Tuesday, March 8, 2011

How To Make an Inexpensive Flower Arrangement

I told you all that I would share a quick tute on how to make these flower arrangements. You won't believe how simple and fast these are to make.
Here is what you need:

Flowers(obviously) I already had these from last years party.
Styrofoam Balls..these can be found at the Dollar Tree in a 2-pack
Container..mine came from Hobby Lobby and they were 67 cents each
Hot Glue Gun

First step..pop all the flowers off of their stems.
Next, place your Styrofoam ball into your container
 Glue your first row of flowers all the way around the perimeter of the container. If you want this to be removable, then place the flowers slightly higher and make sure that the glue doesn't drip onto your container.
Continue gluing until the Styrofoam disappears.
 And that's it! I told you that it was simple:o)
Here's a neat idea, and one that I was going to use, but decided not to...these arrangements could be used as place card holders. Just glue a name card to a thin dowel rod and stick it down in the Styrofoam ball:o) 

Stay tuned tomorrow for some free printables!!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Inexpensive Party Decor Using Tissue Paper

Today I want to share with you some different ways to use tissue paper when decorating for a party.
When I started decorating for this Barbie Birthday Party, I noticed that the pink and zebra stripes were not exactly coordinating with my home decor:o)
I started taking everything down and realized that I needed to replace the artwork with something. That's when I came up with this idea.
Just cover up the existing art.
All you need is:
Good Tissue Paper(thick)
Sticky Dots, or other removable adhesive
Scissors
Ribbon
Craft Knife
And any other accessorization
 Start off by putting your adhesive along the entire edge of the glass. Lay your tissue paper down and smooth it out along the edges. Use your craft knife to remove the excess paper.
 And it should look a little something like this.
Quick side note, you can iron out MOST of the wrinkles in the tissue paper with an iron set on low, and no steam....do this BEFORE sticking it to the glass:o)
 Lastly, add any embellishments that your little heart desires:o)
The silhouette was created using my Cricut {love} and the Forever Young cartridge.

When the party is over, all you have to do is remove the paper.
How easy was that?
Another way to decorate with tissue paper is to make pom poms. Martha gives a great tutorial on how to make these.
And lastly, the "ceiling medallion"
This only requires 2 pieces of tissue paper. You use the same fan fold as the pom poms, but fold them separately. Fan them out and tape the ends together. Then tape it to the ceiling. Add ribbon to the bottom to give it a more finished look.
Can it get any easier or cheaper?
Let me know how you decorate with tissue paper. I would love to know!!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Barbie Birthday Party Decorations-Part 1

This is Part 1 of the reveal. Part 2 won't happen until after the party. We have had to post pone the party because S.R. has come down with a tummy bug:o(
Thankfully, all of her guests will still be able to attend next weekend.
So since all the decorations are up, I thought I wouldn't hold out in sharing with you all:o)
This is where the girls will be dining in style.
There are so many fun things that are going on here, and the best part is that I was able to keep the cost of decorating really low.
 These little mugs were a great find. They came from Hobby Lobby and they were only 87 cents a piece!! They come with pictures to color and you slide them inside. I just added zebra print scrapbook paper and their first initial:o)
Can I just say that I LOVE MY CRICUT!!!!
 The flower arrangements were really inexpensive, and super easy. I will be sharing a short tute on that soon.
 Do you all love decorating with paper lanterns as much as I do? One of the great things about paper lanterns is that they are reusable, unlike balloons. 
They were purchased from the Dollar Tree...Dollar Tree rocks!!  The "ceiling medallion" was made from tissue paper:o) 
What do you think about my disco ball? It is a Christmas ornament that I found on clearance.
Here's a quick tip...if your curtains don't match your party decor...flip them around backwards. Most curtains have white lining on the back...everything matches white, right?:o)
And some artwork. You won't believe how easy and inexpensive this was. Another tute for another day:o)
S.R. is really looking forward to sharing her special day with all of her friends....even if it's a week later.
Here are the links to the rest of the party:
1. Inexpensive Party Decor using Tissue Paper
2. How to make an inexpensive flower arrangement

Participating in:







UndertheTableandDreaming

Friday, March 4, 2011

Boutique Number Candle


As you know, I am in the middle of getting ready for S.R.'s Birthday Party. I am really pleased with how everything is turning out:o) I thought I would share just a little bit of what I am doing for the party:o)
Today, I want to share with you how to make your own boutique number candle.
This project was absolutely free to me because I already had the supplies on hand.
Here's what you need:

A Number Candle
Glitter
Fabric Puff Paint
White Acrylic Paint or Mod Podge(looking back now, I would have used Mod Podge)
Paint Brush

 Start off by painting the whole number with paint or Mod Podge
 Immediately sprinkle your glitter over the number.
 Let the glue/paint dry and remove excess glitter. Next use the puff paint and trace around the number.
 Since I am using zebra print in a lot of the decor, I attempted a zebra print on the candle.
I saw numbers like these on Etsy for around $7. 
So now you can have your own custom candle for next to nothing!
By the way, are you digging this cake? This was my first attempt at fondant. I am super pleased with the results!
Looking forward to sharing the rest of the party decorations with you!!
Have a great weekend!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Ballard's Provost Plaque Tutorial

Hey You guys! What a week this has been....I have been busy working on S.R.'s Barbie Birthday Party, and I can't wait to share some picture with ya'll...it is turning out so pretty!!! I will have to say that I am a LOT less stressed since the party is smaller...and I started decorating on Monday:o) Next week will be nothing BUT Barbie Party posts:o)
btw....
S.R. IS 3 TODAY:O)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!
For those of you who weren't able to see my guest post at Infarrantly Creative last week, here is the tutorial of the Provost Plaque...and for those of you who want to know what this sign means....this is a replica of an antique French pastry shop sign.
So here goes...
So anyway, I started thinking about what I would want to share with you guys, and it didn't take me long to decide on a knock-off version of the Ballard Designs Pruvost Plaque. I have been drooling over this plaque for ages, and knew that I could make it. I just needed the proper motivation...i.e. guest posting:o)
Here is a picture of what Ballard's looks like:
And here is what mine looks like:
(please pardon the lighting. It was overcast and towards the end of the day)
The dimensions of Ballard's plaque was too large for the space above my kitchen windows, so I scaled it down a bit.
This project cost just under $30....and Ballard's is $249. 
I am not a woodworker. I leave all woodworking up to my husband. Every time I try a new project involving wood, it is always a COMPLETE FAILURE. However, I completed this entire project by myself!!

Here's what you need:
3- 1x4x6 Pine Boards($10.38 total)
1/2 Pint of Dark Walnut Stain ($5.19)
3 Packs of 3" Mending Brackets($7.11 total..comes in a 4 pack)
Accent Trim piece($6.18)
Wood Glue(on hand)
Picture hanger(on hand)
Acrylic Paint-Black and Green (on hand)
Cutting tools(saw, jig saw)
Screw Driver

 I started out by cutting all the boards on our miter saw.
1st Board=12" wide
2nd and 3rd Board=36" wide
4th Board=46" wide
Bottom Board=60" wide

  
These next few steps are done on the BACK of the boards.
 I drew a line on the end of each board to help me keep the boards centered. 
Once all the boards were lined up, I attached the mending brackets in the center. 
 I took a couple of sheets of paper and taped them together and made a template. I cut it out and taped it to the boards and traced it with a pencil.
 This is what the back looked like before I cut the boards with my jigsaw.
 I went ahead and put my first coat of stain on before using the jigsaw. 
 Next comes the really fun part, using the jigsaw. I didn't get a picture of this step because I was a little busy:o)
Once the entire plaque was cut out, I started on the trim. I didn't want to have to fuss with nails and wood putty, so I just used wood glue to attach the trim.

 The letters are just freehand. I drew them out with pencil first, and went back with the Black acrylic paint.
 
 Close up of the letters
 Once I got all of the letters painted on, I put my second coat of stain on, and I painted the trim green. I also dirtied up the the green paint with a little bit of stain.
 And there you have it.
 This project was really easy, and very, very inexpensive. 
I hope you enjoyed this post. Feel free to stop by Fussy Monkey Business anytime!!






Participating in:

UndertheTableandDreaming

Visit thecsiproject.com

Monday, February 28, 2011

Gearing Up for S.R.'s Vintage Barbie Birthday Party

I hope that you all had a great weekend. I had a fantastic weekend. I attended a ladies retreat, and I got to meet so many fabulous women. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful Christian women!!!

This week is going to be nothing but planning and scurrying. 
 Saturday is the Big Party day...
not as big as they have been in the past...these parties have been killing me;o) 
S.R. is turning 3 on Thursday....I can't believe it!!
She is having a Vintage Barbie Birthday Party. I have already started getting stuff together. 
Remember when I shared with you my inspiration for the party?
You can go HERE to check it out.
Super-de-duper Caa-ute!
These are some of the decorations that I will be using...I have a vision and I can't wait to see it come to life.....hopefully it will come together ;o)
 These are some of the flowers left over from S.R.'s Butterfly Birthday Party.
Hoping to make some cute center pieces with these again.
Looking forward to sharing the end result with you!!!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Guest Posting over at Infarrantly Creative


Hey Guys! Just wanted to give you a heads up. I am guest posting over at Infarrantly Creative today. I made a knock off version of Ballard Designs' Pruvost Plaque.

To see how I made it, head on over and check it out!!