Oleander and Palm

Thrifting Thursday - a nightstand in need of a makeover

2013-05-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally found a little dresser to use as a nightstand for the hubbies side of the bed. Ever since I found and fixed up the one on my side of the bed, I've been on the hunt for another piece. I kind of thought I wanted something round or a different shape, but when I came upon this piece, the storage element won me over. That's the adventure of Thrifting, you never know what you'll find and you have to be ready to change your plan when something great is spotted.

This was definitely a little spendy for me, I paid almost $50 for this little dresser. But, it is solid oak and really a new piece of wood furniture is going to cost me at least $200. And after I gave it a makeover, I have no regrets at all. I think it looks more like a $300 piece of furniture now, and it's one-of-a-kind. No one else owns this piece of furniture!

I used my How to Paint Laminate Furniture method, even though this piece was wood, and it worked really well. From start to finish, I had this piece sanded, painted and moved into the room in 24 hours.

I debated on what to do to the piece, what color to paint it or stain it. It wasn't going to stay that yucky oaky color, that was for sure. I didn't want to paint it the same as the other dresser, trying to make them look like a set, when they weren't. Plus, I think that's just too matchy matchy for me. So, I turned to my Instagram friends for help and advice. They had some great ideas and I actually ended up going with my stylish friend Julia's idea and did the opposite paint job of my bedside table. I also gave the old hardware a good sanding and then sprayed them with a metallic gold spray paint. This grey, white and gold combo is really quite sophisticated.

Come back tomorrow and I'll share pictures of it in our bedroom. Are you working on any furniture projects? Do you own some pieces that could use a makeover? I'd love to hear what you have in the works.

Geometric Heart Tote Bag

2013-05-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

I can't stop! Maybe I have a problem, but I just keep coming up with ways to use my geometric heart pattern over and over. This little tote bag took no time at all to paint.

I used my Cricut to cut a freezer paper stencil out. To start, I worked in Cricut Craftroom to create the stencil. I simply used a right angle triangle image repeatedly to make my heart. Then I cut it out on a 12'x12' square of freezer paper. I ironed on my stencil onto a pre-made bag I purchases at Joannes and painted white and metallic gold randomly in the triangles. Then I let it dry completely and set the paint with a hot iron.

This is going to be my go to bag this summer. It's a great size for Olivia's stuff, like a diaper, wipes and a sippy cup, or I can just stylishly bag my groceries.

Do you find yourself drawn to the same colors, pattern or shapes? What's designs are on your favorite list currently?

Science Themed Party in the Making

2013-05-21T22:13:00.001-07:00

This weekend we are celebrating my baby boy turning 10 with a Science Themed Party. Each day this week I've given myself of list of things I need to complete so that I can be ready for the party. This theme seemed like a natural choice for my mini nerd (I'm married to a real life Science geek). My inspiration for the colors and decorations came from Minted. I used Minted's fantastic invitations and also their Blackboard bunting.

I ordered some beakers and flasks from amazon to display candy in. I've also found some great nerdy Science fabric that I'm sewing into goody bags (it's kind of a tradition for my kiddo's parties). And to fill the bags I have some fun treats like candy and slime in test tubes, nerdy glasses, and magnifying glasses.

I think it's going to be a fun party with lots of yummy treats and Science Experiments galore. My Biology teacher hubby is bringing his classroom to our backyard.

The Land of Nod is coming to SoCal

2013-05-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

I am beyond excited friends. Yes, I do love a good online window shopping session, but real life window shopping is soooo much better. And now if you are living in Southern Cali, you get shop at a REAL LIFE Land of Nod shop. Eeeeek, I can't wait to see everything up close and in person. The Land of Nod is opening a brick and mortar shop at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA on May 31th. If you live near by, you are going to want to be there for the Grand Opening, there will be lots of free goodies for everyone who arrives early to shop.

You probably know that I am a HUGE Nod fan. I share their products here often and when I gave my daughter's shared bedroom a makeover, I turned to The Land of Nod for the fun, funky, and fresh look I was looking for. I'm still so jealous of Denali's new gold dot sheets, Nod bedding is amazing.

Deer // Lamp // Metal Letter

Walnut Dresser // Pillow

Feather Print // Gold Dot Wall Decal // Rocking Chair

I'm heading to the new SoCal Land of Nod shop at the end of the month. I've got my eye on some great "grown-up" pieces. Although The Land of Nod is really a shop for children's furniture and accessories, I've found some great pieces that would be fantastic in any space or room in my home. But specifically, I would love to have these pieces for my living room. I'm working on trying to make the space a little more modern and although it's technically a grown-up space, I really want to keep it playful and family friendly. I can't wait to share with you what I come home with.

You may want to follow The Land of Nod on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram to find out what's new or what creative adventures they are on. I love following their Instagram, it's great place for inspiration.

You might also want to enter The Land of Nod Win A Room Sweepstakes. The Grand prize is a room designed by The Land of Nod (a $4000 value). The winner with receive a design consultation with a the Nod design team, a room makeover with selected products from The Land of Nod, and then be featured in the The Land of Nod Real Families section of an upcoming catalog. The sweepstakes runs till June 17th.

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Land of Nod, but all my opinions are my own. #PMedia #NODinCA http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

This Week

2013-05-17T17:04:00.001-07:00

This week... well it was a doozy. The weekend was fabulous with lots of celebrations. We celebrated my baby brother's 25th birthday (who also finished painting my garage), Lonnie's birthday, Mother's day and a I hosted fun baby shower. Then came Monday morning - I got rear ended at a red light! Boo, Mondays do stink. But, I've pushed through this week and actually ended it on a pretty productive note. I'm refinishing a small dresser for Lonnie's bedside table and I'm also repainting Olivia little play kitchen. I hope you all have a great weekend. I'm looking forward to getting a lot accomplished.

Olivia // My freshly painted garage

Honeyed Apricot Marshmallows // Lonnie with his birthday cinnamon rolls

Thrifting Thursday Finds // A last minute baby shower gift

Me enjoying a post-baby shower iced coffee // A sneak peek at the thrift store dresser I'm refinishing

If you follow my instagram, these pictures may look familiar to you. But here's a little instagram taste of my week.

Thrifting Thursday - Pyrex Pitcher and a Ceramic Bowl

2013-05-16T14:11:00.001-07:00

It's been way too long since I hit a thrift store. I love thrifting, but for the past few months I've restrained myself because I really needed absolutely nothing at all. But, on Monday, I couldn't stand it any longer. What if there was some really great treasure out there that I was missing out on? So, Olivia and I headed to our local Salvation Army.

My first attempt to get there was foiled. While stopped at a red light, we were rear-ended my a big full-sized truck. My little Toyota Matrix got hurt pretty badly. Olivia cried, I think mostly because she was scarred, and I ended up with a fat lip and some sore muscles. I am pretty bummed with the whole situation. I love our little Matrix and it's totally paid for. Now I am just waiting for the police report (which takes over a week) and then we can see what the insurance company wants to do.

But, I didn't let this stop me. The next day I headed to the thrift store in our truck (I'm so grateful we have 2 cars, we didn't for the first 13 yrs. of marriage). And I came home with this cute Pyrex Pitcher for $3.84 and this beautiful hand made bowl for the same price. Did I really NEED these items? No, but I think this was a pretty harmless $8 to spend. And I know I'll use both, and probably often.

Cranberry Orange Corn Pancakes

2013-05-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

If you've missed it this week, I'm in the mood to go camping. Yesterday I shared some cool Camping Decor and the day before a little video from our Spring Break trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

I really enjoy cooking for my family when we camp. It's a great excuse to come up with new, easy to make in the great outdoors recipes. The last two times we've been out camping, I've made these Cranberry Orange Corn Pancakes. They were a hit with my family. They require very simple ingredients and really no syrup is required, they are naturally sweet with the orange juice.

We even ran out of camp fuel, and I cooked these over the fire one morning.

Cranberry Orange Corn Pancakes
1 pkg. JIFFY Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg
2 tbsp. butter (melted)
Zest of one orange
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
1/3 cup craisins

Place the butter in your frying pan or griddle, heat it until the butter melts. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients , including the melted butter, well. When your griddle is hot, pour about 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake. You will need additional butter for cooking the pancakes. Cook the pancakes just as you would regular pancakes. When the tops of the pancakes are bubbly, flip them. Because these pancakes have corn meal in them, they are a little more fragile to work with. Don't be alarmed if the first couple break in half.

I've also discovered that Trader Joe's sells shelf stable UHT whipping cream (so no need to refrigerate). I used to buy this when I lived overseas in Papua New Guinea and Yemen. I had never seen it here in the States though. It's such a handy product to have in your pantry. I gave the chore of whipping this by hand to my kiddos. It kept them busy while a cooked the pancakes. A dollop of whipped cream on pancakes while your camping - wow, now that's pretty good.

If you're interested in more kid approved, outdoor tested camping recipes, you might like some of these:

Hobo Meals - Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Campfire Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate Graham Crackers

Campfire Nachos

Chocolate Coconut Camp Cookies

Window Shopping - Camping and Outdoors Decor

2013-05-14T07:57:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I shared a little family video from our Spring Break camping trip to Joshua Tree. We are gearing up for Summer and camping is on my mind. I love decorating and accessorizing Riley, and I have a vision. It's a slow process though, firstly because I'm picky and want to do it right, and secondly because it has to be on a budget (like almost free budget). But, I recently was checking out some of my favorite online shops and I found a few dream pieces for my trailer. So here's my finds, and wouldn't this be a great start to a little boy's camping/outdoors themed bedroom?

Squirrel Nightlight // Camp Bedding // Pendleton Pillow

National Park Canvas // Away We Go Print

Smore Pillow (Land of Nod - no longer available) // Teepee Print // Bear Pillow

Spring Break in Joshua Tree National Park

2013-05-13T09:17:00.002-07:00

I've been wanting to share a little bit of Spring Break trip with you for weeks and weeks now. I put together a little video of some of our adventures in Joshua Tree National Park. It might just be my favorite National Park. I had a lot of fun making this little movie, I really should do it more often. I've always taken a lot of pictures, but videos have never really been my thing. I think it will be so fun to look back at this. My iphone made shooting this a breeze. It's funny how the iphone has totally changed how I record memories. Instead of carrying my digital SLR everywhere, I found myself taking lots of instagrams and short videos.

Now as Summer is quickly approaching, I'm itching to get out and camp more with Riley. Over the next week I'll be sharing more of our trip, some camping treats, and a little camping decor (yes, you can camp in style).

Are you a camper? Where's your favorite spot to camp? Do you have a favorite National Park?

Orange Curd

2013-05-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting a baby shower tomorrow for a sweet friend and one of the treats I'm making is Creamsicle Cupcakes. I'm making a vanilla bean cupcake, filling them with orange curd and then topping them with orange buttercream.

One of my favorite things to make is Lemon Curd. It's a fun process and the end result couldn't be more rewarding. We still have a few oranges high up on our tree, so I couldn't think of a better use for them then making a batch of orange curd. I based my orange curd recipe on my favorite lemon curd recipe (Martha's). This curd is not as zippy as lemon, but is bright and citrusy and a fun new twist.

Orange Curd
8 egg yolks
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 stick of cold butter cubed(1/4 cup)
orange gel food coloring (optional)

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, egg yolks, zest and juice. Mix until smooth with a wire whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook stirring constantly for about 8-10 mins. When the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a wooden spoon, then you know it is done. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it is melted. Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps and the big pieces of zest. Pour into canning jars, seal and store in the fridge.

Because orange juice doesn't give a really bright orange color, you may want to add a tiny bit of orange gel food coloring to the mixture with the butter. But, this is totally optional.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Take some time to make something homemade and from scratch this weekend. You'll feel totally productive and your family and friends will be pleased.

Window Shopping - Coral Accents

2013-05-08T13:17:00.003-07:00

I've been loving coral colored flowers this week, if you follow my instagram, you may have noticed. And seeing this color with all the grey and green in our home, I'm total digging it. It's my new favorite color combo coral, grey and green. It would sure make a pretty party palette as well.

Ombre Pillow // Giraffe // Coffee Table

World Map // Bird Print

Rectangle Print // Paper Flowers // Bowl

So, I thought I'd do a little online window shopping at my favorite stores and pick out some fun coral accents that would look good in my living room. Now that I have a new chair, I'm really wanting to modernize and update our living room. I'm thinking a few splashes of coral might be nice, what do you think? Is there anything in this round up that catches your eye?

Fun Kitchen Towels for Mother's Day

2013-05-07T11:57:00.001-07:00

How about making something for mom for Mother's Day this year? Mother's Day gifts don't have to be frumpy and old lady, let's keep is fresh friends. I made a couple tea towels and a set of wooden spoons, together they make a really nice gift.

I used my Cricut to cut out these hip fox and arrow freezer paper stencils. Then I followed the freezer paper stenciling method that I used on my DIY West Elm Style Monogram Towels and whipped out these towels in no time at all.

The spoons and towels were purchases at IKEA.

What are you doing for your mom this Mother's Day? Mine is miles away, so I'll be sending my gift in the next day or two.

My Good Looking Chair

2013-05-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

I am beyond excited and totally in love with my new chair. He is just so handsome, I kind of want to name him. We don't buy furniture very often and he was an investment, so this little guy is going to be part of the McConnel family for quite a while. Over a year ago I sold the green chair that used to sit in that corner of my living room on Craig's list. And ever since, I've been saving my pennies to get this West Elm Sweep chair. I got it in performance velvet in the color Shadow.

I'm just itching to give this room a much more modern look and feel. This chair is the starting point. The next step will be painting the walls. Right now it's a tan/beige color, kind of boring, but practical and neutral. It's been this color for almost 10 years, it was the first room we painted in the house. And as boring as beige is, I think I'm going to stay boring and paint the whole room a crisp white. Our dining room is a dark charcoal grey and I think this would be a nice bright contrast. What do you think? I love color, but I think a white backdrop will be a fresh way to showcase colorful pieces like my green and gold geometric pillow.

Painting our Garage

2013-05-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Our home is a small California bungalow built in 1920. We have a garage in the back, which is very necessary for all of life's junk. But, for years and years it's really needed a paint job badly. This poor little building has weathered and chipped white paint on it's siding. I even added this job to my 2013 New Years resolutions in hopes of making this a priority.

My very handy youngest brother is here visiting this week. He doesn't sit still for very long, so he's been doing all kinds of projects around my house. It's awesome! He decided to take on the garage this week for me. He's spent the last 2 LONG days scraping and sanding the very peeled and chipped paint. It's a warm 92F here as well. This morning I helped with some sanding. It's going to look so great with a fresh, crisp coat of white paint. My backyard is going to feel like a new place with this is done.

Have you got any home improvement jobs that you've been stalling to complete or even start for that matter? What are you going to tackle this weekend?

Watercolor Gift Tags

2013-05-01T10:30:00.001-07:00

On Monday I shared that I've been playing with my watercolor paints a bit. And last week I packaged up some Vanilla Bean Lavender Salt Scrub with watercolor tags and lids. And I'm obviously having fun with this medium, so I decided to make a bunch of watercolor gift tags to just have on hand for gifts and treats I'll wrap in the future. My Mother's Day gifts will probably be sporting one of these fun tags.

To make these tags, I simply took a large piece of good quality watercolor paper and just painted and swirled and dripped some of my favorite colors onto the page. And then, when it was dry, I used my secret weapon - my Cricut machine, to cut out all these great tag shapes. But, if you don't have a Cricut, you could easily just cut these by hand by making a cardboard template. Then I tied a little black and white baker's twine to each of them. Because baker's twine makes everything cuter, right?

If you like these, be the first one to leave a comment, and I'll happily send them your way.

Mother's Day Giveaway

2013-04-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share an AMAZING Mother's Day Giveaway with you. It's pretty darn fabulous friends.

The winner gets A Cricut Expression 2 ($249 value) AND their CHOICE of a Canon Rebel T3 or a Kitchen Aid Artisan 5 Quart mixer. And!!! The same prize package for their mom (or whom ever you'd like to share this with)!

You can enter to win with the Rafflecopter widget below. This is a big group giveaway, so there is lots of chances for entries. This contest is open till Thursday May 9th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post.

No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received.** This promotion is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.** To qualify to win, you must fill out the Entry. See Rafflecopter for complete rules. This giveaway is compliant with Facebook Promotions Guidelines. Must be aged 18+ to enter & win. Valid only in the United States. Void where prohibited by state or national law.

Playing with Watercolor Paints

2013-04-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that I was an elementary teacher, and someday I probably will be again. When I went to college I got my BA in elementary education, but you got to pick a subject of interest. So, I chose Art. I believe it's a very important part of a child's education. And these days with standardized testing, students don't have the time or opportunity to explore their artist skills. Art can bring confidence and achievement to students that struggle in other academic areas. But that's a mini soap box I have. So, in college, I got to take a watercolor painting course for my degree, lucky right? Better I've never really painted anymore, even though I've wanted to. So just last week, I got the urge to take out my paints (over 13 years later) and just played a bit.

I ended up painting for about 3 hours one evening, and it was just so therapeutic. I mixed colors and played with movement of the paint and water on the paper. Watercolors are such a fantastic medium to work with. I felt relaxed and in a better place when I was done. I'm definitely one of those people that NEEDS to be doing something with my hands in order to relax and rejuvenate myself. God must have known the week I was walking into, because those 3 hours had some pretty perfect timing.

It's funny how we are drawn to the same shapes, patterns and colors. About 2 hours into my playing with the paints, I started painting triangles and them my geometric heart pattern starting repeating itself on the paper. I'm obviously not really that great at painting with watercolors, but I just had so much fun experimenting with them, that I wanted to share with you. I hope I can inspire you to try something new, or pick an old skill that you just haven't made time to for. Creating and making is such a satisfying experience, even if the finished product is not what you were expecting. It's the process that's good for your soul.

I displayed my little pieces on my mantel with a couple vintage metal floral frogs that I picked up at the Santa Fe Flea Market. And I hung another on a vintage hanger that I got from a friend's lovely etsy shop, Life on Churchill St.

I'll be making time to paint more very soon. Is there a skill or technique that you wish you'd make time to learn or practice? What do you do do to relax? Are you a doer or maker, can you relate to where I'm coming from.

Vanilla Bean Lavender Salt Scrub

2013-04-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

I've got a really simple and inexpensive DIY salt scrub. And it's 100% natural. Use this salt scrub on your hands and feet to both exfoliate and moisturize at the same time. You'll be left with the relaxing and sweet scent of vanilla and lavender. Treat yourself to a mini spa before bed and you'll sleep like a baby.

Wouldn't this be great to make for mother's day? I'm sharing the recipe and instructions on how to make the watercolor lids, head over at Whimseybox. If you're a regular reader of O + P, I'd appreciate you heading over there and leaving a little comment love. It would totally make my day. You guys are the best. I am so thankful for the folks that tune in to my little blog often. I am so blessed by your support.

Also if your are more of a fresh citrus scent lover, I also have an Orange Rosemary Salt Scrub recipe. And for the cooler months, you might also like my Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub recipe.

DIY Nautical Photo Booth

2013-04-22T09:52:00.001-07:00

Last week I had all kinds of nautical themed party ideas for you. Today I have a super easy DIY Nautical Photo Booth.

Here's the photo booth in action. This is my BFF and me posing, you may have seen this on my instagram.

I found this amazing ombre curtain panel at Target to use as the backdrop. I had actually considered dying fabric for an ombre effect, and then I stumbled upon this (it also comes in grey and coral). Hooray for saving time! My Dad cut out the speech bubbles for me and we attached them to paint stir sticks and painted them with black chalkboard paint. The little coral ombre flags I found at Paper Source. They were plain white and I added a little 3 toned coral paint job to them. The burlap bunting is something I made. I made my own bias tape using cute teal and white fabrics. I actually made them over a year ago and had planned to put them on my etsy shop, but just never got around to it. And the cute drift wood anchor was a Homegoods find.

I put this together for the Women's Retreat I helped out with a couple weeks ago. This little backdrop to no time at all to assemble and the ladies had a great time taking pictures with their friends. There really is no one without a smart phone these days, so there is no need for a fancy camera set up. Just allow your party and event attendees to take their own pictures. If you want to gather all the images at a later date, just come up with a hash tag for your event. Then when they instagram or tweet their images, you can find them later.

Don't you think it would be fun to put together a little themed photo booth for your next party? I'm going to making one for all my events from now on.

Pink Grapefruit Shortbread

2013-04-19T12:38:00.001-07:00

I've been eating a grapefruit everyday for the last couple of weeks. I can't get enough of their refreshing tart flavor. We don't have any more left on our tree, but I made friends with a neighbor by the kid's bus stop who has a loaded grapefruit tree. He gave me a huge box full and I've been enjoying them daily.

Earlier this week, I decided that I needed to come up with a grapefruit cookie recipe. So, using my London Fog Shortbread (earl grey tea and vanilla bean) recipe as a starting point, I came up with these pretty pink treats. To be honest, I wanted just a hint of pink, but I accidentally dumped way too much red food coloring into them. Oh well, they were still tasty.

Pink Grapefruit Shortbread
1 cup butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsp. grapefruit juice

zest of one grapefruit (save a little zest for the icing)\

a couple drops of red food coloring

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla grapefruit juice and zest. Add the flour and mix until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 mins. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Roll out the dough to a little less then 1/4" on a well floured surface. Cut out desired shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Chill the cut cookies for at least 20 mins. before baking. Bake the cookies for about 12 mins. or until the edges are just barely brown. Cool on wire racks.

For the icing, mix together the juice of half a grape fruit, a couple drops of red food coloring, a little zest and about a cup of icing sugar. Mix until smooth. Pour into a squeeze bottle and drizzle over cooled cookies.

These cookies freeze well in an air tight container.

Window Shopping - Sunglasses

2013-04-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year. Well, technically I can't live without sunglasses any day of the year. Because I'm a red head, I have the freckled fair skin and sensitive eyes that go along with it. Good sunglasses, that are comfortable, ideally have polarized lenses, and are stylish is what I'm on the hunt for.

Glasses.com has an amazing selection of fabulous glasses, sunglasses and even prescription sunglasses. They have free in-home try ons and also a virtual try on function. But, they also offer a 30 day return policy and free shipping both ways. So, there really is no risk. If you don't LOVE your new glasses, send them back and try another pair. When it comes to online shopping I appreciate this. I don't want to feel stuck with my purchase.

1 // 2 // 3

4 // 5

6 // 7 // 8

I've picked out glasses with similar shapes. I'm loving the vintage style, wayfarer shape and a frame with a little color and pattern. Is there a pair in this round up that has caught your eye.

Let's have a Nautical Themed Party

2013-04-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'm still having fun with this Nautical theme. When I was deciding on a theme for Olivia's 1st Birthday, it was between a Nautical theme and the Scooter theme that we went with. Oh, I'll find an excuse to have my nautical/beachy party, don't you worry. And now I have this party mood board to reference in the future.

DIY Anchor Tote // Photobooth // Anchor Cookie Cutter

DIY Wave Cups // Lifesaver Napkin Rings

Favor Bags // Fishing Line Wrapped Bottles // Aqua Chevron Treat Bags

I like this coral and teal/aqua color combo, it's a little ways from the traditional red and blue. It's feminine and soft, perfect for a little girl or a sweet baby shower. The little lifesavers tied to the napkins and party favors might be my favorite idea - so simple and clever.

And don't forget that I'm Ask a Crafty Person over at Whimseybox. So head over that way and ask your toughest DIY Dilemmas.

Lavender Sachet Favors

2013-04-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I shared a couple prints that I put together for our Church's Women's Retreat. Today I wanted to show you one of the fantastic favors we made for the event. We hand made 120 lavender sachet's for the attendees to put on their pillows their first night there. These are made just like my Lavender Sachet Business Cards (so head to that post for the full how-to instructions). I think they make a pretty great party favor as well.

I designed a yard of fabric with one of the theme verses for the weekend and then had it printed at Spoonflower. And I found a really cute grey and white anchor fabric to back the sachets in. I'm carrying one in my purse to give my a relaxing burst of scent when I'm digging for my keys or sunglasses. But, these would be great in your dresser drawers as well.

I'm a details person. I think parties and events are just that much better when all the tiny details have thought and meaning put into them. Wouldn't you like to receive this little treat as a favor?

Nautical Bible Verse Prints

2013-04-15T12:52:00.001-07:00

You may have noticed on my instagram last week, that I was in beautiful Cambria, CA. I was there on my Church's annual Women's Retreat. My BFF was in charge this year, so I served on her committee and put together all the print and web stuff for the event, set up a fun photobooth (which I'll share with you later this week), taught a craft night at the event and generally got to do lot's of creative, crafty stuff. The inspiration for the theme and color palette for the event came directly from the location. With beachy and nautical stuff so hot right now (I've be pinning it for quite awhile), it was an easy choice. So, we went with a pale teal blue and coral, so pretty, right? And the main symbol or icon that was repeated was the anchor.

I put together a couple printable verse prints for the event. I framed a couple and gave them away as gifts. But, I wanted to share these with all of you as well. The theme for the weekend was Truth. These are a couple of the verses from John that were used throughout the event.

You can download the file for the Anchor Print here and the Fish Print here.

For more printable bible verses, be sure to check out all my Monthly Memory Verses. They are all FREE! So print away friends.

Let's have a Circus Party

2013-04-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

I'm having fun with this circus party theme. Make sure you check out yesterday's recipe for Homemade Cracker Jacks, it's an inexpensive and delicious party favor. I've gathered up a few unique party decorations and favors to go with this playful theme. I love hunting out far-from-generic for parties.

Circus Photo Props // Big Top Favor Bags // Clown Cupcake Toppers

Birthday Badge // Ring of Fire Cupcake Topper

Vintage Style Peanut Bags // Animal Topped Candy Jars // Invites

Be sure to check out these creative bloggers and etsy sellers. They've got lot's of great circus party ideas.