Burlap Wine Bottle

Sometimes I think I'm just a few scraps of fabrics away from having a serious hoarding problem. I love saving little things (aka trash) that I think "oh, I can totally make something out of this!". It's fun, and challenging, to let you creativity run wild and see what interesting things bring you inspiration. Wine bottles are something that I could seriously save and save. I'm constantly thinking about cool projects I could do with them to decorate the house or keep as memorabilia. There is just something unique and cool about the dark glass, funky labels, and corks.

While we were planning our wedding and trying to keep things on a budget, we decide to save wine bottles and use them as vases to decorate the outdoor spaces and tables. It worked out really great. It was inexpensive, fit our low key theme, and the guest loved being able to take them home with them at the end of the evening (hence, less for me to worry about cleaning up!). With summer just around the corner, try saving a few bottles to decorate at your next get together!

Another project that I really enjoyed was making these burlap covered bottles.  We had a few extra bottles lying around and I was in the mood to craft something. I really wanted something quick and easy and I've seen so many crafts on pinterest lately that use burlap, that I thought this would be a good combination. What's also nice about this craft too, is you don't have to spend hours soaking the bottle to get the label off. Plus, hot glue works great and you don't have to wait too long for it to dry!

1. First, I cut the burlap the length and width I needed to cover the bottle. 

2. Next I started glueing and tucking in the burlap to get a sleek look. 

3.Getting the burlap tight around the neck of the bottle was tricky, but you really just need to pull it tight and glue as you work your way around the bottle. You can cut off any extra burlap you don't need. 

4. I finished by tucking and glueing the little ends into the base as well as the top opening of the bottle. And then the best part, adding the cork! I really loved how cute the little cork looks sticking out of the top of the bottle.

5. To dress this project up a little, I added a bow around the top of the bottle. 

 I think it would be fun to change the bows for each season or holiday to match the rest of your decor. I also think these little guys would look really cool if you had several of them clustered together that were various sizes. You could also personalize it by painting an initial on the front, or maybe a last name, or cute message. Wouldn't this also make a cute gift? Especially if you are like me and have friends or relative that love wine!

And I've heard of some people saving the corks from wine they enjoyed on a special occasion. But now you can save the bottle and remember that special celebration forever!

So how would you personalize your bottle?

I got bangs!

I just keep playing the scene from Legally Blonde over and over in my head.

Elle:  I miss you guys too. The people here are so vile. Hardly anybody speaks to me...  
Serena: Oh, my God. I almost forgot to tell you.
Elle: What? 
Serena: I got bangs.

As many of you know, Mike and I moved and since mostly everything we own is in storage, I've been slacking a little on my crafting. I guess I still felt the need change things up a bit, so I finally committed and got my hair cut. This was a big step for me. First because I have some kind of strange attachment to my hair, but mostly because I worried if I hated it, there was really no turning back. Lucky for me I consulted my super stylish and very wise friend Lisa, who gave me some excellent advice.

Tam, I totally think you should do it!  

A.)  Your hair is thick enough and straight enough to pull it off.

B.)  Your hair seems to grow fast so even if you cut the blunt bang look and
 don't love it you will have thick side swept bangs in no time.  

C.)  Your hair reminds me of my cousin's and whenever she does bangs I love

 it!
 
 Just remember change is always good and if you hate it...bobby pins are a
 girl's best friend!
 
 Good luck!!!!

>>>>>> Lisa

Lisa is so smart and knew just the right thing to say to convince me. Isn't it great to have fashion savvy, supportive friends who are good at giving you advice?!? So now my hair is WAY easier to manage and has some sort of style. I love it!! Plus, I look super hot :)

    

So if any of you are looking for some awesome fashion advice, check out Lisa's blog over at  www.llthreads.com. She's got links to all sorts of cool fashion ideas and would love to lend some advice if you are struggling with a fashion emergency. Go check it out!!

Lisa from llthreads.com

                                                               LLTHREADS Rocks!

Loving Instagram

 Yes, that's right...I finally broke down and got an iphone. Part of me wants to believe I'm just a little cooler because my phone no longer flips open. But the 33 year old in me knows I'll never fully take advantage of all of the cool little smart features this phone has. I guess you can say I'm old school. I like setting my bulky alarm clock and using my At-A-Glance paper calendar that I keep on my desk at work. Though I've really started to enjoy playing solitaire, I just don't see myself paying to download lots of apps and keeping track of how the stock market is doing.  However, I have to say, I have been loving Instagram! I'm not sure I totally use this feature to it's fullest potential either, but I love adding quick and easy effects to my pics. And it's fun to link up and share pictures with your friends and family! If you don't have Instagram yet, you should get it!

FINALLY!! The proposal we've all been waiting for!!!

For a while now, I've just referred to her as my sister-in-law.

I knew a long time ago this day would come, and honestly, she always felt like family anyway.









She's smart, funny, supportive, and beautiful inside and out.

 And on December 30, 2011, my brother made it official and proposed.

And I'm not only super excited for my bro, but for her too.
After all, every girl deserves a large, gorgeous rock,

the man of her dreams,

She got the ring, he's getting a motorcycle!

and all of the excitement that comes with planning your wedding!

And I have to admit, I'm a little envious of her efficiency. After just one week of being engaged, they had their date, church, wedding venue, bridal party, photographer, and colors all set. Her aunt is even making fur wraps for the bridesmaids....Amazing, right?! 

Needless to say, we're all counting down the days until we can finally bust a move to some Erasure's, A Little Respect at their wedding.

Tearin' it up on the dance floor

So soon I will officially have a sister-in-law, and a pretty awesome one too!

Congrats Steve and Christine, we love you guys and are super happy you are tying the knot! And we wish you the best of luck on your journey together.

“Where’s MY skirt?”

I’ve been working on several sewing projects lately, so much so, that apparently I’ve even been dreaming about them at night.

The other morning, my husband told me I had woke him up in the middle of the night because I was talking in my sleep. Clearly I denied it….I DO NOT talk in my sleep!…or so I thought. He told me I had tossed and turned and then blatantly asked

“Where’s MY skirt!?!”.

You see, I’ve been working on making a few skirts for my friends’ little girls.....

A few of the skirts I've been working on.

Isn't this lovebird pattern too cute!?

....and apparently I was dreaming about making one of my own. So I attempted to make myself a cute denim, Anthro replica skirt which unfortunately, failed miserably.

It was way too short and just looked funny on me. But I tried to stay positive and I guess the only two good things that came out of my latest skirt making attempt were that...

1) my husband got a pretty good laugh out of how silly I looked trying to model the skirt (he’s super sweet and extremely supportive, so if he giggled, I knew it had to be bad:)) and

2) I was able to downsize the skirt to a kid-sized Christmas gift for my little cousin.

Win win, right? Needless to say, for now I’m going to stick to making skirts for little people. And maybe I’ll just buy myself a new Anthropologie skirt instead!