Landee See, Landee Do

Teacher Gift Idea: Time to Relax

2013-05-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm sharing my last End-of-the-Year Teacher Gift Idea!

You can see my other ideas here:

It has been fun to peruse the Target Dollar Spot and find cute ways to give teachers what they really want... gift cards!

Today's idea is also brought to you by the Target Dollar Spot. I found these super cute "daiquiri glasses" for (you guessed it!) $1 just sitting there and begging me to buy them.

I thought this is the perfect way to get the teachers in VACATION MODE for the summer.

I added some paper crinkles (you could also do candy or something), a little drink umbrella, a stripey straw and a Spa Finder gift card (any gift card would do) and it was looking like summer to me! A little tip: I taped the umbrella to the inside. The straw didn't seem to need it.

I then wrapped the middle with some contrasting baker's twine and added a cute tag and I was done!

{You can download the tag HERE.}

This is getting me excited for summer so I'm guessing it will do the same for a teacher!

I hope you've enjoyed this little mini-series on End-of-Year Teacher Gift Ideas. I realize this might be a little late for some of you who plan way ahead or whose kids get out earlier than mine do but you can always PIN the idea for next year! :)

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Teacher Gift Idea: Now That The STRAIN is Over!

2013-05-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

I love the Target Dollar Spot area. I really do.

I spotted this adorable little colander there a few days ago and, since I was in "end-of-year teacher gifts mode" I immediately started thinking of how I could use it to package up something fun for my kids' teachers!

I filled it with paper crinkles, candy and a spa gift card....

...wrapped it in cellophane, added a cute ribbon and a tag (which you can download HERE in FOUR different colors!)...

...and I was done!

The tag says "Now that the 'STRAIN' of the school year is over it's time for you to relax! Thank you for a wonderful school year!"

Get it? STRAIN? And it's a strainer?

I know you do. :)

Easy & cute. Boom!

{you can see my other teacher gift ideas here & here}

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Teacher Gift Idea: Bucket List

2013-05-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm sharing another idea for showing your appreciation to your child's teacher at the end of the year (you can see my other idea for a Target gift card HERE)!

I am a big fan of giving gift cards since they are small (easy for the teacher to get home) and useful (teachers LOVE gift cards!). But my creative side cringes at the blah-ness of a regular ole' gift card. I'm sure many of you can relate here.

So here's a cute little way to give a gift card using a small tin bucket I found in the dollar section at Target!

Everyone loves checking off things from their bucket list, right? Side note: if your child has already gone skydiving I guess you need to find a red marker and check that one off as well. :)

Here's all you need to make this for your child's teacher:

small bucket
Bucket List tag printed out and trimmed (K-6th grades available), download HERE.
black cardstock for matting the tag (optional)
corner rounder (optional)
hole punch
ribbons, twine, etc. for embellishment
filler for bucket (crinkle paper shreds, candy, etc)

Then you just need to put it all together as pictured and you're all set!

It's easy, satisfies the creative side of gift-giving AND you give the teacher something he/she actually wants! Win-win-win!

I'll be sharing two more ideas this week so be sure to check back!

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Teacher Gift Idea: Printable Target Gift Card Holder

2013-05-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

The school year is coming to a close very quickly here (::insert me crying::).

I know we all want to show our children's teachers how much we appreciate everything they have done throughout these past nine months! NINE. MONTHS. That is a loooong time, you guys.

Now, I have seen some ADORABLE ideas for teachers like beach bags full of summer fun supplies and giant popcorn buckets filled with movie-going goodies and whatnot. But, when I see these things, all I can think about is how that poor teacher then has to carry all of that out to her car on the last day of school along with all the other ~~junk~~ stuff she received and I just can't fathom it. I HATE carrying loads of stuff to my car so my empathy kicks in and I can't do that to these poor teachers. Unscientific studies have shown that really, all teachers want is GIFT CARDS, GIFT CARDS, and more GIFT CARDS. Why do we stray from this? Because we want to give them something cute and creative, that's why.

So today I'm sharing a cute & creative project to give a Target gift card to your child's wonderful teacher! This can be easily thrown in her purse so she can be on her merry way. ::sigh of relief::

S U P P L I E S N E E D E D:

A printout of the card trimmed to a 4x6 size, preferably on cardstock. Downloadable HERE.
A piece of black cardstock cut about 1/4 inch larger than card.
Corner rounder (optional)
Baker's twine (or ribbon)
Adhesive
Scissors
Exacto-knife
Target Gift Card

I N S T R U C T I O N S:

1. After trimming card down to size, use exacto-knife (on cutting surface) to cut a slit for the gift card. Follow the line along top edge of the white part of the target. Only cut the slit wide enough for the card to fit through snugly. Not too wide.

2. Round the corners of the printed card and black cardstock (optional).

3. Adhere the printed card to the black cardstock. Note: Do not put adhesive where the gift card will be.

4. "Cute up" the card by wrapping it in baker's twine or ribbon.

5. Slide gift card in and give to your child's teacher!

I'm hoping this makes the end-of-the-year craziness just that much easier!

I'll be sharing a couple more End of the Year Teacher Gift ideas in my upcoming posts so be sure to check back!

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Crusted Lemon Cream Bars

2013-05-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to share both my Crusted Lemon Cream Bars along with a fun monthly collaboration starting today with 10 creative blogs. Each month on the 10th, the same 10 blogs will share a project around the same theme, and you can hop to their blogs to see, pin and save their projects after viewing mine. Pin this collage below, and make sure you come back on the 10th each month! In May, the theme is CITRUS, below are the fabulous shares.

To see my recipe for the Crusted Lemon Cream Bars, scroll down below the hop. To see each contributors' Citrus post up close, join the Blog Hop! {In the event that the direct link to their posts don't work when clicking on the title, click on the blogs main page link just before}. They are numbered according to the links below.

1. Capturing Joy shares Citrus Photography Art Prints for the home

2 .Eighteen25 sharing their Orange Party Punch recipe

3 .Landee See, Landee Do shares a Crusted Lemon Cream Bars recipe

4. Little Miss Momma sharing diy Typography Mantel Art (Using Lemons)

5. Lolly Jane shares a diy Chevron Citrus Wreath tutorial

6.Or So She Says shares a recipe for Lemon Ricotta Gems

7. Simply Kierste has a recipe for Lemon Cupcakes

8. Six Sisters Stuff sharing a Creamy Lemon Bars recipe

9. Thirty Handmade Days shares When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Cookies! Printable and recipe

10. Your Homebased Mom shares a Lemon Cream Cake Recipe

I was so happy when I heard that the first theme of this fun blog hop was going to be citrus because I. LOVE. LEMON. ANYTHING. I was going to busy myself researching recipes, hashing out old favorites, etc. when a friend of mine brought over the most delicious lemon cream bars I had ever had for my birthday! It was kismet.

So I promptly asked her for the recipe and am now sharing it with you today. Because these are done in layers, with some cooling time in between, they are perfect to make ahead for a baby shower or something like that. No need to make them fresh the day of an event when you have a million other things to do!

I will write it out step-by-step here, but have also created a quick reference image at the bottom for you to see, at-a-glance, what ingredients are needed.

Ok, first.... the crust. I think it was Confucius who said "Everything with a crust is better than everything without a crust." Or something like that. Well, he was spot on. Crust=good.

For this crust you need:

1C. butter, softened

1C. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 C. flour

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix until just combined. Line a 9x13 pan (or those slightly larger ones if you have it... it gets a little "full" in a 9x13) with parchment paper that hangs over the sides. Press crust into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until just starting to turn golden.

While that is baking get going on the next layer which is the lemon curd. You'll need:

8 egg yolks

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 C. fresh lemon juice (about 8-9 large lemons)

In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients and pour over hot crust. Return to oven and bake an additional 25-30 minutes. Chill in the fridge while making the next layer.

Now, I don't know how this would taste with bottled lemon juice. It might be ok but I wasn't going to chance it. I was amazed at how many lemons it took to get a cup and a half of juice! Behold all of my lemon carcases. :) Totally worth it and my kitchen smelled amazingly lemony.

The final layer... the Lemon Cream Layer. You'll need:

2 (8oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 C. fresh lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)

1 lemon rind, grated

In a medium bowl, whip together all ingredients until thick and fluffy. Spread over cooled lemon curd layer. Allow to set up in refrigerator for several hours or over night.

When cooled & set, remove bars from pan (using the parchment paper), set on cutting surface and cut bars into desired size.

Garnish with your favorite berry and/or berry sauce or glaze! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries would all be amazing with the creamy lemon taste of these bars.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check back on the 10th of each month to see what I and this amazing group of creative bloggers are doing next!

If you've hopped over from another one of these amazing bloggers and are new here then WELCOME! You can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter (@landeelu) and Instagram (landeelu), should you be so inclined. :)

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Mother's Day Gift Ideas-- Landee On Etsy

2013-05-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just want to say how much I have appreciated all of the love and support I have felt from you, my readers, during the passing of my dad recently. It's amazing how good a quick comment from one of you can make me feel! So thank you, thank you, thank you. It has been such a blessing.

Now, even though it snowed here in Colorado yesterday (yes, on May 1st!) it is still technically "spring" and that means Mother's Day is fast approaching! It is coming up on May 12th so I thought I'd inform/remind you of some cute things in my Etsy shop that would be perfect for YOUR mom!

If you order by Monday, May 6th, I'll be giving a 20% discount on all orders (excluding vinyl backsplash orders). Just use the discount code LANDEEMOM20 at checkout!

K, so, this board has been a best seller for a couple of years now. Here's a little secret... we have gotten back reports that moms have CRIED when they open it! Like, real tears cried. So if you want to make your mom cry happy tears this year, this one is perfect! As with ALL our stuff, it's totally customizable as far as colors go. We can even change Grandma to something else if your kids call your mom Nana, Oma, Gigi or anything else! Click on the picture to take you to the listing in our shop.

Mother's Day Board

This one is also a nice one to let your mom know, on some small scale, how much she has done for you!

Mothers

Does your mom LOVE to organize? I know mine does. We have some fun chalkboard labels as well as completely customizable canister labels that would be perfect to help her stay that way!

Chalkboard Labels: Set of 10

Customizable Canister Labels: Set of 8

And for those dear, sweet, bless-their-hearts, mothers of boys! :)

Mother of Boys

Maybe your mom, or a friend or YOU have a child out on a mission right now or leaving on a mission soon? I know this board has been purchased many, many times to help people get through those hard months!

Missionary Definition

And finally, for those moms who might enjoy a Diet Coke from "time to time." :)

Return With A Diet Coke

So there are some fun ideas that your Mom might love this year! Remember the LANDEEMOM20 code at checkout for 20% off through Monday, May 6th!

Come What May and Love It Printable

2013-04-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

My awesome, funny, clever, smart, generous, loving beloved dad passed away on Sunday, April 21, 2013. He grappled with pancreatic cancer for a good year and a half before it became too much.

Here he is with (almost) all of his grandkids in a photo taken this past summer (these were taken by Jennifer Ashby Photography in the Boise, ID area).

To say that I am sad would be such an understatement. And yet, as a good friend of mine who never knew her dad reminded me, I have been so lucky to have had such a wonderful dad for the past 37 years. He has been such an example of faith, duty, endurance, kindness, trust and, above all else, JOY. He did everything with joy and brought joy to everything.

I really wanted some reminders of him around my home so I decided to create a printable with his favorite quote... "Come what may and love it." It comes from a talk by Joseph B. Wirthlin which you can read HERE if you'd like. It was exactly this kind of attitude of his that lead him to creating and finding JOY in everything. It's also something I want to become better at doing. I'm hoping this little reminder in my kitchen will help. It coordinates well with my Pray printable too.

If you would like to have it you can download it HERE in 4 different sizes.

And since this is my blog and I want to share the awesomeness that is my dad with you I thought I'd post some fun pictures of him from the last little while. I really wish you could have known him.

Taken at our house in South Carolina in 2005.

With my grumpy baby girl in 2006.

Reading a super interesting Tigger book with Tanner in 2005.

With three of his grandsons in 2009. I'm pretty sure he had been pinching and tickling them.

Bragging about going from last place to 2nd place in a go-cart race. 2009.

My parents and their kids. 2012

My family. His legacy. 2012.

Did I tell you he was a long-arm quilter? His business was called Real Men Quilt and he had quilted over 300 quilts in just under 3 years. I told you he was awesome. :)

An Easter Mantel

2013-03-20T03:30:00.000-07:00

I am so annoyed that there are only a couple of weeks betwixt St. Patrick's Day and Easter this year! What the heck? It's cramping my mantel decor style a little but, no worries, I've got my Easter mantel all set and ready to share just in the knick of time. I'm guessing you already have all of your Easter stuff up already but maybe you can just file/pin this away for some inspiration for next year, mmmkay? Mmmkay.

Alternative title for this post: An Artsy-Fartsy Easter Mantel

I cannot tell you how much I am in love with my bunny painting that I painted all by myself! I felt like an honest-to-goodness artist making that thing. Well, that is if an honest-to-goodness artist paints paintings in under 10 minutes. I have had this 18x24 canvas in my basement for oh, I don't know, 2 years now with "big plans" for it. Well, those "big plans" have never come to fruition and my mantel needed something BIG to make a statement.

So, I hand drew a little bunny silhouette on the canvas with a pencil and taped a 1/2 inch border off around the edges. I then slathered on the pink craft paint everywhere except the bunny... that was the most fun part of all! When that dried I went back and painted in the bunny with white paint (sort of unnecessary but I didn't want to stop painting) and then kinda sorta dry brushed some white paint around the edges and here and there to add some interest.

Very very fun and I WILL be doing it again sometime. Put on your beret and smock and give it a go!

I also made a fun Easter egg garland to string up!

I simply designed and printed these eggs off on white cardstock, cut them out and taped them onto a piece of baker's twine. Could not be easier. You can download them HERE too if you'd like!

Using 4" doilies and my 2" scallop circle punch (and a couple of extra print outs of my eggs to punch the circles from), I made a miniature version of my Easy Doily Garland which you can find HERE. I think it's so dang cute that size I can hardly stand it.

And lastly, I made a fun, trendy chevron "Welcome Spring!" sign to add. It's the newest addition to my Etsy shop (you can get it in other colors and with different sayings on it too!). Available HERE.

And that's it! We are now completely spring-ified and it feels pretty dang good. Now I just need this Colorado weather to stay consistently nice for it to truly feel like springtime!

Happy Easter prep! :)

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Pray Printable

2013-03-11T03:30:00.000-07:00

I have had a heavy heart as of late. Well, really it's been over a year but it's ramped up here in the last couple of weeks. My amazingly awesome Dad has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As many of you know, I'm sure, this is not good. Not at all. He was originally diagnosed around this time last year, went through chemo and radiation. The mass which was on his pancreas was cancer free for a while and things were looking up. We breathed a sigh of relief... for about 3 seconds.

Then he began having some pain again and it steadily got worse over the past few months. He was in constant pain until last week when they put in a pain pump which basically douses the area around his pancreas with a numbing agent/morphine. As that was happening they did a scan and the mass on his pancreas had increased in size.

My dad, shown here, with a mere fraction of his grandkids. I adore this photo.

A second round of chemo is not proving to be a viable option and things are not lining up the way I had hoped. What I had HOPED was that he would be the 1 in a billion who beat pancreatic cancer. What I had HOPED was that he would be there for my daughter's wedding. What I had HOPED was that he would be around for another 20 years since he is only a mere 69 years old. Now I'm just hoping that he sticks around for longer than the six months they have given him and doesn't leave us even one day sooner.

Since hope doesn't seem to be working for me, I've turned even more to prayer. I know I can't thwart God's will but it has been amazing to know peace and comfort as I ask for it through prayer. When no amount of distraction can take my mind off of this and sleep eludes me, prayer is the only thing that brings me back around. It truly is a gift.

My friend has this saying on her refrigerator and I absolutely love it... "Pray every morning, every evening and often in between." I wanted it in my house too, especially now, so I created this printable and am sharing it with you today.

You can download a non-watermarked, high-quality version in 4x6 (perfect for handouts in church or to give to a friend), 5x7, 8x10 and 16x20 HERE.

(And that fabulous frame is from the awesome Etsy shop Orange Blossom Shop)

I have now placed it prominently in my kitchen as a reminder to me and my family.

My hope for this is that it reminds you that there is always someone to turn to at. any. time. and we are never alone... and prayer is a powerful thing.

Link parties: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Spring Decor Ideas

2013-03-06T03:30:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I'd organize/share/compile some of my favorite past SPRING projects & ideas that I have done. Why not, right?

I loved my rainbow boards from my St. Patrick's Day mantel from last year! Such a big impact with very little effort or expense.

I had also made this fun printable (which a few of you have been looking for, so here it is!). I love that Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat song and it goes along perfectly with this holiday! You can download it HERE.

I then transformed my rainbow boards into a more "easter-y" color scheme. Again, so easy to do. I also spray-painted an old/semi broken egg wreath I had laying around. You can read all about it HERE.

As part of my mantel and to decorate in a couple of other places, I made these fun Baker's Twine Easter Eggs! Super easy and it transforms cheap plastic eggs into something adorable and worth displaying.

I also created this Easter Eggs Printable to fill my 5x7 frame on my kitchen table. Just a cute little saying for the holiday! Download it HERE.

And finally, it may not seem very "springy" but Cal's World Famous Hambone Soup is the perfect thing to make with your leftover Easter ham! It is absolutely my husband's favorite meal, hands down. Find the recipe HERE.

And if you're not in the mood to be crafty yourself you can let me be crafty for you! :)

We have some cute spring boards in the ol' Etsy shop as well as some new chalkboard labels to help you get organized!

Well this has definitely put me in the mood for some intense Spring decorating! I am already dreaming up my Easter mantel and can't wait to get to creating it!

Happy Spring (almost)!

St. Patrick's Day Mantel-- Lucky Us!

2013-02-27T03:30:00.000-08:00

Today I am sharing my St. Patrick's Day mantel decor in its entirety! It's about time, right?

I shared this PRINTABLE last week and you can follow that link and download it for yourself if you'd like. I printed it out at Walgreens 16x20 (for some reason the colors came out weird when I tried to print it at Costco... it might have just been their particular machines that day because I've never had an issue there before... not sure).

I also went around the house to find a few colored and white frames to fill with black & white photos from our life. I wanted the "LUCKY US." sentiments on the printable to be illustrated through the photos of our lucky life. I know... layers and layers of meaning here! :)

I also have this fun doily garland which I shared HERE.

Do you decorate for St. Patrick's Day? I must say, I love an excuse to decorate with rainbow colors. Not kidding!

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Thrifty Decor Chick

Easy Doily Garland-- St. Patrick's Day

2013-02-25T03:30:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying putting together my St. Patrick's Day mantel this year! As part of it, I made this fun and super easy doily garland.

Obviously I made this one in rainbow colors to go along with St. Patrick's Day but using different colors and paper styles you could make one of these for ANYTHING. Literally anything. A birthday, a wedding shower, a baby shower, a wedding reception... you get the point. Endless possibilities!

Here's a quick little how to:

STEP ONE: Get a package of doilies from the baking section of your nearest craft store. I got these 10" doilies at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 for 10 of them. Fold them in half.

STEP TWO: Cut circles out of your scrapbook paper of choice to fit into the centers of your doilies. Size depends on how big your doilies are. For my 10" doilies I cut 6" circles. Fold them in half.

STEP THREE: Fold them around some string or twine (I used green/white baker's twine) and secure with adhesive. You could also staple or use mini clothes pins to add some more embellishments as well.

And there you have it. So easy! And I love the look of it.

The rest of my mantel coming up!

Link parties I participate in: Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Thrifty Decor Chick

Lucky Us Printable-- St. Patrick's Day

2013-02-21T03:30:00.000-08:00

Hello! How the heck are you?

I know it's been a while (I was on a cruise for a week--yay! and then sick for another week--boo.) but I am back and so excited to share a little St. Patrick's Day printable with you today!

Some cute polka dot shamrocks... check.

"LUCKY US." written in rainbow colors... check.

Multiple sizes available for free download... check!

I have big plans to use this on my mantel in a large 16x20 size but I didn't want to wait to share it until I got my mantel all set. It's also so cute in a 5x7 frame (as pictured above). If it looks vaguely familiar it's because I loved my Valentine's Day printable so much that I decided to make a similar one for St. Patrick's Day. It goes right along with my "don't reinvent the wheel" philosophy in life. :)

If you'd like to add a little St. Patty's Day fun to your home you can download this as a 5x7, 8x10 or 16x20 HERE.

Stay tuned to see how I use it on my St. Patrick's Day mantel!

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Thrifty Decor Chick

The Best Sugar Cookies

2013-01-29T03:30:00.000-08:00

The title of this post and recipe is not a brag in anyway. That is simply what they were called when the recipe was given to me at my bridal shower almost 17 years ago. Wait... seventeen? That can't be right ::counting on fingers from April 1996:: Holy cow. That IS right. Yikes! I obviously have some denial issues to deal with here but I'll take those off line and spare you all the stages of greif I'm about to go through.

Anyway, my beloved mother-in-law threw me a neighborhood bridal shower waaay back when and the "theme" of the party was to bring something related to the month you were born. One of the ladies was born in December so she gave me cookie sheets, hot pads, a spatula and this amazing cookie recipe. I have made these cookies every Christmas since then and my daughter now requests them for her class when it's time to celebrate her birthday. Her birthday was last week so I thought this was the perfect time to share the recipe with you!

I love them because they are a great texture (the perfect mix between chewy and cakey) and nice base to whatever frosting you might want to put on them (my favorite is a cream cheese frosting of any kind). They hold their shape and bake up nicely.

The BEST Sugar Cookies

1 C. butter

1.5 C. sugar

3 eggs

2 T. milk

4 C. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add other ingredients and mix well. Chill overnight.

I like to divide the dough into two parts and roll them into freezer paper and flatten the rolls a little before refrigerating. This dough sets up very firm and can be a little hard to roll out when you first get it out of the fridge the next day. Having smaller and somewhat flattened pieces of dough to work with makes it a lot easier!

Roll dough into 1/4 inch thickness and cut to desired shape with a cookie cutter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. They will be soft and white.

Cool and frost if desired.

Like I said, I love a good cream cheese frosting on these!

Enjoy!

PS If you'd like to see what my husband looked like when growing up in this neighborhood where the bridal shower was thrown, you can see it on my Facebook. That photo is now my phone's wallpaper because I was getting tired of going to my camera roll to look at it. :)

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Thrifty Decor Chick

Valentine's Day Ribbon Wreath

2013-01-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

The little hook on the door leading to my basement was looking very sad and lonely since I took Christmas down. So I decided to re-create my Halloween Ribbon Wreath for Valentine's Day!

Through the complicated trick of using different ribbons I created a whole new look! :)

You can find the whole tutorial HERE but basically you just wrap a straw wreath with ribbon and then tie ribbon pieces all around. I then cut the ends of the ribbons in a "V" for a little more fun detail but that is optional.

Quick and easy and now my basement door isn't quite so sad. Love it!

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Thrifty Decor Chick

Valentine's Day Ideas of Yore

2013-01-15T03:30:00.000-08:00

I was looking back through my Valentine's Day posts from last year and I noticed I had done quite a few! I think I was smitten by the Valentine's Day spirit last year and couldn't get enough! So I thought I'd re-post those ideas for those of you who might not have been around then for a little more inspiration for this year.

Click on each photo to go to the original post.

Decorating with Photos

No Sew Burlap Banner

Valentine's Day Printable

(available in the 4 different colors shown above)

Valentine's Day Mantel

Valentine Photo Card Ideas

Heart Specimen Art: A Silhouette Tip

And a couple that weren't for Valentine's Day necessarily but might come in handy! Why not transform a cheap breakfast tray from Ikea into something fun for your spouse this Valentine's Day? Bring him/her breakfast in bed on something personalized and watch them smile. :)

Ikea Hack: Breakfast Tray

And this printable I made for a wedding shower but I see no reason to not have it up during Valentine's Day! Available in a few different colors.

More Than Yesterday Printable

I'm working on some new projects for this year and can't wait to share!

Valentine Heart Garland

2013-01-10T03:30:00.000-08:00

Looking for an inexpensive and quick way to add some Valentine love to your home? Landee has got you covered!

Here is what you need for your very own Valentine Heart Garland:

Red & grey heart printables found HERE.
White cardstock
Twine or string (I used red & white baker's twine)
miniature clothes pins (found at any craft store)

STEP ONE: Print out hearts on white cardstock and then cut them out leaving a 1/4 inch white border around the edges.
STEP TWO: Hang your twine.
STEP THREE: Using the miniature clothes pins, clip the hearts along the twine any way you'd like!

If you don't have a mantel you can string them across a window or a shelf or a large mirror. Endless possibilities! And its length depends on how many hearts you have so print off as many as you need to fill your space!

I strung it across my mantel and I luhrve it! (full mantel post HERE)

Enjoy!

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Thrifty Decor Chick

Valentine's Day Mantel Decor and Printable

2013-01-08T13:22:00.002-08:00

Wow. When I said I'd be back "after the holidays" I really meant it, didn't I? I guess what I really meant is "after the holidays and a couple days after the kids go back to school so I can recover." So the kids went back on Monday and here I am!

We are now heading into one of my favorite holidays to decorate for.... Valentine's Day! So many fun options and directions to go with Valentine's Day. And what I love about it is no one expects much for as far as Valentine's Day goes so you can go as simple as you want and anything is a bonus! I like to decorate my mantel and maybe one other area and call it good.

Today I'm sharing my Valentine's Day mantel decorations I pulled together this year (you can see last year's decor HERE).

In addition to putting up a family photo and pulling out a wedding photo, I made an easy heart garland which I'll be sharing soon (plus a free printable for the hearts!). It took me about... oh... 10 minutes or so to do once I got going. Love those kinds of projects!

I also have been wanting to make this saying I had pinned a long time ago into a board and this Valentine's Day seemed the perfect opportunity! "You are pretty much my most favorite of all time in the history of ever" basically sums up how I feel about my husband and kids... I'm guessing you feel the same! Um, about your significant other and kids, not mine. :)

It's available in my Etsy shop HERE if you'd like one too!

And love my frame from Orange Blossom Shop! I just taped on one of my extra hearts to tie it all in.

I also created this printable that you can download in several sizes HERE! Just a little sumpin-sumpin to Valentine up a picture frame you might have laying around.

I'm a fan of how it all came together! Now with all this "love decor" I'm guessing we will all just sit around and love each other... no fighting because someone is sitting in their spot on the couch, no screaming because someone looked at them and they "don't want them to look at them!" and no complaining because they don't like the dinner I fixed. Ah yes, this is going to be nice. :)

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Thrifty Decor Chick

Merry Christmas From Landee!

2012-12-20T03:30:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy Holidays to you all!

I am in an intense form of "vacation mode" right now... all I want to do is bake cookies with my kids, do last-minute Christmas shopping with my husband and watch Christmas movies with all of them!

I thought I'd take a step back from the blog (mentally) and enjoy the rest of the holiday fun while it's still here.

But before I go I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

I am so grateful to all of you for your comments and support and general cheerleading! I love to create but I also love the interaction I have with you.

I'll be back after the holidays here on the blog but I'm sure I'll be posting on Instagram ( ) and Facebook in the meantime.

Thank you for everything and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Free Large Christmas Wall Art-- Polka Dots!

2012-12-13T03:30:00.000-08:00

It was time, once again, for me to fill my gigantic Ikea Ribba frames above my couch. I loved what I did last year but I thought I'd try something a little different for this holiday season.

And who doesn't love polka dots, right??

I stuck with the "Christmas song lyrics" thing but went much simpler and only took a small part of each song. It's hard to tell but there are two different shades of green and a red. I love how they look all hanging together but they would also be great just individually!

You can download sizes 20x30, 16x20, 8x10 and 5x7 for FREE by clicking HERE.

I uploaded them to Costco and got the 20x30 size printed for just $8.99 each.

I always love the difference it makes when I switch out the images in these frames!

I hope your holiday prep is making you happy and not stressed! :)

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime

Christmas Mantel Decor

2012-12-05T03:30:00.000-08:00

I spent this past weekend pulling out all of my Christmas stuff and am finally ready to share my Christmas Mantel for this year! I went cleaner and simpler than I ever have before and I must say, I love it.

My big project for this year's mantel was my chalkboard tree art. I had seen this idea in the latest Matthew Mead Holiday magazine which is chock full of so many fabulous ideas. They had an old piece of slate that they used to create a chalk pine tree. Well, I didn't just have an old piece of slate laying around so I had to figure out how to make this work.

Here's how I did it:

1) Had Home Depot cut down a piece of MDF for me to about 24x30.

2) Painted the board red using craft paint.

3) Sanded edges of board using a heavy grit sand paper.

4) Using DecoArt's Chalkboard Coating (which I found at Hobby Lobby), I turned it into a freaking chalkboard! Miracle!

5) Had a fun time pretending I was an artist and drawing my tree using chalk as my medium/muse (and trying to copy Matthew's as closely as possible, of course). I love it as my focal point.

I then added my stockings, some ornaments in my glass vases, and the fun reindeer head that refused to stay on the shelf at Target and practically jumped into my cart! What could I do? :)

I'm definitely in the festive mood now! Are you all feeling it? Not to stress you out but there are only 20 more days until Christmas. :)

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Craftomaniac, Thrifty Decor Chick

Burlap Trees

2012-11-30T03:30:00.000-08:00

Burlap is such an interesting material... one minute it's holding a bunch of dirty potatoes and the next it's all the rage in home decor. I can't even begin to explain it but I absolutely will jump on the Burlap Bandwagon! I decided to try to make some free standing burlap trees using a classic crafting tool.... fabric stiffener! I loved how they turned out.

Here is how you make them:

Supplies Needed:

Styrofoam cones, various sizes, LEAVE THE PLASTIC ON! If plastic is already off then wrap your cone in saran wrap or similar material.
Strips of burlap
Fabric Stiffener (I used Aleene's brand)
Something to protect your work surface

Step ONE: Wrap a burlap strip around cone to measure how long you will need. The fabric stiffener shrinks the burlap significantly so cut them longer than you think. Trim them to size (your hands will be messy so it's best to cut them before you get started!)

Step TWO: Pour fabric stiffener into old bowl and add some water to dilute. The added water makes it much easier to work with. Soak first burlap strip and remove excess stiffener by flattening strip with your fingers from top to the bottom and allowing it to drip back into bowl. This keeps your strip nice and neat.

Step THREE: Wrap strip around base of tree. Repeat with the remaining strips until tree is covered smoothing and arranging as you go. It's like paper mache!

Secure with pins where necessary to get the look you want. Allow to dry completely (may take overnight depending on how much stiffener you used).

Step FOUR: (not pictured) After tree is dry, use a butter knife or other long, thin object to separate the burlap from the cone form. It should come off fairly easy but be patient and remember to remove any pins first!

As I was doing my trees I decided to create a little frayed edge along the bottom of my strips by removing some of the cross fibers and "fluffing" the fibers as I went and allowing them to dry that way. I thought it was a cute little detail if I do say so myself!

Step FIVE: Arrange your burlap trees anywhere for a pretty, natural touch to your Christmas decor!

I also thought these would be nice with some Christmas lights shining out from the inside! Battery operated tea lights would also work. I love how it looks!

What I love about these trees is they are simple and classic. You can add embellishments or leave them as is. You could even spray paint them! I also love that you can keep reusing the styrofoam cones to make as many as you like. And it doesn't get much cheaper than burlap so you could make a lot of them with very little money. Wouldn't they be pretty down the center of your Christmas dining table or along your mantle? Lots of possibilities!

Have you done any Christmas Crafting yet? I'm just getting started but loving it!

SCENT-sational Neighbor Gift Idea

2012-11-27T03:30:00.000-08:00

As a creative blogger I am always on the look out for fun ideas to share. Last Christmas, a friend of mine gave me a neighbor gift that I absolutely loved! It was such a neat alternative to the sometimes overwhelming amount of goodies and treats we usually receive (Dear Friends and Neighbors Who Might Be Reading This, Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT stop overwhelming me with goodies and treats. Thank you. Love, Landee).

The gift was all the ingredients I needed to create a simmering potpourri and fill my house with the smells of Christmas! All I needed to do was add a pot with some water in it. Like I said, I loved it and so I'm sharing it with you today! It's very inexpensive and who doesn't love the smell of Christmas? No one, that's who.

Here is what you need {per package}:

1 orange

1/2 C. cranberries

1 T. whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

a smidge of grated nutmeg

There are so many cute ways you could package this up but I decided to just use a cellophane gift bag since the orange and cranberries are naturally so pretty.

I then created a tag with instructions which I am also sharing today!

Download file HERE.

It can be used for a good two weeks or so if you refrigerate between uses and always make sure there is plenty of water in your sauce pan.

Couldn't be easier, right? And it smells so so so good.

So package some of these up and check "Neighbor Gifts" off your ever-expanding Christmas To Do list!

Happy Holidays!

Black Friday Sale!! Landee On Etsy

2012-11-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to announce our First Annual Landee On Etsy Black Friday Sale!

From NOW (Friday, November 23rd) until midnight on Sunday (November 25th), we are offering a 25% off discount on every item in our shop! Simply put LANDEE25 in the coupon code field at checkout. (**does not apply to our vinyl backsplash product**)

To help you out with your Christmas shopping this year, I thought I'd compile a little list of our most popular gifts... (click on the photo to go straight to the listings)

This was one of our best selling items this year around Mother's Day! It would also make a fantastic Christmas present! The wording can be changed slightly if your kids call your Mom something other than Grandma too! Shown in brown with beige lettering but can be done in any color combination.

I think everyone knows someone (or is someone!) who is a lover of Diet Coke. This is a fun little gift that will make your friend/sister/mother/mother-in-law/aunt/etc. smile.

Do you know anyone who has a missionary out right now? Or anyone who will have one out soon? Yes, it might make them teary at first but then they will find comfort in it... promise. :)

This Custom Family Board is a popular gift item as well. People love receiving gifts with their names on them... this can be customized with the last name, established date and state!

A fun & quirky decorative board that anyone would love to put in their bathroom. Can be done in any color combination. You can also get it with the chevron background pattern or without.

Do you have a big reader on your Christmas list this year? We love this quote from JK Rowling and your reader friend will too!

If you'd like to give something Christmas themed, we also have several Christmas boards available for order as well. Or just order one for your own house!

This chalkboard menu board can be painted any color! Who wouldn't want to get one of these, right? Perfect for anyone who attempts to organize the crazy life we all lead. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2012-11-22T03:30:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you for the support I feel here on my teeny tiny piece of the internet. I truly appreciate every comment, pageview, download, share and "like" that I receive. It keeps my creative side going which, in turn, makes me a happier person, mother, wife and friend!

I am thankful for YOU.

Hope you have a wonderful Thankgiving!

PS Check back tomorrow for my first Black Friday Event in my Etsy shop!