FUN NEW THINGS!!

It's been a busy week here at the studio.  My head is so full of new ideas and things I want to make for my Etsy Shop. I really miss doing the Kane County Market back in Illinois, so I guess filling the shop on-line with things will have to do until I find a place here in Texas to sell.
While I'm trying to figure out the decorating plan in the new house, I knew I needed some basics for myself, like some fresh dish towels.  Nothing was quite hitting the nail on the head and then I realized, HELLO, make some yourself!!
So here they are with some of my favorite song lyrics..... They are also available in my Etsy Shop!!

I also grabbed a few of these wine totes from my distributor.  I thought they would make great gifts for Bridesmaids, Maid of Honor, or even the wedding couple!

And lastly, I absolutely LOVE these flowy tanks!  I have plenty of the gold and silver glitter vinyl, so I thought they would make a cute addition to the shop.  You can even add your wedding date if you like!

Hoping to have some pictures soon to show you the progress in the new house.  There's a LOT of painting going on right now!!

Here we go AGAIN!

Here we are off onto another adventure!  Today we signed the papers on a tiny little house in Texas.  We just couldn't stand renting because, well, it was making us crazy not having house projects!!!  To be completely honest, it's nothing that we were necessarily looking for as far as houses go.  If you know Kurt and I, then you know how much we love old, historical homes with quirky spaces and surprises around every corner.
Well, you can't ALWAYS get what you want, so you just gotta make the best of it!  We had a certain area we needed to stay in that was close to where Kurt is working and found this tiny, 900ish square foot home that is going to be perfect for the 2 of us and a visiting college student.

 

It's about as basic as you can get, so you know I'm itching to get rid of all the "run of the mill" light fixtures and baseboards.  The big bridge in the living room is interesting (haha) so I have a few ideas for changing that!We were in the place about 20 minutes after the closing and managed to get a few projects started. First was the awful carpet...bye bye!! 

We are going to put hardwood flooring throughout the house.  Hopefully all one flooring will make the space feel less chopped up.  I don't know if you can tell, but the ceilings have a really obnoxious plaster stippling effect on them.  Not looking forward to removing that, but not sure if I can handle the textured ceiling.  My neck is hurting thinking about it...YUCK!!!!!!

Next thing on the list was the fireplace.  It's ok, but could be a lot better, especially with the high ceilings.  I'm on Pinterest every night looking for ideas on that one.  We knew we at least needed to get the tile up for the installation of the wood floors.

The final project for the day was removing the island in the kitchen.  The space is not that big to begin with and this island took up almost the whole entire room.  Plus, it wasn't anything to write home about anyway.  I'm sure I can come up with something cuter!!

Oh, and you KNOW those light fixtures are heading to Goodwill!!  The cabinets are going to get a makeover as well.

So that's it for today.  I'll be back often to keep you updated on our progress as long as I'm not too sore to get to the computer to type!

How to make Flower Garlands

If you know me, then you know I LOVE the details!!  Here is a project that will make you look like an absolute pro for your next event.  It's the simplest of crafts, yet makes such a great impact when used for decorating a party or used in the background in a photo shoot.  The basis for this one, coffee filters!!  Yup, cheap ol coffee filters and few tea bags (if you want yours to have that soft cream color)

The basic supplies needed are:
Stapler
Scissors
Some ribbon (I make mine 10 feet long)
5 tea bags (will make about 10 or more garlands)
Glue gun
and of course, coffee filters!

Step 1: take 3 coffee filters and stack them up
Step 2: Fold them in half
Step 3: Fold over again into quarters
Step 4: Fold one last time

Step 5: You don't need to be perfect on this one, or even really draw the shape in.  I just wanted you to see how the tops should to be cut off.
Step 6: Showing what it looks like after the layers have been cut through.
Step 7: Take the layers and separate them.  You don't want to have the edges matched back perfectly.  Stack them back up together.
Step 8: Pinch the back together and staple it.

If you're going to make a 10 foot garland like mine, then you will need 24 of these flowers made up.  Step 9: Dip the ends (about half an inch to an inch) into the tea and then lay on their sides to dry.This is the worst part of the whole process, waiting for the flowers to dry.  I usually dip mine at night before bed and when I get up the next morning they are ready to open.

Open up all the flowers carefully.  Step 10: take your cut ribbon and lay it across one flat side of the flower half.  Apply some glue and press another flower to it and VOILA, the start of your flower paper garland!!

I use 12 full flowers for each garland....but of course you can make yours any size you like!

Building A Creatively Made Business

I Know HER!!!! Hey, my dear friend Jen is sharing all of her business expertise along with other talented artists, dreamers and doers! If you've ever thought about starting your own business, check this out!

http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/2014/04/building-a-creatively-made-business-2-0.html

My "Must Haves"

It's no secret by now that I have a love affair with apothecary jars!  They just come in so handy when you need a cute place to store things or want to show off a collection.  I have purchased most of mine at Home Goods over the years.  Kurt has gotten to the point that he knows if we're stopping, we will probably be coming home with a couple more that I couldn't resist! 

  Here I have used them to store all of my supplies.  It really helps to see what you have and because of that, I have found that I get inspired to create much more often!

 Oh and let me tell you, they are the BEST for parties.  They will make you look like a pro without much work at all.  I used them at my dear friends wedding shower and filled them with color coordinated candies.  The labels I designed and printed myself, but you could easily use pre-cut tags from the scrapbook section and hand label them....I adore beautiful handwriting!!

 For this little gathering I had to be quick, so truth be told, I ran to Wal-Mart and purchased all pre-made goodies.....powdered doughnuts, rice crispie squares, vanilla oreos and cupcakes from the bakery section.  The trick is to get them all in the same color scheme and VOILA...instant sweetness!!!

 You'll even find them looming in my bathroom filled with all the daily essentials...soap, cotton balls, Q-tips.  They can make inexpensive items look so much more chic, plus you always know when you are running out!

I'm sure I can find reasons to have more, like a friend had suggested to use them in the laundry room, or how about the pantry, or even some on my office desk with those everyday supplies.  And of course filled with Christmas decor.....I could go on and on!!
 What are some of your favorite ways to store items in your home?

****GIVE AWAY**** Personalized pillow cases!!

Who doesn't like free stuff?!!

 Every month in 2014 at Jillian Haupt & Co. we will be having a free give away. All you have to do is go to our Facebook page (Jillian Haupt & Co.) SHARE and LIKE the picture on Facebook, then comment "Sweet Dreams" and you'll be entered to win.
Winner will be picked on Sunday, January 12.

These personalized pillows make a great gift for a bride and groom or as an anniversary present, valentines day...or just a little something sweet to yourself!!!

They are also available in our shop at: http://www.jillianhaupt.etsy.com
or just click on the shop button located on the right hand side of this page.

Thanks!!!

A Holly Jolly Holiday in The Woodlands

 Just a little holiday spirit sprinkled around the Haupt family house.  Since we are in a rental and not really sure how long we will stay, it's been just a tiny bit awkward for us.  We aren't used to holding back and not being able to do whatever we want to do to our home.  We did our best to make it feel cozy!

 I have to admit, I am jealous of all the snow falling up north and if you know me, you know how much I LOVE a beautiful snowfall!   It is a strange feeling to walk outside in 65 degree weather a week before Christmas, but it is very beautiful here.  It really looks more like fall outside right now and it's very nice opening the windows, so there are positives and negatives no matter where you go!

We just added some snowflakes of our own....and no shoveling!

 A plus to owning a direct to garment printer....easily print images and whip up a few holiday pillows!!

 Kurt and I have never had a fresh tree in the 21 years we have been married.  Mostly because we have always had a cat and knew they would be obnoxious with it!  Now we just have the 2 pups, so we thought it would be safe to give the real tree a try.
Because of where we are now, the woodland Christmas theme seemed more appropriate and something new and fun.  Kayla helped me make homemade ornaments, collect pinecones outside and add a few furry woodland animals in the tree.

And then we had a naughty helper that decided she couldn't resist tearing apart the baby fox on the tree!!!

Honestly, I couldn't even be mad at Penny Lane because she looked so sorry

Wherever you are, I hope you have a wonderful Holiday!!!!