Chevron accent wall

I had this crazy idea!  I have been thinking and planning for about a month now.  So, I finally did it! 

I painted a chevron wall in my office. 

First, I used a piece of graph paper to figure out what size I wanted the stripes.  I decided I wanted large 18 inch stripes.   Then I chose the color.   (peaceful grey by Behr) 

I did some research and saw a blog where the couple painted a chevron wall and used a chalk line.  They could not get the chalk line to fully go away after painting and cleaning though.   (I cannot remember where I found it so I can’t properly refer you to it, sorry)  I tried to find paintable chalk but could not find any.  So, I had to improvise. 

 My solution was to  make a string grid by putting lines of string up making 18 inch squares using thumb tacks and black string.  It would have been much easier with a chalk line, but since I didn’t want the mess, and ghost lines of chalk- this worked. 

Next, we taped from corner to corner to make the chevron.

* One thing to remember if you decide you want to do this is: think about your tape placement.  I used the existing wall color as my alternate stripe which means the stripe that I painted needed to be taped above the line, and the part that wasn’t painted the tape overlapped onto the unpainted stripe- I really don’t think that made sense…basically, if you want an 18” stripe you need to make sure your tape line is not in your area you would be painting.  If you notice, it looks like there are two sizes of stripes when it is taped off but once the tape is removed, you see it is 18 inches per stripe. 

I stopped at our local Sherwin Williams and got a whole bunch of information from them.  I learned a fantastic tip! Ready?  If you are painting and need a great line, splurge on the green frog tape.  It seems like regular tape but- the real tip is this: use a damp washcloth and wipe along all the tape.  The tape is made to expand and adhere to the wall when the paint hits it which keeps any paint from seeping through.  So,  if you wet it first, it works even better.   It worked perfectly for me!

Once painted, I removed the tape and marveled at our work.  (my husband helped)

Then I almost started to cry…

I hate the color!  It is grey but it looks lavender in the sunlight.  I thought it was me.  Maybe it’s just me?!  Maybe it’s because I just didn’t love the color?!  So, I ask the first person to ring the doorbell.  The poor neighbor boy could sense he was in a rough situation.  I said: “What color does it look like to you?” He responded: “purple/lavender.”  I almost started to cry so he quickly says:: “You did a great job!”

Oh well, you live and learn. 

The biggest lesson I learned?  I will not use Behr paint ever again.  I have not had success in the past but the Home Depot paint guy was so sure I would love it.  I should have stuck with my gut on that one.   The paint was horrible.  THREE COATS and it was only covering a very light tan base color.  Unbelievable.  Not only that, it is not a smooth looking paint job.  Just my advice, so feel free to use Behr if you are brand loyal to them.  I just recommend using another brand.  

A second lesson:  do a test color!  Always!

It’s starting to grow on me so I’m not sure if I am going to repaint or not.  We shall see!

Dawn

Lucky

                    

       I’m Lucky To Have You

I rarely decorate for St. Patrick’s Day.  I think about it but just don’t have much to put out.  I think some of the décor is just a little too- hmmm…what word to use?  Ummm…too metallic/crazy green? (A little Wizard of Oz Emerald City-ish???)  I just don’t want a whole lot of crazy going on on my counters and tables.  A little goes a long way in my humble opinion.  When I saw this cute green frame at Hobby Lobby the other day I thought it would be a perfect little splash of green on my desk and a little reminder to my hubby that he is appreciated.

The frame was already green so all I had to do was find a font I liked and print up the saying.  I put it in the frame and was done.  Just a quick, little project.  No painting or anything! 

You could easily make this for someone special and give as a gift. 

I have a lot of people ask me how to do ribbons like this.  It’s really super easy.  I just tie the main ribbon around the item, then, I find 3-6 different ribbons to stack.  I use the largest one as a base.  Cut to your desired length and trim the edges neatly.  Do the same with each ribbon getting slightly shorter as you go.  Cinch the ribbon in the middle and use the ribbon you tied around your gift to tie a knot around the cinched ribbon.  That’s it! I like to use wired ribbon for the large ribbons and some organza ribbon in the mix.  Glitter ribbon is the best! (I really like glitter- a lot)  I think it is hard to find good glitter ribbon that is pliable sometimes. 

Hope you have a “lucky day”!

Dawn

Favors!

Party favors

The kids got their “swag” buckets after the party. They were very practical. {for a rock star} 

I got the purple buckets and silver shreds at the dollar store.  The zebra ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

The contents were:

Popcorn

Grape Crush

Pen

Bubbles

Pop Rocks

Ring Pop

I put a tag explaining the contents of the buckets on the popcorn and tied it with a purple glittery tulle bow that also held the pen and bubbles.

Here is the tag I stuck to the popcorn.

Rock star survival kit.

Now that you are “soda” “pop”ular

And people “pop” up with a photo of you,

You will need an autograph pen,

and some glamorous, yummy jewelry. 

Don’t forget your Rock Star bubbles

for any special appearances!

Thank you for coming to my Rock Star

Party! Love, Olivia

The outer tag was tied on with a zebra ribbon.  I printed the tag on vellum paper and backed it with grey polk a dot cardstock.  The bucket was wrapped in cellophane.

Seeing Stars!

Seeing Stars!!!

The party is over and the videos made.  It went great!

The party began with a whole lot of girls running wild getting their glow bracelets and necklaces on.  Once all the girls were here and the party started we divided up into 3 groups.  The girls went to “stations” to get make up, nails, and hair done.  Once they were glammed up, they put on a rock star jacket, glitter star sunglasses, and a pink feather boa.  They each picked a song to make a rock video to.  It was so stinkin’ cute.  They were adorable!

I was lucky enough to have A LOT of help.  My husband, sister, sister in law and friend saved the day! Thanks so much!!!

Decorations were pretty basic.  Of course we had the stage.  I also painted a table to match the stage to serve as a nail station.  I was concerned about having 5 and 6 year olds near nail polish so I decided to make a polish board.  More on that in a minute.

The table was set.  I used IBC cream soda bottles (we drank a lot of cream soda lately) filled with pink lemonade and tied with a tulle bow.  I inserted my favorite paper straws behind the bow and put them on the table. 

The nail polish board was just a board I had the Home Depot cut for me that I painted black.  I used my glue gun to put a bit of glue on the bottom of each polish bottle and stuck it to the board.  It worked perfectly.  The girls could see their choices and we did not have any spills!  Hooray!

All in all it was a successful party.  The girls had fun and that is what it is all about!

Rock Star Stage

Rock star stage

What was the curtain for?  As promised, here is the big reveal. 

 The Rock Star party is coming together.  I talked my husband into making me a stage for the kids to make music videos on and I painted it Rock Star pink.  I added some zebra stripes,  (using black acrylic paint) and there you have it! I’m getting so excited to see what these cute girls do when their inner rock star comes out and they make their music videos!  More pics and party info soon!

Dawn

How to make a backdrop

I needed a backdrop with some color and that looked like a curtain. 

What to do?  I pulled out one of my “party tricks” and a glue gun and here it is!  A backdrop made with plastic tablecloths.  I have done this in the past for a few things and it is quick, easy, and colorful.  (and super cheap!)

(past parties I used tablecloths for decor)

Just buy as many tablecloths as you need (look at the measurements on the package and divide the smallest measurement by half because you will scrunch it on the tension rod. 

Which brings me to the next step.  I had to buy a tension rod because my other one is currently holding a million rolls of ribbon.  (They are really handy to have around) So either use a rod you already have or you can get one for really cheap at Walmart.

 Grab your handy glue gun and a couple of glue sticks and fold over one edge of the tablecloth.  Lift the edge  enough to spread glue under and press the fold down to create a rod pocket just like a curtain.  Make sure your glue gun is on LOW!  It is too hot for the plastic on high.  Watch your fingers too- I don’t want anyone getting burned.  It takes a couple of minutes to cool. 

Just place on the rod and there you have it.  A colorful backdrop.  Wonder what I’m using it for?  I will show you tomorrow.  It is pretty “wild”!

Dawn

Party like a ROCK STAR!

   Rock Star Party!

I've been busy  planning a Rock Star party for my soon to be 6 year old daughter.

I came up with a quick and easy invite I thought I would share.

First, I bought star shaped glitter sunglasses. They can be found here.

I had my daughter pose (like the Diva she is-yep, she picked that pose herself)

for some pictures with the star shaped glitter sunglasses on.

Then I used a photo editing program to type the party details on the photo.

I had them printed and placed them in a cellophane bag.

I also put a pair of sunglasses in each bag and folded and taped it closed.

I tied a zebra striped ribbon (found at Hobby Lobby) around the bag.

Voila! Done!

More details and pictures of the Rock Star Party to come...


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It’s Almost Valentines Day!

It's almost Valentine's day!  

Are you ready?  If you're like us and are not ready yet, here are some links and free printables to help get you ready in no time at all! 

Heart milk cubes! 

So cute, easy, and fun for Valentine's breakfast.

http://asubtlerevelry.com/heart-milk-cubes

Free Valentine's printables.

(Don't forget how easy it can be to send your print job to the UPS Store and just pick it up all printed on cardstock or plain paper.  I never have just plain white cardstock when I need it!  Just call your local UPS store to get their email address and send them a quick email with the file attachment and details of your order!)

Printable treat bags.

http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2011/01/treat-bags.html

Hard to find cute boy Valentine's?  Here are a few that are awesome! (did I say "cute" boy Valentine's? Yeah- they go together...on Love day anyway!) 

http://www.dandee-designs.com/2012/02/love-bug-valentines.html 

http://thirtyhandmadedays.com/2011/01/valentines-day-i-wheelie-like-you/

and my favorite...

http://www.designmom.com/2010/02/im-wild-for-you-valentine/

More Valentine's printables?  Yeah, I've got more...as a gesture of my love for y'all!

http://www.box.com/s/apvqj9foavpl9siy0gmb and this http://www.box.com/s/la4zmu3k0xth0pl67yvz

courtesy of this blog:-http://bethproudfoot.blogspot.com/ 

http://www.livinglocurto.com/2011/01/iphone-valentine-free-printable/ 

http://www.lovefromtheoven.com/free-printables/

http://eabdesigns.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/01/a-valentine-download-from-me-to-you.html

Need a cupcake topper?  

Here is a cute free printable!

http://anythingbutperfect.com/2011/01/free-printable-valentine-party-circles/

Thank you to our fellow bloggers out there for posting fun stuff! Hope this helps you pull something together quickly! Enjoy!  

How to host a party with less than $100.00- and put it together in 1 day!!

How to host a party with less than $100.00- and put it together in 1 day!!

can it be done? Absolutley!  Let me tell you how this little shin dig came in WAY under budget and almost overnight!

Let me start by saying this party is not my typical party- I usually spend a small fortune and plan for months about what I am going to do.  I had party ideas coming out my ears for this party but I just couldn't get into the party mode for some strange reason!!  So, the night before the party I was scrambling with my mom, sister, and sister in law to get things together. 

 Here is what I did:

The party was a "late night- pretend sleepover- pajama party- movie night" with a dessert table/movie theater concession stand.  My daughter wanted her friends to sleepover, but I thought they were too young for that.  The age ranges were 5-9 with mostly 5 and 6 year olds.

For the invitations-

I purchased Starburst candy boxes at Wal Mart for each invitation for $.98 each and covered the front and back with patterned paper.  I covered all of the boxes with 4 sheets of paper (paper I already had).  I glittered (using glitter I already had) the edge of the party info and attached to the candy box.  I wrapped a tulle (already had) bow around the box/invitation and had the kids deliver them. 

On the dessert table we had.... 

Popcorn (extra butter of course)  $2.00

Candy boxes (Starburst, Reese's Pieces, and Twizzlers) $.98 each (10 boxes)

M&M's $2.50

Hershey's Kisses $2.00

Cookies and Cream Hearts $1.88

Heart shaped marshmallows $1.25

Now and Laters $2.00

Sprinkle donut holes $2.50

White chocolate covered pretzels $2.00

Licorice $1.68

Gummy Bears $4.00 (large bag)

Water bottles $2.00

Cake in a jar $1.34 (per cake mix, we used 3. I made cream cheese frosting at approximately $3.00..unsure of cost because I had everything to make it. I also used jars my mom already had.)

Chewy Lemon Heads $.98 (1 box divided up into smaller portions and placed in glassine bags which were $.02 each)

Cake in the Jar, prior to baking. 

A top view of the cake in the Jar all frosted and sprinkled up! 

All complete with Tulle and a spoon! 

I used dishes and a tablecloth that I already had, for the treat table.  I also used a white gift box with a ribbon that I already had, wrapped around and tied in a knot to elevate the gummy bears and to help the table look "finished" and complete, to my satisfaction. 

I used fold over sandwich bags and ribbon I had in my ribbon stash to make individual serving size bags of gummy bears.  I just cut the top off to look more like a cellophane bag would.

I used tulle I already had to wrap around the cake jars and inserted a plastic spoon.

I purchased cellophane bags ($2.00 for 25) to put the popcorn in and then placed in a paper sack ($.02 each) to avoid grease marks on the paper bags.  Then I cut a few sheets of patterned tissue paper into smaller rectangles and stuffed in the top of the popcorn sacks to look like a gift bag. 

I bought 3 pieces of patterned paper and cut into 2 inch strips to wrap around the water bottles.  I also punched scalloped circles in coordinating colors and adhered them to the Now and Laters just to cutesy them up a bit.

I bought 10 pink buckets at the dollar store and 2 packages of cute patterned tissue paper ($1.47 each) from Wal Mart.  I put one piece of tissue paper in each bucket for the kids to put their goodies in.  That way they could take their treats to the "theater" and munch while watching the movie.

We watched a movie, ate goodies, had cake ($18.00) and ice cream ($4.00) ($3.00 for plates and napkins)- the kids could choose to eat cake in a jar or the actual birthday cake but they all chose the cake in a jar.

The party favors were a large swirly lolly pop ($.50 each) and a candy shaped body glitter (on sale after Christmas for 50% off $.50 each) put upside down in a cellophane bag and tied with a ribbon.  (Upside down so they looked more like a lolly pop when held right side up.) I also purchased a Hot Wheels car ($1.00) and a green bucket for the only boy that attended the party.

The kids also got to take home their goody buckets filled with any treats leftover.

I can't take credit for everything as I am lucky to have a very helpful husband who did the shopping, the cleaning and watched the kids so I could have a girls night to get the party stuff done the night before.  I also have a spectacular mom, sister, sister in law and friend who helped with putting it all together.  They do not have a measurable price!

All in all my total comes to $94.45 plus tax and that includes EVERYTHING! (if my math is right that is!)

Can't complain and neither can my hubby! 

XOXO,     Dawn

Lets go to the movies - TAKE 2

Just some more fun, close up pics of the party... thought i would post! My last post was lengthy enough!

XOXO, Jan

Lets Go to the Movies

       I love to plan parties. I don't know what it is that is so enthralling about it, but I get so excited! I love creating and making a party look fun and not super commercialized. To me, decorations are what helps the guests get into the party spirit and have fun. Something about the theme, colors, food spreads, etc. It's so exciting. 

      My sweet friend Aimee was kind enough to let me help her plan and decorate for her Daughters 12th Birthday. The theme of the event was "Movie Night".. However, no movies were watched. Originally the girls were going to split up into two groups and make movies, then we would get back together and watch them. The plan strayed a bit. With 15 girls, and lots of events planned, things went off track. 

      Aimee and I spent about three days on this party. Planning, brainstorming ideas, shopping, gathering supplies, dreaming up ideas for tags and food tents, creating, decorating and baking. Along with our daily duties of Mamas and wives... We planned it just right and pulled it off with time to shower. It consumed our lives, but totally worth it. 

       One thing we did was prepared the gift bags the day before. They ended up perfect. We got popcorn boxes here, then grabbed theater size boxes of candy, microwave popcorn and bottles of Crush and IBC rootbeer at Walmart. Of course we went into Wally world, not online. We stuffed a little tissue paper in the bottom of the boxes to give them some height, wrapped them in cellophane, and tied with a cute bow with ribbon also purchased at Walmart. Aimee's Mr. Wonderful designed some labels for us on Photoshop. He did awesome!

The gift box for the girls! LOVE IT! 

Gift boxes displayed! A decor piece in itself! 

Our Dessert table was a Sundae Bar, with of course other options! Oreo truffles, cake bites... never enough sugar.  The food tents were also created by Aimee's Mr. Wonderful. We used a piece of Red fabric I had and draped it over  set of white lights (Hence the sparkles under the fabric).. we used some bling bead necklaces  purchased at our local dollar tree. 8 necklaces for $1. Gold and Silver.  Cant beat that! Add them to the party collections! 

And yet, another view. 

Toppings (Crushed up candy bars, and skittles) all requested by the birthday girl! Chalboard sheet square used for the sign.  

Another View of the Sundae Bar

Close up of the cake bites and the lights

We made cupcakes in red and silver foil wraps. Frosted White , with Mini Marshmellows put on and painted with yellow food coloring mixed with water to look like popcorn. Aimee saw this idea on pinterest and I am not sure who to give credit to (I apologize to the creator out there)..  I placed the Wilton cupcake stand on a box that was placed under the red fabric. 

The Beverage station! We used more red fabric to drape over a Painting already hanging. The  tinsel was purchased at Dollar tree after Christmas. Worked great with our "Movie" theme. The production sign was found at Zurcher's, along with the hanging stars. The tickets were also found at Zurchers. We filled her apothecary jar and tied a cute striped ribbon up top. I used a box (i think it was a shoe box) to give the height of the production sign. I placed the box down, then draped over some gold shimmer fabric i had on hand. I placed the cake stand under the fabric also, prior to putting Aimee's new Pottery Barn Drink Dispenser on. The popcorn box is plastic, found from Target's Famous $1 section, stuffed with Tissue paper. . We invested in some Star String Lights found at Zurcher's. They are gold and silver stars! It looked amazing ! We used mason jars for the drinks and pre-made the guests name on a label printed on photo paper. We decided that if they were labeled it would prevent mix-ups! Brilliant idea! Each mason jar had the label tied on with Martha Stewart's Bakers twine, also found at Zurcher's! I love that stuff! I want every color! We used black napkins and rolled the Cutlery in it and tied with a piece of twine. And of course we had to add the vintage red/white paper straws!  I used some tickets to set on the station to pull the red through, and we tied a cute grosgrain ribbon around the jar. I tossed on some silver package curly's found at Dollar Tree, 3 for $1. 

The Concession Stand! We had popcorn, make-your-own pizza station, nachos, and chocolate chip cookies here. We found the oversize polkadot balloons at Zurcher's! These are a must for every party! They look amazing with all the decor. They tie everything together. We used Dawn's gold and red Chargers for the girls to carry their plates on with their goodies and completed pizzas. We had them just plop where they could find a chair, couch, floor, etc. 

Pizza ingredients... Sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Pizza  tent printed on  Photo paper, of course. I  loved the shiny look with the "Movie" Theme party! 

Licorice place in a square glass vase I had on hand.  Grosgrain striped ribbon found at our local Walmart, with the licorice tag. OF course i used my big shot (from Stampin' Up) to cut out the scallop circle.

Concession sign made out of foam board, painted black and  Letter stickers that were shiny found at the local Dollar Tree. I taped colored tongue depressors (found at Walmart) to the edges, intending to do something else, but decided it would be more flattering to hang from the ceiling. I taped the gold stars to it last minute to tie in the star theme.  I tied the balloons to a glass candlestick, also found at the local Dollar Tree, wrapped with Red Tulle and a gold star added to it!

The tablescape was a simple white tablecloth , draped over some boxes from the pantry for height. I Made a Movies Sign with foam board, black paint, yellow cardstock and block letters run off on the big shot from Stampin' up. I thumb-tacked it to a gold glittery cone I picked up at Dollar tree at Christmas time. I picked up the star clappers at Dollar tree at New Years. Again, another useful decoration.  I love getting versatile use out of things.
I used more package curly's to drape on the table. I purchased them in gold and silver. Aimee created a cupcake stand out of a clear glass candlestick and hot-glued a candle holder plate to the top. She painted it using  a spray paint (Krylon Fusion for plastic -gloss)  purchased from Walmart. She took a shallow box and set it in, and sprayed it in her cold storage room of her basement. (Since it is freezing cold this time of year).  The problem we discovered using spray paint, is it takes numerous coats and drying time in between to get to the color you want. The benefit, on the other hand, is that you can achieve just the right color your looking for by spraying it. Versus, using acrylic paint and sponge painting it. I set the roll of tickets in the middle on top of the box and placed my 3D"Camera" made from cardboard boxes, and X-acto knife, black duct tape, hot glue, mason jar lids, yellow sticky-back felt and yellow cardstock. I LOVED the way it turned out! Made for a fun centerpiece underneath the cascading balloons and stars! I draped gold tinsel around the centerpiece and intertwined red tulle purchased in a small role at Walmart. It tied it all together. 

The other end of the table had another plastic popcorn bucket with tissue, a star clapper, and a directors megaphone Aimee found at Zurchers. The balloons were hung very carefully. lol... Aimee and I did this for the Mario Party we did (which will come in a future post). We learned that they sway a lot, but still look cool. Aimee read somewhere on Pinterest that you can put a marble in them and they wont sway. So we tried it, and the balloons all seemed to deflate by pinholes. I am still not quite sure what happened. We will work on that issue for future parties. This is something you can do a couple days before the party, which i would suggest, because this is very time consuming. You blow up each balloon, tie it, and we used a piece of elastic, clear, stretchy jewelry cord found at Walmart for $2. We tied a strand of Jewelry cord between two barstools, and individually tied balloons at varying lengths, Then we hung the whole strand of balloons. I think we did a total of five strands in this particular picture. Then we hung Gold Stars (Cardboard) found at Zurchers to jewelry cord and tied them to the ends of the balloons. This cute back on the length of cord we used. You could also use Fishing line, thread, etc. I liked the jewelry cord because of the flexibility. I tied the ends of the table cloth to the table legs with the red and white striped Grosgrain ribbon. I even taped a di-cut film strip I found in my stash to the big Center Star. You can see that we did this all in Aimee's Kitchen. The beverage station in the back, the concession stand above her counter, and to the right (not pictured) is the counter with the Sundae Bar. 

Another View..

I tied three blown balloons together with jewelry cord and put them in each corner of the windows . This helped to tie in the family room and the kitchen. They have a perfect wall for a photo booth. We took the same red fabric, pinned it to the wall, added all the Gold stars we found at Zurcher's. (They came in a package of 12 for $0.99, and they are re-usable). I used that blue sticky goo to put them on the fabric. Worked great. We had a basket with all kinds of silly props. WE took pics of the girls and emailed them (Or their parents) the photos. So FUN! Next time around, maybe a fun sign that says PHOTO BOOTH????

This is the opposite wall of the photo booth and it just needed something. So I used a popcorn container, tied the balloons to one of those clear candlesticks, and stuck it in the popcorn box. I stuffed a little tissue paper around it, and TA-DA... great center piece. 

This is was on the entry table. These balloons were so much fun to incorporate into the party  decor. I tied these to a star balloon holder found at Dollar Tree, draped some gold Tinsel around it..

As I am posting this, I am realizing there are some pics I am missing. A Directors front door sign I created, to greet the guests, and a few others..  I hope i didnt miss taking a picture of them.
We had a lot of fun planning, decorating and creating this. The girls did a craft, played a couple games, made pizza, presents, made sundaes, and of course a WII dance party.... Michael Jackson Experience is a phenomenal game, as well as Just Dance 2!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment, email us at craftyandweknowit@gmail.com or visit our facebook page!

XOXO,       Jan