Creative Space

 

Finally! I got around to remodeling out back room (which doubles as a laundry room). One set back in out house is the lack of storage space. No attic, no basement and tiny closets... Uhg! So, our back room has been the home for all out meaningless junk we don't have a place for. Don't judge, we all have it.

Unfortunately, all my craft supplies were in the middle of all the junk. Needless to say, the room wasn't very inspiring. 

I just couldn't get the right amount of motivation to clean it up and get rid of it. That is, until we visited some friends of ours. Their house was not only new, but it was the best use of space I have ever seen. If I ever build a house, I'm stealing their plans! It was perfect. Large rooms and huge closets! A live-in basement with tons of room for toys! Ahh... 

Anywho, I pondered a few weeks until I realized that I could, at the very least, make better use of the space that we have... Starting with our back room! I finally got that motivation I was yearning for and a week later, it was finally finished!! The BEST part is I spent around $200 total!! Everything else I made or already had around the house!

 

Here are the pictures you have been waiting for! My new craft space! 

 

We already had this handmade bookcase. My husband bought it from a local woodworker before we were married. Now, it is the perfect home to my Cricut and Cartridges!

 

 

My walls were already painted, so luckily I had a great color to work with. I had the gorgeous teal chair in my bedroom. The coral pillow cover was just sitting in a pile, without a home. I got the coral bins from Kohls on clearance and they matched perfectly!

 The table was my best thrift shop find yet! Here is the BEFORE picture: 

I painted it :)

Seriously, for the antique library table and the paint, I spent around $85! I couldn't be more happy!! I saw a table identical to this one except it was in it's original wood finish and great condition... It was around $400!! I wanted something I could refinish, so this was perfect for me!

This is just a $15 bookcase from Walmart. I think it was money well spent! 

Sitting on top of it are two ribbon organizers I bought a while back from Joann. I think they were on sale for $15 a piece. And that cute jewelry organizer on the right was the perfect place to hang my Scissors and tools. 

 I got this beautiful rug from Zulily for less than $40 including shipping! Woohoo!!

Laundry reveal to follow soon!

Any good tips for DIY craft storage?

 

XOXO,

Ashley

On-A-Dime 30th Birthday Party

If you want to surprise someone you love with a 30th birthday party, but don't have a lot of time or money, don't fret! I have some ideas that will make a big statement but won't empty your wallet.

The first decision I always make when planning a party, is theme/color scheme. Mostly, I wanted a girlie color scheme so I chose pink and teal. A country chic look was a must, and that was perfect for a tight budget! 

First I got on etsy and ordered my tableware and paper straws. 

Paper straws are very versatile. They are adorable in a mason jar or cup, adding just the right pop of color. And you can use the rest as sticks for cake pops!

I used a store bought pink lemonade cake mix and icing to make some simple cake pops on a pretty blue Fiesta tray I already had.

This drink dispenser came from Target for $10 and I can use it over and over again. The guests loved the strawberry lemonade! The best part is I used an instant lemonade mix and a box of strawberry jello mix and slice up some fresh lemons. Easy peasy!

My sweet friend volunteered to bring delicious cupcakes!

I used pitchers and baskets I already had in my kitchen and decorated them to match my color scheme. The pink flowers and sprays came from the Dollar Tree for a buck a piece. Yay!!! The chalkboard picks came from Michaels for $1 for 3!! Wow!!! 

My antique Singer sewing machine table made the perfect spot for food! 

Budget tip: ask each guest to bring a dish, and be sure to mix it up so everyone doesn't bring a dessert, etc. this saves big time!!! Luckily I didn't even have to ask! Everyone offered to bring something! I have great friends! ;)

My favorite find was this amazing roll of chevron teal Kraft paper for $1 at the Dollar Tree!!! Woo hoo!!!

I also purchased my pretty pink napkins from the Dollar Tree. Can't beat paying  just $1!! The Kraft food trays, wooden utensils, mini doilies, chevron gift bags and ice cream cups (used for the oriental salad) all came from Etsy. Luckily I found a shop which was willing to ship everything to me priority so I had it in less than a week!!! Yay!!

The adorable printable mason jar thank you tags also came from Etsy for just a few dollars. The best part about buying a printable file is I can use it again!

The cute chevron kraft tray came from Hobby Lobby in a pack of two.

Here is a group picture of the girls! We had a great time! As a birthday gift my husband paid for the supplies for each of my friends to make a moss covered letter with a burlap bow to take home with them! We all had so much fun!

Woodland Animal 1st Birthday Party

You really can't go wrong with the woodland theme! So many possibilities! With some creativity you can make an extravagant party on a budget!

The most adorable owl made this chocolate cake (with homemade chocolate icing) arguably, the cutest thing on the table!

Wtdcreativecakes.blogspot.com

Sweet little owl smash cake!

Wtdcreativecakes.blogspot.com

Of course these amazing toad stool cookies were made by my super talented mom, Beverly, from Creative Cakes! 

Can't forget these cute owl cake pops!! Made by... You guessed it! Beverly (my wonderful mom) from Creative Cakes!

Wtdcreativecakes.blogspot.com

Toad stool cupcakes by Creative Cakes

My last-minute photo tree

My toadstool piñata and owl bowl added some color to this neutral theme.

So, I purchased this DIY printable fox goody bag from Etsy. But, unfortunately I ran out of time and didn't get to make them, so I threw these together at the last minute. I just cut the fox out and taped it to the front of a brown paper bag, trimmed them down and tied them together with some brown/cream twine from Michaels. I actually liked them better this way because they were bigger and held more treats. 

Overall, I think the sweet woodland details really made this party special!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

XOXO

Plan Of Attack: Jackson's 5th Birthday

Super cool shark cake by Creative Cakes (wtdcreativecakes.blogspot.com)

The cutest octopus cake pops by my talented mom of Creative Cakes!

Blue Jello with Swedish fish

Gummy "fishing worms"

Marshmallows dipped in white chocolate 

Little ham/cheese sandwiches cut with a shark cookie cutter

My shark piñata! 

Chevron plates from Hobby Lobby

Inflatable shark

If you have ever tried to find shark themed party supplies, you probably know they are few and far between. So, my son and I made these adorable shark goody bags from simple brown paper bags from the Dollar Tree. Getting creative can be a lot of fun!

I'm already looking forward to planning the next birthday party!

Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO

Smokin' Awesome Firefighter Birthday Party

As usual, celebrations are big in our family! Reid's 2nd birthday was no exception. Luckily, my sweet husband is a volunteer firefighter and was able to convince the Chief, (rather easily) to let us use the fire house for the party. This was really great for many reasons. One, being I didn't have to get the house spic and span for the big day, and two, the fire house was a fantastic back drop for the party. 

The new fire truck, Rescue 15, was the backdrop for our food table. 

Mom and I (Creative Cakes) made the fire truck cake. Although it was too bright in the fire house to see the glow stick head lights and tail lights, the cake was a hit! 

I used my Cricut to make the Dalmation centerpieces and attached them to dowels. I put a little floral foam in the bottom of the metal buckets and stuck in the centerpieces, white chocolate "2" s" were crepe paper, hot glued to the inside rims. 

The candy buffet was super simple to put together. I just used glass vases found at the Dollar Tree ($1 each), wrapped them with coordinating ribbon, and labeled them "Stop" (Gobstoppers), "Drop" (Lemon Drops), and "Roll" (Tootsie Rolls). The tall vase held the "flaming fire hoses" (licorice), which was inspired by several Pinterest pins.

These red velvet cupcakes were just adorable wrapped in the DIY fire truck cupcake wrappers I found on Etsy. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/94256713/fire-truck-birthday-cupcake-wrappers?ref=shop_home_active

Mom outdid herself once again with the cake pops! These little Dalmatians went fast at the party! To display them, I wrapped a round floral foam (Dollar Tree $1) with some black crepe paper streamer, found at the Dollar General. 

Reid was scoping out the sweets!

The tables were decorated with red paper lanterns purchased at Michael's, and plastic fire hats found on Amazon. 

 Unfortunately, I didn't have a picture of the gift bags and presents, (which were on the fire fighters gear shelves) but behind fireman Cooper and his sweet great Granny, you can see the banner I hung over them (made with my Cricut). The balloons were simply strung together with a needle and thread.
 

I am super proud of the piñata I made!! It was my first one and I did it one night after the boys went to bed. I will post a tutorial soon! 

 

 Kids, big and small, piled into the fire trucks with excitement as they were taken for a ride!

A few of our favorite fire fighters dressed up in their gear for the kids to see!

To say the very least, the party was a huge success! Mostly because we have the best family and friends in the world! Thanks to all who came, helped out and for my clean up crew! :) and I can't forget the firefighters who came out and the chief for letting us use their building!

Until the next party!

XOXO