Sprung for Spring!

I just added a collection of beautiful items that got me in the mood for spring tonight... check them out here!

Decorated Sugar Cookies- Wedding Style!

I have been meaning to do a write-up about these wonderful little treats for a while- but the little man has kept me on my toes more than I had ever expected!

Last fall, one of my dearest friends had a small civil ceremony with the love of her life (ahead of their "big" ceremony this spring). As it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment event, I wanted to make them something special for their day, but I didn't have a lot of time to plan. After a little searching for a fun idea, I came across a wonderful recipe for sugar cookies from the lovely and talented Heather of Sprinkle Bakes (as a sidenote, if you have not ever been to her site, you need to check it out ASAP. I want to make everything there- her ideas are so fun, funky and whimsical. She has fabulous directions, and her photography takes my breath away). You can find her sugar cookie recipe here, or you can use your favorite sugar cookie recipe with any royal icing recipe. You can also reference this fabulous step by step tutorial from the Daring Kitchen's September 2010 challenge here.

Been a little bit slow...

But I think this smile will tell you why! We've had a hard seventh month... little guy had a bout with the flu and had to be hospitalized, and now that he's finally back to 100%, he's crawling and standing on everything! He even pulled his nightlight out today- and then pulled it completely apart. Needless to say, my hands have been full!

But check back later this week as we have some awesome surprises in store!

Perfectly Pink Treasures for Your Lovely Ladies!

To change things up a bit, I updated the treasury I featured yesterday to now showcase pink options from all of the stores that were featured yesterday!

Please check out some of these gorgeous designs- many from stay at home moms- AND you get free shipping in my shop while this treasury lasts with the code freeshipgirls !

Check out the precious pinks here!

And if you have an etsy shop and would like to be featured in an upcoming BNR, refer five friends! If they comment that you sent them, you get a free spot!

Fun Gift Bags With Chalkboard Paint!

So, I have to admit- I had only in passing heard of chalkboard paint. One day, while finding a color for a custom wedding favor thank you bag, I saw this lovely little jar above my paint. For only $6, I figured it would be fun to find out all of the things I can do with chalk paint! While I will have many more ideas, I wanted to show you a quick craft you can use for gift bags, party favor bags, or even as storage for things around the house.

For this craft, you will need:

-Paper bags (I get them at my local craft store, but you can buy any kind you like or even use lunch bags!)

-Chalkboard paint (any color!)

-Textured tape (can be found in the scrapbook section of your craft store or Target and Walmart)

First, paint the bags. I roughly painted out a rectangle. I tried to get the lines as even as possible freehand, and painted all the way to the edge of the bag- but you could do any shape. I used two thick coats of the paint.

Next, pick your colors of textured tape.

Finally, adhere the textured tape to the bag to make the lines look clean! That's it!



To prime your paint for chalk use, rub chalk over the surface, and then you can wipe up with warm water (though I just brushed them off as water would soak the bag).

Gifts for the girlie girls!

I just made a treasury on Etsy of some adorable gifts for girlie girls (or those of us who pretend to be occasionally). Young and old, there is something there for the lovely ladies in your life to enjoy!

Please check it out here.

Get Ready for Summer- Perfectly Coordinated Pots

I am SO ready for summer after the little one and I have been completely knocked out with the flu for the last three weeks. Bring on being outside enjoying the garden and not cooped up indoors with tissues!

Last summer, I was heavily pregnant and on bedrest. I was dying for things to do and I was also limited in my garden abilities. Since I could easily plant flowers in pots while sitting up (I was lucky and had a modified bedrest- sitting up tasks were O.K.), I had to plant almost exclusively in pots. This presented a couple of problems- I couldnt spend a lot of time picking out pots, and the pots I had were all pretty ugly (or plastic from the nursery). I needed a solution to use what I had on hand, and these painted pots perfectly fit the bill. Not only was it incredibly easy, all of my pots look the same, and I think the results were amazing. I will post some pictures when I can plant new blooms this summer (dead plants arent the most attractive subjects), but start this idea now before you go to buy your plants!

Tools you will need:

pots, planters (terracotta pots work the best, but plastic and faux finish pots work well too!)
paintbrush
paint sponge
Outdoor paints in at least three colors that complement each other (I used beige, cofee, and mocha but the sky is the limit here). Outdoor paints can be found with acrylic paints in your local craft store and for not much more.

**You could use regular acrylic paints as well, but I can personally testify that the outdoor paints lasted a summer season and a winter season in the elements with little to no wear. The pictures posted here are ALL of pots painted LAST summer. I need to do a few touchups on the plastic pots, but they are otherwise in perfect condition!

To start, wipe off any dirt or debris from your pots (I used very worn and old terracotta, they were free from my husband's grandparents and a green way to decorate your patio for summer!). Start with your lightest color paint, and coat the entire pot. You might find you will need to let the first coat dry and add a second coat if you are painting a plastic pot. If you are using terracotta, you should only need one coat, though you will use a LOT of paint as the clay will suck a lot of it up. Don't worry if your pots look rough. You dont need to worry about perfect bruskstrokes- just cover up the base color. I even had some grass and a little dirt fly into mine as I was painting outside- and I just painted over it. It gave a unique texture, and after the rounds of spongepaint, you can't really tell.

Once you have the pot covered with your base coat, start with your darkest accent paint color. Sponge around the pot, but don't cover too much of the basecoat. I like to use a very rough sponge (pictured) so that you can control how much paint goes on. After this step, your pot will look a little wierd. Don't worry yet!

Take your middle shade paint, and sponge over the whole pot. This step will blend the darker color and your basecoat. If you find you have covered up too much of the darker color, go ahead and add some back. If you feel like your pots need a little more blending, you can make a fourth color out of blending the middle shade and your basecoat. It is really up to you- the sky is the limit here. There is no right or wrong! Also remember, when you have dirt and a plant in the pot, you wont see some of the imperfections that will be glaring at you while you are painting.

This is about re-purposing old pots and finding a use for those big plastic pots you get at the nursery, as well as creating a uniform look for all of your odd colored/shaped pots!