Hello pretty star flowers….

I picked up a bundle of these from Hobby Lobby over the weekend and I'm head-over-heels in love with them. They are tee-tiny dried flowers in my favorite color scheme…creamy white…and in my opinion have "french farmhouse" written all over them.  LOVE them!

I'm feeling more and more inspired with regards to finally decorating my house…after 4 years of pretty much nothing.

I've got more of a vision and direction in my mind AND…the energy to actually take on some projects.


So...my first SIMPLE project this weekend was to fill this pretty pitcher I picked up from HomeGoods.

I also found these Halloween napkins and cute wooden box that unexpectedly fit my napkins perfectly!!

It looks like it's an enamel pitcher but it's really ceramic. And again…it looks completely French Farmhouse to me….which if you didn't know is my decorating style.

I have fretted over exactly what to put on the island in my kitchen for nearly 4 years now. It sounds ridiculous, right? I've tried everything from glass apothecary jars to oversized pieces of pretty pottery. All of the things I've tried have either been too tall…too short…to bleh…or just plain impractical. I'm in the kitchen A LOT and most of the time our dinners are served straight from the island so I needed something I could easily move to accommodate dinners.

That's how I came up with the tray idea. I picked this one up from JoAnn's a couple of years ago.
I have loved it. But I haven't necessarily loved the items I've put on it. That is…until this weekend.

When I spotted the bundle of star flowers at Hobby Lobby I was concerned they wouldn't quite be right for the pitcher. But I decided to try them out anyway. I'm so glad I did. The stems are super thin but stiff so because they were originally too tall for the pitcher, I took my garden shears…stood over the trash can and easily cut them down to where I wanted them. I cut the whole bundle of stems at one time. Easy peasy.

I think what I love most about the star flowers is that as much as they are perfect for fall right now…they really adapt to every season - and that makes me happy knowing I'm not going to tire of them or be forced to change them out with every holiday. I'll only need to swap out the candle scent. And honestly…I'd burn pumpkin spice year-round…and anything with cranberry! I just LOVE those two scents. Actually, my two older daughters have me hooked on the scents that have a "fireside" smell to them. We LOVE bonfires and roasting marshmallows…so it only seems natural to gravitate towards those smells.

Anyway…this new flower-filled pitcher and candle makes this island my absolute favorite spot in the house right now. I'm not even kidding. I must've said to Clara at least three different times, "You have no idea how happy this makes me." while dreamily staring at the island and breathing in the pumpkin spice scent. I also told her if I was bride I would totally just carry a bundle of star flowers just like this. That's all I would need…tied with a pretty ribbon.

Once again…sticking with simple makes me the happiest. A pitcher of pretty flowers and a $5 Heritage Target Candle. Done. Not too tall. Not too much. Easy to move for meal prep. I can't stop staring!

The only problem now is I think the pitcher would look really pretty on my farm table…and in my living room…or on my mantle…or on the side of my tub…or in my bedroom.  Ha! And to me…that's a good thing because that confirms even more that this was totally the right choice. *wink*

I'm wondering if this new-found inspiration and energy are a direct reflection from the Whole90 I've been doing? Maybe? Regardless…I'm on Day 72 and I'm feeling good. So I'll take that.

If you love the French Farmhouse look too…you'll find MORE inspiration on my Farmhouse Love pinterest board. 

KEEPiNG iT REAL
All of these photos were taken with my iPhone because I'm too lazy to get out my real camera.
The top one is pretty awesome because there was actually sunshine this morning when I snapped that one! However, the other two are from this weekend when it was raining. They are okay - but blurry.

I went back to Hobby Lobby and purchased a 2nd bundle of these dried star flowers because I love them so! (I've got the Hobby Lobby App on my phone and used my 40% coupon for both purchases!!)  Not sure if I should add more flowers to the existing pitcher or place them in spots all around the house. Still deciding.

CRAFT | DIY Paper Floral Woodland Crown

It's that time again…another fun submission for the Cricut Design Space Star Challenge.
My team chose to go with a Floral Woodland theme for our projects this month. The monthly topic chosen by Cricut® was "Celebration/Wedding" so we decided as a group it would be awesome for each of us to choose a specific element of a wedding or celebration so that all of our projects would blend together to create one giant cyber celebration…so-to-speak.  Here are the specifics we decided on as a team:

Team Project Colors:  Mint + Blush
Team Project Elements should include:  Natural wood elements when possible and eucalyptus. All projects should include elements of a "Celebration" that would lend itself to either a birthday, anniversary, baby shower or wedding. Work as a team to combine our efforts/projects to showcase a variety of aspects of the same celebration. 

We also thought it would be fun to create a Team Pinterest Board to reference as we were brainstorming project ideas.  There were SO many pretty and inspiring pins on our Floral Woodland Inspiration board…be sure to peek at it.

I immediately signed up to do a floral crown since my daughter Clara had suggested it for last month's "Fashion" project.  Our team ended up deciding on a Geo theme for our fashion projects in August and I just wasn't feeling the crown idea for that. BUT…the Celebration/Wedding theme for this month couldn't have been more perfect.

I went with a rustic crown by filling a grapevine wreath with paper flowers and paper eucalyptus.
The concept was simple…and there were plenty of pre-designed florals to choose from in the Cricut Design Space. However, there was no eucalyptus so I created a file myself and I am SO impressed with how the Cricut performed in cutting out the intricacies of the fine stems I drew that made up the silver dollar eucalyptus leaves I designed.

MATERIALS LIST

Cricut® Explore Cutting Machine

Cricut® Explore 12x12 Standard Grip Mat

Cricut® Explore Weeding Tool

Glue Gun

Cricut® Design Space 3D Flower File - search 3D flower

Pen + Paper Flowers Eucalyptus Image/File 

*Small Grapevine Wreath (6", 8" or 10" - determined by person's head size)

Colored Card Stock

much of what I used I already had or found at a local craft store but here are similar items:

Moss Green card stock (for 4 Eucalyptus branches)

Blush Pink card stock (for 2 small flowers)

Mint Green card stock (for 3 small flowers)

Ivory card stock (for 4 medium flowers)

* Look for a small grapevine wreath that has the thinnest vines for a "softer" crown vibe - thin enough to be able to use bobby pins to secure the crown in the hair of the person who'll be wearing it. There were some I purchased from Hobby Lobby when I first started gathering supplies and they just seemed too prickly and thick. (and honestly looked more like the thorny crown depicted in images of Jesus' crucifixion - not to get all holy on you - but it wasn't the look I was going for, if you know what I mean). I later found thinner versions at JoAnn's and Michaels.

INSTRUCTIONS
STEP ONE :: Cut/Create Paper Eucalpytus
Using the Cricut® Design Space, upload the Eucalyptus image file. Cut four separate eucalyptus images from 12x12 Moss green card stock. Mine were sized around 6 inches wide.

Use the weeding tool to remove each of the paper Eucalyptus branches. Mine peeled off super easy...no rips or tears!! Yay!!  I've used my Standard Grip Mat several times now so it's not so tacky. Things peel off like butter now.

Can you believe how amazing these Eucalyptus branches turned out!? I think they are so realistic. With this only being the 2nd time I've used the Cricut® Explore, I was super impressed with the ability it has to cut fine, intricate details. I thought for sure it would just shred the fine stems but nope…perfection!!  The Cricut Explore also has a "scoring" feature…it would be cool to see if it would score lines into the leaves…but I'm still a newbie and haven't tried that feature yet.

STEP TWO :: Cut/Create Paper Flowers
Select a pre-designed 3D Flower from the Cricut Design Space.  Cut 2 small blush pink flowers, 3 small mint flowers and 4 large ivory flowers from the three different 12x12 sheets of card stock. My flowers were approximately 3 inches for the small and a little over 4 inches for the large.

Roll your card stock cut outs starting from the outside inwards to create the flower shape. You can do this with your fingers or use a cute party straw to help…see below. These are the EXACT same concept as the Easy DIY Paper Flowers I shared with you some time back…except I didn't have to hand cut a single flower…I let the Cricut® Explore do all of the work and I just have to roll! *wink* Pluse these have darling scalloped edges too.

There are several different 3D floral files to choose from in Cricut Design Space. (see below)
I went with the one I starred below…just because I felt the softer, more shallow scallops resulted in a more rose-like flower. But I think they are all really pretty! *wink* Pick your favorite and go with it.

I didn't end up using the more pointy 3D flowers as shown above…

but this was my only photo of the rolling technique with the straw. 

It's NOT necessary at all…but it's kind of helpful.

STEP THREE :: Assemble Crown

Layout the paper pieces of your crown starting with the Eucalyptus pieces. Add the flowers and make sure you like how they look before securing with a hot glue gun.

TIP:

Consider the placement of the finished crown on the person's head when deciding on placement of the flowers. If the grapevine wreath is more oval vs. round you'll want the narrow ends of the crown sitting at the front and back of the person's head so it sits securely. Keep that in mind when placing your flowers.

Not only is this a simple crown aesthetically…the Cricut® Explore made it simple to make too.
It's pretty enough for a wedding yet simple enough for using as a birthday crown.

I hope you love the project.
And I really hope Cricut® does too…they'll be picking the Top 10 projects submitted by all of the bloggers participating in this Design Star Challenge. The winners of the Top 10 for this month will be announced on September 25th. Once they announce the Top 10…voting will open up to the public and an overall winner for September will be chosen. Then we get to do it all again in October AND November. *wink*

My whole team came up with some fabulous projects too!!
I'll be sharing all of them in a separate post…coming soon!!

A special thank you to my daughter Clara for modeling the crown for me!
She's got gorgeous hair…doesn't she?!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
As simple as this project was…it took me ALL week long to find the time to actually get this post finished and up on the blog.

FOUND | Cute Blogger Coffee Mug

You know I love small businesses!
I especially love small LOCAL businesses!
In support of small, local businesses I recently purchased this…

"I'm Famous - On My Blog" Coffee Mug

And because I'm not a coffee drinker, I knew it'd be perfect to keep on my desk…
filled with a gorgeous bouquet of pink and orange spray roses!

This mug makes me happy.

It's cute and it makes me giggle when I read it. 

You can find the mug RIGHT HERE. 

It's designed by a sweet, local Florida blogger named Melissa from Melissa Creates.

You'll find lots of other fun things in her shoppe so go take a peek!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

The graduation party preparations were in full swing last week - hence the lack of blog activity.

The party was on Saturday and it was a huge success! Can't wait to share all of the pretty + fun details with you.

CRAFT | All You Magazine Take This, Make That Craft Challenge

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!!

COMiNG UP | Shabby Chic + Rustic Bridal Shower

Monday marks the start of a new school year...
Two days left to finish any last minute prepartions...

To take my mind off of the emotions associated with my children growing up...*sniffle*
I thought I'd share with you a gorgeous image from a Shabby Chic Rustic Bridal Shower
I'll soon be sharing with you here (and on Hostess with the Mostess).

It was styled by a super creative friend and beautifully photographed by Wendy Ackerman of Ackerman Photography

Charming + elegant DIY floral centerpiece

I can't wait to show you the rest of the lovely details.
Have a beautiful weekend, friends!!
xoxo

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Okay...

So I've been going out of my mind with the busy-ness of Summer.

The shoppe has been SO out-of-control busy...

I haven't even had time to blog.

(Which completely freaks me out and frustrates me).

So...

I'm thrilled to say after many, many incredibly late nights...

and very early mornings...

my shoppe orders are finally caught up.

I squeezed in some custom work along the way and look forward to sharing those projects next week.

I. have. missed my sweet readers...

I have missed habitual blogging...

I have missed the regimen the school year provides...

and I'm SO looking forward to getting back into my normal routine.

And yes...

part of me feels guilty for being happy the lazy days of Summer are ending.

But it's time to get back to business around here.

(And when I say "business"...I mean crafting, baking, sharing, creating, party styling...)

Are you with me?