Fall Decorations are OUT!

Wow, the season change is already here.  I am enjoying the trees changing color on our street and it is almost CRISP in the morning.  In fact, we have already opened our windows a couple of times.  I LOVE this time of year.  So, it was time to set out fall decorations.  I make myself wait until the Tuesday after Labor day before I start the process.  I just thought you might like to see what I have going on in the house.  Spark your creativity and get you motivated too!  The best thing about fall is that you can have traditional and funky all mixed together and it all works.  Of course, I have all the scents of the season out too!

Let's start in the living room.  I am loving the metallic pumpkin look.  Still classic pumpkin shape but the color really pops on the mantle.  Some funky candle holders I have had for a while.  And of course Hobby Lobby had their fall garlands on sale.  I bought a plain leaf garland and one with just fall colored "berries".  Mixed together it gives just enough "umph" without being over the top.  The ribbons hanging are just fun.  The fan is usually on so the just dance around catching the eye.

I love my "hand carved" pumpkins.  They are really resin that I found at Kohl's.  The pottery is crafted by Shelia Clark, she is from Cleveland, MS.  The runner I just took some burlap, left the sides to fray and added a pretty sheer ribbon.  The ribbon has some shimmer and metallic to it so it helps jazz up the rustic look of the pumpkins and burlap.

My fun and funky witches hats for my kitchen island!  They are new this year.  I made them from floral cones!!  Black foam made the brims.  Then I just found fabric and ribbon to match the Halloween feel.  I love the ribbon embellishments!   The little bit of Diva in me is showing.


Not to worry I will work on the outside and let you see the fun!

Arranging Your Room

During high school I really thought I wanted to be an Architect so I took Drafting I and II.  I LOVED THE CLASSES!  They really played a huge role in who I am today.  Wow, it made a huge difference when I made it to college and started taking Interior Design classes.  I was way ahead of the curve.


I ran out of sewing projects around the house, so I am moving on to rearranging bedrooms at the new house.  When the movers came they just dropped everything and left.  Well, we put the furniture where we THOUGHT we wanted it, but after living with it for a while I decided it needed some tweaking.  Since I am 33 weeks pregnant now, I SHOULDN'T be moving furniture around.  So I took out my tape measure, laid it along the walls - got my room dimensions- wrote that down immediately, I do have pregnancy and mommy brain right now.  Then, I measured all the pieces of furniture that needed to stay in the room.  You just need the length and width of everything.


Here is your supply list:
Tape measure
pen and paper
Graph paper (exactness is a must)
Scissors

Decide what your scale is going to be: 1 box = 5" for example (you want your graph paper to be completely full with your room so you can get a better feel)  The smaller the room the less amount of inches per box the larger the room the more inches per box.

Here are two different rooms that I have laid out.  Make a file folder and label according to the room you are working on.  This way you don't have to do this step again. 
Remember to add in the way the door swings, in or out.  Plus, behind the door label where it leads so you don't accidentally put a piece of furniture in front of a doorway or window.  Also, you always want to make sure that you leave about 3 feet of walk space between everything.  We have air vents in the ceiling, but if yours are in the floor label that in your drawing.


VERY IMPORTANT:  Next you are going to draw out your furniture.  YOU MUST MAKE THE SCALE THE SAME: if 1 box=5 inches on the drawing then 1 box=5 inches for the furniture.

I have each piece of furniture labeled as to WHAT it is and then it also has the dimensions on it too.  Cut them down to size like I have.  Now you are ready to start playing in the room.

Remember, if you have a box open that might only be a couple of inches so don't overcrowd.  The nice thing about your little paper pieces you can move and look and move and look till your heart is content.  You really want to do this before you hang anything on the walls!

Hope this helps!

House Guest Gift

You have guests, coming what do you do?  Before we had a child, I thought lots more about how to really "greet" guests.  Now I am lucky to have linens clean and the bathroom swiped down.  I love the time I spend with our little girl so life moves forward....

Here are some thoughts for a quick little happy to put on the bed before your guests get there.  Can you get any more southern than that?!!

I have a gift drawer that I keep for such occasions, but I usually take what I have purchased and dress it up a bit.  For instance, I am going to show you a quick little happy that even Emma-Catherine helped with before her "B" and "Boba" came for a visit.

I love Ross or T.J. Max.  They both have great dish towels that you can buy in a pack, 3 for $4.99 or so.  I took the towel from my gift drawer and embroidered it with a pretty fall scene.  I took some pretty fabric that I had on hand and just added it to the bottom for some extra embellishment.  If you don't have an embroidery machine then places like Kohl's usually has a sale on premade, cute hand towels for the season. 

Also, places like Pier 1 is a great place to grab some fun table decor too.  Napkins and rings or fun wine stoppers or aprons.  Most women that come over would love an updated towel for the season.

Some cute ribbon that matches... wrap it up.

Yes, Bath and Body had fall hand soap on sale and I love them all.  So the cute towel and fun soap goes on to the bed, ready for our guests.  It wasn't difficult to put together and now my mama- in -law has a fun new scent and a cute towel for the season! 

Other gift ideas:
Locally made items - soap, honey, chocolates, pottery, etc.

If people come to visit I promise they will appreciate something that is local.  Your little happy doesn't need to be expensive or extravagant.  In fact, take that cute bar of handmade soap, wrap it in brown craft paper and put a raffia bow on it.  DONE!!!  Of course,  you know your guest, if she is more of a girly girl then take that same cute soap, wrap it in a shiny metallic type paper, and put a large fluffy bow on it.  Such a small gift makes everyone feel welcome!

The Gift Basket: Baby Shower Triology Part 3

So now we have some cute handmade projects for the soon to be mommy and baby.  If you have put the time and effort into creating a special gift you need to really show it off by creating a vessel for it to arrive in.  Yes, the traditional bag works just fine, but a basket is something else the mom can use in her nursery for diapers or bathing, etc. 

I have created a basket for you to see  Remember, there are numerous ways to create such a display, but the more stuff you buy the more money you have put into it.  If you make your placements carefully you will have a full basket that shows nicely for a minimal price.  Plus, a basket might be something that you and a friend or work goes in together make.

Let's get started

Supplies:
Basket (easily found at Michael's or a local craft store- keep an eye out for their specials)
1 yard of extra fabric for "fluffing" or tissue paper
Gifts- bath supplies, brushes, spoons, taggies, burp cloths, wash cloths (you get the picture)
1-2 rolls of ribbon to coordinate with theme
Box/cardboard (something to elevate some items)

Take all your purchases and handmade items and lay them out.  You want to put ribbon around small items like the wash cloths or even the spoons.  By laying everything out you know how much room to save for each item.  Do not get a large basket thinking that the larger the better!  Find a basket that might even be a tad to small for all your gifts.  If you spread everything out to far it looks like you don't have enough to fill the basket.

You want to buy items with different textures, shapes and HEIGHTS!!  If everything is the same level in the basket then it isn't interesting.  For example, the ribbon board I have in the back adds color and height, AND gives support to everything in the front.  You could also use a board book or puzzle.

You need to find a somewhat flat box to give you another level in the basket.  If you don't, everything will be way down in the basket and you won't have much of a presentation.  After putting the box/cardboard into the basket cover with your fabric.  Depending on your basket size will determine the amount of fabric, or even tissue if you would rather.

Now it is time to start filling.  Since all your items are laid out just start placing them.  Remember that blankets and burp cloths need some space to be seen since they don't stand on their own.

The taggie is to the front left, burp cloth laying on the board so you can see the applique, spoons adding color to the right with the bath goods, but there is a void front and center.



You stick a BOW in the void!  Notice it blends in because the girl's theme is lavender but the smaller ribbon I used has some "umph" to contribute.

If you have monogrammed gift remember to let the gift receiver see that first off.

Burp Cloth: Baby Shower Triology Part 2

Every new parent needs LOTS of burp cloths.  These are simple to enhance with scraps of fabric and/or ribbon.  You never know when you might see your burp cloth out in public.  Parents tend to use anything available at home to wipe little faces, but there are always a couple of "nice" cloths that make it to the diaper bag for special outings.  Lets make the new parents-to-be something they are proud to carry out.

Supplies:
Cloth diapers (you can purchase 12 for $11 at Walmart or Target- Gerber name brand)
*** there is diaper material at your fabric store if you want to take the time to cut, prefold, and sew down
1/8 yard of fabric
or
Roll of ribbon

Here is what the diaper looks like and the scrap of fabric that I am using.

Cut the fabric to the length plus one inch for turning it under.  Then make the piece 6 inches wide - this includes the extra for the folding under..



I went ahead and ironed the edges.  You need to turn the hem up 1/4-1/2" all the way around.  Then iron the piece in half, so the crease makes a nice envelope for the cloth diaper.  PIN in about four places.  You think that it won't move on you and it will.

See this is a quick, but cute fix to a plain cloth diaper.  NOW, since I have an embroidery machine would embroider the name or applique a design on it. You will add about $10 to the project if you have to take it to the embroidery store.   

Taggie Blankets: Baby Shower Triology Part 1

Taggies..... if you are not familiar with term, it is a sensory toy for infants.  Basically it is a minke fabric, very soft and smooth, on one side, and a cotton on the other.  Babies can feel a texture difference with the two main fabrics, and then you have the ribbons of all sizes and textures around the sides. 

Not to worry I am getting to the how-to part, but first lets discuss prices on these blankets.... $20 at least on Amazon.  These are the not so soft or cute taggies, but if you go to the boutique websites they will run you upwards $60.    Huge difference, but there is a huge quality variance too. 

Now, if you are like me, and wish to take on the challenge of designing one of these creatures you will NOT save any money.  You can not make it for less than $22 plus about an hour of labor.  Here is why...fabric you can buy in smaller portions than a yard, of course, but with the ribbon you have to buy by the rolls.  I have 2 Tupperware containers now full of ribbons, but they come in handy for spur of the moment times.  Yes, Hobby Lobby does offer 50% off almost every other week on the ribbons, but if you have to have the ribbon in a pinch then you have to buy full price.  It does not take a full roll maybe a quarter so you will have plenty for the next project.

One more tidbit on this childhood favorite, the ones at the store are usually only 12 inch square.  I always make mine 18 inch square.  You can use this size to throw over baby in the car seat during colder weather and they have a light toy.

Supplies:
18 inch piece of cotton (you will have to buy 1/2 yard but you can make three out of this piece)
18 inch piece of minke (super soft polyester that washes like a dream)
4-5 rolls of coordinating ribbon (you want varied sizes and textures)
thread
pins
PATIENCE

Cut both pieces of fabric to an 18 inch square.  The minke crawls really bad, so beware when you are cutting.  Cut a little larger than what you need so you can maneuver it later on.

I use a cutting board and rotary cutter for ease on this type of fabric. 
Next lay out your ribbons you want to use for the project.  Cut them to about 6 inches in length.  The store bought ones are usually much shorter than this, but I know E-C loved sticking her finger through and loops.  So, I leave them longer.

Sorry, but you MUST pin all loops into place. I HATE pinning, but you will throw the project in the trash if you miss this step. Both 18 inch pieces must be front sides facing. Then, you sandwich your loops between the two pieces. You must leave about an 1/8 inch sticking up past the edges, the cut sides. This is a precaution that is necessary because the minke crawls when you are sewing it together. Pin every ribbon, checking to make sure as you go to the next loop that all sides are still even.

Off to the sewing machine, say a quick prayer, and start sewing. Start on the second loop in on one side, take a 3/8" seam. You want to sew over the second loop and continue all the way around until you get back to the same side and you have sewn ONLY over the first loop. There will be a gap unsewn between the 1st and 2nd loop. This is where you will turn your project to the right sides, trim your corners for less bulky corner, poke your corners out with a pair of scissors, and top stitch the small gap.



Completed project... Yes, I was making several at a time, if you were wondering why I started with lavender and ended up with planes.  This saves precious time.  Make a couple and put them in the gift drawer for emergencies!!

**Note:  If you are going to embroider a name or initials on the taggie you will need to cut your fabric- I would leave about 24 inch square piece and take the cotton into the embroidery place.  The minke might not give you a great finished piece because it moves so much.  Remember to add on about $10 for the embroidery, but this must be done before you sew it all together.

Ribbon Boards

We have all been trying to save money lately I am sure.  So, since we recently relocated with the Air Force all the rooms in our home need a new look.  How do you do that on a budget?  Well if you are me, I moved six boxes of fabric, and ribbons.   However these little boards wouldn't cost very much to make even if you had to run to the store and buy three half yards of fabric and maybe two different rolls of ribbon.

Supplies:
Artist Canvas  11x14 inches-- I bought these for a dollar at Michael's during a sale (any size or shape works)
Staple gun or glue gun (whatever you have at the house)
3-5 different types of fabric around 1/2 yard each
2-3 rolls of ribbon

These are a few suggestions you can make all three with one fabric turned different directions and some ribbon pleated.  You are the master mind behind this project.

These are going in Emma-Catherine's room, so I used left over fabric from her bumpers and crib skirt.  She has no color left in her room since the bumpers had to come out and the skirt drags the floor now.  Problem fixed and no money spent... well at least today.

Here is what the artist canvas looks like.

Take your first board and wrap the fabric around the edges giving yourself enough extra to turn under and staple or glue.  I did not hem or sew anything.  This is a simple project you are more than likely going to "reupholster" when your darling changes her mind about your color scheme.  Keep it simple!!  I wrapped the corners like a present and then stapled tightly.

My finished board.  The floral print was her bumpers, the stripe was the skirt and the brown dot is now her glider cover.  All of these came from Hobby Lobby, one of my most favorite stores and except for the stripe are all still current options.  E-C does not have a lot of hair right now.  So for the time being I am going to use these as art for her walls not ribbon boards.

All three boards done in less than an hour.  They are fun and whimsical.  Now, I am sure you all have seen the Memo boards where the ribbons criss cross in diamonds.  Some of those retail for $50, the ones that actually have cute backgrounds.  LADIES WOW, You should have been able to buy all your supplies for less than $20 and you stayed home for the night being creative with a glass of wine.  Better yet sounds like a fun girls night in!!

Floral Arranging Fun

So one week later I get back to the grind stone with lots of ideas just waiting to be written about.


First of all you should always be on the look out for beautiful flowers, no matter what.  Well that is my philosophy at least.  While doing the weekly shopping with Emma-Catherine this week at the local grocery I stumbled across some beautiful gladiolus, 7 stems, for $1.99.  Not a chance I was leaving them there, so into the cart they went my mind already turning with ideas for what to do with them.  So I got the baby home, fed and tucked away for the afternoon nap and started my fun.  Here is a step by step tutorial for what to do with that standard pack of grocery flowers.

The perfect summer color.  Almost a Tropical sunset look, lots of orange, peach and yellow.  Lay your flowers out, inspect them for imperfections and take out the less than perfect blooms and foliage.

Next, on the left notice I took off about 3 inches of stem.  This is fine because lots of other people have probably picked them up out of the water buckets at the store.  This guarantees a nice fresh end for lots of ideal water uptake.  Remember, if you are cutting with scissors you want SHARP scissors not something that will "chew" through the stems but give a nice clean cut.  I use a very sharp knife to slice through stems but you pick your favorite cutting device.

Oh the next victim in our yard, the hosta plant!!  As you can see I have bunnies living in the yard so I need to do some trimming not only the angle for my stem cut but nice sharp scissors to trim the rough edges.  The leaf on the right should look more like the leaf on the left after I finish.

 I trimmed all the stems at an angle, flowers and hosta leaves.  I used about 7 hosta leaves to tuck in around the edge of the vase.  The tall flowers go in the center and then just place your foliage around the outside to help keep the flowers from moving.  If you had river rocks or stones for the bottom of the vase that would also help keep the flowers from moving around.

Containers.... Well, what do you have at the house.  This is suppose to be an inexpensive fix for a plain jane table.  So anything from a pilsner glass to a mason jar would work just fine.  I had a taller more cylindrical vase I was able to use.  Proportion wise you would want to have the flowers 2 to 3 times the vase height, as a general rule of thumb.

Then I started playing...

I took a single bloom, found a square votive cup, tied some liriope, another yard plant, in a knot, and made a cute little arrangement.  You could use this at the base of the vase or if you were doing a party use it as a place card holder OR just an individual arrangement for each place setting.

Same type of container, instead of knotting the grass just let it fan out.  Maybe you would use the knotted one for a gentleman's place setting and the simple grass for a lady's.

And  there you have it.  Some fun from the grocery store and all for $2 plus the foliage from our yard.

It took me longer to write about it than actually perform the arranging!!

A Little Background Information

I am a first timer at this method of communication so bear with me as I test out different types of fonts and styles for the blog.

I love design, plain and simple. I went to school for Floral Design at Mississippi State University, Retail Floristry Management to be exact. In that major I took intensive floral design classes and competed in National Competitions. We had a comprehensive curriculum in Art, Horticulture and Interior Design. I finished my educational career as the Florist manager on campus. An intense form of trial by fire!

I started working with floral design as an Intern at the infamous Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC where I designed daily floral arrangements for feature rooms, including the Winter Garden and main dining hall, not to mention working in the gardens and around the estate with large events and weddings. Plus, let's not forget the wonderful Christmas season where over 200 trees and arrangements are displayed for two solid months.

Next, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina where I worked with the number one florist, Tiger Lily, for almost three years as a wedding and event designer. I planned extravagant weddings and events around the Charleston area, downtown, Mt. Pleasant, Seabrook and Kiawah Islands to name a few locations. During my work in Charleston I also had the pleasure of designing arrangements for lovely homes downtown on Battery and Rainbow Rows. The homes were fantastic, but I also enjoyed designing for local restaurants. My work was also featured on The Knot and many other wedding publications.

While at Tiger Lily I also taught Basic Floral Design, Design II, Wedding Flowers, Sympathy Flowers and Advanced Floral Design at Trident Technical College. I loved my three hours each week with my classes. As I taught my students, they brought a new thought process to how I viewed floral design.

I met the love of my life in college, only I didn't know it at the time. I suppose we could all have such a story. We married, moved to Texas, and I became a military spouse. What a long way I had traveled from my beautiful and eventful life in Charleston! I had a new adventure to tackle, real life if you will; deployments, marriage and excitement around every corner. Never a dull moment…just not in the social butterfly type of way.

So here we are four and a half years later. A new town, Little Rock, AR, a new base, a new home, a beautiful little 14-month old daughter, who is the apple of our eye and a new son on the way. (A long way from the place where I started my career.) Every moment has been a blessing and a struggle. The glamour and sparkle of the event world is fantastic, but it is also wonderful to be grounded by my supportive family.

During the years away from the event planning arena I have been coordinating weddings, keeping up with all the latest advances in photography, floral design and event planning themes just waiting for a way back “in” and the time has come.... I AM BACK! Watch out Little Rock.... I am full of energy and new ideas!

The Purpose of my Blog:
I would like to create a fun and informative place where people can acquire great ideas on how to do many things: recipes for parties, floral arrangments, themed party planning, home decor sewing and everything in between. I would like to take it a step further though and teach classes from our home by taking the simple ideas and expanding them into 2 hour class. I will post the class schedule and gauge the responses.  Thank you for the chance to entertain you.