DIY Bachelorette Party Decorations Tutorials

Awhile ago I posted pictures of the decorations I made for a friend's bachelorette party. Today I'll show you how I made all of these pinterest inspired decorations!

 

Linking up with Melissa for The Pinterest Project

 

My inspirations for the  projects. Click pictures to go to their site. 

My three finished projects (click the picture to read about the party!)

Project 1: Bunting banner!

Materials needed: 

1. Card Stock

2. Template

3. Ribbon

4. Glue

5. Scissors/exacto knife

6. Hot Glue Gun

You can do this project with fabric as well, but I just wanted something simple. 

1. Decide what you want your banner to say. I made a triangle for each letter, plus three extra for each size. 

2. Trace template and cut out for each triangle. 

3. Write, paint, cut out letters etc. for the wording. I cut out letters from another color cardstock and glued on. 

4. Lay out triangles and measure ribbon to size. Make sure you leave room to hang it!

5. Score where the dotted edge is on the template and fold over. 

6. Place ribbon inside fold and run a thin line of glue on the bottom edge of flap. Try not to get any on the ribbon in case you need to move your letters! 

I also added bows right at the edge of my triangles so that they wouldn't move around.

This project is super easy, and can be used for anything. It was somewhat time consuming!

Project 2: Timeline

This is another super easy project. 

Materials needed:

1. Pictures

2. Ribbon/twine

3. Mini clothes pins (can be found at Michael's)

4. Divider

I did a timeline of the bride and groom's relationship, but as you can see from my inspiration it can be used for anything. 

1. Decide what your dividers will say. Mine had different memorable times in their relationship.

2. Choose your pictures and get them printed. 

3. Make your dividers. I used the same triangles I had used for the bunting banner and hand wrote on them. 

5. Hang up your twine! I couldn't beforehand and it was a pain to move after the fact!

6. Pin your dividers and pictures up!

Project 3: Tissue paper pom poms

These have become really popular recently. You can purchase kits with all the materials and just put them together your self, but you'd still be doing the same exact steps as if you'd made them yourself!

Materials needed:

 1. Tissue paper ~8 sheets per ball

2. Floral wire

3. Scissors

4. Ribbon

If you want them different sizes you'll need to figure out the proportions to cut the tissue paper first. 

1. Lay 8 sheets of paper on top of each other.

2. Fold up accordion style, about 1" sections. You can do this long or short ways. 

3. Wrap floral wire around the center. 

4. If hanging with ribbon tie the ribbon around the floral wire. It's much easier now than later!

5. Taking a sharp pair of scissor either round out your two small sides or make them pointed, which ever look you want. I did rounded. 

5. Flatten out the accordion so it looks like a fan. 

6. Carefully pull each sheet of paper up to the center, fluffing as you go till it looks like a ball. ( Be very gentle it rips very easily!)

7. Hang up and you're ready to go!!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I know it can be confusing since I don't have step by step directions!

High Five For Friday {4}

Linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk Blog!

1. I've been selling pretty much everything possible on Amazon as we've been packing. I can't believe how quickly the random stuff we have laying around goes! It might help that I sold ridiculous amounts of Kyle's old video games things!

 

2. We finally saw Dark Knight in theaters this week and loved it!

We may or may not have watch the other two this week as well...

3. I've been playing with different hair styles for this upcoming wedding week! I finally decided on this hairstyle from The Small Things Blog!

4. This pretty girl, my college roommate, is getting married TODAY! 

5. Our house is a disaster as we pack to move this weekend. Can't wait for it to be done!

This Year I'll...

23 In 23

Linking up with Erin at Living In Yellow

  Since my birthday was in April I better get a move on! 1. Graduate college- Masters of Education from UF May 4, 2012

2. Get a big girl job - Kindergarten Teacher September 20, 2012
Read About It Here!
Official First Day- September 27, 2012

3. Move into our own condo- Hello South Florida! July 30, 2012 Read about it here!
4. Decorate our home
5. Pay off at least one of our student loans
6. Start walking/jogging- Officially Started September 10, 2012 The Beginning
7. Go to HP world Season passes purchased! First visit January 1, 2013
8. Watch the sunrise on the beach
9. Take more pictures
10. Get a new camera for said pictures
11. Go on a mini vacation just Kyle and I Anniversary Trip. January 1-2, 2013
12. Throw a dinner party
13. Spend some girl time while my two best friends and I actually live in the same area
    14. Re-Read The Great Gatsby before the movie comes out
15. Grow my hair back out

16. Wear heels more than just fancy occasions
Lets be real, this isn't happening. I hate heels!

17. Buy a pair of tall boots! Hello new favorite shoes! December 2012

  18. Throw a birthday party- Kyle's 25th September 15, 2012 Read about it here
19. Keep up with my blog
20. Decorate for a holiday
21. Go to a new restaurant
22. Make a pinterest dessert -Homemade Reese Cups Tutorial Here
23. Make a wedding album  

DIY T-Shirt Blanket Tutorial

 Linking up with Melissa at A Day In the Life of a Mom and a Wife for The Pinterest Project. Head on over and share your pinterest inspired projects!
 I had been wanting to make a t-shirt blanket with all my old t-shirts for awhile. I had boxes of them just waiting, but I can't sew. Everything I've tried has turned out miserably! So, I found this tutorial and modified it to make it more friendly, borrowed a sewing machine and was on my way! If I could make one of these in an afternoon anyone can make one! 

 

I ended up making two blankets. After the first one I made some modifications to make it even easier. I'm going to share the directions I used for blanket #2, which I like better. Each blanket used approximately 30 t-shirts. 

Materials Needed:

1. ~30 shirts. You only need 30 designs for this size, so you can use backs and fronts of the same shirt. Just make sure to cut the back and front apart before starting step 1. 

2. Large piece of fleece or other sturdy material. Same size as your t-shirts. Mine was 5'x6'

3. Sewing Machine

4. Pins

5. Marker

6. 12x12 template

7. Needle

8. Thread

 1. Make a 12x12 template. Lay on top of t-shirt design.     2. Trace around template with a sharpie and cut out. You won't see the marker later!    3. Once you have all of your squares cut out, lay them out and play around with them till you find a design you like.     4. Starting at the top, lay the first two squares right sides together and pin along the side. Sew together using a 1/4" seam allowance.     5. Continue till the whole row is stitched together.     6. Continue to stitch together each individual row.     7. Take the first two rows and lay them right sides together pinning along the side. Stitch together using a 1/4" seam allowance.     8. Stitch all the rows together until you're left with a large square. This will be the top of the blanket.     9.Lay out your piece of fleece. Lay the top of your blanket down on top of the fleece.     10. Pin all the way around leaving the side of one square open. I found that leaving one on the side open is a lot easier than a corner one. Sew all the way around using a 1/4" seam allowance. Pull out pins and pull the blanket through the hole you left. Hand stitch the hole.     11. Lay the blanket down flat and pin all the way around. Run a top stitch around the whole blanket using a 1/4" seam allowance. This keeps the top from slipping around. Enjoy! See, super easy!! If you have any questions at all please feel free to contact me!

This is the Stuff

 

I like things organized. 

My planner and my iCal are color coded and have my life in them. 

I don't like not having plans.

I like having control.

God has a sense of humor, he gave me Kyle, my complete opposite in this.

He also is constantly trying to teach me to give up control. I constantly struggle against this.

Enter the most unorganized time of my life.

I'm going to be honest, these last few days have been some of my roughest yet. 

We're moving a week from today and currently don't have somewhere to live.

School starts in a month and I haven't had any sort of interview lined up. 

And there's nothing I can physically do to get any of this to happen. 

I wrote before about how we had found a condo and were so excited about it. We're still trying to get the condo, but it seems like one thing after the other keeps getting in our way. I don't doubt that we'll get the condo, it just doesn't look like we'll be in it when we need to be. We filled out the forms, and found out 11 days later that the owner's realtor never sent them to the association. We figured everything out with them and then found out we needed to give them a copy of the lease. We didn't have one because the realtor said the condo had to approve us before the final lease was signed. We found out the association has to meet with us and only meets on Mondays. We have to move Sunday. We get the final lease and are told we have to pay, first, last, and security. All the same price. We had been told first and last. We couldn't afford all three. 

I called my dad sobbing because I had no idea what to do and was so stressed. My dad is not only a minister, but used to work for a company that teaches people about how to handle their money. After helping me figure it all out he says,"I'm glad you're going through this." I'm sorry, what? My dad clarified that he was glad that we were figuring out how to deal with the stress of money and searching for the right solution before doing something dumb in a panic that messed us up even worse. Leave it to my dad to remind me of the blessing in my mess. 

As for a job, I've applied every place that's hiring in my county for my age group. Hopefully someone will call me soon! Jobs were just posted less than two weeks ago, but once again for me, not having a future plan is stressing me out!

 

Blogger 411!

 I know I'm a few days late jumping on the band wagon, but it's such a great idea I just had to share!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I've done different sorts of blogs off and on since high school. I started using blogger during our engagement in 2011, but this specific blog has only been around for a few months. I started blogging for a few reasons. One, I like the idea of being able to express myself and talk about whatever was going on in my life. Two, I like keeping up with family and friends who are far away. Three, I really like meeting people who are in similar places of life as myself. I think my blog has always been a little bit of whatever interests me in the moment. Grated as my stage of life has changed so has the blog. I've gone from dating, engaged, to a newlywed.

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?

I went to both undergrad and grad school at the University of Florida. I just graduated with a masters in Early Childhood Education. Go Gators!

3. Where have you traveled?
My parents instilled a love a missions in me from a young age, so I've been all over the place. I've been to Haiti, Costa Rica, Guatemala, DC, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and probably other states thanks to family road trips I was forced on as a child!

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
Truthfully, I would pay off all our students loans first. Then the new car :)
 
5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?

Umm... 
1. Nail filing! It's like nails on a chalkboard for me.
2. People who don't listen 
(Kyle is forever saying I never told him things after insisting he was listening while I was talking)
3. The trash overflowing and people still stuffing it

6. What is your favorite movie?
This changes constantly! I wouldn't say I had one right now. In the past it's been The Swan Princess, Meet the Robinsons, Grease, Dirty Dancing, Gone With the Wind, Practical Magic, etc.
 
7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?
Tea. I could live on tea.
 
8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
Take a bath and read
 
9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
Probably J. Crew. I adore their clothes, but never ever buy them unless I find them at a consignment shop. (I'm crazy cheap people)
More realistically I would end up somewhere like Old Navy or Target.
 
10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
In all honesty I don't embarrass too easily. This might have something to do with being a teacher.
The story I always tell, that was totally embarrassing at the time, was when I slid on my butt straight down a flight of muddy rain soaked stairs in front of my entire youth group. I then had to get on the bus and have the youth minister open up the luggage compartment so I could change. In all honesty probably no one else remembers this. It doesn't even phase me anymore...

11. What day would you love to relive again?
I feel like I'd rather relive a bunch of moments rather than days. Kyle and I have had some great times just the two of us that went by way too fast. Such as, watching the sunrise after prom, walking on the beach at night eating ice cream, Kyle proposing. (Maybe we should just go to the beach at night again)
 
12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?
If we're going for looks, probably Miley Cyrus. I seriously get her all the time, especially when I had longer hair and aviators.

 
13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
In college, I worked at Campus Copy, Fax, and Pack. Plus my multitude of internships. In high school I worked at PacSun.
14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

January '05 The same trip I met Kyle

Summer '05 Camp Counseling

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
Europe for sure!
 
16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

Colorado Vacation (Kyle and family, always the best)

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
Working, Kyle done with school and working, in our own home, and hopefully two children. But mostly, just happy!

ERMAHGERSH! Boender Annual Adventure!

My Brother-in-Law is currently obsessed with these memes

After hearing my husband talk about his family's Colorado vacation every summer I was super excited to officially be allowed to come too! We stayed at a ranch about an hour and a half north west of Colorado Springs. While we were there we spent time catching butterflies and bugs (Kyle's grandparents own a place called Butterfly World in South Florida) as well as doing some touristy things. 

Sadly, I've always gotten horribly motion sick. Even with medication I tend to have my eyes shut with earphones in my ears so I don't have to concentrate on anything. So travel was rough. One thing I didn't mention, every so often when my motion sickness mixes with overheating and altitude change I black out. As in I can't see anything, voices sound super far away, standing makes me want to puke, and I loose all color in my face making me look like a corpse. Thankfully after a few minutes of cool air and sitting I'm completely back to normal. This has happened to me a total of three times in my life, so I never even thought about it, until we got to our gate in Colorado. What a way to start vacation, freaking out the entire extended family! Thank goodness for a wonderful man who not only had heard my story about the last time this happened, but is always willing to take care of me. 

After the airport, the rest of the trip was wonderful. I got tons of sleep thanks to travel sickness medicine and car rides! 

1// On the plane to Colorado 2// Our Cousin was in the same sorority as me, but at a different school. Phi Lamb is everywhere 3// 4 story tree house 4// We caught a bunny on the hike 5// Neighbors own Llama, they wander across the roads. 6// Butterfly catching at Cripple Creek 7// Hole in the rock at Cripple Creek 8// Glow stick party! 9// Royal Gorge 10// Railroad ride at the gorge 11// Rollercoaster ride at Breckenridge 12// Elevenmile Canyon, it was gorgeous there 13// BIL before going in the icy water 14// Kyle and I at the Canyon 15// Feeding chipmunks out of our hands at lunch 16// Goodbye Colorado! View from the dining hall.

We're Back!

Colorado is absolutely stunning!

I feel so out of the loop after being gone for two weeks!

During that time we had minimal internet and no laptops! So I felt like i missed out on a lot. Luckily, I was still able to keep up with blogs on my phone. However, once we got to Colorado, posting was impossible. We got back last night and I've been playing catch up ever since. I didn't have cell phone service while we were gone. During that time we were trying to finalize our condo and I had to send out resumes. Sometimes I feel like I need a vacation from my vacations! 

Today was spent running lots of errands and trying to unpack and get the house all cleaned. After two weeks of no dishes, meal planning, cooking, or cleaning it's super hard to get motivated. It is nice to get back to our routine and just be us again.

Family and the 4th

This week we went down to spend time getting stuff figured out before moving. We drove both cars down so we only had to deal with the one while moving. Kyle made fun of me for liking to travel in skirts. What can I say, I like to be comfortable and fashionable!

For the 4th we spent time with my family. We just relaxed for most of the afternoon before going to a party. We actually really enjoyed the party even though it ended up only being my parents friends and the two of us. Afterwards we went to light off fireworks with Kyle's cousins. We had a great time even though Connor "accidentally" shot a firework at us! We actually have no idea what happened, it was shooting off in the air and then suddenly was coming right towards us.

On Thursday we were able to meet with our realtor and look for condos. We found three that we liked, which never happens when we're looking! We put in an offer and they accepted, now we're just waiting for the lease. We're so happy to have it all figured out.

Off to family dinner!

Is That Normal? {3}

1.  Is it normal to live with your parents past the age of 24?
Not really. I could understand if there was a specific reason why you're living there temporarily, but you need to be out of the house! 

2.  Is it normal to leave your house and/or car unlocked?
Depending on where you live and the situation yes. I would never ever do that where I live! However, in high school I had a really crappy car and would leave it unlocked in the school parking lot so I could quickly switch out textbooks on the way to classes. 

3.  Is it normal to prefer using your a men's razor instead of a women's?
Not for me! I only like razors that have lotion or aloe around the blades, otherwise I tend to cut myself a lot.

4.  Is it normal to go back to bed right after showering for a quick nap?
No! Once I'm up I'm up. I can't understand falling back asleep after taking a shower. I also don't take naps unless I'm ridiculous sick though. 

5.  Is it normal to eat chocolate chips straight from the bag?
Definitely! I like to grab a small handful to eat :)

6.  Is it normal to check behind the shower curtain or under the bed before you get in?
Haha yes!! My husband always asks me what I would ever do if someone was actually there when I checked. Probably scream and grab my mace. 

7.  Is it normal to talk to yourself?

Depending on the situation. I sometimes mumble things out loud to myself. I don't have full conversations.

8.  Is it normal to bite your nails?
Yes. I don't even think about it half the time. 

9.  Is it normal to go to bed without brushing your teeth?
You shouldn't, but I tend to fall asleep watching tv/reading a lot of the time even if I don't plan on going to bed yet. 

10. Is it normal to "baby talk" your pet?

Yes!

  
We're leaving on family vacation today and I can't wait!! Family time and Colorado here we come!

Bachelorette Weekend Surprise!

After weeks of planning we were finally able to celebrate my college roommate's upcoming wedding. The maid of honor thought that it would be easier if it was a surprise so we managed to coordinate a weekend at the beach for some girl time. I was in charge of decorations so I go to use some of my saved up pinterest crafts to decorate. 

Party Decorations!

 

They turned out really well! The banner in the middle is a timeline of their relationship. It says, They met, They dated, It was love, So he proposed and she said yes, So we'll party, Till the "I Do". It also had the date of each event under the wording. There were tons of pictures of them and pictures of the bridal party with the bride in the "we'll party" section. We also blew up a ton of balloons and had them floating around the house. 

After getting all the decorations set up, all the bridesmaids went out to dinner to await the bride and maid of honor. 

Our beautiful dinner view

Once the bride arrived we had fondue and a lingerie shower. The rest of the weekend was filled with beach time and girl time. It was such a nice, low key weekend. Sadly, I got crazy sunburned. That's what I get for being so white I guess.