DIY Reversible Wood Blocks

I've slacked off on posting anything in ages, but I think this post will make up for it! 

When I first saw these blocks on Pinterest, I thought they were adorable! You can buy a complete set on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/listing/162311598/reversible-happy-halloween-and-merry) but I wanted to try my hand at making a set for myself. 

I couldn't find a tutorial out there, so I kind of guesstimated on the lumber cuts. It seems to work out pretty well! 

At Home Depot, I bought a nice whitewood 2"x4"x92 5/8" for about $3 and had it cut down to the following lengths: 

3 pieces at 6.5" long

1 piece at 6" long

2 pieces at 5.5" long

3 pieces at 4.5" long

1 piece at 7" long, then cut down to 2.5" wide. 

(My local store cut them for free, but some stores may charge you per cut.) 

You should also pick up a sanding block of about 100 grit, or use a palm sander with 100 grit sandpaper to round out the block edges and smooth the faces of your blocks. 

I picked out a variety of basic craft acrylic paints at Michaels to use for this project. While you can use any colors you'd like, I chose: 

Americana Paints

Lamp Black

Spiced Pumpkin

Craft Smart Paints

Lush Foilage

Shamrock

Holiday Red

White

Using a small foam brush, begin by painting one side of the blocks. You may need to do more than 1 coat of paint, depending upon your wood quality and paint. I brushed to the rounded edge of the block and left the block sides natural. After your paint dries, you have a few options for putting the letters on. You can stencil them on using painting stencils (found at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.), vinyl stickers or freehand paint them. I chose to paint mine on using a small paintbrush. Here are the types of brushes  you could use: 

If you're using a stencil, I'd recommended using a paint dauber brush instead. 

After a few coats of paint, here's my finished project! 

Happy Crafting! 

DIY project: box springs to bed frame!

I'm ALWAYS looking at ways to make my house look a bit more modern or to do away with something that's driving me nuts. One of those things was the bed skirt on my guest room bed. To me, they're just kind of old fashioned. And Sayde loved to rub against it, so it was inevitably covered in dog hair. I wanted a clean look for that room, and after browsing the most dangerous website (aka Pinterest), I stumbled across an idea to send that bed skirt away for good. Another DIYer had covered their box springs with upholstery fabric and attached furniture legs to the bottom...can you say ingenious?! I couldn't resist trying to repurpose my own box springs. 

Project Materials:

-2.5 yards of duck cloth (60" wide) from Joann Fabrics in a dark navy color.

-4 pieces of 2"x4"x 8's to the bottom of the box springs for some extra support and to have something more substantial to attach furniture legs to.

-4 furniture legs (purchased) or DIY 

-2 1/2"-3" gold screws (roughly 20)

-cordless screw gun recommended

-staple gun and staples

I started by flipping the box springs upside down to attach the 2"x4"s...you'll want to measure the length and width. I had my lumber cut at Home Depot, then just rounded off the edges of the lumber. You'll lay them onto the box springs and use your cordless screw gun to attach them. Your attached lumber should look something like this: 

After screwing the supports in, I stood the box springs up on its side to attach the fabric. I wanted the ends to look decorative, so I attached small sections of fabric on the curved edges. Use the staple gun to secure the fabric every inch or two, making sure to pull the fabric tightly as you go. (This would probably work best with 2 people.) Next, attach the fabric along the sides. When you get to your ends, fold the fabric neatly and secure both ends with a staple. You'll do the same with the adjacent side. The fabric should gap slightly to reveal the underneath fabric. It's a pretty look! 

Attach your furniture legs last. If you purchase them, you'll probably want to pre-drill holes so that you can screw the legs in easily. I took the alternate approach and made my own legs, using squared blocks of 2"x6" and 4 pieces of 1"x3" to create a chunky block legs. The 1"x3"s were glued onto the 2"x6" outer edges using heavy duty Liquid Nails and finish nails. (Pattern found on www.ana-white.com.) 

Finished product: 

I couldn't be more happy! Fantastic look, a little bit of work and a new bed "frame" for less than $30. 

Skin Care Sheena-style

As I near the slightly scary age of 30, I've really been making a conscious effort to prevent aging and keep my skin looking nice. The women in my family suffer from the same skin issues: uneven tone, age spots, some fine lines, etc. I'm definitely taking the preventative measure route! 

My skin is really sensitive, typically a bit dry. There are times that my chin gets a bit oily and I get some acne breakouts. The very unpredictable weather in Idaho doesn't help matters...it can be 80 degrees one day and 40 degrees the next! 

So, here's my usual routine! 

I'm going to start off with my nightly routine. I always, always, always wash off my makeup before bed! First and foremost, I use a Swisspers cotton ball soaked with a bit of Up&Up Oil Free Liquid Eye Makeup Remover. It's comparable to Neutrogena's version, but a bit more budget friendly. After removing my makeup, I use a clean cotton ball that's been soaked with some warm water just to clean any traces of the makeup smudges and eye makeup remover away. 

Next, I use my favorite skin care product: the Clarisonic Mia. It's a great little tool that you can pick up from Ulta, Sephora, the big department stores or online. Ulta usually runs a 20% off coupon near Christmas that you can use towards one of these, if you can hold out until then. It has an internal timer that shuts it off after you've scrubbed your face for a minute.I typically use mine nightly with a pea sized drop of DDF Brightening Cleanser. Though it's a little expensive, I've yet to go through an entire bottle of this stuff. It really helps to even out my skin tone, smooth the surface and give me a luminous appearance. Well worth it! 

After I've scrubbed and dried off my face, I apply a pea sized drop of Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Night lotion. It's really mild and I do think it helps with some anti-aging ingredients. 

If I'm going makeup free during the day, I'll use a dab of the original daytime formula of the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle lotion. The SPF 15 keeps me from getting burnt and keeps my skin hydrated all day. Or, if I'm wearing makeup, I'll use a BB cream that has lotion and sunscreen in it. (I'll delve into BB creams another day!) 

With having sensitive skin, I'm not able to use some of the girlier scented body washes and lotions that grace the shelves at most of the stores. After a lot of trial and error, I have the best luck with Neutrogena Rainbath Deep Moisture body wash. The caveat: it's been discontinued. (Yes, I bought all that I could find of it at Target and Big Lots when I realized it was gone.) Though I've got enough left to get me through the rest of 2013, I think I've already found its replacement with Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle body wash. Yep, the Brits have developed a really mild body wash that seems to be working for me and the major plus: it's kind of cheap at less than $4 a bottle! If you have sensitive skin, you know that unscented and gentle usually comes at a price. The Boots Expert Sensitive Moisture Boost body cream is the best thing I've found. Its texture is unique...the best comparison I have is that it feels lightweight like Cool Whip. I love that it absorbs quickly and isn't greasy or sticky. I'll definitely keep it stocked in my beauty arsenal! 

Oh, and if your skin needs a bit of a pick-me-up, the Boots Botanics Intensive Moisture Mask is great! After cleaning my face, I'll apply some and let it sit for about 10 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. I find that it really helps combat dry skin! 

I hope that hasn't overwhelmed you! 

Well hello there!

Blogosphere, I have arrived! 

This year, I find myself browsing the web more for ideas...things to make, things to cook, new hairstyles to try...and I've enjoyed that feeling of relief when finding a post that is exactly what I'm looking for. Maybe I've heard about a new hair product and I want to read someone's honest review of it. Which led me to think...maybe there's someone out there who'd like to read another review of a product...or see how I put together a DIY project...and I decided to give blogging a try. 

So, I'm going to share with you the stuff that I create. I'll tell you about my favorite products. I may pass on a baking recipe or two. I might share some travel tips. 

Thanks for reading!