My Bedazzled Sandals!!

By: Danie

I found adorable sandals on pinterest they looked very expensive and very cute {of course I cant find them now!!}. They were my inspiration for bedazzling these plain jane shoes. The other shoes bow was fabric, I played around with changing up the bow but I wanted this to be an easy DIY.

This looks strikingly similar to the shoe I really loved but this shoe rings in at around $13. My guess is that it is waaay cheaper than the other pair ;) The shoes came from Charlotte Russe and the gems were standard craft store gems. The only thing I would change is the kind of glue I used {Craft Krazy Glue}, it doesn't dry all the way clear it kind of has this foggy look which effects the shimmer of the gems.

I know this wasn't terribly difficult but honestly I had never really thought about dressing up a cheapy pair of sandals before this project. It was well worth it because these came out great and what a deal, can't beat $13 dollars!

Monogram Mugs- Super Easy DIY

By: Danie

This week I really wanted to share with you a DIY I had stumbled upon. It is quite possibly the most impressive do it yourself that I have found.... who comes up with this stuff?? Well apparently Gabrielle Blair with Design Mom Blog! Call me crazy, I just thought this was awesome.

Homemade monogram mugs are great gifts and they would be awesome additions to your mug collection. This actually inspired me to make some mugs with my company logo, its a single letter... so I thought it might be a cool gift for fellow employees or even my boss. The special pens for this project come in different colors so the possibilities are endless... for the full tutorial visit Design Mom here!

Kitchen Table Make-Over Part I

by: Ashley

This is as much a post about a kitchen table DIY as it is about saving money.  My honey got our kitchen table from some friends. They were buying all new furniture for their house so gave us a great price.  Well the furniture served it's purpose in that it provided us a table to eat on... but it wasn't quite my style.  So instead of going out and spending $900 on the table I wanted from World Market, I decided to take on a project: re-staining and re-upholstering the table and chairs. 

Today's post is just about the re-upholstering part - and it was so easy! 

1. Unscrew the seat from the chair frame. 

2. Use the seat to measure fabric squares. I bought 6 yards of fabric (1 yard per seat) and had a little extra I hope to make a table runner out of. 

3. If the staples are too difficult to take out from the previous fabric cover - just don't take them out! :) We just covered over the old fabric.  The only think you have to worry about is the corners being too thick (might make the seat uneven on the chair frame)

4. Fold the fabric over (with the seat facing down) and start stapling. We started on the front of the seat. 

5. Now do opposite side from where you started. 

6. Now do the last two sides of the fabric. Make sure to pull it pretty tight. 

7. On the corners, watch that the creases don't show when the chair is up right.  Trim off the extra fabric. 

This is a really easy project and changes the whole look of the table! Be on the lookout for Kitchen Table Make-over Part II for my tips (and horror story) about re-staining. 

Wednesday DIY - Candle Holder Makeover

by: Ashley

I could not for the life of me think of a DIY to write about today!! I know I should have been more prepared but I got my wisdom teeth out last week and the medicines made it hard to focus. 

But it finally came to me, and as a result I avoided sending this boring candle holder to the dump:

Remember the post I did during the 25 days of Christmas for the DIY Pearl Ornament - well I happened to have a few pearls left.   I thought it would be pretty awesome to have pearls be a part of my everyday decor! 

This was so easy and only took about an hour.  All you need is a glass candle holder, a hot glue gun and a couple glue sticks.  

So when I was done with the pearls, I thought it looked a little... blah.  I went into my unofficial craft room to see if I had anything to dress it up a little.  I found some gold ribbon (left over from Christmas) and a skeleton key charm from Michaels.  It gave it a more finished look, don't you agree?

Latch Hook Rug

By: Danie

Rugs are so expensive! I really didn't realize that they were such a hot commodity. When looking for a little rug for my little dude's room, I literally almost had a heart attack. My son will do a number of things on this carpet spit up, spill snacks..... the possibilities are endless he is an energetic little boy! So I had gotten the ingenious idea to make my rug. I did research on the web and found a rough guide to making a latch hook rug. You will need to following.....

Supplies

1. Latch Hook Canvas (Joanns 36 x 60)
2. Latch Hook Tool (Get a couple so friends and family can help)
3. Fabric (11-15 yards for a large canvas or you could use a bunch of old t-shirts)
4. Dye (if you want to match a specific color- but I am telling you from experience just buy the color you want)
5. Rug Binding

First you will need to dye your fabric if you wanted to go that route! It was such a pain but a little tip... use the tulip brand from Walmart it gives you great color.

Then it is going to take you a hot minute to cut up all the fabric into litte pieces but if you get a rotary tool and a mat you will be in good shape. I cut mine into 1/2 inch by 4 inch strips.

Then comes the fun part! Pulling the strips through the canvas with the latch hook tool (there is a picture of the tool on the fabric above). I pulled the fabric through each row and left an inch border around the edge. Don't know how to use a latch hook tool?? Click Here!

Voila!

I still have some work to do but it's getting there. There is no doubt that this is not an easy quick solution. However, I don't think you could put a price on something like this (Your child will have it forever and it will be a keepsake). I have seen people make little mats for the bathroom and kitchen so you could do that instead you would just have to get a smaller canvas or cut down a big canvas, that will take a quarter of the time. 

Let there be Light - A DIY to Hanging a Chandelier

by: Ashley

I've never truly had my own place before. Yes I've had an apartment. But you can't paint the walls, or change out the fixtures or update the flooring or the appliances. So living in a house is a whole new experience for me.  If I'm not happy with something, I can just change it.. well of course there's always a budget issue... but that's not important right now!

Exhibit A:

Brass chandeliers that seem to be "builder-grade" for all homes built circa 2000

Well this is definitely not my style! So I decided to change them out... only I actually had no clue how to go about that.  But my honey came to the rescue! And I found out that it actually isn't hard at all.

1. Remove the old chandelier. Use a flat head to "release" the plate from the ceiling (check for any knobs or screws that might be holding it up).

2. Make sure the power switch is off.  Pull the cables out from the outlet box in the ceiling and remove the clamps holding the wires from the chandelier to the wires from the house.

3. Follow the instructions from your new chandelier so you know what order the hardware should be in. But basically, you just have to wrap the wires around the wires to the house (it's all color coded) and place the clamp on them to keep them together.

And in less than an hour you have an updated light fixture!! Well two fixtures in my case. I'm sure there are more informative sites that explain the process (and use the correct words for all the steps) but I just wanted to let you guys know how easy it really is. 

This simple change totally updated the look of the room.  If you're interested, the above chandeliers are from the Hampton Bay Caffe Patina collection at The Home Depot. 

Playing Catch Up + A Little DIY

by: Ashley

I am going to warn you right now that this will probably be one of my longest posts ever because 1) I spent an entire week away from the blog (it felt like eternity!); 2) I'm super excited about a little DIY project I've been working on; and 3) I get to talk about my wedding :)

So first, let's play catch up.  I was reminded by a very close friend of mine that I promised I would reveal my engagement party dress.  (Remember this post about finding a dress?)  So here it is:

I loved it!! And I received so many compliments on it too!! Apparently sequins are in style, because my blogging partner in crime also wore a sequin dress - and no, we did not consult ahead of time.  Actually my honey picked out this dress for me to try on. Oh - and did you notice in the picture his sequin tie?  My cousin was so nice to let him borrow it for the night ;)

I recommend that all engaged couples have an engagement party. It doesn't have to be fancy, it can just be a little get together.  But it was the first time that my honey and I got to get the people we love together and celebrate this journey that we are on right now. 

Since we are already talking about being engaged, it is a perfect time to introduce my little DIY project.  This has consumed much of my time lately.  My very own doing-it-myself Save the Dates!!! I know that not all our readers are engaged - some are in relationships, married, or happily single.  But you could use this project for anything... christmas cards, family photos, invitations, etc.

Here is what you need:

Photo paper 

Printer

Ink 

(or have the photos printed somewhere like CVS, Target, etc.)

Magnet Sheet (from Blick)

Adobe Illustrator (other softwares will work too)

Tape Runner (Elmer's)

Envelopes (if you are going to send them out)

This is the picture that I used:

Gorgeous background right! And before you ask - I got those shoes several years ago from Saks Off 5th Avenue.  And that "vintage" dress I'm wearing - it IS really vintage.  It's the dress my mom wore on her wedding day.  :)  All I did was add a silver ribbon and flower to accent the waist.  

The pictures were taken by my friends Andrea and Devin (a mother and daughter team).  Check out their other work here. By the way they have all of our engagement photos up on their website!!! You really should go check it out.... like now! 

Ok back to the DIY stuff....

After you pick the picture you just need to add some text - this is where Adobe Illustrator came in handy.  I'm new with Illustrator so I didn't add anything too fancy but I love the way it came out.  Then I printed the pictures, used the tape runner to tape the pictures to the magnet sheet and then cut them out. Take note: use a very sharp pair of scissors on the magnet sheet or your edges will come out jagged. I can't wait to send these pretty little babies off!!

Not everyone has access to Adobe Illustrator or a photo printer.  In that case, I would recommend Minted to have your Save the Dates or invitations printed.  The prices are reasonable and they have lots of cute designs. 

So two days I ago I got hit by the reality train. My wedding is only 5 months away!!! 5 months ago when I was newly engaged that seemed like FOREVER but right now I know it will go by so quickly.  Still so much to do... ahhhh!!!! But right now as I sit next to my honey (he's engrossed in a game of Words with Friends) I feel totally relaxed and at peace because I'm that much closer to marrying the love of my life.  And the day of my wedding, all that matters is making that commitment to each other in front of our family and closest friends. 

And speaking of marriage, I just read an article today that said 25 just might be the magical age to get married at.  Ok so maybe it was a Cosmo article which discounts the credibility - but I'm gonna go with it! 

25 Days of Christmas - Day #22 Cookie Cutter Ornaments

by: Ashley

So tonight's the big night... well not the BIG night but it's the big night of my ENGAGEMENT party! I'm so excited but at the same time there is so much to do!!

Which makes it totally awesome that I discovered this super easy project - it only took 10 minutes to do two of these.

Typically an ornament from the store cost anywhere between $5 and $15 (and of course there are some way more expensive).  Well I got a canister of cookier cutters for $5 and a set of 5 different ribbons for $5. So that's just $10 for the possibility of several different ornaments.  Oh and don't forget the double stick tape - it's so much easier to work with than glue.

I have about 10 more cookie cutters so I definitely plan on making more of these bad boys!!! They are just too easy to not absolutely love them.

25 Days of Christmas - Day #20 DIY Reindeer Cards

By: Danie

If you haven't already sent out your Christmas cards... you probably should get on it!! We have already sent out the stock photo cards! Being new parents we are a little overzealous.... well this blog is a first hand account of me being a "crazy mommy." If I didn't have a child, I would probably not be learning to sew, making personalized gifts or decorating my house for any holiday..... just being honest :)

Lucky for you I am a mommy!! So you get to see how I made the Reindeer Cards.

First you will need one of these....

So you can do this with hands or feet (I think it would be really cute if you could get your puppy's paw print!!). We chose feet because when your child is asleep its easier to get his foot prints.

1. Stamp hand print/footprint/paw print on the card

2. Use whatever you have on hand to decorate your card (markers, paper, glue, glitter, sharpies)

3. Put your message on the card- We used some of these for our nieces and nephew's Christmas money but made some of them thank you cards for Christmas gifts. {Ashley's blog yesterday suggested taking Christmas cards to the nursing home, so if you are in the giving back spirit make some extra and try to do that this Sunday. If you haven't read her post from yesterday you should check it out!!} 

4. We made all of our reindeer different and unique!!

These fun personalized cards were so fun to make and it shows your family that you put thought and care into something for them.

25 Days of Christmas - Day #17 DIY Wreath

By: Danie

So we have been lovin' these wreaths and whats one more?? Hope you enjoy and this one was really easy and quick!

Initially I was going to go buy a Styrofoam or straw wreath but I saw that beauty {i.e. the ugliest wreath EVER} at goodwill for $1.50.... you really can't beat that! My other materials include burlap garland, felt and pins. It was a really easy process, first you wrap the burlap around and pin as you go.

The hardest part will be making the flowers. You can make any felt flowers that you want but I was playing around with mine to make these flowers I saw online. To make these you cut out six circles, fold them in half and then cut the bottom off about 3/4 of the way down. I put red thread through all the circles and made a tight circle and had to pull the petals out. My close up of the big one doesn't look that great I had to reposition it a little.

Here is my new beautiful front door!

{I have made a bunch of wreaths and finally I've made one for myself!!!}

This was super fun and super easy of you have any questions just leave a comment! P.S. I think this would be an awesome gift even if you dont make it for christmas you can make something that is year round appropriate ;) Just saying...

25 Days of Christmas - Day #16 Stockings Stockings Stockings!!

By: Danie

BAAAH HAHAH ... I literally think of this song everytime someone says "Friday."

OK, sooo congrats we all made it to "Friday Friday."

I'll stop now :)


Not sure why but I have had stockings on the brain!! Getting into the holiday spirit was not too difficult this year, I actually got the tree out myself! So after decorating I felt like something was missing. Well because something was missing....STOCKINGS!?! I have a legit fireplace this year so there is no reason not to have some 2-legit-2-quit stockings! I did some digging and came up with some great stocking ideas.

The Not-So Traditional

Vintage French Cottage Christmas?

Traditional Red & Green

There are so many creative stocking ideas out there, its AH MAY ZING! I have seen ice skate stockings, ballet stockings, boot stockings.. the list goes on and on. The possibilities are endless too, you can spice up the front door with a stocking instead of a wreath. You could decorate your staircase or another part of your home. It doesnt just have to be the fireplace :O

Even if you aren't that crafty you can purchase cheapy stockings and decorate them with ribbon, puff paint, glitter, felt balls or buttons. If you want it to look more finished you can get them embroidered at your local embroidery store (sometimes people have kiosks at the mall and they can personalize items in 30 minutes or less).

I was a tad inspired by all this stocking talk to make a cute little stocking for my puppy dog, Jimmy!! My final product is not finished but I used felt, fabric tac and puff paint to create a personalized bone shaped stocking :) I am really contemplating making a huge stocking for my front door..... lol I may be going a little overboard.

Now what to put in those darn stockings?!

150 Stocking Stuffer Ideas!

I think everyone will agree that "Stockings Stockings Stockings" was an appropriate title!

25 Days of Christmas - Day #14 Sparkle

by: Ashley

Hola!! So there are only 11 more days until Christmas!!! {And I'm totally stressing out because I'm no where close to being done with my shopping list!} But, of course I made time for this little craft:

I wanted to add some sparkle for when I walk through the door.  It was super easy to make - it just took a few hours.  All you need is:

Styrofoam cone (usually used for floral arrangements)

Sequins 

Glue

Tweezers

How cool would it be if you made a bunch of these in different sizes in slightly different patterns and grouped them together??  Oh, and even though it takes longer, it really looks better when all the sequins face the same way.  I found this out the hard way, but oh well - my next one will be better!

25 Days of Christmas - Day #8 Another.....DIY Ornament

By: Danie

Hope everyone is having a great hump day! Well today I wanted to show everyone my DIY ornament. I have actually made these before as keepsakes for my friends Grandma and Mom with him in his army class a's minus the glitter! Its a great gift to give around the holidays especially to grammys and poppys!

Supplies

• Clear Ornaments
• Glitter
• Clear Stamp Pad
• Ribbon or Christmas Paper
• Picture
• Clear Spray Paint

First we stamped Mikey's tootsies with the clear stamp pad glue then rolled it on the ornament and dipped in glitter. At first it wont look great because the static makes glitter stick where there is no glue just use a little brush to get it off.

{couldn't get him to open his hand for anything but if you can get your little person's hand to open let me know how you did it!}.

I didn't have ribbon so I just curled some Christmas paper to spruce up the back of the ornament.

The final step is to trace the circle of the ornament on the picture you want use then cut and stick it in the top of the ornament. Seal with clear spray paint to keep the glitter on it.

{be very careful with the top of the ornament, I have had a ton break on me getting the top on and off}

Donesky!

Grammy's gift is ready to stick in the cute Christmas themed Chinese take out box with some tissue paper for cushioning. Great gift for everyone!!

25 Days of Christmas - Day #6 DIY Wreath

by: Ashley

Howdy! So we had a great weekend of inspiration, and now it's time for another Christmas DIY.

This one is super easy!!!

Here was my inspiration:

Source: whipperberry.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Very pretty right?? Well I wanted to change mine up a little bit. I absolutely love lace so I wanted to see I this type of wreath would look with it.

Here is the final product. I should add a ribbon like the one above for some extra pizzazz!!!

25 Days of Christmas - Day #2 DIY Pearl Ornament

Wow - time is flying by. It's already December 2 which means only 23 more shopping days!!! Earlier today I was already stressing about all the things I have to do this weekend. Putting up the Christmas tree, helping my mom put up her 10 ft Christmas tree, shopping for Christmas gifts, shopping for an engagement party dress, finding the perfect gift to give to the host and hostess of the engagement party, wrapping up a couple more DIYs to post for you guys... Ahhhh the list gets overwhelming!!!

And I'm sure you guys can all relate.  This time of year is supposed to be cheerful but sometimes it just gets so demanding and stressful! Well we hope to take some of the stress away and give you some awesome gift ideas as well as some fun DIY Christmas decoration ideas.

I saw this pearl ornament on Pinterest pinned from Do It Yourself Divas blog.  Click the link to their blog to see the ornament or check it out here on my Christmas Pinterest Board.

So I decided to give it a try - and I'm so happy that I did!! It came out beautiful and will be my favorite ornament on the tree this year. The DIY Divas did it with a broken necklace - well I didn't have one of those laying around so I bought these glass pearls from Michael's:

I started out using super glue.  It actually worked really well but got messy and sticky.  Probably better to use a hot glue gun.  And I would totally recommend using tweezers to hold the pearls instead of getting the glue all over your fingers.  And whatever you do, don't try to use that fabric or jewelry glue - it doesn't dry fast enough and the pearls just fall off!!!

Just keep gluing the pearls on until you've covered the ball.  And that's all there is to it.  Add a ribbon and voila! You have a Hand-Made ornament for your tree.  This would also make a pretty cool present!!

Ok - so I told a friend of mine that I was going to be doing another Christmas Gift Guide today. But the truth is that I totally ran out of time to do the proper research.  But I'm not going to leave her empty handed!!  This website has some really AWESOME deals on decorations and crafts.  So if you aren't feeling very DIY - you can score some great deals on decorations.  It's called Save on Crafts but while they offer products for crafting, they also have a ton of products that are ready to go.

Like this Rhinestone Crystal Sphere for $8:

Or this oh-so-gorgeous ribbon and pearl garland for $24.99:

Ok - so as a special gift this December - Dani and I won't be posting just Monday through Friday.  Look for our posts on the weekends too!!! Especially this weekend since I'll be coming back to you with another Christmas Gift Guide!!! I have some really AH-MAZING inspiration for what to get the guy in your life, whether it be your honey, dad, brother or best friend!! Oh and Dani gave some awesome inspiration for gifts girls would love to get from their boo... but now we'll be throwing out even more ideas for what to get our best friends, sisters and moms.  

DIY Elbow Patches

By: Danie

So I have said this before and I will say it again its so hard to find cute baby boy clothes! Little touches can make a big difference on a plain ol' onesie, a bow tie, felt cut outs or elbow patches?? Yes, elbow patches! Who would have thought these elbow patches would be so much fun?

This is a really easy DIY that I just threw together. I wanted to sew the patches on with embroidery thread {thicker than normal thread} but I just didnt have the time to do it. However if you are going to tackle this, I think that would be a nice finishing touch.

Supplies

• Long Sleeve Onesie {I dyed mine, FYI- the Tulip brand at walmart is great I don't like Rit brand}
• Fabric
• Fabric Tac
• Scissors
• Backing {I used felt but you can use interfacing}
• Cardboard is optional if you want to make a pattern

First you will need to cut out an oval pattern, if you want to go that route. To make the fabric easier to cut and sturdier you will need to fabric tac it to the felt. From there trace two of the patterns on the felt side and cut out. Finally you will fabric tac the ovals to the shirt, remember you want to do this on the back side of the sleeves where his or her elbows will be. Just a little tip, get the fabric tac right on the edge but not on the fabric- its unforgiving if you get it on fabric that will show.

Voila!

Cutest little dude or dudette that you ever did see. I may pair Mikey's with some home made suspenders and courderoys.

"I love when momma dresses me up!"



My Dapper Little Darling

By: Danie

With it being the holidays I decided to get crafty and make something for everyone. It seemed like a piece of cake when I was searching on pinterest for some ideas {everything looks so easy on pinterest though}. Being a beginner sewer I also had the tiny obstacle of learning how to sew... who better to be my model than little baby Mikey :) Well before my little peanut was born I realized all the cute stuff was for girls and that is a bummer, occasionally I will see something awesome for a little boy but really your choices are limited {especially if you are working with a budget}. This worked out ok for me because I needed to practice my sewing skills and I really wanted to make some cute outfits for the little dude.

My first project was the bow tie- something simple and cute. It was boarderline excessive the way I scoured the internet for an awesome bow tie BUT I found it! The tutorial I found is from Shwin & Shwin, two amazing sisters that are sewing geniuses. So amazing that I follow them by email... I can count on one finger how many blogs I follow by email. Without further ado, my dapper son......

This was such an easy and quick way to make a great outfit and it would be a fabulous one of a kind gift for a baby shower. I used items that I had on hand, old shirt, felt and plain onesie. The brown is the felt, I thought that the stiff fabric would hold up a little better.

A few tips if you are going to attempt this- multiple layers of felt gets hard to sew so keep that in mind and I also suggest hot glueing the bowtie to a bar pin this will give you the freedom to put it on different onesies {babies grow like weeeds} and not have to throw it in the washer.

Keep an eye out for some more awesome baby boy outfits!

DIY Holiday Wreaths

Thanksgiving is in a week, Christmas is right around the corner and my front door looks so bare and sad..  We took a little time out this weekend to make a wreath to jazz up that door! With all the home made wreaths and easy wreath how tos on Pinterest it just seemed like a must do this year. Enjoy our little tutorials!

Winter Wonderland Wreath

First you will need to gather supplies- wreath, yarn, fabric tac, glue gun, felt, cardboard

{A few little tips I got my wreath from the goodwill for $2 and we used a cereal box for the cardboard}

Unfortunately, this part takes the most time- it took me an hour and a half {my wreath is pretty large though}. Also if you want your wreath to be thicker you have to wrap a lot more or put batting around it.

For the flower I chose to do something a little more intricate because I only wanted to do a couple flowers. You can find the instructional here. Really it wasn't that hard once I got the hang of it and the end result is really worth it, for a more finished look I used buttons in the middle of my flowers.

Blue Dahlia Wreath

{Of course I didn't have any way to put it up on the door but I'll figure that out later}

Fantastically Fall Wreath
Here's another variation on a wreath.  Supplies are similar: 1 pound of yarn, 5 sheets of Felt (the pre-cut sheets at the craft store), Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks, and a Straw Wreath with the Plastic Wrap still in tact.

1. It helped to roll the yarn into a ball. This adds extra time but made it easier to wrap the wreath. Wrapping the wreath took HOURS but it was worth it. There's a learning curve to figuring out the most comfortable way to hold it. You want the yarn to be very tight and to not show any gaps.

2. After the wreath is wrapped, you can create the flowers. They only took me about an hour. I cut 14 (4 inch) red circles and 10 (4 inch) orange circles. I cut 3 (2 inch) brown circles (these were the base of the flower). I used an OLFA tool to cut the felt (made it so easy!).

3. To make the petals, fold the circle in half and then in threes to create an "S" shape. Hold glue the insides of the petals together at the corner.

4. Glue the petals down onto the brown base.

5. Glue the base of the flower onto the wreath. And that's it! I took me about 3 days (not continuously working) to complete this.

I love that how the looks of the wreath changes with either the type of flower you create or the colors you use.  I think this would be great for any holiday and not just the winter holidays - just think of the AWESOMENESS you could create for Easter or 4th of July.

If you want more detail on the flowers, I found The Fickle Pickle blog had a very helpful tutorial.  Instead of the button in the middle though, I just added two petals of the opposite color.  I hot glued the points of the flowers together to give them that round shape. I'm thinking of adding more flowers all the way around the edge or some type of embellishment around them to make them really stand out.