In the Spotlight and a Giveaway

I am sooooo excited to tell y'all about this. My dear friend Victoria contacted me a while back to see if I'd be interested in being featured in her new series, Whimsy Spotlight Wednesday. Of course I said absolutely...how fun. This is something she decided to start doing to feature other artists, bloggers, etsy shop owners, like herself. She is doing this solely out of the kindness of her heart because she believes in women supporting women. There is no charge or special requirements. Her goal is only to help, to support, to spread the word. I just got back from reading her post this morning and I have to tell you I am awe struck. She really puts her heart into everything she does and says. She is genuine, sincere, and beautiful...through and through. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to get to know her and become her friend. She is a real treasure! But I have to say...I think she was much too kind to me. As I was reading I got a little welled up. She said the kindest things about me, and I just don't know if I can live up to all that. So when you click over to her site...just ignore all the hype. I'm really not all that and a bag of chips. I'm just a regular girl sitting at her computer in her jammies, drinking a diet Dr. Pepper, eating some peanut butter crackers, AND loving every minute of this wonderful world of blogging. Seriously...I do LOVE it! But what I love the most are the bonds of friendship I've made over the last 10 months with each of YOU!

Oh, I almost forgot...there's a giveaway too! Now be sure to go visit Whimsy by Victoria and show her some bloggy love! Don't forget to look on her sidebar at her beautiful sewing projects. She makes the most amazing handbags and cute cupcake pincushions. To.Die.For. You definitely don't want to miss that!

Now go...

The Best Day Ever

First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you who left me sweet comments or sent me kind e-mails wishing me luck at the craft fair. Your thoughtfulness really means alot to me. It is so nice to be encouraged and uplifted by your friends. I feel truly blessed by your friendship!

And because so many of you asked me to post pictures of my booth, I thought I'd share just a few. It really was alot of fun coming up with different ways to showcase my creations. My vision was to create a boutique-like feel...while spending little to no money. The only thing I purchased were the dropcloths and tables. Which I needed anyway for other uses, so I don't feel too bad about that. A necessary expense I guess. Everything else I already had in my house. I just repurposed it for the weekend. (My 3 year old freaked when I took all her toy shelves out of her room!)

Recycled shutters hinged together to hang all of my signs from.






Mini journals.

I love making these...they are just so cute and tiny!

A little tiered tray to hold my business cards. Do y'all remember when I spray painted these ugly rusty garage sale trays?

I've had Christmas on the brain for weeks. I absolutely could not resist making some holiday blocks. Plus, the fair was called "Christmas in July". And ps....I did not see one other Christmas item at the whole fair! What is that all about? It's called "Christmas in July" people!

My back of the toilet basket for holding toilet paper...full of card sets. Is that gross? It's ok, I didn't tell anyone that bit of information.

Ok, I have to be honest here. Apparently craft fairs don't like me 'cause I didn't make a ton of sales. But...like my title says, it was the best day ever. Do you know why? Because I was doing what I love and am passionate about. And the best part of all was being able to spend the entire day with my best friend in the whole wide world. Hubby and I can't even have a 5 minute conversation without being interrupted by those 4 screaming, crying, fighting, adorable kidlets. So being able to have the whole day all to ourselves was priceless. I forgot how funny that man is. He had me laughing so hard at a couple points, I was crying. I could not stop laughing...maybe that's what scared the customers away. I don't know, I'm just sayin. So even though I probably came out in the red, I really don't care.

It was totally worth it.

Silhouette Memo Boards

Country Living

I am so in love with these cork boards! Aren't they just fabulous? Silhouettes are so "in" right now...they're everywhere. And who would have thought to make them into memo boards? The minute I saw it in my Country Living magazine, I knew I wanted to tackle this project. (Click HERE for the link to the tutorial) And I will...just not right now...maybe next week. I am up to my elbows in paper and glue and paint working my little fingers into bloody stumps to get ready for the craft fair this weekend. Seriously, my kitchen has been completely hijacked by my projects. There is absolutely no where for my poor family to eat. Good thing they like the living room, because that's where they've been banished to. So, you're probably wondering WHY in the world I'm blogging, or reading magazines for that matter, if I have so much to do, right?

I.Needed.a.Stinkin.Break.

And because I love y'all so much, I decided to spend those wonderful few minutes here. This is my stress relief. This is my medicine. Thank you all for being such wonderful bloggy friends and for your continued support. I am blessed to be associated with each one of you. I love reading and responding to all your sweet comments...they seriously make my day! I love getting e-mails from you too, letting me know you tried this or that project I posted about or just saying hey! I love that personal connection. It thrills me to be able to build these wonderful relationships with such fascinating and inspiring women. So, from the bottom of my heart...thank you.

What a gift you are to me!

How to Make Tissue Paper Pom Poms

It was love at first sight when I saw these amazing paper flowers at Martha Stewart Weddings. I've wanted to make them for quite a while, but needed them for absolutely NO reason. That is, until this week. I am going to use them to decorate my booth at the craft fair I'm doing this weekend. My plan is to hang them at varying heights from the ceiling of my tent. I hope it turns out as beautiful as it seems in my head! Here is the link for Martha's tutorial, which, let's be honest, is WAY better than mine!

I used 10 sheets of 18 x 26 inch tissue paper...just the target brand.



Fold accordion style, with about 1 1/2 inch folds. Crease with each fold.




Fold a piece of floral wire in half and slip over center...twist. Trim the ends of the tissue into rounded or pointy shapes...I chose round.

Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time.

This part was somewhat difficult, and required a gentle hand...tissue paper is very delicate and tears easily! My first one was a disaster, and I was about ready to throw in the towel. I'm glad I kept going. It got much easier the more I got the hang of it. Just fluff and puff until you get the look you're going for.

You can hang these by tying a length of clear thread or ribbon to the floral wire.

I used ribbon today, but I think on Saturday I'll use the clear stuff. They are sooooooo not perfect, but I am loving them all the same! I think I'll make some pink ones for the girls' room. And then I'll make some black and white ones for our annual Halloween bash...which I can hardly wait for (it's my favorite holiday to decorate for)!

So.Much.Fun.

Thrifty Treasures...My $8 Loot

Thanks to Ms. Southern Hospitality herself, Rhoda, for hosting this fun weekly event. I absolutely love sharing my fun finds and treasures, and in return seeing all the wonderful things other people find along the way.

Sooooo...let the sharing begin!

Black open toe wedges by Mossimo (like new)...$1

"S" measures just under 20 inches (as in almost 2 feet tall huge)...$2

Vintage aqua blue travel bag (just like my mom used to carry)...50 cents

Brand new (in box) Crate and Barrel Christmas plates...$1



Ahhhhh...I could die, I love these little cuties so much! Their whimsical flair will go perfectly with my fun Christmas decor. Speaking of which...am I the only weirdo who is already thinking and dreaming of decorating for the holidays? Yes, I am fully aware that it is only July.






My sister got me this vintage santa soap dish...ADORABLE!




(2) 18 x 20 black frames with print and custom mattes...$1 each
(1) 20 x 24 framed print (new from Kirkland's with 29.99 price tag)...$1

I'm telling ya...shopping yard sales has totally spoiled me. I will never pay regular store prices for a frame ever again! I have accumulated quite a collection of large black frames for my picture wall/hallway. I cannot wait to put them all together. My plan is to use all black and white prints with all shapes and sizes of black frames to unify the space. I am excited to see it all come together. I think it will be beautiful!

What did y'all find while out thifting this weekend? If'd you'd like to join in on the party, be sure and visit Ms. Rhoda's place. I just read her post and I am totally hating on her right now. She scored her second vintage fan in working condition. Hate her! Actually...LOVE her...she is fabulous! Now...go check it out, and tell her I said HEY!

The Story of a Staple Gun and a Wimpy Girl...

Ummmmm...remember when I said my staple gun was broken? Yeah, apparently I am just really wimpy and wasn't putting enough muscle into it. I did get about 6 staples in, but that was it. Thus, my reason to think it was broken! When my hubby tried it, of course it worked perfectly. That is so how it works around here. I have all these lofty intentions of doing projects on my own, but something always goes wrong. And I end up having to ask for help. Oh well, it's not all bad. We actually enjoyed working on this one together (quite rare). Thanks babe, for lending me your many muscles!

LOVE, love, love this gorgeous fabric. Thank you again Richella!

Imperfectly beautiful, if I do say so myself!






So easy...especially when you have a handy hubby to help out!

In case you all forgot what the piano bench looked like before, here it is in all it's glory. It was in pitiful shape. It's amazing what a little bit of beautiful fabric and some staples can do.
I LOVE the results!

I'm linking to Kimba's DIY Day, be sure to check it out...

Where I've Been...

Since my staple gun died and I had no money to get a new one and couldn't fix the old one, the piano bench is still not done! So, unfortunately I can't show off my gorgeous new upholstered bench quite yet. Instead of finding another unfinished project to work on around the house or blog, I decided to make some new things to list in my Etsy shop. I got some cute new stamps that I hadn't been able to play with yet, so I was really excited to try them out. I cannot tell you how much I adore them! I wanted my cards to have a vintage vibe and these stamps turned out to be the perfect finishing touch. Here they are...what do you think?

vintage dress form on black & white paisley (distressed edges)

Eiffel Tower on black and white harlequin

Crown on black and white chandeliers (distressed edges)

Fleur de lis on french script

nest on black and white damask

I will be listing these in my Etsy shop tonight, if anyone's interested. Each bundle comes with 10 cards and envelopes and is $12.00. Also, if you see something you like, but would like it with a different background or image...let me know. I can customize a set to your liking. You can leave me a conversation through etsy or e-mail me anytime at

ImperfectlyBeautifulMs {at} gmail {dot} com

The Forgotten Piano Bench

This is the piano bench I would like to forget. It's a rickety, broken down, barely usable bench that came with my free hand me down piano. Now, don't get me wrong...I was over the moon about acquiring this piano. Not so much with it's condition. Each and every single key had the coordinating note written on it in black sharpie. Yes, you heard me right...BLACK SHARPIE. (who does that?) Anyway, thank the good Lord for Mr. Clean Magic Eraser...they really are magic!

Need a place to store your music? Nope...not here...sorry. I can't believe I have made my boys practice their piano while sitting on this death trap for 2 years. What kind of mother am I?




Well, apparently the kind that also forgets about that other piano bench that her friend gave her over a year ago.
SHAMEFUL!
In my defense, I knew it needed to recovered and I just didn't have the time or energy to do it (I was preggers at the time). Also, I think it was waiting for that "special" piece of fabric.



And now I have just that...thanks to my new blogging friend Richella! Only in blogland can you compliment a stranger's fabric project, and she ends up sending you her extra fabric. Seriously. I must say that Richella is one of the kindest, most sincere women I have ever had the privilege of "meeting". She is honest and real and beautiful...inside and out. I am blessed to call her my friend. Thank you Richella for being so sweet and for showing me such an example of true Christ-like love and random kindness.


Be sure and go by her blog and say hello @ Imparting Grace.


(And stay tuned for the reveal of the new piano bench. My staple gun stopped working tonight right in the middle of the project. That is so my life.)

Amy Butler + Clearance = LOVE

Oh how I wish that this little package of stickers was really a nice big stack of Amy Butler fabric. Or even better...a plethora of gorgeous purses made from said fabric! Sadly, it is not, and this will have to do for now. I found these adorable stickers at Micheal's clearanced out from 3.99 to 99 cents. I grabbed a couple packs and headed for home, not knowing what I'd use them for (since I haven't scrapbooked in over 4 years)...but knowing I could find something to embellish with these little lovelies.

And this is what I came up with. Nothing earth shattering, but pretty cute all the same. Plus, I had some Amy Butler paper scraps I'd saved that worked perfectly. The color of these photos is a bit washed out, but let me tell you... these little notecards are wicked CAAUUUTE!
Oh, and FYI...they have some pretty good clearance at Micheal's right now, including some of Martha Stewart's line. It's worth a look see if you have one in your area.

25 Cent Fabric Redo

I'm linking my fabric project with Ms. Rhoda's Thrifty Treasures Monday. I love the thrill of the hunt that yard sales bring, especially when I find really good stuff for really cheap. Anything under a dollar makes me squeal with delight! Case in point...these lovely toile tablecloths that were basically being given away.

I love toile. I used to have it all over my home, but lately I haven't been using it. Last week, I pulled out an extra yard of black and white toile to frame my monogram. It looked pretty good...that is...until I found these 4 tablecloths for 25 cents at a yard sale. Yes, you read that right...25 cents...1 quarter...5 nickles...25 pennies! When I saw them piled in a box with a bunch of ugly linens, I started digging. I was soooooooo excited to find 4 of them. I asked the lady how much and she said...I don't know, would you pay 25 cents? Ummmmmm...yes please.

SCORE!

I really love my monogram now. I only liked it before...now it's LOVE. And it matches my bedroom so much better! Sometimes decorating is trial and error. You might have to try your decor in several different places paired with unexpected things until you get it just right. Play with it. Have fun. Think outside the box. And don't be afraid to try new things!

Framing Fabric

Do you like easy projects? If you answered yes to that question, then this post is for you! Really, there is no need for pictures or detailed instructions here. Just cut a piece of fabric to fit.....and frame it. Simple as that. And if you really want to kick it up a notch (a la Emeril), add a monogram. I found a nice bold font I liked on my computer, enlarged it to about 500, printed it, and cut it out.

Easy Peasy Mac N' Cheesy.

Why have I never thought of this before? I have a stack of fabric collecting dust and a boat load of frames lying around...WHY?

This is what I originally did with the photo tray I found on clearance at Target. I think I like it much better with the fabric. Oh, and by the way...my walls look peach in that first picture. Believe me...they are soooooo not! Just bad lighting...and a pitiful photographer. I need to go to camera school.

SERIOUSLY.