Farmhouse Style Twin Bed, or as we call it "Big Girl Bed"

A 3 year old girl needs a Big Girl Bed! At least that's what we figured. 

Not just a toddler bed, which was her crib modified so that it had 3 sides instead of the 4.

I love the look of a rustic farm house style bed, so that's what we made for her.

Safety first! Here we get geared up to begin building...

We looked at Ana White's plans for a twin farmhouse bed this picture is straight from that link:

I usually love her stuff, and I do love this bed in a queen or king size, but in this twin size I didn't like how chunky the frame looks. I think the legs are too thick and the topper on the headboard and foot board is too big. I thought these plans needed a few modifications to be perfect for our little (now BIG) girl. You'll see...

First make all the cuts, pretty much just follow her plans, but for the legs use 2x4 not the thicker 4x4 and omit the 2x6 top of head and foot boards. 

Oh, and having a great assistant / husband makes things so much easier! 

So then build as she says. We just followed the steps on Ana's website.

 It comes together really quickly and is actually pretty easy to do. 

Then choose how you want to finish it. Stain, paint, chalk paint, or whatever. 

This is the stain I chose, bought it at Lowes. 

Two light coats of this stain gave me the aged rustic look I wanted. 

Then bring it inside a surprise the Birthday Girl with it!

Happy Third Birthday Miss R!

~Jess

Custom Magnets

Want magnets to match your home or kitchen decor? 

Trust me, they look way better than those free ones you have from your realtor or local pizza delivery or whatever. Make these super easy ones for yourself or a friend. A simple custom handmade gift. 

I wish took more pictures, sorry, but this is so easy you won't need a lot of instruction from me. 

Get some of those glass blobs from Micheal's or the dollar store. They are round on top and flat on the bottom, you usually see them in a bag or net for a couple bucks. I think they are actually called glass beads for vase filler. They come in lots of colours and are used in floral arrangements and stuff. "Stuff" being these custom magnets!

Then get some basic magnets, small discs work best. These are also found at Micheal's or a dollar store. 

Finally, gather up a magazine of interest or some of your favorite scrapbooking papers. 

Here I have a recent PotteryBarn catalogue, flipping through it I saw this picture and really like the colour combos:

Here's another picture I like, cute colours, eh?

So simple stuff here...

Cut out a circle of the paper you like, then use modge podge or glue to attach it to the flat side of the glass blob.

When the paper and glue is completely dry, go ahead a glue the magnet on. 

I told you, simple simple! And super cute for your home!

A few of them together is a nice little collection for your fridge, or for your friend!

~Jess