Mini-Man Cave

Do you have a mini-man? That's what I call my two boys. Except that one of them is not so mini anymore. He will be in 8th grade and still shares a room with his little brother; so, I anticipate that he is going to start wanting his own space soon. Being a single parent and owning a small townhouse means I have to get creative with finding more space. The only place I could really go was out. So I spent [more hours than I would have liked] cleaning out my garage, organizing, and creating a little corner for him I like to call our "Mini-Man Cave."

There is a loft storage, about 6 ft high, in my garage, and I created this man cave underneath it:

Here is how the space began:

What's missing in this view is the loft storage, but you can see that the garage is all slab cement and icky storage. [And the only before picture I have because my computer crashed as I started this project, erasing a lot of my photos.]

So, starting with such bare bones was a little intimidating, but exciting, as we started designing and things started to take shape.

THE PAINT: I started by painting the orange stripe on the wall [The color is Behr "dragon fire" paint picked out by my son. Isn't that a cool name for paint?]

THE FLOOR: I then started laying down the black and white vinyl tiles. [Self stick, 12" square tiles purchased at Lowes and super easy to install!]  They were perfect for a low traffic area and easy to keep clean in our garage!

THE EXTRAS: I wanted the space  to be a place my boys could hang out, play [the tv has no cable, it is hooked up to an old PlayStation 2,] read, play board games [stored in the storage cabinet pictured] and just relax. I had been collecting art and little things for this space for a while, so was happy when it finally came together! Here are some of the extras!


I picked up the two sports signs at Home Goods several months ago. I love their wooden background and texture...

The folding table and chairs are for camping. I had the table already but bought the chairs at Big 5. I thought they were easy to move around, the right size for a small space and we could actually take them when we DO go camping! Both the table and chairs fold easily if the boys want to clear the area to play a game.

The lamp is also a camping lamp. It can sit on a table or it has a hook for easy hanging.

Of course, our favorite part of the man cave [and the piece that took the most time] was the rock wall!

Every boy needs something to climb, right? This started out as a bare white wall. I hand painted the rock pattern then chalk marked the studs. Most of the rock holds are bolted into studs, and a fair few are anchored carefully into the dry wall. The rope was also anchored into the ceiling. [But before you hang a rope for your children to swing from, please make sure it is bolted and anchored securely into a stud, and always test it yourself or with a professional before a child swings from it!]

My boys helped make this wall. I think any time kids have a part in the creation of something, they feel more ownership over it and they take better care of it. They also felt really proud that they had a part in the rock wall. Through the process they learned how to tighten each bolt in case, over time, they come loose.

Of coure, the best part is getting to test your handiwork!!!

The boys are very happy with their new Man Cave. My son said now all he needs is a hammock and a refrigerator in there and he would never have to leave! We'll see kiddo, we'll see. lol

They have already tried to say "No Girls Allowed" and actually, I'm okay with that rule. In fact, I may hold them to that in a few years. [wink]

What do you think? Do you like our Mini-Man Cave? How do you create extra space for your kids?

I'd love to see you -- follow me on Facebook|Instagram!


Sharing at Somewhat Simple, Tatertots and Jello, 52 Mantels and some of my favorite places.

American Flag Etiquette

What? There is etiquette for a flag? Yeah, yeah, I know, don't burn them and don't let them touch the ground - but what else is there? If you were me you'd be thinking "Flag cakes and pallet art! Woohoo!" :-) But, with 4th of July coming up and a bunch of flag flying parading around, I thought it would be useful and (dare I say?) fun to share some American flag etiquette with you!

Let's start with the obvious:

1. Don't let it touch the ground. Why? Because our flag is a symbol of pride and we treat it like a person. The reasoning is that we walk on the ground and it would be disrespectful to our pride and the flag to place it on the ground. What happens if your flag does touch the ground? Proper etiquette is actually to bury it.

2. You CAN burn an American Flag. But not in political protest! (Yikes.) Did you know that the proper way to dispose of an old American Flag is actually to burn it! (To do this safely contact your local American Legion office.)

3. Leave your flag up from sunrise to sunset. If your flag is outside, you should only leave it out during daylight hours. If you leave it out at night, you should have a light shining on it. (The US Flag Code says indoor flags can be left up at all times.) ;o)

4.  DON'T tie it to a tree. Or hang it across a boat, train or car. All those are signs of disrespect. DO - hang your flag from a pole or tack it to a window or wall.

5. DO fly your flag RIGHT SIDE UP and on top! If you are flying 3 flags, the American Flag can be in the middle, otherwise, it's on top. ALSO -- make sure it is right side up. Upside down is a sign of distress. And DON'T do what my son's school did by accident:

Oops!!

True story.

I'm sure that you will do great with your flag. I've heard that the American flag also looks great on face paint and men in uniform. But that wasn't in the flag code. :o)

Do you have any flag tips to add to this list?

Happy Flag Flying!!


Sources: US Flag Code and Real Simple.

Medal Display



Something my kids and I like to do together is run. I'll admit that sometimes running isn't fun - in fact, some days it hurts. But the family bonding time we get from it is worth every pound on the pavement. So, ever since my oldest son was about 7 years old, we've been running races together. Their first race was a one mile kids race, and when they figured out they got a MEDAL at the end - it was ON! They both now run 5k's and my eldest is even contemplating running a half marathon!

 

Well, when you run a lot of races, you accumulate a lot of medals, so the quest was on for a creative way to display all our bling! Last year, my friend gave me her daughter's old crib rail. My initial thought was that I'd paint it a fun color and use it to hold craft fabric. I held that thought until I saw this photo on Pinterest. KariAnne used an herb rack for her medal display, but the crib rail was equally up for the task. So, I painted the light oak wood a stainless steel and the result was this unique medal display:

 

 

These are just my medals right now. (My boys' medals are waiting patiently on corkboards in their bedroom.) I have a few more medals in a box somewhere... but no more excuses on not hanging them up now that they have an official display!!

You can see a couple special medals above, but my favorites are by far the ones we earned together.

 {Their first 5k medal!}

This medal will get a special spot on the display. xo

How about you? What activities do you enjoy with your family? Would you use this idea to display sports medals? Team medals? What other ideas do you have to repurpose a crib rail? I'd love to read your comments!

Garage Organization ~ Sports Equipment

One of my goals this year is to be more organized. (I know - it seems like this is a goal EVERY year - doesn't it?) But this year, I REALLY mean it! Starting with my garage. I have two very active boys. They love to play sports (Organized and just for fun!) and as they get bigger, their stuff seems to get bigger too!! So this year, I am reigning in the clutter, getting rid of A LOT of old equipment they've outgrown and creating organized spaces for the things we want to keep.

So, the first step was creating a space for some of their gear. Pegboard is a popular garage storage item and I actually scored three whole sheets for $2 at a garage sale a while back! Yes, you read that right!$2! I only used one piece for this project -- I still have two more LARGE sheets! I cleaned and painted the pegboard a nuetral gray for the background and then, to give my boys no excuses for putting their things away {wink}, I painted the silhouette of each item on the board in white. Here is the result -- can you guess what goes in each spot?

I think the first one is kind of easy... from left to right... the first item is a lacrosse stick, then their baseball bag, their flag football game bag and the last two are for pool sticks. {About 2 feet away fron this board is our convertable foosball/air hockey/pool table.}

What do you think? I had seen people use the silhouette method for storing tools, and thought it would be a fun way to store our sports equipment. How did I do it? I took each item and traced it lightly with pencil on the pegboard. I then took a small paint brush and outlined the item in white paint. The rest I free hand painted - very slowly and carefully. The baseball bag and pool sticks were fine of course; the lacrosse stick and football bag however.... let's just say I'm glad I didn't have to do any redos! {For once!}

 And now when my boys need to clean up - they will know where everything goes!

Here is what the board looks like with all the equipment on it:

{Hooks used to hang each item}

Garage sports organization: Check!! One project down, only a few {Too many to count!!} to go!! I will show you the rest of the garage as we go. {There's a reason you're not seeing the the rest! lol} But what's next, you ask? A craft space {yay!} and a mini man cave for my little men! More on that soon - I hope!

How about you? Have you started spring cleaning yet? What area would you like to get more organized?

This post is MAN APPROVED! ;)

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Linking up here, man up link up and tatertots and jello.

Mirrored Key Holder

Ever since I remodeled my kitchen, I lost the spot where I used to hang my keys. {I used to have a key holder on my kitchen wall, but my new backsplash won’t allow me to hammer a hole in it. Boo!} I kept saying I would find a new spot {Hmm, maybe under one of those frames already by my door?} but I never did.

It has been one year since that remodel. ONE YEAR people! And my keys have been everywhere: on my table, in my purse, on the counter. Everywhere but in the same spot. Ever. So finally I had to do something!

Enter the only wall space by the door that I have:



I LOVE that “You are My Sunshine” canvas and will be finding it a new home fast! But, that wall corner was the best place for my keys. If you follow me on Facebook, you may remember some of my recent garage sale finds. One of my favorite purchases was this wooden mirror for $2!
All it needed was a little TLC to get rid of the spots and dirt and it was good to go!

All spotty...





All pretty!




To make this mirror an official key holder, I added some hooks on the bottom edge of the frame. I originally wanted dark or black hooks, but since my goal for this project was also not to go out and buy anything, I used three white hooks I already had.



I screwed them evenly into the bottom of my mirror but, still not satisfied, I distressed them a little to go with the wooden border.

Yes I distress everything – even hooks! lol It was quite easy – the paint chipped off as I was hammering them into place and I just scraped the side of the hammer against the hook until I got the look I wanted.




I liked them much better after that! I even distressed them a little {a lot} more than this pictures shows:



After that, all I had to do was anchor my mirror to the wall! I envisioned shattered glass everywhere, since hanging heavy objects isn’t my strong point, but hey – it’s been a couple days and it’s still in tact! {Yay!}


The final product…







I also like that the hooks aren’t super obvious when no keys are on it. You know, in case the Queen comes over for tea. ;-)




What’s funny, is the first day I used my new mirrored key holder – I couldn’t find my keys! Why? Because I was looking where I usually do: on the counter... in my purse... on the table... Sure enough, they were hanging right where they should be – on their new hooks. Now I know. And won’t forget. ;-)

Sometimes the simplest projects are my favorite!





Linking up at: TCB; Boerman Ramblings;

Real Woman of Genius {Take 2}

So, earlier I “invented” an embellished wipe dispenser into a chic plastic bag holder. {You really should check out this amazingness.} And last night, I had another 'Aha!' moment!

And the story goes… I was cleaning up from dinner last night, a little frustrated that Little Man just LEFT the empty Pringles can and lid on the counter after packing his lunch. {Okay, but I guess he gets props for making his own lunch, so he is quickly forgiven.} I, personally, left a can half full of veggies on the counter after dinner. Why half full? Because my boys are just the right size where 1 can is not enough, but 2 is too many, and I just popped out the exact amount they needed for dinner and left the rest in the can. Yep. It was that kind of night. I know we’ll finish up this can of veggies tomorrow, but I’m sitting there thinking, do I dirty up a tupperware? Cover the can up in foil? Oh the quandary. When I see the Pringles can lid just sitting there. {Because you better believe I’M not putting it away.}… And, DING! {There go those angels singing again!}




Yep! Perfect fit!

The Pringles lid sat nicely right on top of my little can of veggies! Problem solved!! Wam, bam, I put that baby in the fridge and called it a night. {FYI – the Pringles lids are NOT an air tight seal, –see the end of this post for a possible solution – but they do work great for an overnight or short term lid. Also they work great if you need to stack open cans!} Can I get a Woot! Woot!



Of course, I couldn’t just leave mine alone. Once I figured this phenomenal coincidence out, I had to kick it up a notch! So, I got out my Mod Podge and fabric and made over that little veggie can into a craft can!



Um, yeah, we ate the veggies first and I cleaned it out. {Come on, I know SOMEONE was thinking that!} lol

So now the possibilities are endless!! It turns out these cans are just the right size for hot glue gun sticks:




Some gift tags or maybe my “Created by” stamp and stamp pad that I always lose….




The lid actually sits on quite nicely {but doesn’t ‘snap’ on} so if you are still thinking of a tighter sealed solution --- let me recommend – a band of hot glue around the inside lip of the rim.




Again, not airtight, but a little better seal. And either way, these make great little containers that, thanks to Pringles, you can now store and stack to your little heart’s desire!

 

I think it will be a new home for my hot glue gun sticks. How about you?

What will you use this little trick for??

Linking up here; and here

Plastic Bag Holder {Tutorial }

Have you ever had one of those moments where you see an organization problem in your house and then a light bulb comes on {sometimes angels sing} and the solution comes to you instantly? Well, I had one of those moments! {Singing that commercial “Real Men of Genius” song in my head.} I was cleaning my house {which alone deserves some applause} Thank you! :o) I used up my last disinfecting wipe and as I was ready to throw away the container, I noticed my stash of plastic grocery bags. I don’t have a lot of bags as I try to use the recyclable ones, but I do have a use for them. In the past I kept them in empty tissue boxes, but those cardboard holders don’t last very long. So this version, I expect, will last a looong time!



So, yeah, I was excited when I put two and two together! Wipes dispenser + Plastic because = a match made in heaven. I thought – I’m a genius! I’ll be famous! lol UNTIL I looked online and saw some other versions here …and here (this one's for puppy bags.)… but still...Sigh… Are there any NEW ideas anymore? No, probably not. lol BUT, if you haven’t seen one of these before, I thought you might be interested in a quick little how-to. Besides – none of the other versions have a cute little ribbon and flower on their container. {wink}

So, let’s start with the supplies:



You’ll need:

• An empty, clean disinfecting wipes container
• fabric scraps (one large enough to cover the container and one smaller one to roll a flower if you want!) I got that sweet hounds tooth fabric from the Penelope Lane Boutique last month!
• Mod Podge
• paint brush or foam brush
• scissors
• ribbon (optional)
• hot glue gun (option – if you want to glue ribbon or flower on)

STEPS:

1. Cut your fabric to the size of your container. I just laid my container down and drew a pencil line & cut since my fabric pattern helped me keep my line straight.




2. Glue down  the first seam with Mod Podge.





I put some extra Mod Podge on top of the fabric as well to ensure it was secure. You can do this throughout if you need your container a little more waterproof or durable; otherwise the glue seeped through the fabric a little anyways and kept it pretty strong.

3. Continue to Mod Podge the fabric around the entire container - carefully pressing down to keep the fabric smooth. When you’re done, you can be done OR you can add any other embellishments! I added ribbon and a small flower, just because. I hot glued the ribbon:




And then added the flower:



Done! And now, my plastic bags are all pretty!! Woot! Woot!

BEFORE:



AFTER:





Have you ever had one of those moments? Where you created something and thought “Aha! I’m a creative genius!” and then seen your idea all over Pinterest? Well, maybe this container can be added to the Pinterest mix too. Thanks for checking this tutorial out! Have a great {and organized} week!