DIY Summer Beach Bag by Shabby Chicks

Hey y'all.......

 I have a super cute project to show you!

Yesterday, I made an adorable beach bag and I am in LOVE with it!

(hope you like it too:)

I first saw a bag like this somewhere online for $78.00.

I wish I knew where I saw it:(

Anyway, the other day I visited one of my favorite blogs,

toriejayne.com, and she had a blog post with instructions for making one of 

these cute bags.

Shazam!!!

I ordered a straw french market bag from Amazon and went to work.

It was so simple!

All you need is an oversized straw bag, white primer paint, 

a sponge brush and regular paint brushes, a star stencil, Martha Stewart

acrylic paint and you're good to go!

Step 1........using a sponge brush, paint the bag with white primer paint.

Step 2.......Using a stencil, outline the star with pencil and brush paint

around the shape.  

I used Martha Stewart paint in Beach Glass.

After the bag was painted, I tried to soften it a bit by 

lightly brushing a glaze over it.

(I used soft blue pearl paint from Martha S.)

Let it all dry and that's it!

I'm so in love with this bag, I want one in every color:)

Try it for yourself.......you'll be so happy you did!

XOXOXOXO

Suzanne

Summer FUN.....

before i start on summer fun...

yes, i have a new blog look.

the name comes from my other, usually neglected blog.

i'm merging them and running with the "cool mom" name.

because i'm bored.

and because i found i was putting things on my blog

 i could often care less about.

seriously.

(bad as that sounds:)

now i have to say, i wouldn't want to be a

"cool" mom according to the world's standards.

but when my daughter's friends said that all the time,

despite me being one of the stricter moms,

i took it as a TRUE compliment:)

we had tons of fun while keeping our

morals and values intact.

so i'm taking my blog back with a fresh twist.

i figure it will keep me young...and maybe a tiny bit cool......

if i lighten things up and have FUN.

and what is more fun than SUMMER???

and i have some fun stuff for you!

we did a lot of simple, cool stuff in the summer.

and now with the handy internet,

i've put it all together with the amazing ideas found on there

just to bring you......

i truly believe with all my heart that summertime

with kids is something to look forward to.

now, i don't have the ideas or resources that some of the biggie blogs do,

but i can still pass on a few ideas.

and if those ideas help just one mom have a GREAT day

with her kiddos, 

it was well worth it.
and with over 1000+ hits on my blog every day,
there has to be one mom to say.....
COOL!:)

and by the way, summer fun is not just for kids.
it's for moms, too:)
i don't have a set schedule of when i will post for summer.
i don't do well with schedules.
(they tend to freak me out:)
plus, i have to blog about all the OTHER things that make me happy,
like decorating, eating, sleeping, eating, shopping, eating.....
(notice a trend there;)

but i do have some stuff ready for tomorrow
so don't be a stranger.
and don't feel you have to be a young mommy.
the last thing i would want to do is narrow down
my reading audience to just one age group.
which is why i promise to shake things up a bit every now and then!
in the meantime, i want to share a book that inspired me
and helped to make our summers fun.
if you see it, grab it.
it was just full of fun stuff to do!

warm summer hugs,

Suzanne