Divergent Movie

Hello there! How are you this Monday? I trust your day is going well so far and you have gotten your week off to a great start!

If you can remember from my post last Thursday, I was super excited to go see the movie Divergent with a group of my friends.  So on Thursday after work, I rushed home to grab my outfit to change into before running off to get my hair colored.  Now, typically, I am not one to get all excited about dressing up for a movie, but I figured it would be simple enough to dress up for this one since they really are only limited to colors.

If you have read the book, you will know what "faction" I was dressed for.  Just for fun, I took this quiz to see which faction I belonged in and I ended up with Dauntless, so it was easy for me to pick out my outfit.  I ended up borrowing the leather jacket and combat boots from some friends to complete my look.

I also ended up designing a "tattoo" for my collar bone to match the main character of the book.  I actually had quite a bit of fun designing the tattoo for myself and actually may consider getting one in the future... but for now, I am tattoo free.  

To get the actual tattoos on my skin, all I did was draw the birds with a pencil on a note card, use the pencil lead to transfer the design onto my skin, then filled it in with a permanent marker.  It was super simple, and they were washed off by the next morning for when I went into work.  If you would like to try to make a tattoo that last longer than one night, check out this pin I found on Pinterest.

Movie Review

If you are anything like Justin and I, then you pay great attention to the small details when watching a book that is converted to a movie for the first time {and many times to come}.  Can I just say, they did a pretty good job when they converted Divergent  to a movie!  They paid great attention to the details and made sure to capture the essence of each faction really well.  The characters were cast nearly perfect personality wise; however, they did not stay accurate as far as looks go.  They missed the mark on a few key players, but those changes were not significant to the overall story anyway.

I did notice that they took out a few characters that were important in later books, so I am curious to see how that plays out in the next movies.  They also took out a few of the more graphic/violent happenings during initiation that I would have preferred they did not, but I understand that the movie is PG-13 so they probably cannot show a majority of the things that happened in the book.

Overall I really liked the movie and think they did a really good job capturing the essence of the book and I cannot wait to see the next two! 

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite book turned movie?

Easy Men's Knitted Scarf Tutorial

Hello Everyone! How is your week going so far? We've been seeing some pretty horrid cold weather this week, so I thought it would be appropriate to share a scarf I knitted with you in today's post!

When looking for Christmas gifts (that's right Christmas) I decided that this year it would be fun to make one of my guy friend's, Nick a scarf.  Typically I make a ton of hand made items, but this year I really did not have the time to make the gifts, so I opted to only make one handmade item.  As you can see, it only took me an extra month past Christmas to actually get the item done.  Oops!

I found the pattern at I Live on a Farm and tweaked it so that it would be more what I was looking for.  

What You Need:

• Size 6 or 4.0mm knitting needles.  I tend to prefer circular so that is what I used
• 2-3 skeins of Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Charcoal Print.  I wanted a shorter scarf, so I only used 2 skeins.  If you are looking for a longer scarf to double wrap around the neck, I'd suggest using 3 skeins
• If you do not have Vanna's Choice in your area, you will need approximately 340 yards of Worsted Weight Yarn
• Tapestry Needle or Finishing Needle

Pattern:

Cast on 38 stitches
Rows 1 & 2: Knit

Row 3: K2, P3 until the last 3 stitches, K3

Row 4: P3, K2 until the last 3 stitches, P3

Repeat Rows 3 & 4 until scarf reaches desired length.

Knit 2 more rows.

Bind off.

I hope you enjoy making this scarf as much as I did! I'd love to see pictures of them if you do decide to go that route!

Question of the Day: What is your favorite knitting pattern that you've made?

Valentine's Day 2014 Project Roundup & Linky Party

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I trust that you had a lovely weekend and Monday and are not too freezing on this very chilly Tuesday.

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I am working toward getting my decorations ready! Right now our mantel is still decorated for Justin's birthday, so it is about time I get to making the switch from his birthday to the holiday of love.

I loved all of these crafts as I was pinning them on Pinterest.  I love Valentine's Day and always look forward to celebrating it with my loved ones which means that this year is no different than those passed.  I'm hoping that I will be able to get all of these crafts done before the weekend is through! Plus, I am working on a baby blanket that I would love to finish before the baby arrives next month! 

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DIY Cork Coasters from Sarah Hearts

Paper Punch Heart Garland from Oh!Crafts

Hand-Painted Valentine's Day Tote from CraftsUnleashed

Subway Art Printable from The Bonjour! Blog

Valentine's Day Printable from How to Nest for Less

Love Yarn Letters from My Sister's Suitcase

Valentine's Pins from The Purlbee

Painted Heart Canvas from LollyJane  {Their site is not working so there is no tutorial here}

XO Door Hanger from Unknown

DIY Ruffled Apron from Jojo & Eloise 

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So what do you think? Do these seem like crafts you'd be able to accomplish on your own? I sure hope so!

I'd love to see all of your awesome Valentine's Crafts and projects! 

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite thing about Valentine's Day?

Create Your Own Photo Booth Tutorial

Hello Everyone! I hope your week is going well and you are having a wonderful Thursday! Michigan is seeing another Polar Vortex and it's making for some very cold weather here in Detroit.  I do not think I have bundled up this much since at least 2007, but I am glad we had snow this year.

Today's post is going to be entirely dedicated to how to  make your own photo booth.  If you remember from my New Years Eve post, I made a photo booth for my friends and I to take some fun pictures.  It was super easy to make, and the best part is I get to reuse most of the materials for years to come. 

As I mentioned before, the original idea was inspired from The Pencil Jar.  I loved her props and all of the fun ideas for decorations so I adapted it just enough so that it would work for our apartment!

What You Need to Make this Photo Booth:

• Camera with timer
• Tripod
• LOTS of card stock in the colors of your choice.  I used silver, gold, black and white sparkle paper from JoAnn's.  However, you can change the colors up and make a cute design for any occasion.
• Tape
• String lights
• Scissors
• Hot Glue
• Cake pop sticks or thing wooden sticks
• Miscellaneous Props

To make this photo booth, I arranged the card stock on the floor in the pattern that I wanted I wanted.  Then I began taping them together to create a grid for the background.  Once the grid was alllll taped together, I began hanging the whole thing up on the wall.  In total I had 25 pieces of card stock which gave me a 5 x 5 pattern big enough to fit the space on my wall.

Once the background was hung, I took some of our extra Christmas lights and hung them up to add some more sparkle.  If you decide to add lights on the background, make sure to play with your camera to get the correct setting with the added light.

Once the camera was set and the background was hung, I began cutting out my props.  If you are willing and able, you can freehand your props and cut them out.  I had a bowler hat, 2 mustaches, a pair of glasses and a bow tie that I cut out of the leftover glitter paper from the background.  If you are not bold enough to make the props yourself, you can try these and these and print them yourself.  

I also had some props from when we celebrated 2013 in a box and I pulled those out.  All of the extra props you see I bought at Walmart.  They have cute options at reasonable prices {especially if you go on New Years Day}.

Nick, Sarah & Myself

Sarah and Kelsey - Such silly siblings

If you would like to make your own photo strips, you can use PicMonkey.  To make the strip you see above, just create a collage and add a border with a large caption space for you to add your own words.  It is very easy, but it does take some time.  

For some other fun ideas for New Years Eve, check out my Pinterest Board! 

Question of the Day:

What other props would you use for a photo booth?

Glittered JOY Letters

Happy Friday! I hope your week went well and that you have some fun things planned for the weekend! Our weekend will be filled with all kinds of festivities - including getting our Christmas Tree!

Today I wanted to share another one of the crafts from the 10 Festive Christmas Crafts that I made with you! The original idea comes from The Pinning Momma and this craft is super easy to make and does not take too much time or money.  

What You Need:

• Cardboard Letters that spell your word - in my case J,O,Y
• Gold Acrylic Paint & foam paint brush
• Mod Podge
• Double Sided Tape
• Glitter Card Stock
• Hole Punch 

To Make the Letters

1. Paint your letters with the gold paint.  I used Gold Acrylic paint and did two coats.  One coat of paint would suffice, but I found that the letters looked more radiant with two coats.

2. While your paint is drying, take time to cut your card stock into 3/4" thick strips.  3/4" is the size that I used for my stripes, but if you want your stripes to be larger or smaller, feel free to cut your card stock to match your size requirements

3. Once your stripes have been cut out, align them on each letter to your desired width and use your double sided tape to stick each strip down to the letter.

4. Use your Mod Podge to start gluing your stripes down.  I found that it worked best to get one side of the letter down (like the front) before moving to a different side.  It makes it easier because the paper will stick more soundly when you go to put a fold in it.  Note: My stripes went all the way around the letter, but they were not evenly spaced on the back.  It was very difficult to get the card stock to bend the right way

5. Once all of your strips are glued down, put a light coat of Mod Podge on top to help them stay in place.  This also gives the stripes a more glossy finish

6. For the polka dots, use your hole punch to make a bunch of circles.  I did not use my double sided tape to stick these down; rather, I used a light coat of Mod Podge to stick them down.  When adding the polka dots, do small sections at a time, otherwise your glue will dry before you can get them all on.  Once all of your polka dots are glued down, again do a light coat of Mod Podge so they do not peel off.  

7. Let your paint dry and you are all finished! They can be used as a stand alone decoration or can be easily hung with a command strip!

I hope you enjoyed this craft! If you have any questions about the process feel free to ask! For a link to the original tutorial and to other Christmas Crafts, feel free to check out my Christmas Board on Pinterest.

Happy Weekend! 

Our 2013 Advent Calendar & Linky Party

Hello there! How is your week going so far? Mother Nature cannot decide what weather we should be experiencing here and has been all over the place this past week.

My goal this week is to share some of my complete Christmas projects with you and today I wanted to share our 2013 Advent Calendar! If you can remember from my 10 Festive Tutorials Post, this was one of the projects that I wanted to try! So here is my interpretation of the Envelope Advent Calendar.  

What You Need to Make this Advent Calendar:

• Glitter Card Stock in your colors of choice
• Circle Label Stickers
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Corner Rounder
• Ruler
• Super Sticky Tape
• Paper Folding Tool
• Hole Punch 
• Ribbon

To Make Your Envelopes: 

For this calendar, I ended up making me envelops from scratch by following this tutorial.  I do not have the Envelop Punch Board system though, so I had to draw the lines and do all of the cutting by hand.  

To start, cut out 6"x 6" square pieces of paper.  Once the envelop is finished you will end up with a roughly 3.5"x 3.5" envelop.  I wanted them to be a consistent size, so I made sure to cut all of the squares in equal sizes.

Step 1: Measure 2.75" from each end of the square and draw a small dash with your pencil.  These will be used as a reference point when you go to draw your lines for the folding

Step 2: Connect the dots! Use a ruler to draw straight lines connecting the opposite dashes to each other.  When you're finished, your square should look something like the picture in square 2.

Step 3: Cut out your triangles you created when connecting your dots.  By doing this, you are creating the flaps of your envelop

Step 4 (Optional): Use your corner rounder to round the corners of your envelop.  This adds a smoother feel when the envelop is all closed up.

Once you have your envelop cut and corner rounded, take a paper folding tool and trace along the lines on your paper.  If you do not have a paper folding tool, the blunt side of a butter knife works perfectly.  Again, I used my ruler to get straight lines on my envelop.

Fold your envelop on the lines you just created and stick three of your sides down to create the envelop.

Making the Envelop Inserts:

Using your leftover card stock from the envelopes, cut rectangles out to use as your inserts.  In order to have room to hole punch the envelopes, I made my inserts 3" x 3.5" and hand wrote all of our activities on the non-glittered size of the envelopes.

You can see a few of my ideas on the cards in the picture below.  A few of our events are specifically geared to events we have planned in the month of December because we otherwise would not have time to do anything that day.  Luckily, almost all of these events are Christmas centered so they fit perfectly with the theme.

After I my cards were written out, I took time to hole punch my envelopes to get ready to string them with the ribbon.  This part was a bit strange for me because I needed to hole punch the bottom of the envelop in order for it to hang properly.  Each envelope received two holes in the bottom which I strung the ribbon through: back to front then front to back.  

After all of the envelopes were strung to the ribbon, I made the stickers myself.  Originally I wanted to buy some of the thickers like the one in the original tutorial but I could not find them anywhere and opted to do them myself.  I used PicMonkey to get the font idea then hand drew each number for each tag.  They ended up turning out pretty cute and I think I may use this font for other crafts in the future.

The last step in the process was to put the stickers on my envelopes and hang it up on the wall! If you're lucky, the stickers will hold the envelop flap shut all by themselves, but if by some chance they do not stick well (due to the glitter paper) this is where you can use your super sticky tape to hold the envelopes shut.

That is my 2013 Advent Calendar! I cannot wait to try some of the fun things on the calendar and I cannot wait to share them with you!

Do you have a fun advent calendar you'd like to share? 

Make sure to share it with us through the Linky Party! 

10 Festive Christmas Tutorials

It is the day before Thanksgiving and do you know what the means?! It means that we will be having the most delicious food tomorrow and then I can get my Christmas Decorations up {because I do not decorate before Thanksgiving}!

Today I am sharing with you ten Christmas tutorials I am hoping to try in the month of December {and maybe a few between now and the first}.  If you end up trying any of these tutorials make sure to let me know! I would love to see your interpretations of these projects! 

1. Paper Evergreens from Martha Stewart

2. DIY Christmas Platters from The 36th Avenue

3. DIY Glitter Striped JOY Letters from The Pinning Mama

 4. DIY Yarn Wreath from The Green Dresser

 5. White Chocolate Oreo Snowmen from Love This Pic

6. Envelop Advent Calendar from SnapCreativity

7. Jingle Bell Ornament from UCreate Crafts

 8. JOY Decorative Christmas Bottles from SeventhandJ

To make your own, please see this tutorial. 

9. Christmas Tree Table Runner from Bits of Everything

 10. Jingle All the Way from Kerri Bradford

I hope you enjoy all of these fun Christmas crafting ideas! I am hoping with a long weekend ahead of me that I will be able to make some of these for myself! However, I may have to fight some of the Black Friday shoppers to get the supplies.

For more Christmas ideas, feel free to check out my Christmas Board on Pinterest.

If I do not get a chance to post tomorrow, 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Table Decorations with {Free} Printables!

Hi Everyone! I trust you had a wonderful weekend filled with fun and excitement!

Today's post is going to be dedicated to all things Thanksgiving! A little over a week ago, Justin and I hosted the first annual Friendsgiving and I made some super adorable decorations for the table that I wanted to share with you! 

In this post, you will be able to print copies of the name tags, utensil holders, place mats and candy wrappers.  I will also show you a link on how to make the utensil holders.  

First up on the list is the name tags.  There are two different sizes that I am offering to you! The first size is the large size which measures 3.5" x 5" when folded in half.  

Print these here.

The second size I have is the small size.  When folded in half, these measure 2.5" x 3" when folded in half.  I used the smaller size on my table due to a lack of space.  The name tags are simple to make, just click the link provided below the picture and print enough copies for everyone coming to your party.  Cut out each name tag and fold them in half.  Fill out the name of the person you would like and place them at  There is space on the back of their name card for them to write what they are thankful for.  We did not end up doing this at our party, but it is a good idea to figure to share what you are thankful for.  

Print these here.

Next up is the place mats.  I saw on a blog somewhere (I cannot remember for the life of me which one) these super cute place mats that they had designed and I got the idea to make my own place mats for our table setting.  

Print these here.

This place mat has been automatically formatted to print at 11" x 17".  I found that an 8.5 x 11" page of paper was too small and became engulfed by all of the other decorations.  Printing the page larger allowed for the place mat to be seen and for it to be used alongside other directions.

The last decoration I used on my table was the utensil holders.  These turned out super cute and were a nice way to keep the silverware in place.  

Print these here.

I originally got this idea from Eighteen25 to make these utensil holders.  I was going to use their printable for my table, but it did not fit the color theme for my party, so I decided to make my very own.  To make these holders, print enough copies to cover all of your guests.  Cut out the picture, then cut them in half.  Once they are all cut out, use your sewing machine to sew a simple stitch along the side of the paper.  

**It is important to note that a cardstock paper, or thicker paper will work best for this project.  I ended up lining mine with an extra piece of paper to help with the thickness**

If you are looking for a few other fun decorations, check out my Give Thanks Banner and my I am Thankful For Chocolate Bar Wrapper.  I had intended on using both the banner and the wrapper but I ran out of time to cut them out and make them so I do not have any pictures of them for you to see.

Well that is all for my decorations! I hope that you get as much enjoyment from them as I did! 

For the mini hats, plates, cups and confetti please see Party City.
For the leaf felt coasters please see Bed Bath and Beyond.

Disclaimer: These images and documents are intended for personal use only and are not for resale.

1st Annual Friendsgiving!

I am excited to share today's post with you! This past weekend, Justin and I hosted the very first Friendsgiving Dinner ever! I originally got the idea from PB Fingers last year and thought it could be a great way for us to get together with our friends and do a little celebrating.

This year we had a total of seven people come including Justin and me.  This turned out to be a great number because I really only had seating for 8.  Because Justin and I live in an apartment, I rearranged our living/dining room furniture and set up two five foot tables and some fold chairs to get the "long table" feel.  It worked out perfectly and we ended up leaving the living room set up that way to get ready for Christmas.  

For decorations, everyone had their one place setting which included a place mat, plates, silverware holder, name tag, mini party hat and cute leaf coaster.  I also had my mantel all decorated for Thanksgiving and I threw some fun pumpkins and confetti on the table to add a little extra fun to the table.  I made the name tags, place mats and utensil holders myself and look forward to sharing them with you in another post.

Our dinner was potluck style and everyone brought a delicious dish to pass.  Justin and I provided the turkey, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.  We also had two different green beans, corn salad, cranberry sauce and a mix of different snacks!

Once dinner was ready we all sat down at the "table" and enjoyed the wonderful company and food.  I love spending time with my friends and this was such a fun way to do it! We also grabbed a few pictures of us all around the table.  We were supposed to have 8 people, but Stephen came down with the stomach flu, so he opted to stay home and get better.

Overall our first annual Friendsgiving was amazing and I cannot wait to have it for many years to come!

Be watching out for a post with the decoration printables coming up shortly!

Christmas 2013 Binder

Hello Everyone! I am excited to share with you my 2013 Christmas Binder.  You will notice that it looks very familiar to last years binder... that is because it is made by the same company.  I spent several hours looking around for new template and I could not find one that worked well for me so I reprinted parts of last years to use again for this year.

This year I went with a more muted theme of gray/black/red.  For some reason to me, it just screamed elegance and that is the theme I am aiming for with this Christmas:  Simple Elegance.

This year my binder had six tabs; however, they were a little different from last years. 

• Master Checklist
• Christmas Gifts
• Christmas Cards
• Party Planners
• Cleaning/Organizing
• Miscellaneous

In the front of the binder, I had my calendar for November and December that I have filled out with important information and events.  These include things like: birthdays, family gatherings, volunteer times and fun events happening in our area

Master Checklist

In this section I have the Master Checklist and the Master To-Do List.  I put these items in front because it will allow me to be as organized as possible and it will act as a friendly reminder of what I need to do and what is to come.  You will find that the Master Checklist goes as far back as September.  For me that seems a bit far to be preparing some things for Christmas, but for some people it works perfectly.  That is definitely a matter of preference.  I actually would give mad props to anyone who is that organized.  

Christmas Gifts

This section was dedicated entirely to gifts.  In this section I had the Budget Worksheet, Gift List, Shopping List, Gift Ideas Page, Handmade Gifts and Order Tracking Sheet.  I put all of these pages in one section because I felt in one way or another they were connected.  In my head, it makes the most sense to put the budget with the gifts because that is where the majority of your spending will be headed during the Holidays.  I also, once I order a gift or purchase a gift, put a copy of the receipt and shipping confirmation in the binder.  This allows for me to have quick access to all the gifts I have ordered and allows me to follow up quickly if necessary.

Christmas Cards

One of my very favorite parts of Christmas is sending and receiving Christmas cards.  Out of all of the tabs in this years binder, I spent time on this tab first because I just love them so much! The Christmas Cards tab has in it: Cards Worksheet, Address Book & Thank You Cards.   This year, Justin and I took advantage of a Groupon and bought 110 Christmas cards from Zazzle for $40.00.  I have used Zazzle in the past for Christmas cards and absolutely adore their stuff.  They are very high quality and the turnover time between ordering and delivery is very quick.  

Once our cards are ordered and on their way, I will be putting a copy of the receipt and delivery confirmation right in this tab to keep on file in case I have any issues with delivery or the actual product {highly doubtful}.  

 Party Planner

This tab is new from last year and I'm pretty excited to share it with you! Typically, Justin and I do not host a party for Christmas (unless it is an impromptu party) and it looks like this year might be the same, but I was able to use this section when I planned and hosted the First Annual Friendsgiving last weekend! It was so helpful to have something where I could keep all of my recipe and decoration ideas in one spot.

If you are looking for a quick way to manage a party, then this would be my first recommendation for a paper form to organize your planning.

Cleaning / Organizing

One of the things I liked about this planner is it gives you a pretty detailed list of things you should clean and/or organize during the holiday season.  Obviously if you are hosting a party, the first thing you are going to do is clean your house, so some of the items on the list seem fairly obvious.  However, some of them we not things I readily think about cleaning and or organizing.  I look forward to take some time and completing some of the things on this checklist.  

This tab has in it the Cleaning Checklist, Decor Inventory & Decor Storage.  Right now my decor inventory and decor storage pages are blank because I never got around to filling them out.  My goal is to fill out the Decor Inventory sheet while I put up the decorations, then fill out the Decor Storage sheet as I put them away.  This will give me a quick access point if I need to go looking for any Christmas items.

Miscellaneous

This last section was dedicated to things I had no idea where I where to put.  In this category I put the  Family Traditions & Baking Planner.  Because the majority of my family traditions revolve around baking of some kind, it made perfect sense for me to group these two items together.  I'm hoping this year we will get to try some new recipes that I have been pinning on Pinterest.  

 That is my 2013 Christmas Planner so far! It will be filled with receipts, recipes and other fun goodies as I get closer to Christmas! 

Do you want your very own Christmas Planner like this one? Check out Life Your Way's website for these pages and more! 

***

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these printables and the views and opinions expressed are my own.  I will not be receiving any payment for this post.