A friend and fellow blogger recently invited me to a private pre-opening "blogger" event for See's Candies from California that has just moved into town. She was part of the coordinating for the event, and invited other bloggers she knew in the area. I wasn't exactly sure what the event was going to be, but I knew there would be free chocolate. So naturally, I was in.

I thought it was actually a smart move for See's Candies from a marketing perspective (since that's also what I do), seeing as word-of-mouth can be an extremely effective method (and much less expensive than print advertising to the over-saturated eye). Butter up a bunch of bloggers in the area...

...get them involved in something where your friend would want to take a picture of you, which would then motivate you to post it later (you know how much we bloggers like posting pictures)...

...have trivia about the history of the company so you would remember facts to blog about later, and give them free chocolate in an attractive tote bag that you would most likely take a picture of (as well as all of the deliciousness inside)...

...enticing the readers of the local bloggers to come in, become a customer, and continue to spread the word to other chocolate lovers (which let's face it, who's not a chocolate lover?).

They had their grand opening yesterday, February 1st, two weeks before Valentine's Day. Good timing, huh?

So ladies, subtly spread the word to your significant other over the next couple weeks - maybe leave the See's website open on your browser, or their Facebook page, or sign up for their email list with his email. Let's not pretend we don't know how to drop not-so-subtle hints to get what we want. ;)

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day, a little early. <3

I always tell my husband he's my favorite. It's true. He knows it.

Since that's one of our favorite things to say to each other, I decided it was worth creating some wall art that said just that.

I'm kind of obsessed with the reverse stencil idea, so I found some sticky foam letters at the dollar store, and used that to create my saying. I put the letters on an old picture that I found at a thrift store, and then spray painted over it with Rustoleum 2x Painter's Touch Spray Paint, Sage in color. Then spray painted with some cheaper brand second-hand leftover orange spray paint (which I do not recommend - the sprayer was junk, and it kept globbing up on me and not spraying straight). 

I liked how it turned out. Such a simple quick way to brighten up a space. Can't beat it.

I actually made these wooden puzzles and blocks as Christmas presents for my niece and nephews (I now have another adorable nephew, Ryder, and another nephew on the way as well). I knew they were a little on the young side to care about a puzzle with their name on it, and that they probably would care more about chewing on it or throwing the pieces instead of actually putting them together. But maybe someday they'll like it, or think it's sentimental. 

I used my jigsaw to cut strips of a block of wood . . . 

. . . and used purple non-toxic acrylic paint to paint the strips.

Using scrapbook paper, stamps, and Mod Podge (all non-toxic), I made the design I wanted for the puzzle, and used Mod Podge to attach it to the wood strips. I then used a razor to cut the paper along the lines I had cut the wood. Then sealed the edges with more Mod Podge.

I did a similar thing for Taegan's puzzle. Just different shapes (obviously). 

The Hardy's favorite family vacation spot is Colorado in the summer, where we all go hiking together. So I chose some Colorado-esque creatures for his puzzle. 

I painted his blocks with red acrylic paint, then used Mod Podge to attach the creatures I had traced, along with his name. 

Ezra was definitely too young for a puzzle, so I chose to get him blocks that spelled his name instead. 

I again used blue acrylic paint, stamps, stencils, and Mod Podge.

All done!

As most young kids do, they opened them, then put them aside to move on to opening the next present. But hopefully they'll get some use out of them one of these days, when they start learning how to spell their names and put puzzles together. 

(Not to worry - all the materials used were non-toxic.)

Yet another thing you can do with wood scraps! I used the same taping technique that I used for my Stained Tree Side Table, my Dining Table, and the three small Nesting Tables - all you need is some Edge-lock painter's tape, an exacto knife, some wood stain (I used Minwax Jacobean), and a finish (I used Minwax Polyurethane Gloss finish). 

Here's a snapshot of where it currently sits in our bedroom . . . 

My friend Sarah and I hosted a craft fair last weekend, and had a blast doing it. Here are a few pictures from that. Enjoy!

Polly from Thriving Home contacted me a few weeks ago, asking if she could feature one of my tree table projects on her blog. I said of course! So she featured my Stained Tree Side Table this past Friday on their blog. Click here to read it!

I decided that if I'm gonna do another craft show (& hopefully more than that in the future), then I'm going to need some sort of sign that represents my business. It was also kind of inspired by the 8" swirly fun wooden letters that I found at Hobby Lobby. 

I cut 4 identical pieces of wood with my miter saw (22 in. long, and I believe they were 1x5 or 6), then stained every other one with Minwax Jacobean stain and Minwax Red Mahogany stain. I attached them with Gorilla wood glue and stapled the back with a staple gun. I then put one coat of Minwax Polyurethane Gloss finish over all of it.

I spray painted the cute swirly letters with Rustoleum Painter's Touch spray paint (color: Nutmeg). 

I then knew I needed some thin cheap wood scraps, because I wanted to piece together a few pieces similar to the larger pieces I was mounting everything to. I found some cedar shims at Home Depot (they're mainly meant for paint stirring, or door and window installation for leveling material, etc . . .), but they also worked perfectly for what I needed them for. I sanded them and glued 3 pieces together. Then used Elmer's spray adhesive (a temporary bond) to temporarily attach the paper reverse stencil letters. 

Then spray painted them with the same color spray paint, Nutmeg. 

I attached everything with Gorilla wood glue . . . 

. . . and voila! It's ready for the craft show this Saturday! 

I found this old frame at a garage sale for 3 bucks. It was just that - a simple frame, no glass, no backing - nothing inside. Just an ugly old brown frame. But not for long! I spray painted is with a Rustoleum Aubergine Painter's Touch spray paint, then sealed it with a Minwax Polyurethane Gloss finish. I cut a piece of Plywood to fit the frame, sanded it, then painted it with 2 coats of chalkboard paint. I attached it into the frame with wood glue. 

I'm kind of attached to this one. It's going to be hard to let it go! 

These turned out to be my favorite pieces! They were my great grandmother's charming old nesting tables, and they made a great coordinating tree design set. The technique is the same I've used for other projects, such as my Stained Tree Side Table and my Tree Dining Table. A design carved with an exacto knife using edge-lock painter's tape, then I just used Rustoleum Painter's Touch spray paint (colors: Sage Green, Navy Blue, and Slate Blue) instead of wood stain, then put a Minwax Glossy Polyurethane finish on top (2 coats). Gorgeous!