unOriginal Mom - | Inspiration for everyday life

https://www.unoriginalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/beachy-blue-side-table-makeover-featured.jpg

Coastal Blue Side Table Makeover

In case you missed it on my social media, my husband and I recently did a surprise living room makeover at my parent’s house! It was their 40th wedding anniversary on July 3rd, so they went away for the long weekend to celebrate. As soon as they left, we headed over (luckily they live just across town) to get started. We emptied and cleaned the entire room, painted, moved the furniture back in (along with several pieces we’d refinished ourselves), put together a new bookshelf, spray painted their lamps, and hung curtains, a new photo […]

https://www.unoriginalmom.com/coastal-blue-side-table-makeover/

https://www.unoriginalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/blueberry-moscow-mule-simple-syrup-featured.jpg

Blueberry Moscow Mule Cocktail Recipe

One of my favorite things about summertime is sitting outside on a warm evening with a cold drink after the kids go to bed. Ahhhh…it’s simply perfection. (That makes me think of the episode of Friends where Chandler is stuck in an ATM vestibule with a Victoria’s Secret model, and she offers him gum, and he says no thanks, and then says “on second thought, gum would be perfection.” Hehe. Oh, how I love that show!) Anyway, we don’t tend to like super crazy or overly complicated cocktails, but recently my husband and I “discovered” […]

https://www.unoriginalmom.com/blueberry-moscow-mule-cocktail-recipe/

https://www.unoriginalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/summer-meal-planning-printable-free03.jpg

How to Meal Plan Your Whole Summer in 5 Easy Steps

How to meal plan for your whole summer in 5 simple steps. It’s easier than you think! I’m never a big fan of meal planning…I’ve tried it many times with varied levels of success, but it’s a discipline I just can’t seem to get myself into doing regularly. The best method I’ve found for me is actually one that I came up with myself – my flexible meal planning binder (which you can get for free in this post!). That still requires sitting down once a week to plan out my meals and grocery […]

https://www.unoriginalmom.com/how-to-meal-plan-your-whole-summer-in-5-easy-steps/

https://www.unoriginalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/square.jpg

Summer Planner Stickers for your Silhouette

This post contains affiliate links – click here to read my full disclosure. Today’s post is jam-packed full of Silhouette goodness! A free cut file, Silhouette Challenge inspiration, and a Silhouette Portrait GIVEAWAY! Keep reading to the end of this post to make sure you don’t miss any of it! Okay, who’s ready for summer?? *raises hand* I know I am. Warm weather, kids playing outside, family vacations, picnics, days at the pool, and a short to-do list…wait, no, the to-do list doesn’t get much shorter, does it? There’s no such thing as summer […]

https://www.unoriginalmom.com/summer-planner-stickers-silhouette/

Jul

Beginner Vinyl Tutorial: “Let’s Flamingle” Cut File + Tray

New to vinyl? Here’s a detailed, step-by-step beginner vinyl tutorial to make an adorable “Let’s Flamingle” tray with your Silhouette Cameo! I’ve owned a Silhouette for 5 years now (!!), and been blogging Silhouette projects since the very beginning. (In fact, you can see my very first Silhouette project here!) But in all the years I’ve been sharing Silhouette projects, I realized that I’ve never shared an honest-to-goodness, super detailed, step-by-step beginner vinyl tutorial. Well, friends, that is remedied today! I was trying out Silhouette’s new Oracal 651 vinyl with a cute “Let’s Flamingle”… READ MORE

Jul

Beach Hair Don’t Care Cut File + Tee

We took our family vacation to the beach last month, and that is always the highlight of our summer. An entire week with no schedule, nowhere to be, nothing to do except swim in the pool and play on the beach and spend time together with family. We had a great time, and while I was sad to leave the beach, we still have our whole summer in front of us to put aside the schedules and to-do lists (well, as much as possible) and enjoy the season together. I love this “beach hair don’t care”… READ MORE

Jun

Aloha Summer Hand Lettered Cut File

Use this cute Aloha Summer hand lettered cut file for summer decor, a tote bag or tee, or put it on this blank pineapple from the Target dollar spot! Welcome, summer! This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure. Happy first-day-of-summer, friends!! I thought this cute and easy project was a fitting post to share today…an Aloha Summer hand lettered cut file that I whipped up to make some cheerful summer decor. I started with this blank pineapple I found in the Target dollar spot. Of course, it was begging for… READ MORE

Jun

HTV Reverse Canvas Tutorial + Life is Better at the Beach Cut File

Looking for an easy, fun, and inexpensive craft idea? Make a reverse canvas with this HTV Reverse Canvas Tutorial. I made an ombre “Life is Better at the Beach” reverse canvas with heat transfer vinyl, but you can use this technique to make decor for any season or occasion! Who’s ready for the beach??? Meeeeeeeee!! We’ve got a beach vacation planned this month and I cannot wait! Unfortunately my margaritas will be virgin this year, but I’m still looking forward to sitting on the beach with a cool drink and a good book while… READ MORE

May

25 Delicious Cookout Side Dishes for Summer Barbecues

Not sure what to take to a cookout potluck? You’re sure to find a delicious, easy, and crowd-pleasing option in this round-up of cookout side dishes for summer barbecues! Oh, cookout season, how I love you. I do enjoy a good grilled cheeseburger or hot dog…but I live for the side dishes. Especially at a potluck (which cookouts often are), when everybody brings a favorite dish and you end up with a smorgasbord full of the best-of-the-best summer food. Pair that with beautiful weather, good friends, and good conversation, and it doesn’t get much better! … READ MORE

May

Free Printable Weekly Summer Activity Plan

Plan weekly “theme days” to help structure your summer – this free printable Weekly Summer Activity Plan will give you some structure to your days and still allow for flexibility and spontaneity! If you missed my post last week with the run-down of my epic Printable Summer Activity Binder, that’s probably a good place to start. Head on over there and read it first…I’ll wait ;-) Done? Good! This will make a lot more sense now. So you know that I’m trying to be more proactive with our planning this summer for… READ MORE

May

Printable Summer Planner + Free Summer Calendar

Be intentional with your planning and goal setting this summer by using this Printable Summer Planner! It’s a great way to get organized and create some structure and routine for your family this summer. I can hardly believe it, but it’s almost summer! And even though school doesn’t let out around here until the middle of June, I’ve already been signing the kids up for summer camps and swim lessons, planning vacations and day trips, and trying to set some goals for my summer at home with both kids. Since we’re expecting baby #3 in October, I’m… READ MORE

Apr

DIY Teacher Gift Ideas to Make with Your Silhouette

Get crafty with these 20 creative teacher gift ideas to make with your Silhouette or Cricut! One of the things I love about my Silhouette is how easy it is to whip up custom gifts for any occasion. Teacher gifts are no exception! And teachers definitely deserve extra recognition…as a former teacher, I can attest that being a teacher is HARD work. So with Teacher Appreciation Day coming up in the beginning of May, I thought we could all use some inspiration for easy teacher appreciation gifts to make with your Silhouette or Cricut! There… READ MORE

Apr

DIY Teacher Gift: Hand Lettered Class List Tote

Need an idea for a unique and meaningful end-of-the-year DIY teacher gift? Use hand lettering or word art to create an apple out of the class list, then use your Silhouette and HTV to put it on a tote bag. This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure. This design was completely 100% inspired by a local hand lettering artist, Michelle, who I follow on Instagram. She posted a photo of this mug, and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to try doing something similar with my… READ MORE

Apr

Free Printable Disney Boarding Pass Tickets + Cut File

When we took our kids to Disney last fall, we wanted a fun way to “surprise” them with the announcement without going too far overboard. I know there are some people that wait until the morning they’re leaving to tell their kids (“surprise, we’re going to Disney! Right now!”), and as much fun as that would have been, I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle the stress of getting ready for a two week trip to Florida AND keeping it a secret from the kids. Plus, I wanted a little bit of time to… READ MORE

Apr

5 Reasons NOT to find out the gender of your baby!

Big news here from the unOriginal Mom family…our balanced little family of 4 will soon be getting a tiebreaker baby! ;-) Here’s the pregnancy announcement we recently shared on Facebook. We won’t know the results of the tiebreaker until baby is born, though, as we won’t be finding out the gender ahead of time. That’s the way we did it with our other two, and we wouldn’t do it any other way. It seems like it’s getting more and more uncommon to do it this way…I think I can count on one hand the… READ MORE

Apr

20 DIY Disney Shirts with Free Cut Files

Planning a trip to Disney? Here’s a list of 20 DIY Disney Shirts with Free Cut Files so you can use your Silhouette or Cricut to make custom shirts for your whole family! We took a family trip to Disney this past fall, and one of my favorite parts of the planning and preparation was making shirts for all of us to wear! I mean, really, what’s the point of owning a Silhouette machine if I don’t use it to make amazing custom Disney tees to wear at Disney World?? (I didn’t… READ MORE

Apr

Elena of Avalor Shirt + Free Cut File

Attention all moms, aunts, and grandmas of little girls who watch and love the newest Disney princess show, Elena of Avalor – this post is for you! You’ll be glad you stumbled upon this Elena of Avalor shirt and free .studio and SVG cut files – it will make your little girl’s day! This post contains affiliate links – click here to read my full disclosure. My daughter has been OBSESSED with Elena of Avalor since the princess first appeared on the Disney Channel last year. Elena is a new hispanic Disney princess with an animated… READ MORE

Mar

Chicken Freezer Prep Ideas: What to do with 40 Pounds of Chicken!

UPDATE: Several months after I published this post, in June 2018, Zaycon suddenly went out of business with no warning to anyone. Due to some changes in their business management, I stopped recommending them a month in advance of their closing, but I truly had no idea this was coming. I am really saddened by the whole thing – not only for the customers that lost money on pending orders but also for the loss of such a convenient service. I debated whether or not to simply delete this post, but I decided to leave it published… READ MORE

stay-at-home mom to a beautiful little girl and handsome baby boy, wife to an incredible husband, and daughter of a loving God. I freely admit that I am not the most creative or original person when it comes to crafting, decorating, organizing, cooking, etc...but I love being inspired by great ideas and putting my own spin on them! Look around, stay a while, and I hope through my unoriginality I can provide some inspiration to you, too! Read More...

Unless otherwise stated, all words and photos on this blog are my own and are copyrighted by unOriginal Mom. If you'd like, you may use 1 (ONE) photo, without altering them in any way, including removing the watermark, but you must attribute proper credit and a link back to this site. I would also appreciate a comment letting me know so I can visit! The text of this blog or multiple photos should NOT be copied and re-posted elsewhere without permission.

Design by Tori Grant Designs