Pinterest To Reality: 50 Blows

Saturday, my family had a surprise party for my Uncle Steve's 50th birthday. I didn't want to buy him a typical 50th birthday gag gift. I wanted to MAKE him something. So...I perused Pinterest a bit for some ideas I had posted months ago as "maybe somedays."Here's what I found...

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Here's what I created:

50 Blows Vase How-To

Supplies Needed:
- One Vase ($ Tree)
-One bit of ribbon
-Two Bags of Mini-Gum Balls ($ Tree)
- One Dowel Rod
-One Piece of Card Stock
-One Piece of Printing Paper
-Glue or Glue Dots

Instructions:
1. Clean the vase. (You have no idea how many people have touched that thing!)
2. Measure the length of ribbon that you'd like to use on your vase. (longer if you want a bow!)
3. Put a dab of hot glue or a glue dot on the back of the vase where you want your ribbon to go.
4. Place the center of the ribbon on the dot. Press firmly.
5. Wrap the rest of the ribbon around. I crossed my ribbon directly across from the original glue dot. I put one dot of glue on the glass and secured one side. I then put a glue dot on top of the ribbon and the second glue dot and secured the other tail of the ribbon. Super easy.
6. Create a sign that says "Age" Blows. I used digital scrapbooking papers/elements from here and used Pixlr to create the sign. You can use scrapbooking materials, construction paper, MS Paint, whatever. Just make a sign. (Check out my Pinterest Digital Scrapbooking Board.)
7. Print said sign on printing paper. Cut it out.
8. Cut a piece of card stock to make the back of the sign. (This makes the sign stiffer so it doesn't flop around.)
9. Glue the dowel rod to card stock.
10. Glue the printed sign to the dowel rod AND the card stock.
11. Secure the opposite end of the dowel rod to the bottom of the vase. I used a glue dot. I highly recommend using a dab of hot glue!!
12. Pour/arrange the gum balls in the vase, filling it as much as you'd like!

TADA! You now have a fun centerpiece/gift/joke/candy surprise for someone in your life! It's super easy and was a big hit! My Uncle Steve loved it and thought it was super creative! My family members raved! :-) I think I'm going to make a peppermint one for my Grandpa's 70th birthday in a couple years. He LOVES peppermints! :-)

Here are some pics of the party!

The hubs and I

SURPRISE!!!!

Cake/Gift Table

Cake.Gift Table

Blow Out the Candles!

Opening Presents! (Gotta break out those reading glasses!!) 

Lots of funny gag gifts! (I also taught him my cheesy present pose! Haha!)

So...whatcha think?? Do you have any plans of making one of these fun vases? Let me know in the comments!

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

12 Days of Christmas--Day 3--DIY

Today is the THIRD day of Christmas! Today's topic is DIY. I think that projects that are DIY are some of the most special. All around the house, you can see projects made with love, plus when people admire your work, YOU get to take the credit for it. Who knows, maybe you can make a little money off of your projects by selling the things you make!

1. Felt Advent Calendar (Ornaments on a tree version)

2. Grandkids Plaque (I do not have the original link to the how-to of this one)

3. Christmas Card Holder (Again, I don't have the original link!)

4. Felt/Cloth Advent Calendars (sewing required for most, if not all, of these!)

5. Scrabble Ornaments (Martha Stewart DIY!)

Do you have any DIY projects to share today? Be sure to link back to this post and leave a comment letting me know that you did! I'd love to check out the DIY projects you posted!


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Please click HERE to see the daily topic list of the 12 Days of Christmas at Angela's Favorite Things!

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Halloween Inspiration

Are you a last minute kind of person? I used to be. I sometimes, though rarely, still am. I like to plan ahead, but sometimes my plans stay plans for too long and I'm rushing around at the last minute trying to pull everything I planned together! If you're like me OR if you're a procrastinator (or even if you're a planner), this post is for you!

I don't know how things work in your family, but growing up, we always made our costumes. We didn't buy those flimsy overpriced costumes that you pray make it through the night without exposing yourself. Plus, those things are THIN and since I am originally from Central NY, they just didn't cut it...especially the years it snowed on October 31st. Anyway, now that I'm an adult, I don't really want to put TOO much time, effort, or money into my costume, so I try to use basic items that I already have in my wardrobe and/or accessorize using inexpensive accessories.

Last year, I bought $3 fairy wings, glitter hairspray, and some black nail polish. I made a tutu out of purple and black tulle, wore a black shirt and leggings that I already owned, did some crazy eye makeup and called myself a dark fairy. :-) The hubs wore his golf pants, golf shoes, a golf polo, golf hat, and carried a golf club. I'll give you two guesses what his costume was...and the first one doesn't count. :-)

I was playing around on Polyvore creating a style board for the hubs and my 2011 Halloween costumes (look for it on Fashion Friday, 10/28) when I had the idea to create a few other style boards to offer others inspiration for Halloween costumes! Here are some I came up with!

Cat in the Hat Costume by akahl85 featuring stretch pants

Belle Costume by akahl85 featuring nina shoes

Bunny Rabbit Costume by akahl85 featuring a slip ring

Cowgirl Costume by akahl85 featuring western boots

Hippie or Flower Child Costume by akahl85 featuring distressed jeans

What are you going to be for Halloween?

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

What Are You Into Right Now? Part 2

If you saw my Tuesday post, you'll know that currently, I am super into wreaths. (Along with everyone in the Pinterest world.) You'll also know that I've been faced with a dilemma of on which door my wreath (that I haven't even made yet) will hang. My solution was that the wreath that I will make (soon...I promise) will hang on the back door so that there's a warm invitation to come into my home. However, I also alluded that I have a solution for my front door without being overly wreathy. Here was my hint:

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"How is this non-wreathy?" you might ask. Well...it's not non-wreathy. It's definitely a wreath. HOWEVER, did you notice the cute polka dotted H on there, too? Oh. You did? Good job! Yes, you guessed it! I am going to hang a monogram/initial "wreath" on the front door!

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If you read my latest favorite things post, you read that I love monograms. What's better than monogramming your house??? :-D I'm not sure which kind of monogram wreath I'm going to do, yet. Heck, I don't even know what kind of wreath I'm doing yet! However, I think my monogram wreath is going to be polka dots and the back door wreath is going to be a yarn wrapped wreath...possibly with the owl!

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As much as I like the frame and fabric wrapped with buttons monogram wreaths, I just don't know if I want to actually hang them on the front door. I could totally see the button one hanging in my living room or a nursery, but I don't feel like it's a front door sort of wreath for the Bailey household! My husband would totally be in to the monogram wreath seen below! (Roll tide!! For the hubs, of course!)

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Have any of my readers made their own wreath? Do you have any pictures? I'd LOVE to see! Anyone making plans to make their own wreath soon? Any wreath lovers out there? I'd love to hear what you think! Please feel free to share in the comments below! <3

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

What Are You Into Right Now?

What are you into right now? It seems like I, and the rest of the world (read: Pinterest) are into wreaths right now. I, personally, am into yarn wrapped wreaths with felt flowers or holiday/season specific decorations on them. I'm the girl who growing up thought it was always time for some themed decor. If I had the funds, I would decorate my house with rotating holiday/seasonal decor. Baby steps, I guess. My mom always reminds me that it's taken her 26 years to accumulate all of the decorations that she has, so I can't expect to have that many when I'm not even 2 years into my marriage! I know she makes sense, but I want to have it all, and I want it now, dang it! ;-)

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I have this internal (and now external since I'm sharing it with you) dilemma though. WHERE do I hang the wreath? "The front door!" you may say...with an added "duh!" Well, while that may be the logical explanation...we don't use the front door. The main entrance to our home is the back door. The driveway pulls to the back door. There is no path to the front door from the driveway, and the front door is on a main road.

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Now, you may be saying, "It's obvious to hang the wreath on the back door since that's where people come in!" You may have even added ANOTHER "Duh!" to this thought also! WELL, while that may ALSO seem like the logical explanation, my problem with it is that no one will see it UNLESS they come to the door or into the house. You can't see our back door from the street that our driveway is off of due to a tree blocking it.

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So what's my solution?? I think I will probably put my wreath on the back door. I want people to be able to see it when they come to my home. I want them to feel warmly welcomed. I want to show off my wreath-making skills! ;-) I do have a solution for the front door, too, without being over-wreathed or too wreath-heavy, though. Check back Thursday for my solution! Here's a hint to tide you over though...

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Any ideas of what's going on my front door? :-D

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Favorite Things Deux

It's that time again! Time for another round of Angela's Favorite Things!

1. Butterflies

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    I cannot tell you when it began, exactly, but I know it was from a very young age. My obsession infatuation with butterflies began long before I can even remember. There's something magical about them that just makes my heart smile. Butterflies are often used when representing a new creation, a new life, or the fragility of something. Not only are butterflies somewhat magical, they are absolutely gorgeous! Who would have thought that a creepy crawly little worm/caterpillar could become something so breathtaking! Did anyone else wear those flutterbies in their hair when they were younger? No? Just me? Oh. Well....trust me...they were ALL the rage when I was in 5th-7th grade!

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2. Starburst Mirrors

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    Upon seeing my first starburst mirror, I had to do a double take. It was love at first sight. What isn't to love? It's glitsy, it's glam, it makes a statement, it reflects light, one can admire oneself in it, etc. These little babies are SUPER popular right now. Heck, even Target is carrying them! One of my favorite design bloggers (located in Charlotte, NC!), Emily, just mentioned them in her blog post yesterday. Someone recently asked her if she thought starburst mirrors were out of style. I LOVED her response! "Does it really matter if they are or aren't in style?"I still don't have one in my house, BUT I do plan on making one ASAP using THIS DIY tutorials! I kinda like it even more than the $450 one shown above!

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3. Gray and Yellow

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    I have a love-hate relationship with gray and yellow. For years, I have LOVED this color combination. There's something equally cheery and melancholy about this pair. I LOVE bright colors, but I also value the tranquility of more subdued colors. I don't think I'd go as far as having yellow cabinets in my kitchen as seen in the picture above, but using bright yellow as an accent color in ANY space is wonderful! The hateful part about my relationship with gray and yellow is that it's trendy right now. I am no hipster, so please don't think I'm "so over" gray and yellow, but I also am not of fan of trends and fads just for the sake of being trendy...or fiddle-faddling around with my tastes just to keep up with the Jones'. (I googled what fad is short for. I was told it might possibly be short for fidfad, which is short for fiddle-faddle. Who knew???) Anyway, gray and yellow, don't worry, I haven't forsaken you. You're still high on my list of color combinations somewhere around where navy and pink and purple and yellow meet.

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So what do you think of my favs? Do we share any of the same favorite things? Do you think I'm incredibly juvenile for still loving butterflies? (Psch...am not!) Are you into starburst mirrors or are you more of a traditional mirror sorta gal? Do you fancy yellow and gray together or do you prefer your more traditional or flamboyant color palette?