Oh Christmas Tree...

Oh Christmas Tree,

I'm so glad I'm done with thee!

So I love this advent calendar from

PB Kids, but I didn't love the $80 price tag,

and the fact that they discontinued it!

So, 4 dollars, and 2 weeks later, here's my version!

Yes, it took me 2 weeks because I got burnt out from it quite a few times.

And yes, It still needs numbers.

And yes, the pockets aren't perfectly straight

(I swear they were when I was sewing them on?!)

But it really only cost me 4 dollars!

I had tons of scrap felt from previous projects.

The beads, sequins and ribbons were already in my stash.

So all I bought was 1 yard of green felt!

But even if you did had to buy the felt, ribbons, sequins, and beads,

it still would only cost you about 12 dollars!

And, although it's not perfect,

I made it, which makes it special!

What do you think?

Successful or unsuccessful knock-off?

snowed in

It has been snowing for the last 24 hours,

and it's still going strong!

Here's a view from the front of our house...

from the back of the house...

and the killer icicles on our roof!

So, it seemed like the perfect day for a project!

I saw these napkin rings a while back on PB

and fell in love!

they are no longer available, so I didn't catch the price,

but I figured I could make a cheaper version myself!

I picked up these at the dollar store a few weeks ago.

I cut off the cheapo fabric,

and was left with a gray plastic napkin ring.

I then bought some mini jingle bells from Michael's,

which were on sale last week.

And, hot glued them right on!

Here's how it turned out!

I love the chunkiness of mine,

and the fact that they were most likely cheaper than the PB price!

What do you think?

Need a set of your own?

Send me an email or convo me on Etsy,

and I will make you your very own!

I'll be linking up to Strut Your Stuff Thursday

over at Somewhat Simple!

nut wreath

I have recently discovered my love for wreaths

and love the nut wreath featured in the November

issue of Martha Stewart Living.

So here is mine.

I made mine with a 12" wood wreath form

(leftover from my pumpkin wreath)

1 bag of walnuts

1/2 bag of pecans

1/2 bag of hazelnuts

lots of hot glue

ribbon

it was super easy and very fall-ish!

another easy fall decorating tip

fill vases or apothecary jars with pine cones

easy and festive!

hurry and get these done,

only 10 more days till Thanksgiving!

check out more great DIY ideas here

anthro knock-off

A while back I spotted this little beauty at anthro.

I also spotted it's price tag... 158 dollars!

So what did I do?

Made my own!

I got the teacups from the Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma outlets,

the plates from HomeGoods,

and used Elmer's china and glass cement to put them together.

Grand total: less than 20 dollars!

It looks a little lonely sitting there by itself,

doesn't it?

there!

much better

the perfect size for mini cupcakes!

I have a feeling that Miss A and I will be getting

a lot of use out of this in a few years when tea parties

become a daily occurrence.

what do you think?

good knock off?

check out DIY day over at ASPTL for more great ideas!

30 minute pillow sham

Once you realize how easy it is to make a pillow sham,

you are never going to want to buy one again!

For this tutorial I am going to use a 14"x14" pillow insert.

You are going to need to cut three pieces of fabric,

one for the front and two for the back (which gives you an envelope enclosure)

Piece 1, the front, should be 1/2" bigger than your actual pillow.

So mine is 14 1/2" x 14 1/2"

The other two pieces will be rectangles.

They will be 14 1/2" high, but only 11 inches wide.

To get this you should half your pillow size, which is 7

then add a 4" for an overlap.

making sense?

Once all three pieces are cut out, get your two rectangles and an iron.

Iron about a half an inch down the long side of your rectangle.

It will now measure 14 1/2" by 10 1/2".

Now sew down the edge.

Once that is complete, pin all 3 pieces together, right sides together.

Then sew all the way around, 1/2" on each side.

This will make your sham turn out to be 13 1/2" x 13 1/2",

which fits nice and snug on your pillow insert!

Now turn right side out,

and this is what it will look like (back view)

Slip in your insert, and there you have it!

I'm using this one as a tushie cushie for Miss A's new highchair!

So easy right?!

And it's easy to remove, wash, or switch out!

Let me know if you have any questions!

I have pillows for sale in my etsy shop, check them out!

I also do custom orders!

Check out ASPTL for more great diy projects!

in love

look at that beauty!

I'm talking about the chair, not the baby.

I have been searching for the perfect highchair for

months now, and I am now the owner of this

beauty!

It was more than I wanted to spend,

didn't need much fixing up,

except for a fresh coat of white paint,

but it is exactly what I wanted,

so I went for it!

Miss A looks so tiny in it,

I think I will make a cushion for her

tooshie, and it will help lift her up a bit.

Do you love it as much as me?

classy chalkboard

I know everyone has done a chalkboard makeover,

except for me!

I've been keeping an eye out for something I thought could work,

and last week I found this at Salvation Army for $7

My husband literally laughed when he saw it.

"Oh ye of little faith," I told him.

There...

much better!

one can of chalkboard spray paint

one can of white spray paint

and some leftover trim to add a place for the chalk!

Can't get much easier than that!

check out ASPTL on Tuesdays for more great ideas!