Creative Ways to Fill Summer Days

I am honored to be a guest blogger at Ponderings of an Elect Exile. Check out my POST on creative, inexpensive ways to add fun to your Summer days. While you're there, be sure to check out Jen's other fabulous posts.

More about my friend Jen from Ponderings of an Elect Exile...

A Simple Wife and Mom with an Extraordinary God!

Jennifer is a simple wife and mom with an extraordinary God! She is the blessedly spoiled wife to Billy and mom to four crazy, highly creative, sometimes cranky, but always amazing children. Their journey has been far from what they ever expected, but God has proven Himself faithful through it all.

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the green widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Summer Iced Tea Party

My niece Caitie is part of a trio of best friends that have been together since baby-doll age. These three young women are extraordinary examples of fun-loving, Jesus girls. 

After spending over a decade together, they will be separating next month. Two will go to different universities, and one will join the military before heading to college. 

Caitie asked if we could have a tea party before everyone leaves. Of course it had to be an iced tea party, because who drinks hot tea in the summer in the South?

Our menu included sweet tea- regular and raspberry, zucchini and goat cheese tarts, and sugar cookies. We also served flower shaped cucumber and pink, cream cheese sandwiches, and mini, bite-sized apple & peach pies. 

DECORATING TIP: Add fresh flowers to a tea pot then stack on a plate and candle holder for a darling centerpiece. 

Mini pies stacked on plates and tea cups.

PARTY TIP: Print guest's initials on clear stickers and use as drink markers. You can also use a flower vase as a decanter, and don't forget adorable, paper straws.

Christmas ornaments were used to dress up a blah light fixture.

PARTY DECORATING TIP: Use four dollar store doilies and scrapbook paper to make medallions. I hung three in the kitchen for a festive look. Double the doilies if they are too thin.

DECORATING TIP: Dip dollar store silk flowers in water with food coloring. This will tone down the brightness of the flower. They still looked inexpensive, but these flowers were plopped in a tea pot behind a glass door as background dressing.

We had a "Miss Tea Party" pageant. Everyone was a contestant and had to answer a ridiculous interview question as if it were a real situation. 

PARTY TIP: Make pageant sashes by printing titles on clear, full-sheet stickers and adorn them with stick-on pearls and rhinestones. One page of jeweled accents decorated all six sashes and cost $1.00 at Michaels.

 PARTY TIP: Make a scepter out of a sturdy, cardboard tube from a large roll of aluminum foil. Glue finials to each end and spray paint the whole thing with silver, glitter spray. Once the scepter is dry, add a pink, acrylic drawer pull to finish the look.

I filled tiny jars with sugar scrub as a party favor for each guest. These adorable little jars were bought at a flea market for 25¢ each! 

(Sugar scrub recipe found HERE.)

PARTY TIP: Print monograms on clear stickers and put onto pails with matching tulle for party favor packaging. The pails held the homemade sugar scrub.

Of course we had to have chocolate. The bars were wrapped in paper that matched our color scheme.

We also gave each girl a wire-bound journal wrapped in tissue paper and tulle. 

PARTY TIP: Use a vintage quilt to cover a table for a gorgeous shabby chic accent. I covered the coffee table with this beautiful pink quilt.

Here are the gorgeous guests with their Miss Tea Party titles. Such fun!

While I'm not in the picture, I was voted "Miss Silly", but that's because we didn't have a "Miss Laugh So Hard You Pass Out" title.

We also had a "photo booth" set up in the bathroom. Sure it seemed like an odd choice, but the counter was perfect for holding all the props. The girls also liked having the large mirror to try out the props before they posed. The shower curtain was a perfectly plain backdrop for the photos. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon.


Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

The Mama in Stereo

Recently my mother got a hearing aid, and it has made a great impact on her quality of life. We both giggle at the discovery of "new" sounds to her. Now she can hear the click of the light switch on the wall, the smacking sound of soap when you wash your hands, and she can hear me when I have my back to her.

Sometimes Mama will sit still with a look of concentration, and I'll ask what she is listening to. She might smile and say, "I can hear the birds outside." It brings a smile to my face as well. 

Other big discoveries are that the television volume is no longer set to 64 (the loudest setting). The volume now hovers around level 30. She is also pleased to be able to hear the teapot whistle, the newspaper rustle as she reads it, and to be able to join in the discussion in her Sunday School class.

This new adventure has delighted me to no end. I am so very happy for my sweet mama. It's a joy to see her experience long lost sounds.

After she got acclimated to her first hearing aid, which was purple by the way, she went back for the second one. She chose silver for the second to make them easier to tell apart.

Mama was so excited as she waited for the second hearing aid to come in. On Monday she giggled as she said, "I get my other hearing aid tomorrow, and then I'll have surround sound!"

How cute is that?

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Tiny Treasure Boxes

Yesterday Caitie and I decided to spread some love and encouragement. We had purchased several tiny, acrylic boxes from The Container Store a while back, and it was time to put them to good use. We also had a bunch of small, blank price tags.

Caitie spent Friday night with me as the beginning of a long TaterBugDay. After catching a $1.50 movie, we went home to look up and type out messages for our little boxes. 

Here are a few examples of what we put inside.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”   

Joshua 1:9

Listen to the mustn’ts child, listen to the don’ts, listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me. Anything can happen child.  Anything can be.  – Shel Silverstein

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” – God  (Jeremiah 29:13)

There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.  _ Jane Austen

What do you call a fluffy psychic?  A four chin teller. 

According to God, we are here to love. Not much else really matters. – Francis Chan (Crazy Love)

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” - God   (Jeremiah 31:3)

What does a nosy pepper do?  Gets jalapeno business!

It was our hope that someone would open a box, or see a hanging tag, and receive a bit of encouragement or maybe a giggle.  

Don't you love tiny surprises? *SMILE*

I really hope it isn't illegal to hang anything on a fire hydrant!

We placed the boxes on benches, steps, windowsills...

and newspaper dispensers.

And we hung tags from fencing, benches, and signs.

While we noticed several boxes had been taken, this is the only person we saw find one of our boxes. He read it and seemed to ponder what was written. Then he carefully folded the paper and replaced it in the box. (You'll notice there is another, purple, box on the light pole in front of the man. It was about four feet down the sidewalk from him, and he didn't see it.)

He looked at the box for quite some time after he had replaced the paper. A few minutes later he set the box back on the ledge and left. The message in this box was Zephaniah 3:17 (The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.)

Apparently I'm kind of fascinated with hydrants. (Remember the one below from my photos of Nashville? That hydrant had character!)

We were a little dismayed to find how difficult it was to give away good cheer. Most people didn't notice our little treasures, and several of those who did notice walked on by. A few even touched the boxes, but they didn't open them. One little girl noticed the box on the newspaper stand and asked, "OH! What's that?" To which her mother replied, "Don't touch it!"

How sad. 

At what point do we allow our curiosity to fade away? I'm holding on to mine with a firm grip. I love a sense of wonder, and I don't want to let it slip away.

As the day proceeded, it grew uncomfortably hot and humid. We decided to go into the library for relief. We ended up leaving several boxes on tables, chairs, and on the racks. I hope someone enjoyed finding one or two. More than that, I hope someone was inspired to spread a little happy of their own in a creative way!

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email.

The Problem With Pinterest

I know someone just read the button and shouted, "Amen!" Now don't get me wrong. I love me a healthy dose of Pinterest. Of course, I'm not sure there is such a thing as a "healthy dose" when it comes to Pinterest. I have to be careful not to log-on too often because I know I am liable to fall into a black hole of craftiness. And I would like to state for the record that I AM NOT AT ALL BITTER about the fact that I am not the one who came up with Pinterest. 

Now that I've established my affection to this ingenious website, I can get on with an area of discontent. How many times have you run into the issue in the button? 

I recently ran across a pin that claimed it only takes $5.00 and 30 minutes to make adorable, chairs. The chairs came from all new materials - nothing recycled.  That project may only cost $5.00 if all you have to buy is the paint! And while the directions are quite simple, you would have to be Ty Pennington to complete the project in 30 minutes or less, especially with sanding and painting. I'm a pretty handy, crafty girl, and I couldn't do it in that time frame. 

So what was that pinner thinking? Were they hoping they would get more pins if they fudge the facts? Does it make them look smarter if the rest of us can't accomplish the results as cheaply and timely as they? I don't know. 

Still, the chairs were pretty cool. I've decided to bookmark the page for a day when I have an extra hour or two and more than a $5.00 in my pocket. 

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email

Sparking Creativity

I want to introduce a new blog series I've been stirring around. It combines photos with everyday things and places that inspire me creatively, like the typewriter above. It will give me a chance to practice my photography skills while I glean ideas from everyday life. I'm hoping to post weekly, and maybe the photos will get better as I go along.

One thing that inspires me is a flea market. It is exciting to see past an item on a shelf, and envision what it can be. Sometimes I wonder about the life of an object.

Whether it's a re-purposing project, or a decorating idea, flea markets and thrift stores are treasure hunts for me. Here are a few things that have caught my eye recently.

I'm a  sucker for a cabinet with lots of drawers.

 Who doesn't like frying pans filled with knobs...

and trays with more knobs?

These bowls have stories.

Tiny jars have much potential. 

They can hold homemade glosses, bath salts, and salves.

Such character in these old tins.

Quilts are one of my favorite things to find. Vintage quilts are a treasure indeed. 

Unfortunately they usually come with a hefty price.

One treasure I did score was four yards of this 60" poplin above. It's a bit quirky, and I love it. It combines everything I adore; shabby chic colors, toile, and a vintage feel. The SHAZAM moment was when I learned the original price was $25/yard. I got four yards for $7.00!

So where do you find creative inspiration? Do tell!

Thanks for stopping by. If you like what you've seen then give my page a "like" creative confetti (website) on Facebook, and subscribe on the right. Feel free to pin and share via the widget to the left. I'd also love to hear from you, so leave a comment or send me an email

Upcycle a Dollar Store Clock with Scrapbook Paper

I found an old, significantly inexpensive, plastic clock at my mom's house. My first instinct was to trash it, but then I remembered my sizable collection of scrapbook papers. I believe I have more scrapbook paper than any non-scrapbooker.

I knew I couldn't turn the clock into a nice masterpiece, but I was shooting for cute. It couldn't have gotten much worse. (Please excuse the towel in the pictures. The kitchen table has a glass top, and I grabbed the first thing I could to use as a back drop.)

Remember when speckled paint was in? 

The first order of business was to find a paint color for the frame. There happened to be just enough left in this can to do the job. Isn't this a great color!

Next up, I cut a couple of pieces of coordinating scrapbook paper. I used the original face to trace the solid color circle, then I found a plate a tad smaller to cut the patterned paper. The glittery paper is delicious!

The result is a cute, if slightly lopsided, clock. I think it is a definite improvement. Now it looks well enough for Mama to hang in her kitchen. (As soon as I straighten the paper face.) And did you notice the glittered dots at twelve, three, six, and nine? There's also one in the center on the seconds hand. 

I have to say that I really like how the little clock turned out. The best part is that I can switch out the paper when I please. I'm a big fan of scrapbook paper (and paper in general). My office is full of paper decorations. Remember this cute window treatment made from paper? 

There are many possibilities with paper, so before you toss something in the trash, give it a second look.

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