{'merica}n

my husband came home last night telling me about this sweet tank top and how he wished he could have it for the 4th. this post is dedicated to him for helping me remember the great day we are celebrating next week!

next week is the week to celebrate the land of the free and the home of the brave. we all get to take some time off of work to enjoy some good ol' american treats: barbeques, fireworks, yard games, and hopefully some beautiful for spacious skies.

with all that has been going on lately, I haven't had much time to think of ways to decorate our new house for this holiday. i don't intend on going crazy, but a little patriotism is probably needed. so I hit the 'net to try to get inspired for my home, and any party I may get invited to - hint, hint - or host (who would come?) I found some gems, and so I thought I would share for the hope that you get inspired too!

let's start with food - yum!



this cake looks absolutely delicious, and most importantly EASY to make.

these candy coated marshmallows are simple to create and look like they taste great too!

this cake is so simple, yet looks so nice! find the printables here to embellish your cake





 who doesn't love a cupcake? simply adding a few decorations to a cupcake tower can make quite a statement. i know that i have a cupcake display that is waiting for me to do something like this.

let's decorate!

these gems can be made or bought. i persoanlly like to re-create things that I see, and these look like something that is simple enough to do! a trip to Michael's and these could be yours!

another gem from Landee See, Landee Do - print this out, and place in the perfect spot for all to see.
this is available to print in 5x7 and 8x10!

for something with a more vintage feel, you could print this out.

The Creative Cubby offers several 4th of July printables for you to enjoy

I saw this felt wreath on a few sites, and I liked how fluffy it looks. this wreath is create with felt. looks like it's easy, but could take some time. either way, i am sure it will look great!

i love a good printable! this chalkboard style print would look nice as a decoration inside or out.

So it looks like we now have enough ideas get us going on creating something special for the 4th of July! I may or may not use any of these ideas, but I at least have some inspiration to send me to the craft store and grocery store, and I hope you do too! I'm also hoping that everyone has a safe and fun holiday!

{thank}ful





flowers courtesy of my wonder fiance & beautiful sister

as i mentioned, it was my birthday last week. as with any event that people do nice things for you, i had many thank yous to write. anyone who knows me can tell you that i'm pretty big on thank you notes. i believe i ordered my wedding thank you notes before my invitations were ordered! i just find that with how busy people are in their lives, any moment that they take out of their day to think of you, should be honored. i must thank my mother and grandmother for instilling in me the importance of thanking others.

at Michael's last week, i had picked up a pack of white cardstock paper to use for making favor tags for the wedding. that week they had a 50 pack of cardstock on sale for $2.50. i only used about 15 pages for my tags, so I had quite a lot left. it dawned on me to find a beautiful thank you note online, print and send. this would be much more cost-friendly than going and buying a pack of thank yous for $5-10 for 10 cards.

as I was searching, i found this fabulous website for making thank you cards, with matching envelopes! this site offered many varieties, and easy instructions for creating these cards & envelopes yourself! Not only do they have thank you notes, but also invitations! to create these cards, all you need is paper, printer, and a bone folder, or scoring table. i made these for $0.10, excluding the cost of my tools which I already owned.

this is the card & envelope i created.

re{purpose} jam jars

so I am trying to take my mind off of my friend Meghan, who is currently in labor, and is going to have her first baby any minute! i am hoping that by the time i finish this post, I will have some amazing news! here's to wishful thinking..

we are having guests this weekend, and so my task is to clean out our guest bedroom/craft room/wedding storage room/office. as i was merely moving the boxes into our bedroom, i noticed a box of little glass jars that i was to return to the vendor...ooops! i guess i got a little busy.

 if you remember from one of my first posts, i was going to use them to make hanging votive candles. these jars ended up being too small for a votive candle, so I had purchased the next size bigger, and those worked out perfectly.

so what can i do with 54 glass jam jars????

oh i will give you a few ideas...

salt and pepper shakers

by hammering some holes into the tops of the lids, you have an instant salt & pepper shaker! 

a pincushion jar

by following this simple tutorial, you can have a cute pincushion for yourself, or give to others!

office storage

this cute & quirky way to organize your office is sure to give you a laugh during the work day. to make the extra fancy, add some color to the lids

soy candles

by melting soy wax flakes and adding a fragrance, you have a cute gift/favor in no time!

diy body scrub favor

these little jars can hold a homemade spa treat! click here for some advice on how to create your own salt or sugar scrubs!

 as i finish that last idea, the news is out, baby girl Buchanan is born, and momma and baby are doing great! can't wait for the announcement of her name!!

{print}ables

Happy Labor Day!

wow, it has been a crazy week, and I cannot believe how long it has been since my last blog post. my day job required a lot out of me this past week, and all my brain power was dedicated to business things, instead of bloggy things :( I did manage to get a few projects accomplished on my wedding list including bridesmaid's jewelry, a personalized necklace and "love" letters for our engagement shots. as summer is coming to an end, i have been in "nesting" mode preparing for the fall that will surely be filled with many, many wedding tasks to accomplish.

 i'm hoping that I can make up for it this week with a few extra posts, but we will see! this week will be a busy one as we have friends coming into town, the first home Michigan game [go blue!], and our engagement pictures! a very exciting week ahead!

as I was browsing through some of my favorite blogs, I came across some really cute ideas that I have seen that should inspire you to use for your next homemade crafting project! the best part about all of these goods is that they are free! that is a price anyone can afford :)

even though summer is coming to an end, this can be stored away for next summer. consider it an opportunity to spend the next several months planning your awesome "summer sip" party!

as the weather cools, comfort food is sure to be flowing out of your kitchen. capture those tasty recipes on these adorable recipe cards. this PDF download comes with instructions and can be edited before printing.

these cute little tags would be perfect to accompany your next gift! simply download this file, and open the picture in a photo editing program (try ipiccy) and add in text. or, use your own handwriting for an even more personal touch!

this is a great money saving trick! all you need is a clear case, and the possibilities are endless! simply print out these templates and place then in the case, and voila! a new case! google for more templates and designs! here are a few more designs, as an added bonus!

i am a huge fan of baker's twine. i love how it adds some a great vintage touch to anything! these labels come in pink and blue. use these for any handmade project made with love.

this cute graphic can be added to just about anything for your wedding festivities. it could also just be printed on a wondering printed card stock and placed in a frame for lovely artwork!  click the picture or go here for the link to download the file.

this site has many cute printables for you and your family. check these out and i'm sure you will find something that will inspire you!

Hey Look has these great designs that you can use for your next gift! I love the patterns and colors and these could be used for a variety of things!

while this picture does not do it justice, Hand-Made Weddings has some absolutely fabulous downloads for you to check out! there is so much more than invitations, so please give it a look!