Sophisticated Burlap and Co Valentine's Day Decor

Happy Valentine's Day!  

I've been busy working on all my Valentine's goodies, have you?  Actually, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's day are my two favorite holidays! I owe my love of celebrating holidays to my sweet Mother who also loved each holiday, but especially V-day and St. Paddy's day.   Every Valentine's Day my Mom would make my favorite breakfast.  Our kitchen table would be decorated and on my plate she would have a wrapped present.  It was usually something small, but always something special that she knew I would love.  I'm so thankful she passed along her love of celebrating and enjoying these special days!  A Valentine's tradition I started when my children were young was to cook pink heart shaped pancakes.  Sometimes I would top them with sprinkles or conversation hearts, and just like my my mother did for me, I would try to have a special gift for them. :)  Do you have a Valentine's Day tradition?  If so, feel free to share!

Valentine's Wreath 

Say hello to my little friend...ain't she pretty?  I have had this wooden 3 heart door hanger for quite a few years.  Honestly, I don't even remember where I bought it, but it's always been a favorite of mine.  The wood and paint have weathered  from being on my front door, but I think it gives it more a "vintage" feel.  In some cases...old is good, right?  (remind me to tell myself this on my next birthday! lol)  This project cost $3.00 (ish)  I bought 4 fabric squares that were packaged individually at Walmart for .97c each.  I still have leftovers for other projects, yes!!  All you have to do is cut on the edge and tear your fabric...easy peasy piece of pie!  Ooooo PIE...I love pie!!! That's an entirely different blog though, so for now...let's stick to Valentine's day.  (is my ADD showing ? *winks*)  

Time for a look at the Mantle:

All You Need is LOVE!

My sweet red chalkboard frame is from Brown Eyed Girls Boutique!  So very blessed to have Lisa as a BFF since 9th grade! You can find all of her pretties  HERE ! I just doodled some hearts and the All You Need Is Love on her already pretty frame.  I'm completely digging the chalkboard art!  So many good ideas out there!

The subway art is a freebie printable from Pinterest.

Truth be told...I'm still working on this, but the good news is...I have more to share!

I love my job...how many people can say that? One of the things that I enjoy doing is helping with our work employee board.  In our hospital ICU we have a bulletin board so that employees and family members can write a thank you note or a "job well done" note.  I am blessed to work with amazing people...each and everyone one of them!  There are a few of us girls who take turns or work together to come up with ideas for the board and we love having a creative outlet at work to share with everyone.  

<3

I had the idea of vintage postage Valentine's or mailing/sending love...so, this is what I cam up with.  

I took white tissue paper and covered the board making it look like an envelope.  I then hit Google up to find love letters or hand written love letters.  Once I found them I printed them out and placed them behind the first sheet of tissue paper.  The envelope reads:  S.W.A.K  (sealed with a kiss) and then I proceeded to "kiss" the envelope in various shades of red and pink lipsticks.  (am I devoted or what?.... I mean...who does that?  Points to myself :)  

I found a vintage postcard via Pinterest and made a color copy from my home computer.  I originally wanted to see if we could have color copies made, but ink is expensive, right?  Instead I made 50 black and white copies.  After cutting the copies out, I glued them to red copy paper and then cut them out again.  To give them some color I used red, white, and silver glue glitter that I bought at Walmart.   Glitter makes everything better...kinda like pie! ;)  lol  This was a labor of love and I'll have to admit I think they turned out just ADORABLE! 

Next came the L-O-V-E bunting...

This part was so much fun to make!  Burlap, book pages, glitter, paper flowers, buttons, lace, and doilies...I think I hear ANGELS singing!! 

Add all these things together with ribbon and hot glue & there ya go... Bunting!  There is no way that I could do a post about this without sharing this story:

As I was putting the bunting together, I was standing and basically doing this upside down because space was an issue.  When I finished I proudly handed my friend and co-worker, Angie, one end of the bunting as I took the other end stretching it out so she could admire my sweet little craft project.  I was beaming with happiness, so proud of my work when I heard Angie say, "Jill, isn't this supposed to spell L-O-V-E???"  With that, I glanced down and read, "EVOL"  lol  OMG!!!!  We were laughing so hard!  Okay, so I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, but I'm definitely the prettiest color and glittery too! :) Back to the drawing board with my scissors and hot glue! Good thing I have a friend who actually knows how to spell, huh? Oyvey !

From the ceiling I hung red and white paper air planes on fishing wire with cute little glitter phrases on them like, "air mail xo xo", "sending Hugs & Kisses", "All you need is love".  Along with the those I added cascading red hearts on fishing line.  Are you feeling the love?

Add some sweet pom poms and Ta Da - Valentine's Day has arrived at our ICU in full force!  

What will make this even better will be all of the the Thank you notes and notes of encouragement and love from our ICU staff and family members. 

To all of my family, friends, and fellow bloggers:

Happy Valentine's Day from Sophisticated Burlap and Co!

Much Love and Blessings,

XO XO Jill XO XO

Please Vote for Beau to have free photo shoot!

Please VOTE FOR BEAU!!!

You can place your vote for Beau HERE at 

KC Photography facebook page! 

This is Beau! He is a 9 year old Jack Russell Terrier who belonged to my sweet mother Connie L. Hulsey. My mom passed away July 9th, 2012. My mom was diagnosed with lung cancer the last weekend of May and was hospitalized in June. During her stay in the hospital Beau would sit at the edge of the yard waiting for her to come home, he did this for weeks & weeks. He is so very loyal and loved her heaps! Since my Mom has passed away he has adjusted fairly well, but will sometimes sit and look at her chair. It is an honor for me to take care of Beau and shower him with all the love my mother would have given him + more. Please vote for Beau! He truly deserves a photo shoot! 

Sincerely,

Jill

January Goodies

Hello My Dear Blog Friends!

I guess I should begin by saying, "HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2013"!  eh....I'm a little behind, huh?

January has proven to be a very busy month, but I'll have to admit that I truly miss blogging about this and that.  When I say that January has been busy, it's been mostly working and mommy stuff.  I haven't been my creative/crafty self this month, but do not fear....CREATIVE & CRAFTY JILL IS HERE!!!  (throws on cape quickly before jumping up and doing my superman stance.  ouch...I think I hurt my back)  

Let me explain...

You see, it's like this:  I have several projects going on at once that are unfinished.  It's difficult to take photos of an unfinished project, ya know?   For example before Christmas I started painting my living room only to discover my sweet Mother had painted (or had someone paint) several times over wallpaper.  Do you realize what happens when you paint so many times over wallpaper?  Long story short...it begins to bubble and peel off in patches, but not completely.  This is exactly what happened one late night when I started my project which quickly came to a screeching halt so that I could begin a new project:  Peeling wallpaper :)  Ugh!  Not sure if anyone noticed, but in my Christmas photos....you got to see one side of the living room because the other side is under wall paper removal. This is taking longer than expected, however keep in mind that I stopped to get through Christmas and haven't really started again.  So, wallpaper peeling is on my list of fun things to do this winter.  Hopefully after I am finished I'll being a board and batten project.    

So, in the meantime...let me share with you some pictures of my January 2013  

Can you see the snowflakes falling?  

I'm not one to make New Years Resolutions, however this just made sense to me! 

What are your Resolutions?  I'd love to hear them!

I loved this snowfall!  It was by far one of the prettiest snowfalls we have had since I moved home to Missouri.  I'm hoping to see more of this before spring....come on SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!

These are just random pictures I took one day.  I love how the gumballs (are they actually called gumballs?)  Okay, gummie thingies look against the winter grey sky.  Again, just part of my January to date.  See, instead of crafting I've been outside under trees taking pictures of gummie things.  Sheesh, no wonder I'm not getting anything accomplished this month!  Oy!

  

Okay...next...

Wall paper removal fun :) 

You can find the recipe here at Notes from the Heartland!  Thank you for sharing and allowing me to share as well!  What a great idea!  

Did I mention my half completed bathroom project?  

See this is the area that I'm ripping apart so that I can put bead board up, won't it look all nice and pretty and white!  Can't you just see it?  

This is the area that is completed:

I ADORE these free printables from J and A and Co.

You can find them here ~ Enjoy!  Thank you for Sharing!!  

Her bathroom looks AMAZING!    I found the two oval frames at a thrift shop.  My sweet friend Lisa from Brown Eyed Girls Boutique helped paint them for me and then I distressed them with a little sandpaper.  The other frames were ones that I already had laying around.  I painted and distressed them as well...and BAM!:  new bathroom wall art!  I'm thinking of hanging a key in the empty frame...what do you think?  

It's s-l-o-w-l-y coming together, but just not quite all the way there yet.  Patience is difficult for me!  I want it done "yesterday", but I'm learning. (young padawan I am... theme from Star Wars playing)  

Boys and Girls, this concludes today's adventures at Sophisticated Burlap and Co.  Please remain seated as I close this blog and post it.  I hope you have enjoyed flying with me and will buy the T-Shirt, be a sponsor, throw gold coins (or hey...I'll take jewelry, craft paint, mod Podge, or glitter!  (I LOVE glitter!) 

Please come back real soon ya hear?!  *winks*

Seriously though, thank you for stopping by and visiting!  If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or ideas...don't be shy and send them my way.  I promise to respond!  Happy January...until next time...

Merry Christmas 

Praying you have a beautiful Christmas with family and friends and make beautiful memories!

Much Love,

Jill

A Blustery Day & DIY Chalkboard Trays

Baby ...seriously...it's COLD outside!! 

No, really...it is very cold and WINDY - oyvey!  I've been listening to the wind howl all day.  I can't help but think of Pooh Bear...

This blustery day was perfect to cook and finish up a project I started yesterday over with my friend Lisa of Brown Eyed Girls Boutique.  I purchased a few silver trays to paint with chalkboard paint and give as Christmas gifts to family members.  Since I did the painting yesterday, all that was left was to hot glue ribbon to the back of each tray.  

I think they are adorable and make great gifts!

Since my sweet Mother passed away in July I wanted to add a little something special to my gifts.  I found a few pieces of costume jewelry that belonged to her and began adding bits to each ribbon.  

This added touch makes each tray precious and adds a little reminder of Mom.  I cannot wait to share them with my family!  I know each of us miss her so very much and this year just won't be the same without her.  I love and miss you my sweet Mother...you are forever in my heart. 

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is 

something you must always remember. You are braver than you

 believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But

 the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be

 with you.” 

― A.A. Milne

Praying each and everyone of you are blessed beyond measure this Christmas Season and in the New Year!

Much Love & Blessings,

Jill

Paper Plate Angel Wings

Hello everyone! Sheila here guest posting for the first time ever at one of my dearest, sweetest, oh so talented friend> JILLY JILL! Absolutely LOVE this girl and she is really showing how wonderful she is with this blog she has so bravely started. 

My post is all about something we are all very familiar with,. My family uses them almost every day, paper plates. A big thank you to whoever invented these time saving, essential to the busy family, totally recyclable, dishes.

You probably remember all those great crafts as an elementary student that involved paper plates. As a former first grade teacher, I have had the pleasure of making several paper plate creatures with a room full of 6 year olds. Yes, if you were lucky enough to be in Mrs. MacBride’s class, you could count on an abundance of crafty, art projects made from cheap supplies. I cannot begin to count how much I have spent on pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, foam sheets, pony beads, and of course, PAPER PLATES!

 

v  Inspirational Pin below. v

You can’t imagine how thrilled I was to find this pin^^^^! Although it’s written in a foreign language with only one glimpse of how it was done (cut paper plates, duh, right?). They are just so beautiful! I complained to my friend that mine came out a little chunkier than the pin. She made it all better by reminding me that ALL angels are beautifully unique-chunky or not! Jill, our friend Lisa, and I call ourselves the “Crafting Angels”. Here we are with our “Angel” pose:

Ok , back to the project. I had a cardboard box that I had attempted to spray paint the entire inside white (not a success, just major dizziness). I drew what I thought to be a good angel wing on one panel, but my hubby did not agree.  He drew over my draft, fixing the width and the curve-all while laying on the couch watching football. Hmmph. I am an artist, but drawing is NOT my forte. Thank goodness art isn’t just about drawing! I cut it out and traced it on the back side of the other cardboard panel to get a mirror image.

Then it’s just a matter of cutting and hot gluing for the first wing. The hard part is making the second wing match symmetrically with the first. Not ALL angels are perfect, right? JK!!

I wanted to age the edges, but after a few practice attempts on scrap paper plates with several different things, I chose not to. I did spray it with silver glimmer mist, but you can only see it close up.

I needed something meaningful for the center. I decided on a quote from a bible verse about how an angel appeared to Joseph to tell him of Mary’s future birth to our Savior, Jesus Christ.  “an angel of the Lord appeared to him”. I almost did one very similar about the angel appearing to the shepards to tell of Jesus’ birth, changing him to them. There are several verses out there about an angel appearing, but this is the one I am referring to.

I used my mismatched antique stamps on sewing pattern paper, modpodged it onto a dictionary page and inserted into a frame I shabbified.

This is the corner of my living room. I  am hoping to post a video soon of my Christmas home. I don’t know, it depends on how much time I have to spend uploading pics. I am crazy behind on wrapping presents! Get the Aleve, because I’m sure that’s gonna be a back ache! Oh hubby…..

Oh! I almost forgot! All of you wonderful people are so very welcome to come visit me at my blog:

Blissfully Shabby

Hope to see you soon:)

I'm so happy to be a guest of Sophisticated Burlap & Co.! I feel so special:) 

Thank you my dear fellow "crafting angel"! Can't wait to see you in a few days!

MERRY CHRISTMAS LOVE TO ALL!!!

DIY Christmas Wreath

Ho-Ho-Ho!

I can't believe Christmas is sneaking up on us so quickly!  Only 6 more days until Santa is coming to town kids!  Eeep!  Just seems like yesterday we were all gobbling turkey and pumpkin pie, doesn't it? 

After looking at today's calendar, I figured I better hurry up and get a wreath on our front door.  I've seen so many amazing Christmas decorating ideas on Pinterest, but this year I'm keeping it sweet and simple.   

I had my heart set on fresh greenery for the fireplace, a wreath, and possibly some garland for the porch.  I don't have a real tree, so I knew that meant either buying the greenery or taking a nature walk into the woods in order to get some.  As luck would have it, I was able to get my brother's leftover trimmings from his live tree!     

See?  My bundle of greenery - so many possibilities...

I started with:

1 - 12" grapevine wreath 

Ribbon 

Scissors 

& floral wire.

Let the fun begin! 

(Yes, these are kitchen shears, but just ignore that and focus on the pretty greenery!)  

I began working the greenery into the grapevine wreath a little at a time.  Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect at this point - we'll get to that in a few.   Working in one direction, I continued my way around the wreath filling in as I went and then filled in any empty areas when I was finished.  

 You can see it beginning to take shape...

Once you have it filled in, you can trim and shape your wreath the way you want it.   I added a bow (bow tutorial to come soon) and viola' ~ hung it on the front door!

Like I said earlier, sweet and simple!

I was also able to use my greenery on my mantle ~

And with my Noel letters Christmas Display (those were so much fun to make!)

I LOVED this from the first time I found it on Pinterest!  I followed the pin to this blog...please visit to see the original pin.  

http://remppahaikara.blogspot.com/

The Noel looks so pretty lit up with the candles around it at night

Please leave a comment or let me know if you have any questions - I'd love to hear from you!

Merry Christmas!

Blessings,

Jill