Weekend DIY {Pipe Shelf}

So many people have been asking about the pipe shelves that Andy and I made for our family room. I thought I would give you some quick instructions to help you create it in your own space. This project was fairly simple and required a weekend to complete! 

Here’s what you’ll need: (makes one shelf)
 – 3/4″  flange (x 10 – 8 for wall; 2 for ceiling)
 – 3/4″ x 10″ pipe (x 8)
 – 3/4″ x 18″ pipe (x 2)
 – 3/4″ 3-way tee (x 6)
 – 3/4″ x 10″ pipe (x 6)
 – 3/4″  90-degree elbow (x 2)
-Wall anchors and screws (we used wood molly/screw combination)
-Wooden planks – 4′ x 10″ (x4)

PREP:– Wipe pipes to remove any residue or excess oil/grease (if you purchase the piping from an online store, like we did, they will have grease on them. I used baking soda/water and a rag to get most of the residue off and it worked well.)
– Cut shelves according to wanted size (4′ x 10″ in this illustration); stain if desired. (we used a ebony colored stain from Lowes)


Step 1
Use a 3/4″ 3-way tee to connect your 3/4″ x 10″ pipe and attach 3/4″ x 10″ “horizontal” pipe. Attach 3/4″ flange to open end of “horizontal” pipe.

Step 2
For the bottom shelf, attach “vertical” pipe to 3/4″ 90-degree elbow. Attach “horizontal” pipe and flange.

Step 3
Attach top “vertical” pipe – 3/4″ x 18″ – to the top of 3/4″ 3-way tee and screw flange to open end of pipe. Note: Make sure you are attaching the piping to a stud.

Step 4
Hold assembled unit against the wall and flush with the ceiling. Use a balance to ensure it is straight and mark the walls to screw anchors. After inserting anchors, align unit and screw in place.

Step 5
As we were using 4′ x 10″ wooden planks, we placed the 2 assembled units 3′ apart to allow the shelves to overlap by approximately 6″ on either side.

Step 6
Place wooden plank shelves in unit and that’s it! You may have to adjust dimensions depending on the placement of your studs. 

I am so happy with the way it turned out! My hubby is one amazing craftsman!

DIY Inspiration|Dictionary Paper Wreath

I know that it has taken me awhile to post my fun fall project that I promised a few weeks ago... well, wait no longer. Here it is...

I had so much fun creating this new piece of art. With a little help from Pinterest and my sister, I was on my way. I got my inspiration here, and then created my own twist.

Instead of folding the pages like it showed in the inspiration tutorial, I simply cut the page in half and rounded the corners. Like this.

Next, I scrunched the paper from the middle.

After you have your paper cut and scrunched, you can start hot glueing the paper to the foam wreath. Glue it one layer at a time and then when you have completed all the rows of paper, you can go back and fill in where you still see the foam insert.

It was a simple, fun project and didn't take very long to create! Plus, I love reusing things that one would normally throw out... it worked perfect! If you have it on hand and have a use for it, why not?

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On another note. The flooding across our state has been catastrophic. We are safe and have had no issues but the water sure has piled up in the low lying areas. Here are a few pictures we took Saturday evening.

Continue to pray for everyone affected. Want to help the victims? Click here.

Room revamp. Pinterest style.

As Levi starts to accumulate more toys and is getting less and less content sitting and playing in one spot, we knew we had to come up with a better plan of how to use as much space is our little home as possible. So... with a little time on Pinterest, we had an idea. The plan was to make this.

We wanted it to be more like a desk so Andy and I could have our own workspaces and we could still 

have enough room for Levi's toys. After a few trips to the hardware store and tweaks to the dimensions and plans of the actual desk, we finished it! (We still need to get the decorative hardware for the top, but the woodwork is completed)

            For the original plans... you can find them here.

To build our version of the desk, you will need these materials: (the dimensions of our desk were: 66in long x 33in tall x 28in wide)

 - 8  2x4's at 8ft long
 - 4  2x2's at 6ft long
 - 3  2x8's at 6ft long
 - wood glue
 - wood screws
 - decorative hardware (L brackets for sides of table and old style nails for top)

instead of putting the bottom and middle boards across, we left them out so we could put chairs underneath it and create more or a desk. We followed most of the original plans and just omitted those steps. For extra support, we also put a 2x4 across the top 2 sides, so it wouldn't sway.

we still need to finish arranging the wall decor and putting on some final touches, but I am pleased with how it turned out. Looking forward to no more drawing straws for who gets to use the desk when!

Burp Cloth Tutorial

I have had so much fun experimenting and playing with my new sewing machine. There are so many fun things that you can create. With so many friends having little ones in a few months, burp cloths are a must. Here is a simple tutorial to get you started. Remember, you can change dimensions, fabrics and thread... that's the great part about doing it yourself!

to make:
   1 yard of fabric
   1 terrycloth bath towel
   thread
   sewing machine
   pins
   fabric scissors

Start off by laying out and cutting your fabric. You can make your dimensions anything you want. I made mine a little bigger for more coverage! (22inch x 15inch). Next pin your fabric and terrycloth together right side facing inward.

Sew along 3 of the side of the pinned fabric and terry cloth. 

Turn right side out and sew the final side together. (You can also do a top stitch along all sides of the cloth to make it a more uniform look all the way through)

Congratulations! You're done. Now all you have to do it wrap it up in a cute little package. New parents will LOVE this gift... they can never have enough burp cloths!

Mother's Day Gifts Revealed.

I have been so excited to share this post with you! Now that I have a bit more time on my hand... that is when our little one is fast asleep, I have gotten my hands dirty and created fun gifts for our amazing moms.

These gifts are both so simple and fun to create. Here are the instructions to create your own masterpieces! 
happy crafting.


antiqued tablet holder

what you need.
  paddle wood cutting board
  Scrabble piece holder
  building block 
  wood stain
  sand paper

to make.
  use wood glue to secure Scrabble piece to the front bottom portion of the board. then secure the building block to the back of the board for it to stand up. once the glue has dried (normally takes about 24 hrs) paint the board the color of your choice. i used white to give it more of an antique look. after the paint has dried, use sandpaper to take the paint off the edges of the board. last, simply stain the piece (i used a old towel to wipe off the access stain and mold the color together).

fabric recipe towels

i never realized how much i could fall in love with a website... but i have. introducing Spoonflower. it is an awesome site that lets you create your own fabric, wallpaper and gift paper. awesome right? after i saw the idea, i knew that i had to try and recreate them. and... the great thing about them too is that when the towels wear out, i can just order new ones. 

what you need.
  4 of your favorite handwritten recipes
  a computer
  fabric scissors
  sewing machine
  iron

to make.
  start by photographing your recipes. after editing the photos how you want them, create a picture collage of them. add a grid spacing in between each image so that you have a convenient cutting line, and by making the grid lines a color, it's an eye-catching feature for the back, hemmed edge of the finished dish towels. (didn't do this for the ones that I just made... but will for sure for next time!) set the collage dimentions to 54" x 36" or 5120 pixel width x 3414 pixel length at 150 dpi. this will give you exactly one yard of fabric. sew them by simply cutting along the grid lines and turning back the hem.

* all ideas taken from  my Pinterest board.

belly pics

Everyone has been asking to see belly pictures... so we finally broke down and took some! My parents and Jess were gracious enough to come over and shoot a few. Here are some of our favorites! Thanks Mom, Dad and Jess! They turned out great! 

 Most of my photo ideas came from Pinterest. Love the inspiration!

mom blog kick!

i know... i know... i am completely on a mom blog kick. but can you blame me? Here is another great blog that I found off of... you guessed it, Pinterest. I love the vintage distressed look that she brings to all of her projects and crafts. Need an idea for dinner, or a craft to do? take a look at this great site.

http://thewinthropchronicles.blogspot.com/ 

natural beauty

So, I normally don't post things like this... but I saw these great natural beauty treatments (yes, on my favorite social site Pinterest) and had to share. Some of the scrubs look so fun to try. Here are some of the ones that caught my eye. Take a look!

Hopefully I will be able to find time to try them out and report back! Stay tuned for reviews and results...

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Banana Honey Mask

Mash one banana with 1 or 2 teaspoons of honey, then apply the mixture to your face to rejuvinate skin. Leave the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse well with warm water and a washcloth. The honey in the mask will help fight acne, and the antioxidants in bananas refresh skin.

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Homemade Sugar Scrub

Equal parts brown sugar and white sugar (ends up being about 1/4 cup each for a 6 oz. jar)

Fill to the top with olive oil (cover the sugars and then maybe an extra 1/2 inch). Add about 1-2 Tbs of vanilla extract for some yummy flavor.                      

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Ginger and Coconut Facial and Body Scrub

1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon ginger, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cold-pressed oil (tea seed, grape seed, sunflower, or almond oil)
3/4 cup granulated or turbinado sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1-4 drops essential oil (I used lemongrass)

In a small saucepan over low heat heat the coconut oil and ginger pieces. Continue heating for 5-10 minutes until ginger scent and juice has transferred into the oil. Remove from heat and press through a fine mesh sieve or through a coffee filter.

While the oil is still warm, mix together with cold-pressed oil. Stir to combine and allow to come to room temperature. Stir in sugar and salt. Scent with essential oils as desired. Pack into a container.

To Use: Massage into damp skin and allow to sit 2-4 minutes. Using a washcloth covered in warm water, steam over face or stand in a steamy shower for a minute. Using the wet washcloth, wipe excess from skin. Rinse and repeat until oil is washed away.


Makes approximately 8 ounces sugar body scrub.

Copyright © Food for My Family.
all photos taken from pinterest.com

complete my first Pinterest project... check!

it all started.. when Andy and I were looking around at Lowe's for a few things that we needed for the house. Without really considering of doing a project this weekend, i asked one of the salesman if they ever gave away wood pallets.... after looking at me very strangely, he took me to the back of the warehouse and let me pick out the one I wanted. i found a perfect one lots of character! at that point,  i guess i had to think about doing a weekend project! haha.

since we brought our little Honda to the store, we knew we couldn't fit it in the car.... so my amazing mama came with the truck and brought it to us.

they are calling for snow tomorrow, so i thought that we better start and finish this little project today. Thanks to my wonderful hubby's help, we put it together in a few hours and now my new shelves are hanging in the hall! here are a few pictures of the process and finished products.

the best thing about this little project was it was really easy to put together and completely FREE! love that.

for this shelf, i did not put another board on the front. instead, i used hooks and put them on the pieces of wood that already existed on the original pallet. (andy's idea i might add)

these were the original designs of the Pinterest pallets. I loved being able to showcase some of our favorite pictures as well as a few antique stamp collector books from Andy's Poppop. I also put a antique music book that my Grandpa used when he played his Saxophone, in New York City, on one of the shelves.

I love being able to display as well as protect these special items and I am so happy with how everything turned out! (and i still can't get over that this didn't cost me a thing!... except some good quality time with my hubby.)

living life in 20.12

I know that this new years resolution post is about seven days late, but for good reason. I am not good at coming up with resolutions, not to mention keeping them, so I've just never bought into it. Instead, I think of how I want to make a difference for others and better myself not because I made a resolution, but because it is something that I feel passionate about and want to see it through...

Some may call it a resolution, I call it living life.

This coming year, I am going to make it a priority to cook more healthy meals. I have been researching easy but quality meals that are healthy... it is amazing all you can find, when you just take 5 minutes to do so. I want to use my crock-pot more often too... (if anyone has any good healthy crockpot meals you want to share, send them over!)
Here is a yummy crock pot meal that i found on Pintrest.

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup Recipe

I can't wait to tackle some diy projects that I have been wanting to try (also courtesy of Pintrest). Here are a few pictures of what I hope to accomplish in 2012!

                                                        

Happy 2012! Looking forward to what God has planned this year.