Everyday Celebrating

DIY: Paper cup wreath

When I first happened upon this wreath by Twig and Thistle, I was flying through my reader and literally came to a screeching halt.

Clean. modern.  simple.  texture.  But what IS it, I thought.

Folds of heavy fabric is what I initially thought.  Or that heavy awesome double satin ribbon you always see on Martha Stewart but have yet to see in actual stores?  LOL

Nope.

Cups.  PAPER CUPS.  The kind of cups you can get at the dollar store in ANY color.  A whole stack for yes, a dollar.

Filing this photo away when I need a little somethin' different to fill a space.  Adds interest and is just the trick.

My cup runneth over.  (sorry... couldn't resist!)

 

Everyday Events: Modern barn party!

How cute is this barn backdrop??

And party hats!

Check out more adorable details of this modern barn party at Diary of Dave's Wife!

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Want to talk about creating other memories like this?  Join me in the Memories in Motion community over at Blog Frog!

 

Glaming it up for the Oscars!

I've had a few people email in to ask if I have any ideas for Oscar parties.  With the Oscars airing soon, I thought I'd throw out a few ideas I saw that are totally doable.

Family Fun magazine did a spread a couple years ago on several fun Halloween themed parties - one being "Hollywood Halloween".  The party was super cute and creative and some of the ideas would work brilliantly for the Oscars.  Let me show you....

First, you need the coveted Oscar.
Easy!  Goodwill has TONS of barbies.  Go pick up a few, spray paint them gold! 
Then hot glue him to a stand you've painted gold as well.  It will have to be something weighted like a tuna can.  Make sure you buy the lightest male barbie you can find. 

It works beautifully, see?

And see how they used him as a centerpiece by having him hold a ball or roses?
Easily done.  Pick up a ball of floral oasis and stick in flowers that match your color scheme.

Another decoration is the director's clap board.
Grab some black foam core and either draw out the layout with chalk or paint pen and get stick on letters.  Add a foam core hinge with a brad.

Food!
One of the easiest things they showed was using a coffee mug tree to hold pretzels.

Then purchase a used reel, spray paint it gold and use it to hold dips for your pretzels.

A couple things that are more time consuming and detailed would be to wrap up hot dogs in tissue paper tuxedos.

And also dress up your champagne with felt!

A few great ideas to get your mind working on what is doable for your Oscar get together!
If you throw a party, I'd love to show the post photos on the blog!  Contact me!

DIY: Cupcake liner topiary

Looking for some easy decor for your Valentine's gatherings?  Make a cupcake liner topiary!

These are perfect for classroom parties or home decor!

Find the tutorial here on Craftomaniac!

Need MORE ideas for Valentine's Day?  Join me on Thursday, January 20 for a Valentine's Day chat over at Blog Frog!  We'll be chatting at 9 EST about all things Valentine's Day!  If you need ideas for food, decor, gifts, treats... c'mon over!

Setting a Playoff/Super Bowl table

One of my fave event planners, Jamee at Setting the Mood in Indianapolis put together this great Colts table.  If you're hosting a Super Bowl gathering, it's time to start working on the details and this table has many that I LOVE!   Click on the photo to see it larger.  Here are some of the smaller details that really stand out:

• sweatband napkin rings
• full blue tablecloth under a cut turf (outdoor grass) overlay.  Spray paint stencil the hash and numbers on the "field" or use vinyl.
• jersey chair covers
• love the blue plates turned upside down and used as chargers.  It gives the dinner plate additional height.
• love the football images on the plates!  

DIY: Cake/dessert stands

I love these amazing cake/dessert stands by the ladies of Bee in our Bonnet!

Made with wooden candlesticks and dowels, plus squares of solid wood and doll house trim, they are sturdy!  

Visit their site for the full photo tutorial.  If you're willing to tackle a wood project, these would make a great gift for entertaining friends. 

DIY: Snow drift candle holders

I love these snow drift candle holders from Living with Lindsay! 

So easy to make with mod podge, epsom salts and glitter!

Remember, you can get plenty of extra vases at Goodwill!  Even mason jars would be cute or small votive holders! Add in some red and pink glitter for a nice Valentine's Day vase!

Visit Lindsay's site for a full tutorial with photos!

Last minute gifts!

So Christmas is THIS WEEK!  Have you heard?  As with every year, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seems to roll like a runaway train and before you know it, you're smack dab in the middle of Christmas week and may have forgotten a gift or two.

And who doesn't like to receive something fabulous delivered right to their door?

Recently, I was sent some fabulous gifts by the lovely team over at 1-800-Flowers and I want to share with you that these gifts are not your everyday fruitcake.  These are amazing gifts that not only make an impression... they are amazing in taste as well!

First up, Cheryl's cookies.  Yes, they are a box of cookies, BUT... they come beautifully wrapped and taste wonderful.

I opened the box to find the cookies presented in this.  Beautiful, right?  A sparkly box.  I guarantee you will want to keep the box, even.  It's THAT beautiful up close.

Open up the box... each cookie is wrapped individually!    Buttercream frosted! yum!

Cheryl's cookies are a perfect and affordable gift.  And, Cheryl's has a cookie club!  Send someone the gift of cookies all year!

The next item I received was the sleigh gift basket.  I wanted to show you how this arrives because don't you always wonder when you order a gift, how it's presented and if they take enough care in packaging it?  

The sleigh basket is rather large.  And the above picture is what it looked like when I received it.  It came in a large box and inside the box, the basket was braced with dividers. This basket wasn't going anywhere!  (Just how you want it!)  The basket itself was shrink wrapped and draped with a beautiful gold and red bow.  It literally looked JUST like the photo on the website:

The sleigh is beautiful and can be reused as hoilday decor for years to come. It would make a great serving piece!  Drap a beautiful napkin inside and serve holiday rolls or Christmas morning cinnamon rolls out of?   Or reuse it for a wonderful holiday centerpiece!

If you're stumped over what to buy someone, feel like you're running out of time but want something special and beautiful?  Just hop over to 1-800-Flowers or 1-800-Baskets.  They will be shipping even on December 23 to get them to your loved ones on for the holiday.  Below are the order deadlines.  Make it easy on yourself and order NOW and know that something beautiful will be delivered straight to their door!

And guess what?  MyDaily.com is offering 25% off code that can be used before December 31. Just use the code "Daily25deal" for 25% off your order.

1-800-BASKETS.COM (Christmas delivery on orders placed by 1 p.m. EST Dec. 23)

 

Fannie May Fine Chocolates (Christmas delivery on orders placed by 11 a.m. EST Dec. 23)

 

Cheryl’s Baked Goods (Christmas delivery on orders placed by 3 p.m. EST Dec. 23)

 

The Popcorn Factory (Christmas delivery on orders placed by 3 p.m. EST Dec. 23)

 

DIY: Ribbon Wall

This year, in one room of my house, I constructed a ribbon wall to use as a backdrop for Candy Cane Christmas.

The frame was built out of 1/2 inch pvc.  After measuring the area I wanted to cover, I ended up with 4  10 ft pvc pieces.  I cut them to roughly 6 ft.  And made a square by using the coordinating T joints. 

From there, just hot glue strips of ribbon onto the top pole.

I'll warn you, you're going to go through quite a bit of ribbon, especially for a 6 ft wall like this was.  I stockpiled ribbon for some time to use for this project - finding ribbon on sale and even scoring big rolls of red velvet ribbon at Goodwill.  Tip:  if you're making one last minute for Christmas or you want to make one for next year, Michaels has their hoilday ribbon 60% off right now!  Plus a 20% off coupon here.

The ribbon lays flat.  Unfortunately, in taking these photos, the heat was blowing and the ribbon is moving. 

Make sure to trim the bottom of the ribbon to the length you need. You want the ribbon to lay flat and straight and not buckle at the bottom.

This ribbon wall concept would work great for other occasions as well, backdrops for birthday parties, showers and weddings.  They would be beautiful outside with the ribbons blowing in the breeze!  This red and white one would even be great for Valentine's Day!

Ribbon walls create a great dimension and texture to a focal point!  Try one!

 

3 easy ideas from BHG

I love these easy ideas from Better Homes and Gardens. Easy and still doable in the final days before Christmas!

1.  Hanging holiday tree

2.  Holiday art.  For this, they suggest canvas but you know what else would work?  Just cover the lids of shirt boxes.

3.  Giftbox decor/centerpiece.  These are so easy to make!

I made something similar to use as a centerpiece for a baby shower. In this case, just stack up the boxes and hot glue together.