April 15, 2012

Message Board Project

So I have been wanting to make something like this for awhile but haven't found the time or the frame to do it.  After constantly checking the clearance frames at Hobby Lobby (and even making some stops at the Good Will) I finally found a frame I was ok with and was within the price range I wanted.  I got this frame at Hobby Lobby for......(pause for effect)......$13 for the 2 foot by 3 foot frame!  The original price was $130 and it was an ugly gold color, but the price was right and it was nothing a little spray paint couldn't fix. 

So with a few weeks left in this pregnancy I thought it was about time I get my butt into gear and get this thing done before baby #2 comes.  This just goes to prove that an 8 month pregnant lady can still get down and do some prey painting, even if it was in LOTS of stages, with plenty of breaks, and outside on a windy day just to make sure I have plenty of ventilation (and plenty of room for the mess). 

So, here it is, the finished message board.


We've got the cork board on the bottom, the chalk board and dry erase section, the weekly menu planning section, and the monthly calendar, grocery list pad, and storage areas last.  So, the hope is that this will help us stay organized, especially with the weekly menu thing.  No more of the nightly dreaded question "What's for dinner?", now we will know exactly what we are cooking, but it will hopefully help us with the grocery shopping as well so we know exactly what to buy.


The bottom portion with the cork board, chalk board, and dry erase board.


The top half with menu planning, monthly calendar, grocery list, and storage.


The menu and the containers that hold all the menu options.  The weekly thing is a magnetic dry erase board I got at Target.  I did modify it because it was a bit too thick for what I wanted so I ended up taking it all apart...with my husband asking me every 5 minutes if I needed help because he didn't want his 8 months pregnant wife to cut herself on the metal.


Close up of the weekly menu.  I got some magnetic printer paper from Office Depot and printed all the options on it, which took awhile because my printer didn't want to feed it in, but I got it all done.  We have green for main dishes, orange for side dishes, blue for bread, rice, and potatoes dishes, and brown for desserts.  I know, this is starting to sound a little OCD, but hey, I may not be the most organized person in the world but I like some things to be nice, neat, and organized. 


The top part with the monthly calendar, a pad of paper for the grocery list (which I got from Michaels craft store for $1, so I got 2 of them), and extra storage space for whatever else we need to have up there.  All the bins I made myself out of scrap chipboard I had and covered them with paper.  I used one sheet of 1/4" foam core board to put everything on, except the cork board which was already 1/4" thick, and then backed the entire thing with another sheet of 1/4" thick foam core board.  Once it was all in the frame, this is going to sound cheap but, I used packing tape and just taped it all in the frame, but it works.  Now all that's left is to have my hubby hang it up on the wall for me.

February 29, 2012

Toy Storage

Holy cow it's been awhile since I blogged!  Guess that's what happens when you are busy.  Lately I have been busy making all sorts of things, mainly a "busy box" for my son.  But that is a whole other blog. This one is about toy storage.  I don't know if you have discovered Pinterest or not, but I'm totally addicted to it.  I find all sorts of great ideas on there.  Some I'm going to do, some I'll never get to, and some I have already done!  This idea though I just finished.  Here is the original post.  While she may have gotten her bins at the $1 store I got mine from Target.  Found them in the $1 section up front.  The bins were $2.50 a piece and the zip ties cost me about $3.  So for around $18 I got some new, fun storage for the boys room.  Just line them up, drill some holes, and connect with zip ties.  I also used some clear packing tape to tape down the end of the zip ties so little hands/arms don't get scratched.  Sorry for the short post, but I got to go pick up the little boy from pre-school.  :)