My Creative Blog:
stamp

Ok, guys, we are in the last two weeks of competition with Creating with the Stars and to say that the contestants exceeded our expectations would be the understatement of the century. We have six competitors still fighting for a spot in the final 3 and no one is going down without a major fight. If you missed the first two weeks of projects, check them out below: Round 1 Projects & Winners Round 2 Projects & Winners

This week some amazing prizes are at stake. The semi-finals winner will take home…
$500 Gift Card to Home Depot (Contestant & Blog Star!!) $100 worth of Martha Stewart supplies from Plaid Crafts $125 Gift Card to Lucent Lampworks Project featured by HomeTalk

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Now, we know you're all dying to see what amazing projects our contestants have come up with this week with paint! Let's go!
1. Painted Couch Featuring a Handmade Horse Stamp

We have all seen these couches before in someone's grandma's house. This vintage couch is not the good kind of vintage, but I may have some of you convinced that this traditional style can be made more modern. I painted the couch white, carved out a horse, and stamped the living daylights out of it with black paint from Home Depot. Enjoy!

2. Painted Map Coffee Table Painting! I'm not going to lie, I was pretty stoked about this week… and amazed I made it here. Painting is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to transform almost anything. And my table was in need of some transforming- big time. I picked it up at a flea market type place for $40… peeling, chipping, splinters, dirt and all.

I sanded and scraped (forever) until no more paint chips fell off when you walked by. Then I gave the entire table a coat of latex paint from Home Depot (mixed with a little plaster to make chalk paint), leaving some of the peeling paint texture on the legs. After that was dry, I taped off a large"X" pattern on the smaller shelf and added a painted stripe detail to IKEA storage boxes for the bottom.

On the top, I made my own basic map stencil by cutting away the continents on a large world map I printed out. I stuck the map to the table with painter's tape, then painted over top with blues and greens. Once that was"roughed in", I removed the paper map and spattered the rest of the painted detail free hand using mostly a plastic spoon and really watered down paint. The last step was to give the entire table a coat of protective finishing wax.

I kind of think the end result is out of this world… hehe, get it?

3. Painted Desk and Accent Wall Using Custom Stencils

I love paint! It sets the mood of a space and has the power to completely transform a piece. I found this large bookcase at Goodwill and loved the detail on the doors, arch at the top, and the drop panel but didn't like choppy layout, worn finish, and heavy bottom. Luckily, all of my dislikes were easy to fix with a little paint and reconfiguration of the layout.

With a little help from the Home Depot, I was well on my way to getting started. Thanks Chris!

Fix #1 — I moved the drop panel down to 30" so that it can now be used as a secretary desk. Goodbye choppy bookcase, hello new desk!
Fix #2- Paint! The finish was worn and it had a few areas that needed to be filled with wood filler so painting was the perfect solution! I chose a classic ivory and paired it with a deep turquoise stenciled background. I created the stencil based on one of my favorite Farrow and Ball wallpapers.
Fix #3-the thick base and doors made this piece look bottom heavy. To fix this, I added small feet to lift it off the ground and create a little visual space at the base.
I also created a large stencil based on one of my favorite rugs. The large scale and contrast provides a lot of visual impact and adds variety from the small scale stencil used on the back.

With the help of paint and a few power tools, this bookcase has been given a new life and I love the way it looks in my new space! 4. Painted Chalkboard with Map and Games
This week's theme was my favorite so far…I love the many many ways that paint can be used to make an instant change and impact on a space or an object. I also love chalkboard paint. This week's project is dedicated to my kiddos who surprise, surprise…love to get that their craft on too!; )

In designing the chalkboard wall, we decided to have a map of the U.S.A…I love the way it looks and it will be fun to track the different states we go to as a family. After coloring in the states my kids have been to, they commented"well that's not very many", so I let them each choose a state they would like to go to someday…which explains why Hawaii and Alaska are colored.: )
Lately my oldest child has loved playing tic-tac-toe, so I thought a large, interactive wall version would be super-fun! I also included many"frames" for the kiddos to draw their masterpieces in. I picked the step-stools up at IKEA and painted them in fun colors, and the animal hooks holding our chalk and erasers came from Anthropologie.
It was a blast picking out all the fun paint colors at Home Depot! Because I was using so many colors and didn't need a gallon of each color…Home Depot made my day when they told me that they can mix any color in a small, 7.5 oz jar…perfect!!!

And after a super-busy week painting…I'll go to bed tonight and dream about being on a beach in…

;)

5. Aztec Wonder Painted Rug I have been in love with the Aztec inspired rugs that I have been seeing in catalogs and online lately. The drool kind of love. But alas, rugs can be expensive. They are not something I can change an a whim. So, when the paint round came about I decided that it was time for me to get my hands on my latest crush and do it in a budget-friendly way. In DIY style, of course.

Isn’t she beautiful?! This rug was a labor of love. And a lot and lot of sponges cut into stamps…applied one by one. Fabulous colors, a gentle application of paint from Home Depot, and lots of patience made this rug come together into something lovely.

My rug is more then happy living with me. And, I am so pleased to have my own version of this latest craze. And… you know what? I’m glad we’ve moved on from Chevron to Aztec. I’ve got my Aztec rug and I’m ready to go!

6. Painted Wall Mural and Dresser
I have a thing for maps right now — doesn't everyone? So, when it came time for the"paint" challenge, I was pretty excited to hop right in and paint a giant world map on my wall. Because who doesn't need one of those?!

I used a projector to hand-paint the whole thing, and then for a bit of contrast (and fun!) I added an old Ikea sideboard we had laying around that I painted Sunny Side Up by Behr from Home Depot. For a couple more little touches, I added bicycle drawer pulls (because, why not?) and numbers to the door fronts — you can barely see them from straight on, but if you look at it from a different angle, they suddenly show up. It's a subtle touch, but I didn't want anything to compete with the map above it!

I love how the black and yellow work together, and I'm pretty excited to finally achieve my dream of covering a wall with the entire world. And, really, I find it hard to believe that this bright and sunny sideboard was once a plain, boring black Ikea piece — don't you love how big of a transformation paint can make?!

It's time to vote! You guys have a ridiculously hard job- we don't envy you a bit! You can only vote one time, but you can vote for your favorite 3 projects. **The voting glitch for Round 3 has been corrected and voting will be adjusted accordingly. Thanks!
In order to vote, please LIKE EC2 on Facebook.

Okay, so two years ago Vista Print entered my life… yes, it sounds dramatic, but man, it Rocked My World! Maybe you've heard of Vista, and maybe you know you can get FREE pens and oodles of business cards, but that really doesn't excite nor apply to you. Well, I'm hoping that some of these ideas will get you almost as sold on Vista as I am (and no, I don't get commission- lol.)
Ok, so with Vista Print, you sign up for their emails (and yes, you'll get a lot, so don't use your everyday email address unless you want to. I have one email account for all my"junk" emails I subscribe to and one"real" account that I use daily) Every few days, Vista will send you FREE products you can order- you only pay shipping. There are 3 shipping options, so the price is decent and totally worth all the products you'll be getting for free!

Now onto the fun part… what you can create in Vista! The suggestions I'm giving in this post were all made without using Photoshop or any professional design programs. Vista has designs to choose from or you can create your own and upload a completed design. I do a lot of both. Idea # 1- Mommy Cards These little cards are perfect for the playdate lovin' mom. Keep them in your purse and when your child makes a friend at the local park, you can give new friend's mommy one of your super-cool cards so that you can meet up again. If you're like me, you've jotted down a mom's cell number on a scrap of paper, only to completely lose it and then feel awful that you never called. 250 Mommy Cards Printed as business cards = FREE!

Idea # 2- Shower Invitations You don't need to pay insane prices for cool, trendy invitations. Get ideas online and then design your own! Baby Lucas (after Luke Skywalker) was due to arrive last summer and of course we needed fabulous Star Wars invitations for our Star Wars themed Shower. The pictures were simply pulled from Google Images and the font was free online. 50 Invites Printed as Oversized Postcards = FREE!

(sorry for the blurry parts, but I wanted to get rid of the personal info) Have I mentioned I have the best, most super-fun friends ever?

Idea # 3- Children's Birthday Parties I haven't bought an invitation in two years. Small postcards, large postcards, notecards, or invitations can all be used to create your invites in Vista. This is Kenzie's Spa Party invite. She had so much fun helping me design it! This one was one-sided, but the back can be personalized as well. We put them in 5x 7 envelopes and voila! I only needed 10 invites, but 100 were Free, so we have lots to use as scrap cardstock. 100 Party Invitations = FREE!

Idea # 4- Christmas Cards Can you believe how much Christmas cards have changed in the last few years? Gone are the days of the painted, snowy scene cards and in are awesome photo cards and more! The only problem is that it can cost a small fortune to send the nice photo cards to everyone. These were our Christmas Cards from 2009. I used Picnik (free editing software) to edit our pics, create a collage, and add some bling; and then I uploaded it onto the oversized 5 x 7 postcards.

I think my favorite part was that I could fully customize the back and had plenty of space to say exactly what we wanted to share. Another bonus was that I could mail them as postcards and didn't need envelopes. Score! 100 Christmas Cards (2 orders of 50) = FREE!

Idea # 5- Kids Pretend Supplies Last Christmas I used Vista to put together a Vet Kit for Kenzie. She loves animals and loved playing vet, but she was getting a little"old" for typical pretend play. So, we made pretend"cool" again by giving her a present of real vet supplies. Her vet supplies included: a Pet Vet Poster, a personal stamp, business cards, a personalized pen, a tote bag, stationary and printed forms (I went online and grabbed a basic vet form.) She LOVED it and had so much fun playing vet again, since now it seemed a bit more grown up. You could do this for anything your child is into… Doctor, Builder, Photographer, Ballerina, etc. Oodles of Pretend Play Supplies = FREE! Pet Vet Poster

Personal Stamp

Idea # 6- Totes for Everything I mean everything! Every time I put in an order I add a tote (umm they're free, why not!) Here are some ideas: Library Book Tote, Sports Tote (the one below was for Kenzie's cleats, shinguards, and water bottle for soccer.) Books for the Car, Snacks for on-the-go, Sleepover Bag (sized just right for one night and you could write something cute on it), Pretend Shopping Bag. What ideas do you have? Share them and I'm sure I'll order one! Everything Tote Bag = FREE!

Idea # 7- Gift Tags These are just business cards repurposed into gift tags. I used these for Christmas presents and they matched so well. I used a hole punch in the corner and attached them with coordinating ribbon. You could also make some non-holiday tags to have on hand. You could even make a set from each child for all the class birthday parties. My kids love when I have things personalized. To: _____ From: Kaden. I haven't done that yet, but I will be soon! 250 Gift Tags printed as Business Cards = FREE!

Idea # 8- Teacher Gifts Want a great, personal gift for a teacher? How about giving them a collection of coordinating, personalized supplies? Hit up Target's dollar bin for a cute container and your gift will be the talk of the teacher's lounge! Here are some items that you could include: notepads, sticky notes, pens, postcards, notecards, and more! I plan to do this for my kids' teachers this spring, so I won't give all my ideas away, but stay tuned for some inspiration! Personal, Thoughtful Teacher Gifts = FREE Notepad with magnet on the back

Matching sticky notes

Phew… that was a long post, but hopefully at least one of these ideas made you ready to jump in and give VistaPrint a try. I promise you'll be hooked! Use this link to sign up for Vista today and be sure to share your creations with us!

One of my 2012 resolutions was to add more of ME into the style (or lack thereof) of my family room. I might have taken that resolution a tad literally come to think of it, but I'm still happy with the progress so far! Let me give you a little back story…

See that artwork? It was hanging in my family room for the past year. It's fine… if you know me well, when I say fine, I mean ehh… take it or leave it. In this particular case, I was ready to leave it, so I started by taking it apart.

I wanted to do something a tad more meaningful. Trust me, I'm all about art just because it looks cool, but for some reason I was determined to create something a little"deeper" for this room.
At first I thought I'd use some cool lyrics I love."American Pie" has always been a favorite song, but then I vetoed that because it just didn't feel right and I'm sure there's some weird deep meaning I am oblivious to.
I decided on Matt Redman's"Blessed be the Name of the Lord", typed it up on an 8x8 and enlarged it at Staples. (Total cost for two was like $5.00)

Here's the deal on the song. I'm not all like,"woohoo it has to be a praise song" or something like that. Truthfully, I hated this song for about 3 years and would actually leave church every time it was played. I wasn't being a jerk, I just couldn't stomach it. You may have heard me mention my twin boys in my birthday post, and this song has a line,"You give and take away, You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name." Let me tell you for a mom that wanted nothing more than to keep holding her babies that line was beyond challenging for me. So why put it on your wall crazy blogger? Well, over time I've been able to get to the point where I do trust and understand that He will give and take and it's not going to be easy, but I'm not in it alone. He doesn't say I'll give and take and see ya later. It's only by grace that I got through each of our losses without becoming bitter and changed. Okay, enough personal stuff, if you want to read about our journey with the twins, you can check it out here. (Who knows, maybe it will be a help to someone.)
So I had my lyrics and needed something to go over them. It took some brainstorming and then it hit me. FINGERPRINTS… our fingerprints!
Here's How I did it! The mat needed a coat of paint. Don't be afraid to change the color of your mat, it's a great, quick fix.

While they dried, I pulled out my kids stamping kit and took some prints. I'm a dork and started with my pointer, but realized a thumb is a better option. Just press, don't roll and don't use too much ink.

Then, I took pictures of our prints. I zoomed in as close as I could get, and then cropped in picasa. Editing the picture to black and white and increasing shadows helped me see the lines.

I happened to have a mini projector on hand (borrowed from a friend about 9 months ago- oops!) and a jar of cherries! I needed the projector a bit higher and they worked perfectly. If you don't have a mini projector an old school, classroom one would work fine too.

Keeping it real… yes, I still have a Christmas countdown on my walls.

I taped the paper on the wall and traced in pencil. I almost went blind. It was not simple to see, but it still only took about 5 minutes of tracing.

I removed it from the wall and traced over my lines with a sharpie.

After reassembling the mat and frame I was ready for after pictures… Darn that my room is bright with a glare 24-7.

Here's my new meaningful, fingerprint art.

I have a second one coming with the hub's print, but I'll show you that when the rest of the wall is finished! I have some fun plans brewing!

So what do you think of my new artwork? It's okay, you can be honest, I know it's a little unique.

November marked 2 years in our"new" house. I can't believe it's already been two years, and at the same time, it feels like we've always lived here! Before we moved in, I quickly painted each of the kids' rooms in a solid color and did very minimal decorating. Last year, I did Callen's room with the fun Pallet Wall, but he's the only one that has a"cool room" as my kids say. Kira was next on the list for a room makeover and thankfully, it's already gotten the"cool room" stamp of approval from my kids!

This room makeover was part of one of my projects for P&G. It was my first video for those readers, so sorry about the introductions, but this video does give you a great little room tour! (Excuse the creepy freeze frame… why does Youtube do that?)

Here's a still shot before and after

Pretty Big Difference isn't it? I can't wait to share all the fun projects and DIY details with you- I'll be featuring one project each day this week, but for now, here's ton of pictures!

I grabbed this adorable little hooter at Target.
The mirror was something we DIYed about 8 years ago, yup, we DIYed before DIYing was cool!

Little Book Nook!

Spray paint and round bulbs make all the difference!
All the color details coming later this week.

And this is the other side of the room! Helloooo… huge whiteboard wall!
As you heard in the intro video, KJ had a tendency to write all over the walls. We now have a dedicated place for that!
Wednesday you'll get all the product info and tutorial for this.

A little DIY took this dresser from boring to custom-ish!

For P&G I can't have any pictures showing, so I left Kira a little note in this cute frame instead.

Creative coloring storage!

Masterpieces from my little artist

Now that you've gotten the quick tour…
Here's the plan for the posts for this week… Tomorrow (Tuesday) I'm going to give you all the details on this stinkin' awesome mosaic accent wall. I'm not sure I'm allowed to say something I did was awesome, but man I love it!

Wednesday, I'm going to tell you all about Idea Paint and how it can turn almost anything into a cool whiteboard surface!

Thursday, it's more Staples LOVE and I'll give you the 411 on these foam core faux canvases. And to think I almost bought 4 frames at 39.00 each! The entire project ended up costing me under $25!

There's actually one REALLY BIG step left before this room is finished. You might have been thinking that the walls are a little too plain and white, and I agree! They won't be that way for long! One crazy-talented Art Teacher from my school, who Kira has now titled"The Artist" is coming to doodle on the white walls with paint pens! Kira has all sorts of fun, things she wants doodled… peace signs, butterflies, and flowers are at the top of her list."The Artist" and I are coordinating our schedules, but once we do I'll be sure to do an update post! Until then, make sure you check back this week for all the tutorials and fun details of the room! So what do you think of my colorful bedroom makeover? Any favorite parts? Do tell!

Before we get into today's post, we wanted to take a minute to stop and express our extreme sadness over what happened in Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday. We know that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and we pray that that is true for every person affected by this tragedy. Please keep those sweet children and their families in your prayers as you go through this holiday season and beyond. If you'd like to help in some way, you can donate here. Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close

to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few weeks ago we filled you in on one of our most-anticipated holiday traditions: a Favorite Things Party (we even explained what we do in a fun video which revealed that we really are dorks). To make it even easier for you to host your own, I created this adorable chalkboard-inspired printable invitation.

Well, because our girlfriends have such great taste, a recap of all the gifts is in order, don't you think?! You know Monica and I can't resist creating pretty things, and our gift packaging was no exception. Let's take a peek: Monica's Gift 

Monica used the fun wrapping accessories she talked about here. Each girl got a mason jar of"Melted North Pole Snow" and a striped paper bag with a super cute wood tag. I'm not going to tell you what her gift was yet, because she's going to show you later this week. It's a good one, friends. Definitely worth the wait.: ) Jessica's Gift

I wrapped my gifts using paper from Target (is there any other store?!), gray and white bakers twine and little paper tags that I hand-stamped with my mini alphabet stamps. Lest you think they were perfect, take a look at Monica's tag.

Haha. Oops, ran out of space, and then the dog licked the tag and smeared it.: ) Our Girlfriend's Gifts 

Before we open any gifts, we go around and guess what we think each girl brought. It's fun to see how well you know each other. It turns out that I don't know them very well I'm a bad guesser. Without further ado, here is our list of favorite things from our closest gal pals to you! 

1. Our most stylish friend, Jane (sorry everyone else!) brought homemade Candy Cane Sugar Scrub. I don't what recipe she used, but I found a recipe you can make for yourself here. She also gave us Eos Lip Balm, which is fabulous if you've never tried it. 2. My gift was so random. It included Brownie mix, because I'm obsessed with the batter. True story: I bought 6 boxes (one for each girl), but the night before the party I got hungry for brownie batter and used one of the boxes. My poor sister got jipped that night, but I made sure to buy another box for her later! Good thing she loves me anyway.;) I also gave Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara which I shared my love for back here. I totally dig that stuff. 3. My sister Chrissie's most favorite thing is getting a large Diet Coke from MacDonald's whenever she can, so we all got a gift card to Mickey D's, along with her favorite candy: Reese's. Her gift wins as most unhealthy, but also the most yummy!

4. Lindsey, our tell-it-like-it-is-friend (which we love, by the way!) gave us some pretty pink lace undies from Aerie and her most-used spice: Tony Chachare's Creole Seasoning. She promised us she'd give us her famous jambalaya recipe, as well. (I haven't forgotten, Lindsey! I'm coming after that recipe!) 5. Steph, our socially-conscious, health food-nut friend, (remember last year? She gave us Spelt flour. Hilarious) gave us her favorite bag from Worthwhile Wear, the company she and her husband started to help save women from human trafficking. Most meaningful gift for sure, but super cute and functional, too! 6. Jane, the sweet, sensitive and ultra-caring book junkie, gave us an Amazon gift card in a handmade card, which just made my day. I love downloading books to my kindle, and now I can do it without feeling guilty! 7. (Or 8, if you look at my picture above. I clearly can't count correctly) was Monica's gift, but like I said, you'll just have to wait to see that one!

Sadly, we didn't get a group shot of the seven of us, even after I made an announcement that no one could leave until we had done so. That's two years and counting that we have more pics of the presents, than of our friends. Boo for us. There's always next year, I guess!: ) So, if you came to our party, what would YOU bring?

Hey Everyone! I'm so excited that I can finally share my Christmas Countdown with all of you! I had to wait until P&G was ready for it on their pgtryit.com site, so I'm sure you've already created yours for 2012, but hey, Pin it for next year! Tomorrow is Jess' Christmas home tour and I don't know about you, but I'm really super excited (okay, yes I've seen it all, but not in pictures!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope your Thanksgiving was awesome and you're ready for the crazy holiday marathon that is the next few weeks! I don't know about you, but the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is probably the most exciting time of the year for my family. It's also really easy to get so busy that we miss taking time to do some of the things we love!
As the Trend Trio Home Expert from P&G’s Have You Tried This Yet? I'm going to share with you a fun craft that you can make to ensure the month doesn't pass you by!

Christmas Countdown Tutorial Christmas Countdown Tutorial This is not yo mama's countdown where you just get a little piece of candy that most likely was packaged last year… This is an interactive family activity that I know your family will love. The best part is that it will ensure that none of the special activities and traditions slip through the cracks.
Step 1- Start with a plain Jane piece of plywood. I'd recommend looking for one that has really cool patterns in the grain like this one does!

Step 2- Lightly spray paint. I gave the wood the lightest possible coat of white spray paint. Keep the can far back and move it back and forth very quickly. The spray paint got rid of the warm brown tones and began to highlight the grain.
Step 3- Paint the grain to highlight the details. I used about 1 part paint to 3 parts water to paint over the awesome grain! I dipped my brush in the mixture and then dabbed it dry on some paper towels. I used a really light hand and tried to feather the paint on, so that it looked natural.

Step4- Use Stencils to title your board. I used a simple, industrial font and stencils that are adhesive backed. They make my crafting life so much easier.

Step 5- Spray paint 25 wooden clothes pins. I picked a cool-toned grey blue color that would pop on the white-washed plywood.

One tip about spray painting- have an old drop cloth handy. I use this piece of plastic when I need to paint in my garage so that I don't get it all over the floor.

Step 6- Choose some washi tape colors. Washi tape comes in almost every pattern imaginable these days. You can order from a huge selection online, but I actually got these colors at my local craft store. Washi tape is really versatile and can be used on all kinds of surfaces.

Accent each mini envelope with your washi tape and then either hand write or stamp your countdown numbers.

Step 7- Measure, Place & Hot Glue your clothes pins. The easiest way to do this is to just lay it out on the wood and then measure your spacing to keep it consistent in each row.

I just love the end result!

Step 8- Plan 25 Awesome Family Activities. Write down 25 things that you want to do. Each day you will open an envelope and do what's written inside. I recommend using a calendar to plan out your activities before putting one inside each envelope.

Our activities range from something as simple as reading a holiday story as a family to going out to see all the Christmas lights in our neighborhood.

I hope your 2012 holiday season is super special and that your family enjoys all the awesome activities you plan for them!

The countdown is on!
What kinds of activities will you choose for your family to do this month?

Make sure you check back to keep up with all of the Trend Trio videos, blog posts, and product tips to help make this holiday season the best one yet!

I'll admit it. I'm having one of those nights where my thoughts are running in a million different directions and trying to reign them in is no small task. This happens quite often to me, so for today, just humor me, ok? Go ahead and grab a cup of coffee and try to follow along.: ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They say it's all in the details, right? Well, I've got my plan of attack for gift wrapping all set, and have begun planning my annual Christmas party, and I would agree that the details are very important!

Source: thinkgarnish.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Have you heard of this cute little shop? Garnish is a dream-come-true for DIYer's like us. They sell totally customizable products that will make your event or gift memorable and spectacular. Take, for instance, these disposable wooden demi-tasse spoons:

Source: thinkgarnish.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Stamp them, dip them, roll them in yummyness and you've got an instant Christmas gift for your neighbors, teachers etc. Or how about these lidded paper bowls and brown square kraft labels?

Source: thinkgarnishblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest
I mean, seriously, the possibilities are endless. I just bought the red & white bakers twine as part of my gift wrap plans. Wheeeeee! Can't wait to get it!

Source: thinkgarnish.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Check out the Garnish blog for more inspiration!
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Today I went to Lowe's to scout out their faux wood paneling.

Why would anyone want to look at faux wood paneling, you ask? I am scheming up a way to hang them horizontally in our living/dining room. Sort of like Shauna, from Perfectly Imperfect, did on one wall in their dining room (see there in the back? Except hers is hung vertically):

Source: perfectlyimperfectblog.com via Meg on Pinterest
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I think I'm pretty much finished my Christmas mantel, but it's sooo not how I typically decorate so I'm trying to decide whether or not to keep it. Don't get me wrong, it looks nice, but I don't know… It really would be a pain to re-do so most likely I'll be keeping it. Here's a sneak peek:

Ha! That is one wierd angle, but I was too lazy to get up from the chair I was sitting in to take another picture! More to come on my mantel decor soon…
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Look at this picture our friend Stacy took:

I have to say, she made us look gooooood. She deserves loads of credit for that. ( PS. It helps having a gorgeous best friend to help up the quality of a picture.) I just received a CD of all of our family photos and they are priceless. I came across this one and just smiled:

All week my girl has been saying that her best friend is in Disney and she misses her so much. Cam is sending you love, Kira! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to tune in to The Nate Show tomorrow to see us busting our rears to decorate for Christmas in 24 hours using only the stuff in Nate's Crate!

We're still kind of in shock that Nate called us his best DIYer's. Pinch me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's it for now. Have a GREAT Wednesday!

A few weeks ago Beckie from Infarrantly Creative asked us to share a gift under $10 for her Pennywise Present series. Of course, we immediately thought of this:

But then it dawned on us…oh, she wants a handmade gift for under $10! Silly us. (Now you know what WE want for Christmas!) Anyway, last year we tried our hand at lots of different DIY ornaments and thought it would be fun to try something new this year. You can easily make a set of six or eight of these wood tag ornaments for well under $10. Customize them with monograms, favorite phrases or fun Christmas images, and you'll have a unique, one-of-a-kind gift for everyone on your list (ok, not your dad. He probably won't appreciate these.)

What is liquid gilding, you ask? Well, according to Martha, Liquid Gilding is a one-step leafing paint that gives a rich, metallic luster to projects. We don't really care what is is, we just love the look of it! Gilding gives your projects a high-end look and will make your friends think you spent tons of money on them (shhhh- we won't tell)! Here's what you need to do to make your own:

1. Gather your materials. We used cute mini alphabet stamps, holiday stencils, metallic silver cording, silver liquid gilding, wood tags and various spraypaints and acrylic paints that we had on hand.


You can find the wood tags at Michaels in the wood supplies section, as well as the liquid gilding which can be found with the Martha Stewart supplies. The alphabet stamps came from the Target dollar bins (LOVE those things!).

Step 2: Paint (or gild) the surfaces of your wood tags. Some of ours were spraypainted (the red and green) and others were painted with acrylic paint, and the rest were gilded.

Isn't the gilding awesome?

Step 3: Create your designs! We had fun coming up with lots of different tags that complemented each other. Be creative!

When working on a small surface, make sure you use painters tape to prevent paint from your stencil brush getting where you don't want it. Also, good stencil brushes make a HUGE difference, especially when stenciling with liquid gilding. It's very runny, and you'll need a brush with stiff bristles to distribute it without it bleeding.

Step 4: Attach your cording or ribbon. Some of our wood tags already had holes at the top. We wanted our ornaments to look uniform, so we hot glued the cording to the backs of the tags without holes, and threaded the cording through the holes on the others and hot glued it in place.

You'll be left with lots of ridiculously cute ornaments and money in your pocket!

Hoard a few for your own tree Package them as a set and you have a gift that will wow the receiver!

Merry {Early} Christmas!

These tags make great personal touches for gifts, or, if you're a crafty, use them in altered art and scrapbooking projects. If you sell your work, use these as jewelry cards or hang tags for your handcrafted items, as I have done above.
Supplies needed:
Manila hang tags 'available at office supply stores, or if you prefer you can cut your own from cardstock. I prefer to use the purchased ones, just because it is more time efficient for me.

Teabags and hot water to brew some strong tea (or you can use coffee)

Other Optional supplies & embellishments:
Spray bottle (optional)

Ribbon scraps
Carnival tickets (office supply stores, Walmart, and Party supply stores)
Misc. ephemera
Glue stick

STEP 1
Brew a strong pot of tea and when cooled, pour it into a medium pot (I keep the teabags in). You can brew the teabags right in the pot on the stovetop. I use about 6 teabags per every 4 cups of water. If you prefer you can use coffee instead of tea.
STEP 2
Submerge and soak the manila tags in the cooled tea until stained and saturated. They do not have to be evenly stained. The less-even the stains are, the better. You can either just dip them for a lighter look, or you can allow them to soak for a while for a deeper shade. Experiment until you achieve the look you like.
STEP 3
When the tags are the color you like, remove them from the tea soak and lightly blot them on an old tea towel. Next, arrange them on a cookie sheet and bake in a warm oven (about 200-250 degrees F) until they begin to dry. Watch them carefully so that you do not burn them. Then remove them from the oven.

when dry, your tags should look like this

STEP 4
This step is optional, but I like to go the extra mile for the look: spritz the tags with a spray bottle filled with tea or coffee to add some extra, darker stain marks. If you don't want to use a spray bottle you can just randomly drip the tea on your tags. This step helps them look old and worn or grungy: that is the look we are going for. Bake again for just a few minutes until dry and remove from oven.

I love drip stains on my tags!
STEP 5
Embellishing: Once your tags are completely dry you can rubber stamp them with designs. Using the rubber stamp and stamp pad, stamp your tags with whatever designs you desire. Some nice stamps that I like to use are seasonal designs and nature designs. You can stop here and use your tags as-is, or read on for more embellishment ideas.
For Those Who Want More * Thread a few scraps of ribbon through the hole in the tag and tie for a colorful look (see below).

Just thread the ribbon through the hole...

....and then tie in a simple knot

I coordinated these earrings to the ribbons to complete the look!
Getting Fancy
* Use rubber stamps to decorate carnival tickets, punch a hole in each with a hole-punch and then attach these with ribbon through the hole on the tag (as shown above). Or, if you prefer, use a glue stick and glue the carnival ticket directly to the tag.

You can buy carnival tickets by the roll

use a simple, small stamp on the carnival tickets

a colorful, whimsical look
A Few Other Ideas
* Distress the edges of your tags by running the edge of the tag along the stamp pad or by tracing along the edge of the tag with a marker.
* Add some color to your rubber stamp designs by coloring with colored pencil.
* Add vintage ephemera to your tags with a glue stick for an altered art look.
* Good idea: If you're using these as tags for items you are going to sell or as jewelry cards, use the reverse side to write pertinent info about your item (such as materials used, etc), or, stamp the reverse side with a sticker or personalized rubber stamp to advertise your business name and/or website. I had a custom rubber stamp made by Etsy seller terbearco, and I love it!

Imagine my thrill when I was gifted with this fancy-schmancy sandblasted Fiestaware plate from a Homer Laughlin Fiesta Collector's Association!

It's perfect!

Is this not the cutest thing ever?

I had already been making my jewelry from broken plates and pottery for quite a few years when one day I was approached by a Fiesta collector to enter a contest in which artists create something from broken or damaged Fiesta. Of course, now I cannot find a photo of my winning piece, but it was a piece of jewelry, a heart pin brooch with fancy edges and so pretty! Here are a few photos of some other things I have created with broken Fiesta over the years.

Pin brooch (sold '02)

Mosaic teacup plaque. Doubles as the most awesome bird feeder ever. (sold '03)

Backstamp pendant (sold '04) (approx 1.25")

Bracelet

Love these earrings!

Another necklace pendant (approx 1.5")

Mosaic heart — perfect for the Fiesta kitchen! (approx 6")

Earrings with Swarovski crystals and Czech glass pearls (1/2" by 1 & 1/4")

Read on for some interesting history about Fiesta ware colors:

'At its introduction in 1936, Fiesta was produced in five colors: Red (orange red), Blue (cobalt), Green (light green), Yellow (deep golden), and Old Ivory (yellowish cream). By 1938, two years into production, a sixth color was added: Turquoise ( robin 's egg blue). With the exception of the Red, this color assortment remained in production until approximately 1950. The original Red had been discontinued before 1944 (see below).

The lack of this vibrant color, plus the general changes in society due to the United States' participation in World War II, had caused a slump in sales of the larger serving pieces from the early 1940s. Prior to this reduction in the number of shapes offered, only one or two very specialized shapes had been discontinued and those by 1938. Later items which were discontinued, such as covered onion soup bowls in turquoise glaze and mixing bowl covers in any color, are scarce and highly prized by collectors.

By 1950, home decorating styles and colors had changed. The Homer Laughlin Company discontinued some original glaze colors and replaced them with four new colors. The original Blue (cobalt), the original Green (light green), and the original Old Ivory (yellowish cream) were discontinued, replaced by Rose (pinkish-brown), Gray (medium), Forest (dark green), and Chartreuse (bright yellowish green). Two existing glaze colors, Yellow and Turquoise, continued in production, so the company continued to offer six colors through the 1950s.' Excerpt from the article 'Fiesta (dinnerware)', which can be found HERE in its entirity

One of my later designs, about 2006 (1/2" by 1")

I will have some new jewelry in these and similar designs up for the holidays so be sure to check back!

-Laura

Since I mentioned in my last post that I was both a collector and antique textile dealer and my passion was Italian silk velvets I've received some lovely emails asking me to SHOW YOU'. since you've all asked so very nicely how could I resist sharing.
It was the Chinese who first unraveled a cocoon thousands of years ago to make silk. It was the Spanish and Italians who elevated silk velvets into some of the most luxurious works of art. Velvets were among the most highly prized and most expensive luxury fabrics of the Renaissance. (Be sure to click on the picture to bring it up bigger for viewing. )

Italian, circa 1450, Ferronerie velvet with pomegranate design, green being one of the most rare of colors. Ferronerie velvet: curved, linear woven patterns reminiscent of decorative wrought-iron work.

Italian, 1540, brocaded/voided silk velvet featuring an ogival pattern of branches with a central pomegranate motif. The flowers, pomegranates and leaves are further embellished with boucle, a heavy gold metal thread pulled up to form loops. Due to cost by the turn of the 17th century raised metal boucle work had disappeared into history forever.

Circa 1580 Italian symmetrical "candelabra" pattern of alto-e-basso or pile-on-pile of silk cut velvet. Called "candelabra" pattern due to the many branches in the design. Pile-on-pile refers to two layers of threads, one higher than the other. Alto-e-basso is Italian meaning high and low.

Florentine circa 1600 cut voided pile-on-pile velvet with an extremely large flower motif brocaded in real silver metal thread. Because of the large floral design this was more than likely made for wall covering. All those light colored areas is actually the silver thread.
The next four velvets were all woven in Genoa Italy around 1600 all being cut voided velvet. Voided velvet: when areas of the ground are left free of pile. Since projecting pile-required quantities of silk thread, voided velvet was less expensive to manufacture than solid-pile velvet or brocaded velvet.

with silver metal thread ground, brocaded velvet

Two toned green and red pile with tabby ground

Small patterned velvet with strawberries

Velvet design embroidered with gold metal thread

17th century Italian purple voided silk velvet on a gold ground
The firm of Maison Hamot in France and a manufacturer of Krefeld, Germany both in the 19th century perfected the art of copying silk velvet designs. The next two silk velvets are such examples both being of Byzantine designs. The third design is being of a 16th century design.

11th Byzantine design from Maison Hamot

Byzantine design from Krefeld

19th century Italian of a 16th century design, Maison Hamot

19th century stamped velvet produced by impressing a design into the pile with a steel tool.

16th century Spanish silk velvet fabric with applied appliqu' design
These velvets are prized today by both collectors and museums because they're no longer produced due to the fact they're extremely labor intensive to make and the cost to produce them is astronomical. I bet you didn't realize there were so many different types of velvets produced? Busy little worms huh? I'll tell you the truth here I keep more then I sell of these lovelies since I can't help myself. They cost a bloody fortune but if you see anything you like and want just ask but be willing to give up an arm, leg and your first born for it. I hope you've enjoyed our little trip through the ages of silk velvets.

The other day I mentioned that my favorite decoration from Charlie's All-American boy party was this super easy paper table runner. It's almost laughable how easy this thing was to make, but I figured that some of you like a simple DIY as much as I do, right? In less than 15 minutes, you can make a completely custom table runner for any occasion- the possibilities are endless with this thing! Plus, a paper runner is perfect for something like a kid's birthday party or an outdoor BBQ because it adds some color to your table, but can be thrown out if it gets messy.

Last week I bought a huge roll of drawing paper from Ikea for $4.99. I measured 7 feet of paper, grabbed red and navy paint that I had on hand (I used regular latex paint, but you could easily use acrylic paint-actually that would be easier!), and then used a chalk line to create a straight line on either side of the paper for my stripes. We didn't worry at all about painting a crisp line, because I was going for a rustic feel (that's imperfect, in layman's terms: ).

I also bought a wooden star at Michael's for about 50 cents. Buying an actual stamp that was the right size would have been expensive, and I knew this would work just as well. I hot-glued a stone onto the back for a handle- it's all about using stuff you have! You can find these wooden things in any shape you want so making a runner that fits your theme is easy!

I painted one side of the star…

…and rocked the stamp all around to get full coverage…

…and when I lifted my stamp, this is what I had:

I love the wood grain affect this created!

That's it! I love my paper table runner, and the fact that it took me less than 15 minutes to make allowed me to not feel bad at all to throw it out without batting an eye!

I thought it would be fun to see some other paper table runners people have created around blogland. Some of these things put my little table runner to shame!: )

Pinwheel table runner from Green Wedding Shoes

Crepe Paper runner from Good Housekeeping

DIY Wrapping Paper Runner fromMartha Stewart Weddings
Cheap and cute- just my style!; ) Have a great weekend!

Last Sunday night we gathered together with 200 of our family, friends, crew, and blog readers to celebrate the premiere episode of our new show Knock It Off. (To watch full episodes online, click HERE. To see all the projects featured on the show click HERE)

To say the party was awesome would be the understatement of the year! We know many of you (our amazing readers) live far away, so we wanted to share our night with you!

A huge thanks to Nicole from Expressions by Nicole Marie for doing all the photography for the night. She's a Philadelphia area photographer. Check out her website to see more of her work.

The dessert table was by far our favorite thing ever! Linda (more explanation on her later) put this together and it reflected us perfectly!

Paint cans, paint sticks, adorable chalkboards, and mini tools captured our DIY theme perfectly.

Yes, Linda made all of the desserts including the tool cookies. They were a huge hit!

Who knew paint sticks could be so perfect as food labels? She dipped the end in paint and then stamped on them. This would also be a great idea for an art themed birthday party!

The tools were plastic and spray painted silver to accessorize the table.

Every little detail was thought of- look at the mini Jess and Monica!! Janeny from Craft that Party made the adorable peg dolls with Knock It Off on them. They made adorable cake toppers! Janeny does all kinds of custom peg dolls that are crazy cute!

Check out the centerpieces… quart-sized paint cans filled with custom Knock It Off lollypops from Vintage Confections. The tool keychains were our little party favors- I think my kids thought the tools were the coolest thing ever!

Jess and I were at the main entrance to greet all of our guests (which was super fun to meet so many readers!!), then everyone got appetizers and dessert and finally it was time to watch the premiere. And what's a premiere without popcorn?

Linda used some paint swatches (with permission of course) to make a garland for the popcorn table.

And now, who is this Linda woman you ask?? She is a blog reader we met and got to know by doing a Knock It Off episode at her home- check her out in an upcoming kitchen episode!
Linda owns Frog Prince Cake and Cookie Design and she also helps with party planning.

Linda is SO talented and we can't thank her enough for all her hard work. She thought of every detail and pulled everything off with perfect planning! If you have an event coming up and need amazing desserts or even help planning contact Linda! Also, be sure to LIKE her on Facebook and check out all of her awesome creations!

Check back on Monday when we're going to post on the decor of the party and where you can find all the fun items Linda used!

We also had a mini-Red Carpet leading to a Knock It Off Photo booth. The KIO logo decals came from Ten23 Designs- they do stock and custom design vinyl.

We're so happy that we have so many fun pics of our guests! Check out this weekend's episode to see this fun couple's bedroom transformation!

This couple were the stars of the premiere episode- they loved their dining room->playroom transformation! Plus, they're adorable!

Cute couple alert! Jess and Kev!

Me and my boys… (an no my hair isn't red, just looks like it in this light)

Baby brothers are always good for an extremely weird picture!

We're so thankful for fun, strong, supportive women in our lives!

Have we mentioned we have the BEST sponsors ever? This is Nancy from Bare Root Design Studio- We'll be sharing more about all the fun giveaways in another post.

And of course, we wouldn't want to be on this crazy journey with anyone else. Doing what we love and getting to do it together is the coolest thing ever!

We hope you're enjoying the show- if you've gotten a chance to check it out, we'd love to know what you think! Feel free to email us, leave a comment, or post on Facebook!

Just how many things can you do with old spoons?
I love these ornate orphaned spoons who've long lost their matching mates. Who wants to lay around in some old silverware drawer anyhow? Being turned into an extremely cool bracelet is much more fun!
Check out these stamped silver spoon bracelets I made a while back with antique and vintage silver spoons. I also made some matching stamped spoon pendants (with the handles cut off) that hang from a chain.

Potty Mouth. Everybody knows one!

Trophy wife!

Dream big...

Enchanted
What would you want yours to say?
What do you think?

It's been a while since our last Fab Find Friday, (we haven't done one since November!), but we figured the Summer was a great time to reinstate it. We say this over and over again, but there are some amazingly talented people out there in the world, and we thought we would share their stuff with you! Here are five awesome projects for you:

Jenna Sue Sunroom Reveal is just breathtaking. She and her husband basically gutted the room and DIY-ed project after project to complete this stunning transformation. {Love}

Our friend Janena from SAS Interiors just completed a Stairway Makeover, and it majorly changes the look of her home. Her blog is chock full of great interior design info and DIY projects, so stop over and stay awhile.

Want to see a major statement wall? Take a look at this Reclaimed Wood EAT Sign by Sweet Pickins
It's so much fun, and it goes without saying that we love us some reclaimed wood.

Layla killed it again with her Summer Mantel. That girl has talent.

This one's for the kids! I totally dig these Bottle Top Stamps by Vanessa's Values using bottle tops (duh!) and foam stickers. A fun project for a rainy summer day (we've had our fair share of them this summer, haven't we?).

That's it for our Fab Find Friday roundup. Any fun projects/ideas/tips you've come across recently?

Have a great weekend, folks!