2 Free Mardi Gras Printables

Mardi Gras is right around the corner, and let's be honest, who doesn't want to capitalize on another chance for a fun party?! It doesn't matter how close to New Orleans you are, bust out the beads and king cake and celebrate! I've created 2 free mardi gras printables for you to enjoy. 

The first is a Mardi Gras subway art printable for a little extra decor! 

 The second is an invite to your party! It even includes the famous Cajun French saying, "Laissez les bons temps rouler," which translates to "Let the good times roll." So, print them off, and do just that! Happy Mardi Gras!

A Cheap and Easy Valentine's Gift!

No ideas for a Valentine's gift, with no time, and no money to get one? Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Just make your significant other a "52 reasons why I love you" gift by using a set of playing cards, adhesive, some cut up computer or scrapbook paper, and a pen! You could even simply use a sharpie and write directly on the cards if you really want to. I made a set of these for Matt in a night...

52 ideas may seem like a lot, but it's really not once you start thinking of the little things that bring your relationship together... for example, here are some things I put on my cards for Matt:

- Your gorgeous eyes.

-The way you smile when you look at me.

- We can have a blast just hanging out at home.

- You always make me laugh.

- Our roadtrips together.

- How we told eachother we love eachother.

- Inside jokes we have.

- You watch my girly shows with me.

Just some examples... there are many, many more you can come up with!

DIY Menu Board

There's something you should know about me: I love DIY projects. I know you're thinking, "Well, that's good since this is a type of DIY blog." No, you don't understand I love love LOOOVVVVVEEEE DIY projects. You can find me at JoAnn, Michaels, or Hobby Lobby anytime I get the chance. You can see me roaming about thrift stores searching for my next potential project any time I've got spare time. I even love to go wander around in Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards looking for inspiration, clearance, paint mistints, and of course taking the paint chips! :)

Well, my adventures in thrifting, along with my hoarding of paint and wrapping paper have led me to my latest project in decorating the kitchen! A DIY menu board! I found this little gem at a local thrift store for $1.00:

I'm assuming it was the frame of a mirror that was no longer there. It really reminded me of my parents' old bedroom set from the 80s, but I decided it would look perfect when I put some work into it.

So, I sanded it down a bit. (Just a bit, as I loved the idea of the wood color poking through just a tad.) then I spray painted the entire frame portion with Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze spray paint. No, I did not use primer, because like I said, I wanted some of the wood color lines to show through. I did one slow moving coat over it and then waited a few hours and went over it again with a quick coat. After it was completely dry, I measured the inside and cut out the wrapping paper I wanted to use as a background to fit. Since there was a hole in the top back, I cut the background about a half an inch longer, and attached it to the top of the back of the frame with tacky adhesive. I attached the rest of the paper by using 3M spray adhesive. I then coated the paper with some leftover polyurethane I had. It protects the paper, and gives it a nice shine. I was going to attach an easy to use white board or chalkboard, but I decided I liked the idea of screwing in a cute little hook & hanging a paper menu each week. This way, if I choose to go the white/chalkboard route, I can also just attach it by hanging it on the hook!