Family Vacation!

As a kid we rarely, if ever, went on a family vacation. I have memories of a couple of trips to the beach in Corpus Christi and AstroWorld in Houston.

My parents divorced when I was 9 and my dad was an "older" parent (he had me at 50 and my little brother at 54) so we really didn't go to many places.

I decided that when I had children I would make it a point to go on a yearly family vacation and I have worked really hard to make it happen. Some of  our trips have included: Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, DisneyWorld, Branson, Boston, Maine, and so much more.

We have 3 kids!!! So, taking vacations like these requires one thing----PLANNING!!

When I created this blog, I thought I would only showcase all things crafty that I love doing so much, but my girlfriends tell me all the time that I need to showcase so much more---so---here is the first attempt at doing so!!

Boston on a Budget!!!

Isn't this one spectacular view!!!

uh huh--it is and we got to see it from aboard a Whale Watching boat excursion on our way out to sea.

We didn't see one whale, not even two---we saw FIFTEEN!!!

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it was.

And with the Go Boston card, we didn't have to pay anything extra to include this outing on our list of to do's! We paid one low price for the card and it included so many attractions that we had a hard time choosing what we wanted to do.

You can tour Fenway park, sail on a schooner, ride the swan boats in the park, get discounts in quincy market, go to the aquarium, ride a trolley and take a tour of the city and sooooo much more!!

We only had two days in Boston on this visit because we headed to coastal Maine for the rest of the visit and gah,

I wish we had more time.

We were lucky enough to have tickets to a Yankees -v- Red Sox game!!!

Most people would think that we paid a fortune pretty penny for these tickets---but---We didn't!!!

We found a great Memorial Day deal for tickets on the Red Sox website.

Now, we had to buy tickets for 2 games and we didnt even go to the first game--but--we paid half the price we would have on stub hub!!!

SCORE!

We saw an Imax movie, went to the Aquarium, rode the Trolley and took a tour of historical Boston, ate great food, and enjoyed hours of entertainment in Quincy Market.

AND

We did it CHEAP!!

Check out the Go Boston Card--Here!

We bought a 2-day card for $74.99 (adults) $54.99 (child) and we will definitely do it again!

Boston was a city that we sure did not get enough of and the memories will last a lifetime!!

We got our money's worth out of that card for sure!!

Normal Prices:

Whale Watch-Adult $39.95, Child $31.95

Beantown Trolley-Adult $42, Child $16

Aquarium-Adult $22.95, Child $15.95

We also took advantage of the discounted Imax and merchandise in Quincy Market. We only had time to do these three things since we had a Red Sox game on the agenda but wowy it was worth it. We boarded the Trolley near the aquarium and we stayed on it for the whole tour.

We did hear people complaining that they waited for a long time for the next trolley so I am glad we didnt get off. I would recommend riding the trolley for an entire trip and then use the subway or T train system to get you to the destinations you want to go to. It is safe and easy to use.

Message Center Chalkboard

So I have become overly OBSESSED with cabinet doors.

I can't get enough of them!!!

On a recent shopping trip to Ikea

---the best store in the whole wide world---

I found this beauty in the clearance area!

For $3.99 this baby was a STEAL!!!

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it!!! I primed it first to avoid any paint adhering issues.

As you can see, I am stingy with my primer lol!

At 3.34 a can, you have to try to stretch it out for as many projects as possible, so use it sparingly.

The purpose of the prime is simply to give a dull enough surface for paint to adhere. You could sand it but that is wayyyyy too much work for me, so I prime!

Picking the right paint was super simple!! I wanted a bold red! I chose Martha Stewart LadyBug and picked up a tintable tester at Home Depot!

$2.94

  

Chalkboard paint is the next best thing to sliced bread lol. I found this great bottle at Hobby Lobby for $3.99. I will have lots of great projects from this little bottle!!

I taped newspaper on the center of the cabinet door then painted the frame red. When it was completely dry, I removed the newspaper and painted the center.

When using chalkboard paint, you have to paint in one direction, let dry, then paint another layer in the opposite direction. It was super easy and dried really fast!!

I cut out the Message Center decal myself then adhered it to the top of the frame.

I sanded the edges to reveal some of the original black paint and white primer. 

I think it looks fabulous!!

Let's Break it down:

Cabinet Door.....$3.99

Chalkboard paint.....$3.99

MS red paint.....$2.94

Decal.....$Free (I made it myself)

Primer....$Free (already had from other projects)

Total Cost---$10.92

I have so much paint left over!! I know I will use the paint on other projects. I have seen these chalkboard message centers in stores for more than $30---so---I don't mind having all of the extra paint for lots of other goodies!!!

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