Seashell Filled Milk Glass Lamp

Sometime last spring I found a milk glass lamp (while treasure hunting) that had a clear glass space in the middle. I didn't get the chance to share my poor little lamp until now, but read on to see it filled with lovely seashells:

New Lamp 

I can remember the exact garage sale where I found this lamp, but not the price.  I want to say it was around $2?  At first I was going to pass it up because I didn't care for the plasticky looking magnolia that was stuffed inside, but then I figured it couldn't be that hard to change it out and so I grabbed it thinking it would be a nice addition to the island in my closet room.

I went back and forth with different filler ideas; flowers, faux jewels, actual jewelry...and then I had a better idea: seashells!  I'm a big bath person and love ending the day with a hot soak, but I don't always appreciate the bright overhead lights of the bathroom.  I had been looking for some sort of smaller table lamp and here this one was right in front of me.  So instead of using it in a dressing room, I relocated it to the master bath...

Bathroom Counter Before

Here is a photo of the bathroom counter before the lamp.  I decided that the two smaller jars of seashells could go away to make some room.  Not only did that clear the space that I needed, but it also provided me with filler material for the lamp.

Side Note:  If you can see the framed photo on the counter, yes that's Husby, yes that is a shark that he caught fishing off of the beach, yes he threw it back and yes it swam away happily 😎

Seashells

I added this photo for a couple of reasons one, it's just pretty 😉 and two, I wanted to point out that no matter how long you have had your seashells, they always have to be cleaned before you do anything with them.  I don't know where they store all of it, but each time you move a seashell it seems like more sand appears!

Newly Filled

The parts to the vase unscrewed pretty easily.  I tossed out the tired magnolia, gave the glass a quick wipe down and refilled the void with the seashells.

I'm still looking for a small lamp for my closet, but I'm glad that I used this one in the bathroom instead.  And I really like the softer light it provides while I'm taking a bath.

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I hope you enjoyed this treasure hunting post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

Summer Party Planning - Affiliate Post

 While the unseasonably cool weather is making spring take forever to fully arrive in my corner of the world, time is still marching right along.  In just a couple of short weeks May will be here and that means it's time for party planning!  With Graduations everywhere and Mother's Day and Memorial Day in the U.S., there is no shortage of reasons to celebrate!

And of course party planning means design and decor, right?  I've decided to beat the semi-chill today by pulling together my top party design supplies from Dollar Tree.  With everything priced at $1, Dollar Tree is my favorite place to stock up on fun!

Disclosure- This post contains affiliate links.  If a purchase is made through an affiliate link then (at no additional cost to you) I will receive a commission.  Affiliate links are noted below.

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First up, Graduation:

When it comes to graduation parties, you can go with the colors of the school being graduated from, the favorite colors of the person being celebrated, keep it simple with classic shades like white, black, gold or silver or any combination of the three.

(You can click here to read about the rainbow themed graduation party we had when my Baby Girl completed Kindergarten)

Since gold is my favorite color, I decided to use this hue for the following example photos:

I like using plates, napkins and balloons to set the tone for my gatherings and then building from there. party themes can be further developed with floral arrangements, table top decor such as candles or confetti, or even framed personal photographs.

Tip:  Dollar Tree also has a large selection of cups, plates and miscellaneous items featuring the current graduation year.

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Mother's Day:

If possible, a Mother's Day celebration should reflect the personality of the mother being celebrated.  Since this post is all about planning imaginary parties, I'm going to say that the imaginary momma in question likes ......hot pink, polka-dots and zebra stripes -or- the black and white paisley.  It was hard to choose...maybe this party as more than one mom.  That would give me more creative leeway 😘

Similar to the graduation party ideas, the patterns and color schemes here could be accented with balloons, table scatter, candles, etc

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Memorial Day:

Who can resist a summery themed party?  My first picks were the sandcastle and picnic themed plates, both themes are so cute that I would have a difficult time settling on just one!  If I went with the beach set, I would add seashells, pails and shovels to my table tops.  I would also hang inflated beach balls and small ring floats mixed in with my balloon bouquets.  If the picnic theme won, I would probably use red and checked table cloths and have bowls of lemons on the tables....Aggg, I really want to plan a summer themed party now! 😁

And then, as if the summery themed plates weren't enough, there are also these luau party accessories; plates, napkins, leis, cups...you name it.  Now this theme I have already gotten out of my system.  When planning the baby shower when I was expecting my Baby Girl -uh, yeah I did all the decor fun myself...you can't be surprised by that at this point...😂😂😂- I couldn't decide between a luau theme or a theme around rubber duckies....so I combined the two.  And now there you have a couple more facts about me; I simply can't stand aside while there is decor to plan and I am in no way above combining two completely unrelated party themes if it makes me happy 😂😂😂

(You can click here if you want to read more about that baby shower)

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Tip:  It should be noted that many party supply stores will offer comparable products and styles suitable for flawless party planning, I just happen to be very fond of Dollar Tree 😉

Want to check out Dollar Tree's online merchandise for yourself?
Click the affiliate link below and happy shopping!
$4.95 Flat Rate Shipping At Dollar Tree

Side Note:  While ordering online through Dollar Tree is easy and convenient, items are required to be purchased in bulk packages.  Sometimes the minimum requirement is low (a requirement of 4 for napkins, for example) but other times the required amount can be high (36 is the requirement for LED paper lanterns).  For this reason it might be beneficial for you to shop in store as opposed to online.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this party planning post as much as I enjoyed putting it together-
I should probably feel bemused at just how much fun I had vicariously planning my imagined summer parties, but I don't.  Not at all 😆
  Thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

Curio Cabinet Restyle

I've had this curio cabinet for about 16 years now; it was a Christmas gift from my parents right after we were married.  I have always loved it -even picked it out myself- but it wasn't too long after receiving it that I began wishing it was painted out in white.  I'm just not a big fan of dark natural wood, so I've spent more than 15 years now imagining how much better it would look if I repainted it.

I was looking at it again a couple of weeks ago (wishing it was painted of course) when I remembered the china cabinet that I painted about a year and a half ago.  It wasn't that hard to do, and I still had paint left over so I gathered my courage and went for it:

It was fairly easy to complete; just clean, sand, clean and paint,
and only took about three days and two coats until finished.

I am so much more happy with it now and I absolutely love how much fresher and clean it looks, even the room looks brighter!  A new coat of paint can really go a long way towards updating a space with little cost 😉

(You can click here if you want to read about the china cabinet that I mentioned earlier)

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I hope you enjoyed this restyle post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

How to Make a Surprise Cake - Easter Version

Last week I mentioned that when the kids and I colored eggs, we also made a Easter themed surprise cake.

(You can click here if you missed that post)

What's a surprise cake?  That's what I call a cake that looks like a standard cake, but when you cut into it a yummy surprise falls out of the center-
sort of like a pinata but without all of the sticks and beating 😆

Check out how easy it is to make one yourself:

Supplies

We used a boxed mix and pre-made icing along with chocolate bunnies and jelly bean 'eggs'.

After preparing the mix according to package directions we baked in inside of two standard round cake pans.

Step 1

Arrange your bottom layer onto the cake stand or surface that you will be using to serve the cake.

Step 2

Use a serrated knife to remove the center portion of the cake.

Side Note:  The pics in this post might show a bit of hastiness- I had three eager helpers and 3 dozen eggs being colored in the same afternoon so........😉

Step 3

Apply icing to this bottom layer of cake.  I went ahead and iced the center as well, just because I thought it looked a little nicer that way.

Step 4

Have your helpers toss in those jelly beans!

Step 5

Add the second layer of cake on top (I cut the center out of this layer before putting it into place) and fill in the rest of the way with jelly beans

Side Note:  Hang on to the center piece that you have removed, you will need it again in a minute.

Step 6

Remember that center piece?  

Trim it down to a thin layer and rest it directly on top of your jelly bean center.

Step 7

Now cover the entire cake with icing as you would with any other cake.

Tip:  Use care around the patch covering the jelly beans so you don't inadvertently break open the top of your cake.

Step 8

Now decorate!  

After seeing the cake in plain white, we thought it could use more color and raided the baking cabinet to find something pretty.

We ended up using green sprinkles around the bottom of our cake (to create the look of grass) and then added pastel colored confetti sprinkles on top.  Lastly, the kiddos carefully stuck the chocolate bunnies into place.

Bunny Close-Up

Isn't he cute?  He has no idea that his ears are going to be chomped off in about five minutes....😁

Overall, the cake turned out pretty cute.  Though I was a little disappointed that the bunnies were so much taller than the top of the cake.  I was thinking about this when I remembered that I have cake pan specifically designed to be taller, narrower and with an insert that creates a hollowed center....ah well, next time maybe!  😆

Surprise!

Now serve your cake and enjoy the surprise 🍭

Side Note:  Obviously, we used jelly beans, but you could substitute all kinds of candies or even small toys for a birthday party.

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018