Be Inspired Features and Link Party #56

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!

  

Just a quick reminder that we have a great giveaway going on this week! I'm such a fan of the beautiful porcelain enamel signs from Ramsign and you could be the lucky winner of the house number sign of your choice. Be sure to check out all the details and enter today!

 

 

Now on to some fabulous features.....

 

How gorgeous is this vintage secretary from The Golden Sycamore? Week after week, Allison shares the most amazing projects with us!

 

 

I am totally loving this gallery wall from Daisey Jayne! Actually, I love everything about this beautiful room!

 

 

Love the added rustic feel of this hutch from Turnstyle Vogue! Shari removed the standard panel from the back and replaced it with tongue and groove boards for a whole new look.

 

  

And Shari has a wonderful tutorial on how to make new wood look old!

 

  

Are you craving some fresh spring green as much as I am? Love this beautiful sewing machine cabinet from Lisa at Create Inspire!

 

  

Robin from Happy At Home shared this charming Valentine vignette from her kitchen. I love the sweet simplicity of it!

 

  

Urbane Jane broke out her rubber stamps and created the cutest little stamped sugar cookies just in time for Valentine's Day!

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much to everyone who linked up and linked back!

We so appreciate having you here. If you've been featured, feel free to grab a cute little button from the sidebar!

 

Now on to this week's party...
 

* Link up your furniture makeovers, DIY projects, home decor, crafts, recipes, thrifty finds, etc... We want to see whatever is inspiring you at the moment!

* Grab a party button or link back in some way. You must have a visible link back to be considered for a feature!
 

* And we'd love to have you follow along with us!

We'll be back next Tuesday with features and a brand new party. Now let's be inspired!

Ramsign Giveaway

What better way to start off the week than with a great giveaway!

I've been a fan of the beautiful porcelain enamel signs over at Ramsign for the longest time! And I'm thrilled to offer you an opportunity to win one of your very own!

 

 

The winner will receive any house number sign with 1 to 5 digits.

 

To enter, just check out the Ramsign website and leave a comment on this post telling me which design catches your eye.

 

For an extra entry, like Ramsign on Facebook and leave a second comment.

 

 

The winner will be announced next Monday, February 18th.

 

 

A little package just like this could be on it's way to you very soon!

 

This giveaway is open to readers worldwide.
Thanks so much to our friends at Ramsign!
 

 

 

Ruffled Sheet Music Wreath Tutorial

I make sheet music wreaths on a regular basis for our tag sales. A  sweet blog reader spotted this one from our Holiday Open House post and asked if I would share a tutorial.

 

 

These are super easy to make, just a bit time consuming. I started this one while watching the Super Bowl pregame show and I finished it up watching American Idol last night. Somehow, it just makes the time go by faster!

 

Your supply list is short and simple - a wreath form, a hot glue gun with lots of glue stick, twine or wire for your hanger and some sheet music or book pages. Plus my secret weapon which you'll see in a moment.

 

 

I find hymnals to be perfect for so many craft projects. The pages are a good size and they are inexpensive and easy to find at thrift stores. And they are all a little different. Some have bright white pages, others have a more aged vintage look. I love when they have a hint of color along the edges. Just start by tearing out a stack of pages. I used about a quarter of the pages from one hymnal for this wreath.

 

 

I like to cover the wreath form with pages first so that if there are any little gaps, you'll never even notice.

 

 

And don't forget to add your string or wire for hanging before you start to glue on the pages.

 

 

And now for my secret weapon - a magic marker with a flat bottom!

 

 

Just wrap your page around the marker...

 

 

add a dab of hot glue to the end...

 

 

and press down against your wreath form. Believe me, holding the end of the marker is so much easier than trying to hold the paper in place with your fingers without crushing the paper or burning your fingers!

 

 

I alternate between the outside ring and the inside ring, just keep on going. Notice that the sheets do not have to be too close together.

 

 

Once you have the inside and outside rings complete, you'll have room for two addition ring in between.

 

 

And there you have it - a nice full ruffled sheet music wreath!

 

 

This is what it looks like from the back.

 

 

Since we sometimes hang these in the windows at our tag sales, I like to finish the back with a piece of craft paper or poster board for a more finished look. You can skip this step if you like, but I think a backing also adds a little stability when you are handling your wreath.

 

 

I hope this inspires you to make a sheet music wreath of your own!

 

 

Or come check out the wreath selection at our spring tag sale.

 

 

Dates and times are now posted on the sidebar.

 

 

We hope you can join us!

 

 

Sharing with...

Redoux 

Craftberry Bush

A Little Knick Knack

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Finding Fabulous

My Repurposed Life

Jennifer Rizzo

504 Main

The Shabby Nest

The Gingerbread Blog

Young and Crafty

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

It's Overflowing

Or So She Says

Flamingo Toes

Under the Table and Dreaming

Keeping it Simple

Mod Vintage Life

Making the World Cuter

Coastal Charm

Classy Clutter

Stone Gable

52 Mantels

No Minimalist Here

Whipperberry

Funky Junk Interiors

DIY Showoff

 

 

 

Be Inspired Features and Link Party #55

Happy Tuesday! Welcome back for features and party day!
 

First of all, I'm happy to report the all the blogs I follow have magically reappeared back in my Google Reader. Megan pointed out that it was the Blogger blogs that disappeared. I appreciated hearing that many of you have experienced the same problem. I guess we'll chalk it up to a Blogger issue and hope they work out the kinks in the system! ... Also, I'm really excited about an awesome giveaway coming up later this week! ... Now on to the party. Here are just a few of the wonderful projects that caught my eye last week...

 

Allison from The Golden Sycamore shared the cutest wall mounted bookshelves that she and her husband created for their daughter's room!

 

 

 

Allison also shared another project with us. But to really appreciate it, check out the before photo. That's quite the crackle finish!

 

  

Now check out the transformation to this beautiful new changing table!

 

  

This big beautiful buffet comes from Beth at Make Me Pretty Again. It's definitely pretty now!

 

 

And this one from Deb at Twice Nice is a stunning shade of blue that pairs so nicely with the brass hardware!

 

 

Check out the beautiful plank wood top on this desk from Lisa at Create Inspire!

 

  

I have pinned quite a few Dutch doors recently. I love the cool retro vibe! So I was really excited to see this DIY Dutch door project from my friend Emily over at The Diligent One. It serves a very specific purpose for Emily...

 

  

and it just looks so darn cute in her kitchen!

  

 

And if you are lucky enough to wake up over at Rosemary and Thyme, this is what Sunday morning breakfast looks like - French Toast Stuffed with Strawberries and Guava! Perhaps the perfect  treat for someone special on Valentine's Day?

 

Thanks so much to everyone who linked up and linked back!

We so appreciate having you here. If you've been featured, feel free to grab a cute little button from the sidebar!
 

 

Now on to this week's party...
 

* Link up your furniture makeovers, DIY projects, home decor, crafts, recipes, thrifty finds, etc... We want to see whatever is inspiring you at the moment!

* Grab a party button or link back in some way. You must have a visible link back to be considered for a feature!
 

* And we'd love to have you follow along with us!

We'll be back next Tuesday with features and a brand new party. Now let's be inspired!

 

 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made a batch of Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies yesterday afternoon to take to a Super Bowl Party and let me just say, they were worth every single calorie!

 

Even my husband liked them and he's a purist when it comes to chocolate chip cookies - don't mess with the recipe on the back of the little yellow bag!

 

The flavor combination of chocolate chips, soft caramel and a touch of sea salt - pefection!

 

 

I went looking for a dessert recipe in my Pinterest folder, where of course there are more recipes than I'll ever be able to actually make. This one from Two Peas and Their Pod looked like a real crowd pleaser. And not only did I love the flavor combination, but I was intrigued by the secret ingredient for super soft cookies - cornstarch.

 

 

A little crispy on the outside, definitey soft and chewy on the inside. Mmmm, they were amazing warm, right out of the oven. Good thing I'm going to the gym today!

 

 

They were gone before halftime - this recipe is definitely a keeper!

 

Good food, good friends and the home team won!
Way to go Ravens!

 

And how about you, found any new keeper recipes on Pinterest lately?

Sharing with...
Somewhat Simple