Fall Bulbs = Spring Blooms

{image via google}

I know it is hard to shift one's brain to thoughts of Spring flowers, but it's time to plant bulbs, friend!  Here is a little inspiration via Pinterest to get you in a Spring bulb state-of-mind.

I've been thumbing through the pages of the Breck's catalog, thanks to my good friend, Heather.  I've been coveting her tulips since Spring when they made a much more spectacular display than my Home Depot counterparts.  She generously shared her secret of Breck's and their fabulous direct-from-Holland bulbs.  They actually take reservations from their customers and select the cream of the bulb crop in Holland just as soon as they are harvested, to fill those reservations. You can order your free catalog, complete with some great coupons, here.  Most of their bulbs must be ordered by late October or early November. Check their ordering schedule here for details.

Here are few varieties that have caught my eye.

Aren't these Queensland tulips amazing?

I love the frayed look of their serrated edges. I don't know if this flower knows it, but it is right on trend ;) It would be fun to force these bulbs indoors for a party or shower.  They would make an amazing centerpiece.

The Peony-Flowering Tulip Mixture is a fresh take on Spring blooms.

My daughter, who loves tulips, is favoring these pink and pinker beauties and I can't blame her. Breck's calls them the Apple Blossom Tulip Mixture.

They would make a vibrant, cool-hued Spring garden with these blue hyacinths.

Apparently, I'm in the mood for pink, because I'm also drooling over these pink-yes, pink- daffodils.

The Improved Rembrandt Tulip Mixture is also wooing me.

How is a girl supposed to decide?

Do you plant Spring bulbs?  What are your favorites? Where do you like to buy them?

Spark your creativity with an easy giveaway from UPrinting.com

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Do you know what I am positively giddy about today, friend?  Printing labels. Stay with me here. Have you ever thought of the endless uses for printing labels? Whether you run a business or are just habitually crafty and creative, the possibilities are limitless:

-Holiday crafts
-Personalized mailing labels
-Home organization
-Gift wrapping
-Party decor
-Personalizing items
-Food labels
-Product labels
-Marketing materials

The wonderful folks at UPrinting.com are generously giving away 250 customizable labels for one lucky reader to use to their creative heart's content!

Uprinting allows you to upload any design to their site or create your own design with their easy-to-use website and standard label templates. You choose the product (labels, flyers, business cards, etc.) and the quantity. They do the label printing for you and ship it to you.

What would you print if you won the giveaway? Here is some label inspiration to get your creative juices flowing.  All images are downloadable files from various sources all available on my Pinterest board.  Please note: these are just examples of files you could upload to UPrinting.com to make your own labels.


Book labels would be a great favor for book club or  just keeping track of your kids' favorite reads.

Easy stick-on food labels for canning or freezer meals sure would beat the smell test.

I love themed and personalized party decor.  You could upload this free printable to UPrinting website and have a hoot with stick-on soda wraps.

Moving or storage box labels would save a lot of headaches and needless hunting.

Wouldn't Holiday gift-giving be so much simpler, not to mention more festive, with custom pre-made labels to stick on your baked goods?

I love apothecary and specimen jar decor for Halloween and they're much spookier with a label.

 

I love the concept of monogrammed stick-on gift tags.  I think I'll order a set for each family member and Christmas wrapping will be a snap.

I've always wanted custom mailing labels. Wouldn't they be fun for sending Christmas cards?  I created these on the Uprinting website in just a few minutes.

Are you giddy about labels now? Do you want to win some?

The Prize:

250 Customizable Print Labels, size 2" x 3.5", 70lb Label Matte, Front Only Printing from UPrinting.com

The Contest Rules:

 In the spirit of keeping it simple, sister, here are the details on this simple giveaway:

• Open to all K.I.S.S. followers 18 years of age or older who are U.S. residents
• Contest ends Septemeber 20, 2011 at Midnight, Mountain Time.
• Winner will be drawn at random and announced on this blog September 21, 2011
• Leave a comment and let me know how you would customize your labels
• Double your chances of winning by leaving a second comment on this post letting us know you like UPrinting.com on Facebook.

Part 2 of the Tutorial (Fabulous Fall Felt Ruffle Wreath)

I promised to post the instructions for the embellishment on my Fabulous Fall Felt Ruffle Wreath.

Fabulous Fall Felt Ruffle Wreath tutorial

Here's what I've learned about mustard-colored felt: it's very polarizing. Since making my fall wreath, the responses I've received have either been overwhelmingly positive or an expression of deep disdain for this color. It makes me happy, so it's the right choice for me. Whether you are for or against gold felt, here are the steps to make your own ruffle wreath in any color or fabric that you love.  The inspiration and basic construction came from the Ruffle Wreath from the amazing Jones Design Company, with some of my own modifications. So let's jump into the tutorial!

Supply List:

• straw wreath ( mine is a 14 inch from Hobby Lobby - $3.50)
• sewing needle
• clear thread
• straight pins
• glue gun

Fabrics needed:

1 yard of felt or burlap

1/8 yard upholstery/ home decor weight fabric for a wreath hanger

felt scraps for embellishments

1/8 yd chiffon for embellishments

1 doily (via JoAnn's) totally optional

Carefully measure and cut your yard of felt into 4-inch-wide strips, so that you have nine strips.

Use three strips of felt  to cover your straw wreath. DO NOT take the plastic off your straw wreath, you'll just make a mess. Wrap the felt around the wreath at an angle and hot glue to your plastic-wrapped wreath.

Add your wreath hanger fabric strip now.  Bring it around the wreath and hot glue the ends together.

Use your needle and clear thread to ruffle your remaining six felt strips.  Just sew a simple basting stitch at the bottom of a strip (about 1/4 inch from the edge of the fabric), then pull on the thread and push the fabric down to ruffle it.  When you are satisfied with the length of your ruffle, trim and tie off your thread.  Do not worry in the least about straight even stitches, just sew.

Use three of your ruffled strips to make your first layer. 

Arrange the the three strips around your wreath and pin them in place with straight pins. be sure to blend the edges by overlapping your strips.

Use your remaining three ruffle strips to make the second layer. Lay the ruffles on top of the first layer and pin them a little closer to the center.  

When both layers are pinned in place and you are happy with the placement, leave the pins in and put hot glue underneath the ruffles in many spots to secure it to the wreath base.

When the glue dries, remove the pins.

Truly, you could be finished with this step. The ruffles and the bold color are fabulous enough.  However, I never could leave well enough alone.  So I added a few embellishments.  You can read how to make them here.

I did cut a small slit in the back of my wreath hanging strip.

Here's why...

I don't know if this is a widely-accepted method of wreath hanging, but it worked for me.

Felt by the yard is 40% off at JoAnn's for a few more days if you need to stock up.

Happy Fall, friend!

I am linking up to Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style and these great blogs.

Simple ways to document the first day of school (it's not too late)

We have officially begun the preschool countdown today and I am making a little sign for the first day of school photo, inspired by one of my favorite Pinterest finds.

Whether the first day of school has passed or is still approaching for your kids, here are some sweet and simple inspirations to document the special day-all via Pinterest (of course).

This image has been buzzing around Pinterest for ages and I love it. It is the brilliant work of Brooke from the blog, Inchmark.  Isn't this a great idea for first day of school?

  (Image from Inchmark via Pinterest)

I love simple, eye-catching ways to document photos, and this couldn't be easier.  Type it up, print it out, stick it in their hand!  If they can write, it would be sweet in their own handwriting.


Here is another simple documenting style that could be applied to first day of school photos.

I pinned this photo that is from the blog, Mommy Creations. She also has a great tutorial for her chalkboard background. Whether your chalkboard is big or small, you could write your child's grade, teacher's name and date on the chalkboard and snap a photo.  You could even ask permission to do this on a chalk or dry-erase board at your child's school.

If the first day of school has already passed for your kids, how about adding text to the back-to-school photo you've already taken?!

I pinned this image where the photographer simply typed some stats in the background/empty space of the photo.  I love this look. This would be a great way to add first day details to photos you've already taken. You can use free programs like Picasa or Picnik to very easily add text to your photos.


One more idea I've pinned is this scrapbook layout from Write. Click. Scrapbook. It is a little comparison of the first day and last day of school.  My dear friend, Cammie, always does this with her kids (being sure to photograph them in the same location on the last day as the first day).  It such a fun comparison and great way to document the school year.

 How do you like to document the first day of school?  I'd love to know your brilliant ideas!

Current Obsession: Yarn Wreaths

                                                               (image from Pinterest)

Preschool is starting soon and I'm envisioning lots of time to get back to the many creative endeavors filling up my head. While I may be slightly unrealistic about the amount of time I will have, here is one project that has been on my mind: fall wreaths.  I've been seeing a lot of yarn wreaths lately in the blogosphere and on Pinterest that are inspiring me.  Do I give it a shot?  Will it look like a summer camp project gone awry?  Time will tell, but here are the yarn wreaths that have caught my eye lately.

Disclaimer: None of these projects are mine, they are simply ideas that have inspired me.  All images are from Pinterest.  You can visit my Pinterest page to link to each individual wreath for more information.

Cowmooflage car seat (shopping for a convertible car seat)

Isn't it remarkable how children grow, quite literally, overnight? The infant car seat that my son fit in on Friday, was too snug by Saturday.  I knew the time was coming to transition to a convertible car seat and I should have been shopping before now.

Have you heard the new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics on car seat safety? They say children should remain rear-facing in their car seats until age two.  It's not easy, in fact, it's a total pain. Obviously though, safety is more important than convenience.  When I think of the higher risk of spinal cord injuries and other serious injuries for little ones facing forward, I can deal with rear-facing for another year.

So, we are in the market for a convertible car seat.  We are looking for one with a high weight limit so he can be in it until college for a long time, a 5-point harness,  and a convertible model than can face forward or backward in the car. My daughter has a Britax Marathon seat and I have been really happy with it.  I guess the simple thing to do would be to buy the same seat for my son.  I'm leaning toward the Cowmooflage fabric (it's too funny to pass up).

Before I  buy a seat, does anyone have any recommendations for a  convertible car seat they LOVE?  Also, where do you shop for the best price on car seats? I always love to get recommendations before buying so I would appreciate your comments!

Thanks, friend!

Winner of the Reflexology Massage from ksl Deals!

Let's have a drum roll, please for the winner of the free reflexology massage at Beautiful You Bodycare, sponsored by KSL Deals....and the winner is... 

Congratulations, Aimee! 

Don't forget to check out the daily KSL Deals on everything from getaways, to salons, to entertainment and food!

Easy Giveaway: Reflexology Massage from ksl Deals (today only!)

KSL Deals is sponsoring a really fun giveaway on Keep it Simple, Sister today only: a free reflexology massage from Beautiful You Bodycare in Salt Lake City, UT!  KSL Deals is offering the reflexology massage as one of their daily deals on their site for just $24,  but you have to hurry!  The giveaway and the discount end tonight at midnight, Mountain Time!

KSL Deals has some amazing offerings, friend! They post 3-4 new deals daily on everything from getaways, to salons, to entertainment and food deals that users save BIG on. KSL Deals is also listed on Facebook, where they post about their daily deals and also hold giveaways.You can see all of the current KSL Deals here.

Giveaway Rules
(In the spirit of keeping it simple, sister, this one is quick and easy)


1) Check out KSL Deals on their website or their Facebook page.
2) Come back and leave a comment on this post and let me know you NEED a reflexology massage!


You must enter by midnight tonight (Mountain Time).
I'll select a comment via random drawing and announce the winner tomorrow on the blog.  

Etsy Love: Vintage Letter Press Letters (a.k.a. the coolest gift ever)

(image from BeeJayKay)

When I stumbled upon this little nugget of Etsy goodness, my first inclination was to pin this to my Pinterest board, but that didn't seem to do it justice. My next thought was to hoard it and keep it to myself because I want to buy them for Christmas gifts for everyone I know. In the end, I knew the only decent thing to do was to share this discovery.  So friend, here is my current Etsy love: Vintage letter press letters from the Etsy shop, BeeJayKay.

(image from BeeJayKay)

Be honest, did your pulse just speed up? They are old wooden letter press letters with metal overlay. They are used and very worn and varied in age and size-all attributes that add to their charm.  I think they are so interesting and just the bees knees. They look like something you might find at Anthropologie or the pages of a Pottery Barn catalog. They would be great in a bowl or a jar on an end table or in a shadow box. Plus, at $5 each or 3/$12, they make a great inexpensive gift.  I  will now ask everyone on my Christmas list to erase this post from memory.