In case you are interested, here is a photo calendar deal

Hello friends! Just wanted to post something really quick. It's a shopping deal that I think some of you may be interested in - perhaps it would make a nice Christmas gift...? 

I am signed-up to get daily emails from Living Social (and Groupon and Twongo), and this morning I was delighted to see this one. Living Social has a limited deal where for $12 you can get a voucher for a 12x12 custom photo calendar from Snapfish, which normally costs $25! I create a calendar for my mom's birthday in January every year, so that's why I am excited to find a deal that is actually going to save me money on something I was already going to buy. I don't think she will mind that I saved some money on it - in fact, she would encourage it!  :)

In case you are interested, the deal only lasts for I think 20 more hours, so again here is the link: 12x12 calendar deal. 

Have a great Tuesday!

Dollar Store Wall Art {tutorial}

My stairway walls have desperately been needing some dressing up. They are stark white (it's the renter's curse!). The area wraps around into the entryway and living/dining room, so it felt like too big of an area to paint, which is why I have been meaning to buy or create some wall art to display on the wall at the top of the stairs.  While there are tons of great options out there, I wanted something unique and inexpensive - and have I mentioned I like to make things?

So, a while back I picked up these little canvases from my local Dollar Tree for, you guessed it, $1 a piece.

As you can see, this is not exactly my style (is it anyone's style?!) But do not fear! To fix this ugly little situation, I enlisted the help of my good friend, Krylon White spray paint. I think it took me maybe 2 or 3 coats to erase all of the badness.

Ahh…blank canvas. Now I was able to unleash my creativity (ha! yeah right). I free handed some birds - however, I wish I would have printed a bird silhouette and stenciled it onto the canvases to get some uniformity to their shapes. If you try this project, here is one option for a free bird silhouette.

Lastly, I busted out my acrylic paint, which I already had, and painted the background first and then the birds.

Here is a pic of the birds hanging on the wall. Not too shabby for $4.

They really brighten up the stairway. It draws your eyes up as you walk up the stairs, which is great considering the staircase carpet is a high traffic area and tends to accumulate many stains. Who knew how much of an impact a little color can make?

What sort of wall art have you created? I'd love to see it, so feel free to leave a link. Thanks!  :)


I'm linking to these lovely parties: Along for the Ride, Funky Junk Interiors, Beyond The Picket Fence, & Remodelaholic

College Freshman Care Package

I feel like I haven't posted in forever, but thanks for sticking with me. :) I had to present my thesis proposal to my committee last week (whew! glad that's over), which consumed a good chunk of time and about all my emotional energy to prepare for it. And this week I am flying to New Orleans for a conference, which I am excited about, but it also means I am left with little time for fun projects. {sigh} I'll get back to it soon. Actually, last weekend I devoted several hours of my Saturday to restaining my kitchen cabinets and replacing old pulls with new spray painted ones. I can't wait to show you!!! And I will once I get some time to make the kitchen sparkle and take photos of the makeover. 

Anywho, I thought I would show you all a small project from my "additional projects I'm thinking about" list that I put together about a month ago. My youngest sister is a freshman in college this year, and I thought it would be nice to send her a care package, so I searched around for some ideas and this is what I came up with. 

Here is a list of everything I included. Maybe it will help you think of some things to send your child/sibling/grandchild/niece/nephew/friend who could use some fun and useful things as the most stressful time of the semester draws near. He or she will appreciate it immensely! 

1. Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa (free, as I had some on hand) - It is much cheaper (and cuter) to scoop out some hot cocoa mix from your own big tub into clear plastic bags for individual servings than to go buy small packets from the store.

2. Handmade bookmarks - you can see how I made them here.

3. Archer Farms fruit strips ($2) - Love these! Besides being delicious, they keep forever and they hardly take up any room in the box.
4. White cheddar bunnies from Target ($2) - If you scoop them into Ziploc bags and tie a bow around it, it looks cuter. Nice packaging can make all the difference sometimes.)

5. Stickers ($1) - because why not? Stickers make everything better.
6. ToDo list with sticky notes ($2 together) - Got to love Target's Dollar Days. By the way, I realize this is definitely specific to my little sis' personality and behaviors. She LOVES organizational stuff, so that's why this is actually a fun item for her.

7. Another list-making pad with pencils ($2) - Again, Target's Dollar Days are awesome.
8. Crystal light packages ($2.79) - Need I remind you that she is a sister, not a brother? Ha ha. Great for mixing into her water bottle when she's on the go.
9. Dial hand sanitizer - Do not put this in your package no matter how good of an idea it is. (Those kids are all sick at this time of year.) I made that mistake and had to take it out when I went to mail the package at the post office. No liquids, folks.
10. Tissues ($1) - Again, for those sick gross days when you still have to go to class.
11. Darling recycled notebooks ($1.99/ notepad, except the large one was on clearance at Target for $1.74) - Great for jotting down notes in class.

12. Scotch wall mounting tape (free - had some on hand) - I included this later on, so it's not in that 2nd pic. This item is good for hanging posters and stuff in dorm room where you can't nail holes into the wall.

While the items that I included in the package were fairly inexpensive, the actual shipping cost me $14.50. Yikes! Also, I suggest paying extra for the shipping confirmation. I found out the hard way recently that USPS cannot do anything about tracking down a lost package unless you pay the $1.75 or whatever it is for shipping confirmation.

Anyway, I hope this gets those creative juices flowing for someone else who is planning a care package for their college student. :)

P.S. Don't forget to include a note. That's an important part that I almost overlooked.

I'm linking to...