch-Brite® Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge, because sometimes you only need a gentle scrub.  And then my kitchen life changed forever... Scotch-Brite® Heavy Duty sponge on a Soap Dispensing Dishwand?!  I don't know when I became the person to get so excited about a cleaning sponge, but I'm fully admitting I'm there.

 All throuhought the day, there's plenty to clean in your kitchen, but it's important to make sure you're using the right sponge.  While I love my heavy duty green sponge for caked on dishes, when you're cleaning your non-stick pots & pans, be sure you're using the blue Non-Scratch sponge, or else you'll scratch that finish and suddenly your scrambled eggs are sticking! But I do love using the Heavy Duty Dishwand on my crock pot when I forget to throw in a liner!

 When you're wiping down your countertops & sinks, grab the Non-Scratch if you need to scrub, or flip over to the soft sponge side to just give a nice wipe-down.  The same thing goes for your dining room table- don't scratch off that finish! 

After you've finished (for the moment) cleaning in the kitchen, be sure and really squeeze out those sponges.  Keeping them soaked will make them smell and last a shorter amount of time. 

Whether you're cleaning in the kitchen or around the home, there's a Scotch-Brite® sponge perfect for getting the job done in half the time!  And with all the time I spend cleaning, that might actually leave me some time to read a book!! Happy Cleaning, friends!
See ideas to help clean your biggest mess. Click here!  

Color Block Magnets

I grabbed these mini square canvas magnets at Walmart without actually having a plan for them & then just some simple color block inspiration came to me.

 I picked a seafoam green & coral color, and used paper hold stickers to create a scallop pattern & painters tape to tape from corner to corner.

 This gold pen is definitely my favorite because it actually comes out a shining true gold, rather than a matte yellow-ish color.  And it also covers very well, so use it before of after using your paint.

 If you're feeling extra decorative, add some lettering to them!  I wrote "Don't Forget!" on one & "hey, look!!" on the other to add some visual dimension.

 Ta-da! Throw them up on that otherwise boring fridge to add some color & shine!

Striped Canvas Artwork

This striped canvas is one of the easiest pieces of art you may ever create yourself.  But it's pretty enough you could sell it at Home Goods for 5x what it actually took to make it! Make it as big or as small as you want, just pick whatever size canvas you want!

 Spray paint the canvas gold, be sure to get the edges. Create a straight line to start taping.

 Tape, tape, tape, making the spaces any size you want.  For sanity (and no math) purposes, I just make every stripe the same width.  Be sure they're nice and stuck.

 Then paint away!  I actually changed the colors of the stripes a few times, so don't be afraid to 

paint over a color that just doesn't look right. Let it dry before you take the tape off.

I settled on mustard yellow, off-white, sage, light grey, teal, light pink, bright purple, light blue, & one dark strip of navy. I repeated some of the colors. Look at that metallic shine! And when people ask where you got your gorgeous canvas from, you can yell "I MADE IT!"...I mean quietly, humbly tell them that you whipped it up yourself.

School Desk Makeover

A few weeks...maybe even months ago...I jumped on a desk & chair that was being sold by a local interior designer on instagram.  I knew it would fit perfectly as my nightstand and little work area in our bedroom.  Here's a quick before picture:

And plenty of afters.... I chose a bright royal blue for the upper portion and a slightly matte gold for the legs.  I repainted the chair white and gave it a new cushion cover.

The top is my favorite part and it was one of those, "I-really-hope-this-works" experiments & it turned out even better than I imagined.  The faux-wood metal top makes me heart sing! I still want to replace the lamp, but I'm still waiting for the perfect one to pop out at me.