Art Party Sneak Peak!

Here are a few of the items I've made so far for my son's birthday party!

I'm so excited about the Art theme that he picked...the colors are so fun!

As you can see...I've been collecting paint chips from stores all over town! :)

Stay tuned for more!

Weekend Project: Pom Pom Flowers

A fun and easy weekend project from Poppytalk.

Heart & Sew for the Children's Party Network

Children's Party Network has posted another challenge!

Brittany from Grey Grey Designs came up with the 'Heart & Sew' challenge.....a Valentine's Day inspired sewing project. Since I haven't sewed a thing since 7th grade home economics class, I was thrilled to see that we could use fabric glue! The funny thing is, that once I got in to it, I decided to go ahead and dig out the sewing box I got as a bridal shower gift in 1998 and ACTUALLY SEW the hearts instead of gluing. It was a personal victory...and I think the orange stitching is much cuter than it would have been if I just used fabric glue! That was the point of this challenge (for me anyway)....to try something new. Don't get me wrong....it will probably be another 30 years before I sew anything else!

So here is my finished project:

The yarn wrapped branches were inspired by a display I once saw at Anthropologie (thanks Kakki!), and have used this technique for some of the wedding events I've done with Romance of Flowers.
I made some pom-poms out of the same yarn, stitched together the white hearts with orange thread and a little stuffing in between, and cut hearts out of blue felt with pinking sheers. I attached blue felt heart to the white hearts (with glue!), and sewed buttons on to the blue hearts.

The branches were set inside a narrow bud vase, which fit inside of the wider glass cylinder. I filled the space in between with candy hearts.

It makes a cute centerpiece for a valentine's day party!

Thanks Brittany for the challenge!

Knocking Off Fingerprint Portraits!

I wanted come up with a project for

Seven Thirty Three Blog's Knock it off Contest!

So here is a tutorial on these "fingerprint portraits" that I knocked off from DNA11.

Digital copy of their version for $190+ each:

My version....4- 8"x10" canvases for about $30.

Their version is a digital print, mine is hand painted using acrylic paint on canvas....so their image is obviously crisper....but I really like the way these turned out!

Truly one-of-a-kind artwork!

Materials you'll need:

Pre-stretched canvas, ink pad, computer paper, scanner or photo copier, Sharpie, light table (or sunny window!), pencil, fabric, Plastic wrap, acrylic paint, brush, staple gun

• I bought 8"x10" pre stretched canvases from Michael's for about $5 each.



• Use an ink pad to make a thumbprint on to a piece of white paper. I used my scanner to enlarge the thumbprint until it filled the entire sheet of computer paper. I chose not to include the whole thumbprint, instead looked for the "most interesting" part.

• I needed to darken up, even simplify my image a bit...so I traced around the lines with a black Sharpie.


• I bought simple quilting fabric from Jo-Anne's (I was worried it may bleed, but it did fine) and cut it so that it was two inches bigger than my canvas all the way around.

• I used a light board so that I could see the image through the fabric. (**If you don't have one, place your fabric over the image and tape it up to a sunny window or sliding glass door.) You can use the light board to trace the image on to the fabric with pencil, then paint later...but I chose to skip that step and paint directly on to the fabric from the light board. If you do it this way, you will need to cover the paper image with a piece of plastic wrap because the paint will seep through the fabric.

• When you've completely transferred your image to the fabric, and the paint is dry, you can wrap it around your canvas. Stretch the fabric up and around the edges, wrap the corners like a package, and use a staple gun to attach at the wood strips on the back. Trim any excess fabric so that the canvas will lay flat against the wall surface.

The final product:

If you can trace....then you can totally handle this art project!

Thanks DNA11 for the 'Foxy Inspiration'!

More Color Inspiration! Design Seeds-for those who love color!

A little Design Seeds color inspiration!

These palettes are great Valentine's Day combinations.

Check out my original post about Design Seeds here.

Sweet DIY Valentines

The Valentine Freebie Festival continues at A Few of My Favortie Things'

VALENTINES FREEBIE FESTIVAL: DAY 8 {FREEBIES}!

Featured today are these adorable pirate valentines.....

Download them from Mer Mag's site here.

Another freebie on the web!

Love these treat bags! Card and wrapping all in one.

Twing & Thistle offers a free Downloadable PDF!

And a couple easy DIY cards made of things you probably have around the house!

A tutorial and supply list (if you actually need it!)

are here.

These Valentines from Family Fun.com

use metallic acrylic paint for a scratch off effect!

Super Bowl Pool

Having a Super Bowl party? How about a friendly wager? Try making your own pool!

Thanks to Punchbowl.com for step by step directions!

Valentine's Giveaway: The Twinery

The Twinery Blog is giving away a really fun Valentine's craft pack sure to inspire some love! Head on over here for your chance to enter.

Start planning that Super Bowl party now!

Okay...so I've never been confused for a football fan, but do we really need a reason to throw a party? My Ravens-loving husband, family and friends are not excited to see the Steelers in the Super Bowl, so I guess they'll be cheering on the Packers this year. For me...I'm just celebrating the end of football season! Bring on baseball and spring weather!

Here are a few items to help get you inspired to start planning your Super Bowl party!

A Super Bowl party is a perfectly acceptable time to send an electronic invite. I think pingg.com has the best ones out there. They offer great designs, and the ability to manage your rsvps and send reminders to your guests....free! For about $10 you can upgrade your account to receive more options!

Check out their entire selection of football electronic invitations here.

P.S. The above evite is available with the Pinng Plus upgrade!

These yummy sliders are served on a waffle fry and can be made with turkey, beef or bison. Try varying the toppings to suit your tastes...cherry tomatoes and pickles, bleu cheese and bacon, mushrooms and swiss...the possibilities are endless!

Source and recipe at tasteofhome.com

Salami and cheese crackers. Source Gimmesomeoven.com

This recipe for Chicken and Sun Dried Tomato Chili sounds like a yummy alternative to the traditional tomato based beef and bean chili.

I don't usually endorse 1-800-Flowers--or carnations....but this is pretty cute. The mug is filled with amber gel stones (available at craft stores everywhere), topped with a circle of Styrofoam (cut a hole in the center so stems can make it to the water!) and add carnations for the foamy head!

Gridiron Hero Cupcakes from Wilton

Okay...a remote controlled beer cooler! No more running to the fridge and missing those great commercials! Source The Man Registry

Snique Away

Somehow I signed up to receive email alerts about travel specials from SniqueAway.com. They set up sales and specials for luxury accommodations at VERY reasonable prices. It's really just a tease to see all of these great travel destinations in my inbox.....we don't have the time to travel right now, not to mention the budget. But a girl can dream, can't she? In fact I've been known to spend evenings Googling away on the computer planning trips I know we'll never take. Sad, huh? Actually, I do enjoy it....it's a great way to learn about the world....and hopefully someday I'll have the chance to get to some of those places!

If you have the time, the desire, and the budget to travel...you should really sign up for the alerts from Snique Away.com. Use my personal link here.....at $25 per referral, I may actually get there someday!

For the next 24 hours they are offering deals to places in NY, Bali, Aspen, Stowe, Costa Rica, and more. Deals to Miami, Brussels, and Cabo San Lucas are on the way.

The escape to The Innsbruck in Aspen, Colorado looks AMAZING! The rooms start at $109 a night! Sounds like a great place to get a little 'Foxy Inspiration'!

Another great Valentine's Day gift: Love on the Open Prarie

If you follow the blog The Pioneer Woman by Ree Drummond you may have read her steamy love story chronicling how she left the big city when she met and married her rancher husband she dubs "Marlboro Man". She describes the story as, "Harlequin Romance meets Green Acres in my real life saga of love, chaps, and manure". There is also a LOT of perspiring!

You can read the complete archived posts here. Or, if you prefer to curl up with a book instead of your laptop... then you're in luck! The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story will be released on February 1, and is available for preorder on Amazon.com right here for 48% off the cover price. A bargain at $13.41!

I {heart} Etsy

I want one of these pillows from Cozyblue! It would make a great Valentine's Day gift!




They also offer this unique twist on the tradional family tree. I love it! Is it too early to start making my Christmas Wish list?

Click on the images to find them in Cozyblue's Etsy shop!

Signs of Spring

Ahhhhh.....spring! I know it can't be too far off when I see that Bosom Buddy Bags is rolling out their spring/summer line during the Atlanta Gift Show this weekend. I love, love, love the sea horse and grasshopper bags! Designers Andrea Stieff and Karin Chriss are the talented duo behind these gorgeous bags, which are hand adorned in good old Bal'mor.

Check out their website for a retailer near you!

Valentine Things from 'A Few of My Favorite Things'

One of my favorite blogs, A Few of My Favorite Things, is collecting and linking up free printables and diy projects for Valentine's Day. There are some really fun projects there! I am a big fan of Valentine's Day. Oh...not always...(especially NOT in high school)...but when my little guy was born on February 14th almost 6 years ago...it instantly became my favorite holiday! Of course, my husband and I haven't had a proper Valentine's Day date since....but that's not what it's all about anymore!

Check out Danielle's blog, read to the bottom, and try out a few of the diy projects. What the hell was I thinking when I bought that box of Scooby Doo Valentine's at Target?

A Few of My Favorite Things: Valentine Freebie Festival, Day 6! {FREEBIES}#c2181903158120934007

Clickin Moms Must Read!

Check out the inaugral edition of ClickMagazine....great tips for photographing kids and food....and a little 'Foxy Inspiration' to get on your parka and capture the natural beauty of the winter months! Get clikin!

(click here to be taken to the e-Magazine!)

Calling All Artists!

My son decided on an "art party" for his 6th birthday celebration. Honestly...he came up with that! Much to my delight, my kids don't usually go for licensed character parties...I've been lucky to have some really great themes to work with over the years. We've had a jungle party, a safari party (they were different!), a snow party, both summer and winter Olympics parties, a Star Wars Padawan training trials party, and a spy-themed party (my fav!).

Since I usually don't have any work in January (not a popular wedding season in Maryland!) I have a serious urging for a creative outlet (pretty much the reason I decided to start this blog!). My "baby's" birthday is on Valentine's Day, so that gives me something constructive to put my energy in to during this long, dark, cold January.

Believe me....I'm no fan of over-the-top kids parties that impress the parents more than the little guests themselves....but I've got plenty of time, and PLENTY of inspiration-thanks to the gals I've met on The Children's Party Network. They've shared so many creative ideas.....some I can even do myself and it won't cost me a fortune! I've even been lucky enough to be selected as a "guinea pig" for a new cake topper design that Kristy at The Purple Pug is working on. Can't wait to see what she comes up with! I've got a few of the elements completed....but I'm going to hold off posting photos until I've got more of the overall concept pulled together! It's a great theme, and I'm having a lot of fun working on it. I hope the kids enjoy it!

Speaking of "kids enjoying it"....... I've realized that I'm an oddball these days when it comes to throwing parties. I have a 4th grader and a Kindergartner, and although this is my youngest's first "friend party", my older son has been having them ever since he's been in school. EVERY party-including the art party we are planning-has been at our home. But my kids have only been to a combined FOUR parties that were held in the hosts' homes. Crazy!! It seems like only slumber parties are at home...the rest are held at the local skate rink, bowling alley, swimming hole, laser tag facility, tubing hill, movie theater, or that place with the mouse my family has dubbed "Ghetto Disneyland". Don't get me wrong....my kids have a GREAT time at those parties--even the mouse's house--but they just aren't for us.

On one hand, it sure would be nice to slip someone a credit card and have them deal with the food, entertainment, and the mess.....but on the other hand, what my kids seem to look forward to the most, is having the time to "hang" with their buddies outside of school. Our weekend schedules are so busy with sports and family obligations, that we don't often have a chance for the sleepovers and playdates that they are always begging for. You don't get a lot of interaction with your friends when you are watching a movie, or playing skeeball, so we have the parties at home so that they can have the chance to do that. But then the fear sets in.....how am I going to keep them entertained? I'm convinced every child, at least once in their life, should be exposed to the "classic" party games: pin the tail on the donkey, hot potato, freeze dance, musical chairs, etc.. Those activities are definitely on the agenda. And, of course, it IS an art party...so there will be lots of arts and crafts activities! Throw in some time to decorate their own cupcake...and I think I've got the 2 hour block filled. But with 5/6 year olds...who knows?!?! They could blow through those activities in 30 minutes....or start doing their own thing once they all get together, and never even stop to participate in one "planned" activity!

As long as they have a good time, I really don't care......but it sure would be nice to show off some of the 'Foxy Inspiration' that I have picked up at The Children's Party Network!

Etsy: The Zen of shopping by color

Did you know you can shop by Color on Etsy? You can...here. There is something so cool and zen-like just dragging your cursor around and watching the colors pop. It's kind of like throwing pebbles in the river and watching the ripples waft away--not that I have the time for that....or the desire (it's like 20 degrees outside right now!).

Right now I'm having a love affair with the grey and lemongrass color palette combination. It's not new actually...when I was planning my office makeover last winter, I planned on using the same palette. Of course, that project didn't happened.....I realized we NEVER use our office (I'm sitting on a laptop at the kitchen table) and the time & money could better be spent elsewhere! Now that my husband and I are starting to get serious about finishing the basement, I can start playing around with color palettes again (and shopping on Etsy!). **By the way...did you see my previous post about Design Seed. If not, check it out.....yummy color palettes!**

Anyway...some searching by color on Etsy in the grey-lemongrass color palette resulted in some of these beautiful handmade items! Click on the photos to be taken to their Etsy shop!

Try your own color search on Etsy...and let me know if you find any Foxy Inspiration!