DIY Summer Beach Towels

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Before a week of no blogging, nowhere to be but the pool or the beach and no DIY projects allowed {aka vacation}, Jessica had to get in one last DIY project. With towels invincible to Bleach {we still have no idea why the color didn’t bleach}, she couldn’t make them like Studio DIY.

Plan B was to spray lemon juice on the towels, and lay them in the sun. Nope, it too, was unsuccessful.

Plan C was dependable fabric paint, and it worked just fine!

These towels make for a great gift for teachers as school’s out for summer, birthday party favors with names, as well as hostess gifts for those who live on the beach.

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Here’s how we did it.

Materials:

  • Towels
  • White fabric paint {or white acrylic paint combined with gel medium}
  • Contact paper to make stencil or stencil {we used our Silhouette America Portrait to cut the letters on contact paper}
  • Stencil Paintbrush {round, flat tip}

Directions:

Design your words with Silhouette software, and use the electronic cutting machine to cut the contact paper. Make sure the words are mirrored, so they appear correctly on the towel, and not backwards.

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Prep your painting space. Make sure to place a cardboard under your towels for paint that may bleed through.

Remove the back of the contact paper. Lay the stencils or words on the towels. We really liked the contact paper because it stuck to the towels, just enough to work as a stencil, but not too much so it was easy to remove.

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Dab the paint onto the towels.

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After about one hour, remove the stencil. Let the towel dry for 24 hours.

Have some fun in the sun.

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Good Vibes

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We believe that what you put out into the world, you get back.

If you think and radiate happiness and good thoughts, it invites goodness and positivity into your life.

When a good friend, or a stranger in line at the grocery store exudes joy and good energy a magical thing that happens – he/she lifts our spirits. Good vibes just feel good. It feels good to give them, and it feels good to be the recipient of them. Plus, good energy is contagious, so we have the power to shift the vibrations of a room. It’s an invisible force, but it is felt, and can also be brought to life by smiles, laughter and acts of kindness.

We are going to make a conscious effort to practice good energy in our own lives, and set positive intentions. We are going to be responsible for the energy we bring into a room. In fact, Jessica’s daughter is literally going to step into the room with good vibes because we made her DIY good vibes shoes. And, she is going to rock them!

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Materials:

Instructions:

Step 1: Use a pencil to draft your words or design on your shoes.

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Step 2: Color, color, color. We kept it a classic black and white shoe, but make it as colorful as you want.

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Step 3: Go spread some goodness.

Rainy Day in a Box

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Kids, just like adults, have good days and bad. At our house, we call the bad days rainy days because they are the days when you have to open the umbrella, and wait for the storm to pass. Rainy days happen, we talk about it, and then we try to turn it into something positive.

While talking to my cousin, Mary, she told us about a tradition one of her friends started with her kids. We wish we thought of this because we loved it so much. We made our own version of Rainy Day in a Box. It’s a DIY box we made, and filled with trinkets and goodies to lift our kids spirits on days when they need an extra bit of love and distraction.

Our kids know it’s not an everyday treat, but on those rough days, they can reach their hands in the box for a special treat. We find that it has become a good opportunity to talk to our children about those tough days, and find simple ways to make them smile.

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Materials:

  • Wood box
  • Small gifts that will make your kids smile
  • Acrylic paint, Plaid Crafts

Directions:

Use a pencil to draw your design on the box. We traced 1/2 a bowl for the top arch, and then free-handed the rest. As you can see, it is somewhat wavy, and that’s the look we were going for. We used a PIEBOX. It’s sturdy, pretty enough to be on a shelf and large.

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Paint the design. We choose to paint a rainbow because rainbows represent the hope after a storm, and rainbows make us happy.

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Fill the box with goodies that will cheer up your son and daughter.

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DIY Swing Shelf

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Jessica recently made a DIY Shelf inspired by the Teak Swing Shelf from one of our favorite stores, Anthropologie. It’s cute enough for her kids to want to swing on, but beautiful {and rustic} enough to hang in her home. Plus, it’s easy and affordable to make! We’re loving this Anthropologie hack.

Check out all the how-to details at Momtastic.

 

Modern Woodland Nursery

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We ran across a photo of a modern woodland nursery on Mary Gaspar’s instagram account, and found it unique and beautiful. We were intrigued to learn more about the design elements and how it all came together. Luckily she is sharing all the details with us! When we found out Mary is the mother of three girls, we were instant friends, because we know all too well what it’s like to grow up in a house full of women.

Mary is not only a mother to three amazing girls, but also an artist, and has a good eye for interior design, too. We love that she used a mix of store-bought and DIY pieces to bring the whole Scandinavian look together. It’s a cozy black, white and neon pink retreat her daughter can grow into. As moms, sometimes we get so excited to hear the words, “It’s a girl,” we use all the pink, tulle and ruffles we can, and then 4 years down the road, the room requires a makeover. This room is relevant for infants, toddlers, children and tweens.

Mary shares details on her youngest daughter’s room, the inspiration and how it all came together…

Violet is my third little girl and when we found out the sex I was thrilled (again!) cause well, girls are the bomb, and as one of 4 sisters, I know how awesome a house of girls can be! I am an artist and also have a great passion for interior design, which is seen in my home (my play space for decorating)! I had done my other daughter’s room, which they share, in a very girly English Garden theme. I wanted to do something a little more modern and contemporary in feel this time around.
I took my initial inspiration from my own work. I am doing a lot of black and white painting and I draw a ton of inspiration from nature. My work also has a bit of a contemporary edge. That’s when I came up with the idea of doing a “Modern Woodland” theme with a palette of black, white, gold and neon pink. I love the look of Scandinavian inspired decor so I set out for a white crib and flokati rug to start.
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The walls were already painted in Benjamin Moore’s “Moonshine”, a lovely gray, that I use throughout my home. I had a green gingham glider from my other daughter’s nursery that had seen better days, so I added a slipcover in white and presto…looking brand new! I also had a large changing table in a honey brown from a prior nursery that my mom and I took on as a DIY project. We used Annie Sloan chalk paint in white and gave it 3 coats. I changed out the knobs into the sweetest little brass sleeping foxes.
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It’s a small room (11 x 9 ft) and I knew I needed some small, stylish yet effective shelving. I found the arrow shelf and sprayed it gold. That really set the tone for the gallery wall. I framed some of my own woodland inspired drawings, and did a couple of fun DIY crafty wall hangings, like the “Love” sign, made out of wire and bungee cord. The deer silhouette I drew on velvet craft paper and mounted on an oval wooden plaque, and the Animal Head Plaque was ornaments from Land of Nod affixed to wood!
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The room has become my most favorite…a cozy, inspiring retreat for children and adults alike. I love that the decor I have in here will most certainly grow with her. I would use many of these pieces in any other spot in our home, as well!
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Vendor Love
Babyletto Crib: All Modern
Blackout curtains, flokati rug, gold pouf, crib skirt, pink lucite floating shelf and changing pad cover: Land of Nod
White slipcover for glider: Wayfair 
Lamp {feathers were a DIY addition}: T.J. Maxx
Cross Blanket: Modern Burlap
Fox Brass Knobs and Owl hook: Anthropologie
Little gold mirror: vintage
Heart Mirror: Homegoods
Embroidered Deer Pillow: Etsy Shop Sweet Pea and Olive
Crib sheet: Pehr Designs
Art
Let Her Sleep art print: Samantha Ranlet, By Samantha
She Who Is Brave art print: Lisa Congdon
Gallery Wall
Felt Ball Garland: Benzie Design
Giant “V”: Land of Nod
Deer head {spray painted gold}: Homegoods
All other art: Mary Gaspar Art and Etsy shop