Mossy Monograms

Sorry I was MIA most of the week. My niece came home from college to get married, have a reception, and a whole other list of whirlwind activities. Her mother, my dear sister, has been hard at work for the last 6 weeks (that's all the notice she had) planning this beautiful event. I would be surprised if she slept much, if at all. She handled the stress and pressure like a dream and I was so impressed with her! I think I would have been a basketcase. I hope she takes a few days to decompress and stays in her pj's the whole time...she deserves it.

One of the many little touches that made the reception so beautiful were these moss covered monograms. My two other sisters, worked on this project and I think it turned out absolutely perfect. My oldest sister started by choosing a lovely font and printed out their initial. She used an overhead projector to trace this onto foam core board and then cut it out. Then my other sister painstakingly hot glued reindeer moss onto the initial. I'm pretty sure she has no finger prints left, just in case she wanted to commit a crime...I think she's good to go! A small price to pay for beauty, right?

This is what the foam board looked like when cut out. It had some rough edges, but once completely covered in the moss, they disappeared and it looked absolutely perfect.

I forgot to take a picture of the cake before they cut it, so this shot will have to do. You can see the corner of it, with some of the detail and the beautiful green color. It sat on this gorgeous square silver cake stand and it was amazing. As was her bouquet, and the dress. Oh...I would give my right arm for her cute little body!



The happy couple.
Are they not the cutest thing ever???

Oh, to be young and madly in love.


Congrats Hannah and Dalaney!!!


Love you ~ Manda

Alert...90% off at Target

While strolling through Target's toy section with my kids today, I spotted several women with their carts full of Christmas decor (and I mean stacked and overflowing). I was amazed that they had so much stuff left, so I thought I'd quickly check it out. When I got over there it was swarming with people piling stuff into their carts as fast as they could. And no wonder...everything was 90% off! I scored these three very large tubs of ornaments for next year. It's all different shades of gold, ivory, and champagne. Colors I am usually not drawn to at Christmas. But since my Mom scored those amazing chocolate brown mercury glass trees for 50 cents, I have been thinking of nothing else. Next year's mantle decor will be elegant neutrals with a splash of chartreuse green. I have a clear picture of it in my head... Is that sick that I'm already planning my Christmas decor and it's January 5th????

These were $1.50 each, $4 total for well over 100 ornaments...score!

The small bronze/chocolate ornaments were 75% off at a local department store. The mercury glass trees were 90% off a local salvage store that frequently gets Target stock. I am heading back tomorrow to get more of the chocolate trees. They are so stunning in real life!

My niece's colors for her wedding really inspired me to go more neutral and elegant for Christmas next year. I love the whimsical look, but I am seriously over it....for now. I'm sure I'll change my mind one day and go back to it. But if I can get a whole new look for 90% off, then I don't have to feel guilty for changing my mind so often...right?

Justifications are so hard to......well,justify. But that's my story and I'm stickin to it!

Cupcake Towers Gone Wild

Many of you asked me for details on the size of the boxes we used and how many cupcakes we put out. My sister and I made 8 dozen cupcakes between us, but we probably only put out 5 dozen to begin with. We used the extras to replenish as the others got eaten. As for the boxes...the top two smaller boxes we used were priority mail boxes, that are actually free from the post office. The smallest measures 7x7x6. The middle box measures approximately 12x12x8. And the largest box on the bottom measures 22x11.5x7 (it was a box of hamburger patties from Sam's Club). The truth is that you could any size you have or can scavenge form the trash pile. Use what you have and make it work for you.

I forgot to mention that the idea for the cupcake tower came from my sister, Emily. She made this adorable polka dot one for her daughters' 11th birthday party. It was precious. Just look at those black and white polka dot and stripe candles on top...too cute! This was definitely a cake fit for a diva. They put on their own fashion runway show that night...complete with a red carpet. The party was a huge hit with those pre-teen girls!

For those of you interested in making your own, I thought I'd include some pictures for inspiration. You can really make them as simple or elaborate as you want. The skies the limit. This brown and pink tower is one of my absolute favorites. Those simple little bows around each box make it so chic!



Of course, the aqua and brown color scheme caught my eye. How can you go wrong with those two colors??? Seriously. And I love how they added a small cake as the topper.

I little over the top, but still fabulous. Can you imagine this beauty at a wedding? Absolute perfection!

These little towers from Martha Stewart are sweet. But, I'm not quite sure about the frosting dollops...a little too pointy for me.

I think I died when I saw this barnyard friends cupcake tower. Could it be any cuter? No, it could not!

And if you're really feeling adventurous and wanted to blow it out of the water...there's this. A cupcake tree. Although, I am bit concerned for that sweet little girl's safety...what better way to go than being crushed by a bajillion cupcakes?

I think I will stick to the simple version. No chance of death by cupcake here. Possibly a sugar coma, but not death!

Handcrafted Wedding Gifts

I made a lot of our gifts this holiday season. I love a handmade gift, and I hope that the people who receive my gifts feel the love and heart that goes into each handcrafted item. A store bought gift is great, as are cash and gift cards. But there is nothing better than making something special for the people I love and appreciate the most. I like to put a lot of thought into each gift, to make sure it is designed especially for them and their needs. It gives that personal touch, that something extra that says... you mean the world to me. I LOVE that!

All the cousins draw names and then buy for each other. There are 17 grandkids, which means lots of noise, chaos, love, and laughter. I wouldn't want it any other way. One of the names we got was my niece who is getting married next week. I was so excited to make her some monogrammed, personalized things for her new married life! She got a full size journal with her initial, a set of cards with her new married monogram, a mini journal for her purse, and a family name frame.

I made several of these family name frames to give. They might be my new favorite thing to make! First I cut the paper to fit inside the frame. Then I cut out their last name, the initial, and the established date out of vinyl with my cricut. I applied the vinyl directly onto the front of the glass. That way she can change out the paper to match anything or any room when she wants a change. Easy peasy. I know the paper is a little busy and distracting, but I fell in love with this Amy Butler paper set and new it was perfect for Hannah. And really...can you go wrong with anything Amy Butler puts her name on??? I think not!

When she opened the journal she was so excited she had a wedding journal. I didn't even know there was such a thing, but apparently I made her one! I also made my boys' 4 teachers each a set of journals...one full size and a mini with a coordinating print. In my haste to finish them the night before the last day of school, I forgot to take pictures. So you'll just have to take my word that they were stinkin cute! And as you can see below, I also like to paper the inside covers of the journals. Again, it adds just a little extra touch of personal. Can you tell I'm really into the small details? It's a sickness that I suffer form daily.

I almost forgot to wish everyone a happy 2010. Here's to another great year and to the beginning of a fabulous decade full of surprises and adventure!





HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS!!!!

DIY Monogrammed Cupcake Tower

I think this simple stack of cast off Christmas boxes, turned cupcake tower is the most wonderful thing ever! I made it for my niece's wedding shower tonight. It was really so simple...anyone could recreate this. I literally went out to the garage and chose some leftover boxes from Christmas morning (that will thankfully be picked up with the trash tomorrow), and wrapped them in brown craft paper. My original plan was to find some gorgeous wrapping paper in her wedding colors, but that didn't happen. Thank goodness for gorgeous ribbon to spruce it all up. I used what I had in my stash of ribbon scraps and bought one roll at Target in the Christmas markdowns. I used my Cricut to cut out the circles and the letters for the monogram. I used each of their first initials (H & D) and the initial of their soon to be last name in the middle.

Then we just surrounded the boxes with the cupcakes and, voila...a super cute, ultra fab, monogrammed cupcake tower is born!

The ribbon and the paper monograms are attached using double stick tape. Oh, how I love thee, double stick tape! Have I ever professed my love for this amazing stuff? I LOVE it and use it all the time for so many things....it makes me very happy.

Here...let me zoom out so that you can get a better view, because obviously, I haven't shown enough pictures of it yet.

See those chocolate brown mercury glass trees? My amazing mother found those at a discount/closeout/salvage store today. They were two for a dollar! That's 50 cents people...2 quarters, or 5 dimes, or 20 nickles...seriously! The price tag on the bottom said $24.99. She has some serious skills.

Se how much fun we had putting this together? Hahaha...I just wanted to use this picture for the scale to show you how large this thing was. It made an amazing centerpiece, even though it wasn't exactly in the center of the table. We actually had to move it because it was bumping into the bottom of the chandelier. I like it even more angled off to the side.


I am already thinking about making another one...it really was that fun! My daughter's 4th birthday is in two weeks and I think another cupcake tower is in order. Hers will be ultra girly, with lots of pink and polka dots. I hope the vision of it I have in my head lives up to my expectations...I wouldn't want to let myself down!

A Winner and a Papercraft

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway from The Lavender Road! I apologize that I am a day late announcing the winner. I know y'all know how it is...life just gets the better of you sometimes, and you have to roll with the punches. So with no further ado, the lucky winner is.............comment #48 Heather L. Congrats Heather...I am so excited for you and I know these precious little sachets are going to be put to good use by a special lady! Heather's comment was so sweet and really touched my heart. I hope she doesn't mind if I share it with you. This is what she said ....

"I love these! I think I'd have to give them to my mom - without her, I don't know what I'd do. I have five kids (the oldest is my stepson who is 18, the youngest is my baby boy who is 9 months, so yeah, it's pretty chaotic around here!) and she helps me with them SO much! I'd love to win and make her Christmas a little more special =)"

How sweet is that??? The true spirit of Christmas...giving.

In the midst of my insanely crazy week, I decided I needed a papercraft fix. It's been a while since I created something just for fun, for no other reason than I wanted to. I saw these neat paper flower ornaments months ago on a blog, which I cannot remember...sorry. I've had them in my idea file just waiting for me. They remind me of the ornaments my mom used to make for our tree growing up. Back in the day when our tree was decked out in styrofoam balls cut in half with each of the 5 kids pictures glued on the front. The backs were adorned with beads and sequins, and they were strung with yarn. They were handcrafted with a mother's love. At the time, I'm sure we thought they were terrible and embarrassing. Nowadays those are the very ornaments we seek out in earnest each year! The handmade, handcrafted keepsakes mean the very most. And they carry with them the best memories, too. So pardon me while I get all nostalgic and weepy over some silly paper ornaments. I needed a little feel good today!

Start with an 81/2 x 11 sheet of paper or cardstock. Cut it into 11 one inch strips. Stack the strips, staple in the middle, and fold like a book.



Use double stick tape on each end of the strip and tuck into the center. You can use invisible thread to hang them or pretty ribbon. They could be hung on the tree, from a chandelier, or in varying lengths in a doorway. You could also scatter them in the center of a table for a cute centerpiece.

Happy crafting and memory making!