Wedding Shower Banner & Mantel

As I mentioned last week, I had a wedding shower to put on this past weekend.  It was a team effort though.  I had a couple of friends do all the food and I got to do the fun part... the decorating!  And if you've been around LandeeTown at all, then you know I have an affinity for decorating my mantel.  This would be no exception, of course.  

First order of business... a banner!

Things I knew:

1) I wanted to make it out of paper.

2) She loves the shabby chic look.

3) I wanted to use photos 

(I had taken their engagement photos so I wanted to use them!).

So, I purchased a pack of scrapbooking paper with the look I was going for.  This was nice because it gave me direction for the rest of the decor... color scheme, style, etc.

I then randomly came across these adorable laser cut frames at Michael's.  They were only 29 cents each! Wha?  And the large oval one was like 79 cents or something like that.  Yay!  I loved their detail as well as how light-weight they were.  I spray painted them white and grinned from ear to ear.

I used my Silhouette to cut out the shape of my pennants.  For added stability I also cut out the shape in cardstock to back each piece of patterned paper.  

After I cut them I realized I wanted a little more detail so I punched a hole through each scallop.  I love doing that.

At first I wasn't sure what to do in the center oval frame so I just cut out an oval from some patterned paper.  Then I decided to add some text.  Well, my oval was already cut so I used the following method to print onto that oval.

1) Design the text in Photoshop or similar program.

2) Print it out on regular paper.

3) Lightly adhere the patterned paper over the printed text, lining it up exactly how you want it.

4) Run paper back through the printer and voila! Perfect.

To finish off the banner, I punched holes at the top of each pennant and threaded some white, grosgrain ribbon through.   I then added photos of the two of them and patterned paper to the other laser cut frames and tied them on with scraps of ribbon I had around.

To finish off the mantel, I enlarged a couple of their engagement photos and framed them, added the printable I designed and added some white flowers in some Ikea galvanized buckets.

I loved how it all came together!  How cute are they, right? 

The rest of the decor to come!

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick

More Than Yesterday Printable

My lovely mother-in-law had "MTY, LTT" inscribed on the inside of my father-in-law's wedding ring before they got married over 40 years ago.   It stands for "More than yesterday, less than tomorrow."  Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard?

So when I was trying to figure out some kind of romantic saying for the bridal shower I'm throwing this weekend, that is what came to mind.  I designed this printable and then put it into my favorite frame of all time (from Orange Blossom Shop) as the perfect touch to my bridal shower decor!

If you'd like to have it too, I created it in 5x7 and 8x10 sizes (depending on your needs) as well as in three different colors.... AQUA, GREEN and RED.

You can download any and all HERE.

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick

IKEA Hack Breakfast Tray Wedding Gift

Do you remember before you got married?  Do you remember what you thought marriage was like?  If you were anything like me you thought it would be non-stop feeding each other grapes,  playing board games naked (because you can!), and breakfast in bed.  For 50+ years.

Then you realize fairly quickly that you can actually feed yourself grapes better than he can, being naked is completely overrated and breakfast in bed means you're cleaning up a big mess in the kitchen later.

But who am I to disillusion the newlyweds, right?  Which is why, for an upcoming wedding (and I'm doing a bridal shower for her on Saturday and can't wait to show you what I've been crafting up for the decorations!) I decided to pretty up an Ikea breakfast-in-bed tray.  They can figure all of that other stuff out on their own.  :)

So I spied this fun breakfast tray at Ikea for $7.99 and knew it would be so fun to gussy up. 

I chose three coordinating scrapbook papers that I liked and what I thought they would like too.

And then I cut the paper to fit in the two cup holders and the trough at the top of the tray.  I didn't have a 2.5 inch circle punch for the cup holders but guess what is exactly 2.5 inches!  Yes... my Route 44 Sonic cup.  My Route 44s help me with crafting a LOT but it's usually indirectly.  I'm now adding "crafting supply" to my list of pros for Route 44s.  Yay!

Then I got out the ole Mod Podge and mod podged the paper in place!  That part is always so much fun.

Then, with my Silhouette and some yellow vinyl, I designed and cut out the "Good Morning, Sunshine!" decal and applied it to the tray.  I thought I'd make it a phrase that could be used for their kids as well.  And I put it down in the corner so that when there was a plate on  the tray it wouldn't be entirely covered up.

It's obviously not dishwasher safe but I think it will withstand an occasional wiping down.

While at Ikea I also picked up these plain white salt & pepper shakers for $2.99.

Using the same color vinyl, I applied some cute decals to them as well to make it all a coordinating set.

Isn't it so bright and cheery?

So maybe feeding each other grapes and hanging around naked are overrated but I guess I wouldn't mind being woken up to this every once in a while. :)  I just might make one of these for myself now! For $7.99 plus some paper and Mod Podge, why not?

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick, Tidy Mom

Landee Goes to EVO 2012!

A couple of weekends ago I had the amazing opportunity to attend the EVO blogging conference in Park City, UT.  Such a neat event and I was so lucky the timing worked out for me to be there!  After attending SNAP! a few months ago I wasn't sure what to expect from EVO (since it is for all kinds of bloggers as opposed to SNAP! which focuses mainly on the creative/DIY bloggers) but it was very informative and a TON of fun.  

Classes= informative

The People I Was With= the tons of fun!

See example of beautiful/fun/creative genius/hilarious/lovelies below:

Kristyn from Lil'Luna, Desiree from The 36th Avenue, Jen from eighteen25, Kelli and Kristi from Lolly Jane, Kristen from Kristen Duke Photography, Shauna and Courtney from Orange Blossom Shop, Jodie from eighteen25,  me, Tausha from Sassy Style Redesign

Lolly Jane sandwich!  I adore these cute girls (and Jodie, of course!).  Kelli & Kristi were one of the first bloggers to reach out to me when I first started blogging.  I did my first guest post for them and I will always love them for being so kind to a nobody like myself.  

And look at Kristi's sweet new baby boy!  He endured the Twitter class like a champ!  I wish I could say the same about the rest of us. :)  Are any of you (my readers) even on Twitter that much?  I need to know before I get what is equivalent to a Master's Degree in figuring it all out.  It's intense!

So we crammed our brains with bloggy stuff all day and then at night, 17 of us went back to our amazing condo we got through Links Luxury Rentals and talked about.... what else?  More bloggy stuff!  As you can see, I was in some AMAZING company here!  I just sat at the feet of the masters and listened to them impart their wisdom.  We laughed, we cried, we put on pajama pants.   These discussions were less about the technical side of blogging, however, and more about the personal... how it affects our families, how much time we put into it (answer= a TON!), what is important to focus on and what's not, struggles, and successes.  I loved every second of it.

If we went to bed at 2am we considered it early.

Tauni from SNAP!, Heather from Whipperberry, Amy from The Idea Room , Michelle from A Little Tipsy,  Desiree from The 36th Avenue

Kristyn from Lil'Luna, me, Jodie from eighteen25, Shauna from Orange Blossom, Mandi from Vintage Revivals, Brooke from All Things Thrifty & Courtney from Orange Blossom, Jen from eighteen25 and Kristen from Kristen Duke Photography

Here are some photos I snapped with my phone at our swanky condo!  Jen took some awesome ones over on eighteen25 if you want to take a look.  

And then, by day three things got a little cray-cray.  This is what happens when a bunch of ladies are functioning on very little sleep....

L to R: Nikki from Chef in Training, Kristyn from Lil Luna and Jen from eighteen25

And above is Mandi from Vintage Revivals, in case you didn't recognize her from her long, slender fingers. :)

And below is a video of the elaborate plan we came up with to scare those who were coming back to the condo a little while after we had arrived.  I won't even tell you how long it took us to come up with the plan, execute the plan, set the scene, and hide until they arrived... but as you can see it's all worth it. :)  My favorite part is at the end when Jen throws off the comforter and yells "I'm free!"  All three of those poor brunettes were sweating to death under those things!  Also, making an appearance in this video (who haven't been mentioned yet) are JamieLyn from I Heart Naptime and Linda from Craftaholics Anonymous.  They are the ones crouching down behind the Comforter Monsters.

So to sum up, EVO was awesome.  Not only for the information given in each class and keynote speakers, but also for the amazing friendships that were formed and strengthened.  It was fun to see how the creative bloggers gravitated to one another among all of the other bloggers in attendance.  I came home wanting to be a better blogger, mother, wife, friend, and person.  What more could I want?

Easy Craft: Painted Wood Bead Necklace

After returning home from a two week vacation I've had quite a bit of laundry to catch up on the past couple of days.  Not to mention Etsy orders and other "re-entry" tasks in general.

My daughter had a friend over yesterday so we decided to do an easy and fun craft.  Yay!  But don't be mistaken, easy doesn't necessarily mean QUICK.  And I didn't want it to be quick.  I wanted those two to sit there and enjoy creating for a while as I caught up on things.   This wooden bead necklace craft was the perfect thing for the girls.

Supplies Needed:

• large wooden beads (I got them at Hobby Lobby for $1.27 per package)
• ribbon
• craft paint
• paint brushes

First they painted their beads a solid color.

Finding a way to hold the beads while painting them is always the tricky part.  We figured out that these little sponge brushes were perfect for the job!

See?

After they were dry we began the embellishing... each bead was a work of art for these two!

I promise this kept them occupied, enthralled, happy, chatty, etc. for a good 1.5 hours.  They loved it.

After the embellishments were dry we strung them onto some white grosgrain ribbon.  I put some painter's tape at the end of their ribbons to make stringing them easier for the girls.

And lastly, you can tie smaller pieces of ribbon between each bead...

or not! 

Both ways are super cute.  And so is Smurfette, don't you think?

Such a fun afternoon of crafting with these two cute girls!  I see a lot of Girls Night Out/Craft Nights for them in the future.  So if you're looking for an inexpensive, easy, yet somewhat time-consuming craft this summer, these two girls give these painted wood bead necklaces two four thumbs-up!

And yes, when I take them out anywhere people always ask if they're twins.  Sometimes I say yes and sometimes I say no. :)

Link parties I participate in: Tip Junkie, Tatertots & Jello, I Heart Naptime, Lolly Jane, Be Different Act Normal, Craftomaniac, Today's Creative Blog,  Thrifty Decor Chick, The Frugal Girls