Daddy Daughter Dance Layout

I don't often get the chance to create a personal layout these days, but I have found that the best way for me to get out of an artistic block is to pull together a layout from a recent photo.  I struggled with this picture because the backdrop in the photo is garish.

Finding paper or embellishments matching the "neon garden" style requires a little digging. Luckily I remembered purchasing this great Simple Stories line of paper at Scrappy Chic called Fabulous.  And even though the paper was originally for a bedroom decor project in Bekah's room, I had purchased the bright crochet flowers with this layout in mind. They fit perfectly together.  

The kraft tags are stamped with some fun images I have collected over the years from those same dollar bins, and the title is made with Technique Tuesday stamps. Pearls also came from that same famous bin....notice a pattern here? My husband always announces in Michaels when we approach the front to pay for my supplies, "And now 15 minutes to stare at the dollar junk." Then proceeds to start playing a game on his phone.  The craft stores have made a mint off of me from those bins. Of course, I have made some pretty nifty things from them, so the complaints have evolved to a teasing joke :)

On Monday, I will be showing examples of the fun things I have made over the years from the craft store dollar bin. I look forward to having you come share in the inspiration!

Faith

Inspiration Tidbit: Vignette Addition

An inspiration tidbit from my home to yours:

A little something I added to my entry vignette :) This is just a quick impromptu blog, so forgive the "less-than-desirable" photos.  The "vintage door knob" hanger was from Hobby Lobby, and the keys were from the dollar bin in Michaels. I tied the keys together with my hand-dyed vintage ribbon- Love how it turned out!  

It was a quick way to make fabulous impact on the overall balance of the vignette design. (Framed photo is photography by: Ara133Photography)

Have an inspired day!

Replaced on the Dollar- IKEA Blomster

Every once in a while I find something on the cheap to replace a design element I have held off on purchasing.  This one I just had to share.

I have been eyeing the IKEA Blomster clear 3-pc set for quite some time. I wanted 3 sets for Christmas decor and other event decorations. They are very versatile, beautiful, and tealights are a quick, easy, inexpensive, no-mess way to add candlelight to a party.  Unfortunately, tealight holders generally don't have a lot of height, or are very style specific. I had seen a few examples of clear glass holders of tiered heights in a couple design magazines, but had no idea where to get them.  That's why, when I found the IKEA set, my imagination went wild over all the great ways I could achieve different looks with vignettes, table top decor, etc. I thought the $15 per set of 3 was a fair price.  I know not everyone gets so excited about tealight holders- call me strange- but I was seriously giddy when I found them.

However, I had not gotten around to forking over the $45.  Other things always seemed to catch my eye in IKEA when I would drop in to blow all my money pick up a few things.  Imagine that.

But now, boy am I glad I was sidetracked because look what I found at the dollar store:

On the mantle at home- yay!

Now, I know they are not exactly the same in design, but they function exactly the same way, and certainly meet the standard of "pretty darn close".  I actually find the ones from the dollar store to be more neutral in design...which is a good thing for these in particular. Especially since I am buying them for their design versatility.  

I purchased 9 holders in-store (the equivalent of 3 sets) for $9!!!! Two sets are already up on the mantle for Christmas- love it! The reviews do note about the stickers...I had no problem removing them by laying them in a casserole dish and gently pouring hot water in the dish to let the stickers soak.  The stickers rubbed right off without any issues. 

If you buy online, I think it must be purchased in bulk, but I had no trouble finding them locally for a $1 a piece.  And, seriously, you can get a box of 24 for less than the cost of 2 Blomster sets if purchased online at dollartree.com.  

This is definitely a win-win find. What awesome dollar store items have you found as a trade for a much pricier item? 

Have an inspired day!

Faith

My Black-eyed Peas Recipe

Today we are having one of my favorites meals of homemade comfort food heaven: Southern style barbecue pulled pork, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese.  By far my husband makes the best mac and cheese I have ever had in my life. And sorry, he doesn't give out the recipe ;) So I am stuck with giving you my black-eyed peas recipe, which the whole family loves as well. (At least, that is what they say....haha) It is surprisingly healthy- unlike that macaroni and cheese that makes you gain five pounds just smelling it- and can optionally be made with more liquid added along the way and some favorite veggies to make a yummy soup.

What you will need:

1 Bag of dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and soaked.
10 cups Water
1 Smoked ham hock
1 Green tomato, quartered
1 Small Jalapeno, halved and seeds removed
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and halved
8 Fresh sage leaves
3 Sprigs of thyme
1/4 Large red onion, halved
1-2 tablespoons Salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon White pepper

Bring first 8 ingredients to boil all together in a large pot or dutch oven.  Turn down burner to low and let simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally and check water level to make sure water is always above the beans as they cook. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue simmering on low until beans are tender and soft with no graininess, always remembering to stir occasionally. Remove ham hock from the pot, and cut of all meat from the bone and chop up into small pieces. Remove garlic, herbs, pepper, and onion (or leave them in and just avoid them when serving). Add ham hock meat back in, and stir. Serves 8-10 as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Quick Upcycle: Cork Board

Hello to all!

It has been an insanely busy Summer so far, but one of the things we have been working on is our home renovations (Yes, still going...but the end is in sight.)  Here is a quick revamp of an old (and ugly) cork board that is now hanging on the wall behind the door in my daughter's room.  It's a tight squeeze for photographing so photos aren't magnificent, but hopefully you will glean a little inspiration of your own from it.

To achieve this look, I covered and taped off the cork board then spray painted the frame.   Once dry, I carefully inked up a large corner stamp (Fancy Pants).  I actually did two trial stamps on the back of the board to get a feel for it- it's hidden, so I highly recommend it so you can get a feel for the ink and pressure you will need :)  A stencil and paint will work fine for the corners as well. Once this is done, attach the hangers that go with the board (if you don't have any, they can be purchased at any craft/hobby store.)

I doubled the twine and tied it off a few inches off to the side, and tied the ribbon and tags to the twine using a bow from the long hanging ends.  You certainly could just do it in the center, but I love the look of offsetting, and am playing with the idea of adding a paper blossom arrangement later.  

Materials you will need:

White paint (I used spray paint)
Large corner stamp or stencil
Ink or paint for stamp/stencil
Thick twine or thin rope
Decorative ribbon scraps
Tea stained and stamped tags
Painters tape and covering for the cork

Have an inspired day!

Faith

Custom Recipe Boxes

I often have customers ask me how the process works, and I thought it about time that I blog about the wonderful way I get the opportunity to create something uniquely beautiful for each customer.

The first thing I do is get an idea of my client's style and color theme.  My favorite way of do that is to send them over to design-seeds.com where they can pick color palettes that suit the look they want.  I also have them go to my facebook page to look at my different created boxes and my pinterest boards for style ideas and inspiration.  Knowing what catches their eye give me wonderful insight into their bent of artistic style.

Once we hit that point, I might ask a couple clarifying questions.  Sometimes, clients tell me to just do my "thing" from there, but usually this is where I send swatches for the client to pick from, reminding them that this is probably a paper from a line of many patterns.  Their box will generally not be exclusively the paper swatch chosen unless requested.  Here is an example:

A client picked the far right swatch-

These three paper swatches I sent were based off of this design seed pick:

Her recipe box turned out to look like this:

As you can see, I use finite cutting techniques to add additional layers to the patterns from papers that are in or match the same line, as is also exampled here:

And sometimes a customer asks for a special personalization: 

The time to create can differ from one box to the next but generally takes a week from start to finish including a painted interior. Each is made to order.  Lead times vary by the amount of custom orders I am already working on, so sometimes it can take a bit longer. 

This is truly one of my favorite parts of my business- creating these special recipe boxes for others.  It's even more heartwarming to hear back from my customers with stories of the way it has been used or gifted. I even get photos of the box in use every once in a while and that just tickles me pink!

So a huge "Thank You!" to my many customers who have given me the opportunity to create a recipe box, just for them!  

Faith

PS If you are looking to have one made as well, just click here.

Displaying Short Stemmed Flowers

There are many times, as an avid gardener, that I have trimmed up and thinned out flowering plants and am left with an assortment of short stemmed blossoms.  I never have the heart to throw away this pretty little beauties.  I used to throw them in a short glass or mason jar, but many times they were either too short even for those glasses, or there were just a couple of flowers so they would forlornly fall over to the side of the glass to sit miserably on my window sill over my kitchen sink as they died.  Recently though, I came up with this simple solution, which really does look lovely wherever I put it, and I can "stand" the flowers to arrange heights.  They stay in place, and still receive water  Here's my resent trimmings of dahlias:  

The cost: $1 for the shallow glass bowl/vase, and $3 for the decorative rocks.  Both can be purchased at Hobby Lobby. Simple, reusable, inexpensive, and versatile....the rocks can be placed in any pretty glass piece to help with arranging your short blossoms. 

Have an inspired day! 

Faith