2011 November

Link Party #10 Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able

Are you ready for Link Party #10? I am! I can’t wait to see what everyone has been working on this past week!

There are just a few simple rules:
1. Please no Etsy shops or businesses selling their products.
2. Please do not link up more than 2 projects.
3. Please visit at least 2 other linked projects and say “hello”…after all this is a party!
4. Please grab a button (on the side bar). You can either post in your original post or your side bar. I REALLY appreciate it!

Don’t forget…there are 2 other parties that are going on!

Christmas Craft Tutorial Party #3 CLICK HERE
Christmas Gifts and Ornaments $10 or Less CLICK HERE

If you have a party that I have not linked up to (and you have linked to mine), please leave me a comment! I want to be sure that I link one of my projects up to your party!

Let’s party!

5 Comments

Link Party Highlights #9 “Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able”

Wow! What a great party we had this week! There were so many great projects that were shared.

Meet Payton… Catherine from Freddy and Petunia linked this project up. Isn’t she A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.???!!!!
Catherine literally “built” her. Head on over to Freddy and Petunia to see
how Catherine came up with “Payton”.

Katie from Sweet Girl Expressions found this stool at a barn yard sale at 1/2 off.

It/I’m calling her “she”, was stuffed with grass and it took Katie quite awhile to tear her apart.
Isn’t she fabulous? I love the way the Union Jack Flag
has a feminine touch!

Sonya from Beyond the Screen Door never ceases to amaze me…

These pillows are gorgeous!!!
I could feature every single one of Sonya’s projects that she links up!
We could name this party “Beyond the Screen Door with Sonya”!
These pillows make me want to change
my whole bedroom scheme!!!!

Wende from The Rickett Chronicles made these amazing Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles

Not only do they look YUMMY but they are so pretty.
You can get the recipe on her blog.

Randee from Randee’s Organized Chaos put together this awesome, fun Christmas Tree Skirt

The best part? No sewing involved!!!
She has an excellent tutorial on her blog. Go check it out!

Last, but definitely not least is this wonderful Thankful Tree that Callie from Laughter and Love made.

I love this idea (not to mention the buffet it’s sitting on).
She said that she used this at a dinner as a center piece (you’ll have to check out the pictures on her blog),
but now it sits as a Fall staple in her home.
I wish that I had thought to do something like this
for my kids when they were growing up.
What a great idea! Thanks Callie!

Thank you everyone for linking up to another awesome party!!!

Head on over to Project Queen’s #10 “Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able” by clicking HERE.

5 Comments

Victrola Turned Wine Rack

My BFF and I were out thrifting one day and came across this victrola that had been turned into a wine rack. We picked it up for a pretty good price. Decided it just needed a good coat of paint and some new fabric.

We took it all apart, painted it black, distressed it and painted the bottom part on the inside a moroccan red. We replaced the ugly burgundy flannel with some nice floral fabric. Then we added a chalkboard and wahlaa…an awesome wine rack/chest to DIE FOR!

Here it is when we first brought it home.

Here it is after we did our magic!

The chalkboard is so much fun! So many things to write when you are entertaining!

Wish I could take credit for making the victrola into a wine rack, but somebody else did that. We just made it beautiful.

Cheers!

15 Comments

Holiday Boutique Was A Success!

Whew! My BFF and I have been painting and sanding and collecting, and moving, and arranging, and waxing…since July. We participated in a HUGE boutique yesterday at our church and Friday night we held a “Sneak Peek” Boutique for our friends…and I have to report, it was a HUGE success! We sold a TON of stuff! We sold about 3/4 of our inventory. People were asking us if we had a store! It’s a definite dream…who knows.

Thought I’d share a few pictures with you so you can see all the good stuff! Have to stress here also that EVERYTHING you see is from a thrift store or a garage sale (except the fabric on the chair and ottoman).

Here is a vignette we put together outside. It was very random. We were crazy with needing a break and doing something “fun”. We thought it turned out pretty good!

The shade is a bit small on the lamp, but like I said, we were just grabbing things from the garage that were done.

This is just a fraction of our chalkboards! We sold several BIG ones before the Sneak Peek Boutique even got started.
We sold some frames without a chalkboard and received several orders.

This bird cage turned out so nice, in fact it sold before the boutique also.

Wouldn’t you know it…I got a BLURRY picture. Ugh.

These are some of our bowls that we did. These are amazing in real life!

Love the black one. I wanted to keep this, so I put a high price on it….it sold .

We made a ton of these plates. The cloche’s really dress them up!

I love cloches….love them so much I even did a whole post on them. You can click here to read it.

This is all of our pink stuff. BUT, you can’t tell they are a dark pink in this picture!

All of it sold, except for the lamp…which I wanted to paint black anyway!
The blue mason jars have rock salt in them with tea lights.
They turned out so cute. Great gift idea!
The shade is not from a thrift store. It would be very easy to make using burlap.

Here is Mia, our sidekick. She was happy in her “bucket” watching all of the work going on!
Oh Miss Mia. I ♥ you so much.

This picture doesn’t do these items justice. They are a gorgeous red and vintage blue!

All of this sold.

A cozy vignette. Vintage blue is the new black!

All was sold except the table.

Here is a picture of our booth all set up for the boutique at the church. Doors hadn’t opened yet.

Wish I had thought to take a picture afterward. Hardly anything was left.

Here I am in all my glory. No make up and in paint clothes after a LOOONG day of working.

My BFF, had to safety pin my “to do list” to my shirt.
I kept losing it and forgetting
what I was suppose to bring and buy for the next day!!!

We had so much fun, but we are exhausted. I feel like I was in a rock fight and I lost!!!!!

We still have some fun parties going on…please link up and spread the word.

“Turning the Daunting Into The Do-able” Click HERE.
Christmas Craft/Gift Tutorial Click HERE.
“Christmas Gift and Ornaments $10 or Less” Click HERE.

4 Comments

Bulbs – The Amazing Powerhouses

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed some cooler weather. The trees here in the Central Valley of California have started turning color – I love the pistache trees we have here with their beautiful yellows, golds and reds. Some of the reds look like they are on fire they are so brilliant! Beautiful!!

While having coffee this morning and looking out onto our backyard, I couldn’t help but think about the yard in the spring and how beautiful it is….right now there is no color as far as pinks, purples, white and reds. Pretty much just browns from the crepe myrtles getting ready to shed their leaves. The hydrangeas and lantana have all been cut back in anticipation of the freezes that will be coming this winter.

So, it has gotten me thinking about planting some bulbs. Bulbs you say? How many people do you know who still plant bulbs? I remember my grandmother and great aunt planting bulbs and I have done it occasionally when the kids were little. Perhaps it’s becoming a “lost art”?

So what am I going to do next weekend???? PLANTS BULBS!!! Bulbs are these amazing little things… a self contained flower factory. If you split one in half, you would see the baby flower bud, leaves, roots, stem and food supply. All you have to do is place in the ground in the appropriate season, water it and let it do it’s magic. That’s it!

Dig Drop Done is an amazing website that has teamed up with a diverse and committed group of companies to promote the joy of bulb gardening and ensuring it’s future in North America. I found EVERYTHING I need and more on the website. It’s not one of those boring, eductional, blah, blah, blah websites. They have 3 wonderful, funny women (Juliana, Marcy and Evelyn) who are full of all kinds of wonderful tips for growing your bulbs – from Macy (a stay at home Mom who wants her son to win the science contest to Juliana who lives in an apartment to Evelyn who wants to make a bird hanger out of some pesky animals!). The website is so easy to navigate. It’s a “happy” place to visit.

I sat down to the computer this morning with a tablet in hand and clicked on Dig Drop Done’s Planting Chart. It tells you all of the What, When’s, Why’s, and How’s to plant your bulbs. It’s awesome! Then, I clicked on the Bulb Calendar and it tells you what to in preparation for growing, maintaining and preparing for the next year in a month by month schedule. I can’t survive without a calendar so this month by month “what to do” is perfect for me.

Bulbs are also very versatile – you can plant them in just about anything. Look around your house and see what you have. I bet you would be surprised to see what kind of bulb you could grow in Grandma’s tea pot! How about teaching the kids about bulbs? Let them plant their own, water them and wait for them to spring to life in all their glory.

Dig Drop Done has some amazing ideas for planting in pots which I’m going to do! I have so many pots, urns, and wire planters that I could fill up with bulbs! Here are just a FEW ideas to show you how versatile these little power houses are.

There’s that old tea kettle you didn’t want to throw away!

InspirationMain4

AMAZING

They would make wonderful gifts

Wondered what to do with those old galoshes?

Wonderful pop of color in your kitchen.

How about a wedding favor?

Don’t all of these just make you want to look around and see what you can plant your bulbs in???

Now, I do have one little obstacle (actually several little obstacles) in my back yard….squirrels! We all know how squirrels love to dig up the bulbs… Evelyn from DigDropDone had a wonderful tip!

Plant Frittillaria Imperial Bulbs! She says they have a “skunky gym sock smell” Ewwww…..

Thanks Evelyn!!!

Now here is the really cool part about this website… they are featuring a contest called “Curbside Chaos”. They will be picking a yard in desperate need of attention. The winner will receive some one-on-one time with HGTV’s host, Taniya Najak. She will come to your house and help you spend $5,000 on a yard make over! $5,000!!! That’s a whole lot of bulbs!!!!

So what do you have to do? It’s easy. Go to Curbside Chaos, fill out an entry form and upload a picture of your yard and that’s it!

While you are at Curbside Chaos, be sure to try out the Garden Guru Tool located in the bottom left of the screen. This tool will help you figure out which bulb is perfect for your home depending upon where you live!

The Garden Guru Tool is very easy to use (especially for us who aren’t that computer savvy!) Here is all you do:
Step 1 – Pick your Country
Step 2 – Pick your location within that Country
Step 3 – Choose the type of bulb you want to grow
Step 4 – Check out the Planting Guide that shows you how to plant your bulbs.

It’s amazing! Here is a screen shot of my choices of plants that will bloom in March.

Every time you share “Bulbs. Dig. Drop. Done” and it’s Curbside Chaos Contest on Twitter, $1 will be donated to Rebuilding Together, a national non-profit agency who rehabilitates homes for low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly and disabled. As of this posting it was almost at $3,000 that Dig Drop Done is donating. Now that is exciting!

I’m heading over there now to fill out the entry form and upload a picture of an area in my backyard.

I hope that I have inspired you to plants some bulbs! Won’t you join me next weekend?

Curbside Chaos

visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more

Christmas Craft Tutorial Highlights #2 and Christmas Craft Tutorial Link Party #3

Boy, I’m just doing a party highlight here every day – aren’t I??? It is so much fun seeing all the link ups!

The most “looked at” project this week was….

The Mason Jar Snow Globes/Terrariums that Erin from The Lemonista made.

She has a very easy tutorial to follow. These are adorable! Thank you Erin!

The 2nd most viewed project that was linked up is this amazing colorful ruffled Christmas Tree Skirt that Baylee from The Tanners made.

Aren’t the colors amazing? LOVE THE BURLAP ruffle!

Unfortunately, there were some “glitches” with the 3rd most viewed project, so I’m going to go with the 4th most viewed!

Andrea from Oasis Accents made this adorable snowflake that she can either hang on the wall or on her front door.

Her total cost out of pocket was $4.22!!! Can’t beat that!

Yay! Jenni from the Vintage Umbrella came through (fixed that little glitch we had) and here is what she shared with us.

These little nesting dolls are adorable ornaments! Her tutorial for making these is very easy to follow.
Thank you Jenni!

If you were featured, please grab a button on the side bar. Please don’t forget to add the button to your post so we can get MORE link ups! Help me spread the word .

Ready for Week #3 Christmas Craft Tutorial? Inspire us and teach us! Let’s see what you’ve got!

2 Comments

Christmas Gifts and Ornaments for $10 or Less Highlights #1

Thanks so much to all of you for linking up some amazing and creative gifts and ornaments!!! It was really a hard choice to choose a highlight…. so I’m picking TWO!!!

I’m lovin’ the crochet hook holder tutorial that Wendy from the Crafter’s Apprentice made! Gosh, it’s a great tutorial. I think I could even sew one of these babies!!!

I could think of sew so (couldn’t resist) many people to give this to on my Christmas List! Including ME!!!!

My 2nd choice is the map ornament that Barb from Turtles and Tails made.

Our family travels to Europe every year. I love the idea of making an ornament from the maps that we buy when we are in another country. I’d throw some clear glitter on this puppy and hang a charm on it so I’d know which ornament was from where. Barb, just like Wendy, has a great tutorial on how to make this awesome ornament.

It is my first link party, so it was alot of pressure for me!! I was so thrilled with everyone who came and shared as well as viewed our STUFF!But it was so hard to decide, I ended up choosing 2.

The first is from Lauren at All Things Home and her DIY photo coasters!

She makes this look super easy and the possibilities of decorating

with tiles are endless!

I went to the Habitat Restore today in St. Louis, for the first time

JUST so I could go get some tiles!!

I am torn between family photos or my kids artwork.

Hmmm, you will have to check back to see.

Next I chose the Super Easy Tinsel Wreath from Rain on a Tin Roof (cause who doesn’t like rain on a tin roof!)

I have a thing for Tinsel. My Grandmother used to work in a tinsel factory when she was young. Every time I put it on my tree I think of her. But I have never thought of decorating elsewhere with it, stay tuned!!!

I can’t wait to see what you all link up this week! Don’t forget to grab our button and spread the word!

2 Comments

Framed Accordian Pumpkin Wreath Tutorial

Looking for the parties to link to?

“Turning the Daunting Into the Do-able #9″ CLICK HERE

Christmas Craft Tutorial CLICK HERE
Christmas Gifts and Ornaments $10 or Less CLICK HERE

I’m so excited to be featuring Kelli and Kristi from Lolly Jane Boutique! Like many of you in Blog Land I’m an avid follower. Between the two of them…they keep their blog hoppin! So grab a cup of coffe, a soda or whatever your pleasure is and enjoy this wonderful, inspiring project!

Hey there PQ readers!

We are excited to be here today to show you our framed accordion pumpkin:

But first we want to introduce ourselves…

We are twin sisters Kelli & Kristi who run an eclectic blog {Lolly Jane} of crafts, DIYtips, home improvement projects and occasionally, a recipe or two. Come visit anytime!

We ♥ how fall has transitioned from orange & browns to creamy whites, deep chocolates, grays, blues, greens with natural elements like twigs or wood. With that in mind, we created this simple front door decor to display throughout November.
To make your own,you’ll need an extra large shabby frame, grapevine wreath, 15″ burlap {ends trimmed in V shape} and of course the cute accordion pumpkin to hang in the middle

{Accordion inspiration from these cute paper accordions}
Creating the pumpkin was a snap but a bit time consuming because of all that folding. Well worth it, though! The supplies used for this was 4 sheets of gray card stock, a sheet of fall paper, foam board to mat it on, lots of hot glue and a stick from the yard.
To begin, cut out a pumpkin shape (freehanded) from fall printed paper. From there we cut 20 strips (2 strips glued together create one row) of solid gray card stock. We had 10 rows of accordion strips, cut thicker for the middle and thinner as you worked your way out, and began the tedious folding of the strips.

We then began glueing onto the printed pumpkin shaped paper, one strip at a time. It’s easiest to start in the middle and work your way out:

After the strips were glued together, we snagged a stick from the yard and hot glued that to the center of the accordion pumpkin:

To make the accordion pumpkin extra sturdy, we glued it to a foam mat then cut the excess mat off. From there we simply assembled the frame (tied a burlap bow around the wreath/frame) and tied jute around the stem of the pumpkin onto the burlap bow:

That’s it!
Easy project but makes a big statement when you walk into Kelli’s cute home:

A huge thanks to Mandy for having us today!
We would ♥ to catch up with you on FB or Twitter

Or simply stop by our blog anytime!XOXO

3 Comments

Link Party #9 “Turning the Daunting Into the Do-Able”

Are you ready for Link Party #9? I am! I can’t wait to see what everyone has been working on this past week!

Don’t forget…there are 2 other parties that are going on!

Christmas Craft Tutorial CLICK HERE
Christmas Gifts and Ornaments $10 or Less CLICK HERE

Here we go…

7 Comments

Link Party Highlights #8

Whew! What a day I’ve had. Nothin’ like a 12 hour day of painting and sanding. We are on the countdown for our boutique Friday night and Saturday.

I apologize for the lateness of these featured highlights…. I’m excited to share them with you!

As many of you know, I’m a freak for anything black and white check…I’m a HUGE fan of MacKenzie-Childs. Well check this out! Patti from Pandorasbox is also a fan of MacKenzie-Childs and she painted these knock off cookie jars.

I love these!!! She really did a great job and boy howdy are they ALOT cheaper than the real deal.

Geneva from My Heart’s Song decorated these tin cans that she uses for organizers.

Aren’t they amazing? I just love these. I need to make a few for my desk.

Kimberly from The Brown Eyes Have It made this great New Day Printable.

Not only is it cute but it has everything one could need on it. Head over to her blog and you can print one up!
I love the water bottles. I can never remember to drink all my water.

Shannon from Shabby to Chick Queen Creek refurbished this BEAUTIFUL Antique Hutch.

I love the style of it and how it doesn’t stick out too far from the wall.
Beautiful Shannon!

Stephanie from Lady With the Red Rocker made these wonderful looking Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting.

YUM!!! I love sugar cookies. These are definitely on my list to make VERY SOON!

Last, but definitely not least…the six “B” Sisters from Babblings and More have a some great cupcake tips!

I cannot wait to try these tips the next time I make cupcakes!
Did you know that if you substitute mayonnaise for oil that your cupcakes will be more moist?
They have got some other great tips. Head over to their blog and see the rest!

Thanks everyone for linking up and sharing your ideas. If you were featured, please grab a button.

3 Comments