DIY Burlap Chevron Bunting for Fall

Easy, Cheap, and Quick Decorations for Fall

Make a cute bunting from leftover materials and save $!

With the nights getting colder and the official arrival of fall, I was craving some autumn decorating, but I didn't have the motivation to get in the car and go to the craft store. In an effort to satisfy my instant-gratification "itch," I tore apart my craft room and came up with this quick and easy solution: Burlap Bunting with a Chevron Trim.

Burlap Bunting with Chevron Trim Tutorial

Materials:

• Burlap Chevron Ribbon (I got mine from Hobby Lobby and had left over from our Scavenger Hunt) 
• Scraps of Burlap 
• Hot Glue Gun 
• Scissors 
• Twine

Directions:

• Make the triangles: Cut your scraps of burlap into triangles of desired size. I made six {roughly} equilateral triangles with sides about 6" long.  
• Add the ribbon: Using a hot glue gun, adhere the ribbon to the top of each triangle, overlapping at the ends. Then snip of the excess ribbon to maintain the triangular shape.
• Add the twine: At first I tried to weave the twine through the top of the ribbon, but that was a big pain, so instead I glued it onto the back. 
• Measure and repeat: Decide how big you want your gap between the triangles to be. I ended up with about 7" of twine between each pair (this was through trial and error, I started with 10" and slowly decreased it to 7"). Then finish up by gluing the twine to the back of each triangle.
• Adorn something! You can see that my bunting went on a little photo shoot... the trees, different mantels, planters... it's ended up back in my family room, but it was fun seeing how it looked in other places, too. 

This was totally easy project that's helped me get into the mood for fall... although it could easily be used for birthdays or other occasions, too!

 

Vintage Children's Desk {Super Quick} Makeover

This Vintage Kids Double Desk is Our New Computer Table

But not too much has changed since the old days... this desk still holds an apple! :) 

For the past year, I've been struggling with how to set up an empty corner area of our family room. I was hoping to make it into a kid-friendly space without the over-stimulation that often comes with kid-friendly spaces (my Vintage Chifferobe for Toy Storage was the first piece I acquired with that goal in mind). At the same time, I had been thinking about wanting to set up a desktop computer for my kids so they can learn to use a mouse (they're pretty iPad/iPhone savvy, and they're not bad at using the trackpad on my laptop, but they do not know how to use a mouse... although maybe it's all in vain. Who knows how long we'll even be using computer mice anymore...). 

I didn't want to set up a generic desk, and I wanted to be able to use kid-sized chairs in the space. So I scoured Craigslist and consignment shops until I found the perfect solution (on Craigslist, as it turned out). And really, it couldn't be any more perfect: an authentic vintage children's double desk.

This was the absolute easiest makeover ever. It didn't need much, but those ugly brown legs HAD to go! I'm not sure who ever thought that dingy brown was a good color for kids! I didn't want to touch the top. I love all of the imperfections.

 

I picked it up on a Thursday and planned to wait until the weekend to do anything to it, but I just couldn't wait. I basically started spray painting as soon as I got it out of the car.

I love the shape of the legs, the awesome pencil holders, the cool way the wood is seamed together in the corners, the stamped imprint on the front...

It was by far the simplest update ever, and it makes me happy to look at, especially when my kids are gathered around it.

 

And onto the next project to complete this space. Want a hint? Well, I'm planning to make over a few pieces that I literally found outside a dumpster... wish me luck!

The My Gym Experience for Toddlers

How to Enjoy (and Afford) My Gym for Your Little Ones

Key: Avoid that pesky "Membership Fee"!

 

 

Believe it or not, B3 (now 15 months old) has never been in any program for little ones. No music, no story times, no mommy-and-me groups... nada (poor #3!). A couple weeks ago, after spending an afternoon signing the girls up for various activities, I looked over at him and felt a (big) pang of guilt! There he was, entertaining himself by throwing rubber blocks all over the place, and he didn't even know what he was missing. Sure, he loves hanging out with his big sisters, but I thought it was time he got a little special attention, too.

So today we did a free trial class at My Gym. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I knew we were attending an hour-long class for "Waddlers" (kids 14-22 months). As soon as we arrived, B3 knew this was something special. He started spotting kids his size all over the place, and he was curious to find out what it was all about. And he soon did.

We we all invited into a big room full of various toys and stations. Among all of it was climbing areas, ball pits, slides, trampolines, and balance beams. The class started out with free play, where the kids just explored everything on their own for 10-15 minutes. Then the instructors called the class to Circle Time, and together we sang some songs and did some stretching with the toddlers. After that, the kids resumed free play, but during the whole time the instructors set up different activities in the gym. For example, there was a cone/ring toss, "roller-coaster" slide, swings, and strength activities. It was actually quite a production! Each activity was set up for maybe 7-10 minutes, and it seemed the perfect amount of time for the attention span of the "waddlers". The class closed with another quick round-up, and then everyone was on their way.

As the hour went on, I wondered whether I would sign up for session. I had called ahead of time, so I knew how it worked, but I really wanted to see how the trial class went before I made the commitment. See, you sign up in 4-week increments that begin whenever you want (so everyone is basically on their own schedule), but they want you to commit to two 4-week sessions right of the bat. And the cost for 4 weeks: $86. Definitely not cheap. Plus, they hit you with a one-time Membership Fee of $75. When she mentioned this on the phone, I pressed her on it a little, and basically it meant that you pay this one-time fee, and you're a member for life (which essentially basically means you can hold a birthday party there. Not enough to sell me.). So I was really leery of this fee. That's a ton of money, and I wasn't prepared to spend $247 (basically $30/class) unless I was really sold on the place.

But again, as time went on, B3 started to warm up more, and he was trying different stations and becoming a lot more comfortable, and clearly having a lot of fun. And there were lots of other nice parents there. And while I was there, I started to soften. And I started considered joining (and how I would bring up the membership fee issue, because it was really bothering me!).

At the end of class, they asked those of us who came for trials if we had any questions, and they went over the details again. And they mentioned the Membership Fee again, and so I just straight up asked, "Are there ever any coupons for that fee?" and the very nice girl who was running the class said she thought there might be some in the lobby. We didn't see them at first, so my plan was to go home, scour the internet for some sort of coupon, and then sign up. And if that didn't work, I'd call the manager and let him/her know that I was really happy with my trial, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay that $75 fee on top of the already-premium tuition (and I'm not complaining about that. The staff and facilities were worth it). BUT THEN, I noticed some Open House Flyers in a different spot of the lobby, and sure enough, there were coupons right on it. And we lucked out! There was a coupon that included waving the membership fee AND $25 dollars off your first session. At that point, I was sold. And we signed up today.

So instead of $247 for 8 classes, we are paying $147, which comes out to about $18/class, and that seems much more reasonable to me. Would I have signed up without the coupons? I don't think so, but luckily we found them. FYI, it seems like all the coupons available on that flyer are for new members, so I'm willing to bet they're harder to come by after they've got you hooked). But at least we're set for now. 2 months of a fun activity for B3 and me.

Oh, also kinda cool: when you've got a child enrolled, you can bring all of your kids to three Open Gym times that are available (for free). Also, they're flexible about make-up days, so if your kiddo gets sick, you can come to class on another day.

Moral of the story: it never hurts to ask. They worst you can hear is "no." But I'd love to know there are future opportunities for savings, too. Anyone have the scoop on that?