Friday, November 29, 2013

Gift Wrap Style | Leather & Lace


One hot trend this past fall was combining the edginess of leather with the feminine feel of lace. I wanted to replicate that on my Christmas packages this year using things I already had around the house. Obviously I don't think you should wrap your gifts with real leather or even faux leather, but it was fun to try to make plain-ol tissue paper look like leather.
cost: I had all these items in my craft box but I can't imagine that it would cost any more than a roll of wrapping paper.

craft time: about 5 minutes plus wrapping time

supplies & process:
a // You'll need tissue paper - I recommend brown, tan, or black since those are the most common leather colors, FREEZER PAPER (not wax paper like I originally tried, mega oops on my part!), an iron, mod podge if you want to make it look shiny, a piece of lace

b // Wad your tissue paper up tight. Then carefully flatten it back out.

c // Place it on top of a piece of freezer paper, which should be shiny side up.

d // With your iron on high, run it over the tissue paper. Be careful not to go over an exposed edges of freezer paper. The iron will bond the two pieces together but leave a few nice wrinkles that looks like leather.

e // If you want your leather shiny, coat the paper with ModPodge. This will also give more weight to your paper. Once it's dry, wrap your gift. - When I do the rest of my gifts, I will probably skip this step. Too much shine can make it look like a trash bag :)

f // Trim down the lace into a long strip and tie it on the gift however you like.

I used wood gift tags with metallic paint pens. If you have a wood burner, give it a try on the gift tag for an extra special look. I going to try to find one on a Black Friday sale today.

What's your gift wrap style?

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Support Small Businesses! | a few favorites

it's Hump Day! but it's Friday for many of us. so that makes it Frump Day! or Himp Day! Whichever you prefer. Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite small businesses so after you wake up from your food coma, you have a few great shops to start your holiday shopping - or finish your holiday shopping depending on how organized you are.

this list may not get everyone on your shopping list but it's a great starting point...


a // Eva Marie Typograpy - These coasters are just one of my favorites from her shop. She does lovely art for cards, prints and coasters.

b // Oh Sweet Joy - Ohh, how I love her headbands! She recently added a holiday collection and wire headbands!

c // Aleks Handmade - For the little ones in your life, stock up on these softies and other goodies. The price tags can't be beat and the style is ADORABLE.

d // Amanda Lynne Designs - Clutches and wristlets for your girlie heart. Her bags have fun prints and are perfect for organizing in your purse or to carry on a quick trip to the grocery store.

e // Naptime Diaries - Scripture and hymns written on the walls of your house. If that doesn't sound perfect, I don't know what is. There's something here to touch everyone's' hearts, lift them up, and share joy.

f // Amy Cornwell - Her jewelry is STUNNING, y'all. A princess ring is on my wishlist. I have one of her Reese necklaces that she graciously gave to everyone at the Influence Founding Members dinner and I wear it basically everyday.

g // NS Pottery - Whether you're looking for coffee mugs or statement necklaces, this girl has it. And her color range is perfection. I'm a big fan of the latte mug and stamped spoon combo; it's perfect for the coffee/tea/hot chocolate fanatic in your life.

h // FlutterbyHannah - Sorry, guys. I know I've raved about Hannah's work before but I just can't help myself. Her work is amazing, her little ones are ADORABLE, and I get to call her a friend. Pick up something for the whole family from this lovely lady.

i // After Hours Agenda - Got a guy into graphic tees? I love their designs, especially the Alter Ego tee and the Glenn Coco tee.

j // Month of Mae - Whether for a big guy or a little guy, they have some great patterns and solids in necktie and bow-tie form. This gingham one is a favorite of mine.

k // One Simple Red Stitch - This girl knows how to use patterns! I love the combinations she has on her crayon rolls, pennant banners, and onesies. The kiddos will love them too!

l // Undulating Contours - For the guy who has it all, give him a place to store it all. If he's anything like KJB, he likes to use his nightstand as a catch all. Maybe one of their organizers will give him a place for everything.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Gift Wrap Style | Guest Post by Elise from Sunday Charm Blog

Today my friend Elise from Sunday Charm Blog is taking over. I asked her to share her gift wrap style and I must say, I'm smacking myself in the head for not thinking of this idea myself. It's so personal and fun, just like Elise. Come back the next few weeks to see more gift wrap style.


cost: 
- $2 per 18 x 24 engineer print at Staples
- $1 per 3 gift boxes at Dollar Tree 
- $3 for yarn at JoAnn Fabrics

craft time: 5 minutes, or however long it takes for you to wrap a gift

supplies: 
- engineer print
- gift box
- yarn or twine
- tape
- scissors


Are you familiar with engineer prints? They are poster-size, black & white pictures printed on paper (not photo paper) with a matte finish at Staples. The 18 x 24 size is less than $2 per print! Staples has larger sizes available (if you are wrapping larger items). For these gifts, I printed two photos: a wedding photo for my husband's gift and a cityscape photo (via Unsplash) for my mom's gift. 


steps:
1. order engineer prints at your local Staples
2. use the poster-size prints like normal wrapping paper, and wrap your gifts
3. wrap/tie yarn or twine around the packages

The great thing about using photos as wrapping paper: no gift tags necessary and no forgetting who the gift is for!


Thanks for letting me take over your space for the day, Courtney! Happy holidays everyone :) 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

G R A T I T U D E | free printables for Thanksgiving!

With Thanksgiving just next week, I wanted to show gratitude to my friends online (yes, you!) by offering a few printable quotes. By the way, if I could just interrupt for a moment, how in the world is Thanksgiving already next week? Where did this past year go? Better question, how are you feeling about your goals you had set for this year? ... yeah, that's a rough one. Instead, let's be grateful for the amazing blessings God has given us this year.


Download here.


Download here.

Download here.

All three printables are sized at 8x10. Enjoy!

Monday, November 11, 2013

weekly truth

luke 1:45

+ + +

Can I start out my weekend recap by complaining a bit? I don't mean to be whiny but sometimes I'm like.... "whhhhhyyyyyyyyyyy?"

First complaint: our bed broke. Again. This is what happens when you buy cheap furniture. I don't know how many times we've replaced the slats and the running boards but I'm over it. OVER IT. Go away dumb bed frame.

Second complaint: Our couch has a pullout bed so we decided to sleep on that since the bed is broken. Wouldn't you just know that it would break too? --- let me interrupt myself before you guys go thinking we are being to rough on these beds. We are tired and old. We were NAPPING. Sunday after church, napping on the couch and two seconds later we are folded up like a taco. I didn't know I could still touch my nose to my knees but apparently I can, so that's good to know. The metal leg that supports the middle of the bed decided it was done holding us up, so it stopped.

Yes, that's two beds in two days.

Third complaint: we slept on an air mattress last night which is cold and squeaky. Naturally today I have a stiff neck and back.

That's all the complaints I have. So let me share a bit of the good stuff...

Our basketball clinic brought in 34 kids on saturday and we saw a good number of them show up to church Sunday morning. GOD IS GOOD, y'all.

We had a great Veteran's Day service last night. I hope all of you will take a moment today to thank someone for their service. we have the freedom to worship an amazing God, because some brave people have fought, and continue to fight for us. Be gracious to them today and everyday. Shake their hand, buy them a meal, do something to show your gratitude. They are the ones that give us our freedom.

Happy Monday friends.

Friday, November 8, 2013

where I've been + a video of a REAL GHOST

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It's been quiet around the blog this week. I can even hear the crickets chirping.

Let's catch up a bit today, shall we? First, I need you to watch this video.... It's not too scary, don't worry





Seriously, I couldn't stop laughing. I found this right before bed on Monday night and I got caught in one of those can't-stop-can't-breathe-body-shaking-abs-hurting-tears-rollin kind of laughs and KJB thought I'd gone off the deep end. Really, it's not that funny but it tickled my funny bone for a good 30 minutes that night.

Next, I never shared my Halloween costume, so let's take a minute to do that...

If ya wanna be my lover, ya gotta get with my friends. Just sayin.

So, that was fun.

The biggest reason for hibernation on the blog this week (ok, it's been like three days but that feels SO long) is because somehow we ran straight into busy season. As if we weren't busy enough, the move & packing & cleaning changed our bit of rest time into "maniac Courtney time" which isn't too fun for either of us. It is winding down though, all of the rooms are painted and there's only 45 boxes left to unpack and an entire kitchen to stain... clearly, we are getting there.

Also, as you may have read in this post, I've been praying a lot about this young adult group. Sunday school starts December 1st and we have 18 people ready to go, which is 15 more people than I'm comfortable with but I guess that's how the Lord works, huh?

We are hosting a basketball clinic at church tomorrow and it sneaked up on us too. Is sneaked a word? Because it's putting a squiggle red line below snuck, which I totally thought was a word. I digress. We have volunteers, we have snacks, we have basketballs and hoops. Now, we are just praying that some kids show up. Pre-registration was not required so now I'm paranoid. Go away evil thoughts.

And lastly, my breakfast from last Saturday. 


Yes, that's a doughnut with pumpkin icing, cream, and a carmel covered pretzel. Yes, it was delicious. 

Happy Friday to you all, hope your weekend is spectacular :)

Friday, November 1, 2013

Stella & Dot haul



A good friend of mine is a Stella and Dot stylist and invited me to her own trunk show this week. I've been needing a good jewelry roll for traveling; normally my chains get tangled in irritating knots. These little Eden studs are perfect for fancying up a casual outfit. They are understated but elegant and look oh, so lovely. The Wanderlust wrap bracelet is one I've been wanting for quite some time. The neutral, mixed metal look is the kind of thing I could wear every day.

Shop Stella and Dot here.