coffee table on the cheap

i saw this coffee table at value village and i loved the scale and sturdiness of it (not to mention the super cheap $10 price tag!) my husband was less than thrilled when i brought it home, but it soon turned into a fun family project. we transformed it by painting it black and tiling it with slate tile from home depot. voila! no more parquet and it matches our slate fireplace in the family room.

CUTE and CHEAP!

I purchased a scrabble tile pendant from Etsy.com and I love it! It was only $6.95 with no charge for shipping. They have 185 different items listed for sale in every color imaginable. I love how lightweight and well made it is. It would make a great holiday gift.

Check them out................www.homestudio.etsy.com

jazz up your bathroom!

stripes can jazz up a plain white bathroom in no time! we love stripes!

we found that five stripes look great (the trusty odd numbers decorating rule).

a cool trick i learned on trading spaces was to first roll the wall color over the painter's tape to purposefully bleed the wall color beneath the tape, if bleeding were to occur. then when you use the bright stripes color, there is no more bleeding......so when you pull the tape off you have a clean line that needs no touch up. for example: for the walls above we used 2" painter's tape where the white stripes (original wall color) are. we rolled the white color right over the tape, yes, right over the tape. after this dried, we filled in between the tape with the gold and green colors. after everything dried and we peeled the painter's tape off, no touch-up was needed.

handmade card for twins

we wanted to include not only purse-related posts, but share any crafts, house projects, art projects, recipes, and photography--basically anything inspiring or helpful. so here goes!

when jennifer was pregnant with twins i wanted to make a unique handmade card for her baby shower. i came up with a "two peas in a pod" card with ribbon accents. it was easy --this is how you can make one in 10 easy steps:

1. use a jumbo 1" round hole punch to make 2 green circles or cut your own circles.
2. punch 2 small holes 1/4" apart towards the top of each circle.
3. cut 2 small pieces of ribbon about 4"- 6" long each. (i thought mini gingham turned out very cute!)
4. loop the ribbon through the holes by inserting one long end through the front left hole, (leaving a short tail on the front) back up through the back right hole, back down through the front left hole and finally back up through the back right hole. make sure the ribbons look centered and even. trim any excess and cut out triangles from each ribbon end. repeat on the other pea.
5. draw 2 eyes and a smiley mouth on each green circle
6. cut out a pea pod shape from darker green paper
7. cut white cardstock 8" x 5", fold in half to make a 4" x 5" card the opens top to bottom.
8. stamp the word 'congrats' in the lower right corner of the white card. i used a stamp from the stampin' up good times set.
9. cut green cardstock 4.25" x 5.25"
10. using 2-way adhesive tape or you favorite adhesive, glue the pea pod diagonally across the front of the white cardstock, glue the 2 "peas" partially onto the peapod, and attach the white cardstock to the green backing.
*this card fits perfectly into an invitation-sized envelope (you can buy a box of these very inexpensively at walmart)
**this card can be modified to be a birth announcement for twins or triplets. instead of 'congrats' you can stamp 'they're here' or 'announcing'

praise for the jennifer bag

* due to the declining economy we have recently reduced the price of the jennifer bag from $80 to $55. 

we are so happy with our etsy feedback for the jennifer bag. here's what our customers have said about their bags........

"I'm really amazed by the quality of my new bag! It is just beautiful and appears very well made. I didn't realize that the strap is leather...it is so supple and feels really great to carry! Thank you!"

"I absolutely love my new bag. The finishing is so professional--really a quality item. The shape/size is perfect for daily use. The handle is the perfect length to single-handedly slip up onto my shoulder. The seller was communicative and prompt."

"I adore this bag! It's so cute and very spacious without being too bulky! It's perfect for shopping AND for school, I couldn't have asked for anything better."

"Beautiful bag!! I absolutely love it...the colors are amazing and the construction is flawless!! THANK YOU!!!!"

"very nice sellers. the bag is very well made and stylish. thank you!"

cute placemat purse for a child's birthday present

when my daughter is invited to a birthday party i like to make a handmade gift --if i have time (a big if!) this is the latest gift i made for a 1st grader: an olive juice purse made out of 2 fancy place mats. the handles are made out of leather and there's a magnetic snap closure. i think it took me around 2 hours to make.

how to make your own anna bag sash...

changing the sash on your anna bag can change its entire look. coordinate it with your outfits or the season.  making your own anna bag sash is easy and should take less than 20 minutes --here's how:

materials

1 3/8 yd. (49") of lightweight material *if using heavyweight material add 4" to length

1 pack of heat and bond (or two-sided fusible hem tape)

use 1/2" seam allowance

1. iron fabric

2. cut a piece of fabric 7" wide x 49" long

3. fold 7" width in half, good side to good side, press, pin

4. sew the ends and long side leaving a 3-4" opening in the middle of the long side

5. use pinking shears to trim seam allowance on corners to remove bulk

6. turn right side out using a tool to gently push out corners completely

7. press

8. cut a piece of heat and bond the length of the hole and follow package directions to close the hole

9. tie onto your anna bag using a square knot

10. to keep you new sash looking fresh periodically starch and press it

frugal gals: buy only 3/4 yard of fabric and cut 2 pieces 7" x 25", pin 7" ends together good side to good side and sew using 1/2" seam allowance. follow above instructions to finish the sash - the seam will be at the back of the purse. NO one will notice the seam!

fabric store recommendations: fabric depot portland, oregon (we love their 30-40% off sales!)

or call 971-409-5630 to purchase an extra sash for $10 with minimal shipping cost. describe the type of fabric you want -- we probably have it!

 

one happy customer...

the beginning of olive juice...

olive juice (www.olivejuice4u.com) all started with jen creating what came to be known as the anna bag. the anna bag is our best-selling bag --probably because you can change the look of it just by changing the sash and it's not too big, nor too small. you can use your own scarves or sashes on the anna bag or even make one of your own. currently we have 4 anna bags for sale at www.olivejuice4u.etsy.com. an anna bag comes with 2 coordinating sashes.

we always always always receive compliments when we carry the anna bag!!!