DIY I’m Grateful For List Pad

grateful-for-list-pad-black-and-white

Moments you are grateful for in your everyday life should be noted. Whether you write it down, type in into your phone, or record it in a gratitude journal, take the time to do it. With this continued practice, your mind and energy vibrations will shift. Your perspective will change. Negativity will find it’s way to the door, and a lighter, happier heart will be full of joy.

The list does not need to be profound, and there’s no wrong answer. It will challenge you on the worst of days. And, on the best days, it will come easy. My {Jessica’s} list this past week included gratitude for two weeks in a row of bright and warm sunshine, no snow on the ground in early November, a good glass of wine shared with friends, a moment of great hope for our country, a phone conversation with my elderly and sick grandpa, kisses from my children in the morning and a husband that loves to cuddle, even when I don’t.

Oprah, a firm believer in a gratitude journal, is quoted as saying, “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, never have enough.” We couldn’t agree more.

Yes, it’s true that circumstances are a reality, life can be really, unbearably hard, and our hearts can actually break. But, the one thing we can control is our attitude and the way we look at all the moments in our life. With a grateful mind and heart, life is more likely to have a beautiful view.

We have an easy and cute DIY for you to note all the things you’re thankful for in your life on a daily basis. It’s a DIY list pad; a I’m Grateful for List Pad, to be exact. The scroll means the list can go on and on, and it’s decorated with faux marble and Rifle Paper Co. paper, so it’s pretty to look at…which means it can be carried around with you, or left in a public area of your house.

grateful-for-list-pad-black-and-white

Here’s how we did it!

Materials:

Directions:

Step 1: Cut wood to dimensions you want. Our wood is about 3 inches x 15 inches. Home Depot was amazing and did it for us in-store for free. Gather all other materials.

wood-pliers-diy-list-copper-coil

Step 2: Cut copper coil with pliers. Measure {eyeball method} the amount you will need for a U shape to reach from the left side of the wood to the right. Test out the width of the copper on the wood, and trim it down if need be.  We liked the copper to hang down from the top of the wood in a U shape, so we could include the vinyl text on top.

 wood-pliers

Step 3: Gently bend the copper in a U shape. Do not bend it into a V because it is difficult to re-shape. This step is easy, and even small muscles can do it. Use the pliers to flatten both sides of the copper so it aligns right next to each edge of the wood.

copper-coil

Step 4: Use a drill with a small metal bit to make small holes on each side of the copper, in the center of the flat part. Press down firmly as you drill so it doesn’t move in the middle of your drilling.

copper-coil-drill

Step 5: Align the copper piping just the way it will sit on the wood. Use a pencil to mark the spot on each side of the wood, so you will know where to drill the holes to screw it in place.

wood-copper-coil

wood-copper-coil-pencil

Step 6: Drill ‘pilot’ holes in the wood on the pencil marks. Do not drill the entire length of the screw, only about ¼ size of the screw, so you can screw in the screws the remainder of the way. Pilot holes guarantee your screw won’t break off and your wood won’t split.

wood-drill

Step 7: Insert one end of the copper piece through the center of the thermal paper roll and push it until the paper roll is on the center of your U-shaped copper piece. Make sure the paper roll {the way it rolls out on the wood} lies flat on the wood, which will be easier to write on.

copper-coil-thermal-paper-roll

Step 8: Align each end of the copper to the holes on each side of the wood, and screw the small screws into the holes.

screws-wood

copper-wood-screw

diy-list-pad-wood-thermal-paper

Step 9: Trace the wood on the back of the Rifle Paper Co. wrapping paper and the faux marble. Add an angle on the top for a color-block effect. For the marble, cut the piece out, remove the backing and stick onto the wood. For the wrapping paper, cut it out, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the wood and the back of the wrapping paper. Place it on the wood and use a straight edge to make sure there are no bubbles. You can add a layer on Mod Podge on top of the paper if you want. We chose not to.

tracing

faux marble

faux marble-paper

rifle-paper-co-wrapping-paper

Step 10: Design a Grateful for design on the Silhouette Software. Follow the vinyl instructions on the box, and look at a previous post here to see how we do it. Add the vinyl on the top of the wood.

pink-grateful-for-diy-list-oad

grateful-for-list-pad-copper-vinyl

Step 11: Pull the paper down to the bottom of the wood. Wrap the hair tie around the bottom of the wood to keep the paper in place.

grateful-for-list-pad

Step 12: Begin to reflect and write down all that your grateful for. Make it a part of your daily routine and it will change your life for the better. Do it once a day, twice a day or three times a day – just do it. Thanksgiving is a great time to start.

diy-grateful-for-list-pad

 

grateful-for-list-pad

grateful-diy-list-flowers-black-white-stripes

 

DIY Swing Shelf

diy-swing-shelf-plant-apple-photo-wood

 

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.

 

DIY Scrabble Tile Planter

One of our favorite DIY home sites is Curbly. With an abundance of great ideas and projects, they inspire us to love where we live, and update our homes with DIY details.

So, it is an honor to have a guest post on their site. We shared a DIY Scrabble Tile Planter. Good news, the plant is still alive, so it’s worth the small pile of sawdust to create.

Visit Curbly for the full tutorial.

scrabble-tile-planter-ampersand3

ABC Block Hook Rack is a Nursery DIY to Try

abc-block-diy-baby-gift-nursery-decor-finn-white-blue-wood

This DIY nursery project is made with ABC blocks, and honestly, it’s as easy as 123.

ABC
Easy as
One, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl!

ABC blocks are a favorite among moms, and our kids love to play with them, so we used them for our custom, DIY baby name hook rack. A special and beautiful little man named Finnegan {Finn} was born in December, so we wanted to make a custom DIY piece for his nursery. Armed with spray paint, gloves, a drill and an open garage, we went to work.

abc-block-diy-baby-gift-nursery-decor-finn-white-blue-wood

Materials

  • Baby blocks – antique blocks from antique shows, Amazon, Toys ‘R’ Us and in our case, Target
  • Piece of wood – a new piece from Home Depot, or salvaged wood like we used, the length of the baby’s name
  • Spray paint {primer + paint}, Home Depot
  • Wood glue
  • Hooks
  • Drill

Directions
Spray paint the baby blocks. It took about 3-4 coats to cover the blocks, with a light coat of primer {our half-empty primer can ran out and a trip to Home Depot felt impossible with the kids at the time, so an all-in-one paint and primer was our go-to on this project}. Let them dry for 12-24 hours.

baby-blocks-finn-abc-kids-diy-nursery

baby-blocks-finn-abc-kids-diy-nursery

Measure and drill 3 holes {about ¼ the size of the length of the hook} into the bottom of the wood. Twist the hook into the hole and continue to turn until its tight.

abc-block-diy-baby-gift-nursery-decor-finn-white-blue-wood-hook

Apply wood glue to the back of each letter block and glue to the wood. Apply a clamp, or in our case, stack heavy books on top. Let it dry for 12 hours.

abc-block-diy-baby-gift-nursery-decor-finn-white-blue-wood
Find a couple little gifts/items to hang from the DIY custom hook, wrap it with extra love, and then send it to the bundle of joy.

abc-block-diy-baby-gift-nursery-decor-finn-white-blue-wood

building hope around the world

My husband is a builder and an Ambassador for Habitat for Humanity of Eagle and Lake Counties. Every year Habitat for Humanity hosts a Carpenter’s Ball in celebration of their mission of bringing people together to build homes communities and hope. It’s their signature fundraising event, and after attending 3 prior Ball’s, this year was my absolute favorite. They mixed things up from their standard cocktails/silent auction and ceremony/sit-down dinner…and it was a fabulous time!

This year’s annual ball, “Building Hope Around the World,” brought people together in a festive way – each guests received a Passport to experience food and drink from regions around the globe where Habitat is making a difference offering housing solutions. Here’s why I think this international wine and food tasting worked and was a success:

It allowed everyone to mingle and not be stuck at one table.

Guests really learned about Habitat and the places they make a difference around the world, not just by reading it in a program or hearing it from the President of Habitat during a speech in a ballroom, but by ‘visiting’ stations inspired by the locations, along with interesting facts about the specific location.

We were able to try all kinds of new and delicious foods inspired by cultures from around the world, along with paired beverages. The talented Chef Richard Hinojosa of Larkspur Restaurant designed six, three course tasting menus paired with great wine and other beverages. From Braised Fennel Citrus Sea Scallops to Little Larkburgers at the USA station. Shrimp Pad Thai to Steamed Pork Bao in Asia & Pacific. Crème Fraiche Pierogi {my personal fave} and a Hungarian Risotto with Spring Pea Pancetta created the European flavors with Veuve Clicquot to compliment the cuisine at that station.

Opportunity to bid on unique auction items.

Great, live music.

Being a DIYer, I was impressed with the construction-themed DIY details Elyse Howard, Development Director at Habitat Humanity, and her team executed beautifully. Some of my fave DIYs were the nuts and bolts in mason and hob nail jars, real ladders that we use at the job site and wood for auction shelving, burlap runners and habitat hard hats with mints and labeled lotion and soap in the bathrooms. They also used biodegradable bamboo “vessels” for the food which you can find here.

Lighting, which I’ve come to believe really sets the tone for a party, was warm with amber up lighting around the room, and custom gobos added a personalized touch. And a wow factor was the exposed lightbulb chandelier, which exuded an elegant work site feeling.

Can’t wait for next years party, Elyse. Thanks for sharing this year’s photos with us.


{this was my favorite display – food and wine lined up along wood planks {anchored at each end with different sized wood blocks} at different heights to appear ‘stepped.’}

Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.  Habitat builds simple, decent, affordable homes in partnership with local families in need.  Founded in 1995, Habitat for Humanity of Eagle and Lake Counties has served 42 families to date housing over 120 children. To learn more about Habitat, or how to become involved, visit http://www.habitatvailvalley.org/.

VENDOR LOVE

Photography: Joe Kania from Axel Media Solutions
Annual Event Operations/Production and Planning
: Highline Sports & Entertainment {special thanks for Katie at Highline for her help in planning and DIY projects}
Decor: Pink Monkey Solutions {chandelier, gobo light, lounge areas, burlap pipe and drape, burlap runners, hob nail and mason jar centerpieces, food station decor and overall look and feel}
Venue and Food: Larkspur Restaurant
Photo Booth: Patrick at Go Photo Booth
Invitation: Bahan Design
Entertainment:  My Brother’s Keeper Band
Alcohol: Veuve Clicquot, Grand Marnier, Milbrant Vinyards, Crazy Mountain Brewery
Auction tablet software/smart phone bidding: AES  Solutions

Sponsors:
ANB Bank
Amanda Precourt
Hermes Resort Properties
Alpine Bank
Beck Building
Bob and Sue Baker
First Bank
Gallegos
George Schaeffer Construction Company
Land Title
Laureen Hopkins Interior Designs
Remonov & CO
Ron Byrne & Associates Real Estate
Ruggs Benedict
Slifer Smith and Frampton
VAg, inc Architects and Planners
Vail Board of Realtors
Vail Daily
Vail Resorts
Veuve Clicquot