Cupcake Flower Pot Tutorial

So I guess I’m on this Teacher Gift kick this week even though its summertime! I found all of these pictures I had uploaded from the school year and forgot to blog about. Maybe some of these ideas will come in handy for Back to School gift ideas. It’s kind of around the corner!
I was watching a show sometime last spring called D.C. Cupcakes, about a bakery, well, in Washington D.C…. anyhoo, they were doing a wedding with these really cute flowerpot cupcake  centerpieces.
Fast forward to the last day of school this year….and I needed 4 preschool teacher gifts plus an office staff gift, pronto! I’m a Mama on a budget, so this is where I have to get creative. I thought back to those flower pots and knew they’d be a hit with the teachers.

Now, I’m a lot of things, but a Baker is NOT one of them. So I called up Sam’s Club and ordered 30 cupcakes decorated like flowers. Only $12.00 (averaging $3 per pot).
You have to be very specific when ordering from Sam’s. I wanted them to look like roses (as seen above), but they decorated them like big cartoony flowers. Oh well they were still cute!

Then I scored on 50% off terra cotta pots at Hobby Lobby for $0.75 a pot. I got one large pot for $1.00 for the office staff gift.
To start, you will need a flower pot, floral foam half circle form, and toothpicks.

If you’re using regular sized cupcakes, you’ll need mini cups (you know the ones you used to make jello shots in college ….not that I ever made these of course!) As I learned the hard way, the big cupcakes need more than toothpicks to hold them on the floral foam without falling off.

Pierce your plastic cups with 2 toothpicks, aligning them in the center and then placing them a few inches apart around the floral foam.

Then go back with some green tissue paper squares and fill in between the cups, piercing the tissue with toothpicks to secure in place.

*NOTE: Make sure before adding your cupcakes that you pierce little holes in the cupcake wrappers so that they slide onto the toothpicks easily.

After doing this little project with big cupcakes, I found that the mini cupcakes looked better and were a lot easier to work with since they didn’t need the jello shot cups…just toothpicks to hold them in place.

I found these lemon mini cupcakes at Walmart for $2.00 a package and I used 2 packages to cover the large flowerpot for the office staff.

I believe I spent $6.00 total on this large pot, including the cost of the premade cupcakes.
I know this isn’t my usual blog post, but thought it would be fun to share some crafty gift ideas this week! I’d love to see some of your ideas, so send them my way if you get a chance!

Happy Friday!!!!

Sunshine on a Stem

It always seems to sneak up on me….Teacher Appreciation Week that is! Now that my son is in Preschool, I have to remember these things. I was a teacher before having Nikolas, so I know how important it is to recognize all that they do for my child.
With that said, I also know how awful interesting some of the teacher gifts can be! No more soap on a rope, please!
While it isn’t that time of year, I thought it might be nice to post an idea that I did in the spring for Nikolas’ teachers. It was super easy and made a big hit at the school!
I found these cute Sunflowers in the garden section at Walmart for $2.00 a plant.

They needed a little charm, so I layered yellow and white polka dot tissue paper, $1 at Walmart, with a square of burlap fabric at the base of the pot and tied it secure with a piece of twine.

I happened to be walking through Hobby Lobby one afternoon and saw these cute little tags in the garden section for $0.49 each. PERFECT!
So I tied them to the stems with a little twine and then instead of a card, I used my Cricut machine to make little tags that read, “You are my Sunshine.”

Nikolas had 4 teachers last school year, so I couldn’t spend a fortune on gifts, but I wanted to do something really special. I think these averaged me about $3.50 per pot once I added the embellishments.
Not too shabby, considering the soap on a rope alternative!

Coastal Subway Wall Art

I heart the Subway Art that’s popping up everywhere these days. The simple black background and the large white letters that pop off the canvas. It’s just, well…cool, right?

Pottery Barn’s Version

Courtesy of Pottery Barn

Restoration Hardware’s Version

Courtesy of Restoration Hardware

Yes, I was a fan of the standard Subway Art, until I saw this and my jaw dropped!

 

Now this is MY kind of Subway Art! I love the wooden weathered planks and the silhouette Seahorse. Check out the message hidden within the words that reads, “Follow the River and you will find the Sea.”

Seahorse Wall Art from Aidan Gray retailing for $306.

I have a huge blank wall in my front room when you walk in my house that is screaming for some wall art. Now my wheels are turning again! Definitely food for thought!

Happy 4th of July!

Here’s a little inspiration to get you in the red, white, & blue mood!

Photo Courtesy of A Field Journal

Pottery Barn….always gets it right!

I LOVE these fruit candy kabobs! You might remember them from Nikolas’ 4th Birthday Party.

Photo Courtesy of Bella Grace Designs

Check out this Patriotic Wreath Tutorial at All You. This got my wheels turning…wonder if I could recreate this wreath with cupcake wrappers flattened out and pinned to a Dollar Store styrofoam wreath?

Love this idea with the strawberries! Again, did this for Nikolas’ 4th Birthday party with giant marshmallows last year.

Strawberry Tutorial at Grin and Bake It

How to Throw a Summer Barbeque by Pottery Barn

Wishing you and your family a fun & safe holiday weekend!

As my four year old, Nikolas, would say….

“Cause Baby, You’re a Firework!!!”

My Coastal Summer Mantel

I was so inspired by our recent trip to Destin, that I wanted to have that happy beach feeling surrounding me at home. I didn't have a huge budget so I gathered a lot of the decor from other areas of our house.

The white lantern and rope starfish were from Nikolas' room. I got the large glass vase on clearance for $13.00. The freebies include the sand inside the vase from the beach, along with several of the shells. Can you spot the typo in the wooden sign (a T.J. Maxx find)? It's okay, I still love it!!!

Other areas of the house needed a little summer spruce up so I did spring on some new throw pillows. (These are a mix of Pottery Barn and T.J. Maxx.)

I used some industrial strength velcro to attach a starfish to the wall and a vintage inspired seashell tray.

I tied these wooden buoys together and hung them on a wall hook

 with the clock above for a little visual interest.

Now I've got my own personal beach house to bring sunny vibes all summer long!

The Versatile Lantern....to be used throughout the year

Lanterns have become really popular in the last few years. Just skim the pages of a Pottery Barn catalog and you'll see what I mean. They are also one of my "staples" when it comes to seasonal decorating. Just see what I mean!

1. Halloween through Thanksgiving
Use the lanterns to flank the sides of your entryway admist hay bales, gourds and fall garland.

This year I used a lantern in my Halloween Mantel decor with crumpled book pages and a flameless flickering candle inside.

2. Christmas through New Year's

Fill the lanterns with candles on the porch or even inside on the bottom steps of the staircase. Tie holiday ribbon and ornaments to the handle and nestle a candle among cranberries or faux snow inside.

3. Springtime

Use the lanterns in your spring decor by incorporating bird nests with speckled robin's eggs, bright green moss and garden stones as fillers.

4. A Coastal Summer

Starfish, white sand and seashells will freshen up your lanterns for summer. Try tying thick braided rope from the handles for a nautical feel.

Craving Coastal Trends

I've been caught up in all things Coastal this month. It may be the weather or that I'm longing to be at the beach, but I can't get enought of it. Sea blue colors, shells and sand instantly put me in a happy, relaxed state of mind.

I just picked up these glass candle hurricanes encased in wicker baskets. They are my favorite new accessory sitting on our coffee table on a vintage wooden tray.

I added some natural sand and chunky pillar candles. I love the texture of the sand and the coral. It instantly says Summer to me.

I also painted my kitchen island in a Coastal Sea Foam blue to give the neutral space a splash of color. I love how it livens up the room without being too overbearing.

At Urban Farmhouse I've started adding lots of Coastal elements as well. One of my favorite dining sets is the new Coastal Collection I just finished. See more pics at Urban Farmhouse.

Inspired by the Sea...Dining Room Inspiration

So I've been a bad blogger :-( So sorry...I'll try to be better! Lately I've been incredibly inspired by coastal design and I've wanted to paint everything in a color I've named Sea Glass. I can't get enough of it!

This table was so beat up and needed a lot of TLC. If it hadn't found it's new home so quickly, I may just have kept it for my new dining set.

I can't wait to see how the new owners plan to incorporate this set into their newly built home that has a Cottage Coastal vibe to it.

I'm also hooked on white dishes and cake stands mixed with glass cloches. I think it adds such a crisp and clean element for spring.

Oh and this little breakfast table and cane back chair set was supposed to be cream...and then I got a crazy idea to try a Sea Foam green. I love how it turned out with a tobacco glaze giving it depth.

I'd love to see some of your "Sea Inspired" design ideas. I must be ready for summer sunshine!

 Have a great weekend!