Saturday Snapshot: My Parent's Garden

When I was in third grade, my family moved to a different neighborhood.  I was devastated.  Our backyard was a huge, flat, grassy oasis.  It had flower beds, climbing trees, a swingset, and a sandbox.  It was every kid's dream yard!  My new backyard?  Not so much.  But as I got older, I grew to appreciate all the plants and beds that filled our woodsy backyard.  It's its own kind of oasis.

Painted Fish Stones

I have done a lot of little projects with river rocks, but these projects tend to favor the smooth, flat stones.  I always end up then with a pile of river rocks that are bigger and bulkier with more indents and character than I typically want.

The other day, I was looking at this pile of cast off rocks when all of a sudden, one of them stood out to me.  "That looks like a whale!" I thought to myself (I might have said it out loud, but my dog Inga is the only one who could confirm, and she was unavailable for comment).  So, I decided to grab a pile of my rejected rocks and paint them to look like fish.

This is pretty simple to do.  You only need to keep in mind two things:

1. Stay with the same color scheme on each fish
2. Work with, not against, the natural shape of the rock

Use white and colors nearby on the color wheel to mix and blend your paints into different hues, and just keep building color until you are happy with the result.

What I love about this is it can be as simple or as detailed as you want!

Saturday Snapshot: Mother's Day Celebration

I wanted to share with you some of the other photos from our Mother's Day celebration.  We had my mom, dad, brother, and sister-in-law over for asparagus grilled pizza, salad, and cupcakes.  We all enjoyed the white wine sangria as well :)

I love this picture below- in it is a framed photo of my great-grandma, my grandma, and my mom.  It was taken in the greenhouse at my great-grandma's place.

My gift was a mother-daughter day of her choosing

I wanted to make the day special, so I dug up some old pictures with my mom and put them around.  I also decked out the table with multiple vases of flowers.  We had a really lovely time!

Me and my fur baby

DIY Cork Inspiration Board

As if my addiction to Target wasn't bad enough, our local store recently upgraded its craft aisle.  You guys.  It's too much amazing.  And it's also where I got the idea for this project: this four pack of cork squares was just what I was looking for to make an inspiration board to hang over my craft area.

To make your own, you will need:

• 4 pack cord board
• Gold paint
• White paint
• 1 inch wide flat paint brush
• 3M wall hang strips

This was beyond easy to do, and it took me about 30 minutes from beginning to end, including hanging time!

First, you'll want to paint on a base stripe of white around the edges.  The cork is very absorbent, so you need the base coat to allow the gold to shine (pun intended).  Use your paint brush as a guide for the width.  If you're nervous about making straight lines, you can use painters tape.  But don't forget that, as with all things in life, it doesn't need to be perfect.  Then, once the white paint is dry, layer the gold paint on top.  That's it!

The best part is that you can hang these up with 3M strips!  (It's perfect for apartments and dorms!)

My little "office" area ... before

And my little area after!

I toyed with all sorts of design ideas: taped on patterns with spray paint over them, shapes, layers, etc.  But in the end, I thought that giving the boards the appearance of gold frames was best.  The end result is simple and pretty, and the perfect backdrop to display all your inspiration.  I've put up a recipe, a picture that gave me a DIY idea, an artist's post card, some love, a little bit of climbing inspo, and (of course) Rita Ora twirling in a field of flowers.

What's inspiring you lately?

DIY Easter Egg Wreath

It has felt like a long winter, and spring feels like it is finally here!  I love Easter because all the bright colors and flowers seem to go hand in hand with the holiday.

To make your own Easter wreath, you will need:

• Foam wreath
• Twine
• Plastic Easter eggs
• Bright ribbon
• Embroidery floss

First, tie your twine around the wreath in a knot.  Then, wrap and wrap and wrap and wrap the twine until the whole wreath is covered.  Time consuming, but super simple :)

Then, thread one egg at a time with a few strands of embroidery floss.  Wrap the string around the wreath and tie it off to secure the egg.  Repeat until you have a series of colorful eggs all in a row.

Tie some ribbon at the top, and hang it up to enjoy!

DIY Golden Hangers

By now, if you have been following my blog for any length of time, it should be clear that I love gold spray paint.  It might be an addiction... but essentially nothing in our home is safe if it sits still and is paintable.  Hangers?  No exception.

Buy an eight pack of IKEA hangers and a can of metallic gold spray paint, and you'll have pretty much everything you need for this simple DIY.

Place a plastic baggie over the head of each hanger and tape securely.

Use a box to contain the paint and work through each hanger, rotating and spraying until it is completely covered.  Let dry, and then let them shine in your closet!

DIY Scalloped Jewelry Dish

This is a simple little DIY that is a pretty way to dress up your dresser.  Ever since John and I got these mini tart tins for a wedding gift, I have wanted to use one to make a scalloped dish.  Well, over three years later, I finally got around to it!

You will need:

• 1 mini tart pan
• 1 small package of Sculpey or other polymer clay

First, it is very important to massage and knead your clay until it is very soft and pliable.  This will keep it from cracking in the oven and will help it mold to the pan.

Next, roll the clay into a ball and then roll out into a thin, flat pancake.

Place the clay into the pan, making sure the base is completely covered.  Remove any excess clay from the rim of the pan.

Then, smooth and press the clay to ensure an even layer around the edges, pinching any extra off the top.

Finally, bake in the pan for 12 minutes at 275 degrees.  Allow it to cool completely, then gently remove it from the pan.

Totally doable!  I think this would make a cute little gift.  It would be extra special if you pressed a piece of lace into the clay to add a pretty texture before baking.

Champagne Bud Vase

I had a vase of spider mums that were a little past their prime.  One lone flower, however, looked like it could be saved if I trimmed the stem down far enough.  If I did this, though, the flower wouldn't fit into the vase anymore. So, I decided to get creative and pop it in a champagne flute!  I also used a small shot glass when one of the carnations in my Valentine's bouquet broke off.

What sorts of things around the house do you use creatively?