Challenges

DIH (Do it Herself) Drink Station

3 · Jun 13, 2016 · 4 Comments

+ This DIH Drink Station post brought to you by the lovely folks at Home Depot +

You guys, I’m so excited about this project. No, really!

See that drink station above? I BUILT IT MYSELF!!!

Not bad for a girl who used to be afraid of power tools. Now I feel like I can conquer the world! Or build a table or something. I’m no Ana White yet, but I totally have the confidence now to try my hand at this building thing. I owe it all to Home Depot and their DIH (Do it Herself) challenge. The cool thing is that YOU can do this at your local Home Depot too!

This months DIH Workshop in your area will be on Thursday, June 16th at 6:30. Click HERE to register. If you have never been to a DIH workshop, you should go! This one is so fun, it’s FREE and you’ll learn how to make a beverage stations just like this one. Plus, to get to build on your skills and become truly handy around the house.

I was asked to be a part of a blogger challenge with 24 other bloggers. We all had to build the same beverage station from the Home Depot instructions and then give it our own special touches.

I decided to give mine a classic look… I love everything clean and white right now but I want to distress through to a darker brown so, my first layer of paint was brown and then I painted the top an off-white and then distressed down a little bit.

I added a decorative trim piece around the top to give it a more elegant look and then added these fabulous hooks on the side to give it a little more character. Of course I had to spray paint the bucket gold as well.

I can not even tell you how awesome it feels to know that I built this myself!! This is what I started with…

Just some basic plywood and some common boards, with some fabulous directions and that’s it! I now have a beverage station that I can be truly proud of.

Isn’t it cute! I’ve teamed up with 24 other bloggers who have created the very same thing and then personalized it for their taste. Won’t it be fun to see everyone’s different styles? Before you head out to check out the other drink stations, make sure you register to attend the DIH Beverage Station Workshop at your Home Depot. It’s FREE, it’s fun, grab a friend and learn how to BUILD!

Click on over and check out the other beverage stations…

The Casual Craftlete Blog

Domestically Speaking

Disclaimer // This post was sponsored by the Home Depot. I received product in order to complete my assigned task. Remember, I will only share what I truly love, and believe in!

Black & White Halloween Pumpkins for The Great Pumpkin Challenge

14 · Sep 4, 2013 · 15 Comments

The Great Pumpkin Challenge brought to you by Michaels Craft Stores // I CAN"T WAIT FOR FALL!! I've thoroughly enjoyed summer, ate it up really but, I'm over the heat and the bugs and I'm ready for those cool crisp fall days. More than anything I'm ready to start decorating for fall and all the fun holidays that come with the cool temperatures. Not too long ago, Michaels sent me some of their famous pumpkins and invited me to participate in The Great Pumpkin Challenge and this is what I came up with…

A classic black & white Halloween display. As much as I love color, there is just something stunning about black & white when it comes to Halloween. Here's a breakdown of each pumpkin…

This one is just a simple decorative ribbon that I found at Michaels and wrapped it using small t-pins to secure the ribbon at the top and bottom of the pumpkin. Super easy!!

Love, love, love this one that I stenciled using Black DecoArt Patio Paint and their Mixed Media Stencils. This one was a little more challenging. I pinned the stencil to the pumpkin and then carefully laid each section of the stencil down onto the pumpkin using my finger to press each section down. Going section by section, I used a makeup sponge as a pouncer and carefully went around the clock, making sure not to overload the pouncer and it turned out great. Slow & steady wins the race on this one.

I also painted an orange pumpkin black with the Patio Paint. This stuff is amazing!! This was ONE coat…

I'm going to be using that paint a whole lot more now that I know how amazing it is.

For my polka dot pumpkin I used the DecoArt Patio Paint again, on the inside of the pumpkin and then a Hot Knife from Micheals to cut out the polka dots. That tool is a must when it comes to working with this type of pumpkin. It cuts like butter!!

These two are just wrapped in ribbon with a couple of cute bows. For these I used t-pins and a couple of glue dots to secure the ribbon in place. Again, super easy.

What's your favorite way to dress up your pumpkins for Fall or for Halloween? Michaels is hosting a fun Great Pumpkin event on October 5th from 1:00-3:00. For $6 your kiddos can design their very own pumpkin and there will be a face painter on hand for even more festive fun.

A little intimidated to carve you own pumpkin? Not to worry, Michaels is also offering professional carving services at their store. You can choose from 25 designs and then personalize them as well. Prices start at $19.99 and if you want it by Halloween, you need to place your order by October 13th.

So… What are you going to create for The Great Pumpkin challenge this year? Take some photos and tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can see what you create!

Skinny Cow WoCavé Mission no. 3 // Tranquility

0 · Aug 30, 2013 · Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by Skinny Cow // Ahhhhh TRANQUILITY… We all seem to be on the never ending search for tranquility.

My Skinny Cow WoCavé mission for this month was to find tranquility. (Here are Mission 1 & Mission 2.) Of all the months this year, I needed this mission this month more than anything! Just because I needed it, didn't mean that it was going to miraculously going to happen for me. You see, this month our world was turned upside down once again. We were moving again! That would be two moves in 10 months. Again, we didn't really know we were moving until 2 weeks before the move was to happen. It was also a week before school started and all the kiddos would have to move to new schools. And… my little guy Gage decided he was finally ready to start potty training. Guh! Yes, let's go find tranquility!

I nearly laughed out loud when the mission information arrived on my door step right about the time the move was on the horizon. I nearly called my contact at Skinny Cow to say, the WhipperBerry WoCavé is closed! There was no way I was going to even find the time to TRY and figure out what tranquility means to me. Let alone find that ever elusive state of true relaxed bliss. Then I stopped… What better time than this to try and figure out what tranquility means to me. Can you only find tranquility when your life is in perfect order, your children have morphed into little cherubs, your husband is waiting on you hand and foot and you have a regularly scheduled spa appointment each week? Truly, how many of us EVER achieve this state? I would venture to say only about 1% of the population and that is one very lucky percent at that.

We have lives, families, homes, jobs, school… And, all of these things pull and tug at us throughout each and every day. However, that's doesn't mean that we can't find happiness or have a tranquil life. As part of this mission Skinny Cow sent a friend and I to relax during a facial at a spa here in Lincoln called Bella Body Works here in Lincoln.

I took a break from packing and Natalie and I headed off to the spa. The spa was this cute kind of bohemian spa in this beautiful old house in an historic part of town and I just fell in love from the very 1st minute I walked in. My poor aching body climbed onto the treatment bed and I laid there for a minute thinking to my self… This is not possible. This lovely lady is going to give me a facial and it's going to be a total waste because I have a list about a mile long running through my head of things that I need to be doing. My house is a total wreck, my kiddos are a mess at the moment worried about the move and my body just aches right now. How on earth am I going to find tranquility? Then it HAPPENED!

Ann, one of the owners of Bella Body Works, skillfully lifted up my legs just a bit and gently pulled and just like that, my body slowly started to relax. I just melted into that table. More than anything I needed someone else to tell me, or physically show me that it was alright to relax, to step back, and take a few minutes to rest and find some peace and calm within the storm of my life. My list disappeared, my worries melted away and for a few hours that night I let myself slow down and take some time to find some peace. The facial was nice, but my epiphany was even better. Natalie and I both enjoyed our treatments and then went and grabbed a bite to eat together and discussed what it means to have some quite tranquil moments in life.

(yea, no make-up and spa hair… but, happy!!)

More than anything I learned that it's alright to give yourself permission to find peace even when your world is in chaos. It's actually a very good thing to step back from a stressful situation and find a few tranquil moments to re-adjust, right the sails and find the best way to attack your challenge. Each and every one of us will have a different way to find our tranquil moments. I must say I LOVE a trip to the spa, but sometimes that just isn't in the cards. I can also find tranquility by taking a few quiet moments to read a good book, watch a favorite program on TV, just lay in bed for an extra 20 minutes and think of nothing! We ALL need these moments and we don't need to feel bad for taking them!!! I am so grateful to Skinny Cow and the WoCavé program for providing the vehicle to help me figure this out. See, we ALL need our WoCavé!!

So… A few days after the move, even in the chaos of the new house, I decided I wanted to share a little of my experience with a few friends. The lovely folks at Skinny Cow sent over a spa party kit and we had fun just hanging out with the girls, eating some of Skinny Cow's Limited Edition Pink Velvet Truffle Bars and Chocolate Covered Cherry Cones and making some of our own spa goodies.

It was so great to share my little tranquility epiphany with my friends and then also realize that friends play a HUGE part in finding peace in my life as well.

So, Skinny Cow… Thank you for this challenge. All of them really. They have all helped me stop and reflect on my talents, my surroundings and the much needed tranquility that we all need in our life. Truly that is what a WoCavé is all about. A WoCavé is more than a physical space… It is a state of mind. It is constantly challenging yourself to find your true self and then to share that with those you love… That is WoCavé.

Disclaimer // This is a sponsored series created by Skinny Cow. I have received product and compensation for these posts however, all thoughts, ideas & opinions are my very own!

Dressing-Up our Skinny Cow WoCavé // Mission no. 2

0 · Aug 8, 2013 · 4 Comments

This post brought to you by the Skinny Cow WoCavé // Who's ready for the skinny on my 2nd Skinny Cow WoCavé mission? It was so fun!! If you've missed it, here's the post all about this summer's fun adventure with Skinny Cow and the recap of Mission no. 1.

Basically my mission this summer is to rediscover my WoCavé. What is a WoCavé you ask? Well, your WoCavé is what ever helps you find your true self, it's what helps you fill your tanks so that you are ready to make life magical for your loved ones and tackle the challenges of the day. It can be a special place in your home where you can go to recharge or just a state of mind really. It's where the men are scarce and the Skinny Cow flows abundantly!!

Mission no. 2 involved a fun vintage shopping trip with some friends to find a few treasures to dress up our WoCavé. It was the fanciest shopping trip I've ever been on. We were picked up and whisked off for for our fun day with our very own driver in a fancy Town Car…

Heading out with my friends Kristen and Jamie for a fabulous trip around town. We of course started our journey with some Skinny Cow Snickerdoodle ice cream sandwiches that were simply divine! These are available only for a limited time and they are amazing. The cookies have just the right spice for a snickerdoodle and the ice cream is just so creamy. At only 140 calories, 2 grams of fat and 3 grams of fiber they were the perfect snack to start our shopping trip with!

Of course my Better Life Bag had to join us for the trip… Love that bag!! I decided that we would hit up some Junk shops here in Lincoln that I have fallen in love with. The first stop was Simply Bungalow…

…One of my favorite places here in town. I've been junking for a few years now, but it was so fun to introduce Jamie and Kristen to one of my passions. Junking is a mix of vintage shopping, antiquing, thrifting all rolled up into one. It's a treasure hunt really and it's so addicting. I'm always on the hunt for rusty gold or something unique to show off my personality. Heidi, the shop owner at Simply Bungalow has a great shop in this old house on 48th Street here in Lincoln that is full of all kinds of treasures!

Next, our driver whisked us away to The Coop, another vintage store that is full of fun old goodies and some repurposed items.

We were on the hunt for the perfect item for each of us to dress up our WoCavé and after a couple of hours of shopping, we took a break and headed to Fireworks for a fabulous lunch!

We were feeling rather spoiled at this point and definitely feeling the WoCavé groove!! It was so fun to get to know each other better. We sat and chatted about our treasure hunt and finally decided on the perfect pieces to dress up our little WoCavé spaces at home. We grabbed our driver and headed back to Simply Bungalow to make our purchases…

We found some great stuff, it was so hard to choose!! I found an old advertising piece that I just love and it will go perfect in my new kitchen which is for sure going to be my WoCavé. Kristen and Jamie found some fun pieces that they are planning on painting and the repurposing for their WoCavé spaces. I had so much fun introducing them to this fun way of dressing up their homes and can't wait for more shopping trips together in the future. I think they have both been bitten by the junking bug for sure!!

What does your WoCavé look like? If you had your dream shopping day what stores would you love to go to? Are you a junker like me or would you rather go on a more contemporary shop?

For more Skinny Cow WoCavé fun, you HAVE TO follow them on Instagram, Facebook or sign up for the new Club Skinny!

Disclaimer // this post is sponsored by Skinny Cow. However, all thoughts, ideas and opinion are my very own!

Challenges

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