Crafty Texas Girls

4/10/15

New Michaels Store in Frisco

I partnered with Michaels again for a fun crafting event. (You can see event I did last year- just click here.) This one was to kick-off the opening of their new store in Frisco, Texas. Michael's invited a handful of bloggers to their store for a sneak-peek of the new location.

I brought my best lil crafter with me-- she loves all of the 'craft blogging' craziness as much as I do :)

When we arrived at the store, we were greeted with a cute lemonade bar. All the goodies made using items from the store of course. They have a brand new section that is full of chalkboards, burlap, twine, galvanized metal-- things that make crafty people smile.

The event organizers had put together a scavenger hunt- it was a neat way to tour the store. Afton and I raced around looking for the 8 clues. They led us through jewelry, framing, end caps filled with project ideas etc. The new store layout has wider aisles and the products are down lower, so they are easier to reach. It feels brighter and more modern.

I have to admit, we got a little competitive. Afton and I ended up running to the finish-- and winning! The prize was the coveted new Cricut Explore Air!! It's wireless, easy to use and I can't wait to do my first project with it.

After the hunt, the bloggers all returned to the project room where we each made our own tote using the new Cricut Explore Air. I was impressed how easy it was for Afton to use. If a 9 year old can use it.... well it means that all of us adults will love using it too!

Using hot pink sparkle vinyl she made a cute tote bag. And look who was also at the event, remember my friend Jo?! I met her last year in the Southlake store. You might recognize Jo Pearson from Craft Wars. It was so fun to see her again and introduce her to Afton.

All in all, the event was a success. Afton and I finished the evening with dinner at Pei Wei and talked about how lucky we were to win the Cricut and how cute her bag turned out.

If you are local, be sure to visit the new Michael's Frisco store. The Grand Opening is Sunday, April 12th at 5255 Eldorado Parkway at the Parkway Towne Center Shopping Center. (And don't forget to check out all those new burlap & chalkboard crafts!)

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4/7/15

Our Easter 2015

How was your Easter? Ours was really good. We made a few of those crafts that I mentioned in 'this post' I wrote last week. The Easter tree came together. I like the "Charlie Brown" vibe this tree has going on :)

Afton made our family a new set of Resurrection Eggs, all by her self! How awesome is that?! I gave her the directions and she did the rest. I think I am going to like having a 'crafting partner'.

We baked a quick batch of Resurrection Rolls before church on Sunday too. Of course I didn't take a photo. There was too much going on. Oh and that Easter garden idea I posted never got done. But that's ok. Maybe next year.

After church on Sunday, we had a lot of family over for lunch and an egg hunt. The rain held off and we all enjoyed being outside together.

I hope your week is off to a good start.

4/3/15

CInderella Portraits

In the midst of all our Easter activities, my Maisy had the opportunity to be a model for a local boutique! Chris, the owner of LifeDigs Photography, is a long-time friend and when she told me the photos would be 'Cinderella themed' I knew Maisy would want in on the project.

Maisy wore a dress similar to the one in the new Cinderella movie along with a sweet tiara. She loved getting to 'be Cinderella'. And when she saw the edited photos, she literally screamed. After all, what girl wouldn't love to have her princess dreams come true?!

The photos from her modeling session are being used to promote the Cinderella Portrait Sessions that will take place on April 11th. If you are local and have a little princess in your life, be sure to check it out. The details about the photo sessions are listed below. These photos are such a beautiful way to capture that small time in her life when every girl feels like a princess.

I hope you have a Happy Easter Weekend with your family!

3/30/15

Simple Easter Decor

We do Easter in my house with Jesus and plastic eggs. I like to keep it simple :) I have a few little things that I like to put out for decor too. When we see them, it reminds us that we are in the Easter season, the season of Lent.

The eggs and bunny on our table are symbols of spring and new life. The glittery bunny is from HomeGoods. The speckled eggs were from Hobby Lobby and the little tree are a Dollar Spot find a few years ago. My mom bought me the 'egg table runner'. And the egg cups are from Hobby Lobby. (If you buy a little bit each year, you eventually end up with a nice little stash of holiday decor.) On my hutch is a sweet wreath my mom just made for me. She likes to craft too :)

I made the rustic twine Easter eggs a few year ago. Here is the link to that post.

And I had to add this photo-- because these little sticky window clings have brought SO much happiness to my 5 year old. She was so proud to help me decorate the house for Easter. Besides hanging all the eggs on the little table trees, she was in charge of the window decor. I love when something so simple (and cheap) can bring so much joy.

In the kitchen, have another sparkly bunny. A square wreath - also a past project that you can see here. And then I put some plastic eggs in a covered dish.

I feel like we have to be careful not to get too crazy with the Easter bunny. It's not his season. This is the time for Jesus. The Easter eggs symbolize the Resurrection of Jesus. So I like to think of the bunny as a symbol of spring. And spring reminds us of new life and light-- the light that Jesus brought into the world.

Get these free printables by clicking here.

Our family has a few traditions we do every Easter Week. I do some kind of Easter decorating at our home.

We go to church on Maundy Thursday. And then make Resurrection Rolls together to eat on Easter Sunday.

Photo via Taste of Home- see her post for the recipe.

On Sunday, we get dressed up and go to church. We do Easter baskets and fill them the happy treats.
My family gathers together to share a meal and celebrate that He has indeed Risen.

This year, I also want to try this Easter garden, shared on 'We Are That Family'. See this post for details.

And my friend Kim V. inspired me to make an Easter Egg tree too. I am hoping for something similar to this one shown by "Skip to My Lou". (Ours will be much smaller!)

To keep it all in perspective- here is a post about things I will not being doing this Easter :)

Does your family have any special Easter traditions?

3/16/15

DIY Floral Lampshade

A new lamp shade can change a room. My favorites range from textured neutrals to a graphic design with some contrast. I have several lamp shades stored in my craft room that I switch out depending on my "decor mood" :)

I was sent this kit from "I Like That Lamp"--a site dedicated to demonstrating how easy it is to create your own lighting. They have created all-inclusive lamp and lampshade kits that make it easy to make a lamp you love.

The kit includes everything you need to create a custom lamp shade-- that you love. All you need to provide is your favorite fabric and a paintbrush (to apply the included glue).

Image via I Like That Lamp

The kit contains:
-Adhesive Styrene Sheet
-Molding Stick
-Lampshade glue
-Top & Bottom Lampshade rings
-Binder Clips
-Illustrated step-by-step instructions
- Online 'quick guide' to help you determine the proper shade height & diameter for your base.

Image via "Place of My Taste" featured on "I Like That Lamp"

The instructions are easy to follow for those who love a good DIY project. Simply apply fabric to the included adhesive styrene backing. Then secure the fabric on the rings with the included binder clips. Finally apply glue to the fabric to attach it to the rings. The illustrated instructions are easy to read!

There are also tips and tutorials to help with ideas and inspiration on the "I Like That Lamp" website. (One of my favorites is the springy floral lampshade by "Place of My Taste".)

Using some of my favorite black and white floral fabric, I made this lamp shade for my girl's room. I added some gold glitter washi tape. (Gold glitter washi tape makes everything better.)

The project didn't take long and it added a lot of design detail to the room.

You can get your own kit at "I Like That Lamp" and create a custom shade for your home.

Thanks to "I Like That Lamp" for providing the kit.

No compensation was received, opinions are all my own!

3/9/15

Winter in Cancun

I have worn both bikinis with flip flops and sweaters with boots -- in the same week! That's because Jeff and I spent a few days in Cancun, Mexico. And when we came home from our tropical trip, the 'ever-changing North Texas weather' brought four inches of snow. It was a crazy few days.

But back to the Mexico part.... I shared several photos from our long weekend on Instagram (@craftytexasgirl). But I thought I would add some here too. Because you never know when you will find yourself booking a trip to Cancun in the near future.

We stayed at the CasaMagna Resort in Cancun. We are "Marriott people" so we loved this resort. It was next to the JW Marriott. We had access to those pools, restaurants etc. as well. But we honestly preferred the Marriott to the JW.

We soaked up the warm weather, it was around 80 degrees and sunny. Late February in Cancun, Mexico is gorgeous. We ate, drank, and basically just relaxed by the ocean.

Our Mexico trip coincided with our 12th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with massages at the resort spa and a fun dinner.

It was an amazing 4 days. Kind of hard to come home. Except for the fact that we missed our girls :) All that sunshine makes me excited for Winter to end and Spring to begin.