End of Year Teacher Gift Suggestions

It's that time again!!  The school year is almost over, and if your kids are getting ready to say goodbye to his or her teacher, it's time to think about how you're going to thank them for all of their hard work this year.  I've given you plenty of ideas to use from my last post here.  I thought I'd give you some more ideas...this time they're all from Etsy!

A Crayon Monogram Framed $35 from PrettyPaperParty.

Acrylic Tumbler $12 from EmbellishBoutique

Personalized Notepad Set $16 from Hedoe Paper

Digital Teachers Gift Fingerprint Tree $22.91 from Mini Ink Fingerprints

2014-2015 Teacher Planner $16+ from Plum Paper Designs

Bracelet $23.95 from Tais Tags

Tonight we are linking up with the Do Tell Tuesday party! Click on over for more awesome stuff!

Wedding Wednesday: Bridesmaid Gifts!

Bridesmaid Gifts: It might be one of the last things to check off your list, but your girls will help you in more ways than you can imagine. This is your final token of gratitude. Make it special!  I still can't thank my girls enough for all that they did....every little detail meant so much.

I wanted my gifts to be fun, practical, and completely customized for each lovely lady. I put a lot of thought into each item and created an assortment of gifts that had meaning behind each one.

Etsy was my best friend throughout the planning process, so of course, almost all of my gifts came from Etsy shops. Here are three favorites from my assortment of gifts:

1. Chevron Makeup Bag

This was one of my practical gifts - I definitely knew that I wanted to gift my girls with a makeup bag. Of course you can find makeup bags anywhere, but I was on the hunt for something fun and personalized. Chevron has been a popular pattern and I just love it! So naturally, I fell in love with these chevron bags! They're the perfect size, 5x8, and within this Esty shop, It's Embroidered Baby, you're able to choose the chevron color, the inside lining color, the zipper color, and the font/font color for the initial. So fun!! I filled these with little pampering gifts to use on the day of the wedding and attached a poem to the wrapping, explaining what was inside. After the wedding was over, I knew the girls would use them for something: makeup, school supplies, wallet, clutch, smaller pouch in a larger bag, or for baby/child stuff. I loved this gift and bought one for myself, too!


2. Bridal Entourage Tank Top

This was one of my fun gifts - something to wear on the morning of the wedding! Of course a lot of photos are taken the morning of the wedding and this just adds to the fun and excitement! My sister bought me a personalized "Soon to be Mrs. Giordano" tank top, along with a gorgeous personalized hanger, and gave them both to me at my bridal shower. I thought it would be adorable to have the girls in personalized tanks too! I liked "Bridal Entourage" so that everyone, including other family members, could be included too! I bought these from The Little Bridal Shop on Etsy. They offer SO many options on colors, wording, and sizes. They are also SUPER FAST with shipping! 

3.  Tote Bag

This was a fun and practical gift - something to use on the wedding day and beyond! I was looking for the perfect tote bag for the girls to use on the day of the wedding (to travel from the hotel to the venue). I knew they'd have their own bag to carry around with them, but who doesn't love an extra bag? I fell in love with these seersucker bags. I loved the rope handle, I loved the colors, and I really loved the personalized initials. The best part? It's lined with nylon which makes it easy to care for since it wipes clean. It's honestly the best beach/pool bag! I also ordered one for myself and brought it on my honeymoon! These bags were purchased from the Kute Kiddo shop on Etsy. And once again, I was able to customize the color, font, thread color, and obviously the initials.


Don't forget to write a sweet note to each of your bridesmaids using the Etsy shop, Marrygrams! I've blogged about them before here. Leave me a comment below with any questions, I'd be happy to help!

Home Decor: 10 DIY Projects for Your Old Window Frames!

Ok guys, you know I love photos and you know I love DIY projects. So here's another home decor project that I just love... re-purposing old windows!

My fascination with this began about two years ago. I was looking for fun ways to display photos in my home (again!). Something different, something that would stand out, and something that would display more than a few photos. Pinterest became my best friend and I landed on the old window frame idea. Many of my relatives have used old windows in their house, so this wasn't a new idea to me, but I'd never seen the photo idea. Here was the photo from Pinterest that inspired me:

I purchased an old window frame (you can find them at tag sales/estate sales, antique or thrift shops, but check Etsy and eBay too!). I sanded it down, painted it, and then ran sandpaper over it again to give it a distressed look. I placed photos inside using Scotch photo corners and it was complete. It was an easy DIY project and I must say, anyone that walked into our apartment immediately commented on it and said such sweet things! Missing photo alert...

A few months ago, I bought a China cabinet that has now taken up the space for that frame, so it's in desperate need for a new location in my apartment. I'm not sure if I'll keep it the way it is or re-purpose it again? Here are a few ideas that I'm loving (all ideas are from Pinterest):

1. One big photo - I've seen these big photo ideas in so many places. So cheap. Go to Staples, have them enlarge your photo on engineer printing paper for less than five dollars! I love how this black and white photo pops in this frame. Maybe I'll display one gigantic wedding photo. ;)

2. One photo for each piece of glass - I like the idea of having the photo take up the entire glass measurement.

3. Cork board or Chalkboard Fun - Use as an organizer or inspiration board in your office!

4. Mirror - Looks pretty in this nursery!

5. Jewelry Display - so cute and different! 

6. Holiday decor - I love this Christmas display! Adorable!

7. Using window shutters to display cards - Such a great idea and again, so cute! 

8. Quote display - Beautiful idea! 

9. Hang backpacks/coats and display photos with scrapbook paper! Really fun!

10. Coffee table - MY MOST FAVORITE! I want to try! ;) Click here for tutorial. 

I'll keep you updated with how I re-purpose my frame. Maybe my new office is a good location for it? Which project is your favorite that's mentioned above?

Favorite Etsy Shops for Weddings

Today is our six month wedding anniversary! Time is flying and it feels like our wedding was just yesterday. In celebration of this exciting anniversary, I'll be sharing some of my "go-to" shops on Etsy.


Throughout my entire wedding planning process, Etsy was my best friend. As the wedding got closer and closer, Etsy became the goddess that answered all of my prayers; that website was my go-to spot for everything. There were so many shops that I bought from, but tonight I'll just blog about a few.

First Shop: Marrygrams

I know that making cards can be easy. I also know that many shops on Etsy sell them. However, once you've landed on Marrygrams, you'll look no further. They have everything you need. As you begin clicking away, you'll start gaining ideas for other little notes that you can pass along to even more people that make your day so special. I bought many cards from Marrygrams and was so pleased with the quality of each. The turn-around time was a matter of days. It shocked me that it was so fast. I loved that each card was so personal and the shimmer paper was beautiful. I can't recommend them enough!

Second Shop: L Rose Designs

 

 

L Rose Designs is a beautiful handcrafted jewelry shop. I was on the search for a unique, yet special necklace for my bridesmaids to wear. After searching Etsy shops for what seemed like forever, I finally landed on L Rose Designs and knew immediately that this was the shop to purchase from. It was extremely hard deciding on the final design for my girls... they're were so many beautiful pieces. Lauren Rose, the shop owner, designs and creates all of the pieces herself and makes it clear to brides that she needs at least 2-3 weeks to create and ship the items to you. Each necklace came in a special box with ribbon around it. It was so exciting watching my bridesmaids open them!

 

And if you're not getting married... stop by her shop anyway! I was just browsing around and found this item that I fell in love with:

 

Double strand initial necklace

 

Third Shop: Celebr8tions

My sister and my bridal entourage did such an amazing job decorating for my bridal shower and bachelorette party. They incorporated so many fun, unique, and meaningful touches as they planned each event. Being that we were all getting ready together in the hotel's Presidential Suite, I wanted to look for something fun to decorate the room with. I decided on this shop to help me with that. I purchased a few personalized cups for our morning breakfast festivities. My sister and I decorated the table with these "Keep Calm and Marry On" cups. We added fun straws to them and it added such a fun touch to the excitement of the morning. The shop's owner was able to personalize with any message and she sent an email with a preview of the sticker. The turn-around time was also extremely quick! Definitely check this shop out!

I hope you have fun browsing these Etsy shops! The wedding planning process can be a lot of fun, but also very stressful. Etsy will be your fairy godmother and help you along the way!

Favorite Photo Gifts

I'm in the process of making new photo gifts and I can't wait to share them with you. I went to Michael's and Home Depot last night and I plan to unveil 3 new photo projects this week that you can try (DIY) or buy for yourself! 

If you've read my blog posts, you already know that I have an obsession with photos. I love giving and receiving gifts that involve snapshots of memories. 

Since I'm adding 3 new ideas to my repertoire this weekend, here are my top 3 photo gifts that I've either received or given to friends and family:

1. Photo bracelet - I ordered these on Etsy and gave them to my mom and sister a few years ago. The description on Etsy stated, "A "photo bracelet" is the perfect way to keep your loved one's with you!" There are definitely certain days where you just want to feel your loved ones close to you, and in my eyes, this was the perfect gift for that! Each bracelet has Swarovski crystals between square silver photo frames. I chose the special photos and they were designed and shipped to me within a few weeks. My mom and sister wear them often. My sister even wore hers on my wedding day! The pictures are of just the both of us! I ordered one for myself too! :-)

2. Photo cube ornament - For my birthday this year, my sister gave me an ornament with 2 wedding photos on it, along with our names and wedding date. She knows the way to my heart and clearly knows that I eat this stuff up! My heart melted when I opened it, especially because it was our first wedding ornament AND first wedding photo gift. It was so special!

3. Fleece photo blanket - My brother and his girlfriend made us a photo blanket with our engagement pictures last Christmas. I'll never forget opening it on Christmas Day. It was a complete surprise and it was one of the most thoughtful gifts we had received. We keep it on our couch and it's so much fun to catch a glimpse of the photos as we walk by. 

Be sure to stop in again soon to hear about my new photo gift ideas! These will be used as decorations in your house. :-)

Party Theme: Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving

On Saturday night, I posted about celebrating Amanda's 30th birthday and I also gave a brief summary about the items that I decorated with. The "Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving" theme was something that I was really excited about and I'm so happy that Amanda loved it.

I found the idea for "Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving" through the movie 13 Going on 30. Since it's one of Amanda's favorite movies, it was a perfect connection. I also loved that it was a positive phrase and theme. So many decorations that I found were incredibly negative. Oh no, the big 3-0! Holy #%@* you are 30! 30 Sucks! 

My go-to place for anything fun and crafty? Etsy! Within a few clicks, I fell upon the MakeLifeCute shop. The shop owner, Kristy, designs accessories for every special occasion and of course, had three printables available to match the "Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving" theme. The color scheme was so fun: pink, white,  and gray, along with an adorable preppy pattern. I was drawn to the fun fonts and personalization of Amanda's name and initial. I just knew that she would love the colors and overall design! I had to purchase and print each one!

1. Printable 5x7 signs: I originally planned to follow how Kristy had showcased them in her shop (in a picture frame). However, I quickly decided that I would use large, hot pink clothespins from Michael's instead. I know that this initially sounds weird, but it added a fun touch. Look at the pictures and decide for yourself! I also kept some at the 5x7 size and cut others down to make them stand out.

2. Printable 2" party circles: Kristy showcased these as cupcake toppers which were adorable! I wasn't sure if we would have that dessert option, so I cut them out and scattered them all over the tables. I tried various scrapbook punching tools to make them even more pretty, but I decided that I liked them as a simple square shape. I put one on each place setting, too, to add an extra fun touch!

3. Printable candy stickers: These were photographed with Hershey Kisses on Kristy's shop page.  I just love this idea and I've seen it used so many times at various events, like weddings or showers. I even received them as part of a fun gift at my bachelorette party!  This turned out to be the trickiest printable because I didn't plan ahead. I thought I had seen the sticker sheets for purchase at many local stores, but I was proved wrong. I struck out at every store I went to, except for Michael's. However, even though I found the paper, it wasn't sized correctly to the printable and it was an epic fail. My teacher brain did not let me down though, I used my last resort: shipping labels. My circle craft punch assisted with the extra hassle of cutting each one out and voila! I must admit, my amazing husband came to the rescue and helped me punch, as I stuck them to the bottoms of each kiss.

Again, I envisioned leaving them in a pretty bowl at the celebration, but at the last minute decided to scatter them across the tables. Guests munched on them before, during, and after dinner. It was a cute touch!

Head on over to Etsy's MakeLifeCute shop! You will fall in love! Kristy sent a wonderful email explaining the best way to print and even offered suggestions for the best paper/sticker sheets to use. (Plan ahead next time, Dawn!) 

I'll be heading back to her Etsy shop soon for our next celebration. Let me know if you have any questions about printables, I'd be happy to help! 

www.makelifecute.etsy.com