DIY Gift Wrap

Something I HATE spending money on…gift wrap! The present is inside the paper people, not the paper itself. And something I never ever have…gift wrap for weddings and showers. I went to a bridal shower over the weekend for my dear friend Amaya, the other bride to be in my life. And we had way too much fun!

Anyways, back to the paper, I went out and got her a very cute little something and realized I had nothing to wrap it in. I went over to the bridal bag area and they ranged from $5.00-$10.00! What!? Are you kidding me?! Sorry Amaya, you’re not that dear to me! Just kidding!! So I went home to see what I could do.

I feel like everyone has a white box or bag in there gift wrapping box. It is such a basic necessity. And after what I came up with, white may be the only color I ever get again! I got out my stamp box and chose a large flower and some blue and teal ink. In literally 5 minutes I had the lid of the box stamped with alternating colors. Then I took my stickles and added a little sparkle to the flowers, and chose a ribbon to tie the box with.

No scissors, no paper, not tape. Yet…Viola!! A perfectly beautiful box for the bride to unwrap. It was fast, easy, and didn’t cost me a thing! I also folded a white piece of scrap cardstock in half to make a little tag. It matched perfectly!

Today I am spending the rest of my afternoon revamping all the white bags and boxes in my gift wrap stuff so they’ll be all ready next time I need a little something. And the fair opened this weekend so my honey is picking me up after he gets off work to go! Yay! I could really get used to this whole not working thing. :)

See you next week!

mandy

Fancy Eggs

I am excited to share a recipe with you all that is quick and easy, but makes people say "wow!"  I have prepared eggs this way a couple of times now, and my guests are always impressed because they do look fancy.  But the secret is all in the muffin pan.

First, prepare your filling.  Sauteed mushrooms and onions, cooked broccoli, or cooked sausage or bacon is a good start.  This is a perfect recipe to get rid of some leftover meat and veggies, especially if you only have a small portion left from last night's dinner.  I just wouldn't recommend filling it with anything frozen or raw as cooking times may vary too much.  (Bacon tip: use microwavable bacon and curl it into a ring around the edge of each cup so that your eggs have their own wrappers of sorts.)

Spray the muffin cups with oil so that the eggs are easy to remove (therefore prettier), then fill each cup about halfway with your filling.  I would consider two cups as one serving, or three as a serving for someone hungrier.

Then, crack an egg over each cup.  If you want, sprinkle some cheese on top.  

Pop those babies in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until they puff up and are firm to the touch.

That's it!  Serve with toast and fresh tomato slices, maybe even a hollandaise sauce, and you have made your eggs even more fancy.  Everyone will be impressed, but the only real effort you put into it was a saute of the filling.

Ok, this one looks a little bit like a pile of failed fancy eggs, and that is because it is... don't forget to spray your muffin pan like I did!

xo Allison

Go Bold or Go Home... Or Both

My front door has bothered me ever since we moved in. For 6 months I have entered through the same ugly door saying, "I really hate this door" or " I REALLY hate this door". Eventually I would like to just get a new door but for now I decided to go with an easy fix.... paint.

I had the hardest time deciding on a paint color. It was between Valspar's 'Everglade Deck' which is a dark tealish blue (the same color I painted on my nightstands) or a warm plum color, 'Gypsy Rouge'... Everglade is one of my favorite colors, but I decided to go out of my comfort zone after seeing a few posts on Pinterest and Houzz... here were my inspiration pictures.

So I went for it... I decided to go bold with the paint and just do it.  (As you can see in the before picture, the many reasons why I hated the door so much!!! Yuck!) It only took about 2 hours from  pre-painters tape to dry!

The picture below is probably closer to the actual color of the door, it seems darker from father away and gets brighter the closer you get. I'm not so sure that I love the color yet, but it is a huge improvement from the scary looking thing that it was before. It definitely feels more inviting already.

I have been working so hard the past three weeks (in between thunder storms and tornado warnings) working in my front yard, digging and pulling up deep invasive weeds and cleaning up the flower beds.... I have never had so many blisters on my hands yet it feels good to work hard to make it look nice again. The paint on the door seemed to be the cherry on top.

I still plan on sprucing up the doorway with some plants in pretty pots on either side and replacing our worn out door mat.  

Have you painted your front door OR if you were to paint your door what color would it be?
I came across this interesting site which analyzes what the color of your front door says about you. (check it out HERE) Would you agree with what it says?  This is what is lists for Purple: "Not the most chosen front door color, purple can signify royalty or wealth. Purple is also a very spiritual color, which can show that you are a very unique and open-minded person -- a person who thinks outside the box!" In my case, I would say that the last part sounds about right!

-Ashley-

The End Tables

I have been MIA as I have been finishing up the  last couple weeks of work. We closed our doors on Memorial Day and then spent a week of cleaning up and cleaning out. Boy oh boy. Only two melt downs AND when we locked up for the last time yesterday I actually didn't even cry, had the biggest lump in my throat but no tears :) !!!! I am excited for the new adventures ahead and what is in store for all of us.

Well enough of that it is my time to get caught up and catch up everyone else on what's been happening in my life.

I finally finished my end tables and am so in LOVE with them. I am on the fence about sanding down the tops so I will need every ones input on what they think.


You remember this is what the tops looked like and the base was the same color except smooth.

This is what they turned out like:

I ended up deciding on papering the base instead of spray painting it. I just felt that they needed something more. So I knew World Market sold large sheets of really nice patterned wrapping paper and they fit perfectly on the bottom. With a little spray adhesive and a huge sticky mess later I had finished and was so thrilled with how they turned out.

So what do you guys think??? Sand the teal tops to give more a vintage worn look or keep it more on the polished sleek look???

Til next week,
xoxo
Danni

Tuesday Tid Bits

Hi Everyone!

Sadly, I do not have anything to report from the creative front.  I feel like I am currently stuck amongst a sea of unfinished projects...and not just craft ones.  Between appointments and making lists to make sure none of the end of the school year events get missed, I feel pretty fragmented.

Beth comes home this Friday for a couple of weeks before leaving for Washington DC for her internship position for the summer.  We will have clothes shopping and lots of other errands to get her ready - how exciting for her!

I do have some movie review information for you.  I know the critics have been pretty hard on The Great Gatsby, and even though I loved the book and couldn't wait for the movie, I was hesitant to go see it.  Well, last week I couldn't wait any longer and I went - and I loved it! If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. It was very well done, they did a great job explaining it, the actors were amazing, I just can't say enough positive things about it. Yes, it is a sad, heartbreaking story - but it is timeless. The twins just finished reading it in school and I am so hoping they want to go see it because I would love to go again!


Speaking of the twins - they had their junior prom this past weekend.  Eric and Ellen both went and they had a great time.  Pardon the proud mom moment - here are pictures of them dressed up and ready to go! (Thank you for letting me share them with you!)







You know, I was thinking, and even when one isn't actually creating and might be struggling to get through the day sometimes, you often find yourself drawing on inspiration - be it quotes, readings, or past experiences that you might have learned from.  Sometimes people provide you with the inspiration you need to pick yourself up and keep going.  Maybe it's the flowers you pass while driving out of your subdivision - you never know where or when you are going to find something or someone who makes that bright spot in your    day, or life, that keeps you going.

I wish you a week filled with inspiration of only the very best.

Fondly.

Sharon

I Got IT!!!!

Well I have been MIA this last week because I have been on the ultimate dream vacation with my honey. And guess what!? He popped the question!!

We left Sunday night on a red eye flight to Miami, and Monday morning we boarded the Carnival ship The Victory. We had a room on the eighth floor and we even had a balcony! I had just finished my makeup, curling my hair, and putting on my dress for our first dinner on the ship. David was standing outside on the balcony and he told me, “come outside here when you’re done baby, it’s so beautiful out here”

To which I responded, “No way! I just finished my hair and it’s going to get all frizzy and windblown!”

Then he told me, “Just COME OUT HERE!!!”

“Okay, okay! Gosh!” :)

I went outside and he told me how he knew right away that I was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and how much he loved me. He then got down on one knee and pulled out the most beautiful ring ever. The exact ring that I had picked out 2 months ago when we went "browsing" for rings. Of course I said YES!! I was thrilled. I have been floating on cloud nine all week long.

The rest of our trip we snorkeled at Grand Turk, Swam on a private beach at Half Moon Cay, and rode the water slides at the Atlantis water park in Nassau. We finished off our trip by spending 2 more days in Miami. It was absolutely perfect and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I am beyond ecstatic and I can’t wait to see what the rest of this summer has in store.

xoxo
mandy

Please, stare at my chest!

In January I purchased an unpainted chest of drawers from Ikea.  It's size was perfect to use for a multitude of purposes - side table, entryway table for a small apartment, sock drawers in a closet - and so I brought it home.  I then left it in the box by the front door for four months.  Oops.

Well it is not in the box anymore, baby!  And I am ecstatic with the results!

I painted the sides and top with a high-gloss paint, and painted the knobs with a metallic spray paint.  I love the way the metallic spray applied to the wooden knobs so that you can still clearly see the grain of the wood.

As for the drawer faces, the butterflies came from an inexpensive poster - another score from Ikea.  I decoupaged them to the front of the drawers, then painted a layer of hard coat Mod Podge to the front to seal it, knowing that my hands would often be on the fronts.  

I also Mod Podged a matching letter holder.  One slot for "to-do," one slot "to-file."

And I am never afraid of adding a bit of glamour in unexpected places.  A crystal bowl to hold my keys?  Sure!  

xo Allison