DIY Cupcake Stand

April 25, 2013 | 5 Comments

As promised, I’m here to deliver the cupcake stand tutorial. My husband may be a bit of a perfectionist, not when it comes to picking up his dirty cltohes, but building something? Yes. This is unlike what I would do in so many ways. First, he doesn’t use any hot glue.  Second, he uses a saw and other power tools. Basically, it’s legit. (Don’t worry, you can purchase pre-cut circles and wood glue.)

It’s also rather large. You may find that the dimensions are too big for your liking, in that case just start with a smaller base circle.  I wanted it to be large enough to use for future events, but the top tier does screw off, so it gives me a little room to scale back, if needed.

IMG_6626Materials:

  • 8- 4″ table legs (bought these 6″ and cut them off 2″)
  • 24″ circle- you can purchase unfinished wood circles at various websites on the internet (even Etsy)
  • 18″ circle
  • 12″ circle
  • 8″ circle
  • screws
  • primer
  • paint
  1. Turn the largest circle upside down and find the center. Draw a cross intersecting the middle point of the circle. Drill a 1/4″ hole (don’t drill completely through the plywood to avoid holes being seen) 2″ from the outside of the circle on these lines. 

    cupcakestandbase

  2. Screw one of the table legs into each of the holes, this will become your base, flip it over (so that the base is resting on the four legs).
    cupcakestand2
  3. Drill 1/4″ hole in the center of the circle, screw another leg into this hole from the top.
  4. Center the 18″ circle on top of this leg, attach with screws (do not screw in the center, you’ll need the center point to attach the next table leg).
  5. Repeat these steps until you reach the top.
  6. The top leg is optional for the top, it isn’t for support.
  7. Prime and paint.

diy cupcake stand

FYI:

  • This cupcake stand is large. It easily held 5 dozen cupcakes and the back wasn’t full on the bottom layers. Adjust the size of the circles to your needs.
  • I’m not sure if glue would hold this together, Allen says no, but I tend to believe in the power of hot glue. If you make yours smaller, it’s worth a shot. Also, look at using lighter materials for the circles. The concept will stay the same.
  • Allen cut the circles out of plywood he already had, your husband (or dad or brother, or you) may be able to cut the circles for you to save money.
  • Allen painted mine an off-white color so I could us it in the future, you could embellish with ribbon to customize it for different parties.
  • Email me or leave a comment with questions, I’ll make him help me and get them answered :)

 

 

 
 
Filed Under: birthday parties, DIY, parties, pink and gray princess party Tagged With: , , ,

a monday evening brain dump

February 25, 2013 | 7 Comments

Hands down, my favorite kind of post. I think it gives you a real glimpse of how my mind works. I could sit here all day and babble on and on about random things as they pop into my mind. I’ll spare you, of course, but here’s a glimpse of how I go from one extreme to the other with my thought process:

  • I love, love, love that my husband can build anything I see on Pinterest. I stay far away from power tools, but if I show him just what I want, he’s really good at replicating. I think he made this nearly a year ago, but I finally added vinyl lettering and it’s one of my favorite things he’s ever made. Now, I might change my mind when he finally completes her Dr. Seuss-inspired bookshelf.

photo 4

  • I have been hooked on Greek yogurt for sometime now. I have a pretty constant rotation of Chobani Pear, Chobani Apple Cinnamon, and Oikos Toasted Coconut Vanilla. I eat it nearly every morning for breakfast, I’m such a creature of habit. Apparently, I’ve passed that on to BK, she wants either Vanilla Greek yogurt or pancakes each morning. 
  • Speaking of eating habits, I’ve finally managed to fall into some sort of healthy living/healthy eating routine. Since school started back I’ve lost nearly 20 pounds. I’ve still got a good 10 to go, but it sure feels nice to be so much closer to my goal. I’m going to kick the workouts up a notch and stop skipping Insanity, I just might be beach ready in time for summer.
  • The rate at which BK is growing is crazy, I can’t even write about it and be sentimental, it just blows my mind and I haven’t been able to wrap my head around the changes. She has conversations with us, tells us how she feels about different things, and sometimes I have to ask Allen, “Is she 2 or 12?” Regardless, she is still SO full of personality, I don’t know who her larger-than-life-never-met-a-stranger-personality comes from, but I sure love to see it shine.
  • Blissdom is a little less than one month away. My plane ticket is booked, I’m working with an awesome sponsor (more to come, soon), my roomie is just as ready as I am and I have a hotel room waiting in Dallas. I can’t tell you how excited I am to get back to Blissdom this year. Are you going? We need to meet-up!!
  • Speaking of Blissdom, look what was at the top of my “Last 12 Months” folder in iPhoto when I went to upload pictures for this post. It doesn’t seem like it has been a year, and it makes me miss these sweet ladies (and the rest of our Blissdom group, too). IMG_0851
  • I laughed when I came across the fabric at Hobby Lobby last week. Chevron print on burlap? I thought for a moment, Pinterest must have started its on fabric line. Seriously, it’s really cute and you know I love Pinterest, but it gave me a good laugh.
  • photo 1 I deleted social media from my phone, I’ve done this before and I always end up putting it back on there. I just think it’s silly that I spend free moments checking Facebook and Twitter when I have people who need me a lot more right in front of me. AND, let’s be real, the constant flow of information can be just a little overwhelming, at times. I need to clear my mind a bit. I’ll be using them when I actually have time to sit down at the computer from now on.
  • I didn’t delete Instagram, it’s sort of my favorite. Are you on Instagram? Are we following each other? I’m @jenniferggreen on IG.
  • I have a few fun giveaways on the blog right now (some will be ending soon), you can enter through any of the links below:
    • Clorox and BlogHer are giving a $1,000 Visa gift card to a lucky commenter here. 
    • St. Joseph’s and BlogHer are giving away their product for you and two friends here.  This post came when my feeds were down, you have a good chance of winning because of the low entries, just FYI.
    • Tide Pods and BlogHer are giving away a $100 Visa gift card to a lucky commenter here. 

 
Filed Under: brain dump, braylen, DIY

toddler date night jar

February 18, 2013 | 3 Comments

 

How about Friday’s installment of the Stick It In A Jar series on Monday? IMG_6192This has to be one of my favorite jars that I’ve created. It’s a Date Night Jar for Braylen. We’ve talked about consistent mother/daughter and father/daughter dates for some time now, but actually putting them into play has been a different story. The quote below is dear to my heart, I want to be intentional about my time with her. I want to make sure she is sharing things with us, talking about things that she does at school or church. This is the time to lay the foundation for our relationship. When she looks back, I want her to remember these dates, I want them to become habits that we keep, dates that aren’t breakable or put off and rescheduled because we are too busy. Of course, we do things with her all of the time and take her places every chance we get, but this will give her a chance to build her own unique relationship with both of us.

We decided to start out by taking her on three dates each month. One as a family, and one seperate date for each of us.

 

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I set this one up very similar to the others, using color-coded sticks. Orange for dates with her daddy, pink for dates with mommy and purple for dates we can do as a family. She will completely get this, I can’t tell you how many times she has pulled from the Date Night Jar and said something like, this one says I need to go to the park and slide.

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The purple sticks represent things we can do together, as a family:

  • Visit the McWane Center
  • Build a fort
  • Picnic at the park
  • Bookstore date
  • See a movie
  • Go to the zoo
  • Take a train ride
  • Chick-fil-A Thursday night (our local CFA has a theme each Thursday night and fun things to do with kid’s)
  • iJump
  • Visit the aquarium

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The orange sticks are for dates with her daddy:

  • Feed the fish
  • Visit the park
  • Visit the farm
  • Build a birdhouse
  • Ice Cream Date
  • Tea Party
  • Teach daddy how to bake cookies
  • Dinner and toy store date
  • Chick-fil-a date
  • Go fishing

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The pink sticks are for dates with mommy:

  • Shoe shopping
  • Chick-fil-a date
  • Tea Party
  • Painted-by-U date
  • Mani’s or Pedi’s
  • Bookstore date
  • Visit the pet store
  • Bake cookies
  • Have a picnic

stick it in a jar
Filed Under: date night jar, DIY, stick it in a jar, toddler fun

“doh”n’t you wanna be mine, valentine?

February 14, 2013 | Leave a Comment

It’s going to be a low-key Valentine’s day for us. I usually scheme up some big-ticket item I absolutely need to coincide with the holiday of love, but this year I didn’t even throw any major hints out there. Not even dinner reservations.  I wonder if this means I’m getting old? I always thought it was weird when couples didn’t exchange gifts, now I’m one of the weird ones. Kidding, of course. I am just craving some at-home family time with my two loves, and I am looking forward to this evening.

I want to share the fun Valentines I made for Braylen to take to her class. I also tweaked the wording a little and made some for my class, as well. She was so excited about giving her friends play-doh. She said, “Mama, they will looovvve this! They will make them some shapes.”

I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I love this stuff. Seriously, I can pass on some things but Valentines for her friends at school? Not a chance. My excitement is through the roof. I’ve been looking forward to making cutesy-holiday themed things for B’s classmates since I signed her up for MDO this past summer. The fun has just begun!

If you’re wondering, I do realize how big of a nerd that makes me.

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These were super easy to create. Just print the tag on an adhesive label, add play-doh and cookie cutters to a clear bag and seal with the label. I had to put together 32 of these and it took around 20 minutes. Not bad at all. The animal-shaped cutters came in a Play-Doh animal pack that I picked up at Wal-Mart.

 

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Here are the actual images you can use to make the same Valentine’s. If you don’t have Photoshop, you can use a simple (free) site like iPiccy and add the text to the bottom. I printed mine on Avery square labels (22816). 
 valentinedoc

valentineclassgeneral

I hope you all have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!!
Filed Under: braylen, DIY, parties, toddler fun, Valentine's Favors Tagged With: , , ,

date night in a jar, for the new mr. and mrs.

February 13, 2013 | 3 Comments

I’ll be sharing this jar and one more on Friday, then I’ll continue the series once or twice each month. Just in case you thought I had lost my mind in one of those mason jars during my spray paint high, and would be focusing on jars from now on. Who am I kidding? You know I’m not that creative.

Today, I have an idea for you. Think about it next time you need something creative for a bachelorette party, lingerie shower, or bridal tea. Better yet, what about a creative idea for wedding guests? I definitely wish I would have used something like this at our wedding, I know we would have been laughing for days at some of the responses. On the other hand, I know we would have also enjoyed some fun date nights.

date night jar for wedding

It’s simple, probably one of the easiest I’ve made. Just pick three colors to coordinate with your categories and spray the sticks. Put them in a separate jar and encourage guests to think of a date for the newly weds (or newly weds to be). Go ahead and have guests write their name on the sticks, the couple will have someone to thank after you go on one that they really enjoy.

date night in a jar for wedding

date night jar for bachelorette party

Make sure you give the guests some instruction and an explanation of the colors. Perhaps a cute poem? 
date night jar poem

Here’s a better view, I intentionally left the watermark off in case you find that you can actually use this particular one:

weddingdatenight
Filed Under: date night jar, DIY, stick it in a jar Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Recipe Jar: Solving the What’s for Dinner dilemma

February 12, 2013 | 4 Comments

I’m a big fan of time well spent. I don’t like to waste time deciding what we’re going to eat for dinner each night or spend my time making numerous trips to the grocery store each week, I save a tremendous amount of time by simply menu-planning each week.  Some weeks are simple, I sit down and write out a quick meal-plan, take it the grocery store, and I’m back home in no time. But (you knew there was a but coming) lately, I’ve been in this meal-planning and cooking rut. I feel like we eat the same things over and over. I waste time scouring the Internet, I forget about some of my favorites, and my husband is usually asking for anything but chicken by the end of the week.

I made a list of our favorite recipes and created this fun  Recipe Jar to help answer the infamous, What’s for dinner? question each week. I think my weekly meal planning just got a whole lot easier. Now, I’ll be able to sit down and plan out our meals without falling into my familiar pattern of scouring Pinterest or leaving out recipes we really love.

recipe jar

I color-coded the sticks. One of my problems is always cooking dishes with chicken. I’m not sure why, it just always seems to be my meat of choice. Now I can easily pull some of our favorite dishes that feature other proteins to add a little variety, and I know just where they are based on the color.
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Here’s a look at the favorites I included:

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Green sticks have favorite Soups:

 

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Black sticks feature our favorite poultry recipes:

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Gray sticks are recipes that feature beef as the main ingredient

 

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Cream colored sticks feature pork as the main ingredient:

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Purple sticks feature some of my most overlooked favorite recipes, we love shrimp and white fish (as long as it’s very mild), but I don’t ever think to add it to our menu. Here are our favorites:

IMG_6159

 

I still want to try new recipes and if we fall in love, add them to our jar. I used the shelf above my cookbooks to give the Recipe Jar and the extra sticks a home. Now, when I cook a new recipe that we love, I can add it to our jar.

stick it in a jar

 

 

 

 

 
Filed Under: DIY, recipes, stick it in a jar Tagged With: , , , ,

date night jar update and what’s to come

February 11, 2013 | 19 Comments

I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since I posted about the Date Night Jar.  I thought it was due for a little update, a few more dates in each of the categories (inexpensive dates, at-home date nights, and the more expensive variety) and I have an exciting new project coming to the blog.

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I wanted to take some time to answer a few of the questions that I get emailed on a frequent basis. I try to respond to them all, but if I missed you, I apologize. Maybe this will help. If I still don’t answer your questions, e-mail me or leave it in the comments.

  1. The Date Night Jar mentions Auburn games. Yes, that is Auburn University in Alabama. I had no idea just how many Auburn fans there were until I started hearing from y’all. I’m sorry if I disappointed you by revealing my true colors. We are a house divided, but I proudly wear orange and blue when the time is right and am up for a game any Saturday. I just choose crimson and white on the third Saturday in November. Any other day, I’m happy see a Tigers victory. 
  2. How did it get so popular on Pinterest? I have no idea. Honestly. I will tell you this, I would’ve got a mani and wrote a little neater if I knew I’d be seeing it so many times. Always be prepared, lesson learned.  If I did know the formula for Pinterest success, I would apply that same strategy to blog posts more often. I think one of the reasons it is pinned so often is because everyone can relate. Young, old, married or dating. We apparently all struggle with indecisiveness, letting date nights become obsolete or falling into a routine where we eat at the same places or do the same things each time. For us, it’s been a good change. We’ve gone to concerts and some of our favorite pre-baby dinner spots, I feel like we’ve been more spontaneous, too.
  3. Can I use your pictures? Can I blog about this on my blog? You can find information (probably more than you ever wanted to know) on usage by clicking the About tab, at the top of the header. Basically be inspired, but don’t copy and paste the post and put it on your blog. The Internet already has my version. I’m sure I wasn’t the first slightly-OCD, completely indecisive, sleep-deprived wife, who thought of a crafty excuse to get dressed up and get out of the house on a regular basis. I read each and every single post you guys send me where you created your own jar. I love it when you put your own spin on it and I love to see all of the different ideas you come up with.
  4. Are you going to update the dates? Yes. Today. Keep reading.

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Look at that!! Brand new dates. I used some of the sticks we had already used (this past years dates) and put them back into the mix with a new date idea on the opposite side. Here’s what I added:

  • Light Pink- Less expensive dates.
    • Picnic at the park (the last time we went on a picnic, Allen asked me to marry him, it has been awhile)
    • Early morning breakfast date
    • Paintball Park (we just had on open near us and it looks so fun)
  • Red- These dates are more expensive and require planning
    • Weekend beach trip
    • Dinner at the view and a night at The Winfrey
    • Restaurant Hop (Apps at one restaurant, main course at another and dessert at a third restaurant)
  • Dark Pink- At home dates
    • Make a Bucket List
    • Re-watch our first date movie (that would be the remake of Starsky & Hutch)
    • Take out and Scrabble (because I am a nerd and the thought of playing Scrabble truly excites me)

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I also updated that tag! I’ll have a printable of that tag (and a few more), soon.

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This weekend, there were no date nights. I had a rare Saturday morning all to myself and I finally finished a little idea I’ve been scheming about for months. You see all of those jars? The ease of the Date Night Jar has created a little decision-making-jar-monster. Not a scary one though, just one with a Mason jar obsession.

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And that’s me. Up way too late putting the finishing touches on things. This week, I’m bring you a few more ideas and introducing you to a new series.

Jar

Hooray! I’ll be featuring guest contributors, hosting link-up’s for you to show off your creative ideas and introducing you to new ideas. It isn’t just a Date Night Jar anymore, y’all!
Filed Under: date night jar, DIY Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

12 Days of Christmas: Salt Dough Ornaments

December 9, 2012 | 1 Comment

One of my favorite types of ornaments involves Braylen’s handprint. While her hands will grow each year, I’ll have a reminder of just how tiny she once was. I love to put them on the Christmas tree and pull them out each year, each ornament full of a new set of memories.

I used salt dough to make circular handprint ornaments for Braylen’s pink tree. Salt dough is simple and easy to make and the options are endless. Find your favorite cookie-cutter and adorn your tree to your heart’s desire with custom ornaments.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup salt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup luke warm water
Directions:
  1. Mix salt and flour in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Gradually add water until it forms a workable, doughy consistency. 
  3. Form a ball and knead the dough for several minutes (3-5), the longer you knead, the easier it will be to work with.
  4. Roll out your dough on a powdered surface. 
  5. Use a round cutter to press out circles. 
  6. Press your childs hand or foot print directly onto the dough. Use a straw or small round object to punch out a hole for hanging (if you are making ornaments).
  7. Bake at 200 degrees for 50-60 minutes. The dough will dry out while baking and you want it to be completely dry. 
  8. Once it has cooled you can paint the ornaments. I used the glossy Martha Stewart paint with shimmer and tied a green ribbon on the top to coordinate with Braylen’s tree.

 

 
Filed Under: 12 days of christmas 2012, braylen, christmas, DIY

12 Days of Christmas: DIY Ornaments

December 5, 2012 | 3 Comments

Today, I have two different types of ornaments to show you. Both of them use the same clear glass ornament you can pick up at any craft store. I like the idea of being able to personalize ornaments based on the colors and general feel of the Christmas decorations in my home. It means I don’t have to settle for something that is close to my existing decor. Instead, I can create something that coordinates perfectly and fits seamlessly.

Pictures above are the two ornaments I’ll be writing about today. The red polka dot ornament is a Modge Podge tissue paper ornament and the green and red is made with acrylic paint. Both are super simple and full of character.

Let’s start with the Modge Podge ornament.

Materials:

  • Modge Podge
  • Paint Brush
  • Glass ornaments
  • tissue paper
  • coordinating ribbon

Start by painting the entire ornament with Modge Podge.

Then add the tissue paper to the ornament and give it another coat of Modge Podge. Let it dry completely and add a coordinating ribbon or bow. Now, if you’re a perfectionist this project is going to drive you crazy. There is no fool-proof way to get the paper smooth and even on the ornament because it’s shape. But once it’s finished and has completely dried it looks great.

The next ornament is so much fun to make! Just add a few generous squirts of acrylic paint to a clear ornament. The only materials you need are the ornament, paint and coordinating ribbon.

Cover the opening and shake the paint until the entire ornament is covered.

I made several ornaments and added them to the mantle to make things a little more festive.
Filed Under: 12 days of christmas 2012, christmas, DIY

12 Days of Christmas: Pajama Christmas Tree

December 4, 2012 | 9 Comments

Today’s craft may be one of my favorite things I have ever made. Last night, I dug through the boxes in the attic space adjacent to Braylen’s closet. This house has the best storage and I sat on the floor with a big box of baby things that I’m certain couldn’t have fit my big girl just last year. I took a trip down memory lane, memories that seem like yesterday not 365 yesterdays ago, as I pulled out her Christmas pajamas from last year.

I’m sure you’ve seen the fabric scrap trees on Pinterest, or perhaps the ones that are made from ribbon. I love the look of the fabric, all of the pieces different, yet they come together so seamlessly to create a Christmas tree full of whimsy and cheer. And I thought it would be even better if I could make it a little more personal and pull a few of my favorite pajamas from Christmas past to create a Christmas tree.

I started with just a few sets of pajamas, you won’t need too many so just pick a few favorites. Next, I cut the fabric in strips (about 1.5 inches wide) and then cut the strips into sqaures (about .5-1 inch long).  I only used 2 pajama tops and 2 pair of pants, each from a different set.

I used a 10X20 canvas and painted the entire canvas a soft pink hue. You could paint it any color that will coordinate with the fabric that will be used to make the tree.

It’s important to sketch a triangle to use as a guide.

After the triangle was drawn I started adding the fabric using a hot glue gun and starting at the bottom and working my way up.

I was surprised at just how quickly this project went. Row after row of pajama fabric turned into the cutest Christmas tree, ever.

I cut the star for the top of the tree from the print of one of the pajama tops. The base of the tree is actually a gingerbread (wo)man’s dress. You can see that the fabric pieces don’t have to be exactly the same shape and size. I actually think it looks better when everything isn’t precisely cut to the same exact measurements.

I placed the finished canvas in Braylen’s room, it fit perfectly with her pink decor.

And for memory-sake I added these details on the back:

I love that these sweet clothes, full of memories, aren’t packed away in a box any longer.
Filed Under: 12 days of christmas 2012, christmas, DIY
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