Made by Amanda

Y’all know how much I love spray paint, right?  I’ve probably written your eyes off about it already.  So, you can imagine how excited I was when a super-creative, super-artistic, and super-beautiful high school friend of mine posted a picture of this playhouse makeover on her Facebook page:

Here’s what the kiddy abode looked like before:
Spray.  Paint.  Love it!

Amanda has two girls (woot, woot!) and definitely revved up the girly factor with some fun feminine spray paint, don’t you think?  I’m smitten!  I’ve been hatching this idea to hunt down two identical fisher price-esque swings on craigslist, spray paint them white, and hang them in the big oak in our front yard and after seeing Amanda’s plastic-meets-spray-paint transformation, I’m even more excited about finding those swings!!

Anyone else taken spray paint to outdoor plastic?  Anyone else going to after seeing this?  Me, me, me!!!

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Thank you Amanda for letting me share!

How We Wear It - Sneakers

You might think I’m going through a blog identity crisis.  Fashion?  DIY?  Momhood?  Make up your mind woman!  Well, I assure you, I’m not.  My heart lies in DIY and while I’m not wrangling two monkeys (taking more and more of my time these days), I’m deep into painting, crafting, and dreaming up the next project.

This ain’t no fashion blog even though I love me some fashion.  Occasionally/regularly my DIY intermingles with fashion of the alteration type and finds it’s home here on Bean In Love.  I’m all for dabbling in all aspects of DIY.  :)

With that said, I’m taking another step down Fashion Lane  and linking up with Life in Mod and Ain’t No Mom Jeans for their “How We Wore It” partay.  This month’s item is sneakers.  Not my most glorious wardrobe accessory considering the only pair ‘o sneaks I’ve got are a pair of platform, backless whities I’ve had since high school that, after seeing them on my person via the following pictures, are going straight to another loving home via Goodwill asap. 

 
[Anthony asked me why my foot is cocked like so giving the impression that I’ve got a club foot.  I gave a shrug of the shoulder and kept typing away…]

White:  Gabriel Brothers
Aqua:  Target
Cobalt:  Target
Club feet:  I don’t even remember…

I’m pretty sure there’s a rule that states that “the toe of one’s shoe should never be wider than one's calf muscle” and either my slim calves are going to have to start pumping some iron or these shoes are bidding good riddance.  As much as I wish I had some nice curvy legs, I’ll take the latter. 

Me and my sneaks, signing off.  :)

Easiest Sunburst Mirror Eva

For months and months and months now, I’ve seen this round iron piece at local treasure trove called Old Time Pottery and have always thought it’d make a cool sunburst mirror.  But, I’ve never been motivated enough to dish out $16 for it.  Well, the two and I made a pit stop to OTP last week and here it was in the clearance aisle for $9.  I couldn’t resist so I swiped it up and away we went.

Here it was:

Here it is now:  

All I did was spray prime it, spray paint it (went safe with white), and glue a six-inch mirror I picked up at Hobby Lobby ($2 with 40% off coupon) onto it with some craft glue.
 

I thought I had more in-process pictures but I can’t find them which is totally okay because it’s so easy you don’t even need them, right?  All you have to do is find any sort of round iron-work decor and glue a mirror onto it for an instant sunburst mirror and that’s that.
 

It fills up this space a lot better than the little mirror did before:

However, it doesn’t stand out against the blue walls as much as I would like so, being that I smell a bedroom mini-makeover in the future, it will probably be painted another color – gold?  a citrony-green?  gray?  Follow along and you can be sure to find out!

Have a great weekend!

Sweater to Cardigan: Round 2*

*Also known today as What I Wore Sunday.  Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple for their weekly fun.

Saturday I wrote about one sweater turned cardi and today it’s on to number two:

Here’s how it clothed me for Mass yesterday:
 
[Where’s Waldo Cecilia?]

This one was a little easier to convert since it was already my fave cut – a v-neck.  All I had to do was cut down the middle,
 

sew a zig-zag stitch for extra fraying protection,
 

fold each edge over twice and pin,

and sew a straight stitch along the inside edge.

It took me all of 10 minutes to get a jazzy new cardigan that’s now bumped up to favorite.  Anyone else into clothing conversions?  My fave is Grace’s skirt from skorts.  Talent, pure talent.

I won’t sign off before giving a glimpse of the twins' garb.  Mommy invoked their true southern sides with a little crab action, courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa. 
[Playing monkey to crack a smile.  Half are amused.  Half think I’m nuts.]

Have a great week!

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P.S.  I’m still waiting to hear all about your kids and their big personalities!  Link ‘em up!  I’m giving full permission for bragging…and venting.  I know Lauren and I aren’t the only over-worked proud moms (& dads) out there!  :)

Sweater to Cardigan: Round I

It’s Saturday night, 9:41, and I’m just now rolling in with the regular weekend excitement.  I would’ve been posted this morn but I traded blogging for catching up on Downton Abbey (I’m only finishing Season 2 so you daren’t spoil it for me).  I’m obsessed and because of it, the rest of this post will be written with an English accent.  :)

I spent a small tidbit of alone time at a thrift store recently where I found this sweater for $3:

[at ease soldier]

I’ve been craving some patterned cardigans recently and so I thought this sweater would make a great one with a few snips and stitches.  Here it is post-scissors:

[apparently blurry, blinded, and wrinkled are in]

Worst ‘after’ picture ever.  I’m really awful at getting my picture taken when we’re talking modeling the clothes I’ve altered.  I’m all sorts of awkward and feel really self-centered and all that and I don’t know how to stand and and and…  Like I said, all sorts of awkward.  I guess I’ll get over it someday…maybe.

So, sweater to cardigan.  First, I turned the sweater inside-out, making sure it was nice and flat.  
Probably a highly unnecessary picture but just in case you’re in the mood for TMI.

Then I used a measuring tape to find the vertical midline and used a piece of wood.  (Don’t judge.  We have nary a yardstick.)

…to draw a line down the center.
 

I cut down the line to give me a new cardigan with a funky collar…

and thought maybe I’d stop there and start a new trend, the buttons were super cool anyway, right?  Sadly for me, I’m not the trend-setting type so off went the collar.

My loyalty lies in v-necks over crews so next I drew a large V (about 10 inches deep) and cut it out.

I’ve never sewn anything sweater-ish before so my amateur skills convinced me to quickly sew a zig-zag stitch along each cut end to prevent any fraying.

Then, I folded each edge over twice and sewed a straight stitch hem except for around the collar.  I cut off the sweater neck keeping it’s hem so all I had to do there was fold the collar edge over once and hem it.


Last, I trimmed several inches off of each sleeve and hemmed their edges the same way, zig-zag, folding twice, and a straight stitch.

I might add some hook and loop closures just in case I want to close my new cardi, which probably won’t happen.  I like ‘em dangling open.  Some wood buttons might suit it as well.  I’ll be sure to give a button down if I decide to decorate more.  But, if that day never comes, I’ve got one more sweater-turned-cardi in my stash so stay tuned for more snipping and by golly, have a pleasant weekend!  :)