Add a special touch to your patriotic summer BBQ this year by creating these easy-peasy personalized wrapped sparkler bundles for the kids (or kids at heart)!

Here’s what you’ll need…

Start out by printing the FREE printable I made for you.

I made two options… Red and Turquoise (what I’m using in the tutorial) or Red and Royal Blue.

DOWNLOAD PDF FILE aqua and red banners

DOWNLOAD PDF FILE navy and red banners

With a pen or marker, write the names onto one side of the flag banner.

Cut out the banners.

Now fold in half around the bundle of sparklers.

Open the fold and use your glue stick to glue the two sides together, tightly so doesn’t slip off.

Repeat the process until everyone has their own sparkler bundle.

The kids will love it because they each will have their very own sparkler bundle, and the parents will love it because they won’t hear fighting over who got the better one, or who got the most sparklers.

If you’re looking for a fun craft to do with your kids this Memorial Day or Fourth of July, then check out what I made with my daughter last year here.

What are you looking forward to doing most this summer?!

I’d love to hear your plans either by leaving a comment below, or on my Facebook page!

XO

The post Patriotic Sparkler Wrapper Printables appeared first on First Home Love Life.

Before we start tonight’s linky party I just wanted to take a moment and say to any one of you who have been affected by this weeks tornadoes, how sincerely sorry I am for your loss. Nothing I can do or say will bring back the normality for you, but know that you have been in my and my family’s prayers and thoughts.

We have also donated money to the Red Cross to help support the disaster relief efforts in Oklahoma. If you could please spare a moment, and a few dollars you can donate by clicking here.

Now onto the features from last week…

{Click on the titles to take you to the tutorials}

Wood Shim Pendant Light-May Richer Fuller Be

Kate Spade Inspired Lamp- Rain on a Tin Roof

Soap Recipe- Essentially Eclectic

“Bee” Beautiful Gift Jar- Little Miss Celebration

Organizing Tips- The Turqouise Home

and HOLY YUM…

Strawberry Prosecco Cake Pops- Just Us Four

{MAKE SURE YOU PIN FROM THEIR BLOGS SO YOU CAN EASILY FIND THE INFO LATER!}

If your project was featured here…Grab this button (y’know, if you want it)

Now it’s YOUR turn!

So link up your DIY Projects

…your Makeup Tutes

…your Crafts

…your Fashion Advice

…your Recipes

Everyone is welcome as long as you

Link back to First Home…Love Life

Or

Grab a Button

 I hope you stay in touch and follow

on FACEBOOK and TWITTER

I can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to this week…

Have fun!

The post House Party #4 {B.Y.O.P} + Features appeared first on First Home Love Life.

When you think of tiki torches, you probably envision the cheap, grassy kind on the bamboo sticks that decay after one too many BBQ’s in your backyard.

But if you’re looking to add sophistication, and ambiance to your yard this summer without paying a fortune then allow me to introduce you to the new, improved, and modern day version of those torches you saw in your mama’s backyard.

TIKI Brand torches have upped their game when it comes to producing high quality ambient lighting for your backyard. With TIKI Brand Flame & Solar Torches ,TIKI Brand Glowing Torches, and TIKI Brand Glowing Table Torches it is safe to say that there IS a torch for every decor taste and style.

I’ve always loved the mood that a traditional flamed torch gives, and I especially love the fact that you can fill those torches with OFF! Bitefighter torch fuel to repel those pesky blood sucking mosquitos! However, I was always hesitant to put them around our pool area for the obvious reasons that it could be dangerous if our daughter or dog accidently knocked it over. The greatest thing about these TIKI Brand torches is that they have a solar panel on top that lights a flickering LED light inside that gives the illusion of a real candle burning.

Yes, I’m aware that there are two baby ducks in our pool *sigh* Don’t ask…

There are so many beautiful designs to choose from but these two blue glass torches are probably my favorite. The LED light feature in these casts a gorgeous, and vibrant blue color, and by pressing a button you can have it change from blue, to teal, to purple over and over. I took a short video of these in action on my Vine App Acct, so if you would like to see them, you can there.

Oh and something I realized while placing these super cool solar and flame torches around my pool patio…

I knew those holes would come in handy again at some point!

If you’d like to learn more about the TIKI Brand and their products, you can follow TIKI Brand on Facebook. You can also find all the products I’ve mentioned at Wal-Mart, Target, or by logging on to tikibrand.com.

Are you a fan of using torches to add ambiance in your yard? What do you love most about TIKI Brand products? I’d love to hear either in the comments below, or on my Facebook or Twitter page.

XO

The post Adding Ambiance with TIKI Brand Torches appeared first on First Home Love Life.

When you think of a blogger’s office you probably envision beautiful spaces.

Y’know, like this…

{The Blissful Bee}

This…

{Bower Power}

Or something like this…

{Two Twenty One}

::sigh::

Mine sort of looks like this…

Which actually is an improvement from this…

Our office was always that room that crap stuff just somehow magically accumulated over time. 

Do any of you have rooms like that?

To make matters worse we didn’t  have anywhere to put anything so stuff crap would end up in piles on the floor that the cats would use as their personal slip and slide.

So what’s the point of this ramble-y post???

If you follow me on Instagram then you’ll remember me showing you these cuties that I snapped up at Goodwill for two buckaroos.

IPhone picture…sorry!

As soon as I spotted these super cool bookends I knew I wanted to paint them either gold or white.

Gold won, and as I spray painted  I had visions {hallucinations?} of displaying these beauties high up on a white bookshelf…

But wait! There’s more…

 Now…If you follow me on Facebook, then you know that this weekend I ALSO scored a pretty sweet deal on these THREE pieces of furniture.

Dude…Ninety bucks…no joke! 

You see, after the fun find at Goodwill…That same night, I ended up at an auction.

Do you believe in fate?

I do…Like why on this night of all nights did my daughter decide she “wanted to hear the guys talk fast and funny.”

I was up for it.

I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but I actually enjoy going just to hang out and observe the bidding chaos.

Two hours into it though and I was ready to go, when I saw these hit the auction block.

I almost jumped out of my skin with excitement, but had to keep a straight face as I scoped around the room to see if anyone looked interested.

The weird thing is they were auctioning the pieces off with a white twin bed frame, that clearly didn’t match.

The were calling it a bedroom set, but really?

Call me crazy but I see office furniture.

I plan on reselling the twin bed since I don’t need it, so when all is said and done I’ll probably only of spent $70 for these THREE pieces!

I can’t believe the luck I had on Friday night, and am taking it as a sign from the home decor Gods that my office is in desperate need of a makeover.

Maybe I should let fate decide my decorating more often? I seem to have the best luck that way!

Have you found any incredible deals lately? Do you plan your decorating or just let things happen on their own? I’d love to know in the comments below!

XO

The post Letting Fate Decide My Decorating… appeared first on First Home Love Life.

Y’know, where it says “stay connected”

How about now? Does this look familiar?

Hometalk is an AMAZING resource for anyone who loves anything and everything to do with home.

You will get lost in a sea of absolutely amazing projects from professionals, bloggers, or just every day DIYers sharing their talents.

You’ll LOVE it! I know I do!

Miriam (Hometalk’s Director of Community Development) recently approached me when she saw me post our family room gallery wall on Hometalk, and asked if I would like to curate a collection of chalkboard painted projects….ummm yesssss! 

You don’t have to ask me twice! 

So here I am professing my *CHALKBOARD LOVE* to the world, with these 20 amazing projects!

SWOOOOOOONING—Make sure to click on the image to bring you to my clipboard that will show you all the step-by-step tutorials in this round up!

Talk to you soon,

XO

The post 20 Amazing Chalkboard Paint Ideas appeared first on First Home Love Life.

That’s all I’m going to say about House Party #2.

You guys are out of this world with talent!

This week on First Home…Love Life

I revealed my family room gallery wall

 and showed you how to create your own chalkboard art…

But if you’re looking for more fabulous DIY projects

Check out these

House Party Features!

Cardboard Cut Out Wall Mount- MrsIncrediblyAverage

DIY Orb Light- Dash of CoCo

Chalkboard Topped Credenza- My DIY Habits

DIY Monogram Pillow- Lilikoi Joy

Master Bedroom Reveal- Rain on a Tin Roof

Foyer Makeover- Fresh Idea Studio

{MAKE SURE YOU PIN FROM THEIR BLOGS SO YOU CAN EASILY FIND THE INFO LATER!}

If your project was featured here…Grab this button (y’know, if you want it)

Now it’s YOUR turn!!!

So link up your DIY Projects

…your Makeup Tutes

…your Crafts

…your Fashion Advice

…your Recipes

Everyone is welcome as long as you

Link back to First Home…Love Life

Or

Grab a Button

 I hope you stay in touch and follow

on FACEBOOK and TWITTER

I can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to this week…

Have fun!

The post House Party #3 {B.Y.O.P} + Features! appeared first on First Home Love Life.

It’s super simple!

Here’s how to do it….

I knew I needed something large on either side of our T.V. console to not only bring symmetry but to balance the entire room.

I’m a lover of chalkboard art, but to buy two ready made pieces at the size I needed would have been crazy expensive, so I did what any DIY blogger would do.

Make your own….

Supplies-

Chalkboard Paint

Small Paint Roller

Level

Pencil

Painters Tape

6 8ft Common Boards

Miter Saw

Wood Stain

Chalk Markers

The first thing I did was measure and mark the area I was going to paint with the chalkboard paint.

You can see in this picture that my walls have a slight texture, but I have a chalkboard wall in my kitchen as well, and it works fine. You could always do this on a sheet of plywood if you want your surface to be completely smooth.

Once you’ve drawn out where you want your chalkboard to be, you can paint. I always do 3 coats when using chalkboard paint, and allow it to dry and cure in between each coat.

I needed 6 8ft common boards because my 2 chalkboards measured out to be 7 3/4 ft tall by 3 1/2 feet wide. Obviously, if you’re making a smaller or larger frame you will need to adjust how many you need. Common boards cost less than $5 a piece so it was under $30 to make these two HUGE frames!

I measured and cut the boards on my miter saw. Making 45 degree cuts so they would fit together like a frame. Then gave each board a quick stain of Minwax Jacobean. I didn’t let the stain penetrate too long because I wanted a very rustic, almost charred look to the wood. This is totally preferential, so whatever you choose to do at this point will be up to you, and your decor taste.

Then hung on the wall using 2” finishing nails. I didn’t want to use glue just in case I decide to take them down at some point. Y’know how it is. Decor is always changing, and who knows what I’ll want there a year from now…

After you’ve let the chalk paint sit on your surface for 3 days and allowed it to cure. You can season it by rubbing white chalk all over, then wipe it off with a damp rag 24 hours later. After that, you’re ready to start drawing whatever you like. I chose to do a “family rules” wall, and then a doodle of birch trees on the other.

Less than $40 for two HUGE framed chalkboard art pieces.

That a whole-lotta bang for your buck, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!

XO

The post How to Make Your Own Chalkboard Framed Art appeared first on First Home Love Life.

This is the story of how a very rusty, vintage, industrial arrow designed our family room wall.

A few weeks ago my husband, daughter and I packed up the car and headed to a craft festival called “Fancy Flea.”

It was about an hour and a half away, but I really wanted to go because I had heard GREAT things about it.

Now if you are a regular thrifter, craft scouter, yard saler…you know the key to a successful hunt is getting there early!

We arrived 3 hours after it started. I was convinced nothing good was left, and it was sorta-kinda true.

As I watched person after person squeeze by me in the crowd with cool, funky pieces…my hopes of finding anything good were getting dimmer.

But just as I was about to throw in the towel, I saw it. And if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know what I’m talking about it.

It was super dirty, ridiculously rusty, but it was mine. I gave my husband the look.

The look he has had 13 years to grow to understand, but he still just doesn’t get it.

Regardless of his “really, THAT!? Chris?” glare, it came home with us, and I knew exactly where it was going.

It sat in our garage for days before I finally got to work on scrubbing the heck out of it.

Using a wire brush and rust remover, and some major muscle power was all that was needed to clean it up.

And then we hung it….

The only problem was, once it was up… it wasn’t enough.

I never realized how naked our family room wall was until the day that arrow went up.

So I began to shop my house.

My DIY Anthro faux zinc initial got moved first, then my DIY moss initial.

Before I knew it, accessories from different rooms were being pulled into the mix.

Like I said…I didn’t realize just how naked the space was before…

So thanks to that rusty metal arrow that now hangs proudly in our family room.

We now have a fun space that demands attention, and I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out!

Have you ever bought something that took on a life of it’s own? I’d love to hear all about it either in the comments below or on my Facebook page.

And Psst…Stop by tomorrow and I’ll show you how we made those two huge chalkboards for less than $40!

XO

Linking up to… Setting For Four

The post Industrial Style Family Room Gallery Wall with Chalkboard Art appeared first on First Home Love Life.

You all rocked it out last week and linked up some incredible projects!

Some were so great, I showed them off right away!

Like these 7 FABULOUS gift ideas!

But if that wasn’t swoon worthy enough, then check out these

House Party Features!

{CLICK ON THE TITLE TO BRING YOU TO THE TUTORIAL/RECIPE}

DUCK CLOTH SPRING WREATH- Made In a Day

POPPYSEED BREAD- I Dig Pinterest and I Did it Too!

CORAL COFFEE TABLE- House on the Way

DESK OR BAR MAKEOVER- Cuckoo 4 Design

DIY BIRTHDAY PARTY HAT- Rain on a Tin Roof

CELEBRATION ICE CREAM CAKE- All Things Simple

{MAKE SURE YOU PIN FROM THEIR BLOGS SO YOU CAN EASILY FIND THE INFO LATER!}

If your project was featured here…Grab this button (y’know, if you want it)

Now it’s YOUR turn!!!

So link up your DIY Projects

…your Makeup Tutes

…your Crafts

…your Fashion Advice

…your Recipes

Everyone is welcome as long as you

Link back to First Home…Love Life

Or

Grab a Button

I hope you stay in touch and follow on FACEBOOK and TWITTER

I can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to this week…

Have fun!

The post House Party #2 {B.Y.O.P} + Features! appeared first on First Home Love Life.

I’ve always been a night owl, and at age 19 when I would go and hang out with friends till all hours of the morning it was great to have that “problem.”

Fast forward to today…married, young child, responsibilities…it’s not that great.

So when I was offered a chance to try out ZzzQuil, I jumped on the opportunity because who doesn’t want a better nights sleep every now and then?!

I have seen the commercials for ZzzQuil for a while now, and was intrigued but never actually went out to buy it. If you’re not familiar with it, or haven’t heard of it, let me explain…

ZzzQuil is made by Vicks. The same makers of DayQuil and NyQuil, but ZzzQuil is specifically formulated to be a sleep-aid, that is just for helping you sleep. It is intended only for adults and children over the age of 12. The sleep-aid comes in easy to swallow liquid gel caps, or in a warming berry flavor liquid (what I tried). It is non-habit forming as well, and when used according to package directions is safe and effective.

I personally probably would have preferred the gels, since I’m a horrible medicine taker, but the liquid’s taste was bearable. It definitely did have a warming effect down my throat as I swallowed it which was nice, and the taste was comparable to over the counter cough syrup.

So the million dollar question….Did it work?

Yes. 

Overall, I’d say this is a pretty effective over the counter sleep-aid. I took it about a half hour before bed and definitely noticed a positive difference in my sleep quality, and did wake up feeling well rested compared to the nights I didn’t take it. ZzzQuil nighttime sleep-aid is something I’m definitely keeping in my medicine cabinet from now on for those nights I need some extra help falling to sleep. So I would definitely recommend it.

If you’re looking for more information on ZzzQuil, you can find it at www.ZzzQuil.com.

Have you tried out ZzzQuil yet? Thinking about giving it a try?

If so, then send them a tweet about your experience using hashtag #ZzzQuilNight and “like” ZzzQuil on Facebook to let them know how it’s helped you.

The post ZzzQuilNight Campaign: ZzzQuil Sleep Aid Review appeared first on First Home Love Life.