click here to see this entire board

here are a few of my favorite pics from this board… 

Isn’t that a cheery combo??

Have a great day!
tammy

(coffee table via simply frugal; pallet headboard via classically amber; pallet daybed #1 apartment therapy; pallet daybed #2 ling ling home)

and probably one of my favorite ideas…

(pallet shelf amanda carver designs)

Hope you’re feeling inspired!  Have a great day!
tammy

Have a great day!

-tammy

I think these last several years of attending and shooting elaborate parties have taught me that kids are really very happy with the simple pleasures.   Sure, they love bounce houses and ponies and magicians, (and I love to plan paties like that!!!) but put a table full of goodies in front of them and let them decorate a homemade cupcake and they are JUST as happy.  Just something to keep in mind for those of you planning birthday’s in the near future…that would be me.

Enjoy this gorgeous party!

Mom attended to every gorgeous detail…LOVE the white hydrangeas in a lime green ribbon wrapped box!

the butterflies on the straws…Stunning!

cute little bowls to hold the goodies courtesey of Anthropologie

the darling birthday princess

a finished masterpiece

i LOVE the lighting in these shots…YUM!!!  after decorating cupcakes the kids gathered to make bead necklaces on PIPE CLEANERS.  Genius!!  For little kids they stay stiff enough for them to feed the beads onto…great tip to remember!!  You can then twist multiple strands together to make a necklace that’s long enough.

Hope you’re feeling inspired to plan your next event!

Have a great day!
-t

I originally did it as a twist on an orange bowl party, and since the Orange Bowl is tomorrow…if you’re a football fan and having a little get together (or if you just want to have a party to get rid of the post Christmas winter blues) here’s an idea for you it’s certain to brighten your day…it doesn’t have to be ALL about the football.

You can find all of these goodies pretty cheaply around town.  Orange take out boxes are from Michaels, fill them with clementines that are in season right ow for a fun favor, the orange chargers are from Party City…I believe they were under $2 a piece, white napkins in a 12 count package from Homegoods for under $10, I mixed in some of my silver mercury glass Christmas ornaments and candle holders for fun, white pillar candles from IKEA for like $1 each, you can find the paper lanterns at most party stores for a reasonable price, Izze at Costco, World Market or BevMo, and you’re all set for some last minute fun tomorrow!

Have a great day!

-t

Hope that brings a

I LOVE to go antique shopping.  My head is always spinning when I walk through the aisles and see all the treasures.  I’m always trying to find the perfect piece.  I’m always drawn to old windows and doors and kitchen items. (I have a major addiction to buying kitchen stuff…new or old, probably stems from my love of entertaining)   I found these cute ideas and thought I’d share…not only are they cute, but they are SUPER easy!

sorry…the pictures aren’t the best…that’s the only problem with finding them online! :0 

The first is an old window used as a frame.  I love the addition of a few rub-ons to add words to the pictures.   Here’s a better idea of what it looks like up in a room…

so cute!

the second is a vintage serving tray repurposed into a magnetic memo board.  Simply add a picture hanger on the back, and hang it on your wall.  I prefer it with these silver trays, but the flower one is cute too…

Isn’t that a fun way to use some of your antique treasures? 

Here’s a tutorial for you to make it even easier if you want to make the memo board.  Wouldn’t it be fun to make one of these for Christmas for the antique lover in your life??

And now for the winner of the adorable Planet Pudge Shirt…drumroll please…

Shanda!!

Congrats!!  Send me you contact info so I can get Planet Pudge to send one your way!

Back with another giveaway tomorrow!!!

Have a great day!
-t

At least at our house.  We have so much going on over the next two weeks with Thanksgiving, and I am hosting a church Christmas get together on December 1st…so I hadto get started with the decorations yesterday.   It feels kind of funny, but all the kids on the street think it’s awesome!!   We had lots of little people peering in the windows tonight.   We decided to get it in full swing.  We put on last year’s Christmas jammies, played Christmas music, had a fire and made some hot cocoa.  It was fun!!

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for the ADORABLE Planet Pucge shirt.  Drawing is tomorrow night!

Back with a fun shoot of a cute family tomorrow!

Have a great day!

-t

I took the text from the series of Madeline books.  I took a few lines from different books and used them together as I saw fit.  It worked out that the text fit perfectly exactly two times.  I couldn’t have planned it any better…and no, I didn’t plan it…it was a total fluke!    I didn’t worry about super straight lines, I purposely made some of the words bigger so they would stand out more..just to add even more whimsy.  The whole project took about a half quart of paint and less than 2 hours.  SUPER easy!!  You can totally do this yourself!!  Pick your child’s favorite book and add some text to your walls.  

I have MANY more plans for this room….I can’t wait to get the headboard, dresser and drapes finished.  Just think vintage, lime green and polka dots…it’s going to be CUTE I think!!   I’ll be sure to share the finished product when it’s done!

You could use this idea for SO many things!  Think parties, photo shots, weddings…the possibilities are endless!

Hope you’re feeling inspired!!  Go paint something crazy in your house today!!

Have a great day!

-t

How cute is that armchair simply covered with a sheet with some felt eyes and a mouth attached??  I LOVE no sew projects that use things you alreadyhave around the house ina creative way!!  And the best part is there is nothing extra to store once it’s over!  Just put the sheet back in the linen closet and throw the felt peices away…**Idea**…how cute would it be to actually MAKE some sheets like this though and put them on your kids bed!!  So easy to make a mouth and some eyes and stitch them on.  The kids would LOVE it!

I love these treat cones for any holiday…here is a cute halloween version from Country Living Mag.

YOU WILL NEED
-11″ x 14″ card stock
-1 yard each cream and black bookbinding or construction paper
-1 yard each assorted ribbons
-spray glue
-1/4″ hole punch
-stapler
-scissors and pinking shears

Cut 10″ squares of card stock and black and cream Japanese bookbinding paper (source: talasonline.com) or construction paper. Adhere the black paper to the card stock with spray glue. Wind black square into a cone and staple closed. Cut across top to even out the opening.

I LOVE these little frankenstiens and the mummy cupcakes.  The best part is you DON’T have to be a cake decorating genius to do it!  That is NOT one of my talents!!  

Witch-on-a-stick how to:

1. Cut off the tops of pretzel rods and set aside.
2. Melt one cup of white chocolate chips, 1 Tbs shortening and a few drops of green gel food coloring and stir until smooth.
3. Dip the cut end of the pretzels into the chocolate, covering the top 2 inches. Place the sticks on wax paper and sprinkles the sides of each with coconut  flakes to form hair.
4. Top each with a Hershey’s Kiss and refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened. Draw on eyes, nose and mouth with black decorating icing (available in tubes) and fisih by covering the Kiss too with black or purple. Yum!

Frankentreats:

1. Start wtih a packaged (or homemade) Rice Krispies Treat, and push each one into a wooken skewer; set aside.
2. Melt one cup of white-chocolate chips and one Tbs shortening; stir in green or neon-green gel food coloring (colored melting chocolate is available at most craft stores).
3. Spoon melted chocolate over all sides of the treats or brush them with a silicone brush then place them on wax paper, upright, to dry.
4. Embellish them with M&M eyes and ears, gummy worm mouths, Jujubes neck bolts and then refrigerate them until the chocolate hardens.
5. Top them off by drawing on hair with black icing and doting the eyes.
6. Finally remove the skewers and serve!

Mummy Cupcakes:

      1. Bake regular old cupcakes out of a box…homemade if you wish, but I’m trying to make it easy folks!!

      2. Dot icing on backs of 2 skittles for eyes and place on cupcake.

      3. use a decorating tip that will give you straight flat lines (available at michaels for about $1, make sure you get a coupler too, also about $1) make straightlines of icing all over the cupcake, overlapping them and just letting the skittles peek out of the “wrapping.”  Eat and enjoy!

And finally one of my favorites…

 Sorry for the fuzzy pictures…I found this on the internet and the picture quality is TERRIBLE!!   I LOVE white pumpkins!!  Unfortunately they are usually the most expensive…so why not paint a few??   A cheap bottle of white acrylic paint and you’ve got yourself a great set of white pumpkins!!  Take them a step further and once the white paint dries, have a little fun with some black paint.  I LOVE the spiderweb and zebra stripe idea!!   And you know I’m loving the polka dots…I LOVE anything with polka dots!!

Hope those ideas help to bring a little extra fun to your holiday!

Have a great day!
-t

But, I can still share some fun ideas that I find for parties here, right???   Ok, warning, this is a little gross looking but I thougt it was an AWESOME idea for a little snack at your next party.  I found it months agoand have been waiting for the perfect moment to share, i thought it was that funny…

Doesn’t that just look wrong??!!   LOVE IT!!  Simply take mini marshmellows on the end of white sucker sticks and dip thm in caramel or peanut butter.  Yum.

I thought this was a fun idea over at Country Living Magazine (my FAVORITE mag!!)  This is a total DIY project. 

To make:

1. Print a black and white copy of a portrait on printer paper and cut out.  (If you don’t want to use your own portraits I like to find old pictures on flickr, just search for antique or old portraits)

2. TO “age” the picture, brush it lightly with a sponge dipped in a solution of a few drops of black acrylic craft paint and water.  Let the paper dry.

3. Cut a piece of cardstock the same size of the photo and glue to the back of the photo to make it a little more sturdy.

4.With an X-Acto knife cut out the eyes of the picture’s subjects piercing through the cardstock and creating holes about 1/4 inch in diameter.

5. Remove the glass from your frames and stick the pictures in there.

6.Insert mini red LED chistmas lights through the back of the eyeholes.  It works best to group these frames like in the picture, since you’re dealing with a strand of 25feet of lights!  Then you can use more of the lights.  Replace the frame’s backing securing with tape if necessary to help hold the lights in place.  Drape with cobwebs and you’re done!   You can add paper fangs to a few of the pictures if you want to for a little extra fun!

Hope this gets you in the halloween spirit!!  There are many more fun ideas to share, but I have to pace myself!!   I LOVE halloween!!!!

Have a great day!

-t