Holiday

A Pumpkin Filled Fall Mantel

September 12, 2018 by Bre 10 Comments

The weather has started turning cooler and the sun has begun setting earlier with each passing day. Although I’m still in somewhat of a summer mindset, there’s no denying that fall is on its way.

Because of that, I’m so glad to be part of the Decorate Your Mantel Fall Blog Hop, which is hosted by my friend Amy at My Life From Home.

It gave me the kick in the pants that I needed to pull my fall decor from storage, pick up a few new items, and get things moving toward a cozier look in my house!

Although I love the vibrant colors that fall brings, I went with a muted look for this mantel. For some reason it just felt right this time around. Maybe I’m craving a break from the sun and brightness of the summer – who knows?

Buckets, bowls, and containers in varying shades of silver give faux pumpkins the height they need to flank the mirror.

Although each pumpkin is different, the commonalities in their pedestals makes the look cohesive.

The picture frame holds oak leaves cut from book pages (a terrible piece of chick lit I read back in the early 2000’s. My tastes have matured since then. Ha!), and acorns I gathered from my mom’s yard over Labor Day weekend.

Faux floral picks stuffed in a wood centerpiece box I use all the time completes the look.

P.S. the new candelabra I put in the fireplace is totally beautiful when it’s all lit up. Just perfect for my non-functional fireplace.

To me there’s something very peaceful and comforting about this year’s fall mantel. I love looking at it and thinking of all the fun fall activities ahead for me and my family.

Have you begun decorating for fall yet? What type of look are you going with this year?

-Bre

Free Vintage Patriotic Printables {Perfect for the Fourth of July}

June 26, 2018 by Bre 15 Comments

This collection of six patriotic printables is free to download. Vintage Americana sheet music cover art is perfect for decor or crafts!

Anytime I think of the Fourth of July, the sounds of old-time patriotic music fill my mind. Usually it’s the tune of “Stars and Stripes Forever” or “God Bless America,” and I kid you not, I see fireworks in my mind!

It’s like I’m back in my town’s park watching the fireworks all over again!

Because of that, I just knew I had to share these fantastic vintage patriotic printables, which are taken from the covers of vintage patriotic sheet music books.

Ideas for Using Free Patriotic Printables

Of course you could just pop one of these into a frame, but there are so many other ideas for using these printables!

What if you printed them in a smaller size and turned them into a bunting or banner?

Or, you could print one very small, mount it on a wood plaque, and use it in a Fourth of July wreath.

Another great way to use the patriotic prints is to print small and tie around a vase with red, white and blue flowers.

Want Some Other Patriotic Crafts Projects? I Think You’ll Like These!

Vintage Patriotic Sheet Music Cover Art Printables

Can you believe the artwork on these pieces of music? What a gift!

I found six of my favorite public domain sheet music covers and have uploaded them for you, just in time for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Just click the linked title above the patriotic printable(s) you want, download to your computer, print (either at home or at a print shop), and enjoy! These images print best up to 8×10.

America and Old Glory

Stars and Stripes Forever

Stars of our Union

Under One Flag

For Old Glory

My Country’s Flag

How else would you use these vintage patriotic printables?

-Bre

Pretty DIY Paper Mache Bunny

March 8, 2018 by Bre 2 Comments

Make a beautiful paper mache bunny or paper mache rabbit as spring decor that evokes memories of the past.

I just love how Target always finds ways to make my bill higher than it should be. On my most recent trip, for example, I tossed this unfinished paper mache bunny into my cart without giving it a second thought. She felt right at home amongst the toilet paper and socks.

After bringing her home and staring at her for a couple of days, I felt inspired to give her a new look, and now my DIY Paper Mache Bunny looks like this – perfect for spring decor!

Keep reading and I’ll teach you how to make one of your own.

Supplies Needed for a DIY Paper Mache Bunny

Some of these links are affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

How to Make a Paper Mache Bunny or Paper Mache Rabbit

Begin by cutting a newspaper into tiny strips. Once you have a big collection of strips, paste them to the unfinished paper mache bunny with Mod Podge.

You can overlap the strips, but don’t make any area too thick. Just a slight overlap of newspaper works well.

Once the newspaper is dried to the bunny, put a thin topcoat of Mod Podge all over the bunny.

After that dries, water down some gray acrylic paint and lightly cover the bunny so that the newspaper words are muted but still visible. I think the words give the bunny some character and vintage-looking charm!

Then, add some light pink paint in the inner portions of the ears.

When the gray and pink paints are dry, cover the entire bunny with a coat of Glamour Dust glitter paint. This will give the bunny a beautiful shine when the sunlight hits it! It’s a really subtle glitter and not overwhelming.

DIY Bunny Planters are another adorable DIY Easter or Spring Decor Craft you might enjoy!

(You could also sprinkle very fine glitter into Mod Podge and use that as a topcoat.)

However, if you don’t like the glitter look, you could leave the bunny as-is, or seal with another coat of Mod Podge.

Finally, hot glue moss and faux flowers around the bunny’s head to create an adorable flower crown. This is my favorite part of this bunny!

And that is all you have to do to make a beautiful DIY Paper Mache Bunny for your spring or Easter decor!

This easy project is one that you can leave out until summer! It’s not overly Easter, so you can pass it off a little longer than some other decorations.

I guess that, in the end, I’m glad I have no self-control in Target and that I bought that unfinished paper mache bunny, because this project is pretty sweet and will add a little cuteness to my spring decor.

The Best Dollar Tree Party Supplies (and which ones to skip!)

February 7, 2018 by Bre 9 Comments

While I’m not a party animal, I like to host a nice gathering every once in a while. Because I believe you can throw an awesome party on a small budget (see my tips for hosting a party on a budget), I thought I should share my thoughts on the best Dollar Tree party supplies and what to avoid!

Budget-friendly party supplies are an important part of any party, because the more you save on these items, the more money you’ll have for really important things like food and beverages!

Best Dollar Tree Party Supply No 1: Serving Trays and Serving Utensils

If you need disposable serving items for the party you’re hosting, definitely get them at Dollar Tree. They have high-quality and sturdy trays in clear plastic, colors, and silver finish.

They also have large serving utensils, both disposable and not, which I learned at Thanksgiving you can never have enough of! (My grandma reminded me of that about 100 times!)

Sidenote: those silver trays are great for craft projects, too, like the Chalkboard Wreath I created last fall!

I’ll warn you that I do not love Dollar Tree’s plastic utensils, however! They’re very flimsy (ESPECIALLY the colored utensils), and don’t work well. I do not recommend those for your party.

Best Party Supply No. 2: Candles

If you plan to add a little ambiance to your party and need candles, get your tealights, votives, and tapers at Dollar Tree! They come in multi-packs, making them very affordable.

Dollar Tree also has a wide selection of battery-operated flameless candles, but those aren’t my favorite. They’ll do in a pinch, but I find that the batteries don’t last long and they sometimes have a strange color “flame.”

Dollar Tree also has candles in the shapes of numbers if you need that for a birthday cake!

Best Dollar Tree Party Supply No. 3: Favor Bags and Gift Bags

Ever since I discovered Dollar Tree’s gift bags, I rarely purchase them elsewhere. They have SO many colors and designs that you’ll definitely find something you like.

I love to use their solid color bags as party favor bags for kids parties, and embellish them with stickers or ribbon that fits the theme of the party. Because the solid bags come in multi-packs, they’re very kind to your party budget!

Best Party Supply No. 4: Balloons

If you need helium balloons for your celebration, this is the place to get them. Typically, helium balloons cost around $4 at party stores, but they’re just $1.25 at Dollar Tree!

I even like to buy the plain mylar balloons and decorate with stickers or washi tape. That way you can really personalize the look to fit your theme or decor, like I did for my mom’s Kate Spade-themed birthday party!

Best Dollar Tree Party Supply No. 5: Vases

If vases for centerpieces or party decor are on your list, Dollar Tree is the place to get them! They have so many shapes and sizes of plain glass vases that you’re bound to find what you need.

Best Supply No. 6: Streamers or Crepe Paper

Streamers are such a fun party supply because you can do so many things with them, in addition to hanging them from the walls! Search for crepe paper streamer ideas on Pinterest and you’ll be blown away!

Streamers come in 2-packs at Dollar Tree, making them very affordable.

Any party I host would not be properly planned without a trip to Dollar Tree. I can always get a lot crossed off my shopping list and at a great price!

If you have any items you think should be added to my list, please let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you.

-Bre

Easy DIY Scrap Wood Valentines

February 1, 2018 by Bre 4 Comments

Valentine’s Day – are you in the “love it” or “leave it” camp when it comes to this holiday? As you can guess, I’m on the side of “love it,” because it’s such a cute holiday! Because of that, I wanted to share a quick and adorable Valentine’s Day craft that you can make for yourself or to give away as a sweet gift. These Easy DIY Scrap Wood Valentines are a great way to use up any wood scraps you have stashed, or are very inexpensive to make with craft wood from the store!

Plus, you can customize this project to match your own personal taste, so you don’t have to make yours quite as “rustic” as mine!

Supplies Needed for Scrap Wood Valentines

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

This music sheet (download the 760 px option and print it on cardstock like what’s linked below)
Scrap wood in size of your choice OR pre-cut wood just like this
Plain cream or white cardstock
Permanent double-sided tape
Clear drying glue that’s suitable for use on wood
Glitter (I used red and silver)
Matte Acrylic or Chalky Finish Paint (I used this kind in Romance (red), Relic (dark gray), and Primitive (cream))
Chip brush
Letter stamp set
Scissors
Pencil
OPTIONAL: stain or stain wipes (and disposable gloves)

Instructions for Making Scrap Wood Valentines

The first step of this project is optional, but if you’d like, you can stain your wood piece prior to painting it. I stained my wood so that I could give it a distressed look with some of the stained finish peeking through the paint. I used my favorite stain wipes for this part because the stain dries quickly and is odorless!

After the stain dried, I dry brushed chalky finish paint onto the wood blocks. I did a streaky application so that the stained finish would show through in parts.

While the paint dried, I printed out this sheet music onto a piece of cardstock. (Tip: the New York library has digitized thousands of publications within the public domain and made them available for free! That’s where I found this sheet music.) Then I drew a hearts on parts of the lyrics that talk about love and all that good stuff, and cut them out.

Next, I attached double-sided permanent tape to the back of the hearts, and pressed them onto my wood blocks.

I then used letter stamps to put some sentimental sayings onto the blocks with paint. I made my lettering a bit uneven to give an imperfect and rustic look, but you can definitely make yours look more refined!

Once that paint dried, I outlined the paper hearts with glue, and sprinkled glitter onto that. Even though I was going for a rustic look on these wood scrap valentines, I had to add a little sparkle. That’s just me.

And that is all it takes to make these adorable scrap wood valentines that you can display in your home throughout the holiday, or give to a friend as a special little gift. So sweet, right?!?

I made this project on FB Live, too, so check out the video!

And, if you’re looking for some other Valentine’s Day project ideas, check out my Holidays Project Gallery!

-Bre

You May Also Like this DIY Modern Metal Wreath Project!

Three Inexpensive Dollar Tree Holiday Gift Ideas (& My Facebook Live Debut!}

December 15, 2017 by Bre 10 Comments

Earlier this year I made a goal to do a Facebook Live in 2017. (For those of you who don’t know what Facebook Live is, it’s a live broadcast on Facebook. I’m sure you could have figured that out, but I like to be helpful. ;-)). I kept putting it off because, well, the thought of showing my face and talking to people on Facebook made me want to vomit (hello . . . there are like a gajillion Facebook users worldwide)! It’s much easier to sit behind your computer screen and type.

Anyway, I waited until NOW to actually do it, but I’m proud to say that I DID IT and I shared three inexpensive Dollar Tree holiday gift ideas during my first Facebook Live!

These are all quick and easy gift ideas that are perfect for someone you need just a little something for – maybe your neighbors, the school bus driver, crossing guard, mail lady – you get the idea!

You know you’ve got a bunch of people on your list like that, so watch my video to learn how to make Gingerbread House Soaps, Mercury Glass Votives, and Hot Chocolate Tumblers!

In the end, doing Facebook Live wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I will probably do it again! It was kind of a fun rush and I always like a challenge.

If you watch my video, let me know what you think! Also – please let me know if you have any ideas for future Facebook Lives! 🙂

Happy Holidays!

-Bre