School Mania & Cute Crate Seats

Tags

children, classroom, DIY, organization, school, seat, storage, teacher

At the end of the 2014-2015 school year, I was preparing myself for a subject change to science at the middle school. I was re-familiarizing myself with earth science, I reached out to other science teacher friends, and I was photographing geological formations throughout Pennsylvania and New York. I was going to rock (no pun intended) my first year as a science teacher.

Halfway through the summer, I got a phone call asking me to come into school. To my surprise, they decided to move me to first grade instead! I was stunned for the first few days, but also very excited! Ever since that call, I’ve been working 60+ hours a week preparing for the beginning of the school year! Needless to say, I’ve been neglecting my blog (well there are a ton of projects that I could post, but then my life blog would transform into a teacher blog).

TODAY IS OUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! How could that be? I didn’t even have a summer yet!

DIY Crate Seats ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

If you’re a teacher you know there are a plethora of tutorials for these crate seats on Pinterest (If you’re not a teacher, these crate seats would still work wonderfully in a playroom or reading corner for your kids, nieces, and nephews.)  The Apple Tree Room’s tutorial is my favorite. Mine is not a tutorial. I just wanted to share some additional thoughts and tips.

DIY Storage Crate Seats ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

I made 6 crate seats for under $20, but I had some of the supplies on hand. If you make 6 without having any supplies on hand, you could probably do it under $50.

Pricing –
Frames: The crates are selling at my local Target for $2.99 (I bought 3, and previously had three). We had leftover plywood from a previous project, but a typical sheet runs $20.

Cushions: Fabric can get expensive, depending on the print and type of fabric. Luckily, you have many options here. JoAnn’s often has 50% coupons (I only used 1 1/2 yards of fabric). Patterned twin-size top sheets can be found around $10 or even a cute fabric shower curtain would work. If you’re a crafty person, chances are you probably already have some extra fabric. Also, printed men’s dress shirts can be found at thrift stores for a small price. The foam was not on sale at my local craft store, so I used a twin mattress egg crate topper (Walmart sells them for under $10) and added two layers. The ribbon pull tabs aren’t necessary, but are nice. Luckily, most crafters have plenty of spare ribbon or you can purchase a spool for around $1.

Opal Approved ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

XOXO,
Young Wifey

PS – If you look closely in the photos, you might notice another project I’ll be posting about soon...

PPS – It’s Pumpkin’s birthday today! Yay! Happy birthday, Pumpkin!

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French Chic Food Storage for My Feline Furbabies

Tags

canister, cats, decal, decor, DIY, french chic, furbabies, home decor, pets, storage

Opal has quickly become the princess of the house. Her demure mannerisms told me that it was time to add a touch of luxury for my furbabies.

I found this white metal tin a few years ago. I wish I took a picture when I first purchased it, because it was covered in pink paw print stickers. They were removed before I even got my purchase home. The mug was actually a favor from my tea party bridal shower. Since I wanted to give the canister and mug a little more oomph, I decided on custom decals.

French Chic Food Storage for My Feline Furbabies ♥ Young Wifey’s Blog

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Repurposed Tin to Earbud Case

Tags

craft, crafting, DIY, earbuds, headphones, iPod, mint tin, music, organization, repurpose, storage

We have multiple pairs of earbuds floating around our house. There are pairs stashed with our work computers, home computer, iPods, in nightstands, and misc. drawers. I know there are some adorable earbud cases on the market, but I can’t justify the frivolous purchase (but my cute owl contact cases on the other hand…). Due to holiday traveling, the pair I keep in my purse somehow got covered in melted chocolate, and I spent a few minutes untangling a spare pair. Time to relent and use an earbud case.

I decided an empty Altoids Smalls tin was the perfect protector for my earbuds, but I wanted my case to have a little more pizzazz. I had all the materials on hand so this craft was free!

DIY Earbud Case

First, I spray painted the case a shade of blue. After it dried, I traced and cut out two small pieces of fabric. I spread a coat of Mod Podge on the inside of the tin, pressed in the fabric, and topped it with another coat. Voilà!

Craft Supplies:
(in order of appearance)

small mint tin
spray paint
fabric or craft paper
pencil/pen
scissors
paint brush
Mod Podge

A few more tins, and all the pairs could be protected…

What would you create with a small mint tin?

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Coffee Anyone?

Tags

coffee, craft, crafting, etched glass, etching, gift, gift giving, gift idea, glass jar, home, house, kitchen, postaday2011, storage

Etched Glass Coffee Jar
After using it once for a Christmas ornament, I’ve always wanted to play around a little more with etching cream. The stuff is so expensive, I wouldn’t purchase it at the craft store without a 50% coupon. Recently, I actually got my hands on a 60% coupon and knew it was time to move.

I love using glass jars for kitchen storage, but I wanted to pretty up the coffee jar or two. Since I’m not a coffee drinker, that was the best place to start. Our realtor gave us some really great locally fresh ground coffee and Hubster and our guests have enjoyed our coffee maker…

Etched Glass Coffee Jar

Difficult to photograph, easy to create. I prepped the jar with glass cleaner then added a reusable stencil. Next I added a thick layer of etching cream and left it on longer than what the jar said. I actually got sidetracked and forgot all about it, it probably sat for 30 minutes opposed to the suggested 5 mins. I carefully rinsed the jar and stencils clean and then wiped the surface with glass cleaner.

Now with an etched jar, Hubster won’t mix up the coffee with my loose tea.

This would make a great gift for the coffee drinker…

What is your must have morning drink?