Fixin' the TOMS

My ginger girl, Kylie has a great love for TOMS.
But typical of most TOMS, she's worn her toes right through the edges.

Somehow she doesn't wear holes in the tops like the majority I've seen.

She's gotta make it a bit harder and wear them out right at the sole.

When it came time to repair them, I searched Pinterest for the best way to do it.

I ended up using a few different techniques.
One or two I came up with on my own, the others I borrowed from some pretty smart ladies!

The first tutorial was by Leah at Leah Miren blog, the second was by Cheri Heaton at I Love to Create Blog. 

Leah's blog talked about using an iron-on twill patch to reinforce the toe.

Great idea!

I had to take it a bit further though since the side of her shoe was completely torn out.

I started by placing a piece of the twill patch on the inside of the shoe and ironing it on.

This pulled the gaping hole together and gave the patch on the outside something to adhere to.

The pic above is what it looked like at this stage.

Once they were fully patched, it was time to make them look pretty.

My daughter picked out a fun book page fabric from Joann's, and then we were off to buy adhesive sheets from Michael's. {the only place I could find them!}

Check out the I Love to Create Blog to get all the details on the amazing adhesive sheets I used. 
I applied them exactly like she did.

To prepare the fabric, I went back to Leah's blog and sewed the top edge using her instructions.

Once the fabric was adhered, I used my fabric scissors and cut as close as possible to the sole.
After making a clean edge, I finished with a line of Fray Check to prevent it from raveling.

TaDa!!

Fixed TOMS... yeah!!!

It's awesome that as these get dirty, it'll look like the book pages are aging.

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

The ginger girl complained a bit that they felt kind of tight after being patched.

My thoughts... "your toes are no longer hanging out kid, of course they're tighter!" 

She insisted they were tighter than when they were new.

I insisted that they were canvas, thus STRETCHY!

After wearing them for a day, she admitted they were loosening up.

 As per usual, I was right. :)  {love it when that happens}

Oh!!
I almost forgot to tell you.
I started a facebook page last week. 
If you'd like to join me over there for more fun in between posts, I'd love to have you! {you wouldn't wanna miss me posting things like "my hands now smell like stinky feet!" would you?}
You can click on the link HERE to go to my FB page, or click on the facebook icon at the top of the page.

Thanks for hangin' out with me today!!

I'm linking up to some amazing blogs! Check them out HERE or just click on the Link Parties tab at the top of the page.

Baby Name Blocks ~ Elliot

It's time I shared more of my wood blocks with you guys.
I made these for a little man named Elliot.
His Mommy is friends with my Mommy.
Did that make sense?

Well my Mom picked out these cutie patootie papers for the blocks, and they were so much fun!

Frogs and Elephants.
               Turtles and Alligators.
                                    Fish and Birds.
                                              Snails and Pea-pods. 

Adorable!

It also had a fun little section for babies stats.
Personalization and babies... L.O.V.E.

If you're interested in this paper, it can be found at Michael's HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today.
I hope you all know how much I appreciate every one of you.
I'm so blessed that you let me share a part of your day!

To view all Block posts, click HERE.

I'm linking up to some amazing blogs! Check them out HERE or just click on the Link Parties tab at the top of the page.

Oh, I've been wanting one of these!

There's a little house that's sits just off an intersection about a mile from my house.
Several times a week, I sit at that intersection and just stare at their yard.
There's nothing overly special about this particular yard, except that for the past several months it's been covered in wood.
Wood that's for sale.
And not just any wood.

Tree stumps!

And I've been sooooo wanting a tree stump!

Some of you will understand that.

Some of you will think I'm nuts. {it's possible you could be right}

Well this past weekend, after months of lurking and wishing I knew their prices, I finally just stopped and asked.

"$10 for the little ones, and $20 for the big ones." was all I needed to hear.

My immediate response... "I'll take 2!"

I bought two of the "small" stumps for a grand total of $20. {the "large" stumps were HUGE!!}

Tree stump end tables are selling at West Elm for $200!

Needless to say, I'm happy with my purchase price.

This stump measures 24" tall and is 15" in diameter. 

The other was a bit taller {we cut it down to about 20"} and 13" in diameter.

I plan to use this one just as it is, right here on my deck.

The other one is also sitting on the deck {making sure we're bug free} but will eventually make its way to my bedroom and get an added finish. 

I'll show you when it's done, promise.

Oh, and speaking of my deck.

We've done several fun little projects out there this summer which I plan to show you soon.

It's not what I'd call "finished" yet, but it sure is starting to feel cozy!

I'm linking up to some amazing blogs! Check them out HERE or just click on the Link Parties tab at the top of the page.

Painted Lawn Stars

I told you yesterday that I'd show you how I made my lawn stars.

The entire thing took about 30 minutes from beginning to end.

A piece of old cardboard with a star cut out, some construction marking spray paint and lots of family on the front lawn.

We made the star outlines by painting around the star that was cut out of our cardboard stencil.

It was fun, it was fast and it was very patriotic!

Oh, and here's a Pinteresty pic if you're so inclined...

Update: This is now my most viewed post and it's garnered many questions. I'd like to go ahead and answer the three most asked questions here. 
First... This paint is specifically made for using on grass and it will NOT kill the grass. I can personally attest to that fact.
Second... The paint is construction marking paint, it's intended to be sprayed upside down, and can be found at any home improvement store. 
Third... It dries very quickly and is permanent. It only comes off as the grass grows out and you mow it off.

Happy painting!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought I might also address the fact that I've been a teensy bit absent from my blog for oh, the past month and a half.
The last time we talked, I told you I was starting a second job back at the hospital.

Well life happened as life so often does, and things got a bit crazy here in the month of June.

As of this week, I'm no longer working in the office and am full-time back at the hospital.
I'm really excited about this change, and since I'll be working 12 hour shifts at night, I hope to have tons more time at home to spend with my family!
There might also be a tad more time to work on some crafty/decor things... I'm crossing my fingers!

Basically, I just wanna say I'm thrilled to be back with you at my little blog, and hope you'll join me for some fun in the future!!

Happy 4th of July... with painted lawn stars!

Happy 4th of July!!

I hope you all have tons of fun with family and friends today with no unplanned trips to the Emergency Room!!!

(I'll post about our lawn stars tomorrow :)