Dots Cake

{Parenting} has some new cake ideas. They're all great, but this one stunned me. It's adorable!! It's just frosted in white and then they used jumbo, regular, and mini M&Ms to decorate it! I just love the way this looks!!! It would be great at ANY party. What a cute and easy idea!!

ABC Wall

Wouldn't this be so cute in a playroom?

I LOVE how the letters are all different sizes and styles. The "O" is probably my favorite! So CUTE!

And I love the idea of helping my children learn their ABC's by looking at this decoration.

I really like the way this one looks as well.  Same idea, with all the letters in frames.  Cute.

 

 

Staging Tricks

Better Homes and Gardens just gave us {Staging Tricks from the Pros}. I think they're all really good tips. Here they are:Conquer the Clutter and Dirt
De-cluttering -- and having a pristine home from top to bottom -- are the no-brainers that can make your real estate look better than the house down the block. Your home must be cleaner and less cluttered than it's ever been. You need to banish not just the day-to-day buildup (the mail, the shoes, last season's clothes, the dog hair), but also several years' accumulation. Steam clean the carpets, clean or repaint the walls -- and store, sell, or give away anything you can. Then you'll have a bare canvas you can really spruce up.

Crank Up the Curb Appeal
There's no way of getting around it: The front of your home is the first thing prospective buyers see, so you better make it beautiful. Good home and yard maintenance is a must, but focus on a few hot spots too: a freshly painted front door, gleaming hardware, and a few beautiful potted plants make a great first impression. Take a hard look at any fencing you have in the front yard. That picket fence may have been a necessity when your kids were young, but it may be cramping your home's style now.

Do a Walk-Through
Our homes are so well-used that we rarely take a moment to really look at them. Stand in the doorway of each room and try to view the space as if you'd never seen it before. You'll not only see what needs a good cleaning, you'll be more likely to notice what could be removed to make the room look bigger, and what you might do to make the room appear more inviting or versatile. Could that solid door be replaced with a French door for more light? Would new hardware modernize your kitchen cabinets? Could a new vanity upgrade your bathroom? Would replacing your floral bedspread with something more neutral make the room more sophisticated? Some simple changes can make a huge difference. Also look at the room flow on the ground floor. There should be a pleasing connection between rooms -- similar colors and styles in the living and dining rooms and kitchen.

Focus on the Foyer
Most prospective buyers enter your home through the front door, so that's a prime spot to make some improvements. Apply a fresh coat of paint if it's looking dingy, eliminate or hide all clutter (mail, shoes, keys, newspapers), and clean out the coat closet so that it looks more spacious. Then pick one thing that you could upgrade in this area. Add a new hanging light fixture or replace that Civil War painting with a large mirror. Maybe it's time to replace that old bowl of potpourri with a simple, fresh floral arrangement or a stack of design books with an ornamental accessory on top. The look should be simple and sophisticated.

Hike the Versatility
New buyers won't necessarily want a pink girls' room or a whole room devoted to sewing. Paint gender-specific rooms in more generic colors, and reduce the "kids' room" effect by storing large collections, posters, musical instruments, and personal items. Turn that sewing room into a more general-use guest room with desk or table space for projects (hide away the project materials). The more versatile your home, the more buyers will be able to see themselves living there. They may want your playroom to be a home office or gym; help them see the possibilities.
Expand Spaces Visually
Dark wall color can make a room look smaller; focus on lighter neutral tones. Float furniture (pushing it against the walls actually makes the room feel smaller) in logical conversational groupings, with enough space for people to move between pieces easily. Make sure large pieces of furniture don't block sight lines to a great view or a pretty focal point, such as a fireplace. Stagers suggest that rugs stop a foot or two from walls. A rug that's too big shrinks a room; if it's too small it just looks awkward. If your dining room is modest in size, take extra leaves out of your table and limit chairs to four.
Go for the Odd Number
After you've edited your accessories to the bare bones, show them off the right way. Most interior decorators will tell you that odd-numbered groupings can be very effective. When organizing vignettes of accessories, vary the shape, color, and size and don't line them up. For example: Hang a large landscape above a table where there's a lamp and a plant, or group a collection of candles of three different heights on the mantel. Less really is more. A few well-chosen items -- one pillow on the couch, three well-framed prints on the wall -- show off your good taste without overwhelming the potential buyer.

Let There Be Light
Nothing is more of a turn-off than a dark home -- and nothing is easier to fix. Rule number one: Wash all of the windows so natural light can fill the space. Rule number two: Replace dark window treatments with light gauzy ones. Rule number three: Layer the light in your home. Experts say there should be at least 100 watts for every square foot of space, and well-staged homes have overhead lights, floor lamps, and task lighting (for reading, cooking). One trick: Wall sconces can uplight walls or ceilings, making rooms look bigger. Freshen up any built-in lighting with new switchplates and dimmer switches.

Dress the Set
What are those last-minute things you can do that make a difference? Make sure your fridge is clean and kitchen cupboards are organized. Throw away kitchen sponges and put away dirty dishtowels and mops and brooms. Place a floral arrangement (something without a strong fragrance) in your foyer and on the dining room table. Empty all wastebaskets and take out all garbage. Replace bar soap with liquid soap dispensers in all bathrooms, and put out clean, pretty towels. Make sure your doormats are clean and presentable. Sweep your front porch and sidewalk.

Party Pouf Cupcakes

I love these cupcakes from {Amy Atlas} and how much they look like these {party poufs}!

Isn't it cute!

Car Seat Tent

For all those times you wish your baby would have been left alone, and all those times the blanket you had draped over the top of his carseat fell into his face waking him up, and all those times you wanted something to keep the sun out of his eyes... You can now make one of these!


A Car Seat Tent that actually stays put. {Vanilla Joy} has the tutorial. Now if we can just figure out how to keep people from lifiting it up...

Cute as a Button

LOVE this cupcake top idea from {Amy Atlas}! Yes, the top of the cupcakes looks like a button. It would work on cookies too, I suppose. Wouldn't it be so cute at a baby shower??!

Strawberry Fruit Leather

{Skip to my Lou} has a great and easy tutorial for making this yummy stuff.

Kitchen Re-Do

{Vintage Junky} has a great kitchen renovation!
Here it is before:

Pretty standard. Nice, but not wow.

And here it is After:

WOW! I love the white cabinets. They painted the top a creamy white and the bottoms grey. I probably would have done them all white...but it's not mine, is it!?

Gave it a great new backsplash. And just changed the drawer pulls. All the other knobs were already great. But the new drawer pulls do add a lot, don't they?

Great new light and I love how that bar is actually a bar now, instead of a 5" wide nothing up there. LOVE those corbels holding it up!! And don't you love those hydrangeas. I do. :)

Another wall in their kitchen is this. It's cute too.

My favorite part is this sink area, though. I LOVE those huge corbels~ They look so great there. And the plant is adorable. I also love the bowls for the scrubber and cloths. It makes them look elegant! I need to do that. Anyway, great renovation!! Check the link at the top out for more detailed pics and descriptions of what they did.

Car Party

This is an adorable - and looks like an affordable - birthday party!

Look at those cute straws!

These cookies may be my favorite part. :)

Love that car mobile!

She made everyone these mats with their names on them and let them fingerpaint. Then, put them in the mats and that was their take home gift.

{Jack and Izzy} is where this came from. Oh, so cute!

20 Indoor Activities

Besides watching TV!

{Simple Mom} just posted a great list of indoor activities for kids. She says:

"I don’t have a problem with TV or movies — we watch them occasionally. But I believe that they are FAR too often used as the default choice of leisure time for children. They can easily suck away imagination, energy, and the innocence of our kids, and a few hours of distraction just isn’t worth that, in my opinion."

Check it out!

Clam Cookies

LOVE this idea from {The Celebration Shoppe}! Easy, too. They are just two wafer cookies with pink frosting and a yogurt covered raisin inbetween. They eyes are just frosting as well, but I could do without them. I think they'd be SO cute at any beachy party or one about pearls, of if you're teaching people about pearls of great price or pearls of wisdom...endless possibilities! Love it!

Upping Your Curb Appeal

Better Homes and Gardens has a set of tips called {Making the Sale Before They Walk in the Door}. I think they're some great ideas if you're trying to sell, or even if you just want your house to be the best looking one on the block. Here they are:
Make the Front Door Special
Spruce up your front door with a coat of glossy paint in whatever color best suits the style of your home. A cottage-style house may look great with a country blue door, a Colonial may be crying out for a cheerful red door. As long as it's fresh and not too trendy, it'll attract positive attention. Make sure the door doesn't squeak when it opens, too!

Ring Their Bell
Impress potential buyers with attention to detail. Clean or replace all front-door accoutrements, whether it's the doorbell (if you don't have one, install one; some actually run on batteries), the address numbers, the doorknocker, the doorknob and key lock -- even the mailbox. A stylish new set of hardware can help make a great first impression.

Dress the Porch
Say "Welcome" with a few pots of seasonal plants and a decorative door mat. If the porch is large, make sure there's a comfortable seat or swing in good condition. Check that steps and railings are stable and in good repair.

Make It Sparkle
Wash your exterior windows until they shine. Don't forget to clean shutters, gutters, and siding, as well. It's never a bad thing to look like an overachiever in the home maintenance department.

Clear the Path
Power wash the sidewalk, driveway, and any other surfaces leading up to your front door. Let the area dry before prospective buyers arrive. Make sure garbage cans and recycling bins are empty, clean, and put out of sight.

Go for a Great Garage
If your garage is visible from the street in front of your house, make sure it's as good looking as your house -- and matches the style of your home. If your garage door has seen better days, consider painting it, or replacing it with one of the newer models that add architectural interest with rows of windows or carriage-house styling.

Simple Landscaping

You don't have to have the fanciest flora and fauna in the neighborhood to impress a potential buyer, but you must have a well-maintained, nice-looking yard. Flowerbeds, foundation plantings, paths, and borders can make a huge difference in your home's appeal. If you buy small plantings and let them grow into their role, you get a particularly high value per investment. Mowed grass, well-kept flowerbeds, and a fence that's in good condition will all get a thumbs up. If your outside looks good, buyers will already be anticipating a great inside.

Store the Clutter
The tricycle, the wheelbarrow, the sprinkler, the Frisbee that finally slid off the roof -- put it all out of sight so that your yard looks bigger, cleaner, and more appealing. If Fido usually parks outside, clean up his area (including doing doggy doo-doo duty and removing "Beware of Dog" signs!), and put away his bones and toys. Send all pets "on vacation" during buyer visits.

Perk Up the Patio
If your deck or outdoor wooden furniture is looking tired, give it a new coat of stain or paint to freshen it up. Make sure your grill is covered or in great condition; if not, put it away. Place a few well-positioned pots of flowers or herbs near the back door along with another doormat.
Trim the Trees
Make sure no large trees are too close to the house or to power lines. Not only can trees cramp a home's style by making the home dark or obscuring interesting architectural details, they can lean over dangerously and fill the gutters with leaves. Careful pruning will let the sun shine in and keep your home safe.

Another Pirate Party

{Vintage Junky} just posted about another Pirate party. She had some great ideas!


"X" marks the spot - cute way of telling people where the party is!

Love this pirate ship that I think she made. Cute tablescape with the linen runner and the maps under the boat and that bottle...
She made a bunting of his name in cute pirate fabric. What a perfect pirate name, too.

I love these sheets! Step 1: have a back porch with a wooden pergola overhead. Step 2: hang cheap sheets from it. I love pergolas! You can do so many things with them!!



Love that globe - very fitting decor. And I love that lemonaid pitcher too!

Of course - a barrel full of drinks.

I really like this idea. They made him a sort of "grooms cake" one just for him to destroy. And it's a treasure chest! So cute!

And they also had this other one for everyone else. Love the gold coins and the map on the cake.

And then her take home bags were actually pails. I love it!