Place Card Holders

Hello lovelies!  I have conjured up some ideas for some inexpensive place card holders that are perfect for your super awesome wedding coming up or your next dinner party.  Cute details like place card holders or food markers don't have to be expensive (heck they can even be free) but they add some adorable pizzaz to any party.

Pine Cones

You can either buy a bag of them find them on trees yourself, but either way they are easy to get your hands on!  If you want to spice it up a bit try using a bag of the scented pine cones! You can find some at your local hobby lobby or home goods store.

{Image and idea from Paper Playne}

Wine Corks

You can easily upcycle your own wine corks or if you don't drink I'm sure it won't be too hard to scrounge some out of your friends!  Put a little slit in them and viola!  One of the pictures is from an Etsy shop selling them with flowers on top.  It wouldn't be too hard to super glue your own flower or embellishment of your own choosing!  Get creative with it and go with the theme...

{Image and idea from Etsy}

{image source unknown}

Airplane Bottles

This could get a little pricey, but depending on how much you were wanting to spend on wedding or party favors, this could be a real treat.  Plus most people will actually take their favor home (or use it at the event- which could make for some silly dancing memories.)

{Image from Melissa Jill Photography}

Animal Figurines
While this DIY could get time consuming if you have a lot of guests, it could be inexpensive and adorable.  Buy a box of animal kids toys and spray paint them and cut a slit in the middle.  Easy Peasy.

{Image and idea from Emmaline Bride}

Greenery
Along the same lines as pincones, these teeny branches can be taken off of your local trees at no cost to you!  It doesn't have to be pine, any sticks, tree limb or flower will do.  Make it how you want it.

{source of image: unknown}

Wooden Spools
If you're having a rustic themed wedding, these are the place holders for you!  I'm sure your grandma has a few lying around that she wouldn't mind sharing!  I think they would be super cute painted gold!

{image and idea from Etsy}

Stick It In A Fork

Literally.  Yup.  By far the most inexpensive idea I've seen and I honestly think it is just as cute as the others!

{Image from Style Me Pretty}

I'd love to hear any other cute ideas you guys have!  Feel free to share! Happy Tuesday everybody...

Inexpensive Christmas Cards

   Last year I discovered an easy way to create a Christmas card without breaking the bank.  I was on Shutterfly messing around with their editing and discovered a massive stockpile of borders that you can put on your photos (for no additional cost.)  At first this seemed almost silly because when in the world would I ever want to put a border on a picture, BUT as I was successfully wasting time dorking up my pictures with crazy borders I hit the jackpot!  They have Christmas and holiday borders!  Now, just to warn you, some of them are very old-fashioned and un-usuable, but there are a handful of borders that are super cute and are perfect for creating your own Christmas cards.  Once you digitally put the border on your photo and save it you can order $.14 prints like any other 4x7 picture.  That is saving you about $.80 a card and believe me that can add up!   (Also remember once you are done editing your picture with a border and save it, it is like any other picture you would have on your computer so you can order it from anywhere else that might be cheaper than $.14 a print.  You don't have to order it from Shutterfly.) This is the border I picked for last years Christmas card:

   How cute is that?! Here's how you do it.
1.  You have to have an account with Shutterfly and have the photo you want to use uploaded to one of your albums.  Select the photo you want to use and click the edit button in the top left corner of the photo.  On the scroll down menu select "apply border"

 2.  It will take you to a screen that looks like this, with the "no border" already selected.  You will want to click on the "choose a style" menu bar and scroll all the way to the bottom and select "more."

3.  It will take you to a screen that looks like this.  This is where are the borders are, so you can scroll down and look through them all.  They have them in categories, so if you are looking to do a Christmas card you can stick to the "holiday" or "Christmas" type categories.

4.  Click on a border you want to preview and it will apply the border to your photo.  I found this one that I absolutely loved, I hope you find one you love too!

5.  Once you've picked your border, save your picture.  And now you have yourself an inexpensive cute Christmas card!  I ended up glueing a Bible verse I printed out on the back and sticking the cards in homemade Christmas envelopes.  It was a fun project that allowed me to send some Christmas love without spending too much money.

I'd love to see how yours turned out!  Happy crafting and Merry Christmas!

DIY Christmas Envelopes

  Last year when I sent out Christmas cards I made my own Christmas envelopes to go with them.  This was so fun, and definitely an added touch of love to the original Christmas card.  It might look hard to do, but it really is quite simple.

1. Find some cute Christmas paper you want to use.  I used a pad of Christmas scrapbook paper that I found on sale at Hobby Lobby, but you can use any paper, of most any material.

2.  Find a regular envelope that your Christmas cards fit into.  Open it up, unfolding the flaps so that it is completely flat.  Once it is completely flat, lay it on the Christmas paper you want to use and trace the outline of it.

3.  Cut the outline of the envelope out of the Christmas paper.  I used an exact-o knife, but you can use scissors as well.

4.  Using the regular envelope as a guideline, fold the flaps and use a glue stick to glue it together.  (make sure to use a glue stick or something with this consistency because regular glue is too wet and will wrinkle and mess up the paper.)

5.  If the Christmas paper is dark or has a whole lot of design on it then you might have to get address labels to stick on there to write the address, but if its a simple design or a lighter colored paper you might be able to get away with just writing the address right on the paper.

6.  Stick a stamp on it and you're good to go!

36 Years Later....

   Everything, and I mean everything,  hung up on the walls or on any kind of display in my parents house is of their kids, grandkids or grandpuppies.  While this may be ideal for them (and any other parent or grandparent for that matter) I thought it was only fitting that they should have something to display that celebrates how it all began.  So, for my parents anniversary I got creative and made them a little something they could cherish of their own.

   This project was very inexpensive. I used a tile that I got from Lowes for $.92!  Then I printed off the picture, letters and numbers on regular printer paper.  I tore the edges of the picture a bit to give it an artsy look and cut the letters and numbers out using an exacto knife(VERY time consuming, especially the smaller numbers).  You can use mod-podge or spray adhesive to stick the picture on the tile. (I used spray adhesive to stick in on the tile and then went over the top with mod-podge- the color will run a little bit when you use mod-podge on the top.)  The letters need to be mod-podged individually but thats not as time consuming as it sounds.  Let it dry and vuala! You have a personalized memento that looks great in the kitchen or living room:)

   I'm so blessed to have amazing parents that loved me, raised me up in the Lord and stood by me through thick and thin.  Mom and dad your marriage is a blessing to watch- keep up the good work.  Here's to 36 years of a beautiful marriage... and rockin' a white tux....

Fresh Finds: Coffee Edition

Home-made Vanilla Coffee Creamer

   Home-made vanilla coffee creamer: its delicious!  Mrs Happy Homemaker's  recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and milk.   Her recipe tastes just like the creamer you buy from the store and without all of the added chemicals and preservatives.  I use vanilla soy milk in place of the milk and vanilla extract and love it just the same!  Here's my soy milk recipe:

1 14 oz. can of fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 14oz can of Silk vanilla soy milk (I measure it with the 14oz condensed milk can)

Shake these two ingredients together and store in the refrigerator.

Yup, its that easy!  You can always use regular milk or regular Silk soy milk and add a different flavor other than vanilla.  You can make it pumpkin for the holidays or hazelnut or whatever your favorite creamer flavor is.  There are tons of possibilities! Oh, and for easy pouring don't forget to save one of your old creamer containers to mix and store it in.

Joe's Hazelnut Coffee

   I ran across this coffee at TJ Maxx and completely fell in love. Before this coffee came in to my life, Dunkin Donuts Hazelnut coffee was my favorite, but now I have two favorites.  At only $4.99 per 12 oz- whats not to love! I haven't found it at any other stores yet, but I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open because you never know when TJ Maxx will stop carrying it.

Blue Whale Spoon

   With all this coffee talk, we can't forget about a cute whale spoon to stir it all up!  I have no idea where I got this spoon, but I love it.  Even though its plastic I keep washing it because I just can't get myself to throw it away.  Blame it on the kid in me, but I think its adorable!

Canvas Art

   I've been itchin' to do some canvas art and ran across A Beautiful Mess's blog post that had just the inspiration I needed.  They show you how to do some cool wall art with vinyl letters.  I love how easy it is to do, how hard it is to mess up, and how artsy the end product looks!

   I ended up using a Bible verse that means a lot to Wil and I but you could do a cute quote, song lyrics, names, silhouettes, etc.  Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own canvas art:

You Will Need:

A Canvas of any size

Vinyl letters 

Scrapbook paper (this will be the background for the letters)

Mod Podge

Acrylic Paint

Paint Brush or sponge

1. Cut the scrapbook paper to be the size of the canvas you are using.

2. Mod Podge the canvas, lay the scrapbook paper on the canvas and then Mod Podge over the scrapbook paper.  Wait for this to dry.

3.  Cut out the vinyl letters and place them on the canvas to make sure everything fits and looks right.  Once you're satisfied peel the letters off and stick them where you want them on the scrapbook paper.

4.  Paint over the whole canvas.  

(I used a "China Blue" over the whole canvas and then did little splotches of white here and there.  Then, my husband suggested I add some moss around the edges, so, I added some moss around the edges just for him:)  I splotched "foilage green" around the edges with a sponge brush for the mossy look.  Then I VERY lightly went over everything again with the "China Blue" to give it a faded look.)

5.  After everything dries peel the letters off.  The paint bled a little around the edges for me but I liked the way that looked.  If yours bled and you don't like how it looks then just chip it away with your fingernail or a knife.

6.  Mod Podge over the whole canvas again so that everything stays in tact and the paint won't come off if it gets wet.  Once that coat dries you are done!  Proudly display it in your home or give it as a sweet gift!

Make Your Own Refrigerator Magnets

   I made my own refrigerator magnets!  I almost didn't blog about it because its so easy, but I wanted to get the idea out there for anyone that was interested!  I chose to do letters, but you can literally make a magnet out of anything- a picture, a business card, a lego, a bottle cap- anything that is not too heavy.  If you want to make the letter magnets that I made here is what you need:

Hot glue gun

Magnetic buttons 

(you can also get magnetic sheets and then cut them to size- but the buttons are much easier)

Paint markers

Wood letters

   Start off by painting the wood letters.  I chose to paint them all silver, because I didn't want our fridge to look "kiddish", but if you have kids, it would definitely be fun to make them all sorts of colors.  Then hot glue the magnet to the back of the wood letter.  Vuala- you're done!  Haha, told you it was easy!  

   For even simpler magnets, you can use bottle tops from your favorite drinks and put them over the magnet button.  No need to hot glue because the metal sticks to the magnet!  

      Since we are on the subject of magnets- I thought I would share with you one of my favorites:) Hehe!

DIY photo frames

   I made my own photo frames and I am super excited about them!  It was so easy to do and very very cheap!  I started out with $1 frames that I got from the wood section at Michaels. (I'm sure any craft store would have them.)  Then I used scrapbook paper that I found at Walmart on sale!  I'm really diggin this paper because it has tons of leaf and stick designs:)

I cut the scrapbook paper into the shapes of the frames by simply tracing the frames out onto the paper.  Then I Mod Podged the scrapbook paper onto the frames.  A layer straight on the frames, then place the  paper on the frames and Mod Podge over that.  It doesn't have to look perfect, there were parts of the edges that weren't completely covered up, and some paper hung over the edges.  You can tear them off or Mod Podge them to the side.

After the Mod Podge dried, paint the edges and backs of the frames.  I used a foilage green color for the green frame, and black for the red frame.  Blend the edges of the frame and the scrapbook paper- you will paint over a little of the paper, but thats ok.

It doesn't have to be perfectly painted either, little areas of wood that show through give it character.

The heart frame was a little tricky though, because I didn't have a picture that fit completely into the heart.  I put a regular 5x7 picture in it and then covered the back up with left over scrapbook paper.  I also taped the back of the picture and the heart because I didn't want to cut the picture, but all you would have to do is cut the picture and tape it onto the scrapbook paper to make it look more complete.  

I liked the way it looked with a little bit of the scrapbook paper showing with the picture.  If you don't want it to show just use a larger picture to take up the whole space.  Here's to the finished product:

Newspaper Art

   I love getting ideas from pinterest.  Honesty, I think I'm obsessed, but in a good way!  Recipes, DIY projects, funnies, fashion- the possibilities are endless.  Wil didn't quite agree in the beginning, but after a few cheap upgrades to our home decor and a couple home-cooked gourmet meals, he started to change his mind.  :)

   One of the pinterest ideas I found was to make newspaper art.  It is super easy and looks really neat even if you aren't a good artist:)  Here is the painting I did:

What you need to do this project:

Mod Podge (or anything of the sort)

Paintbrushes

Acrylic Paint of any color

Any size canvas of any kind

Newspaper

-  Start by tearing up your newspaper into smaller pieces.  I did super small pieces and chose to only do the black and white parts of the paper.  I wanted my painting to be all black and white, but I think it could be neat to do colored parts of the newspapers too.  

- Then Mod Podge a section of the canvas, lay a piece of the newpaper on it, and then Mod Podge over the newspaper.  You can be random with the pieces of paper, putting them upside down, sideways etc.  Repeat until the whole canvas is covered.  (This is pretty time consuming, I did it over a couple of days.)

-  After the whole canvas is covered (and dry!) you can start to paint over it.  I knew I wanted to do some sort of bird painting so I searched the internet for inspiration.  I found this beautiful wedding cake that I really liked the design of, so I attempted to recreate it.  At first I tried to trace it out with a pencil, but the pencil wouldn't show up very well over the newspaper, so I ended up just free handing it.  

-  When your painting is dry and exactly how you want it to look, put another coat of Mod Podge over the whole canvas to lock it in.  Once that is dry, you are free to proudly display your artistic ability!

Scarf Dress

   My most recent obsession right now is scarves.  But not for the obvious reasons of wearing them around your neck- no, my obsession is wearing scarves as dresses!  I know you are probably thinking of the swimsuit coverup type dress, or the tube top tie in the back dress that most of us know how to make with a scarf, but that is NOT what I'm talking about.  This is what I'm talking about:

   Isn't that cute!  The boutique I work at sells Golden Stella scarves, all of which are the most beautiful fabric.  So I have really wanted to get some, however, I really don't wear summer scarves.  I love the look and added flavor to an outfit but they make my neck all sweaty and claustrophobic.  So I searched for ways to wear the scarves as shirts.  I ended up finding an incredible picture tutorial from a boutique in California (Nectar Clothing) that showed me the easiest way to make the cutest scarf shirt.  Here is the link to the boutique's facebook page with the tutorial.  I followed the tutorial on how to tie it, and then kind of made it my own.  I added a belt, and vuala!

(Please excuse the poor photography!)

   However, after I played around and perfected my scarf shirt, I couldn't stop there.  I decided to try a dress out of some of the bigger scarves we have in the store and am in love with the outcome! I tied it the same as the shirt but added a little tie knot at the bottom to make it a little more form-fitting and not so frumpy.  

(The front and back of the side knot.)

(I added a belt to this one, and tied a little knot in the back.)

   I am wearing a gray dress length cami underneath mine which works perfect and is so comfortable.  But if you can't find one, I'm sure a slip would work too.  You can also safety pin the straps of your cami together underneath the bow knot so that they aren't showing.  Make it your own, and let me know how it goes!  Enjoy!