Floral Initials - The quick and dirty version

Hello again!

I'm sure many have seen this idea floating around Pinterest as I did. It's so cheerful and customizable, I knew I had to make my own! There are so many uses for this craft as well: personal décor, wedding décor, photo props, etc. I'm re-doing my bedroom in the near future so I wanted to have a personalized touch ready to go. Now, the Pinterest version uses cardboard Hobby Lobby letters with the faces carved out and floral foam to house the silk flowers. As I've stated before, I am on a budget. A boxed wine kinda budget. So here is what I used, all purchased from the Dollar Store!

~ one small styrofoam cooler with lid

~ 4 bouquets of silk flowers in varying colors (app. 16 flowers)

~ any writing utensil

~ scissors/exacto knife/steak knife (which I used :) )

~ hot glue gun (optional)

~ ribbon (optional)

So, first decide which letters you want to use. The styrofoam cooler, counting the lid, has 5 sides to use as a template. Using your writing utensil, draw your letters on the sides in bubble form. Your drawing skills don't really matter here because the petals of your blooms will cover the edges. If you don't want to freehand, you can always make a word doc. with the letters of your choice one per page.

Next, using your carving tool of choice (I found the serrated edges of a steak knife worked best) follow the lines of your letter and cut it out. Warning: there will be styro-snow. Next, gather your flowers. Where the bloom is attached to the stem, pull to remove the petals and green stopper that holds them together. Discard the stems. Using the green back of your blooms, poke holes into your letter where you want the blooms to be placed. After you place them all, it should look something like this from behind. 

The flowers are pretty secure in the styrofoam without glue, however I wanted mine to be a little more durable. So, I pulled each bloom out of the foam one at a time and placed hot glue around the back of the flower and replaced them. This secured each flower in its hole. Both initials finished look like this.

Now you're finished! Another option is to add ribbon of your color choice to hang your initials or just lean them up against something since they're very light. You could also use command strips to cleanly hang them on a wall. I'm thinking about using this ribbon later to hang them in my room.

So, all in all this project cost me $5! If you don't have a dollar tree in your area (where EVERYTHING is just $1!) you can purchase these same items at Dollar General, Walmart, or any craft store. Let me know how yours turns out!

5 Easy Tips to Get Healthy!

Hi!

Welcome to my blog and my first post!

Being a woman, I often find myself cringing at the mention of bikinis, "skinny" jeans, and (eek) health food. Most women are always trying to shed a couple pounds for whatever reason. Being a college student, I faced the freshmen 15 (or 20...) and have since gotten comfortable eating mostly whatever I want. But getting older means my metabolism is only headed south for the winter. So, at this point I am embarking on an endeavor to get HEALTHY, NOT lose weight. True I have dieted before and the approach remains similar, however it is your mindset that will lead you to victory in the end. So, as a humble start I've compiled five easy tips that will point me in the right direction.

1. Drink water over other drinks as much as humanly possible. Water restores skin vitality, focus, and helps keep the system moving smoothly to flush out toxins. 

2. Portion control! Did you know dinner plates used to be a heck of a lot smaller? Try using a saucer or luncheon plate for meals so you don't run into a case of your eyes being bigger than your stomach scenario.

3. Treat Week Day. I'm so bad about thinking I have to have a dessert each day. Reserve your Ben & Jerry's to one or two days to help with moderation.

4. Whole grains! Try substituting wheat for white if you haven't already. Throw in brown rice, oatmeal, and quinoa with your meals. It keeps you fuller, longer!

5. "Dessert". As I said, I can't keep eating dessert every single day. Instead, I treat myself to dark chocolate or a mashed banana with honey to curb my appetite.

But most importantly, remember to think only of the positive choices your making, remind yourself that you're able, and that it's never too early or too late to get healthy!