This month's issue of Woman's Day magazine shows these crafty paper bowls. Basically made from shredded paper and glue, these would not only make a fun activity for children, but give you endless possibilities for creating your own "bird's nest" bowls for Easter or other gatherings.
Or these would make creative wrapping for a small gift basket. Color coordinate your bowl to your occasion or gift, place a small gift in the center and surround with cellophane.
This past weekend, my son went to one of his first birthday parties (outside of family). Upon talking to the little girl's mom, we found out she really likes sporting equipment. The birthday girl has an older sister who is beginning organized sports and she wants to play as well, but has no toddler appropriate toys.
So, we decided on a tee ball set.
Michaels had jump ropes for $1 in several themes. I loosely wrapped it around the gift, so it would slide off easily and used the handles as the "bow".
I wanted to do something different featuring something she could use while staying with the sports theme. Dollar areas like the Dollar Tree, Target, etc always have fun things to add to packages to be a bit more creative than the usual bow.
Happy wrapping!
Besides my super cute son, who is a permanent fixture, this week I have a dozen red roses in an oversized mint julep cup.
That mint julep cup came from Goodwill. It was filled with a HIDEOUS silk arrangement that you can thank me for NOT sharing here. LOL Took me a while to dig out the large amount of styrofoam that was glued into it, but the results are simple and very Tiffany & Co.
Sidenote: I placed a plastic cup inside for the water as this vessel wasn't meant for live flowers or anything liquid obviously.
Just another reminder to see past the obvious at Goodwill. Transform!
photo credit: Heather at The Coterie Blog
A great tutorial on how to print graphics onto paper bags and finish it off with a cute twine handle.
Happy Valentine's Weekend!
Above are a couple of the treats I made for my son and his daycare buddies.
Heart shaped felt treat bags! Each "bag" included a small toy. Boys received small wooden cars (found at the Target Dollar Spot) and girls received mini mermaid dolls (found at the Dollar Tree). You can see her pink hair peeking out of the bag above. LOL
Very easy to make:
Cut pieces of felt into heart shapes. You'll need 2 hearts per bag.
Hot glue the hearts together, but leave the top open and unglued to fill with treats.
I glued on white foam hearts onto the outside along with initials of each child's name.
(The initials are letter magnets found at the Dollar Tree.)
Then cut a slit into each heart at opposite ends. Thread the ribbon through and tie a knot on each end forming a handle for the treat bag.
Fill with treats!
photo credit: Chica Schmica
Cute and easy Valentine's Day treats perfect for school!
Staple a sucker between two cardstock hearts. Decorate one side with a cute face!
I've said time and time again that I love hearing from readers! I love hearing that they've taken even a small bit of inspiration from this blog and ran with it in creating their own spectacular occasion.
Shay emailed to share her daughter's first birthday party - a Minnie Mouse theme. This couldn't have come at a more perfect time as I have two friends who are looking for Minnie inspiration for their own toddler parties.
Here are just a few of the beautiful details!
First, an adorable cake, complete with ears!
plus an all pink smash cake
Table decorations complete with baby pictures of the birthday girl
Glass bowls filled with pink roses and bead filler, embellished with the minnie ears!
Simple and cute tables. Remember, wrapping paper makes great runners!
Bath salts as favors for the adults adorned with houndstooth fabric
Cookies for the children
Continuing the Minnie theme
Drinks in individual carafes - lemon water, punch and apple juice
How cute was the birthday girl??
Thanks to Shay for sharing some of the adorable details of a very special day. I encourage others to submit their parties to share. Inspire others!
photo credit: Mara May
Create a unique topper to your next gift by using cupcake liners. Stack cupcake liners, pull them apart and either glue them all together in the center while stacking or connect together with a scrapbook brad.
Real Simple magazine recently showed this easy way to transport cupcakes.
Use a shirt box, cut one X per cupcake and push the corners down like pictured above.
This is great for many reasons... don't have a fancy cupcake carrier? don't want to lug one around? wonder if you leave it somewhere if you'll get it back?
The box carrier is great to take to a child's party or office potluck or maybe you're donating cupcakes to a good cause or maybe you're bringing them to a tailgate. It's lovely for the host not to have to worry about cleaning it and getting it back to you. Just toss it when they are done!
Also, these can be used for cupcake display. You can even cover the boxes with wrapping paper to match your decor. Place them on a table for a uniform, modern look.
