DIY Orchid Burlap Wreath

Dear Reader,

It is officially spring, and here in Michigan it is slowly starting to feel like winter may actually come to a close.  I am putting out spring decor even if there is still snow on the ground, and I crafted a new spring wreath to share.  I like putting materials together that are a bit unexpected, and so a delicate orchid placed on burlap seemed to be a fun pairing.

Materials:
- a wreath form
- burlap ribbon or strips of burlap
- artificial orchids (I purchased ones with a wire stem)
- satin or grosgrain ribbon
- hot glue gun

I wrapped burlap ribbon around my wreath form and attached it using hot glue.  I then shaped and attached the orchids around the wreath using hot glue.  I thought the wreath needed a splash of color, so I then wrapped a lime green satin ribbon around approximately 1/5 of the wreath.  And, that's it.

Super simple? Yes.  Happy with the results? You bet.  Hoping that spring will actually arrive? More than I can say!

I am linking up today with the Link Party Palooza over at I Heart Nap Time and the Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff. Also, if you are looking for another spring wreath tutorial, please check out my moss wreath from last spring!

Hello February!

Dear Reader,

I hope you are having a good start to your week.  While I'm not a huge Valentine's Day person, I appreciate a reason for celebration in the midst of the quiet, snowy days of February.  Here are a few ways that we have embraced the cold weather (and lots of indoor time) and the ways that we have enjoyed Valentine's Day:

Hello crayon disks (made from old crayons!)

Hello snow ice cream!

Hello great reading!

 Hello sweet brother watching Daniel Tiger with your little sister!

 Hello Valentine's Day treats for the class party (inspired by a Pinterest idea!)

I hope you have a wonderful week, friends!  Linking up today with Lisa Leonard!

Super Simple Cupcake Party

Dear Reader,

As I mentioned in my previous post, our daughter just turned two.  We love celebrating her, and yet a party sandwiched between Christmas and New Year's is a challenge.  I decided on a cupcake themed party as I thought it would be a fun, easy theme to develop, and my little girl loves cupcakes!

Here are a few details from the party:

a balloon garland by the table

cupcake plates and napkins {source: Target}

cupcake sticker books at each child's place {source: Amazon}

cupcakes for dessert - my mother-in-law kindly borrowed
this cupcake tower to use for the party

one of the gifts for the birthday girl
What cupcake party would be complete without Pinkalicious?

These small details were fun to arrange, and the birthday girl enjoyed her party thoroughly.  Success!

Hello Mid-January!

Dear Reader,

I hope you are having a good start to 2014! I enjoy possibilities, lists, hopes and starting fresh, so I am welcoming January for sure.  If I had to sum up the last few weeks in one word: snow. Lots of snow. My six and two year old children have loved it.  The cold temperatures though have kept us in more than any of us would like, so you will also note other activities that have kept January fun.

Hello beautiful snow.

 Hello rainbow loom bracelets.  My six year old son is a total fan.

Hello tea parties and pretend cupcakes with my now two year old.  

She received this set for her birthday (at the end of December) and 

loves to have me sing "Happy Birthday" to her.

Hello organization, inspiration and refreshment.  

Reading Tsh Oxenreider's Organized Simplicity and Brene Brown's Daring Greatly.  

Loving both.

I hope that the week ahead is an enjoyable one, friends!  Linking up with Lisa Leonard today.

Last Minute Gift Guide

Dear Reader,

In running errands this morning, it is entirely clear to me that Christmas is almost here!  I hope that your preparations are coming along well.  I want to offer a few last minute gift ideas that have come in handy for me this year.

1. An amaryllis.  My husband picked up one for me this year, and I love watching it bloom.  I would highly recommend an amaryllis over paperwhites (paperwhites are too fragrant for me.)
2. A small box of chocolates.  If possible, purchasing chocolates from a local candy shop seems even more special.  (Source: Kilwins)
3. Comfort and Joy Tea.  Any Republic of Tea blends are a treat.  (Source: Republic of Teas)
4. Christmas blocks.  Let's be honest, blocks are always a good idea!  (Source: Uncle Goose)
5. Thermos mug.  This is my husband's favorite (a gift received from my sister-in-law), and a great option for commuters!  (Source: Target)
6. The Piano Guys: A Family Christmas.  (Source: Target)

Happy Shopping!

Simple Gift Wrap Plan

Dear Reader,

With the timing of Thanksgiving, I think Christmas may sneak up on me this year.  I enjoy buying gifts and wrapping them, and so I have started on both - perhaps a bit on the early side.  This year I decided on a simple plan: craft polka dot gift wrap (which I found at Target for $1 per roll), red and white baker's twine (a dollar bin find also at Target) and hand-stamped names directly on the wrapping paper.

Here's how this plan came together:

Fun, right?!  I am hoping that these next weeks will be a time for joy and wonder and a time to enjoy Christmastime moments with our family and friends.  And may that be true for you as well, friends!

Thanksgiving Tree

Dear Reader,

It has been too long!  I hope you all have enjoyed the season of falling leaves, football games, and warm cider.  We are gearing up for Thanksgiving and looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate with my parents and my husband's parents.

Last year my husband and I put together a Thanksgiving tree with my son.  Nothing fancy about this project, but worth mentioning as a great activity to enjoy together.  I took a small branch from our yard and placed it in a vase.  We cut out colored construction paper leaves, punched them and added a piece of yarn to tie the leaves to the branch.  On the leaves we wrote about people for whom we are grateful and other gifts in our lives.

This could also be an enjoyable activity to complete with Thanksgiving guests.  I am grateful for you, dear readers and friends, and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Shim Sunburst Mirror

Dear Reader,

I was late to the party in spending much time on Pinterest.  Reason: I knew that I would be very tempted to attempt many (maybe too many!) DIYs.  This past spring I came across a shim mirror tutorial (one of many great sunburst tutorials) which looked feasible, and I showed it to my husband.  He thought that he would enjoy creating a mirror like this.  We gathered the supplies together: shims, plywood circle, wood glue, clear varnish, mirror, liquid nails, and picture hanging wire and hooks.  My husband took it from there.

Drum roll, please...

LOVE the mirror, and thankful to my husband for taking on this DIY.

Have a great weekend, friends!

DIY Burlap Fall Wreath

Dear Reader,

Happy Friday!  I am glad to report that our first grader is having a great first week of school after our family enjoyed a really refreshing Labor Day weekend.  Fun!  I took a few minutes this week to craft a fall wreath for our front door.  This is a quick project for a classic fall look.

Here is what I used: a straw wreath, burlap ribbon, orange raffia, and white pumpkin decorations. My hot glue gun got plenty of use with this project!

Step 1: Wrap the wreath with the burlap ribbon, securing it to the straw wreath with hot glue.

Step 2: Tie or glue raffia to a section of the wreath.

Step 3: Glue pumpkins to the raffia section.

Easy, right?!  I really like the simplicity of this wreath though.  And now to add some mums by the front door, and we'll be set to welcome fall!

I am linking up with Tatertots and Jello and the Link Party Palooza and hoping that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Hello final week of summer!

Dear Reader,

At our house we are entering our last week of summer vacation.  School starts next week for our first grader; a new project begins construction for my husband, and so the good routines of our life return.  I am excited to start a new pace, to get organized, and to work on some new projects.  I am also sad to see the summer come to a close.  I savored and enjoyed this time far more than I even anticipated.

This week I am saying hello to some of the highlights from our final stretch of summer...

Hello Super Why! at the baseball game!

Hello giraffes (and getting to feed them!)

Hello water park fun!

Hello children's museum visit!

Hello final week of summer!  We hope to fit in some more great moments in the week ahead.  Looking forward to being more present here in September.

Happy Monday!  Linking up with Lisa Leonard today!

Hello August!

Dear Reader,

August has arrived after filling the month of July with some exceptional memories and highlights.  I started summer wondering if we had planned enough activities to keep life interesting and fun.  We did.  We are now trying to squeeze in the remaining "hope to do this summer" things before school resumes.

Here are a few enjoyable moments from our July:

Hello six year old!  My dear son just keeps growing, 

and we loved celebrating him a few times over!

Hello family reunion!  A tradition for many, many years and a delight to gather!

Hello zoo class!  My son recently went to a water wonders day camp at our local zoo.  

The sting rays are one of his favorites.

Hello bike riding outside!

I hope this summer is turning out so well for you!  What has been the highlight so far?

Have a great week, friends!  Linking up with Lisa Leonard today.

Hello June!

Dear Reader,

We are into summer and all of the fullness and fun that comes with this season. I am savoring this time with my children; they are at such enjoyable ages. My husband is quite busy at work these days, so we especially appreciate our time as a family when we are able to relax together. Here are a few snapshots from the last few weeks.

Hello baby birds in our backyard!

Hello getaway to the beach!

Hello Michigan strawberries for jam and pie!

Hello brother and sister Lego time!

I hope that your week includes some of the refreshing and relaxing moments that summer seems to provide! I am linking up with Lisa Leonard today.

Treasury: Aqua

After completing the coral treasury, I decided to work on an aqua treasury as these two colors seem so well paired!  Enjoy!

Baby Shower in a Bag

Dear Reader,

Happy Friday!  The days seem very full at our house right now - a combination of end of the year school activities, a busy work schedule for my dear husband, and a little girl who delights in spending every possible minute outside!   I found a bit of time this week to be creative with a purpose in mind.

I prepared a baby shower in a bag for an upcoming silent auction at our church.  I picked out a large baby gift bag and filled it with items to host a baby shower.  Since I have hosted a number of showers over the years, I have some "formula" items for each shower.  Here's what I included in the bag: invitations, luncheon plates, cake plates, napkins, plastic silverware, cups, and decorations (banner, tissue poms, etc.)

I made the decorations, but otherwise I just attempted to coordinate items that I found at a few stores.  I really enjoy prepping for parties, and hopefully this bag will be put to good use by someone who could use the extra spare minutes of having some of the planning already completed.  To me, it's a win-win.

I hope you enjoy the long weekend ahead!  I'm linking up with Tatertots and Jello!

 

Treasury: Coral

Happy (how is it already?) Friday!  Time seems to go so quickly these days.  Earlier this week I put together a coral treasury on Etsy, and I like how it came together.

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

DIY Frame Clipboard

Dear Reader,

This time of year seems filled with opportunities to give gifts - teacher appreciation, graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, wedding showers, etc.  I always like coming up with something handmade that I could include as a present.  This is my latest idea - a frame/clipboard for photos, stationary, art prints, notepads, etc.

This is an easy DIY.  Here's what I did:

1. Gather materials: a wooden board (I used an 8" x 8" board previously painted - an extra from another project), scrapbook paper, sealer (in this project I used Mod Podge Hard Coat), foam brush, bulldog clip, nail/screw and hammer/screwdriver.

2. Paint edges of the board.  Sand if desired.  (Again, my board was already painted.)

3. Apply a thin coat of craft glue or Mod Podge to the board, and then glue on trimmed scrapbook paper.  I used a scrapbook page with a weathered wood appearance, which has a fun effect!  Make certain to smooth out the surface for any bubbles.

4. Apply two coats of Mod Podge or another sealer to the surface of the attached scrapbook paper.

5. Attach a bulldog clip using desired hardware.  This board could be hung for displaying photos, but would also look great leaning against a wall or on an easel.

The possibilities to customize this project are endless.  I find it so enjoyable to come up with projects like these that are practical and hopefully a bit unique - probably because those are my go-to qualities for giving gifts!  Please let me know if I left out any details that would be helpful if you want to try this out!  Enjoy!

I am linking up with Sugar and Dots today!