Magnet Wall DIY

Moses has always had an obsession with letters and one day we found a giant magnet wall at a store and he was in heaven. So I always said as soon as they had their very own room (not in a closet) we would make one. The whole project was so easy and took less than 10 minutes. Both the kids love it and play with it all the time. It’s perfect for a playroom or a bedroom. I would love to do a giant wall like this.

Materials needed: One custom cut piece of sheet metal, nails, hammer, cardboard, lots of alphabet letters! (I got mine from here, I liked the font.)

After I decided where the wall was going to go I took exact measurements. Home Depot sells sheet metal in standard sizes but won’t cut it. So I looked up a sheet metal guy online and got a quote. He cut and delivered the sheet metal to me for $30. The sheet metal is actually quite sharp so be careful as you are working with it.

Step 1: Make Holes. Lay the sheet metal over the cardboard. Take a nail and hammer it into the sheet metal until a hole is created. Repeat on the corners and every few feet along the edges.
Step 2: Have someone hold the sheet metal up to the wall and starting at the bottom put a nail into the hole until it is flush against the wall. Move upwards making sure there are no gaps or holes between the wall and the sheet metal.
Step 3: Add the letters to create a  giant magnetic alphabet wall.

other sources: striped bedding from Ikea (discontinued), artwork by Paul, lights from Paris)

Vintage Marquee DIY

This series of Movie Night Posts is sponsored by Skinny Cow.

When we were brainstorming ideas for movie night decorations we kept coming back to vintage marquees and movies signs. So we put together this DIY using foam core and poster board. This would be awesome in a driveway or on the front of a house telling people where the movie night is. My friend Brooke told me about these strands of super cheap globe lights from Target, which makes the whole project really affordable. While the materials aren’t too expensive this took us a whole afternoon to make. The most time consuming part is cutting out the letters and then lining them. It took us about 45 minutes per letter. These would also be awesome in a kids room or for any event or party. Find all the instructions and printable template below. ps: See our movie night food ideas right here.

Complete instructions and dowload are after the jump.

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Giant Banana Split

This post is sponsored by Dreyer’s/Edy’s® Slow Churned Light Ice Cream: all the taste of regular ice cream, but with half the fat and 1/3 fewer calories. Now that’s a reason to smile. Give a smile here.
I’m so excited to share this party idea today on how to make a giant ice cream sundae!! My mom used to do this when I was younger for family reunions or for school or church parties so she gets the credit for this brilliant idea. (It’s funny how some of my favorite ideas came from our mom’s.) I have vivid memories of this from when I was a kid since it is basically the stuff kid dreams are made of. The concept of making this is pretty simple but you either need to be handy with a saw or else hire someone to do it. It is a very simple job and takes about 20 minutes to make so I can’t imagine it would cost very much if you needed to hire it out. I also included some tips for logistically making it happen. Just a warning though, with older kids (or adults) it ends in a food fight 99% of the time, as a kid it was my favorite part! You’ve been warned! You can make it as long as you want depending how many people are coming. It is the kind of thing people will be talking about for months afterwards, it’s SO fun. Find the complete instructions below.

Click through for complete instructions.

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Cupcake Flower Lights

By Steph Hung

May flowers have arrived!   These lights were inspired by all the beautiful blooms I’ve been seeing around town.  I wanted to bring the summer indoors, but they could make for some colourful outdoor lighting too:

Making these floral garlands couldn’t be faster – all you need are cupcake papers and string lights, and you’re on your way to some simple summer lighting.

Materials you will need:  cupcake papers (large and small), string lights, scissors, and an exacto knife.

Step 1:  To make leaves – fold a small cupcake paper in half 2 times, and with the folded point at the bottom cut a leaf shape.

Step 2: To make an 8-petal flower – fold a small cupcake paper in half 3 times, and with the folded point at the bottom cut around the top.

Step 3:  To make a 16-petal flower – fold a large cupcake paper in half 4 times, and with the folded point at the bottom cut around the top.

Step 4:  Cut a small X in the center of each paper.

Step 5:  Layer cupcake papers onto each lightbulb to make flowers.

Parties to Pretties – Dinner in the Sand

by Emmadime

Being that Jordan is back in California and I have been spending loads of time at the beach, an ocean side meal felt appropriate for this week’s Parties to Pretties! Toting your dinner and table setting out to the beach is such a unique experience – if you’re near the coast, I highly recommend giving it a shot. Don’t forget some comfy pillows to sit on & a scarf to keep you warm after the sun goes down.

Images From : Sitting In A Tree / 01. Geo Pillow / 02. Wine Punt Glass / 03. Bronze Lantern / 04. Marimekko Bowl / 05. Patterned Scarf / 06. Two Toned Wooden Spreaders