How Do you Washi?

I finally make my first Washi Tape purchase last week. I purchased these 8 rolls from Freckled Fawn and they arrived yesterday. I have a few more on the way that I purchased from The Plaid Barn. They were 62% off and I received each roll for $4.50 a piece. Still waiting for these babies to arrive in the mail. Sorry, they are sold out as you can see below. I'll have to share the amazingness of Plaid Barn with you all another time. It's a crafter's dream for discounted supplies.

I've been trying to gather some ideas of how I want to put my new Washi Tape to use. I have never worked with it before so I relied on some fellow bloggers as well as Pinterest for ideas. I found that people literally use Washi Tape on anything.

Elise's Washi Table Desk. 

(via Enjoy It)

Take an cheap thrift table or buy an Ikea Lack table for under $30 and give it a quick and bright makeover with different alternating strips of Washi Tape. You can get really creative with this project as there are so many different colors and patterns of tape available.

This washi cork board cleans up anyone's inspiration board in their office.

(via dot coms for moms)

Dress up your office supplies like this Washi Tape notebook 

(via Oh Hello Friend)

Keyboard with washi tape letters really make your laptop POP!

(via Her New Leaf)

Something as simple as a tin can can be turned into a gorgeous vase with just a little Washi love. I love the ideas of taking something 'ugly' and making it not only functional, but pretty with just a few strips of Washi.

(via Crafted Sparrow)

(via Sarah Hearts)

Dress up your stationary with a touch of Washi

(via sweetrosestudio).

Design your own coasters with a $.30 tile from Home Depot and a little Washi.

(via Page Thirteen)

How about using it for what it is? Tape!

(via Cherished Bliss)

Make a an easy banner for a party or every day room decor.

(via Think Crafts)

A few outtakes while trying to snap the above picture of my Washi purchases. Someone else was pretty excited about my rolls of tape, too.

So, how do you Washi? Any tips for a first time Washi user?

Fabric Pom Poms: Abigail's Room

The fabric pom pom tutorial from Lucy's nursery is by far the most visited page on the blog. I get over 5,000 views each week on that tutorial alone. A huge part of the popularity is thanks to Pinterest. So many Pinterester's (is that even a word?) pin Lucy's nursery pom poms each day. Many of you have also commented on the post with questions regarding fabric type, circle size, amount of fabric, and even suggestions to make the project easier, which I appreciate. Hopefully I've answered all your questions.

Last week Susan emailed me photos of her finished pom poms in her daughter Abigail's room. They look amazing! I love the color of the green rug in front of the crib against the bright pink pom poms. And having the crib at an angle in the corner is something I never would have thought to do, but it works great!

Here are a few photos that Susan shared.

If you've made your own fabric pom poms and have pictures, I'd love to share! 

Email me at simplekindoflifeblog@gmail.com

Blog Crushes

I get legitimately excited when I stumble across a new blog and fall in love. There's just something about finding a new goldmine for DIY projects, or getting to peek into the home of someone whose taste I just adore that gives me the motivation and DIY-bug to get my butt into gear and start working on our house.

While I'm working on getting back into my project groove (I've got a nice to-do list set for this weekend), I thought I'd share with you all some of my favorite blogs that I've recently found and now visit on a regular basis. Maybe one of these will become your new favorite.

sfgirlbybay - I find so much inspiration from this blog, in both home decor and personal style. She has great bohemian-modern taste that I just adore. I'm a follower on her Twitter and Instagram, too! I crave the decor in every picture she posts and it makes me want to redo every room in my house (but I won't).

A Lovely Life - I recently stumbled across this blog by accident (I forget what I was even googling...) and now I'm hooked. I especially favor blogs that feature not only home design/decor topics but some family/motherhood posts as well. This blog certainly covers all those aspects for me. She has been sharing her tips for traveling with a toddler (I've had my infant traveling tips post on the back burner since our trip in April) which I definitely plan to bookmark for later use.

Enjoy It: Elise Blaha - I have serious blogger envy for Elise and how she is able to tackle so many projects (including Project Life which I'm dying to do). She has great taste and her blog has opened my eyes to a decor style that I never would have initially considered for our house. Her skills range from DIY projects, organization, photos, baking/cooking, gardening and even running her own business. She's definitely one I'd like to sit down and ask 'how do you do it all??'

A Beautiful Mess - This blog has some of the easiest, but most unique DIY projects I've come across. Hair, clothes, art, food, they prove that you can pretty much DIY anything! I always have one of those 'why didn't I think of that?' moments when reading this blog.

August Empress - Another blog filled with inspiration. I love scrolling through the pages and exploring all the detailed, colorful pictures. Also where I purchased my social media buttons.

What are some of your favorite blogs that you check out on a daily basis? I'm always looking for more!

Slowly Getting Back into the Groove

We had quite the whirlwind of a weekend. A wedding, a 4 hour drive to the shore (that should have taken less than 2), a day on the beach and a night out on the town. By the time we got home yesterday we were maxed out and indulged in a marathon nap session followed by late night takeout. We are all still a little exhausted today, Lucy included who slept in this morning until my mom came to pick her up at 7:30.

I'm trying to get back into the DIY groove. I have so many projects in my head that I want to start, finish, plan, explore. With Lucy's birthday party behind me I feel like I have a clean slate to really get my butt into gear. Bear with me the next few days as I get my things back in order.

Here is my current to-do list:

- First and foremost, our house is a bit of a catastrophe. Our dining room is filled with leftovers from Lucy's birthday party and I'm making a point to find a night this week and get it cleaned up.
- Sharing a closer look at some of the DIY decor for Lucy's birthday that I'm hoping to transition into her bedroom.
- I've made a few changes in our master bathroom with new goodies from West Elm and I've updated our bedroom a bit with more in the works.
- I need to get back to painting more of these that I'm hoping to build up enough of a collection to open my own Etsy shop. I've also had a few requested custom orders.
- I'm treating myself to this workshop after which I plan to work on some new wall art, including a great quote that I'm itching to frame above our bed.
- We have some furniture to juggle around the guest room and finally get to hanging some things up in that room, painting the inside fo the closet and maybe actually finishing it.
- Finish a share with you a vintage sewing stool that I'm updating for a friend of mine as a housewarming gift. Side note: she moved months ago.. and I started this project months ago. That's how far behind I am.
- Get this blog organized and have a real working DIY page with easy-to-find links to popular projects and tutorials.

We have two more weekends of trips planned out in the month of August which will cut into my only time to work on projects, but I will take advantage of the nights after Lucy goes to bed as well as a stay-cation I have planned for the the week of August 13th.

I promise to be back with some real updates soon :) Happy Monday!!

Happy Friday!!

This week has been pretty low-key in the DIY department. I can't believe how fast the past year has flown and how quickly Lucy's birthday came and went. I decided to take a break this week from doing projects around the house and just spend some time with our big girl. I don't ever want to feel that I don't give her the time she deserves because I'm too busy painting a room, doing some craft, or planning my next project.

Jordan and I are off to a wedding tonight then heading straight down the shore tomorrow morning to meet up with our girl and his parents for the rest of the weekend.

Be back next week!