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A Little Girl’s Dream Fairy Party (tips and ideas to host your own)

July 23, 2016 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

girls_fairy_paarty_ideasWhat little girl doesn’t love fairies?

The idea of colorful, beautiful little dressed girls is easy for their imaginations.

It’s the perfect time of year to run with their imaginations and make a day of it by hosting a fairy party.

In this post, I want to share a lot of my fairy party details with you, so you too can host a party for your little girl. I started with making an invitation. I wanted to let my guests know what we would be doing, but I used some of the elements from our activities in the picture rather than giving an example. I was hesitant to stop their imaginations or element of surprise for when they showed up.

fairy_garden_party_inviteNext, come up with your activities and crafts. This was my schedule.

2:00pm-2:30pm Welcome guests, start them on a fairy wand craft while others arrive.

2:20pm-2:30pm Talk about fairies, what movies they are in, etc.

2:30pm-3:00 Paint fairies/fairy houses

3:00pm-3:30pm Snack/fairy games

3:30pm-4:00pm Create fairy gardens

It turns out I had a lot packed into my party, but we got it all in. I just had to watch the clock. Now, don’t hold too strictly to timing because you are working with little kids. Fun always takes precedent over getting everything in.

Now, if you are thinking of hosting a fairy party, you must definitely have a little girl or love one that you know a lot. Let them help you! We shopped for supplies together and then I let my kids help set up! They placed glitter/sequins in their containers for the fairy wand craft, decorated the concrete with chalk, organized things for me, carried things outside for me, hung fairy wings, and a lot more.

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fairy_garden_set_upI painted my guests each a little wooden butterfly name tag. They were pretty cute and would make great bookmarks after our event.

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fairy_garden_party_decorAs my guests arrived, we started creating our fairy wands. I had attached a painted wood heart to a dowel rod prior to the event and placed them around the table, so every guest could find a seat and have a wand ready to go. It was so fun to watch the kids personalities come out in how they decorated their wand. Some made patterns with the different colors and others tried to get as many sparkly things on it as they could.

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fairy_garden_craftsOnce we had finished with the wands, we talked about fairies. How beautiful they are…how small they are…how colorful they are…what movies they are in, etc. They girls were really animated and excited. It was so fun. We then painted their fairy houses (small craft bird houses) and fairies that they would later use for their fairy gardens.

painting_bird_house2

painting_bird_houseWhile we waited for the paint to dry, we had a snack and played some fairy games. We created an obstacle course that the girls had to run through to “earn” their own fairy wings. We also squeezed in a few rounds of fairy-fairy-fly (which was simply a remake of duck-duck-goose). They were excited to run around, and it was fun to see them cheer one another on.

fairiesFinally, I showed them an example of a fairy garden creation that my Caleb had made for the party. We talked about how the rocks could be used to create paths, the moss to create a forest, and so on. They were all so eager to start. I then showed them all the materials I had out and they went at it.

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fairy_garden_party_craftsEach girl was so proud of her garden. It was so fun to watch them carry them around and keep adding to them but also proudly show them off. I loved watching their imaginations come alive. One little girl thought to sprinkle glitter over her rocks like fairy dust. Another girl made a pool of blue sequins for water. How creative is that!? I have so much to learn from these girls.

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fairy_garden_creationEach of their creations was so beautiful and fun. These girls had a blast, and I had a blast helping them have a fun afternoon. At one point I asked my Reagan if she was in her happy place and she smiled proudly and said yes. There is something truly special about creating and hanging with friends.

fairy_garden_housesWhile the girls waited for their parents to pick them up, the played with their gardens and it made my heart want to explode. I mean seriously. How cute is this!?

little_girl_fairy_partyYou too can host a fairy party and make some girls’ days. The feedback from this event has been so fun.

One little girl wore her wings the whole next day, including into a pool…

One little girl was more excited about the fairy party than a sleep over that night…

One little girl said it was more fun than going swimming (which is a lot to say on these hot days)…

and two little girls currently have their fairy gardens in their house to keep them safe.

These are the moments and memories these girls will remember and look back on about their childhood. What an honor to help create such lasting moments and build into them as they continue to develop a love for creating.

If you want even more ideas for a fairy party. Check out my post on fairy gardens and see some pictures from a friend’s fairy birthday party for her daughter.

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Painting Flower Pot Party Tips

July 1, 2016 By Erica Deuel 4 Comments

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Do you want to host a craft night? Or maybe you’re looking for a way to connect with other local women in your area. Either way, it’s the perfect season to host a painting flower-pot party.  You can walk away having hosting a craft night also getting to know others in your community better. That was the case for me.

Now, that we have been in Indiana for about 18 months we have established some community. It would be real easy to stay in my comfortable bubble and keep life safe. But I believe one of the best parts of life…is sharing it with others. I love heart to heart talks. I always walk away encouraged or challenged. It may be because I shared about my life or because I listened to others. I am working on my word for 2016 in having courage, so I started dreaming about sharing my ways with others and opening up my home for some craft classes here. If you’ve been following for a while, you know I did this a little in Georgia, which we called my Spoonful Labs.

One day, while walking through church I realized how awkward I am at meeting people in the hall. I feel like I often have a kid pulling on me or I’m watching one run after a friend ahead, so I’m quickly walking through the halls. Although I may say hi to 100 people, I don’t know much more about them at times and I want too. Often community takes putting yourself out there, so this was my way to try to make some more friends. You can do it too.

These_are_the_days

rustic_patio_decorI planned a craft that I could get the supplies for. Since it is summer, I thought painting flower pots would be fun and is a seasonal decor item that everyone can use. Even if you aren’t super crafty, you can paint a pot and wouldn’t feel bad putting it in your yard. I think planning a craft that is useful is key!

flower_pot_party_decorThe next step was getting guests! I ended up just posting a Facebook status asking if anyone else was interested in crafting and chatting. I was amazed at the responses I got! That led me to pricing out what my costs would probably be. I bought all the supplies, tablecloths, and drinks. I ended up asking everyone to bring a side to share. This gave away the part that stresses me out, kept the cost down, and kept me planning the part I most enjoy – the craft! I learned from hosting my last craft day.

craft_supplies

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summer_craft_partyI used brown painting paper to place on the tables and had extra for my guests to take a piece in the car home with them to keep their pot from getting the floor dirty. You will see why below on how the cars could get dirty.

spraypainting_flower_potsI gave instructions on how I painted a few pots that I had on my patio. One of the tips that was the biggest hit was to spray paint the pot a solid color first and then embellish. Please note: I sprayed all the pots with a waterproof sealant 48 hours before.

paintitng_flower_potA few facts that I either did or learned:

  • old soup cans make great water cups to wash brushes
  • place pencils out so guests can draw their design first to help space it on their pot
  • tell where your bathroom is before the middle of the event 😉
  • get a variety of shade, partial sun, to full sun needing flower plants
  • Try your paint before the event. I have painted LOTS of pots but bought a new brand of outdoor paint right before the event. It turned out to be watery.
  • Have lots of different brushes out in sizes and types.
  • If you have paint stencils, place those out too

paintitng_flower_potsI loved having a little surprise for my guests. All the flowers that were used as centerpieces on the tables were for them to fill their pots. How much more fun is it to take home a flower-pot with dirt and flowers in it than an empty one that might just sit in the garage!?

planting_flower_pots_partyAs guests arrived, we did a little mingling. We then ate as we talked. I gave a brief explanation on how to paint flower pots and told my guests they could make some greeting cards as they sit and wait for paint to dry as well. From there, it was just a fun night. I wanted it to feel more casual than an official event or class, so I didn’t talk for long.  They just crafted away. I decided I’d mingle and talk and be available to help anyone. This helped since I didn’t give lots of step by step instructions. It was so much fun! I think I was giddy all night long.

flower_pot_paint_partyNow, when I smile at the girls at church I feel like we both know each other a little better. Sometimes the first step to a friendship is just saying hello, but sometimes we need to branch out a bit more and share parts of our lives, talents, homes in serving or hosting or something. I am so glad I branched out.

summer_ladies_craft_partyTo all the beautiful girls that came, THANK YOU! I had a blast with you!

My biggest advice to anyone wanting to host a craft night with some friends is to not stress over the details. Ask for help with the parts that you don’t like. What people want most is to feel welcomed and comfortable. How clean your bathroom is doesn’t really matter.

Processed with VSCO with c1 presetDo you like crafting and chatting too!? I love deep talks, but sometimes a coffee date can intimidate me on getting to know someone without something in my hands. Crafting is my favorite way to talk with others. A fierce game of kickball with my kids and their friends is fun too. I plan to do that this weekend.

What is one of your favorite ways to hang out and talk with friends? I hope you have a great weekend!

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Painted School Lockers

June 22, 2016 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

art_storage_ideaI have been on the hunt for lockers to put in our home for years. Seriously! It’s not like they are super hard to find. The problem is that the folks who sell them are often pretty proud of these old rusty boxes that used to hold sweaty gym shorts. Finally, I found these beauties that met my criteria for price and size and I quickly scooped them up.

I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew exactly where I wanted them to go. I knew exactly how I wanted to use them. What I did not know however, was what color to paint them. If you’ve followed me for very long, you know this can be my achilles heel. I will ponder, test, re-test, ask my sweet colorblind husband what he thinks, do another test, wait 3 weeks, and then make my choice. Even after this crazy back and forth, I have been known to finish walls and decide it’s not right, change the color, and do it again. It’s a sickness. I can’t help myself.

washing_school_lockers

washing_lockersMy amazing kiddos jumped in right away, when I asked for their help to scrub those old sweat boxes down with some soapy water. I mean seriously, these did come out of an old locker room. Yuck!

school_lockers_to_decorateI went ahead and placed the lockers where I wanted them to go. The contemplation game was on. What would be the perfect color to help tie my new lockers into the room?

I decided to branch out on this one and I opened up a poll to my lovely Instagram followers. I would paint portions of the locker with all of my approved test colors and then let them chime in on their favorite.

school_lockersI pulled out my tarps. Covered the locker face plates with some masking tape. Then I applied my five colors.

painting_school_lockersBelow is the finished test color results. Once I saw the lockers in place, I had a feeling I knew which color I wanted to use.

painted_school_lockersPlease ignore all my laundry and look through the doorway to the right. You can see the beginnings of a project I will share with you soon. The colors were all coming together making me want to lean in a lighter direction with the lockers. But, like I said, I turned to Instagram to see what my followers had to say. My followers know I love color, lots and lots of color. They all rallied for me to keep the test colors as-is and go with the multi-colored box of crayon approach to my lockers. I just couldn’t do it. My OCD overruled my Instagram friends. (Sorry!) 

kitchen_lockersI landed on the light pink and after letting it settle in for a few weeks, it’s official, I love it! This room already has a lot of busyness with my rug and new wall art happening to the right. The solid color ties it in well while it still has a nice soft pop.

pink_painted_school_lockersReagan fell in love when I showed her how she could use magnets to now hang her artwork to the lockers. Which by the way is the primary use for the lockers – art supplies. This little corner is my kids crafting corner. The have all their own supplies and are free to dive into projects whenever they want. Now the locker gives us a little more storage and a fun place to put their work on display.

kids_art_corner

pink_lockersI’m not a very patient person but some things end up being worth the wait. I love love love my new lockers even though they took years to find. I also love the color after weeks of deliberation and lots of back and forth.

art_storage_ideaWhat about you? What is your process for choosing colors? Do you know right away or do you take lots of time to figure it out?

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DIY Floral Wallpaper

April 22, 2016 By Erica Deuel 6 Comments

homemade_floral_wallpaperHave you shopped for wallpaper recently?

I have, and it can be expensive! I shopped a variety of stores and even looked into the removable wallpaper, and I just couldn’t stomach the price.

We have this room that has acted as our foster bedroom and guest room. It’s kind of an awkward sized room. Based on the door’s entrance, closet, and one small window the bed has had to be against this wall to allow for the most free floor space as possible.

bare_wall_beforeThe small window does not let in a lot of natural light, so I painted this room a very, very faint blue to try and brighten up the space as much as possible. You can see the before wall color and other half of the room here.

I have loved the wall color, but there is a lot of it. I’m also realizing not one room in my house has all four walls the same. Accent walls are currently my jam. Off and on I have thought of wall papering that back wall to break up some of the blue. After researching a few papers, I realized the ones I loved would cost me around $300. With a list of other projects I want to do in the house, I couldn’t justify spending that amount on a room that is pretty finished compared to other spaces that need more TLC.

After ruling out wallpaper, I considered stenciling the wall since I did my daughter’s and boys’ bedrooms and love them. There was a part of me that wanted something different from a stencil though.

About five years ago, I painted a floral wall for my daughter’s nursery. I loved it, but it took forever. I was hesitant to do that again, but then I realized its been awhile. I have learned a few things, and why not try it again. It’s just paint! If I didn’t like it, I could always sand and paint over it. I went for it.

paintThe first step was to pick out my colors. One reason I think my first floral wall took so long was I used cheap paint. I decided I needed to use nicer than the the least expensive acrylic paint bottles at the craft store. I ended up opting for paint samples mostly of the HGTV paint line at Lowes, and they were perfect.

I used the same wrapping paper as my inspiration that I used on my last sign. Simple, sweet flower shapes would be my base and I would embellish them a little more towards the end of the project.

My second step was to figure out placement of color and different shapes. I picked two flowers to start with placement/color and grew one new color and flower/leaf at a time. Whenever I did that new flower, I tried to do a few of them at the same time…just spread out across the wall.

painted_flowerspainted_flowers1painted_flowers2painted_flowers3painted_flowers4painted_flowers5painted_flowers6Each flower needed two coats. The only one that needed more was my fushia flower. The color has some red in it…which is always a hard color to paint. Red will always needs lots of coats. After each flower was covered in coats, I started adding more detailed layers to the flowers. I ended up leaving the limey green leaves in one coat. I liked the painted look it created.painted_flowers7These pictures aren’t the best but are what I sent to my sisters and a few friends as I painted. I was obsessed and excited as the floral wall took shape. It was addicting and really only took a few days working off and on! I made a decision to enjoy it and not let it stress me out. I painted each flower like I would on a sign. I didn’t worry about the edges being “perfect”, but left them to have a slight brushed look. The simple imperfection and not correctly centered flower centers make all the little artsy elements come together to create a really fun/funky yet pretty look that I love. painted_flowers8

painted_floral_wallI really love how it came out! The flowers are simple yet beauitful. The pops of colors play together well and create a really warm, fun feel. That light blue wall was the perfect base to embellish on.

homemade_flower_wallpaperThis floral wall allowed that room to be a little more fun, yet it didn’t add a huge amount of color that would make a small, poorly lit room feel even smaller or dark. DIY_flower_wallpaperWhat do you think? Would you try to paint your own “wallpaper”? The thing with this design is I can just paint over it when we tire of it. For now, we love hanging out in this room.

I also can’t stop painting these flowers. I made another sign that includes the flowers and I just love it!

It is well with my soul wood sign3What do you think? Does this simple design yet pop of color pull at your eyes and heart too? This hymn just adds a sweet touch for a powerful reminder to hang in your home. If you are interest in this sign, you can see it in my shop!

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