7 Family-Friendly Ways to Celebrate the First Day of Summer!

I have been trying to get my soon-to-be first grader to do her summer school work for weeks...but she keeps insisting "It's not summer until June 21."  That means starting tomorrow she'll be on board, right?  I think we'll push it off until Monday since this year the first day of summer is a Saturday and I want to get everyone outdoors for a fun family day!

Katie is joining us today on behalf of Hefty with a guest post and some fun outdoor ideas for spending the first day of summer somewhere other than hunched over a desk doing work.  I'll let Katie take it from here...

June 21st is the first day of summer this year.  Since it is on a Saturday this year, it is the perfect day to fit in all sorts of outdoor activities!  The first day of summer is actually the longest day of the year (from sunrise to sunset), so that means you will have plenty of time to fit everything in. 

DIY Painted Chevron Border Rug

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape. All opinions are 100% mine.

The mini makeover on my pack patio took another step forward this week.  I painted a rug. Yes, I painted a rug. With the help of FrogTape® Shape Tape™ I took a plain ol' gray rug and added a little interest.

This project has been on my to do list for months. I wanted an outdoor rug for the sitting area in front of our patio fireplace. I didn't want to spend much money on a rug that would get rained on and be subject to hours of direct sunlight.   I spent less than $18 on this 8x10' indoor/outdoor rug.  To 'fancy' it up I added a white chevron border to the edges.

DIY Outdoor Pillows: The 15 Minute Tablecloth and Plastic Bag Method

A few weeks back I shared my ideas for a backyard patio mini makeover.  Well, I'm happy to say they're finally coming along.  I'll be sharing more on the full progress in another post, but today I want to talk about pillows and pops of color.

DIY Monogrammed Burlap Garden Flag and Stake

In case you haven't noticed I've been happily doing outdoor projects recently - ahem, my vinyl window garage door makeover and my patio makeover is coming together...finally.   Today I'm going to share another outdoor project, this one not nearly as involved...or as much of a commitment.  I made this flower pot garden flag using nothing more than a scrap of burlap, a piece of freezer paper, my inkjet printer and some craft paint.

Usually when I want a design on burlap, I just print it onto the burlap...but since I plan to keep this outside I wanted to make sure the ink wouldn't run so I used paint instead of ink.  I did, however, use my printer for the first part of the process.  I started by designing my flag in PicMonkey.  It's a free photo and editing site that is just full of awesomeness. It's easy to use, free and has tons of font and designs to pick from.

Since I have to cut out the design to make it a stencil, I tried to keep it pretty simple.  To make the circle I first made a black circle, then made a smaller white circle, placed the white circle on top and then added the 'V'.  Once the design was ready, I saved it.  I like to bring my designs into PowerPoint to size them since each slide is the size of a piece of printer paper and I can get a better idea of how big my design actually is.

DIY End of the Year Teacher Gifts (Fingerprint Art)

It's that time of year again...the end of the school year. Yes...already!  For my son's pre-school teachers I organized a little craft to give each of them from all of the kids.  It's extra special because it includes each of the children's finger prints.

What you want to do is first print the sentiment out on a piece of cardstock.   I couldn't decide which phrase I liked better so decided I would make them a little different for each teacher so I could use both!

If you're going to make the flower pot picture, use some pretty scrapbook paper to cut out a flower pot.  If you're not the best free-hand cutter (no worries, I am not either!) find a  flower pot printable on google images, cut it out and then trace around it.

Then cut out long strips for the stems in different lengths so that you have enough for each child to make a fingerprint flower.  It's best to stagger the height of the stems if you have a lot of children so you can fit them all.  You can also cut out some leaves.   Another option is to paint these.  Again, I'm not the best painter...

I printed some little tags with info about the class and used a glue stick to mount them on top of the flower pot or on the clouds. Then we had each student dip their finger in craft paint and make 5 fingerprints around to make a flower.

I just used a black pen to label the flowers so the teachers remembered what a great class they had!  Once all the paint and glue was dry I picked up the white 8x10 frames at the craft store and framed them.  The teachers really seemed to like them.

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How to Make DIY 'Vinyl' Decals {Without Any Special Machines}

Just when you thought there was no way to make DIY vinyl-like decals without a Silhouette, Cricut or other die cut machine.  Well, I'm here to tell you there is and it's sooo stinkin' easy!  The secret is this printable, cuttable, removable, repositionable vinyl-like material (but not vinyl) by Square1 Masterpieces.  Be sure to read all the way to the end of the post because I have an exclusive Square1 discount code for Two It Yourself readers!

DIY Mason Jar and Wood Box Flower Center Piece

A few months back I made this wood box using some scrap wood I had lying around.  It was similar to pallet wood.  Just a few even cuts, wood glue, some screws and paint and I had myself a long narrow wood box.  (Read the full tutorial to make the wood box here).

Teacher Appreciation Week: Watering Can Flower Pot Gift (Free Printable)

Did you know that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week?  Totally is..and you're not too late to celebrate your child's teacher.   (And hint, hint Mother's Day and the end of the school year are just around the corner, too.) This is a really quick, easy, and inexpensive teacher gift..plus I'm making it easier since I'm including some free printables. Plus, I asked my cousin - who's a teacher - what one of the best gifts she ever received from a student was and she told me a potted plant with a sign reading: "Thanks for helping me grow."  So there you have it...this is a total win!

Door Mat Wall Art {Pottery Barn Knockoff}

A few weeks ago I shared this tutorial as a guest blogger over on Free Cheap or Fun blog. Today I'm re-sharing this Pottery Barn knockoff here for all of my readers to enjoy.

I love PB's classic and timeline style and decor, but the prices are a huge turn off for me.  I can't justify spending $399 on a lattice wood panel to hang on my wall when I could be buying two week's worth of groceries for my family for that price.  I do love Pottery Barn's new Lattice Panel Wall Art though and so I figured out a way to knockoff it off for less than $20.

Washi Tape Storage

So a few weeks back I majorly scored on Pick Your Plum...I got 10 rolls of Washi Tape for something like $13.  Totally cleaned up, right?!   Of course, now I have a Washi Tape storage problem.  That's a fine problem to have, if you ask me.   

DIY Coasters with Mod Podge and Napkins {And a Giveaway}

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and All You Magazine, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #lifeforless http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV.

Can you ever have too many coasters? They make great, inexpensive gifts and even if you keep them for yourself they're a great way to add a little color and personality to a room - while being totally functional.  During a recent trick to Dollar General I picked up the April issue of All You Magazine (totally scored using this $1 off coupon - get it while supplies last). 

How to Make a Peeps Topiary for Easter

I'm not a huge fan of eating Peeps, but decorating with them...why, yes, I will do that!  I love how this little peeps topiary came out and it wasn't too difficult aside from a few minor top-heavy issues.

So what you'll need...four boxes of chick peeps, spray paint, a basket or pot for the base, a stick or dowel no less than .75" in diameter, a cross stitch hoop, floral foam and Easter grass.

Start by spray painting your dowel or stick.  You pick the color, I went with green because I had it on hand.    Put the floral foam into the basket or pot.  It's a good idea to add some newspaper to the sides if it's not snug against the side.

Now, the original project, in Women's Day Magazine, suggest hot gluing the dow to the hoop right at the screw first and then hot gluing the peeps (keep them in attached sections of five).  Well, I got news for you people, I'm impatient. I didn't want to wait for the stick to dry so I glued the peeps to the hoop, as it laid flat, before I attached the dowel (you will need a lot of hot glue!).

Turn a Thrifted Cabinet into Laundry Room Storage (And Tips for Hanging a Cabinet)

After being stalled for a few weeks, my laundry room makeover is finally nearing completion.  The biggest project - and what had me at a standstill - was the cabinet.  I purchased the old kitchen cabinet at a thrift store for just $15 several weeks ago.

I cleaned it up and peeled off as much of the nasty shelving paper as possible. 

DIY Greek Key Tray Makeover (Ikea Hack)

 
For the last year I have had a large tray sitting on my dresser just looking awfully plain. I picked it up at Ikea for $7 on a whim.  Of course I did...most of my Ikea purchases are on a whim.

Since then I have been debating about what to do with the tray. I couldn't just keep her white, could I? No, of course not.

I had some gold metallic spray paint in the garage that caught my eye recently and then my plan started to fall into place. Originally, I was going to make a striped design on the tray with the painters tape and then I had an 'ah ha moment'...I would try my hand at a greek key design. 

If you follow 2IY on Instagram, you know I found making the design to be harder than it looks.  I received some samples of 3M Scotch Blue Painters Tape so along with a ruler, and some patience this project goes pretty smoothly.

I used a roll of  .94" Scotch Blue Painter's Tape to create the design.

I started along the long edge with just a straight piece of tape.   I created the first key by just eyeballing the size and length of the tape.  On the remaining three sides and corners I used a ruler to measure the original key's tape pieces to make sure they were all the same.

Cutting the edge of the tape straight is important or you will get some overhang which will of course show up when you spray paint the tray.  I used an exacto knife to trim those little areas after I was all done taping off the tray.

Right before I spray painted I went around the entire design and pressed down all the edges of the tape really well to prevent any paint bleed.

Then I just spray painted the entire tray.  After the first coat dried, I added a second.  Only after both coats were completely dry did I remove the tape.

And now the moment of truth....

I had very few areas of bleed.  In those area I just scraped the paint off easily with a knife.  I love the way the tray looks on my coffee table.  It really pops against the black table.

Disclaimer: I received samples of 3M Scotch Blue Painters Tape but all opinions are my own. 

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Wood Chair Makeover with Spray Paint (Before & After)

A few months back I was driving down the road and I see this guy putting a bunch of 'stuff' out by the curb with a big sign that said 'FREE!'  The luck!

I quickly pulled over and snagged this wood chair.  The chair - just as it was when I threw it in my trunk - sat on my front porch all winter.  that is until I took some spray paint and vinyl to it!  To read the full post including seeing the 'after' head over to my sister site Silhouette School.

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