Words From the Wise

My last wreath wasn't a huge hit with the fiance. I liked it (he didn't like it is an understatement), but he was right it wasn't very Christmasy. And when your favorite time of year there is no reason not to have a Christmas themed wreath.  I knew what I wanted to do, the problem was I just couldn't find the right supplies...which is frustrating. So of course I went straight to Pinterest. I knew I could get a few ideas from there. And that's when I saw this wreath made with fabric instead of yarn. I felt like it smacked me right in the face. Why in the world had I not thought of this sooner? Fabric and ribbon would be way faster to cover the wreath form...and I'm always looking for easy new ideas. So I quickly made a run to our Hobby Lobby store to pick up some new material. And now that I had decided to use ribbon it opened up another world of possibilities. It shouldn't be a surprise that I walked out with enough supplies to make 2 different Christma...

Not to brag, but I just came back from my Hawaiian vacation. It was a much needed vacation but I was not excited to come back to the yucky weather. I lost all sense of time when I was in Hawaii. Thanksgiving Day did not feel like Thanksgiving. It did not feel like NOVEMBER! One thing was for sure, I was behind on my wreaths! Can you believe it??? Christmas is my favorite time and I didn't have any wreaths?! Blasphemy. I've spent a lot of time on Pinterest and researching the perfect wreaths to make. I completed one wreath last night- I still need to make a Christmas one. But the wreath I made last night took a little longer than I expected. And at first I wasn't thrilled with it but I do have to say it's growing on me. Here she is! My winter pom pom wreath. I really do love all of the colors, but I just wasn't too sure about all of the pom pom! That's a lot of shagginess on that wreath. I must say I think it looks better in person. The cream yarn ...

It's that time of year! Christmas is right around the corner!!! I know, I know, Thanksgiving comes first. But you obviously do not know my family. We are those people that decorate the day after Halloween. We are also those people who have their Christmas decorations down before the new year. Needless to say, I've been busy with gearing up for the holidays...and I've lost track of time. I have no made a DIY project for Christmas yet, AHHHH! So for this post, I'm going back to the archives. Yes, I have an archive folder to help me along during my dry spells. This is a special wreath I made for my sister who is going to IU's Optometry School. This one was a challenge. How do you make a wreath cute using school colors AND creepy eyeballs? Well. I did it. And I would say it was a success!

I've never been a fan of Halloween. Ever. When I was a child, I was terrified of a paper witch my parents would hang up in our house at Halloween. I also HATED going down the Halloween aisle with all of the masks. It wasn't until just a few years ago I finally walked down that aisle. Embarrassing? Only slightly. Want to know what's even more embarrassing? The Haunted Mansion at Disney World scared the bageezous out of me. I'm a totally scaredy cat. Any time of the year. But especially this time of the year. What makes it even worse- Halloween is my fiance's favorite holiday. So to get in the spirit of celebrating things that terrify me, I decided it was time to make another wreath. I am proud to say that Brandon helped me on this one too! How cute is this wreath? Ok, I can't take all of the credit for this. I need to give a shout out to Pinterest for helping me come up with this wreath. (Here's the link for my inspiration.) Wondering what I used f...

It's been a while since I made a wreath...a long while. I'm pretty sure the last one I made was my Easter one. I always mean to take pictures of all of my supplies and I always forget. So I'll just give you the ONLY picture I took...and it's dark. I'm really winning on this one. Things you need: Glue gun (with glue stick obviously) Styrofoam wreath colored felt fabric buttons 1 thing of yarn plastic pumpkins (I found mine at Michaels) grapevine magic thing (I have no idea what it's called but I got mine at JoAnn's) Cost/How to save: Glue gun - if you already own, bam! There's some savings. If you don't own, venture to your nearest craft store and pick up a Low Temperature glue gun. I spent $2.70. Not too shabby. Glue sticks- $3.99 at Michael's and used a 40% off coupon. Styrofoam wreath- I think this is the easiest kind of wreath to work with. I used a 14" wreath that coast $4.99 at Hobby Lobby. And used a 40% off c...

We are finally making some progress on the wedding front! And no, the date is not one of them. But I do have plans to have that by the end of summer (which is quickly approaching). We have started asking our wedding party if they'd like to join us for our special day. There were so many things to think about- who do we want? What will they wear? And most importantly, how will I ask them? (the bridesmaids of course) With the popularity of Pinterest on the rise, I once again felt the pressure on how I would ask the ladies to be my bridemaids. I seriously spent forever on this. I even created a secret board on Pinterest with my ideas. I'm here to say I finally figured out the way I wanted to ask my ladies. I knew the key for me was it had to be cute, match my colors, and be personal. Once I had compiled a list of things I wanted in the box, it was time to write a little note. I decided to be super cheesy and write a poem for their boxes. All I have to say is thank goodness ...

It's hard to believe it was just over a year ago I was heading to Ireland. Ever since my adventure to the green land, my love for St. Patrick's Day has grown. So can we say we're surprised that I've made another holiday wreath? No ... I was really surprised at how difficult this one came to me. I was absolutely in love with my Valentine's wreath so I knew it was going to be hard to live up to. And I was right. I have had my St. Patrick fabric since the beginning of the year yet hadn't had any motivation to make this wreath. Total bummer. I still don't know that I am totally IN LOVE with this wreath..but it is growing on me. And of course, I did not save any of my wrappers so I can't tell you exactly what I bought. But I think that's the fun of it. You don't want your wreath to look exactly like mine. Make it your own. Have fun! Here are some close ups of my wreath. I think the closer I look at it, the more I like it. And I ho...

Growing up with your parents owning a Hallmark store makes it hard not to over do it on the holidays. I blame that store for my need to decorate for every holiday (except for Presidents Day, MLK Day, Columbus Day...you get the idea). And for the reason I am constantly buying holiday decor, even if it's buying Christmas merchandise in June. My Christmas decor just came down last week and I'm feeling the need to be festive. It would figure the next holiday is my least favorite... Valentine's Day. You either love it or hate it. When I was in elementary I loved it! Handing out Disney Princess, Rolie Polie Olie, or cute baby animal valentines. (And yes, I was the kid with the awesome shoebox that everyone was jealous over) And the candy. That was the life. Then we get old. Your classmates don't bring you glittery Lisa Frank or Marvel Superhero valentines and they don't give you candy. Instead you have to find a boyfriend to get this (well the candy at least). And th...

It should be no surprise. I've always been crafty. When my mom design our laundry room she made sure to install cabinets and a counter for crafting. My school projects were always the bomb. I was THAT kid that when way over the top on my poster- adding fun colored back grounds, funky letter cut-outs, and themed stickers. Mom has everything you could ever imagine/want in her craft supplies. And then I went off to college. Suddenly my posters started looking a little more drab. Every time I'd come home on the weekends, I'd be sure to stock up on supplies. And then I graduated and got my own place. And wouldn't venture home as often. I realized I was growing up and my craft supplies needed to do the same. So I've decided to create a list of what I consider essentials for your craft supply. Keep in mind that it's continually growing! Adhesive Runner - These guys are awesome and mess free. Personal Paper Trimmer - If you're anything like me, I can't ...

I think I was bitten by the creative bug this weekend. That or I needed something to do while sitting and watching football. Yesterday was a super productive day for me so I decided to end my weekend with one last project: DIY paint swatch calendar. Things you'll need: - Some type of adhesive - Paint swatches - frame (I used an 11x16 from Walmart. $5) - scissors or paper cutter - corner rounder- optional What to do: I took the easy way out on this one. I found some Valspar swatches I really liked at Lowes and was able to cut them down. You can see that there are 3 swatches per sheet. I decided not to cut out the swatches individually because I don't have the patience to line them all up perfectly. Just simply trim down your swatches, round the corners, and adhere to the paper! I went ahead and wrote the days on the swatches because those will never change. I would say the most tedious part was rounding the corners.  If I make this again, which I think I will, I...

I posted a pretty easy and inexpensive DIY project yesterday, but I found one that's even cheaper AND easier! Anyone can make this one. Just head to the store and stop by the paint section to pick up a couple of the paint strip samples. All you'll need are green and brown strips. Cut out the trees and stick them to a piece of paper! This project was so incredibly simple. And cheap. Next time I'm in town I'll swing by the local dollar store and grab a frame.

It's a Saturday. You're ready to do something productive...but you also feel lazy so you want something to be fast and easy. I have a solution! A quick DIY project. Things you need: Frame card stock glitter paper glue scissors computer & printer What to do: - Go online and find a reindeer or deer head silhouette that gives you good vibes. Go ahead and print it off and cut it out. Or if you're super talented, draw your own. But who has time for that?! - Trace your deer on the back of your glitter paper. Cut it out. - Glue (tape, whatever you want to do to make it stick) to a plain sheet of paper. You can add a cute little saying on the bottom corner or just center your deer silhouette. - Stick in the frame and ta da! You're done. Like I said, quick and easy.

Alright, time to give my shout out to Pinterest. Why is that site just so awesome? With the holidays right around the corner, I've decided it's time to start putting those pins to use. So here is the first project of December: A Yarn Wreath. I didn't even think about taking pictures of my wreath making process but it was so incredibly simple! So instead of telling you what to do, I'm going to help you save on making the wreath. Things you need: Glue gun (with glue stick obviously) Styrofoam wreath colored felt buttons 1 spool of yarn (are they called spools? I know a lot about being crafty but nothing about sewing or knitting) Cost/How to save: Glue gun - if you already own, bam! There's some savings. If you don't own, venture to your nearest craft store and pick up a Low Temperature glue gun. I spent $2.70. Not too shabby. Glue sticks- $3.99 at Michael's and used a 40% off coupon. Styrofoam wreath- I think this is the easiest kind of wreath...