Wedding Invitation Suite | Sneak Peak

He stole my heart, so I’m stealing his last name ;)

I will officially be a Gibson in less than a year! I love the wedding invite suite we found so I thought I’d share it with my lovely readers! I wanted to have a total DIY Wedding, so when I found these babies I almost died!

 

This set incudes invitation set (invite, save the date, rsvp) and decorations/party favors.

Over the next month I will be sharing more of our DIY wedding with you so I hope you tune in regularly to check the whole shebang! :)

What’s your favorite wedding theme at the moment?

DIY Shabby Chic Journal

I’ve always kept a journal. I love looking back at my old journals and remembering certain times or feelings, This semester I have two classes that I need journals for so I went to Rite Aid yesterday to buy a couple notebooks and decided to buy the cheapest, ugliest ones they had.. 50 cent composition books, why not? I mean they do the job right? It wasn’t until I got home that I got the creative idea to dress em’ up a bit! I ended up having one left over so I personalized it for Monique, too :)

Probably one of my quickest, easiest and cutest DIY projects so far!

Supplies: contact paper (shabby, floral design) composition book, scissors, craft tag sticker, dimensional fabric paint(for puffy letters)

Steps: 1.)Measure + Cut contact paper to fit cover of composition book. 2.) Carefully place contact paper on both front and back of your journal 3.) Now, put your sticker on front center of journal. 4.) Personalize or not, it’s up to you! 5.) Start writing all of your brilliant thoughts down!

I bought this amazing stuff at Wal-Mart a while back for our March of Dimes fundraiser. It was under $5 and I use it all the time!

 

Do you write in a journal or diary?

Live Laugh Craft | DIY Braided Fabric Headbands

Welcome back for another round of Live Laugh Craft! If you weren't around last week when the series launched, here’s the rundown: Live Laugh Craft is a weekly/biweekly series co hosted by Monique and myself, it’s all about being crafty and thrifty college students who have fun!

. Everyone week or so we both create a common craft, whether it be a paper craft, jewelry making or other random DIY projects.This week we decided to make headbands!

I even got to use my favorite model, she was an awesome little helper too!

SUPPLIES: fabric scraps, scissors, hair ties & sewing machine or needle and thread

Pretty Floral Fabric.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1.) Cut or rip your fabric into strips that are about 1 inches wide and 20 inches long. 2.) Tie 3 pieces of fabric into a knot on one end. 3.) Braid your fabric pieces for the entire length. 4.) Sew off the ends of your fabric rope. 5.) Sew hair tie onto one end of fabric rope. 6.) Complete your headband by sewing the other ends of the tie and rope.

 

Don’t forget to check out Monique’s awesome headbands, too! Then link up with us and show off your masterpieces!

Coffee Talk

Whether we're headed across campus for class or into the office for work, chances are that most of us have a travel mug of something caffeinated in our hands. Chances are even better that your beverage of choice is some combination of coffee, milk, and foam! Do you know the difference between a cappuccino and a latté?

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It's incredible how many variations of coffee + milk + foam are actually possible! Change one little thing and the drink goes from bitter to rich, or from creamy to airy.

• Café au Lait - This drink is simply half brewed coffee and half warmed milk. You might get a little foam on top, but the essential idea is thinning the strong coffee with a generous amount of warm, creamy milk.

• Latté - Similar to a café au lait, lattés are made with a shot (or three) of espresso poured into the bottom of a mug and topped with steamed milk and a thin layer of foam. Some people prefer to add the espresso last so it that sinks through the milk and foam instead, but the idea is the same.

• Cappuccino - We've always thought of cappuccinos as the opposite of lattés. A cappuccino also uses shots of espresso, but the proportions of milk and foam are reversed: a little milk, lots of foam. This gives you a much stronger coffee flavor. The key to a good cappuccino in our opinion is really excellent foam.

• Machiatto - If you like really intense coffee flavor, try one of these! It's simply a shot of espresso topped with a little foam - no milk! Back in our barista days, we also liked a version where we replaced the foam with a little dollop of whipped cream. Not a bad way to wake up in the morning!

See what we mean? Just a few simple ingredients, but lots of ways to change it up and make a drink that suits your tastes exactly.

What's your favorite way to drink coffee?

Fall Friendship Bracelet Swap

Good Morning, my loves. Today, I have some very exciting news for you.

I am hosting the 2012 Fall Friendship Bracelet Swap! I loved using elfster for the Summer Handmade Gift Exchange so I thought I would host my own swap as well. The swap is easy peasy, just click the link below to find out more. 

Fall Friendship Bracelet Swap Sign-Ups

Everyone is invited, so pass this link along!

The deadline for sign-ups is September 7th and the Swap will take place on or before September 28th. So, sign up and invite everyone you know! 

Hope you all have a great weekend!

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BIRCHBOX | August {Beauty School}

I’ve been wanting to subscribe to a monthly subscription box for some time now but it was hard for me to pick one; there are so many cool ones out there. I finally decided to go with BIRCHBOX, it’s only $10 a month and I was really pleased with what I received in my first box! It’s funny that this month’s theme is “Back to School” and I ended up getting the box yesterday, which was my first day of school. Cool, right?!?!

It felt like Christmas morning in the Gibson house. It came with a cute little Beauty School Tool Kit Manual that has some really cool stuff in it.

[EYE ROCK instant eyeliner tapes]

Instant eye liner tape isn’t something I would normally purchase because I don’t wear thick eye liner but I could definitely use them for Halloween or some other dress up occasion. There was also a Schick Hydro Silk Razor, I’ve had these before and absolutely love them!

[Stainiac- The Balm lip & cheek tint]

Okay, friends. Let’s talk about the Stainiac. It’s thebalm.com I have purchased a few other lip stains in the past but I didn’t like how they felt when they dried. This is totally different. It’s moist and even sparkles a little. It’s also not as RED as you may think. It’s very flattering. You can also use it on your cheeks as blush! How cool!

[YU°BE skin cream]

I’m not a fan of thick balmy cream like this but I’m sure it will come in handy this Winter.

[Viva La Juicy- La Fleur]

I saved the best for last. This stuff is SOOO yummy. I ‘ve already told Daniel that I want it for Christmas. It says that the scent was inspired by the blushing aura of being in love. I know one thing, I’m in love…. with Birchbox! Check it out and get yourself a subscription!

Live Laugh Craft | Volume 1: DIY Planner

Well, today is the day. It’s the first official project of our new craft series! Monique and I have been planning this series for about a month or so through texts, email and I.M’s. I have had so much fun with this new venture and I have a feeling very great & creative things will come from it.

So without further ado, here is my first Live Laugh Craft project, a back to school inspired planner for my last year of college.

After you check this out, head on over to Monique’s blog, Uniquely Monique to see what she came up with!

Make your tabs, then add your pages. You can glue them right onto the page.

Link up & show us your project! And come back next week to create DIY headbands with us!

Live Laugh Craft | Sneak Peak

I have recently teamed up with a friend of mine and total sweetheart, Monique from Uniquely Monique. We’re launching a  brand spankin' new  series called “Live, Laugh, Craft” it will be a very fun and interactive series where we post DIY and craft projects that have common supplies and/or theme but with our own little spin on them!

This week’s theme is “BACK TO SCHOOL”

We are making live a little easier with DIY planners. I am so excited for this series to launch, aren’t you? 

The bests things about this new series are:

1.) Were being thrifty! with college and family life we need to use our material wisely so were doing just that! :) 

2.) You will see two completely different crafting styles and perspectives on a common project. 

3.)You can join in on the fun! Whether you’re a blogger or a reader.. We will have a linky party and a blog button for you to take!

4.) We inspire each other!

Come back tomorrow to see both of our awesome back to school planners and don’t forget to join in on the fun!

Growing Pains

My niece is starting the second grade next Monday, while I start my last year of College.

It’s hard to believe that she has grown up so much, just over the last year or so. I always tell her how grown up she acts and how it makes me sad, she just smiles and says, “Auntie, I will always be your baby girl.” It melts my heart because I know she means it.

Sometimes I wonder where the time goes and wish it would just slow the heck down.

These photo’s where taken by Amie Preston, an old friend of mine who is an awesome photographer.

DIY Sparrow Earrings

I hope you are all having an amazing weekend, I know I am! It’s been oddly calm and quiet around the Gibson house.. the last few days have consisted of crafts, movie watching, yummy food and water wars, what more could a Mama ask for?

I have an easy peasy earring tutorial for you today. I was debating on whether or not to post this due to the fact that it’s nearly effortless but they are just too cute to not show off!

I am not a big fan of chunky jewelry so I wanted these earring to be light and minimal.

The most time consuming part (okay, it took me under a minute for both!) was linking the jump rings to the charms.

I planned on adding more beads but one on each side of the charm looked fine the way it was. What do you think?

I am now awaiting the perfect occasion to wear them. Maybe the first day of Fall semester? Ummm, Yes!

What do you like better, chunky or dainty jewelry?

DIY Message in a Bottle Necklace

I have a super sweet DIY photo tutorial for you today. It took me under 10 minutes to finish and all of the supplies were from my craft stash. I bought the tiny apothecary bottle from The Plaid Barn a few months ago and thought I’d put it to good use and make something with it. Plus, it totally goes with my recent beach & bohemian obsessions..

 

I love this quote, it has stuck with me through good times and bad.

There ya go, a pretty little message in a bottle.

If you have any questions about this specific photo tutorial or what to be involved in future DIY projects, drop me a line at sewcalmama@yahoo.com