Baby Shower Flowers + Painted Jars

By tiffany | Published: May 19, 2012

Occasion: Baby Shower with Unknown Baby Gender

Use this bouquet as inspiration for a baby shower with an unknown baby gender.

Stems:

pink/burgundy dianthus
burgundy ranunculi
yellow ranunculi
yellow stock
blue baptisia

Arranging:

Begin with the dianthus as they are both sturdy and full so they will take up much of the empty space allowing you to strategically place the more delicate stems.

Next, add your contrasting colors, I put in two stems of yellow stock, one for height and color and a second to make the bouquet even. Accent the stock with yellow ranunculi spread throughout the arrangement in lower areas.

Fill any holes with the burgundy ranunculi. Pairing different flowers of similar colors in one bouquet gives the arrangement texture and dimension. Finally, add the tall stem(s) of baptisia. More stems of baptisia will give you a more obvious boy/girl theme or you can find another bluish flower to add to the mix like ageratum.

paintedballjar

Centerpiece:

Take four ball jars (or a variety of used jars from your pantry) and paint the inside of each with a different pastel shade: yellow, blue, pink, green, etc. If you don’t have any pastel paints on hand, just mix each color with white until you reach the desired shade.

The first coat does a good job of filling in all white/clear space on the jar, however, if placed in the light it shows the stroke lines of your brush. I tried using a normal painter’s brush as well as one of those Styrofoam tipped brushes, but the regular brush worked much better. Wait 20 minutes for the first coat to dry before painting a second coat that hides the original brush strokes.

Make arrangements to place in your painted jars from the flowers listed above. Add three hosta leaves around the jar rims to form a collar. Group the jars in the center of the table for a beautiful bold centerpiece.

Painting the jars took about 30 minutes total so don’t be deterred by the extra effort of painting clear jars instead of buying colored vases/jars. Trust me, the extra time is well worth your efforts and will not go unnoticed.

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Tee to Tank Tutorial

By tiffany | Published: May 16, 2012

Working on a farm in the summer, in Tennessee, tends to get a little hot and a lot humid. I wish I could say I’ve become accustomed to the humidity but every time I think I’m beginning to adjust, the summer ends and we start the adjustment process all over again the following year.

Is there a point to me rambling about the heat? Why yes, now that you mention it, there is…working on a farm you learn quickly the value of wearing long pants and long-sleeved t-shirts to stay cool and keep yourself protected. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to handle the long-sleeved t-shirt. Maybe its psychological but it feels SO HOT. Instead, I opt for tank tops, lots and lots of tank tops. Of course, that means a lot of shirts end up ruined. I decided this summer, I had to come up with cheaper dispensable farm clothes.

I saw this tee to tank tutorail on Crafterhours, but the idea is from Upcycled Education. Here’s my own little documented attempt at the tank.

First, choose an over-sized t-shirt that you never wear (mine was a $3 pink craft tee from Michaels).

Next, make your cuts.
Cut #1: Lay the t-shirt flat and cut off the sleeves just inside the seam.
Cut #2: Cut a straight line across the top of the shirt just under the neck.

Cut #3: Cut the bottom seam off the tshirt plus another small strip immediately above. The strip with the seam you can throw away, the second strip needs to be cut into 2 equal strips.

If your tee is a bit too large, as mine was, turn it inside out and lay it flat. Place pins 1/2 inch inside the original side seam all the way up to the armpit on both sides. Sew along the pins. Remove excess fabric and turn right side out. Tada!

Hem the top edges of the tee, leaving a 1/2 inch loop. Once the hem is sewn, thread one of the fabric strips from the bottom of the tee through each hem loop. I poke the end of a skewer through the fabric strip and pushed it through the loop, however, the smarter method would be to place the fabric strip on the shirt edge before folding it over for the hem.

All that’s left is putting on your newly fashioned tank and tying the front and back ties together at the height that suits you best. There are lots of ways to tie the drawstring so put on your creativity cap.

That’s it–a $3 tee shirt turned tank that’s loose, comfy and won’t bum me out if it gets ruined on the farm. Tomorrow I’m planning to turn some large print tees into work shirts too, I’ll share pictures soon.

Be sure to head over to Upcycled Education and thank Jen for the great tutorial inspiration and check out the actual tutorial on Crafterhours.

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Mother’s Day + Small Tribute

By tiffany | Published: May 13, 2012

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. Today is one of my favorite days because I love my mother so very much and I love having an entire day set aside for the sole purpose of honoring and celebrating her life, the sacrifices she has made and the person she is today.

My mom was recently offered a job in the Chicago area, a career opportunity of a lifetime for her. After much deliberation and conversation with my father, they decided she should take advantage of this opportunity, even though it means leaving my dad back home in Oregon until he can retire.

While this decision may sound crazy to most, and at times to our little family as well, I couldn’t be more proud of my mom. None of the decisions she and my father had to make regarding this position were easy. Moving across the U.S. to live alone, leaving the home you’ve poured so much time and effort into in exchange for a small apartment, trading the beautiful greenery and mountain settings of Oregon for the “concrete jungle” of a big city, and of course leaving behind all those you love most to pursue a dream that may or may not pan out…

I know many of you understand what it takes to make difficult decisions like these so you understand what must have gone into making the final decision to move. Despite all the so-called-craziness of this move, I am so proud that my mom took the job. She recognized the rut she was in, the day-in-day-out dead end job (you know the kind), and she took a chance. A very big chance. Decisions like these are the ones that make me respect my mother. Of course, no parent is ever perfect but it is always in the critical moments that I truly appreciate the example she sets.

My mother didn’t just tell my sister and I to follow our dreams and shoot for the stars, she didn’t just tell us to hold our heads high and put forth our best effort, she didn’t just tell us how to be strong confident women–she showed us. She showed us all these things when we were young and she continues to show us still today.

I am so proud of my mom and so grateful for her presence in my life, a gift not all can claim. I am grateful for the example she has set for me throughout the years, the encouragement she gives through every endeavor I undertake, the pride she takes in her family and in her work, her adventurous spirit and her persistent attitude. I am grateful that my mom has taught me to be confident in who I am, be proud of where I come from and to never give up on my dreams.

Thank you mom for all you do and all you have done for our family throughout the years. You do not go unnoticed. We love you more and more each and every day.

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