Bridesmaids Book

When I got married, my sweet maid of honor created a Bridesmaids Book for me. The idea is to take a scrapbook and have each of the bridesmaids complete a page or two full of pictures, funny memories, and a note to the bride. It's the perfect thing to give the bride shortly before the wedding at an event like the Bridesmaids Brunch or rehearsal dinner. I still look at mine often and consider it one of my favorite keepsakes from my wedding. Since my sister-in-law recently got married, I decided to create a bridesmaids book for her. Here's how it turned out.

Something old, Something new...

I love the little wedding rhyme: something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. I made a cute card for my sister-in-law for her upcoming wedding day. I used lots of bling...pearl and rhinestone embellishments and glitter card stock hearts...perfect for the bride to be.

 

 

Speaking of something old...I took some new pictures of items already in my Etsy shop. When I first started on Etsy I didn't have a nice camera, so my pictures lacked a sense of freshness and clarity. I'm happy with the way they turned out. If you haven't visited my shop recently, be sure to check it out.

In the spirit of something new, I have an exciting update. There is a new art center opening near me and the owner put out a request to local artist to feature items in her shop. I met with the owner last week and we had a nice visit. Best of all, she wants to put my cards in her shop! I'm planning to organize and package some of my cards in the coming weeks and take them to her. Her art center will also be a place for lessons and birthday parties for kiddos, so I am hoping to have some of my banners displayed as well. I made a new banner as a sample to show her. It's so fun and whimsical, I love it! I used yellow, pink, purple, and blue card stock and added bright embellishments. I used hot pink rick rack to tie the letters together. I downloaded the font from a freebie I found on a blog through Pinterest.

 

  

 

Summer Wreath

I really needed a new summer wreath. I took the Easter wreath down a few weeks ago and my door has been bare since. I figured my Canadian neighborhood could use a little USofA, so I decided to create a patriotic wreath. I looked around on Pinterest and Etsy for ideas and headed out to get some red, white, and blue supplies.

My favorite purchase was the wreath itself, which I found at a thrift store for $1.99. I also had coupons for Michael's craft store. Did you know they have a free iPhone app with coupons that you can scan right at the register! You must download the app if you haven't already. I bought fake flowers at 40% off and a spool of ribbon on sale for $1.29 (plus my 20% off coupon from my app). All I had to do was arrange the flowers on the wreath, use a little hot glue, and put a bow on the top. Then I added a few silver stars I already had to the center of the small white flowers. This project was so easy and I love how the wreath turned out. Best part, the whole thing cost just over $10. 

The finished product

Close up view. Check out the shining silver stars!

On the door

Thank you, Pinterest

Last fall, I discovered Pinterest and my love of all things DIY suddenly multiplied! For the dozens of ideas and projects I've pinned, I think it's time to share a few I've actually completed. In the spirit of "thanking" Pinterest and my fellow pinners, check out one of my newest cards for sale in my Etsy shop. I love the little touches of glitter in the letters and embellishment on top. Click here to see the card in my shop with additional pictures.

I made these cute jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers from a pin on Halloween night. Stuffed peppers is one of my favorite vegetarian recipes to make, so I enjoyed adding some holiday spirit into our meal. 

 

One of the best things about discovering Pinterest during the Fall, was that I found all kinds of creative game day ideas for entertaining on Saturdays. We are big Alabama football fans in this house and every Saturday in the Fall is devoted to food, friends, and football. I saw this pin so I made these cute treat bags with brown paper lunch sacks and masking tape, then filled them each with popcorn and Twizzlers. I will definitely make these again.

 

During the Christmas season, I attended a Dirty Santa gift exchange. This is where each person brings a gift and you draw numbers to select either opening a gift from the pile or stealing one that's been opened that you'd rather have! I decided to go simple with the gift and get a Starbucks gift card but I wanted to do something cute for the wrapping. I found this pin and made my own fake frappachino using brown tissue paper and white stuffing with a white bow on top. When I bought the card I just asked the barista for an extra cup and straw and voila, a super cute gift card holder!

Probably my biggest project so far has been re-vamping my baker's rack. My aunt gave it to me when I first got married. 4 houses and almost 6 years later, I've done nothing to update it. I love the rack because it's the perfect storage piece, but inevitably it has become the dumping ground for random items around our house. While browsing Pinterest one night I came across this pin (it's even the same baker's rack!) I left it white but just wiped down and cleaned the whole piece. Then I used the Martha Stewart paints recommended to add some color to the wooden board. I bought some baskets, organized the cookbooks by color, and added a holder on the wall for plastic bags. I love how neat and tidy everything looks and how functional the whole piece is now. Despite my embarrasment, here is a before and after picture as well as one up close of the finished product.

I completed my latest project today. After getting some of my herb seedlings planted this morning, I made these garden markers based on this pin. The blogger is right, this might just be the easiest craft ever. I just got old wine corks and wooden skewers, used a sharpie to write the name of the herb, and stuck them in the pot. Beautiful!

Thank you again Pinterest for all of the fun. I'm sure there will be many more Pinterest project posts on the blog to come!

Bachelorette Beach Weekend

I recently returned from my sister-in-law's bachelorette weekend down in Florida. We had a blast doing all things "girl" and of course soaking up that southern sun. We decorated the condo with really cute items and I just have to share the paper banner I made (even though I don't have the best pictures). I used pinks, purples, and blues for color as well as zebra print and glitter card stock, then tied each letter together with pink, curly ribbon. I love making banners even though I do not sell them directly on my Etsy site. I would love to do a custom order though, so feel free to contact me for more information!

I ordered the perfect beach cups from Julie, a seller on Etsy. Her shop Personal Gift Boutique carries everything from cups to candles and we all know I love anything that can be personalized. I bought plastic tumblers (BPA free too!) with lids and straws, perfect for sipping "flirtinis" on the beach. Each cup was personalized in a different color vinyl lettering with the name of one of the bridesmaids and then decorated with pink and white polka dots. Here is a picture of a few of the cups. I think my favorite part might even be the polka dot ribbon she ties on top of each cup! The girls loved the cups and all wanted to keep the ribbons on while they enjoyed their drinks!

My sweet cousin makes these delicious cookies with her business, swEEt thang cookies and more.  She is based out of Alabama and creates custom sugar cookies for all kinds of events...birthdays, business lunches, sports teams, and of course, bachelorette parties! She made these little beach balls for all of the girls and then one for the bride with a wedding dress and beach ball. Check out her Facebook page for more information.

Wasn't everything just so cute! And if you are curious, I'll end this post with the recipe for Flirtinis:

Ingredients - Vodka, Champagne, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Sliced fruit (oranges and limes work the best because they float when you cut them in circle slices). We adjusted the amounts below to taste, so feel free to mix as you see fit. Enjoy!

1. 1/2 Handle of vodka 
2. 2 bottles of champagne
3. 1 Gallon of plain orange juice
4. 1 Can of Pineapple Juice

Wedding Season Begins

It's that time of year folks...as Spring gets underway and leads into summer, it's the season for bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette events, engagement parties, and weddings! This is my favorite time of year for crafting and even more so, I love making pieces for my family and friends.

I am headed to both a bridal shower and engagement party this weekend for a dear college friend and sorority sister. Here is the card I made for her shower gift.

I created the card to match the gift I got her from a unique crafter on Etsy, JessicaNDesigns. You can also check out her blog. She describes her work on her Etsy shop as "Giving New Life to Vintage Silverware by Creating Custom, Hand Stamped Keepsakes for your Wedding, your Home & your Garden!" I love anyone who upcycles and especially love a personal touch to a gift. I ordered two little dessert forks, hand stamped with Mr. and Mrs. and then the couple's wedding date on the handles.

I paired the forks with a serving piece I had already picked up and tied a cute little ribbon around the set. Perfect! I can't wait to give this to my sweet friend.

I have another wedding and bachelorette party in the next month, so I'm in process of creating some fun items. Check back soon for updates!

I'm Back

Well it's been a while y'all! In the past year or so I've only been doing custom orders and let my Etsy shop go dark because I just had too much on my plate to manage this little side venture. My husband recently got a new assignment with the Air Force so we've had a lot of transition in the last few months. But now I'm back, with a whole new look, and trying to get more orders. I have cards listed in my shop with more to come in the following days. Keep checking back here and on my Etsy shop.

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