Botanical Printable

Hey friends!  Happy Thursday!

As we begin the transition from Winter to Spring (which feels comical to write because it’s a snow day here today), I felt like adding some botanical prints to my décor, especially my mantle, which I’m always switching up based on the current season or upcoming holiday.

If you’ve been following along for a little while then you know that I’ve got a thing for DIY projects, especially ones that cost next to nothing. So, being the savvy shopper that I am, I jumped online and found a few FREE printables that I just love and thought I’d share how I incorporated them into our home.

Here is the printable I used:

And here’s how I used the Chamomile print in my mantle refresh:

Now, just for funsies, take a look at how these talented designers used botanicals in their homes.

(click pics for the link)

Simple perfection.

Great use of large prints.

LOVE this one!

Warm, cozy and classy.

I hope you're inspired to try some botanicals in your own space! 

Thanks for reading,

Jessica



End-Of-Year Teacher's Gifts

Less than two hours and I can kiss this Monday goodbye.

 

(I'm not a fan of Mondays).

 

What's even better is that after tomorrow morning we only have 5 school mornings left (because let's face it, the hardest part of the day is getting out of bed and out the door) before ......

 

SUMMER BREAK!!!

 

That being said, I have yet to put together this year's teacher's gifts (although I do have something in mind).  All that got me thinking that maybe some of you are in the same boat and so I figured I'd pass along some of the great ideas that I've come across.  Ok, here we go!

 

1.  If you're teacher is a coffee lover/drinker, than this would be so cute!  Maybe add a bag of some yummy coffee beans or a gift card to a local coffee shop.

 

 

Click here for more info!

 

 

2.  An apple for teacher.  This sign is ADORABLE and would look soooo cute on your favorite teacher's desk, heck, it'd look cute on anyone's desk!

 

 

Click here for more info!

 

 

3.  Do you DIY??  This project would be super fun and I think it's so dang cute (plus really economical if you've got lots of teachers to get gifts for).

 

 

Sorry, no link.

The image is from Hobby Lobby and the link only sent

me to their site to purchase the jars. :(

 

 

4.  Succulents rule!  And so does this darling little plant holder made from some rulers!  Another fun, easy and inexpensive gift!  Now that's an A++

 

 

Click here for more info!

 

 

5.  This one is so easy, and us busy mamas love it when things are easy, right?!  Oh, and did I mention this printable is FREE?!  Yep!  Just print, frame and voila - teacher's got a new pet!!

 

 

Click here for more info!

 

 

6.  Yeah, I know this is another mug, but come one, how cute is it?  Plus if you're teacher is a tea drinker then the other one doesn't work as well as this one, right?? ;)

 

 

Click here for more info!

 

 

7.  This last one is a bit of a wildcard.  This image is from Country Living Magazine and, for the life of me, I can't find the source of this table runner.  HOWEVER if you're crafty (or know someone who is and has some free time) you could easily make (or bribe them to make) this! 

 

 

 

Alright my dears, I hope that gives you some inspiration for your end-of-year teacher's gifts!  I can't wait to share mine with you soon!  Have a great week and thanks for reading!

 

XOXO

 

Jessica

Tabletop Pergola

Happy Saturday everyone!

 

Last week we attended, as a vendor, a bridal show at Persimmon Country club.  In preparation for the event, I decided that I wanted to come up with an original tablescape concept and design.  I’ve always been a big fan of pergolas.  There is something about them that I find inviting, romantic and classy.  I love it when they are covered with beautiful blooming plants, or strung with strands of small globe lights.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one I didn’t like, and if we didn’t live where it rained 9 months out of the year, I’d have one on my house.

 

With the help of my “contractors” {aka my hubby and dad}, we scaled down this architectural structure I’m so fond of, and made a tabletop pergola.  We constructed our pergola out of reclaimed, FREE, wood.  Not only did this help in the budget department, it gave our structure a weathered, distressed look.  Double bonus!

 

The real fun began after the building was complete.  The styling!  I made some custom linens out of a canvas drop cloth, and used chocolate brown satin napkins I already had.  Some cream plates, antique flatware, champagne glasses and coffee filter flowers finished off the place settings.  For the centerpiece I used a variety of candle holders and a boxwood plant.  Using potted plants for centerpieces is a great way to save money AND they can be given away as gifts or used in your own landscaping after you event.  This boxwood only cost $4.50, that’s a significant savings compared to flowers.

 

Take a look at the pictures!  I’d love to hear what you think.  I’m so pleased with how it came out and may just have to use it at home this summer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm always looking for an excuse to dream up unique, one-of-a-kind designs.  If you have an event coming up and need some ideas, I'd love to help!  Email me at lolligags@gmail.com for more information.

 

Have a great weekend!

Pirates and a SNOW DAY!!!

What is it about snow days?  Don’t know about you, but around here we LOVE them.  And lucky for us, it doesn’t take very much snow to get school canceled.  They really should call them 'Slush Days', or perhaps 'It-Looks-Like-It-Could-Maybe-Possibly-Snow-And-I-Don’t-Wanna-Drive-In-It-Day'.  Call whatever you want; as long as we get to sleep in, I’m good with it. 

Last weekend my dear friends twin boys turned 3.  Her sons and my youngest daughter are a little less than two months apart, so we got to be pregnant together. This meant I had someone to go through the McDonald’s drive-thru with me and order 20 piece McNuggets.  Don’t judge me.  I’ve heard ALL about how they make McNuggets, and frankly when those pregnancy cravings are calling, you just don’t care. 

I offered to help her with the tablescape for G & B’s party.  The theme was Pirates, so of course I immediately had visions of pirate ships.  With help {a lot of help} from M, we came up with a really cute design.  Using $7 worth of dowels from Home Depot, some FREE wood I’d picked up awhile back {you just never know when you’ll need some 2X4’s, plywood, picket fencing, etc.} and some left over wood stain, we had ourselves a ship!  I made the sails from some misc. fabric I’d picked up at Digger and the table cloth was a striped one my mom has had forever.  I revamped the cupcake stand he built me this summer {used both here and here}, and we slapped together some “crates” using paint stir sticks {which the sweet gal at Home Depot gave me for FREE! Whoop whoop!!}  A basket made the perfect crow’s nest, some cute pirate bunting and this FREE printable finished it off.  Some of the pics are a tad blurry {sorry bout that.  I think I’m still having withdrawals from my recent break-up with coffee}, but take a look at what I came up with.

She had this cute Sock Monkey pirate already.  How perfect was that?!

I can't take any credit for this treasure chest.  The birthday boys' grandma made it from an old diaper box.  Yep, she's that good.

Treasure chest cupcakes.  Make the sand by crushing up graham crackers and dipping frosted cupcakes in them.

Just because you're serving pizza doesn't mean you can't make it look cute.  We arranged the different varieties on platters and it looked great!

I picked up this cute wooden treasure chest at Craft Warehouse for $1.50!  Score!!  Fill it with gold candies from the bulk section of the grocery store and you've got yourself a tasty little treasure.

Well, that's it for now.  Hope everyone has a great day, only two more days till the weekend!  Yay!!