{Bridal Bouquets} Tiffany Blue, Black, White and Pink

Mikaelah and I recently helped create some very pretty bouquets for a friend's upcoming wedding.

Loved the colors in these ... especially loved the black ribbon with white polka dots! These floral arrangements coordinate with the wedding shower that we styled a while back. It's really fun to see how everything from the shower ties in with what will be represented on the wedding day =)

I love the bride's bouquet. So simple and sweet. The white ribbon on her bouquet has an incredibly special meaning to her as well, so we were very happy to be able to work that in for her.

The bride and groom have only a few more weeks to the big day. Best wishes to you both!

Anna

DIY Decoupage Picture Frame

I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, and the inspiration really hit yesterday.

I had an old frame that I was getting ready to throw away. (Actually, I already had thrown it away when I got this idea, so I had to dig it out about 11:30 at night!) The black frame I used was actually really nice, but it was COVERED in hairspray. As you can guess, it had been hanging in my bathroom for years, and developed a very sticky surface. So I just wanted to trash it and get a new one.

But why trash it, when all it really needs is either a very good scrubbing (which I gave up on) or a brand-new surface?

So I got out my tools and went to town. But there wasn't much I even needed for this project.

The old, sticky picture frame, obviously. It's an 8-by-10 with matting for a 5-by-7 photo.

Scrap paper. I used a combination of blacks and whites because, well, that's what I had on hand. But in the end, the cut out pieces sort of resemble a patchwork quilt, and I love it!

Elmer's glue and water, mixed into your very own homemade decoupage. A recipe online said to mix about 1 cup of Elmer's and 1/3 cup of water. I didn't need that much, so I just eyeballed it and used smaller amounts of each. I also used a small sponge paintbrush to apply the glue. (But honestly, I used my fingers to apply the glue more than the brush!)

Then I got started. I used the scrapbook paper and cut out various shapes. Mostly longer pieces, and with mostly straight lines.

Start by brushing a layer of glue onto the frame's surface. Position the paper where you want it, and then paint another layer of glue over the top.

I overlapped the layers a lot. And after I had the surface mostly covered, I went back with contrasting paper to create even more layers.

See the crayons in the background? No, this project didn't call for crayons, but my daughter Avery's coloring project certainly did. =)

And there you go! A brand-new picture frame created with what would have gone in the trash.

Total cost for this picture frame redo? Well, I bought a new bottle of Elmer's, which was on sale (hooray for back-to-school time!) for 40 cents! The paper I already had. So a whopping 40 cents for this baby!

I stuck a piece of white card stock behind the photo of my little cutie and called it a day.

And now I have it displayed in my living room. Project complete!

 Happy crafting!

Anna

Here's where I'm linking up to:

{Birthday Party} Pink, Brown, Yellow ... and Giraffe!

Mikaelah recently created fun party decorations to go with little Juliette's first birthday party. And what a cute theme! Pink and brown just look so cute together.

So for Juliette, we started by creating a door sign for her party. It's similar to ones we've made before, but this time we added her name and a cute little giraffe to go with the party theme.

Then comes the name banner, which also could hang in her room after the party is over and she's unwrapped her truckload of presents! (The banner might fit in her room, but good luck to her parents on finding room for all those new toys!)

A ribbon topiary rounded out the party decorations.

Happy first birthday, Miss Juliette!

Anna

Here is where I'm linking to:

{Handmade Banner} Engagement Congrats

We love making personalized banners these days, and there isn't any occasion that can't be celebrated with one!

A friend recently requested one for her co-worker who had just become engaged. Mikaelah and I love weddings, so we were very happy to help celebrate the start of something special for this bride-to-be.

We selected black and white paper in various patterns for a fun and girlie look.

Best wishes to the happy couple!

Anna

{Crafting for a Cause} Happy Birthday Collection in Silent Auction

Mikaelah and I have created a fabulous "Happy Birthday" package that will be part of a silent auction this weekend at the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life for Vanderburgh County (East).

 

We've created something we think is really fun! The set includes a "Happy Birthday" banner, along with 12 gift bags and tags. And it's all handmade and quite unique.

 

The gift bags are white, as pictured below, and are the size of a small lunch bag. Colors of the tags include green, purple, pink, orange, yellow, red and blue.

These are the tags that will be attached to the collection when it is on display for the silent auction.

This really is a great cause for the American Cancer Society, and we are very happy to be part of it.

Here are more details:

Opening Ceremonies: 3 p.m. July 16

Closing Ceremonies: 6 a.m July 17

Location: Washington Square Mall

The silent auction ends at midnight on the 16th. 

 

If anyone would like to bid on this ahead of time, let us know and we'd be happy to mark you down on the list.

Here's to raising money for the American Cancer Society!

Anna

 

 

Flipping for these Flip Flops

We've been feeling a little crafty lately. So we decided to add a little Banana Lala touch to some ordinary flip flops.

This what we started with: A few pairs of flip flops (in bright colors, of course!), that were purchased for anywhere from $1 to $4 each at Old Navy and Hobby Lobby.

 Our supplies included the following:

Fun little decorative felt flowers

Plenty of ribbon =)

Hot glue gun and scissors

And here is the finished product:

 

Fun, huh?! We loved adding a little (or a lot!) of personality to these otherwise standard flip flops.

Happy crafting, everyone.

Anna

Here's where I'm linking to: