Hello Friends!!
I almost posted this tutorial on Friday for you to enjoy throughout your long holiday weekend.
But then it occurred to me most of you would be "out" enjoying your weekend with friends and family;
Not stuck inside on the computer or with your face planted in your phone for too much of the holiday.
At least not long enough to dive into the fun, pretty details of this easy DIY I'm sharing with you today!

Fringe Flowers - French Farmhouse Style

Remember me mentioning I am featured in this month's All You Magazine? 

I was asked to participate in the monthly segment called "Take this, Make That" Craft Challenge.

All You Magazine selects an ordinary household item and two crafty bloggers each month 

and challenges the bloggers to transform the item into something fabulous!

This month's ordinary household item?

 A Cereal Box

Here were the guidelines:

- It had to cost less than $5

- It had to be simple enough to be finished in 5 steps or less

- It had to be something showcasing the actual print on the cereal box.

So here's what I came up with...

Cereal Box Fringe Flowers

Once I received the magazine and saw the feature...

I about fell over in my chair when I saw the pretty SPRAY PAINTED 

faux metal decorative orbs the other blogger/crafter submitted.

They really did turn out darling - go check them out here!

And make note of how different they look WITHOUT Spray Paint! *wink*

Had I been given permission to cover the cereal box print

THESE French Farmhouse Fringe Flowers would've graced page 15 of All You instead! *wink*

These are flowers that blend beautifully with my home decor....

and they are for SO much more than a bouquet of flowers...

RUSTIC FLOWER GARLAND - for parties or home decor

GIFT PACKAGING - for embellishing bags and boxes

CUPCAKE OR CAKE TOPPERS - attached to a Pretty Party Skewer

Adorable, right?
With so many uses, this craft is worth the few minutes it takes to make a few.
Get your kids involved if you want and check out the full tutorial below!

VOTE FOR THIS PROJECT RIGHT NOW 
on the All You Facebook Fan Page.
I'd LOVE your support! 
Look for the "Pick Your Fave" tab at the top of the All You FB Fan Page.
You have to "Like" All You in order to have access to the "Take This, Make That" voting page.

MATERIALS LIST

Oatmeal Box (or Cereal Box)

Floral Wire (I used a rustic twine wire for the French Farmhouse Style Flowers)

Scissors

Glue Gun

Pliers (for bending floral wire)

Spray Paint (optional)

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

If you love how this turned out, PLEASE VOTE FOR MY PROJECT!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

For those of you who picked up your copy of All You Magazine

or have already voted for my project on the All You FB Page...THANK YOU for your excitement and support.

I'm so glad to have been able to share this "updated" look with you.

This version really represents my style and I love the outcome!

Changing out the color of the spray paint as well as the type of floral wire you use

allows you to adapt this project to fit your personal style too!!

PRESS | All You Magazine

Good morning sweet friends...
I'm skipping "Recipe Radar" again this week in lieu of some exciting news...

I'm really grateful and excited to have been asked to participate in the "Take This - Make That" Challenge in the September issue of  +All You Magazine!

Remember the popsicle stick table runner I shared some weeks ago that was supposed to have appeared in All You a couple of issues back?  In that post, I explained this new "Take This - Make That" monthly segment features a craft challenge between two bloggers/crafters. The magazine selects an ordinary household item and issues a challenge to create something using the item for under $5 and in less than 5 steps.

The household item for this month's issue was a Cereal Box!
I hope you'll pick up a copy at your local grocery store to find out what I ended up making.
I would love for you to VOTE FOR ME on the All You Facebook Fan Page until September 13th.
Click on the "Pick your Fave" tab to see the "Take This - Make That" Challenge.

Or better yet...create your own fabulous cereal box craft and win yourself a $25 Gift Card to Michaels.
All you need to do is upload your photo to the All You FB Fan Page to enter.

Later this week I'll be posting the full tutorial to support the verbal instructions in the magazine.
I'll also be sharing the numerous ways to use these simple-to-make accents.

True Story...
I was working the concession stand at the High School football game on Friday night.
A woman I've come to know through the years of our kids attending school together was passing by.
She saw me and said, "Hey!! I saw you in All You Magazine! Did you know you were in there?"
I said, "Yes" and she said, "When I saw your picture I immediately recognized you but still wasn't believing it was really you until I read your name!! That's so exciting!! Congratulations!! We have a local celebrity!! I'm going to vote for you and I'm going to tell all of my friends to vote for you too!!"

I was totally beside myself. It made my night!!
If she happens to be reading this, Thank you Ms. Walker! Your support, encouragement and genuine excitement mean the world to me!"

I feel the same way about all of you too!
Thanks for being here with me everyday!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I'm a little bummed about one aspect of the challenge.
I was told the printed side of the cereal box should NOT be covered or hidden so readers would be able to recognize it was from a cereal box.
I see the other crafter finished hers off with spray paint. *sigh*

Oh well. *frowny face*
I just feel like the end result was NOT a good representation of ME.
In fact, two women who voted for the other crafter left comments about how the other craft was more "classy". Ugh!!
Reading that felt like I'd been stabbed with scissors through my crafty little heart. *wink*
They may as well have said, "The craft by Pen N' Paperflowers is tacky".
I. Don't. Do. Tacky. *sniffle sniffle*

Regardless...I am really happy to have been able to participate!!
The editor I worked with at All You was great and the overall experience was such a positive one.
I'm elated to have been featured and after my experience with Ms. Walker the other night (see above) and the love and support from family, friends and you all here via emails,
I feel a tiny bit like a celebrity! Ha!! *wink*

Besides that, I get to "redeem" myself with the tutorial I'll be posting this week.
I'm excited to show you what I would've done had I been given permission to cover the cereal box print
and you'll also to get to see first hand some different, super cute ways to use the "fringe flowers".

CRAFT | Popsicle Stick Table Runner

Let's talk wooden popsicle sticks today...

in the form of a DIY Table Runner!!

Yep! The adorable wooden table runner you see here is a simple craft project 

taking less than 30 minutes to put together.

I was approached by one of the editorial directors of All You Magazine.

They were looking for crafty bloggers to participate in a new feature called 

"Take this, make that" in which two crafters would have to take an ordinary household item

and turn it into something useful and fabulous!!

I was given popsicle sticks and was asked to make a home decor item 

for under $5 - in less than 5 steps!

The step-by-step photos and instructions below will have you

enjoying your own table runner in no time!!