Summer Jewelry Love

Mr. T is over taking suggestions from my BFF when it comes to gifts...for Mother's Day I secretly wanted this...

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but instead, I received this...

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...and to be honest, while I didn't exactly want a clamp set for Mother's Day...I could use one and will probably be thankful for them soon. Not to mention the price difference between the two...

But back to the subject...recently I've noticed a ton of really great bracelets on Etsy. They are all so cute, it proves you don't have to spend a lot of money on jewelry. Here are a few of my favorites:

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Some of these would be easy to DIY, others...not so much. I am trying to get Marlene to open an Etsy store, but the conversation went like this:

I really didn't get very far convincing her of a store before she had moved on to diamonds...her specialty. I'm batting zero these days when it comes to the art of persuasion. Maybe I need to sharpen my skills...

Rachel :)

Recreating a $500 Wooden Sculpture

Pinterest. Ugh. Not only does it make my mind race with a million ideas, it was the source where Marlene found a wooden sculpture she fell in love with. A $500 wooden sculpture. Seriously.

Pink Door Decor

So for her birthday a few weeks ago...I (as in not really me, but Marlene) decided that I could recreate this and make it for her for much less. I can't complain...it's wonderful to have friends that believe in you more than you believe in yourself.

Mr. T bought a jigsaw for me for Christmas that was still in the box, so this was the perfect opportunity to break it in. After putting the blade in backwards, I did more than break it in, I almost broke it and cut my finger off when I made my first cut. It didn't take long and after a few cuts I was ready to go. I made a 12" pattern to use for each "petal" and used a cabinet grade 3/4 inch plywood.

After cutting and sanding with an 80 grit followed by a 220 grit, I used MinWax Weathered Oak to stain the petals.

I cut the base from a two inch thick piece of old wood, sanded it down, and stained it with Special Walnut followed with a second coat of Ebony.

The petals were put together with wood glue and held in place overnight with clamps...no nails or screws, which makes this two sided...yay! I cut a wooden dowel rod to hold it in place and used my wonderful Porter Cable Forstner Drill Bit Set to drill all the holes for the dowels. If you don't have this set, get it...it rocks my socks! After everything was dried and drilled it was ready to put together...

And again the $500 original...

And my $11 creation...

Happy Birthday Marlene!!!



Rachel :)

This, That, and a GIVEAWAY!!!

I have a few things going on over at my old house...a DIY project, a bedroom redo, and of course several hundred ideas floating around in my brain...but today I'm super excited to bring you our first GIVEAWAY! In case you haven't noticed, we have our first blog sponsor (check out that little button on the right side of your screen)...The Lemonade Stand!

The Lemonade Stand is a wonderful business started by two stay-at-home moms turned entrepreneurs. They hand cut, sand, paint pictures frames and are now offering even more! You can find them via their website, their Etsy store, or their facebook page.

...to win this oh so cute, handmade, distressed lime green 5 x 7 frame...simply leave a comment on this post! We will pick a number at random and ship it to you the next day. And...the giveaway ends at midnight Friday, February 10th so we can get this frame to you by Valentine's Day! This is a first for us, so become a follower on our blog and "like" The Lemonade Stand on Facebook to keep up with their latest products and more giveaways...

Happy Tuesday!

Rachel :)

The Perfect Gift for that Special Someone

I need to back up a few weeks. While everyone is excited and talking about Valentines Day, I'm still stuck on Christmas. Specifically, the gift I gave Mr. T this year...I called it the "Bucket of Fun" and it is what the name says...a bucket filled with fun things for us to do! After 16 years, two kids, a mortgage, a dog, work and everything else, it can be hard to carve time out of the day week month for each other. Mr. T loves to go out...dinner, movies, anything! It's not that easy to coordinate his call schedule with baseball, dance, school activities, and life. By putting this together, dates are planned and paid for...all we have to do is schedule the babysitter.

Here's the breakdown of what was in the bucket:

The Bucket...a refillable movie theatre popcorn bucket. We can take it to the movies and have it filled for $3.50 every time we go.

Movie Tickets...a booklet of $25 in coupons that are good for movie tickets and snacks. This should give us two movie dates.

Bowling Gift Card...I know its hokey, but we like to go bowling. This gift card will pay for our shoes and four games.

Dinner Gift Cards times Two...I included two gift cards to two different restaurants. We can add this with something else or just go out for a nice dinner.

Theatre Tickets I...I am excited about this. It is one of two things that had a specific date. Next weekend we get to see Frost/Nixon. He made sure to ask for the weekend off and the babysitter is already lined up...yay!

Theatre Tickets II...I'm even more excited about this date. In March we have tickets to see Damn Yankees. Friends of ours have tickets for the same night, so it will be a fun double date!

Zip lining...You read that right...Mr. T's favorite thing to do! While he is super excited, my palms are already sweaty!! I bought these from Groupon in the fall and they don't expire until the end of April. A few friends purchased them as well, so it will be a scary but fun group date.

Mr. T was thrilled with this! It was all about him and what he likes to do. When it comes to gifts there is always something we want or need for the house and let's face it, while 7 pallets of sod for your anniversary or new wiring in the living room for Christmas are great...this year it was about him. With a birthday in May, the bucket might need to be refilled then. Something tells me I might have started a new tradition!

Fill a bucket and give it to your loved one...

Rachel :)

Legos and Smiles :)

My little man loves Legos...as in really LOVES Legos. And while they are a wonderful and educational way to learn and grow, they are everywhere. I step on them, suck them up with the vacuum cleaner, kick them across wood floors, and silently say bad words in the middle of the night when they crunch under my bare feet. After Brainy Smurf's birthday, Christmas, and Hanukkah...I had a minor meltdown because the Legos in his room were out of control. I was never quite sure how to handle the growing amount until I saw this...

What can I say? I'm a sucker for good advertising. And this was great! It's called a Swoop Bag and it was designed for little ones that love legos. I immediately went to their web site to check them out. About five minutes later I was convinced that this would be the best way to keep all those Legos in one spot. He picked out a bag in Star Dust Blue and a few days later it arrived at our doorstep.

If you have kids, and your kids have Legos...go ahead and buy one. Fabulous. Wonderful. Well-Made. Easy. It is everything it says it is. We now have Legos in one place. And they stay in one place. This bag rocks my socks. Seriously.

But the smiles part of this isn't about the smile this bag brought to my face...it's about the smiles it brings to everyone else's face. A percentage of every sale goes to Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization that gives smiles to children born with birth defects. This is such an important charity to my family that this year Brainy Smurf didn't get Legos from his grandparents. Instead, he got this...

Sometimes, life is all about legos and smiles...

Rachel :)

Every Southern Woman Needs Something Monogrammed...

A few months ago I introduced you to my friend Shannon...you know, the one who loves anything monogrammed...and whose living room still isn't finished. Next week people...next week... Anyway, I'm pretty sure she really loves what's going on in there because every time I turn around she's giving me little gifts...or maybe she's just buttering me up for her next project. Whatever! She's pretty awesome in the gift department! So...for Christmas, she gave me my very own wooden monogram. It's slate blue with a cute brown bow on top. I tied it on the fresh wreath I have on the back door. Next time I have you over for afternoon tea, you won't miss it when you walk in...

Like I said...every southern woman needs something monogrammed!

Rachel :)

For more on the door color, click here...

And for more on the numbers, click here...

To order your own wooden monogram, click here...

DIY Monogrammed Coasters

In my quest to make holiday gifts this year, I came across this idea from The Domestic Notebook. Since it is a few years old, and she doesn't blog anymore, I figured I'd share it with you from here...because its fabulous...and cheap...and easy...Perfect!

You will need:

travertine or other natural stone 4x4 tiles

a large stamp

small letter stamps

permanent stamp ink

felt pads

Before I started stamping the tiles, I wiped them off with a damp rag and let them dry. This gets any dust off :) ...

Step 1:

using double stick tape, cover a part of the tile to put an initial

Step 2:

Ink the large stamp and apply to tile

Step 3:

Remove paper square

Step 4:

Apply initial stamp

Step 5:

Let dry

Step 6:

Wrap :)

These are wonderful! Because I used a permanent ink, there is no need to apply any protective coat. And the natural stone absorbs the "sweat" from the glasses. I added felt pads under all 4 corners to protect any surfaces from getting scratched.

I think these will be great with my Homemade Vanilla...Happy stamping and coaster making!!!

Rachel :)

 

Let it Snow Vignette

In 2007 my favorite aunt started a Santa collection for us. It really is a great idea...she does this for her sisters and my sister and me every year. She labels them with the date, so I know if I'm ever missing one (I can't find 2008 this year...) I've started putting them in one spot which is currently over the china cabinet. While I have a few so far, I am looking forward to this collection growing every year...

ho ho ho!!!
Rachel :)

DIY Wooden Picture

As soon as I saw this video, I wanted to share it with the world! Best idea ever! And cutest video ever...enjoy!!!

Let me know if you do this and how it turns out!

Rachel :)

Vodka. I Need Lots and Lots of Vodka.

I try to start thinking about holiday gifts in advance, picking up a few things here and there. This year, I'm giving handmade gifts to everyone: Mr. T, my parents and in-laws, aunts and uncles, siblings, and nephews and nieces. I'll be writing about it every step of the way. My mom has already given me her list: bread boards, vintage themed flour sacks, and redneck wine glasses. I began this week working on one gift because it takes a few months...

I started with Bourbon Vanilla Beans from Beanilla.

Then ordered glass bottles from Specialty Bottle Company.

I cut the vanilla beans into half,

then sliced them in half down the length of the bean.

After I opened them up, I placed 4 quarters in every bottle.

When I was done with the beans I filled the bottles with...you guessed it...vodka.

Lots and lots of vodka.

After it steeps for the next few months, I will have tons of bottles of

Homemade Vanilla Extract to pass out to family and friends.

Just in time for holiday baking!

the awesome labels are from My Own Labels

So...I've decided to take a little break from the photography challenge...going to blog less and work more...you know the saying..."worker smarter, not harder"...see you next week!

Rachel :)

to give credit where credit is due...this wonderful project came from Elaine at The Italian Dish.