A Year in Review: Top 10 Projects of 2011

Wow guys.

I can't believe how fast this whole break is going by.

Does it feel that way to you too?

Not to mention that the year is nearly at it's end.

I mean, where did 2011 really go??

And now we have that whole 'end of the world' thing to worry about thanks to those Mayans.

I can't even begin to express how much I love the whole blogging world. 

This year has been such a huge year for me in terms of growth, exposure and new experiences in this little blog. 

And I'm so thankful to have all of you around for support, inspiration and as the most amazing followers a girl could have!!! 

I can't believe that the 1000 follower mark is coming up so quick!!

I think 2012 is going to be a very interesting year.

I started going through old posts and stats to come up with my 'best of' list and wow did I get overwhelmed quick!

I realized that about a million of my favorite projects happened within this one year so I had to work hard to narrow some of my favorites (and yours) down to just ten :)

But nonetheless I have the list.

And I'm so happy to share it with you!!

Thanks again for keeping me encouraged and inspired!

Top 2011 Projects:

(Click on the name to go to the original post)

1: Valentine's Printable

I cannot believe how much this printable has taken off.

It's my number 1 viewed post EVER for my blog and it gets hits every day.

Craziness.

I'm pretty sure you'll be seeing a new version of this come 2012!

So get ready :)

2: Felt & Fabric Ruffle Wreath

This is my favorite wreath I made from 2011.

Huge, ruffly and totally worth a few hours work :)

3: Pirate Party Printables

I had so much fun putting little man's fourth bday together and LOVED the pirate theme we had going.

He says he wants to do it again this year :)

The pirate printables I made were a hit with you guys as well!

4. Tiffany Desk Redo

Of course, a 2011 recap would be nothing without a fun furniture redo!

I really got into redoing pieces this year and cannot wait to get some more done in the upcoming year.

It's definitely a passion (not to mention, nice therapy) of mine that I intend to learn more about!

The Tiffany Desk was my favorite redo this year.

Although it was super hard because I had a lot of fun pieces I got to paint.

5: The Swirled Plate Wall

I LOVED this project because it had been on my 'to do' list for so long!

I still love seeing all the fun plates up when I walk into the dining room :)

6. Spraypainted Vases

This was a super easy and fun project from this year!

Personalizing old, mis-matched vases to fit your color scheme.

Gotta love spraypaint.

It will definitely still be my best friend in 2012.

7. Laundry Closet Makeover

I still look at this room and can't believe that it's the same laundry closet we started with when we moved in.  

It's so amazing that it was able to look this good!

If you missed it, you have to check out the before because it was just awful.

And now it's just plain pretty :)

8. Photo & Quote Blocks

I had to include these because they're MY favorite little project of the year.

I did a ton of them for Christmas gifts and they might just be making an Etsy debut if I can get my butt in line :)

I love making them fit the personality of whoever gets them and they're so fun and easy to make!

But I still have a special place in my heart for that picture with my curly-headed hubby in it :)

9. Glitter Pumpkins & Gourds

Glitterblast was definitely a fun new product that I loved playing with this year!

These glitter gourds made a huge splash with the blogworld and I was sad to put the glittery prettiness away until next year...

10. Delicious Chair Revamp

I'm still constantly amazed at how much attention this little chair gets.

The stats never seem to go down for it and that makes me smile :)

But most likely, the chair makes everyone smile.

Who could resist white paint and that amazing pattern??

I can't wait to reveal my dining room table plans.

If you like this chair, you'll love the whole dealio all together!!

So there you have it guys!!!

A whole year narrowed down to 10 Projects :)

Have I told you guys how much I love you??

I'm so excited to start a brand new year of creating with you guys!

You're the best :)

Just to end it with something fun, I wanted to share my top five favorite craft items from 2011:

1: Burlap (and more burlap!)

2. White spraypaint

(I started in love with heirloom white & recently am obsessed with just good old gloss white)

3. Purdy Paintbrushes

4. Stencils (And those will be huge for me in 2012, I think!)

5. My trusty hot glue gun.

Now spill your favorites.

Because we all know you have them :)

I'm off to spend time with hubby while he's still off work for the week.

And play games and snuggle with little man.

So I probably won't be seeing you guys until the New Year!

See ya in 2012!!!!

Linking to:

Top Ten Linky @ Someday Crafts

Weekend Wrap up Party @ Tatertots and Jello

The Little Christmas Wreath I {may} Have Forgotten About...

I know, right?

I'm going to plead holiday craziness on this one, guys.

Luckily, I remembered it just in the nick of time- before it's completely outdated :)

And the sad thing is, it sits down the hall from me and if I look to my right while I sit here typing, it's in plain view.

Poor little wreath that hasn't gotten his blog spotlight yet.

But today I aim to fix that.

Remember back when I showed you my scrap fabric trees?

Well I made this wreath the same week I made them which was sometime back in November.

I used the same technique (if you can call cutting triangles a legit 'technique') that I did for my trees.

I guess I was on a triangle kick that week. 

So here we go...

Supplies: 

*Fabric (I used red burlap and white felt)

*Scissors
*Wreath Form

*Hot Glue Gun 

Honestly, you could probably figure it out just by the picture.

Cut Triangles from Fabric.

Glue to Wreath Form.

Add embellishment if desired.

And voila! An easy, bright wreath :)

I love the different textures of each fabric next to each other.

I didn't want candy-cane stripes necessarily so I just layered them haphazardly.

Then I added my cute little "H" ornament to the middle with string.

I've admitted to my wreath obsession a few times so you can guess that I don't have enough doors to hang all my wreaths :)

So this one sits propped on a cute shelf in the hallway.

Thus the fact that it stares at my everyday when I'm typing.... not creepily though.

Just patiently waiting for me to remember that I need to share it's fabulous-ness with the blog world.

And now I really need to get some rest considering I'm coming up with conversations with wreaths.

Hmmm.

I hope today isn't TOO crazy for you guys

(Although I already know it is).

Poor hubby is going shopping tonight for stocking stuffers.

Although I don't know if I should feel sorry for him since he did it to himself :)

I'll be taking the next few days off from the Blog so I wanted to wish you guys a...

 very Merry Christmas!!!

I love all of you guys!!

Stay safe :)

Inn Crowd or Stable Few Printable!

Are you starting to feel the last few days before Christmas?

Last minute- shopping, wrapping mounds of gifts and trying to keep the kidlets from jumping out of their skin with excitement?

Little man has been wound up this holiday season.

I think it's because he finally realizes what's going on and his excitement level has gone ca-razy.

So we've been struggling more than ever to try and keep the focus on the real reason for the season.

And I was hoping that maybe some of you could also use the reminder.

When I first saw this saying on Pinterest it hit me square in the chest.

It's a nice thing to pause and think about and remember that first christmas that happened so long ago.

I've gotten tons of emails asking me about the print that I used in my wooden sign I posted about in my home tour last week. 

I actually found that print on Pinterest but never could track down the original owner.

So obviously I couldn't offer it up to you guys because I didn't want to offend them (wherever they are)

so I made up my own version to give to you all :)

And printables are pretty much the easiest and quickest gift ever

so if you need a last-minute gift, print it out, frame it and hand it over!!

I hope you enjoy and that it makes you sit and ponder a moment :)

There are two versions- one a little more stream-lined and one a bit busier but is my fave!

(Download here)

(Download here)

As with all my free printables,

these are for personal use ONLY.

Please do not claim them as your own or alter them.

 

I hope you enjoy them and get a lot checked off your list today!

Linking to:
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Hookin up with HOH @ House of Hepworths
Link Party @ The 36th Avenue
Under 100$ @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Catch a Glimpse @ A Glimpse Inside

Wrapped Gift Garland

So today I decided to share with you a project that I did for the Styrofoam challenge over at Under the Table and Dreaming a couple of weeks ago.

It was so fun to get to work with such a great product and I loved being able to make such a fun garland with it :)

So here goes:
******************************

I love decorating for Christmas and one of my favorite decor items for this time of the year is all kinds of fun garlands!

I love being able to drape and hang things for just a couple months- it seems to make everything just a bit more magical and special.

So I decided to show you guys a fun & funky wrapped gift garland!

For the base of all the gifts, I used 12x36 sheets of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam to create the shapes I wanted.

The STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam worked amazing for this project because it's so light and sturdy, which is exactly what you need for something that is going to be hanging up somewhere!

ITEMS YOU NEED:

*12x36 sheet of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam

*Serrated Knife to cut the sheet easily

*Various fabrics and paper for wrapping

*Embellishments of your choice

*Thick raffia or String to hang the garland

The first thing you need to do is decide what shapes you want for your different presents.
I cut out several rectangles and squares of various sizes to use.

A serrated knife works perfectly to cut the sheet- just use small back and forth sawing motions.

Cut out as many shapes as you want and then lay them out in a pattern that you like.

I always like to give myself a visual of how things will be set up so I don't use the same paper or fabric on two right next to each other :)

The fun part is getting all your embellishments together!!

Raid your craft closet, fabric stashes and scrapbook paper and lay it all out to work with.

I love having a large assortment of things because it seems to just drive a little more creativity :)

Don't you love my big pile of goodies?

 And just start having fun wrapping, gluing, cutting and tying!!!

I wanted a more vintage, soft feel to mine so I used a lot of burlap, brown paper and whites, reds and blues.

Be creative and don't be scared to just try things out!!

Some of my favorites were just ones that I started tying things on and ended up loving!

I used a thick piece of raffia that I had on hand to glue the packages too when I was finished.

I also tied some scrap pieces of burlap in between each package to give it some extra flair :)

I love the simple pennant banner on the first one, and I even added some small upholstery tacks around the sides!

The red package just has some simple white jingle bells tied around it.

My favorite one might be the brown paper package that I glued a doily onto.

I tucked a tag that says 'be merry' onto it and added a chipboard circle that I wrapped with red burlap.

It looks like a cute mini wreath to me :)

The burlap wrapped package has little cookie cutter charms strung onto it!

This is such a fun & easy project to add some holiday charm to any part of your house.

And if you cut some extra package shapes out, they make great centerpieces and fillers!

I love them with my white milk glass bowl  just sitting on the table.

Plus it means I get to keep wrapping pretty presents that won't be just ripped to shreds come Christmas morning :)

*************

Hope you guys are getting all your Christmas errands all wrapped up this week considering Christmas is a mere SIX days away!

Where has the time gone???

Christmas House Tour!

I figured it was getting to be that time to show you some of the inner Christmas details going on this year :)

I've shown you lots of fun projects but haven't really shown how I decorated fully this year.

Part of that's because school has been ca-razy and since my last final is tomorrow, I don't have that excuse anymore.

And the big part of it is that my camera literally hates taking pictures inside my house.

I mean abhores it.

So you'll have to make do with some of the, er, lower quality pics today.

I tried to capture the sparkle and color, I really did.

Pwomise.

So getting on with the show...

*Warning: Lots of sparkly pictures ahead!*

Of course we have to start things off with Charles, my reindeer friend.

I told you he was keeping guard by the door.

And he's being kept company by a bundle of sparkly springs and sticks.

It's hard to tell in the picture but they are super sparkly and pretty :)

I used sticks from the yard spraypainted silver and then added in some sparkly floral picks to liven it up.

And heading inside...

I adore my Happy Bday Jesus plate since that's what we try to emphasize to Little man as the real reason for the season :)

Little man made my snowman with snowman soup for me last year out of scraps.

Love.

A bunch of my ornaments are nestled in a bowl on my coffee table.

I love my tree placemat I got at TJ maxx last year...

This is an example of my camera hating the indoors.

Sorries :/

But I love my entry way table.

It's bright and cheerful..which is just how I want you to feel when you first walk in :)

I adore this subway art printable from eighteen25 and proudly display it in an aqua frame with red fabric backing it.

And my ornament wreath I made last year still held up so it made another debut this year.

And of course we're all ready for the big guy :)

The fabulous Kara from Mine for the Making whipped this cute printable up last year and I had to put it out again!

I was so sad that I couldn't get a decent picture of my whole buffet set-up.

It's my favorite part of the house this year.

So sparkly and full of gorgeous-ness.

I'm weird and like to sneak off just to look at the lights bouncing off the pretty ornaments and silver bowls.

It's the little things in life...

One of the easiest fillers for Christmas-time is using lots of ornaments and I certianly did :)

Luckily they're all affordable from Wal-mart and the Dollar Store.

I used some more of my wood slices from my parents trees to give some height for the dishes.

I'm in love with the turquoise and red colors.

Can you tell?

I got this awesome cloche at a recent yard sale.

Worked perfectly for ornaments :)

My little corner shelf got festive too :)

I shared this on my facebook page- I'm still trying to fill the top of my china cabinet but I love this print!

I used upholstery tacks to attach it to a piece of chunky wood and it's a great reminder.

(I tried super hard to find the original owner of this design via pinterest but haven't been able too, if you know who came up with this print- please let me know so I can give credit!!!)

My camera fought with me so hard to get good pics of my tree.

So this is as good as it gets.

I love the ribbon on it this year :)

Hubby calls this my who-ville topper :)

I so hope you enjoyed stopping by and seeing a little taste of Christmas from my home!!

I love having you guys!!!

Linking to:

Holiday Decor @ Michaella Noelle Designs

Virtual House Tour @ The Inspired Room

Christmas Tour of Homes @ The Nester

Friday Flair @ Whipperberry

Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick Knack

Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello

Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

Craftomaniac Monday @ Craftomaniac

Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle

Sunday Showcase @ Under the Table and Dreaming

Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just a Housewife

Where are they? @ EIghteen25

Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims

Link Party @ The 36th Avenue

Catch a Glimpse @ A Glimpse Inside



Burlap & Bells Rag Garland

Hey guys :)

I'm so ready to get today over with.

I don't think I'll ever be okay with speaking in front of people.
ick.

So I'm ready to be done with my mini research presentation.

I'll be a much happier camper after that.

Then I'll only have one final left so that will be the icing on the top!

I feel like I've been posting sooo much lately- there's so much Christmas-y stuff I want to show you!!

I'm thinking after new years I'll get back to my regular three-day a week posting schedule but we'll just see about that...

Today I wanted to show you a super quick- super easy project you can do to liven up a boring space in your house!

Christmas is the perfect time to go a little overboard, don't you think?

I woudln't normally have glitter and garlands everywhere...but I can this time of the year :)

Yay for Christmas!

I gave you a glimpse yesterday at the pretty little thing...

I think it's the perfect touch for that blank area above the breakfast bar :)

All you need is:

*Twine

*Burlap (I used two different shades)

*Hot Glue Gun

*Jingle Bells (optional)

I set to work cutting strips of burlap.

Which is a messy messy process so enjoy all the burlap crumbs that get all over the place :)

I didn't do anything complicated to attach them to the twine.

I cut a piece of twine the length of my area I was hanging it in.

Then I literally just folded each piece of burlap over the twine and secured with a dot of hot glue in the middle of each.

Easy peasy. Lemon squeezy.

As my four year old says...constantly...

And you have yourself a pretty burlap garland.

I'm thinking this will be good for lots of things, rather than just Christmas.

I'm thinking shabby chic showers and parties :)

I used some twine to tie some white jingle bells periodically into the garland.

Super easy to take out if I want to change it up.

But a pretty touch for now!!

So there you have it.

An easy garland to glam up your space!

Am I the only one still in love with burlap?

I'm pretty sure I'm okay with that if I am... :)



Linking to:
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello