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DIY Aquarium Divider
So our water babies had arrived and we thought we were ready to go, when we realized that they were different sizes and couldn’t be housed together. You can read about our axolotl tank set-up here. The other thing we learned was that they were too young to have even fine-grained sand in their tank. This was a simple, if not easy fix. We took out the sand and are saving it for future. In terms of keeping the larger axolotl from the smaller two, our options were to have two separate tanks, or to install a divider to keep them apart. We opted for the divider, since we had…
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How We Made a Digital Family Command Center
With six people in our family our calendar is FULL. If we don’t have an organized method to keep track of events, things will get missed. We have tried many different family command center variations. Wall calendars, clipboards with lists, chalkboard and dry erase weekly planners. You name it and we’ve probably tried it. It’s easy to get lost in the many beautiful command center ideas you find on Pinterest. One aspect of the typical family command centers that has been our downfall in the past is that our schedules often change throughout the week. This involves a lot of erasing and re-writing, which often doesn’t get done. It’s hard…
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DIY RSG Metalworks Rock Slider Painting and Install
How to prepare, paint, and install RSG Metalworks rock sliders for the 5th Gen Toyota 4Runner (without KDSS) One of the projects we worked on this week was 4Runner protection. I’d like to say a huge thank you to my amazing husband, Brad, who helped with the install. I don’t think I would have been able to get it done without his using a chunk of his day off to help. I also should thank our dog, Hadley, who attempted to help. She kept trying to crawl under the car with us and give moral support. I ordered the RSG rock sliders about a month ago after a lot of…
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4Runner Dash Mount Install by ICS Fab
I have some exciting news to share. I got a new (to me) 4Runner! This is my first non-minivan in a LONG time. Too long. Don’t get me wrong- minivans are great. They can haul a lot of people, animals, and gear. They’re also great for bringing lumber home for DIY projects. You can fit 8-ft boards inside with the doors closed, longer if you’re willing to be that crazy woman driving with boards hanging out her window. It’s just that I’ve really missed driving a “fun” vehicle that that can handle a little off-road and towing. One of the first to-do’s on my new car mod list was to…
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Make Your Own Rustic Faux Fireplace
One day, while scrolling through Pinterest, I came upon an idea. Any time a sentence starts with scrolling through Pinterest, you know there’s a project coming. I have to be careful with that site- it can be dangerous! Whenever I think of Pinterest, I remember this quote from comedian, Adam Norwest, that never fails to make me laugh: So what idea did I find? A faux fireplace! We have always liked when we’ve stayed in hotels with fireplaces in the room. I love cozying up under the covers with a good book and a fire crackling beside me. We’ve discussed many times how nice it would be to have one…
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Whodonit? (Plush) Shark Attack and Restoration
The Crime Scene One morning, our son woke to find his beloved shark stuffed animal savagely mauled outside his bedroom door. Poor Sharky. There were no eye-witnesses, but preliminary forensic evidence pointed to a list of usual suspects thought to be in the vicinity at the time of the incident. The Suspects: Ridley: 7 years old, brother of Samus, cuddle bug, verbslizes hunger every morning, has place at family dinner table, Hadley’s disciplinarian, clean record Hadley: 14 months old, spotty record, expert chewer, high energy, toy thief, occasionally poops household objects Samus: 7 years old, sister of Ridley, get-off-my-lawn face, murder button permanently engaged, loves coffee, cuddles in order to…
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Ikea Hack Bookcases for a Home Library
I’ve aways wanted a library in our house. Sitting in a room by a fire, surrounded by interesting books, and reading all day sounds like paradise. In our Portland house, we had a front room that was begging to be turned into just that. The problem was that built-in bookcases were beyond our budget. The solution? Ikea!I had seen ideas before about turning Ikea shelving into built-ins and I thought it was time to try it for ourselves. We found that adding Ikea Billy bookcases to make built-ins was the perfect solution for our home library. Supplies: Bookcases – We used Ikea Billy Lumber – 1×4 on bottom, 1×12 on…
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Cardboard Castle
Trunk-or-Treat happened to fall on the day of our birthday girl this year. She wanted a birthday party and the other three wanted to go to trunk-or-treat. As you often do with a family of six, we compromised and decided to host a trunk that was birthday-girl themed. She was already heavily into princess-mode for her costume so the trunk plans quickly became a birthday castle. We needed materials that were temporary, easy to move, and not too expensive since it was likely to be a one-use castle. We had just moved so we had a LOT of boxes. Cardboard castle, here we come! Supplies: Cardboard boxes Heavy duty scissors…
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Play Area Under the Stairs
When we moved into our house, we found that the previous owners had left us a tiny door in the attic. Someone had a fun project planned that never came to fruition. As soon as we discovered it, I knew we had to find a way to use it. I have always loved the idea of hidden play areas and secret worlds. I blame the The Chronicles of Narnia for my obsession. Supplies: Tiny door (You can buy these online, pre-framed) Drill Oscillating multi tool Reciprocating saw Vacuum (so much debris under the stairs) 2″ Wood screws Molding – or however you want to finish the outside of the door…
