Master Bedroom Wall Art

As you know from one of my first posts and currently most popular post, I am obsessed with Wall Art. I think I discovered it one late night on Pinterest. Back when I was creating the wall art for my neice, I created my own set. I was looking to add color to my master bedroom and create a focal wall. I found gorgeous paper at Paper Source and inexpensive frames from IKEA ($11 each).

But the task of hanging the art seemed too daunting. So after looking at the art leaning against the wall, I finally bit the bullet and hung them myself. 

I started by cutting white templates that were the same size as the frames and taped them to the wall. This helped me understand where I should place each frame. Sadly, these too hung on the wall for a few weeks until I was ready to master the project. Then I gathered my tools.

The mounting putty was key for ensuring that once hung the frames would not move ever so slightly and throw off the whole look. ;)

My first step was to measure the hook on the back of the frame and then mark the paper on the wall so that I knew exactly where to hammer in the nail.

Once the nail was in the wall I hung the picture, pulled the paper off (by pulling under the frame) and applied the putty to ensure the frames were properly positioned.

Below are the in progress photos as well as the final wall. I am so happy and proud of the finished product. I sort of want to add wall art all around the house now. 

Current Obsession: Tassel Garland

I am currently obsessed with tassel garland. How grogeous is the one below. But not $130 gorgeous!

http://www.confettisystem.bigcartel.com/product/tassel-garland-brights

So many of the blogs I follow or people I follow on pinterest are highlighting the tassel garland. I knew I could make it but every tutorial seemed so exact and time consuming (exacto knives, glue guns, too many things to find in my messy craft storage areas). I finally watched a youtube video - Thank you Tammy Mitchell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f71yVgdmisw) and was officially inspired. So off I went to the $0.99 store and Target.

I found so many good colors and designs and some even on sale. I could not wait to get home to start cutting and rolling.

I grabbed scissors and tape and started cutting and folding and then I realized, wait this could be done so much faster if I folded multiple sheets together and cut and then separated. Viola, crafty version not the artsy version. And it worked.

I absolutely LOVE the finished product. I plan to use for my son's summer water party (future post so you can see it in action). Now that I am obsessed, I need to figure out where to get the sparkly paper and want to create one for my master bedroom (yes I am like a 3-year old) and for my son's 4th birdthay in November (crazy planner, I know). 



Mirror Mirror

Oh, how I love Pinterest. It has made me a more active crafter and helped me take a dip into the interior design pool. I saw an idea to hang cheap mirrors onto the wall. I figured this was a cheap investment to trying out this plan. Of course to execute this properly, I had to redesign my whole master bedroom. So this is the first post on the new master bedroom. Unfortunately I started the project before I started blogging so I did not take before photos.

One wall in my bedroom has two doors leading to the closet and the bathroom. This is the wall you see when you walk in the door. I decided I wanted a white desk for the TV. I realize I should, probably move the TV out of the room, but for now I still love watching TV in bed. So I decided to add three white mirrors above the desk.

I absolutely LOVE the look and am so glad I did it. Also, as I mentioned early it was so simple. After measuring to see where to hang them, I used double sided mounting tape and stuck them on the wall. The double sided mounting tape holds up to 2lbs and has come in handy for hanging other things as well. My new addiction.

Final picture below. I still need to find a solution for covering the wires under the desk. The basket is temporary.

My Lil Buckaroo Turned Two

Now that I am blogging, I had to share my best party to date. My son's 2nd birthday was the most amazing party. I was at the top of my game in party planning. I chose the Western theme because I wanted to have ponies at the party as the entertainment. I was also working with the AndersRuff team on a professional basis so they customized the party for me. Additionally, the moons aligned and my parents drove down a few months earlier and were able to bring a few western elements from Montana.

Due to the weather, we had to add plastic to keep the rain off the back patio. This actually ended up being the best thing because we were able to create the illusion of an actual room. This space was fantatsic.

This is a great view of the kids table. I used the polka dot gable boxes and AndersRuff created adorable stickers for them as well as customizable bag tags which I laminated. You can also see behind the table the saddle (brought down by my parents) as well as other collectibles on the hay bales. I made the garland out of inexpensive bandanas tied together.

I used glass bottles adorned with AndersRuff printables and straws in the glass botlles for milk for all of the kids.

The Pony Corral held all of the take home gifts. Note for parents, probably best to distribute after the party for 2-year olds. I did not anticipate the banging of sticks into one another after the cake eating.

I love doing photo booths at my parties and set one up here with printables from Cake and Paper.

The dessert table was one of my most proud moments. I searched Pinterest for ideas and decided with this execution. The fabric I found online and called a shop in Oklahoma and they shipped it to me. The pitcures were from a photo shoot at my parent's ranch in Montana a few months prior and really helped set the overall tone.

Cow Cake Pops - WOW! They turned out so great. I practived a few times prior but really loved the outcome. Of course, my 2 year old took one look and said "Pig".

The cupcake toppers were perfection and courtesy of Two Sugar Babies. Her work is amazing. Check out those bandanas. LOVE! I also made the cake stand. A friend of mine had done this and I borrowed it for his first birthday. After I saw it, I knew I could make one myself. It was super easy. I used brown craft paper over foam circles and squares and hot glued them together. Then I added the faux barbed wire around the squares, the ribbon around the circles and adorned with crepe paper medallions and the AndersRuff circles.

Firefly Confections did the cookies. So gorgeous and they tasted great too.

Candy wraps by AndersRuff. These were perfectly placed for two-year old hands. :)

Photo booth in action with my parents and all of their grandsons.

My lil buckaroo and his cow cake. The sparkler really scared him. We did not repeat this for the 3rd birthday. lol.

Waiting for another rony ride.

The big excitement - live ponies. About 8 of the 20 kids rode the ponies. My son of course did not want to get off and rode them for about 45min.

The whole party was magical and everyone had a blast. I cannot wait for this years party. he is turing 4 and the theme is race cars. I have already started the planning and the party isn't until November. lol.

Father's Day Necktie Wreath (Guest Blogger)

I realize that I have not been posting long enough for a Guest Blogger, but this project was so cute and one that I will most likely not create, so I had to do it. My good friend Amanda is as crafty as I and we love to share with one another our creations. As soon as I saw her Dad's Dad Wreath, I thought about my blog and asked her to send me a write up. Below is Amanda's project overview.

For years I wanted to make something out of my Dad's ties.  As a dr, he wore a tie everyday to work and was well known for wearing crazy (I might even say ugly) ties.  He was the only man that could get away with wearing stripes, plaids, polka dots and florals all in the same outfit!  But, I loved that about him and I have so many memories of his ties.  Especially the holiday-themed ties.  I finally decided I wanted to make a neck tie wreath, but put if off because I didn't want to cut the ties.  My husband finally convinced me that the ties were only hiding in a closet and that they deserved to be crafted into a memento.

So, the Father's Day necktie wreath was created.  I searched pinterest and the web for ideas and settled on a combination of many.

Supplies:
18 inch wire wreath
yard stick
glue gun
chalk
posterboard
fabric shears
22 ties - 21 for wreath and 1 for the bow
wood letters DAD
White paint
scrapbook paper
Mod podge
paintbrush

I first organized my ties and laid them out in the order I wanted them on the wreath. 
Next I wrapped a few ties around the wreath to figure out where I wanted to cut them. 
I measured 17 inches from the bottom of the tie.
I marked with chalk and cut with fabric shears.
Next I cut triangles out of the poster board and hot glued them into the bottoms of the ties.  This makes them stiff so they won't be floppy on the wreath.
Next I started wrapping the ties around the wire wreath.  I would wrap them around once and hot glue them so they were attached to the wreath. Don't glue any part to the wire itself.  You will want to be able to move the ties around the wire as you get more ties on.
Next wrap the ties until you get about 4-5 inches hanging off the wreath.  Hot glue to secure.
Continue to do this until all the ties are attached.
I then used the the last tie to create a bow.  You don't have to, but I preferred it.
I felt like the wreath needed more, so I decided to add wood letters spelling DAD.
I painted the letters white - primarily the sides.
I had a random piece of scrapbook paper left over from a project that never happened.  It was perfect since it had ties on it.
I cut out the paper after tracing the letters. (Make sure the letters are backwards and the paper isn't upside down!)
Next I used Mod Podge for the first time. 
I coated the wood letters with a layer of Mod Podge and then attached the cut out scrap paper.  Let dry.
Once dry, I applied a top coat of Mod Podge.  Let dry and apply a 2nd top coat.
Once dry (overnight), I hot glued the wood letters to the wreath.
I Love it!

Beer Cake

What do you buy a 35-year old man who buys himself everything he wants? Who knows! I decided to combine my craftiness with his love of beer and created a beer cake. This was the most simple project and as usual I took the easy way out. I saw the idea on Pinterest and instead of reading how people actually created it, I just took one look at the picture and was on my way.

I purchased cardboard cake rounds from Walmart, a 12-pack of Coors Light and a 4-pack of tall Blue Moon beers. Then a slim Jim (who doesn't love a slim Jim). Add a bag of jerkey and a bag of chips and you are ready.

I duck* taped the 12-pack to the bottom of the cardboard, added a giant rubber band to hold them together. Then added the Blue Moon on top using the same method. I placed the slim Jim in the middle, snacks on the sides added a few stickers and ribbons and viola. Done!

*Interesting point (from http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/duckvsduct.html):

Is it Duct or Duck? We don’t want you to be confused, so we will explain. The first name for Duct Tape was DUCK. During World War II the U.S. Military needed a waterproof tape to keep the moisture out of ammunition cases. So, they enlisted the Johnson and Johnson Permacel Division to manufacture the tape. Because it was waterproof, everyone referred to it as “duck” tape (like water off a duck’s back). Military personnel discovered that the tape was good for lots more than keeping out water. They used it for Jeep repair, fixing stuff on their guns, strapping equipment to their clothing... the list is endless.
After the War, the housing industry was booming and someone discovered that the tape was great for joining the heating and air conditioning duct work. So, the color was changed from army green to the silvery color we are familiar with today and people started to refer to it as “duct tape*.” Therefore, either name is appropriate.

40 and Fabulous!

That is right. I recently turned 40 years old and celebrated with close friends and family in Las Vegas. While I do not love Vegas it was actually perfect for the event. I wanted a location close to LA so friends could fly in for one night, great food/abiance and a place where we could get crazy and no one had to deal with kids the next morning. And out of 20 people, three women were pregnant. How crazy!

Since I love to plan parties, planning my own was so much fun. The theme was "40 and Fabulous" and the colors were my favorite (hot pink, navy and grey). I also included chevron pattern, my current favorite. As soon as the date was confirmed, I immediately contacted the AndersRuff team for invites, etc. Adria created the MOST PERFECT collection for me ever. I could not have asked for anything more.

This set the tone and I was off and running on creating my look. I wanted to do the pictures hanging from balloons (one from each year) but the balloons did not hold up the pictures so instead my crafty friend Amanda created the banner of images in the entry way.

I also ordered custom cookies from Erin Hefflin/Whip It Good Cookies. She is magical with cookies.

While I only hosted 20 people, I still wanted to add a few of my favorite party details. The photo booth with props and painted frame were a must and everyone had so much fun. Below is a great photo fo my family in the booth. ;)

I had a gold bottle of champagne for everyone to sign as well as gift bags for each family. They included personalized luggage tags made by AndersRuff as wlel as playing cards and pink dice to match the Vegas theme. (Pictures are blurry - camera stopped working)

And my most favorite party of the party was the mini champagne bottle. I had seen this on Pinterest and knew I must have it. I also LOVE the dessert table featuring the gorgeous cookies by Erin and my favorite dessert items (Sprinkles mini cupcakes, gummy bears, etc). I also made pink sprinkled cake pops. Unfortunatley you can barely see them in the photo and I did not get a close up. They turned out great. Printables by AndersRuff.

The whole night was fantastic and I was so happy so many friends and family could make the trip to Vegas. The picture below is the morning after shot. Shoes and handbag on the table along with the empty water bottle. So proud!