Miss Piggy Wreath

  • April 13, 2016

The sassy and glamourous diva Miss Piggy retains her star status on this silver tinsel wreath with feathers, beads and sparkle sequins.  I have a nice little collection of brand new plush Muppet characters including Miss Piggy, her BFF Kermit the Frog (aka Kermie), and also the Animal that I can design into my wreaths.

The bonus… If you purchase one of my character wreaths for a child’s birthday party decoration, the featured plush character or doll can easily be removed for use as a toy.  So you get a wreath and a plush toy. It’s a 2-for-1.

Check out another one of my character wreaths with an adorable doll version of Anna from Frozen.

Miss Piggy

 Miss Piggy Headshot

Sparkle Moment #2: Bread Day

  • September 16, 2015

I’m gonna say it up front: I’m going for the FUN MOM award.

Not because I want to be compared to other moms, but because if my kids call me a fun mom, then I know I am doing my job.  That means we are close, developing a connection, and creating sparkle moments of love, joy, and belonging. They will benefit from that for the rest of their lives.

A friend shared an experience from her high school years in which she was part of the lucky crowd to be invited to “Bread Day” at a friend’s house for lunch time.  This was a monthly event where friends came home from high school for lunch and feasted on a spread of homemade bread along with plenty of toppings including butters, jams,and jellies.  I loved the idea of this tradition and it seemed like a definite Sparkle Moment to me.

So today kicked off our first monthly “Bread Day.”  My sophomore daughter is not legal to drive herself and her friends home from school for lunch yet, so I picked her up during her lunch break along with two of her friends and brought them back to our home for homemade artisan bread, butter, honey, jams, cheese, and fruit.  They raved about how yummy the bread was and how nice it was to get little break from school and experience some lovin’ from home in the middle of the school day.

I hope this grows from a few close friends of hers to something bigger in which kids are anxiously anticipating the invitation to “Bread Day” at our home. I love having teenagers in  my home, so I say Bring It On! They are fun, uninhibited, and help keep me young.  And hopefully a little bit hip. 🙂 Or at least a little up to date on the happenings on Twitter and SnapChat.

Monthly Bread Day

Here’s to Bread Day!

 

High School Team Spirit Wreath

  • September 11, 2015

Easy to Customize

Easy to Customize

A friend was looking for donations for my daughter’s high school carnival silent auction.  I thought “Hey, I’ll donate a fun wreath!” At first I was going to make a Halloween wreath since it is fall, but my daughter suggested a wreath styled for her high school since she saw a cute burlap wreath that had “AF” on it hanging in the school office.  I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. Reminds me of a cheerleader’s pom poms and perky hair bow.  Fun to hang on your front door to support your high school athlete or local high school team! View the listing in my Etsy shop Sparkle Day Design.

BYU and U of U Game Day Wreaths

  • September 11, 2015

BYU Wreath

BYU Wreath

University of Utah Wreath

University of Utah Wreath

Around these parts there are some pretty strong rivalries…So for some it is very important to declare your loyalties.  What better way to do it than with a team spirit or game day wreath? These can be made in any color combo to fit your favorite team.  Glitter letters to represent your school can be added to the wreath for a super cute statement. Find the remote or find your tickets and hang the game day wreath on the door..It’s football season!

Update: Because I’m a BYU fan, I need to share the Hail Mary that won the game for BYU against Nebraska last weekend!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN0-w6ZDUJQ

Burlap Fall Wreath in Berry and Gold

  • August 25, 2015

IMG_8882My kids are now back in school, there’s a crispness in the morning air, and apple season is just around the corner. Fall is coming! I recently customized this fall wreath for a customer in my Etsy shop Sparkle Day Design.  This wreath usually has a bit more orange in it, but she wanted to emphasize the berries, plums, and neutrals including gold and lots of sparkle to match her berry colored door a little better, so that’s what I did.  You can see the original design with more orange in my Etsy shop.

My handmade wreaths are unlike any others as I blend many textures of trim including burlap, glitter organza, stripes, plaid, glitter ribbon, luxe yarn, lace, polka dots, mesh, and glitter tulle for a sparkling Fall or Thanksgiving wreath perfect for your front door or mantel area.

A funsy part of my wreath designs is that I include upcycled fabric that I source from many different items. This particular wreath includes fabric from a duvet cover and an upholstered piano bench.  So it’s always a little old mixed in with a little new.

 

IMG_8881

Sparkle Moment #1: Decorating the Getaway Car

  • August 25, 2015

 

IMG_8783
To kick off my Sparkle Moments campaign on the blog, I’ll share a sparkle moment from my nephew’s wedding reception a few weeks ago. Me and my girls had a grand time. There was good music from a rockin’ DJ, good food from a taco truck parked right outside the reception, and great company with family including adorable little first-cousins-once-removed, or whatever their cousin’s children are called.  After we tasted the delicioso tres leches cake, it was getting late and time to leave.  We had a commitment at another event.

Well. You know what happens after the cake is cut.  The shenanigans begin with decorating the getaway car.

Just as we were making our exit, out came the white shoe polish, oreos, balloons, crepe paper, and pop cans in the parking lot with the guy cousins and their wives.  Of course my girls did not want to miss out on this rite-of-passage and please—-there were Oreos to pull apart, eat half and stick the other half onto a car! Hearts to be drawn onto the windows. And cans of soda to pop open, take a sip, dump the rest, and tie to the back of a car! What kid does not want to be part of permissible hooliganism??!!!

And oh yes. There were fireworks, poppers, and sparklers to hand out! It was as if the party was just beginning.

The girls begged to stay to be part of this new excitement they had not remembered witnessing previously.  I made a phone call to bypass our other commitment that night.  And I’m so glad I did. We stayed down to the very moment we saw “Just Married” on the back windshield of that car as it left the parking lot.

The fun bonding moments they shared as they joined with their 20-something cousins and their 3 & 4 year old first-little-cousins-once-removed, barefoot in a parking lot on a warm summer night, sending off a happily married cousin and his beautiful wife onto their honeymoon bliss, was a #sparklemoment indeed.

Share your sparkle moments on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and any other platform where you want to spread the love. Tag @sparkledaydesign and use hashtag #sparklemoment #sparklemoments 

Let’s create a movement! A wave of virtual glitter! So shiny we can’t help but notice!

 

Gold and Glitter Burlap Wreath

  • May 5, 2015

There’s a famous saying: “All that glitters is gold.”

This gold burlap wreath with about 15 different kinds of trim, fabric, and ribbon is non stop glitter.  The color palette is my absolute favorite and was inspired by a local boutique, Dear Lizzie, which is a favorite place for my girls and I to go dine in their sweet cafe, splurge on a gorgeously-girly sugar cookie, and peruse their dreamy wares, clothing, and jewelry.  
 IMG_9002

Something old, something new…for your wedding.  I like to recycle and upcycle and use items in unexpected ways, so I mix in different items into my wreaths including clothing and linens. This wreath is perfect for a wedding and can be customized with your colors.  Visit my Etsy shop Sparkle Day Design for more details or message me on my Facebook.
IMG_9003

 

Welcome a new baby girl with this fun mix of textures, patterns, and sparkle.  A one-of-a-kind front door decoration for a baby shower or to greet your visitors.
IMG_9016

This custom burlap wreath can be created in all gold, or accented with any other color to meet your decorating needs. It sparkles even more in person.  Click here for more info or to purchase via my Etsy shop.IMG_8984

 

 

DIY Tulip Wreath

  • March 13, 2015

IMG_9077

Tulips are pretty much one of my favorite flowers.  I love their graceful, delicate petals.  They are a sure sign of spring.  I plant many tulips in my yard, but the deer sometimes eat them before I get much chance to enjoy them.  Downside of living near the mountains…

So my sister-in-law asked me to make her a spring wreath and this was one of the pictures she texted me that she liked.  One look on Pinterest and I found the tutorial here:

Pics from Other Blogs

This is one fantastic wreath for 3 reasons:

**Super easy

**No gluing necessary

**3 supplies: 14″ grapevine wreath, 6 bunches silk tulips, wire cutters.

Done.

You really can’t go wrong. Pretty sure that even the craft-challenged could handle this one.

 

The best thing about my version? These colors.

These. COLORS.

IMG_9072I could not resist these LUSCIOUS colors.  I found these tulips at Continue reading

How to Make a Wreath Using a Baby Blanket

  • February 24, 2015

 

Before & After Baby Quilt Wreath

I am a thrifter. I might be a hoarder of things to repurpose. Recycle. Upcycle. Whatever the current word is for taking something and turning it into something else fabulous, I like to do it.  I thrive on the creative challenge.

So, as I started experimenting with using upcycled clothing and linens in my wreaths this past year, I gave myself a challenge to deconstruct a baby quilt and make a wreath using only the materials that came from the quilt.  I think it’s a fun way to repurpose a childhood item that may be stashed away on the top shelf into an heirloom item that can be displayed everyday.

I don’t understand this part of my personality, but I love cutting up clothing.  Demolition. Deconstruction.

I also enjoy gardening and one of my favorite tasks is pruning and cutting back.  What the?? I plant, I grow, and my favorite part is cutting it all off? I don’t get it. Maybe a therapist out there can help me.

I started with this baby quilt I found at Savers.  I couldn’t wait to get my scissors and cutting blade into this goodie and start tearing it apart.

IMG_6176

This is my pile of Continue reading

5 Reasons You Do Not Want to DIY Wreaths

  • February 5, 2015

K let’s be honest.

When it comes to handmade items at craft boutiques or on Etsy, how many times do people say…”I don’t need to buy it, I can do it myself.”

Count me among those people. I know I CAN do it.  Many handmade crafts are not rocket science, my wreaths included.

The problem is, 80% of the time, I DON’T do it!

Why?

-I have 10 other half finished DIY projects to complete.

-It takes time to source the proper supplies and sometimes I can’t find the exact supplies that were used.

-I start to lose confidence that it will turn out as cute as the original.

-It’s not at the top of my daily to-do list and for a seasonal item, the project becomes moot.

-The supplies seem nearly as expensive as the item itself and it no longer seems like a bargain to DIY.

-I have to spend research time on YouTube, Pinterest, or taking class to figure out how to DIY.

-I forget.

Sometimes it is just better to spend the money and enjoy the purchase NOW.

So I know you CAN, but here a few reasons why you don’t want to DIY a wreath like my pink and gold sparkly one below. Trust me.

First, you have to chase down the supplies.

A customer ordered this pink and gold wreath I have for sale in my Etsy shop, Sparkle Day Design.

 

IMG_6842I have a disclaimer in the description that says some of my trims are one of a kind, but I do my best to make it as similar to the photo as possible.  I ran out of one of the sequin trims because Continue reading