Weekend Wrap Party - Fill er Up! (the bookshelf that is)

I'm gonna take a crazy wild guess & say that you probably either went, witnessed or heard about an Easter egg hunt this past weekend? Hard-boiled some eggs? 

How did I know? I'll just shot straight with ya...I'm psychic. I also know that you will be visiting this blog every day for the next couple of years. :-) Okay...you got me. 

This past weekend, I did a live remote broadcast (I work full-time at an Atlanta radio station) at my home away from home - Carriage KIA. We had an Easter egg hunt for the kids, gave away Dove Award tickets (like the Christian Grammys) & ate some great pizza from Stevi B's of Gainesville. We had great weather & a grand ole time. 

We also had dinner with some great friends of ours, church & this project -> 

If you are just "tuning" in to the Parties for Pennies blog, my husband & I just bought this house last year. It was built in the 60s so it's needed a little work but we got it for a steal & it's a great location. Since we just got married last summer, we've slowly (as we've had money) tried to make it feel more homey. 

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who wants it all to be done right this second?! I get so impatient just wanting to walk in the door & it look exactly like I envision it. HGTV never takes this long. Ugh. ;p 

The bookshelf above is one of those things that took forever. We were going to DIY it but with our limited time & finding a great deal on this set from IKEA, Mike just had to translate the stick figure IKEA instructions for the KIRTORP  (or something like that). My hero! 

This has been sitting barren for at least 2 months. So I finally decided to get er done. 

I had my camera on the wrong settings so I'm really sorry it's not as crisp as it should be. Ugh...epic blogger fail. 

I'm sure I'll rearrange it multiple times. This is actually a free for all too. 

I am a pinner. I am a blog follower. I am a hoarder of West Elm, Z Gallerie & Pottery Barn catalogues. 

I am NOT a decorator. That said, please leave me comments with any advice or suggestions! I need all the help I can get. 

Here's a breakdown of what's goin on up in there. 

1. Some wooden balls that Mike's dad gave us

2. I think I got this many moons ago from a 70% off clearance section at Z Gallerie

3. $5 for both at Target. This is why you should ALWAYS browse the end of the aisles at Target!

4. This is actually a damaged good from Z Gallerie...70% off

5. One of my favorites...from Home Goods. 

6. A secret stash of cable instructions & DVD cleaners

7. A cute white ceramic turtle my friend Jenny gave me for my bday. aww...

8. A Canadian Silver dollar that my friend George gave me for my bday last year. I loved it & had an extra frame sitting around so some scotch tape later & cardstock sheet later...voila. 

To the right, to the right...

1. Home Goods find

2. Picture from our Hawaiian wedding 

3. Goodwill pitcher

4. Gift from my sister, from Z Gallerie (love) 

5. Those rocks in there are lava rocks from Hawaii. Not sure if I was supposed to smuggle them in or not. Oops. ;-) 

I started taking all the covers off the hardback books b/c they looked better but I began to worry that Mike would not be too happy about that. So I stopped midway through. He still doesn't know, though...shhh. ;p

Do you have any tips for arranging bookshelves?

 I'm glad that it is gone from barren to bustling. 

Can't wait to share with you a fun spring time party project this Wednesday!

Freebie Easter Tip: Do NOT leave eggs boiling unattended for long. They are capable of exploding & it does not smell pretty. Hopefully others can learn from my mistakes. :p 

Free Easter Printables

Can you believe Easter is a little over a week away? Doesn't it seem like time has just flown by? 

I have to say that this weeks project is a little self-serving. I've been wanting to try my hand at creating printables & I thought Easter would be a perfect time. 

Here's how I used the printables: 

* First of all, gather these supplies - 

White Cardstock Paper 

Clear treat bags

Various Easter candy

Stapler

Glue Stick

* Copy & paste these printables onto whatever word processing program you use. 

I was able to fit two of the printables onto one regular piece of paper. 

* Print the printables onto the white cardstock & cut them out. 

* Fill the bags with candy. I had to cut off a good amount of my bags b/c they were fairly large. It will just depend on your bag size. 

* Fold the top part of the bag over & staple the edge, just to secure. I only stapled twice. 

* Fold your printable in half & generously use your glue stick to cover the unprinted side. 

* Adhere the printable to the top portion of your stapled bag. 

Now you have an adorable little Easter goody bag for your kids friends, a neighbor or just random strangers...cus who wouldn't want a random gift of peeps?? ;p 

Okay, here are the printables. There are some that have a religious message & some do not. Since I am kid-less, I'm not sure what's okay in the public schools & what's not...so I provided you with options. 

"90% of people eat the ears first. It's okay to be different." 

Plain jane: "Happy Easter!"

"Easter is a time Jesus reminds us just How much He Loves Us!"

"Some Bunny thinks you're Awesome!" 

This one I didn't make to fold over. You can if you just cut more of the white plain cardstock. I attached it to the front of my goody bag. You could also use it as a cupcake pick. Just attach a toothpick. 

"Which came first, the Bunny or the Egg? Neither...the Cross." 

Okay...so this was my first attempt at printables & I promise I am going to get better! :p I will deliver better quality printables in the future & I hope you keep me to that! ;p 

Side note: I forget that most guys don't know what you mean when you say "printable." ;p I've had to try & explain them a couple of times! ;p 

Are you planning an Easter Egg hunt? What was your most memorable Easter Egg Hunt? 

Hope you are having a wonderful week! If you have any questions about the printables or need me to tweak anything for you, leave a comment below or email me: heidi@heidirew.com 

Toot-a-loo

Weekend Wrap Party - Stenciled Wall

When I was a little girl, I loved getting the mail & seeing the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes envelopes! I had seen the commercials. I believed Ed McMahon. I just knew one day, we'd win. I was always appalled that my mom wasn't as confident as I was! As you can tell, I'm an optimist.

That said...I have rarely won anything in my life. I won a coloring contest when I was younger (even then I knew it wasn't based on pure coloring talent...although I had coloring technique ;p) & won a radio contest for concert tickets.

A couple of weeks ago, I added another win to my arsenal! Woot woot! Amanda from Serenity Now (if you haven't checked her blog out...you must immediately put that on the top of your priority list! stat! :p) did a link party & included a giveaway. I linky-ed up & lo & behold. I won!

What did I win? Something I had been eyeing for awhile.

A Wall Stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils! A girly dance ensued after this news! :-)

Here's how it worked into my decorating plans -

Misson: Gallery Wall on Hallway (Main Floor) + Stenciled Wall = Fabulousness (at least I was hoping)

Wanna see the before? 

I know...my gallery wall is so puny. I'm planning to add to it. I promise! ;p 

I chose the Casablanca All Over Stencil but Cutting Edge has so many beautiful stencils to choose from. I ended up going with the same color we used on the guest room - Nimbus Cloud (from Martha Stewart...but we get them to match that color in the cheaper Behr paint). 

I know it's a little hard to see but here's the after. The hallway has the worst possible lighting with no natural lighting so photos are a challenge. 

I love how it turned out. Once we (my friend Kareena came over & helped me) did the first couple stencil sections, it really was easy. I'd definitely recommend buying the stencil supply kit that Cutting Edge offers. They give you a level that attaches to the stencil, a foam roller (that's awesome) & a stencil brush. 

Kareena came over one night after work (I don't get home til after 8p) & we ended up knocking almost all of it out in one night. I did go to bed around 2am, though. We started at the top, used painters tape to secure the stencil, made sure it was level then took the foam roller & went over the stencil a couple of times. Bam! ;p 

That's the guest bedroom in the background. May I point out a prized possession of mine? The white ceramic moosehead on the wall above the bed. Mike got it for me from my Christmas wish list & I'm in love....oh yeah, with Mike too. ;p

Here's a closer look at the stencil. It's not super dramatic but I think it gives a subtle "pizzaz" to the hallway. 

That picture of us was taken by a wonderful photographer, Kimberly Herbert (click on her name for her website). She did an awesome job if you're looking for someone to snap some pics! :-) 

We also have a picture of our wedding in Hawaii, some older picture of Mike's Aunt & Uncle & his dad & we're still adding. Oh...and I framed an H&M bag that Kevin Avery (from the morning show on 104.7The Fish) brought back (he & his wife) from Paris! He knows how much I love H&M...and it's Mike & my initials. It's a fun little addition to the gallery wall. 

Have you ever thought of stenciling a wall? It's really a cheap way to instantly update a room. Cutting Edge Stencils gets the P4P stamp of approval for affordability & style! 

Do you do any updating around your house this past weekend? 

Can't wait to show you what fun Easter project I have in store for you this week! See you on Wednesday! 

Thanks again to Cutting Edge Stencils & Serenity Now! 

Work Baby Shower

Thank You so much for stopping by! You're expecting to see a work baby shower that I did! 

You can find it, by clicking here. It will take you to my blog that is now on Wordpress. 

Sorry about that but you'll find a lot more cool ideas on the new & improved Parties for Pennies page! 

 

Weekend Wrap Party - St Patricks Day

Did you find a pot o' gold this weekend? Get hit with the luck of the Irish? 

No? 

How bout just eat some really good grub? 

This weekend was jammed full o' fun! Mike's (the hubster) dad, wife & her daughter came to visit from Florida. 

Saturday night, my parents came over along with our friend Jeff & we had an "authentic" (or as close as I can get to authentic) Irish meal. This will be more like weekend wrap party through pictures. The in laws are still here so I'll do a quickie post. 

Shephards Pie

Irish Soda Bread (not my fav to be honest)

My mom also made a great salad. 

Guinness Cake (oh, it was sooo good...moist, delicious & topped with cream cheese icing)

I was kinda experimenting with the four leaf clovers. I had some green melts (for a reason that you will soon see...eww...cliffhanger...;p) so I free handed some four leaf clovers. 

It turned out to be a beautiful night...perfect temp...so we ate outside. I hate doing the "L-R" thing (just to be honest...it takes too much brain power ;p) but here goes...

L-R: Mike's stepsister Candace, Jeff (our friend), Dave (Mike's dad), Becki (Dave's wife), my mom...momma Rew, my dad & my youngest brother Clayton

We all had a wonderful time, talking, laughing & playing BDG. It's an "icebreaker" type game that I learned from pop star Pink. Not that we're really close but I heard her say she plays it on a radio interview. She's cool, so I'm game. ;p The letters stand for Brag, Desire & Gratitude. Each person has to share each of these. 

I just don't think I can say enough great things about the weekend. It was such a wonderful time with Dave, Becki & Candace!

Guinness' tactic...Stare & make his presence known until you break! I think he feels entitled to the Irish meal. Afterall, his name is Guinness...I guess St Patty's day is kinda "his" holiday. ;p

Sunday, the girls went shopping in the Virginia Highlands while the guys went to Home Depot, the Apple Store, did some caulking, etc. The downside was that I forgot my camera so all the pictures I have are from my IPhone. :-( The above picture is from Cacao, a chocolate boutique that I could seriously live at! It is so pretty, smells amazing...and...there's lots of chocolate! I mean who wouldn't want to live there? That is a peppermint marshmallow dipped in chocolate & it was the BEST EVER! 

This is one of my favorite stores in the Highlands, Urban Cottage. They have the most unique home decor, cards, cookbooks, etc. 

This was a dress made from popcorn!!! Isn't that cool? I'd give it a Parties For Pennies cheapskate award for best dressed for less! ;p

I found this book in another one of my favorite stores, Paper Source. I stood in the store & read this book aloud to Becki & Candace like I was reading in a library full of children. Birds came & perched on my shoulder, butterlflies were prancing around, little squirrels stood at attention...no...I'm kidding. That was only my dream as a little girl after watching the Cinderella cartoon. ;p Anyone else? No? Okay...moving right along...

That was a quick picture tour of our wonderful weekend! How was yours? What did you do for St Patty's day? Do you share my feeling of Irish Soda Bread? 

Can't wait to come back this Wednesday to share some Baby Shower ideas. It will probably be closer to Wednesday evening by the time I'm able to post it. So...check back Thursday morning. 

Hope you have a great week!

T-Shirt Bunting

Howdy! ;p 

Hope you're having a great week. Not sure where you live but here in the A.T.L (Atlanta) it's supposed to be in the 80s today! 

Yep. 

80s in March. 

Some serious bipolar wardrobe disorder goin on here in the South. 

I've taken a crazy situation, though, and tried to use it to my advantage. I've used this as a platform in my campaign to get a bigger master bedroom closet. Here's what some of my speeches have sounded like, "Honey, could you go grab the summer clothes box downstairs...oh, wait...no the winter clothes box. You know, if I had a bigger closet I could put summer & winter clothes in it & you wouldn't have to dig out the boxes anymore!" 

What do you think? Do I have more of a Ron Paul or a Romney chance? ;p

Speaking of clothes...

Have you ever said or thought this to yourself? 

I have way too many t-shirts! I really should get rid of some. But...what if I need them for painting...or a rag...or a party decor item???? 

Okay...I snuck in the last one. But when I show you this, you may start including that one. 

I got inspired on a trip to Anthropologie. I always do. 

They had, what looked like strips of old tee shirts hanging down on a wall. I thought...

Old T-Shirts + Scissors = The party's darling...the BUNTING! 

This is such a simple, easy party project. So let's get this party started... 

First, gather up some old t-shirts. If you don't have any...you could go to Goodwill (although those prices aren't what they used to be, for clothes) or snag some at a garage sale. 

Since Georgia weather has skipped right over Spring & into Summer, I decided to do some fun springy colors. 

First I decided I wanted my bunting to hang about 8 inches. I measured 8 inches, then started cutting across the bottom of the shirt.

There was enough space on this shirt to do 2 8" strips. 

Cut along one of the seams (if there are seams) to make it one long strip. 

Because this strip was at the bottom of the tee, I used the seam at the bottom of the tee shirt as the top of my bunting. 

I measured just under 2 inches & cut a strip. I left about an inch to an inch & a half at the top (uncut). You'll see in this next picture. 

Do you see what I mean now? Leaving a little uncut at the top. 

I think smaller strips would look really cool too. You could even do the triangles. Like this...

You can see that the triangle/flag section didn't have a seam at the top. It's fine if it doesn't. In fact, it ends up looking really cool b/c it will kinda curl over. 

Here's the finale! It's something so simple, you can do with old t-shirts & adds such fun decor to a party. You could string several sections across a room. It's up to you what colors or patterns you do. 

What do you think of the "H"?? I used my new Cricut, that my sexy husband got for my bday. It's really a fun toy but there is a learning curve. (hence why there is only an "H" in the final picture ;p) 

Minus the "H" ;p 

What do you think? Do you think this looks simple enough for you to make? Would you use it for a birthday party? Shower? 

Hope you have a Happy St Patricks Day! My in-laws are coming & staying with us this weekend so I'm going to attempt to make an Irish dinner & dessert on Saturday night! I'll let you know how it turns out on Monday, when I do my weekend wrap party. 

What are you doing for St Patricks day? 

Weekend Wrap Party...one weekend late...

Despite my optimism, I was not able to post a weekend wrap party last Monday...because of a very special annual event. 

ROAD

TRIP!!!

...With these girls...minus Mr. Oreo. ;p

 As much room as my KIA Optima has, Mr Oreo would have cramped our space. Not to mention...hungry girls on a road trip?? Yeah, he wouldn't have stood a chance. ;p

Okay...so let me introduce you. 

L-R: 

Rachael - lives in Alabama with her precious little 1 yr old daughter & her husband. It was at her baby shower that we did these cute butterfly cupcakes here. 

Jenny - lives in Michigan with her hilarious husband Luke & they just bought their first house & it is adorable! Jenny is the one that designed my wedding invitation here because she has a business called Vivian Elle Invitations & is extremely talented & creative. 

Mr Oreo - you know him 

Kauri - lives in Tennessee & is a professor (that's right) at our alma mater Bryan College & teaches in the pyschology department. You may remember her from her guest post about her fondue party here. She is the most amazing cook & has the BEST recipes. She made chicken salad for our trip & it is hands down the bestest chicken salad EVER! ;p

Our story is really (I think) unique. See we are all pretty different (as far as our likes). We're like a toned down version of the spice girls. Okay...way toned down. There's Rachael who's really sporty, Jenny who has such a great & funny personality, Kauri who is smart & deep...and then there's me that's not sporty, not really funny...more random than anything. ;p Anyways...each of us had groups of friends outside of this foursome but we started meeting together to pray once a week our freshman year. That was 2000 & we're still going strong. We've seen each others heartaches, struggles, joys, tears, excitement,  fears. We've seen prayers answered in the way we hoped & others we're still hoping for. We still email praises & requests once a week. As you saw from the "who's who" breakdown, we all live in different states. Since Michigan is much further than Tenn, Alabama & Georgia...we decided one year in college to load up on snacks, pack our bags (yes, in that order ;p) & trek on up to see Jenny. 10 hours later, a Jesus sighting (long story) & non-stop yaking we decided this must be an annual trip. 

There have been a few years we missed the trip...due to weddings or babies, where we just switched the destination but it is seriously one of my most favorite times of the year. 

It was especially awesome this year because we were there on Jenny's actual birthday!! 

Because we are such loving friends, we decided to surprise Jenny with this - 

And here's part 2 - 

http://youtu.be/MSi5YA1CMsw (I don't know why this wouldn't upload to the blog but here's the link) 

This is the aftermath. I don't care how old you are...Silly String defies age. ;p

Just in case you're doubting our love for Jenny...the next morning we decorated the kitchen & dining room with a banner & balloons & gave her her presents. 

Of which she got two of the same book! Rachael & Kauri got her the same autobiography of  Mindy Kaling (from the Office). Has that ever happened to you? You get the same gift as someone else or receive one? 

We treated her to breakfast at the world renown infamous Luke-highly-endorsed Omelet & Waffle Cafe. And yes, that is a crown on her head & yes we, her dear friends, made her wear it in public, while eating her pancakes. :-) 

This was actually a reenactment of another photo but I think it's a great picture of all of them, so I thought I'd share. 

Saturday night, we had fondue over at Jenny's parents house...just the girls. It was so amazingly delicious & so fun. 

I love this picture & love this couple even more. They were wonderful hosts, even in the midst of closing on their new home. 

There's so much more that I would love to tell you about the weekend but I'm imagining your coffee cup is empty by now so I'll leave you with this video that we made over the weekend. Luke, Jenny's hubby, is a guitar teacher & we started a band over the weekend...called BDG (another story). The part to watch for is after the second chorus...we have some backup dancers & I'm just gonna give you a heads up...the Oven Mitt dance is the next big thang. 

Okay, I lied...one more thing I have to tell you about. Luke surprised Jenny with videos from all of her friends wishing her a Happy Birthday. It was such a thoughtful & sweet thing & really meant a lot to Jenny. Here's the video that Mike & me put together, reenacting the opening song of Jenny's favorite sitcom from back in the day. 

Hope you had a great weekend! Did you do anything fun? See you back here on Wednesday!