Cara Swap Box Reveal: Going Green!

I participated in the Cara Box exchanged hosted by Wifessionals this month and it was a lot of fun! I was able to meet two new bloggers, Whitney from The Decor Chronicles, who I sent a box to (you can see what I sent her on her post found here), and Hayley from Beautiful Exchange, who sent a box to me! I really enjoyed getting to know both of these lovely ladies this month.

This month's theme was "Go Green" since Earth day is April 22. This was a hard theme for me to stick with, but I was able to find what I hope were some cool gifts for my partner.

I loved the box I received from Hayley! Everything was so thoughtful with a sweet note attached.

 

Have you even tried that eos lip balm? It's so cool and shaped like a ball. Super fun to put on your lips too!

Some fancy eco-friendly soap for my kitchen! Which was perfect because I've been using dish soap for my hands and it dries them out so badly.

 

Hayley made these adorable tea towels for me! See her stenciling tutorial here. She made them for my bathroom, and they go perfectly with my new shower curtain...but I actually needed them in my kitchen so it worked out perfectly! They go really well in here as well :)

I love this candle and matching plate! Adorable!


I also told Hayley how I am hoping to start a small garden this year, and she gave me some gardening gloves and daisies to plant! I hope to see them sprouting soon. Thanks so much Hayley! I love all of my gifts!

I really enjoyed this swap and enjoyed meeting new bloggy friends; however, I wasn't expecting shipping to cost so much so I'm not sure if I'll continue to do it. But it was so fun that I just might :)

I now have Google Plus! If you have an account, please add me so I can start getting friends/followers - whatever it is they are called there! I follow back :)

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How to Print on Burlap and a Personalized Wedding Gift

As you all know, I love to give personalized gifts, and now that I've learned how to print on burlap, I can give even more personalized gifts! In fact, I feel bad for the weddings I went to before I got this creative! After doing many google image searches Friday night, I found this adorable burlap printed sign, personalized of course, and I thought I could totally do that! Sure enough, it was actually pretty easy!

The shower was the next morning, and I didn't have any burlap (or ink) but it was already 7:30 and Grimm was on at 8:00 so I was kinda cranky going out to get my supplies. Thankfully, I had already bought this frame while it was on clearance because I thought it was so beautiful and knew I'd use it eventually. The Burlap was $3 for a yard at JoAnns and ink for my printer was $23 $16 at Best Buy (I price matched using my Shop Savvy app, and got my ink for $16 instead - best app ever, download it now if you don't have it already!) Anyway, I got home just a few minutes after 8:00 excited that I had shopped so fast, but alas, Grimm wasn't on because of the coverage of the Boston guy in the boat...

Okay, now onto the tutorial. First, cut your burlap to the same size of your card stock printer paper, 8 and 1/2 by 11 I believe it is. The easiest way to cut burlap is to pull out a strip as your cutting line and cut along that. I learned that while I was making the burlap wreaths for my friend's wedding.

Tape the burlap to your card stock (I used masking tape). I read so many tutorials that used various adhesives but that sounded messy and like too much work, so I guessed that tape would keep it in place good enough...and it did!

I designed my print on Mircosoft Word. And then I was ready to print! The first time it failed. Not sure why, could have been because it was a new ink cartridge? Or because I tried to mess with the paper type settings? So I tried it again on that same piece and it worked. I had changed the printer setting to plain paper too, so that might have been it.

At least I had it figured out, the next one printed beautifully!

I had a hard time decided whether or not the burlap should be inside the mat, or outside of it, but then I decided I liked the more rustic look of it on the outside, so I went with that. And of course, they can always change it if they like the other way better. Which do you prefer? Inside? Or out?

 

  

I pulled out strings on the sides of the burlap to make it even, and then put a little glue on the corner so it wouldn't continue to fall out...but really, once it's in the frame you don't need to worry about that. Oh, and I just used scotch tape to keep it in place inside the frame.

 

It's just so beautiful, right?! I was telling my husband, it's a good thing it has their name on it, because I really want to keep it for myself!!

And the bride and groom (and everyone at the shower) loved it! This is definitely getting added to my favorite wedding gifts and shower gifts list. Success!

If you would like a personalized burlap print to give as a gift, but don't have the time/resources to make it yourself, I would love to help out! Contact me for more details :)

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Washi Tape Clothespins

I finally got washi tape! And the first thing I decided to put it on was some clothespins. Really, there are so many uses for clothspins, but they just have to be cute!!

And if you're looking for washi tape, Michael's had a really good selection, oddly enough, Hobby Lobby only had about 4 different kinds.

   

(I apologize because these last two posts have had just iPhone pictures...but it's just so much easier! And I used the app Phonto for text - it's amazing and free)

I don't think this really needs a tutorial, but pretty much all you need to do is cut the tape the length of the clothespin and then fold over the excess tape over the sides of the clothespin. This was easier than cutting the sides of the tape, and I think it looks cuter too. Win win! This was my first experience with washi tape and I definitely want to get some more. It's just so fun!

And what can I use the clothespins for? Well, here's what I'm thinking so far...

• Chip clips (my main reason for doing this - so many bags to seal up in order to keep things fresh, and obviously more than just "chips")
• Photo holders (like I did here)
• Magnetic photo / paper clips (glue a magnetic on the back and stick to the fridge)

That's all I got for now. Do you have any other ideas for how I could use clothespins? I do have a bag of 50...

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Etched 9x13 Bridal Shower Gift

Last Saturday was my sister-in-law's 1st (of 3) bridal shower. I made her my favorite wedding/shower gift to give - a personalized etched baking dish. I am a HUGE fan of personalized wedding gifts and they were always my favorite ones to receive. Plus, I feel like it's easier to remember who gave you unique gifts rather than ones from the registry, just saying.

I added a few more fun goodies to this 9x13 glass dish. See the dish brush? It has a face and its holder is a black dress! :) Too fun! And who doesn't need kitchen gloves with a bright green flower attached? Clearly, I'm a very practical person when it comes to the kitchen.

For more info on how to DIY glass etching, see my tutorial here. I had fun with this last name, since it is so short, I was able to do it nice and big! But they are so many possibility with glass etching. Someday I want to do on 3 letter monogram etched, that would look super cute too.

And the shower went beautifully, but I didn't get any pictures with me in it...except for this one that I didn't even know was taken until I saw it on facebook. But I'm using it because this post needs another picture and I like my outfit! Ha. I'm on the far right with the adorable blue bubble necklace.

I have another DIY wedding/shower gift in mind that I hope to get working on soon and showing you as long as it turns out! Do you give any personalized gifts for weddings or other events? I would love to hear your ideas (feel free to share links to tutorials too!)

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Super Easy Stenciled Rug

A couple of months ago Menards had memory foam mats free after rebate, so of course I got a couple. However, even though they are super comfy, they aren't too exciting looking. I wasn't sure how paint would look on the rug since it's so furry, but I decided to try anyway, and I'm so glad I did! It's so cute!!

Yup, you read that right, took me all of 5 minutes!

 

I used Martha Stewart reusable stencils. I might just have to get some more. They are super easy and simply AMAZING! I used Martha Stewart Satin Sea Lavender paint and mixed it with fabric medium since I was painting on fabric.

For the first one I did, I painted over the stencil with my foam brush. Bad idea! The paint seeps under the stencil easier that way. Dab, my friends, dab, and it will turn out so much better! Can you tell which one I did first?

As soon as you're done painting you can peel the stencil off and place it in the next spot. Super easy. If you accidently get some paint on your rug, wipe it down with water before it dries and you'll be good.

 

When you're done, rinse your stencils and brush out, put the stencils back. If you notice you went over your stencil like I did, you can "erase" those spots with some water!

Now, step back and enjoy your fun new mat! (Well, maybe let it dry first because if you put it in the bathroom right away because you can't wait to take a picture your husband might step on it and smear the paint, just saying!)

Seriously - 5 minutes. Maybe not even that long :) These stencils could be dangerous. Hm, what else could I stencil...

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My Shower Curtain Saga - Shower Curtain #4 in Less than 2 Years

 I got a new shower curtain and am in love.

I also have to admit, I have had a problem. I am on my 4th shower curtain in less than 2 years. Ha! I think the problem was that I never really loved my previous ones so I kept switching it out. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of all of them. Seriously, this makes me sad because I wish I could have showed you - but I'll show you the stock pictures I found online.

Shower Curtain #1:

The first one was fine in our apartment, but then we moved into our house and our bathroom was painted gray so it didn't match at all. And then I felt like it looked a little "old people-ish."

Shower Curtain #2:

So I went to BB&B to pick out a new one, but didn't like anything they had...so ended up getting the same one as #1 but in black/white so it would at least go with the walls. That didn't last long. I just didn't like it.

Shower Curtain #3:

#3 came from Marshall's. It was apparently an expensive brand so I thought that was cool...but it looked terribly boring in our bathroom. Plus, I couldn't get the fold crease out so it really looked silly. This stock picture shows it way better than it ever looked in out bathroom, but even so, it still looks boring here.

Shower Curtain #4:

Then, one day, I was shopping with my friend Rita and we were just browsing the aisles of Target. Then - I saw it. The most beautiful shower curtain ever. It was fun and sophisticated, yet still young and fashionable. Eek! I get excited even just typing about it. I bought it and it wasn't even on sale, and I hardly ever do that. But for $20 it was a great deal! Have you ever tried taking pictures in your bathroom? It's practically impossible to do in such a small room, but I tried! These pictures just don't do it justice, but I hope you can still see its beauty!

      

The End. I plan on keeping this shower curtain forever. It even matches the towels we got 2 years ago like they were made to go together. Sigh. I never thought I'd feel this way about a shower curtain. Thank you Target!

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Covering up an Ugly Phone Jack Wall Cover & Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Okay, I know I'm a day late, but I'd rather celebrate Easter then April Fool's Day! :) I have an awesome project to share with you, but before I show you how I made my awesome shoebox phone jack cover....

...let me tell you a little bit about my Easter!

If you follow me on instagram you know I went to Michigan for Easter. We had a really nice time with my family up there :) Here's a couple of the non-instagram pictures of the weekend. 

 Dying Easter eggs. We had maybe a little too much fun doing these, as my little sister Kayla decided to peel eggs and then color them...and then we also colored a dozen non-hard boiled eggs because we finished the boiled ones but then weren't quite ready to be done!

 And here we are all dressed up for church. (I'm wearing my new dress) He is risen! How awesome is it that our Savior died for us and then conquered death as well! Gets me excited, our God is awesome!

Amidst all of the Easter fun, while I was at my parents house I wanted to do some sort of fun crafty project, so when I saw their ugly, unused phone jack on the wall the wheels in my head started spinning (what a weird phrase, right?) 

Phone jacks are tricky to cover up because they aren't flat so you can't just stick a picture over them. And as far as I know, you can't just rip them out of the wall (but I'm not a electrician or someone who would know better) so I kept thinking of another way that might work.

 At first, I thought a small canvas might cover it up, but my mom didn't have one of those lying around. But - she did have shoeboxes and their lids! I don't even know how I thought of using a shoebox, but I'm quite proud of this creative mind God gave me :)

Anyway, so I stuck a shoebox lid on top of the phone jack. It fits! An easy solution to an ugly phone jack on the wall!

I spray painted the sides of the shoebox black. Added scrapbook paper and distressed the edges with a black stamp so the paper would look like it belonged.

 I tied a ribbon around the middle, but couldn't have the ribbon go all the way around the shoebox, because then it wouldn't fit around the phone jack, so I cut the ribbon in half and hot glued each half to the inside of the shoebox before tying it into a bow. 

My mom had vellum quotes, so I picked one out and glued it on. 

Also added some scrapbook paper to a clothespin. I added our Save the Date (from 2 years ago!) to the clothespin because my mom still had it on the fridge and it was the right size :) The best part about using a clothespin is that the picture is easily switched out. I even changed the picture before I left to one of my other two sisters, this corner was a little too much "Brie!"

Hope you enjoy it Mom! :) So much cuter than an nonfunctional phone jack cover!!

 

Do you have an unused phone jack that needs some covering up? Or have you covered up one another way? Hope this gave you an idea!!

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