Where did April go? It was here one day and gone the next! Half of April was crazy slow with internet problems (I don’t know about y’all but I find it very difficult to write blog posts and make pretty graphics without internet access!) the other half of April was crazy busy as I work on amping things up around here!
I started with unveiling a few awesome freebies like this killer paint planner… if you’ve ever painted your home then a free printable to keep your paint colors, brands, sheens and qty straight probably sounds pretty good!
On top of that I started co-writing a little wedding series with my friend Caitlin! Every friday for the next 5 weeks we’ll be hanging out and talking weddings… just in time for wedding season! If you’re engaged (or you know someone who is!) then this is for you! I hosted week one and started the series off with a FREE wedding binder… 42 free printables to keep any Bride on her toes! Next week Caitlin will host week 2: Wedding Guest Etiquette 101 over on Collectively Caitlin. I can’t wait to see what she has prepared for us!
In the mean time it’s time to prepare for a new Thrift Store Swap! This Thursday will be the fourth installment and since we do 4 swaps a year this swap will make one full rotation! Every single swap the projects get bigger and better… so I can’t wait to see what the ladies have come up with! In the meantime check out the first 3 swaps… or head over to each gals blog to prepare for what’s coming! Either way I’m excited to see what each gal is bringing to the table!
Your favorite 7 posts from April 2016:
( or at least the 5 you clicked on most! )
How to Keep Track of the Paint Colors in Your Home
Painting your home can be extremely frustrating… there’s just so many little steps! First there’s picking a color, picking a sheen, figuring out how much paint you’ll need, then picking a paint… and then after all that you actually have to paint the wall! You’d think that with all the time and effort that goes into picking a paint color you’d have that paint name and sheen imprinted on your brain forever.
Nope!
Five years from now when your kiddos throw a baseball through the kitchen window and you have to touch up the paint job you won’t remember which color you picked let alone which paint you chose!
Curing Overwhelm… 3 FREE Motivational Printables!
It’s hard when life gets so busy that we forget to spend time doing the simple things that make life worth living… like spending time with those we love. We need to spend time working hard and then spend time relaxing hard.
Spending all of your time on one thing or the other causes that dreaded overwhelm feeling… and if you’re like me working too hard in one area causes slacking in another! No bueno. I need to work hard at all aspects of my job, all aspects of the blog and all aspects of relaxing!
Easy DIY Printable Picture Frame!
It was harder than I thought it would be to pick between the three (free) guest room printables I created last week! I really like the “Be Our Guest” sign but the hubster fell in love with “Make Yourself at Home” so instead of picking just one I decided to hang all three! With my very own nifty little DIY Printable Picture Frame!
I still loved the cute little picture hanger from the antique store but instead of simply re-creating it I decided to add a little extra feature… magnets! Since my picture frames close with magnets instead of glue you can change out your printables whenever you like. I’m kind of loving it!
15 Paint Paddle Projects
I’ve been bitten by the bug… the paint paddle bug. It’s a real thing and if you’ve ever stared deep into the bottom of a five gallon bucket filled with paint paddles you know it’s true. You can’t escape without making at least one paint paddle project!
Lucky for you… you don’t have to stop with one! Paint paddles are readily available and you can make tons of things with them…. for free! Score!
Here are 15 of the coolest things to make! (There’s even a few that I want to try!)
Easy DIY Paint Paddle Basket
A few weeks ago I was driving back from North Carolina where I attended a little thing called the BP Blog Retreat… you might have read about it in my March Round-Up. ? It was an eight hour drive home so I might have stopped a few times… to stretch my legs. Or shop.
I found a few baskets that I liked but I couldn’t find any that were the right dimensions… but when I found this little basket I figured out the answer.
I would just make one!
I could use paint paddles and hot glue to create a basket that’s the perfect size for my space! For free!
The guys at the store all gave me a weird stare as I did a little happy dance but who cares? I was pretty darn proud of myself!
My Favorite Posts:
5 Painting Tools Worth Springing for (Advice from a Sherwin Williams Employee)
Every single day people ask me “What tools do I need?” or “Can’t I just grab a cheap brush from the dollar store?” I know I’ve had the same thoughts… I mean really twenty bucks for a paint brush? Are you kidding me?
With so many different products how do you know which ones are worth it and which ones are totally useless?
You don’t unless you’ve tried them all… which I have ;).
How to Put Together Your Perfect (FREE) Wedding Binder (+ 42 Free Wedding Printables)
It’s April and y’all know what that means… wedding season is officially upon us! My best friend actually got engaged about 2 weeks ago… which means we are in full planning mode at the Smith house! Her wedding is scheduled for June 18th 2016 and if you’ve ever been part of a wedding you’re likely freaking out the same way I did when she asked for help planning her wedding in just 2 short months!
Luckily it wasn’t too long ago that I planned my own wedding… May 17th 2014! Which means it’s almost time for my very own second wedding anniversary! So in honor of my own anniversary and planning Ashley’s very special day I’ve broken out the wedding binder.
Yup I was that kind of bride!
When you have the whole world to plan it pays to be organized! So here’s a look into my very own binder… and don’t forget to download your very own FREE wedding binder! I’ve put together 42 FREE printables to make planning your special day just a tad bit easier… just scroll down to grab your own copy!
How to Create a Guest Room Jar: Little Things Your Guests will Appreciate
A few weeks ago I sat down to think about everything I wanted to include in our guest room makeover… a shopping list if you will. Or maybe a project list since most of the items require a little bit of work!
Does that happen to anyone else? When your shopping list turns into a project list? Whether it’s making a DIY basket for free instead of buying the $20 version or making my very own cardboard elephant head when I couldn’t find the perfect print I always end up making things where other people buy them!
So I was super excited when I realized I could put together a little guest room jar with minimal effort on my part! Plus it should be super helpful for my guests… well if they’re anything like me it will be super helpful. I don’t know about y’all but I can’t seem to go anywhere without forgetting at least one item… whether it’s shampoo or the case for my contacts you can guarantee at least one item won’t make it’s way into my toiletry bag!
How to Organize a Laundry Station when you have NO Extra Space
Our master bedroom is soooo close to being finished… there are only a few finishing touches we really need to finish the room off! We need to hang art, pick out a few stellar curtain panels (since our new room has more windows than the last house!) and figure out a great solution for laundry. Strangely enough I’m not on board with the hubby’s solution of “just throwing it on the dresser and dealing with it later.”
Shocker!
I need something simple and collapsible because let’s face it… we don’t all have pinterest worthy bedrooms and laundry spaces! Our laundry room is 1/8th of a storage closet and our bedroom has absolutely no good place for a permanent standing laundry bin!
An Elegant Chalk Painted Side Table
For this month’s fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest™ I decided to run with the elegant theme and finally paint the little side table in my living room. I’ve had this little table for several years now and it was my mom’s before me… she was very generous when I moved into my first apartment with all of her leftovers!
Either way this little table has made several moves with me and I love it for the elegant lines and cute little feet. Anything with scrolls and whirls is right up my ally! I just couldn’t decide what color to paint it… so I put it off.
27 Throw Pillows Under $20
By now you know that I’m a self-proclaimed pillow hoarder… and if you’re hanging around then chances are you have a few more pillows than the average person! They’re so comfy… and they come in a million adorable prints!
The worst part of pillow shopping is the price… how does one little square of fabric and fluff cost so much? Since I’m not a big fan of expensive pillows here’s a list of a few *cough cough* inexpensive options. So you can change them out whenever the mood strikes! You can never have too many pillows!
Get Your FREE Wedding Binder
Trying to plan your perfect wedding?
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