Keeping Calm & Carrying On

DIY: An Art Fair Project

It's that time of year, when my sister and my nieces call me up for help with the grade school's annual Art Fair projects! It's secretly something I love...probably even more than the kids do. ha!

This go-around, it was Madelyn's turn, and trust me I know how these things go. The fourth graders show up with these MIRACULOUS projects that "they did all by themselves." You mean to tell me that you hand-cut, carved and painted that wood bird house? I don't think so. I know that YOU KNOW what and who I'm talking about!

So, it's important to me that this project is completed BY MADELYN, on her own!

YARN LETTERS! LET'S MAKE YARN-WRAPPED LETTERS!

This was such a great project for her to do because it requires TIME and patience. Plus, you can do this anywhere anytime. Madelyn has been looking for things to decorate her room with and so we bought brown paper mache letters from our local JoAnn Fabrics store, spelling out her name.

We brought her pillow case with us to JoAnns and picked out perfectly matching colors of yarn for each letter.

Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, one roll of fluffy plush yarn can cover 1-2 letters.

So we went shopping together and I sent her home, giving her ONE WEEK (that's one letter a day) to wrap all her letters and with yarn and told her after they were done we'd get together again and "embellish" them.

So just a few nights ago she came over with her letters all wrapped up and I had pulled out a bunch of scrapbooking cotton and paper flowers from my stash including Bella Blvd's Blooms A Bella flowers, some handmade Etsy embellishments I purchased a while ago and some Prima paper roses...all that coordinated with her color scheme.

After the hot-glue gun was all warmed up, we worked together (so that no flesh was burned in the making of these darling letters) to cluster them together and glue them on. 

After the Art Fair they're going to look so adorable on a shelf in her bedroom, don't you think?!

Sock Monkey Mommy's Day: Part 2

Earlier this week (On Monday) I reveal Part 1 of the Sock Monkey Mommy's Day I hosted for Allyson, who's a expecting her fourth little girl.

Welcome to Part 2. Today I'm going to share with you all the details of the dessert buffet, and some fun group photos we took towards the end of the party.

That's me, Maxine the Mommy Sock-Monkey, and the Guest of Honor-Allyson. Gotta love the props for the photos, right?! We couldn't help but give some Monkey Kisses ;)

In the dining room everything was about desserts, desserts, desserts. I planned ahead for candies that matched Allyson's sock-monkey color scheme, ordered cupcakes from Gigi's and even packaged some munchies to go!

The secret to a good candy buffet is: it's all in the details. To each jar I added ribbon or tulle, and a paper label (printed and then punch with scrapbooking punches). At the far left end of the buffet are clear bags and ties for guests to make a treat bag to take home with them, and for their kiddos too.

I've been collecting apothecary jars for a couple  years now, so I'm always all set to rock-and-roll for a party like this...I just have to search out the perfect candy contents. Another tip: It's nice to have packaged candy inside the jars. It makes for easier, mess-free clean up. I've learned this the hard way a few times! I tried to do my best with monkey-themed things like Animal Crackers, Monkey licorice stix, tootsie rolls, Sour Monkey Tails.....and more.

It's important ot urge everyone to make a treat bag, otherwise I can solemnly promise that you will be eating and snacking on candy for weeks to come because it will be sitting around your house.

I designed some Hershey Bar wrappers and came up with these "Monkey Bars" :)

These mini chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes were heavenly, even better than I imagined. I created fun little cupcake sticks by printing some of the elements I designed for the invitation, punching them out with a circle punch, and  popping them back-to-back on top of a toothpick.

I couldn't help but make some puppy chow, or "Monkey Chow" as I re-named it. Because it's such a powdered sugary, messy treat, I pre-bagged them all and created some paper toppers by folding over (covering the zip-lock) some of my Sophisticates patterned papers and finishing off with a "Monkey Chow" paper seal. 

These were great grab and go kinds of treats. Last but not least I wrapped the water bottles with some paper wraps I designed.

 A couple weeks ago I shared an Instagram photo of my Nana and I working on a fabric project. Well, the fabulous seamstress that she is helped me hem-up the pink gingham table runner you see above, and also helped be sew these adorable little fabric pouches that were goodie bags that each guest left with on their way out...

I found the directions and tutorial via Pinterest, by Martha Stewart. I picked up the fabrics at my local Walmart's fabric section and bought some travel size lotions and hand sanitizers from Bath and Body works for each guest. These fabric bags are super re-usable too! I love them!

Three generations....Grandma, Daughter and Baby on the way....

A good friend from Canada even scheduled a trip to Milwaukee just so that she could be here for Allyson's Mommy Day! Allyson and I had a great time showing Jennifer around Milwaukee throughout the weekend!

I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful friend like Allyson. She truly is a super awesome friend, an organized mommy, and a great wife too. I only hope someday I can juggle everything like she does in her household!

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading and following along.

With a career & business that has a very demanding (& revolving) task list, it's important that I am able to keep myself truckin' along. As a result, welcome to the next edition of "What makes me tick Tuesdays" where I share glimpses into what keeps me sane and brings me happiness.

Today's Tick:

Decorating, I love Decorating.

It's been a long-time in waiting, ever since Steven bought his first house a couple years ago we have been wanting to re-model the main bathroom. I am so excited to say PROJECT COMPLETE!

Today I'm going to share with you from beginning to end the remodel. Here is the official "BEFORE photo". I love using my fish-eye lens for photos like this! What were the bathroom's problems? 

Problem No. 1: Ugliness

Problem N. 2: Cracked floor tiles

Problem No. 3: Scary "peep" window above the toilet...just weird, right?! 

Problem No. 4: De-colored (yellowing) plastic shower-surround and hideous white and navy wall-tilling.

Problem No. 5: Leaky tub faucet

Problem No. 6, a result of previous no. 5: Rusted tub.

So a few weeks ago we hired John Bieringer of C&J Services to demolish and remodel the bathroom!

And the demolition was underway...

It was pretty crazy how quickly everything came apart. I soon became one of "those neighbors" with a toilet sitting in the garage ;) The tile was ripped out and the flooring too. Then the drywall was re-patched.

Then the old tub and shower surround game out.

And then the fun part began.....the new shower surround tiles were placed...and the new tub was installed too...

So exciting...it couldn't get done fast enough...I loved coming home from everyday to see what was "new". Then the piece of the puzzle that inspired this entire project was laid.....

The Penny tile flooring! I was inspired by so many bathroom pictures I found on Pinterest with penny tile. I loved how this old-vintage flooring is still trendy and used today! That's where all the inspiration and planning started.....around that flooring!

Then the tape was removed and the grout was added in the shower. A "new task" for me was choosing faucets and shower heads, etc. I've never shopped for those things before and definitely learned a lot from the knowledgeable employees at my local Home Depot. They advised me to skimp and cut corners on costs of certain things BUT NOT shower heads. Because I'm a girl that NEEDS strong water-pressure because of this thick head of hair ;) we spent the money and bought Kohler. I must say: worth. every. penny.

I was finally beginning to see the room transform as the shop-vac cleaned up the dust, the texture and then paint color was added tot he walls, and the custom-built vanity was placed. The bathroom is very narrow, so in order to get us as much storage space as possible John helped us get this vanity made to fit within the door-swing/opening. I got that mirror on clearance at Kirkland Home for only $39.99....steal of deal, right?!

I picked out fun decorative knobs at my local Anthropologie, and then the counter top was measured, cut and installed along with the lighting and toilet.

woot! woot! So exciting!

I've heard that a lot of people have buyer's remorse after remodeling and/or doing large scale projects like this. Not me, let me tell you!

If anything, it has made Steven and I feel EVEN MORE CONFIDENT with our decision to remodel. We love the new bathroom. As spoiled as I am, we even installed a small tv for me...because I love watching The Today Show in the morning as I get ready and am usually blasting the volume on the living room TV so that I can hear the interviews as I get ready for work. 

Well, no more of that this little bad boy is going to be wonderful once Direct TV comes to hook it all up ;)

I'm still searching for the perfect shower curtain. I want a yellow chevron patterned one....anyone have any references or suggestions????

I'm accenting the aqua wall-color with yellow and hot pink. I picked up those pretty plush towels at Anthropologie as well.

Added some reading material ;), a clock (so that I'm always on time) and some of my fragrances to the counter-top decor!

We added two small IKEA shelves and decorated with artwork, flowers and more. It's pretty amazing how quickly something like this can transform with the help of a great team. All in all, the project took about 3.5 weeks. It probably would have been a bit quicker, but Steven and I were in Puerto Rico for a week and the "house was closed" ;)

Here's a couple more before and afters:

What do you think?

Sock Monkey Mommy's Day: Part 1

That I love to host parties and get-togethers?

Recently my girlfriend, Allyson, found out she was pregnant with her fourth baby girl! Can you believe it, four girls! Wow! I am so happy for her and know she probably doesn't need anything, especially a baby shower....so instead I threw her a "Mommy's Day."

Allyson's baby has been named Alayna and Allyson has been brainstorming and creating a beautiful baby's bedroom for her with a sock-monkey theme....so what better way to celebrate that with a Sock Monkey themed Momm'ys Day! Here's the invitations I created and mailed out:

Today is Part 1 of the Sock Monkey Mommy day where I'll reveal the decorations and games we played. Let's start here at the front door!

I've been collecting sock monkeys from here, there and everywhere for the past three months knowing I was going to throw the party. I found this super cute idea on Pinterest to wrap styrofoam wreaths with yarn. It was time-consuming but not strenuous to do at all while catching up on Days of our Lives and the NCAA tournament.

There's the mommy, Allyson ;) Dresses perfectly in matching colors ;)

I created three different wreaths, in three different sizes and the colors that match Alayna's nursery. Post-party all the decor and props were gifted to Allyson.

I had so much fun with the yarn that I made paper mache wrapped yarn letters too spelling

A-L-A-Y-N-A, but I don't seem to have taken any photos of them....crazy!

When guests arrived they were greeted by "Mommy Maxine" and her sock monkey babies. The invitations asked everyone bring some funky socks for Allyson, because she's a funky sock collector! She went home with this big basket of cute and adorable socks from everyone.

As my usual parties, it's nice to help out the "guest of honor" by having everyone self-address an envelope for the thank-yous she'll have to send later....

I found that super fun springy monkey pen at Pier 1: great little detail, huh?!

The house was decorated with sock monkey babies.

Because shower games aren't always the most fun, I just limited it to one game with two different rounds. We played Scattegories based on the popular family game, using the letter "A" (Alayna) in round one, and the little "M" (Meinholz-last name) for round 2.

Most everyone participated and two monkey-themed prizes were given out to the winners with the most points (Monkey/Banana salt & pepper shaker from Pier 1, and a Monkey patterned photo album that I snagged at Target!)

I designed fun little game papers, printed them out and even the Mommy-to-be got to play too!

Allyson opened several sock-monkey themed gifts from onesies to hats and this beautiful handmade quilt by her Alayna's Nana. I definitely learned a lot at this party---it makes sense to have a theme. It gives family, friends and guests inspiration for gifts....and Allyson received some awesome sock-monkey themed gifts!

This ends Part 1 of the party. I hope you'll stop back on Friday (May 4th) to see part 2 which includes several pictures from the dessert buffet and friends/group shots!

Here's a sneak peek of the dessert buffet that I'll reveal on Friday...

See you soon!

Shadow Box

I take no credit for this beautiful embellishment shadowbox. Isn't it delicious? One of my girls (Therese) put this together for the Bella Blvd CHA Booth display in January. The wonderful perk of owning the company is I get to keep fabulous creations like this!

It's currently in my scrapbook room at home waiting for a beautiful place to be hung. I just am in love with the new buttons, crochet flowers & stick pin flags!

Create some home decor with your random goodies! I dare you.

An Awesome Birthday Gift!

Look what I got for my birthday a couple weeks ago!

I'm in love with this fun little gadget, the Instax Mini 7S! On Christmas Eve my Uncle Gary appropriately named it "The Marshmallow Camera". So that's what we call it now!

I decided to make it an Instax Christmas and picked up a bunch of film at American Eagle for 40% off and enjoyed every minute of it this past week!

For those of you that haven't seen this camera in stores....it's Fuji's version of a Polariod but it takes "mini" photos! It operates on batteries and the photo dispenses vertically out of the top of the camera right after you take the photo.

I took lots of pictures with my Instax....check 'em out!

Now...what to do with theis fun stack of photos?! I've been searching Pinterest and found these cool ideas:

I could create a fun little mini book! (photo credit) or...

Clip them in a fun-colored hallow frame! (photo credit)

Check this pretty one out!

(photo credit)

or.....check out this amazing-ness!

(photo credit) This is crazy awesome!!!!!

If you haven't bought one of these I honestly DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE WAITING FOR! It's so much fun....and if you have a hard time getting people to take pictures, this marshallow camera seems to cure that problem! Everyone seems to be so intrigued by it's uniqueness that they'll smile for you....even the little stubborn kiddos!

More cuteness coming soon!

A Beautiful Holiday Centerpiece

First off, I take absolutely NO CREDIT for this beautiful handmade centerpiece idea today! Just for the record.

On my birthday my dear friend Allyson walked in to surprise me with these beautiful roses.....with a handmade touch! Look at what she glued around the entire vase?! Omg....in love....and they are pink! 

I'm totally using it this weekend as my Christmas Centerpiece! What a great gift!

Allyson said it was pretty easy (once she got all the pink candy canes!), she just hot glued on a low temperature setting one-by-one and tied with a ribbon wrap. You still have time to make yours!!!!! Are you ready for Christmas?

LOCK DOWN

That's what I like to call my life these days. Do you know why? Because I'm in hiberation until I finish designing new products for Bella Blvd! It's the hap-happiest season of all!

I must confess: I am much more creative at night! Wish me look and send good creative juices my way! Poor Baby Mio is stuck working with me too! (He looks kind of annoyed, huh?!)

One more quick thing before I leave....today over at Bella I'm sharing a SUPER QUICK & EASY home decor idea! Stop by to check it out, but here's a peek for now!

Ciao ciao for now! Hugs...

New Feature!

Introducing another new feature I'd like to bring you regularly around here ;) Sometimes little projects.... & other times *larger than life* projects; I often am inspired to create something handmade. I hope this feature will inspire you to be creative, handy and thrify too ;)

When I saw these on Pinterest a while back I knew it would make a *great* project to do with my nieces and nephew! I was waiting for the right time!

I always think the "perfect Thanksgiving decor" is really hard to find. There's plenty of pumpkins and pilgrims, but nothing really "beautiful" that I'm proud to put around the house...at least that I've found so far.

Each year at Thanksgiving....the kids really enjoy helping prep the food, set the tables and be my little helpers, so we plan a sleepover the night before our big feast so we can get evetything ready, and wake up early to stuff the bird and get 'em in the oven! One of the challenges during the holidays is only having ONE oven. So, while things were baking we needed something to do! What a perfect time to create some Thanksgiving decor!

First, stop at your local craft supply store and pick up these brown paper mache letters, spelling out a holiday word, your family's last name, etc. (We bought ours at JoAnns Superstore). Then choose an array of yarn colors that coordinate with the holiday color scheme you are planning. I also purchased some stick pins to start and end the yarn with.

It's a fool-proof DIY project actually. I mean, there's NO WRONG way to wrap yarn around paper mache letters! It's a great idea for all ages!

Begin wrapping!

Keep in mind Carson is only FIVE years old.....he loved this because he could do everything that the big girls were doing too!

The corners are a bit tricky...need to be a bit more patient on those!

But some letters (like the "T" above) are super quick and easy.

Layer, Layer and layer. Keep wrapping, every which way!

I love the texture of the finished letter.We used stick pins to complete the strand of yarn. (You can see one in the photo above on the pink letter "A" near the bottom.) From far away you can't even notice them!

The letters made for great Thanksgiving Day decor on the mantle! Now I'm thinking about Christmas..........what word to use.....

wish

merry

ho ho ho

Any suggestions?

A Wedding Gift

Several months ago Jasmin called me up and asked if I'd help her with a project for her wedding. How could a girl so no? Of course, anything I could do to help! So we got together and she explained the idea for this Wedding Tree Canvas.

She brought all the supplies and we searched google and Pinterest for inspiration. Instead of a guest book for people to sign, instead they would choose a paint color and leave their thumbprint, creating a leaf on the tree.

She planned it just perfectly by choosing paint colors to match the living room in her house. 

Knowing exactly where it would go in her home.

You can see my blue thumbprint in the finished canvas below. I had to test it out early ;)

Then, Jasmin sent me this one post-reception. After "leafing" a thumb print, guests signed their names around their leaves. Here's the finished product:

I heard the wedding was perfect. I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it, but am glad I was able to give Jasmin and Jed a handmade wedding gift that will last a lifetime like this! Thanks for thinking of me Jazz, and for inviting me to be a part of your beautiful day!

 

Wants vs. Needs

I want a new kitchen.

I need a new bathroom.

One might say, well you should get married & move-in first before remodeling Steven's house. But the truth is who wants to get engaged and move in to a house, then begin remodeling a kitchen? Seems a bit backwards to me, because then we won't be able to use the kitchen, cook dinner or host anything for weeks, even months until the project is done. So, I've been obsessed with Pinterest watching for great Kitchen ideas including color, flooring, white cabinets, etc. etc. These are some of my faves.

Of course I love the pink. Don't know if Steven would let me pull that off, but I also love the ruffle details on the cabinets.

Lately I'm all about color. color. color. I want to add more color to Steven's home. So far I've decorated in a lot of neutrals, adding pops of colors with pillows, etc. The photo above just makes me happy. It's a bit too punky-brewster for me, but it does cheer me up!

Now this is what I'm talking about! White cabinets!!! That's what I really would love......

Love this idea of implementing some color into the kitchen. And check out that ceiling...oh, if I had a million dollars!

Love love love the cabinets and the butcher block island top....

If I had TWO million dollars I'd add stone....omigosh I adore it....remind me of vintage modern, like Anthropologie. I'm definitely leaning towards these white/gray marbleized granite countertops. 

Lots of storage solutions in the kitchen above...so organized!

Do you have any suggestions or advice on a new kitchen? Steven and I are hoping to get this project underway sometime in the next twelve months. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

On Daily Reminders

Is it weird that coming to work excites me? I guess I'm one of the lucky people, or so I'm told. 

I'm a kind of person that needs reminders. By that I mean, why am I here? What am I doing? How does what I am doing right now affect me as a person? And because I'm such a visual person I like to surround  myself with "pretty" reminders. Here's a snippet of my office at Bella Blvd...the view from my desk.

Found the Marilyn Monroe piece at Homegoods (yes, I mention that store a lot because I'm self-proclaimed addict of the deals, steals & randomness that is Homegoods/Marshalls). I think, no I admit, I go once a week. And if I don't, I get all bent out of shape wondering what I'm missing out on. Well, gosh there's my Monday confession.

Well, anywho...besides the fact this IT'S PINK, the saying is perfect. When owning a business the truth is there's lots of talk about money, financials, reports, forecasting, budgeting, etc., that as a C.R.E.A.T.I.V.E. person I want to remember who I am, what I want others to remember me as and how I want to treat others. It's a great reminder and helps me keep things in perspective.

Last but not least, the cute little guy next to Madonna is Mr. Long Legs. My dear friends over at Dooblebug created him from a pattern that I fell in love with while shopping at a fabric shop during my last trip to Salt Lake City; Another constant reminder of true friends, inspiration and why I love this industry so much.

What are some of your visual daily reminders? I'd love to know.

 

Album Storage Solutions: Part 2 + giveaway!

Just in case you think I am crazy after seeing part one of my everyday album storage (yesterday's post), today I'll keep it short and simple. My home scrapbooking room was recently published in Creating Keepsakes' special issue, Creative Spaces:

One of the reasons (Megan Hoeppner stated) why she liked my space was the display solutions for mini albums. Again, not my original idea. I must give credit to the infamous Ali Edwards for tipping me off -back in 2007- to this "pretty" way of displaying my mini albums.  

Back in 2007 Ali shared that she displays seasonal mini albums in her living room inside a narrow basket, and then switches them out for the appropriate season (ie. Christmas mini albums are put in the basket during December, etc.)

Gosh, why didn't I think of that?

  So I was on the hunt for the perfect basket(s) for months and months -even telling my girlfriends about the idea so they could keep an eye out for me too- and finally found some nesting ones at Homegoods. I'm still constantly on the look-out for more as I create new mini albums for workshops, gifts, trips, etc.

As you see I'm overflowing around here. This basket sits on the window-sill in my scrapbooking room here at home. There's no rhyme or reason to it right now, and there's about 3.5 baskets full throughout my room. This is the largest and my favorite.

How do you store your mini albums?

Do you think when they get really "old & dated" you'll give them away to people (those family or friends that are featured inside the minis' pages?)

Is it possible to have too many mini albums?

Tell me your thoughts and you can win this stack of mini albums I have sitting around and haven't used! I know someone can put them to good use!

Kolo (4x6"), American Traditional Designs Accordian Album (4x6"), Punky Sprouts mixed media album (aprox. 6x6") Creative Memories strap-hinge 6x6" Triumph Album with heart on cover.

Creative Memories produced the Triumph Album for a purpose. A portion of all the proceeds from this album were dedicated to the Alzheimer's Association, inspiring hope for a cure for those afflicted with the disease. Preserve your memories in a Triumph Album and support Alzheimer's Association in finding a cure for the disease that takes away one of life's most precious gifts: memories. 

For once, I don't have too much planned this weekend....I'm hoping the weather is nice so I can enjoy the last days of summer around here in Southeastern Wisconsin.

 

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

There's no doubt about  it, this is my most-favorite time of the year. I love, love, love baking and decorating for Christmas, listening to 99.1 Christmas Mix, watching Christmas movies....I  could go on and on...

Last night (until 2:30 in the morning) Steven and I decorated his house and got it ready for December. We host Christmas Eve with the Smokovich family and usually have friends over on New Years. Steven whipped up my first cup of hot chocolate of the year... 

Last weekend, after Thanksgiving, we cut down our very first real tree at a local Christmas Tree Farm in Franklin. Angela and the kids invited us along hoping that Steven could help with the cutting-down-the tree part that daddy (Chris) always did.....one Christmas memory of Chris we shared was how no matter how painful, literally, it was for him to cut down the tree-he managed. See, Chris found out at the Tree Farm that he was allergic to tree sap. He broke out in hives and a fever.....the kids reminisced about it, laughing and loving his ever-so-positive adventurous attitude. Nothing ever held him back!

We're letting the branches fall, as is Angela and on Friday night we are all going to decorate both of our trees together!

How's your December starting off? Have you made your Christmas wish-list?

Home Decor Tutorial

While I was in Utah visiting some of my scrapbookin' friends, we decided to make one of the days a crafty-day in the scrapbooking studio! We were inspired by decorative frame with fabric buttons at a local shop and thought, "hey, we can make those ourselves!" So we went to JoAnn's and picked out some frames. I choose one with an 8x10" window display.

Next, have a friend (thanks Tonya!) help you remove the putty so that you can discard the glass. You won't need the glass.

Dissemble the frame so that you can measure the window area,

then cut a piece of canvas fabric (we chose a neutral color) and begin spacing out and planning your button pieces. Cynthea was so generous to let me use all of Doodlebug's buttons, from their new Vintage ones to the previous shapes and glitter buttons!Once you have the placement and spacing figured out use some fabric glue to adhere the buttons to the fabric. Note: Do not put glue over button holes. It will make them harder to stitch later. You only need a little bit of glue to hold the buttons in place before you begin stitching. Once your button are in place stretch the fabric canvas over a piece of foam core board. The foam core board should be cut to fit the exact size of the frame window so that it nests in the back of the frame perfectly. 

Next, use a paper piercer to set your button holes. Poke all the way through the foam core backer. 

Choose a thread color, and begin stitching buttons in place.  

Stitch all the way through the foam core, one-by-one. 

And keep on stitching.... 

Until you get through each button! Then place the artwork into the frame window! 

I knew exactly where this was going to go all along, in the dining room! This last picture was taken with my iPhone-sorry it's a bit blurry.

It was a well-spent Sunday-we had so much fun! Cynthea and Tonya each made their own too!