Creative Outpour

Short Tent Update

2011-12-26T22:29:00.003-06:00

I decided to model Katie's play tent after this one:

These picture our from a tent made by her a woman who blogs from Norway. Her blog is called Mali-Mo. I cam across her blog on Pinterest and translated it with Google Translate. I really enjoyed the whole thing. Precious mom. She made this for her daughter and I thought it was the best one I've seen.

I'm almost done with mine. Here's a sneak peak:

Katie crib mobile used inside her play tent.

I will add more pictures later when she's a little more completed. Until then, Have a happy year end!

xoxo

Play Tents

2011-12-15T12:39:00.000-06:00

...seriously cool.

Tent from the movie The Holiday

Ever since I saw the movie The Holiday with Jude Law & Cameron Diaz sitting under that precious play tent with his daughters, I've wanted to make one for my daughter!

Dreamy, right?

So, sometime between now and Christmas Day my husband and I are going to attempt to make our daughter a play tent; probably this weekend. Maybe something like this that attaches to the ceiling:

2 Little Hooligans

Living with Punks

Or maybe even one like this. It uses a card table as its base:

Old Days Old Ways

This is another fun idea, but wouldn't work for us in our set up:

Ohdeedoh (Kim Rakes)

Love the pockets in this tent:

Vogel Joy

We are leaning toward making a PVC frame, so we don't have to attach the tent to the wall.

Angry Julie Monday

Too ambitious?

We'll let you know how it goes!!

A Few Projects

2011-12-09T13:09:00.001-06:00

Lately I have been busy with these two cuties. I love my life. Such joyful days with them.

Not much time for craftin'. Though I have found time for a few projects:

Tie Onsie

Skinny Diaper Cake

Not so skinny diaper cake

Cupcake stand

Baby tutu

Tutu Dress/Fairy Costume

Back

My precious Kate. Love that girl!

I'm beginning to find more time to be creative without compromising my time with them. I'm also enjoying introducing Katie to things she can do to be creative, too.

I believe that when we're creative, we glorify God who is the Creator of all things and made us this way for that end!

*If you have any questions about any of these projects or would like me to post a tutorial, let me know

Celebrating JESUS at Christmas

2011-11-29T16:54:00.002-06:00

I have two small children. This is the first year my daughter (2 1/2) is able to start to understand some about the meaning of Christmas. I am so excited to have the chance to introduce her, and later my son, to the reason our family celebrates Christmas; it is the day we celebrate the birth of our LORD Jesus Christ. Here are some ways I am trying to incorporate what I'm teaching her into our decorations this year:

Here are two Christmas printables that you can use to display in your home. I have them above my mantle:

Free Printable can be found here.

Actually found this at Wal-Mart a few years back!

Star the wise men followed. Made this from this tutorial.

Free printable can be found here:

So thankful to know Him and to have something worth celebrating. I was lost and now I am found. I was blind and now I see. Praise His holy Name!

Rising from the Dead?

2011-07-28T10:42:00.002-05:00

So, it has been a LONG time since our last post. My sister posted just after my son,

JACKSON DAVID was born:

He started his first couple of weeks in the NICU, but is just over 3 months now & doing great. Praise the LORD!

We have since moved to a new home & have for the most part unpacked; pictures to come.

You can now get used to hearing from us again on a fairly regular basis. We (I) have missed you!

Here's one more pic to leave you with:

This is my daughter Katie feeding Jackson.

Hope you feel blessed to the point of overflow--as I do.

Get those creative juices flowing!!

2011-04-23T12:30:00.014-05:00

Hello Hello!

It has been a while since I last blogged. Lots of changes lately and I had to get reorganized into a new place. Now that the crafts and fabrics are all organized I am ready to start a new project! My sister had her baby boy, Jackson last week!! Yay!!1 He is so adorable! So now it is time for me to start the quilt for him. I bought the fabric in December....slacking BIG time! When needing inspiration I browse through www.Etsy.com Let me share some things today that are getting my creative juices flowing.........<3

This lacy Tiara Ring is by www.etsy.com/shop/bcm999

It is just gorgeous and has gold and silver fused together with a photo etched pattern. $270

Vintage Bloom graphics $48 www.etsy.com/shop/byrdiegraphocs

Vera Rose pearl & ribbon necklace $39.50 www.etsy.com/shop/twillypop

Paris on Yellow! A collection of 9 5x5 photos $45 www.etsy.com/shop/littlebrownpen

Nine 1/2 yard bundles for $40 Haven;s Edge print by Nina Givens www.etsy.com/shop/poppyseedfabrics

More from Poppyseedfabrics........fun black/white/red collection

This sweet Emma Pillowcase dress $25 Custom to any size you need! www.etsy.com/shop/thetrendybaby

Funky metal cuff bracelet for $48 www.etsy.com/shop/mixedmetalmimi

Personalized stamped sterling silver jewelry $36 www.etsy.com/shop/hiphophippos

Teal Hobo in this gorgeous Anna Maria Horner fabric called Shadow in teal $38 www.etsy.com/shop/tanniecasey

And my FAVORITE--this vintage scarf quilt!!! Freakin fabulous!!!! www.etsy.com/shop/ouno

God is Funny

2011-03-11T09:16:00.000-06:00

Let me first apologize for being a LOSER blogger lately. Have not posted in forever. Did I mention that I am 36 weeks pregnant & have a toddler? Not to mention the other thing I'm blogging about today:

So, since we are pregnant with baby #2 and have no extra bedroom to put him in, we started thinking about moving to a new house. Recently my husband had talked to the loan department at the bank he works for and they gave us the bad news on house prices right now (for the seller). We would be lucky to pay off our loan if we sold our house. So, I started to settle into the idea of feeling content and making it work in our tiny little house. Thus:

I was coming up with all these great ideas for getting rid of things and making smarter storage in our home. I was really starting to feel like, this could work--for now. Apparently that is the place where God wanted me to get before He moved us on to something more. Someone wants to buy our home and we have been given a GREAT down payment from our families!!! We had no idea this was going to happen and are overwhelmed with their love, and God's provision.

Right now, we are looking at houses and working on finalizing the sale of our house. Most likely I will be packing up our whole house with a toddler and a newborn, but you know what? I don't care at all because I am so thankful for His work on our behalf and for our lovely family.

We appreciate your prayers for us while we try to decide where to live and just go through the whole process. If you've been there, then you know what all is involved : )

Thanks for hanging in there with our blog through the next two months while we have a lot going on around here!

Have a lovely weekend!!! xoxxo

Ten Blogs You Should Check Out

2011-02-28T15:59:00.000-06:00

1) If you like to decorate with teal, robin's egg blue, aqua, sky blue, seafoam green & ocean blue, you'll LOVE House of Turquoise.

Sneak peek:

2) If your design style is more "beachy," you should check out A Beach Cottage-Life by the Sea.

Sneak peek:

3) The blog of Interior Designer, Janell Beals, Isabella & Max Rooms.

Sneak peek:

4) The blog of interior designer, Marianne Strong, Haven & Home.

Sneak peek:

5) Blog of Nicole Balch, Making it Lovely. She's amazing! Her blog was named one of the 50 World's Best Design Blogs by the London Times Online. She also has a stationery biz called, Pink Loves Brown. You can find all sorts of goodies on her blog. Interior design, fashion, precious kiddo photos, & whatever renovation project she is currently working on in her home. Check her out : )

Sneak peek:

6) Moth Design. Inspiration!

This picture makes me excited for Spring!!

7) Blog for Rachel Halvorson Designs, Nest Egg. She's an interior design in Nashville, TN. She says that her blog, "is a way of sharing pretty (and practical) ideas for your home."

Sneak peek:

8) Tatertots & Jello. Blog of Jennifer Hadfield. Her projects have been featured in Romantic Homes, Apartment Therapy, & Tip Junkie (to name a few). You will get so many great ideas!

tip

Sneak peek:

9) Good Times Never Seem Sew Good. Blog of Caroline Hughes. She also the crafty chica behind the Etsy store, Cotton Lane. She is very fun & is always coming up with new ideas. She makes me smile & think she has yet to beat me at Words with Friends. ; )

Sneak peek:

10) Sand & Sisal. Kim is the sister to Beth at The Stories of A to Z. These ladies really know how to inspire and actually follow through with their inspirations and create. They are big DIYers. Watch them for ideas!

Sneak peek:

She also has lots of great recipes on her blog too!

Well, I hope you thoroughly enjoy getting to know these ladies & their blogs. Leave them a comment when you visit & let them know Jacqueline with Creative Outpour sent ya!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

x o x o x o

Before/After Painted Brick Fireplace

2011-02-19T11:27:00.007-06:00

As some of you may have read, I have been dreaming of painting my ugly fireplace for about a year now and have done tons of research on what I wanted it to look like. I found something that I thought I was going to copy, but when it came down to it, I preferred the clean white look instead of a faux finish. I did actually faux a little on the brick but after seeing it I decided I wanted white. I'm not always a fan of painting brick, only when it's especially ugly do I think it's a great idea. Also, before you decided to paint yours, really think about what you are doing. It's permanent. :)

Here is the BEFORE, in case you don't remember or are new to the blog:

We used a thick roller to put the coats of paint on, brick soaks in paint so several layers are necessary. Since the grout was pretty far back, we had to use paint brushes to really get the paint in there. We bought a pack of cheap paint brushes because the roughness of the grout will ruin any type of brush. We underestimated the time it took by almost a day so be sure you set aside enough time if you choose to do this!! ha ha!

I wasn't really ready to post after pictures, but I figure I can do another follow up post on the mantle once it's really decorated. I can't decide what it needs and want to do some more searching until I find the perfect decorations for us. I'm also going to be sewing some cushions (perhaps burlap?) to give additional seating at the fireplace and some matching pillows for my couch. I'm such a plain Jane so I'm going to try and branch out some with bright, vivid colors for spring and summer! So, here it is, the AFTER:

Happy Valentines Day!! Lots of Handmade Discounts today!

2011-02-14T11:00:00.001-06:00

Valentine's Day discounts straight from Twitter!!

1) K Davis Creates: "Use code: LOVEME for 15% off your purchases...FREE Shipping! for today only!" http://www.etsy.com/shop/kdaviscreates

2) Much Love Illy: "Because I heart you, use coupon code VDAY2011 for 20% off of your entire order at the shop today!!" h ttp://www.muchloveilly.etsy.com

3) Sandy a la Mode: "A Valentine's Day weekend recap with happy mail, macro photography, and 25% off my shop with code IHEARTYOU!!"

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sandyalamode

4) Craftee McGee: "Buy yourself something pretty! or get a last minute gift certificate! use coupon code FEB14 for 14% off all day!!! <3"

http://etsy.me/dWlzBY

5) Aisle to Aloha: "Happy Valentine's Day! Treat yourself to something beautiful! Take 20% off with the coupon code IHEARTYOU at checkout!"

http://etsy.me/ba9yqb

6) Oh Sweet Joy: "Use code loveneverfails for 10% off today. My gift to you :)"

http://www.ohsweetjoy.bigcartel.com

7) Tara Made It: Use code, ' VDAY20' for 20% off.

http://t.co/4oPQpTE http://t.co/l6FKSmd

8) Letter Happy: "One day only! use the code 'happylove' in my shop and receive 10% off your entire order!" http://letterhappy.etsy.com

9) Josiah's Nest: "15% off in my shop! code: VALENTINE"

http://josiahsnest.bigcartel.com

Happy Shopping Lovelies!

x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o x o

True Love:

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Jn. 3:16

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?....No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else is all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:35, 37-39

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with His love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph 3:17

Life in 1,082 Sq Ft: Breakthrough

2011-02-08T19:06:00.000-06:00

Ok, I just want to say I've decided not to put my craft room in my closet anymore. Today, my husband was home from work (and watching my daughter), so I was able to make some serious headway with with this project. Pics to come soon!!!

Valentine Craftin'

2011-02-04T18:19:00.000-06:00

Remember Kanya's post about making a Valentine Wreath?

One of our readers, Tammy Justice, made one of her own!!

Pretty dang cute!! oxoxo

Stylish Blogger Award??

2011-02-04T16:43:00.001-06:00

This week I've been trying to make an effort to post something every day. Even if it's something little. Just to keep the content flowing, ya know? However, today I hadn't got around to it & noticed I just got a sweet comment from one of the followers of our blog. Her name is Amelia and her blog is called Savory & Sweet. She said,

"You guys have such a cool and creative blog. I would love to pass on a Stylish Blogger Award to you! Come over to my blog and pick it up. :)"

Awards are nice, aren't they? They make us feel like we're doing something that is worthwhile; at least to someone out there : )

So, here's how the award goes:

To Accept The Award Requirements

1) Thank and Link Back to the Blogger Who Awarded You With The Award

2) Share 7 Things About Yourself

3) Award 15 Recently Discovered Great Bloggers Contact The Bloggers & Inform Them of The Award

Seven things about me:

*I am not the only contributor of this blog (see blog header), so I'm going to try to tell you about us.

1) Started this blog last June after seeing a really cute blog somewhere with several ladies contributing. I thought, "That's how you keep a blog interesting. Multiple contributors!"

2) I am a stay-at-home mama with a 21 month old daughter named Katie & one on the way

I love to decorate, organize, paint, I'm learning to sew & use a Cricut. I have worked on & off as a professional organizer, but rarely have time anymore. That is why this blog is so fun for me.

3) Jamie is my sister & works as an Interior Designer for Celtic Kitchen & Bath Design Center in Jupiter, FL. She also sews, quilts & aspires toward all things crafty. She is an extremely talented woman.

4) Heidi has been my friend for years. Since maybe 1999? Anyway, we have a ton in common. Stay-at-home mamas, crafty, hilarious : ) Anyway, she does a little of it all & is always coming up with new ideas. We just bounce them off each other. She is lovely.

5) Amy has been my friend since college 1995 or 1996? Anyway, she's a very close friend, a passionate woman. She challenges me to grow as a person in every way. We should all have friends like her. She also, like me & Heidi is a stay-at-home mama living, currently, in Houston, TX, but is an Arkansas transplant. She has done some work as an organizer as well, but would be well suited to just about anything she puts her mind to do. I think of her as Martha Stewart Jr. She is a world of knowledge about all sorts of little details about things I would never remember, but I'm glad she does! She is a gem.

6) Katie and I have been friends since 2000 I think. She is a very down-to-earth, funny gal. Mom of 2. She is a nurse, but is also quite crafty. She makes lovely things with paper & throws a good shower or birthday party. She is also an extremely organized woman, I think she should start writing us some posts on that!!

7) Kanya and I met in our Bradley birthing class when we were pregnant with our first babies. We started walking together and realized we had a lot in common! She has her hands in every creative thing. She crochets, paints, revamps furniture, sews, you name it, she's into it. I'm excited for our readers to see her many talents in her posts to come.

The 15 Fabulous Home & Design Bloggers I would like to celebrate & also share with you are:

1) Southern Hospitality Wonderful woman, great decorating ideas

2) Stories of A to Z Constantly updating her site with her current projects

3) Young House Love They take you step by step as they renovate their house

4) two ellie one of my favorite blogs. spend an afternoon & read the whole thing!

5) My Blessed Life positive blog, constantly updated

6) Lettered Cottage DIY, interior design blog

7) Spearmint Baby Crafty Mama blog

8) Centsational Girl DIY, design

9) The Nester "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful" is her tagline

10) Southern Fried Dreams Cute AR girl, Willow House Rep, fun decorating projects

11) The Inspired Room Easy home decorating ideas

12) Tidy Mom Decorating, Organizing, cooking, very well-rounded mom blog

13) Michabella Christian home blogger, lots of giveaways!

14) Beauty and Bedlam Frugal mom blogger

15) Tip Junkie Tips on everything! She gathers up tips from all over the web & organizes them all for you on her site. Brilliant lady!

Have a wonderful weekend all! xoxo

DIY Wine Bottle Lamps by Brian

2011-02-03T09:45:00.002-06:00

You may remember Brian from an earlier post in December:

"DIY Book Page Wreath by Brian Carreno"

Well, he's back with us for another project!! Yay!

---

Some celebrations (New Year's, 21st Birthdays, Super Bowl, etc.) require some specialty beverages. In the end, you have two options: throw the empty bottles away OR create new décor for your home.

I had just recently had my 21st birthday, so I had a couple of left over wine bottles at my disposal. I went to the craft store for the following:

1) Strand(s) of 20 to 35 string lights

2) Frosted Glass spray

3) Decorative twigs/branches/straw/feathers/etc.

*Additional optional items that may be needed:

-Glue gun

-Scissors

The first thing that needs to be done is to clean out and dry the wine bottles. This may sound simple enough, but with such a small opening it can prove difficult. There are various ways you can dry out the wine bottle. You can stick some paper towels into them and move them around, set them out on a warm sunny day and wait, or use the oven. I used the oven.

After swishing some warm water around the inside of the bottle and pouring as much of it out, I set the bottles in the oven (100-150 degrees) at an angle by putting one rack at the lowest point, putting another rack a few levels higher and pulling it out slightly so that the bottles? necks rested on the top rack at an angle. I did this because the bottles were too tall to have enough room above them for the moisture too leave quickly. I rotated the bottles every 5 minutes (using oven mitts) so that condensation was not collecting on one side of the inside of the bottle. After the bottles showed no sign of moisture inside, I set them on the counter to cool down to room temperature.

At this point, you might want to do some maintenance to the wine bottle labels. I wanted to keep the labels on the bottle, but the heat ended up loosening up a corner of one of the labels. I brought out my handy glue gun and lightly glued the corner back. You can completely take the labels off if that?s your preference.

After any needed maintenance, you want to apply the Frosted Glass spray. I added 3-5 coats and gave them about a 10 minute drying period between coats.

After the frosting, you want to take your light strands and begin to stuff them through the opening. Take each bulb, angle the tip down the neck of the bottle and shove it down. You might need to use a stick to help push the lights down to allow room for more lights. The more lights are on the strand, the brighter the lamp will be. (NOTE: I would not recommend using a strand with more than 35 lights for safety reasons. I had a Moscato Wine bottle that had a fairly small body, so I downgraded that bottle to a 20 light strand.)

At this point, all the lights should be inside the lamp and the excess cord and plug-in should be outside of the bottle. To disguise the cord and add some flair, I took the various twigs/branches/straw/feathers and made an arrangement. I fitted the base of the arrangement into the neck and added any more twigs and such to make sure they fit snug. I only pushed the arrangement as far down as needed to be secure without pushing them completely down into the bottle or touching any lights directly. You might have to pull the arrangement out and trim off excess from the bottom so that you don?t need to stick them down as far to achieve the same level of height. I also trimmed some of them purposefully at different lengths to keep things interesting.

Here there are at in the dark:

You now have a crafty homemade lamp to plug in and enjoy. You can personalize your wine bottle lamps anyway you want. You might want to paint some design on the outside of the lamp, add some ribbon, or spray paint the arrangement a metallic color; it is all up to you! Have fun!

LOVE is in the Air!

2011-02-02T21:54:00.002-06:00

There has always been a part of me that wants to be that mom that decorates for every holiday BIG or small.... Sooo, with Valentine's Day quickly approaching and not being able to leave the house due to the icey roads and snow, I came across a blog called The Idea Room. She had made a really cute heart wreath out of felt circles and a styrofoam heart (See Post here). She was inspired by a post she saw at Design Sponge.

Since I had neither of the supplies they used, I started looking for stuff around the house to craft with.... BINGO!

So, Mcguyver eat your heart out, I had a wire hanger and a roll of red tulle.

I formed the wire hanger into a heart.

Tied the two ends together with a piece of tulle (you could also hot glue it)

Then continued to tie pieces of tulle onto the hanger until it was covered. I rotated between two different ways to tie the knots...

Here is what I ended up with:

To add a little more L-O-V-E to my living room I also pulled out a decorative plate I had sitting on top of my armoire. I used the tulle had left and weaved it through all around, tying a bow to finish it. Then I added this wonderful verse to it; in light of Valentine's Day.

It now sits on my side table in the living room... I think I will start transforming this little plate to fit the season/holiday. ---why is this just now occurring to me?!?

These were things I already had in the house and so, on top of being cute, LOVEY decor, it was also FREE!

I hope this has inspired u on these cold winter days to turn something drab into something fab!!!

Tickle Me Tuesdays : )

2011-02-01T14:39:00.000-06:00

This week I have really been interested in linking up to other people's weekly posts. Today is:

according to Yes, Teacher Crafts. We are to share things that have been tickling our fancies!! How fun!

1) Lisa Leonard's Word of the Year necklaces:

2) Dahlias Dahling by Aisle to Aloha:

3) His Eye is on the Sparrow by Red Letter Words:

4) Colorful Bunting Flag Pillow Cover in Reds by Cotton Lane:

5) And last, but no least, this belt made for me by my sister Jamie:

NO IDEA why she doesn't have an Etsy or Big Cartel shop yet!!

What ticklin' YOUR fancy lately?

Made by You Monday!

2011-01-31T15:35:00.002-06:00

This week I am participating in Skip to my Lou's, Made by you Mondays.

What I'm going to share with you are two paintings I've done. I am not a seasoned painter by any means, but I love art. I love being surrounded by art with vibrant color that projects positive energy to the people in the room. I'm not saying this in some new-agey kind of way, but I do think we affected by the color in a room--don't you?

One of the first paintings I did I actually saw in a magazine & wanted to try to re-create something similar for our home. Here's what I ended up with:

I have loved it & loved it. It took a long time, but almost no talent or money. So, this made me more brave enough to paint a few more things. One I have enjoyed was a simple peacock feather:

If I can make a painting I'd be willing to hang on my wall, then there is no reason for all of you not to make some attempts of your own!! Please do & come back to share pics with us! Just email us at:

creativeoutpour@gmail.com

xoxoxo

Life in 1,082 Sq Ft: Office Space Episode 2

2011-01-25T12:19:00.004-06:00

So, I've been doing some thinking, research and pondering of your comments.

I feel very inspired by the closet office from Kim Davis of Oh, Sweet Joy!

Isn't it lovely? It was also suggested by my friend Rachel that a closet space is away from the kiddos, so I could leave the projects I'm working on right where they are & they won't be disturbed.

I am also inspired by the bright, cheeriness of Honey We're Home's office space:

And love the patterns & colors of this office from Jones Design Company:

Of course, this is going to be happening all in my very tiny closet. So, I'm just gathering inspiration. So, here are some offices actually in small closets:

Country Living

Unplggd

Apartment Therapy

I Heart Organizing

Kelly Giesen

Lowes Creative Ideas

I have 2 end tables similar to these:

So, I am planning to start with these in each corner. Cricut supplies on one, sewing machine on the other. Plenty of room for a chair in the middle. More to come...

Another CSN Giveaway!

2011-01-17T13:16:00.003-06:00

We have a winner!!

#3 Aubrey Charlebois!!!

Woo Hoo!!

You will be getting an email from me soon with your gift code for $35!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered!!
xoxox

--------------------------------------------------
GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

CSN Stores has given us another opportunity to offer our readers a giveaway! Woo hoo!

Let me tell you a little bit about them. CSN has a ton of online stores with everything you could imagine. To just name a few: they have diaper bag stores, pet boutique stores, luggage stores, chandelier stores, and cookware stores! They have over 200! I encourage you to check out their full list of online stores here.

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

Once again, they are offering a $35 gift code good toward any of their CSN shops. Here's how you can enter to win:

Mandatory:

FOLLOW Creative Outpour via Google Friend Connect - Make sure you leave a comment saying you did : )

Additional entries:

1) Follow Creative Outpour on Facebook here

2) Tweet about our giveaway. Make sure to @creativeoutpour

3) Post about our giveaway on your blog. Make sure to include the link in your comment.

4) Mention our giveaway in your Facebook status

We will choose a winner on Sunday night!! Yay for free stuff!

French Macarons

2011-01-11T22:37:00.002-06:00

Serious Eats

Charmed Events Planning

Marie's Maison

The Grocer

French Macarons. They're kind of a big deal. I kept seeing them in magazines & websites displayed at fancy showers & parties. That got me curious about them, so I looked for them locally & realized, I can't buy them anywhere around here. So, I looked online & found they were sold for around $2 a cookie!!! Holy moly, these must be something.

Rather than pay the $2 each, I decided to make my own. I found an easy recipe at:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/09/making-french-macarons/

And here's what I ended up with:

Definitely not a pros work, but they were yummy! I don't know if they're quite worth $2 a cookie, but maybe if I tried one made by someone who knew what they were doing?

Life in 1,082 Sq Ft: Office Space

2011-01-10T11:47:00.001-06:00

Confession #1

My house is 1,082 square ft. We are in the process of selling it, but I'm pretty sure that won't happen before baby #2 gets here in April

Confession #2

I'm about to freak out for lack of space!!

All that to say, this is the beginning of a group of posts entitled:

My first project will be adding function & reducing clutter in my living room. Here is the before:

We need to add a little function for me & my husband. We have a little make-shift office for my husband in the corner, but it's crowded. I also have no where in the house for my sewing machine, Cricut, printer etc. I have some ideas, but would love to hear yours as well. One thought I had was getting two 4ft Lifetime tables & run them against the back wall to create one long desk...Thoughts?!

Baby Shower Fun...

2011-01-07T18:15:00.005-06:00

Recently, (as in back in October) I co-hosted a baby shower for one of my very best friends to welcome her baby boy Hudson. I racked my brain trying to come up with ideas and finally came up with a country chic theme... featuring sunflowers. Pictured below are some of the pictures of what I came up with:

Let just say that I LOVE the circuit!! That's how I made all the sunflower cutouts. It all turned out pretty great if you ask me!! Message me if you have any comments!!

6 months of Creative Outpour-- Year End Post

2010-12-29T15:47:00.002-06:00

December is the 6th month of Creative Outpour! We have really enjoyed sharing our creativity & inspiration with you. Here is a highlight from each month so far:

July

THANK YOU for following our blog!

And for 2011:

"May your troubles be less

and your blessings be more

And nothing but happiness

come through your door."

-Irish Blessing

A Quilt for Baby boy Presley!!!

2010-12-28T18:46:00.014-06:00

Lately it has been Brrrrrrr cold in sunny south Florida. With night time temps in the 20's all I can think about is warm blankets! And as most of you know, my sister Jackie is having a baby boy!!! Which means......quilt time!! I'm getting pretty excited about different patterns and fabrics I could use for a modern yet cutesy BOYS quilt. No pinks or purples...but instead bold oranges and greens and reds and black!!! So-I'm sharing a few ideas I came across today. I hope to start the quilt in the next month. My first quilt for Miss Katiepie took me 9 months!! Beginner quilter here. :) Hopefully this one will be done before he is 3 months old. I will keep ya'll posted!

"2d Zoo" by Alexander Henry

www.etsy.com/people/nowandthenquilts

"Robots" by Michael Miller

"Zoology" by Michael Miller

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/

"Boys Retro" at www.etsy.com/shop/poppyseedfabrics

"Bulls eye" by Riley Blake

"Dino Dudes" by Michael Miller

Riley Blake Fabrics

Gray & Sunny fabrics at www.etsy.com/shop/poppyseedfabrics

Spring Urban Zoo Fabrics at www.etsy.com/shop/poppyseedfabrics

A New Contributor & Her Holiday Decor Project!

2010-12-22T10:11:00.002-06:00

Welcome Kanya!

Kanya just joined Creative Outpour as our newest contributor. She is one of my besties and quite the creative chica! She sews, paints & jazzes up furniture. So excited to see share her with you and to see what all she will bring!

So, without further ado, I present her first project submission. She got a set of Christmas plates & really wanted to hang them on the wall, but then she got the idea to take things a step further:

She continued the design onto a canvas behind the plate! They turned out so cute.

Such a fun, whimsy idea to decorate for Christmas!

Thanks for sharing Kanya & we look forward to all your jazzy posts in the future!!

"Green" Christmas gift tags (EASY!)

2010-12-20T20:07:00.007-06:00

Everyone likes to talk "Green" and recycling these days and in the spirit of reusing (and having a tiny Christmas budget) I came up with this idea.

What you will need:
Spray adhesive, old Christmas tissue (I like the cute decorative kind. I smooth it out with my hands before use) or wrapping paper, old cardboard gift boxes, scissors, hole puncher, silver sharpie, other colored markers, black pen

1. To start, spray the adhesive on the white side of the cardboard gift boxes. I usually have several Kohl's or Macy's boxes waiting to be re-used. Lay the tissue paper (recommended) or wrapping paper on the sticky side and let dry.

2. Once dry, cut up the box into the size of tags you are wanting.

3. With the black pen, sketch out the shape of a wreath, a bell, a stocking, etc. It doesn't have to be perfect! (see below pics. click to enlarge) I wrote Merry Christmas in a scripty way then darkened it in a little. With the markers, fill in some color, but not too much. With the silver sharpie, make little embellishments!

4. With the hole punch, make a hole, being careful not to do it too close to the edge or it won't tie on properly to a ribbon. I have made that particular mistake on a fairly regular basis!

5. Attach them to gifts and prepare to be surprised at how much people notice and comment on them!!! :)

Coffee Filter Wreaths

2010-12-07T22:47:00.015-06:00

If you read my previous post on my fire place, you got a sneak peak at my project. While drooling over someone else's house on their blog, I noticed a beautiful wreath hanging above her mantle. She didn't directly talk about making it but when I continued to read she mentioned she used coffee filters extensively so I put two and two together. I did a little research and found several different suggestions for making a coffee filter wreath but through some trial and error (and lots of hair pulling) I found the quickest and easiest way to do it. :) Still, this may take a little time so wait until the kiddos are in bed and put on It's A Wonderful Life or some other Christmas movie that makes the heart happy.

(click on any of the pictures to see greater detail)

Step 1: Get the supplies. A foam wreath, floral wire, wire cutters, glitter, *chipboard or wooden letters and ribbon are all things easily found at most craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michael's or JoAnn's. I already had 100-200 coffee filters, but Wal-Mart has them in supply and also has a cool brown filter color option for the chocolate color lovers.

*preferred method

Step 2: Grab a coffee filter and twist it at the bottom creating a little flower. (see above pic)

Step 3: Clip a wire section off and twist it around the bottom of 2 of the coffee filter flowers.

Step 4: At this point I would highly recommend using a craft glue or hot glue gun and put a little dab on the end before you stick the other end of the wire firmly into the foam wreath. I didn't use glue and the filter twists kept falling out. (Grumble Grumble)

Step 5: Repeat steps 2-4, putting the flowers close together. (see above pic)

**********

Step 6: In a pie pan, smear glue all over the first letter then sprinkle liberally with glitter. Repeat with remaining letters. Let dry.

Step 7: Fill any bare spots on the wreath while waiting.

Step 8: If you used wooden letters- using ribbon, make little knots around the letters and while the wreath is hanging, experiment with where you want them to hang before securing the ribbon to the wreath. I tied mine around the wreath itself very careful not to knock off the filter flowers. Hot glue would work here as well. This part was frustrating for me, but I do love the finished product!

If you used chipboard letters, I'd just place some hot glue on the back of them and stick directly to the coffee filter flowers. They are extremely light-weight and will stick. You don't need ribbon unless you just want to embellish a little.

Step 9: With a hot glue gun or craft glue, adhere ribbon at the length you want it to hang. With another ribbon, tie a big bow. Hang wreath up, then add the bow and fluff!

Of Ugly Fireplaces and Shoes Galore (Design Challenge!!!)

2010-12-07T21:48:00.014-06:00

I'm the first person to chime in with design ideas when I visit a friend's house... with or without invitation! :) But sometimes for my own house I just hit a wall mentally and can't seem to get stuff done. Anyhoo this post is in 2 parts today:

1. For real ya'll my fire place is ugly. It's the late 70's early 80's of using slightly pink/mauve colored bricks outside and in a house. I've been trying to decide what color and when to paint it. (Trying to convince my husband has also proved to be a challenge!) Jacqueline sent me a picture of a fireplace that she said reminded me of mine and I was intoxicated with copying the picture for my own place-

Here:

Cottage Instincts

I think that mine will look great once it's finished. Our neighbor does wood working and we think we'll hire him to make a custom wrap around mantle on three sides. It will be simple and probably shorter on the sides so people don't bang their heads on it. My husband already bangs his head on the one we have. I also need something to put on either side of the actual fire place. OH and we are soooo going to either paint or get a new fireplace door!! My fireplace looks like this:

**You got a little preview in that picture of something that will be a fun craft post to follow in a few days!!

2. So the second part is a design challenge! I need some HELP PLEASE! I have this floor area when you walk in my door that is the catch all for all our shoes, hats, coats, back packs and JUNK. I need to have an organized area that can hold it all. On top of that I would like to have a pretty entry way, like with a table and something that just POPS when you walk in. I don't know how to accomplish this. I need some input from you other designers and wanna-be's like me! :) Please, PRETTY PLEASE leave some helpful comments or just e-mail us and I'll do another post with your ideas!

DIY Book Page Wreath by Brian Carreno

2010-12-04T23:52:00.008-06:00

Have you seen those wreaths made from book pages?

A guy who works with my husband is quite crafty and made one. He was kind enough to share the lovely details with us. See below:

---

Supplies:

1) Hot glue gun

2) Styrofoam wreath/wheel

3) Craft paint (color depends on what feel you’re going for. I choose red and silver for Christmas, but you can go with grey/brown for an aged look)

4) Book(s) (Number of books depends on how thick the book is. I purchased mine at Dollar Tree for $1. No fear; they weren’t literary classics.)

---

1. The wreath would look just as awesome and spectacular being plain book pages; however, to add a subtle hint of color, take the craft paint and paint the edges of the book. Depending on how subtle you want the color, you can either leave the paint the consistency it is, or water it down some so it seeps into the pages a bit more. I did duo colors of red and silver, so I let one color dry before applying a bit of the other. Instead of letting the book air dry out (and because I’m VERY impatient), I took ahair dryer to the book and dried out the pages.

2. Now we’re ready to start with the Styrofoam wreath/wheel. I bought mine at the craft store. I opted for one that was already tubular, but there were some that were rectangular (and cheaper) that could be worked with or shaven with a serrated knife to get the right shape. Flip the wreath to whichever side you want to be the back. Tear or cut out a page of the book and, with the colors side out, fold it in a way that creates waves/loops/curls in the page. The main thing to keep in mind is that you do not want VISIBLE hard creases/folds; you want everything that’s visible to be waves and ruffles. I only creased about the bottom inch of the page, added hot glue between the creases so it’d keep its shape, and then added hot glue to one side of the bottom inch before applying it to the back of the Styrofoam wreath. You want to create a “halo” of waved/curled/looped pages poking out of the back of the wreath. Before continuing, I wanted to clarify that there are endless ways to curl the paper, but you can take 2-3 pages to create stiffer curls/waves/loops or to create interesting layered curls/waves/loops.

3. Turn the wreath over so you’re looking at the front. On a flat surface (like a table), gently press down on the Styrofoam while making a gentle twisting motion. This will gently flatten any part of the glued pages directly under the Styrofoam and make the rest of the page bend towards the front without creating visible hard creases in the pages. This will make it easier to attach flush to a wall/door.

4. Now take more pages and create more curls/waves/loops. There is a difference in the application of the pages this time. After putting glue between the creases in the bottom inch like before, completely fold that bottom inch up and crease; this will create an L shape tab to the page. Apply hot glue to one side of the tab and apply to the Styrofoam. The tab will allow a part of the page to be flush with the Styrofoam so it holds securely, but it will allow the rest of the page to shoot out away from the Styrofoam.

5. Work around the wreath in layers by doing step 4 repeatedly. This will insure you get even coverage.

6. Now that you’ve covered the wreath, it’s time to create fullness and depth to the wreath. Taking pages and curling them the way you want, apply drops of hot glue to parts of the pages that allow the page to keep its shape. It’s not necessary to crease the bottom inch on these pages; however, if see spots where you don’t want the torn edge of the page to be seen, it might be good to crease and glue the bottom inch to create a visual “dead end” to the loop. You don’t create tabs on these pages because it is not necessary that these pages touch the wreath base. Applying light hot glue to the outside parts of the wave/loop/curl, gently push the page into gaps you feel need filling. The page will secure itself with the hot glue to the other pages. Working around the wreath, you slowly start to create more fullness to the wreath. Create depth by pushing the pages in at different lengths.

7. Once you’re done with your wreath, turn it over and hot glue a small loop of ribbon to the base. This will be the loop on which you hang it on. Ta-da! Your non-traditional wreath is complete.

Big thanks to Brian for sharing his project with us!

Do you have a wreath project you'd like to share?

Email me!

Priss & Prep!

2010-11-29T15:56:00.002-06:00

Attention ladies! There is a new shop you need to check out.

My friend Kiplyn:

Here, with son Cooper

works as an event planner and decorator and has started a new online shop called:

http://www.prissandprep.com

 According to Kiplyn, "our collection is a mix of hand-picked pieces from here, there and everywhere.  from the kitchen, to your closet, to the nursery, to the birthday party - you'll be up to your knees in fresh ideas and one-of-a-kind pretties." Her shop is custom order, so all of the products can be made in any color/design/pattern. So fun!

She was recently one of the merchants featured at the NWA Boutique Show. Her booth was one of the most thoughtful there. You can get an idea of the types of things in her shop. Here are a few pictures:

In action

Too cute!

This is the last week to place custom orders for Christmas!! Mention you saw this post on Creative Outpour and she will give you 10% off your order!

Enjoy!

http://www.prissandprep.com

Black Friday-Cyber Monday-Holiday DEALS!!!!

2010-11-24T18:08:00.013-06:00

I LOVE a great deal and I'm all excited for Black Friday and the crazy shopping...crazy people..and lots of coffee!! I wake up early--grab a Starbucks and head out with list in hand. I love the holiday frenzy!! Here are some great sales from my favorite online place to shop: www.ETSY.com

www.etsy.com/shop/snugglebugslings is offering buy 3 get 1 free!!

www.etsy.com/shop/yvonnesbabyboutique is offering Black Friday sales of all kinds and FREE shipping!

www.esty.com./shop/sweetapple30 is offering 15% off every item in their shop! Cute fabric jewelry items!

www.etsy.com/shop/sugarplumcollars is offering Buy 2 get 3rd Free or Buy 1 get 2nd 1/2 off! Cute doggie collar all sizes in awesome fabrics that you won't find in any pet store!

www.etsy.com/shop/littlepenniann is offering 25% off everything!! Great wood signs that are creative and cheap!! Love these Toy Story ones below!!

www.etsy.com/shop/mablemae is offering free shipping! And these are cute stocking stuffers!!

Push pins

Pocket mirrors

Magnets

Bottle openers

Happy Shopping.....embrace the holiday craziness....drive carefully...and stay focused!!! XXOO

Baby Its Cold Outside.......

2010-11-22T19:13:00.007-06:00

Baby Its Cold outside........so stay inside and make some of these fun crafty things. Take advantage of the fireplace, the cozy quilt and cuddle up to your craft table for some fun! Here are a few fun ideas I found. Enjoy! XXOO

Make these paper ornaments.....
www.papercraftsmag.com/articles/november_december_editor_s_note_projects

This fun and handy pin cushion......O Christmas Tree..O Christmas Tree..... (p.s. Love the nail polish).........www.spoolsewing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/spool-christmas-tree-pincushion-tutorial.pdf

Make your own stocking this holiday!! Follow this easy tutorial: www.dsquilts.com/uploads/stockinginstructions.pdf

Or make this fun total for fun or for a friend!! www.dsquilts.com/uploads/markettote.pdf

I LOVE these doggies!! The patchwork Scotties are sooo cute I want to make a whole litter!! www.dsquilts.com/uploads/scottiedogpatterm.pdf

Make your own Christmas decorations.....pick your colors and go crazy!!! www.emma-bagladee.blogspot.com/2010/11/star-decoration-tutorial-giveaway.html

Post and share your quick craft ideas.....e-mail me.

Thanksgiving Tablescape

2010-11-19T11:44:00.000-06:00

This is being posted by me, but it from Amy who is currently on the road visiting family. She put together a Thanksgiving tablescape and wanted to share it with us here:

Maybe for little intimate Thanksgiving brunch? I especially love the layering of the plates and the vintage acorn jars. It got me thinking about vintage things we could incorporate into our Thanksgiving tables, like:

Acorn Cake Saver

Pumpkin Candy Container

Pheasants

We'd love to see what you have planned for your Thanksgiving table. Send us a pic!

Willow House

2010-11-17T16:09:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of Willow House?

Just the other day I was introduced to them on Twitter. Someone I follow on Twitter has Tweeted about a giveaway for a $50 credit toward anything on the Willow House website.

You should know something about me. I enter a TON of giveaways every day and I win fairly often.

Well, I won the contest and was so excited to check out their site. I soon realized that I was first, in love with their site and second, could get several items for the $50 credit I received.

The box came in the mail today.

Simply Good Design.

Always wanted one of these apple slicers!

Mandolin Slicer! Yes!

Vase with flower frog! So excited to use this.

Water pitcher for my bedside table.

I was really impressed by the quality of the merchandise. On their website they have all kinds of items for dining and entertaining, outdoor living, and decorating. So fun.

Heather Sinclair is who offered the giveaway and she is a Willow House design consultant. You can order online through her extension of the website at: http://www.heatherstclair.willowhouse.com. There you can buy through her outlet at discounted prices.

You can also follow her blog at: http://www.handjstclair.blogspot.com

and follow her on Facebook: Here

where you can contact her and follow her for more design updates, sales, and giveaways.

Yay for giveaways! Yay for Willow House!!

Holiday Decorating Lessons!

2010-11-15T16:33:00.001-06:00

My friend's mom decorates homes for the holidays. She has been doing it for years and she is seriously talented. I asked her the other day if I could get some pointers from her, so she invited me to tag along with her on her next job.

The first thing they worked on was this mantel:

Gorgeous, but pretty simple & my mind was racing with ideas of how to do this on the cheap. We started with a lit garland that was pretty stiff with wire in it that we could manipulate. Attached it with Command hooks. We added some antique metal trees on the right, some over sized oak leaves with a metallic finish (which could totally be made from spray painted leaves from your yard ), some of those Osage orange balls also with metallic finish & some cute pointy star bursts. Easy, but so beautiful!

The next thing we worked on was the tree.

We stuck to mostly silver-toned ornaments. The tulle we used had kind of a linen look to it. There were icicles, glass, silver & star burst ornaments. We also used some stiff ribbon spread across the tree. I loved the crystal star/snowflakes we used as a topper. Might steal that one!

Lastly, we did this mantel. The home owner already had this great antiqued mirror hanging, as well as, this angel blowing it's trumpet, so we embellished it with a little gold leaf twisted around it. We used some auburn vases and filled them with lights. We topped them with some gilded leafy vines. In one we placed lit orbs and in the other we placed bronze branches which brought out the tones in the mirror. The last thing we added was some dainty garland that had frozen look to it. Again, thanks to Command hooks, it was easy to secure & will be easy to remove without any damage to the home owners mantel.

Such a fun day! I learned so much and realized I have much to learn. Can't wait to decorate my house!! Got any fun pics to share of what you've done so far this Christmas?

We'd love to see them. Email me & we'll display them on our blog : )

Craft Night!

2010-11-12T17:36:00.006-06:00

Our "Crafts, Cocktails & Gossip" night was so much fun!! We had a girl's night in last Saturday. Everyone brought an appetizer and drinks. I tried a new recipe--cheese balls--they were especially delightful! I decided to pick a theme to help guide the craft challenged (lol) ones. Everyone went to the hobby store to pick fun things for their wreaths and then we shared the "extras". We set up two crafts tables and one island full of food and drinks! The girls got creative and we had a lot of fun!! It was a great way to kick off the holiday season and spend some quality time with the girls I love!!

The girls!!!!

Tanya made this for her Dad!

Lauren & Tracey made this together!

Emily was the first to finish!

Vanessa, Dawn, Sheryl and Tracey

Vanessa's bright and beautiful wreath!

Jen our house host and Alexis!

Team work...........

These glass block decorations were a great idea!!

The wreaths!!!!!!

Now it's your turn!! Organize a craft night with your friends!! Then send me some pics so we can post them to our blog! XXOO

Early Decorator?

2010-11-11T23:19:00.000-06:00

Next week I am going to be posting some pictures from two houses I'm decorating for the holidays. Some of you may not even be ready to THINK about Christmas. For those of you who, like me, are already enjoying their Christmas music, you might also be decorating early for the holidays? If you have started or want to share some of what you did last year, PLEASE DO. We'd love to see what you're up to. I'll include it on our blog next week!

You can email your pics to me.

Inspiration.........

2010-11-05T17:34:00.013-05:00

Inspiration comes from many places. I get very inspired by fabrics! Lately I have been searching for new websites to purchase fabrics and have found some amazing designers along the way. I love love LOVE Amy Butler-thanks to my sister. She introduced me to her designs. But finding other designers that have a similar style seemed like a difficult task until now. I struck gold when I came across a new blog that I now follow: http://www.filminthefridge.com/ Through this blog I found amazing websites of fabulous fabrics! Here are some of my new favs:

Monaluna Monaco

Lila Tueller

Tina Givens

Anna Marie Horner

Kate Spain

Jenean Morrison

Kate Spain

Jenean Morrison

Heather Bailey

Anna Maria Horner

Amy Butler

Patricia Bravo

Anna Marie Horner

Check out these websites for new and beautiful fabrics:

http://www.lolapinkfabircs.com/, http://www.aboveallfabrics.com/, http://www.fabriccrush.com/ and http://www.auntbeasfabric.com/

Happy hunting!!! xxoo

Peekaboo! Magazine Feature

2010-11-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

Remember my post Thanksgiving Decorating on the Cheap?

It is featured in this month's issue of Peekaboo! Magazine where I will be a contributing columnist.

Woot!

Kitchen sinks

2010-10-30T12:22:00.004-05:00

Just a quick blog today about a new trend I saw from Elkay co. I know all the HOG fans will appreciate this post!

In 2009 Elkay introduced a new stainless steel sink series called the “Statement.” Statement sinks sport an etched surface, providing numerous creative, complementary patterns on the sinks’ side walls. Utilizing the same Statement etching technology, Elkay now offers select NCAA school logos!

Visit www.elkayusa.com or peruse the Elkay Fall Presentations 2010 brochure for more information on the ten school logo-emblazed sinks.

Great idea for a bar sink or just having some fun with school spirit!! Have a great weekend ya'all! Go Pigs!!!! Soooooooie! xxoo

I heart wall decals!!!

2010-10-27T17:54:00.006-05:00

I am a graphic-bold-person! I think paint can be boring and I always tend to pick wallpaper instead. Graphics are fun and easier than wallpaper so I think it's a lovely option! They can range in price from $20 - $300 depending on the size and shape. I have seen very creative ideas as murals or repeated patterns to create a feature wall. The most common form of wall decals are of course "quotes" or biblical verses which are a great way to add some meaning and personal expression. Here are a few ideas that I hope will inspire you! XXOO

photos courtesy of:
www.etsy.com/shop/Singlestonestudios ; www.etsy.com/shop/byrdiegraphics

And the Winner is...

2010-10-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

Russanna !!!

Your email address has been sent to the the company and you should get your gift certificate soon!!

Enjoy & thanks for following us!!! xoxoxo

All Modern Giveaway!!!!

2010-10-19T15:46:00.001-05:00

I was approached by CSN stores about doing a giveaway for our readers! You may have run across one of their sites before. They have over 200! Whether you are looking for new nightstands or you need a new diaper bag, CSN Stores have got you covered.

They are offering a gift certificate for their site:

All Modern is a modern & contemporary furniture website with great brands like Herman Miller, Knoll, & Dwell Studio. They also have all things kid/baby, home accessories, & wall paper. Lots to choose from! Hop on over to their site to check them out.

One blessed Creative Outpour reader will receive a $35 gift certificate to allmodern.com.

(Canadian readers: Be aware that there may be international shipping charges. )

Here's how to enter:

1) Leave a comment on this blog with your name, email, & blog site.

AND

2) Follow the Creative Outpour blog

Extra Entries:

-Tweet the giveaway using @creativeoutpour

-Share the giveaway on Facebook in your status

We'll choose a winner Monday the 25th at 6pm.

*Thanksgiving Decorating on the Cheap

2010-10-17T18:47:00.002-05:00

You don't have to go broke getting your home ready for the Thanksgiving festivities. Here are a few ideas I came up with this year for pennies.

If you read my ribbon wreath post, it cost me about $20.

Then, I had the idea to make a thankfulness board for my family where we could each write what we are thankful for in anticipation for Thanksgiving. I took a huge shabby chic frame from Wal-mart (think it was $12), put a placemat inside (ha!), made a fancy ribbon for the top (using left-over wreath ribbon), and wrote on the glass with a dry erase marker. Simple and VERY cheap.

I also took my fruit bowl and put some velour fabric in the bottom. Then I placed walnut husks, pine cones & buckeyes inside. Easy and free.

My entry table was made up of a bunch of things I already had. One bunch of flowers from TJMaxx ($10), one bunch of flowers from Walgreens ($7), A little fall colored frame, a little leaf candle holder also from Walgreens ($4) & a lamp.

My last project was using a whole bunch of buckeyes I found in my mother-in-laws' yard. I took glass vases and filled them 3/4 of the way full adding peacock feathers to one and a candle to the other. For me, this project was free because I already had everything on hand.

All my fall decorating DONE for about $20.

- - -

*Look for this post in the November issue of Peekaboo! Magazine.

Pumpkins....pumpkins......pumpkins!

2010-10-15T19:10:00.010-05:00

"It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown!!!" Well--maybe my pumpkins aren't quite as cute as the movie--but I'm going to have fun trying! I have found so many creative ways to decorate pumpkins this year. I am a big fan of the classic Jack-o-lantern but not such a fan of the mess in 4 days when it rots. So this year I wanted to find fun ideas using craft pumpkins that last forever and require no messy clean ups!

These pumpkins were about $6 each and came in all size and shapes.
I used craft paper and fabric to decorate my pumpkins. You can get creative and cut out any shapes you want! I decided to cut out leaves because I wanted to also use these for Thanksgiving. But I also saw candy corns, polka dots, hearts, stars..lots of shapes look pretty!

All you really need is scrap paper, glue, scissors and some creativity!

After a few hours and some quilt scraps--viola! My crafty pumpkin!

You can also get great patterns online used for carving the pumpkins--but instead, just trace on the design with black marker. Remember-once you pierce your pumpkin it will only last about 4 days. A great tradition at my house is to carve pumpkins the night before Halloween for all of the trick or treaters to enjoy! Happy Halloween!!!! XXOO

I'm sewing!! (Baby Burp Cloth)

2010-10-10T22:45:00.008-05:00

First of all this ISN'T a "how to" post because I just had my first lesson today and so I'm obviously still learning! I'm loving it though and will probably (hopefully) post a "how to" in the future!

Yay! So, my mother-in-law, both sisters-in-laws and nieces are all avid quilters/seamstresses and every time I go over someone is working on some project. Recently my MIL won the judges choice award in our county fair so she is obviously rather good at quilting and they sell aprons, bags, etc at my sister-in-law's hair salon. I've never really had a desire to learn to sew, I honestly preferred just to design something and have someone else do the work. :) the only reasons that I recently had the desire are because 1) I was feeling left out and annoyed every time I went to my MIL's house because everyone was ignoring me and 2) I got a ton of burp clothes for nothing at a garage sale and felt inspired to try do something with them.

Harmony, a sister-in-law, gave me some scrap fabric, a brief tutorial (in which I remembered nothing) and voilà!!

I'm feeling inspired to do more that I see how easy it is. You don't have to be some super anal-retentative person who makes every cut perfect, it's good if you are, but it's about the art of it, the personal imperfections and the fun you have making it while trying not to spill hot chocolate on your fabrics. Find a work shop near you- skim on down this page, there is some info about such classes and have FUN!

YOUR Wreaths!!

2010-10-07T12:59:00.001-05:00

I asked people to show me their lovely fall wreaths, and here are a few of the great responses we got:

Rachel Hamen

Heather Baker

Ashley Keylor

Don't you love them!? Email me if you have any fall decor you'd like me to show here on our blog for others to be inspired by!!

Paper pumpkins and Autumn inspiration

2010-10-02T22:16:00.012-05:00

I made some paper pumpkins 3 years ago--I think I hijacked the idea from Martha Stewart--and still love to see them on display for the autumn season.
Here is a how-to for making paper pumpkins:

Choose coordinating pieces of paper, such as 3 different shades of orange or patterned brown papers. Cut strips of paper about 1 inch wide and however long you choose--the longer the strips, the bigger the pumpkin of course. (For my biggest pumpkin, I did cut the strips a little wider as well.) Then poke small holes at each end.

"String" the strips of paper in a pattern onto a pipe cleaner (there is probably a more grown-up craft item that would work, but pipe cleaners is what I had on hand, and I am okay with that).

"String" the other end of the strips onto the pipe cleaner, beginning with the same strip you started with the first time. Otherwise your pumpkin with be lopsided when you are done.

Fold the pipe cleaner over and fan out your pumpkin.

I added a little leaf on top to complete the pumpkin.

Oh and here is the latest addition to my autumn decor, a few strings of fallen leaves.
I have my fellow blogger to thank for this idea. See post Fall, Fall, FALL!

Local Places to Craft/Sew/Fun

2010-09-29T18:34:00.005-05:00

With the holidays season right around the corner I get excited about all of the possible crafts I can create! I often look for local listings of craft workshops, sewing classes, demonstrations at local Home Depots or craft shows. I also look online for http://www.youtube.com/ videos to offer me some direction with conquering those little sewing techniques that I am clueless about! Soon I will be hosting a Craft Night with some of my girlfriends. A night of crafts, cocktails/coffee and gossip!! Ohhh sooo cozy!

I have researched my local area for classes and workshops that you can take advantage of in you live in the South Florida area. Here are a few gems!

1.) Quilters Choice: 561-747-0525 in Jupiter, FL Great girls own this shop and everyone is always very friendly!

They offer all types of sewing classes that range in price from $20-$60: Beginner quilting, Basket classes, Gift Box class, Embroidery, Green Bag class.......so many great sewing projects to learn and have fun with. The new calender came out and most classes start in October but continue through December.

2.) Laura's Sewing and Vacuum 561-799-5228 on Northlake

Sew Like A Pro Classes $80 for 3 weeks at night to learn to sew an apron or throw pillows

These classes start in October. Call for more details.

3.) www.art-sealiving.com in Boynton Beach. This is a cute boutique for artsy gifts that also offers classes in the store for jewelry making, pottery and glass designs. 561-737-2600

4.)Lunch with Celebrity HGTV Interior Designer Michael Payne April 15

Log onto www.excitingwindows.com/LWM

Now places to craft in Fayetteville, AR area:

1.) Stamping and Card Making Oct.2 Siloam Springs, AR

Contact: Jessica the organizer at raising_4babes@yahoo.com

2.) www.meetup.com is a great resource to find local people to meet up with that enjoy the same arts and crafts that you do!

3.) www.sewtown.com is a sewing center in Fayetteville who offer classes in both the Ft. Smith location and Fayetteville location.

4.) Sit'n & Stitch'n Quilts 479-935-4884 They are a quilt shop that offer a variety of classes. They will be closed in October because they are relocating. But stay in touch through their Facebook page

Get your friends together and have some fun! Pick a project that everyone can do and each person can bring something to the group that can be shared. It's fun to get other people's input and get all the creative juices flowing!! Our Crafts-Cocktails & Gossip night will be some time in October. I will be sure and post some pics of our fun and the projects we design!!
XXOO-Jamie

My Wreath!!

2010-09-27T17:58:00.001-05:00

After searching all over the internet, I found a great wreath idea from Sunset magazine. A ribbon wreath!!

So, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought 3 spools of autumny ribbon, (30 ft each):

a 12" steel macrame ring:

and a wooden letter "P" to paint:

It's actually pretty easy to make! You start cutting ribbon strips first. The way you decide how long the strips should be is to make your first ribbon. Then, untie it & see how long it is. I'm thinking somewhere around 18-20 inches. I used my rolls almost completely up, so you should feel fine cutting them up entirely.

Then you start tying them onto the ring:

Here's a close-up of how I tied my bows:

Now, don't fret if it seems like you won't have enough ribbon! You are going to puff this thing up like an 80's hairdo! That will make it almost double in size:

Then, I painted my P for Presley:

After that, I tied it to the wreath hanger by a ribbon and VIOLA!!!!

Fall happiness greeting us at the front door!!!

I'm interested in seeing what sort of wreaths other people are putting up, so please, email me your pics & we'll post 'em!!!