My Top 10 Pinterest Crafty Finds

Today I'm sharing some of the craft and decor projects I've found on Pinterest.  These are projects I've made and projects I've tried with some success.  If you'll click on the name of the project it will take you to the original project instructions.

In no particular order, here they are:

Erasable To-Do List



Sparkly Flower Headband



Bubble Decals



Riff Ram Canvas



Light Up Drive In Sign



Faux Built-In Bookcase



Simple Tie Top



DIY TCU Dress



Easter Egg Garland



Record Cake Stand



What are your favorite crafts and home projects?  Share your links in the comment section!

Adi

Bachelorette Party ("classy, not trashy")

Planning a bachelorette party?  Want to have some good, clean fun?  Here's a cheat sheet for you as you plan the big night!

Start with adorable invitations

We were going for the "classy" theme so I cut out black cardstock in a dress shape and embossed the great Coco Chanel quote "a girl should be two things:  classy and fabulous."  I finished it off with a beaded accent at the top and a strip of glitter at the bottom.

On the back, I cut a piece of silver cardstock after printing the details of the party.  (I covered up the address portion.)  In case you can't read it, it says at the top:  "Let's celebrate a lady who's both!"  At the bottom, it says:  "Wear your favorite little black dress...We're taking the bride out on the town!"  Then I glued the back of each of the invitations together.

One additional thing I placed in the envelope was a little cutout of lingerie, complete with rhinestone accents.  I added the bra size and gown size but I didn't want to give away the bride's secrets here!

Have a dress code

I don't mean in a junior high hemline three inches above the knee kind of way!  The invitation told everyone to wear their favorite little black dress, and I told the bride to wear white.  I also had a veil and sash for her to wear, just so everyone would know it was her special day!

Pick a fun place for dinner

The bride helped with this one but we went to a fun Mexican restaurant and got a big, round booth that was perfect for our little party.

Go on a scavenger hunt

There are a couple of ways to go about this:  couple-themed or destination-themed.  If the town or area where you're having the party is special to the couple, make a list of places that were meaningful in their relationship.  If you're doing more of a destination party, just create a list of fun things to do around town.  (That's the one we chose!)

Here are some ideas:

• get a guy to propose
• get someone to serenade the bride
• make a public toast to the bachelorette
• take a picture with another bachelorette
• take a picture with a groom at his bachelor party
• find a guy with the same name as the groom
• get asked for your ID (thrilling after 30!)
• take a picture with an animal
• keep a souvenir from a bar or restaurant
• pose with a server or bouncer
• a picture of the sign at each place you go

We did this as a group since there were just 5 of us but if your party is big then you can make it a competition.  

Wrap it up with a lingerie party! 

I can't explain it, but girls just like to buy pretty, frilly things for their friends.  We headed back to the house for some girly fun.

At this point I introduced lavender into the color scheme and used it as an accent throughout the party.

An easy-to-personalize polka dot banner:

Coordinating napkins:

Party favors!

Mason jar glasses with purple and white polka dot straws and lavender milk (okay, milk I colored purple):

 

More purple decorations:

Homemade mousse martinis!

Time to open presents!

We displayed them on a clothesline, complete with purple sparkly clothespins!

We had so much fun celebrating the bride.  There's still time before the wedding...maybe we should do it again!

Adi

Graduation Party Ideas

Last week I received an invitation to my cousin's high school graduation.  Is she seriously that old?  I wasn't too far from my own high school graduation when she was born, and since I'm still 21 in my own mind that means she's definitely not old enough to graduate...

It seemed like a good time to post about some of my favorite ideas for a graduation party.  I joined Pinterest after my last grad school final (the carrot at the end of the final-master's-course-stick, if you will).  My own party was the first thing Pinterest ever helped me plan, and I used it to help with my little sister's graduation from the same school a few years later, too.  A lot of the ideas are blue and gold, but of course you can adapt these ideas for your own mascots and color schemes.

We had the party at my house and I kinda regret doing that.  My mother-in-law had offered to host it for me but since I was graduating in December I turned our annual Christmas party into a graduation party.  Between finals, graduating, and hosting, it turned out to be a bit much and by about 9:30 I was ready for everyone to go home so I could go to sleep.  I am SUCH a party animal.

My mom made me a cool cake with my school's logo on the top.  I loved it!

I made sugar cookies with sparkly icing showing the school nickname and year.  These keep well so I was able to make this ahead of time, which was helpful since the party was the same day I graduated!

These "diplomas" are actually those Pepperidge Farm cookies that come in a canister.  (You just tie your school's color of ribbon on them.)  Yum!

Our families pitched in with the rest of the items:  7 layer dip, mini sandwiches, meat and cheese rollups, etc.  I definitely needed their help and I'm so glad they were willing.

One perk to graduating in December was that my party supplies were bought in June for next to nothing.  If you're fortunate enough to graduate at a weird time of the year, keep an eye out for decorations during the previous "traditional" graduation time in the late spring/early summer.

Looking back, the mix of graduation and Christmas decorations kinda makes me giggle.

I put out little buckets of color-coordinated candy.  I found these candy sticks at Cracker Barrel (they have all of the colors!!) plus butterscotch disks and Hershey kisses with blue wrappers.

Somebody though Cleo needed in on the festivities.  Poor dog.

A few other ideas:

If you're able to, borrow the whole graduation getup from a friend who graduated from the school a term or two ahead of you.  Take fun pictures around the campus that you can use with your invitations!

Me and Willie the Ram:

Posing at the entrance of the alumni building:

The invitations I made were actually wedding invitations.  I had already had two graduations before this so I was over the traditional invitation thing.  I love how they turned out!

Have you thrown a graduation party?  Share your favorite ideas here!

Adi

Gift idea: Military Mom Charm Necklace

A few months ago I went to a really cute vintage fair with a friend of mine.  There were several booths full of charms for everything.  I found a few military-themed pieces that I thought would make a great gift for my mother-in-law. 

File this idea away for an easy gift idea for your mom/sister/grandma/aunt/bestie.  Slide them onto a ball chain (I had to add a jump ring to one of the charms so it would dangle properly).  You can even cut the chain to make it fit.  It's as easy as that!

What did you do for mother's day?

Adi

You've pinned it, now make it! (craft edition)

Consider this part two of Sunday's food challenge.  This time we'll focus on the crafty side of Pinterest.  What pins have you been intending to try?  Here's a peek at what I want to try.

Cinderella!



Texas!



How cool is this?



Maybe for the big 1-0?



So Victorian!



What are you making this weekend?

Adi

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Did y'all have a good Mardi Gras?  I never paid the holiday much attention until we lived in Louisiana.  To the residents of that state it's right up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas.  A different krewe hosts a parade each weekend (there's even one for the pets!).  You pitch your tent along the road early in the morning and brave the cold and rain for a good spot.  Boiled peanuts are consumed.  Beads are caught.  New friends are made.  Good times!

There's a tradition I learned that I still celebrate, despite the lack of parades and festivities in my part of Texas.  People leave their Christmas trees out (fake, I presume) and decorate them for the next big holiday:  Mardi Gras!  I don't commit all the way with a full tree but I definitely put out my mini Mardi Gras tree!  Here's the whole layout:

I even have a strand of Mardi Gras lights in purple, green, and gold.  (People complain about Christmas decorations going out in the summer?  The craft store in our town would put out Mardi Gras decorations starting in AUGUST!!)

I like to use the holiday as an excuse to make some yummy Cajun food for our friends.  We hosted a group over the weekend and I made Jambalaya, French bread, and King Cake.  (I usually buy the king cake but this year I used cinnamon rolls and cream cheese with sugar I dyed in Mardi Gras colors.  You can use two cans of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and break them apart, twisting them together to make one outer ring and then another small ring on the inside.  Bake according to instructions on the label, then pour the cream cheese over the top and sprinkle on the sugar.  There's a good tutorial for the cake here and for coloring the sugar here.)  I don't have any pictures of the food because we were hungry!  Here's the full table, though--complete with themed napkins:

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Adi

Quick DIY Valentine gift

Is it just me or is everyone feeling crummy lately? There are a lot of bugs going around this time of year so here's a Valentine that may help with that:  a Lovebug!

This is a quick way to show you care that may keep the germs away AND won't run the risk of getting them off track when it comes to those New Year's resolutions.  

I found the idea on Pinterest but then put my own spin on it.  I went to Dollar Tree and got a bottle of hand sanitizer, a couple of packs of glittery foam heart stickers, and a package of heart-shaped beads.  Start by peeling off the front label.  Take out the pump and pour in some heart beads (I made 10 of these so I divided the package 10 ways), pushing them down with the stem of the pump to make them all fit.  Screw on the pump and wipe off any spillage.  Decorate with the stickers and you're on to the label. 

 

I found a cute trail of ladybugs through Google and used it to outline a little message I typed in Word.  (By right clicking and formatting you can send the image to the back, which frees up the blank area in the middle so your words show through.) 

Cut out the label, sign your message, punch a hole, and attach it to the pump using some curly ribbon.  Voila!  Easy, useful, and cute!

Adi

Office Chic

I've moved around a bit and I'm no stranger to setting up a new space.  My first classroom as in a closet, as was my first school office:

...a closet full of stuff.

After that it was on to a shared portable that I showed here and here:

and eventually on office "up on the hill" not far from the administration building (but connected to the school's alternative behavior program...oh well, close enough).  I recently mentioned here that I've moved again but before I did I snapped a few pictures of the old office. 

It was bright turquoise when I moved in but that didn't bother me--I already had a lamp to match!  The area around my desk was covered in cards and notes that made me smile:

Dual monitors are the greatest thing!  How did I ever work without them?

You can just see the top of the giant Eiffel Tower collage that my sister- and mother-in-law put together for me with pictures of our 2013 trip to Europe.  I love seeing the pictures and remembering all of the places we went.  Up near the top is a painting I made at one of those "paint with a twist" kinds of places.

I insisted on snagging my in-laws' old loveseat and putting it in my little office.  I meant to sit on it when I had a lot of grant reading to do but my reading load decreased once I got the couch and everyone else sat on it a lot more than I did.  It was comfy, though!

I made curtains to eliminate the afternoon glare on my computer.  I also took apart a Paris calendar and hung all of the pictures to brighten up the place.  I also framed and added ribbon hangers to a couple of watercolor pictures of Paris that my sister- and brother-in-law picked up for me on one of their trips.

Hey, a purple Christmas tree! 

The artwork is from my Texas Wesleyan days.  It lived a HMS after I left but when the grant ended their I reclaimed them and now they're a real bright spot in my office.  I love the decal on the side of the filing cabinet:  a giant Eiffel Tower!

Next week I'll cover the new space, which includes a couple of new pieces and some blank wall space.  You'll have to give me some ideas on how to fill it!

Adi