Here’s Part 2 of the “Bay-Bee Shower”! Here’s everything set up and ready for guests to arrive!

When guests arrived, they were greeted by a cute “Bay-Bee Shower” sign. We used a chalk board and yellow chalk to display the buffet’s menu. We used a cook book stand to hold the chalk board up. On the table we used various sizes of plates from Mackenzie-Childs “Courtly Check” Collection. The black and white worked perfectly with our “Bee” theme. We rolled fabric napkins purchased on Amazon.com and secured them with hand made paper napkin bands. We used faux metal disposable forks with them. All of them were placed in a wine caddie that was repainted yellow for the shower.

The dessert table had the shower favors on them. We had ordered “Honey Bee Hive” sugar cookies from POSH COOKIES. I made bottle cap magnets with the “Bee” image on them. Jayson made all of the images for the invites, napkin bands and bottle cap magnets. We also placed the Mango Juice, Champagne and Pineapple Sherbert punch in a punch bowl on that table. A bowl of old fashioned hard licorice candy in black and white, added color to the table.

“Ivory” table clothes from Amazon.com were used on both tables along with runners we created from black and white place mats and black and white patterned napkins.  Jayson added vases full of water to float freshly cut hibiscus from his back yard.

The beverage bar had honey sweetened iced tea and cucumber water. Paper straws in a honey bee hive shaped lantern was placed in between. We cut up scrap book paper for guests to write their wishes for the baby and new mommy to “Bee” and place them in the box. Prizes were all Burt’s Bees products in cello bags. One prize was lemon drops from the “Guess How Many Lemon Drops Are In the Jar” game.

Cup Cakes were lemon cake and honey cream cheese lemon frosting topped with pearly yellow dragees and royal icing bees. We used handmade cup cake wrappers as well.

Just some cute finds for Teacher’s End of School Year Gifts!

Love love love your mommy friends! We depend on them for advice, for companionship, for uplifting, for lunches and play dates. We call them when we need to listen to us. They need to be recognized for more than just being “mom”, but a “Mommy Friend”! Here’s just a few things I picked up that are different than flowers and a card. Here’s to Mommy Friends!

Here’s “Part 1″ for the “Start to finish” baby shower. I’m showing my crafts, my friend Jayson Melanson’s creations, table scaping and much more! This shower is going to be semi-homemade.

Jayson and I got our theme inspiration from our friend’s nursery plans of using a “Bumble Bee” theme and we ran with it.

I used yellow, black and white scrap book paper to make cup cake wrappers, napkin bands, cover for each cup cake stand tier, decorate a small black frame, to decoupage the toiletry tray, paper mache keep sake box  and centers of daisy paper die cuts.

Jayson designed and printed out the baby shower invitations. He used the same images on a PDF for me to make bottle cap magnets which will be part of the baby shower favors. He also made a 2inch circle to be adhered to the cup cake wrappers.

I used stiff gray, black and yellow felt to make the bumble bees for the yard sign, door hanger, gift basket bow and cup cake tier stand finial. I created a template to replicated Jayson’s bee on the invites, cut it out, then traced it onto felt using a white crayon. Hot glue was used to assemble the bees and attach them back to back on the finial and onto the door hanger. But I only used double sided tape on the yard sign so that it could be removed and used in the nursery.

See “How to make bottle cap magnets” in my crafts section. Bottle caps. magnets and epoxy stickers were purchased on Amazon online. Allow E6000 craft glue to dry over night when gluing magnets to the backs of the bottle caps.

Lots of black, white, ivory and yellow ribbon is being used to jazz every day items up. Use your average vase inside decorated grapevine wreath. It adds a little bit of natural beauty to any table scape. I used paper daisy die cuts to make a garland. I simply punched out scrap book paper with my 3inch circle puncher and hot glued it to the center of each daisy. Then I punched a hole on petals to tie the daisies together with ribbon.

I had my friend and neighbor Lisette Kramer make ribbon topiaries. Not only would they be used for the baby shower, but the mother to “Bee” can take them home to decorate the nursery. For the topiaries, Lisette used round foam balls, hot glue, ribbon cut into 3inch strips. A 12inch dowel rod covered in organza ribbon, then inserted into a small piece of foam inside a spray painted terracotta pot. I added shredded tissue on top of the foam then hot glued ribbon on the pots.

I used trim, ribbon, scrap book paper, flower trim, bee hive applique, Mod Podge, spray paint, hot glue, bee brad and a silk daisy to decorate the paper mache keep sake box. We later used that box to put her baby cards in, note cards with “wishes for the baby”, but she can use it to keep other keep sake items once the baby is born.

I also used a foam wreath to make a “Yarn & Felt” wreath for the baby shower and the nursery. I wrapped yellow yarn around the foam form, securing the start of the yarn with hot glue. I did cut the yarn into manageable pieces. Once it was covered entirely, then I added ribbon, “bee hive” applique by FlyingFelt on Etsy.com, trim flowers that I cut into individual flowers, paper daisy embellishments and bee brads. I just cut the brad stems off.

I used a few unfinished wood products to make gifts. An unfinished tissue box, tray and door hanger made it easy to help decorate the nursery. I used Mod Podge Glue, hot glue, acrylic paint, spray paint,  scrap book paper, trim, flower trim but cut the flowers, into individual pieces, felt appliques and bee brads.

For shower favors, we pre ordered “Bee Hive” cookies from Posh Cookies in Houston, Texas. Jayson designed the favor tags to be tied onto the cello bags. We used those same tags on the napkin bands. I simply cut 5 inch strips of scrapbook paper, used a daisy edge puncher, hot glue, 1inch circle punch and a 2inch scalloped 2inch puncher for the tags. I hot glued one half of the 1inch circle to one end of the napkin band.  The scalloped 2 inch tag was hot glued in the center of the band. Double sided tape was used to attach the 1inch circle to the other end of the band creating a napkin ring.

I found an inexpensive chalk board at Hobby Lobby. I used white acrylic paint to paint the unfinished frame and I used gold acrylic paint to paint the back board. We used yellow chalk to write the menu on it. We used a cook book stand to hold the chalk board up.

I stumbled on a $1 yellow beveled tea light lantern at Target, that would be perfect for the straws to go into. I simply clipped off the wire handle and tied a ribbon around it instead. The vintage style paper straws from Moieti on Esty.com looked really cute in there. See Part 2 next!

My mom is hard to buy for. She’s reduced her belongings to the very minimal. So I don’t to junk up her place by giving her frames and nick knacks. So I was thinking of something she could wear year round for all kinds of occasions. I’ve bought some lovely floral brooches from SunnyApril on Etsy. com before, so I went back for more. Check out these beauties!

Ok, so my mother in law isn’t a “Brooch” kind of lady. She does have to wear a name badge pull at work. I saw this floral glass fused name badge on CDChilds on Etsy.com and thought it was perfect for her.

I’m always looking for something “different” to give as gifts. I also will give the gift when its less expected. Its not customary to give friends “Mother’s Day” gifts. I do have a few close friends that I do something for. This one was my favorite gift bundle to send off for a dear friend.  All of these items are from Etsy.com shops. These colors go so well with her kitchen. The towels are really great quality and they’re hand made. The soap dish is actually more “Teal” than in my picture I’ve posted. The shop owner’s picture shows it best. The soap is a work of art! Its beautiful! My friend was really happy with all of it.

This basket was originally a stained a dark brown when I purchased it years ago. I spray painted it gold for a bridal shower last year. See my “A Persimmon Bridal Shower” under Tablescapes and Decor. Wrapped utensils and a flower were added.

Now I’m co-hosting a Bumble Bee Baby Shower. So everything is going to be black, white and yellow. So I decided to spray paint this one yellow because everything we have that will be on the buffet will be black and white. This will add a punch of color. I added 2 daisies on each side along with black and white polka dotted ribbon and pale yellow ribbon. I just tied it on one end of the handle and wrapped the handle and tied it again at the other end. The knots also secure the flowers. Rolled utensils in napkins filled up this cute upcycled caddie. Napkin ring bands were made to coordinate.

A friend of mine told me about something she saw on an HGTV show. A lady was using paper towel card board rolls to help her boots stand up in her closet. We all have boots that flop over when we’re not in them! Not only does it create creases over time, but it takes up room too. So I took the idea a step further to make it a little more decorative.

You can use paper towel cardboard rolls or you can use wrapping/cello wrap cardboard rolls. You’ll just need to cut down the longer rolls.

I measured out a piece of fabric and hot glued the edge onto the cardboard roll. I pulled the fabric tightly around the roll and hot glued it again.

I used peaking scissors to cute 2 small squares to seal off the ends. One end will be able to be opened, but the other end will not.

I covered the opening of the roll that will be the “bottom” of the stick and wrapped a rubber band around it. I hot glued the gathers, then hot glued some decorative ribbon and trim around it. I used some left over buttons from clothes I don’t have anymore to cover the seams. I used trim instead on the striped pattern boot sticks. The idea is to use whatever you have laying around in your craft box.

I poured half a sachet fragrance packet into the roll. I used the other piece of fabric to seal off the top of the roll with a rubber band. Then I used ribbon to cover the rubber band.

Slip each roll into your tall boots and it’ll keep them standing up while adding fragrance. When the fragrance wears out, just undo the ribbon tied end and refill it.

A gift can be simple, like a bottle of wine, but it doesn’t have to be put in a paper wine sack! You know the ones hanging on an end cap at the  grocery store.  A bottle of wine always looks better when its in a stylish tote. It just looks like you planned it out and didn’t just grab a paper sack on your way to their dinner party. There are times when something comes up and you have to run out at the last minute to get a bottle. Then you’re stuck getting a paper tote. So what’s the big deal right? Well, yeah, it really isn’t a big deal, but the packaging sometimes is just as important as what’s inside. It says “Wow, she really thought about what I like!”.

If you don’t have time to shop around for a nice wine tote, you can always make your own wrap. I always like to have a roll of clear cello wrap on hand. Just cello wrap the bottle and use decorative ribbon or raffia to tie around the neck. DONE! Not much effort, but it shows you put some “thought” into it. Those left over short pieces of ribbon that you save from other gifts will work well for a last minute wrap up.  If you’re in a pinch and you don’t have a paper sack or cello wrap, you can always use left over fabric and tie it off with ribbon. If worst comes to worst, you can just use different colored tissue paper and carefully tie it off with tape first, then ribbon over it.

I had time to search for a wine tote to fit the recipient’s taste. Check out the tote I found on FabricConcepts on Etsy.com! The shop owner also makes these smaller totes which are perfect for smaller bottles of liquor. A nice small bottle of rum will make a great gift, but it’ll look even better in a tote like this!

I recommend purchasing a large gift tag puncher. Try to get it on sale at your local craft store or online, because they are a little pricey. I just used black scrapbook paper and a white crayon for the gift tag. Use a hole puncher to thread ribbon through the tag. I like to have gift tags made up already so that I can just grab one and go.

Decorating a kid’s birthday table doesn’t have to be “Store bought” nor does it have to be expensive, which store bought items can get. Cup cake decorating kits can be expensive. Its inexpensive and easy to make your own.

First you’ll need to make a list of supplies you’ll need once you’ve figured out what theme you want to do.

For the cup cake decor, you’ll need scrapbook or other decorative  paper for the cup cake wrappers. Decorative scissors, like wavy scissors and double sided tape. You can find a FREE templates online on many sites. Just type in “Free Cup Cake Wrappers Templates”. You’ll be directed to several sites with free downloads. Here’s one that I found.

http://tipnut.com/free-cupcake-wrappers/

Toppers are also very easy. You’ll need hot glue and card stock. You can make toppers out of stickers, but you’ll still need to make a backing for them. So you can trace the sticker on a piece of card stock and cut it out. You can use pre cut felt appliques, pre made paper flowers and so much more!  Use toothpicks as your pick. Use Elmer’s glue to glue both of the images back to back. Leave a tiny space for the toothpick to go into. Apply a tiny amount of hot glue, then quickly insert the toothpick. Press down on the toothpick and paper firmly. Add more hot glue.

You can also use shape punchers to make perfect circles, stars, hearts, flowers, etc. I like to use punchers because it eliminates cutting. You can also decorate the wrappers with smaller punched out shapes. Just use Elmer’s Glue or hot glue to attach the punched out designs.

You can make toppers and wrappers as embellished or simple as you like. That’s whats great about doing it yourself.

For table scatters, you can use cookie cutters to trace out shapes on paper. I used  a star cookie cutter to make these table scatters and backings for the party favor bottle cap magnets. On the table scatters I added the same images that I used on the cup cake toppers and I over laid them with “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” that I punched out using my Martha Stewart puncher.

I used Elmer’s glue to glue all of the layers of paper. These will add a punch of color on the party food buffet or tables where guests will be sitting at. I made 4 “Reserved” signs which will be used with place card holder clips. These can go down a long rectangular table in the center or placed on several tables. I used my star puncher and more of the cup cake topper images to embellish the signs front and back. Just punch, cut and glue! I used different colored paper to layer them.

For the bottle cap magnet favors, I had a friend of mine design the logo. I made the bottle cap magnets as usual. See my “How to make bottle cap magnets in minutes” page in my “Crafts” section. You can also purchase 1inch circle images on Etsy.com. Just type in the theme you want in the Search box along with the wording “Bottle Cap Images”. You’ll find thousands!

I placed each magnet on “star” traced paper using magnet roll tape and hot glue. Hot glue will help the magnet tape stick better to the paper. The magnet tape tends to curl, so the hot glue helps it to stay in place. I also added a red gem to the tops of each star.

I also made a “VIP” sign. I adhered the VIP circle cut out onto a black foam sheet. I just used double sided tape instead of hot glue or Elmer’s Glue. Since the black foam sheets aren’t porous, glue will make the paper appear bumpy.

I used  a hole punch to each top corner and thin black ribbon for hanging the signs. I added an amber gem with hot glue to the star.