105th Birthday Party - Yellow & Gray

Yellow & Gray Party Decor for 105th Birthday Party

Not many families get the opportunity to celebrate for the same reason we did last month.  My great grandmother turned 105!  Believe it or not, we have 6 living generations.  We are truly blessed to still have Grandmother, as we call her, still in our lives.  She is a total sweetheart: kind, loving, and nurturing.  She is extremely healthy, remembers and recognizes us, still reads, plays bingo, and more...it is astounding!  She certainly doesn't look or seem her age.

The Birthday Girl

I had the pleasure of decorating for the occasion.  However, I had a few dilemmas to take into consideration.  The party was held in the afternoon at the elder care home where she resides.  This meant that we couldn't set up until after lunch was over and cleaned up, and it had to be taken down before dinner could be set up.  So whatever I did had to be done quickly.

Birthday Cake

Since 105 is a monumental year, I decided the number should be the theme, so to speak.  It was found on the cake, candles, balloons, and flower arrangements.

Number balloons to emphasize 105 years

Yellow and Gray seemed like a perfect combo to fit the happy occasion.  In an Earth Day post last month, I gave a tutorial showing how I made the containers for the flower arrangements.  However, I used oatmeal canisters instead of the cans in the tutorial.  You can catch up on the how to here: Recycled Crafting.

Yellow and Gray Party Birthday Party

I created four flower arrangements in the oatmeal canisters.  This way I could just set them on the table, rather than arrange something on site, since I had limited time.  I used yellow streamers as an accent ribbon and birthday cake embellishments.  I then added yellow flowers and a coordinating sign which said, "Celebrating 105 Fabulous Years".  I used yellow circular place mats to give a pop of yellow under each arrangement.  I also had several clusters of yellow, gray & white balloons at the ends of the buffet table.

105th Birthday Party

We had such a great time!  The local paper even did a great article about my grandmother and her celebration.  What a blessing she is to us all!

Have a Great Day!

Niki

Easy Monogrammed Ring in 15 Minutes or Less

Monogrammed Ring in 15 Minutes or Less

If you consider yourself a crafty person, then you probably know what it is like to have an urge to get creative, yet not know where to find the time to squeeze in a little project.  Last year, I joined Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage and Carolina @ 30 minute crafts for Craft Lightning -- crafts in 15 minutes or less.  You can read that post here: Embellished Hair Accessories.  Today, I am joining them for another round!  Since accessories are easy to craft in 15 minutes or less, I decided to create a monogrammed ring for today's crafty quickie.

Some of the supplies needed for making a monogrammed ring.

Supplies Needed

Glue
Ring
Jewel
Sharpie Paint Pen
Regular Sharpie (optional)

How to create a Monogrammed Ring in 15 minutes or less.

Step 1 - Prepare Ring for Embellishment

I started with a pom ring that I bought at Michael's for less than a dollar.  So, I had to remove the pom.  As you can see on the right, the top of the ring had a metal lip around it with a cotton pad on top.

Step 2 - Glue a Large Jewel to the Ring

Because of the metal lip, I used wood glue to add my jewel because it would expand as needed to fill the inner area.

Monogram Ring with Sharpie Paint Pen

Step 3 - Monogram Ring with Sharpie Paint Pen

I discovered the Sharpie Paint Pen when I was standing in line at an office store.  I knew I had to buy one and try it out.  I decided to use silver for this project, but they come in a variety of colors.

Ring after First Layer of Monogramming

Step 4  Option - Outline Monogrammed Initial with Sharpie

As an additional option, you can add a second layer to your monogram by outlining the initial with a regular fine tip Sharpie.

Monogrammed Ring in 15 minutes or less using Sharpie Paint Pen

I love personalized items! 

Hopefully this shows you that you can get those creative juices flowing, even if you only have just a few minutes to craft.  I hope you will go check out all of the other Craft Lightning posts over at The Country Chic Cottage and 30 Minute Crafts.

I was featured:

 

Happy Crafting!!

Niki 

Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors Blogger Brunch

Stash Booth at Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors

A couple of weekends ago, I attended a blogger brunch hosted by Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors.  Although I don't consider myself an antique junkie, I have always loved Queen of Hearts because they are so much more than just an antique store.  You can find new and old, drab and rehabbed, and antique and modern.  Whatever your style, budget, or need, you just might find what you are looking for at Queen of Hearts.

So, back to the brunch...

Queen of Hearts History Lesson

First we had a fabulous brunch of sandwiches, grits, fresh fruit and more.  Then the owner, Stacey Anderson, quickly introduced the history of Queen of Hearts and the staff and dealers who were present.  It was here that I learned that all three locations have a long waiting list of dealers trying to get in on the action!!

Swag Bags for the Bloggers

Next, they gave us all a swag bag filled with amazing goodies, including a gift certificate. :)  We knew which bag was ours by the wooden initials.  Inside there was soap, milk paint, chalkboard labels, an Eiffel Tower hook, a cookie,  & Queen of Hearts cup, note pad and coffee mug. 

Swag bag with all of my goodies!

The rest of our time was spent shopping and taking pictures.  I had so much fun exploring all of the aisles with Angie from Slipcovered Grey.  We were there for hours taking it all in, yet when I see the posts from some of the other attendees, they have pictures of things that I never even saw.  It is just so intriguing to browse each booth and see all of the amazing treasures.  It is so neat to know that each piece there has a story to tell.  So, here are some of the pieces that caught my eye and most fit my own personal style.

Modern Glam pieces at Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors

 

 

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint available here!

                                  

Perfect for an American Girl Garden Tea Party - They are smaller than they look.

Under the Garden Gate Booth

So if you are in the Atlanta area, checkout one of Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors' 3 locations: Alpharetta (which is where the brunch was held), Buford, and Marietta.  I would like to say a special thanks to Stacey Anderson, the Queen staff, and the "royal" dealers for a fun event.    

Happy Shopping!! 

Niki 

*Queen of Hearts hosted a lovely event and gave me a swag bag with really great items, but the opinions are all mine.  I was not paid,  and I was not required to create a post in order to attend the event.

How to Make a Welcome Sign from Wood

How to Make a Wood Welcome Sign

Mother's Day is less than 2 weeks away, and I have a great homemade gift idea for you!  Also, at the end of this post, you will find some other Mother's Day ideas. 

My mom has a hook by her door where she hangs a wreath at Christmas time.  However, that little hook is quite lonely the rest of the year, because she doesn't ever use him for anything else.  So, I decided to solve the problem.  I received a really great box of paints from DecoArt, some of which were patio paints.  They are super durable and are designed for outdoor pieces, so they were perfect for the wooden welcome sign I was planning for my mom.  Today, I want to show you what I did.  For a more in depth description, you can watch the Google Hangout below, which aired live on April 22nd.

Basic Wooden Sign from Michaels

1.  Start with a basic wood sign.  I purchased mine at Michaels.

Wooden welcome sign gets some red patio paint.

2.  Paint the top layer of your sign.  I used red for mine.   The patio paint gave great coverage.

Paint the trim for your wooden sign

3.  Paint the trim for your sign.  I painted white in the center and black on the outer edge.  When painting the black trim, I used painters tape to seal off the white trim.

Transfer your image to the wood sign

4.  Either paint "Welcome" on your sign, or transfer a reverse printed "Welcome" image.  I tried a couple of ways to transfer my image.  Unfortunately, they were not the best methods for me.  For the full story, check out the video below.  You can find several image transfer methods at The Graphics Fairy.

5.  Seal your wood sign with Mod Podge.  I used hardcoat Mod Podge since the sign would be hanging in a covered area.  However, if your sign will be exposed to the elements, you might want to use the outdoor Mod Podge.

Wooden Welcome Sign

I hope my Welcome sign made from wood inspires you to create a sign of your own.  Checkout the video below to hear all of the errors I made with my transfer and what I did to correct it.  You will find that a project is rarely ever too far gone, and that the DecoArt patio paint is extremely durable.



As always, feel free to email me with any questions you may have.

As promised, here are some additional ideas:

Happy Crafting!!

Niki 

*I was given DecoArt paints to use for my Google HoA project, but the project and opinions here are 100% mine. 

*Linking up at Domestic Superhero.