Pillow Covers

Having a beige couch with 4 beige pillows can seem quite...boring.


So, in order to liven up my husband's office, I opted for pillow covers. I found this fabric and knew I had to use it. Luckily, I have a great friend who loves to sew!


I started by measuring my original pillow and cutting the fabric and fabric lining 1/2 inch more per side (for the seams). Then we turned the fabrics facing each other to pin. I pinned the ribbon ties along the edges also facing in (so, when we finished sewing and turned it right side out, the ribbons would be hanging out). After sewing, we pressed the edges.


Then I tied the two fabric pieces together with the pillow inside, and voila! I now have some excitement to my beige couch!!

Now we can sit and enjoy!

My friend even made a window treatment using the same fabric and fabric lining. She made a large rectangle for the window and then used the same ribbon to tie the edges giving it more shape. Such a quick and easy solution to my world of beige!


I'll be linking to these great parties this week, so be sure to check them out! Enjoy your summer weekend!!

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Book Page Necklace

Now that I've gone through all of my parties so far, I thought I'd try my hand at a necklace. I love statement jewelry pieces. I find any occasion to wear them.


During recent travels, I saw this antique necklace worn by historic royalty. I thought I could definitely try my own version.


I found the 1 1/2 inch and 1/2 inch wooden beads along with satin ribbon at Hobby Lobby for 40% off, so I knew this was the project for me! I had tissue paper at home along with spray paint. I stopped by Half Price Books to find a fashion book on the clearance rack to use the pages. I pulled out my Mod Podge and got started.


For the book page beads, I used Erin's tutorial for her book page egg wreath. That was very helpful in knowing the best way to attach the pages to the beads. It was somewhat of a tedious process, but well worth it. I glued the center of the pages to the beads, then cut slits on both sides, and wrapped each piece trying my best to smooth them down.


As for the accent beads, I wanted to use a bold color. I love all things turquoise, plus I had turquoise tissue paper on-hand, so it worked out nicely. I ended up spray painting the beads a blueish color first just so the wood part wouldn't show through since the tissue paper was so thin. I wanted to add the tissue paper pieces to give more texture. After cutting the tissue paper into small, random pieces, I used Mod Podge to glue them on. I used a gloss Mod Podge at the end to coat both the accent and book page beads to give a shiny appearance.


I spray painted the 1/2 inch wooden beads black to use as spacers. I laid out the beads making sure the words on the book page beads were all facing out, so they would be the same direction when wearing the necklace. I used black satin ribbon to string the beads together and left the ends longer, so I could tie a nice bow in the back. You may notice I ended up with fewer book page beads than I originally laid out--this is because once I strung them together, the necklace seemed quite overwhelming. I took out a few beads to make it more of a choker-style (or as my husband refers to it as "Wilma Flintstone" style).


It was definitely a fun project to do and now wear. I'll be linking to these great parties this week. Check them out and see you in 2 weeks!

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Flower Birthday Party

My niece Charlotte turned one about a month ago, and I had the privilege of helping to plan her sweet party. I have been so excited to share this party with you all!

My sister thought a flower theme would be nice since Charlotte's birthday is May 1 (May Day). I immediately started brainstorming. I loved every minute of planning, buying, and decorating. Here are the details:

Our 1st order of business was the candy bar. They seem to be at just about every party, so we thought we'd try our own. We found the apothecary jars at a consignment furniture store and the others at Walmart. The pink table cloth is actually a shower curtain from Target. The candy was a mixture of colors, shapes, and sizes. We used pink and green M&Ms, rock candy, bubble gum balls, Smarties, pink and green popcorn (very delicious!), candy sticks, dot candy, and gummy worms (going along with the flower/garden theme). We used AstroTurf from the hardware store as the table runner and added a few silk flowers along the way. My sister made these candy bags using smaller white goodie bags placed inside the green bags which she cut to look like grass and added a butterfly for color.

We carried the same pink shower curtain table cloth and AstroTurf table runner into the buffet table. I used terracotta pots with garden gloves wrapped around (glue gunned down to secure the fingers) to hold the silverware. As an inspiration from Erin's serving plates, I found these pink printed plates from Target and a clear candlestick from the dollar store to make two sets of serving trays to hold the most delicious pink cookies ever! We had flower-shaped cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, and brightly-colored garden tools as serving utensils.

We used a bright green watering can to hold our drinking water. We also made pink lemonade to coordinate colors.

My sister ordered Charlotte her own mini cake to dive into. She also made cupcakes for the guests using tulip-shaped cupcake liners. Other cupcakes were decorated like dirt cake with Oreo crumbs and worms-a big hit with the kids. I also made our own party circles for the cupcakes using Charlotte's picture and her initial.

We decorated her dining room table using AstroTurf as place mats. We used my sister's wedding China (great time to show it off!) and my mom's antique green Depression glass from my great-grandmother.

As far as indoor decorations, we created several points of interest. I made a flower picture pot to display 5 adorable pictures of Charlotte. We also used my nephew's rain boots to hold open the door and placed flowers inside to coordinate. I made tissue paper poms to hang above the drink counter. We used flower boxes adding our own flowers and a butterfly. I found these candle holders at the consignment furniture store which I spray-painted white and added flower pom-poms and an early picture of Charlotte. My sister bought these flower head-bands from the dollar bins at Target as another give-away, so here's a picture of my daughter wearing hers. We used tons of fresh flowers all over the house in arrangements--they were a bargain from the grocery store!

We made a door sign using Charlotte's little feet. We also put a pink rake and hoe by her front door.

This is my favorite part! I made these flower balloons to decorate her front path. I found the flower tutorial on Martha Stewart's web site and made them into giant-sized standing flowers using the extra large size balloons (found them at Party City). We used my mom's metal flower hanging basket poles to attach these balloons. They were such a fun way to add balloons!

I'll be linking to these parties this week, so check out all the amazing ideas out there! Have a great weekend!!

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Alligator Birthday Party

For Will's 2nd birthday, we chose alligators. We liked the idea of using an animal with an identifiable color, plus they're just really cute! After looking back at some of the pictures, I realize I didn't have as many of the details as I thought. Luckily, I had some of my favorite parts, though!

One of my favorite parts about Will's birthday were the cupcakes. A friend from church made both his cake and cupcakes. How adorable are these alligator heads made from graham cracker dippers?! What a fabulous idea she had! We had lots of green-colored foods like green apples, green punch, lemon-lime soda, kiwi, honeydew, green jello, green applesauce, and green grapes. You could also serve GATOR-ade as another perfect drink.

We used various shades of green and blue throughout his theme. Another friend found these adorable alligator placemats. We displayed alligator books and puzzles on Will's new IKEA table. We also displayed one of his presents that came in an alligator box from Hallmark. You could definitely add an inflatable alligator or alligator slip-n-slides to go for more of a water theme. Another idea I wish I had thought of for his party would be to fill clear cylinder vases with green water as a centerpiece-very swamp like!

I made the invitations using "swamp" wording.

At the party, we played pin the tooth on the gator and bean bag toss using homemade green and blue beanbags. You could also use green socks to make alligator puppets. You could play a game using the green socks placed all over the floor acting as alligators that the kids need to avoid stepping on to reach the island (using a brown ball or Frisbee) in the middle. Will's green favor bags held a tot-sized stuffed alligator found at Target's dollar bin, a homemade alligator cookie, and I'm sure other fun treats that I can't seem to remember (or have pictures to help me remember! ha!). You could add a book like "The Lady with the Alligator Purse".

I'll be linking to some of these great parties this week. Be sure to check them out to see their amazing creations! Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!

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Radio Flyer Big Boy Room

Will moved into his big boy room almost a year ago exactly to make room for his new sister (born in August). Since the extra bedroom was already painted taupe with a deep red accent wall (which we were not at all interested in re-painting!), we thought a Radio Flyer room would be perfect. You may remember my 1st blog post about his Radio Flyer 1st birthday party, so we already had lots of accessories to use. You might be thinking that is a really long bed--you're right, it's actually an extra long bed. The bed and dresser are hand-me-downs from my grandmother. It's nice to have free furniture still in good shape!

I used large pictures from Will's Radio Flyer birthday party along his bed wall. I found these red boxes at Target to hold toys and books. I found this last picture on Etsy--I couldn't resist! I loved the characteristic of a sketch drawing.

I bought this wooden wagon at a garage sale and decided it was a great home for his stuffed animals.

I couldn't find a bedspread I liked, so my father-in-law did some checking and found this wagon fabric online. Since I don't really sew (I can somewhat if I don't have to thread the machine), I asked my mom to help make a duvet cover. First, after finding 2 red flat sheets (let me tell you it's not easy to find just plain extra long flat sheets), we sewed on the wagon fabric to the top sheet. Then we sewed the 2 flat sheets together and left the end open. We used velcro so we could put the duvet cover inside. It works perfectly for his bed.

Will got a mini chair from Pottery Barn Kids one year for Christmas, so that fit nicely in his little corner. I used his wagon sweater from his 1st birthday to hang next to a wagon ball cap on coat hangers. Will received a little wagon as a gift, so I sat that on his dresser. Needless to say, he enjoys his little reading area, especially with his Radio Flyer book.

This is probably my most favorite spot in his room: his desk. My handy husband bought these shelves from IKEA and hung them in this corner to make a desk. I added some special touches with favorite pictures, a vintage wagon suitcase, a jar with his Lincoln Logs, another mini wagon with books and his piggy bank, and crayons--we keep those in his room under supervision so we don't end up with crazy colors all over his walls!

As you can see, this is a great little place just for him!

Thanks for coming to check out my little man's room! Have a great weekend!

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What I Like About Wednesday: Silhouette Portraits

I am totally in love with silhouette portraits! Looking at my house, you wouldn't be able to tell since I haven't yet tried my hand at one, but these talented artists sure inspire me! As a mother, I would love to display my sweet children with these amazing featured silhouettes.

Check out this fabulous Etsy site by Aedriel™ Originals with this adorable plate:


This plate is perfect for display or dining! She has several other plates and colors for all occasions, but I thought this one would look great in my house (hint hint, hubby!).

Another amazing Etsy creation by happythought is this set of pictures found here:
How sweet is that?! This would definitely be a perfect addition in my house since we have both a son and daughter...plus I love the use of teal background (reminds me of Tiffany jewelry bags).

The Ohdeedoh team created this adorable sonogram silhouette found here complete with a tutorial:

I love the use of fabric and the sewing hoops. What a cute display for a new addition to a family!

To all of you mothers out there: we wish you a very happy Mother's Day this weekend! Go enjoy your children and be sure to do something just for you!

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School Bus Party

Since my son Will's birthday falls in September, we decided his 3rd birthday party should be school buses. After all, what 3-year-old boy doesn't love that big old yellow bus? We used to count them each morning on my way to work.

I must say we had lucked out with the weather for Will's 1st and 2nd birthday parties. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for this party and since our house is the size of a shoe box, we opted for the clubhouse at my parents' condo (aka: lots of golf wallpaper and decor-not exactly the kid-friendly look I was going for, but, hey, it kept us dry!).


I'm a total closet lover of all things "school"--there's nothing better than a fresh box of crayons and sharpened pencils (oh, and whatever happened to those amazing Trapper Keepers??-I soooo loved them!). So planning this school bus party was a blast. The goodie bags held new crayons with a coloring page, a school bus book complete with real wheels (I bought them at my beloved Target dollar bins a year in advance!), magnetic numbers (from Michael's dollar bins--those bins are dangerous for my wallet!), and miniature wooden alphabet blocks for the little ones. I decorated with mini buses, an easel, a Little People bus, bus books, a pop-up bus tent outside (found it at a garage sale for $5!!), and all things in that "school bus yellow" color. I desperately wanted to hang my signature Chinese lanterns, but seeing that this clubhouse had a million rules (all with fines attached), I didn't dare take the risk of putting small holes in the ceiling or door frames.


I decided to be economical and make my own invitations. Over the past summer, I used the amazing Cricut machine (so jealous of those who own one--oh, the possibilities!) to cut out these school bus invites. I found this verse to put on the front: "Look who's turning three! Come take a ride on the bus with me!" and added a brad to attach the back which had the necessary info using "lunch and recess" time as the beginning and end as well as "bus stop" for the location (that had to be changed last minute). I also made coordinating thank-you notes with this same school bus attached to brown cardboard paper cards.


We probably had about 60 people including kids (we have large extended families), so we kept the food cafeteria-style. I made school signs designating the food, lunch bags for the kids including: apple, lunch-size bags of chips, pb & j sandwiches, and of course a Twinkie, and a tub with milk. We also had lunch meat trays and your usual party lunch food. The kids seemed to love the chips and school bus-shaped cookies most!


We kept the kids busy with a Pin-the-Wheel-on-the-Bus game, school bus pinata (that was quite a site watching them bat at this giant bus), and coloring pictures. It was definitely a good time had by all (even our 6-week-old daughter seemed to enjoy it!).

If you love(d) to play school as a kid, give this party a try! I'll be linking to these great parties this week, so don't forget to check them out! Have a great Derby weekend!

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Paint Can Gifts

Working in the schools, I was once given a very creative gift: a paint can. Not just any old paint can, this one was festively decorated with incredibly yummy treats inside. This paint can was my inspiration for a new cute, different, and economical signature gift from our family.

I realized that I could use this idea for children's birthday gifts.

I've done various versions. I started with an empty paint can found at Home Depot (for around $5).

Then I decided to cover the can with brown wrapping paper, adding ribbon around the top and bottom. You could easily use any form of paper or fabric covering. This step was the most tedious tracing the exact shape and cutting out the holes for the handles (I first removed the handle so I could cover the paper around the holes). I also covered the top of the lid in coordinating paper. For other kids, I kept the metal paint can plain and made magnetic letters from chipboard letters. That way, the kids can take off their letters and use them around their house.

I filled the cans with various art supplies. I tried to gather a variety of art such as paint, brushes, smock, paint pens, glue, scissors, crayons, small coloring books, stickers, pom poms, squiggly eyes...the list could go on! You could also fill the can with just about anything-felt food as Tiffany shared with us a few weeks ago, bean bags, small dress-up clothes, plastic magnetic alphabet letters and numbers, blocks, Easter eggs with shredded Easter grass/paper, school supplies, scrapbooking supplies. You could then decorate the outside with any coordinating colors using scrapbook paper, fabric, wrapping paper, ribbon, stickers, spray paint, and even a brown paper grocery bag to be more green.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to check out these link parties!

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