Thrifty Project Challenge: Mirror Frame Upcycle

About 2-3 times per month I find myself at the local thrift store, perusing the aisles for a thrifty project. A while back I found this old mirror frame - snagged it for a whopping $3.50.

The old mirror frame was MDF and the black backing was the standard backing board that helps keep the mirror in place. It was really big - 4 feet tall by 2 1/2 feet wide.

I had a few ideas that I bounced around with on Pinterest - would it be a command center, a calendar, a menu board, an epic picture frame? I finally decided on a menu board. I cook all of our meals at home but almost daily I find myself at a loss for what to cook tonight. Planning ahead for the week keeps me on task and I've been able to reduce our grocery store visits to about once a week; sometimes only once every two weeks!

I hadn't played around with chalk paint before so after giving this dusty old frame a good wipe down I gave it a layer of Walmart brand Chalk paint in Parisian Gray. I know, Annie Sloan is the typical favorite when it comes to chalk paint but I decided that I was up for the challenge of keeping this a low budget project and seeing how the less expensive stuff turns out.

My local Wal-Mart carries an inexpensive chalk paint so I picked up a bottle of Parisian Gray and clear wax to seal it. I gave the frame a couple lights coats of the gray, allowed it to dry (chalk paint dries very quickly) and I decided on a whim to give it a quick brushing of standard black latex paint that I had laying around from a previous project. I focused on antiquing the edges and design on the top and I quickly wiped most of the excess black paint off. This gave the frame a really aged stonelike look. Because of the incredibly low investment that I had in the mirror frame I decided to use what I had on hand, albeit unconventional for chalk paint projects. I was actually really pleased with the outcome!

To create the chalk board I used Valspar chalk board paint, which I purchased at Lowe's. They have it available in spray paint or liquid paint form and I chose the liquid paint because I can think of a few more projects that I could use it for. This took about 6 layers to create a thick, smooth layer that is perfect for writing with chalk.

For a super thrifty find and about $20 in paint supplies - I don't think it turned out half bad!

Thankful for YOU! / Smiling Tree Toys Giveaway

This post was originally part of the Thankful for our Followers Giveaway Hop

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2 years ago, I began the journey of taking my blog to the next level. When I started this blog in February of 2012, my goal was to keep an online journal / baby book for Penny. After a few months of writing about topics that were important to me, I saw my stats and numbers increasing!  As an attachment and natural parent, I found that my parenting style was supported and influenced by bloggers sharing their experiences and I wanted to be a part of that. There were so many occasions where I doubted my gut and instincts because what I was doing wasn't always the way my friends and family did. I never got harsh judgement, mind you, but I would get such relief when I'd find a blog post, written by another blogger, talking about and justifying some of the choices I was making.  This experience drove me to also become a source for moms in their journey.

One of the first businesses that I worked with was Smiling Tree Toys! I approached Kathleen because I loved the esthetic of wooden toys and their approach to providing all natural, safe products for families. We worked together on my first review and giveaway - Penny's first Christmas ornament! It was only fitting to work together again on Ruby's first Christmas ornament too.

I'm happy to see that even after two years, the quality and craftsmanship with Smiling Tree Toys remains the same, even though the popularity of the business grows! The ornaments (as well as any of the other wooden products in their shop) are created from sustainably harvested American Maple trees and finished with their homegrown Camelina oil and beeswax. These ornaments will be heirloom pieces for my girls; that will be hung on Christmas trees for many decades past my time and enjoyed by future generations of my family. And I think that's root of Smiling Trees Toys goal too - to create products that will be enjoyed for years and years while being respectful to our Earth and honoring the gifts it gives.

Smiling Tree Toys is expanding their product line this season - in addition to ornaments, rattles, balancing toys, wooden blocks, wooden musical instruments(and so much more!), they are launching Smiling Tree Home. Keep an eye on their facebook for more teasers and information!

Keep up with Smiling Tree Toys 

Facebook// Instagram // Pinterest // Twitter// Google+

And don't forget all the ways you can be social with
The Pierogie Mama!

Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Pinterest // Bloglovin'

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review, no other compensation was provided.

Window Covering Safety Month with Blinds.com

Last month I shared the progress of our sister room. I got a lot of fun feedback on some ideas for the closet space so that's been in the works! Meanwhile, I've also been working with Blinds.com to upgrade the current blinds in Penny's room to something that meets child safety standards. 

Child-proofing the Sister Room goes beyond being selective about toys and securing furniture properly. A common forgotten element is window coverings. Most rooms, especially bedrooms, have window sills that are at least 37" from the floor, but in this case this window had been replaced by the previous owners in preference for a larger one. The sill for this window is only 18" from the floor. We put in a window lock and then we started to think about reducing other risks.

When selecting child safe window coverings, here are a few points to consider:

1.       Make the switch to cordless blinds or shades. Check window coverings for exposed cords that could pose a strangulation hazard to infants and young children. Replace corded window coverings with today’s cordless safer products. Draperies, shutters and cordless cellular and roller shades are a few preferred cordless options. Shop Blinds.com’s Safer For Kids Collection to find the perfect replacement. 

2.       If you cannot install newer products, ensure that all window cords are out of sight and reach, and that they are inaccessible to young children. Order a free window cord retrofit kit from www.windowcoverings.org.

3.       Prevent Access to Cords. Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window cords, preferably to another wall. These items could act as unintentional “step stools” that allow a child to reach a window or cord. 

4.       Continuous-loop pull cords on draperies and vertical blinds should be pulled tight and anchored to the floor or wall with a tension device.

5.       Be sure cord stops are properly installed and adjusted to limit movement on inner cords on blinds and shades.
All recommendations provided by Blinds.com via The Window Covering Safety Council.

Blinds.com makes choosing child safe window coverings easy because they have a blind-finder tool where you can narrow down exactly what you need, including specifications such as being child safe. But sometimes you just gotta talk to a human being, you know? So for all of the window coverings in my house, I've talked with Josh from Blinds.com (email // facebook). After a few emails back and forth with my list of requirements for the room, he sent out samples of what he thought I might like (a Blinds.com complimentary service!!) and I was able to see with my own eyes what I felt would work in the room best.

My list to Josh included:

• child safe - I want to be comfortable with my toddler playing independently in her room for a few minutes while I fix a quick snack or am nursing Ruby down.
• black out - we still use blackout curtains, but with two kids I need to capitalize on full naps and long nights!
• withstand humidity - we heat our house with a pellet stove, which dries out the air something terrible. Last winter I ran humidifiers in the bedrooms, which of course can lead to standing condensation and possible bacteria build up. I wash the windows and curtains often to help prevent any nasties, but the window covering also needed to be either washable or I can wipe it down.
• last, but not least - it's got to be cute!

Shortly after, the samples came in the mail and I was able to narrow them down to three choices. I posted them onto Facebook to see what you all thought!

And you all confirmed what I felt down deep in my gut - the  Laura Ashley Roller Shades in Chesil Print Amethyst & Cream were the best for the room!

I love the roller shades because they're completely cordless. The print is fun, but also something that both of the girls can grow into. It was less than 20 minutes between removing our Bali 2" Fauxwood blinds (which I love and are on all of our other windows) to installing and using the new roller shades. Installation is a SNAP! The quality is also awesome.

Here are some pictures showing their blackout ability. These are completely unedited for exposure so you can see how they would look in real life. I'm really impressed with how well they can darken a room. If this were a guest room I would leave them as is, but because I want the room to be completely dark and non-distracting for night & nap time, I will continue to use the curtains to block out the little bit of light that comes in around the sides.

These roller shades have met each of the requirements that I gave to Josh at the beginning of my research - they are child safe, black out very well, I can wipe them down to clean them and of course the print is very cute! Penny absolutely loved them as soon as Adam installed them. She wants it down all the time!

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Disclosure: Thank you Blinds.com for helping me pick out and providing the safest shades for Penny's room! All opinions are my own, though I wouldn't be sharing about this awesome company if I didn't love them already! Keep an eye out for another post showing the other Blinds.com window coverings that we have in our home.