We Won!!

Monday, May 31, 2010

So this is fun!

I am a “fan” of Cotton Candy Shop on Facebook. The owner of the business, Lauren, was running a fun contest earlier this month to celebrate her two year anniversary. She asked that anyone interested in participating submit a photograph of their baby/child with a sign that read “I Love Cotton Candy Shop,” “Cotton Candy Shop Rocks” and the like.

With the help of my sister, we were able to create this photograph:















Everyone participating would receive a free headband and bow, and the winner of the most creative “sign” won a little something special in addition to their new headband. Well, WE WON! Can you believe it?! Of all of the precious babies with their signs, and all of the sweet pictures, Emily’s photograph was chosen. I feel more than honored to have the most creative picture, and I feel even more honored to sport some of Lauren’s beautiful work.

I recently purchased a tutu from Lauren, as well, to support a young child with Cystic Fibrosis. We are waiting with bated breath for the arrival of our new Ginger Blue Tutu, and we couldn’t be MORE excited to wear it! I speak for Emily, of course – she is excited, I promise!!

Having said all of this, I am a huge supporter of small businesses, and I often encourage you to do the same. Please visit Lauren’s website and see her beautifully unique artistry. There are many ways on her website to become a model for her shoots, and get involved with her work. She has found a wonderful way to stay home with her children while finding a very successful outlet for her creativity.

If you are a member of Facebook, simply search Cotton Candy Shop and become a fan. This will allow you to see any specials or fun contests that she is currently running. Doesn’t it just make you want to eat an entire bag of cotton candy?! Maybe it’s just me...

Let your creative side out!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Hello! Sorry I haven’t written in a few days, but I don’t like to write just to write. My goal is to write things that will be of true value to you.

So, yesterday, my sister and I decided to take a trip to Hobby Lobby. It had been a few weeks since we had both been in, and we wanted to see everything in the whole store.

We browsed aisle-by-aisle, and we were both so impressed with the selection and variety, as well as the sales they were offering. About half of the store was on sale, and I am confident that the other half will be on sale next week! Hobby Lobby is really great about their sale items.

We were both looking for inexpensive ways to spruce up items that we already have in our homes. For example, I purchased a few drawer pulls that were ½ off, and the new pulls give the appearance of refurbished nightstands or nightstands that got a little “face lift”! I’m really happy with the result, and it only cost me around $5!

As a busy mom with a busy family, I began a habit years ago that has worked well and keeps me from following behind everyone, folding and refolding towels. I purchase attractive, decorative hooks that hang in the bathroom, usually at two different levels (Daddy’s is tall, Mommy’s is short) for hanging towels. The appearance is appealing and the labor is quick and easy. Instead of folding your towel in thirds, you simply hang the center of your towel on a hook. The towels dry more thoroughly and I don’t find myself fixing everyone’s towels because they’re crooked or hurriedly folded. So, I purchased a couple of hooks for our guest bathroom/Emily’s bathroom so that I can start moving toward redecorating that bathroom. The hooks were less than $2 after the 50% off sale. Score!

Hobby Lobby has also introduced something that is new to me. In each aisle, there are inspirational pamphlets that are free for the taking. These pamphlets highlight merchandise that Hobby Lobby carries regularly, and what you can do with these items. Everyone has ideas and concepts floating around in their mind, but it is so refreshing to see what someone else has come up with. I picked up about 10 inspirational pamphlets and will put my own personal spin on some of their ideas. Instead of feeling “stuck,” I feel more creative and motivated to try some of their suggestions.

As always, if you are a member of Hobby Lobby’s email distribution list, you can preview the coming week’s sales on Sundays. They also send a coupon that is usually 40% off one regularly priced item. Although I primarily purchase things that are ½ off or clearance, it is nice to take the coupon with you JUST IN CASE you can’t live without something that isn’t on sale while you’re there.

We always try to find the best way to create what we want without spending a lot of money, and Hobby Lobby is our go-to destination for help with our projects. Bows, quilts, dresses, wall-hangings, décor, home fragrance, and party decorations are on the short list of things that we shop Hobby Lobby for on a regular basis.

You will be so excited and proud of yourself when you make something with your own hands and see how beautifully it turns out!

Make Your Own Bows!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Before my daughter, Emily, was born in December 2008, I would see these PRECIOUS babies in stores and restaurants with the most beautiful gerbera daisy headbands in their hair! I thought they looked absolutely precious, but when I found them in retail stores, I thought they were a little pricey at around $10 each. Well, you KNOW I had to have one in every color of the rainbow, so I had to figure out what I was going to do to lessen the expense.

We decided to try our hand at making the hair clips ourselves, and they turned out great! 15 months later, and Emily still wears these things on a daily basis. They have held up extremely well, and people compliment her everywhere we go. Would you like to make some? I’d love to help! Here’s how you do it:

Materials:
(2) silk gerbera daisies from your local craft store
(1) large rhinestone jewel that has a FLAT, MIRRORED BACK
(1) small scrapbooking brad (the flatter the top, the better)
(1) small alligator clip from your local beauty supply store
(1) roll of 1/2” grosgrain ribbon in WHITE
(1) glue gun

Let me take a moment to explain about the materials. We have found that using two silk gerbera daisies makes for a more sturdy, fluffy-looking “bow” at the end of your project. You can do it with a single flower, but the double-flower hair bows look the best. Silk flowers are ½ off at Hobby Lobby about once every two weeks, so if you gather your arsenal of flowers during their sale, you will save significantly. The rhinestone is probably the most expensive ingredient to these hair bows, so you might want to wait until jewels are on sale at Hobby Lobby, or sign up for their weekly ad, and use their 40% off coupon. You can use any shape rhinestone that you prefer, but I have found that the large, round ones are the cutest and fit the flowers the best.

How-To:
Here’s how you assemble the flower “bows”:
1. Using a pair of wire snips, cut the flower off of the stem VERY CLOSE to the base of the flower’s head. Remove the thick, green plastic piece that separates the petals from the stem. Once you have done this, the layers of the flower will all be separate. Remove the pollen.
2. Add the two silk flowers to one another and layer the petals according to size (large on the bottom, small on the top). Clasp the layers of petals together using your brad. The TOP of the brad should be at the TOP of the flower.
3. Wrap the entire alligator clip with a length of grosgrain ribbon, tacking the ribbon to the alligator clip with hot glue.
4. Hot glue the rhinestone to the top of the flower where the pollen used to be.
5. Glue the ribbon-wrapped alligator clip to the bottom of the flower, covering the bottom of the brad that is visible. The FLAT SIDE of the alligator clip should rest on your baby’s head, and the angled side of the clip should be glued to the bottom of the flower.

These flowers are SO fun to make, and they are super easy. They take about 5 minutes once you have your materials set up.

You can use the alligator clip to fasten the flowers to a headband if your baby’s hair is on the sparse side, or you can use them to clip their hair back once they have some growth.

*BONUS TIP: If you find that your flowers are slipping out of your baby’s silky hair, purchase a sheet of foam in the craft section of Hobby Lobby and cut strips to fit the length of the alligator clip. Glue the foam to the inside of the alligator clip and your baby’s flowers and bows will stick like glue!

We have experimented with spider mums, and the end product is not as attractive as the gerbera daisies because the petals of the spider mums are a little on the rogue side. It is up to you, but we have found that silk gerbera daisies are the best flowers to use for your baby’s hair bows. I hope you try it and love it – let me know how they turn out!