One Cute Nursery

The Joy of Designing for Baby and Beyond

DIY Back To School Photo Prop

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Happy Saturday everyone! I hope this summer is starting off right for all of you! I want to bring you today a very fun and easy project.
This DIY back to school photo prop is my latest contribution for ehow. I did not hesitate for a second to create this project and write the tutorial. I love taking pictures (understatement of the year), so a photo prop for the very first day of school was on my long list of crafts to make (aka Neat DIY’s Pinterest board).

Easy DIY Snowflake Garland – Tutorial

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Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend!

The temperature dropped drastically in SoFla just in time for Thanksgiving and it was won-der-ful. I love when mother nature cooperates 😉 . Hitting the low 50’s is sooo exciting for the sunshine state!

Well, we had turkey for three days two days and a half…. so last night I baked a meaty and delicious homemade lasagna, yum! But I am not a food blogger so don’t be getting any ideas. I am just saying.

Ok. So, remember my Thanksgiving table centerpiece featured below?… Well, it has officially been taken apart and now is getting ready for Christmas!. I love that I can just move things around the house, change out a few things and get different looks!

Speaking of Christmas and low temperatures, I want to share with you this wonderful tutorial on how to make a snowflake garland.

When my ehow editor asked me if I could make a non-traditional (no white, no silver) snowflake garland, but a gold one instead, I thought it could be easy as pie. 
Ok, I have to change the subject for a minute here. If you ask me, there is NOTHING easy about making pie – or at least pie crust – I had such a hard time rolling that dough last wednesday. I blamed it on the unsalted butter. 
Back to the garland:
I browsed plenty of tutorials and probably 90% of the articles featured a garland made with white copy paper or coffee filters. I even found snowflake garlands made out of paper doilies. 
You would think that making it with gold paper would be as easy. Well, it could be, if you find the right paper. In my case, it had to be gold, pretty and thin, very thin in order to be able to make all the folds and cut through thick layers.
Well, my old friend Michaels – the arts and crafts store that is – had a beautiful gold, glittery and very thin wrapping paper and this happened…
Gorgeous uh?
This garland was actually mailed out to the ehow headquarters and it was used on a Christmas photoshoot. My editor flipped out when she received it. *blush*
It was simply beautiful.
Check out my easy tutorial on ehow: How to Make a Hipster Snowflake Garland and let me know if you are making one. It will look so gorgeous on a fireplace mantle!! Send me pictures and tips too!
UPDATE: on December 3rd – 2014 this article was featured on ehow’s homepage! How cool is that??
XOXO

Easy Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece – Free Printable

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Hi there again!

Well, this is really awkward… If you scroll down just a bit, you will see last year’s Thanksgiving post…*blush*.

The truth is, I had THE. BEST. year at Posh Paper Parties. I kept very busy!

I also styled a beautiful vintage chic themed wedding last month and that was a lot of hard work throughout the year. Our family life started to get hectic with a 4 year old practicing soccer twice a week {wow! time sure flies} so, the time to blog was really scarce.

I just started to slow down a bit…which cracks me up because I never slow down myself.  I am just bracing for impact: the holiday rush just started and I am SO NOT READY!.

I also got a new ‘ job ‘ back in August – it is really weird to call it a job because is so pleasant, it does not feel like a job at all. I am now a freelance writer for ehow.com, contributor for their DIY section. It really is a pleasure to work with them! You can find my contributions here.

You have probably been scrolling and reading my babbling about how life is so busy, and I know that yours is too. So, to the point.

One of my latest contributions at ehow an easy, DIY Thanksgiving table setting and centerpiece.

It was a breeze to put together and it did not cost me a penny. I went shopping inside my own home, garage, yard and of course I re-used decor from the past fall.

This is what I found:

– Fall garland
– Old window planter box
– Pillar candles
– Plastic gourds
– Moss

The window box was a frightening brick red color and, although it could have matched the fall colors, it needed some love. So, I stained it with Minwax Stain in Red Mahogany (affiliate link). Why Red Mahogany? because it was the only can of stain I could find in my garage, probably leftover from a past project.

I also created these pretty napkin ties, that you can download for free here. All you have to do is print them, punch them out and thread a ribbon.

To get this look, I printed them on kraft paper (affiliate link) and punched them out with a 2″ scalloped punch (affiliate link). Wood clothespins serve as place cards 🙂 . To read a step by step process on this project, read my article: Inspirations for Setting the Perfect Thanksgiving Table on ehow.

Thank You so much for stopping by and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Transitioning from Nursery to Toddler Room

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This post contains affiliate links, for more information please read my Affiliate Disclosure.

Three years have passed since I first started this blog and my very first post and main reason to start the blog, was about our son’s Nursery Project and how we created a beautiful nautical retreat to welcome our first baby.

Transitioning the space from nursery to toddler room was easy to do. The hard part was to acknowledge the fact that my baby was growing up and I had to let go of some pieces that made the room still look like a nursery. 
The first thing we had to move out of the room was the rocking chair. We replaced the empty space with a much needed 9-Cube Organizer. These organizers – also called cubeicals – are inexpensive, very easy to assemble and to me, the best storage system for kids’ rooms.

We added some fabric drawers to hide away the hot-wheels clutter {really how many race cars and race tracks do they need ???} and kept some open shelves for displaying bigger toys, puzzles, etc.

I am trying to figure out what to place on top of the organizer to make it look prettier but I still don’t want to put anything that might tip over his head while he plays near the area.

I actually had an arrangement of stuffed animals on top of it but for now, they call the dresser-changing table home.

Our goal is to remove the small rails that used to contain the changing pad in place but once we do that, the surface has to be redone. That means we have to sand and spray paint the dresser all over again and we definitely don’t want to do that inside the room, so… good luck finding the right time to get that project done!

Oh well, nothing is perfect. 

Yes, there is a Hello Kitty in there. It’s actually mine.

When our son was 20 months we removed the rail off the crib and converted it into toddler bed. We took this step earlier than most parents do, particularly because our son was – and still is – very tall for his age. I think that the majority of the parents transfer their kids to a toddler bed after they turn two, but in our case the crib didn’t work anymore. 

Back in 2010 when we created his Nautical Nursery, we purchased the Charleston Classic 4 in 1 Convertible Crib from Graco. We loved the bead board design on the headboard that matched his nursery wainscoting. The fact that we could use the headboard and front rail for a full size bed was a plus. 
Fast forward three years and this is the final result:
The initial thought was to purchase a conversion rail kit but for now, we prefer the convenient height of a full size box spring and mattress. The box spring is sitting directly on the floor so the bed is not even 2 feet off the floor. We don’t have to worry about him falling off the bed and getting hurt, the room has carpet. 
I purchased the white coverlet as well as the nautical pillows at my local Home Goods store. We put the bed together right around summer, so the seasonal and nautical items were trending at the store at that time. You can find a similar white coverlet and  nautical throw pillows here.
I love the clean look of the white coverlet and the contrast with the navy blue bed skirt. Both are easy to wash and dry at home. The bed skirt I found at Walmart for cheap!.
The bunting banner hanging on top of the window, I made and you can purchase it here. Mention this post and I will send you a unique coupon code for 10% off.
The boat bookcase is perhaps the only piece that did not change purpose. There are a lot more books now, than before and I placed a small basket in the bottom shelf where I store loose ends I find scattered on the floor every.single.night.
I switched things around the crown molding shelf, and I moved all the books I mentioned in my post My Favorite Books for the Nursery to the shelf in order to keep them in good shape until our son is old enough to treat them gently.
Two items I keep close to my heart and  I haven’t moved from this shelf in three years: One is the wood sailboat my dad carved by hand out of a tree branch he found in his backyard, the boat proudly waves an Italian flag. The second item is our son’s first portrait at 2 days old. 
Those two things make me giddy and smile every time I see them.
The little boat keeps my dad’s memories alive, bright and clear in this room, and to say that is an understatement, but I will leave it there before I get teary eye. 
Logan’s first portrait on the other hand, reminds me of the best day of my life when I held him for the first time and felt the biggest, deepest love of all. So, I guess even with transitioning this room from nursery to toddler room, I still can’t let go of my baby boy!
If you have pictures or a blog post about how you transitioned the nursery into a big kid room, leave me a comment with a link, I would love to see the transformation!.
Once again, thank you so much for stopping by! 

Free DIY Valentine’s Day Cupcake Toppers and a tutorial

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DIY projects for any kind of party have become popular in the last couple of years and even though most the items I sell are handcrafted by me {yes, one by one}, I also love designing DIY projects for my customers. They come in handy especially when they are overseas.
The most popular item sold for birthday parties are the Cupcake Toppers and today I am going to show you step by step how to make yours at home,  given you already have purchased or downloaded a file for free.

I have made these Valentine’s Day Party Circles for you. Download them here for free. Please remember to read my Terms of Use first. Let’s get to it!

First of all, you must gather your tools and materials. Some items – such as paper, printer and scissors – you should have handy at home but if you’re not the crafty type, there are some other items you must purchase or borrow. Click on each item to take a look or purchase some of my favorites. 
TOOLS AND MATERIALS:

 – White Paper Card Stock – 65 lb

– Inkjet Color Printer
– Sharp Scissors for paper
– 2″ scalloped squeeze punch
– 4″ Lollipop sticks or wood craft sticks
– Hot glue gun or craft glue
– Hot glue clear sticks if you decide to use a hot glue gun

OPTIONAL ITEMS:

– 2″ circle squeeze punch
– 2.25″ circle punch

TUTORIAL

I will break it down in 4 easy steps: print, cut, punch and glue.

1. PRINT
With your color printer, print your file as many times as you wish at 100% scale.

2. CUT
With the scissors, cut each row of the party circles.

Now, for the tricky part:

Each craft punch has a different “reach throat” that’s the maximum distance your craft punch will reach on the paper. The one I use for my crafts has a very small throat and it’s a matter of trial and error until you get the hang of it. Gosh! I wish there was a scallop punch out there with long reach. I am sure there is, I just haven’t done much research. I like mine, it’s easy to use and soft on the hand; the open head allows you to see the design before you punch…I like that!

You can see in this picture that the circle is not centered, that’s because the “throat” of my punch does not reach further….

…so, we cut again. Note: this is trial and error, so be easy on the trims… 
…until we get to this. Perfect!
or this…I personally prefer the scalloped punch…You’ll see why later…Keep reading!
2. PUNCH:

Once you are absolutely sure that your design is perfectly aligned and centered, punch away!

4. GLUE:

Fire up your glue gun and start gluing the lollipop sticks to the back of your punch out. I use a *very old* cutting mat where I put down my hot glue gun and use the grids as guide. 


Put a 1″ long ‘strip’ of hot glue to your lollipop stick like this:

and then adhere the stick to your punch out:
Pardon the thread of hot glue hanging…Remove any rests of glue…{*blush* }. 
At this point you can be done with your cupcake toppers and they look cute…However, I am going to show you how to add more “pizzaz” to them. Here is when you could use that optional  2.25″ circle punch.
Punch out a 2.25″ circle out of contrasting cardstock. I used white, black and pink for these particular Valentine’s cupcake toppers…
Put another 1″ long ‘strip’ of  hot glue in the back of your semi-done cupcake topper like this:
…and stick it to your punched out 2.25″ circle.
and now you’re done!
If you have ANY questions, I would love to hear from you! 
Thanks so much for looking, sharing, and for all the LOVE! Have a wonderful weekend!

Choo Choo Train Birthday Party – More items added!

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Hello everyone!
This post is an update for the Chugga Chugga Choo Choo Train Party post I wrote back in October ’12.
I honestly wish I had the precious time to post all products at once, but if you are reading this and you work from home and take care of a toddler and of all the house chores, bills and errands…You get me.. 🙂 Anywho, how about some updates on my Train Birthday Party decor ? 

This is the invitation, laid out as a train ticket. It’s so fun!

Here is a shot of the actual invitation printed and ready to ship:

Train Birthday Party Invitation by Posh Paper Parties

Now, we have some other goodies available at the shop. Like the matching Thank You note:

Train Birthday Party Thank You note by Posh Paper Parties

No party is complete without cupcakes. So here you have the matching cupcake toppers for this Choo Choo Train Party.

Train Birthday Party Cupcake Toppers by Posh Paper Parties

And last but not least, the DIY project that all of you have been requesting via email: 2″ Party Circles.

Party circles are so useful, they serve more than one purpose. You can craft stickers, cupcake toppers, favor tags, scrapbook pages, etc. All you need is some imagination and of course some crafty tools.
Train Birthday Party 2″ Party Circles by Posh Paper Parties
For more info on these and more products, visit my Etsy Shop.
Happy Friday everyone! Oh! and come back soon for an awesome tutorial on how to craft your own cupcake toppers with a free downloadable DIY 2″ Valentine’s Day Party Circles and a special Valentine’s day offer from Cricut.
Thanks for stopping by!

Fall Decoration Ideas – Pinterest Sunday

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I am going to get out of my ‘comfort zone’ here for a bit. It’s fall and I love it! .Even though down here in FL we don’t have ‘actual’ fall, it’s in the ‘air’, in the stores and hopefully we will get our first cool front soon {fingers crossed}.

photo via weather.com

I come from a country where there’s only one season: hot and humid. So -to me- even the hottest day in South Florida ‘is not that bad’. I love America. Period.

I love the seasonal changes and how each season brings an opportunity to breathe new air, see new clothes collections in the stores, eat different types of food and desserts 😉 … I love it all!. And of course, one of the things that excites me the most is changing decorations around the house.

It is a relaxing sunday morning and I decided to get some ‘pinspiration’ {that’s my contraction for “inspiration drawn from Pinterest”}.

Here are my DIY top picks:

1. Fall Subway Art – Free Printable

photo via antsi-pants

2. Fall Decorating with Hurricane Vases

photo via amanda 

3. Cinnamon Stick Letter: Tutorial

photo via morrowsunshine

4. A plain crystal vase is all dressed up with pine cones, tree branches and crystal clear christmas ornaments. How easy and beautiful is that?

photo via Better Homes and Gardens
Getting pinspired now? I am hoping to get these projects done within the next few weeks and I will make sure to be back with some pictures and instructions.
Thanks for looking! Happy Fall Y’all and Happy Sunday!

Craft Room Design

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I have been planning to redesign my office/studio for the last year or so. In a year, I have seen so many pictures of craft room decorating ideas, furniture and storage products, that I am a little overwhelmed by it. I have seen thousands of products and storage systems and I have not one, but two Pinterest boards with lots of “pinspiration” {is that a word?, it is now! } and they have been of great help. The time has come and we are { that’s hubby and me } going to tackle this mess during the next two week s and hopefully {fingers crossed} it will be done very, very soon.

This room started as a regular home-office, with a computer hutch, a desk and a bookcase. We bought this set 6 years ago, and it looked something like this…

If I would’ve known then that I was going to end up finding my bliss paper-crafting, sanding wood and painting, I would’ve chosen something more laid back and more appropriate. But, since my husband and I love DIY-ing, it’s actually nice to have the opportunity to step into a new project. 

Our home office is located on the second floor, in a room that I would call it a hybrid between a den and a loft… Some people call it a den, some call it the loft. The bottom line here is:  there’s no doorway, it’s all open. If you have a mess {like I do 90% of the time}, everyone will see it and you can’t say:  ‘I will just shut the door’. No.
To my advantage, this room is located at the end of the hallway and no one has to go past it to go to another room. If you go in that direction, you’re going to the office.
I have been dreading the fact that, in order to be able to share “the big reveal’ with you, I have to share the “the big mess” first. But it’s ok, I will get over it. You will too, I promise.
Here is a picture of the room as you walk in.
To the left is the railing, open to the 12 ft high ceiling living room. Beautiful, yes. Scary when you have a toddler at home. I have to keep my Making Memories Desktop Carousel on top of the hutch {upper left corner} to keep all the tools away from my toddler’s little fingers.
To the right, there’s a sliding door that leads to a small deck, and this is the best part of having the office located in this loft. This is my view every morning when I ‘come to work’.
And this is the view every afternoon…
Even though this is extremely nice, I only have two walls – one across from the other – to work with and that interferes with my craft room layout ideas. It would have been easier to design the layout in a room with two walls converging in a 90-degree angle.
This is the other wall, across the hutch. Yikes! This is the part I dread the most about sharing…
We bought this armoire five years ago, we scored it at a Rooms To Go Outlet. It was a floor sample, so we paid half the price {$480.00 if I remember correctly}. At the time I was only scrapbooking, and my collection of embellishments, stickers, glitter, embossing powder, and tools was growing rapidly.
Those little drawers were perfect to stash them away while the bigger drawers held loose cardstock and paper pads. Behind the doors there are two shelves, it was the perfect storage for magazines, books, and albums. The 4 bottom drawers stored my son’s toys for the last 2 years…and that’s why they are all crooked and falling off. They don’t close properly anymore. My son has been pulling those drawers daily for the last 14 months.
To the left is my massive laser printer sitting on a black filing cabinet (that came from our old business office). My husband built a custom wood top for the cabinet, that’s how big the printer is. I don’t like this set-up at all, I am thinking I want to spray paint the cabinet white to match all the new furnishings.
To the right, there’s a storage ottoman I found at Home Goods. It was one of those impulsive purchases. I love it but it’s big and I am having a hard time finding a place for it {can you tell?}. That frame that you see to the right, is my BS diploma. It looks misplaced, I know. I had to move it over when I started stashing things on top of the armoire. As I said, this is a project in the making for the last year. I am delighted that it’s actually happening this weekend!
Here is the desk. My one and only working surface area.
Not having enough surface to work on, triggered the idea of re-designing the studio. When my Etsy sales spiked last year around this time, I had to work on 5 or 6 parties at a time and this desk looked like a bomb went off.
I bought several Iris Project Cases and stored each party project separately. It works like a charm, but I still need the surface to spread my tools. See that canvas, and the wooden words ‘Dream’ and ‘Imagine’ on the desk? It’s a project I am working on to decorate the studio. I am excited!
This office may look empty now but it is only because I have moved out 90% of my tools and supplies to another room so we can start moving furniture out. Before these pictures were taken, this room was ‘chaos’. I could not share the chaos.
We will be working on the big project this current week and hopefully, we will have everything done by the weekend. So, stay tuned and come back to check my “Craft Room Design – The Big Reveal “ post.
Just one hint: I am painting the room “Banana Cream Pie” by Glidden (found at Home Depot) and all the furniture is white. Yay! for a fresh and airy craft room!
Thanks for looking!

DIY Christmas Cupcake Toppers and Gift Tags – Free!

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                                                                                 At Christmas play 

and make good cheer…

for Christmas comes 


but  once a year.


To all my dear readers and followers:  As a token of my appreciation for all your support through 2011 I am sharing this beautiful DIY-Christmas Cupcake Toppers file with all of you! If you need some help on how to make them, you can also download the instructions right here.


Merry Christmas!!