Monogrammed Wreath

Right around Christmas time, I was newly married and felt that the outside of our home needed a woman's touch. What better way to scream to the neighborhood "Check out my new last name!" than a monogrammed wreath! I found a wreath on Pinterest that I liked and decided that ordering one off Etsy would just not satisfy my crafting need. So I went to Joanne's Fabrics, with my coupon of course, and found all of the embellishments I desired along with the base portion of the wreath. I got home, clipped the ends off of the fauz greenery to the length I liked and started sticking them into the wreath. I thought I would need to glue them, but most were very secure on their own. I like that they aren't permanent because if anything is broken or needs to be updated next year, I can make changes easily.
Overall, I was very satisfied with the way my wreath turned out
and the whole project probably cost me $20-$30, at most.
Happy crafting!

Finished Product

The Pinterest Inspiration

Hiking With Zombies

Every weekend my husband pops out of bed and attempts to get me excited for some sort of exercise. This past weekend was a little different b/c we were able to wait until 9am before leaving the house, due to the abnormally nice weather. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and a nice cool breeze. We set out for the west side of South Mountain and I was dead set on "killin' some zombies!"

Back when I first met my husband we would go hiking and I would often get passed by heavy-breathing old men or women. Due to the sounds they would make while trudging up behind me, it was only fitting that we start calling them zombies! This became the best tool I had to push myself and keep up the pace every time we hiked. So every person I pass on the trail counts as one zombie killed and for every person I lap on the way down, double the reward!

So, we set out on our hike and I was leading the way. Well Brian and Donny were "letting" me lead the way. Any who, I kept a swift pace and practically jogged the whole 2.5 miles up the mountain! We were killin' zombies left and right! It was awesome! At the top, it was windy and cool and we were welcomed with a beautiful view of the city below. Unfortunately, my husband and the dog don't have that great of an attention span, so we snapped some photos and headed back down.On the way down we lapped old zombies and passed new ones which made for a successful hunt! I like to keep track of our exercise on the Map My Run app and was glad I did once I saw the results. We hiked a total of 4.38 miles in an hour and 24 mins. Not bad for someone who used to get eaten alive on similar trails. Life is an adventure, make it a fun one!

Pinterest - Nailed It!

So, to start off, I am not an artist. But of course I'm willing to try anything at least once! I am attempting to turn our spare bedroom, or "The Den" as I like to refer to it, into a shabby chic office where I can display girly things and wedding tidbits. I found a 2 pack of canvasses on sale for $7 at Hobby Lobby a few months ago, which started this project off with a bang (no hunting puns intended)! Later, I picked up some, gold and grey, acrylic paint and a cheap brush at Micheal's for less than $10-$15.

First, I lined out the chevron pattern using a ruler and pencil. Then I attempted to paint. This was very tedious, so after further research I decided to use blue painter's tape to outline the stripes and then paint in between. This turned out to be a lot quicker, but not as neat. So there are a few spots where the grey paint bled through. Normally this would be grounds for trashing my project, but I've convinced myself that art isn't perfect and the minor mistakes are what make the piece special. So I carried on. After painting 2 coats of grey for the chevron pattern I searched the web for a deer head silhouette that I liked. I then took 2 sheets of printer paper and taped them together so that I would have a piece large enough to freehand the silhouette onto. I simply re-created the head by drawing the general shape onto the 2 pieces of paper in the size I desired and then cut out my drawing. I used painter's tape again to secure the cut-out to the canvass and then used a pencil to lightly trace around the outside. I removed the printer paper and started filling in my outline with gold paint. This was the most tedious part of the project, and again, mistakes were made.Overall, I'm very happy with the outcome and I get to say that this is a Luck Original! I can't wait to complete the whole look of our Den and post a pic!

This is with 1 coat of paint on the silhouette:

Mother's Day Gift Giving

I heard someone say recently that "Pinterest is full of amazing ideas and crafts, not like anyone would actually have the time or skill to create any of the stuff they pin." I instantly got that confused, slightly disgusted look on my face, thinking that I may be part of the small percentage of "pinners" who actually carry out the ideas they pin! This made me feel quite superior, so I was on to my next DIY project. :-)

After stressing over having 3 mother's to buy for and not a clue of what to get, it came to me... in the form of a Pinterest overload! The best gift is a living gift! The gift that keeps on giving. A Succulent Terrarium. So I decided to build some terrariums. After sorting through what seemed like hundreds of pins, I had a basic idea of how to go about my project. So this past Saturday (that's right, 1 day before Mother's Day) I talked my husband, and the dog, to go along with me to Lowes to grab some supplies. They had all of the basic components: decorative pebbles, potting soil, moss and various succulents. Each item was less than $6.00, which made this an inexpensive project. Later that day I found myself scouring the glass candle holder section at Hobby Lobby where I purchased the 2, none-hanging, bases for $5-$6 each. Then, I got really lucky at Marshalls and found actual hanging terrariums in all sizes! They were less than $5.00 each & it was all I could do not to purchase 10 of them and hang them all over my house! But I stuck to the plan and got out with what I needed.

The morning of the "big day" I started assembling my little fairy domes around 6am. I laid down a couple of the decorative rocks to keep the soil from packing down and then filled the bottom of each container with potting soil. I then strategically placed 3 different succulents into the soil. After that I placed pieces of moss and pebbles around the succulents and my project was a success! I added a little water to each masterpiece and they were ready to give. I even got to keep one for myself since all of the mini succulents came in packs of 4. I hope each woman that received one will enjoy them for months or even years to come!