DIY Renovation - What To Do Yourself vs. What To Hire Out

I've had a few questions about what we do ourselves vs. what we hire out, so I thought it might be helpful to go into that more in-depth today and talk about not just what we personally hire out, but also how we make those decisions (and I'll walk you through how to make those decisions for yourself as well). It's always a good to have an idea of what you really can (and want to) do yourself before you begin any kind of remodeling project!  I addressed this briefly in my post about installing the recessed lighting in our kitchen if you want to check that out as well.

When it comes to home renovation, you're not only deciding how much you want to pay, but also what you want to pay. Because doing things yourself involves a different kind of cost than paying a contractor. While DIY does save money, it costs time instead. Nathan once spent a whole Saturday installing flooring in our dining room with help from a friend and they only got about 75% done. So while we saved a lot of money over having it professionally installed, it cost him a couple days of time instead. See what I mean? 

So for every part of your renovation, you need to evaluate your unique needs and decide exactly what you're willing to pay. Find the balance that works for you, your home, and your family. Today I have several tips to help you think through these decisions and I put together a free printable workbook to help you as you work through that thought process! You can get it here:

DIY Renovation Planning Workbook

Printable Bookplate Stickers

Hey guys, I had an idea for the boys stockings that I'm super excited about and I wanted to go ahead and share it now in case you want to make a set for your kids as well! 

I was looking at the Read Aloud Revival gift guide for book-lovers and one of their ideas was bookplate stickers. I loved the idea of the boys being able to mark the books they get each year, but I did not love the ones linked in the gift guide. So, I headed to Etsy to see what else I could find. I came across some custom book stamps that looked amazing.... but $30 per stamp was over my stocking budget. I also looked at custom bookplate stickers that ran around $8-10 for a set of 12. They were cute, but it was still more than I wanted to pay, especially since the bigger boys already need more than 12 stickers. 

But then I suddenly realized... I can print my own stickers!

 

A set of 120 printable Avery labels was under $10. Now I'm looking at 30 labels per kid for under $2.50 each! Those are stocking-stuffer prices, folks. And I had a ton of fun designing a unique set for each of the boys that I think they will love. 

 

I made a PDF of each design that you can download below for free and print on your home printer (you'll just need these Avery labels). You can write in the names before you gift them, or leave that up to the kids (it would be so sweet to have their handwriting saved in their books). If you're feeling a little more tech-y, I also have a jpg version so you can upload it into a program like canva to type in the names before you print. Make sure your printer is set to print full-scale so the stickers will line up correctly. Click on the links below to download the printable sheet for each design:

SHIP PDF - SHIP JPG

ARROW PDF - ARROW JPG

CASTLE PDF - CASTLE JPG

BOOK PDF - BOOK JPG

SWORD PDF - SWORD JPG

LEAF PDF - LEAF JPG

Happy stuffing! (Ok, probably could have done a little better there. But it's almost Christmas, guys!)

 

What are you putting in stockings this year?

 

Sign Language Poster FREE PRINTABLE

I've always had a super hard time decorating my walls. The last couple years especially so, as I've worked to curb my tendency to over-buy home decor by waiting for something I really love that is a good fit for the space. But I also wait something that is affordable (thrift stores are my jam) and it often takes me quite a while to hit that sweet spot where beautiful meets affordable. Which, for me, sometimes results in empty walls for years at a time. I mean, we've lived here over five years and we still have several blank walls! BUT I was finally able to fill one empty space in our home library with this sweet sign language alphabet poster!

I spent ages trying to decide what I even wanted to hang in there - since it's our main homeschool space, I knew I wanted something that would be educational, but still beautiful. As I'm learning to better embrace my roll as the keeper of our home, I really want to create spaces that are beautiful, comfortable, and useful for my family! When I came across the idea of a sign language alphabet poster, I knew it could be just what I was looking for. 

Now I've seen sign language posters before, but none of them were, well, cute. In fact I found several free printable options on pinterest, but none of them had the cute factor I was looking for. And while I found a few beautiful posters with the more simple style I wanted, none of them fell into the budget I was looking for (the cheap-to-crazy-cheap range). So I decided to make my own! And I turned it into a printable so you can make one too!

Names of Jesus Advent Calendar - FREE Printable!

Guys, now's the perfect time to start planning Advent for your kids! December will be here before we know it! Our goal this year is to keep things super simple and low-key, but still spark meaningful conversations with our kids. So we're going with a Names of Jesus advent calendar. All we'll have to do is flip a card around each day to reveal a new name and a corresponding scripture verse to read. We can spend a few minutes discussing it with the kids, and then call it a night.

I made a free printable version you can download to make your own advent calendar that takes no prep work, almost no time commitment, and no special supplies. This Advent calendar is so easy you can literally print it out December 1st and get started right away, plus it will only take a few minutes a day to complete.

Christmas Budget Printable

Every year we set a Christmas budget.
Every year we go in with good intentions.
And every year we blow it. 

Our track record is pretty abysmal. But not this year. With Dave Ramsey in our back pocket, we've set a budget that's lower than ever. And we are fighting tooth and nail to stick to it. We've talked to family about switching to a secret Santa system so everyone can spend less. We're limiting ourselves to the "Four Gifts" for our own kids (something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read). And we are so excited to say goodbye to both excess spending and excess stuff.

So I made this handy budget printable to help me keep track of what we have, what we need, what we've spent, and how much is left. And I'm sharing it as a free download today so you guys can join us in kicking Christmas debt to the curb! I also have a few budgeting tips to share, plus a video to walk you through exactly how we use each sheet.

Download Christmas Budget Printable Here

Winter Bucket List 2019

Hey peeps! There's a chill in the air and I wanted to go ahead and get you this printable bucket list so you're ready to go whenever winter actually hits your area. Just print it out, hang it on the fridge, and make the most of this cozy holiday season! And let me know in the comments - what's your favorite winter tradition?

Click here to download the Winter Bucket List PDF

You can find the rest of my 2019 Holiday posts here, and check out my full holiday archive here!

Wifi Password Printable for Guests

We like our spare room best when it's full. Spare rooms. We have two. Because we love having visitors. And with large families out of state, we're trying to make our house as appealing as possible. Hint hint, family. We haven't done much in the guest rooms yet, but I'm hoping to make them as inviting and guest-friendly as possible. So when I saw this idea on pinterest, I jumped on it! It's a super simple idea that can be really helpful to guests as they settle in.

It's just a little frame to display the wi-fi password. So simple, but so helpful! And I made a printable version so you can print your own. You can download the pdf here in both 4x6 and 5x7 sizes. 

We went with the 4x6 (we already had an empty frame that size) and put it on the little dresser we use as a nightstand by the guest bed. It's easier for them to have it handy, and easier for us to not scramble to find it when someone asks.

So... at least we have that. Did I mention I don't know what I'm doing in here? I'm doing a trial run with some thrift store bedding. And I might paint the walls. Or maybe get a new headboard. And shiplap.

So let's hear it: tell us your best tips for a guest room! Favorite colors, design elements, helpful amenities, anything. What makes your stay at someone's house enjoyable?

Organizing the Boys' Room + Free Printable Toy Labels!

We have to make a choice. Keep the toys under control, or be overrun. We're doing our best to choose the former, and we've found two main weapons in this battle - limiting the number of toys we keep, and finding a way to organize/manage the ones we have. Most of the toys are stored in the boys' room, so that's where we've been targeting our organization tactics.

We want them to have plenty of space to play with the toys we have. Because toys do their job better when the boys have room to spread out and stretch their imaginations. Keeping fewer toys stored on the floor helps, and so does our Ikea bunk bed.

Next to the bed we keep our basket of board books (these are books the baby can pull out, too!) and a box of wooden blocks (also baby-friendly).

It Is Well {DIY Hymn Art}

I love a good, old hymn. They have a knack for bringing peace and reassurance, even to the roughest days. And I'll tell you, some days around here feel pretty rough. But those days tend to bring me back to one of my favorites.

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

As I'm unpacking the new house and staring at these blank walls, I've been thinking it would be nice to get a few of these favorite verses up there. And this seems like a good place to start.

Here's all you need to make your own:

• Wood - I used a piece about 12" long x 7" high
• Paint - I used acrylic for the black and leftover white house paint for the white. Whatevs.
• Printable Template - scroll down to the bottom and I have a few verses you can choose from!

Start by printing out your template of choice. Flip it over and use a pencil to color over the back of all the words.

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

We've almost finished our Christmas shopping and we were about to start wrapping the pile of presents stuffed in our closet when I realized... we didn't have any gift tags! Now, I've been known to do the old Sharpie on the Wrapping Paper technique, but we had such pretty paper this year that I really wanted some nice tags to go with it. Which left me three options: take three children to the store to buy some, send husband to pick some out on his own, or print some at home. I chose door #3.

There are several printables available on pinterest, but in my search for the perfect tags I was a little bit picky and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. So I decided to make my own printable tags!

You can print either a color version in a classic red & green scheme (my fave) or an all black version that looks great on brown craft paper.

Clipboard Calendar {free printable}

Last year it was the middle of February when I finally made my printable clipboard calendar. And I loved it. I loved that the simple style was pretty enough to hang in my kitchen. I loved the big spaces. I loved that it was on a clipboard so it was so easy to pull it down, mark a date, and put it back up. You guys, I can't go back to regular calendars.

But this year it was over halfway through March and I still hadn't found the time to make an updated one. In February I thought I would just move the numbers on this one rather than start over, and I didn't even find time for that! So I did the easiest thing I could think of. I deleted all the dates so I can just print a new one off every year and write them in. If you're photoshop savvy that may not be the faster option for you... but it definitely is for me!

And I made that into a free printable for you. Because a 2014 calendar is not super helpful anymore.

You can download the full calendar here. 

So if you are as far behind as I am, or really like to plan ahead for next year, you can print your own and fill it out with the correct dates for the year. Then just clip it on a clipboard with a loop at the top and you're good to go! As each month ends I like to just slip that page to the back of the stack. It makes it much easier the next year because I can flip through the pages and copy any important dates like birthdays.

Now my only goal for next year is to have it printed in January. And maybe change the main font. But let's not get carried away.

ZOO Pass {Free Printable}

Big Brother is officially a three year old. Can I get a "WHAT?!" This year for his birthday we decided to surprise him with a trip to the zoo. He's been talking about it ever since we went last summer, and since we're not too far away we decided to spring for the membership so we can go all summer long.

Husband came up with a great way to tell him about the trip... his own personal zoo pass! We wrapped them up with his presents and when we opened them we asked if he wanted to use it today. Thank goodness, he said yes. This guys is always looking out for Baby Brother so we made sure there was a zoo pass for him as well.

I originally planned to print them out at home and laminate them, but Husband found a website (here) that prints actual cards, like ID cards and such, and ordered some that way. It feels extra special since it's just like the real cards mommy & daddy have. He was also able to print text on the back and put info to help find us if he gets lost like "My mom's name is Georgia and her phone number is _______." Big kids can carry the cards in their pockets just in case they lose track of mom and dad.

Now for the fun part, I have several options made up if you guys want to print your own zoo passes! I have passes in three colors and you can choose a pass with 2014 on it, or a pass with no date. You know, in case you're reading this in 2052 or something. If you want to make your zoo pass at home, just click on whichever pass you like and save it to your computer. You can print the pass out, glue on a picture, write your child's name and laminate it. If you want to order a printed card (here) you can open the picture in a program like photoshop and add in a picture and name or use the website's software to put everything together. If you're more Photoshop savvy you can download my photoshop file to change any colors or fonts you like.

Kitchen Conversion Chart {free printable}

I'm always looking for new ways organize... everything. My home, my thoughts, my plans for dinner. I'm one of those people who need things written down in front of me if I'm going to remember. My phone has an alarm for every birthday, and I have at least 6 tabs open on my browser at all times. That last one drives my husband crazy. Speaking of Husband, I've lost count of how many times I've asked him how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon when I'm trying to double a recipe. FYI it's three. Clearly if I don't remember by now, it's time to make a cheat sheet. And I have the perfect spot! I found these adhesive cork boards at a yard sale last summer and put them up inside one of our kitchen cabinets. It's a great place to keep the recipe I need for dinner or new recipes I want to remember to try.

It's easy to access while I'm cooking so it's the perfect spot for my cheat sheet. I couldn't find a chart that had all the details I wanted to include so I made my own! All the measurements and hints I need in one handy chalkboard-style printable:

It has basic conversions for cups, to ounces, to tablespoon, to teaspoons, along with cooking temperatures for meat and a few other helpful goodies.

You can print a kitchen conversion chart here.

I like the fun chalkboard-look and it's been really helpful already!

What's your favorite trick for staying organized in the kitchen?

Printable Clipboard Calendar

So... yeah... we're already halfway through February. And I just took down last years calendar. Oops. I finally got tired of not having one so I made one up in photoshop and printed it out. It was super cheap and I didn't even have to leave the house! And guess what? I made a printable version for anyone else who's late to the party! Or anyone who wants a calendar with a nice, clean look.

And yes, I included January even though it's over. I always use last years calendar to transfer over important dates so I wanted to make sure I had a January page to mark them all down on.

I wanted to keep it simple but fun so I just used different pretty colors for the fonts each month.

31 Day Series Planner {free printable!}

Has anyone else done a month-long series before? I've jumped in on the Nester's link up in October the last couple years (2012 and 2011) and I'm hoping to make it again this year. But with a tiny baby around I know I'll need to do some serious planning to actually make it happen. So I made up this planning guide to help me organize my ideas, schedule, and post details.

And the best part is... I made it printable. So you can start planning too!

Download the Planning Guide Here

Choose a topic or title for your series, use the calendar to schedule a specific post or topic for each day of the month, and use the check box to mark when a post is totally ready to go so you know at a glance what still needs work.