{wedding wednesday} a simple craft!

  I got married this past March, and I keep wanting to share all the little details of the wedding here on my blog.  John and I got married at the most perfect red barn, down near San Diego, and it was the most breathtking backdrop for what I wanted my wedding day to look like.    So today, I am working my way from the outside in, and I'm going to show you the front doors to the barn, where all the guests came in to be seated.  We also decorated the back doors, which were actually closed during the ceremony and that was the backdrop to where we got married.      {front doors}     {back doors & altar area}     {The wreaths in action behind us during our ceremony!  Love!}   I wanted to keep the doors simple, but add a special handmade touch.  I found this amazing wreath craft and knew I had hit the perfect decoration for the doors.  We had ongoing craft nights to make everything for my wedding {thank you to all the fab ladies who helped me!!!} so this was one of the crafts we accomplished.  Instead of a letter opener, we used a pencil to push the tissue paper into the styrofoam.  We also used Alene's craft glue instead of a glue gun, but either would work fine. :)   This is an amazingly simple craft that you can do for any season.  Use different colors of tissue paper to make a Halloween wreath {I think I will be doing a black glittery one for my front door next month!}, use Christmas or autumn colors, make a bright orange one for summer... the possibilities are seriously endless.  It is easy and effective and your front door will be so happy.   So glad to share this special handmade detail of my wedding day with you!  Stick with me as ech Wednesday I post something wedding-related :)  I am thrilled to finally be sharing all of this hard work with all of you.   I also want to give a huge THANKS to our amazing photographer, Leylla, who runs Imagery with Impact.  She took these fantastic photos and I will be forever grateful.  If you live anywhere near San Diego, call her immediately.  You won't regret it. :)   Happy Wednesday!! xo!  

sweet & happy.

I love when Andrew is quietly crafting.
So sweet and he is so darn happy with a few markers, a bit of paper, and stickers.
I love to snag up some of those dollar goodies at Michael's or JoAnn's to keep on hand for afternoons that we need a little craft time. Andrew loves to be surprised by these goodies, too! Perfect idea for rainy days when momma needs to clean the house as well! ;)


That face is just the sweetest, right?!
Andrew, be still my heart.
Love, love, love. :)

And here is another sweet little item to hit the shop...

I adore these brown paper cardstock heart cutouts! :)
SO many ways to use these...
you might need a pack or two in your crafting collection.
I know Mr. Andrew already snagged some from my office. :)

Happy crafting, and stay tuned tomorrow for my inspiration post!
{Did you make anything inspired by bicycles this week? I did!! Can't wait to share!}
xo!

Homemade Halloween... A Guest Post from Blessed Little Nest! :)

Hello again friends, and happy Friday!
Today is the last day of my Homemade Halloween week!
I have had such fun, and am walking away from this week with so many fabulous ideas for the coming weeks to prepare for a spooky and handmade holiday! :) I am so happy to share with you another few guest posts for the week from Heather at Blessed Little Nest, Marta from Haus of Girls at ten o'clock, and come back at noon for the last gorgeous giveaway from Wild Olive! All winners will be announced tomorrow, so good luck!!
xoxox Holly

PS.

If you are looking for the Follow Me Friday post, it's here. Link up- and we will be back to normal next week! :)
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Hi there Mommy Holly readers!

My name is Heather from Blessed Little Nest and I am

so excited to be hanging out with you guys today.

I adore Holly, and her love of Halloween and paper
completely inspired this easy DIY project.

...Supplies...

Vintage book pages
Straw wreath
Stapler
Scissors
Sewing Pins
Wide ribbon for hanging
Embroidery Floss or Twine (yarn would work, too)
Random Bits for Embellishments- buttons, tags, etc.

1. I used pages from a vintage book and cut then into sections
that were 2" wide. Then I folded them in half.
2. Next I cut the folded paper into 1" sections.
3. With the fold of the paper in my hand, I cut the corners off
the other end so I could create a triangle. I made eleven.
4. Then I slid my string into the fold of the triangles and used
the stapler to secure them. I placed mine about an inch apart.
Tada! You just created mini vintage paper buntings!!



Use your pins to attach the bunting to your wreath.



Add a loop of ribbon for hanging and embellish as you like.
I decided to add orange buttons to my pins and jazzed up my office
tag with a little black marker and a hand cut pumpkin.

Simple. Graphic. Festive.

Thank you so much for having me over Holly!
I loved being a part of this fun week.

Homemade Halloween... A Guest Post & Giveaway from Good Day Shop! :)

Our first guest post is from my fabulous blog-friend and crafter Teresa! Please enjoy this darling Halloween craft and tune in at noon for another post! :) And of course, you can still enter the giveaway for spreading the word about the Homemade Halloween event! Now, onto the homemade fun....!!
xo!- Holly
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Hi fellow Mommy Holly readers!

I'm Teresa from It's A Good Day.

I am so excited to share a fun paper craft with

you as part of Holly's Homemade Halloween.

This Bibbity Bobbity Boo Pop-Up Card is

perfectly whimsical, fun and not too spooky.

Want to make your own?

Oh good. I thought you might.

Here's what you'll need:

(or use what you've got!)

black card stock (or skinny tri-fold card)

orange card stock

coordinating scrapbook paper

coordinating ribbon

googly eye embellishment

Mommy Holly's Orange Trees

craft glue stick

glue gun

distressing ink

circle & tag paper punches

And here's how you do it:

#1 Print "bibbity bobbity boo" on orange card stock.

#2 Place orange paper inside black folded card so

that the "bibbity bobbity" is the only part you see.

I had some long, skinny tri-fold cards left over from

another project so I used these. You can also use

black card stock and fold/cut so it fits the orange card.

Then trim the just above where the orange card lays.

It becomes like a sleeve for the orange card.

#3 To make the orange card "pop" cut a thin strip of

card stock (about 4-5 inches long) and fold in a Z shape,

then glue down the bottom edge like shown above in #3.

Your placement needs to be just as shown above with

the top fold facing to the bottom of the card...this will

ensure your orange card pulls UP and OUT.

#4 With your orange card flush with the bottom edge

of the black card, glue the top of the strip to the back

of the orange card (like shown above in #4). You should be

able to pull the orange card UP and OUT once attached.

#5 & #6 Add fun embellishments!

I added an orange polka dot ribbon at the

top and loosely attached it around to the back of

the card (don't wrap too tight or your orange card

won't have enough room to pull out). I also used

one of Holly's awesome orange polka-dot

tree cutouts (get yours here!) and my circle

punch and a coordinating paper for a moon.

I printed "Happy Halloween" on white card stock

and used my tag punch for the message.

It's threaded with a fat orange ribbon with a fun

googly eye glued on top. I distressed the edge of

the tag to make it look old and worn.

The last thing I did was attach a loop of ribbon

to the top of the orange card as a "pull tab."

(In case anyone cares, the font I used

on both pieces of the card is Pharmacy.)

And here's the final result:

What friend, niece/nephew, teacher, neighbor

wouldn't LOVE to get this in his or her mailbox?!

I hope you enjoy making this card. The style can

really be used for all holidays and occasions.

Have fun with your own Handmade Halloween!

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Thank you, Teresa! I seriously adore this card.
And guess what?
She is giving one away to one of you lucky readers!!

Want to win?? Here's how:
1. Visit Good Day Shop and tell me your favorite item!
2. Become a follower of Teresa's blog here!
3. Follow her on Twitter!
4. Become a fan of Good Day Shop on Facebook!
5. Leave me a comment on this post letting me know your favorite Halloween candy! {I'm a sucker for treats!} :)

Good luck, and I will announce the winner on Saturday, along with the winners of the other giveaways! :) Have you missed any?
Current Giveaways:
Mommy Holly {$15 Shop Credit}
The Pleated Poppy {$25 Shop Credit}

Happy Wednesday! :)
xo!

Homemade Halloween... A Guest Post from Sumo's Sweet Stuff! :)

Good morning, and welcome to my Homemade Halloween week!
We will be celebrating the happiness of the handmade this week through guest posts, crafts, tutorials, ideas, recipes, and even lots of giveaways!! Let's get to it!

Our first guest post is from the wonderfully crafty Sumo! Please enjoy this darling Halloween craft and tune in at noon for another post! :) And of course, you can still enter the giveaway for spreading the word about the Homemade Halloween event! And tune in at noon today for another fab giveaway! Now, onto the homemade fun....!!

xo!- Holly
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Hello everyone!

I'm so excited to be guest blogging here today! I know I'm in some great company with the other guest bloggers lined up for the week!

I'm Sumo, from Sumo's Sweet Stuff!

My real name is Summer, but my husband nicknamed me Sumo when we were dating. (Should I be offended?) Now he's got all of my family, as well as lots of our friends, calling me Sumo. I think Aunt Sumo sounds pretty great, don't you? I live in Utah with my husband, and our two beautiful daughters - Reece & Remi!

Growing up, I never used to be all that domestic or crafty, so I think no one is more surprised than my mom at how I've ended up where I am today! I started Sumo's Sweet Stuff last May as a place to keep some of my crafting projects so that my personal blog wasn't overrun with them. Somehow, that developed into a place to host giveaways, share tutorials, share recipes, and feature fellow bloggers' ideas and blogs! I also use my blog to promote my etsy shop, so if you're ever in the market for some baby girl accessories, come on over! Every Monday is Market Yourself Monday, where you can link up your latest projects, and visit other blogs to get some inspiration!

Today I'm going to be sharing a tutorial with you for how to embellish your kids' Halloween shirts with bat wings!

After my daughter Remi was born this past March, I made her a butterfly wing onesie.

I thought it would be fun to put a Halloween spin on that idea: bat wings!

Last year I purchased Halloween shirts from Target during the post-Halloween clearance sale for super cheap. I had thought about getting them new shirts to put the bat wings on, but then I figured their Halloween shirts would actually be perfect!

What you need:

- shirt/onesie

- fabric

- heat and bond (if you are putting wings flat on the shirt)

- interfacing (if you are putting wings that hang off the shirt)

- wing template (I looked at some pictures online and free handed mine)

- iron

- sewing machine/accessories

We'll start off with Reece's shirt. I wanted her wings to hang off of her shirt since she is mobile and can (obviously) sit, stand, and walk on her own (unlike the little Remster.)

Start off by tracing your template on the interfacing. You're going to need two.

Next you'll want to trace your template on your fabric. You're going to need four wings total since you'll be having a front and back. I cut a bit outside of the template so that my interfacing would fit in between the layers easily.

Take your interfacing and iron it on to two of your wings.

Next you'll want to sew the top layer of your wings on to your interfaced wings.

After that, iron down small folds on your wings. This is where you're going to sew the wings on to the shirt.

Take your shirt and measure the width. Place a pin where the middle of the shirt is. This is where you'll sew your wings.

Pin your wings on to the shirt.

Sew the wings on to the shirt and you've got your little bat ready to go!

I did a different option for Remi. I just wanted her wings to be flat on her onesie.

You'll want to iron on some heat and bond to a piece of your fabric. (I didn't take a picture of this step for some reason!)

Trace your wing template on to your paper side of the heat and bond and cut out your wings.

Take your tape measure and find the middle of your onesie.

Take the paper backing off of your wings and place them on the onesie where you want them to go.

Iron them on.

Sew around the edges.

And your other little bat is ready to go!

Cute, fun, unique Halloween shirts!

And even cuter when on your sweet little ones!

If you have a little guy, a fun way to do the wings would be to have them extend from under his arm to his side (does that make sense?) Maybe that would seem more boy-ish.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Enjoy turning your little ones into bats!

Come visit me at Sumo's Sweet Stuff anytime for more tutorials, recipes, and ideas!