Spring Mantel

Okay, I would just like to start off this post by saying that I NEVER decorate my mantel for Spring. Christmastime? Of course! But never for any of the other seasons. So this year, after being so inspired by other bloggers, I decided to give it a try! And actually, I surprisingly had a lot of fun decorating! :0)

[If you have read my previous post, you might recognize this cupcake liner wreath. (click HERE to view the tutorial) It hangs over our framed poem called "In Our Home" that we received as a housewarming gift a few years ago.]

[Below the wreath are these fun little plastic Easter eggs from last year sitting in a tea light candle tray (another housewarming gift). I think they add a little "fun" to the mantel, but my 2-year old daughter constantly wants me to take them down to play with them!]

[This "Spring" banner is a free printable from At Second Street. Super easy to make! Click HERE to print one of to make for yourself and to check out her super cute Spring mantel.]

[I decided to include one of my handmade frames from my Etsy shop. Inside the frame I made a little butterfly art that I will talk about tomorrow. So stay tuned!]

[I found this free Spring printable from Smile Like You Mean It and knew I just had to include it on my mantel (click HERE to print one out for yourself). It's just a fun colorful subway art that totally describes Spring. I stole the frame from my chalkboard frame that I first posted about when I started blogging. You can view that post HERE.]

[This little flower pot traveled from my craft/laundry room (click HERE and HERE to view a post on my craft room). I purchased it from Walmart about a year ago, and it's held up quite nicely.]

[I decided to fill these little candle holders with plastic eggs, a couple of feux flowers, and a colorful ribbon tied in a bow. And p.s., this candle holder only cost $2! I will show you how I made it on Tuesday!]

Well, that concludes today's post on my Spring mantel. I'll be linking it up to these fabulous parties! Happy Friday! :0)

[Jen]

[Scrapperday: Happy Birthday]

To conclude "Party Week" and to celebrate my birthday weekend, I wanted to share with you a fun little birthday card. I am actually planning on giving it to my niece who is turning 7 in a couple of weeks. I was inspired by Kristina Werner at KWerner Designs. Click [here] to view her video tutorial on how to make a card similar to this one.

It was very simple to make. The flowers were actually cutouts of two different patterned scrapbook pages. I placed them on some dimensional adhesive and added a fun little button in the center. The "Birthday" letters are from the Parcel collection by Jolee's Boutique. I used them before to make this [pumpkin card] last Halloween. Don't you love it when scrapbooking supplies are so versatile? :0)

Linking up to these fabulous [parties]!

And to all of you who share a birthday with me this weekend...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :0)

[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]

[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]

[Scrapperday: Colorful Valentine's Day Card]

Today I thought I'd share an unconventional Valentine's Day card that I recently made. While there's still the traditional pink & red combo, there are splashes of other bright and cheery colors that still make it very festive.

I originally got the idea to make this card from Kristina Werner's blog KWerner Designs. [You can view her card and video tutorial HERE.] Of course, like always, I kinda made it my own with a different sentiment, types, of paper, technique, etc. Most of the materials (patterned paper, stickers, letters) were purchased at Target this time last year in their fabulous dollar section. I got a bunch of scrapbooking supplies from their Valentine's Collection saved some of it for this very occasion. :0)

[Want to know how to make this cute little button flower?? I will be posting a step-by-step tutorial on Tuesday, February 1st. Stay tuned and get your scrapbook/craft paper ready!]

Linking up to [these] parties! Come join me!

[Jen]

The First Noel

Since it's Christmas Eve, I figured it would be appropriate to post a "Noel" sign to help celebrate Jesus' birth. I was recently inspired by Jessica at Craftily Ever After to make this metallic-looking sign. Here's the gorgeous Noel sign she made for $20:

This one is sold at Pottery Barn at a much higher price:

And here is the one that I made for less than $10:

To make this, I bought these particle board letters at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 each (total=$8).

Okay, now it was time to bust out the glue gun! First I hot glued all the letters together tilting the "O" for that extra flair.

But since the letters were so thin I hot glued some small wooden rods on the back to give it that extra stability. This way it won't bend & collapse.

Next I spray painted it with one coat of Valspar Premium Enamel Metal spray paint that I had leftover from a previous project.

And here is the finished product:

Not bad for less than $10, huh? And it was pretty simple to make and took very little time to put together, which is always a plus. :0)

I will be linking this up [here].

Merry Christmas Eve!

[Jen]

Welcome to [Elizabeth's Sweet Shoppe Party]!

Last month my little "sweetie" Elizabeth turned 2! And for the past year I have been planning, researching, shopping, & scheming for this super fun Sweet Shoppe Party. I used TONS of inspiration that I saw online and then added a few personal touches of my own. I had a great time decorating/creating everything and am really pleased with how everything turned out in the end. And more importantly, I think the birthday girl had a great time celebrating her 2nd birthday!

[Above: "The Sweet Shoppe" - I have to give credit to my husband for having the brilliant idea of placing the shop at the fireplace. Genius! He described the brick as the "building". :0) We made the awning out of cardboard and duct tape (who knew they made PINK duct tape!) and nailed it to the wall so it would rest on the mantle. We covered the table with pink and white crepe paper and the hearth with white wrapping paper. My husband made the "door" out of spray-painted cardboard, duct tape, and scrapbook paper (he's so crafty!). Above the shoppe is a pennant banner that says "Sweet Shoppe" that I printed off from Ink Bloom and hung by multicolored ribbon I bought at Walmart; I filled the candy with different glass jars I had on hand (i.e. trifle bowl, penny jars, etc.), and put the drinks in pretty glass pitchers that we received as wedding gifts. I displayed her scrapbooks on a table with framed photos of her and had lollipops that said "happy" "birthday" "elizabeth" on each one in metal buckets (from Target for $1) filled with bubble gum. Handmade tissue paper Pom-Poms (inspired by Martha Stewart) were hung by fishing wire to make them look like they were floating. Find out how to make them HERE.]

[Above: Sweets, sweets, and more sweets - Handmade cupcake toppers that said "Elizabeth's Sweet Shoppe" and "2" (inspired by The TomKat Studio); chocolate cake pops inspired by Bakerella (find out how to make them HERE); vanilla cupcakes with white icing and sugar crystals in various colors; handmade lollipop cookie pops inspired by The Decorated Cookie (find out how to make them HERE) displayed in tea glasses that were filled with white sugar to make it look like "milk". We also had an "Ice Cream Parlour" (inspired by Eat Drink Chic) in the Sweet Shoppe that had a "create-your-own ice cream sundae buffet" and popcorn cones (inspired by HWTM) that looked like ice cream cones! You can also see my daughter (who was wearing a lollipop tutu outfit I bought at Walmart along with striped legwarmers I made from old socks of mine!) stealing an M&M from the Ice Cream Parlour and her baby patiently waiting at the birthday girl's table to join in on the fun!]

[Above: Elizabeth's Sweet Shoppe Door Sign & homemade giant lollipops made out of pink paper plates, wrapping paper, dowel rod, cellophane, and ribbon (inspired by The TomKat Studio); favor bags with handmade tags that were filled with a ring pop and a toothbrush (for their "sweet" tooth!). The guests were told to fill their bags with leftover sweets, so we wouldn't be stuck with TONS of candy. We played 2 games: lollipop musical chairs and "How many gumballs are in the jar?" The guests placed their guess in the pink mailbox (from Target for $1), and do you recognize the chalkboard frame??]

Inspirational Blogs for Sweet Shoppe Party:

The TomKat Studio

The Decorated Cookie

Bakerella

Martha Stewart

Eat Drink Chic

Hostess with the Mostess

Tip Junkie

Thank you to all who have and still continue to inspire me! :0)

Linking this party to these other fun parties!
 

[Stay tuned TOMORROW for my "Scrapperday" edition of the Lollipop Invitations!]

[Jen]

[Scrapperday: More Fun with Cards]

Whew! For a second there, I thought I wasn't going to post this on time! Anyways, Happy Scrapperday! I just wanted to share with you a few cards I made. All of them were inspirations from Kristina Werner at KWerner Designs. If you haven't checked out her blog, I suggest you go there immediately (after you finish reading my post, of course!). She has TONS of card-making/scrapbooking ideas. So inspirational!

[Okay, so here's a card that I made for my grandfather (a.k.a. "Pappaw"). I am planning on giving it to him for his birthday. He will be 87 this month! He is the only living great-grandparent my daughter has, so I guess you could say he's pretty special.]

[This is a card I am planning on giving my nephew for his 3rd birthday. It's bright and colorful...right down his alley!]

[And, finally, this is just a simple thank you card. I like to make these occasionally so I can have them handy when an unexpected gift, gesture, etc. arrives. I embossed the "thank you" stamp (I love embossing!) and added some embroidery thread for a final touch.]

I will be linking up to these parties.

See you all on Monday! :0)

[Jen]

[How-to Tuesday: Numbered Jars]

Well, I am finally hopping on the bandwagon of making numbered jars. They have become quite the trend lately. They are very stylish and create instant order for any type of clutter you may have around your home. And if you have been wanting to have these fashionable numbered jars, then you've come to the right place. :0)

Many of you may have already seen these jars from Pottery Barn. You could buy them for about $40, if you enjoy spending your money. But if you are as frugal as I am and get a thrill out of saving a buck or two, then you could easily create them yourself.

Supplies needed:
3 jars of any size and style
printer paper or sticker paper
tape (if you are using printer paper)
black paint (I used fabric paint...it was all I had!)
small sponge brush

[These jars sit on a shelf that my hubby built right above the washer/dryer. The large jar holds detergent, the medium jar holds stain remover (a lifesaver for moms with messy toddlers), and the small jar holds fabric softener sheets.]

Step 1: Open up a word document and type the numbers "1", "2", and "3". Select the desired size and font for your jars. Print them out and cut out only the number to create a template (example shown below).

Step 2: Tape the template onto the jar (or if you are using sticker paper, then just peel and stick). Try to center it as much as you can. Don't worry if it's a little off. It's meant to have a "rustic" look. :0)

Step 3: Begin painting the black paint on the jar. Let dry.

Step 4: Carefully peel off the template once the paint has completely dried. If you are using fabric paint, then some of the paint might peel off with the template, so be very careful. If yours looked as rough as mine did, then just scrap off the paint around the edge of the number to clean it up a bit.

Step 5: Step back and admire your work because you are done!

I am quite pleased on how it all came together. It really fits into the decor of my laundry room nicely. I could always "distress" them later to give it more of a worn out look. Plus, I didn't have to spend $40! Score!! Happy Tuesday!

Oh, and please feel free to check out another fabulous blog over at Lemon Tree Creations that did something similar. I found them very inspirational. :0)

Frugal Friday