Rustic Chalkboard

 After seeing this chalkboard in our bar area, our favorite bride to be (now newlywed) asked us to make her a larger version.  It is really easy to make and cost only $11!  I didn't take progress pictures (Michael and a friend did it while I was in Tahoe with my ma and sister - he is so sweet!) but it was so easy!  We bought a board from Home Depot for $5.50 - it was MDF and in the back of the lumber section.  It was the perfect size and we bought it so we wouldn't have to cut anything, but if you are making a few, it might be cheaper to but a larger board and cut it.  Then, paint the board with chalkboard paint (as seen here) and add the frame.  We used fence boards that I took off the fence.  Then, screw the chalkboard onto the frame from the back. 

 You are done!  I love it!  What do you think?

 Since the wood is old, the edges will not line up perfectly, the guys complained about this, but I think it just adds to the charm. 

 I love the knots and the old nail holes. 

 Here is the back. 

 

        Here is the board in action at the wedding.  So cute!!

DIY Necklace Display

 This is probably the easiest and cheapest DIY project that I have ever done! AND it looks great to boot!

Our new house has lots of wall space in the bathroom but not a ton of storage. The last few years I have developed a small collection of inexpensive necklaces and was needing a place to store them. I figured a good way to do so would be to create a board to hang on the wall that would also display the necklaces to help decorate the wall a bit. My grandmother had cork boards for her necklaces growing up which gave me this idea.

Supplies
Cork board - I was pleased to find these framed bulletin board style cork board squares at Wally World. Less than $5 each.
Fabric - Black in this case and a bit velvety from the clearance section. Also from Wally for $2 total.
Decorative pins - I think these were upholstery pins also from Wally for $2.
Staple Gun

 Simply cut the fabric to be a bit larger than the cork board you want to cover. Enough room to wrap it around the edges of the cork like a canvas.

Wrap the fabric as tight as possible and staple gun it in place to the back side of the cork frame. Do one side at a time and be careful to keep the fabric tight. I folded the corners before stapling them to make them smooth.

Adding the upholstery pins was the final step. I added them along the top of course.Pick ones sturdy enough to hold up your necklaces.

The final product is a great looking fabric board for hanging your necklaces. I have a couple of these now and am so happy with how they turned out. Necklaces are easy to see and stored in a way that is organized and decorative!

Customize yours with a fabric that suits your rooms and add as many as you need! These would be a great compliment to Sarah's DIY earring holder.

Bridal Shower

 My BFF is getting married!!  The wedding is less than two weeks away and I am so excited!!  A few weeks ago we threw her a shower - by we, I mean her sisters and her cousin threw it and I helped a teensy weensy bit.  It was a great shower!  Here are the details:

 It was outside at her dad's house and the weather was perfect!

 A black table cloth, white lace runner, purple napkins, white plates, a floral centerpiece, some pictures in beautiful silver frames, and a little bling made for a perfect table!  Her middle sister did all the decorating and she did an AMAZING job!!

 How cute are they?

The Food:

 veggie cups

 antipasto kabobs

 spinach dip cups - a huge hit!

 tortilla roll ups 

(I am getting hungry as I write this post - the food was really good)

 Chicken sliders - not a good pictures, but these were very tasty!

And for dessert ...

 Mini Key Lime pies

 They were so cute too!

fruit kabobs

Each guest was send home with a peach cupcake (made with peach buttercream frosting that I messed up so I had to buy frosting the morning of the shower and mix it with crushed up freeze dried peaches). They were amazing!!  Each cupcake was inside a clear plastic cup then inside a bag and tied with ribbon - such a cute way to present the cupcakes and protect them on the ride home (if they made it that far). 

Baby Shower - Jungle Theme

 As I was going through pictures on my computer, I came across a shower that my friend and I hosted for a friend about a year and a half ago. 

It was such a cute theme, so I thought I would share:

It was a jungle / safari theme that we picked based on the baby's bedding. 

 The shower was at my house.  We put all the food on the bar and decorated behind it (and the couch in the living room which I did not take a picture of) with rolled up brown butcher paper to look like vines.  I stapled right to the wall with a regular stapler.  I wanted to add leaves but ran out of time - I think the vines looked great even without the leaves!

 We added the same brown paper under the food as a table cloth / runner. We used paper napkins and buffet plates I bought from Cost Plus and have used so many times since!  LOVE them!

I see they have gone up in price since I bought them, but I still want another set for larger parties!

 We served fruit kabobs,

 trail mix,

 a veggie tray,

 PB&J sandwiches,

 and ham and cheese sandwiches.  

Safari food - yum!

We had a drink station with fruit punch and lemonade.  

 We also had a dessert table with animal crackers,

 cupcakes,

 and fruit shaped candy (what are these called?)

 For decoration, we had the vines, this amazing diaper cake made by my friend. 

 Since we were going for a jungle theme, I borrowed lots of plants from my mom and Paula (Michael's mom) and stuck them on tables

 and in the entry way. 

 We also used one of our gifts, a changing table, as a place to put gifts when guests arrived.  

 We asked guests to bring diapers or wipes to be entered into a drawing.  The prize was a mug filled with candy and a gift card to Starbucks. 

 We played name the baby animal, and BINGO for the games.  The mama is not into playing games, so we stuck to just two a focused more on mingling and eating.  The prizes for the games were photo albums. 

 

To thank our guests for coming, we make cookies (both chocolate chip and oatmeal) and put them in a paper bag with a little thank you note.

It was a fun shower, and I love the jungle / safari theme!

Flat Aggie Visits for Field Day

Flat Aggie got back to our classroom just in time for the last day of school.  On the last day of school, our school has field day.  It is a bunch of games and fun activities for the kids to do.  

Flat Aggie started with the egg race. 

Then she blew some bubbles. 

It was getting, hot so she decided to head inside to decorate her visor. 

Then it was back outside for a game of tug of war.  Flat Aggie's side won!

After tug of war she decided to do some bowling. 

It was getting a hot again, so she went back inside for some painting. 

She enjoyed a snow cone

and played with chalk. 

Then she saw children with mustaches and had to get one!

Flat Aggie helped someone hold a bunny. This is a baby and it is called a kitten or a kit. 

The mom (a doe) was bigger than Aggie!

Then, she got right back to playing with her classmates.  She played Frisbee. 

And ring toss.

She go one!  

It was great to see Flat Aggie again on our last day of school!  The kids were VERY EXCITED to see her and it was nice to close out the year by saying goodbye to someone (something) that taught us so much about agriculture!  

What was your favorite Flat Aggie adventure?