marshmallow pops

I'm calling this TREAT WEEK! This is post 1 of 4 of delicious and easy holiday treats.

You know those holiday treats that look easier to make than they really are??? These are not one of those treats. These babies are super easy & fun to make - and bonus... they are adorable! 

The process is simple: Slip 2 or 3 marshmallows onto a lollipop stick. Dip 2/3 of the way into a melted crock pot of chocolate of your choice (I like dark chocolate best). Push the base of the stick into a piece of floral or craft foam so your marshmallow pops can dry upright. After about 30 seconds, sprinkle each pop with crushed candy canes. Allow to dry for about an hour before packaging. Simple, right? Enjoy! [p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

"look for less" design challenge

When I was contacted to be part of a "Look for Less" design challenge with some other amazing bloggers, I jumped at the opportunity. The idea behind this challenge was to find a look I loved but was too expensive for my taste or budget, then DIY it myself for less. 

Please meet the other girls participating in the challenge: Rachel | Like a Saturday

Kylie | Absolutely Arkansas

Sarah | Life on Virginia Street

Andrea | Life Love Larson

Gracie | Kitchen Table Art

Kayla | Home Coming

My "Look for Less" project: DIY Anthropologie Tee-pee Coasters

When I stumbled across these adorable linen coasters on the Anthropologie website, I was immediately smitten. I am a firm believer that you can never have too many coasters around. Even though I do shop at Anthropologie for unique home decor items, I couldn't justify spending money on something I knew I could make. My coasters turned out to be free since I had all of the materials on hand from other projects. If you were to buy the linen & embroidery thread to complete this project you'd probably spend around $5.00 - $7.00.
... what you'll need to make your own ...

(list below makes 4 coasters)

8 - 5"x5" pieces of linen 4 - 5"x5" pieces of fusible white felt brown embroidery thread sewing machine/thread pencil needle ruler
... instructions ...
STEP [1] Cut out 8 - 5"x5" linen pieces (2 pieces per coaster). With a pencil & ruler, doodle your tee-pee design on your linen. I didn't worry about making each tee-pee identical. 

STEP [2] Cut out 4 - 5"x5" pieces of fusible felt (1 piece for each coaster). Iron the felt to the back of the 4 pieces of linen that have tee-pees drawn on them. The felt will help stabilize your stitching and give your coasters some loft.

STEP [3] With your needle & embroidery thread, begin stitching the outline of the tee-pee. Once the outline is complete, fill in the center of the tee-pee with diagonal stitches across the design.
STEP [4] With the extra 4 pieces of linen, sew the right sides of your coasters together (your felt should be facing out) leaving a small space to turn your coaster right side out. Press flat & top stitch about 1/8" in around the entire coaster to close the space used to turn your coaster. Ta-da! You've completed your first coaster. Repeat all steps for the remaining 3 coasters.

Click on the images below to check out all of the other amazing "Look for Less" projects completed during this design challenge:

 

 

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

fall party decor

My cousin got married a few weekends ago and my aunt put on one of the best rehearsal dinners I have ever been to. It was so well thought out and perfectly decorated. I thought I'd share some of these handmade decorations since they would work for more than just a rehearsal dinner. They could be the perfect decoration for your fall table, Thanksgiving dinner place settings and much more. Enjoy :)

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

"caught a bug?" card

It's flu season! No... I'm not excited, but I am preparing my card stash for it. I saw this adorable "caught a bug" card on Pinterest the other day and I knew I had to recreate it for myself. 
INSPIRATION                                    CARD FOR MY STASH

Since I have a decent stash of rubber stamps, this took me all of 5 minutes to create. I stamped a mason jar & bug on some card stock, layered it onto a bright green piece of card stock, stamped on "caught a bug?" and adhered it to a blank card. This could easily be recreated by sketching it by hand. I now have a few "caught a bug" cards to add to my yearly card binder! 

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

modern baby blanket

Even though I started knitting at the age of 8 (and learned to crochet about a year ago) I have never made anything bigger than a scarf. When I found out that my cousin, Janet, was pregnant with a little boy (due in November) I thought it was time I tried my hand at crocheting a baby blanket.

I started by scouring Pinterest for baby blanket ideas and fell in love with many of the styles that involved stripes. I ran to Michael's to pick up some yarn to get started.
... here's what you'll need to make your own ...
5 skeins of your favorite yarn corresponding crochet hook

... instructions ...

Chain 101 stitches.

SC into second chain from hook and into all stitches. 

Continue SC until your first band of color measures about 12".

Switch colors and continue SC until you've used all 5 colors.

Your finished blanket will measure about 36"x60".

[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

sweater vase

This was originally published as a guest post for Cocktails With Mom.

Fall is all around (even though it has been 80 degrees in PA all week). One of my favorite fall decorations is this cozy sweater vase. I have a number of generic, glass vases sitting around my house so I decided to spruce one up for Fall.

... here's how I did it ...

I started by disassembling a sweater I picked up from The Salvation Army. I had originally gotten it to make these sweater pumpkins but had plenty left over for other projects. For this, I used a section of sleeve and slid it on over my vase.

To cover the raw edge at the top, I simply made a linen "ribbon" by cutting a piece of fabric to the length I needed, sewed it together, turned it right side out and top stitched it to finish it off. After trimming off my loose threads, I tied it nicely around the top of my vase.

I used a glue dot to keep the "knot" secured to the glass, however the rest of the sweater just fits snug enough around the vase to stay put. I decorated my finished vase with our wedding flowers we had left over (we used all artificial and I love having them around the house). This inexpensive, simple spruce up was perfect for turning my "blah" vase into a fun, centerpiece. 

get well "boo-quet"

The other day, my Pappy took a little spill and broke his elbow... :( Poor guy. One our way into the hospital to visit him after surgery, I assembled a little "boo-quet." This "boo-quet" consisted of a house plant, a little sign & marshmallow ghosts on wood skewers.
This little gift put a smile on his face :)... which made me happy!


[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]

"how to make whoopie": an adorable bridal shower gift

A few weeks ago, my co-worker told me about the cutest idea she put together for her daughter's bridal shower. She called it "How To Make Whoopie" - a gift that was centered around everything to do with making "whoopie pies."
I attended my cousin's fiances bridal shower recently and decided to make a similar version of this adorable gift. I ordered a whoopie pie pan, a whoopie pie recipe book and a wooden mixing spoon on Amazon. I wrapped them all together with ribbon & twine and finished it off with a handmade sign.

It turned out cute and the bride loved it! This is such an easy and adorable gift idea for a bridal shower. It was perfect because this bride LOVES to bake.
[p.s. this post may be linked to any number of these blogs]