Sometimes I find myself walking into a restaurant, bar, department store or even hotel room and find myself in awe with the decor. So much that I actually want to take some of the ideas and incorporate them in my own home. This morning I was in a cafe and I sat in this little nook waiting for my order to be ready. Isn’t it the cutest? Well, now I have that itch to mimic this area.
I took on the task of making the centerpieces for my brother-in-laws “life” party over the weekend. I really wanted to do something simple that incorporated the beach. I also wanted to keep it cheap. I think I did a pretty good job.
Step 1
Take Vellum paper and print whatever picture you’re going to use. Make sure to measure the container that you’re using. I printed my pictures a 4″x 4″ size. I was able to print 4 pictures on one paper @ $1 a paper.
Step 2
Decorate the rim of the cylinder. This is optional but makes a big difference. I used ti leaf to go with the theme of the party.
Step 3
Put the picture in the container. I do this before filling the container. I printed my picture in black and white, but I think color would be beautiful too.
Step 4
Fill your container and add a tea light. I filled mine with sand, but if it were for a girl I think some plastic beads would be pretty.
So as it turns out my sister is throwing me a Baby “Sprinkle”. How cute is that? Basically it’s a party where guest “sprinkle” the mom with gifts, usually necessities instead of “showering” them with the big gifts. This is perfect because being a 4th time mom I really didn’t want a shower at all, but it’s been 7 years since I had my daughter and my sister thought there were some things that I could use to cut back expenses. I think she wanted to make it a surprise, but after me announcing “don’t throw me a shower” she was a little forced to tell me. She said that she pretty much told all the guest to bring diapers. Hahaha that’s actually perfect!
Because I’m not expecting anyone to buy the more expensive items I’ve been slowly starting to pick things up. So far I’ve gotten my crib (actually a play yard), stroller and diaper bag.
I prefer play yards to cribs. They’re so much more convenient! I went with the Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard with Reversible Napper and Changer. With the wheels I’m able to move it from room to room and it even comes with a travel case so that I can take it with me when we go places like gram’s house or even the beach or park. I also love that it has a little reversible napper and changer. I am able to just flip that little cushion napper and the other side is water proof for diaper changing.
We had a hard time deciding between a stroller frame that fits various car seats or a travel system. We settled on the travel system. After struggling between 3 that we really liked we settled on this one. The things we liked about it…
My Kalencom Disco Dots Laminated Diaper Bag! OMG don’t you love this bag?! I’ve wanted this bag since I first started looking at diaper bags. They’re a little pricey but I pretty much will be using it as a purse as well, so I don’t feel bad about the splurge. The hardest part was picking the print that I wanted, they have so many cute prints, but I ended up going with this one. It took me so long to purchase it because they are not sold in stores so I had to order it online and like almost everything shipping is only free in the “continental” U.S. Boo!!!! It costs $90 for the bag and shipping to Hawaii is $35! Crazy huh? Luckily I found that I could order through Bed, Bath and Beyond and on their site I found the free shipping option! So I should be receiving it any day now. I’m so excited.
There are a few more things that I need to pick up on my own. But they’re little things that I don’t really need right now so I’ll probably grab what I need after my “Sprinkle”
Check out these cute cocktail invites. How fun are they?!
Via 100 Layer Cake
Beautiful edible flower popsicles. Perfect for a Bridal Shower
These are so so cheap and easy to make. A cute addition to any candy buffet.
Lavender Bath Salts. Such a pretty personalized gift.
Via Lia Griffith
Definitely planning to make these for my little nieces. So cute for a little girls tea party.
Via Cute as a Fox
Can you think of a better way to get kids to eat their fruits? I love these!
Whenever I would go walking around Kailua town I’d always stop by this cute little boutique store and just browse around. I love boutique shops where you can find unique items that you can’t find anywhere else. This shop has it all… accessories, things for the home, clothing and even fun little goodies like ornaments during Christmas. Yesterday when I was walking around Waikiki I came across their little hut in the DFS Galleria. So for all of you visiting Hawaii soon and want to pick up some gifts to take back home I highly recommend that you visit their shop. I was really surprised that they didn’t up the prices being in Waikiki. I think the prices are pretty awesome considering how expensive things are here. Click here to visit their site.
This weekend my son attended his first prom, not his prom (he’s only a sophomore) but he escorted his friend. My niece (who is a senior) also had her prom on the same day, so it was really nice watching them both get dressed up. My sister-in-law and I were going a little crazy because there was so much to get done. She had to take my niece to get her hair and makeup done while I was at home making the corsage for Maui’s date. After they both were gone we literally fell into a comfortable spot and relaxed. All that work and we got nothing out of it. We did all the work, dished out all the money and stressed and they got to look good, eat great meals and dance the night away… NOT FAIR! hahaa. Here are some photos that I got before they were on their way.
Maui looking handsome!
My niece Tyler along with her date and Maui
Maui and his date
Here’s the corsage that I made!
We were rooting for the Seahawks because that’s my son’s favorite team… What the heck happened?! Ugh, why did he pass the ball? That was the crappiest ending to a game. I did love the half time show!!!! Katy Perry rocked- and then Missy Elliott came on and took over and totally shut down the entire show! It was awesome!
I’m obsessed with Marquee signs and pretty much all decorative lighting. I’ve wanted to try and make one of my own and this was the result. I’m happy with the outcome even though what I was really going for was something totally different. This project cost me around $60 to make.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1. Paper mache’ letters that are hollow
2. Xacto knife
3. Spray Paint\
4. 2 way tape or Hot glue gun
5. String lights
6. Additional decorations (I used these pretty glittered paper flowers)
First I hollowed out all of my letters. If I could go back I would have picked a 4 letter word like “Love” because this part was a little time consuming. Something to keep in mind.
Next you want to spray paint all of your letters. I used 2 coats to get the color I was looking for
Next I poked some holes into the letters to give it that “marquee” look. You don’t have to do this though because the lighting effect will come from stringing lights behind the canvas. It’s all up to you. When you get the look you are trying to achieve, you can then set the letters by either gluing or taping.
The next part is the fun part. Decorate! When the decorating is done string your lights behind the canvas and secure with tape or twine.
That’s it! You have yourself a cute little wall decoration. I’m thinking of doing a little one for my vanity. I think I’ll try a shape next. Maybe some lips with red lights? We shall see….
