Minecraft Creeper Wall Art DIY

We recently moved to a home in the area of Topsail Beach in North Carolina.  We rent this home.  That means limited decor ideas, no painting, remodeling, etc…. Mum had to get creative with ways to decorate Brother Sean’s room.

This is Brother Sean’s first time having his OWN room!  He has always shared with his little brother, and that was fine when they were little but now he is older and excited for his own space.  He is really into this game called Minecraft.  Its popular amongst the preteen/teen crowd these days.  Mum searched on pinterest ways to decorate minecraft bedrooms and while there are some really elaborate ways to do it, her two main objects were #1 not permanent #2 not expensive.  She came across this pin and it exactly fit her main objectives! It was large enough to cover an entire wall, inexpensive, and was not permanent, like paint.

She received many messages on Facebook asking exactly how she created this look, so wanted to share it all here.  The original idea was found off Pinterest, she wants to make that clear.  🙂

Materials used cost Mum a total of under $20.

The actual image is created with square paper dessert plates from Party City.  They can be found in the store or you can order them online.

2 pks (40) 7 in Festive Green Square Dessert Plates
1 pk (20) 7 in Kiwi Paper Dessert Plates
1 pk (20) 7 in Black Paper Dessert Plates

 

7in Paper Plates from Party City

Thumbtacks
Box tape

step stool/small ladder

Mum arranged the pattern via how the PIN was laid out, 8 rows across,  8 rows down.  It was easier for her to go vertical row, by vertical row.
I will try to type out the pattern but it makes it really confusing.  Just look at the photo and copy it….

DG=Dark Green
LG=Light Green
B= Black

Row 1 down: DG, DG, LG, LG, DG, DG, LG, DG
Row 2 down: DG, B, B, DG, DG, LG, LG, DG
Row 3 down:  LG, B, B, DG, B, B, B, DG
Row 4 down: LG, DG, DG, B, B, B, LG, LG
Row 5 down: LG, LG, DG, B, B, B, DG, DG, DG
Row 6 down: DG, B, B, LG, B, B, B, DG
Row 7 down:  LG, B, B, DG, LG, LG, LG, LG
Row 8 down: LG, DG, LG, DG, DG, LG, DG, DG

DO EACH ROW SEPARATE, SO YOU HAVE 8 SEPARATE ROWS OF 8 PLATES.

Attach each plate with a bit of wide, clear, box tape.

Mum hung each row individually so she had 8 rows across.  It is easier this way then attaching a HUGE floppy bunch of plates taped together….  You could attach them to the wall any way you choose, Mum used a thumbtack because that is what she had in the garage, and it takes less tools to lug upstairs then a nail.  Also use a step stool if you want to hang it high.

Its very simple to make and I really hope you can find a way to use this tutorial.

Brother Sean actually teared up when he saw his room with this art on the wall.  Sometime so simple really loved.  That is what days are made of!

xoxo,
Stevie

 

CVS easy deals week of June 15, 2014

Mum decided to start couponing again.  Help us all.

She said she isn’t going to go nuts and buy coupons like in the past or spend hours a week planning deals, but with today’s blogs and Facebook its super easy to print off a few coupons and run to the store for some easy savings.

This week she admits started with a complete fail.  She tried to do some Aveno deal but her CVS was out of the bars, and some flavored water, out, and some sort of 7up 10 deal but her CVS didn’t carry that type of soda.  She left on Sunday feeling upset and irritated.

Fast forward to this morning and since she needed to pick up some prescriptions anyways, she tried again.

This time SCORE! and everything went as planned, minus the Aveno bars and water and 7up.

She was able to get 2 sticks of deodorant and 2 tubes of toothpaste for $2.97 PLUS she has $4 in CVS Extra Care Bucks.

 

$2.97 OOP + $4/ECB

Split into two transactions as follows:

Transaction 1

Right Guard Xtreme Clear Deo
Right Guard Xtreme Clear Deo

on sale 2/$6

Use 2- $2 off 1 coupon found here (you can print twice)

OOP will be $2 plus tax (as you can see Sissy was with mum and snuck in some candy…hehe)

You will get a $2 ECB save that for the next transaction

Transaction 2

Be Crest Toothpaste $1 Q found Here
Crest Sensi Relief      $1 Q found here

these are on sale for $2.99 but they are not marked as such, but no worries they should still ring up

So you have $5.98-$2Q= $3.98-$2 ECB’s from previous transaction= $1.98

Here is where Mum got lucky, if you have a CVS account you can log in and add deals to your card.
One of those deals is $3 off $10 of toothpaste, somehow this added into her deal and took off the $1.98.  Mum didn’t realize it would have done this or she would have found another toothpaste item for $1.

HTH

 

What’s for dinner Wednesday! Easy corn on the cob, potatoes, and Chicken

I decided to start doing weekly theme posts.  The first series will be “What’s for dinner Wednesday?”

I don’t know about your family but it seems as if by Wednesday, Mum hits a midweek rut.  She’s trying to stay away from fast food but it is hard when both Mum and Dad work, kids come home from school and it is just a mad house.

So she usually plans her weekly meals and by Wednesday it seems as if a struggle for something quick and easy ensues.  Plus Isabelle has ballet practice at such a weird odd hour, that it makes it even harder not to cave to the convenience of something readily available at a drive thru window.

These meals will be fast, easy, and kid friendly!

The first one is  something so quick and easy, there is no excuse not to enjoy this meal.

One of Mums favorite places to shop is Sam’s Club.  When she is there she always grabs a fully cooked whole rotisserie chicken.

This past week they also had a special on corn on the cob and russet potatoes.

Now usually making corn on the cob is a hassle for Mum, dragging out the HUGE pot, boiling the water, it takes so LONG!  However, she’s recently discovered a super easy, fool proof way to cook corn on the cob that takes literally minutes.

She has a Pampered Chef deef covered Roaster, found here.  There is so much you can do with that pan it is simply amazing!  One thing is steam corn.

All you do it put about 1/2 a cup of water in the roaster and add the corn, microwave for 15 minutes and bam. DONE!

Along with this corn I also chopped up some potatoes and sprinkled them with corse black pepper and some sea salt.  Wrap them in foil and pop in the oven for about 45 mins.  oh so good!

 

Along with the two carbs, I also cut up some cucumbers and used this wonderful spicy Mexican powder and some lime juice!

 

Cut up that whole cooked rotisserie chicken and there you have it!  A Wednesday dinner, fast, simple and delicious!

 

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Project Life Cover Page

Long time no see!  Mums doing this thing called Project Life and has been really on a roll.

Project Life is basically a 3 part scrapbooking system that involves an album, page dividers, and cards.  You can see the options here.

She likes to look at others project life blogs, so I decided to share hers here.  She told me she wants to keep it simple.  That is the key to finishing and completing the album, she told me.  She’s never scrapbooked a day in her life before so when she started this crazy book I just sat back and laughed.  I didn’t want to blog about it fresh out of the gate because I thought she’d give up and that would be that.  Another craft project pushed in the corner.  Well its almost 6 weeks in now and she’s still going strong so I thought I’d share a little bit of her book.
Mum decided on the “Seafoam” album

Project Life Seafoam Album

Project Life Seafoam Album

Lets start with the cover page.  In project life, its set up to do 2 page, 12*12 spreads.  The cover page is ONE spread and basically is like the title page to your book.  Each “core kit” comes with a suggested layout which mum started with, but then as she searched Pinterest more and more she found some cute printable layouts for 2014 and went that direction instead.  Her page is a mix of printable cards and the project life core kit cards.  Again she chose the Seafoam edition core kit to match her album.

Project Life Cover Page

After getting into this a little bit she decided she did want to add a little bit of flare to her album.  Start Small, she told me.  Simple wood veneer embellishments.  You see the people on the top left corner?  Those are little wood cut outs.  They are thin and lightweight.

Project Life Wood Veneer

She also thought it would be a good idea to include each child’s age on the cover page, so when looking back years from now the ages are obvious instead of having to count backwards to figure out how old each of the children were at the time…..

Sean, 12

Roy, 9

Isabelle, 6

So basically that is it, her cover page.  I can’t wait to see if this sticks throughout the year!!  How exciting!!

BitStrips?

BitStrip?   A funny little app in which you can cartoon yourself and insert into funny settings with friends.  Only problem is they are becoming a bit overwhelming, 9 out of 10 of my facebook feed posts seem to be of newly created cartoons.

Are BitStrips filling your feed and pushing all my adorable cuteness out?  Well here is a simple way to block them!  I have not tried on a mobile device, these instructions are for a computer.

Sick Day. oh Joy! Tips for Treating a Child with a Cold or Flu

Today started really early when I was awaken from my cozy bed around 5am by the sounds of my Sissy crying.  Then she got sick.  Everywhere.  Then the oldest brother woke up, and also got sick.  It was a super fun morning for me, I don’t think my mom has even fed me yet, as she’s been busy washing, catching, and trying to prevent puke all morning.

Mom decided to keep both kids at home today.

When do you keep your children at home?  She found some helpful hints online and would like to share a list with you.

Fever of over 100 degrees
Vomiting
Symptoms which prevent normal actives such as:
excessive cough, headache, sore throat,

It looks like we will be staying home tomorrow as well as the guidelines for sending children back to school are 24 hours fever free WITHOUT the use of medications.

The first question that usually runs through any parents mind is, “Is this the flu or just a cold?”  There are a few ways to tell.  As always, please consult your doctor with any medical advice and/or questions, remember I’m just a dog……

According to WebMd, a cold usually starts with a mild sore throat that is bothersome for a few days, along with feeling tired or run down, but then goes away on its own.    A fever is not common with a cold, but a low grade temp is possible, especially in younger children.
The flu, however, comes on strong, with more severe symptoms then a cold, a high fever, intense headache, body aches, and chills.  With some flu strains vomiting and diarrhea can also occur, especially with the swine flu.   This can lead to dehydration, which is serious and may need to be seen by a doctor for IV fluids.   You may start to feel better after 2-5 days, but full recovery can take weeks.  Another side illness of the flu is pneumonia. This is a serious complication for the young, elderly, or those that are immune compromised.  If you notice the return of a fever after not having one for two or more days, and shortness of breath, this is a sign of pneumonia.

Here is a great flu vs cold chart!

How can you prevent cold and flu virus in your home?

#1 WASH THOSE PAWS!!  I MEAN HANDS!!!  WASH! WASH! WASH!  SOAP AND WATER!!!!
Proper hand washing lasts for at least 20 seconds, sing the A,B,C’s or Happy Birthday.  Make it FUN!  There are so many inexpensive soaps that make hand washing something kids love to do!!

#2  Teach your children to cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough!
Sneeze into your sleeve!  or Tissues!!

#3  Please, don’t smoke around your children (or pets) Its just not nice.

#4  Follow up and after care!
After they feel better, remember to wash all clothing and sheets in hot water, sanitize all surfaces, and if possible air out the room.
Don’t forget to clean door knobs, toilet bowl handles and REMOTE CONTROLS!!

I hope this post was helpful!  Please share your tips in the comment section.  Sharing is caring, except in the case of cold and flu germs!  Keep those to yourself!  😉

So what do we do when we have a sick day?  well take photos of course!