A Refresh for the Master Bedding

      

I must admit I have a slight obsession with bedding, i.e. sheets, duvets, blankets, pillows, etc.  You can always find me looking for deals on bedding. I look forward to the "white sales" around the July 4th holiday.  This year I was not disappointed.  I found a new duvet cover for our king size bed at "West Elm".  This duvet was marked down to $34 with an additional 10% off and free shipping (originally sold for $69.99). It is now selling for $39.99 with 10% off (still a good deal).

Blocks + Stripes, Lagoon Duvet Cover from West Elm

I like sewing pillows with envelope closures and just happened to have some fabrics on hand that coordinated with the colors in my new duvet cover.

For $34 dollars, I was able to give the master bedroom a bright new look. This duvet cover is machine washable, which is always a big plus for our household.  Between the kids and our dog, a machine washable duvet is a must.  

Here is the duvet cover I got at last year's "West Elm" 4th of July sale. Unfortunately, this one is no longer available.

Did you score some good deals for the home during the holiday sales?  If so, I would love to hear about it?

-Laura-

Jewelry & Garden

This post is a bit of a mixed bag (jewelry, gardening, flowers).  First up is a bracelet I made a couple of weeks ago.

I was inspired by this piece I found at the new online store "Draper James".

"Magnolia Link Bracelet", www.draperjames.com

"Draper James" was created by actress Reese Witherspoon.  This shop is filled with lots of southern style goodness, but the prices are a bit high for my budget.  .  A couple of hours after spotting the "Magnolia Link Bracelet" I was shopping at "Michaels".  I was excited to find black and white rose beads that are very similar to the Magnolia bead.  I was even more excited to find they were marked 40% off.

This week brought with it my first ripe tomatoes from the garden.  Here is a shot of my first tomato sandwich of the season.

Lastly,
Here are a few blooms from July.

 

 -Laura-

Transformer (Rescue Bot) Party for My Boy!

My baby boy is now four and he loves the "Transformer Rescue Bots".  He wanted everything "Rescue Bots" for his party.

Cake Details:
The cake is a two-layer "Pillsbury Fun-Fetti" mix with "Bumble Bee" yellow frosting. My son requested that "Blades" be on top of the cake with all the other "Rescue Bots" around the base.  I picked up some "Transformer" mini-cupcakes at the store to sprinkle in around the bots at the base.

Decorations:

Balloons
I found "how-to" instructions for the blue/yellow balloon helix on the "Party City" website, click here for the link. 

Napkins & Masks
I picked up the "Transformer" napkins and masks at "Walmart".  I attached the masks to the party favor bags (inside the favor bags were water squirters and bubbles).

Water Bottles
I ordered some personalized labels from this store on "Etsy". They send you a digital file for the labels, then you print and attach to the water bottles.

We had the party at our local "Wallabies", which is filled with inflatable bouncy houses for endless jumping/sliding fun.  The birthday boy had a great time and is already talking about plans for the next birthday party.  My boys are growing up too quick.

Here is a quick recap of Samuel's birthday cakes;

1st year

2nd year

3rd year

4th year

-Laura-

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

The school year is quickly coming to a close.  The teachers at my boys' preschool are absolutely wonderful.  This year I decided to make them all some bracelets as a token of my appreciation. 

I went for fun and colorful beads that could be enjoyed this summer. When time allows I plan to make some for myself. 

-Laura-

In Bloom May 2015

I am excited that warm weather is finally here.  I have been enjoying the perennials blooming around the house and planting some annuals that I hope will take off this summer.  Here is a sample of what is "in-bloom" around the house.

At the front door, I started a pot of "Coleus" and "Begonias".  For an extra pop of color, I added a bright new floral door mat found at "Lowes".

The Rhododendrons look the best I have seen them in years.

 

Lastly, I planted purple "Wave Petunia's" in the boxes on the deck.  I am hoping these take off in a nice trail down the side.

 

 

What is blooming around your house?  I would love to hear.

-Laura-

A Star Wars Birthday Party

Not so long ago (a couple of weeks) in a galaxy not too far away (ours), my oldest son turned 5.  Right now he and his fellow preschool classmates are enthused about everything to do with Star Wars.  I am also a fan, so it was easy for me to get excited when he requested a "Star Wars" themed party.  I went to my go to source, "Pinterest", for party inspiration and I was not let down.  I found links to free printable book marks, party favor tags, and labels to make "R2D2" water bottles.

If you are thinking about a "Star Wars" themed party, then here are links to the free printables seen above.

"Pottery Barn" Yoda Party Favor Labels 
"Droid Water Bottle Labels"
"Star Wars Bookmarks"  these were included in the party favor bags.

Following tradition, I made the birthday cake.  Per the birthday boy's request, I used rainbow sprinkles in the cake mix and vanilla icing.  I decorated the outside of the cake with blue sprinkles and candy stars.  I found the Star Wars figurines at "Toys R Us".  They are part of the "Playskool Heroes Star Wars" collection, exclusive to "Toys R Us".

To recap here are pictures of cakes from years past.  Unfortunately, I never got a good picture of his 1st birthday cake. It was a cake with a dinosaur made out of fondant.

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Best Birthday Wishes!

-Laura-

Happy Easter 2015

In order to get the house more festive for Easter, I did a quick sketch on our laundry room chalkboard door.  My boys put the eggs in the basket for me.

  

I also found a wonderful Easter craft idea on Pinterest. Below is my version of felt bunny hand puppets.  I made two with yellow ears for my boys and one with blue ears for their cousin's birthday.

 

The full details for creating these bunny puppets can be found at "The Purl Bee" website by clicking here.  This creator of this site, Purl Soho, is really talented!

Wishing you a Happy Easter 2015!

-Laura-

In Bloom (March 2015)

I am definitely glad to see signs of Spring!  Here are some blooms from around the house that make me smile.

-Laura-

Unexpected Find

It's always nice to be surprised with an unexpected find.  On a recent trip to "Walmart" I spotted some new materials on display in the fabric department.  Below is a navy blue print I picked up and made into an envelope pillow cover.  This fabric was less than $4/yd. This print is also available in a variety of background colors including a nice red and turquoise.

-Laura-

A Good Snow

As long as you have heat and supplies, nothing beats a good winter snow.  Here are some pictures I took out back today.

 Warm Wishes

-Laura-

Happy Valentine's Day 2015

Marshmallow Pops

Wishing everyone a wonderful Valentine's Day!  Here are some ideas from this blog's archives for last minute, easy to make, treats for your sweeties that love sweets.

Protein Energy Bites

Healthy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Bars

 Just click the caption links below the pictures for the "how-to" details.

-Laura-