Frou Frou Frilly

Chocolate Transfer Sheets

2011-12-12T10:31:00.001-08:00

What are chocolate transfer sheets, you ask? Well I first discovered these little babies while surfing through party planning sites looking for fun desserts. They can turn plain cake, cookies and candies into works of art. What they are are clear acetate sheets in varying sizes with an image printed in edible cocoa butter & powdered food coloring. These sheets can be cut to any size and are so easy to work with. Below are photos of my very first time using chocolate transfer sheets.

Because I have a peppermint theme going this Christmas, I wanted to make some cookies to match. I purchased a box of the Oreo holiday limited edition white fudge cookies, some white melting chocolate and a peppermint-themed chocolate transfer sheet.

I cut the transfer sheet into squares that would cover the top of each Oreo. Next I melted the white chocolate and "iced" each cookie, then pressed my transfer sheet into the warm chocolate.

After doing this with all the cookies, I placed them in the freezer for 10 minutes.

After removing them from the freezer, I peeled the transfer sheet away from the cookie and this adorable peppermint design was left behind.

It looks so professional! It was fast, easy & looked great on my Hot Chocolate Bar. What's that? A Hot Chocolate Bar? Well stick around, because I'll tell you (and show you) more about that in my next post.

Deck the....Walls!

2011-12-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again- time to pull out the Christmas decorations and bring on the Christmas spirit. My Christmas decor inspiration this year is peppermint! In order to bring some festive peppermint-themed fun into the house I decided to create a wreath to hang over the fireplace. I started by loading up on supplies from Hobby Lobby, starting with a plain green wreath as my base. I also purchased various tulle, ribbons (for gifts), floral picks, etc. I've found that when trying to guess how much you'll need, grab what you think will look good, then grab several more! More is better when you're going for a big, full, festive wreath. Lastly, I picked up a clear, acrylic wreath hanger.

The first thing you'll want to place on the wreath is the bow. You may want your bow at the top, on the side or on the bottom. Once you decide where that goes, then you can work around it.

Next I added some tulle as a color filler, then the curly fabric ribbon bows througout. This really plumped up my wreath and both items were very inexpensive.

Next I placed picks above & below my ribbon until it looked as though it was bursting with candy!

For some reason this just didn't seem to be enough. My wreathed was lacking - I tried a red/white striped Dr Seuss hat - nah. I tried yarn wrapped candy canes - no go (they ended up on the Christmas tree). Finally I tried a white, wooden letter "E" - for our last name - and it was perfect. It looked even cuter after I added the tiny Santa hat I found in the pet section of Target.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Monkey Themed 1st Birthday Party - in lime & chocolate

2011-09-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

Since planning my son's 1st birthday party I have really been into party things: decorations, desserts, themes, etc. So you will probably be seeing a lot of party-related posts on my blog going forward.
Speaking of my son's 1st birthday party, I wanted to share some of the food/décor details with all of you.
The primary focus of a party (aside from the birthday boy, of course!) is the dessert table. Ours included a birthday cake topped with a fondant monkey, cupcakes, pistachio macarons, personalized Hershey kisses, banana candies and monkey–themed sugar cookies.

When hosting a party in which the hostess is preparing a number of foods, it's nice to get a "helping hand" where you can. Therefore, I let a few local bakeries help with 3 items on the dessert table.
Ooh La La Dessert Boutique made the birthday cake
SweetTweets, local baker on etsy, made the monkey sugar cookies, and
Sweet made the macarons
I personalized the birthday cake & sugar cookies by making a fondant monkey topper for the cake and cello bags with custom toppers for the cookies (seen on the Favor Table). The cupcakes were homemade and the Hershey's kisses were store-bought (obviously) and I added custom designed stickers to the bottom of each kiss using tiny round stickers from OnlineLabels.com.

The dessert table also included lime colored lemonade, personalized bottles of water and monkey-themed cups with old-fashioned paper straws. I made the water bottle labels by creating my image in a Word document, printing, cutting & taping to each bottle using clear packing tape.

The favor table consisted of gift bags to be filled with custom made sugar cookies and individual boxes of cupcakes. I embellished the gift bags (Target) and cupcake boxes (ULINE) with scrapbook paper & printed round stickers. Between my Cricut, scallop circle punch, and 1 inch round stickers I designed on the computer, I was able to really dress these up. The highlight of the favor table was a poster showing a photo of my son each of the 52 weeks since he was born.

Looking back at a lot of the items on the dessert table & favor table, I realize one of the best purchases I made were the plain, white 1-inch sticker circles from OnlineLabels.com. I used those things everywhere! It was a great way to personalize the party and make everything tie in with the theme. The following items were made using these 1-inch circle stickers:
silverware tags
drink dispenser label
paper cup circles
favor bag labels
cupcake box labels
cookie bag toppers
birthday cupcake topper
I got a lot of use out of those labels!

In addition to the dessert table & favor table, we had a special highchair for the guest of honor. I decorated the chair with a furry lime-colored rug I found at Hobby Lobby a couple years ago (and used for a different party) then created a highchair banner with my Cricut for the highchair tray. The cupcake pedestal was a clear, glass home décor pedestal I had been using elsewhere. I cut strips of lime tulle to dress it up then topped it with a homemade cupcake, in a hand-cut cupcake wrapper I made using scrapbook paper and a template I found online (I didn’t have my Cricut at the time I cut these!). The cupcake decoration was made using a wooden coffee stir stick, my scallop circle punch & 1 of those handy 1-inch sticker circles. The backdrop is a cute shower curtain I found on eBay.

The cuteness was carried over onto the lunch table where the grown-ups dined. In keeping with the theme, I wanted a menu that went with everything else. I did a little research and found that monkeys in coastal regions are known to eat shellfish, fruits, vegetables & seeds. So the lunch menu consisted of steamed crab legs, garlic grilled shrimp, salad with berries & seeds, corn on the cob, new potatoes & hushpuppies. I found these great, colorful melamine plates/bowls at HEB, used 12x12 sheets of scrapbook paper as "placemats" and had various serving dishes in lime from a previous party (I like lime!).

A monkey-themed sign for departing guests & two scrapbooks to browse through, each chronicling 6 months of Max’s first year, round out the party decor.

I had so much fun designing, creating & decorating this monkey-themed party for my baby boy. Just wait till you see what I have planned for his 2nd birthday!

Make your own "Vintage" Milk Bottles

2011-08-29T07:34:00.001-07:00

A current trend at birthday parties, wedding showers, weddings & baby showers are these adorable vintage milk bottles.
[Photo Credit: Sharnel at My Life, My Love]

[Photo Credit: Trish of Frilly Milly Events]

[Photo Credit: Leoni from Just Call Me Martha]

They're so adorable, I had to have some of my own. The problem is, these vintage-style milk bottles are hard to find. There are a few party shops that sell them but they are oftentimes sold out. When they are in stock, they can be pretty expensive (especially when you factor in shipping costs). Of course I could always scour flea markets, antique stores & estate sales looking for true, vintage milk bottles - but what are the chances of finding matching bottles in the amount I need for my party?

A simple, inexpensive, adorable solution? Starbuck's Frappuccino bottles.
So let's see...spend tons of money on milk bottles I only bring out at the occasional party or spend tons of time hunting down milk bottles at junk shops or have a valid excuse for drinking several bottles worth of delicious coffee drink? I don't know about you, but I'm going with the frappuccino bottle "re-purpose" project.

Now I've encountered numerous sites suggesting this as an alternative, but none that tell you what to do with that awful sticky stuff all over the bottles once you remove the label. So I'm gonna save you some time & experimentation and let you in on what worked for me.

First you take your ice cold bottle of Starbuck's Mocha Frappuccino (or whatever flavor you prefer). Then you drink it down (yum). Tear off the label at the neck of the bottle (super easy, comes right off), then peel away the front & back labels (a little more difficult). What you'll find underneath is a lot of gummy stickiness. I found the quickest way to remove this was to use Goo Gone & an Arm&Hammer Easer Sponge. Pour some Goo Gone on the sticky areas, let sit, then scrub away using the eraser sponge.
Wash the bottle out by hand or run it through the dishwasher and your "vintage milk bottle" is ready for use.

Creating a Dessert Table Backboard

2011-07-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

If you have searched through infinite numbers of party blogs and hostess sites like I have, you've come across photos of these gorgeous dessert tables. You know the ones. They have crisply starched tablecloths, matching platters, coordinating color schemes - all professionally photographed and looking so perfect you wouldn't dare touch a single dessert on the table! Well, that's what I wanted for my son's 1st birthday party. The most important place to start this project is with the base: the table & backdrop. I can figure out how to create a nice table (Iron, tablecloth. Done.) but how do I get that sharp looking backboard??? Some sites I researched suggested large pieces of plywood with fabric stapled to them, others suggested hanging fabric on the wall behind the table. Since the plywood option seemed cumbersome and I dreaded another trip to Home Depot, I opted for the hung fabric. I started by purchasing a set of green curtains at Target. The green matched the color scheme for the party and the curtains were nice, finished pieces of fabric I could use for the party, then reuse afterward. So I had my curtain panel, which I ironed, then attached to the wall using clear push pins. The look? drape-y...unrefined...blah. Plus it was too short.
So I started thinking of other ways to get the look I wanted, while using supplies that were easily accessible, easily stored post-party, and easy to work with (in other words, light & don't require a saw).
I went to Hobby Lobby where I purchased 2 of the tri-fold presentation boards (like you use for science projects).
I bought 4 flat sticks of wood, about 1" wide, in the wood craft section, and headed home to heat up my glue gun. I turned the boards so the folding side was face down on the floor then used hot glue to affix the wood pieces to the back. This kept the board from folding, so I had 2 large, flat pieces of thick cardboard.
I then took each curtain panel and pinned it to the board using straight pins. I was careful not to let the pins stick straight through the cardboard, but instead angled them so they went down into the 1/4" space between. You could use tape on the backside, but I wanted to keep things neat, so I opted for pins.
Rather than attaching the boards to the wall, I simply leaned them on the table against the wall. This was necessary for the board on the left since there is a light switch on that section of the wall. The look is much cleaner and just what I was going for!

Making a Frame-Tray

2011-07-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting my son's 1st birthday party and needed a brown tray to hold bottles of water. I couldn't find what I was looking for anywhere, and with only a week until the party, it was time to get creative! I ran into Michael's and saw a long, narrow frame - just the right size/shape/length for my water bottles. I took it home and removed the fancy 3D matting, replaced it with colorful lime/white polka dot paper to coordinate with the birthday party theme, replaced the frame backing & voila! A cute, easy tray. And post-party, I can replace the matting and fill it with photos of my adorable son!

Colorful Layer Cake

2011-07-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a surprise. Like cutting into a plain, white, vanilla frosted cake to find beautifully colored layers! The process is easy and the varities are limitless.

First, determine your color scheme. Next, have cake mix & food coloring on hand when you start your baking. It's best to use vanilla, lemon, or any light-colored cake mix for this process. Once you mix your batter, divide it evenly among however many bowls correspond with the number of layers you want (i.e. a 3 layer cake requires dividing your batter among 3 bowls). Then add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl. Continue to mix & add food coloring until you get the desired color. I chose pinks & oranges for my 4 layer cake. I made 2 bowls of pink (one a light shade, the other a shade darker), then did the same with the orange batter (one light, one darker). Bake as directed. When you remove the cakes from the oven they'll all look pretty similar on the outside. Don't worry. When you cut into them, their various shades of color shine through. Layer, frost, then slice a piece for a beautiful surprise!

Below is the pink/orange 4 layer cake I baked for Mother's Day. I used Wilton 6" cake pans, a vanilla Duncan Hines cake mix and the Mangolia Bakery vanilla buttercream frosting recipe.

Inspiration for my layer cake:
from MARTHA STEWART

from OVEN LOVE

from CREATIVE COMMONS

Heat Embossing Tutorial

2009-12-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

You know those shiny, plastic-like images on cards? Ever wished you could create your own? Well you can! It's called heat embossing and it's all the rage in scrapbooking circles.

You'll need:

Stamp
Embossing ink (a clear ink- also called Versamark)
Embossing powder (comes in every color imaginable)
Heat Gun

Materials that are handy, but not necessary: antistatic pad & powder tray

I realize that of the supplies listed, the average crafter may only have stamps lying around. But if you're like me, you'll see the results of heat embossing and run out and buy the others immediately. I learned this technique in an Archiver's class (scrapbooking store) and have used it in invitations, cards, scrapbooks, the fabric wall panel in the previous post, and many other ways.

Let's begin. If you have an antistatic pad, blot your paper (or whatever you're embossing- fabric, plastic, etc) with this to remove static. The reason for this step is to de-static your paper because embossing powder is very fine and will stick to not only your stamped image, but to any oils left on the paper by your fingers or any random area of static. Unfortunately you may not realize you have fine, loose powders outside the boarders of your stamp until you pull out the heat gun and they start to appear. So try to use some form of antistatic material before stamping the paper. If you don't have an antistatic pad - don't worry. It's just a little purse filled with cornstarch, which you can make with old pantyhose and cornstarch, or rub your material with a dryer sheet.

Next press your stamp into the embossing ink and position it over your paper. Press it down evenly, giving equal pressure to all sides of the stamp. Lift up & away, so as not to smudge your image. You won't see much since the ink is clear, but just you wait!

Sprinkle embossing powder onto the stamped paper over a powder tray or sheet of paper. Be sure to pour a thick coating of powder over your stamp, then pour the powder off into the tray or onto the paper. Give your stamped paper a few taps to knock off any excess powder. Pour the powder collected in the tray or on the paper into your vial of embossing powder and seal.

Next you'll need your heat gun. I have heard of using a blow-dryer for this step, but I'd be afraid of blowing all my embossing powder right off ! Some use the blow-dryer on the back side of the paper to avoid this, but there are mixed reviews as to whether this works. Plus, a blow-dryer doesn't emit a high-intensity heat like a heat gun. I've also read that toaster ovens and irons can be used, but I'm not even going there. If embossing is something you think you could get creative with - spend the money on a heat gun. I think mine was $14.99 at Hobby Lobby....even less with that 40% coupon they always offer.

Hold the heat gun at least 4 inches over your inked & powdered paper and let the heat do it's thing. Don't get impatient and allow the heat gun to inch closer and closer to your paper until it burns!! Just give it a minute and you'll see your image transform from a powder to a glossy, shining image! It's like magic- it really is.

Fabulous Fabric Wall Panels

2009-12-16T13:06:00.000-08:00

Do you have a wall that looks blah & bare? Need to dress it up? Then I've got just the thing:

Fabric Covered Wall Panels

My friend, Liz, turned me onto this fun, creative & EASY little project when she told me about the panels she made......and I couldn't wait to make my very own!

You'll need only 3 materials for this beautiful wall transformation:

Wood Canvas Frame (Hobby Lobby, Michael's, art supply, etc)
Fabric (thicker is better)
Staple gun (i know, if I'm not using a glue gun it's a staple gun...makes crafting almost sound 'tough', doesn't it?)

It's up to you whether you make one great big wall panel or several small wall panels. I'm starting with a couple small 10"x10" frames. Each slat cost .69, for a total of $2.76 per frame - ya can't beat that!

You just fit them into the premade grooves and there's your frame:

I wanted to cover mine in a thick, white fabric that I could stamp. I took that fabric and cut it about 2" larger than my frame all around.

I don't mean to state the obvious, but you will want to iron this fabric before stapling it to your frame!

Next, you'll fold the fabric over the side of the wood frame and staple to the back. When you get to the corners, tuck in the edge so it makes a triangle shape, then staple. This gives you a nice, neat edge.

(pay no attention to the paws in the picture)

Repeat with all sides, assuming there is no furry interference.

Here's what mine looks like (so far):

If you want, you can 'bedazzle' a plain panel by stamping or heat embossing your fabrics with scrapbooking materials. I wanted to heat emboss mine with this damask stamp from my scrapbook supplies. Since I mentioned it, I'll give you the step-by-step for heat embossing in tomorrow's post, but here's how it turned out:

I fully intend to make more panels in coordinating fabrics and get all creative on the wall in our home office, but for now, this one lonely panel will have to do for the tutorial. Now you know I wouldn't leave you hangin' - I've got photos of the gorgeous panels my friend Liz made for her home!
She mixed a feminine damask with a masculine stripe. Her suggestion: use an upholstery fabric for a thick, well-covered panel.

Make a Cake Pedestal

2009-12-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

This is about the easiest tutorial I've posted. It's so easy I'm not sure I should even call it a tutorial. For materials you'll need:

a cake plate (a regular plate, charger, platter, cake board, serving tray, etc)
a stand (a candlestick, wood craft parts, small lamp base, round PVC pipe, etc)
extra strength adhesive

I found a lonely, white wooden charger in my pantry that I bought years ago. You can't exactly set a dinner table with one charger, so I may as well put it to good use. Then I found a white, ceramic candlestick in my decor closet (aka linen closet with no linens).

I have 2 kinds of Gorilla Glue, so I chose the kind that dries white since I was gluing together two white objects.

I rimmed the candlestick with Gorilla Glue and positioned it in the center of the bottom of my charger.

I topped the candlestick with 2 books since the Gorilla Glue calls for clamping or weighting the two objects being glued.

And the finished product - easy, beautiful & free!

At this point I was on a roll so I made another. This one is a black, square charger I had in the pantry, glued to a black fleur-de-lis candlestick holder:

I Love Cake Pedestals

2009-12-11T13:46:00.000-08:00

If anything deserves to be put on a pedestal - it's cake!

Whether they're called cake pedestals, cake stands or cake plates, it's all about the presentation and the right cake pedestal can make a ho-hum cake look spectacular! But don't be fooled by the name. Cake pedestals aren't just for cake & cupcakes. You can dress up just about anything by placing it on a pedestal: fruit, flowers, cookies, hors d'eouvres, holiday decor.....the list is as long as your imagination. Whatever you choose to display, you can bet that cake pedestal makes it look a great deal better!

Below are some examples of cake pedestals and their various uses. When you're done ogling them and that twinge of inspiration starts creeping in - just wait! Monday I'll be posting a DIY cake pedestal tutorial so you can make your own cake pedestal(s).

Look at the materials these cake pedestals are made from:

paper plates and paper cups

a real tree branch and slice of tree!

Adding unique materials to an existing cake pedestal can make a big impression. This everyday white ceramic pedestal is Christmas-ready with the simple addition of some evergreen branches.

That's all for now - I'll see you back here Monday for the cake pedestal tutorial...

Contemporary Christmas Decoration Inspiration

2009-12-10T07:02:00.001-08:00

Looking for some non-traditional, modern Christmas decor ideas? I found a few while browsing online that I thought I'd share. While some may be a little over-the-top, or too modern for your tastes, there may be elements of each that you can combine to make your own, unique holiday setting.

Christmas Creative!

2009-12-09T06:54:00.001-08:00

A few posts ago I shared photos of my Christmas decor - but I'm not the only one getting Christmas-Creative out there! My sister, Karen, and my friend, Adrienne, have both shared photos of their Christmas decor, that I'd like to share with all of you!

My sister's Christmas colors are burgundy & gold so she filled her tall, evergreen tree with beautiful ornaments in these colors, including burgundy feathered birds, gold glittered chandeliers and burgundy fleur-de-lis.

She also lined her mantle with coordinating burgundy & gold stockings, all with a fleur-de-lis theme, carried over from the fleur-de-lis ornaments on her tree. There are even stockings for their 3 dogs ; ). We're quite the family of animal lovers!

Karen also created two Christmas hurricane candles after seeing my previous post on that project. She came up with her own version, using hot cocoa-colored candles, mini pinecones and holly berries. It's always fun to see the different ways you can take a project and make it your own.

An elegant, beautiful, traditional Christmas home - right??? Well hold onto your lightsaber, because we're not done at my sister's house just yet. You can bet her husband, Scott, was not all that geeked up over the lovely and delicate little ornaments and perfectly displayed stockings....so he got his own tree.

A Star Wars Christmas Tree!

This black tree features red Christmas lights and is fully ornamented with Star Wars characters (no Christmas tree is complete without Princess Leia, right?!), a starfighter, and a tiny Millennium Falcon - all topped off by the wisest, most powerful Jedi master in the galaxy: Yoda (with his glowing lightsaber). Yoda isn't the only one with Christmas spirit - how about the adorable Yoda, Darth Vader & C3PO bobbleheads all decked out in their Christmas gear!

Now let's take a trip to the north side of town to my friend Adrienne's home and see how she's adorned her home for the Christmas holidays.....

Adrienne chose elegant red and silver for her Christmas colors and covered her gorgeous, fluffy-full Christmas tree with ornaments in those colors, including silver monograms (you know I love monograms!), shining red balls and a silver framed family photo.

She continued these beautiful Christmas colors on her mantle by displaying pillar and votive candles at varying heights, in both clear & mercury glass candleholders, the length of the mantle. These are highlighted by silver glittered star ornaments, red gems and a silver starburst mirror - all of which really reflect the candlelight and make everything sparkle!

So there you have it - two more beautiful homes all decked out for Christmas! I hope some of these photos will inspire you in decorating your own home for the holidays.

A Christmas Cloche

2009-12-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

I've seen photos of these beautiful glass domes housing all sorts of wonderful items, never knowing their proper name until recently: Cloches.
Cloche is actually the French word for "bell" - and you'll notice cloches are bell-shaped, which is probably why they're also known as 'bell jars' (yes, like the Sylvia Plath novel).

The great thing about a cloche is that you can put just about anything under one and it highlights that item, making it seem more valuable, important, beautiful, special......... from everyday items to holiday treasures. Since Christmas is nearing (17 days & counting) I'm choosing to highlight Christmas Cloches. But before I bombard you with the eye candy, I thought I'd share another fun fact with you: cloches were originally created as protective covers for young, delicate plants in the 1600's Italy!

Now for the holiday eye candy!

Don't be surprised if you see that I'm suddenly posting a cloche decor tutorial because I bought myself one!

Christmas Ball Wreaths

2009-12-07T06:26:00.001-08:00

[Adrienne - this posting is just for you - all about ball wreaths!]
Around the holidays, there are all kinds of wreaths out there - styles to fit everyone's tastes and decor style. Wreaths with holly, ribbons, fruit, pinecones....I could go on and on, but I have to say the most elegant are ball ornament wreaths. They're perfect for incorporating all the colors of your holiday decor and look so full and festive. They come in all shapes and color combinations - just look:

My Christmas colors are black & silver, but after decorating the house I decided to toss in a splash of red for more color. So I knew I wanted to make a ball wreath incorporating those three colors. And as much I like the creative shapes ball wreaths come in, I wanted to go with the traditional circle. So that's my starting point - a circular red/black/silver ball wreath.

Now a trip to the craft store for materials! You'll first need to determine what type of base you want to use. You can use a foam circle from the floral department, a straw wreath, an evergreen branch wreath (if you want the traditional wreath with just a few ball ornaments mixed in), or even a clothing hanger you've manipulated into the shape you want. Knowing I wanted a circle, with no other materials (like the evergreens) I had to decide between a foam circle or the straw wreath base. Since the foam is flat and $12 and the straw was more rounded and only $4, I went with the straw base. Next I purchased ball ornaments in my colors from a couple of stores that had their Christmas decor 50% off. Here you see what I purchased, as well as some black fabric I had at home, and my trusty ole glue gun:

The first thing you want to do is cover your base - just in case any part of it shows through the crevices of your ball ornaments. I chose some black fabric remnants from my supplies, but you'll want to choose a color that coordinates with your own Christmas decor colors. I began by cutting strips of fabric which I then wrapped and hot glued around my straw wreath base (this doesn't have to be perfect b/c it will be covered with ornaments soon and I didn't even remove the plastic wrap around the straw wreath).

Once you've wrapped your base completely, you can start the fun part - gluing ball ornaments to the base and watching your wreath take shape!
I removed the metal hangers from my ornaments so they wouldn't get in the way and so that I could press my ornaments as close together as possible (if you're using a clothing hanger as your base, you'll want to leave these on since you'll be running the hanger wire through them). I squeezed a glob of hot glue on the side and pressed to the fabric-covered wreath base.

Continue this process of removing the hangers and hot-gluing, while mixing up the colors and types of ball ornaments you're using so you have a nice variety and no like-ornaments next to one another.

Because you are working with sphere shapes, you will have gaps - which is where these tiny red ball ornaments come in. They make great fillers.

Here you can see my wreath is really shaping up:

After running out of hot glue sticks in the final stages, then waiting for my husband to pick up a pack on his way home with dinner, I was able to complete my masterpiece!

I was very happy with the results- it's large and full and seems to be exploding with ornaments! All that's left is attaching some ribbon (or tulle in my case) and hanging it up.

Tying the tulle to the banister proved to be too much temptation for our kitty, Emi.

It seems this post has inspired others to create their own ball wreaths!! My friend, Hope, created a gold version to coordinate with her Christmas decor - gorgeous!!!

My sister made a ball wreath of gold and red and it turned out beautifully!

The Studio

2009-12-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I call it my craft room, other times it's my hobby room....but studio makes it sound important, doesn't it? Regardless of its name, it's a room where creativity abounds!! Where I paint & lose patience & glue & experiment & surprise myself & create! A room just for me. As novelist Virginia Woolf said, "A woman must have money and a room of her own..." Ok, so Ms Woolf was referring to women writing fiction and I'm talking crafting, but I think the general point remains the same. You need your own space to create.

So I wanted to share my room to create with all of you creative (or just curious) people out there, because if you are like me, you see these artistic, amazing things people construct and wonder, ‘what does their studio look like?’ ‘what kind of workspace is behind that remarkable thing they made?’ Or maybe not. Maybe you're just a nosy craft room voyeur!

I just want everyone to know that sometimes this room is clean - or, it was once anyway - right after we moved into the house. Of course if it's too clean, that means not much creativity is occurring there, so maybe a clean craft room isn't a good thing. I guess I go through phases where I'm totally into a project (or projects) and the studio/craft room/hobby room gets way outta control. I get to a point where I can't stand it any more because I can't find things or because the messiness is interfering with some of my projects (like having paint drying on one project get onto an unrelated project -argh!). That's when I'll stop what I'm doing, organize and re-group. This has been occurring more often since I opened my etsy shop and my studio has been as active as a Starbucks Drive-thru!

I think all of us crafty-types experiment with various materials and projects. I started a long time ago with miniatures, dabbled in beading, sketching, pastels, sewing, pottery, modeling clay, etc. then really got into photography & scrapbooking (which I am still totally into). When I opened the etsy store I made tassel-making and frame-decoupaging my new favorites, and I’m looking into branching out into other areas. The possibilities are endless (as are my receipts at Hobby Lobby). You will see evidence of this laundry-list of creative interests throughout my craft room.

Scrapbooking Corner:

My Miniatures (i admit, I've neglected this hobby for some time now):

Etsy Shop Supplies & Product:

When you get into a project, you find there are materials in your studio that you just can’t live without. Here are my favorites:

As you can see, these are the very items I keep close at hand on my work table.

I also want to point out two of my favorite elements of my studio: the antique hutch and the chandelier (both old). The hutch belonged to my great-aunt Ruth, from Bogota, Texas. She stored dishes and momentos in this hutch and when she passed, I inherited it. It now houses all kinds of things, from pastels & paintbrushes to scrapbooking stamps, cutters & punches.

The chandelier was rescued from the attic of my old home - left behind by the previous owners. It was a brass chandelier with ivory & gold tassels hanging from each arm and yellowing shades. I spraypainted it black, added the fabric chain cover, purchased fresh white shades and lined them with black string trim to transform it into an adorable chandy worthy of my studio.

So there ya go! A peek inside the room where the magic happens! ha ; ) If you’re curious about where I purchased certain items and want them for your own craft room, don’t hesitate to ask. If you have photos of your own studio you'd like to share, I’d love to see them!

Christmas Candles

2009-12-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

Nothing sets a warm, cozy mood around your home at the holidays like a roaring fire and flickering candles. On my last trip to Hobby Lobby, I picked up a tall, red candle and some artifical snow and was determined to create something Christmas-y once I got home with them. Since I had a large glass hurricane candleholder on the bottom shelf of the entry table, I thought I'd experiment with that.

First I replaced the everyday ivory candle with my Christmas-red candle. The candle definitely needs something more - glad I bought the snow.

I dumped in the first bag and it seemed a bit chinchy, so I put about half of the 2nd bag in with it.

It still seemed to be missing something....that's when I added the pinecones and drizzled some "snow" over them for a wintery look.

And there you have it- a lovely, simple Christmas candle!

Super Easy Monogrammed Christmas Stockings

2009-12-02T08:39:00.001-08:00

There are so many cute Christmas stockings in stores right now - elaborate, adorable, well-made stockings that are on sale and cheaper than what it would cost to buy fabric and make your own. Since I don't have the best relationship with my sewing machine, I'd rather purchase a ready-made stocking and get creative from there. I happened to find these two gorgeous stockings for $9.99 each at Hobby Lobby with 50% off. That's two stockings for $9.99! What a bargain!

The problem with ready-made stockings? No personalization. Everyone knows you have to personalize your stocking in some way so Santa gets the right gifts to you! Well, there's an easy (not to mention great-looking) solution to this problem - and it can be found in the awesome MONOGRAM section at Hobby Lobby (or your nearest craft store). I found these super-cute metal letters at HobLob - also 50% off this week- and purchased the letters for mine and my husband's names.

These pretty little stockings came with 2 gorgeous black tassels attached, but I had to remove them in order to personalize my stockings with the metal monograms. It's ok, because I know I'll find another purpose for the tassels in some future project.

So I snipped off the tassels and hot-glued the monogram letters by their hanging ribbons under the black foldover part of the stocking. So easy!

All that's left to do is hang them on the mantle so Santa can fill them up at Christmas!

Great Gift Presentation

2009-11-30T11:50:00.001-08:00

I bet you were all out shopping on Black Friday, loading up on gifts for your friends and family for Christmas or Hanakkuh. So now it's time to wrap them up and everybody knows that the presentation of the gift can be as important as the gift itself. How it's wrapped builds the anticipation for what lies beneath the wrapping paper and bows, so get creative this year!

First off, don't rely on gift bags alone for every gift you give this holiday. Branch out! Use materials that aren't specifically for gifts (buttons, tree ornaments, fabric, etc). Check out gift wrapping tips online. I found some wonderful ideas at The Container Store website - in fact they have a whole booklet on gift wrapping ideas (including some impressive bow 'how-to's') that's worth checking out. Here's the link: http://www.containerstore.com/pdf/experthelp/gorgeousGiftPresentation.pdf
Some of my favs from the Container Store site:

You know I love that monogram!

This adorable gift wrap idea is on the Good Housekeeping site - love the use of Christmas bulbs:

Of course you know Martha Stewart always has some neat ideas:

So wrap those gifts with FLARE!
Speaking of gift presentation, will you be attending parties where you plan to present the host/hostess with a bottle of wine over the holidays? How about crafting a spectacularly fabulous wine topper to present your vino in the manner it deserves! Not only is a wine topper great for presentation, but it's also a wonderful way to show off a bottle with sentimental value or special significance. How do you create one of these fab finds? I'll show you right now.

Let's start with your supply list:

Clear acrylic cup (shot glass size - can be purchased in area with paper plates, cups, etc)
Feathers (find those sold in strips at your local craft store)
Fringe trim
Beads
Beading Floss

Take your acrylic cup and feathers and tape the feathers around the top of the cup - removing the adhesive tape from the feathers as you make your way around the cup from top to bottom. Reserve about 6 inches of feather trim and hot glue the tail of your feather strip to the acrylic cup (that adhesive isn't the strongest, so the hot glue is just to make sure it's secure).

Take the 6 inches of feather trim you set aside - this will be used to fill in the center of your long feather strip, where there is a 'void' exposing the bottom of the acrylic cup. Roll the 6 inches into a spiral, glue this to itself using hot glue, then glue into the 'void' on the bottom of the cup. You should have a full head of feathers on your cup.

Now let's start beading. Using beading floss, begin by knotting the end and threading your floss onto a needle (this helps for those large beads that it's difficult to get the floss through).

It's up to you how you want your beads to be threaded, but I took a uniform approach. I started with a long center thread, then made identical threads of beads on each side of it that were a bit shorter, then repeated by making 2 more matching threads of beads on each side of that, even shorter than it's neighbor, and so on, until I had this:

Now it's time to attach your beads to the acrylic cup. If you have a punch tool or Dremel, you will need it for this step of the project. Drill small holes (large enough to thread your beading floss through) into your cup, making sure each is equidistant.

Next you'll tie on your beads:

Now we need to add some trim to cover the base of the feather trim and the holes and beading ties. You can use any kind of remnants or trim in your stash, or you can purchase a small amount (1/2 a yard). I used some wild, fuzzy brown knitting yarn for the base (which I hot glued), then went over that with an elegant loop fringe.

And there you have it! A fabulous, frou-frou wine bottle topper presentation!!

Ten Little Tags

2009-11-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

If you have an Archiver's (scrapbook store) or any scrapbook store that offers classes - take them!! They are fun and you learn so many new techniques. This afternoon I took a class called "Ten Little Tags" where we made 10 different Christmas gift tags, all using different tools and materials. As 'into' scrapbooking as I am, you would think there's nothing new they could teach me. In fact, I go into every class thinking that - and they always prove me wrong! Here are the little tags I made - I can't wait to use them!

I'm Dreaming of a Black & Silver Christmas...

2009-11-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it does no good dreaming of a WHITE Christmas when you live near Houston!
It's that time of year - time to pull that Christmas tree down from the attic and add some holiday sparkle to your home. The tradition in my family is to do this the day after Thanksgiving, so that's just what we did. My husband and I even made a little party out of it. Our Two-Person Tree Trimming Party consisted of appetizers, cocktails, music (not Christmas music - i didn't want my hubby poking out his eardrums) and decorations galore. The kitties even joined in the fun and there was glitter e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!

I don't go too crazy with the decorations. It's not like every room and every flat surface is filled with Santa's and Snowmen. I focus all our Chistmas decor in our living room and entry area. Also, I keep the amount of decor minimal and neat, plus my Christmas colors are not the traditional red & green. Puh- leese.....that is far too conventional. I opted for something more flashy, more contemporary, more cool:

black and silver

You heard me. Black ornaments on a silver tree and black/silver decorations!! The only aspect of my holiday decor that would be considered 'traditional' is the Nativity, which is the first Christmas decoration to go up and the last to be packed away after 'the big day'.

Next I started with the coffee table using 3 large, glass candle holders I sometimes display on the mantle. I removed the candles and filled them with strings of silver beads and glass ball ornaments in black and silver.

On the mantle I used these great Christmas tree cones I bought in silver last year. I wanted black, but they didn't sell them in that color, so I made my own by taking black posterboard, winding it into a cone shape, taping it on the inside, covering in spray-adhesive and sprinkling with black glitter. Easy. I hung the wreath above the mantle for some height, using a strip of black satin for the big bow.

And now for the tree!! We found the perfect spot for it and started hanging ornaments. Every time we finished a layer of ornaments from the storage bin and I revealed the next layer my husband would say, "more?! I don't think there's room for more." I say the key to a nice Christmas tree is having lots of ornaments, so we kept piling them on until the storage bins were empty!

We weren't the only ones focused on the Christmas tree. The kitties took quite an interest in the tree (and batting around the ornaments).

Oh look! I already have 2 Christmas gifts under the tree!

I hope all of you reading this blog had as much fun decorating your own home for the holidays.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, Y'all!

Christmas Craft Tutorial

2009-11-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for a cute, unique way to wrap gifts, I have just the tutorial for you. It's simple, it's inexpensive, and it makes for a fun presentation.

It's a Naughty-or-Nice felt gift bag.

Here are the materials you'll need:

2 sheets 8x10 black felt
2 sheets 8x10 white felt
Needle and black and white threads
Black scrapbook text
White scrapbook text
1/4 yard of ribbon, yarn or cord

Let's get started. First take you white felt and cut an oval out of it for your label. Sew this to the lower half of your sheet of black felt with a simple straight stitch. Do the same for the white felt (sew black oval to lower half).

Once you have your oval labels sewn onto each sheet of felt, it's time to sew the two sheets together. Turn the black and white felt so that the labels are facing one another and the large sheets line up together. Stitch along the sides and bottom of your 2 pieces of felt.

Once they are sewn together, turn your bag right side out (so that you see a nice, hidden stitch from the outside). Now you can center your scrapbook text into the ovals: black text onto white oval, and vice versa.

Almost done.....now fill your adorable little gift bag with whatever presernt you like and tie at the top with ribbon, yard or cord. I used a black grosgrain ribbon with white stiched edges.

The recipient of this little gift will get such a kick out of the presentation!

Merry Christmas and Happy Crafting!

A Monogrammed Entry

2009-11-25T05:53:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's vain, or a bit narcissistic, but I love decorating with my monogram. I think it must be pretty popular with other conceited, self-absorbed decorators because I see these monogram letters all over stores in the form of wood, ceramic, metal; for hanging on the wall, in glass frames, on tabletops, etc. They're like Twilight ads - they're everywhere!

So I was thinking my entry table looked terribly dull since the Halloween decorations came down, so why not dress it up with some monogram decor? It all started with these hideous gold frames that have been sitting in the back of the closet just waiting for a new lease on life (queue the spraypaint!). I also had this great black birdcage I bought a while back that I wanted to use in some way (now that it had served it's Halloween purpose as a raven cage). Then I had this decorative, green twig ball that I knew I'd never use unless it were painted a color to match my decor. Ok, so that's my starting point: gold frames, green twig ball, birdcage.

So I start by spraypainting my gold frames & green twig ball a shiny black (have I mentioned everything in my house is black, white or beige?). Then I printed some cool "E's" (what my last name starts with) in different fonts I downloaded for free from dafont.com, cut them out and framed them in my newly painted frames. One is a decorative font I just pasted to the brown cardboard on the inside of the frame, and the other "E" is in a floating frame (between two pieces of glass). So far, this project has been FREE. Frames, paper letters and twig ball below:

Then I bought this big white, wooden "E" at Hobby Lobby, along with a beautiful beige toile print scrapbook paper, which I decoupaged (always looking for an excuse to use my Mod Podge) over the E.

Then I took my toile E, along with this cute bird tealight I found at the Dollar Store,

and placed them in the black birdcage with some twig & rope balls from my decor stash.

At this point, this project has cost $2.47 for the "E", $0.59 for scrapbook paper and $1 for the bird tealight (for those of you trying to count that up in your head, it comes to $4.06). Not bad, eh? Well, I couldn't leave well enough alone, and as I said, I love to decorate with my monogram ; ) so I was back at Hobby Lobby (for an unrelated project) and stumbled across these other cute-cute monogram letters that just lept into my shopping basket on their own accord. A ceramic E on a ribbon hanger and a standing wood E.

The end result? A Monogrammed Entry. [My husband will tell you all those E's are for "Entry" since they're on the entry table, but they actually stand for our last name.]

Did I mention I like monograms?

Fun with Apothecary Jars

2009-11-24T05:08:00.000-08:00

So I bought this great apothecary decantor from Z Gallerie for a party I hosted. It was a beautiful piece and looked so impressive filled with bright green apple martinis.

But as I was cleaning it, post-party, I broke the spigot. I bought a replacement spigot from an independent website, but it no-worky. So my apothecary decantor became a plain ole apothecary jar that sat on the top shelf of our pantry collecting dust.........until the day our dining room buffet was delivered! The former-apothecary-decantor-turned-plain-ole-jar now had a new home...but how should it be arranged?...what filler should go inside? Here's where that creativity I brag about comes into play.

I started with the wine corks filling a drawer in our bar and poured those into the apothecary jar.

It looked good- it worked with 'my colors' because corks are a beige color, so running with that theme, I gathered up some more apothecary jars (I had from the 'candy bar' at said party) and filled them with beige stuff too. I bought some brown stick-like things & some cholla wood at (can you guess where?) Hobby Lobby and filled 2 apothecary jars with those.

Then I took some mini pinecones I purchased for an unrelated Thanksgiving decor project and filled the last apothecary jar.

Then I pulled out the cute little cupcake stands I bought last month (yes, at HobLob) and arranged a few large pinecones that I gathered off the ground at my old house into one cupcake stand...

...and placed a sweet little bird's nest that I found in the grass months earlier into the other stand.

Voila! A gorgeous grouping of beige, natural items in all those apothecary jars and cupcake stands that had been taking up room in my pantry & cabinets.

The only problem? My small collection of wine corks is a little lost in that large apothecary jar. You know what that means - I need to drink more wine!

Embellished Letters Tutorial

2009-11-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Have you seen those adorable letters people use to decorate their mantles at Christmas? They sell them on several etsy.com sites (yes, mine) and other websites, but you could even make them yourself. I'll show you how in this tutorial.

First you need to get your materials together:

paper mache letters (or wood, up to you - Hobby Lobby or Michael's will have these)
paint
X-acto knife & scissors
scrapbook paper
decoupage glue (Mod Podge rocks!!!)
this-n-thats to decorate your letters with (or not, depends on what look you're going for)

Ok- now that we're set with our materials, let's start by painting our paper mache letters.

You only need to paint the back, sides and a little inside the edge of the front. It's not necessary to paint the front b/c you'll be covering it with scrapbook paper in the next step.

I like to paint 2-3 coats on my letters, b/c I like a nice, rich coat of paint, but you can judge how many coats are needed depending on whether you use wood or paper mache letters, and depending on the color and quality of your paint. I use regular craft paint from (can you guess?) Hobby Lobby or Michael's. Here are the letters after their 1st coat of paint. I'll put 2 more coats on...Let that paint dry really well before you go on to the next step. I have made the mistake of rushing things and ended up with paint from my paper mache letters all over my scrapbook paper. Learn from my mistakes! Let it dry!

Now, taking your DRY paper mache letter, postion it over the back of your scrapbook paper and trace. Cut the letter out (use an Exacto knife for things like the center of an "O" or the circle part of the "P"). Do this with each letter. Once the cutting is done, you are ready to decoupage - which, as everyone knows, is loads of fun! Paint the front of your paper mache letter with a thin coat of decoupage glue, then paint your scrapbook paper letter with a thin coat and position it *just so* over your paper mache letter. Press it on really well so you aren't left with air bubbles.
At this point your letters are already looking pretty great, right? Give that decoupage glue some time to dry. The Mod Podge bottle says 15-20 minutes, but for that first coat, I like to give it an hour. *Fast forward to an hour into the future* Now give your letters another coat of decoupage by painting over the top of your scrapbook paper and around the sides of your letters (where the scrapbook paper meets the paper mache letter). Don't worry if you're using glitter paper and that 1st coat of Mod Podge makes your paper look foggy-white like this (pic below). Once it dries it will be shiny and clear and your glitter will sparkle through. I promise.
Let that dry about 20 minutes. Then paint a second coat over the scrapbook paper, sides, and this time get the back of the letters so they're nice and shiny (this is why some people just buy them off etsy - too many steps). Let that dry and you've got yourself some gorgeous painted, decoupaged letters.As if that weren't enough (and it is enough, if you're wanting to keep your letters simple), you can now add the 'extras'. Some creative people like to tie strips of tulle, fabric or rafia around the arm of a letter, or add a felt flower, or cute 3D stickers, etc. You are only limited by your own imagination. I'm opting for the simple HO HO HO letters, but a couple weeks ago I put together some embellished letters spelling JOY for my etsy shop (prior to this tutorial, so no step-by-step pics). I added a mini foil bow to the "J", a mini Christmas wreath (from my dollhouse miniatures stash) to the "O", and a cute strand of miniature plastic Christmas lights (also from my mini's stash) to the "Y". Check it out:

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for - the completed Ho Ho Ho embellished letters:

Notice how the Goodwill-spraypainted-candlesticks got into the photo ; ) That photo is also a good lesson in why it's important to make the back of your letters look nice (with those extra coats of paint, and the decoupage layer for shininess) - b/c look.....they're backed up to a mirror when they're sitting on my mantle. So people get a glimpse of their backs too. I'm just sayin'.

I'm back....I couldn't leave my letters alone- I went ahead and added a little embelishment. Just some black tulle tied on every few letters:

Old Hollywood Style

2009-11-20T05:53:00.000-08:00

I loooooove parties. I'm not talking about parties where you're served Fritos with bean dip and have the option of drinking from a red plastic cup or upside down from a funnel. I'm talking about elegant, well-planned, attention-to-detail parties with hors d'eouvres, cocktails, and a THEME! And boy, do I have the perfect example. My friend, Adrienne, threw a FABULOUS (no better word for it) dinner party with an Old Hollywood Style theme. The fabulousness of this party didn't start when we arrived for dinner - it started when we received our Save-the-Date in the mailbox (photo below).

Later followed by a black, flocked paper lined envelope with a gorgeous, handmade invitation inside, in glittered papers of black and white with art deco style text throughout.

This black and white theme was carried into her party decor, with a playful splash of fucshia mixed in. I could go on, but I think we all prefer photos over words, so here ya go:

Notice the placecard's- each was a black & white photo of an Old Hollywood starlette (or star for the guys) with our names printed at the bottom, and a rhinestone in the starlette's hair or on her dress - all set against glittered paper.

The chandeliers (or chandy's, as we like to call them) were draped in feathers and dripping with jewels. And the chandy's weren't the only things dripping with jewels - they were also spread across the tables.

While admiring the decor, we mingled with friends, sipped cocktails and nibbled on the array of hors d'oeuvres which included spinach/artichoke phyllo purses, fried risotto, mini quiche and mini crabcakes. At dinner, our 1st course was brie & mushroom soup and wedge salad.

I guess I was too caught up in my dinner to photograph the remaining courses, so words will have to suffice. There was tenderloin & chicken (for the meat-eaters), fresh asparagus with hollandaise sauce, creamed spinach and oh-so-creamy au gratin potatoes. The veggies were rich and delicious!!! As if that weren't enough, dessert (yeah, I made room for it) consisted of mini-eclairs, cream puffs and champagne cupcakes. Still haven't had your fill? Well no self-respecting hostess would send her guests away empty-handed. We all left with pink ribboned boxes of mini champagne cupcakes and adorable bottles of champagne with handmade Old Hollywood style labels.

Now that's what I call a party! Thanks Adrienne - for the wonderful party and for allowing me to post the photos to my blog.

Thanksgiving Tablescape

2009-11-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

Remember that trip to Goodwill I was talking about? Well, brass candlesticks weren't my only find. I stumbled across this great, white glass urn amidst the trove (those pumpkins are foam & were on clearance at Hobby Lobby):

I wasn't sure what I would do with my new (to me) urn, but I was sure I'd think of something. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought I could transform it into something I could use in a centerpiece for the dining table. I don't really 'decorate' for Thanksgiving, but since I'll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year for my husband, parents, sister, brother-in-law & grandmother, I thought the least I could do was spruce up the table with a little Thanksgiving themed decor. Que the Spraypaint!!!!

That gold spraypaint really gives the urn a nice, warm glow, not to mention the gilded pumpkins (which I just sprayed from above with gold spraypaint, so things weren't too matchy-matchy). Add a few candles, silk leaves & moss to the newly golden bargain finds and you've created a gorgeous Thanksgiving centerpiece.

The above 'tablescape' was just what I experiemented with after the paint dried. Since it was just before Halloween, I thought I'd wait for the final set-up closer to Thanksgiving. I was thinking of using real gourds and pumpkins (which you can purchase by the bag for 4.99 at Kroger or Walmart), but ended up pulling out my grapevine, moss, and a box of pine cones I collected from my old house, and things went a different direction.

I like it- it's more 'woodsy' and 'au natural' than what I was going for, but you know how it is when you're creating. What you have in mind isn't always what you end up with!

Once I had the tablescape in place, I made placecards using an idea I got from a Pottery Barn catalog, where they use wine glasses filled with acorns, leaves and name cards - only I couldn't find acorns so I used mini pinecones.

The table, complete with centerpiece and placecards:

Goodwill Finds

2009-11-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

Know what I love? Buying something cheap & transforming it into something beautiful. That's just what I did with these great (oh so 80's) brass candlesticks I snagged at the Goodwill store for a couple dollars each. All it took was some silver spraypaint to transform & update them to this:

Throw in some candles, mix with some of my great Crate & Barrel glass candlesticks and you've got yourself one fancy mantle.