Summer Sunshine Box

I recently sent these 'Summer Sunshine' boxes out to some friends and family. It was fun to put them together, and I finally used all of the boxes I had been saving from my Birchbox shipments! 

I found the labels and card on pinterest, so all I had to do was shop! Click here for links to the box labels and cards.

Below is a snapshot of everything I included in the boxes.  There were a lot of things I could have included, but I chose small, light-weight, and inexpensive items since I was mailing about 10 boxes.  I tried to stay away from dollar aisle items, since they added up quickly.  Instead, I looked for yellow items that came in packages that I could split-up.

It was hard to find non-food items, so I made a mix CD of Summer/Sunshine songs! Here is the playlist if you are interested!

In The Summertime -Mungo Jerry  Night Moves- Bob Seger  Here Comes The Sun -The Beatles  Summer Nights- Lil Rob  Summer Girl- LFO  Island In The Sun -Weezer  Santa Monica- Everclear  Doin' Time (Uptown Dub) -Sublime  Summertime- Kenny Chesney  Pocket Full Of Sunshine -Natasha Bedingfield  Steal My Sunshine- Len  Girl -Beck  Cruel Summer -Ace of Base  Summer of 69- Bryan Adams  Summer Breeze -Seals and Croft  Halo / Walking On Sunshine- Glee Cast  Blister in the Sun- Violent Femmes

We Met. We Married. We Live.

 After installing the board and batten in our entryway, we needed new wall hangings as our large mirror would no longer work due to the small ledge we created. I had first visioned a map for the space, so I decided to create  'We Met, We Married, We Live' decor as I had seen using maps to fill the space.

I purchased an old atlas at Goodwill to get the maps.  Not only was it inexpensive, I like that they have a vintage look (so much that I plan on using the pages I didn't use for this project as wrapping paper!)

I purchased the frames at Target and used scrapbooking letter stickers to put the words on the map.

 To mark the actual location on the map, I punched a small hole with a pun and secured a small, pink heart-shaped brad.

I hung the frames very close together, which I think makes them look more grand and high-end than simple Target frames. Here they are in the space! 

Entryway Up-date: Board and Batten

We decided to add Board and Batten to our entryway to lighten it up and add more character--which it did!  My husband figured it all out so I won't tell you how it was done, but here are some pics!

Before                                                                     After

Paper Cutting Tip

I learned this tip from Kathee at Craft Club! Wrap a piece of tape around the ruler of your cutting board at 5.5" so you don't have to measure each piece of 8.5 x 11"card stock when cutting for cards!

Simple Must-Haves: Box of Pens

I purchased an inexpensive box of 50 pens from Target that I keep for showers and parties only.  Not only do I not have to scramble to get enough pens when hosting an event that involves games or writing, but the ink is consistent if writing on something to give the guest of honor.  At the end of each party I just have to collect them, put them back in the box, and they're ready to go for the next event!