Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Hair Accessories 2014

In addition to the summer wreaths I featured in my last post,
I also spent time this weekend working on fall wreaths and writing up ads for my hair accessories.

When I first started making hair accessories I began with ponytail holders.  They are cute, simple and fun to make.  But I am finding that I like making hair clips much better.  Clips are easier to design, allow me greater freedom of creativity and are sooooo much easier to wear.  A clip can go into any hairstyle easily, while a ponytail holder is pretty much for ponytails only ;)  Oh I suppose you could bobby pin a floral ponytail accessory into place, but that would get bulky and take a lot more time.  Plus the clips can go into any hair whether it's long enough for a pony tail or not.  And can I tell how much faster it is to clip a hair accessory onto a busy child's little head?  Yep, clips are better!

So anyway, now that I have found a source that sells plain hair clips in bulk I am excited to design, design, design! (And sell, sell, sell! Heeheehee!)  In the meantime though, I need to move my current inventory.  Since I was taking lots of photos for my ads, I thought I would share the pictures here as well.  If you see something you like don't hesitate to send me an email.  I can always create and eBay sales page just for you ;)


Pony tail holders start at $1.
Hair clips start at $2



Patriotic rose, white rose and red glitter daisy pony tail holders.



An assortment of peony, rose and daisy pony tail holders.



Glittery daisy pony tail holders.



Hair clips!  
A purple daisy with pearl center and a yellow cosmos with beaded center.



Velvety fall foliage hair clips.


-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014

Friday, July 25, 2014

Summer Wreaths 2014


 I'm getting ready for the weekend by writing up and publishing my local ads.  
Here are a couple of the wreaths I just listed:



 Cute and summery, this wreath features yellow and white daisies.



With the white geraniums and light ribbon, this wreath is perfect for summer decor.  However, the addition of a few orange mums allows it to easily transition into late summer/ early fall as well.


That's all I have to share right now, but come back soon for more.  I'll be busy working away on wreaths and hair accessories all weekend, and I did some awesome treasure hunting this morning!  I'm excited to share the posts that I will be writing up in the next few days!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014




Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Treasure Hunting & Gifting 2014

The past few treasure hunting weekends have been awesome
for the kids (toys anyone?) but not so great for my
crafting or decor.  I did however manage to find a couple small treasures:



Adorable cupcake canister $1

Because I needed another cupcake in my life. ;)  
This little cutie has already made itself quite comfortable on my bakers 
rack with my other cupcakes and goodies.



Gold painted 8x10 frame $1.5

Because I use so many photos as part of our decor, I am always on the lookout for photo frames.  This one is perfect because it is already painted gold, in good condition and was priced nicely.  However I will purchase any frame that is pretty as they can easily be painted to fit my design taste.  

I prefer spray paint because it is quick, easy and doesn't leave any brush strokes.  
In fact, I usually always have a can of gold and a can of white spray paint on hand.



A pretty red box full of beautiful lace!

Now remember how I mentioned a little treasure 'gifting'?  Well a few weeks ago Aunt Jan was in town, and she brought this box full of lace with her.  Left over from previous projects, she wondered if I would like to adopt it as my own. Ummmmmm yes!!!!

All the way from North Carolina, this lace will be absolutely gorgeous in a few different wedding sets.  I'm thinking creamy white and beige roses, pearls....completely romantic!  I'll let all of you know once I decide upon proper homes ;)

That's all for now.  Thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014

Monday, July 21, 2014

Welcoming Fall (17 Pc Package) 2014

Available Now:  Fall Inspired Wedding Florals!



An autumnal mix of creamy white roses and zinnias,
yellow, red and brown daisies and berry accents.



 Bridal Bouquet



 Maid of Honor Bouquet



 4 Bridesmaid's Bouquets



 'Toss' Bouquet



2 Father's Boutonnieres
 2 Mother's Pin-on Corsages
 4 Groomsman's Boutonnieres
  Groom's Boutonniere

 The Total Package


This 17 piece package can be found in my eBay store.

Want to see what else is currently available?  Check out my eBay store here


-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Mirror Mirror 2014

On a recent treasure hunt I found another gold framed mirror.  I had no idea where exactly I was going to put it, but for $3 I snapped it up!  

I love mirrors, not just as functional necessities, but as home decor pieces as well.  A clean, shiny mirror in a room brightens the space, gives the illusion of a larger space and just looks darned pretty!

Take a look at the mirrors throughout my home:



This is the one that I just found.  I ended up putting it at the top of the shelf in the dining room.  No one is tall enough to see into it, but it serves the functions reflecting light from the window and making the room feel taller and more open.  It also reflects candle light nicely ;)



This one is hanging on the opposite wall in the dining room.  It is low enough to be used and also provides a feeling of increased light and space.



The entry way.  This one is purely functional, I like to make sure everything is in order when I head out the door.  Still, I painted out the wooden frame in gold so the piece blends with the overall decor.



In between the living and dining rooms I have this little niche.  I turned a mirror on it's side and added a sticker I found at Dollar Tree.  I love the way it brightens the space!



Mirrored wall in the closet.  

These too are purely functional, you gotta see to get dressed, right?  But they still serve to open up and brighten the space.  I especially like that here because with all of the colors of clothing things can get a bit busy.  The mirrors seem to calm things down a bit.



Still in the closet, I have a large mirror laying flat.  

This is a really pretty mirror that Husby found for me a few years ago.  I decided to use it as a large 'tray' on the closet island.  On top of it I layered another smaller mirror.  The little one is intended to go on top of a vanity and was given to me by my sister.

(Look at me starting to figure out how to blur personal photos!)



I liked the way the mirrored wall turned out in the closet so well, that I put one up in the bedroom as well.  This room has a really large window and I hung the mirrors directly across from it.  I love the way the afternoon sunlight fills the room and then reflects around!

There you have it, another cheap and easy way to decorate on a budget!

Hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014

Monday, July 14, 2014

Party Planning: Strawberry Shortcake! 2014


With a five year birthday party fast approaching, it's time to start planning and crafting!

First off, let me start buy saying that I hate buying pre-made licensed party supplies.  For one thing it costs much more than plain products.  I can't justify spending money on paper products that will be used for a couple of hours and then be tossed in the trash.  I would much rather make my own and use the savings for something that can be kept and played with.  For example, rather than buy traditional cake toppers I find miniature toys in whatever character Baby Girl has chosen for the year.  That way the cake is cute, fits with the party theme and Baby Girl gets an extra toy ;)

Another reason I choose not to buy pre-made products is because for me it's just too trendy.  I have never been one to follow others and party decor is no exception.  Besides, it's much more fun to make your own!


This year Baby Girl decided upon Strawberry Shortcake for her party theme.  We began our prep by creating small strawberries for the table tops and large strawberries for wall hangings.



The materials: scrap booking paper in red and a couple shades of green.



First I cut out a couple of different sized red strawberry shapes and some leafy green tops.  I didn't use a pattern here, but instead sketched out a few shapes until I found one I liked.  Once I found a good one, I used it to trace all the rest.



Here you can see the leafy tops attached to the strawberry shapes.
 (I used a little bit of school glue)



The shapes were great, but needed a little detail.  
A brown marker was perfect for adding 'seeds' and a bit of dimension to the leafy tops.

I really like  how they turned out; simple but effective!  

Want to know another secret?  I always create my paper decorations with scrap booking in mind.  Once the party is over I will re-use these as embellishments/ backgrounds when I scrap the party photos ;)



The Invitation

First I scoured Pinterest for Strawberry Shortcake wording that I liked.  Once I settled on the phrasing, I simply typed it up and glued it to a piece of the darker green paper.  I positioned a smaller strawberry to one side and then let Baby Girl go to town with her stickers.  

(I always make extra invitations for keepsakes and scrap booking)



Not to be outdone, Baby Girl retrieved her Strawberry Shortcake coloring book and made a few decorations herself!  We'll use these on the walls with the larger paper strawberries.


I hope you enjoyed our party planning!  Thanks for stopping by!


-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014





Monday, July 7, 2014

4th of July: Weekend Wrap-Up

What is a holiday weekend without good food, fireworks and a little crafting?
We had a great time celebrating, and I had fun making sure it was all pretty.



 A festive strawberry shortcake dessert to take to Mamaw & Papaw's on Friday.  
I added blueberries just for the blue color and cut star shapes from the shortcake.



 Red, white & blue smoothies for our Sunday brunch.


 I found these star-shaped ice cube trays at Dollar Tree for $1.  
Using food coloring I made a few red and blue stars for our dinner drinks and brunch smoothies.



 I loved opening the fridge and seeing lots of yummy snacks, all in the appropriate colors;
Cherries, blueberries, golden honeydew and watermelon!



 Baby Girl and I made this cute little cake on Saturday.  
We used a French vanilla mix and paired it with cotton candy flavored icing (that also created the lovely shade of blue).  We used red food coloring for the cake batter and star shapes.



 Yay! With everything going on I still found the time to sew on this year's quilt patches!
Now I can pack it away with my 4th of July decor and not worry about it again until next year.  I love efficiency!

(You can see the quilt before this year's patches were added here)



Baby Girl and the fireworks. 
I love photography and this one will make a great decor item once framed.

That was our weekend, hope you had a nice one as well!
Thanks for stopping by!


-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Weekend Sales: Hydrangea & Roses


 Sending a box of gorgeous flowers to Pennsylvania!
What better way to cap off a holiday weekend?!



Creamy white roses, blue hydrangea and stephanotis.



Bridal Bouquet



Bridal Bouquet



Boutonnieres and Corsages



Bouquets for the Bride and wedding party.

Want to see what else is currently available?  Visit my ebay store here.


-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

4th of July: Home Decor & More! 2014

The fourth will be here soon, so I'm addressing all of my holiday happenings in one post! 

*****Holiday Decor*****

 Most of my holiday items are photos of the kiddos celebrating in their red, white and blues, but here are a few I can share.

A jar of sparkle, a couple of pin-wheels in the garden, and wind socks at the front door.



 Of course we have a couple of patriotic ducks in the kids bathroom!



 *********Hand & Footprint Art*********

I like to do hand or footprint art for each season/ holiday.  It's another item I can switch out (along with my photographs) that reminds us how much the kids have grown and brings back fun memories.  They are framed and displayed with my holiday photos.

(Inspiration found on Pinterest)



 This one belongs to my Baby Girl.



 And this one we just did for the Little Guy.



 *****Holiday Quilting*****


 My 4th of July 'quilt'



A few of the patches I'll be adding this year.



Here's the thing about my 'quilting', they aren't really quilts..heeheehee!  They are called 'cheat quilts' and I learned about it on Pinterest.  All you have to do is find a quilted comforter to use as your base and hand stitch your patches on top.  Once you fill it up, you can sew through all of the layers to give it  a more quilted look, or leave it as it is.

I started these because I really wanted to keep many of my Baby Girl's baby items, but didn't know what to do with them.  A quilt was the perfect way to keep all of the adorable fabrics (and the memories that go with them), however I was very hesitant.
I was even considering hiring someone to put it together for me, but then Aunt Jan said, "Oh I know you can do this yourself".  That was it, I found the Pinterest idea and jumped right in! 

Once I finished the baby quilt I started making one for each holiday season as well.  Now we have one for the 4th, Halloween/ fall, Christmas, Valentine's and the beginnings of one for the Little Man.  It's memory madness, I blame Aunt Jan!  ;)

Since the kids are still growing the quilts are by no means filled up yet, but that's ok.  I like having them as 'patchy' throws on the back of the couch.  Especially since each patch is a different memory from a different year.

Here is something to consider:
In a standard quilt each piece of the top section is stitched together before being attached to the middle and bottom sections (sort of like a sandwich).  When you make a 'cheat quilt' the way that I do, the patches are added one by one, over time.  This means that there are raw edges of fabric exposed, which over time will fray.  I am ok with this look (when quilts are made this way intentionally they are called rag quilts I think), but if you desire a more finished looking piece you should sew all top pieces of your quilt together first.  This will require that you wait until all of your patches have been collected before you can finish and begin using your quilt.  I suppose you could also hem each patch if you wanted to make it over the years and avoid fraying.  Just something to consider. :)

That's it for now, hope you enjoyed!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2014