DIY gift: 6 colorful ways to spring

Today we’re sharing a DIY project that makes a lovely gift to send to a girlfriend, or bring to the hostess on Easter morning. Or, fill the eggs with school-related items {paper clips, eraser, chalk, etc} for a spring teacher gift or kid-friendly items {stickers, candy, chalk, money, etc} beginning the Monday of Easter week, and it would be a fun countdown to Easter morning.

Ingredients:
Plastic Eggs
Nail Polish {purple}
Sunflower Seed Packet {yellow}
Jelly Beans {orange}
Lipgloss {pink}
Gum {blue}
Starbuck’s Via Packet {green}
Hot glue gun and glue
Free Fleur de Lis printable {Like Fleur de Lis on facebook to get the free printable below}
NOTE: make sure all your color coordinated ‘ingredients’ that go inside the eggs are smaller than the egg, so it fits in the egg when closed.

How To:
Line up the eggs in the order you want, then use a hot glue gun to glue them together.
Be sure to place the hot glue dot under the ‘egg’s closure seam’ so you can close the egg and it stays shut.
Add the color coordinated items to each egg.
Place in a bag or use clear cellophane to wrap the eggs and add a bow.
Write a note, and attach the tag and you’ve got yourself a lovely and affordable gift.

To receive the FREE file via email {without the Fleur de Lis copyright on the file}, just like Fleur de Lis on Facebook with Rafflecopter below, and you will receive the file via e-mail within 48 hours.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Spring.

{image via Tutto Bella}

valentine’s day printables

We have cutesy kid-and-adult-friendly DIY Valentine’s for…all the hot mama’s, the stud{s} in your life, all the cutie’s and for those who make you giggle! Some are healthy and others are not, but they are all adorable, and for Valentine’s Day, that’s all that really matters, right?

The original and new files {revamped with stripes} are available for a $3 purchase here.

DIY Adult Valentine’s

you are one hot mama
{fill the bag with hot tamales, fold over the custom tag and staple closed}

happy valentine’s day stud muffin
{fill the bag with a homemade poppy-seed muffin, fold over the custom tag and staple closed}

Poppy-seed Muffin Recipe
Makes 12 muffins
recipe adapted from our wonderful mom

Add the following ingredients to a large bowl and mix:
2 cups flour
1/8 cup poppy seeds {a used a little more, but less than 1/4 cup}
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Add 2 eggs{1 at a time} to the above ingredients and mix well

Add 1 cup plain yogurt and 2 tsp. almond extract and mix into the rest of the mixture.

Put the muffin mixture in baking cups and bake in the oven on 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes {It took me about 18 minutes}.

DIY Kid Valentine’s

i think you are quite a cutie
{fill a bag with clementines, fold the custom tag over the top of the bag and staple closed}

friend, you make me laffy
{fill the bag with laffy taffy for your silly friends, fold the custom tag over the bag and staple closed}

The original cutie file {the orange bubble}, can be bought here.
The original laffy taffy file {the blue bubble} is available too.

{images via j. sorelle}

Baptism Party and DIY Candy Favor

Before the holidays we celebrated our son’s baptism on a snowy Saturday at the same church we were married in. The whole family celebrated the occasion, which was so special for us. With little time and no sleep, I wasn’t able to go ‘all out’ with party details, but I was able to create a couple last-minute projects with some extra burlap I had lying around. Love me some burlap!

Burlap Banner
Use a pennant template to cute burlap triangle pennants
With stencils and white acrylic paint, use paintbrushes to paint a letter on each pennant.
Cut a ribbon the length of the size needed.
Use mini clothes pins to hang.

  Gold Pinecone Branches
Gather pine cones and branches.
Spray paint the pine cones gold {or color of your choice} and use a hot glue gun to glue them to the branches.
I wanted soft, neutral tones, so baby’s breath and hydrangea were the perfect wintry white combo to add to the bud vases.
Wrap the vases with a strip of burlap and voila!

I tucked  an Irish blessing into folded napkins at each place setting. It read:
Jackson,
for your baptism day
may God grant you always…
a sunbeam to warm you
a moonbeam to charm you
a sheltering angel so nothing can harm you
laugher to cheer you
faithful friends near you
and whenever you pray
heaven to hear you.

Each party guest received a baptism favor filled with candy and of course a ‘sweet thought’ to go along with it…
i’m BURSTing with happiness that you celebrated my baptism with me today.
now that i’m o’FISH’ially ‘in’ with the Lord,
here are some holy treats and tips to help you remember to keep the faith in your daily life…

daily prayer is a LIFESAVER 
read the bible NOW AND LATER
God puts everyone and everything in your life for a REISEN
God ROCKS!
love,
Jackson 

Candy Key:
BURSTing: Starburst
o’FISH’ially: Swedish Fish
LIFESAVER: Lifesavers
NOW and LATER: Now and Later
REISEN: Reisen
ROCKS: Pop Rocks

To buy the favor tag file {it’s a cuter file…Jenna re-styled my last-minute tags}, please visit our etsy store, Fleur de Lis, a paperie here.

{images via Tutto Bella}

party like a champion today

First let us just state, we have nothing against Alabama. Second, we’d like to congratulate Alabama and Notre Dame for making it to the BCS Championship game 2013. Third, rah, rah for Notre Dame!

We grew up in a household of Notre Dame fans. It started with our grandpa, and it worked its way down to us. As we grew older, we had come to know about and love the Catholic school, its traditions…and their football team.

Why you ask? Because…

  • Still to this day, every time we watch Rudy, we weep with tears of joy. Something about that movie makes ND a place of such hope and dreams.
  • My parents took us on a trip to South Bend for a Notre Dame football game…there is nothing like it. It’s pure magic and an unbelievable feeling of family and pride.
  • On a college visit to Saint Mary’s College, located across the street from Notre Dame University, I also toured ND. It’s such a beautiful campus and a place of special traditions.
  • I attended the Fiesta Bowl in 2006 with my mom and grandparents when Notre Dame played for the Tostitos crown. Not only will I always remember a fun trip with my mom/grandparents, but at that point in my life, I admit, I really loved ND because I was in love with Brady Quinn.
  • ND reminds us of our grandpa {who will be watching every minute of the BCS game}.

 So, on Monday night, you know we will be cheering the Notre Dame Victory March…

Rally sons of Notre Dame:
Sing her glory and sound her fame,
Raise her Gold and Blue
And cheer with voices true:
Rah, rah, for Notre Dame
We will fight in ev-ry game,
Strong of heart and true to her name
We will ne’er forget her
And will cheer her ever
Loyal to Notre Dame

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to victory. 

Whatever the outcome, we hope it’s a good game, we hope you watch it…and of course, we hope you ‘PARTY LIKE A CHAMPION.’ Here’s some ideas to get your started…

1st Quarter – Drinks
A variety of wine and beer, including Guinness, and Jameson too!

For a fun football touch {and favor}, make your friends a ND turf koozie. Tutorial for an Astroturf Koozie can be found at Little House in the Big D.

2nd Quarter – Apps
Guacamole and Chips
Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip, recipe by Paula Deen here
Chicken Nachos {lite}, With Style and Grace recipe here

3rd Quarter – Dinner
Tailgate Club Sandwich Bar, designed by Courtney from Pizzazzerie at Forrent.com

Chili Bar, Chris from Celebrations at Home

4th Quarter – Dessert
Football Pennant Cookies, tutorial at Forrent.com via Courtney of Pizzazzerie

Football-shaped desserts, such as football-shaped brownies and football chocolate covered strawberries, that we featured in a previous post here.

And, when the fighting Irish win, cheers with a Luck of the Irish Whiskey Cocktail from the Cooking Channel

 Don’t forget about decor…here’s our gold and blue {ok, mainly gold} inspiration board.
 

Tell us, who are you rooting for?

{images via Cooking Channel, Forrent.com, Little House in the Big D,  Celebrations at Home, beer printable: Bird’s Party, diy confetti art: Mint Love Social Club, gold pom pom: Plum Party, play like a champion today sign: ESPN,  metallic hot cocoa bar with free printables: Hostess with the Mostess, gold-dipped wine glasses: Babble, sparkly ‘midnight’ NYE party: Hostess with the Mostess, metallic gold mason jars: Lovely Little Details}

salute 2013

New Year’s Eve is almost here…and it’s time to bust out the bubbly. Our personal favorite is Prosecco. This year, try to find a way to infuse ‘bubbly’ into at least one {if not all} aspects of your party. We’ve gathered a few last-minute ‘bubbly’ ideas for your celebration.

Hanging Bubbly Balls, tutorial at Martha Stewart

Sophia Champagne in a Can Favor, Style Me Pretty

Champagne Jello Shots, Perpetually Engaged

Champagne Ice Cream Bar, Damsel in Dior

Confetti Champagne Flutes, tutorial at Pizzazzerie

Grape Champagne {and year predictor} Skewer, see details at Noble Pig

Champagne Bar, Tutto Bella, shoot by Pink Champagne Events
see full shoot here

{images via A Blissful Nest, Martha Stewart, Style Me PrettyPerpetually EngagedPizzazzerie, Damsel in Dior, Noble Pig, Laura Murray Photography}