Quick DIY Art - Bunting Frame

I have been wanting to create some simple artwork to replace the photo collage I have had hanging for awhile. I scoured Pinterest for ideas and was immediately drawn to this bunting frame. (click photo for pin)

 

 And then I saw this one and loved the combination of burlap and fabric hearts! (click photo for pin)
 
I rounded up some fabric scraps in my sewing stash and broke out my hot glue gun. It was seriously one of the fastest projects I have done. So simple!



I can't wait to see it up on the newly painted walls!!

DIY Winter Wonderland Bridal Shower

As soon as my dear friend announced she was getting married I knew I wanted to throw her bridal shower.  She is such a sweet girl... I mean, woman!  What a blessing it was to be able to show her love and support through the shower.

Originally she was going to have a summer wedding and a spring bridal shower.  I was going to use the sunflower mason jar decorations from my sisters' receptions and do a tea party theme.  But when the wedding was moved up to March and the shower was bumped to February I knew we had to do a Winter Wonderland theme!

me and my partner in crime...  ;-)

I scoured Pinterest pinning all sorts of ideas and shopped the Christmas clearance sales for wintery items to use for the shower.  I was even able to modify some of the wood candle holder's from my sister's reception to fit our wintery look.  We used a lot of natural elements in the decorations.  I got cinnamon scented pine cones for the centerpieces that just filled the room with their lovely scent!

I enlisted the help of some of our church's awesome cooks for the menu which included these tasty treats:

fruit salad

pinwheels - we got ours premade at GFS but you can make your own

chicken fiesta dip - its a church recipe kind of like this dish only done in the crock pot

basil/mozzarella/cherry tomato skewers

pigs in a blanket

flaky wafer sandwichcookies!! my faves!

veggie tray

strawberrycheesecake bites

Nutella brownies - I mean, you had me at Nutella! Love that stuff!!
two kinds of tasty cake balls!  my girl Lehi makes the best cake pops eh-va!

punch - this is the best party punch!

hot chocolate bar (toppings, marshmallows, etc)

We were able to reuse some of the wood candle holders that my dad made for my sister's reception last year.  We repurposed them to fit the winter wonderland theme and they worked for the centerpieces perfectly.

We wanted some unique elements to the shower.  So we did a mini-photobooth (with wrapping paper backdrop) so Rachael could have pix with all the guests.

And we had the ladies write messages and doodles on Christmas ornaments for the bride and groom to use on the tree their first Christmas together.  Another Pinterest find!

What a blessing it was to be a part of this shower.  And how rewarding to see all our ideas finally come together in perfect harmony!  ;-)  So proud of all the work from our team!  I appreciate their help SO much!!  And I know Rach does too!

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart," from Psalm 37:4

Special Order

Last summer I had a special order (it was actually a barter with the photographer who did my boudoir session) for some adjustable headbands for newborn/toddler photography.  I have used elastic headbands before but had never made them truly adjustable before.

  So I took the challenge and used a combination of elastic lace and velcro to make these pretty little headbands.  The amount of adjustability is based on how big the flower/embellishment is - it varies from 1-2in up to 3-4in. 

The video shows how the adjustable part works.  Its all hidden under the flower.  I was really happy with how they turned out.  And so was the client!  ;-)

Christmas Craft Playdate

We had a birthday party for Jesus with some friends last week.

We had a couple of crafts for the kids to do: coffee filter snowflakes and mod-podge ornaments.

We had story time - tons of great Christmas books from the library!

And what is a birthday party without some cake?  The kids all had a great time and us moms loved being able to remind our children the real reason for the CHRISTmas season.

Isaiah 9:6 -  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Baby Gift

My friend just threw her sister a baby shower and wanted to make her something special for the baby so we made these awesome appliqued burp cloths.  We love how they turned out and so did the mom-to-be!

Schoolhouse Pattern review

Awhile ago I bought a bag of designer fabric scraps from Seamology Fabric Shop on Yardseller.  I have loved finding creative ways to use these fun fabrics!  So, when my friend with Schoolhouse Patterns (formerly known as: Pattern Patti) asked me to test an e-clutch pattern/tutorial for her I knew these would be perfect!  Here are a few pix of the final product.

I love the playful patterns on this project!

And the pocket is perfect for the charging cord or your reading glasses.

I am thinking of making another one to use as a diaper clutch to toss in my purse when I'm going somewhere and don't need the whole diaper bag.

If you have made any Schoolhouse Pattern projects please send me a link to your post or pix!  Thanks!

A Very Crafty Christmas!

I decided to make gifts for some of our family this year.  I am pleased with how they turned out, and my family seemed happy too.  What more could I ask?  Here are a few of the things I made this year.

some stockings

a couple of fort kits for my nephews

diaper bag for one of my sisters

a jumper/dress for Christine made from two adult women's shirts (I am kicking myself for not getting step by step pic of it!)


It was fun making special things for my family.  But procrastination did lead to a stressful few days right before Christmas.  I am hoping to get a head start next year!  ;-)

Birthday Girl Outfit

A couple weeks ago I made a birthday outfit for a friend's daughter.  She chose to have a Minnie Mouse birthday party so we had to have an outfit worthy of our little Mimi Mouse!  ;-)

Another Family Wedding

My sister had some fun ideas for her wedding flowers.  She and I went back and forth pinning links on her Pinterest wedding board for awhile before we narrowed it down to what she really wanted.  She showed me this link and said she like the one on the upper right and the one on the bottom left.

 

That was a little daunting to me given its autumn and I wasn't sure how easy it would be to find such tropical flowers at this time of year.  However I was up for the task and I tackled JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby and Michael's looking for flowers that would fit the bill.

 I did her bouquet a little differently than I have others in the past.  I started with a premade bouquet from Hobby Lobby like this one and then added other complimentary flowers (from both JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby).  One thing I have found that I like about doing it this way is I felt like the whole thing was sturdier because it had the solid base of the premade stem.  Then I wrapped it all in satin ribbon (with the help of a little hot glue).

  I also used the satin ribbon to make a rolled rosette broach to go on her dress, a rolled rosette hairclip and a boutonniere for the groom.

 They make such a beautiful couple!  So blessed to have been able to share in their special day!

I'll be linking up to a few of these great blogs!