Paper, prototypes and more!!

Happy Sunday!!

First things first!!  I got an email yesterday from Gail at My Repurposed Life with some awesome news for me!!  Gail had a giveaway and I won!!  Now for the extra fun news, Gail had her Monday Post for these Cute Totes, which of course I thought to myself would be awesome to do each one up on a personal note for all of Carissa's bridesmaid, MOB and others in the wedding party and it was my lucky day I guess!!  One less thing for me to go out and buy :)  Hop on over to Gail's blog and check her out.  I just love her blog, and Gail.....THANK YOU!!!!!

Now onto this interesting weekend I've had.  The hubby had to work on Saturday, my oldest granddaughter had to go to the ER as she had been sick for 4 days and was having severe pain on her right side.  Well the good thing is it wasn't her appendix :)  It was however a bad bladder/kidney infection but she's on antibiotics so she'll be better soon.  Since my oldest daughter has 4 kids, guess what Nana got to do... yup watch the other 3.  The boys kept themselves entertained playing with cars and watching cartoons and my other granddaughter wanted to do crafts with Nana :)  My granddaughters are so much fun!!  This is what little Miss Bailey did all by herself :)

Yes lil Miss Bailey loves polka dots just like Nana does :)

I have been playing with different flowers so I was having fun with a few twigs.  Yes, I decided to see what it would look like.  What a fun way to put some color in a room and think of the possibilities to be able to change it out with the different holidays!  Love this idea.

Then I did a prototype of something that we will be using at the wedding reception.  This is just a mock one but it will give you the idea of what we're going to do on the gift/favor tables :)  And of course had to put one of my flowers on it too. Thank goodness this was the prototype as my glue stuck to the paint and I had it upside down!  lol  Oh well, it will be fixed when I get the buy off from the bride :)

Here is a tease on what to look for from tomorrow's post :)

Oh and one more thing :)  What an awesome giveaway going on over at the Dollar Store Crafts!  Check this out...just think of all the possibilities you could do with this! 

Hope that you have a fabulous day!!

xo ~ Laura

Lots and lots of favor ideas

Happy  Saturday!!!

I am having fun putting together different wedding favors for Carissa and Brandon to look at so they have a wide variety of choices.  Since we will be making them for the wedding, I thought it was time to figure that out now so I can buy the supplies that we need.  This one was just done with a jar but wanted to see how it looked.  It's an idea.  It says "Happily Ever After" with their name and wedding date on it.  I thought maybe table vases or smaller jars for votives... we'll see what the "bride" thinks :)  I like the white but not the green.  Will have to play with the vinyl coloring.

They have decided on their colors so I incorporated all of them, except the champagne color as I haven't been able to find just the right one yet so that is a mission that we're on.  Good things these are mockups as they have changed the date up a week due to Memorial Day so it's now 5/21/2011 lol.

They are having a country theme wedding so the colors will be beautiful.  All earthtones with pops of color throughout.

I went to the Dollar Store as they have so many little cute wedding things and I figured since  we are in the planning stages, get a little of everything right???  lol

So this was just a fun hour project and we'll see what they like.  Wow... I'm feeling like a wedding coordinator again.  I did ours and my son's back in 1999 and 2000 so I'm a little rusty.  lol

So what do you think??? Stick with one???  Or mix and match???  hmmmmm let me know :)

I was also able to find these cute little treasures at GW the other day and since the frames are part of playing with wedding items I figured I'd put them on here also.  Carissa came up with this cute idea of taking their engagement pictures (when they get them done) and print them on vellum paper and then put a votive in back of them and placing them on the tables at the reception along with flower arrangements around them.  They will be put up on a stand so I found these 2 different frames to start playing with that.  I also found these two bright signs that will be spray painted and have some vinyl letter on it, or maybe chalk, not sure which.  lol  I also found the magazine organizer that I will be redoing and am going to give it to my Mom as she has papers everywhere on her table.  lol

Here is kind of the idea of the picture frames with the vellum.  It's pretty cool actually :)

Have a great day!!

xo ~ Laura

Crafts and Redo's

Happy Thursday!!!!

Have you ever had one of those days where some things just don't go the way you want them too?  Well today I had decided to FINALLY clean my carpets as they were definitely in need of a good scrubbing.  It has been too warm to do it but today it was pretty mild out, in the mid 70's so this morning I figured this would be the day!  So out came my trusty carpet cleaner and supplies and off I went.  Things were going great UNTIL the very last room.  The 2nd to the largest room to boot.  I filled it up as usual and noticed it wasn't working as good as it should have been so I turned it off, cleaned it out and went back to it again.  It started working fine and then with just a quarter of it left to do..... it died :(  I guess it's time to say goodbye to my old friend and when I get another job, I'll have to replace it.  In the meantime I guess I won't finish ALL the carpet.  lol  Oh well things happen :)

So in one of my previous post, I had posted something that I was going to try.  Do you remember this little thing???  The far left with the white plate on it???

Well I spray painted it, started my polka dots (as you know I love them) and then for some odd reason my creative mind decided all by itself to put yellow and black on it too.  I don't know what came over me but it actually turned out kinda cute :)  The gingham heart looks like it's off center but it's not.  It was my angle.  Not the best photographer.  lol  I will be able to use it for many different occasions.

What do you think???  :)  Be honest.....

I also have been playing with making flowers.  I have conquered doing the ribbon and fabric ones so I thought I'd try out some with paper.  I ended up getting crepe paper and was able to make these.

Then I thought well what about tissue paper?  So I picked out some that I already had around the house and started cutting different size circles out with decorative scissors and started folding and using double sided tape and came up with this!

I also had a few of the pre-cut ones that I had picked up on clearance so thought I'd put some of them together and here they are too, along with the others that I made.  I am thinking I will be doing up a few frames and using this little cute embelishments OR maybe putting them on some twigs and put them in a vase!!  Hmmmm let's see what I can come up with.  lol

Hope you all have a great day!

xo ~ Laura

PNW Barns for Wedding

Hi!!  I know this is a random post but wanted to ask all you lovely people out in blogland some advice and suggestions about wedding venues here in Washington in the PNW.

As many of you know if you follow my blog, my youngest daughter is getting married in May and her and her fiance are wanting a country wedding.  Laid back, fun but beautiful all in one.  We've checked out a few places already and they both really want to get married in a barn on a farm.

Since this is a great place to get ideas, I wanted to see if any of you knew of any places, no of anyone personally who rents out their barns, any suggestions on having one already around the area and so on :)

No pictures on this blog... just needing input :)

Have a great day and thanks ahead of time for suggestions!!

xo ~ Laura

Busy around the house

Happy Thursday!!

I've been able to get quiet a bit done this week and have been able to enjoy the beautiful scenery here in the PNW and the nice warm weather.  When I am out and about on a beautiful day, I get to enjoy Mt. Rainier.  It looks like it's right in my backyard and I just love it on a clear day. 

So what have I been working on besides finding a new fulltime job to help pay for the wedding?  Well I've had quiet a few treasures that I have found over the past 2 months so decided it was time to work on a few. 

I had found this cup holder and it was missing a peg but I fixed that.  I painted it black and distressed it and then took some of my mugs that had red in it and of course my cow mug that my future son-in-law got me for Christmas and tada!!  Turned out cute!!

Then I have been talking with Carissa and the planner that I had made her was more like a date book organizer and knew that she needed something with much more detail for her wedding so I went out on a mission and found this cute planner.  This will cover all the basis and it will let her be in control which is what I want.  I don't want her to get stressed out and will jump in when she asks but it is her dream wedding and I want her to be able to totally enjoy planning it.    Then of course, what new bride doesn't need a tote to carry things around in when going to bridal expo's???  So I did this :)

I'm working on more projects but will post them a little later.  Had to get some major cleaning down around the house yesterday.  Shampooing carpets, laundry, etc.  It never ends does it.  lol

Have a great day!!
xo ~ Laura

Redo of picture frames

Happy Rednesday!!

I sat down and decided to re-do these two frames that I had purchased at GW last week.  I loved the detail on both of them and wanted to start doing a "frame" wall as I've seen so many cute ones out there.  Here is what I started with.  Notice the detail on both of them.

I decided to paint them white and then was hoping it was keep the detail which it did so I was please. The bottom one doesn't show it very well in this picture but it was dirty and dungy and I wanted to make sure it was cleaned up and looked fresh as a daisy :) The paper I picked for behind doesn't show up in the picture but it has a bit of shimmer to it which is a little added detail to enjoy.  So after painting, paper and vinyl and a few embelishments, this is the start of my frame wall in our familyroom :)  I'm very happy with them and think they turned out very cute :)

I have also started working on this piece.  Stay tuned for that one :)  It's my first try but we'll see if I succeed or not.  lol

Linking to It's a very cherry world today.  Lots of cute red items for Rednesday!!  Enjoy!
Have a great day!

xo ~ Laura

Rustic wall art

Happy Tuesday!

The weekend went so fast I didn't get as much done as I had hoped but oh well.  It will be there tomorrow also right?  :)  I never get too upset as my family and their needs are first and foremost and then my "ME" time so here is what I was able to get done.

I had this frame and it was actually gorgeous but I wanted more of a rustic look so out came the paint.

I watered the paint down, went back over with regular paint and then took the sanding block too it. I put some scrap paper behind the glass to give it some character and  I like how it turned out.  I had found this rustic star over at Ben Franklin for $2 awhile ago and wondered what to do with it.  Well when surfing the different blogs, I saw a few that hung things from an empty frame.  Although this is a different frame, it's solid wood behind it so you can't have it empty so here is what I did with it :)

Have a fantastic day and enjoy each and every moment!

xo ~ Laura

Bridal Toolbox

Happy Monday!

I was able to get a few cute things done for Carissa now that she's "officially" engaged and let me tell you, she is going a mile a minute with excitement.  OK, so am I.  lol

I had found this cute kids toolbox last week at GW and knew what I wanted to do with it.  It had a few things on it like reflector tape and stickers so I had to strip all that off, sand it down a little and get ready to paint it.  It went from this.....

To this!  I had bought a few bridal magazines to help get her going with ideas, had found a planner and personalized it for her and now she has a place to keep her ideas.

So you will probably see more post throughout this planning stage but it will be fun I promise.  She's already on a path with colors and ideas and it's going to be a beautiful wedding.  Wow it feels strange having my baby old enough to get married.

I guess the saying is true ~ "Mother's hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever".

I am also linking to Cherry Chick Jewelry for her ME Monday.  I just love all her cute items.  So with that being said, I thought of her and did this cute spoon up just for her.  Hop on over and see all her cute things.

Have a great day!

xo ~ Laura

Finds and Anniversary

Happy Sunday!!

On Friday I was able to go out and find a few treasures that I want to work on over the next few days.  I found a small toolbox, a few frames, some material, a large candle holder and a plate, and a spoon that I want to try something with :)  This should be fun!!

Look at the detail on this frame.  I just love it and I've got some ideas :)

And I just loved this one!  I'm going to leave it as is on the outside and the paper inside as I think it is very cute but the other things will be coming out and being changed so stay tuned :)

I also finished my son and daughter-in-laws 10 year anniversary present and will be able to give that to them tomorrow so that will be fun :)  The colors didn't show up very well in the picture but it really does all go together.  I took the picture outside and it is the way the sun is hitting it.

I have made all of my grandbabies a crocheted blanket before they were born and my youngest granddaughter was definitely the one that loved her blankey the most.  She has it so worn it is barely holding together.  It's like in 4 pieces so she asked me if I'd make her a new one and of course I said yes.  I asked her what color she wanted and silly me, "Purple Nana" lol.  That is her favorite color.  So I got busy and got it done for her.  She sleeps with her blankey every night and she just turned 4 in May.  She is really getting into the "girly" stage so I decided to put some yarn flowers on it also.  It makes my heart beam that my sweet little pride and joys love what I do for them.

Well that's it for today.  I've got some busy weeks ahead now so have lots to get done so better get going :)  Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!!  I know I did :)

xo ~ Laura

A surprise brewing!!! Revealed

Hi there!!  I will reveal the surprise now!!    He asked her to marry him!!  My youngest daughter has been with her boyfriend for over 3 years now and she will be turning 21 in April.  Her now fiance is going to be 23 in February and the time has come and he asked her to marry him!!!  Here is the ring he got her.  It's on my hand, not hers.  Wow are they looking older now... my hands that is.  lol  I picked it up for him and sent him a picture of it that I had it in hand.  This is what he had picked out for her but he was in Oregon and couldn't pick it up.  Wow what a Mom huh.  lol.  She just called me as she went down to Oregon today after work and told me he proposed and she said yes.  lol.  She doesn't have her camera down there but I had already coordinated it being delivered to him so yes, she has the ring now :)

They both love the outdoors and love to fish together.  Brandon makes his own rods just to tell you how much he loves fishing! Here is his blog so if you know of anyone who wants a custom rod, Brandon does great work.  Morris Rod & Tackle.   He made Carissa her own custom one also.  He wasn't able to originally do what he wanted and that was to take her to Sol Duc Hotsprings and take her fishing and asking her to marry him but since he's been stuck down in Oregon going on 1 month he had to change things.
Here is a little something that I made that I have attached to something specifically.  They had talked about it before of what they wanted at their wedding for a theme..... well!!  Take a look further.

So what am I going to do with this you ask?

Well do you remember these adoreable little cowboy boots from the other day that I posted?  And the little glass containers? 

Well look at the final keepsake that I created for them.  I know that both of them are going to just love it.  The date has now been put on it so it's official!!

Looks like we'll be busy planning a wedding and doing a lot of the decorations, etc. ourselves. 

xo ~ Laura

I won!!!

Happy Friday!!!

I got woke up early from my daughter's dog barking this morning when she left for work.  They have been staying at our house this past week as her boyfriend has been out of town for the past 3 weeks and she doesn't like to stay alone in the house so we've enjoyed having them here.  I decided to make a pot of coffee and sit down to read all my blog friends posts and I came across Jen's at Frame Fanatic only to see that I WON her giveaway!!  Hop on over to Jen's page and check out her blog.  Very cute!!  This is my first win and I am so excited!!!  It's going to be a great day!!  Isn't this adoreable!!!

I have been so darn busy this week but I have been working on a gift for my son and daughter-in-law as they just celebrated their 10 year wedding anniversary on Wednesday.  They are out of town so they know it is going to be a few days late but I will post pictures later today to show you the final picture of it.

Have a great day!!

xo ~ Laura

What is it????

Happy Thursday!!  Well these past few days I've been doing so much and on the road that I haven't been able to do much crafting at all.  Around 400 miles on the road in the past two days though but it's all good.

I have just been relaxing during the evening as it has been long long days and believe me, I'm not a long haul type of girl.  I have been playing with the different types of materials with my loom and it's fun to see what I come up with.  Yarn is a lot of fun too that make the cutest darn little flowers.  Here is just one that I did.  Decided to do a bright yellow one with the baby soft yarn and then decided to try the fun fir and add an embelishment and I came up with these :)

Then there is this.  I had to hide most of the picture because I don't want to give the surprise away.  All I can say is something will be happening hopefully in the next few days and I'll reveal what it is.  In the meantime, here is a little section of it.

You can see what I did do with the cute little cowboy boot that I got the other day when treasure hunting.  You'll have to just keep your eyes on my blog to find out what it is :)

Well I'm hoping to be able to do some bigger projects in the next few days to be able to post about and to reveal what the surprise is :)  You're curious aren't you!!  lol

Have a great day!!

xo ~ Laura

Loom Flowers

Happy Rednesday!!

Well I have been playing with fabric flowers and am having a lot of fun with different techniques.  I've seen so many on the different blogs and I end up for some reason putting my own twist on them and coming up with something totally different and unique.  I guess that is what it is all about huh :)

I had boughten a smaller loom, about 3" in diameter and haven't tried it out yet but got an idea so thought I'd try it.  I had bought a role of sparkly embrodiary thread and thought I'd play with it first.  I want to try yarn also but thought I'd try to master this first.  Like I said I have never made any of these yet.  I read the directions in the kit (it's from Provo Craft) and started circling around until I felt I had enough strands on it.  I sewed it so they'd all stay together and took it off the loom.  It looks like this.

Then I had some left over circles from a fabric flower I was making from yesterday and instead of folding it in half, then half again, I pinched it and then put a stitch in it and just started going around the circle.  Then I added this cute gingham heart to the middle.  Hot glue it to the loom flower and Tada!!

I think I'm going to have to make more of these.  Think of the possibilities!!  Sorry for the blurry pic on this one. 

I also have finished a my first custom sign for a dear friend of mine!  She saw the picture of what I did on one of my thrift finds and loved the saying she emailed me immediately and said she wanted one but wanted something else on it besides the rooster and a little smaller so off I went to accomodate.  Here is her final product and she loves it!!  Finished off her kitchen perfectly :)

I hope that you have a great day!!  Back to getting busy :)

xo ~ Laura