I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from crafty gal, Lexy of The Proper Pinwheel.

Neon is all the rage right now. It’s seen at parties, weddings, on bottoms of skateboards, everywhere. I wanted to jump on the neon bandwagon so I whipped up these little favors. They’re super easy and EXTREMELY cheap. They cost about 15 cents to make and look adorable filled with candy. Or money. Anything you prefer.

To make your own you’ll need:
- seed starter pots ($1.50 for 26 @ Home Depot)
- neon twine
- scissors
- hot glue gun

Starting at the top, add a little line of glue and place the end of the twine in it. Start to wrap the twine around the pot. Wrap the first color halfway down the pot and cut the twine.

Use a small line of glue to seal the first color of twine.

Add the next color and start to wrap around the pot.

Cut the twine and use a little hot glue to seal to the pot. And you’re done!

Fill the pots with candies. I used jelly beans in coordinating colors and also added little tags. Succulents add a nice touch as well. This is a very inexpensive way to add color to your wedding or next shindig. Guests will love the colors and you could even go the “traditional route” and fill the pots with actual plants. Happy neon!

See more awesome from Lexy on The Proper Pinwheel

I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from an expert at unearthing fave finds, Mallory of Gems.

While I love buying vintage goods, I don’t talk about them very much on my blog and I must admit that it’s for purely selfish reasons: I blog about the things that I like and I don’t want anyone else to buy the awesome vintage things I find! I want to keep them alllllll to myself. Apologies.

Of course, I don’t have the funds to buy even 1/20th of my findings, but… still. Still! There’s this small hope that the item will stick around in the shop long enough for me to find that elusive chest of gold in my back yard.

For this guest post I decided I’d throw aside my no blogging about vintage things tendencies. Call it a limited engagement.
While my favorite search term to use on Etsy is “novelty print” (you find the most amaaaaaazing skirts & dresses that way), I’m also partial to searching for “polka dot” and “floral print” items. For this post, I found a ton of wonderful things covered with flowers. I’ve got spring on the brain.

row one – MFEO, Neon Threads Designs, Curious Crow Vintage
row two – Love Charles, Lady Kitschener’s Vintage Emporium
row three – AwesomeSauce, , Jolly Polly Pickins, Basya Berman Vintage

row one – Mid Mod Mom Store, Kasi Found This Vintage, Osborn Woods
row two – Pretty Little World Vintage, Circus Bear Vintage,
row three – The Garage Sale Archeologist, Lisa’s RetroStyle, Fox and Fawns

See more awesome from Mallory on Gems

I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from photo booth prop extraordinaire, Brooke of Playing Grown Up.

I am so excited for Melanie having her sweet babe. So, I thought I’d share a project I made a few nights before my little baby surprised me and decided to come early. (By the way, if you are with child, don’t ever say, “Oh, I’ll finish that project next week.” That’s basically daring your little one to arrive early.) To fill an empty shelf, and to invite some color into our home, I made some scallop art pieces.

Punch lots of circles from your colorful cardstock.

Then, mark your piece of wood along the edge at half the size of your circles. For example, my circles were two inches, so I made one inch marks along each side. Then connect the dots and make lines across the wood to guide you.

Using your lines to guide each row, get to gluing!

Let each rows of circles hang on top of the row below – that creates your scallops.
Yay! Now our shelf has something on it besides dust.

See more awesome from Brooke on Playing Grown Up

I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from maker mama, Christi of Sweetgrass.

Today I’m sharing one of my current faves – the terrarium. They’ve been all over the place recently, and with good reason – they are cute as can be, quick and easy to put together, and the options for combinations and uses are endless! (Think centerpieces, place-settings, party favors…)

To build your own, start with a clean glass container. I chose an actual terrarium jar from a craft store, but get creative – vintage bowls or pitchers look great, and any old jam jar or baby food jar would look good with the lid spray painted in the color of your choice.

At your local nursery pick up some teeny little plants. Mosses, ferns, and succulents look great and are low-maintenance. Remember – you will need to bury the whole root ball in soil, so take that into account when choosing plants to fit your container. Put a layer of gravel or small rocks in the bottom of your container for drainage.

Put a layer of charcoal over the rocks (also available at nursery), then arrange your plants, cover with soil, and water lightly. *One of my favorite things about these is that they don’t require much attention. Be careful not to over water! Let the soil dry out between waterings.

You may want to stop there, but I was going for a rough textured look, so I added another layer of rocks on top of the soil.

And finally, if you’d like, add a little humor. I recently moved to Texas and can’t get enough of cows, so I grabbed this vintage one from my parents’ shadow box. Doesn’t he look cute there among the cacti?

See more awesome from Christi on Sweetgrass

I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from my Canadian chum, Lindy of Crafted by Lindy.

Spring is beginning to be known as birthday season around our house. It starts with my daughter in March then husband in April and son in May. Baby number three is due in June so it’s about to get even crazier. Because of this you can imagine where my head space has been lately. Now I’m a huge fan of dessert/food tables. I like being organized so the idea of having the food all in one place and the fact that you can really make a decor impact in one small area makes me happy. My favourite part of the dessert/ food table isn’t the food oddly enough but the backdrops! I’ve been finding some amazing ones lately and thought I’d share some of my favorites with you. Hope you enjoy!

I love the casualness of this backdrop with the craft paper and washi tape. The bright photography is fantastic too! Love it! Found on Hostess With the Mostess.

How fun is this? I love the photos but especially love how the guests are able to write a special note to the couple right on the backdrop. Found on No Biggie.

Um, a heart made with gumballs. I have no idea how long this would have taken but I don’t care because it’s just plain amazing! Found on Martha Stewart Weddings.

I love when a simple object can make a huge impact. Check out this fun background made with square paper plates! Found on Hostess With the Mostess.

I love the use of bead board for this backdrop and the adorable bear silhouettes in the black frames just make me smile. Awesome! Found on Frog Prince Paperie.

See more awesome from Lindy in her shop + on her blog

I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from the curator and creator of all things lovely, Jennie of Odessa May Society.

This post is sponsored by Disney Baby. I’ll be joining the Disney Baby blogging team next month, and look forward to sharing these kinds of stories (projects/ideas/etc) with you over there! Stay tuned for more details!

I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from Mrs. Domestic, Amy of This Heart of Mine.

I’ve got springy flowers on the brain and thought itty-bitty tissue paper flowers would make darling cupcake toppers.

Take the ho-hum to colorful and cute.

The blasé to enchanting.

I think they’ll do.

These flowers are just like the tissue paper flowers you’ve made before, just smaller in size.

And smaller is almost always cuter, albeit a bit tedious.

____________________________________________________

You need:

• tissue paper cut in 2×2 inch squares
• lollipop sticks, skewers – cut to size
• wire – I used plastic-covered jewelry wire.
  

Then follow the steps:

1. Pick out the tissue paper. Six pieces are plenty. Any more and pulling the pieces to the middle is difficult. For this flower, I used four pieces of dark pink, two pieces of light pink plus two smaller squares of white for the middle. Pick your combo.

2. Stack up the tissue paper.

3. Accordion fold the square. It does not have to be a perfect accordion. I tested this. A lot.

4. Pinch the stack tightly.

5. Wrap a bit of wire around the middle of the accordion fold.

6. Optional step: Cut the ends to make a scalloped edge. You can also make pointed tips or do a series of small cuts to make a ruffly edge.

7. Starting in the middle, very gently, begin to pull each piece of tissue paper up and towards the middle. This is the tedious part; the pieces are so small and so thin.

8. Continue pulling the tissue pieces to the middle.

9. Fluff the flower a little, make it just right.

10. The flower is complete!

11. Wrap the flower and excess wire around the top of the lollipop stick.

12. The flower is ready to perk up a lackluster cupcake.

____________________________________________________

It really dresses things up, right?!

And the possibilities are endless.

It’s almost sad to remove the topper to eat the cupcake.

Almost.

See more awesome from Amy on This Heart of Mine

I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s smart tip post is from dessert lover and cute mom, Ashley of Oh What Fun.

If you are a child of the 80s or 90s you more than likely remember this commercial where a busy mom slaves all afternoon to make marshmallow squares for her family. If you don’t remember then maybe it is just me who gets vintage commercials & jingles stuck in her head?

Anywho, this fake out was born from necessity for yummy dessert in a flash but not wanting it to taste or look store bought, plus a remembrance of the previously referenced commercial. Feel free to try this fake out tonight when your husband asks for dessert even after he’s told you on multiple occasions to “not keep sweets in the house.” But because you know him oh so well & always have a tub-o-chocolate chip cookie dough hidden in the depths of the fridge specifically for when this situation arises you are good to go… Oh, is that a situation only I find myself in, again? Ah well. It would also work really well for unexpected guests, or just to make you seem generally awesome because people will think you actually took the time to bake for real.

Here goes… all you need is store bought cookie dough (tub, roll, little flat package, it really doesn’t matter) & the following yummy additions:

Dark chocolate chips (I prefer at least 60% cacao) + sea salt + almonds

The next trick is to take your ball of cookie dough (if working from a tub or tube it should be a BIG heaping teaspoon. From package, 2 pre-sized dough balls… we are going for BIG cookies here) & kinda flatten it in the palm of your hand. Then you add 2-3 dark chocolate chips to the center & 2-3 almonds if you want them in there & imperfectly form a mound of dough. Next you place your newly formed cookie dough mound on a cookie sheet & add a few more chocolate chips & or almonds on the top. Ideally you want 2-3 chocolate chips on the top center of the mound so they sort of form a “pool” for catching the sea salt.

Once all your dough mounds are evenly spaced on your cookie sheet, using a sea salt grinder (if you have one) or just sprinkling a pinch, yourself. Add a bit of sea salt to the top of each cookie. Aim for the center where the “pool” of chocolate chips will be created. It doesn’t have to be perfect, in fact going for that imperfect look is what you want… that makes the cookies appear homemade!

Oh look, I SEA Salt! Get it? Sea Salt instead of see salt?

Bake cookies according the directions on your package of store bought dough. Let cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet, arrange on a fancy plate or with a fancy napkin. Serve with cold milk or beverage of choice. Sit back, relax & relish all the compliments…. “Oh did you make these?!” “Yes, yes, I did.” (technically it isn’t a lie).

Finally, while I haven’t tested any of the following, adding some other fun mix-ins could result in some stellar cookie goodness. On my list is the following: Walnuts. Dried fruit. Banana Chips. M&Ms. Mini peanut butter cups. Marshmallows. Bacon. (Mmmm bacon) I truly think any of these would equal awesomeness as long as the sea salt & dark chocolate is in play. Why? Because sea salt is the star! It brings out the flavor of the chocolate. So just always at least add those two ingredients & you’ll be golden.

Any other ideas?

See more awesome from Ashley on Oh What Fun

I had a baby so I’ve invited some fave guests to take over for me while I spend time with the little guy. Today’s post is from the expert on stylish maternity wear, Kathleen of Style Nine.

Right now, boating in style is just my fave in theory. I live within walking distance of Lake Michigan, so I end up boating a few times a summer, usually in worn-out shorts. Not this summer! Instead, I’m taking cues from the ladies who marry Greek billionaires and dock in Portofino, and heading out dressed a bit more glamorously.

Of course, the boats I go on don’t usually come with crews, so some practicality is also in order: A bag that looks good, but won’t spill. Shoes that stay on and won’t scuff the deck. Gourmet treats for lunch. A few chic things that seem plucked from la dolce vita, but are versatile enough for everyday life on land too (wardrobe versatility really is my fave).

Sources: Nuxe Baume Prodigieux SPF 15 in Charismatic Red, French Connection bracelet, Fjallraven backpack, Antipodes water, Diana Von Furstenberg playsuit, Bensimon shoes, Goorin Bros. hat, Monki windbreaker, Forever21 sunglasses, Pret-a-Surf bathing suit, Ortiz white tuna, La Sardinia Sea Pride Camera, Turkish T beach towel

Images: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassi photographed by Mark Shaw

See more awesome from Kathleen on Style Nine

While shopping for baby products, we definitely tried to scrimp and save on most products but the one item I wanted to make sure I didn’t settle for was the stroller. I’m planning on lots of summer walks and outings with Beck so I knew I wanted something hefty that would easily get over curbs as wells as rocky trails. After the usual mom research we settled on the BOB Revolution SE and couldn’t be happier. Although Beck has was just strapped in for a quick photo*, it fits all my requirements and the best feature is that I figured out how to fold and unfold it without even looking at the instructions. Win.

Here’s the good part, today I’m giving away one BOB Revolution SE stroller. Just think, your kid and Beck can be twinners at the playground. To enter, visit BOB on their website and Facebook page then come back and leave a comment on this post. Giveaway ends Sunday night and the winner will be emailed by me on Monday. Good luck!

* Babies must be 8 weeks or older to  ride in the seat of the stroller. For their first two months, BOB offers an Infant Car Seat Adapter that allows the child to safely ride via their car seat.