Spiders Everywhere.

I don't know about you, but when I come up with a theme I like, I run with. Till it's dead. Everything has to match or coordinate in a certain way. My mother thinks I'm crazy, but I have been this way as long as I can remember. 

Anyway I'm getting off track.

This year I FINALLY made Halloween stands for my shop, and even branched out from cake stands into other housewares. The theme was spiders and their webs. I really loved how everything turned out and right now I'm in the process of getting everything up in my shop. 

Here are a few sneak peaks at what will be making an appearance over the next couple days. 

Halloween needs to get here now!

Easter.

Did you have a nice Easter?

It didn't even feel like Easter to me.

Went to church in the morning, and met our new pastor and his family, still haven't made up my mind about that situation yet. Out to lunch with the usually group. Then home to work on house projects. 

We didn't eat Easter dinner until about 9 that night, when Husby's parents got home. By the time we were done eating I took one look at the kitchen and decided it was time for bed. 

The highlight of my day was talking to Jamie Jo and planning her arranged marriage. Yes, that's right she may be in Croatia right now but I'm lining up a husband for her when she gets back. During worship at the second service I might have been walking through the crowd with Jamie on FaceTime, trying to find get a picture of future husband. I know I'm kind of a creep.

House projects are finally getting done, almost all of my dining room furniture has it's first coat of primer and the kitchen in nearing completion. My goal is to have the inside done before the end of May. Totally doable. I've also learned that I need structure in my life, I'm much more productive when I don't have time to watch Dateline 6 hours a day. Currently planning a wedding (not mine), planning a baby girl's first birthday, working full time, keeping my shop going and getting our house done. Some people think I'm crazy but I LOVE it. 

 Ham : Garlic Green Beans : Cheesy Potatoes : Sugar Free Strawberry Shortcake Trifles

 

Right before Fuentes got in big trouble for putting his face on the table. 

 This is the chair project, and it's finally happening. I've only had them for a year now.

And a little side note. Apparently my cake stands were featured in the May issue of Parenting Magazine. Now to troll the grocery stores to find a copy. 

It's still January.

So who's still going to talk about New Year's, that's right, this girl.

Husby and I are finally done celebrating all the holidays with both sides of our families. His family is in Utah and mine is in Washington so it can make for a hectic holiday season. We got home from visiting my parents a week ago and I'm having such a hard time getting back into the swing of things. Eight days with absolutely nothing to do really messes with a girl's schedule. 

During my eight days of doing nothing plus a couple REALLY long (read 14+ hour) car rides I had some time think. As much as I don't like New's Year's resolutions I can't help but love the feeling of a new year, a new beginning, a new me. I have all these goals for my life before children and if I want them to happen I need to start now. Here are just a few of what seems like 10 pages I have written down:

1. Become more healthy. To become a more healthy person I need to eat better and exercise more. I think this in on a lot of people's list but I really want to be a healthy mom so I need to get this love of potatoes under control. 

2. My shop. I am the only thing standing in the way of this dream of mine and I need to figure out how to get motivated. 

3. Make our little house a home, and do it before summer rolls around. Husby and I will only be here for two more years but I still want to love where I live and make it mine. I'm a nester, always have been and always will be. 

4. Plant a garden and stick with it. I don't know how many times I have started gardens and then became bored with them and let everything die. 

5. Finish the 1,358 projects I have started BEFORE I start anymore. This one is for me and Husby. He gets really frustrated because I always have crafts all over the place.   

So there are 5 of the countless goals I have set for myself this year. Maybe in the next couple weeks I will write them all down so I can keep track of them. One more thing added to the project list. 

The below video is has absolutely nothing to do with this post but every time I watch it I can't help but laugh. 

Wreath.

I began decorating my front porch for Christmas on Thanksgiving night. The next morning I woke up and realized I didn't have a wreath and the failed wreath experiment from last year was in pieces in the basement. I thought about trying to fix it and use it for this yes but then I went and looked at it, and to the trash it went. Feeling defeated about a failed crafty project I called my mother for some wreath advice and that's how my new wreath came about. It took total maybe and hour to make and I think it's super cute and exactly what I was looking for. Below are the instructions on how to make it.

Please ignore the icky white door, instead pretend it's the pretty apple red it will become in spring 

1. Find some logs at the width you want, mine were around 4-5" in diameter.

2. Cut them into 1-2" pieces.

3. Once you have them all cut lay them out in a circle about 2" apart. Once those are laid out lay out the second layer out on top of them. I used a scrap piece of wood to use a gauge how big I wanted my wreath to be.  Adjust as necessary and make sure you have enough pieces.

4.  Once you have the shape you like start gluing. I used hot glue and wood glue, hot glue because I'm impatient and wood glue because I want it to last. When it's dry turn it over and pound two nails into the back. After you pound the nails in take some wire or string and wrap between the two nails.

3. After you are done gluing time to add the pretties. I used real pine branches, fake berries, alder cones and some ribbon I had around the house.

And you're all done! It's so quick and easy the perfect holiday project!

Twinkle Lights.

I LOVE Christmas lights!!

And by love I mean I would keep them up year round if I could, and put them everywhere. everywhere.

Well tonight I might just have put them all over my shop and I can't wait to do the house and yard next!

Simply Utah

Hey ya'll (confession: I secretly wish I had a southern accent).

Anyway onto what I came here say. 

Delightfully Lovely is being featured on Simply Utah today and I'm offering  25% the Jaclyn cupcake tree. So hop on over and check them out there are some super cool ladies with super cool shops. 

...this picture has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the above info but is a sneak peak of what I'm working on for Halloween. oooh if my grandmother only knew what I was up to with our family pictures...

Easter.

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter. 

It didn't even feel like Easter to me, just another Sunday, except husband and I dressed up (I may have convinced him to wear a bow tie, it was darling). 

There wasn't a big Easter dinner, our family wasn't together for maybe more than 30 minutes, plus the weather was extra gloomy that day. We went to the early church service and when we got home there were 150 cupcakes waiting to be frosted. Like I said, just another Sunday. 

Husband made out nicely in the gifts department. Actually not even gifts but this weekend in general was all about him. TONS of new clothes, he is all set for summer now, 2 new PS3 games, new books, shoes...and the list goes on. He didn't get me anything but I am 100% ok with this because I will just go buy goodies for our home and call it my present AND there is a new wedding ring in my future. I AM SO SO EXCITED. I know it's just a ring but the moment I saw it I fell in love. 

I have been working like crazy in my shop because next week I have a photo-shoot for my catalog (EEP!) and I will be doing a desert table next weekend for a business launch party. So much to do over the next couple weeks but it will be completely worth it in the end. 

First attempt at making "grass" with frosting.


Love. 

Saturday.

This last weekend my friend Meredith and I decorated our church for Christmas. We didn't want to go with traditional Christmas decor so we opted for a silver and gold palette. For the most part we made everything ourselves so that we could keep the budget small. We reused ornaments from last year by spray painting them, we also bought the birds at the dollar store and spray painted those to match. Even though we live at the base of the mountains neither one of us wanted to go cut down evergreen branches so luckily Home Depot gave us a box of extras. It was a long day and totally worth it, we were very pleased on how it turned out (the pictures don't do it justice).

Craft Sabbath.

On December 12th I will participating in the Craft Sabbath Holiday Show at the downtown library. For all you Utah folks come check it out it should be a very merry time.

Pinecones.

Over the holiday weekend I began making the wreath for the front door. I'm not 100% done but I will share what I have done so far and I think you will get the idea.

I plan on adding more berries and also some alder cones that my lovely mum sent me last year. Had I thought this project all the way through I would have painted the wreath brown first. I still love it and think it will look fabulous with our evergreen covered front porch.

Much Love

Buttons.

I miss this lady and I wish we lived closer so that we could sit at our table and watch the people pass by.

I had a lovely Thanksgiving and long weekend. Husband and I watched all 6 Harry Potters and were planning on seeing the new one, until football and tattoos got in our way....maybe next weekend (sigh). This past weekend was extra productive, I finished my new wreath for the front door (I will share pictures tonight), made serious progress on new cake plate designs and even had all of my household chores done by Saturday. I'm getting more and more excited for the holiday season and my shop reopening but there is still so much to do! AHH! On Saturday a girl from church (who I would love love love to open a shop with one day) will be decorating the church building and I can't wait to share pictures. There will be evergreen branches, pine cones, birdies and lets not forget silver glitter. I'm really excited to see it all come together because I have been giddy with excitement since we started planning.


Much Love,