"I Do" Wedding Shoe Decal

Photo by wedding photographer
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When my boyrfriend's brother was getting married I told his bride, Jen, that I would love to do something special for her, for the wedding. I mentioned to her that I saw an idea on (what else) Pinterest about putting jewels on the bottom of her shoes. I mentioned it could be used as her something blue or in the matching pink of our bridesmaids dresses. This is the finished product!

I got all my supplies from JoAnn Fabrics. Here's what you need: 

Jolee's Crystallized Swarovski Elements (1 box of 42 pieces) in PINK

 

Jolee's Portable Hotfix Crystal Tool

Then I handwrote I DO and over it I added the jewels. They came out beautiful!

 HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

Ashley :)

Wine Cork Bulletin Board

This is a GREAT gift for a wine lover! My sister just moved into a new place and decided to decorate her kitchen with a wine theme. I was a little stressed with Christmas (being short on cash) but I knew I wanted to make her something special for her new place.

Once again I found this idea on Pinterest!! Here’s how I did it:

I found this frame (4 Way Adjustable Depths Project Frame) at Michael’s for $20 (before my coupon). The best part about it is that you can vary the depth depending on your project. This worked perfect because I could have the edge of my corks level with the edge of the frame.

I used a thick piece of black poster board and cut it to fit inside the frame. I then used a hot glue gun to glue the poster board to the glass.

Once everything was secure I began gluing on my wine corks. Fortunately a friend of mine had found a bag of used corks at a yard sale ($3) and gave them to me!! She was my savior! I glued each cork in place with my hot glue gun and quicker than you could say “cork screw” I was finished! My sister absolutely loved it! I would’ve liked to have made 2 matching ones, but I just didn’t have enough corks. Either way she loved it and I was thrilled at how easy it was!

HAPPY CRAFTING!
Ashley :)

Home Decor Seasonal Floor Vase Display

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My mom is quite the decorator! She loves to add little touches around the house and change things up as each season/holiday passes. This has been one of my favorite pieces of décor she has. She doesn’t have much money to work with and she prides herself on decorating within a budget. This floor vase was purchased at A.C. Moore. It was around $20 before her coupons. She got the lighted branches at Kirklands but they are being sold almost everywhere now. Then as each season passes she frequents the local craft stores for long stem flora additions. This is her winter display. You can see the different additions by looking at the close-up photos I included below. I will post her spring display once it’s up!

HAPPY CRAFTING!

Ashley :)

52 Reasons I Love You

52 Reasons I Love Him!

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I can’t confirm when my obsession with Pinterest started, but when I saw a version of this on the pin board website I was hooked! I knew I had to make it for my boyfriend!! I found some different versions online and ultimately decided to go about making mine a bit differently.

What you need:

• A box of playing cards (try the Dollar Store)
• Sandpaper
• Dark red ink pad (I got mine from the dollar bin at JoAnn Fabrics)
• Red/pink fine-tip sharpie
• Vintage Labels -I searched for them online and found some great ones HERE
• Glue stick
• 2 binding rings

The hardest part of this project was thinking of the 52 reasons. For about a week I carried around a notepad and added my ideas as they came to me. Once I had them all I was ready to begin.

• I started by sanding down the playing cards on both sides. This not only helped the labels to stick but also gave them an aged look I liked. Then I printed and cut out the labels.
• I decided to handwrite the reasons because I thought it would make it more personal. I wrote down all my reasons and put them in an order I thought flowed best.
• Then it was time to add a little detail to the labels. I used the ink pad to rub an edge on each of the labels before I glued them to the cards. This was pretty time consuming but in the end I just loved the personal touch it added. Each one looked a little different, but I was really pleased with how it came out.
• Once all my labels were glued on I used one of the joker cards and punched 2 holes in it where I wanted them. I then used the joker card as a template to punch the actual cards so they all matched up.

Here is a picture of the final project! I am so pleased with how it came out and my boyfriend absolutely loved it!

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

Ashley :)

About Us

Our first crafting experience together was scrapbooking.  We would get together on our days off and scrapbook.  Ashley was making a scrapbook for her friend and Sarah was making a scrapbook from her recent trip to Ireland.  Those were the "good old days."  We spent hours making pages.  Ashley always made beautiful pages using Joylee Stickers...which have become a trademark on Ashley's pages.  Sarah making cards using the Cricut machine.  


We are two gals with a passion for crafting and teaching.  We thought it would be neat to teach others how to do different craft projects.  We like sophisticated projects that are simple to make.  We hope you enjoy reading about our simply, yet sophisticated crafting endeavors! 

Christmas Bulb Wreaths

Our first craft project together

   

The wreath project that started it all! 


Ashley had recently told me about this website named Pinterest.  I was interested so I took a look around.  A few days later Ashley and I had pinned the same wreath project.  So, we decided to make it.  


As usual we got together with my husband and her boyfriend.  We frequently do things together because the boys went to high school together and actually lived together in college.  So, we dragged the boys to Wal-Mart the week before Christmas.  Let's just say they were all but thrilled.  


We had bulbs on our minds!  We bought many boxes of bulbs and shared them during the project.  In the end here what we ended up doing!


We needed the following supplies (for two wreaths):


1.  4 boxes of large bulbs totaling
2.  6 boxes of medium bulbs totaling 
3.  2 boxes of small bulbs
4.  Foam wreath
5.  Hot glue gun

I apologize for not having the count of bulbs for you!  You will need over 100 bulbs for the entire project depending on the size of the wreath.  

Just look at all we bought!!





Here are some tricks we found:


1.  Start with the large bulbs first, spreading them out evenly.  Then, add bulbs largest to smallest. 
2.  Hot glue works best with a foam wreath
3.  It is always better to have more bulbs than you need!  See our holiday blog on Ornanment Balls for more ideas.
4.  Before you glue anything on the wreath, tie your ribbon on that you will eventually use to hang the wreath.  

A Kids' Room at a Wedding

The Kid's Room

Weddings are a wonderful event for family and friends.  What about those friends and family members with children?  At my wedding we hired two babysitters (neighbors who we trust!) to babysit in a spare conference room at the country club where we were.  This was genius!  They brought movies, games, and so much more.






I provided each child with a goodie bucket full of the following items:

1.  Coloring books

2.  Crayons

3.  Temporary Tatoos

4.  Plastic figurings that the child liked

5.  A little bit of candy

6.  Stick on earings for the girls

7.  Animal crackers

8.  Stickers

9.  Glow sticks - what child does not like glow sticks?

10.  Anything else I found at the dollar store or party store that was cheap!

I put all of these items in buckets and placed them in the "kids room."  Parents loved this idea. Many brought pack-n-plays and put their children to sleep while we danced into the night.  People were very happy about the arrangement and told me they stayed at the wedding because they knew their children were safe and taken care of.  

The country club kept the supply of cookies, milk, and fruit for the children.  All children (13 of them under the age of 10!) were allowed to come into the wedding reception.  I just loved to have everyone around!!! 

K.I.S.S.

-Sarah

The Tulle Bride

The bride on my wedding day

My mother and I came across this tulle bride at a gift shop that was going out of business.  At first, I thought it was the ugliest thing I had ever seen.  She insisted on buying it (for $20!).  

Well...I was wrong.  It has turned out to be very enjoyable.  It has made an appearance at my bridal shower, my friend's bridal shower, and my wedding album.  

In retrospect, I think it was a very good idea to have a keepsake to bring to all these occasions. It now is a tradition we started for all things wedding! It is actually very tasteful when you place it right in a room.  I am formally apologizing my mother for making fun of her idea. It actually was very clever.  :)

K.I.S.S.
-Sarah 

The bride at my bridal shower

Here she is at a bridal shower I planned for a friend of mine.

And...for one final appearance at the brunch the day after my wedding!

Milk Glass Wedding Centerpieces

When I was planning my wedding I wanted the decor to be simple, yet sophisticated.  I read magazines, searched the internet, watched wedding t.v. shows, and spoke with friends.  I finally came across a magazine article with a white centerpiece with white roses in it.  Then, it came to me...MILK GLASS!! 

And the milk glass journey began.  I began searching local antique shops and garage sales.  My rule was simple:  $0-$15 per table.  My mother was key to this plan.  She would scour garage sales and buy pieces for $0.05-$1.00!  I even came across a Fenton piece which was worth way more than I paid.  I used this piece for my cake table.  Some family members had beautiful pieces and they let me borrow them for the wedding.  Once I gathered all the pieces (4 boxes full!)  I handed them over to the best florist in my town to do their magic.  The name of the florist is Fabulous Flowers.  There were milk glass flowers everywhere you looked at my wedding.  They were in the bathroom, on mantles (shown above with the bridesmaids flowers), on tables, on the bar, and any other surface they could find!

I had so much fun searching antique shops and gathering my milk glass.  At the end of the wedding family and friends took the pieces home to keep as a memento of our wedding. I kept two of my favorite pieces to have!  

K.I.S.S.

-Sarah 

Stenciled Scrapbook Cover Page

Dublin, Ireland

When scrapbooking, I like to have a cover page for all of my projects.  For this book, I used a stencil and cursive writing to make the cover page.  Here is how I did it:

1.  Chose two pieces of 12 x 12 paper.
2.  On a piece of of scrap paper stencil your heading using pencil.  
3.  In the center of the heading write a sub heading using pencil.  When you feel it looks right, outline the heading in marker.  
4.  Use chalk to shade in the middle.  I used two different colors to add contrast. 
5.  Tear parts of one 12 x 12 paper to put on top of the other piece.   
6. Cut die cuts outs using scraps of the bottom 12 x 12 and tape to your project (see my post on saving paper for instructions).

K.I.S.S.
-Sarah

Simple Clock Home Decor

I have a fairly large mantle in my living room and have been struggling with ideas on how to decorate it to my liking.  So, for right now, I decided to put this clock on some antique books in the corner to add some height.  I will post the rest of the mantle when I feel good about it!

K.I.S.S.
-Sarah 

(keep it simply silly)

Life Magazine Picture Frames

A few years ago I visited my Uncle Chris in Atlanta.  He had Life magazine pictures framed and hanging in his house.  I thought this was very clever and unique idea and decided to to do the same in my home office.  

I was lucky to have grandparents who saved their original Life magazines in their basement.  I was able to have some of those magazines for my project. :)

First, I cut the magazine cover page out and matted it on black cardstock.  Then, I put them in large picture frames.  It was quick and easy!  I am sure you can buy magazines online at ebay or the life magazine website.  

My favorite part of this project is that on one of these magazines, my grandparent's mailing label is still attached.  I love it! 

K.I.S.S.
-Sarah

Song Lyrics Picture Frame

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I originally found this idea on pinterest and decided to try it out!  

For Christmas I made my husband this picture frame.  I bought a inexpensive picture frame at the Hobby Lobby for $4.  I liked the frosted picture frame because it dulled out the ink and put the focus on the picture.  I used the song lyrics to our first dance song at our wedding.  We danced to Frank Sinatra's song, The Way You Look Tonight.  

First, I printed the picture in black and white to match the frame.  Next, I took the mat out of the picture frame and wrote our lyrics on the frame using a fine tip sharpie marker.  Then I simply placed the picture back in and I was done!  It was an easy and inexpensive project.  It was very simply to make!!

This is what the project looked like after I wrote the lyrics.

Ideas you could use this project for:

1.  Gift for your husband/wife
2.  Wedding gift to a new couple
3.  Anniversary gift to parents, friends, or other family members




Modifications to this project:
1.  Write a letter to a friend, child, and family member instead of song lyrics
2.  Write a recipe of your favorite dish to make with someone and put a picture of you guys making the dish!
3.  For a birthday momento for your child, write your child's favorite things on the mat or frequent sayings.  This way you will not forget!  You can even cut out a number for the year and put in on the side. 
4.  For a teacher, write the names of the students in the class along the edge and then a class picture in the middle.  Or, why not have the students write  a message on the mat to the teacher?

Happy Simple Crafting!
-Sarah

Saving Paper to Make Simple Pages

I am a fan of saving money and paper during my paper projects.  I never buy anything unless it is on sale.  I also use ever last scrap of my paper!

I apologize for not showing the entire page, but there are pictures of people on the page from my trip that I do not know how to contact for permission.  Instead, I made you mock-up of the page below.  Basically there is the simple floral heading on the top, the 8 x 10 picture in the center of the page, and then a journal at the bottom of the page.  

Materials Needed:

* One 12 x 12 piece of paper
* Three other scrap paper pieces
* One 8 x 10 picture (or another size if you would like!)
* A die cut machine
* Adhesive, markers, & hole puncher


For this particular page I chose 4 pieces of paper.  I chose one large  12 x 12 paper for the background paper, and three other pieces of scrap paper I had.  They did not have to be 12 x 12 because I was matting a 8 x 10 paper and I had the picture space under the picture to use for the flowers.  

First, I started matting my 8 x 10 picture (the purple and yellow parts in the picture).  Once the picture was matted I turned it over and cut out the remaining pieces of paper on the back of the paper.  I doesn't have to look pretty because you will be putting your picture over it. :)

After I matted all the layers using this strategy, I matted all three layers and glued to the page. 


Once my picture is matted on the page I started making the flowers using the scraps from the center of the mat.  I used the Sizzix machine to cut the flowers.  You could use any die cut machine you own or use a stencil and cut your own flowers.  I used a circle punch to make the center of the of the flowers.  I added some extra pizazz to them by dotting lines on the flowers using markers and matting the flowers.  I also used a hole puncher to add some uniqueness to the flowers too.  You can do whatever you would like.  That is joy in crafting!  There is no right or wrong way to do it. :) 

 

K.I.S.S.

-Sarah