Make a Car Race Track from a Water Noodle

I saw this on Family Fun, and also saw this post and this post on making a marble track from a water noodle. So with their inspiration, I figured out a way to make one for cars- and  it worked! (Since we have two boys crazy about cars, and a one year old who puts everything in his mouth-we had to make it for cars instead of marbles.) Here is what it looks like:

How to make a Car Race Track from a Water Noodle:

1.You need  a water noodle with a large hole in the middle.

I found mine in the dollar section at Target- they were 2 for 2.50.  I had a different water noodle at home with a small hole that would not work. Make sure you get a "cheaper" water noodle- as they tend to have larger holes. (check the dollar store)

2. Using a kitchen knife, I cut it right down the middle.

3. I used long skewers (used for shish-ka-bobs on the bbq- you can buy at the grocery store) and poked them right through the water noodle.  Here is a little trick: If you poke the skewer through and pull it out a little bit, you can widen the track a little for the cars.

4. You need something to hold it in place at the top and bottom. I found Styrofoam from a box that worked perfectly. You could use a cardboard box or Styrofoam. With Styrofoam, you can poke the skewers right through it and it stays in place. With cardboard, you might have to use packing tape.

I taped the Styrofoam to the floor at the bottom of the track with packing tape-so it would not slide around on the tile. If you don't have stairs, your could use a large box at the top of the track and attach it to the box like they did on Family Fun. (linked above).

5. We used fabric scraps to make the "start" and "finish" signs and used packing tape to hold them in place.

6. Here is another trick for making this work for cars:  use narrow cars- most no-name- dollar store type cars will work. We had some metal ones that were a bit smaller than the regular cars and they worked perfectly, as did some of the smaller Hot wheels or Matchbox cars. Some of them are too wide- but it depends on how big the hole is on your water noodle.

That is it! It provided hours of fun for our kids! It also cost next to nothing! We love it. I took it apart, and we'll put it up again and again this summer.  

Since the styrofoam we used had a hole in the middle, they put their rubber snake in it and said it was "snake pond" and they did not want their cars to land in snake pond! :)

Here is a little video to show you how this works. This is a great summer indoor activity- when it is just too hot to go outside.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Back in the day when I started this blog, I was posting Kid's Crafts and Activities just about every week. For the next month or two (during summer) I am going to try to post a fun kid's activity every Monday :)

Arizona Tour De Thrift in Summary

Last weekend, I attended the Arizona Tour De Thrift which was organized by two Arizona bloggers, Jax from   Aly and Ash and Ashley from  Cute as A Fox.

We met up at Mimi's Cafe for a yummy big breakfast, and we got to know each other a little bit. There were several ladies there- I wish I would have gotten a photo with..{dang}

Here are a few of the great ladies that came:

Pictured Above: Sara, Whitney from Arizona Sims, Kelly from Everyday Childhood,

Jessi from Shuggilippo

And Me on the end

I also got to meet Steph from Somewhat Simple.

here is a list of the other women in attendance- many who I got to finally meet in real life!

There were also tons of gals who don't have blogs- or just read and follow them. It was so fun to meet so many different people- who all like thrifting!

We got these amazing swag bags- full of fun stuff! Thank you to Behr paint, Krylon paint, Modge Podge, Gorilla Glue, etc. There were also door prizes!! I won a really cute washer necklace- {photo coming later and where you can purchase them- they are darling!} Then off we went to 3 Goodwill stores. Unlike where I live, these Goodwill stores offer 50% off EVERYTHING every other Saturday!

Searching for some good deals...

Ashley, Me, and Jax (who is an amazing photographer btw- and I'm going to have her do our family photos next time!)

This little table cost me $2.50! We all got a $5 Goodwill card, so I did use that for this. It is that plastic wood mixed with real wood, and I know it doesn't look too pretty...but... Check out these beauties... HERE or HERE. Can't wait to fix this one up too!

And look at the pretty top- that has a piece of glass to go over the top...

I can just see this next to my black and white damask chair...

I found these great frames- which I intend to spray paint....

And this huge mirror and wood frame- I have a great idea for- it too will be spray painted...and the mirror will probably go bye bye.

And one of the last things I got, were these cute star cupcake and cake pan which I already have used :)

Overall it was a great day! This was my first experience meeting bloggers in real life, and they were all very nice and very fun! Here is a link to all the posts from the other ladies in attendance.

Now to get busy with all the thrifty projects sitting in my garage....

Have a Great Weekend!

Feature Friday: with Making the World Cuter

Hi Everyone!

I'm Tiffany, you can call me Tiff.

I blog here at Making the World Cuter...

I live in an itty bitty small town in Oregon with my hubby hottie of a man, Chad...
...and these three beautiful, funny kids who make me happier than anything, with one more little fella coming this fall! Wow, lucky me!
I hope you'll come join me at Making the World Cuter;

Here's a little glimpse of what goes on, I am pretty consistent, but I will admit I take a break to snuggle my kids once in awhile and will miss a day. Or like right now while I'm on vacation visiting my mom in Portland and can't seem to get any time on a computer during the fun filled days.

• Monday-Making the World Cuter Mondays-a linky party for you to show off all the cute things you have made in the past week
• Tuesday-Toot Toot Tuesdays-Where I share a new, usually on the cheap, tutorial to make something crafty and fun.
• Wednesday-WooHoo Wednesdays-Sometimes we'll have giveaways, sometimes a yummy recipe, sometimes a bonus crafty something.
• Thursday-Three things Thursdays-Just a day to share three things that have been going on, or talking about my three "things" or whatever.
• Friday-Friendly Friday-Your looking at it! Swapping with the fun and cute blogs all over the place and having a blast making new friends! :)

I always have something going on over there, here are a couple little "tastes;"

This is a little easy project that is self explanatory (but I have the step by step tutorial), and would be great to make in patriotic colors for your upcoming Independence day celebration- fun felt napkin rings.Or how about whipping up some yummy S'more cupcakes this weekend and letting your kids (and you) get all sticky and gooey and completely happy?
Thanks so much Sharla for having me! Love your blog, your projects and everything you do to make the world so much dang cuter!

Make sure to check out Making the World Cuter- it is one of my favorites- love the title! And I love that Tiff has something fun going on just about everyday!
And if you would like to be featured, or do a swap, please email me at little gems crafts (no spaces) {at} g mail {dot} com.

Happy Weekend!!

The Boys Bunk bed Make-over

Remember this? I know it was just a few posts ago...well here it is in all its bunk bed glory:

(I have about 3 different sets of bedding for these beds- to give it a different look-and plus you need extra bedding with little boys :))

Here it is before:

AND NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THIS:

  The DETAILS: The color is Oxford Blue in Satin by Krylon. The orange fabric boxes are from Target- clearance- used to store toys. The bedding is Ikea duvet covers- without duvets in them- because it is just too hot right now- and the pillows I made a while ago. Later I'll show you the other bedding I have (one still has to be made.) And it case you are wondering -the paint on the walls is Richmond Bisque by Benjamin Moore- but I had it mixed at Home Depot w/ Behr paint- I love this color- it is a great tan color- and I love how it looks with the bright colors.

And here is a sneak peek of the other decor in the boys room (not done yet) :

I love a cute boys room! The problem with little boys, is that they trash it just about everyday. :) ugh. If only they could keep it looking like it was a room in a magazine. No such luck here. Well when I have it looking "magazine ready" I'll show you-- before they trash it yet again. Love you little boys!

Speaking of little boys- my littlest boy is one today! Better go get ready to party!

Thanks for reading!

Win, Lose, Blog...and Get Healthy

I am still here. It has been a very busy month. I have lots to share with you- including the Arizona Tour De Thrift- I attended last weekend- it was so much fun.

In case you haven't heard about Win, Lose, or Blog, I thought I would share it with you. :) A few of the gals in the craft blog world, are involved with this- and I think it is just a super fantastic idea. Check it out- there are lots of fun tips and ideas for everyone to get healthy and in better shape. And give a shout-out to the brave contestants who are sharing their journey with us.

And speaking of better shape, and losing some pounds, I just have to say that is exactly what has happened to me the past several weeks. MOVING is the best weight loss plan ever! We literally moved- to a new town and house-but just moving more- seriously- can help you lose the bulge and extra weight! I still have a ways to go, but in the past few weeks from moving more, and sitting less, I have lost more than 5 lbs. of pure lovely baby fat. And the boy turns one this week...so it is about time to shed  it all. :)

More to come- hope you are having a great summer!!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the great dads/grandpas out there!

If you look closely at this photo you can see a little foot. Daddy was holding the baby  on the other side in this photo.

this photo was taken in early 2009- a day at the zoo

"My daddy is my favorite pal,

And he helps me everyday.

It's plain to see,

I want to be like Him in everyway.

He teaches me that honesty is best in all I do.

I'm very glad that He's my dad;

And I know He loves me too!"

Feature Friday: Steph from Somewhat Simple-Fabric Flower Tutorial

It has been a busy few weeks for me! And it isn't over yet! BUT I have a great post for you....one of my favorite bloggers is here- Steph at Somewhat Simple- she is amazing- make sure to check out her blog{s}!


Happy Friday Everyone!!!

 I am excited to be guest posting Sharla's site today. Please excuse me while I make myself comfy...

My name is Stephanie and my little corner of the universe is called SomewhatSimple

The tutorial I decided to share with you is officially my favorite thing to make right now because its super easy and very cute!!!

I found quite a few tutorials online, each of them similar but different. Here is my perfected, yet simplified version: 

Materials Needed:

Scissors, needle & thread, glue gun, button, headband, 1 piece of rectanglular fabric (approx. 1/2 inch by 1 inch) and 6 fabric circles- 2 large and 4 smaller.

*You can use any size circles you want, just make sure you have 2 of the same size for the larger circles and 4 of the same size that are smaller than the large ones. You can use all the same fabric, but for this I am using denim for the large circles and a cute print for the smaller ones.

Ok, here is a video I made to show you how to assemble your flower- its easy easy easy!

(For those of you who know me in real life, please tell me my voice isn't that annoying!!!)

Once you stitch your petals and your button in the center, you get to decide what to do with this pretty little flower. I decided to make some headbands. Here is one more video of me showing you the easiest way I found to attach your flower to a plastic headband.



You can find headbands super cheap at WalMart (4 for $1) and also the dollar store. No need to spend a ton!

And that's it! So easy and super cute!

(doesn't really match my 3 year old's purple Jonas Brothers PJs, but thats ok!)

Here are some more that I made:

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

I would love to have you come visit me at somewhat simple and see what else I've been up to! Every day is different and each day is something fun! If you come right now, you can still add your link to our Strut Your Stuff Link Party that I host everything Thursday. Consider yourself personally invited!

Sharla, thanks for having me as your guest today!
Have a great weekend everyone!

 I love these "hair flowers" and have even made a few for myself {being that I have all boys}. Thanks Steph!
Steph has some great blogs- so make sure to stop by and check her out!

If you have a crafty blog, I would love to feature you. Please contact me at little gems crafts {at gmail dot com.}

Spray-painting a Bunkbed {or becoming a DIY crazy person}

I think I have gone crazy. Seriously, who spray paints a bunk bed?
raise your hand (leave a comment) if you have done this so we can be crazy DIY friends...☻ ☻ ☻

Please excuse my prolonged blogging absence. We are still in the middle of a move and it has also been crazy! And while we are trying to move, we decided it would be the perfect time to re-do the boys bed. {crazy}

We bought this bunk bed a year ago off of Craig's List. We thought it was a good deal, until we discovered the same bed...at Walmart.....for almost the same price but brand new of course. Dang it! That is the only time I have not found a good deal on Craig's List.

I so wanted a blue bunk bed like this one here that I could never afford.

And I {for years} have had this vision of a Pottery Barn boy's bedroom.

{that I have planned to recreate for a fraction of the cost ...someday}

It is finally someday. ☻

So after buying spray paint and returning it for another color and doing that again, we finally decided on Oxford Blue, Satin finish. We began our biggest-- spray- paint- crazy- person- project- ever. Although I did this in an open garage, with a fan, and with a mask-which I could only stand to wear for so long-  I still got SICK. I mean sick. Because, guess how many cans of spray paint it takes to do a bunk bed?

It takes about TEN cans to do a bunk bed. I am getting dizzy just thinking about it.

I hope it was worth it.

Too late now.

The bed is done.

When the room is all put together....and I can't wait... I'll show you my thrifty boy's room:)

And I think we are done with spray paint for a while- although this morning my husband spray painted some of our old ceiling fans. :)

It is such a quick and easy fix- darn stinky spray paint.

Thanks for reading!

The Red Desk Is Done!

It is finally finished!

This desk took us quite a while to refinish- mostly due to not having any free time! My husband did a large part of the work-sanding, priming, and we both did the painting. He bought this for me last summer for $35. The date on it was sometime in the 1960's.  Here is what it looked like:

BEFORE

It sat in our garge for months before we even started working on it. My husband....well he is a genuis..pretty much. :)  The drawers did not slide in and out really well, so he got some flat thumb tacks, and attached them so that now the drawers slide in and out very smoothly. He had to purchase a few screws for re-attaching the top, since the old ones were really worn out, and we purchased the new hardware. Total amount spend: $35 for the desk, plus about $20 primer and paint, and about $20 for the hardware- total about $75-80.

Picking red paint can be difficult... You don't want to get a color that is not too orange or too pink when what you really want is a true red. We used Glidden (because it was on sale at the time) Red Delicious in semi-gloss-because I did want a shiny red desk. This red is a true red. 

For the inside of the drawers, I picked up this cute wrapping paper from Target for a dollar, a while ago, and it was perfect for lining the drawers. I just taped it for now, in case I want to change it later. :)

Here it is dressed up with flower pens, and a fun runner....Since we are moving in a few days, this isn't going to be its home. I just had to enjoy it inside the house, since it was sitting in the garage for about a year.

Can't wait to fill up the drawers and put it to good use!

Thanks for reading! Happy Weekend.