Holidays

Michaels Dream Tree Challenge 2018

23 · Nov 1, 2018 · 2 Comments

+ This post brought to you by the amazing folks at Michaels +

I am beyond honored to be able to participate in the Michaels Dream Tree Challenge again this year. I LOVE getting to put together my perfect tree and share what I’ve created with you guys. This year’s tree is standing majestically in our entryway and it looks beautiful!! I love how Michaels makes it so easy to create a cohesive holiday look. Michaels holiday décor collections make it easy to find your holiday style and bring your vision to life! From the perfect tree and trimmings to creative gifts and DIY supplies, Michaels has all the ingredients to create wonder-filled memories for family and friends.

I had so much fun working on this tree! Several of the decorations on the tree were made with inexpensive items that you will find at Michaels that have been crafted into something simple and timeless for the tree. For example, we’ll start at the base of the tree and work our way up. I purchased this bucket at Michaels a little while ago and spray painted it a bronze-like gold and that is what I am using for my tree stand. I removed the official tree stand from the tree and fill the bucket with styrofoam cake rounds from Michaels to secure the tree in place. Then I filled the bucket the rest of the way up with matte white Christmas balls.

I wanted the tree to look nice and full regardless of the fact that it is a pencil tree so I filled in the tree with batting to make it look like it has been out in a glorious winter snowfall.

It’s crazy how the batting can add so much to the look of the tree. I wanted this tree to have a farmhouse style and what’s more farmhouse than some greenery? I wanted to think a little outside of the box and add greenery that isn’t the typical evergreen that you find during the holidays. I opted for different types of eucalyptus and some other basic greenery that you can find in the Michaels floral isles. I also tucked some wood snowflakes in as a base element for the tree.

Now for the extra fun part! This year I made my own clay ornaments out of oven-baked clay that you can find at Michaels.

I rolled out the clay and cut out stars and circles with cookie cutters that I found at Michaels. Then, I used a leather alphabet stamp set to imprint words into the clay. I will have a full tutorial on how to make these fun ornaments in the next few days. Stay tuned!

One of my favorite parts of the tree are the ball ornament clusters.

Instead of just hanging the balls on the tree, I hot glue them together in clusters and then wire them to the tree with floral wire.

This little trick can take your Christmas tree to a whole other level. It makes it look like a professional decorated your tree for you. Also, making ribbon picks by folding a 6-inch piece of ribbon in half and then wiring the ends together also make your tree look professionally decorated.

Then there is the star! I made mine using 1 inch unfinished wood balls that I found at Michaels. I did have to drill holes in them myself but, that was totally fine. I wanted a nice large wood ball for this star tree topper. I will have a post shortly as well for how to make this classic Christmas star.

And, finally… The fabulous Christmas Farmhouse decor that I just HAD to add to my Christmas scene. You guys REALLY need to check this stuff out. They have come up with some fabulous collections for this season! This is the Fireside collection that I used for my tree inspiration.

photo credit | Michaels Instagram

I LOVE the Advent House that is huge and will be a Christmas treasure from now on in our house. the reindeer, the wood presents and the pillows! Michaels has fabulous holiday pillows right now. AND then… there are the signs! You guys, enamel signs!! Metal signs!! So many incredible signs!!

All you need is to stock up on some Command Strips and you can add all kinds of great holiday signs all over the house! Are you excited to start your holiday decorating?! I know that I’m loving my entryway tree corner and can’t wait to put up my main Christmas tree in a few weeks! I can’t wait to see what you guys create this year!

Snowflake Lantern Holiday Gift Idea

850 · Oct 17, 2018 · 7 Comments

I’m not sure if there is anything more glorious than the thought of the first snow each year. I don’t care if you love or hate snow, the first snowfall of the year is always a fun event.

The autumn is full of fun treats like all things pumpkin, apple preserves, hayrides through the pumpkin patch and so much more.

Towards the end of the autumn festivities there arrives a great anticipation in the air… when will it snow? I feel like no matter what part of the country you live in, snowflakes are truly magical. I’m thrilled that this season’s Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jar is an ode to the stunning snowflake!

I decided that a fun way to use this fun collectible jar is to make snowflake lanterns that are perfect for dressing up your home for the winter season or, as a fabulous holiday gift.

I can just imagine an army of these snowflake lanterns lining the walkway up to your home this winter season, warmly inviting your friends into your holiday gathering.

Won’t that be pretty? Let me teach you how to make them.

Snowflake Lantern Supplies

This project is pretty simple and doesn’t really require much in the way of supplies. Here is what you’ll need.

There are three different options for the Ball Mason jars. You can get a 4 pack of Keepsake Ball Mason jars, an 8 pack of regular Ball Mason jars, or a 12 pack of Snowflake Holiday jars. Now that I’ve redone this project a few times, I recommend the Snowflake Jars.

You can make these every Christmas! The snowflake jars add a really nice touch.

Ball® Snowflake Holiday Jars (12 Pack) This is the best option!
Regular jars in a set of 8
Regular jars set of 4
decoupage glue & Foam Brush Kit
Epsom salt – 1/2 cup for every 4 pack of jars
2 1/2 inch circle vinyl sticker (optional)
decorative sand filler (optional)
small candles
3/8” black ribbon
greenery with small berries
hot glue gun with sticks

Snowflake Lantern Instructions

This first part of the project will be super fun to do with your older kiddos. Grab your Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jars, decoupage glue, foam brush, stickers (if you are using them) and Epsom salt.

You’ll want to protect your work surface and have some type of container big enough to fit the jar into along with a large spoon at the ready.

ball

Fill your container with the Epsom salt half way.

Place your sticker over the snowflake to protect that area from the decoupage glue and Epsom salt.

If you don’t want to bother with the sticker, that’s totally fine. I made mine using my Cricut Maker or you can order them online. I prefer the sticker method because it creates a nice crisp line for the circle window of the lantern.

You are more than welcome to freehand a circle around the snowflake with your foam brush. Just know that your lines won’t be as perfect.

Cover your jar from below the rim down with the decoupage glue. Do not place glue on the bottom of the jar or on the jar threads.

Using your large spoon, carefully cover the jar with the Epsom Salt. Make sure not to touch the surface of the jar with the glue on it. It will make for uneven coverage of “snow” on the jar. I also found that rolling the jar in the Epsom salt really didn’t give the desired effect as well. You really want to pour the “snow” over the decoupaged jar to create the nice snowy effect.

Let your jars dry, undisturbed overnight.

This is a great project to make an assembly line. Grab a friend or your older kiddos and go to town and make a bunch of these fun gifts for friends, neighbors, teachers, bosses… I could go on and on. I LOVE that it could be a great holiday gift that doesn’t involve sugar!

The following day, carefully remove your vinyl sticker. You may want to use a toothpick or tweezers to help get the sticker removal started.

Also, you may want to wear eye protection, the Epsom salt tends to fly in this stage of the process. I managed to have a little piece fly into my mouth and it was NOT tasty. So…eye protection and keep your mouth closed.

Now you’re ready to decorate your jar. Fire-up your hot glue gun and prep your ribbon and winter greenery. I found my greenery at Michaels. It was a little wreath that I disassembled, and it worked perfectly.

I hot glued the greenery just above the lip of the jar that leads into the jar threads. I found that a little hot glue dot helped to secure the bottom section of the greenery to the jar creating it a nice frame around one side of the snowflake window.

Next, I tied the ribbon around the top of the jar, covering the hot glued section of the greenery, and tying a little knot. After that, I snipped off the ends using the inverted point technique.

Then, fill the bottom of the jar with a 1/4 cup of either Epsom salt or decorative sand.

I found the Ball® preserving funnel came in handy here.

After I placed the little candle into the jar, I lit-her-up!

These snowflake lanterns made from the Ball® Keepsake Collectible Holiday Jars look snowy and beautiful. All ready to usher in those Hygge winter nights!

Whimsical Neon Halloween Mantel

5 · Sep 17, 2018 · 1 Comment

When it comes to my typical style choices I typically stick with classic and timeless. However, I also have a real love of fun and whimsey that sneaks out every once in a while. This year I’ve created a whimsical mantel using all kinds of fun finds from DecoArt, Target & Refined Design for my whimsical NEON Halloween mantel!

• This post brought to you by DecoArt •

You may not be able to tell by looking at me but, I tend like walking the line sometimes when it comes to following the rules. Nothing that would involve a felony conviction or anything, more like… When my daughter was born, I felt like she looked better in blue. She had beautiful blueberry eyes and I loved highlighting that. To this day she still is weirded out by the fact that I dressed her in blue instead of pink.

The same holds true when I decorate for holidays, sometimes I don’t really want to stick with the normally prescribed color palette. For example, we don’t really have to decorate with black and orange for Halloween, we can decorate in NEON and create a really fun, whimsical Halloween display.

Neon Halloween Mantel Supplies

With a mission in mind, I grabbed my DecoArt Americana Neon Light paints and headed to the Target Bullseye’s Playground (the former dollar spot) and grabbed some inexpensive Halloween trinkets to add to my mantel and got to work. Here’s my supply list…

- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Pink Explosion
- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Peach Punch
- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Green Energy
- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Knockout Blue
- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Radiant Yellow
- foam paint brushes
- small witches broom

various fabric pumpkins
tiny witches hat (it was a headband originally)
mascarade mask
wood beads in various sizes
cotton bakers twine
an upholstery needle
a set of Letters and Ledges
scissors
command stips

Instructions

With this project, I wanted to add touches of color to typical Halloween objects. Kind of like color blocking in some cases without the hard lines. I wanted it to have a free spirit air about the mantle. Remember, we are going for whimsical.

I started by painting the stems of the pumpkins green.

While those were drying, I painted the edge of the masquerade mask with the neon pink.

I have a quirky llama picture that I found at Target that sits on my mantle. Her name is Poppy and I adore her!

I thought it would be fun to get her in on the action, so Poppy will be wearing the mask for Halloween.

Then I added the color block on the bottom of the pumpkins, the broom & the little witches hat.

While I was waiting for them to dry, I starting to string my wood beads to create a garland. I was inspired by this tutorial from Design Love Fest…

You have to vist Design Love Fest to learn how to make fun bead garlands like this. Click on the link above.

I decided that since I didn’t want to paint the entire bead, it would be easier to string the garlands, hang them on the fireplace and then paint them.

Worked like a charm and saved a ton of time!

Once all of the paint was dry, it was time to dress the mantel.

With the addition of the Ledges & Letters and the bats the mantel was complete!

Now, every few days we can change-up the Halloween quote and tickle our funny bone all over again!

Disclaimer • This is a paid post with my friends at DecoArt. I am a member of the DecoArt Core Creator program and do receive payment and product to help facilitate these creative posts. However, keep in mind… I will NEVER share something I don’t truly love and use in my everyday life.

America The Beautiful Porch Sign

9 · Jun 8, 2018 · 3 Comments

Dressing-up the front porch at my house has become one of my favorite things to do each season. Summer is always my time to show a little love for the good ol’e USA. I host a huge 4th of July party each year and I always try to dress things up extra special for that event. This year I created a new America The Beautiful porch sign to the mix and I jazzed it up with some great stars from Michaels!

+ This post is brought to you by the fine folks at Michaels +

Shopping at Michaels Online

Michaels has all your red, white & blue needs this summer! And it’s now easier than ever to get all your supplies with Michael’s new buy online and pick up in store feature! Simply place your order online, select your store and your items will be ready and waiting for you there! I saved a ton of time by shopping online and then running in to my local michaels store to pick-up my order. I’m LOVING this option. No more wandering the isles with kiddos in tow. I can virtually wander the isles with my kiddos happy at home. So much less stress. Then I run in and grab my order when it’s ready… Super Slick! Have you tried this out at Michaels yet?

Supplies for the America the Beautiful Porch Sign Look

Here is what I ordered for this fun patriotic look…

Red Stars
Blue Stars
White Stars
Red Star Pillow
Blue Star Pillow
24×48 canvas
red spray paint
3M Command Strips
Cricut SportFlex – Midnight Blue • This one I did have to order online via Michaels
Cricut Iron-On Glitter – Red
Cricut Foil Iron-On – Gold
Cricut Easy Press or personal iron
Cricut Design Space File
Let’s Flamingal Sign

How to Put This Look Together

Now, this look has several different elements. We have the sign and the stars on the garden wall. This was using my new tried and tested method of using the Cricut Maker to cut Iron-On Vinyl and then affixing it to a canvas using the Cricut Easy Press. This is my new favorite sign making technique. You can learn how to do everything from start-to-finish in my Sign Making 101 post.

Then all you need to do is visit Cricut Design Space with the link above in the supply list and you’ll have access to my cut files that you can re-size to your desired sign size then, cut on your Cricut Machine for your sign.

Once your sign is finished then it’s time to hang everything. I’ve found that the 3M Strips are BRILLIANT even on outdoor walls.

I hand new signs each season on my brick wall with my Command Strips. They have withstood strong winter storms without a problem at all and, let me tell you… Nebraska is no joke when it comes to strong winds and crazy storms. I have yet to have a sign fall using my Command Strips on Brick.

I used the Command Strips to hang the large 24×48 America The Beautiful porch sign on the garden wall. With the size of the sign, I did need to use a fair number of the Command Strips to make sure the sign was secure. Then I used the command strips to hang the stars as well.

I kind of have a love affair with Command Strips if you can’t tell!

I also hung one of the stars on the front door to tie the two areas together and added the great star pillows from Michaels on my old chair. Add a few plants and the look is complete. It’s perfect for your 4th of July gatherings for sure!

What are you going to order from Michaels and pick-up at your local store this week? They have some amazing sales going on right now!!

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Garden Girl Canvas Zipper Bag Tutorial • Mother’s Day Gift Idea

2 · Apr 28, 2018 · 2 Comments

Hello… Mother’s Day is right around the corner, are you getting ready? I always love to create something fun for my Mom and for all the “Mothers” in my life. My Mom is a true garden girl and I thought it would be fun to create a cute garden girl canvas zipper bag using the new Cricut Patterned Iron-On for Mother’s Day. Have you guys seen this? It’s the cutest stuff!

+ This post brought to you by the amazing crew at Cricut +

Cricut Patterned Iron-On

You guys… This stuff is so fun to work with! It comes in florals, lace, polka-dots, geometrics, plus more. The Cricut Patterned Iron-On is the next creative wave coming out of the fabulous minds of the crew at Cricut. They are constantly working to make more and even better consumable products for us to use as we create with our favorite crafting machine. This iron-on vinyl is created with the long-lasting Strong Bond™ technology and adheres nicely to many types of fabrics. It works like a dream when using the Cricut EasyPress or even your home iron.

Garden Girl Design

Since my Mom loves flowers, I thought the Anna Griffin floral patterns in the Francesca sampler would be perfect. I’ve been crushing on Anna Griffin’s work for years so, this was a natural fit for me as I started to design this Garden Girl bag.

The design is pretty simple, it’s a flower that I found in the Cricut Design Space and then sliced the words into the flower and added a couple of leaves. But, no worries… I’ve got you covered. You can click on the link below, in the project supplies section, it will open this project up for you to use in Cricut Design Space.

Supplies

Instructions

Now, that you’ve seen the video, here is the step by step instructions.

Open the project in Cricut Design Space and click on the customize button. You may need to resize the design in order to fit your canvas bag.
Cut the design on your Cricut machine following the steps that Cricut Design Space will walk you through. Make sure that when working with any iron-on material you need to MIRROR YOUR IMAGE and CUT ON THE WRONG SIDE of the iron-on vinyl.
Weed your iron-on material. To “weed” vinyl or iron-on material means that you remove any iron-on material that you don’t want on your bag. For this design, you’ll want to remove the outside of the flower and leaves, then remove the letters from the inside of the flower.
Pre-heat your Cricut EasyPress to 340˚ and set-up your EasyPress Mat.
Place the canvas bag on the EasyPress Mat and prepare the surface by pre-heating the space where you are going to add the design for 15 seconds. This allows for greater adhesion for the Patterned Iron-On.
Place your flower down on the surface of your bag then, slide the leaves under the flower and place them where you would like them. I trimmed the bottom of the leaves a bit since they were going to be covered by the flower.
Remove the flower, cover the leaves with the Protective Iron-On Sheet and press the leaves at 340˚ for 30 seconds and gently pressing down on the EasyPress. First, on one side and then an additional 30 seconds on the other side.
Remove the Iron-On Protective Sheet and then, peel back the clear protective film on the leaves.
Place the flower over the leaves. Replace the Cricut Iron-On Protective Sheet and press again, like before. 30 seconds on one side, then 30 more on the other side.
Let cool for a few minutes and then remove the protective film.
At this point, you can decide whether you want to fill in the letters with Sharpie. I wanted my Garden Girl to stand out a little more so I decided to fill them in. You may have selected a Patterned Iron-On where the words standout just fine and you won’t need to fill them in. This is your call basically.

With that, your bag is finished and ready to gift to your favorite Garden Girl!

What would you like to create with the new Cricut Patterned Iron-On? Leave a comment and let me know, I love to see what you guys are working on!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Holidays

Snowflake Lantern Supplies

Snowflake Lantern Instructions

Neon Halloween Mantel Supplies

Instructions

Shopping at Michaels Online

Supplies for the America the Beautiful Porch Sign Look

How to Put This Look Together

Cricut Patterned Iron-On

Garden Girl Design

Supplies

Instructions

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