4th of July inspiration

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I love summer bbq's, being with family, and watching fireworks. I love everything besides the decorations.  I don't know what it is about 4th of July decorations but there are not very many that I like.  I am not into lots of big bows and ribbons. 4th of July decorations have been stuck in the 90's!  Anyone else feel this way? I like more of the "vintage" look. I've been looking around to find some "up to date" decor.  Here are a few of my inspirations for crafts and decorating this season.

             4th of July Mantel @ hoosier homemade                  

Burlap Flag Wreath @ The Scrap Shoppe Blog 

Vintage Flag @ Mamie Janes

Table decor @ Simply Stunning Ideas

Table display @ Cherished Treasures

Patriotic pickle jar Eighteen 25

Apothecary bean jar @ Makoodle

I hope this gives you some inspiration!  If you have any good ideas send them our way!

-Christy

crepe paper wreath

I made this wreath 2 years ago for Mother's Day and I still pull it out every spring.  I got the idea from The House of Smiths. This crepe paper wreath is so easy (very time consuming) and inexpensive.  

All you need is

a piece of wood for the frame

a foam wreath

crepe paper

and lots of hot glue

Since I made this 2 years ago I didn't take pictures of the steps. But if you click here you will find a great tutorial from The House of Smiths.

Enjoy!  If you are liking our blog we would love your pins and for you to follow us!

- Christy

We've been featured!!

We are so excited to announce that we've been featured over on

{pocket change}

 for their best of the web series. We were so flattered they had found our blog and wanted to put it out their on their website. So- thank you pocketchange.com we are truly honored!! :) Everyone go over and take a peek and share the love :)

Thanks for reading!!

Happy Friday everyone- have a fun and looooong weekend! :)

Cake and Casserole Tray

Our cute friend Jillian made this adorable tray. I love that it is deep enough to put a casserole dish or a cake pan in it.  There have been so many times I need to take a hot pan to a party and I have no idea how to transport it.  With this tray you can arrive in style. 

Jillian was sweet enough to do a guest post for us on how she made it.

 I absolutely fell in LOVE with this when I saw it. It was sooo simple to make and only cost me under $10 to build {not including serving dish} I got this idea from shanty-2-chic Her ideas are always so cute and so simple I knew even I could make this :) This is a gift for my mother in law who is always hosting parties and making meals for others so it was an ideal present for her. It works great to carry hot platters and holds up to a 9x13 pan. I think this tray would also look great on a coffee table with a vase of flowers and picture frame in it.

You start off with 2 1x4 furring strips from Lowe's found in the lumber dept. They only cost 1.99 ea! You will also need wood glue, stain, finish nails, handles and spray paint for your handles. You cut 2 pieces at 10.5" (short ends) , 2 pieces at 17.5"(long ends) and 3 pieces at 16" (bottom slats). Attach it with wood glue and finish nails. Let it dry completely before staining. I just used a soft cloth to rub the stain on. Then I purchased my handles on sale at Hobby Lobby for 1.50 ea. Spray painted them with an ivory color and sanded the edges a bit.





 I added a cute serving platter {$8 at Ross} and tied some ribbon around it! I love the end result!

We hope you enjoy this great DIY project

Coral & Mint

Coral & mint are still our favorite colors. We love the duo for jewelry, clothing, nail polish, flowers, and if either of us were getting married they would be our wedding colors.  You get the point, we love coral & mint!

We put together a little collage of our favorite Pinterest picks to give you a visual of how great these colors are.  What are your favorite colors right now?

- Christy & Chelsie 

The start of summer nights

I already blogged about this on my { personal blog } but it's just too cute to not share on here too :) As everyone already knows Christy and I love our girls nights. Randomly yesterday I got a free molten cake from Chilis -mmmmmm- so I asked if she wanted to go with me! She picked Kennedy up from my house and then met me there after work with the little bff's. It was such a perfect start to the summer nights we love so much.

After we ate we went outside and watched the girls show off their tumbling skills while Christy and I did what we do best. Blog/FB stalk ;)

We were outside utnil it started to get dark.

It really made us so excited for summer!!

There is so much to look forward to.

AND if all goes as planned we will both be moving into amazing houses.

Sister wives style.

Kidding ;)

How silly are these girls?
I have no idea where they would be without each other.
They said they'll be BFF's just like their moms forever ;)

Sometimes we have the best nights doing nothing- We're so easy to entertain!

Happy Thursday!!
Love- Chels

Picture Frame to Decorative Tray

I am always looking for cheap ways to decorate. This tray cost me under $10.  I picked up this frame from the DI for $2 and spray painted it white. I added a little stain to give it an older look.

I used the cardboard that came with the frame and covered it in fabric.  I probably could have come up with a better way to secure it, but hey taping it was easy and fast!

I picked up some drawer handles from Home Depot and screwed them in.  Put it on your coffee table or use it as a serving tray. 

I hope you like this project.

 Christy

Linking up to someday crafts, Polkadot Pretties, Thirty handmade days, Not Just a Housewife, seven thirty three