Simple Valentine's Day Wreath {Crafts}

Can you believe January is already OVER? Tomorrow begins the month of CANDY LOVE! I'm sure everyone is getting their pretty decorations put up, so I'm here today with a super simple tutorial for a Valentine's Day wreath for you to hang! I made this wreath in my last ditch attempt to have something on my door for my Valentine's Day pajama party I held last Friday. My original plan was to create some of those nifty paper flowers using cupcake liners, but every tutorial I found required pipe cleaners, which I don't have. 

While sifting around in the awesome sewing box my granny gave me (which is FULL of stuff my boyfriend calls junk craft supplies), I found this cute little circle form thingy. I honestly have NO idea what it's made from (it looks like rolled paper!) but I'm in love with it! That's when the AWESOME thought hit me to make a WREATH! (queue HUGE smile on my face...ask my sister who was witnessing the drama!)

So, my bloggy friends, I have a super simple tutorial for you! Check it out!

Here's what you'll need:

• some type of circular wreath form (your choice in size; mine was only about 6 inches across)
• LOTS of buttons to choose from
• ribbon (wired is the best to use for this project)
• scissors
• bread ties
• cupcake liners (I used Valentine's Day themed liners for one flower & plain white ones for another)
• needle (any size)

This is how you will create it:

Next:

The final steps:

That's it! Don't you just love it?! I also had an extra flower left over (from creating this tutorial), so I decided to pretty up the living room lamps, too! What do you think?

Linking To:

 

Me+Granny+Ocala=SUCCESS!! {Thrifting}

Wanna see some really cool stuff? (well...cool to me anyway!) Let me tell you, if you are ever in Ocala, you HAVE to visit their thrift stores! My grandparents have a house up there and this past week, my granny and I decided to go up there for a couple of days. First off, let me tell you how much I just LOVE Ocala! The horse farms...rolling hills...and not to mention it's always a few degrees cooler up there compared to Polk County!

Any time my granny and I decide to go to Ocala together...well, let's just say the banks better not close. =) We LOVE to shop (I still say she's the reason I'm such a shopaholic & home-decorating-aholic!!) and thrifting is our SPECIALTY! (I've been going to yard sales with this lady since I can remember!) With that being said...we basically dropped off our bags, packed up all her Christmas decorations, and headed out!

**You will all have to forgive me...I was so excited about hitting up some of my favorite stores up there, I managed to leave my camera in my overnight bag. So there are NO photos of the stores themselves...next time I visit, I'll make sure to stop back by & take some photos of them for you guys! Sorry =(

Our first stop was this furniture store called Blocker's. My granny has been dying to show me this store for ages. (It's where she bought her new sofa in her house in Ocala.) 

Let me tell you. That place was AWESOME. They had the LARGEST showroom I think I've ever seen! And their furniture is all REALLY nice...they honestly have something for everyone! The only thing is the prices....EX-PEN-SIVE! There was a bed I saw that my aunt would have loved...yeah, $3,000 ON CLEARANCE! Anyway...moving on!

Our next stop was one my FAVORITE places to be...Hobby Lobby!! I couldn't get enough of that store! I found just about EVERYTHING I need to decorate my house in that place!! My granny and I found these cute little containers:

I had been looking for something to use as a centerpiece for my dining table, now that Christmas is over. I figured the containers would be cute on a little tray, so I grabbed them! They were regularly priced at $6.99...but we only paid $2.38 a piece for them! Gotta love the clearance aisle!

After being in Hobby Lobby for at least an hour and a half, I'm sure, we headed out to one of my granny's favorite thrift stores. The Ocala Interfaith Thrift Store. It isn't a very big place, but they have really great sales on their stuff! We both walked out with an armful of things! Here's what I ended up with:

Metal wheelbarrow, 4.50; Christmas basket, regularly $3, on clearance at 90% off; snowman candle holder, regularly $4, on clearance at 90% off; star-shaped candlestick holders, $4 for the pair, on clearance at 90% off; metal banana hammock (it's hard to see, but it's holding the star-shaped candle holders), $3. Total spent: $9 even! And we also walked out with about 6 packages of Christmas present tags (about 50-125 in each package) for only 5 cents a piece! Yeah...I would say that was definitely a successful trip!

Next stop: GOODWILL! This is usually the FIRST place we stop at when we get to Ocala! This place is HUGE and they always have soooo much stuff on sale! I found a few things to bring home with me:

I found this awesome "family" mirror in a bin off to the side, hiding under some outdoor decor! It was priced at $4, so I HAD to have it! I'm most likely going to paint it white though, to match my living room, where it will be hanging. I also grabbed a belt for myself and my brother (his belt was brand-new, still with tags on it), priced at $1.97 each; a pack of brand-new socks for $2.99; and this cool stackable organizer for my craft supplies (buttons, small brads, beads, etc.) for only $1.59 (brand-new). I tried to only grab things I really needed...I can't tell you how much I WANTED out of that store! =)

The next day we were there, we stopped at Wal-Mart first because my granny wanted to grab this book she knew was coming out that day. While we were there, we happened to stop by the clearance aisle on our way to grab some office supplies. There was SOOO much stuff on that aisle, let me tell you! I knew I couldn't afford wanted to buy EVERYTHING! They had cartridges for the Cricut on sale that I wanted terribly, and I don't even OWN a Cricut! =) That's how serious it was!

However, I did manage to dig under a huge pile of junk discover a cute little message board for our kitchen for only $4 (it was regularly priced at $7). I also found a nice shirt ($6) and some cool-colored hangers ($2) on our way to the checkout. (By the way, I think I should mention that I LOVE that shirt! I've worn it twice since I got it, and it's only been 3 days! It's very comfy & goes with a lot of the things I already own.)

After Wal-Mart, we headed out to another awesome consignment shop my granny frequents. This place was really cool, because they had LOTS of furniture pieces as well as decor. It's called The Renaissance Room. We browsed the entire store TWICE just to make sure we hadn't missed anything! =) This is what I eventually decided to buy:

An adorable wall plaque for my kitchen (which is themed around little chefs) for only $6, a wooden letter-holder (which I'll actually be using my beach-themed main bathroom to hold rags) for only $4.80 (it was regularly priced at $6...I'll explain the discount in a minute), and a set of 4 JCPenney BRAND-NEW table napkins (CHA-CHING!) for only...hold onto your seat...$1.80!! YES! Now, let me explain something about The Renaissance Room. When you walk in, you'll see this HUGE sign above the checkout counter that says:

WE DISCOUNT EVERYTHING 10% EVERY 30 DAYS

UP TO 20% OFF

Yeah...I'll give you a second to comprehend that. Got it? So, the price tags have a date on them that basically states what day it was priced and how much it was priced for. So say something was priced 11/3/2010, and it's $8. Well, you walk in there today, it's been 60 days since it was priced, so that's automatically 20% off! NICE! Now, remember those napkins I was talking about a second ago...wondering how they were only $1.80? Well...they were priced at 70% off! Yes...all their linens (except the bed-in-a-bags) were on sale! I was super excited, because I like to have different linens to use on my table, but I only have 1 set of napkins so far. AND these were JCPenney brand, WITH the tags still on them...never been used. I HAD to grab those up! =)

So anyway....after a day of shopping and hanging out with my granny, we went back to her house and started packing up. Oh, did I mention that my granny LOVES to give away her stuff? Yeah...I think she does it because it gives her a reason to go out and buy something else to replace it. ;-) (shopaholic, remember??) Well, I always tease my granny and tell her that I'm going to set a big bin next to each one of her front doors, so when she starts giving things away, I can be the first to grab them! So how about she actually already had a TON of stuff to give me when we were in Ocala?! 

 So, not only did she give me this adorable angel, a beautiful lead crystal bud vase, a basket (which I needed one that was rectangle like this, minus the fabric), a tissue box cover (which I have a really great idea for), this cute little heart-shaped frame (I'll be using this in my girly guest bedroom) and these sweet gloves (which are my favorite color: purple!)...ANDDDDD....

ALL of this awesome china she bought! She found this set at The Renaissance Room and grabbed it, but when I told her I wished I had some nice china, she told me I could have it! (She already has my great grandmother's china, plus her own china she's had forever!) Isn't the pattern just adorable! I LOVE it! Now I REALLY have to get a china cabinet! =)

Needless to say, my trip to Ocala with my granny was well worth it! I grabbed up some AWESOME stuff for my house, I took a little mini-vacation, AND I was able to spend quality time with my granny...just the two of us (which we never get to do anymore). It was PERFECT! 

*And Granny...if you're reading this, please don't go getting sappy on me! =) I love you and thanks for everything you do for me!!

**And Papa, if Granny showed you this post...please don't hate me for enabling your wife! ;-) Love you both!!

Bird House {Re-Do}

Hey guys! I just wanted to share this cute little birdhouse I found when I was browsing around in my papa's shed the other day! He was going to throw it out because he felt there was no need in keeping it anymore, but of course, I HAD to save it! I thought it would look ADORABLE outside our house on the front steps! Take a look!

 See...it just needed a little sprucing up! The roof was a bit too rusty for my taste. Also, when I first saw it, the roof was coming apart from the wood base and the bottom piece was all rotted out and halfway gone. So my papa and I (mostly my papa, because he obviously knew what needed to be done!) nailed the roof back on with new nails and replaced the bottom with a scrap piece of wood he had laying around in his workshop.

 Then, I brought the little cutie home (after thanking my papa, of course!). I stopped at Wally World to buy some 97¢ spray paint and used some scrap sandpaper I got from my papa. A couple coats of paint...a little distressing with the sand paper.....

 And VOILÀ! It's beautiful again! (or...less rustic I should say!) For now, the bird house sits on the front steps of our house...I'm going to find some little flowers to go in those holes on the doors, to make it prettier! =) But I love it...my first distressed project! Don't worry...there are MANY more to come! =)

By the way....can I just mention that this was a totally inexpensive project? It only cost me 97¢ altogether! NICE!!

So, hopefully this will keep you guys busy for a little bit. ;-) I have a few more posts to add, but I'm a little behind, so bare with me! There are a lot of photos I still have to upload to Facebook of my day at Disney World with this pretty lady:

Awww...I just love my bestie!! 

Anyway...keep checking and I promise to come back with a few more posts within the next day at least!!

Second Hand Rose {Thrifting}

Question: How do you turn a boring, nothing-to-do type of day into a fun, full-of-exploration type of day?

Answer: Your best friend calls you and asks you to go shopping with her!

Even BETTER Answer: She asks you to go to "this cute little thrift store I found." 

(EEEEKKKK!!!) Can you say "I'LL BE DRESSED IN 5 MINUTES!"...?? =)

Well, this is what happened to me a few days ago! My best friend Jessica called me and said she needed my help to find a cute outfit for Christmas at Kohl's, but also wanted me to go to this thrift store she found. And she had the NERVE to ask me "Do you wanna go...if you're not doing anything?"

IF I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING?? Didn't she know that I had been sitting at the house allllll day...doing absolutely NOTHING? *scoffs* My dear Jessica...I do love her, with her sweet self. =) Anyway. I don't think I could have jumped up any faster to get ready! =) 

We headed straight to Second Hand Rose, an ADORABLE little thrift shop, that USED to be a barn. The front of the building is a wide open space, with LOTS of furniture piled high! I was in L-O-V-E! So as soon as we pulled up, I was in between that pile of wood before Jessica could even lock the doors! =) And what do I find as SOON as I get in there? Only the ONE piece of furniture I've been coveting since I moved out on my own (in 2007!) and haven't had the money to buy, but DESPERATELY need: a CHINA CABINET! Annnnddddd....it MATCHES the new color of my kitchen cabinets!

Isn't it beautiful?? I wanted to buy it soooo bad. But this was NOT in my budget (simply because it was NOT free!) =\

I also found this little beauty hiding in a corner...I wouldn't have minded taking him home with me either!

(I showed this to my granny later on and she was ooohhhing & aaahhhing over it too!)

And then there was this neat little corner shelf...I would have loved having this for my goddaughter's bedroom! =\

 THEN...I found this cute little bread box sitting on top of another table & my jaw dropped! My MOM used to have one of these a while back. DON'T ask me what happened to it, but we did have one. I almost bought it simply for nostalgic reasons!! (NOT the best reason to buy something. The word "hoarder" comes to mind...)

So, excuse this AWFUL photo...try your best to look past all of the weird stuffed animals & dolls. What I was taking a picture of was this AWESOME chair! I've been wanting a very vintage, antique, kinda torn up chair to use in my portrait sessions. Do you know how hard it is to find one that you aren't afraid to sit in around here?

Well, this was the one I would have been GLAD to sit in. But once again, the price tag didn't say FREE. So I had to keep moving....

So on to the indoor area Jessica and I ventured...and stopped at just about EVERY corner! =) One of the first items I saw when I walked in was something my granny would LOVE to have:

This cool wagon wheel has mirrors in between the spokes and in the middle circle...VERY cool. I know a certain someone at House of Smiths who would have LOVED the distressed look this piece had NATURALLY!

Anyway...on to showing you some of the cool things we found inside:

(A "chef" cookie jar, because this is what my kitchen is decorated in; cheese spreaders with corks for handles- simply because my uncle in California made me a tray with his OWN wine corks that would match perfectly; an old aftershave bottle, which I've been told was sold by Avon; a train station that lights up, which goes with all these little houses my granny has to match!)

 (A salt & pepper shaker holder, which has the chef once again; another after shave bottle sold by Avon...this one still had the liquid in it & was shaped like a golf cart, hence the golf bags on the back!)

(This cute little snowman had 3 just like it & they're stocking hooks...2 things I love AND need! This shelf has a story behind it: my neighbor has one VERY similar to it that used to belong to her grandfather and that neighbor just happens to be Jessica's mom! Needless to say, we were both pretty amused at the resemblance!)

Soooo...wanna know what we DID buy? Because with such a VERY LONG list of wants, it would have been completely DEPRESSING to walk out of there with NOTHING! Welllll....

Jessica and I both found this ADORABLE little bird cage! She saw it when we first walked inside, but I saw it when we were turning around to head upstairs (which is the loft of the barn). She never told me she saw it the first time though. But from the first glance, all I could think was "Oh, Jessica...." =) You see, we've been friends for about 13 years...so I KNOW that pretty girl like the back of my hand! And sure enough, she says "Oh yeah, I saw that when we came in!" hahaha

And of course, I HAD to talk her into buying that pretty little thing! And the price? ONLY TEN BUCKS!!!! Yeah...there was NO WAY I was letting her walk out of there without buying it! =) We decided she could get some fake moss from the craft store & put cute little knick knacks in it or use it in her kitchen for her spices! Super cute idea, right? I know! =)

So then, what does my BEST friend do? She finds something only I could love, for the BEST price you could possibly get it for without feeling too guilty:

...a vintage camera bag! Yes, only I, ELYSSA, would go into a thrift shop and find something like this to swoon over (well, out of all my friends, anyway!). So, it's a little weird, because (unfortunately) I don't have a film camera (in my possession anyway...I have an uncle in Orlando who has his old film camera from when he was in college & wants me to have it, but I have yet to acquire it due to the lengthy road trip it will take for me to get it)....ANYWAY, I digress! I use a DSLR (or a "big camera" as my friends & family like to call it) for my portraits and recreational photography...but how cool would it be to use this vintage camera bag for my DSLR?? VERY cool!!! (just agree with me, ok?)

And then, I remembered I had told Jessica about the House of Smiths blog and told her about how Shelley has a vinyl company. Wellll....wouldn't it just be AWESOME to get some neat vinyl with the name of my portrait business (Legacy Portraiture by EBaity) to put on there? I also find a really adorable little vinyl quote ready to print on the Wonderfully Wordy website, seeing as how Shelley isn't taking any customized orders at the time, that I wouldn't mind having as well.

Anyhow...it was a GREAT day shopping with Jessica at the thrift store (and then later at Kohl's). We PROMISED the lady at the register we would be back...AND with more people! =) Because that's how we roll! (wow...too much, huh?) hehehe Well, if you're ever in the area, stop by Second Hand Rose on SOUTH Combee Road in Lakeland, FL (between Tampa & Orlando, in Polk County). Make sure you tell them Elyssa and Jessica sent you! =)

Second Hand Rose Antiques

600 S Combee Rd # 1Lakeland, FL 33801

(863) 665-0755

Mapquest It!