DIY: Newspaper Nails

My friend Devan came over the other night, (okay, I made this post a few weeks ago and forgot to publish it! I've been busy with work and my beautiful baby niece) and I fell in love with her nails!

Awesome, huh.

She painted her nails a pastel blue, dipped them in vodka and then layered on the newspaper. I had to know the details, so I searched Pinterest to find the step by step instructions:

Check out the Newspaper how to, HERE! I'm going to give it a try this weekend! Guess I better get to the liquor store ;)

xoxox, Jes

Spiked Cider

Need a festive fall cocktail? Try some spiked apple cider. My roommate and I had a house/apartment warming  party and everyone was a fan of this easy drink. With only two ingredients, it's hard to pass up :)

2 shots spiced rum (Captain Morgan)
Apple Cider
Alcohol infused caramel whipped cream (optional - Cream is the best.)
A cinnamon stick for garnish.

Easy as pie... pumpkin pie :)

Happy Halloween!

The Perfect Nursery

The baby could come any day now and I cannot wait to meet my little Niece or Nephew. Without a doubt, the holidays this year will be the warmest with the new baby to brighten things up.

I wanted to share the beautiful nursery that my sister and brother-in-law put together. My sister said, "There is so much love in the room with handmade art and furniture created special for Baby McFall." 

The color scheme is yellows, grey and white, and this isn't just because the sex of the baby is unknown, but also because my sister said that she has never been the girl-pink, boy-blue type. There is also a steady owl theme through out the room.

The Beautiful Nursery

Patrick's old baby mobile, and of course this crib can convert into a little bed set for when the baby outgrows it. Pat is always thinking ahead.

Hand painted and decorated furniture, and homemade curtains by Patrick's mom and a handmade owl picture by the little sister Kelsey.

My favorite part of the room is the yellow stripped ceiling!!!

Homemade baby keep sake box made by my mom, and an amazing owl nightlight.

Owl shelves made by my mom and Patrick's old toys :)

Keep sake shelves with old toys and an owl piece I made

I used colored felt and embroidery floss to stitch together a cute owl on a fabric background.  To twist things up a bit, I used a wood embroidery hoop and a coat of white paint to frame it!

Isn't everything gorgeous??! I am slightly jealous of the baby's room because it's so awesome.

Hurry up Baby McFall!! We're ready for you :)

Halloween Invisible Pops

Inspired by Halloween, I took to www.marthastewart.com for some party treat ideas. I found this recipe for homemade suckers that can be tailored for any occasion with the right candy decorations. I chose pumpkin and skeleton candies. The options are endless!

All you need is:
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
Lollipop sticks
Assorted candies

• 
  

Martha must have a steadier hand than I because my suckers didn't turn out very round.

The candy hardens quickly so you have to move fast!

Tip** Don't use your best pot to melt the candy mixture because it is tough to get out. The best way we found was to heat up the mixture again and again and pour it out onto the cookie sheet until it was all gone.

My friend Becca enjoying the treats she helped me make :)

Next time, I may try to add some food coloring to the candy mix to see what happens!

Enjoy! 

DIY: Spoon - Fork - Knife

Inspiration

Household Words on Etsy

Irell on Etsy

My Interpretation

How to:

As a kid, whenever we went to the hardware store, I would get lost in the paint section plucking up as many paint swatches as my little hands could hold. I used to cut them up, draw pictures and stare at the rainbow of colors for hours. And when we went to the fabric store, I would get my grubby mitts on the quilting squares. They are usually only 2 dollars a square and they are organized in the store by color, so I have always been drawn to them. Well, some things never change, and I had 3 brightly colored quilting squares that I had no clue what to do with. I also conveniently had 3 small canvas that I also had no clue what to do with.

I have been inspired by prints lately, and decided to make my own humorous, spin on cute Spoon - Fork - Knife paintings for the kitchen :)

Supplies and sketches

I think a staple gun would have made more sense but I didn't have one and I am too impatient to wait so I used a glue gun. It gets the job done!

Make sure to glue opposite ends of the canvas to make sure the fabric is tight, before moving on to the  next side.

The final result!

What do you think?!

If you have more questions for me about how to make your own Spoon - Fork - Knife paintings, or if you would rather me make them for you, email me at Jbarmstrong87@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!