Here is a really simple way to turn an ordinary item into something really special. All you need is basic party hats that are found in the aisle with all the goody bag supplies and paper party products.

You may find some very inexpensive hats ($1.49) that come in a package with eight hats. With some pretty scrapbook papers, trims, and some glue you can turn them into completely customized hats. To begin, open up one of the hats and lay it flat to form your template (you can put it back together later). Lay your template on top of a piece of scrapbook paper (right-side up) and trace all around it. Then, carefully cut out the shape. It will look something like this:

Trace and cut out enough for all of the hats that you want to make. It’s fun to use a variety of color-coordinated, patterned papers. These prints are by Heather Bailey.

Next, glue your paper cut-outs to the party hats, trying to match up the seams as neatly as possible. If it isn’t perfect, it’s okay – you’ll be trimming the edges anyway. Now, for the fun part… embellish! You can choose tissue paper garland, paper flowers, and rhinestones, but you can you use anything you want. Pom-pom fringes and millinery flowers are really cute too.

Because I love ruffles, frills, and girly things I introduce to you Exhibit A: Pink Ribbon Juvenile Stick Lamp from Target. It has a simple white base and comes with a cute pink shade. Cost? $14.99.

If you want to replicate this romantic look for your darling little princess or even for yourself, start by finding some pale pink tulle netting in a matching shade. Cut it into very long strips, layering one strip on top of another, and sew a gathering stitch down the middle. The result is a double ruffle of tulle.

Next adhere the ruffle to both the top and bottom of the lampshade, being careful to make your joints neat and even and allowing the tulle ruffle to peek out a bit over the top and bottom of the shade. As a final step, embellish the lamp by adding a few millinery flowers plucked from a vintage hat.

If you don’t have the sewing ‘green thumb’, try adding a length of ruffles taken from an old petticoat.

She knows how much you want to have your lovely pet and motorcycle or car be a part of your wedding cake topper. Lily’s Design will hand sculpt your cake topper any way you want. And I do mean any way!

Lily offers a wide range of customized cake toppers ranging from Sports, Hobbies, Careers…to Cultural and Interracial and so much more.

And how about bridesmaid gift sets? {Swoon}

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Jody Aufrichtig spent months and millions to buy, import, and renovate a small fleet of vintage Airstreams. The point? To put them on the roof of his four-star Cape Town hotel, The Grand Daddy, and create what he calls a Penthouse Trailer Park.

His four-star hotel ($117 per night) offers seven vintage Airstream travel trailers installed with landscaping (and even mailboxes) on the roof.

Today, each “penthouse” has interiors customized by different artists.

My fave is the “Love of Lace” pink trailer.

….”but” Parenting.com features an inspiring “31 Easy Cake Design” article on their website, which even an amateur like me can accomplish. These ideas are so creative and I can’t wait to try one out with my kids! But who says they can’t be made for adults too?

Each cake features a completely edible design including candies, cookies, ice cream cones and a few other yummy treats that come together as a pretty fantastic creation.

For detailed instructions and recipes courtesy of Parenting.com, click below:

Castle / Monkey / Bulldozer / Dragon / Handbag / Pizza

Ok, so I stumbled across Boldloft.com. Among many other items, BoldLoft has a signature series, Boy Meets Girl, featuring sweet images of perfect pairs. Selections include couple pillowcases, body pillow cases, and his and hers coffee mugs. Boy Meets Girl gifts are perfect for occasions like weddings, anniversaries, and simply put, just being in love… Whether you are miles apart or living together, Boy Meets Girl gifts show that special someone how much you care about being a pair.

This seems to be an idea that has oddly dissapeared. The idea of sending out Bridesmaid invitations. I love personal touches and the fact that they can be customized to fit your style. After all, these ladies will be standing next to you on one of the most important days of your life, so I think it is worth a little bit of extra effort.

Find out how to make these lovelies here.
Inspiration and Photo credits courtesy Anna Bond of Rifle Design.

Can I tell you how in love I am with this utterly adorable construction party I stumbled across? With all this cold snowy weather we are enduring this side of the Coast, I need warm and colorful visuals .

Created by Jessica Levitt, AKA mom, sewer, crafter, and designer, she incorporates three fun colors: chocolate, pumpkin, and mustard into this mastery of work.

Jessica used lots of fabrics for decorations. The Be a Man collection and some Tot Town from Michael Miller as well as a few other construction-related ones she had added to theme.

Photo Credits: Christianne Ebel

Check out the full details of little Theo’s party and TONS of more pics here.

Not sure what side of the U.S. or country you reside on, but er-um, our historic snowstorm here in Maryland finally winded down later today. In some parts, 2-3 FEET of snow! If you live in a warm, sunshiny area, I covet you

The dig out has only begun