Category Archives: DIY

Under The Sea Valentines – Free Printable Cards

Under The Sea Valentines FREE Printable CardsIs your child totally into sea creatures?  They will love sharing these printable Under the sea valentines  with their friends! 

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and it is time to get to work on our cards!! This year, I had promised myself that I’d just BUY cards. I wasn’t going to make our own. Well…as you can see here, that didn’t happen.

Avery goes to school at a local aquarium, and we thought it would be fun to hand out ocean themed valentines! Well, we looked, and looked, and looked. The shelves were stocked with cats and dogs, baby animals, even bugs, but not a single fish or whale or shark to be found. So, I got to work!!

While shopping, I found some Sea Life toys on super clearance, and grabbed them to include in little goody bags! Then went home and got to work. I designed some simple but cute cards to go with the toys and then put the goody bags together!

You need:
-Under The Sea Valentines (You will find the links to print your own at the end of this post)
-Sea Creature toys (You can find these at toy stores, some dollar stores, or other big box stores)
-Clear treat bags
-String
-Hole punch of scissors
-Any additional treats you’d like to include

Whale and Shark DIY ValentinesI don’t think I need to give you a detailed tutorial on how to fill treat bags…but…Put everything in the treat bags, cut or punch a hole in the stop of the card, loop your string through, and tie the bag closed. Ta-Da!!!DIY What Valentines Whale ValentineIt took less than half an hour to put these together for Avery’s class of 15, and I’m feeling pretty good being ahead of the game (I’m usually working on this stuff the night before!!)Free Printable valentinesWant to print your own??  Click the links below!FishValentinesWhale – Shark – Dolphin – Fish – Download & Print here!

FishValentines2Octopus – Crab – Starfish – Turtle -Download & Print here!

MiniSeaLifeValentinesMini Cards – Download & Print here!

So what do you think?  What kind of Valentines will your kiddos be handing out?

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Dip – Easy Cookie Platter

This Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Dip & Easy Cookie Platter shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyItalianMoment #CollectiveBiasChocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Dip

It’s officially The Holidays! I’m one of those people who refuses to start her Christmas *stuff* until after Thanksgiving. But, once the turkey and stuffing are gone, I am ready for candy canes and tinsel and Santa and magic elves and Christmas cookies!  (Not the music, though. I still don’t like Christmas music)

What I love most about this season are the many opportunities to get together with friends and family.  Some of those gatherings are planned well in advance, and others are spur of the moment.  Even in those spur of the moment times, I like to have a nice snack or treat to share with friends.  Something quick and easy to put together with items I have in the house (or can quickly grab at the store) that doesn’t require much prep or planning is essential!

During the holidays I always keep some “fancy” cookies on hand. We love Mulino Bianco cookies, which we purchase at Shaw’s. Mulino Bianco at Shaws

They are Italy’s #1 cookie brand and come in a variety of flavors (Dave loves the Baiocchi and Pan Di Stelle. The Cuoricini and Galletti are my favorites!) We enjoy them with coffee (or milk for Avery!) and they are perfect for holiday cookie platters!

Mulino Bianco

The first step for the perfect cookie tray, is finding the perfect cookies! Since I don’t always have time to bake, I use Mulino Bianco to impress my guests! (They’ve been baking cookies since 1877, so I think they know what they are doing!)

Next I create a special dip for the cookies (and fruit!) One of our favorites is Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Dip! With just 4 simple ingredients this recipe is as easy as it is delicious!
simple chocolate dip ingredients

Ingredients:

-4 packets hot cocoa powder

-8 oz cream cheese

-1 8 oz tub of whipped cream

-1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves
whip it Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and blend well using an electric mixer.

That’s it. You’re done. It is that easy!!

Whipped Chocolate dip
Now to make that cookie platter…

cookie platter

Since I didn’t have a holiday tray, I used our wooden cutting board, and lined it with wax paper.

First, lay out your cookies in any sort of pattern or design you’d like. How to make a cookie tray

Next, fill in the spaces with some fresh fruit! The strawberries are also delicious with the dip!
cookies and fruit

Share with your family and friends, and enjoy! Mulino Bianco Italian cookiesMulino Bianco cookies make a great gift! Teachers, mail carriers, neighbors, friends and family…everyone loves cookies, right? You can even save $0.75 off any ONE (1) Mulino Bianco item when  you use the coupon found HERE

cookie platter for partiesWhat are your tips for last minute holiday gatherings?  Any quick recipes or planning tips? Share them in the comments below!

How to make chocolate dip for cookies

Easy dessert tray

raspberry dip

dip for cookies

Cookie dip

Batocchi
Chocolate Rasberry dip for cookies and fruit

Black & White Halloween Movie Party

This Black & White Halloween Movie Party shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and the Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone. #FrightAndDelight #CollectiveBias

This Black & White Halloween Movie Party is sure to fright and delight your guests! Enjoy simple party snacks while watching your favorite classic Halloween films!

Black & White Halloween Movie Party

Sing it with me… It’s the most wonderful time of the year…. That’s right! It’s Halloween! You guys know how much I LOVE this time of year! We’ve got our yard decorated with our growing “family” of skeletons, we have our costumes ready to go, and we’ve made fun plans for trick-or-treating, and we had a fun Halloween party when my cousin came to town! Yeah, this is OUR season!

Let’s talk about that Halloween party, shall we?  It was a lot of fun, while still being simple and laid back.Halloween Designs Fanta

I was inspired by the Fanta Halloween packaging, featuring Noma Bar designs inspired by Universal’s new Mummy and their other classic monster characters.  I loved the black and white designs so much, I thought it would be fun to create a Black & White Halloween Movie Party!  The orange Fanta was the perfect pop of color in our spooky tablescape!

IMG_9196When I saw the Fanta’s Halloween packaging at Shaw’s I knew it would be perfect for our little get together! The designs are really cool! I love the classic Halloween film characters!

Fanta at Shaws I grabbed a 2-liter bottle to use in a punch recipe and a 12-pack of cans for party guests to enjoy. Fanta OrangeFanta’s irresistible fruity flavor and fun, bold colors bring scary movie night to life (and put mom in the director’s chair of creating a moment her family will love).

The punch was the centerpiece of the food table. All of the food was black and white, so the orange of the Fanta really popped!

Fanta and punch This punch recipe is super simple and only calls for 3 main ingredients (+2 if you’re adding eye balls!)

-1 2L bottle of Fanta Orange

-1 bottle (approximately 2 quarts) of Pineapple Mango juice (or other tropical pineapple juice)

-3 cups any flavor sherbet (I used Lime-Orange-Lemon)

Pour the Fanta and juice into a large punch bowl, and stir. Add the “eyeballs” if desired, and  then add in your sherbet! Done!

Fanta Halloween PunchIMG_9196

spooky punchNow, about those eyeballs…

There are a few ways you can make them. The easiest is to use lychee, and pop a blueberry in the middle. I didn’t have lychee, but I did have apples (because it’s fall in New England and we’re all up to our eyeballs in apples *pun intended* haha)  I used a melon baller to carve out little balls of apple. Then with a knife, I carved a smaller hole in the middle, and pressed the blueberries in.  If you don’t have apples  or lychee, you could also use melon or pears. apple eyeballs

I also made a yummy Black & White popcorn mix! pop secret popcornFor this I used:

-1 bag Pop Secret microwave popcorn

– 1 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies

– 1 bag black candy coated chocolates

–  marshmallow sauce ( 4 heaping tablespoons marshmallow cream and 3 tablespoons water. Combine in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until smooth)

Black and White Popcorn MixPop popcorn according to package directions and pour into a large bowl. Pour the marshmallow sauce on top and mix well.  Add crushed cookies and candies and mix again. halloween tablescapeI set up our food and drink on the buffet which sits just below the TV. It was the perfect spot. Our guests wouldn’t miss a minute of the movie if they got up to grab more snacks!

I had picked up some white and black gauze material to use at the table cloth. Small black and white skulls, pumpkins and trees made up the rest of the decor. black and white party decor

I had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for black and white snacks! I grabbed a bag of blue corn tortilla chips and paired those with queso blanco, served in a spider web bowl! black and white theme

black and white chips and dipI also made some cookies and cream marshmallow pops and white chocolate covered cookies.

black and white desserts

The punch, snacks, and sweet treats were a hit! Avery was thrilled that we let her stay up and hang out with the “big girls”
watching movies

What do you think of our Black & White Halloween Movie Party?  What is YOUR favorite Halloween film?

 

Black & White Halloween Movie Party Black and White Halloween Movie Party Easy Party Plan

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Lemonade Stand Party & 3 Simple Lemonade Recipes

This Lemonade Stand Party shop/post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #SummerRefreshment #Peapod  #CollectiveBiasLemonade Stand Party sweetlilyou FB

“Get your dead leafs! Dead Leafs! Free Leafs! Come and get ’em! Get your dead leafs here!!”

We were outside working on the front yard. Dave and I were weeding and planting flowers.  Avery was trying to sell dead leaves to our neighbors and becoming increasingly upset when nobody stopped for their free “leafs”

“What about a Lemonade stand?” I asked.  “I guess, maybe, but I don’t understand why nobody wants these leafs!” Avery said, sadly.

So, we got to work planning a Lemonade stand, which turned into a whole party with different flavors of lemonade and snacks and decor!

First we had to get the supplies.  I had so much running around to do between summer camp, work, picking up decor and supplies, that I wasn’t sure when I’d have the time to get to the market. Fortunately, a couple weeks ago, my friend Kate told me about how she uses Peapod  and how it has changed her life.

I decided to give it a try, and I was really blown away! It’s so easy, and convenient!

You just sign up on the website, and start shopping! Shop with peapodOne of my favorite features is the Express Shop feature! You just type your list of  ingredients for a specific recipe, meal plan, etc.   into the notepad; click Start Shopping and the products matching your first item will be displayed!  There is also the Order Genius feature which will auto-fill your cart with the items you buy most frequently and even recall shopping history from Stop & Shop and Giant loyalty reward cards! It’s easy, and very cool.  You receive the same discounts as you would by shopping in-store, and you can even double your manufacturer coupons (up to $.99!)peapod checkoutOnce you’re done shopping, you choose either store pick-up or home delivery! Since I knew I’d be short on time, I tried the delivery option. I was abe to select the day and time window that would work best for me!  Our delivery arrived, and while the driver offered to bring everything in to our house, Dave and I met him at the truck and carried the bags in.

I should also note that when you sign up you receive $20 off your first order (over $75) and FREE delivery for the first 60 days! Peapod is a simple and effortless shopping experience that meets all your weekly grocery needs! It is perfect for busy moms–because we all know that it can be pure torture going grocery shopping with a gaggle of exhausted or hyper kids!

Fuze Tea Minute Maid LemonadeThe key items for our party were Minute Maid® Lemonade and FUZE® tea 12 packs–our go-to summer refreshments!  I also ordered fresh veggies, pita chips, and pre-made appetizers to help make this party very easy to put together.

snacks

Avery was excited to help with the decor, so I let her help make the sign. I purchased large white letter stickers, which she colored in pink and yellow, and then stuck on to the banner! lemonade standWe hung it up along our fence with a few pretty pink and yellow fans.

Lemonade party snacks

We set out the food, drinks, and paper products (in pink and yellow, of course!) And I even picked some lilies from our garden! It was perfect timing for the pink and white Star Gazers to bloom! decor

The table was set with pink gingham and yellow polka dot fabric and a strip of wide burlap ribbon to give it a rustic country feel. lemons gratitudeI found this cute lemon sign for 90% off and thought it would be perfect for this theme!  Lemonade stand party

I set out three different flavors of lemonade for guests to choose from (or try all three!) and used little chalkboard signs to label each one. The flavors were all perfect for kids and adults!lemonde bar

We had a Cranberry Limeade Spritzer, Mint Lemon Tea, and Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade! Delicious and summery!lemonades

The glasses could be garnished with fresh fruit or mint, making simple drinks appear fancy and fun! Mint Lemon Tea

pouring a glass of tea  Cranberry Limeade Spritzer  sarah  Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade

This party was so easy to put together. The color scheme was fun and would work well for a summer picnic or a birthday party for kids or adults! flowersThe little details really make all the difference. The flowers, signage, pitcher filled with lemons… All were simple and inexpensive but gave the party a little something extra!

Want to make our lemonade stand party drinks at home?  Here are the recipes:

Cranberry Limeade Spritzer Ingredients for Cranberry Limeade

Ingredients:

2 cans Minute Maid® Lemonade

1 Cup cranberry juice

2 Cups Soda water

1 lime

In a large pitcher combine lemonade, cranberry juice, and soda water.  Squeeze lime juice into pitcher. Stir. Serve over ice. Squeeze the lime

Mint Lemon Iced Teahalf and half

Ingredients:

2 Cans FUZE® tea

2 Cans Minute Maid® Lemonade

Fresh Mint (about 10 leaves) fresh mint

Add mint leaves to pitcher. Using a muddler, if you have one (if you don’t a rolling pin handle or potato masher will work) gently press the mint until the aroma is strong. Pour in the tea and lemonade and mix well.  Serve over ice.

Strawberry Kiwi LemonadeIngredients for strawberry kiwi lemonade

Ingredients:

3 Cans Minute Maid® Lemonade

1/2 cup sliced strawberries

2 kiwi sliced

Blend the strawberries and kiwi

In a blender combine strawberries, kiwi, and 1 cup of lemonade and blend until smooth. Pour the remaining lemonade into a pitcher. You can add the pureed strawberries and kiwi directly into the lemonade or strain out some of the seeds if you prefer. Mix well.  Serve over ice.

 

Did you have a lemonade stand as a kid? What is your favorite lemonade recipe?

Ultimate Lemonade Stand Party and Recipes sweetlilyouLemonade Stand Party & 3 Simple Lemonade Recipes

Easy DIY Dog Bed

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PurinaPetPack #CollectiveBias easy diy dog bed

Easy DIY Dpg Bed FacebookOur dog, Daisy, is a saint.  She puts up with so much from Avery it’s incredible. From having hats put on her, to being dressed in princess dresses, to having random items piled on top of her… 19598450_10154760296941452_1558837711585519215_nShe doesn’t react, she doesn’t growl, she just sits there and lets it happen.  She’s such a good girl.

All Daisy wants in life is a comfy place to sleep. The only problem is…she’s a blanket thief! Avery is NOT cool with this. When she  catches Daisy with her blankets or pillows or stuffed animals, she loses her cool. So I had to do something to make both of them happy.

Since Daisy seems to love fleece blankets the most, I decided to make her her own fleece blanket dog bed! I used an old pillow for the cushion, and added snaps along one edge for easy removal for washing!

This Easy DIY Dog Bed took me about 1 hour to complete, and that included the time I spent learning how to  attach snaps!

For your Easy DIY Dog Bed, you will need:

  • 1-2 yards of Fleece
    • This depends on how large your pillow is. I bought two yards of fleece (1 yard of each pattern) and used a standard pillow, and only ended up using half of the fleece.
  • Fabric scissors
  • pillow
  • heavy duty snaps and a snap setter
    Make a dog pillow Supplies

Step 1. Lay out your fleece with the backs facing each other/inside. Lay your pillow on top to measure out how much fabric you’ll need, and make sure you have enough  (I left about 4 1/2 inches on all sides) Make sure both pieces match up evenly, and trim any uneven sides.

Step 2. Cut out a square at each corner. Make these squares the same length you want your fringe to be. This will prevent the corners from getting bound up.

Step 3. Cut your fringe/strips along 3 sides (Leave one side for the snaps) Easy DIY Fleece Blanket Pillow

Step 4. Once all your fringe is cut, you can begin making knots. Grab each section and tie with a simple knot. Continue around the blanket until complete.Adding snaps to a blanket

Step 5. Now it’s gets extra fun! On the side where you’ll be adding the snaps (you could also use velcro or other closure) Fold the edge over so it forms a double layer, and a nice hem.  Make sure both layers are nice and even.

Step 6. Measure and mark where you’ll place the snaps (top and bottom)

Step 7. Attach the snaps as per your snap setter’s instructions. Stuff the pillow inside the blanket

Step 8. Stuff the pillow inside the case, and snap it up! It’s ready for your dog to use!

Easy Dog Pillow Dog Bed DIYLook at that face!!! I think she likes it!

And because it’s easy to wash, I don’t mind letting her use it outside!

Daisy loves her new dog bed

The only thing Daisy likes more than her snuggly new dog bed, is food.

She’s getting a bit older (she’s 8ish) and her vet recently put her on a diet (What I thought was a tumor, turned out to just be love handles! haha) and we’ve been trying to find a different food for her as she seems bored with her usual brand and flavor.  I found Purina® Pro Plan® Savor Adult Shredded Blend Chicken & Rice and thought it would be perfect for her.

Since we are all so busy this summer, and I hate lugging giant bags of dog food out of the store, into my car, out of the car, into the house, etc. I decided to order it on Amazon! Ordering from Amazon gives us more time to play in the yard and cuddle, rather than leaving Daisy home alone, while we are out shopping!

Order pet food with the Amazon app

It’s super easy to order using the amazon app! I just search for what I need, select the size and flavor, and add it to my cart!Order on Amazon appAnd, if that isn’t easy enough, Amazon has a subscription option call Subscribe & Save where you can sign up for a subscription service  for many of your favorite products! You won’t have to worry about running out!

Amazon Subscribe and SaveOrdering from Amazon.com and using Subscribe & Save gives your more time to do the thing you love–less paying, more playing!

Purina Amazon Not only will you Save $5 off your first purchase using Subscribe & Save but you will Save 5% when you subscribe for one product and up to 15% when you subscribe for five products!!  All that, plus the convenience of a subscription service? Wow! What a great deal!

Dog Food Delivery from Amazon

Daisy was thrilled to learn that those packages that were delivered were for her (Well, one for her and one for our cat, India, who received a case of Purina® Pro Plan® Wet Cat Food, Focus, Adult Urinary Tract Health.)Purina cat foodSo what do you think?  Don’t you love the convenience of ordering your pet’s food from Amazon.com?  Have you tried Subscribe & Save? Check it out, so you can spend less time shopping, and more time with your pets!

Purina Pro Plan Savor

For all the details on Subscribe & Save, and to find your pet’s favorites from Purina, check out the Purina Pet Pack page on Amazon by clicking HERE!

Easy DIY Dog Bed

Easy DIY Dog Bed Fleece Blanket Dog Pilloweasy diy dog bedEasy DIY Dog Bed Purina Pro Plan

DIY Backyard Shed Makeover

This shed makeover shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoofedItMyself #CollectiveBiasFB

In 1959, a little ranch house was built. At the time, it was probably a very nice house, with just the right amount of room for the little family that moved in.  Two bedrooms, one pink and blue tiled bathroom. Under 850 square feet.  The family built an adorable little house in the backyard for their daughter.  It was white with black trim just like the main house. It even had the same black and white striped aluminum awnings over the windows. It had a little mail box, and the house number nailed to the door frame. The perfect place for a little girl to play!

In 2008 a twenty-something named Dave bought the house. It was still tiny (even for a single guy) it still had those aluminum awnings, it still had the pink and blue tile, and it still had that little playhouse–no longer adorable, and no longer used as a playhouse–in the back yard.  Dave had big plans for the house. Fresh paint, tearing down the awnings, and the overgrown rhododendrons became his first mission. Then interior work began. But that playhouse, now a shed, took a back seat.

In 2011 Dave married the incredibly beautiful, absolutely brilliant, and just generally amazing Sarah (Hey! That’s me!) and Sarah was forced to listen, summer after summer, about Dave’s plans for the shed. Every year he told her he was going to fix the roof, add a new door, paint it, add new siding, build a little porch, add an addition, etc, etc, etc. Yet, nothing was ever done.

FINALLY in 2017, things changed. 2017 became The Year of the Great Shed Makeover!

So here we are. We’ve FINALLY remodeled the shed!

What started as a project to “just fix the roof” turned into a much larger thing, and we now have a MUCH nicer shed, with a roof that doesn’t leak, windows that open, and a door that isn’t broken!

So, let’s take a look at where we started, shall we?Our Shed was built in 1959 as a playhouse

OH! Oh my. That’s bad. I’m actually a bit embarrassed to even show you guys. It looks like something from a horror movie. You know, where the not-so-bright college kids are running from the killer and they say “Oh! I see a random shed in the middle of this forest! Maybe there is a phone in there and we can call for help!” and they bust through the door to find meat hooks hanging from the ceiling, and items made from human skin, then they all scream and turn to run, but OH, surprise! The killer is there in the doorway!  Yeah, that’s what I’ve had in my backyard for nearly ten years. That’s where our lawnmower has been living!!

Anyway….

It’s clear that this old shed really needed a makeover. After almost 60 years, she deserves it, and we were not all that confident that it would survive another winter, or another hurricane!

60 year old roof

So Dave got to work. Remember, we were originally planning to JUST do the roof for now. Maybe a new coat of paint. And then do some more work next summer. Well, it didn’t go as planned…

While taking our measurements for supplies, we realized more work would need to be done. Like, now.

measure the roof

It turns out that whoever built this shed in 1959 didn’t really know a whole lot about building sheds. And while they did a good enough job, I mean, the shed IS still standing all these years later, there was a LOT of water damage, and rot, and mouse nests (Mice nests? Meese nests?) and bumble bees…

After we got all our measurements, we ordered our GAF roofing supplies from Lowe’s and had them shipped to the store! About a week later, they arrived and we headed to Lowe’s to pick up everything we needed to complete this job!

GAF Timberline Roof Shingles at Lowes
For the roof we used:

Once home, we got right to work on the demo…

We took down the siding and started the shed makeoverOnce the demo was complete, Dave framed a new roof and added new windows.Stages of roof repairHe also popped up the new siding, and started some of the trim work. And check out some of the interesting “artifacts” we discovered while dismantling the old shed! This we found during our shed makeoverOnce Dave had the new roof built, we were able to start the shingles!!  First we laid down the FeltBuster® . .GAF Felt BusterThe FeltBuster®  rolled out easily onto the roof, and was easy to secure in place with plastic capped roofing nails.  Once that was done, it was shingle time!! GAF Timberline Natural Shadow Shingles The Timberline® Natural Shadow® Shingles   look great and they are really durable, which explains why they are the best selling shingle in North America!  And while GAF is customarily thought of as a professional product used by contractors, the average DIYer can feel confident using them, too!

new shingles on the roofLaying out the shingles was actually the easiest part of this entire shed makeover! The roof was small enough that we could compete it with just a hammer and nails. No special roofing nail-gun is needed!  Each sheet of shingles lined up perfectly with the next, and the excess was easy to cut with a utility knife.Applying the ridge cap Almost done

rawr

Once the regular shingles were complete, Dave applied the TimberTex® Premium Ridge Cap Shingles to finish the roof!

Roof Ridge Cap

Next we added trim, and Dave made a new door. That’s right! He MADE this gorgeous barn door!! Shed makeover ready for paint shed with door Then it was time for paint!

Completed Shed MakeoverOMG!  LOOK AT IT!!!  LOOK!!!!   Isn’t it incredible?  What a change!

And look at the pretty new roof!! pretty new roofOur old shed, has new life!! Our Backyard Shed Makeover is complete!!!

Before and After of the Shed Makeover

Well, almost… We still have a bit more work we’d like to do. Little “extras” like flower boxes, a new light, some landscaping in the front (I’m going to transplant those lillies) a ramp from the side door for the lawnmower, will really complete this job. (And I’ll show you those updates in a future post!!) But for now, we’re so very happy that we no longer have that old eyesore in the backyard, and that we aren’t inconstant fear of the shed collapsing, or the things inside being damaged by the weather!

This project was a much larger scope than we’d planned, but the roof was still the priority. We were really happy to see that we could do the roof ourselves, with quality products from GAF!

Do you have any big summer roofing products planned? A shed makeover, perhaps? Want some ideas and tips? Learn more about GAF Roofing products on their WEBSITE  & FACEBOOK What kind of project would you use GAF Roofing on?

Backyard Shed MakeoverDIY Backyard Shed Makeover - #RoofedItMyself #ad

Easy DIY Backyard Racetrack

Backyard racetrackEasy DIY Backyard Racetrack - A fun way for kids to get outside, use their imaginations, and have fun! With the nice weather, we’ve being playing catch-up on the yard work! We’re working on our shed, trying to cure our poison ivy problem,  doing general spring clean-up, and of course, planting flowers!  There are many times where we can show Avery the ropes, and have her help us, but sometimes, the work that needs to be done is just not in her wheelhouse. She has a nice play space, but sometimes she gets bored (because she’s 5, and apparently needs something to entertain her 24/7) We’d thought about getting her a swing set, but we don’t really have the space. We needed something small, that would fit the space, but still be entertaining and let her use her imagination.

Since Avery has been so into her race cars lately, we decided it would be fun to create a little backyard racetrack for them! So, we built this backyard racetrack garden for her! Well, WITH her, as she was very helpful from start to finish–choosing the flowers, mulch and stone, helping come up with layout ideas, and putting it all together! It was nice that our family could work together on this project, while teaching Avery some new skills. Lay out stone borderFirst we had to decide on a space. There were a few spots in our yard that we thought would work well, but one was too shady, one was too buggy, one was too close to the fence covered in poison ivy. We finally decided to put the garden track in a corner of Avery’s play space. It actually ended up being perfect! We had some old curved blocks hanging around, so we used those for the border. (We may paint them in the near future) And then filled the space with topsoil (The turf on Avery’s play space is very thin, and drains well, so we put the soil right on top of it)  Fill the space with top soil

Once the soil was set, we got to work on the track pieces. We’d planned to use bricks, but when we saw the rubber tiles, we thought they’d work better because they are so thin. We cut the tiles apart (along the lines) and pressed them into the soil, creating a track.Cut rubber patio tiles to create the roadAvery wanted a tunnel, so we also picked up a piece of pvc pipe.  I pressed that into the soil, and the covered it with more soil, and some cool moss we found at the garden center!  Use a pvc pipe to create a tunnel for your cars to drive throughWe then planted our flowers in the middle, covered the center with mulch, and the outer areas in stone.  We added blue glass stones and a little boat to create a pond along the trackWe added in a little “pond” using crushed sea glass and a fence along the inside of the track. Fun Cars 3 themed garden race track DIY Race Car Garden Outdoor car trackWe all love the backyard racetrack! The tunnel is our favorite part!  Fun outdoor car trackIt was so much fun spending a few days working on this project as a family! Avery learned some new gardening skills while Dave and I learned ALL about every  car (She has a story made up about all of them…obviously) This Backyard racetrack is definitely going to be THE place to be this summer!

On their way to radiator springs

Avery driving her cars around her backyard racetrack

Easy DIY Backyard Racetrack

Easy DIY Backyard Racetrack - Easy way to keep kids entertained all summer long