(If you’re wondering, I’m gazing down at my toilet.) Let me know if you make one! :)
Other tutorials:
It’s a work in progress, but I think it’s put together enough to show you guys…
1) Justin’s sister Megan prettied up a letter M for the baby on Christmas. I might have stolen it for my area, but at least it’s still in her room!
2) A cross-stitched pink elephant. Because I love fat animals… they just make me laugh!
3) I framed an old photo of Justin and I, along with one of my favorite cards he’s written. Looking at that reminds me of how sweet he can be. :)
4) An old can covered in pretty paper holds pens and scissors.
5) My DIY pincushion from a few weeks ago.
6) Inspiration/photo board with lovely things that put me in a creative mood.
7) The Butterfly art project I made from scrap paper
8) I Love You, Blogs & Tea print from the ever fabulous Made by Girl (Thank you again, Jennifer!)
9) Pretty stacked boxes from Target (on clearance, score!) hold rolls and rolls of cute ribbon.
10) A ribbon box that was given as a birthday gift from Shea.
And there you have it — the space where I waste the most time. :)
Being that I’ve been in a super crafty (and nesty!) mood lately, I figured it was about time to give my little vanity chair a makeover. I’ve never recovered anything, so I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to turn out…
Stains. Niiiiiiiiice.
Ahh, much better.
A little black spray paint and a major case of trigger finger later (staple guns are serious business, man), I have a much prettier place to sit and put on my makeup.
And umm, I just have to say how incredibly addicting that fabric is. I went back to the fabric store and bought another yard — okay, two yards – of it and covered some cork board (which you can see on the table in the picture), and have been trying to figure out something else to do with the rest because it is just SO DARN CUTE. That was the longest sentence ever. Anyway… Ideas? :)
I have issues when it comes to gifts. Serious, elitist issues. See, I like the recipient to know I spent time and put thought into picking out the absolute perfect thing, try to make sure I don’t come across cheap, and absolutely despise giving gift cards (can we say cop-out?).
The part I have the most difficult time with is the whole gift wrapping thing. Shoving the item into a flimsy bag with a wad of tissue paper (or even worse… too little tissue paper) is like a dagger into my little snobby heart. Of course, I’ve been known to do this if I’m in a pinch, but ONLY when absolutely necessary and ONLY with the cutest bag available (none of those plain, $1.99 Target crummy things). Are you seeing the elitist thing coming out? I’m ridiculous, I know.
Justin (a frugally-minded fellow) is highly bothered by this and likes to stress the point that we don’t have a ton of extra money to be spending on gifts for everyone we know. He gets frustrated with me for wanting to give the gift that ‘little extra something’, when all those little extras add up. This is also the same guy that wanted me to give a $10 gift card to his sister for her 25th birthday. Yeahhh, we’re just not on the same page here.
I have come up with a little plan in an attempt to please everyone involved in this gift-giving fiasco — do it the Semi-Homemade way (à la Sandra Lee, minus the .15 blood alcohol level). What I’m doing is purchasing either the gift wrap OR the gift, and while keeping a budget in mind, I make the other item. It’s interesting to see how your creativity comes out when you’re working with a budget. And the bonus: The recipient can see the time, thought and effort that was put into their gift.
Supplies before...
Basically, all I did was wrap the boring, plain box in some cute scrap booking paper, tied some ribbon around the edges and secured it with one of those super cute labels. I LOVE those things!
The finished product
Happy Birthday, Mom!
How do you all keep gift-givings within your budget? Is it rude of me to ask?
I’ve been saying how crafty I’ve been lately, which is sort of a lie. It’s more like… Hi. I have the full intention to be creative and domestic and fulfill my nesting duties, but I’m too lazy at the moment and would rather eat my weight in macaroni and cheese while watching I Survived a Japanese Game Show than do something productive.
It really doesn’t seem like a lot to do, but I just can’t seem to get motivated!
One thing I actually did was make this wall hanging for the nursery…
I went to the craft store one day last week and bought a wooden frame and the letter M, painted them white (took about 3 seconds), stuck a piece of scrap booking paper in the frame, and glued the wooden letter to it. Easiest thing I’ve ever done!
Really, all I need is some white paint and a few hours to get that dresser finished. Maybe this weekend? We’ll see…
A 24 year old mother to the strongest-willed child in the universe. Wife to the handsomest geek. Reader of teenage romance novels. Lover of all things Anthropologie.
