Smart Phone for Baby?! Really?!

As I was cruising through my local big box store I came upon a disturbing display: Just in time for the holidays- toys for your baby that incorporate your smart phone!
Ready?! This is where we are at now in society? It's not enough that your average adult spends more time on their smart phone than they do actually speaking with a human being? The sidewalks are full of folks will their heads down, texting and scrolling on their phones, people would rather play virtual games on their phones than actually play games with their kids, texting has resulting in the complete break down of grammar and competent writing in your average teen and now this? For one low, low price you can hook your kids while they are young! Get them ready for an IPhone before they can walk! Who needs books and old-fashioned toddler toys when you can give the gift of more screen time?! "Cause we all know how good electronic screen time is for kids under the age of 2! Hopefully this trend will result in parents being able to hand over their smart phones to their kids so they will be able to slip into the same incoherent zombie-like trance mom and dad experience when using their phones. Who needs interaction any more, just pick up one of these great new toys for your little one, you even get a free baby-geared app(?!) to go with it. Baby will be kicking his pre-school friends' butts at Words With Friends in no time...........

Silverware Garden Decor

Here is a fresh idea for those bags of silverware that seem to multiply in the average house like tribbles. These garden ornaments are constructed of spoons (to make the flower) and knives and nutcracker/seafood crackers (for the dragonflies).  Being handy with a torch to cut and well (or having a  handy husband) is all that is necessary. I am pulling my gigantic ziplock bag of spoons out the basement as we speak.....

Serving Trays Made Out of Mints!

Here is a link for step by step directions for making serving platters and trays out of mints! So easy and awesome, I am defiantly going to do this with homemade cookies for gifts at Christmas!





http://tuttobellablog.com/2011/12/19/diy-serving-tray-2/

Trash to Treasure Drying Rack

Great Idea for a Drying Rack for all those Gardening Gypsies out there:
Old Picture Frames + Screen + Chains = Great Idea and even collapses down flat for storage for winter time!

Great Headboard DYI

Great DYI Idea for old headboards you find at yard sales/2nd hand stores! Add cork board for a beautiful bulletin board or tin tiles to use with magnets!

Quickest Sounds System Ever!

These are wireless speakers that screw into any light socket and streams from your IPod/Pad/Phone! And is also a light bulb! Mind officially blown!

http://www.thegreenhead.com/2011/02/audio-light-bulb.php

Great Junkin' Books!

I love, love, love the Junk Beautiful books by Whitney & Nasauer, I have this book as well as other Junkin' books from different authors. They are full of "duh! why didn't I think of that?!" ideas. And if you don't want to buy, just head to your local library, a shelf full of Flea Marketing Decorating Books awaits your there!

Great Trash to Treasure Blog!

This lady has some great ideas and easy to follow steps for the Trash To Treasure Gypsy!

http://www.trashtotreasuredecorating.com

Happiness is an neat work space

 This Michigan Gypsy has just finished cleaning and organizing her work space. Why would anyone waste precious time sifting through all of their accumulated junk and tools? Because if you are anything like me, you have collected things throughout your travels and they have landed all willy-nilly. I used the recent addition of a new workspace in the garage as my excuse to get my junkin' self together. Don't have your own workspace? Keep your ears open and an eye out for things that can be re-purposed. The blue work space pictured was from the mail room at my husband's office. They pulled it out for a re-modeled and we scooped it up to transplant in our garage. The hanging cabinets were from a kitchen re-do. All free and a great source of storage. So scope your local re-store, if you have friends that are re-doing a room or know of a business that is doing a re-model, ask if there are any counter tops or cupboards that need to get ride of, you'll be glad you did! I had a pile of things here....a jar of stuff over there...a bin of things somewhere...you get the idea. So whenever I wanted to go out to my garage and work on a project, I spent half my time sorting through everything to find what I want. So my advice to you is to bite the bullet and spend an hour or two getting organized. The calm feeling you get will more than make up for the inconvenience of having to get everything in order.(kids are great for sorting screws and small do-dads for you, fun for them, less work for you) For small items, I have found that plastic containers that are meant to hold embroidery floss work great. The small compartments are the perfect size for sorting and everything is in one place for you to choose from, much better in my opinion that putting each thing into it's own small container. Stay tuned to see how long I can't keep everything neat and tidy.

So if you are looking at this......



















Spend and afternoon getting to this....

More fun with pallets!

Can you say "Quick, Easy & Awesome?"

As my readers know, this Michigan Gypsy is always looking for new ways to use the many pallets that I have stockpiled behind my garage (see previous post for more about my pallet obsession.) This project is perfect for the beginner that wants to start making things for their home but does not want to tackle a huge project. Using different lengths of pallet pieces (to make wider width sections simply use more than one board) Paint boards in whatever colors you wish, then attack with sandpaper or a hand sander to get that great weathered look (quite often I find pallets in different colors; blue, yellow, green, etc. that would be great for this project, no painting and sanding required) Decide what words you would like to use, sport themed words would be great for a kid's room, washing-related for a laundry room, etc. Using the printed font and ball-point pen method (see previous blog post) to transfer the words to the different pieces, fill-in with black paint. When dry, nail or screw them to a piece of 2X4 or similar piece of scrap lumber so they stick out willy-nilly to either side of center. Re-arrange until you like the look, then prop-up or hang.

Who would have thought?! Mind Blow

Hello Ladies & Gents,
Today's Mind Blow is brought to you by "duh"

I am still constantly surprised by the awesome imagination of folks out there who are always thinking outside of the box and are gracious enough to share their amazingness with the rest of us. Check out these photos that show how hanging wooden folding chairs can be transformed into a closet! I can already see this done with each chair painting an amazing turquoise or a nice barn red with the finished beat up and distressed. A great solution for a room with no closet or for guest rooms that need extra storage, and they fold flat against the wall when not in use, genius!!!

The Wants

How do you make time for The Wants? This is a question that I am constantly asking myself as I go about my jobs and daily responsibilities. We have become a society that is always on the move, jam-packing our days so full that is seems like we are afraid that if we don't fill in every single block on our planners that the Busy Police will show up and cart us away to slacker prison. Yesterday, as I found my self folding laundry at 10 pm after getting the kids to bed following post-hockey practice late dinner and  mandated reading time my thoughts turned to my list of "Wants." You may call them something else, but in my life "Wants" encompass all the things that I want to do, as apposed to all the things that I have to or feel that I should do. Working on my crafts, for example is a want, designing my next tattoo is a want, sewing new pillows for the den is a want...you get the idea. We all have our list of wants, but they always get overruled by the "have-tos" that we all inherited the day we decided that running away in a sweet convertible to play lead guitar in a classic rock band probably was not a viable life option, so we decided to have families and careers and pets and homes instead. The funny thing is, I have noticed that when it comes to time or an activity for my husband or my kids, I always magic a solution, carve out some time, commit myself to help and chores be damned. Why don't I do the same for my time and my list of "Want Tos?" Is it simply guilt that is holding me back? The siren song of un-washed dishes and volunteer work gathering dust so loud it sounds like artillery fire? I have no quick answer, but I have resolved to carve out some time for The Wants in my life, even if only an hour at a time. Giving yourself permission to let things go for a while might be just the ticket to a brighter outlook and renewed energy to tackle that grocery list, home-made Halloween costume, dog grooming, sponsorship letter writing, bathroom scrubbing, kid wrangling, sock folding, post-office tripping.............oh crap! Gotta run......

Wilderness Journal Deer Mount Auction Open Today

Best Bath Storage Ever!

It's about time someone figured out how to have storage for a family tub without having to see a multicolored plastic bottle mountain that attacks you every time you go into the bathroom. Simple, elegant, and useful. I am going to incorporate this idea when we re-do our upstairs bathroom. I am lucky enough to have a very handy husband to build this tub surround, but if you are not that good with tools, any reasonable handyman should be able to create this for you. Make sure the racks you use are either plastic or treaded so they will not rust when encountering steam.

Tweezer Mind Blow

Could someone please explain to me why I did not do this eighteen thousand years ago?! I even have magnets in my craft bins....sigh

DIY Shrinky Dinks for Jewelry!

http://rustsunshine.blogspot.com/2012/04/shrinky-bracelet.html

The above link to the Rust & Sunshine website shows how #6 can be used instead of the shrinky dink plastic to make just about whatever you want! Just another reason why recycling rocks! There are step by step instructions in the article to walk you through the process, looks like they would make great stocking stuffers! Saving money and the planet at the same time....I love it when a plan comes together...

More than just Blankets

Ladders: they are for more than just blankets! 

I have up-cycled several ladders in my home to hold blankets. They look lovely and have great function as well as form. There is more than one way to skin the up-cycled cat however. Check out this awesome use of an old weather ladder. I can see thing in a den or even a kids room, hung close to the floor to allow them access. Make sure you use hardware appropriate to where you are hanging (drywall anchors if there are not studs, etc) to properly support the weight. Useful and unique, 2 of my favorite things!

Crazy Simple

Ok, Gypsy Fans, Today's Mind-Blow just makes me feel stupid....                         

Between my phone, my family's phones, their mp3 players, their gameboys, etc, I feel like I am always charging something, and the cords are everywhere and falling on the floor and getting in the way and catching on my desk chair...you get the idea. When I saw this photo I had a genuine "Why the heck did I not think of that?!" moment. Binder clips-I have a whole jar full of them! Simply clip the large ones to the edge of the table, counter, dresser, whatever and thread the charger cord through the arm. The cord hangs down nicely and out of the way when not in use.....my mind was officially blown :)

Skulking Pallets

I see you out there, skulking through the dark, cruising back lots at nights, scoping your prey, leaping from your truck and pouncing before a rival comes along......

I am of course referring to my fellow pallet lovers! I too have a strange compulsion to bring home stacks of weathered pallets and pile them willy nilly in my backyard. I have been known to make my husband stop and turn around to check out pallets by the side of the road, make special trips through the back road of local factories and yes, even hide a particularly lovely specimen from view until I can return with a larger vehicle.

What would make normal folks behave this way, you ask? Because a stack of free pallets can be turned into an almost infinite number of things! I have floor to ceiling bookshelves in my den constructed of pallet wood, I created and sell lovely birdhouses made out of free pallets and now my current obsession is using pallets to create storage. How great is this trunk made from pallets? I love it's aged look and rustic charm, You can paint it, stain it, whatever catches your fancy. And when I think of all the different things I can store inside boxes like these I go weak in the knees, so skulk on pallet lovers.....skulk on!

Garage Floor Mishaps

Today's Gypsy Mind Blow concerns the annoyance my wonderful husband expresses whenever I am paining a trash to treasure project in the garage or driveway and somehow my paint manages to escape the tarp I am using as a drop cloth. I suspect that evil forces are at work since I do try my best not to decorate the cement and asphalt with permanent collages of country colors.

When I stumbled upon this idea, my jaw hit the floor. Using a dollar store pop-up garment bag/closet thing is genius!!! I have seen these in my local discount store but considered them pretty useless and flimsy in regards to clothing storage, but using them a a spray booth is a great idea. Not to mention that it keeps small paint jobs up off the garage floor. And if your crafting space is not as expansive or you are not lucky enough to have a garage (hello my apartment and condo dwellers) this is a great way to use a well ventilated space without wrecking everything around you, I'm sure your husband will appreciate it as much as mine....

Salvation Army Treasure

For some reason the Salvation Army store in my town always has a huge pile of silver platters that no-ones seems to want. I see these platters, stacked up in a pile, tarnished and un-loved and feel sad, since they were obviously purchased for some special occasion or holiday, or given as a beautiful and thoughtful gift. I have never bought any in the past because, hey..who really using things like that?! In my house the platters come out maybe a couple times a year and I have no use for extras (except for the round ones that I use as lids to make crock stacks, but that is another post) That was until.......

Ta daa...... grab a couple of those lonely tarnished platters, paint the inside of the tray with our perpetual favorite: chalkboard paint, and you have an awesome addition to your wall, your kitchen or for your craft show booth, because when you combine pretty with useful and add a little patina, great things happen!

Daily Gypsy Mind Blow

Hello Gypsy Fans! I am starting up a little thing I like to call the Daily Gypsy Mind Blow. Basically I am going to be sharing ideas, tips and tricks that I have stumbled upon and have officially blown my mind. Because what fun is discovering that a solution or fact has been staring you in the face if you cannot then expose the ignorance of others? Always a fun time here on this blog...

Are you freakin' kidding me?! I have 2 kids, do you know how many of these cheap outfit and pant hangers I have thrown out over the years? Can't get over the many ways I will be using these clips in my house, not to mention just having a few on hand for when I need a clip and don't want to worry if it gets lost (camping) or never makes it back to the house (pot lucks) or for clipping kids outfits together or storing hat and mitten sets, or closing dog food bag when we are traveling or holding art projects or.........you get the idea

DIY Plaster Anything!

Stumbled onto this great tutorial on how to plaster coat anything, the possibilities are endless and I love the texture of the coating and that you can use it on anything, be creative! The product is call Plasti-Dip, which is a rubberizing paint normally used to coat tool handles and things.
Here is the link to the how to steps:


http://fellowcreatives.com/2010/09/16/plasti-dip/

Wait, you can make glitter?!

DIY glitter: Preheat the oven to 350. Place salt (table salt/sea salt) into a small bowl. Add drop of food coloring and mix with the salt. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet in one layer. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Let cool, then transfer into a storage container for use..................Mind Officially Blown

Great DIY Coffee Table

Here is a great DIY for those of us that would like a large scale coffee table but do not want to pay the large scale price: Wooden storage crates from your local craft/project store (these came from a Michaels but places like Hobby Lobby carry them as well) stain or paint depending on your taste and theme of your room. I would suggest choosing a darker stain and distressing them further than shown in this photo, but that's just me. When dry, set crates with bottoms facing each other and screw together with small wood screws or use L-brackers on the inside area of the box. Fill center with river stone, moss, vase or just about anything that you can think of (rotate out center for different holidays and seasons) and you have an amazing conversation piece that is not only great to look at, but offers storage as well!

Thanksgiving is Taken Care Of...

Our boy Ian with his 2012 Fall Turkey he got while out hunting this past Saturday with his Pa.

Odds N' Ends

If you are anything like me, you find things when you are out and about (I call it gypsy junkin') that you think are interesting or have an eye catching shape or that you just know would be useful in some way if your were a bit more imaginative. Behold: the answer for my empty jelly jar and metal hose clamp pile (yes I have a pile)! I will be making these not only for each bathroom in my house, but also in different colors to sell at this winter's shows. I plan on using pallet pieces (that I always have) and metal hooks from the dollar store....and I fully encourage you to do the same...

LED Cloud Lights- DYI

Here is a link to tutorial for DIY LED Cloud Lights! Must try this for my daughters room!

http://www.elementalled.com/academy/blog/diy/weekend-lediy-project-led-cloud-lanterns/

Must Remember......

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost,

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by frost....

No Pressure

The latest from Brick Knob Studios:

See that huge antique clamp sitting over there in the corner of that Re-Store table? It looks cool, and old, and interested...and it's marked $4.99. "This is so neat" you think to yourself, "but what would I do with it? Where would I put it?"
Well, if you were this gypsy, you would put it on the base of a pallet birdhouse, glue some moss from the dollar store to it, and bask in the glow of thinking outside the box.....or in this case I guess the birdhouse.....

Who's Afraid Of the Big Bad Chainsaw?

As I stand here looking at what was once my nice, neat front yard, I have cause to wonder if my family is crazy or if everyone else is. My husband and I have no super powers to speak of, no extraordinarily unusual gifts to boast about, and were not born with any additional skills (unless of course you count sarcasm).

So, when the decision was made that several large, dead tree limbs that were precariously perched above our home needed to be removed forthwith, all were in agreement. We have long, hard winters here in Northern Michigan and lake effect snow storms are the boogiemen that we chase each other off to bed with. Removing said limbs before they decided to make themselves comfortable in my upstairs den was a no-brainer. How to go about said task was another matter entirely......

Choice #1: Call up local tree removal/nursery company in our town, invited them to inspect the situation, schedule a time and date and fork over about $400 for them to remove the worst offenders.

Choice #2: Allow my husband to rent a 40 foot tall cherry-picker (still not sure what the technical name for this massive piece of equipment is) borrow some tools, which included a rather intimidating chainsaw on a stick, and take the offending limbs down ourselves for $100.

The question being-as the ultimate DIY'ers, where do we draw the line when it comes to taking on jobs ourselves instead of sending up a flare and screaming for the professionals? Now we are know people that can't seem to mow their own lawns or change a switch-plate without assistance, but I would suggest that even the most die-hard home improver would at least hesitate at the prospect of the four legged, many-switched, bright blue behemoth that squatted in my yard over the weekend. We had never used one before, and we did not invite over someone who has used one before. We simply went over the basics and safety measures with the rental company, hitched it up, and away we went.

Bottom line-success! No injuries to report & no damages to claim. The glow of a job well done has settled over the Lilly house, much to the delight of this gypsy. I was originally doubtful and probably put the most gregarious parrot to shame with my repeated pleas for caution, but the bottom line is still the bottom line, the only way to learn how to do these things is to do them. Who better than 2 able bodied grown men, both familiar with power tools and reasonable confident in their abilities to attempt the wrangling of a large project? I for one am proud of my amazing mate, who has once again shown me that he is the most capable man of my acquaintance, and I am a very lucky gal to have him....

Photootoothis, a daughter diagnosed

Photootoothis (photo-oh-tooth-is) n. 
       A startling condition that is most often observed in small children, usually between the ages of 4 (four) and 7 (seven). In order for Photootoothsis to occur, two criterion must be met:
        1. Said child must be missing at least 2 (two) or more juvenile deciduous (commonly referred to as baby teeth)
        2. Said child must be scheduled to participate in their educational institution's annual photographic recording event (commonly referred to as School Picture Day) the same week as the loss of the baby teeth occurs.
        There are no know cures for Photootoothis, experts strongly recommend cherishing photos as evidence of growing up and extreme cuteness.

Rustic Fall Flower Boxes

If you are anything like me, you are left with naked flower boxes by the time fall rolls around. Fall happens to be this Gypsy's favorite season, so I am always looking for new and interesting ways to decorate for this crisp and colorful time of year.
This year I decided to create my own rustic pumpkins to add color to the front of our home. My first stop was my husband's scrap wood pile where I picked out a pile of thin boards that I thought would make interesting pumpkins. I laid out my 3 "groups" on the ground so I could get a better idea of what would look best: a big square board in front of a tall skinny board, some boards vertical, some horizontal, etc. When I had all my pumpkin boards chosen, I gathered interesting thin scraps to use as stems, again choosing a variety of tall and thin and short and fat.
Making sure you remember which end is the "top" of the pumpkin from your previous layout decision time, use a chop saw (of a handsaw if you are not comfortable with power tools) to cut the top 2 corners off of your boards so they look less square and more "pumpkiny" (I sweet talked my hubby into doing this for me)
Next came the painting, I used orange, red and yellow paint and mixed up several different shades of pumpkin and squash colors, whatever struck my fancy, some very dark and some very light and all the rest somewhere in the middle. I suggest you paint each pumpkin in your groups a different color so they stand out better from each other. I did the same process with green for the stems, making some a darker green and some a lighter green. After lightly painting some faint lines on the pumpkins to suggest shadows from their seams, I screwed the stems onto the backs of the pumpkins with a screwgun and used a staple gun to attach some pieces of grapevine I had left over from another project. (A great way to stockpile cheap grapevine is to buy old Christmas wreathes at garage sales and re-sale shops, I buy them for about a quarter each by the bag full, cut the pieces holding the wreath together and am left with feet and feet of grapevine) and carted them all out to the flower boxes.

My husband screwed some small sticks of wood onto the backs of some of the smaller pumpkins for steaks so they would stand up better, you can do this if you do not have something for your pumpkins to lean against.
After putting the pumpkins into the flower boxes, I added some fake fall flowers and leaves that I picked up at our Goodwill for about $5 and bingo! Pretty fall flower boxes that are rustic, unique and lovely!

A Moment~

In Loving memory of the victims of Sept. 11th, God bless us all...

All Hail The Mighty Crock-Pot!

We will build it a shrine
We will  light candles and dance around it by the light of the full moon
We will sing songs and make it our own
We will name it Empress and serve it's will.....

All Hail The Might Crock-Pot!!


If you have not discovered the magic and life-changing power of the crock-pot you need to jump on in my friend. No other piece of kitchen equipment can provide easy awesome meals with so little effort. As the school year gets rolling and the days get shorter and practices and homework and meetings and everything else conspires to send us running towards the nearest drive-through, try a crock-pot meal instead. Keep a list of your favorite recipes on hand when you make your shopping list. Then in the a.m. you only need to throw a few things in the pot and ***taa daa*** you will have a family dinner ready when you get home. I have come to love and worship my crock pot and it's ability to help me feed my family without suffering mom guilt because all I have is mac and cheese because nothing is thawed. I highly recommend that you join me on the slow cooker side: here are a few links to get you started:


Weight watcher slow cooker recipes from eating well:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/cheap_recipes_for_a_crock_pot?slide=1#leaderboardad

Easy slow cooker recipes from ready set eat:

 http://www.readyseteat.com/recipes/easy-slow-cooker-recipes.do?gclid=CPyFmaTRrbICFYKK4Aod2xkA5Q

DIY Barn Door Track

http://www.babyrabies.com/2012/09/diy-barn-door-track-tutorail/


Here is the link for an awesome DIY for putting a Barn Door on a Track in your home! I have always wanted one of these! I see them all the time in decor magazines or high end homes online and have always though that it was something that could be done by the average DIY Gypsy. Well I have found some easy to follow steps on babyrabies.com and will have to decide which doorway in my home is getting a down-home shabby chic re-do....

Great Furniture Re-Hab Ideas!

A blog after my own heart! Southern Revivals, love, love, love re-doing furniture, make sure you check it out!
http://southernrevivals.blogspot.com

http://southernrevivals.blogspot.com

Country Themed Dollar Store Crafts

Here is a link to a site with some great Dollar Store Craft ideas, defiantly going to be trying some of these for the holiday season!

http://eyeballsbydaycraftsbynight.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/country-themed-dollar-store-crafts/