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DIY Wood Shelves

June 23, 2015 By Erica Deuel 2 Comments

bedroom_shelvesFor months my boys have slowly been adding things to their dressers. It started as one small card or lego creation to a full on craze. In their eyes, it is the most beautiful mess.

messy_kids_dressersDo you see the beauty as well or do your mom nerves (like mine) kind of cringe too at those pictures? You can see what the chartreuse dresser first looked like here and my son’s red dresser/chalkboard wall here.

They have reached this age that when I ask them to pick up their room and toys there are things they don’t want just thrown in a bucket.

I found myself in this pivotal mom moment. I don’t want to raise my kids with a passion of things, but I also want them to appreciate what they have and take care of those things well. Throwing action figures in a bucket of toys is one thing, but there are things like their art, trophies, pen pal letters, basketball card collection, nature collections, Hawks programs, movie tickets, and mementos of ‘home’ that are special. Most of these things are items that I could say, “throw them in a drawer,” but then I remember…Those things they are proud of.

They want to see them easily and know that they wont be messed with by siblings/friends/dogs. Their little lives don’t have all the milestones, scars, and triumphs ours have had. Those things are their memories. In time, some might get thrown out, but for today they are held tightly. My boys will feel loved by me showing a little love for things that are important to them, so I have refrained from telling them to throw stuff out or hide it merely for my OCD tendencies.

I realized that they needed shelves. Having one central area dedicated to this would be wonderful, so it was time to get out my tools.

I started by shopping for some wood.

picking_out_wood_for_shelvesYou may have some of these supplies on hand, but a lot of the supplies can be altered depending on how you finish your shelves off. I will list the supplies I used to make my shelves, but just know you can alter and make do with different things to get this same look.

Supplies:

  • 10″ x 1″ boards for the shelves
  • garden stacks
  • Ryobi Sander
  • Ryobi nail gun
  • Wood filler
  • Wood Stain
  • Foam brush
  • Ikea Shelf brackets (these were $0.49 each in my store)

The first step I did was measure the little nook where I wanted my shelves to go here in my boys’ room.

roommate_TNMT_decalFrom wall to wall it measured 35″, so I used my Ryobi Miter Saw and cut all my boards (including my garden stacks) 34 1/2″. I then sanded the boards.

wood_sanderAfter all the boards were sanded, I used my nail gun and nailed the garden stacks to one side of the 10″ wide boards. My original thought was that this little lip would face down and create an illusion that the shelf boards were made from a thicker, rustic wood. While nailing the boards together though, I decided to use the lip face up, so it created a little wall that could help keep the boys stuff from falling off the shelf easily. This is a boys’ room with a basketball hoop on the bunk bed, so who knows what can happen.

working_at_home

wood_shelvesAfter all the shelves were pieced together, I used wood filler to cover my nail holes. I let the wood filler completely dry, sanded over it, and was then ready to stain my shelves.

wood_fillerI used a foam craft brush and painted the stain on. I left it to completely dry (instead of rubbing it off with a cloth). I wanted a dark look. I did both sides and then my part was done!

wood_staining

wood_stainMatt did the hard part of measuring, spacing the shelves out, and making sure they were level. These little plastic braces were so inexpensive, yet they totally work. I think they look great! We didn’t have any black screws on hand, so we used the silver we had and I went back and painted a little acrylic paint over each screw and you can’t tell the difference.

DIY_wood_shelves

wood_shelves_tutorialNext, the really fun part happened. The boys got to decorate their shelves. They were so excited. They would hold something and contemplate if it should go on their shelf. After placing it, they would stand back and admire. They were so excited. I literally bit my tongue as I saw my beautiful shelves get decorated….well beautifully :).

The boys were thrilled, the dressers were a little cleaner, my boys continually said how much they loved their new shelves, and I think their little hearts felt loved. That was the point, so the after picture looks perfect to me!

boy_bedroom_shelves

boy_shelf_tutorialWe do a lot of tasks for our kids as parents, I hope my kids feel us pursuing them more than anything else we do. Their little hearts, interests, memories matter most.

boy_shelvesWe have already built a lot of shelves in our time here in Indiana. You might like these as well. Click either of the pictures below to be redirected to those blog posts, if you are interested in their tutorial.

industrial_book_shelves

DIY_wood_shelfI love shelves. Can you relate!?

If you have kids or know kids, I hope you are able to go a little extra step and use your imagination and skills to help them feel loved this week. Every moment matters!

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Teaching Patience (to the wee lil one…and me)

March 23, 2015 By Erica Deuel 2 Comments

Disclaimer: The wall decal I received for free. Thank you RoomMates for so generously gifting it to my girl. All opinions are very much my own.

teaching_patienceGetting out the door can be one hard task as a mom.

This winter I learned there was an extra step to it when you have to account for a winter coat, gloves, and a hat.

Does everyone have what they need? or could possibly need? Has everyone done what they are supposed to so they are ready to go? These are just some of the questions that run through my mind as we are loading up to go somewhere.

I don’t know about you, but when I have that list running through my head of: Reagan needs to go potty, everyone needs to fill their water bottles, does J have on two shoes…that match, do I have my post office packages, where is that receipt? and on and on. It’s a lot to process.

My mind has a jumble of different things that it’s trying to remember and process all at the same time.

If one sweet, sweet voice asks me something in that brain filing, it’s hard. If three little voices all speak on top of each other, at the same time during that filing…I’m one comment away from mental overload and can lose my cool.

I hate it. Can you relate? It’s like all those good things you work so so hard the rest of the day instilling feels like in one trial to get out the door…they can be lost. I find myself more and more getting in the car, pulling away from the house, and having to apologize to my kids. I want them to learn patience, yet I don’t always show it. So what if I pause to answer a question and forget something. This town is not that big. We can come back home. Nothing is worth more than my kids heart, even that forgotten return item on the counter.

I say all this to say, there are moments where we feel like our kids aren’t learning or how can they learn from my behavior….but they are. My sweet Reagan Noel has been waiting so patiently for her room to get painted. Her room was the first room we painted at our last house, so I thought it was the boys turn this time. In this house setting up process, I realized both my craft studio and our foster care room needed shelves put up. Well, I might as well paint the walls before the shelves go up right? So, her room just kept getting pushed further and further back on my to do list.

No joke, she has carried her Rainbow Dash Wall Decal box around for weeks and weeks asking to place it on her wall. Each time I had to explain, we couldn’t yet, I would paint her room soon, and then we could. She would place that box down and go on her merry little way. I have found that decal all over the house for when she would carry it and place it down in some new place. She has been waiting and so very excited. The day I told her we were doing her room the next day, I might as well have told her we were going to Disney World. She was that excited.

doing_a_wall_decal

sticker_puzzle

fun_wall_decalI painted her room (more on that soon). She participated with her own paint project so we were working together. The paint set for 3 days. Three long days to this new four-year old, and then we got to hang her beloved Rainbow Dash up. She called it her sticker puzzle. She wanted to do it herself, and did a pretty good job. There were a couple of areas I smoothed out behind her back, but she did most of it. She is so proud. If you come to our house, one of the first things Reagan will say to you is “come see my room!”

wall_decals

proud_girlAs I sat watching her decorate her dresser with all her extra fun decals, my heart just swelled with pride. She was so patient. She loved me so well as she waited for her turn.

We try to practice love is patient, love is kind….but often my kids re-teach me this lesson. We have been in this house for over three months and she has waited and waited.

There are those moments where we are impatient getting out the door and wish our kids didn’t get distracted or moved faster. There are those moments where your child is impatient waiting for a snack, or for shoes to get tied, or for that beloved blanket to come out of the dryer. But then there are the big moments where you see they are grasping concepts you are desperately trying to instill. By seeing them grasp it, you are encouraged, re taught the lesson, and maybe do a little better in the not so big moments..like getting out the door in time for church.

My kids are molding me, just as much as I am molding them. I often say I want to be like them when I grow up. They laugh and tell me I am already grown up. I say “no way, I’m learning right with you.” Humility is such a big tool in parenting.

rainbow_dash_wall_decal

fly_rainbow_dashSo, as my little girl, flies off her bed as “Rainbow Dash” ready to take on Ponyville or at least conquering my world….I am so thankful for the gift she is. It was just a wall decal, but I will always smile at it and remember the process and lessons we went through to get it on that light pink wall.

I hope you have a great week and get to imagine the possibilities and maybe get to create a little. Even if the only creating you do, is a moment with your child. That might be the best craft there is.

**Note: if you want to see the wall decals we did in our boys room, you can see them here. If you are in love with the idea of wall decals, please check out Roommates. They are awesome. You can follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to be in the know as well.**

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I’m Not Here To Be Average

March 15, 2015 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

I saw this quote somewhere on Pinterest recently, and I have not been able to shake it from my head.

I'm_not_here_to_be_average

Everyone wants to leave a mark and to feel like they made a difference in the world.

When I think of my kids, when I think of life on this earth, and even when I think of my day-to-day life…I hope and pray that I am not average. Who dreams of being average, right!?

For us, we are in the middle of tackling our foster care paper work to get recertified. We started in January, but in reality it hasn’t been until the last two weeks have we really started going after it. There are so many forms and appointments needed to get this done. It’s consuming and draining. As I have finally started it, its had me thinking “why has it taken 5 months to get this done?” It is our heart beat. It is a part of our calling. We want to help. Why have we waited so long to get back into it?

The short of the answer is we moved, we lived with a friends for a while, and since then we have been setting up house. The deeper issue is that I wasn’t ready. I think our whole family needed time to heal.

I know for me, I left our last experience thinking my voice didn’t matter. Doing this ministry didn’t matter. We didn’t make a difference. No one cared what we thought.

It’s important to know the state of your heart. That may be how I felt, but it wasn’t the truth. My voice did matter. It mattered when I spoke truth to the hurting heart and those who had power of his/her future. What others did with given information was not my responsibility. It was just my job to love well.

It may not be foster care for you. It may just be your relationship with your own kids. It may be your job, your ministry, your neighborhood, etc. But, can you relate?

The days can be so long. The moments can feel like they don’t matter.  It can seem like there are no roots growing. But what I know to be true is those are emotional responses. It takes the hard work of showing up every day, week, month doing the small things that may be considered average to produce change or become something powerful.

It is the commitment to the average everyday tasks and experiences done in truth and love that can be awesome. I made this little sign and printed it huge as an engineer print, and it now hangs in my kids bathroom to remind us all.

colorful_bathroom_decor

wood_deer

bohemian_bathroom_elements

colorful_floor_mats

bohemian_bathroomI first showed you this bathroom here, and I am excited to now have a print in it that I think can speak truth over my kids, our company, and any other hurting child that comes through our doors.

Mom life is hard. Foster care is hard, yet these two jobs may be the most important roles I ever play. May these average moments (like getting an afternoon snack handed out that all three agree on) matter.

printable_poster

kids_are_awesomeThere are moments when I see that they do matter. As we have tackled our paper work, gone to doctor visits and prepared for home visits. I have asked my kids…

“Do you want to do foster care again?”

“Why do you want to do this again?”

“Why do we do this?”

Their responses melt me, stop me in my tracks, and remind me: it’s not about me.


 So, we can love on kids

So, we can help make their lives different

I want the kids to feel special

I want them to feel love

Hope their family will treat them better and learn good stuff

Hope their mom and dad can be good parents

Give them good food

Take good care of them

I can share my toys

I can be nice to them

Love it patient. Love is kind.

I’m excited to meet new people.

I hope they like to catch bugs.

kids_posterThese sweet kids are a huge part of my world. The way I talk and walk in my everyday moments are affecting the little hearts in my home…no matter if they are my biological, extended family, or in the foster care system. Words and actions have power.

So, all you tired, emotionally exhausted, have nothing left to give at the end of the day mamas out there know this…you aren’t average. Those dreams of being something awesome…are already true. Pick up your feet, wipe off the dust, ask for forgiveness, forgive yourself, pray for strength and keep on going. Just keep swimming.

**Please note: This print is now available as an automatic download purchase here, so you too can print it out.**

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Embroidery Journal #4

March 1, 2015 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

embroidery_journal

Can you believe we are in March? This year is flying. I feel like we just moved to Indiana, but when I look at a calendar it has already been almost four months.

How long can I say we just moved to town?

In a little recap of what this post is all about, embroidering is my way of processing life. I can always tell what I am going through and what my current struggles are by the messages I sew. The time spent sewing these hoops rejuvenates my soul, gives peace, helps me slow down, and find perspective. Welcome to my latest journal entry.

amazing grace_embroidery_hoopWhen it comes to setting up house, I love it. I don’t think I was in this house two weeks, before I started painting it and making it ours. Maybe it’s being a creative, maybe it’s being a girl, maybe it’s that I am in the house all day/everyday, but I feel like it is wired in me to want to make it a comfortable, warm place that we find rest, peace, love, and joy while also being a welcoming and safe place to all who walk through our doors.

It is an outlet that I love. I believe God wired me that way. Often when I’m creating I feel the closest to God. He often speaks to me or gives me a picture like different basic supplies coming together to make something beautiful is just like the body of Christ. We can all use our gifts together to further the kingdom far better than any one of us on our own. When I get little windows to create and have some me time, I feel like I come back a better mom, wife, friend, sister, daughter, etc.
Yet, it is something I have to constantly keep in check. I want to use this gift/outlet for good. I don’t know about you, but I know for me it is easy to get lost on beautiful feeds, blogs and Pinterest and just want more. When I find myself browsing and it is not inspiring but making me lust for more…I need to take a break from it. When I get stressed and live by the to do list more than love, I need a day away from all social media, lists, and on the floor with my kids. When I get quiet versus having joy ooze from me, I have too much swirling around in my head, and I need space to prioritize what really matters.
I’m always looking for those little windows that show my heart is walking a dangerous line by my love for something that is also hurting me.

Love_lives_here

colorful_embroidery_hoops

I often get asked about my style. I would encourage you to find whats you. Don’t try to make something work for you…that is not you. I love all those clean, white pictures and decor that just scream peace, but when I go to put a room together that is not what my soul is calling out. My biggest advice is to stay true to you. Your place will most be relaxing and peaceful to you…if you stay true to your taste. But, with that, don’t stop trying new things or stretching yourself to find the little part of you in there waiting to be released.

Ultimately, my Heavenly Father is so creative. From the smallest bug to the Grand Tetons, there is an exquisite world that we get to live in that HE created. He’s the ultimate creator and we are made in his image, so we are wired to create in some way. For some, it might be organizing their schedule, singing, skillfully reaching out to those who are hurt and broken… it doesn’t just have to be crafts. I feel we can all be creative with where ever we are. That’s why I’ll go down fighting that there is creativity in us all.

lets_make_out

our_nest_embroidery_hoopMy theory is you can create a nice, warm home inexpensively. Most of ours is thrift store, created, or clearance sales. I pray that when you see my pictures and home, they do nothing for you but to inspire you. You can create a warm home for you too. If you are one that thinks you can’t create, I’d encourage you to keep exploring and trying!!!☺ Trying new things and mixing it up…can unleash new things in you. It’s a skill that needs practice and strengthening just like learning to walk or hitting a baseball. I’d say just in the last two years have I really figured out my style. Be brave, friends.

In the midst of setting up our new house, I am also purging like crazy. I heard this awesome phrase that I am going to mess up trying to recall. It was along the lines of ‘the state of our house, car, counters can be a window of what our heads and hearts look like’. They reflect the amount of thoughts, tasks, craziness we are trying to make sense of. I am guilty of having way to many disaster zones. I don’t want tasks and a perfectly clean house to define me. BUT, I am learning that I can have better systems that help us to stay a little more organized so all of life doesn’t feel last minute or messy. Simplifying can just create breathing room with less to keep up with or put away.

BE_BRAVE

some random things I am loving…

snow (watching it fall I feel a peace cleaning over my soul)

tea (I drink hot tea all the time since we moved north)

getting color on all my walls

contrasting black and white with all my color

creating for my little shelf at a local antique mall

hanging with new friends

swimming (we got a YMCA membership and I’m swimming laps like I did growing up)

laying a bunch of craft stuff out and letting my kids go crazy

reading Caleb’s constant letters, cards, slips of ‘I love you’ notes

jump hugging my boo

watching Reagan dress up and dance

teaching Reagan to swim

watching J comfort and love on his new pup

hearing my kids giggle the belly roaring laugh

long games of Sorry

dinners with new community

hearing the basketball goal in our living room go all day long

essential oils

searching local small thrift shops with an awesome friend

worship

podcasts from Christine Caine

watching the stack of paperwork needed to get our foster care renewal go down

every minute with Matt

we_are_so_lovedEmbroidering helps me slow down, think, and find space in all the craze that goes through my head. What is it for you?

These hoops are literally my heart cries poured out. Since I have been setting up our new home, I have found the home phrases standing out to me. As much as I love making this our home, there is a peace knowing that it all doesn’t have to be perfect, polished, or out of a magazine. I believe this is not our home. We are just living and loving till we do go home. Thank you so much for reading, for journeying with us, and for being a tool used to continually encourage me. If you are interested in any of these hoops, please visit my shop.

***Do you embroider? I would love to see your embroidery journal! Let’s start a hashtag #myembroideryjournal to keep up with one another!**

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