How to Stick it to Them...

So, I recently purchased a bulletin board from Target and have since been eyeing push pins. These are a great ways to add a little character to your board and there are so many to choose from. Here are a few of my favorite so far...

Ballarddesigns.com - Royal Pushpins set of 18
These might be my favorite. Crowns and fleur-de-lis, need I say more?

and one more set from Ballard Designs - Set of 24 Style Tacks

Delight.com - Button Push Pin Set.
This set is so fun. I would love to see these next to my favorite photos...

Paper Source - Faux Diamond Push Pins.
Love, love, love...how much fun are these?
Talk about bringing a little bling into your life!

And last but not least,

Frenchquartermarket.com - Fleur-de-Lis Push Pins.

This site is great, if you like fleur-de-lis, you have to check out all their great finds.

Home is Where the Heart is...continued

Here are a few more of my favorite spots in my house:

Melamine or not to Melamine...

My Mom and I were recently cruzing Williams-Sonoma and saw this great set of outdoor dinnerware. It is their Melamine Rooster Dinnerware collection created to look like hand-painted Italian ceramics...super cute, great for outside and wonderful with little ones! And best of all they are dishwasher safe...yeah!Crate & Barrel has this fun colorful collection: Flower Melamine Plates (only $6.95 each) Unfortunately this set is hand wash...bummer!Smith & Hawken has this great line: Toscana Tableware and again dishwasher safe. Say it again, dishwasher safe!And we can't forget my favorite store...Target: This is the Prism Dinnerware Collection - I can't believe this is actually melamine!

B is for Baby Boy...

 

Recently I co-hosted a baby shower. I went with a blue, brown and cream theme. I decided to use my handy apothecary jars and filled them with blue crinkle paper, baby boy bow and a cute little Carter's bear on the end. I placed the invitation on an easel and of course what setting is complete without a few fleur-de-lis...

I made a banner with pre-cut shapes I bought at Michaels and letters I printed from my computer. I attached them with some blue and brown ribbon, added a few balloons and ta-da. Instant baby banner to welcome our little-one-to-be.

Added a few more touches around the kitchen area...

There were about 30 ladies and we served hot cocoa and mimosas so we had a ton of glasses. I attached these key tags with little blue and brown ribbon and asked each guest to put their name/initials on their glass. This was an inexpensive and simple way to label each glass and clean up was super easy!

What's in a Name...

I just finished making a family name sign for my sister-in-law. Here is the finalized project:

I purchased a piece of unfinished wood at Home Depot. Had them cut the piece to 40". I brought it home and sanded it with my handy-dandy hand sander, a coat of paint (Behr Black Suede (S-H-790), one more sand and then I was ready for the stencils. I used a stencil set I purchased at Michaels (the letters were 3-3.5" depending on the letter). I stenciled the letters on with a pencil and then painted them in with a very small brush and white acrylic paint. I waited a day for the paint to be completely dry and then I stained the entire board with a gel stain (miniwax in walnut). I painted it on with a foam brush, waited around 5-10 minutes and gently rubbed the stain off.

Last but not least, I purchased sawtooth hangers to attach to the back of the board for hanging. This is a great personalized gift and I can't wait to give it to her soon!

Home is Where the Heart is...

Here are a few of my favorite spots in my house:

Simple Changes Can Make a Big Impact...

I recently decided to paint the hallway above the front staircase and continue the color at the bottom. Look how great a little paint looks...here is the before:

And here is the after...


I used Behr Belgian Sweet 700D-6. It is amazing how a little paint color can make a space feel so much more inviting and warm.

Here we go...

So I have been following the blogging world for sometime and have really enjoyed all of the great ideas and wonderful creations, and now I am diving in. I am a Mom of 2 darling kiddos, married to an amazing husband and I love designing and creating. My hope is I will be able to inspire some of you from time to time. Welcome to Room to Inspire!