Something for the Little Poopers (aka Pup, Pooch, Perrito)



Before



After

This is the first time ever that the kids have  attempted to help out with chores pertaining to puppy.

It's been adorable to watch my seven-year old  make squishy, semi-gagging faces while picking up pup's poops, and equally adorable to watch as my five-year old almost embraces the icky smells. Gross, but adorable.

They'd taken up the task of feeding pup but somehow leaving it up to their little hands to cup handfuls of dogfood straight from the bag from garage to kitchen proved to be a little disastrous. Which is why I needed to undertake something to simplify the process, and make it look alluring enough to sit in my kitchen.

Behold, something for the little pooper:

He's golden. He's teal. No, he's a dogfood container. 

Here's the DIY:

Tools/Materials:
+tin can
+spray paint (2 colors)
+template
+glue
+paintbrush
+x-acto blade
+polyurethane

01. Head on over to your local thrift store, garage sale, yard sale and pick up one of these oversized, Christmas leftover popcorn containers. They're everywhere.

02. Get your puppy silhouette template here or create your own.

03. Cut the template out with an x-acto knife.

04. Spray paint the template to your desired color. I used metallic spray paint. You'll need this for the trim as well.

05. Spray paint your tin. I used Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze (left over from my Booklift project).

06. Since the tin is round, I didn't want to butcher it with a stencil so I decoupaged the thing. Notice the  Elmer's glue up top and paintbrush ( I learned to decouage from Ms. Martha here).

07. Decoupage: (a) brush a coat of glue on desired spot on tin (b) place design over glue spot on tin (c) roll it out to eliminate bubbles/wrinkles (sorry, facial wrinkles exempt) (d) brush a coat of glue over design, repeat five min. later  (e) brush a coat of polyurethane once design is completely dry.

08. Spray paint the trim with Metallic paint, or other color.

09. Get yourself a scoop like this one and fill with goodies.

The nice thing about this project is that's its versatile enough to be used as toy storage for blocks and legos and yes, it can be used for kitty too.

B+A : I'm down with OTB

I didn't completely get the full before pic but an in-progress one. The deck was originally tattered and badly weathered covered in faux grass. Meet Ms. Judy, the homeowner, and my hubby hidden behind her.


 

After

I suggested to the hubby some really large Moroccan colored pots and succulents would do the trick to liven up the space some but Ms. Judy thinks the deck is "so pretty just like it is."

What you don't really see because rooftops and myself don't mix well is that the deck design is a large cross.

The fence itself is also custom and some 500 sq.ft. of conrete needed to be added to the entry.

Here is the work in progress. It was some 1000 sq. ft. so it was rather large for a deck. To think I once lived in a space this size and there were four of us plus pup.

Did you see the curves on that one?

                            

Under the deck  is the installation of a french drain leading to the ditch behind the home as to drain the excess water since it tends to rain excessviely so (opinions of a former Angeleno)  out here in Texas.

 Exterior firepit complete with the gaslines and all.  It is covered inside and out in white brick.


If you squint hard enough you can see the entire walkway is purposely designed into a cross. Or you can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Whew.

All pictures and work produced by OTB.

B + A ( Libraries c/o Target)

 

I before

  

I after

 

I before

      

I after

If I had to choose which two traits have stuck with me the most from mom and dad it would be this: a love for walks from dad + a love for books from mom.


Ever since I was a little girl I adored libraries. Even stepping into one as an adult evokes happy feelings and I stand true to that tradition with my own boys. I remember perusing the shelves for Beverly Cleary, Babysitters Club and in my teens I searched the paperbacks for R.L. Stine and other mysteries. And throughout all these years I'd regularly check out Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic. Do any of these ring a bell, or evoke an emotion? If it does, check out the Silverstein site to re-live good memories!


As a teen I would walk (thanks to dad) to the library. Imagine to my surprise when the librarian offered me a position! And so my first job was first as a tutor in the library system and then as a librarian's assistant.


All that being said, I am a true nerd at heart and I dream of a day when I could sit in a tranquil setting and enjoy a good read...but between you and I, I wish these days as a mother to  7 + 5 yr. old boys would never end.


For more on the Target School Library Makeovers visit the site here.


(Photos care of the Target site)


Do any of you have a home library? How about a magazine collection? As a visual learner,  I know I can attest to a huge collection of magazines!

Before & After : Booklift

Most people create pro and con lists for their place of employment with ideas that foster around salary and commute time. While my list does entail that, higher up on the pros and cons are where this position serves me in my creative endeavors and serves me in my role as mom.

Working for a school has its perks. If I must work, I have weekends off and my work schedule mimmicks the childrens' school hours almost exact. This is a plus for my role as mom.

But where does this present position serve me in my creative pursuits?  Outside of my office door (the ol' Principal's office) we have a freebie table. On this table you'll find all the old scraps people no longer have a use for such as frames and cups and fabric and tacky looking book lifts that don't match their home decor any longer.

But that's where this DIY chica comes into play and snatches every little homeless article I can re-love. I'm a total traditionalist so I haven't exactly done away with my handheld books in lieu for some Kindle. As for the other perks, there is a typewriter on site, and very pretty vintage children's books (circa 1950) to peruse through on my break.

The following is not a full DIY but the details for achieving the above design. The eyeglass design was inspired by this design and these pillows I saw on Design Sponge.

DIY details
+ Fellowes book lift
+spray paint (I chose Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze)

+Handraw your design

Re:loved {Mechanics table + Butchers Block)

After...



When we moved into our new place we were left with a block of wood and a mechanics table. I thought of a multitude of ways to get crafty with that block of wood but the mechanics table...not so much.

I was badly wanting a kitchen island and so, behold, my fortress of a chopping board.

Mr. Bell pepper, sir zucchini, mademoiselle carrots, Bring it on.

Re:loved {Backyard Fountain}



{Before}

 I was a bit behind schedule on the before the before  picture, but here is a snapshot of the work in progress. The before pic is essentially a salmon pink wall.

[Photos by La Tendedera]

{After}

This Toluca Lake home received an exterior facelift and backyard focal point with the assistance of  OTB . I'm loving the punches of color amidst the backdrop. Wish I could've captured an image of the statue spitting out at us.