Pampering Gift Set

What woman doesn't enjoy being pampered? The answer to that- none! This gift is simple and cheap- and sure to be a hit with whoever you give it to! 

What You Will Need:

- Basket

- Lotion

- Shower gel

- Nail polish

- Nail buffer

- Shower poof

- Nail file

- Foot scrubber or file

- Picture frame

Fill your basket up as much as you can.

Put the basket inside of a colorful plastic gift bag.

There is no limit to how much you can add to this gift! The bigger the basket, the more you can stuff it with!

Fall Wreath

Fall is almost here! I love fall more than any other season because it is so colorful! I bought the wreath used for this craft at Micheal's Craft Store and the leaves were purchased in a bag of 50 from the Dollar Tree, along with the sunflowers.

 Now just follow this easy picture guide to create your own!

Supplies You'll Need:

-Grapevine wreath

-Artificial flowers

-Artificial leaves

-Hot glue gun

Supplies you will need!

Push the flower tip through the center of the leaf before hot gluing.

Hot glue flowers into place.

Single flower arrangement with leaves on the side.

Double flower arrangement with leaves on the side.

Tuck leaves into the vines and hot glue into place.

Your leaves should be tucked into place around your flowers and into the vine.

Hang on the wall or your front door!

 Follow me on Pinterest and Facebook!

Easy Picture Book

Hey everybody! I have another craft to share with you ☺ My boyfriend randomly asked me one day if I would make him a picture book. I said sure, kinda worried it would be bland, but he had faith in me! He knows I love using my imagination, and being a little silly doesn't hurt. So I looked through all the pictures we had taken together from the beginning of our relationship til now. I chose my 45 favorites and put them in order of how they were taken. Now, here's the best part- I didn't have to fork out a lot of money to do this project. Walgreens has photo specials all the time, and one I got was buy 25 4X6 prints, get 25 free! How awesome is that? So look often on their website for really sweet specials. Enjoy!

All You Need Is:

- A photo album with about 50 pages (Mine had 48 and I got it at the Dollar Tree)
- Old magazines
- Stickers
- And of course, your photos ☺

 The old magazines will be your best friend when you want to describe a certain photo. Cut out words or phrases that would make sense on a picture. Stickers work well, too, but magazine cutouts can be put together to form sentences- instantly making it more personal! I had to cut out the magazine words and organized them into clear cups, writing what kind of words they were on the outside. This makes it easier to find what you want when you need it without having to dig through a huge stack!

Using the first few pages of the photo album (including the inside cover), I left my boyfriend a personal note and made an "About Us" page that displayed our anniversary date, birthdays, and interests. Then using some of the magazine cutouts, I made a collage that started with "Jamie is..." then picked words that best described my man.

 Each of the photos were dated on the back so I wouldn't lose track of what went where. On the fronts, I also put dates, but I sometimes had multiple photos taken on the same day. The first photo would be dated, then the rest simply followed after til a new date was reached. 

I personalized the front and back covers of the photo album from a simple blue polka dot image to a more graphic floral one. The back cover was replaced with a green polka dot that matched the cover with a small owl sticker placed on the bottom- because I like owls.. A lot. 

Bonus:
What my boyfriend doesn't know, unless he someday takes a peek at this blog, is that I wrote love quotes on the back of the photos. Not all of them have one, but most of them do. I thought this was a simple yet oh-so-sweet thing to do!

I hope you like this craft as much as I do! Oh, and just so you know, my boyfriend loved it ☺ Have a blessed day!

Dollar Tree Finds

 I love a bargain. Especially when the bargain is also adorable! When browsing around the local Dollar Tree, I found some cute wall plaques. The lady bug was begging to be taken home and painted, so I thought I'd share. The plaque is sturdy and came with an attached ribbon for hanging. Kids would love this idea as much as I did!

 You don't have to stay within the standard lady bug colors- go nuts! A light blue lady bug with lime green dots would be awesome! Plus google eyes make everything more fun!

When you finish this simple project, hang it wherever suits you. I hung mine in my bedroom amongst some framed pictures. I think she fits in nicely, don't you? Extra fun: Add a quote on the front!

"Lovely little ladybug

sent from up above

please watch over my garden

and fill it up with love."

99 Things!

I thought this looked like fun and wanted to share! Mhmm.. I haven't done a whole lot apparently (though some things I'm not so sure I wanna do lol). How much have you done? ☺

99 Things

Bold or cross out the things that you have done on the list. (I've crossed out.)

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyworld

Number 18- Tomatoes!

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis 

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightening storm

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (I call them "mental health days")

24. Built a snow fort

Number 26- to West Virginia

25. Held a lamb

26. Been on a mission trip

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Fallen in love

Number 38 ♥

39. Gone rock climbing 

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Gotten a ticket

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie 

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Bought a house

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Gotten married

77. Broken a bone

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Moved more than 4 times

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Got a kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve

Number 93

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Been white water rafting

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit 

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Words of Wisdom

Hey hey y'all! Here are our Words of Wisdom. These quotes inspire me and I hope they inspire you too!

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest: Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is bitterest. - Confucius

If you don't know where you're going, and road will get you there. - Lewis Carroll

Decorative Gumball Machine

This idea floats around lots of blogs, so I figured I'd post one too! ☺ I did mine slightly different than most, in the fact that mine has a seashore theme. It's really easy to make, even for people that are so called "craft challenged."

Supplies You Will Need:

Terracotta pot- (L x W x H): 4.33 x 4.33 x 3.94
Terracotta pot saucer (match with above pot)
Round glass bowl- 4¼" wide, 3¾" tall
Acrylic paint
Brushes
Hot glue gun
Seashells or other decorative objects (optional)

Paint the pot and it's saucer any color you want with the acrylic paint. Once it dries, you may need to add another layer to better hide the pot's original color.

 

After you are satisfied with whatever paint you have applied, hot glue the bottom of the terracotta pot onto the bottom of the small glass bowl (if you choose to put shells on it, hot glue them around the pot's top first). Take a few small shells and hot glue them around the pot's bottom, that the bowl sits on now, making sure they all fit without overlapping. The saucer should fit nicely onto the top of the bowl. Arrange the shells however you like on the saucer top and hot glue them one at a time. The shells that are glued to the top act as a handle- just remember not to tug too hard!  

I also (just to make it prettier) added vanish mixed with green glitter and painted the blue areas around the top and bottom. If you are wondering where to purchase the right bowl and pot, I found the glass bowl at Dollar Tree, and the terracotta pot at Walmart. Fill your new gumball machine with Hershey's kisses, wrapped gumballs, or even more shells!

So, this craft is easy, fun, and affordable! Hope you enjoyed!

Random Much- Photography

Just decided spur of the moment to post some more of my photos.. What do you think of these random shots?

 

DIY Glass Bead Necklace

This glass bead necklace is very easy to make! 

The supplies you will need include:

-glass beads of coordinating colors (or whatever colors you want!)

- .45 mm silver beading wire (3 - 18-20" long strips)

-2 clam-shell tips

-lobster claw clasp

-2 jump rings

-chain extension

-wire cutters (one for cutting and one for pinching findings closed)

Ok, now that we have our supplies down, let's talk about just how to do this. Take your .45 mm silver beading wire and create three (3) 18 to 20 inch strips. Make sure your strips are even. Twist one side of your strips together to close off that end- this will prevent your beads from sliding off. Pick whatever colors you want to use of your glass beads and slide one down over all 3 wires. The next bead you slide into place only goes down two (2) wires. With your third bead, slide it down two wires yet again, but not the same two as your second bead. Remember, this necklace has a twist to it. Continue this pattern all the way to the other end. Your beads can be as many or few as you like. Once to the other end, take one bead to put over all three (3) strands again.(Study the pictures below for a better understanding.) Your findings will need to be applied to both ends when you have completed putting the beads in place. Your wire cutters will come in handy when applying the findings. The clam-shell tips provide a way of hiding the end knots, and also make it possible to attach a wide variety of clasps. For this project we use a lobster clasp finding which will link to a jump ring. Once they have been put on, you will need to put the chain extension into place (that's just to make sure it will certainly fit around your neck in a comfortable fashion).  

 

So, easy or hard? Opinions? Let me know! Did you get the instructions? Yes? No? Maybe so? I'd love to know! So, comment and remember to follow my blog for more fun ideas!