Aztec Easter Egg Print

 Hey!  I'm so excited about today's post because not only do I have a great new Spring printable for you, but at the end of this post you'll find links to 21 other AMAZING  Spring printables!!! We have teamed up to create beautiful spring printables and a fun and simple vignette for your spring decor!  

I love aztec print.  I love aztec blankets, aztec pillows, heck, I've even got an aztec print t-shirt. So, when I created this Easter egg print, I had aztec on the brain :)  I  made a chalkboard and a black and white version.  I went to Kinkos and had them printed on my own card stock for about 30 cents. 

 My friend Kristen from Ella Claire Inspired gave me a great tip on how to make your chalkboard print look more realistic.  Take a piece of chalk and turn it on its side and rub it all over the print.  Wipe off what you don't want and its a "I can't believe it's not chalkboard" print!

I printed mine as a PDF on card stock but I also included a jpeg version of each print.  Did you like the black and white or the chalkboard better?  



 8 x 10 Black and White HERE

8 x10 Chalkboard HERE

PDF Black and white HERE

PDF Chalkboard HERE



Now to show off these other great Printables...... 

Bird Prints Vignette with Free Printable by Town and Country Living

 Dreamsicle Botanical Recipe Print by My Sweet Savannah

 I Love Paris in the Springtime by So Much Better with Age

  Spring Floral Watercolors by Migonis Home

  Let New Adventures Begin by City Farmhouse

 Hello Easter Greeting Card Printable by Sweet C's Designs

  Hippity Hoppity by Clean and Scentsible 

 Spring Vignette and Free Printable by My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

  Botanical Prints for Spring by Shades of Blue Interiors

  Spring Easter Bunny Free Printable by Thoughts from Alice

  The Earth Laughs in Flowers by Ella Claire

 Well, Hello Spring by Nest of Posies

  Free Printable Welcome Spring by Dandelion Patina 

 Aztec Easter Egg Print by My Someday in May

  Rain Boots Printable by Chronicles of Home 

 Bunny Gift Tag by In My Own Style

  Easter Placemats by Finding Silver Pennies

  Our Nest Watercolor Printable by Craftberry Bush

  He Makes All Things Beautiful by AKA Design

 Gardening Printables by Lilypad Cottage

  Easter Garden Stake Printable by The Wicker House

Shared here: Two Purple Couches  

More Than Cake

 If you're like me, you hate to buy cards. What usually happens is I'll stand in the card aisle staring at the plethora of cards till I think I'm going blind until FINALLY I find the perfect card.  It's cute, it's funny, it speaks to me.....and then I turn it over and look at the price tag.  YIKES.  I curse the card gods for torturing me, put back the card that must be made of gold, and go with a cheaper and not so perfect card.  Well, I'm going to save you all the drama of card buying and give you a FREE print that's perfect for birthdays or special occasions.  And you get double the points because it looks like you put real time and effort into this card when it really only took you 5 seconds to put together!  All you need to do is print it, cut it out, and glue it to card stock.  OR, just print it, cut it out and hole punch it and tie it with a ribbon or twine.  My mom used these cards to give with Valentines Day gifts for her neighbors.

 The PDF file comes with 4 cards, 2 chocolate and 2 strawberry cupcakes.   You can print them out for all your neighbors or use one and keep the others handy for the next time you need a card.

 Print it HERE


Hope this helps you avoid the next cardastrophe!



                                          

Picture Clipboard

Every year when my family goes camping, my dad brings a big bag of wood scraps to burn.  I'll admit that I went through the bag when no one was looking and saved a piece of wood or two from a fiery death.  I finally got around to turning this simple scrap of wood into a project.  My board is 7 1/2 x 10 1/2" which I thought was the perfect size for a 5x7 card or picture.  

First I stained it.  I was excited to do this project because I had never stained wood before. It made me nervous at first and I even had my hubby watch to make sure I was doing it right.   Now that I know how easy it is, I can't wait to do it again! I used Rust-Oleum American walnut and did three coats. You won't need to do so many coats if you start with a darker stain but I was working with what I had and I just kept applying coats until I was happy. Once the stain was dry I got out some black paint and a paper towel and just dabbed the paint along the edges and the sides to give it a little bit of character.

I got a couple of blank stares when I asked employees where I could find bulldog clips but finally found some at Walmart with the office supplies.  My plan was to get regular bulldog clips and screw them to the board but I found these bulldog clips with magnets and super glued it to the board instead.  That's right, no drilling skills required (which in my case is a good thing!)  

 

That's it! I love that it's so easy to change the picture!  Sometimes picture frames are easy to get undone and change out but I have a few that I have to pry open with my fingernails.  This little clipboard literally takes seconds to update.  I'm already thinking of new prints or pictures I can clip onto it.  Happy crafting!

  

 Shared here:

 Blue I Style 

The Blissful Bee

Upcycled Treasures 

More than Cake Card

If you're like me, you hate to buy cards.  What usually happens is I'll stand in the card aisle staring at the plethora of cards till I think I'm going blind until FINALLY I find the perfect card.  It's cute, it's funny, it speaks to me.....and then I turn it over and look at the price tag.  YIKES.  I curse the card gods for torturing me, put back the card that must be made of gold, and go with a cheaper and not so perfect card.  Well, I'm going to save you all the drama of card buying and give you a FREE print that's perfect for birthdays or special occasions.  And you get double the points because it looks like you put real time and effort into this card when it really only took you 5 seconds to put together!  All you need to do is print it, cut it out, and glue it to card stock.  OR, just print it, cut it out and hole punch it and tie it with a ribbon or twine.  My mom used these cards to give with Valentines Day gifts for her neighbors. 

The PDF file comes with 4 cards, 2 chocolate and 2 strawberry cupcakes.   You can print them out for all your neighbors or use one and keep the others handy for the next time you need a card. 

 Print it HERE


Hope this helps you avoid the next cardastrophe! 

Originally posted as a guest post at Cherry Blossoms The Blog.

Why I care about Home Decor

I've been thinking about this post a lot lately.  Why should I care about decorating my home when my home happens to be a temporary apartment.  An apartment that seems to be shrinking all the time, by the way.  I know there are apartment dwellers and home owners that could care less about home decor, but I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only one who inwardly weeps over Better Homes and Gardens and Pottery Barn magazines and dreams about the "somedays" when my home will be as gorgeous as the ones on the pages.  I've come up with a list of reasons that have kept me motivated to work with what I have now and to be excited about home decor despite my lack of space/funds.


1. Life is short.

Why should I wait to do something I'm passionate about when I can start now?  I love to look on Pinterest and follow my favorite bloggers for inspiration on home decorating and DIY projects.  I love to think up new ideas for making my home better.  I live for that feeling when I walk into a room and see new curtains, or a new shelf, or some small new addition to my home and think "Man, I'm good." :)

2. I'm discovering my personal taste and style.

Just because I can't buy everything I want right now, doesn't mean I can't make a list of what to get later on.  One of the best blog posts I ever read was at Fieldstone Hill Design.  It talks about going through all your favorite home decor pins on Pinterest and writing down what you find in common.  Look for color schemes that you are consistently attracted to, patterns that you love, furniture or items that seem to pop up again and again.  For example, I'm obsessed with wood crates, wicker baskets, and simple glass bottles.  Also, pay attention to the words bloggers use to describe the decor that you love.  My pins usually fit under the categories "vintage", "rustic", "classic", and "country".  Making a list of what you like will help guide you when you decide what to buy for your home/apartment so that you don't waste your money on things that you don't really love.

3. Shabby Chic is in.

Have you noticed that decor that looks old, worn, and used is what's popular right now?  I personally love that shabby chic look of old worn wood and rusty vintage signs.  The best part?  You can find these kinds of treasures everywhere and sometimes for CHEAP!  Craigslist, Goodwill, the D.I... these are all great places to look.  Garage sales are gold mines if you are consistent and look hard enough!  Sometimes something just needs a coat of paint to become something fabulous.  See things for what they could be!  If you're extremely right brained like I am, the words "use your imagination" will be music to your ears.  Let your inner artist guide you. 

Decorating my home makes me happy and I believe everyone should pursue what makes them happy.  I'm definitely not at the time in my life right now where I can go out and buy everything I want (I don't know if I'll ever be), but I can piece together my perfect home one treasure or project at a time and I think that's kind of special.  If I had the money to just go to Pier 1 or Pottery Barn or World Market (ahhh heaven!) and buy everything that caught my eye all at once, then I don't think what I found would mean near as much to me as the things I pinched and saved for or the things I worked tirelessly on for weeks (sometimes taking apart and redoing until it was perfect).  Be inspired and be motivated!  Your home is your canvas.   Go create something beautiful!