Audrey Hepburn Sign

I think this project deserves it's own post.

I found this decal quote on etsy and knew I had to have it for the girls playroom.  Since it is Audrey Hepburn I couldn't resist Tiffany's box blue.  I bought a sheet of wood and had it cut to size at the local hardware store.  I did have to make some modifications because the decal wasn't in this square format.  I simply cut it by sentence and placed it where needed.  I also googled the closest color match to the Tiffany's box and found out that the closet match is Behr Sweet Rhapsody.  I was so pleased to find out that it actually is a very close match.  I also added the infamous white ribbon.  At first I debated painting a white line around the edges and hanging it with the white ribbon, but my wall space did not allow for what I wanted exactly.  So I came up with this and I do like it.  It's also removable so if I ever move it to a different wall space I may change it back to the original plan.

It's a perfect accent for the girls playroom.

A&J

Incorporating all those gifts...

Ok, now that Christmas is over, what do you do with all the extra STUFF you thought was a great gift idea, but then didn't give much thought to how it would actually fit in your house.  Luckily I was able to make a few moves in the playroom for these fun new gifts.

Katie got this adorable Disney talking vanity from Santa...

It can't sit in a corner all by itself, so I made this Audery Hepburn sign to go with it.  I tried to make it look like a Tiffany's box.  Decal from Etsy and I googled the actual paint color for a Tiffany' box.  I can save you time and reveal the big secret here..... Behr Sweet Rhapsody.  It's a perfect match and I love it.  I bought extra so I can use this color more.

 Added a few other frames and voila.  Her own vanity corner.  I already know I'll add more to this corner.  I'm loving it.

Since I was taking pics of the playroom, I couldn't help to snap a pic of the kitchen corner just because I really like it.

I found this little shelf at a garage sale and painted it black.  Guess what color it's going to change to now. :)  Anyway, I digress.  I let the girls pick some items out of the pantry that they thought would be fun for their pretend kitchen.  Yes, they are all empty.

This playroom is so much fun to decorate.  It is a challenge because it's one big long room with an odd angled ceiling.  It makes decorating the walls almost impossible.  It's always a work in progress.  But it sure is fun.  Makes me want to post more areas.  I actually have to clean them first.  As you might guess, it's not exactly pristine. 

A&J



Merry Christmas

This years Christmas card.

I'm that person that has to make you smile when you open our card.  Cheesier the better.  So, this year.....I dreamed big...

My BIG ambitions were to stack them.  The little sister sitting on top of big sisters shoulders, lights wrapped around them, and holding a star on top like a Christmas tree.  All the while Big sister holding the reindeer doggy.  Sounds simple right.  Apparently, I dreamed too BIG.  After several failed attempts, we wound up with this.  All sitting SAFELY in a chair.  It still made me smile so I hope it makes you smile too.

On a side note...I wanted to send our card to the shelter where we adopted this cute little reindeer doggy, but my husband thinks they may consider this torture.  :) 



A&J

Free Printable Scripture Word Art

Found this awesome printable here.

I was able to change up the color a bit to match my color theme and use it on my Christmas cards this year!

Love how it turned out!

{Of course you could always just print it as is and frame it to use for your Christmas decorating!}

On the Christmas Card: Papers found here and here. Elements from various kits at my favorite digital scrapbooking shop here.

A&J

Christmas Gift Tags

Below are some gift tags I made for all my packages this year.

Feel free to download here, cut out and enjoy!

{Sized for 8.5 x 11 paper, 300 dpi}

A&J

Advent Calendar/ Christmas Countdown

We haven't ever had an advent calendar in our house. Only because I haven't really seen one that I just fell in love with.   I saw so many ideas found from blog land at Tatertots and Jello. Wow the creative bar just gets higher and higher!

This below is my take on the advent calendar. It was mentioned to me by someone as a tradition they did with their kids every Christmas and it was something that their kids remembered even after they were grown and out of the house. 

The idea is that you have 24 books to read with your child or children. One for each day up till Christmas, with the final book read on the Christmas eve being "The Night Before Christmas" of course. They can be all Christmas books or even special books that your family likes to read. They can be books you already have or add a few new ones each year.  Because really, most of the fun for the kids is getting to open a present each day....

{It's also good incentive to get the kids in the jammies and ready for bed each night!} 

And if you haven't started yet this year, don't worry just start today with less books. 

It's just a tool to countdown to Christmas!

Need some cute tags to add to your books?

You can download the # tags I've used here.

Linked up here @ Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party.

A&J

Family Game Night Basket

 It's that time of year again.....

Here is a cute Family Christmas gift idea to get a whole family with kids.  Family Game Night Basket.  What family doesn't enjoy some fun new games to play together.  I put two of these together for a couple of fun families I know. 

I found a few fun age appropriate games...

Ornaments that match the family.  This year one family bought a camper and camped all summer.  The other family adopted a new toy yorkie this year.

Next and one of my favorites, I made each family a

 memory game set, all with pictures of all of the kids from various get togethers throughout the year.

 Closeup of the front and back of the memory game.  Modge Podge does rock!

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

A&J

My "Go-to" Christmas Gift This Year...

I tend find a "go-to" gift each year that I like to give as Christmas gifts.

Last year, my "go-to" gifts were Scentsy candle warmers.

I absolutely love these things! I have several in my house and they are frequently on.

If you don't have one of these, I'd highly recommend trying one.

Find a consultant in your area at www.scentsy.net

{My favorite scents: Hemingway, Cinnamon Bear, Welcome Home, & Olive Wood & Cypress.}

Anyway, my "go-to" gift this year comes from a local shop that has now been seen all over the country!

The Vintage Pearl.

They have many items that are already put together, or you can create your own custom necklace or bracelet.

And layer it up as much as you want.

They are all made in the shop and hand stamped.

Here are just a few of the necklaces that I have so far.

I've got some custom orders coming in within the next week and am excited to hand them out for Christmas!

A little teacher gift....

Go check out their website and their blog!

Great personalized gifts!

{Note: Christmas orders at The Vintage Pearl do have to be in by Dec 3!)

A&J

Glittery Stuff....

After watching Miss Mustard Seed's glitter tutorial, I knew I had to try out the German glass glitter she talked about. 

I happened to find a small bottle of light blue German glass glitter at a local shop and snatched it up. When I got home I did a little glitter comparison. I had on hand some glitter paint, regular glitter, and my new glass glitter. OH MY GOODNESS..... the glass glitter is amazing!!!

The beauty of it is truly something you have to see in person. It simply catches the light in the most perfect way. And have you ever touched something with regular glitter only to have glitter all over you for the rest of the day?? This glitter does not do that.

The only drawback... it can be a little pricey. {Although I think it's well worth the extra you pay for it}

I just received a few ounces of silver that I had ordered

and I've got a slew of things that I'm ready to create with it!
Here are a few little things I've made so far....

 

So pretty! LOVE this stuff....
And just in time for decorating for Christmas!

A&J

Music Sheet Bows

While I had the music sheets and hot glue out I figured I'd try to make some of these bows for my upcoming Christmas wrapping. I've seen them made with old book pages and even old magazines.

I know there's many different ways to make bows like this, but here's a quick tutorial of how I made mine:

First cut some 3/4 inch strips from some sheet music.

You will need:

3 ~ 8.5 inch strips, 3 ~ 7 inch strips & 1 3 inch strip.

I twisted them around to make these shapes and hot glued them into place.

{note: you could also use double stick tape, glue dots, staples or whatever you have on hand}

Start assembling by taking the 3 larger ones and gluing them into a shape like this:

Continue with the second row and then the 1 smaller loop in the middle.

I chose some simple kraft brown paper and some twine to go with my bow.

And there you have it, simple and unique wrapping for the holidays or any occasion!

A&J

Music Sheet Christmas Tree Tutorial

Today I made one of these cute little music sheet trees.

Here's a little tutorial to make one of your very own.

It's very simple really.....

What you will need is a styrofoam cone, some sheet music, scissors and a hot glue gun.

 

First off, I cut the music in 2 inch strips.

 Then took the strips and curled them a bit. 

{I used the end of a wooden spoon and that seemed to work well}

Then I cut slits all alog the bottom about halfway up.

Take these pieces and hot glue them around the cone.

One row at a time.

Keep going till you get to the top!

It's really that easy....

Although I think it may need something at the top.
I haven't thought of anything yet.
What do you think?
Any ideas??

Need some free sheet music for the project??
I have a page here you can download and print (8.5x11).
It looks best on some sort of antique or ivory finish paper to make it look a little vintage. Enjoy!

Linked up at Funky Junk's SNS
and at Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party
and Under The Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party.

A&J

50's style party

Every year my daughter's school finds a neat way around letting the kids dress up as anything scary for their Halloween party.  I love the effort her little school goes through to make such fun experiences for the kids.   Even though I wind up buying two costumes because she's usually already chosen and had me order something else before we find out the school's theme....I have to admit I didn't mind one bit this year because this year they declared.... 50's style.  How FUN!!  Of course we had to order this cute poodle skirt from Etsy. And these over sized glasses from Party America or whatever their latest name is.

The party lasted all day with different activities throughout the day.  They did everything from face painting, to playing games and working on crafts that was to be used for their big surprise finale.  The finale and the highlight of the day was a surprise drive in movie.  They turned their entire classroom into one big drive in movie and watched Toy Story 3.  They made the cutest cars out of card board boxes, complete with snack trays, and their own personalized licensed plates and their own drivers license. 

The kids enjoyed movie popcorn and snacks that they kept in their snack trays attached to the side of their cars.  So cute and creative.

 The kids thoroughly enjoyed this as well as the parents.  My wheels are already spinning on how to incorporate this fun idea into a future birthday party, or even just a fun backyard drive in summer movie night.  :)

A&J

A Bit of Fall Decor

Gosh, I've been so busy lately that it's already the middle of October and I'm just now starting to pull out fall decorations!

I love looking at others blogs and how they've decorated for the season. So here's a peek into mine. I decided not to go overboard on all the fall foliage this year and just make it pretty simple. Just a few touches of fall here and there......

Centerpiece on my kitchen table.

And finally a shot of the fireplace mantel.
{I'm loving the white pumpkins mixed with all the orange this year}

Pretty simple this year, but I really like it!

A&J