Sequins and animals

Last week I was wearing sequins and red lipstick and this week I'm headed to the kindergarten zoo field trip. Such is life. I do like the zoo however and I think the animals might appreciate a glam red lip.

Speaking of animals, cuteness abounds on Me Oh My with her animal storage tutorial.

Make it :: Nativity Set

It's Christmas break so what to do while we're all home? Yesterday we decorated cookies and today this is what we're working on. Printable nativity sets designed by Marloes de Vries, a Dutch illustrator. Fits two of my most basic criteria, easy and free! There's two options just print and cut or color/print/cut. I opted for the coloring ones just to make the activity a little more hands on. Just print them out on card stock get to work.

They're each coloring all of the players in the nativity now, I just need to find another box so they can each make their own stable. 

{via How About Orange}

Make it :: Friendship Bracelets

The summer between 7th and 8th grade all I did was make friendship bracelets. I did it at home, at my swim meets and probably in the car too, I couldn't get enough! I remember my friend's cousin had one that was about an inch and a half wide and I was completely in love with it.I think I spent a good portion of time trying to recreate it. I've been seeing them pop up in blogland and I particularly like them adorned with rhinestones.

Any takers for a bracelet making party? At least now that we're older we can have summer cocktails while we act crafty!

{via Honestly WTF}

Just a couple of things

Today I was a lucky girl and had a couple of hours to myself so I decided to run up to Phoenix to hit those store that I can't when I have little sidekicks. I picked up these fabulous vintage glass jars. I wish I had taken a better picture because they're really cool.

Then while we're on the subject of stuff what shall I do with these corbels? I have four. Any ideas? My mom brought them home from Nebraska for me last summer but they've just been sitting in the office, sad that they're all alone.

Oh and one of my favorite things is since I have these guys,

I always find these guys of some sort in precarious positions all over the house.

 It makes me laugh every time, well almost as long as I'm not stepping on one.

Easter Ideas

I didn't do any special craftiness this year for Easter, I'm bad. Monday we're headed off to Carlsbad to for Big's spring break so we're busy packing, getting the house ready for the house sitter and doing the Easter grocery shopping. Which totally reminds me I need to go to the store, ugh it's going to be totally packed. My aunt called me and left a message asking where the Easter posts were so I guess I dropped the ball but here are a few things just for her. Easter is a holiday where cuteness abounds that's for sure. Maybe Saturday after the groc I'll have some time to knock out some of this crafty stuff.  Here are a few of the adorable Easter things seen around Blogland.

Eggs filled with grass so cute but maybe a little late in the game, file it away for next year.

Darby (the egg and grass girl) always has cute ideas and I loved her Easter story cookies last year and maybe I could do it with the shrimps tonight. I think it would be fun for Little.

Peeps S'mores. Cute and more importantly easy.

Send an adorable message via Eggogram.

It wouldn't be Easter without Martha so here's one of my favorites of hers. I'm a sucker for jars filled with stuff.

What are you guys making for your Easter meals?  We have a huge family gathering with all of our family; mine, my husband's and my brother-in-law's, it's awesome. No running from place to place, the kids get to see all of their grandparents in one spot it makes me very thankful for having such a cool family.  The past few years we've done omelet stations in addition to the usual fare and this year my mom is making her famous Eggs Benedict. I will be assisting her on Benedict duty but I will also be bringing Ina's Sour Cream Coffee Cake which is delicious and pretty and a Green Chile egg thing that I always make for those that don't like Eggs Benedict (which I think is near impossible but to each his own).  So what you have going on, what are your family Easter traditions?

Make it :: Tattered books

I don't think I ever shared with you a little project that I did.  It was awhile ago and it all started with these books from The Willows (one of my favorite local stores).  I saw these books scattered in a tray in one of their vignettes, I loved.  The books didn't appear to be for sale and I figured it would be a very easy DIY. 

Crummy picture quality, my camera phone.

So then I made these, probably last September.

And then yesterday I was flipping through a Ballard Designs catalog and saw these. 

Hah.  No way would I have paid this for these books.  It was as simple as heading to your local thrift store and picking up some paperbacks for some change.  Now I did spent a lot of time ripping out the books from the covers (usually page by page) and picking off any glue that stuck to the pages but they've come in so handy when my table just needs something.  I tied mine with regular twine but jute twine would look great also.  My mom suggested getting the edges wet so they would be a little more distressed which maybe one of these days I'll get around too because her ideas are usually good ones. 

Love it :: Photo Wreath

I think this photo wreath is the cutest thing going.

{image via Decor8}

Stencil on the ceiling?!

This one sure took some patience but that ceiling sure is a beaut! Seeing this makes me want to stencil.

Don't worry I most likely won't, my husband would definitely tell me to get off the train to crazytown. For more of the transformation check it out at Three Men and a Lady.

Grosgrain Napkins

Think we could make these?

At $135 for 4, I think we probably could. But seriously how cute are they?

{via Elle Decor}

Vintage printed napkins

I'm dying for these napkins! I think they would be the perfect party favor or housewarming gift, they're just so charming!

Get the details and downloads HERE.

{Wedding Style Guide via iDIY}

Make It :: Headband

When it comes to the web I have two favorite online things, cutie pie free downloads and DIY online tutorials. They both just come in so handy. This headband from Once Wed is now at the top of my to-do list.

My weekend

This is what I'm busy doing this afternoon. Styling is SO not my thing. The granny doily isn't usually there but I thought the black table needed a little something.

Thoughts? Too much glitter? Any tips? I'm kinda scared that I'm asking for feedback but I think I can take it...well maybe.

Easy baby gift

I don't think I ever showed you the burp clothes that we made for my cutie pie new nephew. Cute right? Easy too!

Disclaimer: I say we but it was pretty much my mom. I rounded up all of the materials, cut and pinned the ribbon and she did all of the sewing. I'm the gopher.

Cake topper cuteness

Can I just tell you how much I'm in love with these mini cake toppers. Like so in love.

Get all of the DIY deets here.

{Oh and don't forget today is the last day to enter the Perricone Skin Care Giveaway, if you haven't already comment here to win.}

The sewing machine's debut...again!

About a month ago I spotted this adorable doorway puppet theater in Country Living. Immediately cue the "I could do that" thoughts.

I suddenly remembered that I had several yards of natural cotton duck for who knows what project from years past that would be perfect for the big part. Next I Googled other doorway puppet theaters and decided that making a pole pocket curtain with an extension rod would work best for us. We went and picked out fabric to decorate our theater, got the extension rod but don't get too excited, I haven't even started it yet. Because here is my sewing machine.

Not a place of pride is it? Shoved in a closet underneath extra pillows with all sorts of extra what do you do with stuff. I do know how to sew, I can make simple things and sew a straight line but that's about it. Honestly I don't use my machine too often so I usually forget how to use it by the time I need it again. So I have to bother my mom to come and show me for the 100th time how to thread the bobbin. I'm hoping all my practice on my machine will turn me into a sewing gal because I really want to make one of these for the front of my ugly office desk.

Cute huh? Good thinking from Laura Casey. Between this photo and Erika's hidey spot for her stuff I think it would make an excellent solution to my desk dilemma. Cross your fingers that my I want to sew crusade doesn't fizzle before I finish my projects.

Weekend + Flowers

Morning lovelies. I've been a little MIA because it's been a busy weekend over at our house. I thought the best Mother's Day gift to myself was to hang out and be blog free. Now that it's Monday I'm wondering what's in store for the week ahead. I do know that I have a huge blog crush on Katie and these darling flower collars that she made.

Katie has a tutorial here and I'm thinking since I don't have a daughter to make one for they will look totally presh on a tee for moi.

How was the weekend friends?

Cute tablecloth

Oh in blogland there is just way too many good ideas! I love this DIY oilcloth tablecloth. Hmmm...I wonder if there's any way to make the scalloped edges without the sewing machine?

[From Twig & Thistle via Party Perfect]

Peepers

Last week the boys made their Peeps wreaths but this year I changed it up a little I decided to just use a paper plate for the wreath form. This made it much easier for them to place their Peeps and I already had them on hand. We used Elmer's School Glue so it takes a couple of days for them to dry (with all of the sugar), for a quicker fix use hot glue. I try not to be too freakish about them looking perfect they are after all a kids craft so if the Peeps are a little crooked with tons of glue seeping out I think it just adds to the charm.

They love making them and I think they might just be our new Easter tradition.

Think it will be easy?

I saved these pictures because I loved the envelopes lined with maps. I adore receiving a handwritten note, so I'm wondering if I can whip these up with some gorgeous simple stationary and a map. My dilemma is will the juice be worth the squeeze? Will making these babies cost me an arm and a leg and be a pain? I would not consider myself crafty, if I'm making something it's usually out of necessity or just to see how easy it is to make it. The big part of being crafty that I find annoying is that crafting requires lots of supplies which take a lot of money and a lot of storage space. Not to say that I don't enjoy making something cute because I do. It's just not the way I like to relax, you know me I like to watch some trashy Bravo reality. Anyhoo I think I'll give it a whirl because I do have exactos, corkbacked rulers and a cutting mat.

[I'm a bad, bad blogger and didn't save the source. If this image is from you or is your gorgeous handiwork please let me know and I'll credit you ASAP]

Peeptastic

Remember this fab Easter idea from Erika last year? See here and here. I have all the supplies and will be breaking out this idea when things get a little stir crazy and we are in need of something fun to do.

I was just doing a little digging to find the links and decided I may be heading to the store to get the supplies to make more of these Easter projects courtesy of my pal Seleta.

[Sadly there are no photos of my wreaths from last year so here is Seleta's]