September 2023

Welcome to the Spring Fling Series!  We are thrilled to be kicking off the week with two sisters, just like us, from one of our favorite blogs- Lolly Jane!  We absolutely LOVE their style and creativity!  I’ve been a guest over there, and I’ve even had the chance to meet these two in person- and they are so fun and so nice!  So- without further ado, let’s get this thing started! Hi there Occasionally Crafty readers, we are so excited to be visiting these cute blog sisters today and thrilled to be part of their new Spring Fling series! Today we’re going to share our pom pom spring banner:
To quickly introduce ourselves, we’re twin sisters Kelli and Kristi from Lolly Jane, our DIY/home improvement blog where we share tips for painting and redoing furniture, holiday crafts, creating home decor on a budget and once in a while, we’ll even share some tasty desserts along the way.

And every so often you will see our older sis Sandee (we’ve nicknamed her our manager since she coordinates our quarterly craft nights) on LJ, like today! We love her style and are happy she let us raid her house to share her pom pom burlap bunting that we will soon be knocking off (; It’s easy peasy to create and is oh-so-springy and fun!

To get started you’ll need a few yards of burlap, scrap fabric (hers is from Hobby Lobby) pom poms and hot glue. If you’re like us, you probably already have these supplies in your craft stash (;

Simply cut the burlap into a pendant shape and fold; cut the fabric slightly smaller (feel free to use our template provided above, although we free handed ours. Perfectly imperfect! LOL) String some bakers twine between the fold of the bunting then hot glue the pom pom strand across the whole bunting. Simple but makes the space so cheery!

Sandee’s mantel is super cute paired with our Shanty-inspired apothecary jars, framed eighteen25 printable, our foam Easter egg sign and Kelli’s recent bunny thrift store find. Sandee and I both tried to bribe her to snag that bunny but she’s playing for keeps! Tag along with us on Instagram to see our other thrifty finds and if you’re looking for cute and inexpensive holiday and seasonal creations to spruce up your space, feel free to pop by Lolly Jane anytime! You can also find us on FB and Pinterest- we would love to see you (:

A big thanks to Val & Laura for letting us guest today! Happy spring, everyone! xo

Thanks ladies!  That banner is seriously adorable- and I must make one RIGHT NOW!  We are truly honored to have you here on the blog today!


Now, it’s time to announce our Spring Fling Giveaway.  Some of our favorite companies and sponsors have teamed up to offer you $200 worth of goodies!





1.  $50 to Cutting Edge Stencils towards the stencil of your choice
2.  10 Coordinating Vintage Sheet Fat Quarters from The Sheet Shop
3.  Mud Pie Infant Outfit (0-6 mos) with matching headband from BowMama Hairbows
4.  13 Color Bakers Twine Pack from Very Jane
5.  $40 Gift Card to your choice:  Michael’s, Target, or Hobby Lobby


To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter entry form below. It will be open all week, until Sunday night at midnight.  I know that there are a TON of entries, but we have them because entering the giveaway not only shows these companies you love their products, but also supports all our Spring Fling Series Guest Posters.  So, go show them some love and enter yourself to win some awesome stuff in the process.  (And we wouldn’t mind if you shared this with your friends!)


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Good luck and make sure you drop by later today to learn more about the prizes being offered!




Connect with us! You can find us here:

Since making over my kids’ bathroom, I’ve got bathroom makeovers on the brain!  Luckily Hometalk has all the inspiration I need.  I’m brand new to Hometalk, so if you have an account, follow me!

If not and you love all things DIY and crafty, head on over and set up an account!  There is so much amazing inspiration over there for bloggers, non-bloggers, professionals, non-professionals, and everone in between!  But if you get addicted, it’s not my fault 😉

I was recently asked to curate a board for Hometalk, and I’m sharing the inspiration with you here today!

People are so creative!  Here a few of my favorite details:

The link to this post is broken, but I have to include it because I love this sink SO much!  

You can find more details about this nautical bathroom here: 

I hope you’ll pop over and see the rest of the Creative Kids’ Bathrooms I put together!
There are a bunch more from this board alone but let me tell you, this is only a small portion of the inspiration you’ll find there, 

Don’t forget to stop by and follow me.  Like I said, I’m brand new, but I’ll be putting together lots more inspiration for you to browse soon!

Connect with us! You can find us here:

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

I promised you a giveaway, and here it is!  Let me introduce you to Bonita Bellita:

Stephanie, the shop’s owner, makes beautiful hair accessories for you or that other special girl in your life.  Who can resist this beautiful Rustic Romance headband? She sells gorgeous clips that double as pins.  This pink one caught my eye right away. If you need some jewelry, she has beautiful necklaces, brooches, and adorable rings.
She even has some cute bows and headbands for your baby girl. Everything is hand-sewn and created in a smoke-free, pet-free environment. Bonita Bellita is giving away a pair of her Red Poppy bobby pins to one lucky reader! Want it to be you?  Here’s how to enter (please leave a separate comment for each entry!)

MANDATORY:  1st of all, follow my blog- or remind me that you do! 

Then, visit Bonita Bellita on Etsy and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is.  (That is 1 entry for doing both)
Extra entry #1– “Like” Occasionally Crafty on Facebook. (click on the link or use the sidebar box)
Extra entry #2– EDITED “Like” Bonita Bellita on Facebook This giveaway is open until Friday, February 11th at 11:59 pm MST.  I will announce the winner this weekend!  Good luck!

I love cupcakes. I don’t make them very often, and I certainly don’t drive out of my way to buy them.

But when an opportunity to eat a really good cupcake falls into my lap, I’m sure going to take it.

Do you watch Cupcake Wars on Food Network?  I watch it with my daughter religiously.  She wants to be a pastry chef when she grows up, so she is fascinated by the baking competitions on FN.

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We were recently excited to watch a show with one of our local cupcake bakers, Brady from Ollie Cake here in Phoenix.  His episode was the Miss USA one, if you are a fan.

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I was fairly confident he’d win, because his cupcakes were praised for their flavors throughout the competition. Still, we were a little worried at the end when we thought he wouldn’t get 1000 cupcakes on his display before time was up. But, he made it, and was in fact, the winner of the show that week!

Recently, Brady put on a little class at Whole Foods, called Baking with your Children.  He demonstrated some easy ways to get your kids involved in the kitchen, and talked about his time on Cupcake Wars.

Since my daughter is an aspiring chef, we already put most of the tips into action.  But here’s the most important thing I came away with, and am passing on to you-

             Just let them do it.  You could do it faster and with less mess, but they aren’t going to really learn    unless they get to do it themselves (with appropriate guidance for their age).

I did ask him if it was hard to get the 1000 cupcakes on the display, and he told us about a little trickery from the producers– he said even though he had cupcakes frosted and ready to be placed, they made him hold it back until 15 minutes were left on the clock “for more drama”.  Those TV producers!  So tricky. Brady demonstrated his Orange-Scented Chocolate Campfire Cupcakes from the show, and when the demonstration was done, we got to eat one!  They were delicious!  It was the most moist chocolate cupcake I have tasted, and I loved the slight taste of orange throughout the cupcake.  Orange and Chocolate go so well together!

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You can find the recipe here, at Ollie Cake’s website, and though it’s long, it’s fairly easy and straightforward.  If you want to make a statement at a party or family gathering, this might be your cupcake.

Thanks Brady for a delicious afternoon.  Now I’ve got to drive way out of my way and go visit your bakery for some more.  They’ve got a Brown Velvet Cupcake I’m kind of drooling over…..

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I am linking up to some of these parties:

Hey mom friends!  I know you’re busy with carpool, soccer practice, and working on homework with your kids.  I am too.  But I need to tell you something.

 My children aren’t perfect.

I try to present them as perfect.  We spend hours on behavior, dress and grooming, studying for school, developing talents, etc.  because I want you to see them at their very best.  Even when you don’t, I might blame it on a late night, a coming cold, or a stressful day.

What you don’t see is that my daughter is overly sensitive, lashes out at everyone when she’s frustrated, and has a terrible habit of picking the skin off her hands.  You don’t see that she struggles with math and that I worry about her constantly.

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You don’t see that my middle child, my son, still lays down on the floor and whines like a toddler when I tell him to clean his room.  Every.  Night.

You don’t know that my youngest was not fully potty-trained until 4 ½.  That’s right—4 ½.  That number two just wasn’t happening for him until he felt like doing it properly.  I finally stopped talking about it to you when commiseration turned into judgment, when I was told it was my fault that he wouldn’t go. 

Remember the days when we were  young mothers, and everyone was dying to share their stories and wisdom with each other, even when those stories were struggles?  (Your child is the last one to walk?  Don’t worry, someone else’s child was even older!)  (Your child won’t sleep?  That’s okay, it will pass, my child wouldn’t sleep until he was two and now we can’t wake him up!)

We don’t talk like that anymore.  What happened?

I noticed right around preschool that this friendliness, this sense of “we’re in it together” started to fade away.  Attitudes started to shift.  Conversations started to change.  We stopped talking to each other about the problems our children were going through and started oversharing their success.  Sure, we might commiserate over a difficult teacher or a tough assignment.  But if you went much deeper, we only heard silence. 

Mom friends?  I still need to know you’re there with me. I need to know that your children aren’t perfect either. I need to know how you handle your struggles, how you’re overcoming your children’s problems. I especially need to know if you’re lost, if you don’t know what to do.

I don’t want to feel like I’m the only one struggling to stay afloat in this sea of ever-shifting challenges.

I don’t want you to hide your children’s problems, and I especially don’t want to feel like I have to hide mine.  Can’t we be each other’s support again, like we were in those sleepless early days of motherhood?

Ask me how my child is doing, really doing.  Don’t judge me; just be there.  Show me that our friendship matters to you, and you care about my children even if they are failing math, are behind in reading, or keep getting detention at school.   If I ask, tell me the truth.  Let me be your support.  Let’s help each other through these difficult years.  Let’s share our problems and celebrate our successes!

I haven’t even touched on more serious problems families face, such as illness, mental or physical diagnoses that affect their lives, drug or alcohol abuse, etc.  We’re not there yet, but maybe someone else in our group is.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could let down our carefully-placed walls just a little and lift each other’s burdens, even for just a few moments?

I want you to know I’m still your friend, even though our kids have switched from diapers to jeggings, from pacis to Playstations.  And I want you to know that I still need you.

Connect with us!  Find us at these places:

Before I share this post with you, I want to say something about parties:
 I love to plan parties for my kids.  But, you’ll probably never find me featured on a party blog.  The reason?  I believe in keeping things on a limited budget, and in helping the kids have a great time vs. making the parents ooh and aah.  So you won’t see any gorgeous dessert tables, or ten shops listed at the bottom where I shopped for supplies.  I did the whole party for under $100 (mostly food!) and you can too!
(I do love those beautiful parties.  It’s just not something I could ever do.  And I’m okay with that.)
That being said, last week we put on a camping-themed party for my soon-to-be six year old!
The invitations went out:

The decorations went up (red balloons and streamers, red and white checked tablecloths, and green plates with red and white checked napkins.
  
Here’s our welcome sign out front:

A banner I cut with my Silhouette:

The food table:

The tent, of course:

And we were ready to have a great time!

First, as the kids arrived, I had them decorate binoculars, which they later got to take home.

Then, we went on a nature-themed scavenger hunt.  When they filled up their bags with all the items, they got a little prize.

We did a fishing game next.  I attached magnets to wood dowels, then had them collect a fish from our “stream”.  (Hey, this is the desert.)  The fish were different colors.  They took their colored fish over to the prize bags, which were color-coordinated to the fish, and got to pick a prize.  *sorry for the smiley faces- I didn’t ask permission to show these kiddos on my blog, so you’ll only see my kids’ faces.



Then, everyone played in the tent and jumped on the trampoline for awhile.  Didn’t you know there were trampolines in the great outdoors 😉 ?
Then we did sleeping bag races.  I had the kids go two at a time and race the length of our lawn, hopping in their bags the whole way.  We did it tournament style- the winner of each race moved on to the next round until we finished with a final three.  The kids loved doing it and cheering for each other.

The last game we played was “Bear-Catcher”, which is really just a camping version of “Duck, Duck, Goose!”  They all sat on their sleeping bags. I had the kids use animal names like squirrel, chipmunk, bird, etc, and then instead of goose, they would shout “Bear!” and run like mad.  Good times, good times….
After games and more trampoline-jumping, we ate dinner.  I kept it simple, since kids never eat much at parties.  We had hot dogs, chips, and fruit (grapes, strawberries, and pineapple).  

I served water only, with some cute labels on them.

After dinner, we opened presents.  I know a lot of times kids don’t open presents at the parties anymore.  And I get it- I totally understand the reasons some parents choose not to do this at the party.   But our family will always open gifts for a few reasons:
1- The kids spend time picking out a present for the birthday child, and they want to see them open their gift!  It makes me sad when my son spends time picking out the perfect gift for his friend, and then you never know if they like it!  And a lot of times, we don’t even get a thank-you card, so who knows if they even got it?
2- It is important that my children develop good manners, and opening presents teaches them to thank the person, and react appropriately to different gifts!  For example- one year he got the same bubble gun from three different people.  But we’ve taught him to say thank you and be polite, and he handled it just great.  These are important social skills to teach, in my opinion.
*climbs off soapbox*

The grand finale, and arguably biggest hit, was roasting S’mores.  We had a little firepit and some roasters, and the kids took turns roasting marshmallows and eating their S’mores.  

They didn’t even want cupcakes, they were so full of marshmallow-y goodness!  But some did eat them, or took them home for later.  Good thing, because I thought they were pretty cute!
I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, then rolled the tops in crushed Oreos to look like dirt.  Then I topped them with camping-themed pictures.

Finally the party had to end, and we handed out goody bags.  I got some camouflage drawstring mini-bags from Oriental Trading, and filled them with mini-flashlights, small working compasses, glowstick necklaces, and a bag of S’mores mix made from Golden Grahams, mini-marshmallows, and chocolate chips.  They also took home their binoculars.

It was a great party- we had lots of fun and got everyone tired out for the night–including myself!
I’m linking this up to some of these parties this week.  Thanks for checking them out! 
Connect with us! You can find us here:

Hey mom friends!  I know you’re busy with carpool, soccer practice, and working on homework with your kids.  I am too.  But I need to tell you something.

 My children aren’t perfect.

I try to present them as perfect.  We spend hours on behavior, dress and grooming, studying for school, developing talents, etc.  because I want you to see them at their very best.  Even when you don’t, I might blame it on a late night, a coming cold, or a stressful day.

What you don’t see is that my daughter is overly sensitive, lashes out at everyone when she’s frustrated, and has a terrible habit of picking the skin off her hands.  You don’t see that she struggles with math and that I worry about her constantly.

source

You don’t see that my middle child, my son, still lays down on the floor and whines like a toddler when I tell him to clean his room.  Every.  Night.

You don’t know that my youngest was not fully potty-trained until 4 ½.  That’s right—4 ½.  That number two just wasn’t happening for him until he felt like doing it properly.  I finally stopped talking about it to you when commiseration turned into judgment, when I was told it was my fault that he wouldn’t go. 

Remember the days when we were  young mothers, and everyone was dying to share their stories and wisdom with each other, even when those stories were struggles?  (Your child is the last one to walk?  Don’t worry, someone else’s child was even older!)  (Your child won’t sleep?  That’s okay, it will pass, my child wouldn’t sleep until he was two and now we can’t wake him up!)

We don’t talk like that anymore.  What happened?

I noticed right around preschool that this friendliness, this sense of “we’re in it together” started to fade away.  Attitudes started to shift.  Conversations started to change.  We stopped talking to each other about the problems our children were going through and started oversharing their success.  Sure, we might commiserate over a difficult teacher or a tough assignment.  But if you went much deeper, we only heard silence. 

Mom friends?  I still need to know you’re there with me. I need to know that your children aren’t perfect either. I need to know how you handle your struggles, how you’re overcoming your children’s problems. I especially need to know if you’re lost, if you don’t know what to do.

I don’t want to feel like I’m the only one struggling to stay afloat in this sea of ever-shifting challenges.

I don’t want you to hide your children’s problems, and I especially don’t want to feel like I have to hide mine.  Can’t we be each other’s support again, like we were in those sleepless early days of motherhood?

Ask me how my child is doing, really doing.  Don’t judge me; just be there.  Show me that our friendship matters to you, and you care about my children even if they are failing math, are behind in reading, or keep getting detention at school.   If I ask, tell me the truth.  Let me be your support.  Let’s help each other through these difficult years.  Let’s share our problems and celebrate our successes!

I haven’t even touched on more serious problems families face, such as illness, mental or physical diagnoses that affect their lives, drug or alcohol abuse, etc.  We’re not there yet, but maybe someone else in our group is.  Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could let down our carefully-placed walls just a little and lift each other’s burdens, even for just a few moments?

I want you to know I’m still your friend, even though our kids have switched from diapers to jeggings, from pacis to Playstations.  And I want you to know that I still need you.

Connect with us!  Find us at these places:

This post is sponsored by HoneyBaked Ham.  I was given free product and compensated to write this post.  But remember, I only review products and companies I LOVE or think you will too!

I like having people come over to my house.
It gives me a reason to clean!
I tend to get pretty stressed out for holidays when family or friends come to visit.  I want the house to look nice, the decor to be decked out, the food to taste delicious, and the children to be well-behaved.
Maybe I should just pick two of the above.
If you’re anything like me and holidays like Easter stress you out, you might benefit from these 10 tips to make your Easter Dinner worry free.
1.  Budget Your Time Wisely
Have a plan of attack so you can be ready to greet your guests when the arrive, not be scrambling around the kitchen throwing things together.  Know what time you plan to eat, how long each item will take to cook, and keep a “schedule” so you know when to put various things in the oven.  If there are items you can make ahead, make them ahead!  You’ll be so much more relaxed.
2.  Know your Guests!
Don’t be caught off guard with food allergies, sensitivities or diets.  Ask ahead if there is anything you need to be aware of so you can be prepared.
3.  Keep some snacks out to munch on
If your guests will be arriving some time before dinner will be served, set out some simple snacks or appetizers.  I set out a fruit, veggie, and cheese/cracker tray to keep my kids from whining about how hungry they are!  Keep it simple- people just want to munch, not ooh and aah over perfectly baked mini tarts.  (Unless you’re into that sort of thing!)
4.  Use paper plates and table linens
Nowadays there are so many cute options for paper plates, table runners, and even placemats.  There is no reason to spend a ton of money on something you’ll only drag out 2-3 times a year for company.  And you don’t have to worry about stains on your beautiful linens.  Save time and money!  I chose to use my real plates, but we are forgoing placemats and using a paper table runner.
5.  Decorate with what you have!
There’s no need to buy a fancy centerpiece.  I used some wrapping paper for a table runner, then took some of my “cute” Easter decorations from around the house and made them into a fun centerpiece.  Don’t forget to print out last year’s Easter printable for a more Christ-centered celebration.

6.  Serve dinner Buffet-style!
Set up a cute buffet table and let the guests serve themselves!  Set up your food in your nice serving dishes here, then get out of the way, sit down, and enjoy your dinner too!
7.  Go semi-homemade for the actual dinner.
Choose one or two things that are important for you to make yourself for the meal.  My family loves my homemade rolls, so I always serve those.  I also usually make my own dessert, although this year we’re eating these delicious cheesecake slices from HoneyBaked Ham!  The Triple Chocolate is to die for!



8.  Let HoneyBaked Ham handle the rest
You’re going to buy a ham anyway, since serving ham for Easter is a special tradition. Serve the best tasting, quality ham your family will enjoy – HoneyBaked Ham.  There’s a great coupon out for you right now to get $5 off any purchase of $50 or more.  Plus, they have delicious sides and desserts if you so choose.

I bought a small quarter ham, a small turkey breast, and two sides for my dinner.  My kids love the creamy Macaroni and Cheese, and almost everyone loves the Sweet Potato Souffle!

Find a location near you.
P.S.- When you put them in our own dishes, no one will ever know you didn’t slave over these dishes yourself!  
9.  Get the kids involved
My kids love to help out.  So why not put them to work?  Have them lay out the tableware.  Invite them to help you bake.  Teach them how to cook a favorite dish.  Assign them cleaning-up chores!  And don’t forget a little treat for being such a great helper!

10.  Enjoy yourself- and don’t forget to take (or have someone take) some pictures!
Life is about creating memories and enjoying the special people in your life.  Don’t let Easter pass you by while you hang out in the kitchen, sweating and worrying.  With these tips, you should have plenty of time to sit and enjoy your loved ones and your delicious Easter dinner!
Are you entertaining for Easter or headed somewhere else?  What would you add to this list?

Connect with us! You can find us here:

I love to make printables!  Some of them make it to the blog, and some I just create for my own personal use.  I usually make them in PicMonkey or Publisher, but each of them has its limits.  A few months ago, a friend tipped me off that you can create your own printables using Silhouette Studio! 



This is huge- because not only do I have lots of cute shapes I’ve purchased, but I can use any font on my computer, and I can play with  those fonts to fit and fill the space as necessary!  If you haveStudio, and you like to make printable quotes, invitations, or anything, a few quick steps will have you creating your own in no time flat!


1.  Make sure you have downloaded the latest version of the software.  I have the Designer Edition, so my screen may look a little different, but you can do all the same things in the regular edition.


2.  Download a PDF printer to your computer.  I use CutePDF, though there are several out there.
3.  Start creating!  I’ll show you how I made these cute invitations for my daughter’s birthday party.

— Open a new document.
— Resize your page to whatever you’ll be creating.  I generally make my printables 8×10 so people can print them up to that size.  It makes great quality for smaller prints.  I put mine 10×8 so it is in “landscape” mode.
— Add a rectangle for your background using the rectangle shape tool.  Then, using the fill tool, fill that rectangle with your desired background color.

— Add any images you want.  You can purchase shapes from the Silhouette store, other .svg sites, or simply import a .jpg or .png file from the internet and trace it.  (Tracing is a whole other subject I’ll have to save for another day)

— Use the text tool to add text as desired. 
–Select your text and use the fill tool to add your desired color to the text.

–This last step is really important.  Silhouette Studio is for cutting files, but we don’t want to do that for a printable.  So, make sure you select the cut lines menu, then choose transparent.  Now they won’t show up when you print!
4.  Once your document looks the way you want it, you’re going to send it to that PDF printer you downloaded.  Go to File–>Print, then choose the PDF printer.

5.  It will ask you to save it somewhere on your computer.  Rename the file and save it somewhere you’ll be able to find it.

6.  Once it saves, navigate to that file location, and you should see a PDF file waiting for you!  From there, you can open it and print it on a home computer, or you can use a pdf converter program to change to to a .jpg for printing at a photo lab.
 The quality is not the best on this image because it’s been edited about three times for the post, but the actual invitations are crystal clear and fabulous!  Once I know the time of the movie, I can finish these babies up and get them sent out! Remember, you can follow this process for printable quotes, cupcake wrappers and toppers, and more!

I’m linking this up to Tatertots and Jello (Link Party Palooza) and some of these parties- come check them out with me!

Connect with us! You can find us here:

One of my favorite things to do is browse through the linky parties at all the craft blogs.  So much of my inspiration comes from the things people are willing to share.  I also try to contribute a few projects a month to linky parties. I’ve decided to start something new on my blog.  Though my blog isn’t big enough to host my own linky party, I would like to share some of my favorite finds with you.  So, each Thursday, I’m going to feature three projects I’ve found in blog-land.  I’ve even got a button for you to display if you’re featured.  I hope it will give you some inspiration and help you find some new bloggy friends! So, without further ado, here are Three Things I’m loving this week:

1.  This Vintage Airplane Bedroom from Too Much Time On My Hands is just amazing!  I especially love her wall art and the luggage tag lampshade.

2.  I love unique accessories, so this Crochet Chain Necklace from Love City caught my eye.  I’m not skilled at crochet, but I could probably make this.  (not the flower- someone help me!)

3.  These Fabric Chargers from Two Shades of Pink are just gorgeous!  I especially love the fabric- perfect for Spring- Mother’s Day Brunch?   I could see these for all different holidays and season. Thanks for the inspiration.  Grab a button below if you were featured today!