Pretty, Pretty Peacock

I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to do a peacock themed mantle for the summer.  I was so excited to take down my Spring/Easter mantle though that I couldn't wait to get started on it.  So I decided just to go for it.  I'm sure I'll think of some other way to decorate my mantle in a few more weeks.  But right now I'm SO in love with this one!  Take a look!

The large peacock feathers came from Hobby Lobby.  The green and blue flowers I had left over from my niece's Candyland Adventure party. 

The blue glass vase I also got at Hobby Lobby for 40% off of $7.99!  The flower arrangement were also pieces from London's Candyland party.  Because the flowers were so bold and glittery I felt like they needed a vase that was a litle neutral.  I didn't have anything like I was wanting so I wrapped one of the cream colored vases that I used in my Winterscape mantle in a brown napkin and tied it with a silver ribbon.  The candles were the same from my Easter mantle.  I tied a brown ribbon around them and secured it with a decorative tack.  The candle is an old cream colored one that I had some discoloration on it.  I put a coat of glitter on it and then hot glued green/blue glass pebbles on it.

I also created a candle from another old discolored candle that I had.  I hot glued a green ribbon on it and then glued turquoise sequins on it.  The plate came from Wal-Mart and was only $1!  I used blue/green glitter glue to decorate it with swirls.  The candlestick holders were clear glass ones I had bought at the Dollar Tree a few years ago.  I painted them with Topaz metallic craft paint.

I'm so happy with how it turned out!  I reused several elements from my previous mantlescapes so it was a very affordable mantle.  The only two things I purchased were the peacock feathers, the blue glass vase on the end, and the blue/brown vase pictured above from Kirklands (on clearance for $4.99).  I feel like this mantle is the perfect punch of color balanced with the rich, dark browns that I love so much.

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Final Easter Post

I definitely took on more Easter projects this year than I ever have before.  And I'm exhausted!  There have been many late nights this past week working to finish everything in time for Easter.  My last and biggest projects was to create my own versions of these fabulous Upcycled Easter Baskets that I saw on Sweet Something Designs blog.  They were made from containers of Crystal Light (or in my case Great Value).  I thought they were the coolest project and I happened to have 4 containers in my pantry.  So I made Easter baskets for my mom, sister, aunt, and boyfriend's parents.  You can see all of the steps by clicking on the link to Sweet Something Designs.  Here are my finished projects:

And here are some pics from the best part of my Easter:

The Hop-a-Long Easter basket was a hit.  As was the lip gloss and nail polish that it had in it.  :)

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Follow Me Friday

I'm participating in The Trendy Treehouse's Follow Me Friday blog hop again.  I got a few followers last week and I'm so excited!  So I'm going to give it another try.  If you follow me I'll follow you too!  But now I have a problem.  I've some how ended up with 2 Follower boxes and I don't know how to combine them.  If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!  I'm still new to this "Advanced Blogging" stuff!

Hop-a-Long Easter Basket

My 2 year old niece (who is the apple of my eye) is all about Toy Story right now.  She alternates between being Woody and Buzz every day (well, in between being some other random characters).  I wanted to do something special for her Easter basket and decided to make her a cowgirl hat Easter basket.  I found a cute little brown cowboy hat at Hobby Lobby.  Its kind of a foam material.  But it's small enough that I think it will fit her little head.  I had some pink polka dot ribbon and pink boas at home so I just bought the big pink sequins to decorate it with.  I hot glued everything onto the hat and then turned it upside down and stuffed it with pink grass and goodies.  I think it turned out adorable and can't wait to see her this weekend to give it to her!

  

Easter Tablescape

I'm not very happy with my Easter tablescape either (see previous post about my disappointing Easter mantle).  Maybe I'm just not an Easter decor person.  I normally don't decorate in pastels although I do love them.  So maybe I'm just having trouble working with the Easter color palate.  But I thought I'd share my Easter tablescape before I undo it and start working on the next one which I hope will turn out so much better!

I knew I wanted to do an Easter tree.  My aunt got me the fabulous sparkly egg garland and the egg ornaments and I needed the perfect branch to hang them on.  My bf and I went hiking a few weeks ago and I found this one.  I live in an apartment so branches aren't readily available.  So he was sweet enough to carry this one for me for the remainder of our hike.  I used colorful marble rocks (my go-to filler) to stablize the branch.  I had the green and blue polka dot fabric left over from a Pickles and Ice Cream baby shower I co-hosted last summer.  So I put it all on the table and here is the finished product.

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Easter is Almost Here

I'm finally posting pics of my spring/Easter mantle.  I have to be honest, I'm not very happy with it.  It just didn't turn out like I envisioned.  But I'm ready to start working on my next mantle (which I'm super excited about!) so I'm not going to mess with this one anymore. 

I got this little guy from the Dollar Tree and painted him a springy blue/green color.

The bird basket centerpiece that I was so excited about making just didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to.  I'm not sure what is missing.  I painted a basket that my mom had given me that I wasn't using for anything (see pic below).  My always helpful boyfriend drew and cut out the birds and wings for me out of scrapbook paper I had.  Then I painted a few plastic eggs (and then got tired of painting them so I just put them in the basket) and tied a bow on the basket.

The only thing I bought for the mantle was the vase on the left (on clearance at Kirklands) and the bird from the Dollar Tree so the whole mantle only cost $5. But it still just doesn't do it for me... What do you think?

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Cupcake Compilations

My mom is considering opening a cupcake shop.  At this point she's just gathering ideas and trying to get a game plan together.  I think its an awesome idea and I want to try to find some inspiration for her and put together an idea board.  I know how many amazing design and craft blogs there are and I'm thinking there are probably some equally amazing baking blogs.  So I'm looking for suggestions.  If anyone has a favorite blog they think I should check out please let me know.  It doesn't have to be cupcakes, just any kind of decorative desserts!  I'll check them out and post pics of some of my favorites.  Thanks!

Please Follow Me

One of the things that I added last weekend when I did my blog makeover was the Follow feature.  I've always used the Blogger Reading List to keep up with my favorite blogs.  Now I need some followers!  I've linked to Follow Me Friday at the Trendy Treehouse and already found some awesome blogs to follow (when I should be getting in the shower because I have to leave for work in 45 minutes)!  So if you like my blog please become a Follower and I'll do the same!

Blog Sale!

A friend of mine had a "yard sale" on her blog the other day and I thought it was a brilliant idea. Its an awesome way to get rid of some decorating stuff that I'm not using right now and probably won't use again without having to go through the hassle of having a traditional yard sale. So here's how it goes. You'll have to have a verified Paypal account to use to pay for your purchases. If you see something you like leave a comment telling me which item you want and its yours and I'll mark it as sold. Once you're done shopping e-mail your address to me at kris_ham@hotmail.com and I'll calculate the shipping and give you a total. Happy shopping!!!  (You can click on the pics to enlarge them)
*********************UPDATE*****************************
There are still a few things left from the blog sale.  I've removed the items that have been sold so the post would be shorter.  If there's anyting left that you would like leave a comment or send me an e-mail and its yours.

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Southern Living at Home Tuscan Olive Jar-$3 (Sold)

    

Bradford Designs Wall Organizer-$5 (Sold)

Southern Living at Home Container-$1.50

Porcelain Jars-$3 (for the set) (Note-vinegar jar has a small chip on the top by the handle.  I can e-mail you a pic if you want to see it)

Small decorative plate-$1 (Sold)

Canvas Print-$3

Picture-$3

Picture-$3

Picture-$3

Finger tip towel holder-$2 (Sold)

W tile trivet and magnet-$1

Hand soap dispenser-$2.50

Decorative hand towel-$1.50 (Sold)

Decorative hand towel-$1.50 (Sold)

Guest towel holder with 15 disposable towels-$3.50

12 Shabby chic shower curtain hooks-$1.50

W monogram soaps (set of 3)-$2

2 5x7 frames 1 8x10 frame-$2 a piece or $5 for all 3

8x10 frame-$2

8x10 frame-$2

Green metallic wall shelf (this is a little greener in real life then it looks in this pic, the back is unpainted)-$2 (Sold)

Crosses (set of 2)-$2 (Sold)