Thursday, January 19, 2012

{Guest Series} The Best of Me-Summit Street Joy

Welcome to week 2 of The Best of Me series!!

Welcome Lauren!

Hello Vintage Gwen readers!

My name is Lauren and I will be guest posting today, which I could not be more excited about!
Isn't this such a lovely little space Jennifer has going?! :) Thanks for having me Jennifer!

I blog over at Summit St Joy about all sorts of stuff, like budget decorating, thrifty living, and frugal crafting, but mostly I write about our journey to making our new house into a cozy home.  Lots of love, laughter, and budget decorating fills our walls!  I hope you'll stop by from time to time and check in on my thrifty finds, crafty projects, and freebie printables. Oh, and every Friday I post my Fave{5} on Friday, so check that out too! :)

Ok, now on to the good stuff!

Today I'll be sharing one of my top tips for budget decorating and a little example of how I use it.
Really, we have next to nothing to spend on decor in our house, so I love to thrift and make all sorts of decor out anything I can find for free or cheap.
Here's one budget decorating tip that's taken me a long way.

You ready for it?
 Use Paper

Yes, that's it. That's my big tip!  
Pretty scrapbook paper is cheap (watch for it at yard sales or on craigslist so you don't pay full retail for the fancy pages), and if you're using your scraps, they're essentially free!
Pretty papers are an easy, inexpensive way you can make a big impact with little or no budget.  

Here are some pretty Valentine paper projects floating around blogland these days:


And now I'd like to share a super easy little paper craft with you.

{PAPER HEART GARLAND}
 Here's the complete supply list:

:::SUPPLIES:::
- 1 sheet of double sided scrapbook paper
- scissors (or, if you have a Cricut, go for it!)
- ribbon
- grapevine or wood wreath form
- hot glue

I used a Cricut die cutting machine for mine {you can read about that budget purchase here}, but you can easily cut out little hearts and get the exact effect.

Simply cut (or Cricut) your hearts out.  Use as few or as many as you like!

Attach to a piece of string or ribbon using hot glue or other adhesive.

And that's IT!

In no time you've made a pretty piece of paper heart garland.


You can hang your garland any which way you choose. 
Or try wrapping it around a grapevine wreath for easy peasy front door decor:


My cost breakdown:
- scrap ribbon $0
- scrap scrapbook paper $0
- wreath $1 (dollar store)

So there ya have yourself some lovely, easy, and most importantly BUDGET Valentine's Day decor.

Speaking of handmade Valentine's goodness, I'm having a link party for handmade and homemade Valentine's gifts, decor, treats, and crafts. I would love for you to link up your pretty pink and red projects with us! The party's already started and goes through Feb 14th- so stop by and join in!
 Ok, end shameless plug ;)



Well, that's it for today, friends!  Thank you again to Jennifer - I love sponsoring Vintage Gwen!

Blessings,
Lauren

Such lovely budget friendly projects!! So glad Lauren shared some Valentine projects as I'm not getting to! And these would be great to do with your kids!  Be sure and check her out and link up to her fun Handmade Valentine Party!

Happy Thursday!

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6 comments:

Lindsay said...

Super cute! What a fun idea!

Lauren @ mercy(INK) said...

Thanks again for having me, Jennifer! :) Loved guest posting for you!!!! :)

Unknown said...

So crafty! I wish I was more creative to do this kind of stuff. Looks so fun.

Marilyn said...

Sooo cute.. I LOVE it Jen.. ;))

Jennifer said...

@Jessah...girl sometimes ya just gotta dive in! There's so many easy crafts out there!

Betsy Pool said...

Wow, I absolutely LOVE the heart garland and the different ways you used it!! So cute! Thanks for the ideas!