DIY Wreaths

Something about the holidays makes me want to get extra crafty. The fact that I love Christmas and decorating for Christmas probably has a lot to do with that : ) I saw these cute, and seemingly easy and budget friendly, DIY wreaths at GoodHousekeeping.com and I think I am going to have to give (one of them) a try!
Eco-Friendly Christmas Wreath Projects
My husband and I love wine, and have lots of corks with no purpose, so I may try the "Pop Out the Cork" wreath to hang in our kitchen. I also really like the "Mixed Greens", "White Christmas", and "Christmas Ball" wreaths!! The front door will need one, too, of course! ;) If I get around to trying one (or 2...) out, I'll be sure to post a picture.

Silhouettes

http://www.makingarrangementsblog.com/collective-soul-silhouettes

One day, oh one day, I will get around to making silhouettes. I think they will be precious for a baby nursery! You can start with one of each parent and then once baby arrives add his or her's. And in our family, we may be the crazies that also add the dog like the second to last picture ♥

French Themed Party

Recently a co-worker friend of mine threw her daughter a French themed birthday party. She asked me one question about the party & after that you know I was ALL over it! It certainly helped that the birthday girl was a fellow Audrey Hepburn fan, too :)

I knew there was a budget and so one of the first things I did was Google "French themed birthdays". There are so many great ideas out there to choose from. So, I stuck with the images because I knew framing some of them would make for a very inexpensive project. The right images and phrases made the party look a more Parisian and saved some major $$. Below are a couple of the images that I came up with:

This is one way to make any baked goods look cute :)

http://frostedeventsblog.com/2010/03/18/parties-and-pretties-la-petite-boulangerie-first-birthday-party

Laura's inspiration for the French theme began with her love of all things Eiffle Tower. So the pic above was just too cute not to frame. Plus, she can keep it up in her room.

http://www.sweetestbirthday.com/sweet-sixteen-themes/paris-themed-sweet-16-party

I also encouraged the mom to get some black and white fabric to use as a tablecloth. Once the party was over she could use the fabric to make a pillow, curtains, etc. for Laura's room. This is another very inexpensive way to add some pattern and fun to an event knowing that you can use the item later. On top of the fabric she used all black frames to place the fun French phrases in. Wendy had quite a few old frames sitting around that she spray painted black to give them some new life - so now she even has some frames she can use in her house or Laura can keep them for her room.

CurlyGirl

I love Curly Girl Designs, but I especially love this:


You can expect more of these designs posted on the blog in the future! I just love the cute little sayings and how they can apply to almost everyone in one way or another <3

Fun Shower Idea

I love finding new uses for everyday things. I saw this on a blog and thought it was too cute. It would be so perfect for a kitchen shower!
(Especially if the bride has registered for a cookie sheet, and could take it home with her.)

Sweet Child O'Mine

Oh. My. Goodness.
One more reason to love facebook – I now get to see all of the beautiful baby nurseries that my friends have put together. And let me tell ya – I have some creative friends! I am loving all of the dressers turned into changing tables, the gorgeous armoires, the beautiful color combos and how fabulously personal each one looks. I also love the photogs who do the "home" session so you can see sweet pics of the nurseries. There is one that I know Stephanie and I both can't stop talking about. The muted ruffles against a jewel tone wall for a little girl - ahhh! soo cute!!

While perusing the web I found the amazing website http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/home-tours. This site covers many topics but just so happended to feature one of my favorite things - baby nurseries. I found some fun, personal, and beautiful baby rooms.
There is something so sweet and innocent about a room that eager soon-to-be parents spend so much time focusing on to make sure it's perfect for their newest family member. So much love, joy, & attention go into creating an atmosphere for learning & growing for a child you haven't even met yet.

So sweet!

I I really like the crisp feel of the white dresser with the bright yellow changing pad. Also, notice the cute yellow bucket filled with items you need while changing. Smart!

I love the black & white - timeless!

One thing I adore is a dresser used as a changing table. To me - it doesn't get any more practical than that. You take a dresser that the child can use for a very long time and add a changing table and it becomes the most practical piece of furniture in the room. Then when you don't need the changing pad anymore you remove it only to add other things that work better. I would think too, that as the child learns to walk & is getting into everything having a changing pad
& a few changing items would be less of a distraction from any chords or anything heavy they could pull down that could be potentially harmful. I think it's important to have a changing area for babies because it seems like it would help with structure. You go to the same place each time to have your diaper or your clothes changed. I could be crazy, but it sounds good to me :)

Another favorite of mine - bookcases in your child's room. Reading should always be an important part of your routine, so why not show it off in a really cute way? It can also be used to hold baskets with necessary items, toys, and many other things. Again, another piece you can keep for a long time and personalize as your child gets older.

A great place to store blankets, toys, baskets, books - gotta love a good bookcase!

stripes - love 'em!

I want this room in my house. Plain and simple.

I REALLY want the big monogram pillow!
And the mirror.

Oh, and the collage of pictures, too.

I mean - why didn't I think of this years ago?!

Wedding Dresses: The short story.

Reception/send off dresses seem to be really popular these days. I've seen everything from fancy, short white dresses to cute, colorful spring dresses. I definitely don't see them as a necessity, but defintiely a fun option if you can fit it into your budget. I personally chose to have one to get me out of my long wedding gown, and give me more freedom while dancing! :) I stumbled upon these two dresses this morning. They are meant to be actual wedding gowns- cocktail length wedding gowns also seem to be a growing trend and a great idea for a summertime outdoor wedding!- but would also be super fun party dresses! Reception dresses are also perfect for the bride who has a small ceremony or destination wedding, and throws a big reception later.




{dresses by Pronovias, photos courtesy of Paperblog.fr}

I on the other hand went for this style. Not so much appropriate for a wedding dress, but party dress? Sure! They are also a great way to really show your style and personality. Therefore, I wanted something super fun and girly! Fluffy tulle, check. Rhinestones, check. :)

{dress by Sherri Hill}

Here are some other great party/send off dresses!

{lillypulitzer.com}

{BCBG dress at Nordstrom.com}

{jcrew.com}

Depending on your style and your vision, these dresses can be found almost anywhere! Don't forget to check out the prom section of stores, they often have great cocktail length dresses that come in a variety of colors (including white!).

Real Simple Centerpieces

Two humble elements―a wooden salad bowl and carnations―add up to something special. Cut the stems to three or four inches, arrange in a glass dish, and place in the bowl.

Great for a hot night!

Bucket with dry sand holding down the lollipops – perfect for a kids table!

Granny smith apples floating at different heights for a still life

Real Simple way to make your bookcase different...

As I was looking on the real simple website today I saw this.
LOVE the different letters that spell READ on your bookcase. So easy!
Hmm, I'm inspired. I have a little room at the top of my bookcase to add some letters. I will make sure to add my pic once I have a finished product!

A Kiss for You

My Nana loved, loved, loved Hershey Kisses. She kept them in a crystal bowl in her bedroom. To this day I can't eat one without thinking of her. When I saw this I remembered her "kissing" booth one year out our church Fall Festival where she gave out "kisses". She would have adored this centerpiece.
I do - so fun and easy!

Personal & Practical Baby Gift

Not long ago I was trying to come up with a good idea for a personal and practical baby gift. I wanted to make sure it was something that no one else would get my sweet niece but also something that I knew she could use(since let's face it - when it comes to baby girls all us women want to buy them are the way cute clothes!). I had already started collecting books and so I knew that would be a part of the gift, so I just added more, and more, and more :) That's what aunts are for!

Here is what I came up with:

- I started with my favorite target brand of the summer - Liberty London. LOVE this print(I even snagged one for myself to use in our guest room)! Ellie Grace's room has lots of polka dots in brown,green, yellow, & pink so the floral will be a different addition. The great thing is, when can you NOT use a basket? You can use it for the books, for her lotions and creams on the changing table - whatever you need.

- Books, books, and more books. I shopped Hastings clearance section, TJMaxx, Marshall's, Ross, etc. for some good finds - even the husband had fun helping me! We have a book for bedtime, a book for play time, & a classic book that every child needs "Love You Forever". My favorite is a book that I found at - of all places- Office Max(while the husband was shopping for pens) in a clearance bin whose main character is a pink elephant named Ellie(too, too perfect since her nursery has lots of elephants & her name is Ellie Grace!), a ballerina book for our future little dancer that has swan lake music in the background, & a book about a bunny tea party(well, because I love bunnies). In each we wrote a personal note for Ellie Grace to remind her of her Aunt & Uncle's love for her. Now let's just pray she grows up loving to read as much as we do :)

- My husband's favorite - a little Juicy Couture romper we found that we just couldn't resist. I can't WAIT to see her in that sweet little outfit and{of course} the bow to go with it ;)

- Since most babies live in onesies and knit pants the first year I figured we may as well make them cute, so we did! We gave one short sleeved & one long sleeved onesie with her monogram on one & her name on the other(thanks Beverly!). And of course, a bow for her to wear in her strawberry blonde hair with each and precious knit pants to match - one pair of pink & the other pair with pink & purple stripes.

- We also gave 2 picture frames and a fun little pair of purple mary janes for her little newborn feet.

- We also gave diapers and wipes - you can never go wrong with those!

{I typically don't spend as much on gifts as this one - but since it was family, well - we made some exceptions! Plus, this is about 3 shower gifts in one since we didn't have that many showers}

*Emily