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Happy Couple Collage Project

June 16, 2009 Leave a Comment
Here’s a lovely gift and decor idea for any shower or wedding. Sorry I don’t have any photo examples to show, but I’m sure you can imagine it in your mind’s eye. This is just an idea I came up with last week; I’ve never actually seen one of these before or heard of it, but I know I would love to have one of these made, and I’m sure others would as well.

Often at weddings and showers, photos of the happy couple are displayed on a table, serving as a decoration and as a way of telling the couple’s story. The idea of the Happy Couple Collage takes this concept to another level. Not only will it make a great decoration for a shower, engagement party, or wedding, but it will also make a lovely gift and keepsake.

The collage can be as big or small, and as simple or elaborate as you’d like for it to be, and using any materials you deem appropriate. The collage essentially tells a story about the happy couple. To complete it, you may need to borrow some materials from the couple (such as pictures or memorabilia). But in some cases you may be able to put the project together by getting materials from other friends and family members of the couple, and you may even be able to use some outside sources.

If you can gather the materials and keep it a surprise, Great! But if you have to ask the Bride-to-Be for a few items, this is okay. After all, she won’t know what you’re using the items for, and if you borrow them long enough in advance, she might even forget that you have them. But if you really want to keep it a secret, there are a lot of strategies you could use to get the items you need. Since the gift is largely for the bride, you could use the groom to “sneak” a scrapbook away from the bride-to-be, and friends or family members should be more than willing to help too.

Here is a list of items you may want to include on your collage:

-Baby/childhood pictures of the the bride and groom.
-A current picture of the couple.
-A picture of the place where the couple first met.
-A picture, menu, or business card from the place where the couple had their first date.
-A picture or a brochure from the couple’s first vacation destination.
-A photo of where the couple will live.
-A photo of the location where the proposal took place.
-A brochure or picture from the couple’s future honeymoon destination.
-If the couple went to school together, you could put a copy of the school’s seal.
-If the couple work together or met at a place of business, you could put a copy of the logo of their place of business.
-Copies of tickets from concerts, sporting events, movies, and other attractions the couple has attended.
-A picture of the couple with family members, kids, or pets.
-A picture of the couple participating in a favorite hobby or activity together.
-Scrapbook embellishments that represent a hobby, activity, or something else that’s meaningful to the couple.
-Lyrics from the couple’s favorite song.
-A picture of the person who introduced the couple, if applicable.
-A picture of the couple from their first Christmas together.
-Pictures and mementos from other milestones the couple has experienced together.
-Menu/Business Card/Photo of the couple’s favorite restaurant or hang out (or a picture of the couple at this place).
-If you need fillers, you can use little flower embellishments, gems, stickers, a bride & groom scrap booking embellishments kit, and other items to cover the empty spaces.

Place all your items on the material of your choice from scrapbook paper, to poster board, or a canvas. Or you could even use cork board or foam. Have the project framed, and you’re good to go! (Hint: On the back of the frame, you should sign your name and/or write your own personalized message to the happy couple.)

So what do you guys think of the Happy Couple Collage idea? And has anyone ever seen one of these?

-Jerri


Filed Under: crafts, decorating, party ideas

Lovely Wedding and Shower Invitations

June 11, 2009 2 Comments
Making your own cards and invitations is a very popular hobby these days. It’s also becoming more and more popular to buy handmade cards and other items. Today we have a wonderful and unique collection of shower and wedding invitations. Below each photo, you’ll find a link to the blog or shop where you can see more of the designer’s work. Enjoy!

(And thanks to everyone for allowing me to feature your lovely designs here!)

By Social Circles Design

By Pencil Shavings

By Embellished by Tiffany

-Jerri


Filed Under: crafts, party ideas

Craft Corner: Fun Easter Projects

April 8, 2009 4 Comments
Just in time for Easter, here’s a collection of craft projects that you can try. There are so many cute ideas out for Easter eggs, including these lovely flower and bird decoupage eggs that would look lovely in your home year round. I’ve also been finding different ideas for making your own dioramas, which are very cute!

Oversize Botanical Decoupage Eggs from Martha Stewart

Elegant Eggs from Country Living

Easter Diorama from BHG

Bunny Painting Egg at Favecrafts.com

Bright Ribbon Eggs at Favecrafts.com

Bird’s Nest Easter Card from Kaboose


-Jerri

Filed Under: crafts, Easter

Happy Valentine Crafts

January 21, 2009 5 Comments
As Valentine’s Day is approaching, I figured it was time to post some crafts for the occasion. I love posting craft ideas, because I know that we have a lot of readers who are moms and like to do projects with their kids, and we also have a lot of teachers and home school moms as well. Plus, it’s just fun!

I’m trying to post these kind of early so that people can use the ideas. And normally I would post on something I have on hand at my house or else use craft projects from around the internet, but this time I have only one source: Oriental Trading

When I got my catalog a few weeks ago I was thrilled at all the post worthy ideas they had. Sometimes I purchase beads and craft kits from their catalog, but I also look at it as a good source for ideas. In most cases, you can look at the photos of their crafts and pretty much tell what materials you need to complete the project, allowing you to skip the step of ordering the kit, and just get the materials from your local craft store (or your own stock).

Here are just a few of the ideas that I liked. Enjoy!

Quilled Heart Valentine Decoration


-Jerri

Filed Under: crafts, Valentine's Day

Deck the Hall With These Christmas Balls

December 6, 2008 5 Comments

There is such a wide variety of colors, designs, styles, and themes for Christmas tree decorations these days. Even if you discluded all other decorations and just looked at Christmas balls, you’d never run out styles to choose from. Today’s post takes a look at just a few of the many styles of Christmas balls that you can make yourself. You can also find some of these for sale on etsy, as well as countless other Christmas ornaments and crafts. Enjoy!

[Reminder: If you want to submit one of your ideas to my Christmas festival, send an email to simplysweethome@hotmail.com or leave a comment on any of my posts, saying you’d like to be featured. I’ll get back to you later! Remember that next week, Recipes/Food will be featured. And the following week (Dec 14-20) will be simple ideas/tips & misc. And then Dec 21-25, will be Christmas memories/traditions/stories, etc. For more info, go to this post. Thanks!]

One of my favorites out of all the things I’ve found are these quilted Christmas ornaments. Aren’t they lovely? These were made by Larissa at Mmmcrafts. She has a wonderful blog, full of great ideas. I highly recommend it. You can also search for these on etsy. I saw several different colors & designs.

This is an Etched Vinyl Monogram Christmas Ornament. I think these would make lovely Christmas gifts. Personally I’d love to have one to go in my curio cabinet. These are for sale on etsy at the store of Paperazzi. Very nice!

Here’s somethig a little different. The maker calls it a Bright Colorful Beaded Ball and Chain Christmas Ornament. It’s defintely not your average Christmas ball. slvilov sells them on etsy. I love the bright colors and funky design.

I found these Decorated Glass Ornaments on etsy. I just love the bright & beautiful colors of these. And look at the variety of designs. Very pretty! You can purchase them from MandarinMoon, along with other ornaments and items.


I found these beaded ornaments at a site called CraftBits. The mother of a friend of mine used to make Christmas balls similar to these. They were very nice. The CraftBits site also has some other projects that you might be interested in for Christmas and other occasions.


-Jerri


Filed Under: Christmas, crafts, decorating

Christmas Crafts

December 5, 2008 9 Comments

And now for some Christmas crafts from around the net. It’s so great seeing all the lovely things that people make. I found a lot of great ideas to share with you. Here are just a few. Below each photo you’ll find a link to the source. Hope you like these.

Next post, I’ll be sharing some Christmas balls that I’ve found.

I just love these ornaments. I have a kit to make some ornaments that are kind of similar to these. I got it from Oriental Trading. But I think these are a lot cuter. I found them on Etsy. You can purchase these from SnowFish. She has a lot of other great items that you might be interested in as well.

Here’s a cute gift idea, or perhaps a lovely centerpiece for you table. These Candy Trees came from HDMac’s Crafty Blog and More. Aren’t they lovely? Check out her blog for this and other great ideas.

Here’s something I haven’t seen in a while, Doily Angels. You can learn to make a lovely angel like this one at Makestuff.com

My mom used to have a tree like this, made from garland, lights, and coat hangers. All Free Crafts has the full instructions for this craft and others.

I found these “Potted Paper Cone” Christmas trees at Familyfun.com. This is really cute & simple. If you’re looking for something to make the kids, check it out.

-Jerri

Filed Under: Christmas, crafts

The Santa Craft

December 4, 2008 5 Comments


Here’s a cute and fun craft you can make this Christmas. This Santa was made by a friend of our family about 15 years ago, and it’s been a part of our Christmas decor ever since. It hangs on a door or wall. It would make a great gift for your craft-loving friends or something cute for the kids to give the grandparents. Or you could make one and keep it for yourself. It’s a great conversation piece.

It’s made with yarn, felt, a pom pom, plastic eyes, pipe cleaners, and a Clorox Bottle that’s been cut in half. Since I’ve never made one myself, I wouldn’t be the best person to instruct on this one. But I did find find a site that gives you the basic instructions. Here it is. Have fun!


-Jerri


Filed Under: Christmas, crafts, decorating

Easy & Inexpensive Halloween Costume Ideas

October 16, 2008 Leave a Comment

When I first started the blog last year, I began writing down a ton of post ideas, and of course once you start writing them all down, you never can get to them all. Anyway, I came across a list of “easy” Halloween costumes last year, and it prompted me to make my own list.

Most of these ideas, you can actually buy a costume for at Wal-mart or a costume store, but they can also be made using items you have around the house, or at least partially in addition to buying one or two accent pieces or props. Either way, these costumes are easy and inexpensive, and a few of the them would be quite interesting to see!

Witch/Wizard – wear all black, plus at a hat & broom.
Angel – wear all white, plus wings and a halo, which can be purchased at a costume store, or make your using wire (such as from a coat hanger) and cover it with material (for the wings) and glitter (for the halo.
Doctor – wear a labcoat and carry a toy/home stethoscope
Jailbird – wear black/white stripes
Cat – wear all black, and purchase ears/tail from costume shop, or make your own
Leopard/Tiger – same as cat, except wear the color of print for the animal you desire
Devil – dress in red, wear a cape/horns/tail. and carry a pitchfork
Cow – a friend of mine had a very cute homemade cow costumes. the pants were made from cowprint fabric, and then she wore a white sweatshirt and hotglued black spots made from felt onto it. (this could be done to make the pants if you can’ts sew)
Vampire – dress in black, and wear a cape & vampire teeth
Ghost – wear a white sheet. And for fun, if you have an old sheet that you never use anymore, you can cut a bunch of holes in it, and be Charlie Brown dressed as a ghost.
Cop – black pants & button up shirt, plus carry a badge & gun
Mail carrier – Wear Navy shorts & blue shirt (or wear brown and go as a UPS man)
Farmer – wear overalls or jeans with a plaid shirt, and perhaps a hat
Baby/kid – wear pajamas and put your hair in pigtails, carry a stuffed animal
Caesar -use a sheet or white material to make a toga, and wear a wreath on your head and sandals on your feet.
Athlete or Fan – wear a jersey of your favorite time. To dress as a fan, paint your face and carry a sign.
French Maid – Black dress/apron
Waitress – same as french maid, only with different colors
Tv Character – maybe someone from the Brady Bunch or Saved by the Bell, or perhaps The Fonz – just wear clothes from that time period

And now for a few unique concepts:
Store Shelf – save food boxes or other items and attach them to a piece of poster board, and attach the poster board to yourself (use pins or tie around you with string)
Bouquet of Flowers – buy several bunches of fake flowers & attach them to an old sweatshirt
Stop sign – make a big stop sign out of red poster board and attach it to your clothes
Playing Card -same concept as stop sign, only make a playing card design
Leftover – wrap yourself in tin foil
Block of Cream Cheese – wrap a box in tin foil, then cut holes in the box for your head/arms.
Mr. Clean – Jeans, white t-shirt, earring, and perhaps carry a mop or shirt. (I always joke with my dad, who’s hairless, that he should dress as Mr. Clean) I also think it would be cute to make a costume for other advertising icons like Mrs. Butterworth, the Pillsbury Doughboy, or perhaps a character from some Cereal commercial.
Blogger – This one would be funny & cute, if you have the stuff to do it with. Either use a kid’s toy laptop, or make something that looks like a laptop (maybe get a pizza box or cereal box and paint it). And then just find a way to attach it to your hip!


Filed Under: crafts, fall, Halloween

Cute Invitations for Halloween

September 30, 2008 1 Comment

I’m finally starting to get my house in order….sort of. And I’m going to try and get back to my postings…though they may be a little disjointed for a while. For something quick and easy I was looking on BHG and found these really cute Halloween party invitations. Handmade invitations are so cute, and the scrapbooking industry has made it so easy to make unique, professional looking invitations.

Lovely Leaves – I love the embelishments on the outside of this invite. This would be a good project not just for Halloween but for any Fall or Thanksgiving activity. I think it would also make a lovely pattern for a fall wedding or shower invitation.

Come Hang Out With Us – I like this invitation because it’s a very simple pattern, but it’s still cute and fun. This one’s my favorite overall.

Shabby Spider Web – I think the shabby/tattered look goes great with the spider webs. It makes me think of a haunted house.

Dancing Skeleton – I really like the embellishments on this invite. It’s very bright, colorful, and professional looking, yet it can be made with just a few simple pieces of scrapbook materials.


Filed Under: crafts, fall, Halloween

Easy Easter Bunny Party Favor

March 18, 2008 4 Comments
Here’s a cute treat that you can make for your child’s Easter party or Easter basket. As a kid, I used to love getting candies and treats with a decorative/crafty twist. But some of us were not born with the craft bone, so this post goes out to all the people who have considered themselves “craft-challenged” but are trying to get better (myself included).

For this project, you’ll need:

mini chocolate candy bars

kleenex or gift tissue

a black pen

string/ribbon/fishing line.

Take 2 or 3 candy bars and stack them on top of a piece of tissue.

Roll up the tissue with the candy inside.

After rolling up the tissue completely, the ends will be used to make bunny ears.


Grab each end of the tissue. Pull it toward the top of the “bunny head.” Twist the tissue and use string or ribbon to tie the ears tight and fluff them out till you get the desired look and shape.

Use your black pen to draw a face on your bunny.

Make a few of these and arrange them in your child’s Easter basket, or make one or two of these for each kid at your child’s Easter party.

Filed Under: cookies and candy, crafts, Easter, party ideas
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