Tilano Fresco Photo Tiles

Getting ready for company or a party sure motivates me to get things done around the house that I've been putting off. 

Finishing up some Tilano Fresco Tiles with my daughter's baby picture on them made the list this time around.

I had four tiles done from before she was born.  Two had pictures of my husband and I and two had newborn pictures of our son.  I ordered another Tilano Fresco Tile kit after she was born (THREE YEARS AGO!  I know, I'm on the ball, right?).  And I never did them.

The Fresco Tile kit comes with two 8 x 8 blocks of wood, the mud, glaze, medium, transfer paper, brush, spreader, roller, cheesecloth....everything you need to complete the project.  They even have step by step instructions with photos and a video online of how to complete the project. 

Well, it comes with enough to mud to do another piece or two on your own.  Last Christmas, I busted out her kit and did the mud, crackle and glaze steps on the tiles as well as completing this photo tile for my niece on another piece of wood I had and the extra transfer paper that came in the kit.  I had every intention of completing her two tiles after Christmas.  Um, yeah...

So, last week I printed up her newborn photos, got the transfers done and slapped those puppies together.  I didn't mud the edges of the other ones so I just painted these to match with a little black and brown mixture.

I hung the group of six on the wall and I'm so glad I finally finished them three years late!  You can transfer the image any size you want.  I chose to leave a one inch border around my photos because the first set had some really dark ones and I wanted to be able to see the "tile" part of them.  I also tore the edges to give the photos more of a distressed look.  You can mix it up any way you want.

Here's my baby girl.  She had the chubbiest cheeks.

I love that they look like an old tile, but they are light and easy to hang on the wall.

I got several compliments on them at my party and everyone wanted to know how I made them.  So, here you go, ladies.  You can tile the edges of yours, add words or even do your wedding invitation.  They have ideas for the Tilano Fresco Kit here and of the Da Vinci Tile kit (just one tile that is rectangular instead of square) here.

When I ordered the kit, I got a free Canvas Transfer Kit at the time so I'll have to do that (what?  You're surprised it's still in the box?) and post that soon.

Tablecloth town play mat

I found the idea for making a play mat yourself out of a shower curtain here from Filth Wizardry a few years ago.  Her site is FULL of fun and creative ideas for kids.  She allows them to play freely and be creative in ways I'd never even think of.  I loved the idea and filed it away in my brain. 

My kids have really been enjoying the Richard Scarry's Busy Town book lately as well as his others in the Busy Town series.

They especially enjoy looking at the maps inside the covers and seeing where things are all over the town.

When we all ended up sick a few weeks ago I decided we'd make a busy town of our own.  I didn't have a shower curtain on hand but I do have a stock of plastic dollar store table cloths so we used one of those.  We taped it to the floor with painters tape.

I copied Lindsey and taped two markers to a container to draw the roads.  My four year old helped draw and he loved creating his own buildings, a Batcave, railroad tracks and a zoo.  He also drew our house, our street and several neighbor's houses.

My daughter was asleep but requested a purple castle.  I drew it then my son drew a moat around it.

We included 7-11 for any needed Slurpee runs.

When we finished drawing, we busted out Little People, Imaginext figures, and more to play.

 

Unfortunately, the town quickly found itself under Dinosaur attack.

Luckily, Spiderman, Hulk and Batman came in and saved the day.

I left it taped down there for two days and we got hours of play out it.  The tablecloth didn't hold up as well as a shower curtain probably would have, but it worked for us at the time. 

Next, he wants to make outer space with planets, stars, aliens and space ships.  I'll tell you all about it when we draw that one.

Have you done this with your kids?  What did you include in your town?

Favorite Things Swag Bags Giveaway {CLOSED}

I gave these swag bags to each guest at my Favorite Things Party.

As I filled these bags up with some of my favorite things, I got excited myself.  I don't know about you, but I love a goodie bag!

Let me tell you what was in them and then I'll tell you how you can win one yourself!

Sonny Bryan's Barbecue Sauce.  Sonny Bryan's is the best barbecue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area hands down.  They've been around since 1910 and they've perfected brisket, ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken and sausage.  Their barbecue is my favorite!  They've recently opened three new restaurants in Salt Lake City, Sandy and West Valley, Utah.  They'll cater any size event as well.  You can order this sauce on their website and have it shipped straight to your door!  You can also order smoked brisket, ribs, and sausage.  The send it on dry ice and it's ready to reheat and serve!  My insider tip: heat up your sauce before you serve it directly on anything.  It makes the flavors really come out.  They serve it hot in their restaurants.

Lush body products.  Lush is known for their handmade cosmetics and body products.  They were kind enough to mix up three things for each guest: Lemony Flutter Cuticle Cream, Enchanted Eye Cream, and  Ocean Salt Face & Body Scrub.

Hairbo gummy bears.  Is there any other brand?  Oh, really?  I wasn't aware.  These are the only kind I'll eat.

A File Catty.  I love these files because they come in a case.  I absolutely hate nail files floating around in my purse, scratching who knows what.  They also stay clean this way.  I always carry them with me in my car, in my purse, in my diaper bag.    They come in cute patterns and colors.  You can find them here at Ulta or here at Sally's Beauty.  They both carry them in the stores as well.

A pendant from Art Girl Pottery.  I stumbled upon this artist last year at a craft fair in Chicago and loved her work.  She makes custom and personalized pottery platters, bowls, picture frames, jewelry trays, vases and pendants.  She'll put any design or name on them you want.  You can find and order her pendants here on Facebook or order her other pieces through her website.  I have several pieces of hers and I love that they are unique and I love supporting local artists!  She gave me a variety of pendants so each bag had a different one.  Here are a few she sent for the party:

Here are some of her other beautiful pieces. 

Out The Door Fast Drying Top Coat.  I have two little ones running around.  I don't have time for nails to dry and set.  That's why I love their top coat.  It dries and sets in seconds so you can be "out the door."  And it works on natural or sculptured nails.  They sent us their Northern Lights Top Coat Trio which includes a clear coat, a silver hologram top coat and a gold hologram top coat.  The glitter isn't too flashy, it's very subtle and gives the perfect amount of sparkle to your nails.  You can find these at Sally's or other beauty supply stores.

Lemonheads.  I have a weakness for sour and gummy candies.  I'm like a little kid.  I can resist chocolate when I'm trying to be good.  But, I can't resist Lemonheads!

Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa.  I'm a Texas girl.  Born and raised.  And now I'm living in the Midwest.  And I'm freeeeezing.  So, I drink hot cocoa all winter long.  Several times a day if we've been in and out playing in the snow.  It's a staple around here.  I used to drink whatever was on sale until I stumbled upon Stephen's.  And now I'll never go back.  Their mixes make the best hot cocoa and it is creamy and delicious!  They make all sorts of flavors like dark, mint truffle, roasted hazelnut, candy cane, raspberry cheesecake, white, and peanut butter cup (I know!  It's my husband's favorite).  But, my favs are their french vanilla and their milk chocolate.  So, they sent me those two flavors to share with my friends.  And I stole a few for myself.  They also sell teas, wassail and ciders. Try the caramel apple cider!  I buy them at my local grocery store but you can order online here if you can't find them near you.

A knotted elastic pony tail holder from PlumPosh.  These are cute, comfy, and stylish and don't leave crease in your hair.  She sent all different colors and everyone went home with one.  She also makes all sorts of pretty garters to be used for weddings or baby headbands, fabric flowers, bows, accessories and even baby wipes cases! 

Here are a few of her other creations listed for sale on her Etsy site.

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitizer.  I love a good sale.  So, when I saw the Christmas scents on clearance for $0.32 each I stocked up.  And I shared them with my party guests.  Having kids, I carry hand sanitizer in the car, my purse, the library bag, you name it.  So, I love these little travel sizes.  My little girl loves their brand of sanitizers because they "smell so good!"

Hollywood Fashion Secrets Lint Removing Sheets and Oil Blotting Tissues.  I carry these little oil blotting tissues in my car and purse as well (I know, my purse sounds like a pit by now, right?).  They are perfect for mid or late day oil build up on my face so I don't have to reapply makeup.  They get rid of that afternoon sheen and make you look fresh again!  Hollywood Fashion Secrets make all sorts of great fashion and beauty helpers like fashion tape, deodorant removing sponges, and clear bra straps.  They've thought of what helps us women look better weather it's keeping our girls up and covered or quick fixes for clothes when we're out and about.  I find my oil blotting tissues at JoAnns and Old Navy around here but I'm sure you can find them all over.

An all natural soy candle from a local artisan.  I buy all of my candles from her beause I love supporting local artists, they burn clean and they make my house smell amazing!  She makes scents to go along with the seasons and she always has something new.

A G2 Roller Ball Gel Pen from Pilot. In purple, of course.  Purple is my favorite color and this is one of my favorite pens.  I love the flow of the ink, the lack of a lid and I love the color.  Writing letters in purple is so much prettier than writing them in black or blue!

There were also coupons to local restaurants for a free Italian beef sandwich and a free ice cream sundae, a coupon for a local nursery, a coupon for my favorite olive oil / vinegar place and popcorn from my favorite local popcorn shop. They gave me their combo mix of caramel and cheese!  The best.  I'm not mailing you the local coupons or the popcorn because I figure by the time this giveaway closes, that popcorn may or may not be getting stale.  And I'd hate for that to happen.  So, I ate yours.  It was delicious.  You'll just have to trust me on that one.

So, who wants all of the goodies listed above???

Leave me a comment below and tell what you'd include in a bag of your favorite things!  If you start to follow me, leave an additional comment and you'll get an entry for that as well.  If your email address isn't linked up to your profile, make sure and leave it for me!

Giveaway ends Friday, March 16th so get your comments in by Thursday night!  U.S. residents only, please.

If you haven't entered the giveaway of my other favorites, you still have until Sunday night.  Go here to read about them and enter.

And the winner is: Suzanne!  Congrats!  Hope you enjoy my favorites.  Email your address to: sometimescreative (at) yahoo (dot) com.

These are truly things that I use and love.  I may have snagged myself a nail file and some hot cocoa but did not receive any compensation for this post.  These opinions are my own.

Favorite Things Party

Long before Pinterest, I saw a blog with an idea for a Favorite Things Party.  I've thought about it since then and now that they are popping up all over Pinterest, I was reminded of them and thought, "why not now?"

I invited my friends over and asked everyone to bring three of one of their favorite things in the $10-15 range.  I liked this better than getting six items in the $5 range.  We went home with fewer, but better, items in my opinion. 

First, everyone wrote their name down three times for the exchange and one time for my drawing. 

When it was their turn, they told us about their item, why it was their favorite and then drew three names and those lucky ladies went home with that item.  It was fun to see the variety of things that everyone brought and watch people cross their fingers as names were being drawn!

I gave away this cake pedestal for my favorite thing.  It is white, scalloped and just $14.99 at Pier 1!  They have a smaller one for $9.99 if you want two to stack.  Here's proof I was at the party.

Here are the favorites everyone else brought.  I wanted one of everything on that table!

Their favorites included:

• Target gift card
• Movie tickets & candy
• Candy & treats from England (Cadbury, Galaxy, scone mix, custard mix, etc...)
• Our Best Bites Cookbook
• Balsamic vinegar from a local shop (two people brought this in a variety of flavors)
• The Hunger Games & chocolate
• Moroccan Oil Hair Treatment (two showed up with this)
• Wither, Vanilla Coke, Samoa Girl Scout Cookies & Lindt chocolates
• An insulated straw cup with m&ms (did you know there are white m&ms out for Easter???)
• Lush bath bombs & soaps
• Three beautiful scarves
• Tigi Catwalk hairspray and root boost
• Ear phones and an iTunes gift card
• Little glass pedestals from Hobby Lobby & these cute little bowls from Anthropologie
• A gift card to a local chocolate & ice cream shop
• An oil burner and home fragrance oils from The Body Shop, she brought orange and cranberry
• Flower pots, seeds and a hand trowel
• Feetures Lite running socks, candy & Market Pantry (Target brand) Lime Margarita Drink Mix packets (I've tried them, so yummy!)
• Hempz Body Moisturizer and My Favorite Lip Balm by Bath & Body Works
• Mac lip gloss
• A castle key bottle opener from Anthropologie, Bombay Chai tea & a handmade earring holder

Melissa gets an extra shout out because she listed Pinterest as one of her favorite things and she actually made three earring holders after she found the idea on Pinterest.  I'm going to show you hers because this is a creative blog, after all.

What did I get, you ask? My name was drawn for movie tickets & candy (Hunger Games, anyone?), Our Best Bites Cookbook and the bag of English goodies.  I've already started nibbling on the Galaxy bar!  And I'm not sharing.

After we exchanged all of the above, I drew names for some of my favorite items I got sponsored. 

Thanks to my sponsors I gave away:

• Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith
• The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain
• Two pair of Francie Pants
• Snowflakes for All Seasons and Snowflakes by Cindy Higham
• Letterpress Thank You cards by 1canoe2
• A dandelion necklace by Lulubug Jewelry
• A bag full of beauty & fashion goodies from Hollywood Fashion Secrets
• Flowers & landscape consultations from a local nursery
• A gift card to a local restaurant
• Haribo gummy bears
• A gift card to a local chocolate shop for their yummy fondue
• Kalamata olive oil from a local olive oil & vinegar shop
• Lemonheads
• A little decor bird from a local gift shop
• A handmade candle from a local artist
• Salts from a local spice shop

Some of the above are still listed in a giveaway on this blog.  You can comment to enter on this post until Sunday evening.

And last, but certainly not least, everyone went home with a Swag Bag full of treats.  The bags are worthy of their own post so I'll blog about them tomorrow.  Come back and read all about them because I'm going to give one of them away to one lucky reader! 

As I spent much time and effort gathering items for the party, I decided I didn't want to do all of the food myself.  I asked everyone to bring their favorite appetizer or dessert to share.  I made this punch that is all over Pinterest, lemon bars and bought some fresh shrimp cocktail.  I love all things lemon and never make lemon bars because I'm the only one around here that will eat them.  Same for shrimp cocktail.  People brought fruit, hummus & pita chips, cupcakes from a local shop, bruschetta, cucumber bites, caprese bites,  and strawberries & cream.  I didn't get great pictures but, we enjoyed it none the less.

I didn't really decorate for the party but I liked having an excuse to bust out my spring decor and get ready for Easter. 

It was such a fun party, my guests all had a blast and you should totally host one.  Go plan it, now!  And don't forget to check back and see what's inside that Swag Bag you could win!

I did not receive any compensation for this post.  I already have and use these items, they are truly my favorites and these opinions are my own!