happy weekend.

what are you doing this weekend? our family has been invited to a low country boil party this evening that we are planning on attending after slade's baseball game. i made my favorite cookies and cream cupcakes to share with all of the kids. other than those events, i plan on savoring the very last weekend of april. i can hardly believe that the month of may is upon us, which according to our calendar is already a busy, busy month.

whatever your plans, i hope you enjoy the last weekend of april too! here are some things you might also like-

simply made from paper towels + food coloring

our next project made from pallets

made these artichoke toasties for the first time this week
(and loved them!)

sweet video - birth to 12 years in minutes

this printable i need!!! -especially for the month of may

make your own marbled glassware

happy weekend!!

p.s. i made these flowers for a luau-themed event at the elementary school and i love the way they turned out!! who knew paper towels could be so pretty!!

inspired: wooden doormat

 {image via martha stewart}

when i saw this colorful wooden doormat here and here, i immediately pinned it as an upcoming project of mine. and so, over the weekend, i decided it was time to spruce up the entrance of our home and make my own wooden doormat.

my wooden slats were slightly longer than the directions called for so i asked jeff to drill 3 holes instead of just two into each piece. and, because i love white, i decided to paint mine white.  however, after painting it white, i did distress it a little with a darker glaze and some sandpaper.  from start to finish it only took me a few hours to complete and i absolutely love the way it turned out.

you can find the complete directions here if you'd like to make one too!

inspired: stencil a pillow.

i think this will be a upcoming weekend project. i found the supplies and directions for this pillow at  wit & whistle. what a great idea.

{image via wit & whistle}

especially when i saw this stenciled pillow at vivaterra for $159. at that price, i definitely prefer to make my own and customize it with a favorite quote of mine too.  wouldn't you?

{image via vivaterra}

weekend craft: birdcage.

{image via honest to nod}

when i spotted this adorable birdcage in a recent land of nod catalog, i wanted to make my own. luckily, the catalog also included a link to the land of nod blog, honest to nod, where you'll find lots of crafty things and things to try. and so, over the weekend sia and i decided to make (our version) of this sweet little birdcage for her bedroom.

although we used an empty 2-liter bottle as the directions instructed, we chose to wrap our bottle with fabric strips (cut from a old baby crib sheet) instead of fabric strapping and used bright pink twine instead of multi-colored embroidery floss. it was what we had on hand and seemed to match sia's room perfectly.

and, sia already had the perfect stuffed birdie she wanted to hang inside, so we chose not to make one, but could've easily done with fabric scraps too. you can find the complete directions and tutorial for the land of nod birdcage and little bird here.

sia decided to hang her newly crafted birdcage next to another birdcage which hangs next to her bedroom window. isn't it sweet? if you haven't been to honest to nod, then please check it out.. there are many things to craft and try.

sponge balls.

last thursday, sia celebrated her last day of preschool before taking a break for the summer. as she said goodbye to all of her sweet little classmates, she gave each of her friends a sponge ball to have fun with during the summer.

i made the sponge balls using the tutorial found here. after making enough for the entire class, i packaged each of them in cellophane bags and added a tag instructing the children to "make a splash and have a ball this summer!"

cinco de mayo.

if i were having a cinco de mayo party (and i really wish i were) i would totally make the ruffled streamers that dana of made created. i think they would be so fun and colorful and the perfect decoration for a cinco de mayo fiesta.

do you have any special plans to celebrate today? our only plans include making beef and shrimp tacos for dinner and, i bought some colorful bolis ice sticks for the kids to enjoy afterwards!

happy cinco de mayo!!

all images via {made}

gratitude (for teachers).

this week we are celebrating teacher appreciation at our elementary school. yesterday, all of the children were asked to bring their teachers a single flower to signify gratitude for all that they do. i thought it would be fun for the teachers to collect their flowers in these cork vases. and so, i made one for each of them.

the supplies.. an empty espresso coffee can, cork place mats purchased at ikea, my very favorite tool- an x-acto knife, colorful yarn, a ruler, hot glue gun and a sweet note.


after measuring the can, i cut the cork place mat into a strip big enough to wrap around the entire can. with hot glue, i glued the cork into place around the can. lastly, i simply wrapped and tied colorful yarn around the can and pinned on a note of gratitude. it was so simple and perfect for a teacher's desk.

(the vases would be fabulous pencil holders for a teacher too!)

giant paper flowers.

happy monday! how was your weekend? the weather was absolutely beautiful as i had hoped and we enjoyed spending lots of time outdoors. just before our weekend began, i spent last friday afternoon decorating the elementary school in honor of teacher appreciation week.

i had seen these do-it-yourself paper flowers by brittany a few weeks ago and was inspired to make my own. you can find the complete tutorial here. i used smaller paper than suggested, but they were still fabulously big and the hallways looked happy and bright adorned with giant pink, orange and purple flowers.

easter egg surprise.

i have been busily working on a few projects lately, yet i have so many easter ideas whirling inside my head that i would like to get started on. however, there is one idea that i just can't get out of my mind: surprise message eggs. it's at the top of my list as things i'd like to try.

if jeff was not able to come home for the easter this year, i would most definitely send him an egg or two with a sweet message inside. they seem really easy to make and so much fun to send. you can see the full photo tutorial here.

{images via poppytalk by present and correct}

st. patrick's day fun.

i've been busy with what seems to be a million things. in between being a mom, i've been trying to squeeze in baking treats and making some fun things to celebrate st. patrick's day. crafts are complete. our lucky charm necklaces were packaged and sent into school today for all the teachers to wear tomorrow. and today, i am finishing up baking special treats for the class. and then, i will be ready for st. patrick's day!!

how about you? are you doing anything fun to celebrate st. patrick's day?

good morning monday (and love).

how was your weekend? mostly, we stayed at home. and, i happily worked on a few (crafty) projects that have been on mind. sometimes, i see something i really, really like and i say "i can do that." and so, i do. usually incorporating some of my ideas and a little of me too.

like the paper wreath i saw on willows home and garden blog. loved it. and, had to do it. so, i tore out pages from an old paperback book and created my own version. slade and i crumpled the pages first and with glue, i attached them on a metal ring, which i had on hand from an old lamp shade. (i knew it would have a use someday!) after the ring was completely filled with pages, i hand-stamped a tag and then tied it to the wreath with twine. simple as that.

i hung it in my foyer among meaningful things i love. like the pictures of our little girls. or my longtime dream of going to paris someday. the first letter of our last name- my love for typography. and especially, a watercolor of the very first home jeff and i purchased together. it was the house we brought all three of our babies home to. thoughtfully painted and given to us by jeff's uncle who was the reason for our very first dance and meeting almost 11 years ago.


so much meaning (and love) on this foyer wall. it was the perfect place to hang my love wreath. just in time for valentines day.

p.s. the house number pillow on our bench reads "endroit de la joie", which means "place of the joy" in french. so perfect, since my home is my place of joy, a place i love.