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{ All Things Thursday Blog Hop #2 }

July 18, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: all things thursday blog hop, blog hop, blogging, crafts, diy, features, projects, recipes 2 Comments

Thank you for everyone who linked up to our first party last week and made it a success! And to those of you who are back, or here for the first time, we’re so glad you’re here! I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been up to this week! So much amazing creativity was shared last week, here’s a few I picked to feature!

Absolutely gorgeous kitchen makeover! I’m in love with every detail!

Barn Kitchen Tour from The Poor Sophisticate

What a neat idea for repurposing your wine bottles!

Wine Bottle Wicks from Glitter, Glue & Paint

Beautiful wreath perfect for Summer!

Seashell Wreath from Purple Hues and Me

And here’s what I’ve been up to this week:

1. 2.

Star Wars 7th Birthday Party

July 8, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: boy birthday, boy birthday party, crafts, diy, Pinterest, printables, r2d2, Star Wars, Star Wars birthday party, storm troopers 8 Comments

When it came time to start thinking about my son’s birthday, I asked him to pick a theme and a few main colors. He chose Star Wars as the theme and red, blue and green as the colors. With that crossed off my list, I started browsing the web for ideas (cuz this Mama knows nothing about Star Wars!).

With the theme and colors in mind, I went ahead and ordered my invitations! I went to TinyPrints and browsed their fantastic selection and narrowed it down to one that fit our theme perfectly!!

I didn’t go overboard with the party decor because we wanted to surprise Christian by renting a bounce house for the day, which eliminated a lot from the budget! I got a lot of things from Michaels dollar bins, Target dollar corner, Hobby Lobby and a few things I lucked out on at Old Navy! I made a tissue paper tassel banner which was quite time consuming but I loved the end result! My husband had the fabulous idea of turning an old Pepsi cooler into R2D2, so one evening we transformed it and were thrilled with how it turned out! I bought 3 pool noodles from the dollar store, cut them in half and used duct tape and electrical tape to create lightsabers. The boys loved these!!

Christian spent the night away from the house, so when he came home that afternoon, the party was in full swing, bounce house was up and his friends he hadn’t seen since school let out were awaiting his arrival. He was so excited I thought it was going to cry! That made it all worth it 🙂

Party Invitations: Tiny Prints
Storm trooper printables: Clean & Scentsible
Storm trooper ‘thank you’: Unable to find the original source for the printable.
Treat bags & ice cream cups: Spiral Sage
R2D2 and Darth Vader Piggie Banks: Old Navy

Our inspiration….

Our own r2d2!

Sharing this party on these fabulous blogs!

Red, White & Blue

June 24, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: 4th of July, burlap banner, crafts, diy, DIY flag, flag, fourth of july, garden flag, home decor, patriotic, patriotic decor, red white and blue 19 Comments

The older I get, the more I love to decorate for the 4th of July! I’m not sure if it’s the bright color combination, reason for celebrating or feeling it brings that makes it most special, but I love it! Last Friday I posted my weekly “Fab Pins of the Week”, which you can see here, all with 4th of July inspiration! Among my favorites was an adorable burlap bubble wreath with red white and blue ribbon. So I decided to give my burlap wreath a makeover, and something crazy happened… I got inspired for another project 😉

First I’ll show you how my burlap bubble wreath makeover went! The technique I used to update it was quite simple. I bought red and white striped ribbon, as well as, a beautiful bright blue from Jo Ann Fabrics. I grabbed 2 pipe cleaners I already had at home and cut them into about 2 inch pieces. To begin, I simply tucked the end of the red and white ribbon onto my wire form, left about 3 inches of ribbon vertically and secured with pipe cleaner. I continued until completed. I wouldn’t worry about fixing your burlap as you go, wait until the end to cover up the gaps, if necessary. Next, grab the blue ribbon and cut three lengths of ribbon in descending size (long, medium,small). Fold the length of the ribbon in half and tape into place. Layer the ribbon on top of eachother (again long, medium and small) and use floral wire to tighten the center. Grab a long piece from your extra blue ribbon and tie it into the middle of your bow, fishtail the ends, poke a small piece of floral wire to the back for attaching to the wreath, and voila!

I love how it turned out, it really makes our new black door POP!

And so now we’re onto the project I was pretty excited about sharing! I wanted to make my own garden flag for the stake in front of my house. While I was at Jo Ann’s picking up the ribbon for my wreath, I browsed the burlap (because everyone does that every time they’re at the craft store, right?!) and the silver polka-dotted burlap just had to come home with me! I got a half a yard, but that was more than enough. Once home, I grabbed a flag I already had to measure the size. I left about and inch on each side, as well as, the bottom. I left a good two inches on top since this would be the part that would be sliding onto the garden stake. With my sewing machine, I sewed the sides and bottom. I looped the top piece over and sewed the edge, make sure to leave that middle space open!! I took remaining ribbon from my wreath update, cut them at different lengths and sewed them together, then sewing them onto the middle of my burlap. For the finishing touch I fishtailed the ends of the ribbon!

I was quite happy with how it turned out and it looks beautiful blowing in the wind J

Sharing this project on these lovely blogs!

{ Kitchen Picture Update }

April 15, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: chalkboard, chalkboard paint, chalkboard pictures, crafts, diy, DIY crafts, diy project 16 Comments

Since buying our home last Spring, it’s like I want all new decor.. I’m not the only one this happens to right?! We put a good bit of money in our home fixing it up, so my budget for decor is slim to none! Instead of buying new stuff, I’m updating what I have! The pictures in todays project were a pair of pictures I bought when I first moved into my own place! I just wasn’t feeling those dreary old flowers anymore and I knew just what they needed… Chalkboard paint!!

First start by using painters tape to tape off the sides of the pictures. To apply the chalkboard paint, make sure you’re using a well ventilated space. Generously apply chalkboard paint in swiping motions (back and forth) until the entire piece is covered. Let dry. I recommend repeating this step at least three times for even coverage. Allowing the chalkboard paint enough time to dry, is very important!! Once fully dry, take a piece of chalk and lightly brush over the entire piece. This “activates” the chalkboard effect.

What I love most about these pictures is that I can change it up as often and I want! The chalkboard paint makes it super simple to customize for birthdays, holidays, grocery lists, and so much more!

After first coat!

In the process of drying!

Displayed the menu for a birthday celebration that weekend!

Sharing this project on these fabulous sites!

{ Silhouette Totes }

April 1, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: crafts, diy, DIY crafts, Easter, Easter crafts, silhouette, silhouette totes, totes 22 Comments

Every year I buy the kids Easter baskets, and every year I end up tossing it instead of re-using it (for one reason or another!). I love the thoughts of using something they can actually get some use out of, so that led me to my next creation, silhouette totes! I would use these in place of an Easter basket on Easter morning. These totes will be perfect to take in the car and fill with books, snacks, games, etc.; or even great as an over night bag!

Out of my scrap fabric, I gathered two pieces that would have enough space for me to sketch and cut out a boy and girl silhouette. I used khaki for Christian and pink for Isabella. I found an image on the computer and free- handed it onto the fabric. Cut out. I bought linen totes from Jo Ann’s, they come as a three pack. I used some fabric glue that I already had and put it on the back of the fabric and pushed into place. Using a pencil, I wrote their names and traced over it with a permanent marker. I attempted using craft paint on one bag and didn’t like how it was turning out, that’s why I opted for the marker. It didn’t give me the desired look I was going for, but it works for now!

I have to admit a little something to you guys.. I didn’t like the way the fabric glue looked when it dried, so I washed the totes hoping it would wash away.. Well it didn’t, it shrunk and made the bags all wrinkly! I ironed and dried them the best I could, but nothing seemed to work! Needless to say, I know these bags will get dirty since I’m intending on them to get used often so I will revamp the idea for next year!

Sharing this project on these fabulous blogs!

{ Valentines Washi Tape- PYP }

January 15, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: crafts, DIY crafts, Pick Your Plum, Valentines, washi tape Leave a Comment

So, have you used washi tape yet? If you haven’t you’re missing out… It’s the perfect way to dress up any gift wrapping, handmade cards, kids arts and crafts, canvases, you name it!

Well today is your lucky day! Pick Your Plum has the cutesest Valentines washi tape on sale, today only, though, so order now before it’s sold out!!

Create cute Valentines for the kids to take to school, add to personal Valentine notes.. so many possibilities!

Click HERE to order yours!!

Rejoice Banner

December 12, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: book pages, Christmas, Christmas Banner, Christmas Craft, crafts, diy, DIY crafts, glitter, home decor, Martha Stewart 25 Comments

So, I’ve made, yet, another project using book pages. You can view my Fall banner here and Wreath here. I just adore the way they look, and they’re so pretty to look at! This, of course, is my Christmas banner!

Here’s what you’re going to need:

unused book
twine, or any other material for hanging
marker
stencil
craft glue, paintbrush
glitter, and a pan of some sort (I’ll tell you why later!)
double sided tape
pine cones for added decor

Start out by ripping out your pages and cutting to desired size. Again, I fish-tailed the bottom of my pages. I wanted to use the word “REJOICE”, so I had 7 pages. I traced my letters using red permanent marker and my stencils. Once I was finished tracing, I used a thin paint brush to brush craft glue onto my stenciled letters. Grab a cake pan (or similar) to use to catch all of your loose glitter. This makes for a much smoother cleanup! I used a very fine Martha Stewart glitter in garnet. Apply a generous amount to each letter and let sit. After a few minutes of drying, shake off any excess glitter and set aside. Do this for each remaining letter. When I was completely done with all my letters, I used a heavy hold hairspray to keep the glitter in place. Now it’s time to add your pages to your twine! Fold over the top of your page about 1 inch and tape into place. I embellished mine with one pine cone on each end by simply hot gluing onto the twine. Let everything dry completely and hang!

This banner is truly eye-catching! The glitter shines beautifully throughout the day and especially in the background of the Christmas Tree lights at night! Hope you enjoy 🙂

Sharing this project on these fabulous sites!

{ Chalkboard Ornaments Pt. 2 }

December 4, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: chalkboard, chalkboard ornaments, Christmas, Christmas ornaments, crafts, DIY crafts, ornaments 32 Comments

The other day I was so excited to share this project with you guys, and please don’t get me wrong, I love them… But, I had a brilliant idea the other day, and I was so excited with how they turned out!

A few weeks back I had bought a 10 pack of Chalkboard cardstock from Hobby Lobby for $1.99. I was super excited to use these for parties, get togethers, etc. Then I decided to use them as ornaments! Want to know how?

Here’s what you’ll need:

chalkboard cardstock
bakers twine
hole punch
chalk pen
stamps!

With the cardstock already ready to use, grab your stamps and chalk pen. Simply color over the stamp with the chalk pen and press onto the cardstock! You can so easily personalize these ornaments with family member names, favorite Christmas quotes, Bible verses and so much more! I had a set of alphabet letters from Target Dollar Corner and also some stamps I bought from the dollar bins at Michaels too! Hole punch the top of the cardstock to thread you twine through and hang on the tree!

These are so adorable and SO simple!

Sharing this project on these fabulous sites!

Yarn Letters – JOY!

November 25, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: Christmas crafts, Christmas decor, crafts, diy, DIY crafts, home decor, Joy, paper mache letters 40 Comments

So, I thought I’d hop on the bandwagon with trying out the paper mache letters wrapped in yarn. I love the way they look and I knew they would look fantastic above my fireplace for Christmas! I chose the word “J O Y “, it’s short and sweet and there’s so much to be joyous for during the Christmas season! There are so many shades, texture and varieties of yarn. I went with a bright red yarn with specks of silver. I tend to decorate with red, white and silver for Christmas, so this would be perfect!

Here’s what you’re going to need for this project:

Paper mache letters of choice
Yarn, one spool should be enough (I had lots left over)
Scissors
Glue gun and glue

Since this was my first time doing this, I started with my “O” so I could get the hang of things without having to pull out any tricks.. I cut off about 2 feet on yarn to start with and glued one end to the back of my letter and began wrapping. I chose to leave some spacing in between mine so you could see the brown color of the paper mache. I like how it looked 🙂 I continued doing my letter in small sections, gluing as I went along until the entire letter was complete! Next I did the letter “Y”. This is where a little experience would come into play… I began with the shorter, top sections of the letter first. Then, I went to the middle, placing a small glue dot on the front and pressing to hold the yarn into place. Continue for as long as needed, wrap the bottom and glue. So, as I was saying about experience… I should have started by cutting small pieces of yarn for the “tops” for several rows of the “Y” and gluing into place. This would of given it a more completed look. I quickly learned my lesson, and did this with my remaining letter, “J”. It takes an extra minute, or two but really makes a world of difference.

And there you have it, adorable, personalized letters perfect for your mantle!

Sharing this project on these lovely sites!

Thanksgiving Crafts

November 10, 2012 by Fotini Filed Under: crafts, diy, holiday crafts, holidays, kids crafts, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving crafts 15 Comments

I have just been itching to start decorating for Christmas, but instead I’m embracing the important Holiday before Christmas, Thanksgiving! Let’s not forget about it people, it depicts a very important message to our children about being thankful and spending time with family!

Enjoy spending time with your little ones and spark their creativity…Here’s a few adorable crafts to make with them!!

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