I’ve always got to have snacks handy for my Maggie girl.
My fabulous friend Ashley Newett from Newett Home and @newett_mama makes the cutest bags, shirts, cups etc…you name it! Go check out her etsy shop PracticedPositivity if you need an item or are looking for custom prints.
Mo and I met when we were 3 years old! Our siblings were in the same kindergarten class, so Melissa and I had our first platydate that fateful year. We grew up together, pretended to be the Olsen twins, wrote fan letters to JTT, spent sunny days at the beach fishing for rock crabs with bacon on strings and going to summer camp together until our mid teens. From 1st grade to 1st boyfriends, getting married and now a BABY on the way; watching our lives unfold over the decades has been a treat Momo. I’m so happy for you and Jason and I can’t wait to meet your little man in just a few short weeks!
Here are some pictures of the baby shower that we (along with her Mama Sharon) threw for Momo in my Mother’s backyard. Sharon wanted to make it airplane themed to go along with Jason’s job. Cute idea Sharon!
The Mama-to-be looking beautiful as ever!
A cute onesie bouquet made by her sister Julie ^^^
“It’s a Boy” chocolates in my Grandfather’s 1950’s suitcase. ^^^
^^^Messages and love letters to baby Wyatt
With the holiday season approaching I thought a magnolia wreath would look nice on our front door. It’s has a classic look and you can leave it up year round (maybe spruce it up for Christmas with some pine cones and red ribbon, but that’s about it). I’ve had my eye on a few different styles for years, but I could never find a wreath that was affordable. Most of the wreaths were around $150+! No way José… so I made my own DIY magnolia wreath for a fraction of the price. I found some bendable twig wire at Shinoda’s (decor/design warehouse) along with some faux magnolia leaves. I bet you can find supplies at a Michael’s craft store or Hobby Lobby too – whatever craft stores are in your area.
What you’ll need:
Faux Magnolia Leaves (about 50-60 leaves)
Twig wire (about 30ft)
Bendable thin wire
Directions:
-Unravel twig wire and braid/twist into a hoop shape
-Pull the leaves off the stem and secure them onto the twig hoop with a small piece of wire
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It’s as easy as that!
A bit tedious, but well worth the effort in savings!
I have been a tad kooky with my search for a kitchen rug lately. I may have spent the last two months scouring the internet for the best rugs/prices…
It all started when I walked into a local shop to check out some Turkish rugs – found some beauties and inquired about their prices. What!? $3,000 for a small runner!? No joke, I found the same one online for $250. That’s when my nightly ETSY searches began…
You guys get to reap the rewards of my late nights! Here is a super awesome list of some fabulous shops with beautiful antique Turkish rugs. They’ll add a bit of character and color to your home.
#1. I’d suggest you start with Salaberna. I bought my rug through them and they have wonderful prices compared to other shops. Mustafa and Fatma are a pleasure to work with, very prompt and reply to emails usually within a few hours (<– super humans that don’t sleep). They shipped my rug all the way from Turkey in 3 days before I even paid them. Very trustworthy. It came neatly packaged in a plastic bundle. The carpet was clean and ready for my home! Mustafa even deducted the cost of my bank transfer fee from the cost of the rug. So nice! Safe and reliable.
#2 I’m drooling over Oldvinshop. Susan is very nice and her selection of vintage rugs is fantastic. I originally bought my first Oushak rug from her (using Paypal), but it ended up getting lost in the mail. She felt so bad – completely refunded me and offered a 30% discount and free shipping for next time. Very nice. I really like her style of rugs…she has the best colors and I can’t wait to give her shop another try. + She has a 5 star review from lots of buyers, which makes me feel a bit more comfortable when buying overseas items.
The above recommendations ^ are shops that I’ve had personal experience with, but here are a list of other promising shops (as pictured). They’ve got lots of gems to be discovered! –>
Salaberna, Oldvinshop, Khalkedonkilims, Importedrugs, Splendidrugs, Cappadociacarpetrug, Oscarbazaar, Dreamhousetaos
DJ from Imortedrugs (one of the US based ETSY shops) is offering 10% off for A Bit of Bees Knees readers! Just enter “TENOFF” when purchasing. Thank you!
Be sure to ask your seller if there are any deals or discounts at the time of purchasing. Every shop I contacted gave me a discount of some kind. It doesn’t hurt to ask, right? Also, look over their payment and shipping policies – find shops that will give you a refund if you don’t like your rug. Look for shops with high ratings and reviews.
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If you want to continue the search on your own, these key words will get you to the right place.
Oushak Rug, Anatolian Rug, Kilim Rug, Turkish Rug, Area Rug, Runner Rug etc.
We are at Home Depot a LOT during the week. We’ve been building two houses for the past few years so Dan basically lives there. We were perusing through the paint section the other day and I remembered a fun DIY project I had seen online – A mirror made with paint sticks! I had done one of these mirrors in the past (here) with shish kebab sticks. It turned out nice, but this one is a whole different look! This baby is beefy guys…make sure you hang it on a stud. This project was basically free! I had most of the supplies around the house, but here is a list of the items you’ll be needing if you don’t already have them at home.
150 paint sticks from Home Depot…
Lady: “They’re free!”
Me: “But I need so many of them! I feel bad. Let me pay you…”
Lady: “Nope, we get millions of em. Take as many as you want!”
^^^I hope your experience was as awesome as mine.
Here is a list of some other items you’ll be needing:
120-150 paint sticks
Glue (I like this one)
1 Round mirror with frame
Spray paint
17 Wooden shims
Hanging hardware
Hanging wire
-I separated the paint sticks into 17 groups of 7 (you’ll use less or more depending on the size of your mirror. Stack and glue each bundle like this (above). Let each bundle rest on its side until dry. * I love that the Home Depot paint sticks double as a ruler so you can measure each pattern perfectly. That was convenient!
-Optional: I cut my stick bundles with a Miter Saw because I wanted to make them shorter.
-Arrange the bundles in a circle on top of a shop towel or something you won’t mind getting glue on (I started mine on the garage floor…husband was not happy with glue spots. Oops). Place a wooden shim between each bundle (thin side pointing towards the middle of the the circle).
-Measure the distance between each bundle, making sure they are equally spaced around the circle.
-Glue! This process is going to take a few days. make sure the top side is completely dry before attempting to flip the mirror over. Glue the other side as well as in between each bundle and shim.
-Glue mirror to frame. Let dry over night.
-Protect the mirror by taping newspaper over the glass. Spray paint mirror.
-After everything is dry, remove the paper and fasten the hanger hooks and wire.
Not too shabby! Something is still a bit off… I heard mixing some brown, black and silver acrylics and blotting with a paper towel + sanding once dry can create a fun mercury/antique metal look. I think that will make this mirror pop a bit more on our light wall color. Still in progress!
