Holiday Cards [Part 2]

I recently did a post on the awesome offer that Shutterfly was giving away 50 FREE Holiday cards. I received an email with a code and just ordered the cards. I have done my parent's Christmas cards in the past 2 years and so I made a card for my mom to give out.  I can't wait for our friends and family to get the awesome cards. The cardstock is smooth and heavy duty- which I love. No other quality can compare with these. I plan on framing one of ours!!!

Thank you Shutterfly for this awesome giveaway!

Can't wait to mail them out- be on the lookout in your mailbox for your Christmas card!

15 each of the family picture for my parents and 20 of the one of us

All Year Round Wreath

So I'm starting to start a small inventory to create an Etsy shop of my own!! Wahoo! Right now, though, I'm really working on making some wreaths for a few friends who expressed interest in my recent creations. *update: Shop is now open and can be found here!
BUT this specific wreath I'm really pumped about! I got the idea thru the infamous "Happy Everything" series and my sister-in-law. The concept is that you are able to switch out the attachments for different times of the year.

This wreath would be able to be used all year long. How it will work:
-You make a wreath made with basic colors (black, grey, white, cream, etc) so that it is always "in season" no matter what attachment it has.
- Then you make the attachments separately that you want to snap-on to your wreath. They will be different color combinations and different designs in accordance to holidays (Halloween, Christmas, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, etc)

I've started the process of making a couple for some friends and can't wait to show them off! I wonder if I could somehow copyright this idea :) Anyone know how to go about doing that? LOL.

 

Updated & Linking this to:

Simple Yarn Wreath

I got the wicker wreath at the Dollar Store for, you guessed it, a dollar.
I had some neutral colored yarn.
Some leftover felt from making headbands.
Simply wrapped the the yarn to cover the wreath.
Made some Felt fall-colored flowers.
Hot glued the flowers to the wreath.
Ta-da.

Yarn ball & Ornament Wreath

I am really in love with making wreaths right now.
I get sidetracked quite often with wanting to do many different crafts, but wreaths are taking over.
And I am loving them. Where I got my main inspiration......but I wanted to do more Christmas-y colors.

and their guest post on Tatertots and Jello!
I can't wait to make more of these and hopefully get started on an Etsy shop! I would love your feedback!
So get ready for this super cute wreath.....

Supplies:
Styrofoam balls (1.5 in, 2 in, 2.5 in, and 3 in)
Colored yarn (Christmas colors- both solid and sparkle)
Ball Ornaments (Target One Spot Rocks! - 1 tube Large, 2 Medium, 1 mini sized)
18" Wire Wreath Form
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue
Wire for hanging

Making the yarn balls:
1. Choose your colors yarn and size of styrofoam ball. Begin to wrap the yarn around the ball.
2. Switch direction while continuing to wrap the ball.
3. Make sure that as you wrap the ball, you are moving along and hiding the styrofoam so it doesn't show at all.
4. Hot glue the end of the yarn once you have completely covered the ball.
5. Do at least 2-3 balls in one color per every size.

Putting it All Together:
1. Turn the wire wreath form up so that the groove will hold the balls stable.

2. Glue the larger balls on first

3. Add in medium and small balls as you go until you can no longer see the wire.

4. Stack balls in the grooves between the others or place around the outside.

5. Use the tiny little ornament balls to put in more color in the cracks (if any)

Use it as a centerpiece, hang it on the front/back door, hang it on the wall, or hang it above the fireplace!!

Enjoy!!

i HEART Shutterfly

I've used Shutterfly for a few years now. I was first attracted to their site through my best friend who was tired of paying 20+ cents per print.  Having to sit around for over an hour or more at a print station at Wal-Mart or CVS for all the prints to come out, have the rollers put marks and spots all over the prints, or have to come back the next day to pick them up was tiring......
Finding Shutterfly was a life saver.

Shutterfly is a site where you could upload your pictures and buy plans so that you could get your pictures for 10 cents or less per print!!! What a cheaper alternative this was!!! After
Today, Shutterfly offers so much more than just getting prints! I have made 2 photobooks, a share site, and Christmas cards all thru their site and have loved them all!! Taking the time to just upload photos is pretty easy. You're able to edit, change the color, crop, etc to your own pictures easily too. When making a photobook, they offer tools that will help you put it together quickly and make it look good! I'm still working on making our wedding album into a Shutterfly book!

With Love Chartreuse

They also offer great options for Christmas cards! This is actually the first year I have taken advantage of their free card coupon I got in my email. I loved it so much, I want to get more!!! I want some more cards to be able to write a little message, put a quote or verse, and post pictures from this past year. Definitely would put some pictures from our recent wedding in August, a picture of our dogs, and maybe a recent one on a card!

GO CHECK OUT MY FAVORITE PRODUCTS!!!!!

 These awesome designs of other Christmas Cards:
·  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

Or you can make any series of Photo Cards for numerous occasions:

·   http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery


Calendars are a fun idea:
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars


Holiday tags- great for gifts or mail:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-gift-tags




.........Now, because I want to pass this along to all my other fellow blog friends and readers....


GET 50 FREE HOLIDAY CARDS (wahoo!!) for Bloggers, learn more here:
http://bit.ly/sfly2010 


Seriously?! What could be better?? I can't wait to pick out my cards and mail them!!!
Don't you just LOVE getting mail?!

Color Palette

I love Thanksgiving.
Always have.
I often feel as though retail and some people skip this wonderful holiday for giving thanks and celebrating the beginning of America. Halloween takes over in September and October and then suddenly it's Christmas time! How did Turkey Day get so overlooked?! I love Fall and the colors of the season. I enjoy the way that Thanksgiving brings all of the family together. I enjoy decorating with leaves, pumpkins, gourds, and the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
And I love the food.

However, this year I've decided what colors I want to decorate with for Christmas.  I like neutrals a LOT. Matt makes fun of my wardrobe, which consists mostly of black, grey, white, ivory, khaki, navy.........the BASICS. So for Christmas I've planned on definitely using white. Its such a clean, crisp, pure color. I also have plenty of clear glass accents. We received several items from Crate and Barrel candles that will work amazingly for decorating (any season).  I want to make a mantle like this one pictured. I think the colors I want to use for other decorations are the clear items, white, red, green, lime green, silver, gold, and aqua blue.               

I am in LOVE with this fun dish:

Would love to get the 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments too!

Matt wants to get a Christmas tree as soon as we get from our parents home in South Carolina. I usually helped my parents put up the tree about a week before Christmas Day. I know some people that spend their Christmas Eve decorating their tree. What does your family do?

On another note:
I found a sparkle tree tutorial online, WHICH I plan on doing sometime in the near future (the ones I see in stores are so expensive!)....... but fell in love immediately with the framed art and made my own version to put in a frame eventually. It was the easier project to do at the moment :)

Feel free to download, I've put it as a .JPG file :)

Or NOW you can find their version HERE!!!!!!

Calla Lily Wreath

I fell in love with this the moment I saw it! I plan on making a couple of these in the future, but I made one last week and love how it turned out! I took the idea from Positively Splendid's blog!
I didn't follow every single step- I used a different wire for the center and didn't paint the leaves.

Supplies:
Wreath (I used a grapevine one)
Spray paint (I used Krylon Ivy Leaf)
Scissors
Spray Adhesive
Floral Wire
Hot Glue
Ribbon
Fabric scraps
Burlap
Raffia

To make the calla lilies:
1. Cut burlap into wide teardrop shapes about 5 inches in length
2. Trace the burlap onto a piece of the scrap fabric and cut 1/2 inch inside the border. I didn't use an invisible pen or anything like that.
3. Spray the adhesive onto the back of the fabric and smooth it onto its corresponding burlap piece.
4. Fold and crease the tops of each calla lily to form a  sort of collar.

To make the pistils/stems:
1. Take floral stem wire and bend it one inch down from the top.
2. Twist the wire around the bent part so that it forms a small center
3. Hot glue a line down the center of the flower and attach the wire.
4. Fold the right side of the flower toward the center and glue. Do the same with the left side.




To make the leaves:
1. Cut the burlap into basic leaf shapes () Two "C" shapes that are connected.
2. Spray paint the leaves (optional)

Finishing touches:

1. Spray paint the wreath whatever color you desire.
2. Wrap your ribbon around the wreath and tie it into a bow.
3. Glue the lilies in clumps however you want them to be arranged on one side or both sides of the wreath.
4. Tie or hot glue sprays of Raffia behind/around the flowers.

Perfect to hang for Spring!

Sorry the last picture if washed out-silly flash......
But I still love how it turned out!