St. Patrick's Day Mantel

Happy St. Patrick's Day eve friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I enjoyed a great weekend with my family and friends. Weekends just go by too fast! In honor of St. Patrick's Day tomorrow I thought I would share with you my fireplace mantel. 

Mother's Day Picture Frame

I can't believe Mother's Day is this coming weekend! This month is already flying by! I have been so busy with our outdoor clean up that I almost completely forgot. This year I wanted to give the mothers in my life something that comes from the heart. I had seen these flower pot picture frames around Pinterest a few years ago and decided to make them for my mom and mother-in-law using the grandchildrens' pictures.  

I found these itty bitty terracotta pots at the Dollar Tree about a month ago. I had no clue what I was going to do with them. I tend to buy things because they are cute and cheap. I am glad I did buy them because they were perfect for this project!

I also had bought these styrofoam 2" balls there for another project that I never got around to. They just happened to fit perfectly in the tiny terracotta pots

I then had these green wooden sticks that somebody was giving away for free at work. I think they might have been used for planters? They were perfect for my project. I just pushed the stick into the styrofoam to create the stem. 

I used my Cricut to cut out the flowers for the pictures, you could probably find a flower pattern or use stencils to create a flower if you don't have a die cut machine.

Once the flower has been cut out you can trace your picture to fit the flower frame. You will need to leave a little extra of the picture so you can glue it to the flower. If it's cut exactly to the size of the flower you won't be able to attach the picture to anything. 

Once you have your picture glue to the flower you can take glue the flower to the stem (stick).

I then used some basket box and bag shred from the Dollar Tree to cover up the styrofoam ball.

Once you have you that all done you can decorate the terracotta plant however you want. I used a little Kraft paper and some ribbon for mine.

I think these would also be cute for a wedding shower, you can use the groom and bride's engagement picture. Or maybe for a party you can use them at table cards. The possibilities are endless. I hope the moms in my life like it! 

Do you have any special projects you are working on for the moms in your life? 

I am linking to:

House of Hepworths
Serenity Now
Debbie Doos

Dollar Tree Shamrock

Now, that we have Valentine's day under our belts I have been itching to get my St. Patty's Day decor out. I found a cute shamrock at the Dollar Tree this past weekend. I didn't know what I was going to do with it when I bought it, but I was thinking spray paint or Mod Podge. Well, since it has been so cold out I can't spray paint anything so out came the Mod Podge. I thought it would be fun to do a little tutorial for you. This is a super easy and cheap way of decorating because I only used what I had on hand.

This is picture of the shamrock when it came straight out of the bag. It has a beautiful picture of Ireland (I assume).  It's not a bad looking shamrock but I think it could use a little help! 

The first thing I did was I cut off the green ribbon as well as the tags. Don't get too crazy with cutting of the ribbon because you are going to need that later (remember we are using what we already have).  I then picked out some green polka dot paper that I had on hand from forever ago. I traced the shamrock onto the paper and create a template to cut.

 I then glued my shamrock paper cut-out onto the Dollar Tree shamrock. It is probably best to use spray adhesive, used a roller tape to adhere the paper to the shamrock. 

I then brushed the Modge Podge on top of the shamrock (I used a small foam brush, but any brush would work). I wanted to use Modge Podge to give it more of a sheen look. Did you know Modge Podge comes in different finishes? I prefer the matte finish.

I did have to go back and dab a little hot glue around the edges after the Mod Podge dried. That's why I think spray adhesive might be a little better to use in this project.

I wanted to create a banner across the shamrock that said "Lucky" for St. Patty's day. I had alphabet, rubber stamps that I had bought from Hobby Lobby a few years back. I am sure you can something like these at any craft store.

I found some burlap color scrapbook paper in my stash and decided to use that for the banner. I first stamped a spot on the paper and created a triangle around it. I used this as my template for the rest of the letters. I would just cut this one out and trace it for the rest of the letters and then stamp. Stamping on a full sheet of paper is easier then stamping on an itty bitty piece. You might have already known that, but just in case.

I arranged my "Lucky" letters to my liking on the shamrock and then hot glued them down and added some buttons (each color of the rainbow) and twine. 

I also glued back that little green ribbon to use for a hanger.

And here is the finished project, I thought it turned out pretty cute for $1.07 (gotta include the tax). :)

I am linking to:

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday Party
DIY Show Off Party
Home Stories A to Z: Tutorials and Tips Party
House of Hepworths
Fireflies and Jellybeans
We are That Family
Tater Tots and Jello
Skip to my Lou
Or So She Says
A Glimpse Inside
Debbiedoo's
Diana Rambles
Mom 4 Real

My Vintage Valentines

Wow, two posts in one day! With Valentine's Day being only two days away I thought I would post some pictures of my decorations. You might not know this about me but I like old, vintagey decorations. Oh, wait what am I talking about...I love all vintage things.

I found  these vintage Valentine cards at an antique mall that were surprisingly cheap (no more than $2.00 a piece). I had bought the twine and the hearts from the Dollar Tree.  The hearts were actually garland that was hooked together.  I took the hearts off the Dollar Tree garland and added them to my garland.  I had some red fabric scraps that I tied around the bows and bought the tiny clothes pins from Wal-Mart in the craft section. I added the garland to a shelf in my daughter's bedroom. I love decorating her room as well as the rest of the house with holiday stuff.

The little girl is my favorite, she kind of reminds me of my little girl!

I thought the light above our kitchen sink could use a little love. I got the doily, heart and twine idea from Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy with her mason jar decorations. You can use double sided tape to make the doily and heart stay and then wrap it in twine.

 

A little mason jar sitting by my favorite Valentine!

These mason jars have some kind of lights in them from October to February. I usually put orange lights in them during the fall months. The hearts are the garland from the Dollar Tree.

This little white dish was a Goodwill find from my last visit. I bought a bag of sparkly hearts from Wal-Mart and filled the bowl. I thought it was a nice pop of color for the little bowl. 

Do you like vintage decorations as much as I do? :)

I am linking to:

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Party

Southern Savvy Style: Wow Us Wednesdays

House of Hepworths

Tatertots and Jello: Weekend Wrap Up Party