Spruce up store-bought flowers

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at Jaxon and Maya's elementary school. 

We are always looking for unique ways to appreciate the teachers. 

This year we decided to go with long-stemmed flowers versus a bouquet of roses or carnations. 

I purchased this Gladiolus bundle at Trader Joes for only $5.99 for 12 stems.

I created two bundles of 6 for both my children's teachers.  

I simply wrapped them with decorative paper, tied with hemp string, and attached a little note for the kids to sign. Voila!~ easy and beautiful bouquets.

DIY - Recycled bottle vases

My lovely in-laws are in town from Hawaii and my children are on spring break!
They took the kids to the The Flower Fields in Carlsbad yesterday and they had a lot of fun!

Jaxon and Maya bought me a mini succulent plant and my in-laws gave me a bouquet of vibrant Ranunculus that are in full bloom at The Flower Fields. How sweet!

Instead of putting the whole bouquet in a  large vase, I decided to divide them up into different vessels so that I can enjoy the flowers in more than one room of my home. 

I recycled used bottles I had laying around. I like to keep bottles with cute shapes.
I have here a large cold brew coffee bottle, a natural soda bottle, and a spice jar.

This one I have on our dining table since it is a larger presentation. 

This dainty guy will look cute in our restroom against our white walls.

This cluster will look great on our kitchen counter. To jazz up the spice jar, I simply glued a piece of paper from a catalog to it. 

So don't throw away your glass bottles and jars...they make great flower vessels.

I hope you enjoy creating your own display of flowers in your home this spring! 

Paper donut boxes

Looking for a cute way to package your Valentine's Day treats?

I made these Paper donut boxes by Minieco last year for the teachers and school staff. I filled them with bits of chocolate covered pomogranate seeds from Trader Joes, for a "healthier" treat.

Click here for a free printable! 

Bits of Whimsy

I have been working nightly on items to be sold at a holiday boutique targeting children.
It is a 3 day event where the children come in with cash-in-hand ready to purchase handmade gifts for their friends and loved ones... Although often times I see them buying items for themselves. So cute!
The challenge I am faced with every year is that all items are to be sold for $5 and under.
However, limitations seem to bring out the best in me. I focus on quality and think about what it is that would make the children smile. I am fortunate to have my Maya and Jaxon...The perfect little critiques.
They are great indicators in what they think is cute or cool!

Adopt a little monster that comes with a handmade paper woven baskets as their home.

Hand painted beech wood spoons.

Ice cream hair clips

Handmade bookmarkers with retro prints.

Faux bois backing.

Handmade key chains made with recycled 80s vinyl.

Holiday pom pom hair clips.

These are only several examples of what I have in store.
Each item will only come in select quantities.
Stay tuned for more fun things to come! 

Ornaments

I can't believe it is that time of year already....
I have been working on samples for a local holiday boutique I will be participating in.
Starting with some handmade ornaments. 

Maya's Athena Costume

Dress: $1.00 plastic tablecloth with gold ribbon trimming.

Helmet: Cardboard structure, newspaper papier mache. Puffy paint for dimension and feathers.
               Original post on the helmet is here if you are interested.

Arm cuffs: Maya added strips of newspaper to felt. Puffy paint for dimension and gold paint.
                  Velcro closure.

     Spear: End of a broom stick, foam tip, puffy paint for details, and gold paint.

Shield: $1.00 plastic serving tray. Puffy paint detail and gold paint.

Cape: My old sleeveless knit dress cut in half, buttons removed, arm holes sewed closed. 

           Ribbon trim details. 

    Belt: Rope painted gold.

Slippers: Maya's yard slippers painted gold.

Athena's helmet

Maya loves to read books with references to Greek mythology. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree... I always loved mythology myself, ever since I learned about it in elementary school. I still remember the diorama I made in 5th grade, using one of my Barbie's as Pandora. Well this year for Halloween, Maya wants to be Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage, and strategic warfare.

This is Athena's helmet I made with cardboard and newspaper.

This is how I started:

DIY Arrow Pencils

Jaxon turns 7 this coming weekend, so I made these arrow pencils he can hand out in class this Friday.

What you will need:

1. Pencils ( I bought mine at Target for $2.99 for a pack of 12)
2. Feathers (These purple ones are from Michaels. They also carry various colors)
3. Embroidery thread
4. Felt (I used one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet for 30 pencils)
5. Acrylic paint markers ( I like Molotow available at Dick Blick )
    You can use acrylic paint and a detail brush as well
6. Mod Podge (decoupage)
7. Hot glue gun
8. Scissors

DIY golden charms

My daughter Maya at one point in her life played with Polly Pocket dolls and accessories.

BEFORE

Instead of giving them all away, we decided to turn some of the plastic accessories into golden charms. 

She had a lot of fun seeing the transformation. This is very easy to do. 

AFTER

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 

Easy DIY Curtain Makeover Tutorial

AFTER

BEFORE

Do you have not-so-pretty curtains in your home like I did? 

Here is an easy way to transform them.

Straw Mobiles

I used Oh Joy! for Target plastic straws to make these triangular mobiles for our summer outdoor decoration. Inexpensive, easy, outdoor friendly, and pretty! I love the way the light filters through them.

They are quite magical!

Joy from Oh Joy! is offering 25% off all Oh Joy! for Target products from now until July 5th!
Visit here for more details.