Friday, April 30, 2010

Field Trip Friday with The Country Chic Cottage

 Time for another Field Trip! I'm headed out to the country today to post over at {The Country Chic Cottage}, come check it out! We're doing an amazing Diaper Box Transformation! And here in the city Angie has put together an adorable project to spruce up your home! But before she gets started don't forget tomorrow is the Crafty Crafty Ladies Night Link Party for Mod Podge Projects! The party will be open all day & I can't wait to see your awesome projects! Feel free to link up multiple posts if you have lots to show off! And now...Take it away Angie!

So glad to be here on Aly&Ash for Field Trip Friday!  Y'all come on over and check out The Country Chic Cottage.  Kick back, relax, and stay awhile.  You can find...
Plus lots more!!  Oh did I mention pillows?
Yep I love pillows too...and I have another one for you today!
Now isn't that cute??  And guess what...1 yard of fabric and some paint gets you one for your very own!
My Wally world had that brown fabric.  It is gorgeous and CHEAP!  (See that 75 cent price tag??)  So I bought 1/2 a yard and cut it in 1/2...perfect pillow size...  Then I cut a bird sillouette out of freezer paper...do y'all know about freezer paper stencils??  The directions are right on the box.  When you iron freezer paper to fabric -- it sticks -- then when you are done it peels right off!! 
Paint that birdie blue.  I used a textile medium to mix in with my paint but that is not required. 
Yes my stencil brush is a cut off piece of sponge...it works I am telling ya...  After I peeled off my stencil -- I touched up the edges with my brush....perfectionist in me showing through...  Let your painting dry.  Sew around your pillow with right sides together leaving 3-4 inches open.  Turn right side out and stuff til you love it!
And I love it!! 
Y'all stop by the cottage anytime...take your shoes off and stay awhile...
Thanks again Jax for letting me take over your blog today -- I enjoyed it!!
~Angie~

Thursday, April 29, 2010

"School of Rock" Template

Yay! New Template!

I'm working on a baby shower gift and decided to make another rock star shirt!  

Addicted I know!

I'll post pictures of the finished shirts onesies after the mommy to be gets them but in the mean time here is the new template!
(You can also find it on my sidebar)
School of Rock Template

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Tutorial Tuesday: Ribbon Rosette Earrings

Tutorial Tuesday
Ribbon Rosette Earrings

Ok first off I apologise for the close up of my ear! Apparently taking a self portrait of an earring is not the easiest thing in the world..especially when trying to avoid the whole 11pm no makeup face thing! And yes my freckles do extend to my ears...lovely!
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Anyway moving on...
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I have been obsessed with button earrings the last few weeks! And thought hey...what if I made a little ribbon rosette & stuck it on one of the posts and voila!

What You'll Need:
Skinny Ribbon
Glue Gun
Lighter or Fray Check
Felt
Earring Posts & Butterfly Nuts

Step One:
Grab your ribbon and start tying loose(ish) knots. (I tied 5 knots per rosette.) Trim your ribbon on both ends and burn to prevent fraying.

Step Two:
Dab a bit of glue on the face of your post and stick it to some felt. (I used the scraps from a headband I made yesterday but next time I'll use a matching color.) Trim off excess felt around the post.

Step Three:
Use another little dab of glue to secure the rosette to the felt and you're done! (I don't know that the felt is even nessesary but I was worried the rosette would pull off the post too easy and because the size was so close I didn't want the shiny silver showing through.)

I can't wait to add them to my collection!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Honorable Mention!

Soo I didn't make top 10 but...
...I did make
Yay!
Check out my entry here:

And in other photo news check out The Cole's Family shoot just posted on 

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Crafty Crafty Ladies Night: Mod Podge May & Link Party

Alright my local crafty friends! Next week is the 1st Saturday in May already...can you belive it!?!
Regardless of how fast this year is flying by, the first Saturday means: Crafty Crafty Ladies Night!
For May we are doing all things Mod Podge!
I'll provide the Mod & Brushes you bring whatever you want to make!

I'll also have unfinished wood frames, sand paper & some scrapbook paper. I'll also hit up Ross for cheap word signs like this little pretty I'll be making all fancy! ( I think I got it for 3 bucks!)

RSVP by commenting on this post please!

Now for all you non local crafters!
I wish I could get together with all my awesome followers for Mod Podge May so I am going to host a Link Party! Mark your craft calendars for Saturday, May 1st and link up your Mod Podge Projects!

Can't wait to see everyones awesome projects!
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Need Inspiration? Check out one of my most favorite blogs: {Mod Podge Rocks}!


Saturday, April 24, 2010

AND THE WINNER IS...

You'll have to scroll down to see the winner of my
Home Stretch to 100 Super Box Giveaway

but first here's a final look at the contents of
The Box!
Bandana Bib from {Wildflower Grown Wild}

Pair of Fluer de Lis Bows from {Aly&Ash}

Bottle of Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution


Chic Button Earrings from {Aly&Ash}

Mod Podge, Foam Brushes & Michaels Unfinished Wood Frame


And lastly a chic 3 Rossette headband from {Aly&Ash}


Thanks so much to everyone that entered, if I had an endless amount of time to craft I'd send something to all of you! But alas that is definetly not the case so there can only be one winner...

Congratulations to:

She was my 94th follower and got her entry in just in time! Congrats again Rebekah and thanks for your interest in my little corner of blog world! Aly&Ash readers make sure you check out her and her SIL's blog {All Thingz Related}. It's awesome!

And don't worry I seem to LOVE giveaways so I'm sure there will be another one right around the corner! :)
Thanks again for being the best peeps ever!

Friday, April 23, 2010

It's Official! I've Hit 100!!

Thanks to all my amazing followers! Wahoo! I am excited to send one of you the awesome Super Box! I will be drawing via random generator after the babe is in bed! I will also be adding one last item to the box!!

Field Trip Friday w/ Craft Envy

Hello Aly & Ash readers!  My name is Vanessa, and my sister-in-law/BFF Nicholette and I have this little blog called

Why would we name it that?  Because it's an evil we suffer from.  Craft Envy.  We are always looking for ways to make something fabulous, and we can't help it but feel envious of all the wonderful crafters we see in the blogosphere  and their wonderful ideas! You fuel our crafting!!! :)  Okay, enough silly stuff.  
Here are a few things you can find on our blog:
Adorable headband made from an old tie!  Isn't it cute?


This layered button bracelet is easy and fun, you can finally use up some of those buttons sitting around.


This egg shell picture frame was such a fun Valentine's Day gift to make!

These cardboard decorative letters look adorable in my little girl's bedroom.  Make sure to check them out!

So, Mother's Day is coming up soon, and I've started working on some little gifts for the special women in my life, but I didn't quite know how to wrap them, they're tiny gifts... That's when I saw my trusty bag of toilet paper rolls, waiting to be turned into something fabulous, and came up with this:
That's right friends!  These cute boxes are made out of TP rolls!  Let's get to it.
What you'll need:
- TP roll
-glue
-scissors
-pencil
-some kind of paper to cover your box (I used some old tissue paper from a gift, and a napkin!)
-embellishments

Flatten your TP roll, and trace on both edges a curved line, like you see above.

Cut out on the line you just traced.  Your roll will look like this.

Baad picture, sorry.  But you get the idea, fold the edges you have just cut out, to the inside of the roll.  

You will do that to all of them.  It will look like this.  Isn't that a cute shape?

Now go ahead and open your roll out again, cover it with glue and lay it on the paper you want to use.  I like to crinkle up the paper to give it some texture, I think it looks cool!  After that, go ahead and trim your paper to the shape of your little gift box.

Don't forget to embellish away!  I tied a cute little bow in one, and I used a paper flower on the other, but you could add whatever you like!  And they're perfect size for the little beaded watches I'm making... Shhhh.... don't tell the mothers! :)

Jax, thanks so much for giving us a chance to be a guest at your awesome blog!  You have no idea how many of your projects are currently bookmarked on my computer right now!  

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What a GREAT idea! I can't wait to try it! It would also be good with paper towel rolls for larger items! Thanks for sharing Nicholette & Vanessa! Everyone make sure to check out their blog {Craft Envy} it's full of amazing projects and tip!

And don't forget to enter my {HUGE GIVEAWAY}!
 And if you've already entered check out what's {In the Box} it's getting  REALLY good!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Introducing the Aly in Aly&Ash

Jessica over at {A Few of my Favorite Things} tagged me in a bloggy game called Photo #6
Rules of the Game: Go back into your archives and repost the 6th picture you ever posted on your blog!

Since I stared our family blog before this one I decided it would be more fun to go though those archives and see what it was! And what a perfect opportunity for me to introduce the Aly half of Aly&Ash! My beautiful niece!
My 6th photo posted was from a photoshoot of Aly for her 1 year old pictures...she is now 3...how the heck did that happen!?!

Now I have to tell you I really don't try to play favorites with my nieces and nephews but I have a very special bond with little miss. My SIL had some serious recovery problems post childbirth and had to head back into the hopsital for a while. I took leave from work and hunkered down at her place to take care of her two adorable boys and this brand new baby Alyson so her hubs could be with her. Ever since Aly and I have had a very special bond. Before Asher arrived Aly would come for sleepovers and play dates and even tag along to Irish dance competitions with her "Aunt Ahee".

Auntie & Aly Photoshoot! When the hubs and I were trying for a babe of our own I knew I wanted to do something special with Aly so we did a photoshoot and I made her a special keepsake scrapbook of the photos. 
I was really worried while I was pregnant that she would hate me for having my own little baby and want nothing to do with Baby Asher...boy were we wrong! "Hi Ahee" is only her following hello after "HI BABY ASHER!!!" when I come over for a visit! She loves her Baby Asher so much; always wanting to kiss, hug, hold and feed him. It's so adorable.
When Asher was small(er)

So if you had been wondering who the Aly is in Aly&Ash, it's my beautiful niece Alyson!
Here are a few more pics! Enjoy!

Black and Whites I did for my SIL last summer.

Turn your back for 5 seconds...I was taking some headshots of my SIL in the backyard and we came in to find this little monster playing with Mommy's mascara!

Now it's your turn to play! I'm tagging these bloggers to post there #6
Ashley from {Cute as a Fox}
Tenille from {AVery Good Life}

Have you entered yet?
Click {HERE}