Our Pinteresting Family

Patriotic Mantel

2013-05-23T07:22:00.000-04:00

I had not really done much with the mantel since Easter and decided it needed a sprucing up. I took my Cupcake Liner Wreath and hung it in place. Then I went through stuff I already had to add to the mantel.

I put together an empty white frame, a leftover cardboard star and two paper favor bags to create a little piece of artwork. It was quick and easy. I think I'm going to look at paper favor bags in a whole new way now. I always seem to have a couple extra after each party. I also added a cute little lantern from Ikea with it on the mantel. It has little star cut outs in it, and so I thought it fit perfectly.

Using the paper cones from my various mantels before I wrapped them with some remaining cupcake liners. Then I placed them on top of tea light stands from the Dollar Tree. I also wrapped some jute twine around a Dollar Tree vase and adhered simple metallic stars to it, and you can see that with the trees in the first picture.

This mantel will surely last me through the beginning of July since there are so many patriotic holidays coming up. Thanks so much for stopping by here today. I hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend.

New Paint Color

2013-05-21T07:16:00.001-04:00

First of all I'd like to say that my thoughts are with those affected by the storms in Oklahoma. It is such an unthinkable tragedy and my heart is breaking for them all.

In the midst of our kitchen redo we have taken on yet another project. We had never painted the guest room in our home because the color the previous owners left worked fine for us. They did paint the ceiling the same color as the walls and with one window it always felt dark in the room. With some tips from Cyndy from The Creativity Exchange we decided to try out Sherwin Williams paint in Repose Gray. We also grabbed some white ceiling paint to get that done as well.

This 14 x 12 room only required a half of a gallon and it covered perfectly. We had not previously used SW paint, but I see us using it a lot in the future. What a great product!

It is a small change but it really brightens up the space quite a bit. This room will be seeing some major changes in the coming weeks, so be sure to stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by!

Closet Organization and Lucketts

2013-05-20T07:34:00.003-04:00

I am in the process of organizing a closet that we have really never used. I purchased some baskets in various sizes from Lowe's. I found they had the best deal for the size of what I was getting. The largest basket I purchased was around $9. I purchased three large and six medium sized baskets. I would have purchased more but I bought all that they had.

A few weeks ago I purchased this small wooden plaque from Michaels. I did not have a plan for it, but decided to use it to label my baskets. This means I will be heading to Michaels soon to buy plenty more. I painted it with some leftover paint from a previous project. After it was dry I added some vinyl lettering and attached it to the basket with some jute twine.

Now, I only have to make about 11 more for the rest of the baskets I'll need in the closet.

It is certainly a start towards keeping things organized, and especially for sheets which never seem to stay on a shelf very long.

On another note, yesterday we went to Lucketts, VA for the Lucketts Market. I took a few pictures on my phone. I did get to meet up with some of the Hometalk ladies for a little bit as well. That was very cool! I also was able to get Marian from Miss Mustard Seed to sign a copy of her book for me. She was so very sweet. This year we were in and out pretty quickly with Wynn tagging along, but we did get a lot of ideas and saw a lot of wonderful furniture pieces.

Wynn loved the popcorn and thought that the port-o-pots were beautiful. That was her first experience seeing one and she loved them. The people walking by listening to her yell "these are so beautiful and just my size, Mommy" certainly got a kick out of that one.

Wynn insisted that we buy this to wash our dogs in. Unfortunately I don't think it would hold 175 lbs worth of pups.

I really loved all the goodies that you could find everywhere you looked.

These stools from Ekster Antiques were so pretty!

Wynn really wanted one of these metal W's. I think that she has quite a few w's already.

Hope you have a great one!

Kitchen Progress

2013-05-14T07:11:00.001-04:00

It may seem that our kitchen project is taking a long time, and there are a few reasons why that is true. The first being that we both work full time jobs and secondly we have our sweet Wynn to entertain when we are home. The fact that we didn't really lose any function to it when we tore many of the pieces out means that we do not have to rush.

He completely built this himself to mimic and inspiration photo I had found. The bottom right door is where my mixer is being housed. We plan on adding some bin pulls to it to resemble two drawers. The bottom left may become two drawers, but he is still up in the air with that.

The middle will remain open and an additional shelf will be placed near the top. We thought about making that a cabinet too, but decided against it so that it would not be too dark. There are three shelves in the larger cabinets.

The cost for this section was around $150. There was about $50 spent just on hinges that are hidden inside the cabinets. Then the pulls were around $30. All other materials wood and paint was around $70. We hope to add molding at the top and put the back splash behind the open shelving.

If you had not seen or had forgotten here was the before of the same space in our kitchen. It has definitely gotten a lot of love recently. That is for sure. Thanks for stopping by!

Patriotic Cupcake Liner Wreath

2013-05-13T07:27:00.000-04:00

This coffee filter wreath is the wreath that keeps on giving. I first created the wreath for a spring and summer design.

Coffee Filter Wreath 1

I removed the embellishments and created a Valentine Wreath with some simple hearts added instead.

Coffee Filter Wreath 2

This is the next version I have created. I figured that this wreath could go from Memorial Day to July 4th. I had some cupcake liners that I bought for less than a dollar at Jo-Ann Fabrics last summer. I added the the liners by wrapping them every few inches around the wreath.

I still have plenty of liners leftover in the package to actually use for cupcakes. I had some leftover star decorations from the Dollar Tree and I attached those where the hearts and previous fabric flowers were placed. Thanks for stopping by!

Pottery Barn Kids Life Preserver Knock Off

2013-05-09T08:12:00.000-04:00

Once again I am back with another Pottery Barn Kids knock off. With an upcoming nautical themed bridal shower in the works I was able to find many decorative ideas in the catalog. The Pottery Barn version goes for $69 and an additional fee may be paid to personalize the life preserver.

Source

I thought about what I could use in order to create a knock off, and decided to head to the Dollar Tree. I bought an inner tube in a shade of blue for you guessed it one dollar. Then I took some scrap fabric and frayed the edges of it. I wrapped four strips around the tube to resemble the PBK version.

Here is the finished knock off:

Not bad for a $1! I am going to make a few more for the party, and also personalize one with the bride and grooms initials. But, I wanted to keep that part as a surprise. Thank you for stopping by!

Wedding Chair Signs

2013-05-08T08:24:00.000-04:00

Before I begin let me say Happy Birthday to Rob! We are finally the same age again since I'm three months older.

I made a set of signs for my friend's wedding chairs. I had seen so many ideas on Etsy and Pinterest and thought I would make some for her. I had these plywood banner from Hobby Lobby which were $1.60 a piece.

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I painted them white and added some wrapping paper to the center of the plywood banner with some Mod Podge. The wrapping paper came from where else the Target dollar spot.

I added a Mr. and Mrs. to each that I cut from some Silhouette vinyl. Then I added some lace at the bottom and jute ribbon to have it hang from the chair. Thank you for stopping by!

Lantern Gift for Mother's Day

2013-05-06T07:17:00.001-04:00

If you know me you probably know I enjoy giving gifts in something other than wrapping paper or a gift bag. When I saw this lantern at Marshalls I knew it could house a gift idea inside. Instead of the traditional candle I enclosed some Maryland related goodies. I added an anchor that I cut from my Silhouette to the back panel of glass. The best part is that this is easily removable if the anchor does not fit a particular decor.

I cut out several crab shapes on the Silhouette and added them to wooden crab knockers, a jar of Old Bay seasoning, and an envelope that has a gift card to a local restaurant where the my mother-in-law can pick up a bushel of crabs.

Here it is all packed up and ready to head to go. I hope that my mother in law enjoys the gift. I know that I am in the mood for some crabs sometime soon. It certainly is one of the best warm weather activities I look forward to taking part in.

Thank you for stopping by!

Pottery Barn Kids Knock Off Mermaid Sign

2013-05-03T08:11:00.002-04:00

I really got inspired when I received the most recent Pottery Barn Kids magazine. There are some things that I do end up buying from there (usually on sale), but I do like to create some of the adorable kids decorations or items that they have to offer. I made this mermaid sign for Wynn's room with a wooden plaque from Michaels, some white vinyl adhesive, turquoise paint from a previous project and my Silhoutte machine.

I painted over the plaque that was around $6 if I can remember correctly. I went through the images I had previously purchased through Silhouette and picked out an arrow and starfish for the sign. I typed up the wording and cut everything out on a pretty small piece of vinyl, and there was not a lot of waste. The plaque is approximately 12 inches by 6 inches.

Here is the piece from PBK that runs about $29 plus s/h. I like how their sign has individual boards glued together, but I was in a time crunch and I already had the wooden plaque in my basement. That way I did not have to purchase something new.

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My version was around $8 dollars compared to the $29. I am hoping to put this is in Wynn's room as I change up the decor in there a little bit. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Pinterest Power Party

2013-05-02T07:11:00.000-04:00

I'm guest hosting today at the Pinterest Power Party! Please link up something you'd like to have pinned.

Hey friends! It's time for our weekly Pinterest Power Party!

GUESS WHAT!? We've created a Pinterest board for the weekly Pinterest Power Party! Be sure to follow our board here to see which links are featured or just catch our eye each week!

This party is to focus on YOU - the readers! Do you have a DIY project, frugal gift idea, or delicious recipe you want to share? Well, we want to see them and share them on our Pinterest boards too!!

So, you're asking...

How do I participate? Easy!

Be a Pinterest Follower of the three hosts as well as our co-hosts!

Heather @ Living on Love and Cents: Pinterest | Blog

Chrissy @ The Taylor House: Pinterest | Blog

Danielle @ Sew Much Crafting: Pinterest | Blog

Deanna @ Gloriously Made: Pinterest | Blog

Megan @ Our Pinteresting Family: Pinterest | Blog

Let's party!! Help us spread the word by grabbing the above button and putting it on your blog! You may link up your favorite projects, tips, recipes, and ideas! Please pin the two links before yours {and any others you like too!!}.

But wait, there's more!! Be sure to stop by next week and see if your link was featured! If you're featured, grab a button and wear it proudly on your blog!

Would you like to co-host with us? We have openings in some of our upcoming parties for people who would like to join us! Just send an email to Chrissy {cmaetaylor@yahoo.com} to find out which dates are available!

Are you ready to party and get your pin on?

Here are the features from last week!

{1} An Organized Freezer from de Jong Dream House

{2} Cinnamon Crunch Bagels from Half Baked Harvest

{3} How to Freeze Strawberries from Turnips to Tangerines

{4} Mickey Mouse Oreos from Busy Mom's Helper

{5} DIY Sofa Table from Let's Get Crafty

{6} Repurposed Can Herb Planters from Cozy Country Living

{7} Lemon Raspberry Phyllo Tarts from Lemon Tree Dwelling

{8} Upcycled Thrifted Lamp from The Happy Housie

Washi Tape Tray

2013-04-30T08:39:00.000-04:00

I found some super cute washi tape on clearance at Michaels a few months back. I sometimes am at a loss for what to actually do for it even with all those inspiring projects that have been shared out there. I picked up a plain plastic plate at Target and then simply laid the tape across it to create a tray for my succulents I picked up at Lowe's.

I was going to attempt to plant my own, but on the day I went to Lowe's they only had ones that were already planted in bowls. I am going to head to the Do-It-Herself class offered at Home Depot in May on planting succulents. It's free so you cannot beat that. My friend Jocie from One Project Closer is actually teaching the class offered at the Ellicott City, Maryland location if you are in that area. Here is the link for the workshop - Home Depot Workshops.

Hopefully heading to this workshop will allow me to keep this little planter alive a little longer. I am definitely not known for having a green thumb at all. Enjoy your week!

Mother's Day Frame

2013-04-29T08:30:00.000-04:00

Michaels is always coming out with new wooden shapes. I found a wooden frame with a pretty shape and put it in my craft stash. I pulled it out on Saturday when my friend came over to do some crafting with me. I also grabbed some paper flowers, buttons and ribbon that I had gotten previously in Michaels' dollar section as well.

Using some leftover black paint I painted the frame, and then layered some of the ribbon and flowers on. You may be wondering why I chose black for Mother's Day. I mean it's spring time and I should have bright colors on my mind. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to show you the picture I plan on placing in it, which suits the black and white colors in the frame.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Hoppin' You Have A Great Birthday

2013-04-25T07:18:00.000-04:00

I know a little guy that is about to turn one. I wanted to come up with a cute gift for him, and when I saw this little frog Easter basket at Walgreen's on clearance it gave me an idea. The basket was $1.00, and that is definitely an inexpensive gift bag.

I kept up with the frog theme by adding a frog bath book from Amazon.. I found a t-shirt at Target and decided I would just add a small frog to the pocket using my Silhouette.

Using the flocked heat transfer paper in green I cut out a frog image.. It was only about two inches by one inch so it was a quick process. Then I simply took out the negative space and ironed it on the shirt.

Here's hoppin' that the little guy likes his gift. Thanks for stopping by!

Thumbtack Anchor

2013-04-23T07:09:00.000-04:00

The nautical bridal shower that I'm planning with my friends is going to have a navy and pink color scheme. I was eager to come up with some decorations for the party. I headed to my craft stash, and pulled out some thumbtacks and a 12 by 12 canvas. The thumbtacks are from the Dollar Tree, which is the best place to buy them cost wise in my opinion. I used one box of tacks for this project.

I arranged the thumbtacks in an anchor shape. Then I used some blue and pink paint to create some stripes along the sides to match the shower color scheme by taping it out with Frog Tape. I just eyeballed the measurements of the stripes as I went.

I'm excited to make a few more projects for this shower. It's going to be so beautiful because the friends that are working on it always are so creative. Thanks for checking this project idea out.

PBK Inspired Buckets

2013-04-22T07:02:00.000-04:00

I saw some adorable buckets in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog a few weeks ago.

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At Michaels I saw these little buckets and thought that they looked pretty similar to the PBK version. These buckets are significantly smaller than the PBK version, which is why they were only $3.

I had bought a file from the Silhouette Studio online store called sea life that included four images for .99. I used one sheet of 12 by 12 adhesive vinyl and cut out the dolphins, sea horses and fish.

I am planning on using these for a bridal shower that I am helping to plan. It is a nautical/ocean themed party. These buckets can be used for so many purposes, and after the shower Wynn can use them in her playroom to organize her craft supplies. Enjoy your day!

Bridal Shower Gift Idea

2013-04-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

Another project done using my Silhouette machine and another gift idea. My college roommate is getting married in a few months. This was one of the first projects I tried using my machine. I had a 12 by 12 sheet of brown vinyl and made the largest starfish I could. I painted a 12 by 12 canvas with some blue paint I had. Our bridesmaid dressers are turquoise so I figured I could not go wrong with this color.

I folded the starfish over the edges of the canvas to make it look a little more interesting instead of it just centered on the canvas. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Gift Bag Wall Decor

2013-04-15T07:39:00.002-04:00

I've decided to change up Wynn's room a little bit. She just turned three and she keeps asking for a big girl room. Whatever that means to a three year old. :) I am going to attempt to incorporate the colors of aqua and coral in her room. After I made that decision I found the cutest gift bag at Target last week. I decided to make some simple wall art with it. The bag was a few dollars. Then I found a great deal on a 11" by 14" frame at Home Goods for about $10.

I simply used one side of the bag and placed it in the frame. I left the ribbon in place so there were no holes in the bag showing. I am hoping to incorporate this into some sort of gallery wall in her room. I think I'm going to be on the look out for some larger gift bags to use for future projects.

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Moroccan Inspired Wall Art

2013-04-10T07:34:00.000-04:00

I had recently purchased some contact paper at Marshalls. I did not really have a plan for it but I figured that I could do something with it eventually.I decided that it would look good on a canvas with an image I had downloaded from the Silhouette online store.

I simply wrapped the canvas in the contact paper and then added the vinyl adhesive to it. I plan on using this as part of a gift for a friend who likes this style.

The two rolls of contact paper was about $5 and the canvas was leftover from a previous project. I have also gotten the same contact paper in turquoise as well from Marshalls. They always seem to have fun designs there to choose from.

Thanks for stopping by!

Buckets of Fun

2013-04-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

The weather is warming up which means we will be spending time in the sandbox and water table very soon. I wanted to get Wynn and a little friend some new toys for their activities outside this year. I bought some items from the Dollar Tree and Target dollar spot to fill up some buckets. Everything I bought was a $1 or under. I used my silhouette machine to cut out some shapes to add a little something to all the empty space on some of these toys.

Everything fit pretty nicely into the buckets too!

Here is the other bucket that I put together:

It cost approximately $5 per bucket to fill it up. I think they are so cute and I know the kiddos will get a lot of use out of these toys.

Personalized Cork Board

2013-04-04T10:37:00.000-04:00

I picked up a magnetic cork board at Jo-Ann's last week for around $8 with my coupon. I wasn't sure what I was going to exactly do with it. But, I had never seen one before. I am probably just out of the loop there.

Then I figured I would make this for my friend for a just because gift. I took the magnets that came with the cork board and added some burlap rosettes I made. I took the piece of burlap I removed when cutting it and adhered it to the top. Then I cut out some small pennant shapes from a fabric piece I had lying around. I knew she would like the olive green color because she chose that as a paint color in her home.

I cut out a "B" on my Silhouette and placed it on the board along with the rosettes. I also added a strip of lace along the bottom of the board. I was happy with how this turned out. The total cost was around $8.00, because I already had the other materials in my craft stash.

My friend really liked it and I was happy to make it for her. I'm running out of wall space in my house or I would make another cork board for me!

Thanks for stopping by!

Easter Egg Hunt

2013-04-03T08:15:00.000-04:00

With so many of our close friends with children our daughter's age I thought to host an egg hunt. It seems like the weather warming up will be a good reason to get the kids together outside. I shared the little bags I made a few weeks back, but I did not have a chance to share what I put in them. I filled them with fuzzy bunny ears, a Easter book and a small little craft kit. All of these items were in the Dollar Store or the dollar section on either Target of Joann's.

I saw inspiration for these doughnut bunnies in a lot of different places. I created some ears from scrapbook paper I already had and glued them to toothpicks. Other food I served was simple fruit salad and some already made mini quiches. Nothing too fancy and it took nothing to set up and clean up.

All of the kiddos did great and many of them experienced their first egg hunt. The weather also cooperated, which made things even better! Here a picture of the little set up before I added all the food. I was having too much fun later to remember to take a photo of it all.

Thanks for stopping by!

Beverage Tub Gift

2013-04-01T07:26:00.000-04:00

I found this white beverage tub on for a great price at HomeGoods. I have a friend getting married soon and I always try and give presents in usable containers. I cut out a crab and their last name on my Silhouette Cameo and easily adhered it to the tub. Being that we live in Maryland I thought crabs were the most appropriate choice for it and they are having a nautical themed wedding.

I plan on filling the tub with some goodies from their registry for the rest of their bridal shower gift. I have a few items already, but I do not want to ruin the surprise for the bride to be. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I plan on posting some pictures from our Easter egg hunt tomorrow.

Lunch Club Recipes

2013-03-27T16:40:00.002-04:00

The past two weeks of lunch club at our office have been delicious. Rachel made this delicious grilled cheese recipe from the blog Grilled Cheese Social. Click on the link below the image to get the recipe for yourself. I personally love anything with buffalo chicken in it and this was no exception. She brought in her Foreman grill and it was easy to make quickly.

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Sandwich

This week was my week to make lunch. I decided to try out a soup recipe in my crock pot. It's been warming up a little bit here in Maryland, but since our office is practically an igloo I figured we would need the warm up at lunch. I chose a recipe from The Crockin' Girls. I also think I may have found one of my new favorite go to recipe sites. There are so many delicious ideas on their page.

Baked Potato Soup

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!

Bucket of Bubbles

2013-03-26T07:56:00.000-04:00

I made these cute little Easter bucket gifts the other night. I cut out some vinyl bunnies on my silhouette machine. Then instead of candy I added some colored bubbles and bubble wands. The bubbles came in one large set and I got them on clearance at Target last year for $2. The buckets were from Target too, so I spent a total of $4 on these two little gifts. I also just wrote their names on the vinyl that way I wouldn't need a gift tag too.

Thankfully it seems all that snow we had yesterday is melting rather quickly. Hopefully our little egg hunt will be without snow on the ground this weekend.

Kitchen Progress

2013-03-25T07:02:00.000-04:00

Progress has been made on the kitchen! With weeks of not so nice weather and even several inches of snow falling today we have had some trouble finding time to cut the counters. On Saturday, Rob was able to get the counters cut because it was a bit warmer and our sink had finally been delivered.

I chose this black granite composite sink for the kitchen. I could not find one in stock at Lowe's or Home Depot, but I found a similar one on Amazon. Rob was able to get installed with only a few hiccups. It may have taken a while longer than he had anticipated, but he also had to change out some plumbing because our previous sink was significantly smaller.

Amazon

I picked up the Moen Annabelle faucet in a brushed nickel finish at Lowe's. I had gotten a $10 off coupon recently, so I was able to apply it to this purchase. After choosing the faucet I headed over to the display center to see if they had any granite composite sinks to check out. I found that the one on display had the exact faucet I chose installed at the display kitchen. I figured it had to be a good choice then.

Lowe's

Next up determining what to do with our back splash. We are still a little up in the air with that decision. The cost breakdown for these additions were approximately $750.00. The faucet was $200, the sink was $195 and the counters at Ikea were $350. We are very happy with all of these choices so far. Wynn has been enjoying playing in the sink and "washing" dishes.

Thanks for stopping by!