Rosettes! My New Obsession!!

I know, I know, this has been done MANY times before.  But, not by me!  :-)  And, I wanted to give these cute rosettes I have been seeing everywhere a try.  Well, watch out!  There may be a rosette on everything I own soon...I tend to obsess (I am working on it).  In fact, this (my current rosette obsession) is intertwining with my previous obsession (Emma's upcoming spa party) because I am now going to make rosette headbands for all of the girls at the party.  So, I guess you could say I just doubled my obsession...I really am working on this...really.

So, I started with two old shirts that I decided I was never going to wear again and I got started.  Again (I am SO BAD at this) I can't find the link to the tutorial I learned this from, but I promise when I find it, I will add it here.

From this...

To this...

My plan was to hot glue and then reinforce with a needle and thread...however, my daughter loved this so much that she wouldn't give it back and insisted on wearing it to preschool.  Soooo, hopefully it will come back in one piece and I can do the reinforcements tonight.  I am stoked that she loved it so much, though.  :-)

And, shirt #2...

Becomes headband #2...

I am just loving these...so, you will be seeing more, mark my words!  :-)  Need to go fabric finding...

A Banner Day

My daughter's 4th birthday is coming up in June.  We are throwing a spa party for her and a few friends and I have been planning this since the end of February (I am just a little obsessed).  I can't wait to post the finished product...the party is June 11th, so stay tuned.  It's gonna be FABULOUS! 

I decided to make her a cute banner just for her for her special day.  So, the other day, I made this at my kitchen table with stuff that I had already.  I think it turned out really cute!  And, in case you're wondering, there will be a picture under the four, but I had to order the one I wanted in wallet size, so I am waiting for it to get here.

I first cut out the triangles/pennants from white poster board I had laying around for another project.  Then, I added the letters with glitter pens and circle cut some of my favorite pics of my little girl, from birth til now and used mod podge to add them to each pennant.  I then outlined each photo with the glitter pen, just cuz I thought it looked snazzy!  :-)

I took a hole punch and punched two holes at the top of each banner to string the two pieces of yarn through to hang it.  Then, I punched two holes at the bottom of each to add the bows with various colored ribbons that I had. 

I thought they needed one (or two) more details...luckily my husband told me to call it quits, or this may have been one busy banner!  I made little rosettes with leftover felt circles from my wreath I made recently, and then stuck them to the banner with hot glue.

So, there you have it!  Nothing fancy, totally free, but made with love and it will add something special and personal to her spa party!  Like I said, I am slightly obsessed with this party, so you can expect more blogs leading up to the main event in the coming weeks...

Dollar Store Egg Tree Makeover

I bought these a few weeks ago at the Dollar Tree, one for each of my kids...Max, Emma and the one brewing in my belly.  I let them hang their eggs and they have been on display like that ever since.  Then, I hopped on over to My Garden of Eden and saw what simple upgrades she made to the exact same trees and decided mine needed fancy schmancy makeovers, too!

Here is what the tree looked like...

I had some ribbon that I bought to use at my daughter's upcoming birthday party.  I bought the spool at Target for $1, it came with five strands of various colored ribbon, I used three here.  Then, I used a glitter pen to write their name on the pot, leaving the third blank...it's just waiting patiently for a name.  (We find out what we're having on April 15th, so hopefully, I will be able to add a name real soon).  And, lastly, I added the moss that I had on hand.  What a difference! 

And, here they are, on their very own shelf...egg trees for each of my babies.  :-)  I decided to do two colors per tree...just my preference.

A Wreath for a Princess

This project was inspired by MANY different ideas.  I wanted to try my hand at a homemade wreath. I am a little over 17 weeks pregnant with our third child and we don't know yet what we are having, boy or girl, have to wait til April 15th!  Our house is a 3-bedroom and we have no plans to move, so someone is going to share their room.  BUT, for the first year or two, the baby is going to sleep alone in my daughter's room, because of unknown sleep patterns.  This means that my son, 5 and daughter, 3 1/2 will be sharing for a while. 

I plan to put two twin beds in the room and I want to use beadboard as headboards.  It's driving me crazy, because we can't truly start this transformation without knowing the sex of this little one inside of me.  If a boy, we pretty much leave the big room as is (it's currently my son's room).  If it's a girl, well, then we'll need to get to work.  My son's room will need paint, and my daughter's room (which will then eventually be my son's single room) will need painted as well.  And, that's just the beginning. 

Anyway, I apologize for the loooong intro to this project.  While my son and daughter are sharing my son's current room, I wanted to give them their own "side" for their stuff.  Max's side will be all boy and will be sprayed with everything Super Mario (Super Mario Silhouettes) and Emma's side will be all girl!! Hence, the idea for this pink wreath for her headboard.

The project took some time, but was very simple to do.  I bought 20 squares of felt for a little over $5 at a craft store and cut out circles...I used one circle as a guide, but I wasn't too careful with making them perfect.  After all, I was going to be folding them anyway.

After the circles were cut, I folded them once, then twice and secured them to the styrofoam wreath with a straight pin at the point of the fold, so I could spread it out. 

I just did this about a billion times and I had a wreath!!  :-)  I did vary the placement of the felt a lot, to make it interesting.

I bought a piece of black gingham ribbon and I am still on the lookout for an old frame to hang this from.  Then, the whole thing will hang from my daughter's new headboard (once completed - and I WILL be posting the completed room, trust me).  For the picture, I just grabbed this window mirror I have had for about 10 years...thought it looked pretty cool.

And, in case you're wondering, the princess loves it!  :-)  I can't wait to put the whole ensemble together.  Stay tuned...


Linking to these fabulous parties...
Linky Parties

Project 52 - Week of 3/21/11

My favorite pic of this week was EASY!  I snapped these photos of my daughter, because she is my official guinnea pig when I want to "practice" with my camera.  I have a hold on outdoor shots using natural light, but I admit, when I bring the camera indoors with artificial lighting (and believe me, on my budget, this is not the best artificial lighting) I struggle with the right exposure.  Soooo, I bribed her with a popsicle (she's on a popsicle kick right now, regardless of the 30 degree spring temps) and she posed for a few close ups. 

I LOVE the way they turned out.  I have three faves.  The first is the one I will pick for Project 52 this week.  The second two, I just had to include because it was difficult to pick.  As my mom said, "she looks angelic in these photos, but we all know better."  Haha, my sassy girl!  She can turn it on and off in a matter of seconds.

I love my sassy girl!

And, the runners-up...

Easter Centerpiece

I admit, I got the idea to wrap the eggs from another blog, but I can't remember which one it was and I didn't bookmark it.  If I figure it out, I will be sure to give proper credit. 
Found it (thanks, Natalie) - here it is, at The Sweet Survival.


She wrapped the easter eggs for a wreath.  This was a great idea, however I didn't think I had the time or the patience for all of those eggs, so this centerpiece was just right for me! 

While this is not a hard project by any means, it is tedious and time consuming.  But the results are wonderful! 

I started with the standard plastic easter eggs, bought at the Dollar Tree.  Warmed up the glue gun and got four pastel colors of yarn ready.

I began by placing a few dots of glue around the egg in various places...there is no rhyme or reason to the wrapping of my eggs, just wrapped them til they were covered. 

I would wrap, put on some glue, wrap some more, put on some glue, wrap...oh, you get the point!

I found the bowl at the thrift store for $2.50 and got the moss at the Dollar Tree...so, all in all, this project cost me about $5.  Gotta love it!

My table is officially ready for Easter!

Happy Easter to you all!


Linking up to these great parties:
Linky Parties

Old Signs Get New Life

I have had two of these signs for about five years.  They were hanging in our great room.  I have started the process of painting the great room, wall by wall.  In this process, I am sure that I will be finding new homes, or in this case, new uses for the existing decor.  I need something new...I CRAVE something new.  It excites me!

So, back to this sign...I love the saying on it, I truly do, "The Best Antiques Are Old Friends."  The other sign, exact in size, said "Love Begins At Home."  Awww, I bought them for a reason five years ago.  :-)  But, alas, I have grown out of them.

I needed two signs about this size for my "confusing" kitchen.  Let me explain...I have three doors in my kitchen, one after another, after another.  My father-in-law, in particular has the MOST trouble remembering what is behind door #1, door #2 and door #3.  A while back, I put a vinyl "Pantry" sign on the middle door to help with this confusion.  Well, the doors STILL stump him every time he is here (makes me giggle).  :-)  This gave me an idea for the empty spaces above door #1 and #3.

I had to give them labels, purpose.  Behind #1 lurks the laundry room...so it is labeled, you guessed it, LAUNDRY.  Behind #3 are the steps to our finished basement, which houses toys, a TV/video game area, my photography "studio" and our bar.  Tricky, tricky.  MOST of our enjoyment is at the bar area, entertaining our friends, so this seemed the natural choice in labeling.  My husband and I thought DUPES PUB had a nice ring to it...so I set to it!

I first primed the signs, just the inside, leaving the frames as they were.  They were weathered and antiqued and I like it.  Then, one coat of the color I am currently painting the great room (to tie the two rooms together), Yosemite Sand by Benjamin Moore.  Side note: if you have never tried Benjamin Moore paint, I urge you to...it is a little more expensive, but a little goes a long way, it's smooth as silk going on the wall and it looks brilliant.

The original signs had some texture to them, and I loved that about them...less for me to do.  I just stenciled them in black paint and then ran some sand paper over them for a distressed look and voila!  New, FREE signs!

I am thrilled with the end result...the true "test" will happen the next time my father-in-law visits.  :-)

Linking up to...

Women Who Do It All

The Young Nester

Don't Waste Your Homemaking

A Diamond in the Stuff

Ladybug Blessings

Run With Glitter

Very Merry Vintage Style

Creations By Kara

The Thrifty Home

Elements Interiors

My Blue Chair

Oh, how I love my blue chair!  It says SPRING!  I forgot to take a before picture...this is so typical of me.  I must get better at this step.  But, the chair itself was old, dusty and perfect.  And, best of all $7 at an antique store.  One coat of blue spray paint later and I have my new, purty porch chair!  And, to jazz it up even more, I added the bird houses...custom creations of my kiddos.

Welcome Spring!!!!



Project 52 - Week of 3/14/11

While at the craft store getting all sorts of goodies for my upcoming projects, my kids spotted these birdhouses and wanted to paint them.  They each got to pick one and we bought some acrylic paint.  Yesterday, 3/18/11 it reached 80 degrees here in Pennsylvania, so it was the perfect day to be outdoors.  We spent five hours straight outside...did you know it's possible to get a sunburn in March in PA???  It's true, take my word for it!  :-)  Anyhoo, it was a great day to craft.  So, while I was spray-painting my new vintage chair for the front porch, my kiddos were playing Picasso with these little houses.  About an hour later, I had two beautifully painted children....and these beauties!  I absolutely LOVE them!!!!



Doll Crib Makeover

Picked up this beauty at none other than the Gift and Thrift!  :-)  For $4.99 it was perfect.  I can use it for newborn photo sessions and my daughter can use it as a comfy bed for her many dolls.  While it was a cute bed as is, I decided I wanted to paint and distress it...mainly for the way that it would show up in a portrait.  So, I gave it a quick sanding and painted two coats in an off-white latex indoor paint.

I needed to rough it up a bit, I really like the look and it shows great in portraits with an old barn floor.  So, I sanded it so that the original wood showed through just a bit.  I decided that wasn't enough, so I used a brown latex paint that I had and added water for a wash.  Brushed it on and lightly wiped it off with an old t-shirt.  I really like the way that it turned out.

I'm not a big fan of the heart cut-out.  I have some ideas of how I might hide it in a portrait (Child's name, birth info, etc).  But, for now, it has found a home in my daughter's room for her pampered dolls.  :-)



My Spring Mantle

I have decided to enter the Spring Mantle Linky Party over at Women Who Do It All.  So, here it is, my mantle.  I think I have arranged and rearranged no less than 23 times in the last week.  This is what I have settled on...at least for now and for the linky party.  :-)  I have issues...

The colorful frames are from The Organic Bloom and are available to purchase through my photography business, Bliss Images.  I love them and they were perfectly colorful for Spring and Easter.  The bird, I purchased at Dollar General for $3, the chalkboard from a thrift store for $1, the white tray at a thrift store for $1, the vase is a thrift store redo for $3...I think the most expensive item(s) are the wooden eggs I bought years ago at Lillian Vernon (not sure of the cost, but I think around $15). 

When I look at it, I think Spring, so I am happy with that!

Happy Spring all!

Way drab to FAB!

And, still not technically done.  I have more ideas for this wall, but I

Super Mario Silhouettes

I have a five year old gamer!  Yes, he's five, and he understands all there is to know about video games (rated E for Everyone only).  And, there isn't a day that goes by that we, as a family aren't filled in on everything and anything going on in the world of Super Mario Brothers or Sonic the Hedgehog.  

In preparations for our new baby, coming late summer, we must put our two older children, Max and Emma (boy and girl) in the same room for a while.  I want to make this transition as easy as possible for them, so we are transforming Max's (the biggest) room into a room fit for a King and Queen.  Max will have the left side of the room for anything he would like, Emma the right side. 

Being that Max's world revolves around these Wii characters, I had a great idea, inspired by a pottery barn dinosaur creation and by a reproduction done by A Girl In The Air. 

First, I purchased a long piece of white pine at Home Depot and had a nice gentleman that worked there cut it into 12 inch pieces for me.  Then I painted one coat of off white latex paint in eggshell, because I wanted the grain to show. 

I found these silhouttes on the internet.  They printed out extremely small and I couldn't figure out how to blow them up directly on my computer/printer (I am technically stunted), so I decided to just free-hand from the pics.  Looking back, I wish that I would have used a lighter pencil stroke, but I remedied that later on, as you'll see...



I found some dark brown paint that I already had and added some water for a wash.  Painted it on, and then lightly wiped some away with a towel until I got the look that I desired.

I remembered that I painted a table and chair set years ago with primary colors, red, green and blue.  These colors were perfect for these specific characters...Mario - red, Yoshi - green, Sonic - blue.  So, I mixed the colors with water and washed them on.

I really liked the look of just the wash, but alas, the pencil marks were there (like I said, looking back, I would have used much lighter strokes).  I did try to erase, but it wasn't working.  Sooooo, I used each color (without water) to outline, and then added the character names to the bottom left.

All and all, this project cost me the amount for the wood...$7.  And, I still have a 12" piece left over.  My daughter is already asking for princess art for her side (the right side) of the room...so, stay tuned for that future project. And, once we find out if we will be blessed with a boy or girl, we will be re-doing bedrooms, so that project will be a blog entry or two...or three.  :-)

Linking up to
Debbie-Doos Newbie Party
 Don't Waste Your Homemaking
 All Things Heart and Home
Very Merry Vintage Style
Creations By Kara
Seven Thirty-Three
The Thrifty Home
Craft-O-Maniac
Ladybug Blessings
Run With Glitter

Personalized Sign

My husband had the idea for a personalized sign for our friend's birthday coming up in April.  Some background, he lives in the town of Penbrook and has a bar in his basement.  Over the past few months they have lived there, it has been dubbed "Penbrook Country Club."  :-)  I looked at a few options online for personalized signs and all of them came in at $30 and above, the ones I considered were about $50. 

My best friend, Natalie, over at A Turtle's Life for Me had recently done a sign and used her cricut to cut out letters on contact paper and then used them as a reverse stencil.  So, I thought I would give it a try and save some money while exercising my creativity.

I started with this piece of slate I bought for $4.50 at the thrift store.

I removed the rope hanger and painted it with two coats of black satin latex paint that I had already. 

Once it dried, I headed to my bff's house (she lives two doors down, how lucky am I?) and she helped me use her cricut ( I want one, I really want one) to cut out the letters.  Because I wasn't sure I could place the contact paper letters on straight, I measured and drew light lines with a pencil as a guide.  Then, I carefully placed the letters on. 

I decided then that I wanted to use some kind of textured spray paint.  I ended up choosing the stone look (bought at the Home Depot).  I sprayed two coats on the whole thing.

I will caution you, if you use the textured spray paint, it is extremely difficult to locate the contact paper to lift up.  Luckily, I have pretty good eyesight.  I also used a toothpick to aid with lifting up a small piece, so I could grab it and peel away the rest.  I waited about an hour before I lifted the contact paper off.  I wanted it to still be tacky, not fully dry.

And, here it is, in all of its glory!  I am so proud of this and can't wait to give it to our friend on April 9th at his party!  The whole project cost about $9, much better than the $50 I was prepared to spend originally.  Yay for frugality!

Linking up to Debbie-Doos Newbie Party, The Creative Itch and Craft-O-Maniac