Bloggin fool!

Man, I am on a roll today!

Just one more quick post for the day, a few random updates to share:

My Mom's 50th Birthday is today! We had a little party for her this past Saturday and it was a blast. My Mom is awesome- she is definitely one of my best friends and I am so lucky to have her close by! Here are a couple pictures of the party:

The Men- being pretty!

Mom showing off her new Brighton jewelry!

Mom, Mima, Papa

Anne, Mom, Tammy, Karen- watching the Derby!

Me and Mom =)

Being silly!

Also, I've had a couple good finds on my shopping excursions lately:

The blue candles I had been eyeing at Michael's were finally on sale- 40% off! I got one for each lantern, and a bag of white/ivory potpourri to fill in the bottom. The candle isn't quite tall enough so it's on a piece of tupperware for now, until I find something better! =)

Flip flop jewels- to make fun reception flops for the bridesmaids... $1! (Target, my favorite place)

My beautiful new bag- Rosss $16.99! I Just loved the leather and the color, and the lining is animal print- too cute!

Oh, and I got my ring cleaned and inspected for the first time (it's 6 month "check-up!") So shiny! I get so many compliments on it, everywhere I go!

Shout Outs:

• Mom- Happy 50th!!! Love you!!
• My Eskimo Buddy- Only three days of work left!! =)

Prayers:

• For once, everyone I know personally is doing really well! I'll keep praying for TJ today though- that his recovery continues to go so successfully!
• And I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life... my friends and my family... I love you all!! XOXO

Crafty, Crafty!

If anyone is having trouble deciding what to get their Moms and Grandmas for Mother's Day... I have just the thing! My future-mother-in-law is a Master Gardener and works at the county extension office. Last week she invited me to this workshop they were hosting- making Living Wreaths. It was really easy and they turned out beautiful! Plus I think each one only cost me about $20.




Okay, so here's what you'll need:

• Grape Vine Wreath (18-24") Michael's has these on sale for $4.99



• Coated chicken wire cut the length of your wreath + 2 inches Hardware store, Feed store, etc



• Florists wire (22 gauge/8 oz) about 30 inches Michael's $1.99



• 1 plastic bag the width of your wreath (either a grocery bag, or a trash bag if you have a larger wreath)



• 1 small bag of Spanish moss I got a huge bag at Michael's for $5.99, they had smaller ones for less



• Fern Pins Michael's $1.49



• About 2 cups of potting soil



• A variety of small plants (Suggestion: 1 foundation plant like a 3" Asparagus Fern, 2 trailing plants like Ivy or Potato Plant, 1-6 packs of small blooming flowers like Impatiens or other small greenery like Dichondra) I got enough to make two wreaths for $13.28 at Lowe's

Here's what to do:

• Cut the chicken wire the width of your wreath plus 2 inches. Turn back one inch on each end to form a pocket.

• Attach the wire pocket to the bottom of your wreath with your florists wire



• Line the wire pocket with a plastic bag



• Place your foundation plant in the center, your ivy or other trailing plant at each end, and then add in your other plants. Fill with potting soil as needed



• Roll the excess plastic bag in towards the wire pocket and tuck it in the edges.



• Use the fern pins to attach the Spanish Moss to the front of the basket (and back if desired)



• Water as needed. If you tend to over-water plants, you can poke a few holes in the bottom of your plastic bag to allow it to drain.



• Your plants will fill in and the Ivy will begin to grow around the wreath!



• *Beware* Birds love to steal the moss for their nests, so watch for falling fern pins and replace the moss as needed, until the trailing plants have grown enough to cover the plastic bag!

Here is what the end result will look like! (I made two- one with just greenery and white flowers, to hang on my red front door, and one with pink impatiens to give to my Mima for Mother's Day!)

Beautiful, organic, decorative, handmade, and thoughtful! What more could Mom ask for?? =)

If anyone tries it, please post pictures and let me know how it turned out! I am in love with these things and my FMIL and I are going to make 4 more in late summer to use on the 4 giant wooden doors of the Barn! I'm so excited- I think they're going to look great with lots of greenery and some white flowers, and maybe even with wooden letters of our initials hanging in the center! Too cute!

Speaking of cute... here's Sadie in the window watching Mommy take pictures outside =)

So I really enjoyed making these, in case you couldn't tell, and I'm hoping to blog more about some of my other crafty projects I have in mind, so stay tuned!