I finally got a little hope this weekend that Spring might actually be coming! I ran 6 miles on the trail (instead of on the treadmill) and it was glorious. I am so ready to get outside again!

I told you at Valentine's that my chairs looked naked after the Christmas wreaths were off the backs of my bar stools, so when I bought my Valentine's wreaths I also picked up these spring wreaths to use for the Easter season. (Please try not to notice the piles of mail, etc. on the counter--I was too lazy to clean it up!) They make my kitchen feel so much sunnier!

I was determined to use a ribbon I had on hand (I have a bit of a ribbon hoarding problem), so I picked this green and white gingham. I wanted pink, but it just didn't feel right with my other decor. The green is a nice pop of spring, I think.


Adding a wreath to the backs of dining chairs or bar stools is such a quick and easy way to decorate for the seasons. These make me smile every time I walk into the kitchen!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

3 Comments

Last weekend I attended a fabulous craft retreat called "An Artsy Weekend" with a very dear friend. It was food for my creative soul. It stretched me and inspired me and I learned a few new tricks. Like how to make goat cheese. And how not to stamp letters backwards in leather (sometimes I learn better by experience). Plus I got to hang with some fabulous people you may know like Rhonna Farrer, Margie Romney-Aslett, Jen from Tatertots and Jello, Tausha of Sassy Style Redesign, Shelley from The House of Smiths, Becki from Whippycake, and other fabulous bloggers, artists, and teachers. It was all put together by the darling Marci Welker of Fallow Field Farm, and yes, I hear she will be doing more of these intimate crafting weekends in the near future! I'll be sure to let you know.


Before the retreat we were asked to make ourselves a name tag. I had just received a pack of Silhouette's Double-Sided Adhesive paper in the mail, so I decided to find a way to use it on mine.

If you haven't used this stuff before, be prepared to get glittery. It is hands down the easiest (and least messy) way to adhere glitter, and the best part is that you can use your Silhouette images to cut custom shapes out of it! I wanted my name to stand out, but instead of glitter I ended up going with these silver micro beads. Here's how:

1. Cut your shape with your Silhouette (or any die cut machine) out of the double-sided adhesive paper.
2. My design did not cut completely through (time for a new blade), but I was glad. With most designs, you would simply remove the yellow backing and place your shape in place. But was hoping to keep the letters of my name spaced and in line, so the fact that they were still connected worked for me! Either way, remove the yellow backing and place where you want your design.
3. Peel the white paper off the front of the shape. In my case, I pressed down on the letters a little and weeded the outside and inside of letters out, leaving the letters of my name centered and in line. Woo hoo!

4. Pour your micro beads or glitter (or flocking or what-have-you) on your image. Press down over image to ensure it sticks well. Dump off the excess and there you are--covered in bling.
I did lose a few beads over the course of the weekend, but all-in-all I was surprised at how well they held on to the adhesive!

For more images of our artsy weekend projects and fun, follow me on Instagram (ID: sybrowsky) and check out #anartsyweekend.

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

2 Comments

Helloooooo! And happy February! Yes, it's been about 6 weeks since my last post, but I have been running a sick ward in my home since before Christmas. From the pukes to the sniffles to double ear infections, someone has been sick (including moi) for weeks on end. On top of that, I lost my camera SD card with SEVERAL project photos on it, so I kind of took a forced hiatus. I think we're on the tail end of the yuckies (with the exception of a lingering cough), so I finally got a chance to start my Valentine's decorating. Beginning with a new Valentine's wreath (sadly, the burlap beauty didn't make the trek from Iowa). I couldn't help but include a little something from the chalkboard craze that is happening right now. Here's a quick tutorial and some fun chalkboard art tips and tricks that you can use for more than just Valentine's!

To get a clean, professional looking text, I cheated by printing my main word out on printer paper. Then I covered the back of the paper (behind the word) with chalk.

Tape your paper in place to ensure it doesn't move while you're working.

Using a pencil, trace the letters on the front of the paper, transferring the chalk on the back to your chalkboard.

Next, remove the paper. The word has been transferred, but it is not as dark or clear as I'd like. So I traced over the text with my stick of chalk.

Another trick for professional looking results: sharpen your chalk to a point. I used the side of a pair of scissors to shave the end of the chalk to a point.

Erase any mistakes with a Q-Tip. I also rubbed some chalk dust around to make my blackboard look more authentic. Then I added some other elements free-hand to pretty it up.


Here is my finished chalkboard--I was going to use it as a wall hanging. . .

. . .until I got working on my wreath.  When it was done it just needed a little something.

Heart Valentine's Wreath Supplies:
*Heart grapevine wreath
*Silk flowers, I used pink hydrangeas and peonies
*Burlap ribbon
*Craft or floral wire and wire cutters

Originally I wanted to cover this wreath with hydrangeas, but I couldn't justify the cost for that many hydrangea picks, even at wholesale. So I chose five flowers and bunched a few at the bottom and a couple more on the opposite side.

Remove the stems and wire the flowers onto the grapevine wreath. 

I made a big 10-loop bow with my burlap ribbon (it is wired ribbon, which makes shaping it much easier) and wired it to the top of the wreath. 

I added my chalkboard sign with wire as well. If you need something to attach the wire to, try hammering picture hanging hardware to the back. 

And that's it! I hung my wreath with a 3M Command Strip hanger, which is totally removable and won't hurt my door. 

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

17 Comments

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

54 Comments

But with laundry and homework and workouts and grocery shopping and getting ready for a trip to Chicago later this week, I haven't had a chance to edit/upload/blog pictures of some of my recent projects, including my teacher appreciation gifts. Sorry about that. Does anyone else feel like the days are getting shorter the older we get? Who can I talk to about that?

It was nice to have a little girl time to chat and help Kalli & Lori with a crafty gift for Mother's Day. Kalli had an ingenious idea. She had Lori create custom labels for these yummy hand soaps she found for only a buck at Bed, Bath & Beyond, including the name of the scent and a Happy Mother's Day message.

Lori used some of the same art she used for these beautiful Mother's Day printable cards to create the labels. Lori and Kalli are both pros on the digital scene. They often use graphics found at Graphics Fairy (one of my favorite free vintage graphic sites--see my image transfer tea towels using her graphics here), or purchased from designers like Rhonna Farrer.

Here's where the brilliant part comes in. How do you keep a custom label on a soap bottle from bleeding when it gets wet (and it will get wet)? Packing tape! First remove the label from the soap bottle. (If it leaves a sticky residue, use a little CitriSolv and a paper towel to remove it.) Place the printed and cut label (printed on plain type paper) print-side down on the sticky side of a piece of clear packing tape, then place it on the front of the soap bottle. Now it's protected from water damage and looks totally professional. And crazy easy--why didn't I think of that? Kalli--such a smarty pants.
Top it all off with a little tulle and ribbon and you have a quick, easy, and inexpensive gift for hostesses, teachers, moms, thank yous, etc. that will really be appreciated. Just my kind of gift.

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

5 Comments

First, a little money-saving tip when using candy in a table display. I wanted to fill this simple vase with Valentine M&Ms, but at $3.50 a bag, I didn't want to buy more than 2. So I used this little trick to "fill" my vase on a budget.
Supplies:
*Glass vase, bowl, or apothecary jar
*Favorite holiday candy
*Glass cup that will fit inside your glass container with room on all sides
*Optional: ribbons and trinket to dress up your jar



3. To dress it up, add decorative ribbon, ric rac, baker's twine, etc. around the center of the container. I also tied on a little mercury glass heart ornament from my Christmas decorations.When it gets closer to Valentine's, I'll remove the cup and let my kids eat the candy. But for a few weeks they know it is strictly decorative (my husband is the only one who doesn't seem to follow that rule--grrr!). 

Now for the free Valentine's subway art! This free (for a limited time) Valentines Day subway art comes again from our friend Lori of SisterSecrets. You may remember the Christmas subway art she offered to our readers last month--isn't she sweet? It's now in her Etsy shop. You can get the Valentine's subway art printable here while it's free! And for more fun stuff (like her Abundant Life printable subway art), check out the Sister Secrets Etsy shop!
You may notice I kept my Christmas table runner out (doilies are totally Valentines, right?) and even reused the frame from the Christmas subway art. I'm all about making it easy! But I did make a new paper pennant bunting to hang across the front that matches the colors in the printable. Love it! Thanks, Lori!

share this on »

{Facebook}

{Twitter}

{Pinterest}

13 Comments