Oh, How Smashing!

Wow, the month of February is just flying by! (Get ready for sarcastic tone) We all know that everyone's favorite holiday is in this month...Valentine's Day! Ry and I had an awesome D-Day...oops I mean V-Day. Now that I have long-gone given him his gift I can now share this with all my fellow followers!

Awhile back I came upon this gift idea on Pinterest in which she took a Smash book and put words of scripture into it for her child to read to them as they continued to grow...AWESOME IDEA RIGHT?! Check it out at Lowercase Letters.

Lowercase Letters

I took this great gift idea and made Ryan a Smash book full of his favorite scripture, quotes, humor, entertainment, and mushy notes from me! I love Smash book because the pages are already decorated with fun designs, all you have to do is add your special notes and journaling to it.

Supplies:

• Smash book (I ordered mine off of Amazon)
• Decorating accessories, mine that I ordered came with a ton of SWAG all for $30!
• tape, glue, stickers (smash book comes with pen and glue on the other side of it)
• Photos, favorite sayings, quotes, scripture,etc...

Took scrapbook paper, printed off letters, and glued them to cover.

*WARNING* The following pages may be cheesy to you...I apologize in advance for all the mushy gushy stuff you see...ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK ;)

A lot of the scripture and quotes I found off of Pinterest and then printed them off! 

Little table of contents

2012 a year of great changes for us! 

Found some printable "love coupons" like free 5 min back rub, pick out movie for the night, etc... on Pinterest. Also, found great date idea list! Thew them in the envelope attached in Smash book.

 The next pages are some of Ryan's personal interests that I captured for him! Abe Lincoln his favorite President, and wise quotes by him. 

His trip to China.

 Humor that he loves. 

 Favorite Bible Verses

King David and other heroes that Ry likes. 

 A place to jot down favorite entertainment...

 Summer Vacation with a list in the envelope of questions for each other on the next roadtrip.

Our Songs.

There you are, the very smashing book that can be oh so personal. There are also additional pages I left blank for us to add to it! The best part was when Ryan opened it and how much he enjoyed looking through each page! This gift can be given at anytime and will surely be liked because of how different it is from other gifts. Hope you all made it through all the mushy gushy pages! Until next time...

~Wishing you creative bliss~

Dollar Tree Destination: Magnetic Memo Boards

The Dollar Tree is my first stop for when I am in need for craft supplies. Everything is a dollar and they almost always have what I need! Today's craft is magnetic memo boards made out of cake pans. I got this lovely idea off of none other than...Pinterest! These memo boards are inexpensive and adorable!

Supplies Needed:

• Cake Pan 
• Scrapbook Paper
• Scissors
• Mod Podge
• Bottle Caps/Magnets (optional) 
• Ribbon & Drill (optional)
• Spray Paint (optional)

1. I wanted to be able to hang mine by using ribbon so I had my lovely hubby drill to holes in the pan.

2. Next, I painted the sides because I wanted to add some color. I did two coats. Totally optional...it will just give it more character :)

3. While those were drying I made my bottle cap magnets! Cut scrapbook paper to size and apply with mod podge to the front. Let dry and then add the magnets on the back! Quick and simple to do took me about five minutes, and some for drying ;)

4. When the pan is dry you can cut paper to size the front and apply with mod podge. First by putting a layer on the pan, then by putting the paper down and adding a layer on top of it. Let dry completely. 

5.  After it's dry cut ribbon to the length you want, tie, hang, and ENJOY :) Oh...and add those gorgeous magnets to it! 

~Wishing you creative bliss!~

Spooky Crafting

Halloween is approaching us quickly, and you know what that means?! It's time for some spooky crafting!

Monster Jars

I got some great ideas from Pinterest including:

1. Monster Jars from: Crazy Domestic

2. Halloween Garland from: eighteen25

3. Free Printables from: adelynSTONE, The Crafty Crow, and Bonjour!

I accomplished the crafts and decorated our kitchen! I think our kitchen looks Spooktacular! 

So, what are you waiting for?! Click on the highlighted blogs that will take you right to the tutorials and free printables! Have fun with your spooky crafting...I know I did :)

~Wishing you creative bliss!~

Save the Candle Jars: Upcycling Candle Jars

I love candles! One great way to get all your money's worth is to reuse the candle jar you have been given :) I really like to jazz them up by throwing some cute scrapbook paper on them by using mod podge!

Working at Yankee Candle I have gone through many candles! After the candle is gone I clean it out and reuse the jars. How do I clean mine out? When I think that this is going to be my last burn with a candle I blow it out let it sit for a couple minutes and then carefully scrape all the wax out with an old kitchen utensil. Wash it out thoroughly and then it is ready to be used!

What to reuse it for? The possibilities are endless!
Here are a couple of different ways that I use mine:

• Kitchen utensil holder
• Q-tips, cotton balls, & bath salts
• Loose Jewelry
• Crafting Supplies
• Pretty Momentos: shells, marbles, buttons, & coins
• Anything in the pantry: dry noodles, herbs, & tea bags
• Vases

Those are just a few suggestions...think of all the other creative ways you could reuse them!

Have any other suggestions please comment below :)

Want to get the look that I get with my jars? Follow this quick tutorial!

You'll need:

• Candle Jar
• Scraps of Paper
• Paper Trimmer
• Mod Podge 
• Sponge/Brush

1. Cut scraps of paper (can be any size you desire). I did mine in long strips.

2. Take sponge/brush and apply Mod Podge onto the outside of the candle jar.

3. Take one of the strips of paper and place onto Mod Podge. Put a layer of Mod Podge onto the top of the paper.

4. Continue step 3 until the jar is covered! Then you are finished and you can put whatever your heart desires into the jar :)

I think mine will hold some bath salts :)

~Wishing you creative bliss~

Whimsical Branches

This past weekend Ryan and I made it up to Cherokee, Iowa to visit his family. We relaxed, ate some great food, and of course crafted! I think 75% of the time Lisa (mother-in-law-), Liz (Ryan's brother's girlfriend), and I were crafting! This was one of our favorite crafts featured from Two Girls Being Crafty. We of course added some of our own flair to this craft by using old vases/recycled glass bottles to put these whimsical branches in!

Here are the supplies we used:

• Scrapbook Paper
• Scissors
• Glue Stick & Glue Gun
• Cardstock OR any type of Cardboard
• Floral Wire
• Branches
• Vase 

Optional: 

• Spray Paint
• Old Vase OR Recycled Glass Bottle
• Ribbon 

Instead of going out and buying a vase we looked around the home for old vases/glass bottles. We also found some spray paint and ribbon that we could use to give this craft the "wow" factor!

This is how we made our whimsical branches:

1. Begin to cut a plethora of "leaves" with the scrapbook paper. Depending on how full you want your branches to be will determine the size of your leaf pile ;)

2. Grab the cardstock/cardboard, because glueing is the next step! We used the top of an empty pizza box and with a glue stick glued the leaves on that.

Look at Liz go! ;)
We also thought that the pizza box with leaves could be cute as wall art.
Another craft idea . . . I think so!

3. After they are all glued you can start cutting them! 

4. Plug the hot glue gun in and cut the wire 3"-5"long.

5. The wire will now be hot glue gunned to the backside of the leaves.  

Be careful when using the hot glue gun!
Safety first :)

6. Here is the fun step! Arrange the branches in the vase, and then start to wrap the wired leaves around them.

Liz arranging her branches!

7. Fill those branches up until they run out! Then you're done!!!

Lisa's vase displayed in her home :)

Liz's Final Product! 

Mine that I absolutely adore :)

These are cute gifts . . . and of course great home decor :)

Be on the lookout later this week for DIY Outdoor Lanterns!

~Wishing you creative bliss~