April T.O.Y Box

I sent out my April, Thinking of You (T.O.Y) box! This month's theme was De-stress. It's been a stressful, overwhelming and sad month for a lot of us. And although a box of stuff can't bring back loved ones, or stay on hold with Tricare for an hour for you hopefully it brightens someone's day and takes thier mind off of things for a while.

Here is what I sent to my match:

I found this cute card that said "Thinking of You" on the front. How appropriate right?
-An eye mask to shut out the world for a bit
-A pair of headphones to listen to some calming music
-A notebook (it always helps me calm down if I organize and write a to-do list)
- A bag of snacks. This is a dried fruit and nut blend with antioxidants. Being stressed out can take a toll on your immune system so it's good to keep up with those vitamins and nutrients.
-A list on how to DIY facial
-Candles. (I always find candles to be theraputic)
-Chamomile tea (scientifically proven to calm nerves)

Also a bottle of my homemade peppermint massage oil. I made it from sunflower oil and olive oil, peppermint and rosemary extract. (A trick in sending liquids in the mail or even for travel is to place a piece of plastic wrap over the bottle and then screw on the lid. I also ziplock bagged it for extra protection)

Are you a military wife and would like to recieve a box like this? Or maybe you are looking to do something sweet for a military family? Find out more about the T.O.Y Box project over at
 Kelly Mae's Blog There is still time to sign up for May!

Zebra toy box redo

Before we moved, my girls had an old military footlocker as a toybox. I was going to get rid of it but decided to re-make it to match thier bedroom decor.

I would post a before pic here....

but the memory card I bought keeps crashing or something. I lose all my pics or when I go to upload them to my computer they delete themselves. I guess thats what I get for buying stuff from China!

I started by sanding the box down and making sure the corners were smooth and splinter free. Then I wiped it down clean. Next, I spray painted the box using Rust-Oleum Hammered Paint in black. This works great to cover surface imperfections. After the first coat dried, I sprayed another coat on. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area when using spray paint.

For the top I cut batting to the size of the lid. (I used 3 sheets). I then covered the lid with zebra fabric, cutting holes for the hinges.  I stapled the fabric with a staple gun.

 

The finished product!!

(Pretty happy with how it turned out!)