Birthday Surprise Box Cards!

I just had the most fun making these little Birthday Surprise Boxes that are also Cards!




See the surprise inside? It's a cute little paper cake!


I did use my Silhouette cutting machine to make these but you could just use scrapbooking punches and simple straight cuts.


The side edges of the box were just cut away so when the lid is raised, the box will fall open to reveal the

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Diary Of a Design Blogger

One who knows me more than anyone in this world, gifted me this thoughtful gift- a diary. He knows that I plan everything well in advance and for that I need a diary. Not only I write my favourite quotes and all those things that make me happy everyday but I write about my  blogging journey too. 

Though my husband's gift was very thoughtful but it's cover was so dull, that the moment I held it I wanted to change it and I did so. Now it's totally my kind of and it sure is a diary of a design blogger.

I told you on my Facebook page today morning that I will be coming up with an easy peasy DIY, I was talking about this diary makeover. Hers is how I did it:

First I covered the diary in my favourite green handmade paper.

Now I wanted something interesting on the diary cover. I have been hoarding cuttings of this elephant picture from incense stick's pack because I don't know why but I find it very intriguing. So I used decoupage technique and pasted the elephant cut out on the diary. 

• Click here to read about my first hand painted tray in which I painted the same elephant.
• Click here to see my decoupage slippers.

And added some cut outs of flowers and tree trunk from a magazine that I found lovely.

For bookmark I punched a hole in an elephant cut out and tied it with satin ribbon. Here's bookmark is ready and going pretty well with the diary.

Here is a close up of my graceful elephant.

Did you like this Diary Makeover, I totally liked the outcome. It's my kind of :)

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A Little More Valentine Decorating

Greetings, friends!

Today, I wanted to share a few more pops of red that I recently added for Valentine's Day.  Do you decorate for the "day of love?"

Here in our foyer, where I recently did a little furniture "switcheroo," sweet red hearts let you know that Valentine's Day is near.

Once I got them all placed, I then decided to add in black and white plates to the wall and really like how they look mixed with the red!

Yes, "U ROCK" (annnnd so does Michael's, as they always have the cutest seasonal decor)!

If you turn left and cruise on down the hallway, you'll pass by our dining room, where I added red candlesticks and faux rose petals to the sideboard.

These sweet ramekins (Michael's) help to dress up our simple white plates ... maybe "one" day, we'll actually enjoy a meal in here!

Next door in our kitchen, I've long been a fan of adding vignettes to the center of our island as a way to "welcome" our guests to the heart (get it? ha ha) of our home ... so, of course, a Valentine centerpiece was in order.

Faux tulips from Michaels (fancied up by adding a vase within a vase and filling it with yummy candy) ... and a cute sign from HomeGoods ... helped me get the job done! 

Of course, these fun cupcakes from Pier One tucked under a glass cloche are quite tempting ... thankfully, they're ceramic.  

Leftover heart garland, along with glass canisters filled with shredded ribbon and candy hearts, help to "spread the love" to our little shelves.

And, down below, inexpensive red and white cookie cutters fill another canister ... I like inexpensive decorating!

Of course, I "had" to add a little Valentine's tree ...

And, where I normally use red and white ribbon, I decided to, instead, go with this pretty black and white ribbon (that I used on our Christmas tree in the great room) to help our ornaments pop a bit ...

and to tie in with our red, black and white Valentine mantel in our great room. 

   

Even if you don't have Valentine decor, a bowl filled with pretty red apples would be perfect on your counter! 

Got any red spatulas laying around?  If so, tuck them in with your utensils or wooden pieces and you'll have a little Valentine pop!

It wouldn't be Valentine's Day without candy, now would it?  So, please just go ahead and "pick your poison!" 

These are my personal fave, which is why I can't even have just ONE ... if I do, I won't stop!

Over in our sunroom off of the kitchen, a bouquet of faux roses dresses up a white garden seat, and hearts that I hung on branches set in a glass demijohn add a bit of Valentine "zing" to the accent chest I scored (already chalk painted) from Craigslist. 

Aren't these striped straws cute?  They're were even "cuter" when I spotted them for 40% off at Michael's.

And, there you have it ... our humble Valentine's Day decor.  

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!  Happy Valentine's Day!

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Tulips for Mom!

It all started with these little rascals.





I've shown you these kids before. They are the children of a custom home builder, that I do accounts receivable for and am good friends with their Mom. I love these kids and have been around since before each were born. My heart is attached to them.

I spent the summer (after the bookkeeping) doing craft and science experiments with the two oldest

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My Home Through Asus ZenFone 6 Lens

There is no place like home. Given a choice I would prefer my home over an exotic holiday location. In my spare time I just love to click images of my favourite things around my home so much so that it has become mundane task. For such mundane thing I prefer my Asus Zenfone 6 over any fancy camera for clicking images.

In my earlier post about ZenFone 6, you all watched 'Lippan work tutorial' that I shot using ZenFone 6 and quality wise video was excellent. Even I got few appreciation mails also. Thanks to all the readers for all the appreciation. Some of you wanted to know more about its camera and picture quality. Hence this post.............

Here is an image that I clicked when I was reading about 'Power Couples' and having power cuppa. I couldn't resist, wanted to capture the view right in front of me so picked up my ZenFone 6 and clicked this picture. I only put watermark on it and nothing else, I didn't edit the image. It was clicked and posted here :)

Now for the below image I used ZenFone 6 image editing tool. I liked this tool very much. No need to upload image on other site and then do all the editing then download it and then upload it in blog....Phew!! lot of work. Instead I just clicked the image, selected edit option, enhanced the look of image and it's here. Saved lot of time :)

ZenFone 6 works well even in bright day light. Do you want to see? This image I clicked with my tab just to show you that Zenfone's display works fine in bright day light, everything is clearly visible.

Then I wanted to test its picture clarity, so I clicked this tray which has fine detailing on it. Image that appears on ZenFone's display is crisp and very clear.

Below is the picture that I clicked with ZenFone 6. Can you see the details. Amazing picture quality!!

Then I went berserk with my ZenFone 6 and I kept clicking images. Check out some more images. Some with effects and some with out any effect.
Some colourful bottles sitting pretty on my chimney. Image with out ant effect...

Then I added filter even before clicking an image.

And here is the outcome. Doesn't the effect look awesome. I really liked it.

Now some more for you...
See how choosing an effect can hide some flaws like rough wall in below image appears bright and flawless after using effect.

Some more images with effects...

In below picture you can see I clicked the picture and then edited it using ZenFone's image editing tool, where we can find lot of options to choose from.

And here is the final result....

One more thing that I found extra ordinary in this phone is 'Instant Access' feature. I liked this feature because calling, taking pictures and messaging are the most used options. Let me show you how it works. When the phone's screen is locked you can see three icons of Camera, Phone & Message respectively, you don't need to unlock and type your password, just tap your finger on desired action and move it anywhere on the phone's screen and viola...it's open :) Instant isn't it.

I am totally in love with this phone. For all of you who have inquired about this phone and asked me whether you should buy this phone or not, I would say with low price tag it seems the best buy for mid range phones. Hope you can  decide better now :)

Stay tuned for the 'DIY' of this month in my next post!!

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2015 Valentine Mantel/Heart and Home Blog Hop

Greetings, friends!  

It seems like just yesterday we were wishing each other a Merry Christmas, doesn't it?!  And, now, February has arrived!  

To celebrate the month of "love," I'm happily joining 9 amazing bloggers (as part of a "Heart & Home Blog Hop"), as they share a bit of their Valentine's Day decor.

Sooo, here's my take on a Valentine's mantel:

I started by adding simple white vases with "faux" tulips from Michaels:

And, to back up just a moment, of course, on my way out of our storage room, armed with my Valentine bin, I had to grab our "Vinter 2014" red/white pillows from IKEA (that I had in here just a few "short" weeks ago for Christmas) to spread the love from the mantel just a bit:

Michael's always has the cutest, inexpensive garlands!

Speaking of Michael's, this sweet wreath once sat on their shelves, too: 

I love how it pops against the mirror.

All you need is "love" (well, that *and* Home Goods to find cute signs such as this)!

And, there you have it ... our simple Valentine mantel.

Please be sure you visit these incredibly talented ladies as they share their take on Valentine's Day, too!

Atta Girl Says

 Chateau Chic

Far Above Rubies

French Country Cottage

From My Front Porch to Yours

Housepitality Designs

Shabbyfufu

Stone Gable

White Lace Cottage

Thanks for stopping by,

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