Last Minute Valentine's Ideas

Well hello! I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Who knew all the appointments, classes and tours that come with expecting babies!? Not me...obviously. I told my husband it is like having another full time job just keeping up with appointments. Y'all never warned me!

Well I am back today to talk Valentine's Day. My mom always made Valentine's Day special. She still makes a pot roast and her most delicious heart bread to this day. We will be gathering with family on Saturday night to celebrate.

Last year I hosted a Valentine's Tea for all of my sweet friends. You can see the details Here. I so wanted to do that again this year, but really at 28 weeks pregnant... I don't have the energy. So I have been searching some fun last minute ideas to share with all of you instead!


1. Peanut Butter Cup Rice Crispy Treats
Of course I had to start with something yummy! I think I might have to make this tomorrow and I can guarantee I will be eating half of the recipe myself! Stop on over to Inspired by Charm for the details!

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2. Free Printables:  Valentines Cards & Envelopes
These are absolutely adorable. I love that they can be interchanged and feel more personal than buying a card from the store. Plus they save big money! Have you noticed how expensive cards are now a days? Download this full set Here.

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3. 52 Reasons I Love You

What a fun and inexpensive gift idea! You could create this for your significant other or for your child. I started working on this one for the Hubs. We will see if I can finish it in time. All you need is a deck of cards, a hole punch and a ring clasp (which you can find at staples). You can either type the words or write them with a sharpie. Tutorial Here. 

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4. DIY XOXO Table Cloth or Runner

What a fabulous idea! If you are staying in for Valentine's Day this year or just want to make breakfast extra special for the kids, why not create your own table cloth or runner. It doesn't have to be expensive. Use an old sheet or left over fabric laying around the house. Add some black paint and presto......

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5. Donut Hole Breakfast Skewers

These would be so easy and so much fun for kids. And...the fruit counteracts the donuts...right?

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Also...do you need a little help on what to wear for Valentine's Day? My friend Megan put together two great outfits that are casual enough for a stay at home party or a night out at a friend's house. You can check out the sources here. If I wasn't preggo I would be buying that adorable Red Cami! And how comfy does that heart sweater and boyfriend jean combo look?

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So what are you all up to for Valentines this year? I am thinking we are going to celebrate tomorrow night and try to avoid some of the crazy crowds. Or...we are going to order pizza in with a movie. That actually sounds so delightful! 

XOXO

Wrap Wrap Wrappin... {Free Printable Gift Tags}

It is that time....the packages are calling! Time to get my wrap on over the next few days. I am going to try and set up a wrapping station on the dining room table. It will be a big mess, but at least I will be able to watch movies while completing the big task.

While I start getting things prepared over here, I thought that you all might enjoy some sites to look at for printable tags. It would be an unexpected surprise to have some fun tags tied to your packages that didn't take you all day to make. Just grab some card stock and your printer!

There are some wonderful ideas out there and some talented graphic designers (which I am not). Here are a few of my favorites that I thought you might like!
**click on the link below the pictures to download your pdf**

Black and White Tags

Merry Christmas Tags

Woodland Gift Tags

Modern Black & White

Colorful Gift Tags

Calligraphy Gift Tags

These are some of my favorites. When you click the link you won't see all of them, so make sure you go to the download page. There are quotes from Elf, Home Alone, The Grinch and Griswald Movies! Too cute!

Colorful or Black & White Gift Tags

Modern Gift Tags

So are you ready to start wrapping? OR are you still shopping?

I better get a move on...have a wonderful day!!

Easy Thanksgiving Tablescapes

If you are anything like me, life can get crazy busy and you forget all the detailed pieces when it comes to entertaining for the holidays. This year we are actually going to be out of town for Thanksgiving, so I didn't have to come up with a tablescape for guests. I am kind of sad about it. I love setting my table and making it pretty. So this year I am living through inspirational pictures like the ones below.

With Thanksgiving only ONE week away, here are a few quick and easy ideas to make your table look festive without much trouble.

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Take a trek into your backyard or neighbors yard. It is amazing what inspiration you can find for a centerpiece. Grab a stem of colorful leaves, a branch of magnolia or a bunch of pinecones. I love the organic feel of bringing the outdoors in! 

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Emily created an amazing centerpiece from discounted ornamental Kale from Home Depot and craft paper as the table runner. Genius!

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I also love the idea of using what you have in your refrigerator. Grab some colorful fruit to lay on top of garland or tie a sprig of rosemary to a cloth napkin to add interest. 

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This is a neat idea of gathering branches from outside and spray painting them a bright color. It creates a sort of art piece right on your table!

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We can't forget about the kiddos! Did you have a kids table growing up? We sure did!
This idea is absolutely adorable. Grab some brown or white craft paper (or wrapping paper) to cover the kids table. Use jars from around the house for art supplies. This will keep them busy a little longer so you can enjoy your scrumptious meal and the paper helps with clean up. Win Win!

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How about spray painting a charger with chalk paint? Rather than a word, you could write the guest's name on the charger with chalk marker to help identify where everyone will sit for the meal. I also like the idea of using ribbon and yarn that you have laying around the house to wrap the cloth napkins and silverware. Nothing fancy, but helps add so much character and texture.

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Free Printable

This is a great way to get everyone involved in an activity while waiting for the meal and takes the place of a normal place mat or charger. Click the source link to download your own!

As you can see, it doesn't have to be expensive to look amazing. Using what you have around the house is your best bet before going out to buy something. 

What ideas have inspired you? Any tips and tricks you have used over the years to help with the stress of having company?

Tuesday Treats #23 {Inspiration from around the web}

Hi All! Thanks so much for your sweet comments and emails about yesterday's post. It is good to have a balance when it comes to this thing called life!

Today I am back with a round up of some pretty fabulous inspiration and ideas from around the web. Hope you Enjoy!

***Please remember to pin from original sources! I have linked to all image sources below pictures!**

#1: Flower Arranging Made Easy
Love this quick and easy idea from Burlap and Lace. It will seriously change the way you place flowers in your vase from now on!

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#2: Tonic Living- Year of Change Sale
If you have never checked out Tonic Living's site, then you are missing out big time! I have ordered some fabulous fabric from them and for a limited time they are offering 10% off everything! That includes already made pillow covers and even custom orders. You won't be disappointed with their selection. Click on over and start saving till November 10th!

#3: Free Printables- Thankful Tags

I love Emily's idea on creating a thankful tree. It would be a great family activity where each family member has to write something they are thankful for each night during November. I think I am going to implement this in our home. Take a look at her adorable tags. You can sign up for her archive and get so many free printables throughout the year!

Source & Free Download HERE. 

#4: Black, White & Bold Living room

Do you follow Kristen from The Hunted Interior? She is absolutely amazing at how she can transform a room on a budget. She recently revealed her fabulous living room and I am in love. So many colors and textures. My eyes literally bounce from one thing to the next. To see the full room reveal make sure you stop by HERE. 

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#5: Black and White Pillow Sources

Sherry pulled together a great round up of black and white pillow covers from Etsy! If you are as much of a pillow snob as I... you might like to check out some great sources from Etsy. I love supporting Etsy artists! Click on over to Sherry's post HERE for a full list! 

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Hope you all are having a wonderful Tuesday! Stop on by tomorrow for a HUGE surprise!!

XOXO

Tuesday Treats #7- {Inspiration from around the web}

It has been a while since I have posted some finds from around the web! There are always so many fabulous DIY ideas, outfit inspiration and even fabulous recipes I find and forget to share with all of you. I am going to try and be better about sharing in 2014!! :)

Today's Treats are a mix of decorating, fashion and food! Enjoy!

1. Winter Printable via JDC
Do you all remember when I shared the fall essentials printable a few months ago? It was just adorable. Well Emily has designed a winter one and it is as cute as can be! I am trying to decide where I can place this sweet print in my home. You can download a free one for yourself Here!!

2. Butternut squash, spinach & bacon Quiche

If you all follow me on Instagram, you may have seen our dinner a few nights ago. It was this amazing Quiche that just melts in your mouth! I have been trying a lot of different recipe's lately and this one is on top of the list for one of the best! In the recipe it calls for Arugula, but I substituted it for Spinach because that was all I had on hand at the time. I would also recommend spending the extra dollar and buying the Butternut Squash that is already cut up in the produce section. That took a little time waiting for the squash to cook and then waiting for it to cool so I could cut it up and place in the Quiche. Other than that...it was DE-LISH!

3. Modern Farmhouse Dining room
I came across this designer/builder a couple of weeks ago. I of course have been stalking their site and looking at all their fabulous projects, but the one that was my all-time favorite was the Modern Farmhouse. I couldn't get over the rustic, modern, industrial design that they have placed together for this amazing space. You must go HERE and check out the rest of the beautiful home.

4. Plaid & Fur
For some reason I just can't get enough of the fur look this season. Many of you remember my Faux Fur Vest story and how I loved the new fur trend. I saw the look below this week on pinterest and haven't been able to get it off my mind. I just love the plaid and fur combo! I may have to try it out for myself this week.

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5. Dining room turned little girl's room
One of my fellow blogging friends, Kristen, just did a major change in her sweet Atlanta home. They decided they didn't use their dining room enough and made it into their little girl's room. She used what she had around the house to create this adorable space. Go Here for all the pictures & Here for the details.

So that's today's round up!!
Have you found any great ideas lately that have inspired you or that you want to try in 2014? Do share!


Stay warm my sweets! The Polar Vortex has hit here in NC, but at least the sun is still shinning!! xoxo

Free Printable Friday!! {Gift Tags}

Hi All! How are you all holding up? I have started the mass package wrapping. My mother in law always creates beautiful packages tied with the most fabulous ribbons. Me...well lets just say I try to survive and get it done. While in the process of wrapping yesterday I realized I didn't have any gift tags or lables left from last year. I also didn't want to run out and get in the way of all the crazy shoppers, so I decided to find some printable tags that would look cute on top of my packages, but also cost me next to nothing. All I had to use was my printer and some card stock that I already had on hand!

I thought since I am such a gracious friend...hehe, I would share some of my favorite printable gift tags that I have found out on the web. Hope this helps some of you last minute wrappers!

Woodland Holiday Gift Tags: Download & Print HERE

Colorful Deer Tags: Download & Print HERE

Holiday Gift Tags: Download & Print HERE

21 Free Holiday Tags: Download & Print HERE

Calligraphy Printable Tags: Download & Print HERE

Sweet Holiday Tags: Download & Print HERE

Monogram Gift Tags (Come in 4 different color combos): Download & Print HERE

If you still don't have time to print, cut and punch your tags, how about stopping by your local Hardware store and pick up a few paint chips!? This is an adorable idea as well as cheap and time efficient! 

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So which ones were your favorite? I am loving all of them! I might just have some pretty spectacular looking packages after all! 

Happy Happy Friday! This makes....4 more shopping days left! Get busy my friends!