let the crafting begin!

yes, i do realize it's only the beginning of november-

but, if i don't start christmas crafting now, 

i'll run out of time to get my house decor in order for december.

{which by the way, is right around the corner. can you believe it?}
so, here are three "to do" crafts on my list this holiday season:

first up on the list?

this little diy.
so simple, modern, inexpensive and festive right?
next up on the list?
this antrho inspired craft.
i've seen these for sell in several stores around town- 
but, how much more fun will it be to make them instead of buy them?
they are a bit trendy, but reasonably so- they're adorable!
last but not least?

this pinecone garland.
simply gather pinecones and dip in paint. that's it!
i may add a little glitter to mine- to give them a little bit of holiday cheer.

well, there you have it;
the first few holiday crafts on my list this year.
do you have any on your list already?
or am i the only weirdo who is anticipating christmas a little too much?

happy monday. 
start composing a craft list and share it with me-
i'd love to add to mine, because it's not like i have too many already. ;)
xoxo

from me to you: a challenge and a craft.

{easy instructions on how to make this, below!}

let's give thanks.

shall we?

'tis the season to be thankful, right?

so.... i have a little challenge for you:

i will be posting a picture on instagram, of something 

i'm thankful for, each day of this month.

username: eleasejane 

i want you to join in on the fun. 

under each picture, include the hash tag: #30daysofthanksgiving

{that's: 30 days of thanksgiving}

next: make certain to visit my instagram profile, 

and leave a comment on one of my picture;

this will direct me to your instagram profile, so i can follow you

and see all of your creative thankful pictures, of course. 

i'm a firm believer that one can never be too thankful.

be grateful, always.

it will never hurt you; it will only make you realize your infinite blessings. 

i'm excited to see your 30 days of thanksgiving.

ready, set... go! 

xoxo

p.s. want to make the frame above?

1. simply find or buy a picture frame you adore. any size, shape or age. 

2. spray paint or paint it a fun color. {or if you wish, leave it plain.}

3. spray paint or paint the piece of glass with chalkboard paint.

4. ta da! you have a lovely, useful and fun piece of "art" on your wall.

a simple knob.

when lovebird and i first got married and moved into our first little home.

{it's an apartment, but it feels like a home.}

we refused to pay the hefty installation fee of 

mounting our tv above our fireplace.

even though that space had "i exist only to hold a tv" written all over it,

i wasn't willing to spend hundreds of dollars and give in. 

lovebird and i, not being big tv watchers (still to this day),

 decided a little table of some sort would do the trick.

we ran to trusting target, and sure enough we found a little table.

when i say little, i'm also talking a ticket price of $20.

for these first two years of marriage, that little table has done us well;

it perfectly perfumed it's job while looking somewhat decent.

however, i happened to stumble across a complete gem the other day.

ya know, the kind that has a big red clearance sticker on it.

disregarding it's few scratches and missing door knob,

i snatched it right up and put it in it's place before lovebird could 

even think of saying "no".

ideas of painting, sanding, turning into a

 vintage masterpiece raced through my head.

however, i decided to do simple, {at least for now}.

i'm proud to say this little guy only cost me $4.89 for "repairs",

and i couldn't have asked for a better home for our tv. 

trust me, i know there are hundreds of more impressive makeovers out there.

some are very time consuming and involve heavy labor-

which of course, produces a beautiful end product.

that being said, sometimes a little knob or two can do the trick,

and produce a just as lovely outcome.

a makeover doesn't have to be big, to be right.

now, go splurge and by yourselves a couple knobs to transform

a piece you are slightly tired of.

it will feel brand new all over again. 

p.s. knobs are all half off at hobby lobby right now! 

ready, set, run!!

call me a thief.

happy wednesday.

i thought i'd share a little project on the blog today.

i don't share {or do} a lot of diy's, thanks to my busy schedule.

however, yesterday i was feeling awfully crafty-

and the leisure summertime allowed me to create something fun.

i totally stole this idea from one of my best friends, 

and would link it to her blog if she had one. {hint, hint}

it's time to get your craft on,

and create a fun, inexpensive and adorable calendar! 

"call me a thief":

that title relates to the fact, that i made this project for a grand total of $3.

{pretty impressive, right? so cheap and so cute!}

what you will need:

1. paint samples {usually free! i got mine at home depot}

2. a lovely picture frame! {this one was on sale at Michael's for $3}

3. dry erase marker.

4. of course you will need the essentials: scissors and glue.

instructions:

1. simply pick out your paint samples and colors. {six colors in total}

i chose to do an "ombre" look, however mixed colors are darling too!

2. trim to the size you want your boxes.

3. paste onto a solid white piece of paper the size of your frame.

4. on top of the picture frame's class, using a dry erase maker:

 label the month, days, and events you have going on that month.

5. ta-da! that's it. now, go hang it in your cute home!

so simple, and you'll feel like a thief too.

creating a project for $3 is a complete steal, if you ask me!

plus- it's a craft that keeps on giving.

all you have to do, is erase it when the month is over,

and you'll have a brand new calendar for the next month! 

p.s. sorry for the low quality photo's- lovebird has our camera back home with him.

also, don't mind my ugly hand writing- i simply just jotted a few things

down to show you an example. i've obviously got some touching up to do! 

cover to cover.

i'm a magazine junkie.

i tell you, i could spend hours at barnes & noble

{currently my favorite place on the planet}

simply reading magazines from cover to cover.

home, fashion, health, times... and the list goes on.

it doesn't matter which one or how many.... 

as long as i'm sitting in one of those wood chairs, 

inhaling the smell of new books, while being serenaded with "bookstore" music.

this has become a slight problem, however.

i have every intention of going to the bookstore to catch up on my 

long list of books to read.

life is too short to not read every single day. 

think of all the books out there you will never read, simply due to not enough time.

that thought kills me. 

if only it was world wide requirement to schedule an hour a day just for reading.

that would be heavenly.

until then, time spent sifting through pages of magazines

will be my sinful addiction. 

what magazines are you subscribed to monthly?

{come on... let me know of your secret stash.}

or what magazines to you gravitate towards reading when you have time to kill?

p.s. i love this, this and this craft with all of those extra magazines that sit and collect dust! 

...and this is an adorable valentine idea! 

read, craft, and dream on. 

xoxo

Christmas is coming....

...the goose is getting fat. 

let the holiday planning begin!

here are some links, helpful tips and ideas.

i'm hoping to use and/or do at least of few of them.

gift giving to men:

we all know that guys are hard to shop for; they don't really need anything, often times don't ask for anything, and getting them the perfect gift (whether big or small) sometimes seems impossible.

click here for a little holiday help. cute stocking stuffers!

christmas crafts:

i want to try this, this and this cute christmas craft from pinterest.

oh, and maybe this one too.

if only i had the time to make a new craft everyday.

{i love far too many wreaths, i can't possible choose just one to post.}

{also- i'm completely in love with putting ornaments, pinecones, treats, etc. in anything glass.}

there are too so many to choose from.  dang pinterest!

onto food:

how about a hot chocolate bar with these marshmellows?

or why not decorate with food. this is classic. 

fun party punch for all ages.

and how about these with all that left over ham. yummy. 

we all know there are limitless options for holiday sweets out there. 

this is just the beginning...

more is to come, i'm sure of it. 

i figured i better start posting now, or i'll run out of time

to post all of the cute ideas out there for this beloved time of year.

i'm hoping i was able start some brainstorming inside that little noggin of yours.

speaking of "noggin"... 

just wait until i post the best family egg nog recipe. 

and believe it or not- it's eggless. and makes enough for the army! yummy!

i hope you are gearing up for the holidays like i am.

tomorrow the advents already begin.

{am i excited and anxious? yes.}

xoxo

decorating help, please!

i know it's only september, but at the rate that time seems to be flying by,

 this post is certainly not too early.

is it just me, or is fall sometimes hard to decorate your home for?

don't get me wrong, there are tons of spiders, webs, pumpkins, ghosts,

skeletons, guts, goblins and more.

but sometimes that creeps me out.

i still want my house to be warm and inviting.

so what do decorate with or make to fill your home with 

something that doesn't make you want to scream?

you know, something fall-y, vintage-y and halloween-y all at the same time.

i'm open for suggestions.

i was thinking about trying this, this and/or this.

or i may even go above and beyond and make some fancy/spooky wreath.

{that is if i have time in-between school, dance, work, and being a wife.}

well, i would love to hear what you have done 

or what you are going to do this year.

if you share your ideas, i may just bake you a batch of pumpkin chocolate chippers.

thank you. xoxo

sneak peak

i'm getting my crafty side on.

check it out!

that's all you get to see.

simply because i will be motivated to finish my craft

so i can post about the finish product.

it's a big one.

i'm a little scared. 

but, don't you fret. i will get it done.

eventually.

check back in a year....

and i'm only somewhat kidding.