it's just a tetherball!

Nothing to see here folks.... just hiding some tetherballs under our shirts!! This makes me laugh so hard and smile at the same time. Nothing like a little belly-ball bump with each other! It's so funny how my bump actually looks like the size of a tetherball too... Janelle, how's the umbilical cord working out for you?! 

a Wicked recap

outside by the official Wicked semi!

spoiled by my sister...love you!

ahhh it's almost show time!
Jordan was embarrassed that I made him stand here for the picture..

"no photography allowed"
I think the guy meant during the show so I snuck this pic of the stage!

WICKED was absolutely incredible!!!! From the very beginning opening scene all the way through to the closing scene and final moments! I was in awe the whole time and even found myself tearing up from time to time because I was just that happy to be there and so impressed by everything and loved the whole story line along with every single song. I would highly, highly recommend this show to anyone if you ever have a chance to go see it....then definitely, buy tickets when they become available and go see it!!! You will not regret it at all! The show was both mesmerizing and amazing all at the same time... I still have all of the songs stuck in my head!

The rest of the weekend was just as awesome as well... we stayed up late both nights playing cards, exchanging lots of stories, and plenty of laughs. Saturday night we actually stayed up until the sun came up. I mean, until it was "daybreak" as we kept calling it. When we realized it was 5am, we quickly wrapped up our card game and called it a night or morning? We all slept in late on Sunday, because that's how all Lazy Sunday's should start, and then had breakfast together before hitting the road back home to Iowa. The weekend went by way too fast but it was one for the record books that's for sure. Jordan and I were both spoiled with the awesome tickets for Wicked and all of the good food and good company for the weekend... I have the best sister ever! Can't wait until we are all together again in a few weeks! Thanks for the laughs and filling our lives with love, you're the best!

Friday Funnies - 6.14.13

We are getting ready to hit the road to leave for Milwaukee for the weekend and I can't wait! We are going up to my sister's place for a weekend of fun that will include a lot of laughs, lounging, and we are going to see WICKED!!! Ahhh I'm sooo excited! I love a great weekend spent with my sister but a weekend together with a show?! Perfect! Jordan is the only one out of us who has already seen Wicked but he is just as excited to see it again... I somehow already have the entire soundtrack memorized and I've never even seen the show so I definitely can't wait for some of the songs to make a little more sense! June is really shaping up to be a great month and I'm so lucky to have gotten so much time with my family and our friends. Here's to another amazing weekend - hope you all enjoy the weekend as well!

image via Pinterest
now why didn't I think of this when I gave Paisley her summer buzz?!!

this kid is flying around on a broom like Harry Potter...

whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo!!! 

it seriously gets funnier the more you watch it.....

Friday Funnies - 6.7.13

It's Friday and it's girls weekend for me and guys weekend for Jordan! And today is also a special Friday because it's my parents 33rd wedding anniversary! Wow!! Way to rock, Mom and Dad! Hope you have a wonderful anniversary and 33 more years of wedded bliss - you two are my biggest supporters and have always encouraged me and loved me in all that I do. Thanks for being so awesome and the best parents a girl could ask for! Hope you all enjoy the weekend - around here it's supposed to be rainy and gloomy but that won't stop our fun! Since it's my parents wedding anniversary and my mom is spending the weekend with us, today's Friday Funnies is dedicated to moms and the job of being a parent. Enjoy!

image via Pinterest
how is it that Mom's always know where everything is?!

The Mom Song

this is genius...and I better get this memorized for when I am telling my kids all of this same stuff!

aunts & the kiddos

This picture makes me so happy. There's nothing like a family weekend that really warms my heart! What a perfect way to spend the afternoon than with my sister and best friend....and with our hilarious and adorable niece and nephew, Teagan and Kemper, to love on as well! We are so blessed to be their Aunts and Godmother's! I never knew how much they would impact my life and how much I could possibly love them but my heart grew exponentially when each of them were born! I can't wait for them to meet their baby cousin this fall and watch them all grow up together!

bring on the week

This is the start of a busy but yet awesome week! First off, in baby news, I am officially in the second trimester, crazy! And at this time next weekend, I will be hanging out with my whole family....yay!! My parents are starting their drive up to Iowa/the midwest tomorrow and are making quite the rounds to see old friends and family. On Friday, Jordan and I are heading up to Madison to my brother's to spend the weekend with everyone. Ahhh I can't wait! This is a busy week with two papers due and a tough quiz but all of the studying and school work will make the week go fast hopefully! I seriously can't wait to be reunited with my family in less than a week! Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and has a wonderful start to their week!

Well one week later....

After indulging in an ungodly amount of calories over the past five days, enduring too many belly laughs to count, and working the cramps out of my face from smiling....we are in fact, alive and survived Thanksgiving and Christmas with the Cross Family. And I am so sad that it is all over. The time definitely went by way, way too fast. My parents got to Iowa last Monday night and we all enjoyed some pizza and beers along with some laughs and good conversations. They headed up to Wisconsin on Tuesday while Jordan and I had one last day of work/school for the week. We packed up all of our stuff and hit the road first thing Wednesday morning and didn't stop going until we made it back home yesterday afternoon!!

Thursday was Thanksgiving obviously but more importantly, it was Teagan's 5th birthday! Holy smokes, where does the time go?! I can't believe that she is five now.... She is growing up into such a smart and sassy, hilarious and beautiful little girl! It is so fun watching her grow up and I'm lucky that I have gotten to play such an active role in her life. It would make me sad being so far away from her and Kemper that they don't know me when I come around! Anyway, we celebrated T's birthday after Thanksgiving dinner. She was spoiled with gifts, had a blast beating up on a pinata and then topped it off with cake....which I made! Yummm homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter icing! We capped the night off by having a bon fire once the kids went to bed....

We then quickly shifted gears and went right into Christmas mode on Friday! We watched the Hawks lose, again, first thing which was a total bummer. Not only did they lose to Nebraska which gives them a share at the Big 10 title but it also confirmed they are for sure not going to a bowl game.  Extra sucky. We got over it quickly with a few drinks that we had during the game at least. Then after successfully stuffing our faces again with the Thanksgiving leftovers, we let the Christmas festivities begin! My mom had planned a "fashion show" for all of us...she made all of us tons of awesome projects and crafts! It included some crochet infinity scarves and gloves, fleece hats and jackets and lots of new Iowa gear. Score! My mom just keeps blowing all of our minds with how crafty she is and it rocks! Presents were a big hit with the kids and watching their eye light up with each gift they opened was enough to keep all of us happy. They are so cute and were so thrilled with everything they got...very heart warming to watch! After the kiddos went to bed and so did our parents, things got real crazy. Us adult "kids" played a new game that Scott and Kat got that is called "Cards Against Humanity." Basically, it is like a very very inappropriate version of Apples To Apples. But ridiculously hilarious and awesome. I'm not sure if we have ever laughed that hard before while playing a game before.....it will definitely be played again at our next reunion!

Saturday morning however, came way toooo early! We all hit the road to Charles City and made it to Grandma's! Just when I was thinking I couldn't possibly eat any more food, I managed to stuff myself completely. Again. There's just something about Grandma's home cooking that is irresistible. We all played several rounds of cards together and Jordan finally won two games! Third year of being at the Cross Christmas was the charm and he hit the jackpot twice! Which made me happy because then I didn't have to pay in anything, mwahahaha! 

And just like that, our four days together came to an end once we all woke up on Sunday morning. We were all avoiding saying good-bye to one another because we knew what it meant. That our parents would be driving back to Texas and that meant that none of us know the next time we will see them. And that sucks. Just leaves a giant pit in my stomach. As if I wasn't trying hard enough to fight back the tears, hugging my Dad goodbye after he just said goodbye to his own mom and sister with tears in his eyes and his noticeably choked up voice, was really tough. My dad can always put on a smile though and gave one last bear hug before getting in the car. Let's just say I was a hot mess of emotions on the first thirty minutes of our drive back home....

I'm thankful beyond thankful for the family I have in my life and these past four days just weren't enough. But I am so grateful for the time we did get to have together, the laughs we shared, the hugs and love we exchanged and the memories with each other that we made. I love how much Jordan fits in with my family and how we can all have so much fun with each other without having to do much. I can't wait until we are all together again and am already looking forward to that. I hope the day comes when we all live within a few hours of each other again because this whole living in Texas thing sucks for all of us! Wahh real life! Well I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving and the time spent with family and some delicious food! I know we definitely did and now I'm dreading the pile-up of school and work stuff that I have been ignoring...well, happy Monday!

Cabin Party Round 2

Minus the Hawks blowing the game and losing it at the end, the weekend was still amazing and a huge success. I'm not sure how it couldn't be given the circumstances....all three Cross kids, Jordan, Kat, Suz and good friends of Scott and Kat's, Nate and Amber then add in the cabin in the woods, bon fire, lots of beer, good food and snacks...and like I said, the best people I know to spend a weekend partying with at a cabin. And well, that all adds up to one awesome time. Even Paisley had a fantastic time running around wherever she pleased while not hooked up to a leash or rope and she got to dig in real dirt (as opposed to our bed or the carpet). And holy shit can she dig! I am now fearful of our future yard that we have because I think she'll tear it up like it's her job....hopefully we can get that under control or if anything, maybe I can train her to just till up the yard in places I want to plant a garden?! I can dream at least. Anyway, she was a filthy dirt and burr covered, stinky (from rolling around and laying on anything and everything that smelled "good" to her...like dead birds and deer poop), exhausted pup by the end of the night! 

bros and their mexican sweatshirts

cabin chicks

what goons

fun weekend getaway together!

So many insides jokes and so many good chats with everyone. Great group of people and I couldn't have asked for a better weekend trip to Wisconsin! After making the drive home, Jordan and I both took a nap to recover and then I gave Paisley a bath...she definitely wasn't happy but there was so way I was letting her up on the furniture or in our bed looking the way she looked! Now she's all fluffy again, smelling good and free of burrs! And it's bedtime for all of us because Cabin Party Round 2 officially wore us out! Already looking forward to next year because I think we're getting t-shirts!!! CABIN TEAM, ASSEMBLE!!!!

Welcome to 25

Whoever said turning 25 is a bad thing? And why do people always say, "wow now you're closer to 30 than 20!" like it's such a bad thing! I am gladly welcoming turning 25 with open arms and if this past weekend was any indicator as to how the rest of the year is going to go, then I know it will be a good one! Janelle got to town late Friday night and right from her bus, we went downtown for some early birthday celebrating. What started out as "just a few drinks," turned into staying out until bar close, going to aftie's with some friends, a trip to Wal-Mart at 4am for wings and fries...and of course, The Hunger Games on blu-ray!!!! Needless to say, it was a fantastic start to the weekend! Saturday we got to Des Moines and hit up the State Fair for some drinks, people watching and fried food before the concert. Fried pickles and beer were a huge hit. So soooo good!!! Then we headed into the concert... It. Was. Awesome. Loverboy went on first then Pat Benatar came on stage and totally rocked it. Jordan and Scott got a kick out of how many of her songs that Janelle and I knew! I mean, who doesn't know "Heartbreaker" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot!" Throw back 80s jams are the best! And then the real entertainment of the night hit the stage....JOURNEY!!! They were amazing! I am not sure if any of us stopped singing and dancing and rocking out right with them and everyone else there! The best songs were definitely "Faithfully" and of course, "Don't Stop Believing"....they ended the song with confetti and streamers blasting everywhere! Epic concert and we all loved every minute of it. Big shoutout to my parents for the tickets for all of us! It was a blast for the 5 pack to be together so thank you for the fun outing!!!!

early birthday celebration!

Sisters at Brothers!

State Fair Fun!

Awesome electric guitar solo playing
The National Anthem!

Don't Stop Believing!!!

The Fab Five!

the bachelorette party extravaganza

I'm getting married!

We survived. I've been home since Sunday late afternoon and am just now coming back to life. This past weekend had to of been one of the most epic of epic bachelorette parties ever. EVER!!! My awesome and amazing sister (and maid of honor, whoop whoop!!), Janelle, planned the whole shin-dig and it was fabulous. Every single minute of it! On Friday, Janelle and I drove up to the Wisconsin Dells with our sister-in-law Kat and we got to the house we had rented for the weekend a couple of hours before everyone. The house was pretty bomb too. It had two bedrooms with a queen bed in each room, two full bathrooms, a giant kitchen and open eating area and then a huuuuge living room with two couches that pulled out to queen size beds. It also had a pretty sick patio complete with patio set for us to sit out on and chat it up. After unloading all of our stuff, Janelle kicked me and Kat out so she could do some decorating. To pass the time, we loaded up some cold brewhas and made our way to the pool...really, we didn't mind at all. After an hour or two, we made our way back to the house, oooh'd and aahhhh'd over all of the decorations and dove right into all of the snacks. Janelle had bought and brought with her all of my favorite snack foods!! M&M's and popcorn, chips and dip, puppy chow, chocolate chip muffins, donettes and pickle wraps...nom nom nom soo good and such a great surprise! And an even better surprise was the hilarious and delicious cookie cake! Thankfully, none of us got pissed off and stumbled around the yard with it like in the movie Bridesmaids. We actually devoured it and it was super tasty. After making sure things were all in order, we got cleaned up and the rest of the girls started showing up...it was the perfect sized group of 9 of us girls and I was so happy to be with my best and closest girl friends for a whole 3 days. We spent Friday night snacking, sipping on some drinks, and somehow it turned into everyone sharing their most crazy or drunken story involving me....so that was pretty entertaining. Lots of belly laughs and happy tears all night long!

ready to tear up Noah's Ark!

Saturday we got up bright and early to head to Noah's Ark! This is the world's largest waterpark!!!! We got there before the door's opened, loaded up on sunscreen and set out to tear up the park. And tear it up we did! I'm sure some parents/people around us in line didn't appreciate us from time to time as we were dropping plenty of f-bombs and being downright ridiculous but that's what happens when all of us girls get in our own world together! The day was mid-80s and slight overcast so it was perfect outside and none of us got fried thankfully. It was a blast being there and super fun to let loose with all the girls. We got the most out of our money before calling it a day to head back to the house for the real event of the weekend.

got your ass straps?

So, like I said, there were 9 girls staying in the house for the weekend. 9 girls. 2 bathrooms. 4 mirrors. Thankfully we all started showering and getting ready when we did because I'm sure it could have been a disaster and taken all night but we knew we had more important things to do, like make scenes downtown the dells and rage, so we got to it. All of my friends got me some awesome gifts and turns out they know I like to drink wine because I got at least three bottles, some new nighties and lingerie and a really sweet hanger for my wedding dress that says "Mrs. Easton" on it so that was awesome. Do I have the best friends or what? After the gift giving, we busted out some games and only played the game "The Game Of Things". It is a riot and had every single one of us laughing soooo hard! We played that for awhile, passed around a few bottles of celebratory champagne, took some group pics and headed downtown. And got really fricking crazy. Really fast.

watch out downtown dells, here we come!

trifecta love

and here starts the dance party....

queen of the hair flips

best maid of honor and best best friend

I'm getting married in 4 weeks. What what?!

Basically, to sum it up here's how Saturday night went down: we all collectively downed two bottles of champagne before leaving the house and had our fair share of "coma in a cup" and "strip and go naked" drinks so we were well on our way to a great night. We thought we'd go on a bar crawl, and well, one bar was all we needed. We took over and had a giant dance party going and hung out with a bachelor party group that was there. People were getting iced left and right. I successfully ruined an intense game of pool and a game of shuffleboard. I also started throwing ice....from people's drinks. Yes, just put my whole hand into their drinks and would throw the ice. Hilary was breaking her neck doing hair flip after hair flip. Kat was demanding my friends to make out with random dudes. Lisa was getting hit on by the creepiest guy in the bar. And Janelle was watching all of this happen and loving it and babysitting us. Before we knew it, the light's came on and it was bar close. We all got together in a group and somehow made the walk home in a giant single file line like a row of ducks with Janelle at the end being our Mama Duck. All in all, 100% successful night. 150% amazing bachelorette party out celebrating with my best friends.

Sunday was a rude, rude awakening. I've never had a more miserable 4 hour drive before in my life. And I wouldn't of traded it for anything. But before we left, all 9 of us girls crammed into one bedroom and laid all over the bed and floor to piece together the night and we spent all morning laughing. Best way to recap and relive the night ever. We also looked through all of the pictures which just added to the humor and hilarity of it all. So thanks ladies for the amazing beyond amazing and most epic of all bacheorette parties ever. I truly couldn't have asked for better friends who always love and support me, give me a shoulder to cry on, an ear to complain to and will stumble home right beside me at the end of the night! I can't wait to have another dance party and celebrate with you all at the wedding. Whomp there it is!!!!!!!!

The Biggest & Best Cupcake Stand

And now, I present you with the coolest, most awesome and biggest cupcake stand ever!!! This was a joint effort of crafty thoughts and hard work and sweat between me, my mom and sister. And the end product is pretty cool I must say! Since I love monograms, it's no surprise that our cupcake stand would be none other than a giant E!!!!

Mom & Janelle masterminded  the exact measurements
that we would need....

Then, we built it and put it together in less than 2 hours!
Teamwork makes everything better :)

I painted the whole thing on a beautiful Saturday afternoon
and Paisley got to enjoy some sun too!
I also got two free quarts of paint from Ace Hardware!
This saved me $40 and I was able to get ANY color so I talked Jordan into coming with me
and we picked out  a cream and purple for this project!

One week later and on another gorgeous Saturday, it was time to paint the outline!
Jordan taped off all of the edges for me and got my painting area all set up!

Done!
I love how the E really pops now with the purple outline!

The only thing left is to figure out the size of base that we need to put the E on....since it's so tall, I'm scared that at the reception, some of my young cousins (or probably drunk friends) will run into the table while reaching for a cupcake and knock it over! I'm sure Janelle will figure out the perfect calculations for the base because math just isn't my thing and well, it needs one. I don't want it to be a hazard to people just trying to get a cupcake!  This goes perfect with the rest of the wedding theme so far and I love how unique it is! Just one more DIY project that was a success! Thanks again so much to my mom and sister for helping turn my wedding dreams and ideas into a reality with all of your help! 

Bridesmaids bags, bags, bags.....

Time to cross another big to-do off my wedding list and mark it to-done! Over the weekend, I painted the rest of the bags for all of my girls in the wedding. While in Milwaukee, Janelle had painted the bottom 3/4 of the stencil onto 7 of the bags then when I got home, I finished painting the top design onto each of the bags along with the last three bags. They turned out way cuter and awesome than I had even planned on! I love when that happens! My mom also helped with the project by finding the monograms for each of the bags and she gave me the carbon paper to trace them on. Yay for teamwork and having an awesome crafty Mom and sister! This is my breakdown for these fun and easy DIY bags!

Here's what you'll need for the bags:
-plain canvas bag
-stencil of your choice
-paint
-paintbrush
-tape

Total cost of the project: $40.94. I made 9 bags and one mini bag for my niece, Teagan. I used a 40% off coupon for everything that I purchased (Jordan and I made several trips to Hobby Lobby....) and that saved me an extra $25!

Total time: 6-7 hours. It was time consuming because I had to be careful with the stencil as some of the dots on it were really small and close. Also, tracing and painting on the monograms took about 30-40 minutes a piece. Slow and steady does it for this project!

1. Start with a plain canvas bag of any size you'd prefer!

2. Align the stencil between the handles to get it centered on the bag.
Tape it down so it doesn't move while painting.

3. Use a short and stiff bristle brush and minimal paint!
Also, I worked my way around each pattern by pressing down on the stencil and
only dabbed at it to ensure it only filled the stencil and so no paint got underneath
(otherwise, it just makes the whole pattern run together and that doesn't look good!)

4. Once the paint dries, use carbon paper to copy on the monogram.
I used a fine point pen to make sure it would press hard enough and copy onto the bag.

5. This is how the bag should look with the stencil finished
and monogram copied on.

6. The end result!

7. All of the bags finished! I hope my girls love them as much as I do!
And they can use them after the wedding too which is fun...yay for multipurpose wedding stuff!
(that doesn't scream it came from a wedding!!!)

Close up of my niece's  flower girl "mini tote"
She's only 4 so I thought the curly-cue letter was perfect for her!
I'm sure she'll fill this with her barbies, hair clips, and shoes!

I can't wait to give these out to all of my girls...but first, I got to keep gathering the "stuff" that's going to be inside the bags as part of their wedding gifts from me. But that I'll have to keep a secret so I don't ruin all the fun for the girls! These are so much more personal than ordering a bag and having it embroidered or something...and it was so much more cost effective as well! Just another successful DIY fun and affordable wedding craft for the books! I wonder what my crafting instincts will lead me to next!

Hit Me

Well it was another beyond successful Sister Vacation that Janelle and I had over the past few days to say the least. We got plenty of lounging and laughing in that's for damn sure. And I loved every minute of it. Saturday night we went to a "Casino Night" that was a fundraiser for the Women's Soccer Club in Milwaukee. We got in for free because we're VIP (and Janelle knew one of the ladies in charge) and then we got $300 in chips to gamble with! Umm $300 of free money to gamble with?! Yes, it was awesome. We sat at a Black Jack table and had a kick ass dealer, Laura. And turns out, Janelle and I both SUCK at playing Black Jack. And after 3 beers, turns out I suck even more at doing simple math and can't even add to 21 anymore. However, like I said, we had a kick ass dealer Laura who was cheating for me and Janelle each time it got to be our turn to hit or stay. Every time I would consult my little cheat sheet card they handed out which basically showed to stay, hit, or double down, based on what you had and what the dealer was showing. Naturally, I made EVERY decision based off of that stupid little card! At least Laura was on our side because every time either of us said "hit meeee" she would check out the card first, and either happily flip it over for us or subtly shake her head no...to which we would reply "ooh I'm gooood. I'll stay actually." Needless to say, had that $300 of free chips been real money, Janelle and I would have walked out with well over $500 each. But since it was for a fundraiser, obviously we couldn't cash out for some real dough. We traded in the chips for raffle tickets, had a few more beers, then didn't even win anything. But I did leave with a bottle of Wisconsin Cranberry Wine...can't wait to try it! Since the night was still young, we went downtown and posted up at a bar that gives out bumper sticker if you stay there to close it down. I'm still not sure why we were hooked after we were told that but whatever. At least they had delicious popcorn and cold beer. They even gave us ALLLLLLLL of the popcorn in a big paper to-go bag when we were leaving...since we were the last two out. And mind you, I love, LOVE popcorn and could eat it for dinner every night. So thank you bar man, that to-go bag of popcorn and the bumper sticker were very much appreciated.

Sunday of course we both slept in til noon, which rocked. Then we laid on the couch and continued to nap off and on while watching reruns of Friends all afternoon. Finally, we decided that we should do something productive so we went to a cute diner and a movie together. We saw "Friends With Kids." It has Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and both the dudes from Bridesmaids in it. The movie was really good--much more of a dramedy than either of us planned on. It was sad but funny then really sad then hilarious all over again. A movie emotional rollercoaster, if you will. Gave a good look into what happens to adult friendships and relationships once kids come into the picture....kind of scary how realistic it was but also, still pretty entertaining. 

Then between Monday and Tuesday, we were maybe productive for about 8 total hours. Hey, it's Spring Break so we didn't plan on being productive anyway! We spent a lot of time looking at hotels and resorts at the Wisconsin Dells for my bachelorette party which I'm so pumped for. It's going to be amazing!!! Then we spent some time painting bags for all of my girls involved in my wedding and cut out some table number stuff. I think we did more talking and complaining about stuff than any painting and cutting. Sister time is way better than cutting out numbers anyway!

Overall, I left feeling so lucky to have the sister I have in my life. She is truly my best friend and I know nothing could ever change that. She's knows everything about me and loves me for who I am and doesn't try to make me into someone I'm not. I think she's the only one who can really handle my sass pants in full force. We laugh with each other and cry with each other. And I know she's always there to help me and support me, just like I am for her. Sometimes, I just wanna go up to the rooftop and shout, "I love my best friend!!!!!" Thanks for the awesome sistercation, Janelle. Boop! Loves.

monogram twine wreath

Crafting is well under way that's for sure!! I have completed my E monogram wreath but didn't take pictures while making it, just of the final product....I was halfway done and realized this, oops! So for the next project, I'll try to get some pictures along the way! I looked at several pictures and blogs to decide how I wanted to make the wreath and then I looked at more tutorials on how to make the felt roses. For the wreath, I found this great jute wreath monogram tutorial and pretty much followed exactly what this lady did. I started by wrapping the E vertically because I wanted the final product to have the stripes going horizontal. Finally, for the roses, I found this handy felt rosettes tutorial and turns out these little babies were way easier to make than I had thought they would be! Super fast and easy, now that's my kind of craft (and accessory that could be glued onto pins for a sweater or bobby pins for my hair!) So, what I found worked best for these was to round the corners of a square piece that was as big as my hand to make the biggest flower and for the next two, I just cut a smaller square. The first few I tried, I cut straight lines around in a circle, exactly like the link above but I thought the flowers seemed too "flat" and too perfectly round...not very flower like! So, the final ones I made and used, I cut the circle using a wavy line instead. Which gave it the petal look and added depth. Then I added some pins I have for the boutonniere's and they have a small pearl on the ends. They gave the finishing touches to the flowers and wreath overall! Perfecto!

Here is what you'll need to make the wreath:

-paper mache letter (Joann's Fabric has these for only $2.99!)
-2 rolls of thick jute/twine
-hot glue gun and glue sticks
-ribbon
-scissors

Felt rosettes:

-felt

-pins with pearl end
-hot glue gun

-scissors

Total cost: less than $8.00!!! I used a 40% off coupon for everything!

Total time for the project: 3-4 hours....and that including stopping for dinner and an episode of Modern Family :)

E Wreath For The Head Table
Between Me & Jordan!

Close Up Of The Flowers.
See what I mean about the wavy edge and pearl pin?!
I love the changes I did to make them my own!

I can't wait to hang this up in our home after the wedding. I'm slowly becoming obsessed with monograms! It will look so cute hanging in an entry way...or maybe our bedroom...or outside on the front door...or maybe in a future baby girl's room if her name starts with E...hmm, the possibilities are endless! Anyway, here's the final craft I have done for now. It's all of the table number holders. These were all very easy to make!

What you'll need for table number holders:

-block of wood

-skinny metal rod

-alligator clips

-hot glue gun

-tulle

-ribbon (I used 4 rolls)

Total cost: less than $10.00...my mom bought some of the materials so I'm estimating but I know she also used a 40% off coupon for what she bought! :)

Total time: 1 1/2 hours and I made 30 of them.

This one is pretty basic so here's how I did it:
1. My mom had pre-drilled holes into the wood and cut the skinny metal rods so that was a big help. I would suggest doing that!

2. Put a dab of glue over the hole and press rod into the hole

3. Put a dab of glue on the alligator clip and attach to the open end of metal. Then, use pliers to secure the alligator clips around the rod.

4. Cut squares of tulle large enough to gather up around the wood block. Mine were approximately 10 inches so I had some extra that could be fluffed up.

5. Cut ribbon long enough to tie around the tulle. I found that 10 inches is long enough to tie a small bow so I did that for the ribbon used around the tulle and alligator clip.

6. Tie ribbon around the top to cover back of clip and any excess glue. 

7. Insert table number in clip! (Which I'll do....as soon as I finish those which are next on my list!)

Table Number Holders
to coordinate with the rest of our theme!

That's all I have for now! I hope you enjoyed the pictures and tutorials. Maybe it'll spark some inspiration in some of you to try a new craft or to work on something you've been wanting to do! Today officially mark the start of Spring Break so tomorrow I'm leaving for Milwaukee until Tuesday to spend the next 4 days with Janelle. I can't wait!! I love having a long weekend hanging out with just my sister. We plan on doing lots of lounging, laughing, gossiping, bitching, more lounging, drinking, and more laughing. I can't wait to see what kind of adventures we find while together. I might even take some wedding stuff with me because Janelle is obviously just as crafty as me and my mom. So we'll see if we get anything done but if not, I won't complain because just lounging and chilling with my sister for 4 days is going to be good enough for me! Happy Spring Break/Weekend Everyone!