Dollar Store Faux Floral Arrangements

4.08.2015

You know you’re cheap when you refuse to buy the artificial floral arrangements at Target because they’re too pricey. I could tell you a million things that are much more worth the $24.99. Starting with just about everything. Clearly, floral arrangements aren’t my thing. But when they only cost $3 and look adorable? Well then you just might talk me into it.

I was cruising the aisle of the Pier One store (okay so it was the Dollar Tree), when I saw these peonies in their floral section. I mean, they’re pretty up there on the list of things I’d buy from the Dollar Tree. Which is just about everything. When you have to grab a basket on your way into the DT, you know you are buying too much crap. I may or may not get a basket every time. I also may or may not go to the DT every week.

I picked out four stems and two circular vases. When I got home, I added corks to the bottom of the vase for a more vintage-y look. Who am I kidding. I added them because I’ve drank one too many bottles of wine and don’t know what else to do with them.

This DIY could not be any easier, so what do you think? Will you give it a try?

Holidays!

Easter Bunny Jars

4.01.2015

I don’t get shopper’s remorse too often. I am totally that girl that online shops, fills her shopping cart, and then just as quickly convinces herself that she needs nothing that is inside. One by one the items are removed until I have nothing left. I am the same way at the retail stores. Unless I’m looking for something specific, I typically don’t buy much. My remorse tends to come in the form of, “Oh crap. I really should have bought that.”

In this case, it was a very light teal spray paint. I saw it and thought immediately, “I must do something with that color.” But then my mind got the best of me, and I started wondering what I would tell my husband that I needed a random color of spray paint for; I had no place to store it (because underneath the sink already contains ten other cans of spray paint); I didn’t have a project to use it with; I didn’t need to spend the $3.97 on a random can of spray paint (I mean seriously, four dollars? I am seriously stingy).Then it hit me. I knew exactly what I could make with the spray paint. I saw a cute Easter gift in a bell jar, and thought I could make it a little more difficult (because who doesn’t like to make more work for themselves). I searched for bunnies left and right until I finally found these three in the floral section at Michael’s (for less than $1 I might add). I took the lids off, laid them out to be painted, and stuck the bunnies right into the ground. I sprayed them all twice, and let them dry.

I used my glue gun to glue the bunnies to the top of the jar, and filled the jar with Easter grass and malted milk balls. They turned out so cute, I wish I had a party to bring them to. But because there’s inevitably a golf tournament on this weekend, my husband and I will be our own Easter party guests. Well, that and our cat Lucy. I’ve already bought her a one pound chocolate bunny. She’ll get through that thing in less than five minutes flat.

I attempted to create my own tags, but I just had zero creativity left in me, so I found these adorable ones on Lia Griffith’s, Handcraft Your Life. Clearly she is amazingly talented, because these tags are so cute.
What are you doing for Easter this weekend? Are you making any Easter treats for your friends?

Holidays!

April Fool’s Rush In

3.30.2015

I know I’d be a broken record to say that I cannot believe that it’s almost April already. But guess what? It’s almost April already. And while you’re too busy planning for Easter this weekend, you’re forgetting one key holiday: April Fool’s Day. You have exactly two days to prepare for this wonderfully fun holiday. Last year, my husband was quite confused when he came home to a refrigerator staring at him, and all the drawers in the kitchen switched around. It was especially funny because he works nights, and was a little tired when he came home. Too mean? Nahhh. April Fool's Day Treats // Jolly Ranchers to Tootsie Rolls // Harmless Pranks My husband isn’t my only victim on April Fool’s Day. I also like to do some fun things to my co-workers. Fun, harmless jokes are entertaining. Which are hard to come by. Plenty of pranks online are just plain mean, and I would be mortified if someone did them to me. So take note co-workers: be nice! And then stop by my desk for a Tootsie Roll. April Fool's Day Treats // Jolly Ranchers to Tootsie Rolls // Harmless Pranks I saw a similar treat on Pinterest, with long Tootsie Rolls covering Smarties. Good luck finding long Tootsie Rolls, because I searched everywhere. So instead, I did small ones with Jolly Ranchers inside. Talk about harmless joke. 😉

If you want to print little tags like I did, you can print them here: April Fool’s Treat Tags

Lifestyle

Just a little reminder…

3.26.2015

We all need reminders that life is precious. Sometimes those reminders come in the form of something amazing, something out of this world, something exciting. Other times it comes in the form of an unfortunate event, a devastating loss, a shocking reminder. We all know that life is short, that you need to live life to the fullest in every moment. Sometimes we forget that in our daily lives.

Until something happens. Something major. Something that just pulls at your heart strings and tears you apart. But the reality is that life will always go on. How you choose to deal with it determines what type of person you are. You can let bad things bring you down, or you can let them build you up. You can become a stronger person.

When life hands you one of these reminders, good or bad, take some time to appreciate it for what it is. It may be a gentle reminder, or may be a shove in the right direction. Either way, realize that you’ve been given an opportunity to reevaluate your life.

Our whole community recently experienced one of these tragic reminders. While it hit very close to home for us, it also devastated many families in our area. Because we never want to get to the end of our lives and look back thinking we missed out, we need to live. Now.

There is so much beauty in this life, and you’ll only experience it when you’re open to it. You may never actually see anything unless you open your eyes to it, to your surroundings.

Don’t let this life pass you by. Don’t get to the end of your life and wish you would have done things differently. Let this serve as a reminder to you that life is short. You should live each day to its fullest, you should be the best you possible, today.

The day pictured serves as my reminder. It will always remind me how amazing life is. How beautiful the world can be. How even though it is filled with yellow weeds, those weeds can be gorgeous. How you can look at something with a better perspective, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Don’t waste another second thinking you can put something off until tomorrow. Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, tell your friends how important they are. Say hi to strangers, greet them with a smile. Be a little nicer to the people you work with. Take each breath in full, and exhale with a purpose. Remind yourself that you’re alive. Don’t waste any more moments.