Mod Podge Mania!!!

I'm participating in Mod Podge Mania over at This Is The Year, hosted by Xazmin. You can imagine my excitement (I think I giggled like a school girl) when I heard that Xazmin was having a fun linky party honoring my bff...Mod Podge! So I scrambled to piece together some of my favorite MP projects. Many of you have probably seen most of these, but I wanted to share them again for those of you who missed them. Several of them have a link back to the project itself or a tutorial on how to do them if you're interested.

This initial plaque was my very FIRST attempt at MP. It was easy, cheap, and super duper cute!



If you'd like to see more pictures or read this post, you can click HERE.


Ahhhhh...one of my all time faves. These little blocks are so fun to make, and so versatile for just about any holiday. Click HERE to read about these blocks and some other cool projects you can make yourself on a shoe string budget.


For Valentine's Day I mod podged these cute mailboxes from Target's dollar spot. I ended up making several of these. They turned out so cute and became quite addictive. I posted a tutorial on how to cover them, and you can read it by clicking HERE.



VERY first custom order for wall letters... so exciting!


I HEART these adorable little birdies. Although, some people have told me they look like whales...they ARE birds. They are from Michael's and come 12 to a pack for 1.99. They are easy to cover and mod podge...anyone can do this. But if for some reason you would like me to do the work for you, I just happen to have some in my etsy shop that have been made into cute fridge magnets/note holders. (Shameless plug...I know)




I did a tutorial on how to make these altered clipboards. You can click HERE for that post.

These last 3 clipboards I will be listing in my etsy store tonight. They make such wonderful teacher gifts...school teachers, church teachers, piano teachers. I like to hang them on my wall as inspiration boards. They make a really cute grouping and you can clip pictures, magazine ideas, paint chips, samples, and more...great for a craft room or studio.

**REMINDER**

Mother's Day Special at ImperfectlyBeautiful.etsy.com ~

Make a purchase before Mother's Day and receive FREE SHIPPING!

Decorating With Plastic Plates

Do ya'll remember these cutsie melamine plates I got at Target for 75% off? Well, I told you I had grand plans for them, and it only took me 34 days to hang them. I originally wanted to hang them in these two groupings, but I changed my mind. I know...that is SO unlike me.

Aren't they the most precious plastic plates you ever did see?

I decided to put the aqua polka dots on the shelf above my computer desk. This room is a deep chocolate brown and desperately needs all the color it can get. And this just happens to be my accent color. What a coincidence!

The other 5 plates I decided to hang on that weird soffit thing in my girls' room. Please excuse the poor quality of this picture. My camera is on it's last leg. I like them here for now, but I'm sure I'll get sick of this arrangement and move them to a new home sooner or later. That's just how I roll. I am in constant tweaker mode. I rearrange stuff ALL.THE.TIME. It's kinda like getting new stuff without the expense. Except, really...getting new stuff is way more fun! But this girl's on a budget and this method will have to do.

Trash to Treasure Tuesday

Could this basket be any uglier? Yes, I know...perfect for Trash to Treasure Tuesday. That's exactly what I thought when I spied it in my mom's garbage. I could see it's potential right away, and knew it would make a perfect backdrop for a spring arrangement on my front door. Now Kimm, this one's for you...do you recognize that paint color? Yep, you guessed it. It's your favorite - heirloom white. Now I am equally obsessed with it. Everything is mysteriously turning that color. Thanks Kimm! (Kimm @ Reinvented is my frugalicious friend who's hosting the linky party today. Go check her out for more fabulously frugal trash to treasures!)

I stuffed some floral foam into the bottom and stuck in some springy "naturals" and...voila! I have a lovely new arrangement to greet my guests with. I still need some more filler for the back, but I'm collecting it a little at a time. Have you priced that stuff? It's highway robbery even when Hobby Lobby does their half off thing. I really like the way it turned out, but I think it will be even more fabulous when I get around to painting that door black. I have the paint, I just need to motivate myself to do it. Hubby keeps telling me I absolutely have to take the door off the hinges. I don't think that's necessary. Ya'll got any thoughts on that? Share your door painting skills. I'm listening...

We Have a WINNER!

A HUGE thanks goes out to all of you fabulous people who entered my giveaway. Thank you so much for helping me celebrate the opening of my etsy shop and one of my dreams made a reality! I was overwhelmed by all the entries. Ya'll are awesome.

I'm gonna stop talking and get to business here. I know what you're really here for and it ain't my writing.

Sooooooooooooo, will lucky commenter #5 - Kristina P. come on down?

Congrats Kristina! I can't wait to hear what you're gonna spend that sweet moola on.

Now for all of you disappointed commenters, I have a little SURPRISE for you! If you place an order before May 1st, you will NOT have to pay shipping charges. Be sure and mention this post about free shipping when you place your order. Mother's Day is coming up in 2 weeks. Have you done your shopping yet? I know you could find some sweet gifts for that special "mom" in your life, or maybe you could gift yourself something wonderful for Mother's Day. Come by MY SHOP and browse around. I am sure you will find that perfect gift you never knew you were looking for!

Frugal Friday (Giveaway Ends Tonight)

I'm participating in The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday. Be sure and go here for more frugal tips!

This sweet little wooden box was found at a yard sale for $1. I think it is adorable, and I love to change it up with the seasons. I used only things I already had laying around the house. This is also a fun and frugal way to change out those little trinkets you have on hand that may get stuffed into the back of a drawer and forgotten about. Use what you have. I bet you have some things you could use. Look around. Dig through drawers and closets. Look at things through new eyes. Repurpose them. Love on them just a bit and you may remember why you bought those items in the first place.

Not only do I love to decorate on a frugal budget, I am also passionate about buying ahead. When I see school supplies for 75 - 90% off I grab them up and save them for next school year. See those notebooks below? Each pack has 5 notebooks in them and they were 48 cents! And I absolutely could not resist those adorable footed bowls, beaded glasses, and nest with egg s&p shakers. They were all 75 cents a piece. Whoo-hoo!!!

Just a reminder...my giveaway ends tonight. If you'd still like to enter, click here!

GRAND OPENING GIVEAWAY!!!

Well, I finally finished loading all the inventory into my etsy shop...and it only took 3 weeks. I know...I'm amazingly on top of things! I am REALLLLLY excited to share this with you...my very dear friends. To start things off right and show some love to my peeps, I am hosting a giveaway to celebrate the GRAND OPENING of my ETSY shop!!! The winner will win a $25 gift certificate to spend at my store ... ImperfectlyBeautiful.etsy.com

This is just a sampling of some of the beautiful items (if I do say so myself). Be sure and go to my shop to see the rest. There is a whole boat load of adorable things waiting for YOU!

To enter your name into the drawing, leave me a comment on this post. If you'd like to receive 5 more entries, you can do each of the following :

1. Visit my etsy shop, come back here and tell me your favorite item.

2.Blog about this giveaway and my new store.

3. Grab my button on the left sidebar and display it on your blog.

4. Become a follower.

5. Be one of the very first people to make an order from my shop!

In the comments section, please be sure and let me know which of these things you do so that I can enter your name the appropriate number of times.

This giveaway will end on Friday April 24th at 12:00 midnight. I will announce the winner on Saturday morning.

Girls....thank you so much for your friendship and support.

I LOVE ya'll.

GOOD LUCK!

Faux Monograms

On a quick jaunt to Target today I felt my blogging mojo start to creep back in ever so slightly. There were an abundance of overstocked endcaps full of clearance. Yes...I was in heaven. Even with 2 toddlers, who were way past needing their naps, I felt inspired. Leave it to Target to bring me back....thank you Target, thank you!

Ok, so our project for this evening is faux monograms. First I printed my letter in a variety of my favorite fonts, ranging from 600 to 700 type. I was making mine big enough to fit the tray thingy I bought at Target, but you should make yours according to the scale of whatever item you are using. You might just have to play with it till you get it right.

Next I cut out my letters with the most AWESOME scissors on the planet, the Fiskars precision tip spring loaded scissors. I think I may have told you before that these things are amazing. They rock, I tell you...they rock...as in I cannot live without them.

This is the tray thingy, as I like to refer to it. The sticker on the back calls it a photo tray...whatever that might be. I decided it would make the perfect frame for my monogram.

And here is the finished product. I love it and think it is imperfectly beautiful (it's a bit off center, but I'm too lazy to go back and fix it, so this is what you get).

Not so sure I like it here. I might try it out in the bathroom tomorrow. Or the hallway. Maybe the kitchen. My longterm plan is to use it in my future redesigned master bedroom. That's one of my goals for this summer. I'm envisioning white beadboard, black and white damask comforter, painted black furniture, upholstered headboard, and a touch of robin's egg blue as an accent. Sounds dreamy, right? I'm trying to collect things here and there when I find good deals, because the budget just doesn't allow for a big expensive overhaul. I can be patient. It will be sooooo worth it!

This Martha Stewart platter I have had since we first got married, almost 12 years ago. I LOVE it. Right now it hangs in my kitchen, but I take it down and use it every now and then. I didn't want to paint on it, or make the monogram permanent for this reason. Once I cut out my letter, I just used little tiny pieces of double stick tape to adhere it to the platter. So when I want or need to use it I can peel the monogram right off.

I think I might have a teensy addiction to monograms, in addition to my ribbon addiction. There are "S"'s all over my house. I love the way it personalizes my decor and gives it meaning, if only to me. And isn't that what making your house a home is all about? The things we surround ourselves with should have meaning and purpose. They should bring us joy. It doesn't really matter that I don't have a home that looks like the cover of a magazine. It doesn't really matter that almost everything in my home is secondhand, deeply discounted, and wrecked and rigged to high heaven. What REALLY matters are the people who dwell with me here...in our own little heaven on earth. We're definitely not perfect...far from it...but we are incredibly blessed.

Blogging Slump

HELP.

I have nothing to blog about. I feel totally unmotivated, absolutely not creative, and plain old down in the dumps. I don't know what's come over me. Oh...and I have zero photos of the projects I've been working on over the last week.

I suck.

I recieved a custom order for a sweet baby girl named Brooklyn. Yeah, I know EIGHT letters...whoohoo! It was all girly, and soft, and pink and green and brown. Precious. Did I take a picture of it? Nope.

Made the sweetest little sign as a baby gift for a girlfriend. It was all girly, and soft, and pink toile. Adorable. Did I take a picture of it? Negative.

Helped my sister make 2 upholstered headboards today. They were all boy, straight clean lines, classic, tailored, made with repurposed quilted navy blue coverlets. Spectacular. Did I take a picture of them? I'll give you one guess. That's right...Not.One.Stinkin.Picture.

I'm seriously in a slump. Help me out of this deep dark pit I feel I just can't climb out of. I almost didn't blog tonight because I had no pictures. But I decided to dive headlong into re-joining the blogosphere. My very first post...with no pictures...in all her glory. I hope I still have some friends out there. Hello? Is anybody there?

Powerful Words

This is exactly the encouragement I needed to hear today. What a powerful message! I just had to share it with you...my friends. I hope that it lifts you up and inspires you to

Create!

Craft Fair, Shmaft Fair

I'mmmmmmm Baaaaaaaaack.

Ok, first off let me tell you what a colossal waste of time Saturday was. The craft fair was an absolute joke. Yes...I'm actually laughing right now as I type this. Not in a haha funny kind of way, but in a lesson learned kind of way. I guess it wasn't a complete waste, because now I have enough inventory to fully stock my etsy shop. Whoo-hoo! I think we made enough to cover our booth fees and a subway lunch. But in all honesty, I feel pretty positive about the whole experience. We learned alot about what to do and what not to do. And the best part was being able to spend a gorgeous day outside in the park with my best friend and sister. I am so lucky to have her. If she wasn't a mom to 5 kids, she would be a stand up comedian...that's her other calling in life...to make people laugh. Hysterically. Till they pee. We had a great day together. You know, I'd probably feel much worse about the whole situation if the other vendors had fared better, but they didn't. Nobody really sold anything. It was a bust for everyone...YAH! Now that I think of it, there was this one booth that stayed busy all day long. Who knew "Fantasy Faces" would be such a big hit. Personally, I was a little creaped out by all the children running around sporting a full on animal face or a spry water nymph fairy. They were very detailed, and a little disturbing. All day long we wondered as to where all the patrons were. I mean, there were 564 kids running around, but not a parent in site. By the end of the afternoon we had it all figured out. The parents of those creepy fairies and animal creatures were actually the other vendors. Mystery solved.

Throughout the day my hubby called to check on us and see how things were going. I must have sounded pathetic, because when I got home I received this.....

Awwwwwww...ain't he sweet? He just wanted to cheer me up, he said. Well, it worked. I'm thrilled with my brand spankin new laptop. Now if I could only figure out how to use it. I am so excited just thinking about blogging in bed, even though I probably never will.

Let's make a toast...

"Here's to husbands who are fixers by nature"

...cheers!

P.S.

I will be having a grand opening giveaway for my new etsy shop later this week. I'm still in the process of adding new items.

Be sure and check back!