The World's Biggest Slip and Slide Tutorial!

***Warning! This week's tutorial will make you the COOLEST mom on the block. Be prepared for some Mama Jealousy from your neighbors.***



We interrupt the regularly scheduled tutorial promised for today (Mosaic Artwork is rescheduled for next Tuesday - Promise!) to bring you this exciting 65 Foot Slip and Slide Tutorial for two reasons:

1. My friend Kimba is having a party and I can't leave her hanging. Also, she has the perfect yard (and kids) for this particular idea. Per. Fect.

2.It's dang HOT out there and we all need a fun, inexpensive way to cool off AND keep our kids entertained. Am I right or am I right?

So, I'll cut the chatter and bring you....drum roll, please....

How To Make The World's Biggest Slip and Slide!

Supplies:



Heavy duty plastic sheeting - I found 8 x 400 ft for $35 at my local home improvement store.
Landscape anchor pins
Hammer
Garden hose
Baby soap (optional)

Unroll the plastic to the desired length, mine was 65 feet. I chose to run it downhill, but it is possible to do this in a flat yard.



Fold in half lengthwise to have an extra layer between the kids and the ground. I ended up with a slide 4 x 65 feet.

Anchor the top of the slide into the ground using the landscape pins. I folded the plastic over about 2 inches, poked the pins into the plastic, then pounded the pins into the ground with a hammer. The extra fold gave me 4 layers to drive the pins into, giving the plastic more strength and reduced the chance of ripping.


Anchor the sides every 6 feet or so if it is a windy day. Pound the pins all the way in so kids don't get hurt.

Wet the length of the slide with the hose. To make it extra slick, squirt some baby soap onto the slide!

You can leave the hose at the top of the slide for lubrication, or you can attach a sprinkler head like I did, so the kids slide through a nice, cooling shower on the way down.

Now, invite all your friends and slide down on your butt:



On your stomach:



On your knees:



On an inner tube (the baby soap/inner tube combo is SUPER FAST)!



Go in a line one right after the other! Scream! Hoot! Laugh like a loon!



If you have a nice, smooth lawn you can unfold it to the full 8 feet and race each other!



Come back tomorrow to link up your own tutorials for fun and prizes! Here's a button to get you started:



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For more outdoor DIY projects, click the button below to be directed to Kimba's DIY day!

My Kitchen Window - Paper Snowflake Decor Part II

We talked about how I change up my kitchen window,seasonally, when I shared my natural fall decor last month. Now, it's time to show off our winter change that is equally inexpensive but packs a colorful punch!

Who said snowflakes had to be white?

You can see my new Ikea bottles standing in until my Limoncello is ready. Spray paint some dead twigs white and use some colorful scrapbook papers to make fun and colorful snowflakes. Hang on the branches for a fun display!






We had a fun linky party last week, and I wanted to share a few of my faves.

Shelly, from Surviving Munchkinland showed us how to make the cool hand stamped washer necklaces I've seen everywhere!



Sam's Mom knows I have a soft spot for a cozy scarf, and taught us how to make this no-sew version:



And finally, Mama Thompson worked out a glass block nativity that just GLOWS!



My next linky party is scheduled for next Thursday, December 17th! My soul sisters and I have planned our Christmas party the day before and we've decided to give hand made Christmas ornaments as gifts to each other this year! Oh, I can't wait to show you we all come up with and I want to invite you to show us YOURS! So, link up next week with your own Christmas ornament ideas right here!

I like it. I like it a. lot.

A list of my current obsessions. Don't judge.

People of Walmart. Okay, this website combines the best of all things funny - Walmart freaks combined with funny captions. I usually end up snorting something out my nose when I'm browsing this site. And, to demonstrate, here is a photo of my favorite topic...kids on leashes.


caption: "Let’s, for argument sake, say that I will concede that it’s okay to have your kid on a leash (which it isn’t). Don’t you think it’s time to take the kid off the leash when he starts smoking cigars? Seriously, that kid is like 6′2″ and that monkey is cutting off his circulation! You can’t lose him if he is bringing the car around for you!
Washington"

Awkward Family Photos Honestly, I don't care what sort of mood I'm in, this website cracks. me. up.



Chewy Sweet Tarts Dude, I will eat these until my mouth is raw. Love them!



My new Swatch! Honey, this isn't the Swatch we all wore in school. She's silver, with green stones in the band. She's boho and bangley and so cool!




HBO's True Blood is my guilty pleasure. I watch it during the day when my kids are in school (God forbid they see this! It's bad!) usually while eating cake or ice cream or something unhealthy. I'm obsessed and couldn't wait to get back to this season. Think of it as Twilight for grown ups. These are the people I pictured while reading that book, not high school kids.



OPI Overexposed in South Beach. This color is rich and purpley (not a word) with a hint of iridescence. Looks great on toes!



This song Use Somebody by Kings of Leon gets in my head and I can sing it all day. It reminds me of my 80's rock with a great chorus and gravely voice.



DIY Tuesday at A Soft Place to Land. My whole week revolves around coming up with something fun to share and then from Tuesday-Saturday I click, click, click! It is so inspiring to see the transformations, great tips, and decorating ideas there. It rocks!



My secret love...Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus is just so fun! Yes, I know I'm about 20 years too old for this song, but it's just so fun and catchy. Come on, don't hate, just dance!



50 First Dates, Man I love this movie...



IZ!!! This song makes me tingle, cry, smile, dream...It's the greatest song ever. No. Ever.



My girls...




My Guys...



What are YOU lovin' these days?

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DIY Thursday : Laundry Room Overhaul

Over the years, my laundry room has served as my emergency catch-all. You know, someone suddenly drops by and you need a spot to shove things and shut the door. Unfortunately, it doesn't always get cleaned up as often as I'd like (or never, to be honest).

Since the munchkins are back in school and I had some free time and a creative itch, I decided to tackle this mess:



I pulled out all of the kids' craft supplies to relocate them in the basement since there isn't much time for crafts these days. Do you think I might have an issue with purchasing and/or holding onto craft supplies?



This is the nice, clean, boring laundry room after I finished cleaning



Amid the piles of construction paper, glue, feathers, and play doh, I came across a foam brush set similar to this. I think we all have bits and pieces of a set like this lying around.


Something popped into my head about Just a Girl's bathroom bubble-ish looking wall art so I pulled out the paint.

I decided I wanted one colorful, kid art friendly zone in my home where we can display some of the cooler projects they bring home from school.





I used rubber foot from a shelf to create an open bubble to mix with the solid bubbles for interest. I think you can find them in the aisle with PVC pipe at Lowe's. Try to choose a color theme, mine was blue, then sprinkle in other colors randomly like the red and purple and orange. Overlap some bubbles and make little bubble clusters. This really was fun and a quick coat of paint is all that's required when you get sick of it.

So, let's not take decorating so seriously all the time. Do you have a spot where you can just let loose and make it fun? The boys feel like they now have their own kid-friendly art gallery!



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DIY Thursday

Okay, I feel bad for leaving you high and dry on Tuesday with no tutorial for the week. I sucked you dry for ideas on my settee and the inspiration is flowing. Thank you all!

This week's DIY will be tutorial-ish to make up for it. (note: my spell check hates me.) See? Two for one!

Let me show you my Antiqued Living Room Wall...

Supplies:

Acrylic glaze
DecoArt Elegant Finish Metallic Gold Acrylic Paint
Paint brush
Rag
Stencil
Folk Art Metallic Pearl White Acrylic Paint

This was soooo easy, and I love the effect of aging on the walls. Oh, I hate the furniture in here, by the way.

Begin with a boring beige wall (you have one of those, right?)

Mix 1 part gold paint with 4 parts glaze.

Paint 2-3 foot sections of the wall with a cross-hatch stroke using the brush.

Dab the paint back OFF the wall in the same area using the rag.

Most directions for this type of finish tell you to work quickly with another person to keep a we edge, but I like the darker edges and color differentiation, so I took my time and did it alone.

Repeat over the entire wall surface. Let dry.

Measure your wall and work out a pattern for placing the stencil (I originally wanted a fleur de lis, but couldn't find it. This stencil cost me $1.00).

I used a laser level to keep each row straight.

Stencil the pattern over the antiqued wall using a rag dipped into the paint then dabbed off. (the rag should be almost dry)





Because of the metallic nature of the paint, the finish looks different in every light and at every angle (yet, not shiny) - it's soooo cool! The effect is kind of like old parchment.

Do you want to join in Kimba's DIY Linky party? Click the button below and head over to see some other great project ideas. You can also click on over to The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday!



Don't forget, next Tuesday will be your chance to join my Tutorial Tuesday Linky Party. Get something fun posted and link up here for us all to come visit!