Merry Mail!!

Most of us get adorable Christmas cards from friends and family each year and many of us try to come up with a cute way to display them. I've always just put them on the fridge but this year, probably because it will be the first year I send a Christmas card, I wanted a new idea. SO...instead of buying one I decided to make it. This is my first try and I'm very critical of the spacing and lining of the lettering so go easy on me. But all in all, I love how it turned out!!

Obviously there are lots of options for this. The sign itself can be different shapes and sizes and the paint color, font, font size, and even the words "Merry Mail" can all be changed and customized. I purchased this cute Christmas ribbon at 40% off at Michaels and I think it's the perfect touch!

I also picked up some Christmas burlap and "Santa Red" paint to prepare for some Christmas banners that have been requested:)

I plan to make ones that say "Merry Christmas", "Most Wonderful Time of the Year", and "Joy to the World". I also have lots of other ideas for decorating the fireplace for Christmas so stay tuned and contact me if you would like to purchase any decor at a very reasonable price:) I love this time of the year!!!

Signs of Joy Progress...

I go back and forth between getting really into making my banners and closet signs and thinking I would love to sell them at boutiques and such and then big gaps of feeling like it's really stupid and getting close to giving up. But as of today, I continue to work on them and hope that someone takes a liking and buys one. I particularly love the idea of using my banners as "photo op's" and have seen similar ones (but not the same quality of course) selling on Etsy for an un-godly amount of money. I love the idea of ones in maternity pics, gender reveal, newborn pics, family pics, and even wedding thank you photo's that are ever so popular today. As of today, I have the following banners and can make really anything anyone can come up with. My next project is to do triangles as those are popular right now as well.

I also continue to be excited about my nursery closet dividers and especially love this set that I made. My next project are owl themed ones as owls are "all the rage" right now:)

I still don't seem to have many readers of any kind but if you happen to be interested, please contact me:)

Signs of Joy

Hello! I have been working away on my crafts and am having so much fun:) I have narrowed down to a few different creations that I make the best and would like to make available for purchase. My bff sells beautiful bows that she makes and she is doing really well with them! Perhaps one day we can do an event together selling our creations:) Today I am sharing my custom clothing dividers for nursery closets that I just love. I have posted pictures on Pinterest in the last few weeks and have noticed a great number of gals repinning them! So exciting! I will be selling a pack of 3 through 12 month dividers for $15.00 and they can be any colors, themes, or designs. Here are my favorites I've made so far!

Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Strudel Muffins-yeah...they are as good as they sound!

I always ask my hubs to buy bananas (he does all the grocery shopping) and a good portion of the time I don't eat them before they brown. My hubs doesn't mind because he loves when I bake banana anything:) I've tried a different bread each time and today's is especially yummy. I got the recipe off Pinterest and Sally has outdone herself:)By the way, I sure hope my link works as I'm having trouble with it. In case not, here's the link you can copy and paste to (http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/10/15/banana-muffins-with-cinnamon-chocolate-chip-streusel/).

More DIY Projects...

Obvi I'm still on bed-rest and trying to stay busy. I'm doing a pretty good job! I've got six more weeks to go if I go full-term and the nursery is totally done. Of course that doesn't mean I've stopped projects for it though. I think my hubby is worried the nursery will explode in projects:) I wanted to share the hair bow/band holder/display that I made. My bff made an adorable one for a shower gift and sadly, in the process of hanging it, I dropped it and it broke:( So I made one myself and I'm pretty excited with how it turned out:) BTW, burlap works great as the background as bows just clip right on so easily! I bought some cute already decorated clothespins that I glued to the frame to hold the headbands. Love!

I finally chose some curtains for the nursery at Target. For some reason I couldn't seem to find any that I really loved. These are perfect:) I made some DIY curtain hold-backs or whatever it is people call them. It took me a bit to figure out how I was going to make them as I wanted them to be easily released so the curtains can close when we want to block out sunlight for Miss Avery. I picked up some daisies from Michael's and attached those for some sweet embellishments:) It's not the greatest thing I've ever done in my life, but it works:)

I'm also working on another very small and random item:) I am starting with the whole having kids thing much later than all my friends. They are already on #3 or #4 or whatever. I have made lots of observations over the years and one thing I have noticed is that everyone seems to always be missing pacifiers! They are always searching the house high and low when it comes to bedtime. I decided to embellish a jar to keep the pacifiers. I will post another picture when it's totally done. It's totally random, I know.

It's basically burlap, glue, and pink glitter. I have an idea to start making more banners and maybe make some different kinds of signs and eventually try to sell them if they end up being popular. Tonight I started working on one that I will post when it's completed. I've made the "Give Thanks" banner five times now and they are getting better with each one I make. I want to start making different variations of the banner that people can use for weddings, bridal showers, parties, house decor, etc. My plan is to make a few and then post and see if anyone buys any. We will see what happens. To be continued:)

Fall Has Fallen At My House...

I can't remember a time when I wasn't obsessed with the Fall. I didn't grow up celebrating Halloween so October and November are Fall/Harvest time to me and I love everything about it! I love the leaves in bright oranges, reds, and yellows. I love to decorate and bake with pumpkins and I love the smell of the candles that come out this time of year. So anyway, as I mentioned in my last post, I started making the adorable "give thanks" banners and hung mine on my mantle. I then decorated around it and I love it!!!

I went to the dollar store and picked up the leaves, candles, glass jars, and of course some yummy candy corn candy to decorate with and maybe sneak one or two to make sure they taste okay:)

I got the sweet little pumpkins at Trader Joes for under a dollar. I also bought some yummy fall candles from Target and threw in the pumpkin decor I already had out in a box in my garage.

Of course I switched my door wreath out for my fall one!

All in all, I'm excited with how I turned my apartment into a Harvest Haven and for hardly any money at all! I love it!! I also posted the banner on instagram and facebook and mentioned that I would love to make one for anyone that requests it and sure enough, I'm making a few for friends! So fun! I still don't really have readers and no followers and only one comment. But I'm hopeful that with time, my blog will attract some readers:) I have some more DIY projects to post that I think people will like:) Happy Fall Ya'll!

Give Thanks

Spending over two months on bed rest may inevitably kill me. Everyone keeps telling me it will all be worth it when I have sweet Avery in my arms. I know that's true but the wait is probably one of the hardest things I've ever gone through. So in order to fill the time, I do a lot of organizing, nesting, and crafting. I'm constantly on the look-out for a new DIY project I can do that will keep me busy and sane. I am a holiday fanatic. From October through the end of December I am a sucker for Harvest/Autumn time to Christmas decor. I love to decorate for Autumn and nothing is better than the crisp air, colorful leaves, windows wide open, and decoration of pumpkins and such. The craft I worked on today is a burlap banner for the fireplace. I got the ideas from Pinterest and used various ideas from a few different sources. This was pretty easy and I took my time so that it filled up a couple hours. I love the way it turned out! I started with a roll of burlap. I decided to measure squares 4 1/2 inches across. I used a lighter (this scared me at first) to burn the edges to ensure it doesn't all come unraveled. The squares turned out all the same size and with good, clean edges.

I used some stencils I bought a while back at Joanns, taping them with stencil tape, and then painting with acrylic black paint and a sponge brush.

I was nervous about how the letters would turn out as burlap obviously is filled with holes and much of the paint sinks through to the newspaper it was laid on. I touched up a few areas with a black Sharpee and went over the paint at least twice to ensure every area was covered. I let each letter dry for about 20-30 min before lifting the stencil to see how it turned out.

I let it all dry for a couple hours and then plugged in my hot glue gun. I went to Walmart in search of matching string but they didn't have any so I picked up some brown yarn. I turned each letter upside down and glued along the top edge, folding down over the string and then pressing hard (and burning my fingers) until it dried.

I then wrapped the end of the string on nails on my fireplace and "ta da! It's done. I am proud and very happy with it. Next step is to get a couple small pumpkins and perhaps a candle or two to complete the fireplace decor.

My next project is something for the front porch. I need to get Autumn decor out of my system before moving onto Christmas:)