Bathroom Reveal

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Remember a few months ago, we started working on the guest bathroom?

When we bought our home almost 4 years ago, the bathroom was wall papered in safari animals. I ripped it all down and then did my own version of 'old world texture'. I painted the walls yellow and then used a brown glaze. But now that the color scheme of our house has been changed over the last year, this bathroom finally gotten to me.

My hubby was kind enough to demo it :)

And here is the big reveal!

Let's take a closer look:

 TILE- We chose 18 inch tiles and had our contractor cut them in half, tumble the edges and lay them in a brick pattern. The shower is done in subway sized natural stone. These were also placed in a brick pattern. I love the variation in natural stone. Both the floor and shower tiles had to be sealed.

LIGHTING- We traded out the brass 'hollywood' fixture for this clean, nickel fixture from Home Depot.

 ACCESSORIES: I found the mirror at Goodwill for $30. It was gold, so I painted it black.  The coral is souvenir from our trip to Galveston. And the adorable beach photo of my girls was taken by Splendor Photography on our trip to Destin in August. The fancy frame is a Hobby Lobby purchase and the soap dispenser is 'milk glass' from Target. I used a hurricane glass from Marshalls for a candle and surrounded it with sea shells.

Photo by Splendor Photography

And this piece of art was found at a boutique in downtown Grapevine. My favorite part about it? "Every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back."

WORDS OF WISDOM: 
This is the second time we have updated a bathroom in this house. We had the girls bathroom done shortly after Maisy was born. As with everything else in life, it is much easier the second time around.

-You can save money by doing the demo yourself. It's messy, but a good stress-reliever!
-Shop around and ask everyone. We went to multiple discount stores looking at tile. But after talking to our contractor, he pointed us to a small tile company in Dallas that saved us several hundred dollars.
-Take your time. Like all decor projects, don't settle. Keep looking until you find just what you want.
-Assecories and a plan make a difference. Just because it is a bathroom doesn't mean you can't style it.

Have you updated a bathroom before? Got any tips to share? I'd love to hear from you :)

Linking up here:
-Home Stories A to Z
-Tatertots and Jello
-Serenity Now
-Under the Table and Dreaming
-The Creative Paige
-Not So Simple Housewife

Holiday Gift Market

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If you are local to the DFW area, get your Christmas shopping done early!

Two of my sweet sponsors, Theresa Peel from Scentsy and Hollie Smith from Kelly's Kids will be just a few of many unique, high quality vendors at the Holiday Gift Market. The event will be Saturday, October 22nd from 1pm-5pm in Fort Worth. And not only will you get to cross a few things off you 'gift list', but you will also be doing some good. The Holiday Market is organizing a canned food drive. And those who choose to donate will receive a ticket to be entered in a free raffle sponsored by the market's vendors.

When you go, stop by and say hello to Theresa and Hollie. And let them know a crafty girl sent you!

Crafty How To: Lil Pumpkin Party

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On Wednesday I shared with you my two year old's birthday party. The theme was "Lil Pumpkin"- perfect for this time of year. I thought I would give you a peek at a few other party crafts I made for her big day.

 Even if there aren't any "Lil Pumpkin" birthday parties in your life right now, you can still use these ideas for Halloween, Harvest or any other Fall festivities you have planned in the next few months. These crafts are quick and easy-- just the way I like em!

First up, the cupcakes. I loved these "Lil Pumpkin" cupcakes. They were so sparkly and bright. A great, edible decoration for any party. They are a combination of two cupcakes I saw on Pinterest.
You could modify these to be apples by using red sprinkles and the skinny, stick pretzels for stems. Or make them into Christmas ornaments- sprinkle them in red, green, white, etc and use those 'twizzlers peel and pull candy' to create a hook. Lots of possibilities!

I started by using a box mix of yellow cake. Then added a few 'secret ingredients'-- a splash of vanilla extract and an extra egg.  The cupcake liners are from Wilton, they came in solid black and orange.
After cooling, I covered them in cream cheese icing and then rolled the 'wet' icing in a bowl of sprinkles. It took me two jars of the Wilton sprinkles- the 3.25 oz size. It was the perfect amount to cover 40 cupcakes. Then I used a toothpick to make a 'ditch' for the icing. This extra orange icing gave some detail to the pumpkins.

I finished them off with pretzel stems (broken in half) and a green icing swirl. They were yummy and cute!

Next up, the party hat.

 I found a great template for creating one out of scrapbook paper on Jones Design Company. You can print it here. Then I added some ruffled fabric, ribbons, and a few embellishments from my scrap-booking days. Finally I hot glued an elastic strap to the bottom. You could create these for each party guest, or just make a 'fancy' one for the birthday girl/boy.

The last craft I wanted to show you is a 'no-sew' runner.

I found this polka dot fabric on sale at Hobby Lobby. So I bought two yards and cut it in half length ways. Then I used pinking shears to finish the edges. Voila! A fast, easy runner for any party.

I hope our "Lil Pumpkin" inspires you this season. A few hand-made crafts always add a special touch!

Joining these fun parties, check em out!
-Home Stories A to Z
-Tatertots and Jello
-Serenity Now
-Under the Table Dreaming
-The Creative Paige
-Not So Simple Housewife

Pumpkin Party

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Our precious little Maisy just turned two. I love this age, so much personality and spirit! We decided to do a "Pumpkin" party for our lil pumpkin.

I got her adorable outfit from Oopsy Daisy Baby. It was perfect for our theme and she loved twirling around in the fancy pettiskirt.

I created the invitations using supplies I had at home- ribbon, paper, hot glue.

 I created a word document with Maisy's photo and the party info and printed it on white paper. Then I used brown paper notecards and cut them in half. I used pinking shears to 'fancy up' the edges.

Next, I punched two holes at the top to thread orange ribbon through. A bit of glue was used to attach the white paper and to secure the ends of the ribbon.

 The big occasion was held at  Hall's Pumpkin Farm. The party package at the farm included tickets to a huge corn maze, farm animals, a hayride, and a pumpkin for each kiddo to take home as a party favor. Plus there was lots of room to move and great decor for photos.

The kids had a blast running around- they played on the 'hay house', rode tractors, and climbed all over the playground.

 Our hayride took us on a tour of the farm. We stopped to feed the cows and donkeys. Did you know they like bread?

After the hayride, we enjoyed a picnic lunch with family and friends. We served Maisy's favorite foods- fruit, chick-fil-a nuggets, and chips.



Finally the party wrapped up with cupcakes. Maisy has a huge sweet tooth- so this was the moment she had been waiting for.

 The party was made even better because we were able to celebrate with all the special people in Maisy's life. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much love and support.

Happy Birthday sweet Maisy Lou! 

Click here for the details on those delicious pumpkin cupcakes and a few other fun crafts you can create for "pumpkin season".

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 Linking up here:
-Home Stories A to Z
-Tatertots and Jello
-Serenity Now
-Under the Table Dreaming
-The Creative Paige
-Not So Simple Housewife
-The ArtsyGirl Connection