[Motivational Monday: Oscar Night Parties]

I am hereby proclaiming this week to be "Party Week" at [Frame Fanatic]. And since my birthday is coming up this weekend, I thought I might party all week long! So come join me! You're all invited! :0)

To start off this "Party Week", I just want to get a recap of one of the biggest parties in Hollywood: Oscar Night. I unfortunately did not host an Oscar viewing party, but I would love to host one next year! Here are some clever ideas to throw this fancy occasion.

Decor Ideas:

[I am in love with this black, white, & gold Oscar party by HWTM. Such elegant party decor! She always has such amazing ideas on her blog!]

[LOVE the napkin envelope with the "And the winner is..." printable! And the popcorn bags add a nice touch along side the golden statues.]

[Such a lovely flower centerpiece all in corresponding colors with the various movie titles wrapped around each vase.]

[Clever little tags attached to beautiful champagne glasses to toast off each award. I, of course, would choose the glass with "Best Actress" attached to it! :0) I am sure my husband would agree!]

You can find all of these FREE printables [here].

Food & Drink:

[Super cute red & gold Oscar party by Second City Soiree. I love the red velvet cake with the gold star cake decorations. Almost too beautiful to eat!]

[How adorable are these little Oscar cookies by Bakerella?? You can learn how to make them [here]. They look super yummy!]

Stay tuned tomorrow as we continue "Party Week" on how to make this:

[Jen]

[Scrapperday: Little Feet, Big Heart]

This card could easily be considered a Valentine's Day card, but it could also be used as a mother's/father's day card, birthday card, etc. It's all about making it your own. I recently gave this card to my mother-in-law for Valentine's Day that I thought would be super special with her granddaughter's footprints on the cover of the card. I simply traced out my daughter's feet, cut it out, and inked the edges. This is very similar to the handprint hand project I recently posted about. A little cardstock, some rub-ons, twine tied in a bow, & you've got yourself a fun handmade (or "feet" made!) card. :0)

Little feet...Big heart. I also used rub-ons for the inside of the card along with a red cutout heart and some feux stitching with a black pen.

Hope you enjoyed this fun little card project that you can make with your kids! It's super fun, and it will create a memory that will last a lifetime. :0)

Linking this up to [these] parties!

[Jen]

Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay I know that Valentine's Day is practically over, but I wanted to share with you my Valentine mantel. To me it looks pretty sparse. I was originally planning on really decorating it up big this year. Maybe I'll get all geared up for it next year. Anyways, here's a few highlights from my very simple V-Day mantel:

[This cute little "love" vase is from the $1 section at Target I bought last year. Just threw in a little daisy {fake, of course) to give it some flair. Looks nice sitting next to the little handprint Valentine art.]

[This Valentine wreath was originally inspired by The Thriftress. It is entirely made out of empty paper towel tubes. I painted them red (each individually with a brush since I didn't have any red spray paint) and glued them together with a hot-glue gun. Super easy! You can view the full tutorial HERE.]

[A clear empty vase I bought at the Dollar Tree hold a couple of fake daisies. And sitting next to them are a couple of frames I made, including the Valentine frame with the button heart. I place a little candle just for a warm touch.]

Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day! Lots of love! :0)

[Jen]

[Tuesday Top 10: Valentine/Romantic Movies]

What better time to bust out all the "chick flicks" than on Valentine's Day! There's just something about a romantic movie that spark that "lovin' feeling". So here's a list of my top 10 romantic movies that I enjoy watching around Valentine's Day: (in descending order)

10. Valentine's Day - The name says it all. While this really isn't my favorite romantic comedy, I felt it was appropriate to add to the list. It also is great eye "candy" for big-name celebs!

9. Love Potion #9 - How appropriate that it is actually #9 on my list! This early 90's romantic comedy film is about a nerdy scientist guy who drinks some love potion which makes every woman fall madly in love with him for a short time. Of course, he ends up falling in love himself.

8. Down With Love - Contrary to its title, this movie is all about love...and chocolate. It never fails. I always crave boxes of chocolate while watching this movie. How convenient for Valentine's Day!

7. Notting Hill - Another great romantic comedy with Hugh Grant & Julia Roberts. Of course it follows suit with any chick flick -  boy gets girl, boy loses girl, and boy gets girl again in the end.

6. Somewhere In Time - Ah, now this is a wonderful romantic movie. This 1980 film with Christopher Reeve & Jane Seymour is about a guy who travels back in time to find this actress and ends up falling in love with her. Such an elegant yet passionate movie.

5. When Harry Met Sally - Aww I love this movie! Of course with Billy Crystal you know it's going to be funny. But I always tear up when Harry tells Sally all the quirky things he loves about her.

4. The Notebook - Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, you are taken on an emotional roller coaster from watching the characters fall from a innocent summer love to a lifelong commitment. I cannot watch this movie without a box of tissues, and I've seen it a dozen times!

3. Sleepless in Seattle - A perfect movie to watch with your special someone on Valentine's Day. Now I know I mentioned this a couple of months ago for my Top 10 Christmas Movies, but since this movie technically ends on Valentine's Day I had to add to this list as well.

2. An Affair To Remember - A classic Valentine/romantic chick flick. A 1957 film with the famous actors Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr depict a passionate love affair that will leave you in tears at the end. "Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories. We've already missed the spring." Love this movie!

And my #1 Valentine/Romantic movie pick is...

1. P.S. I Love You - Major tearjerker! I saw this when it was out in theaters and both my husband and I were sobbing. Such a heart-griping movie about a man who leaves his widowed wife little love notes & takes her on an amazing journey. All the while she still misses him.

Okay, I know I left a TON of other really good Valentine/romantic films (like Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Ghost, etc.), but these were all just off the top of my head. So, do you have any special movies you like to bust out around Valentine's Day?

[Jen]

[Motivational Monday: Celeb Looks For Less]

Have you ever stood in your closet, looked at everything (whether it be tons of clothes or not), and said "I have NOTHING to wear..."? Well, that was me the other day. So I thought it might be fun to look around for some inspiration to refresh my wardrobe without buying a thing. And what better way to keep up with the trends in fashion than to look at what famous celebrities are wearing these days. Here's what I came up with:

[Jennifer Aniston: a once fashion icon for the hairstyle called "The Rachel" still keeps up with the trends with this super-chic yet casual look. To get this look for less, I combined some l.e.i. jeans paired with my hubby's white tank and a leather jacket that I've had since the beginning of time. A pair of black boot-like shoes from Target and some aviators from Walmart complete this outfit.]

[Victoria Beckham: I love her style! This Spice Girl mom always looks so put together no matter where she goes. And I am really liking this feminine business-like outfit. I used this bold patterned dress and a gray cardigan from The Limited to get her look for less. Cinching everything with a black leather belt, black heels, black purse, and black shades are accessory must-haves.]

[Jessica Alba: A mother of a beautiful little girl demonstrates how to wear stylish cold-weather gear. To bundle up with a fraction of the cost, I used a wool coat I bought at Steve & Barry's a few years ago, some skinny jeans, and brown wedge boots from Walmart. The accessories added were big black shades, a wide belt (that was my mom's from the 60's), and a soft scarf neatly tucked in the coat. I added the Ralph Lauren shopping bag just for fun!]

[Angelina Jolie: All dressed in white. I mimicked this style by pairing white pants with a white blouse, both from Charlotte Russe (I love that store!). I added some nude shoes (on clearance from Sears), a white clutch, and a chunky watch. Just pray I don't spill anything on all this white!]

[Keira Knightley: A laid-back summer look. I paired this bohemian dress ($5 from Garden Ridge last summer!) with a leather belt and topped it all off with a fedora hat from Walmart. I also added some shiny gold sandals that I also bought at Walmart.)

[Maria Menounos: To get this sexy red carpet look, I used this coral cocktail dress I bought for a wedding back in Sept. and paired it with some accessories such as hoop earrings and bangles. A cute little clutch and some shiny heels from Marshall's complete the entire look.]

[Ashley Olsen: To copy this unconventional layered look, I used a long-sleeve plaid button-down shirt under a waist cincher paired with skinny jeans I bought for $15 from Charlotte Russe. A pair of shiny pumps and a gray flowey jacket bring it all together.]

[Hillary Duff: Okay, honestly, this isn't really my style. But I am trying to branch out from the same ol', same ol'. To get this very "fashion-forward" look, I used some black shorts, a gray tank from Papaya under a black jacket from the Miley Cyrus collection at Walmart. Some black tights, nude pumps, long gold necklace, and a black newsboy hat tops off the whole ensemble.]

[Ali Landry: A simple yet chic look. A shirt dress I bought for $5 at Walmart, a wide belt, a chunky bracelet, and some Candies peep-toe heels from Kohl's mimic her look.]

[Another Victoria Beckham? Yes, but I had all of these items to I had to get this outfit. A pair of green cargo pants paired with nude heels give this a casual yet more upscale look. And the aviators are a must to feel uber-trendy!]

Whew! Although it took a lot of work and some creativity, it was a lot of fun. I feel as though I am looking at my wardrobe in a whole new light now. :0)

Want to give your wardrobe a little face lift? You should try this at home too! Take pics from magazines, catalogs, online, etc. and try to create that same look & style only using items you already own. And, most importantly, have fun with it!

photos courtesy of:

InStyle

In Their Closet

[Jen]

[Scrapperday: Valentine Scrapbook Page]

Given the spirit of Valentine's Day is in the air, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you a Valentine scrapbook page I made a while back. It was pretty simple to create, and ALL of the materials used were from that fabulous Valentine's Day Scrapbook Collection pack from the $1 section at Target. I enjoy using collection packs since all of the styles/color are already coordinated. Really takes the guesswork out!

[As I brainstorming the layout, I knew that I wanted to keep everything to a minimal at the top and force the eye to focus primarily at the bottom of the page. And I love how the little frames look around the photos. Really showcases both pictures. Of course I had to take a picture of my daughter in her Valentine's Day Heart socks (also from the $1 section at Target). I think I am obsessed with tiny baby feet! So cute!]

["LOVE": I wanted to mimic the famous "love" sculpture in NY with these white foam letter stickers. The layered heart embellishment is actually 3 glitter heart stickers on dimensional adhesive. And since the heart patterned paper was so busy, I decided to trace around a couple of hearts with dashed lines using a white gel pin for that extra focus yet flair.]

["All you need is love, and love is what you got!" So true. My little journaling tag consists of the die-cut, the Happy Valentine's Day banner in dimensional adhesives, a couple of glitter heart stickers, and some pink satin ribbon. Like I said earlier, everything was super easy. I think I finished this page in under an hour (including the usual distractions from my daughter).]

Hope this inspired you to create a Valentine's Day page of your own! :0)

Linking up to [these] parties!

[Jen]

[Framed Friday: Frame Gallery at SWITCHEROOm]

Today's "Framed Friday" is featuring this amazing frame gallery wall created by Elle over at SWITCHEROOm. Doesn't it look just amazing?!

My favorite part is this framed clock. So inventive! And I love all the pops of the brightly colored frames! Adds such an eclectic feel & really gives it character.

Want to know what it looked like before?

And here's the after:

Such a difference! A fresh coat of paint brings new life to old frames. I have always dreamed of having a gallery wall with unique mismatched frames in my home, and now I am totally convinced to create one!

Thanks Elle for inspiring us all & letting me feature your project!

If you would like to take a look at the original post on her gallery wall or just to visit her super cute blog, click [HERE].

[Jen]

Happy National Carrot Cake Day!

Did you know there was such a thing as National Carrot Cake Day? Well, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I thought I would make my delicious Carrot Cake Pancake. This is always a big hit at our house! We enjoy having them for dinner (why is it that having breakfast for dinner is usually better than having it first thing in the morning?). Here's the recipe so that you can enjoy this yummy goodness as well:

Carrot Cake Pancakes

• 2 and 1/4 cups buttermilk pancake mix or Bisquick baking mix

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 and 1/2 cups milk

• 1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)

• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• softened cream cheese (optional)

In a large bowl, sift together the pancake mix and spices. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Let the batter set 5 minutes before using.

Heat a griddle or large frying pan to medium high heat and coat generously with cooking spray.

Pour batter in 1/4 amounts to make each pancake. Cook until edges look dry and the top surface is covered with bubbles. Flip and cook until other side is golden brown.

Serve warm with butter and syrup. Or for the full carrot cake experience, spread with cream cheese. Serves 4.

The pancake mix I use for this recipe is a just-add-water-or-milk type. If your mix calls for oil and/or eggs, I'd suggest that you add those ingredients according to the directions on the package.

Source: Mr. Breakfast

Happy National Carrot Cake Day! :0)

Linking this recipe up to [these] parties!

[Jen]

Sad news...

Due to lack of sales, I will be shutting down my [Etsy Shop] on Monday, February 7th, 2011. Since the products on my account expire, I chose not to renew them and just close up shop.

If you would still like to order a frame from me, please feel free to contact me anytime.

I can still make custom frames in any style for those that would like to purchase one from me for $15 (free shipping & handling to US Residents ONLY!).

[Jen]

Happy Groundhog Day!

Well this morning Phil the groundhog did NOT see his shadow today. Which means he's predeicted an early spring!

And it's tradition in our family to watch my husband's favorite movie "Groundhog Day". We love this movie! So hilarious! But one day we hope to travel to Punxsutawney, PA to actually see the groundhog. (fingers crossed!)

Happy Groundhog Day!

[Jen]