Cheap DIY party centerpieces

My grandmother recently celebrated her 80th birthday.  Eighty years is a pretty big accomplishment.  Definitely worthy of an extra special celebration, so my family decided it was a great time for a surprise party. 

I’ve seen the most amazing, gorgeous party decorations all over Pinterest.  I was all set to recreate some of those fantastic decorations, when I suddenly remembered a few things: I don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend on decorations for one party.  And I don’t have hundreds of hours to spend on decorations for one party.

There were also some other real life limitations.  The party was being held in the church gym – a pretty big room – and I would need to decorate ten tables for people to sit at.  Which means whatever easy and cheap thing I came up with had to make an impact.  Anything subtle was out of the question. 



I decided tissue paper flowers were the way to go.  The bright colors made a huge impact in the room even though the actual centerpieces were pretty small.  I already had some colorful tissue paper on hand but you can get packs of multicolor tissue paper at the Dollar Tree. One buck for forty sheets of tissue paper – you can’t really beat that price. For the stems you can use green pipe cleaners, but I decided to use floral picks instead.  They are basically green wooden sticks with wire wrapped around them to attach the flower with and are much sturdier than pipe cleaners.  You can pick these up in the fake flower aisle at Walmart.  They are three bucks for around 50 picks.  If you have never made tissue paper flowers before, you can find a good tutorial here.

We decided to use aqua Mason jars we already had on hand as the vases.  If you don’t already have a stash of Mason jars though, you can pick up a dozen pretty cheaply at Walmart.  Or if you have a little more time and motivation, vintage ones are pretty easy to find at yard sales. 



The pop of color was just the thing that was needed in the large space.  But it still needed a little more.  So I used a circle punch and some card stock to make oversized confetti to sprinkle around.  I also made photo confetti to make it all a little more personal.  After gathering photos of my grandmother from throughout her life, I shrunk them down and photocopied them onto cardstock.  A little more circle punch action and we had photo confetti.



So there you have it, super cheap, meaningful party centerpieces.  The great thing is that these could totally work for pretty much any occasion from birthdays to graduation or anniversary parties. 

30 Things I Love About You: The Perfect Husband Gift

Looking for a great way to show someone how much you love them?  I have a great gift idea to share today – it is probably the best gift I have ever given someone.  This is the perfect thing to show your husband, fiance, boyfriend, or even your kids just how much you love them.

I made this for my hubby’s thirtieth birthday but it would also be an excellent gift to celebrate an anniversary or even for Valentine’s Day. 

In honor of his thirtieth, I decided to make him a photo book celebrating 30 things I love about him.  It was a huge hit.

 

After brainstorming a list of a ton of things I love about him (both silly, shallow things and big, important things), I looked through all of our old pictures to find good ones that matched up with the things on my list.  I also pulled out some of my favorite scenic shots to use as backgrounds.  And then I had a blast putting it all together.  (I used shutterfly.com but there are tons of sites out there that let you make photo books.  And they are constantly running deals so look online for a coupon or grab a Groupon to save some money.)

Here are a sampling of some of my favorite pages. 
















When he opened it and read it, he absolutely loved it.  Don’t tell anyone but there may have even been a tear or two.  

I love that this was a gift that really meant something.  I loved remembering all of the things I love so much about my husband and he certainly loved being reminded of them.

And now we have a permanent record of our relationship right now, eight years into marriage.  I had made a simpler version out of scrapbook paper for his 21st birthday – 21 things I loved about him. 
We pulled that little book out and it was a huge treat comparing the two, seeing how many of the things were the same and how many were completely different. I definitely plan to carry on this tradition for his next milestone birthday. 

What is your favorite meaningful gift that you have given or received?  And have you made any memorable photo books?  This was my first and I can’t wait to make some more. 

DIY nursery on a tiny budget

A couple of months ago, I shared the DIY/vintage nursery I created for my son.  In that reveal I promised to be back soon to share my total cost, tutorials, and budget.  But then it turned out little Griffin was ready to make an early appearance the next day and I never got around to following up.
 
It turns out taking care of a newborn doesn’t leave lots of time or brain cells for blogging.  BUT, now that the little guy is eight weeks old and (slept 8 hours straight two nights in a row!!) I think I am finally ready to share all of the details of his little aqua and gray nursery. 

First some before and after pics.  As I shared last summer, this room used to be my craft room/office.  Which in real life meant that it was packed to the brim with all kinds of craft supplies, home décor, and other random stuff I might use one day.

Before and After

A major improvement for sure!  This nursery was a major accomplishment for me – because so much of it was DIYed, because I actually completed it in a timely fashion, and because it was all done on a MAJOR budget.  After clearing all of the junk out, the only things left in the room to be used in the nursery were a small bookcase that I moved into the closet and a sign I had previously painted. 

Which means this room makeover started pretty much from scratch.  Prepare to be amazed…

Nursery Sources and Costs

Crib – I was lucky enough to win the crib and crib mattress from a giveaway at Young House Love a few years ago.  free
Crib sheet – DIY using this tutorial, $12 for fabric
Crib skirt – DIY, $15 for fabric
Dresser – a free hand me down from a lovely blog reader, I painted it and replaced the hardware with vintage glass doorknobs I found at a yard sale last year for ten bucks, $10
Floating shelves – Lack shelves from Ikea, $28
Dream Big Letters – DIY – tutorial here, $20 for wood and paint
Tissue paper poms – decorations from my baby shower, free
Striped hamper – TJ Maxx, $12
Blessed sign – DIY with materials on hand, free
Green toolbox – yard sale find that I painted, $3
All other accessories were already owned, free



Bookcase – a hand me down from a friend who was moving that I painted. free
Glider – I found the glider on Craigslist and reupholstered it.  The fabric was ultra cheap because I used some curtains I found on clearance and dyed.  $50
Chevron throw – TJ Maxx, $20
Gallery Wall – frames from Michaels, all artwork free, $42 for frames
Side table – Antique store find I painted white, $30
Lamp and pillow – already owned, free



Striped Curtains – white Ikea panels that I painted stripes on, $50
Curtain hardware – a DIY using basic supplies from the hardware store, $46
Rug – originally from Pottery Barn teen, I bought it at a consignment sale, $25
Vintage toolbox holding books – found at antique store, $10

Grand total for the entire room– $373

If you ask me, that is an amazing budget for an entire room of furniture and accessories.  Admittedly I did get very lucky with the free crib.  But a lot of people pay more for a nursery glider than I paid for a fully accessorized room so I still feel pretty proud of myself. 

(I am also proud that I finally got this post finished!  And for now, my plan is to post at least once a week so be on the lookout for more to come.)

So what do you think?  Anyone else out there have some super cheap redos under their belt?  I’d love to hear how you did it.

Here’s to 2013

Hello!  So sorry for the long absence.  I have been quite busy spending time with baby Griffin all day…and night.  But we are starting to figure things out a bit.  And as much as I love being a mom, I am definitely ready to get back to some of the other things I love.  And now for a gratuitous picture.  Isn't he cute?



Like pretty much everyone else, the start of the new year has got me really thinking about change. Over the past year, a lot of things have changed for me.  Some of them obvious – my sweet little baby for one – and some more subtle.  Last year at this time, I posted a list of my home goals for the year.  I was afraid to even look at that list because I certainly did not check everything off. But in the interest of full disclosure here is a brief summary:

• Banish the brown and gold from the kitchen – 100% didn’t happen.
• Get some more light in the house – not so much.
• Make the foyer inviting – nope.
• Make built-ins in the living room – yes, I actually did this one!
• Overhaul master bathroom – still no.
• Rehab big pieces of furniture in basement – painted one wardrobe, sold most of the rest in my major hoard-busting yard sale.
• Change the flooring throughout the house – finished painting the living and dining room floors.

So not such great progress – I completed one goal and halfway accomplished two more.  Of course when I made that list, I didn’t anticipate spending most of 2012 pregnant. 

At the start of 2013, I remembered my list of home goals from last year and contemplated making another one.  But I really don’t feel the desire to make a list of home goals this year.  There are still plenty of things I want to lovelify (is that a real word?) around here – including all of the things I never got to in 2012.  But when I think about what I want out of 2013, a pretty house isn’t really at the top of the list. 

However, there are some things I am definitely looking forward to doing a little differently in 2013. 

• Take risks. It is so easy to play it safe and it is certainly in my nature to take the more secure, stable option.  But I think it is time to start taking some chances and stepping out on a limb.  It is time for a little more excitement. I’m really not sure what this will look like but I’m on the look out for new opportunities.
• Really focus on showing my husband love in the way he best receives it.  If you haven’t ever read The Five Love Languages, you really should.  It is a great book for anyone in any kind of relationship and it really explains why even if you love someone like crazy, they may not feel it if you aren’t speaking their ‘language.’ My husband’s love language is physical touch and mine so isn’t so I have my work cut out for me.
• Lose the baby weight – yes, it is a total cliché to make a New Years Resolution to lose weight, but, hey, this year it really is a top priority.  I’m not feeling too great about how I look right now and that has to change.
• Lose the clutter.  Last summer I did a huge whole-house purge and got rid of tons and tons of stuff…but lately I am feeling like it wasn’t enough.  How much stuff do two people (and a tiny baby) really need?  Way less than what we have.  I want to get rid of more.  I want to be ruthless about it. 
• Figure out how to balance Lovely Etc. with my other responsibilities and priorities.  I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Lovely Etc. over the past several weeks that I haven’t been blogging. I love blogging and am not going to quit but I am planning to make some changes around here.  More to come on that soon.
• Take lots of pictures of my family.  Sadly most of the pictures on my hard drive from the past couple of years are of creative projects.  I am resolved to take lots of pictures of the important people and places in my life this year.
• Take another crack at that list of home goals from last year.  Okay, so I just can’t help it.  Decorating may not be my top priority but I still love doing it.  And there are definitely still plenty of places in my home that are in major need of love.

Here's to accomplishing way more of the things on my 2013 list than my 2012 list!  Because this list is definitely a little more important to me.

Over the next few weeks I will finally be sharing some details about the nursery as well as some things that have been on my mind lately and some of my thoughts on the future of Lovely Etc.  Have a great week!

Baby Lovely is here!

It turns out last week was more eventful than anticipated!  Our sweet baby was born Wednesday, November 28th.

Meet Griffin!  7 pounds, 13 ounces, 19 inches long and very healthy.  We have been spending the past few days just enjoying getting to know him.  (And of course resting and recuperating as well). 

What began as a routine doctor's appointment Tuesday led to us checking into the hospital and eventually having to have a C-section.  I am so thankful that things worked out the way they did because it turns out the cord was wrapped around little Griffin's neck three times.  I feel very blessed to finally have this little boy safe and sound in my arms. 

Sometime soon I will post the sources for the nursery (which was truly finished just in time!) and more pics of the sweet baby.

Gray and Aqua nursery reveal

While everyone else has begun a flurry of holiday preparation, around here we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of baby Lovely.  Which is why you haven’t seen much action here at Lovely Etc. lately – all of my energy has been focused on wrapping things up before the baby comes… along with lots and lots of resting. 

But now the nursery is complete – and not a minute too soon since my due date is only a week away!
 
I am so happy with how everything turned out.  The nursery blends so well with the rest of the house and is just my style…because let’s be real, the baby could care less what it looks like. 



My major goals were to create a clean, uncluttered nursery fit for a boy that was full of vintage finds and DIY projects.  And above all, it had to be done on a tight budget!  And I have to say I think I met all my goals.  I love the mix of vintage and modern finds and it seems like almost everything in the room was DIYed in one way or another.  Plus the tight budget was definitely accomplished – thanks to a combination of creativity and luck, the entire room cost less than what some people spend on a crib.

But anyway, enough talking…here are the pictures.

























I love how it turned out – and the fact there is now a room in my house that I can actually call finished.  (Even though I do still need to put pics in a few frames and hem the curtains – why be picky?)

And be sure to check out this post for a complete list of sources, links to all the DIY projects, and the crazy before pics so you can see how far this room has come. 

I am linking up my nursery at Happy Hour and Simple Home Life.

Have a great week,

Real-life baby shower–beautiful, delicious, fun

I was lucky enough to have my lovely friends Lindsay, Jessica, and Hannah throw me a wonderful baby shower a few weeks ago.  I have to admit that I am not always a fan of baby showers.  Baby showers usually involve women of all ages that often don’t know each other.  So everything gets very sterile and a bit dull.  But I absolutely loved this baby shower – even though there were definitely guests of all ages – from babies to great grandmothers.  Perhaps I liked it so much because it was for me, but I think there were some really great details that really made the party.

My shower was held in a church multipurpose room – a bit lacking in character but large enough for all of the guests and free.  A variety of tissue paper poms and banners really brightened everything and made the room look festive.



The food was also great.   They managed to make my favorite foods – pizza and brownies – refined enough for a baby shower. 

There was a make your own pizza bar complete with a toaster oven for making them all melty and delicious.



And there was a brownie buffet with four different types of brownies and a make your own mini fruit pizza station.  So yummy.



But the very best parts (other than hanging out with all the guests) were the games. 

There was Baby Name That Tune.  They played ten songs that have baby in the name and guests had to name the song title and singer of as many as they could. Whoever got the most right was the winner.

Then we played a sweet little crafty game.  This one was especially a crowd pleaser for guests of all ages.  Guests at each table were given magazines, scissors, glue, and a piece of paper.  They had several minutes to cut out pictures from the magazines and put them together into a collage of what they think the baby will look like.  I then had the tough job of judging which table of guests were the winners.  The pictures were so hilarious – here is a small sampling of some of my favorites!







By the way, the second picture was the winner.  That little guy looked the most like the hubby and I.

The shower was wonderful and I think there were lots of great ideas that anyone could use when planning a traditional baby shower that is actually fun. 

Are you usually a baby shower lover or hater?  What is your favorite shower game or food?  Did you love your shower above all others?