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Guest Post From Lolly Jane:: Pottery Barn Knock-Off Hurricanes

December 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today you guys are in for a real treat. I have the lovely ladies from Lolly Jane here to share a fun little diy project. I came across their blog recently and loved everything I saw so I had to ask if they would show us one of their projects. Ladies, take it away!

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Hi there Megan Brooke Handmade readers! We are so excited to be here today visiting Megan and you guys! We’re thrilled she has asked us to share our Pottery Barn knock-off hurricanes with you. It’s a great gift to give as it can be used year round (more on that in a bit) or perfect to keep on your own mantel too!

But first we want to quickly introduce ourselves. We’re Kristi and Kelli from Lolly Jane, a DIY/Home Improvement blog full of tips and tricks from painting furniture to crafting and even a tasty desserts along the way. We love sharing our tutorials!

Okay now let’s get crafting! We were browsing the Pottery Barn catalog, filled with gorgeous Christmas cheer, and spotted their double-tiered glass hurricanes, priced at $144. Yeow! We instantly knew we could replicate these beauties for a fraction of their price…. well, we did (for $29!) and we just love the result of our PB knock-off glass hurricanes:

These can be used year-round by simply changing out the cranberries for pretty stones or flowers or etc. They sure are pretty for this time of year, though!
To create this project we used the following supplies:
  • 4 glass pillar candle holders: 2 medium, 2 large
  • 2 candles: one short, one tall
  • Bag of firm cranberries
  • 2 pieces of card stock + 1 sheet of tissue paper
  • Craft supplies like scissors, tape, etc.

To create the PB music sheet candles we semi-used a great tut from Can’t Stop Making Things but couldn’t get it to print with her instructions…. luckily, we had double-sided tape handy, which saved the day! Yay! We taped along the edges of the cardstock and pressed the tissue paper onto it and printed. Easy. From there we cut the edges off, {where the tape adhered to the cardstock.}

We squeezed a thin bead of glue along the edge of both candles, placed the tissue paper along it, wrapped the candle, trimmed the edges and heated the paper onto the candle with a blow dryer:

So pretty! Now to assemble the knock-off hurricanes:

Simpy fill 2 of them with pretty Christmas-y items, like pine cones from your tree or fresh, firm cranberries. {We let our little ones help!} Stack the empty pillar onto the filled one, add your music candle, light and enjoy the ambiance of designer holiday decor for less!

Hope you enjoy the tutorial and are inspired to try your hand at creating designer decor for less. If you’re looking for more cute and inexpensive holiday creations, be sure to check out our Christmas decor and goods! Come on over to Lolly Jane to say hi anytime! You can also find us on Facebook HERE and Pinterest HERE. Would love to see you! :)

THANKS again for having us, Megan! xo
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Thanks Kristi and Kelli for sharing this fun project with us. And like they said, you can use these year round, not just around the holidays which is great.

Be sure to stop by and check out some of their other fun projects!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I got a lot of packing done this weekend but managed to squeeze in some Christmas movie watching and gift exchanging too. This is basically my last week in Nashville so trying to squeeze in as much as I can.

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Filed Under: Christmas, DIY, guest post

Guest Post:: Chelsea from Two Twenty One {Fall Vignette}

October 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I’m currently on vacation and have asked a few of my fellow bloggers if they would like to guest post for me in my absence.

Today I have the fabulous Chelsea, from Two Twenty One with another fun seasonal post. Take it away Chelsea!

Hi Megan Brooke Handmade readers, I’m Chelsea from Two Twenty One!  I’m stopping by to share my fall vignette with you.  Why a vignette?  Well, because we don’t have a fireplace, so I use our entryway table as my mantel for seasonal and holiday displays.  It’s a great substitute for a mantel.

The vignette cost a whopping $5 to execute because I shopped my house.  Unfamiliar with the term?  It means that I used stuff I had around my house instead of buying more crap stuff I don’t need.  Shopping the house requires a little more imagination, but I enjoy it because I like putting my noggin to work.  Since I shopped the house, the only thing I purchased were gourds… for $5.
I arranged my $5 gourds in a pedestal hurricane.  Then I set it on top of a vintage Reader’s Digest book and the infamous Pigeon book.  I used some leftover burlap from my ruffled burlap table runner to make a simple table runner.

I removed the greenery and floral parts of an old wreath so I could display only the grapevine part of the wreath.  The moss covered ampersandI made for or wedding was placed in front of the wreath. 

I grabbed three of my thrifted Ball mason jelly jars, threw in some leftover fake leaves from my fall monogram wreath, and popped a tealight candle in each jar.

I set my green, Lowe’s clearance lamp on top of another Reader’s Digest bookand a random vintage book. 

I hope you enjoyed my little fall vignette.  Thanks so much for having me, Megan!

Thanks so much for sharing your fall vignette with us Chelsea!

I met Chelsea at Haven this past summer. She is an absolute hoot and her style is impeccable. Be sure to follow her on Twitter or Facebook to stay up to date on the latest from Two Twenty One.

My vacation is unfortunately coming to an end. :( I’ll be back on Monday with an all new post. Happy Weekend Friends!

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Filed Under: decorating, fall, guest post

Guest Post:: Uncommon Designs {Felt Owl Vases}

October 17, 2012 By 2 Comments

I’m currently on vacation and have asked a few of my fellow bloggers if they would like to guest post for me in my absence.

Today I have the lovely ladies from Uncommon Designs with a fun craft to get us into the mood for the spooky holiday right around the corner, aka Halloween!

Hi Megan Brooke Handmade readers! We are Bonnie and Trish and we blog over at Uncommon Designs. We are thrilled to be here! Megan is a sweetheart, we first met her at Haven this summer and hit it off right away!

  She is a fellow Clemson grad { go Tigers! } and shares our love of all things DIY and crafty. She was even sweet enough to host our family this summer on a little tour of her workplace….my kiddos are HUGE contemporary christian music fans!!

 On to the crafts….
 Trish and I absolutely love Halloween and today we have a simple and quick tutorial for you…

Felt Owl Vases… 


Aren’t these the cutest! Here is what you will need…

3 Glass Vases in Different Sizes
 Craft Moss
Felt Owl Stickers { or any other Halloween scene stickers }
 3 Cream Flameless Candles



Now, the felt owl stickers came from the Halloween seasonal craft section of Hobby Lobby. They are precious! You could use other Halloween scene stickers that you can find in the scrapbooking section of a craft or scrapbooking store, the possibilities are endless! 


First, apply the largest sticker to the medium sized glass vase. We are going to recreate the scene on the sticker package. The three vases will work together almost like a puzzle! 


Next, apply the little bat stickers to the other two vases to mimic them flying away. See how all 3 of the vases work together to create a sweet little scene!?! 


Add some craft moss to the bottom of each vase. Gently place a cream  flameless candle on top of the moss. I used one tall candle and two smaller ones. The moss helps ‘ground” your little scene you are creating!


Finally, simply add some moss around the vases to help “nestle” them into their environment! 


I just love how these turned out! Are you ready for Halloween yet? We hope that this has inspired you to get out those decorations! 

A huge “THANK YOU!” to Megan for having us today! We would love for you to visit us over at Uncommon! You can also find us on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.

Bonnie

Thanks so much ladies for sharing this cute project! Bonnie is right, I instantly hit it off with these ladies when I met them this past summer. Love meeting fellow Clemson alumni in random places. :)

Be sure to stop over and say hello to them on their blog and browse some of their other fun projects!

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Filed Under: crafts, guest post, Halloween

Guest Post:: Tonya from Love of Family & Home {Fall Dessert}

October 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I’m currently on vacation and have asked a few of my fellow bloggers if they would like to guest post for me in my absence.

Today I have the sweet Tonya, from Love of Family and Home with a delicious fall dessert recipe.

Hi, my name is Tonya and I blog over at Love of Family and Home. Today I have one of my favorite go-to desserts to share with you all that I like to take to parties & potlucks. It’s especially great during the fall season! You know, since fall & carmel apples go hand in hand! :)

Doesn’t it look delicious?!
I promise you will LOVE this dessert & so will your family & friends! It’s always such a crowd pleaser!

Here’s what you’ll need….
Ingredients:
1 package 16.5oz sugar cookie dough (softened)
1 package cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 medium granny smith apples
1/4 cup carmel ice cream topping
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
(*Note: you will probably notice that the ingredients call for one package of cookie dough, but my photo shows 2 packages. I used an extra large pizza pan, so I use a little cookie dough out of the second package to fully cover the pan I was using. If you use a standard size pizza pan, one package should do it!)
Spread out cookie dough out onto a pizza pan…..
I used my hands for this. Just a little helpful hint, in order to prevent the cookie dough from sticking to your hands/fingers during this step, rub a little flour onto your hands before spreading the dough out! It works like a charm!
Bake cookie dough at 375 degrees for 16-18 minutes or until light golden brown….
Set cookie aside & let cool for 10 minutes.
Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, peanut butter, & vanilla in a bowl…..
 Mix thoroughly….
Then spread cream cheese mixture onto (cooled) cookie….
For the the apples, I bought pre-sliced apples in the bag & then diced them up….
After dicing the apples, I arranged them evenly over the cookie & cream cheese mixture….
Then I crushed up the peanuts using our food chopper & spread them evenly over the cookie as well….
Once that was finished, I poured 1/4 cup carmel ice cream topping into a microwave safe container & heated up for 30-45 seconds. I then drizzled the carmel on top of the pizza to finish it off!
YUM-O!!!
Eat immediately or refrigerate until serving time….

ENJOY!!!

That certainly looks yummy! Thanks so much Tonya for sharing it with us. :)

For other delicious recipes plus lots of great diy project inspiration be sure to visit Tonya over on her blog. You can also keep up with Love of Family & Home on Twitter & Facebook.
Happy Monday!

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Filed Under: fall, guest post, recipes

Blogging Made Me Do It:: Make Them Wonder

June 6, 2012 By 4 Comments

Today you guys are in for a real treat!

The fabulous Dana from Make Them Wonder and I are doing a little blog swap. Dana came up with a fun series called Blogging Made Me Do It for bloggers to share some of the things that blogging has pushed them to do {whether it’s tackling a fear or a big project they’ve been meaning to do}. So today I’m over at her place sharing the things that blogging has made me do and I’ve asked her to share hers with us over here today :)

Let’s hear what Dana has to say!

Hi there! This is kinda fun…I came up with this series idea, asked Megan to join in the fun, then Megan was smart enough to turn the tables and ask me to share what blogging has made me do!

  Make Them Wonder

It’s really hard to narrow down but I’ve come up with the top 3 things I’ve done because of my blog.

Ready? Set. Go…

Number 1: Blogging made me come into this century by learning a few (okay, tons of) new computer skills. And, don’t faint, but it made me join Facebook. Yes, I’m probably the. last. person to jump on the FB bandwagon. Honestly, I should blame this one directly on Pinterest! I’d love for you to follow along.

Number 2: Blogging pushed me into a new career. After reading blogs forever and realizing I have a passion for design and decorating, I finally took the plunge and started my business, Dana Frieling Interiors. I’ve been at it for about 10 months now and I’ve tackled projects like a kitchen remodel, home staging and in-home consultations. I’m hoping to get the ball rolling on edesign soon. Anyone interested?! (It never hurts to ask, right?!)

This would be a horrible post without pictures, right? So, here are a couple of projects I’ve tackled in my own house, all because of an expectant blog audience.

 I painted stripes in our rotunda and added a giant F just for fun.
I learned how to use a miter saw and tackled this diamond wall project with my husband. Talk about a bonding experience!
I added a little pizazz to our previously empty TV niche by begging encouraging my husband to build some floating shelves while I painted the back bead board.
And last, but not least…
Number 3: Blogging has opened up an entirely new realm of ministry in my life. Every Tuesday I write posts that are completely transparent. I do this in hopes of encouraging others to be real with one another. I also offer to pray for anyone who needs it. I’ve had a handful of amazing women reach out to me through these prayer requests and I’ve loved getting to know them better and talk to God about them!
Another reason I enjoy Pinterest is finding quotes like this…
Thanks, Megan, for sharing your friends with me today. I’d love for each of you to stop by my blog and say hi! Making new friends is one of my favorite things.

Thanks so much Dana for putting together your own ‘Blogging Made Me Do It‘ post! I stumbled upon Dana’s blog from a guest post she did about pursuing her dreams and I instantly knew I liked this girl! And I absolutely love how she uses her blog as part of her ministry and offers to pray for her readers. So cool! I so admire her transparency and encouragement and hope I can do the same for you guys.

Don’t forget to head over to her blog to see what blogging has made me do :) Let’s just say I was a little transparent. Would love to know what you think!

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Filed Under: blogging, decorating, guest post