Wednesday, February 25, 2015

DIY Gift Card Bouquet


Today I'm sharing a fun birthday gift idea! My co-workers and I always try to go in on a gift together to get each person a special birthday gift. We usually each contribute 5-10 dollars at the most, depending on the total cost of the gift, so it's pretty easy for us all to contribute without breaking the bank. We try to rotate who is in charge of buying and putting the gift together, and it was recently my turn. I decided to make my friend and coworker this fun gift card bouquet to some of her favorite fast food restaurants.


in order to make this, you'll need:
gift bag, tissue paper, wooden skewers, foam block, gift cards, and scotch tape. 


First, I taped the skewers to the back of each gift card. 


Next, I arranged the skewers in the foam block to look like a bouquet.


Then, I stuck the foam block in the gift bag and poured a bag of Reese's (her favorite candy) on top of the foam block. I added some tissue paper to make it look prettier. 


She LOVED it!
Now she has a reason to go out to lunch or stop for a coffee on the way into work.

And, aside from driving to all the restaurants, it took no time at all to put together. Time is a precious thing around here these days, so it was perfect!

Happy Hump Day, friends!


Sunday, February 22, 2015

Motivational Monday: February 22nd

Welcome back to another week of our Motivation Monday Link Party!
 It has been subzero temperatures here in the mitten this week. I'm talking -20 degrees in the morning! Luckily, it is finally starting to warm up, so we are thawing out a bit. Is it Spring yet?

Hopefully the cold weather has allowed you to stay in and make some beautiful things to share with us this week.

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Make sure to visit these other 7 wonderful ladies and show them some love!
When you link up with us, your posts are seen all 8 blogs to get you even more exposure!


Burlap and Babies


The DIY Mommy


Dwelling in Happiness


Curly Crafty Mom


Sew Much Crafting


Making It In The Mitten


The Dempster Logbook


The Southern Couture




Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a recent post of yours, something that motivates you to create or just be awesome! Our goal is for this link up to focus on craft, DIY, & home posts so please try to remember that when linking up. 

  • Limit it to three links per week and remember to link directly to your post, not your blog.
  • Do not link stores, giveaways, or other link parties. 
  • Be sure to hop around some of the other posts that have been linked up to share the love and get motivated by what others have been up to…because of course, this is Motivational Monday after all.
Each week, your hosts will choose a few posts to feature from the previous week. If you want a chance at being featured, you must follow all of the hosts. By linking up, you agree to let each host share your photo and link back to your site. Link party goes live Sunday at 6pm PST and ends Thursday at 5pm PST.

Feel free to grab a Motivational Monday button in the sidebar to put on your own blog if you want to help spread the love! 





We have some wonderful features to share with you from last week's link up!



Kristina from My Own Home Blog is at it again. This week, she shared with us her Trifted Entryway Table. For only $5, she purchased this unique table and turned it in to the most adorable entryway decor!

Jamie from Anderson + Grant shared a fun post called Decorating with Baskets of Towels in the Bathroom. She showcased so many pictures of way to use basket and towels as decor, each one inspiring me a little bit more. 


Don't forget to grab our button if you've been featured!


PARTY TIME

It's time for you to link up your recent craft, DIY, or home decor posts. Make sure to check out other's projects as well for some motivation!



An InLinkz Link-up


Stay Warm!


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Four Things About Me

I found this post last week from Ericka over at This Crazy Thing Called Life. Since I have been noticing some new visitors around here, I thought it might be a fun "getting to know me" post.



Four names that I go by:
1. Mel
2. Mel-Bel
3. M-Rizz
4. Melonhead (I was called this in elementary school and a family friend still enjoys calling me this)

Four jobs I've had:
1. Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac Rehab
2. Child Care Provider
3. Substitute Teacher
4. Building Supervisor at the rec facility at CMU

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1. Couple's Retreat
2. Life As We Know It
3. Taken
4. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

Four Books I'd Recommend:
1. Arranged by Catherine McKenzie
2. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4. Two Kisses For Maddy by Matthew Logelin

Four Places I've Lived:
1. Saginaw, Michigan
2. Midland, Michigan
3. Lansing, Michigan
4. Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Four places I have visited:
1. Punta Cana, DR
2. Cancun, Mexico
3. Chicago, Illinois
4. Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Bora Bora
2. Australia
3. North Carolina
4. Iowa (I miss my best friend!)

Four things I don't eat:
1. Meat
2. Potatoes
3. Fish
4. Paczki's

Four of my favorite foods:
1. POPCORN
2. Ice cream
3. Pizza
4. Mexican-- any and all of it.

Four TV shows I currently watch:
1. Bachelor
2. Scandal
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Big Bang Theory

Four all-time favorite TV shows:
1. Prison Break
2. One Tree Hill
3. Veronica Mars
4. The OC

Four things I'm looking forward to this year:
1. Graduating!
2. Our trip to Traverse City in a few weeks
3. Spending our summer weekends on the boat
4. Running a race or two.

Well, I hope you feel like you know me a little bit better now! Let me know if you do a similar post so I can make sure to read it. I love getting to know my blogging friends better!

Happy Hump Day!


Sunday, February 15, 2015

Motivational Monday: February 15th

Happy Valentine's Day Weekend!

For Valentine's week, I had to share my last few Valentine's projects of the year!
 Valentine's Vignette, Chalky Heart Sugar Scrub, and 5 Stay At Home Date Night Ideas.





What have you been up to this week?

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Make sure to visit these other 7 wonderful ladies and show them some love!
When you link up with us, your posts are seen all 8 blogs to get you even more exposure!


Burlap and Babies


The DIY Mommy


Dwelling in Happiness


Curly Crafty Mom


Sew Much Crafting


Making It In The Mitten


The Dempster Logbook


The Southern Couture




Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a recent post of yours, something that motivates you to create or just be awesome! Our goal is for this link up to focus on craft, DIY, & home posts so please try to remember that when linking up. 

  • Limit it to three links per week and remember to link directly to your post, not your blog.
  • Do not link stores, giveaways, or other link parties. 
  • Be sure to hop around some of the other posts that have been linked up to share the love and get motivated by what others have been up to…because of course, this is Motivational Monday after all.
Each week, your hosts will choose a few posts to feature from the previous week. If you want a chance at being featured, you must follow all of the hosts. By linking up, you agree to let each host share your photo and link back to your site. Link party goes live Sunday at 6pm PST and ends Thursday at 5pm PST.

Feel free to grab a Motivational Monday button in the sidebar to put on your own blog if you want to help spread the love! 





We have some wonderful features to share with you from last week's link up!



Kristina from My Own Home Blog shared these stunning Industrial Style Galvanized and Rusted Letters. They look great hanging on the wall. I can't believe under it all, these are just your typical wooden letters!




This beautiful Marsala Makeover was shared by Bre from brepurposed, and it is breathtaking. I love the color. I love the gold accents. And I love the gold heart knobs on top!


Don't forget to grab our button if you've been featured!


PARTY TIME

It's time for you to link up your recent craft, DIY, or home decor posts. Make sure to check out other's projects as well for some motivation!



Friday, February 13, 2015

5 Stay-At-Home Date Night Ideas


Maybe you don't like all the hype over Valentine's Day. Maybe you are looking for a way to celebrate without forking over loads of cash. Maybe you just don't feel like fighting the crowds to get a table at a restaurant during dinner. No matter what your reasoning may be, you have decided to stay home on Valentine's Day. Lucky for you, there are plenty of ways to celebrate in the comfort of your own home!

Order Take Out: Get Chinese take-out or order a pizza to enjoy at home. Dust off the China and eat your take-out on your fanciest plates. Finish the night curling up on the couch with popcorn and a movie.

Have a Game Night: Get a little competitive and challenge your significant other to a game night. Some of our favorites include Skipbo, Triominos, Qwirkle, and Phase 10.

Sit by a Fire: Cuddle up next to your significant other by a fire with a warm blanket. Chat under the stars while roasting marshmallows and sipping hot chocolate. Too cold to be outside? You can do the same thing by the fireplace.

Dinner and Dancing: Get dressed up and make a candlelit dinner together. End the night with a homemade playlist of some of your favorite dancing songs and dance the night away.

Turn Your Home Into A Spa: Spend an evening relaxing with an in-home spa. Light some candles and turn on some soft music. Bubble bath, massages, and facials are a must. End the night with a little dessert.

What are your plans this Valentine's Day? 
Does anyone have a traditional way they always spend the evening? 
Adam and I tend to mix it up and do something different every year. Sometimes we go out and sometimes we opt for takeout and movie in. We still are undecided on what to do this year, but all five of these ideas seem to be just fine with me! 

Happy Weekend!


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Chalky Hearts Sugar Scrub



Looking for something small to give your girlfriends for Valentine's Day? This Chalky Heart Sugar Scrub is the perfect gift! 

The past few years, I have filled a vase with chalky hearts for decoration. Every year, I think it is such a waste to just throw them away, but I don't really want to eat them after they've been sitting out for a month either. Last year, I decided to throw them all in a Ziploc bag to save for this year.

Instead of decorating with them, I chopped them up in my blender and added them to my sugar scrub. The end result: Chalky Hearts Sugar Scrub!


INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of sugar, 1/4 cup of coconut oil, 1/2 cup of chalky hearts, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)


WHAT TO DO:
1. Heat cocnut oil in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
2. Combine coconut oil and sugar. Mix well.
3. Chop chalky hearts in blender. Stir into sugar mixture.
4. Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (optional to give it a scent) 





It is so easy and inexpensive to make, and your girlfriends are guaranteed to love it!


Do you pass out goodies to your friends/family for Valentine's Day? If so, what kinds of things do you make?







Monday, February 9, 2015

Pink and Gold Valentine's Vignette



Today I am finally sharing my Valentine's Vignette! I haven't always been a fan of gold, but just recently I have become very fond of it. Because of my new found love for gold, I decided to use pink and gold to create my vignette.  









The best part about this vignette? I spent next to nothing to make it! I purchased pink felt for the heart, and some gold spray paint, everything else I had on hand. 

I used the back side of my chevron heart door hanger and felt flowers to create the pink felt flower heart. I had the gold chevron ribbon from a previous project as well: my gold ribbon wreath. The frame I hung around it came from Adam's grandma's house.
 Fun fact: This frame used to hang in his grandma's bedroom with a paint by numbers of a naked woman inside of it. I never really understood why his grandma had it, but the frame is just beautiful. You may be wondering where the painting is now. My sweet husband has it hanging proudly in his workshop.

When unpacking my Valentine's decorations, I came across the"XOXO" letters. They were painted red for a project I never completed, so I spray painted them gold and glued them onto a white canvas I had laying around.

 Also inside the box of Valentine's day stuff were these pink rosette balls made of tissue paper streamers. I made the quite a few years back, probably when we were still in our Midland apartment.
 I spray painted some leftover candlesticks from our wedding centerpieces gold to set each rosette ball on. 

 The framed ombre heart art was a project I completed a few years ago. I swapped out the silver frame for a gold frame (from goodwill) to keep with the color scheme.

Lastly, the ceramics may also look familiar to you. I borrowed them from our home office. Sneaky, I know!

So as you can see, you don't need to spend a lot of money to create a beautiful vignette or mantel for your home during the holidays. Shop around your home first to see what you can come up with, and only buy what is absolutely necessary. 


What are some of your strategies for saving money while decorating? 


Sunday, February 8, 2015

Motivational Monday: February 8th

Happy Sunday Evening, everyone! I can't believe another week has already flown by!

This past week I shared two more Valentine's projects, my Burlap Valentine's Day Wreath and my Gold and White "XOXO" Canvas.





What have you been up to this week?

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Make sure to visit these other 7 wonderful ladies and show them some love!
When you link up with us, your posts are seen all 8 blogs to get you even more exposure!


Burlap and Babies


The DIY Mommy


Dwelling in Happiness


Curly Crafty Mom


Sew Much Crafting


Making It In The Mitten


The Dempster Logbook


The Southern Couture




Ready to share what motivates you? Link up a recent post of yours, something that motivates you to create or just be awesome! Our goal is for this link up to focus on craft, DIY, & home posts so please try to remember that when linking up. 

  • Limit it to three links per week and remember to link directly to your post, not your blog.
  • Do not link stores, giveaways, or other link parties. 
  • Be sure to hop around some of the other posts that have been linked up to share the love and get motivated by what others have been up to…because of course, this is Motivational Monday after all.
Each week, your hosts will choose a few posts to feature from the previous week. If you want a chance at being featured, you must follow all of the hosts. By linking up, you agree to let each host share your photo and link back to your site. Link party goes live Sunday at 6pm PST and ends Thursday at 5pm PST.

Feel free to grab a Motivational Monday button in the sidebar to put on your own blog if you want to help spread the love! 





We have some wonderful features to share with you from last week's link up!


Marti from SewLicious Home Decor shared these simple yet festive Valentine Tin Cans with Burlap. They are so cute and such a wonderful way to reuse tin cans you would normally just throw out. 




This French Provincial Sideboard Furniture Makeover was shared by Gilly from Colour Saturated Life. The before and after pictures are incredible! I love the grey and white, but I especially love that she painted the inside of the drawers and cabinets blue. Absolutely gorgeous!


Don't forget to grab our button if you've been featured!


PARTY TIME

It's time for you to link up your recent craft, DIY, or home decor posts. Make sure to check out other's projects as well for some motivation!



Enjoy browsing all the wonderful projects!