Sandberg Ramblings

Giftwrapping, especially at Christmastime, is an obsession of mine.  I LOVE it. It must be the creative side in me,  but I'd rather wrap the gift all pretty than shop for the actual gift :)  I love coming up with and finding new ideas to use each year.  The bonus is that they are a great addition under the tree :)  I've rounded up some of my favorite ideas for you to try out yourself.  Some of these I will be trying out this year myself  and some are tried and true from last year.  The best advice I can give you is to buy a couple rolls of brown kraft paper.  You can get it at any craft store  or I found  this website  where you can buy it in bulk online  if you really have a lot of gifts to wrap :)  I have almost completely stopped buying patterned paper  unless I find something really unique that I love,  because you can do so many different  and creative thi...

Don't worry, not all of my DIY gift ideas are for kids,  but today I had to share these super easy baby toys.  Next week will be more devoted to grown up gifts :)  I saw some baby toys practically identical to these on Etsy,  but I wasn't about to spend $15 a pop on something I could very easily make myself.  The trick was finding the supplies I would need.  After a little searching I found what I needed,  and now I have supplies to make several of them for about $5-6 a piece!  Here's what you need for one toy:  (3) 1/2" wood beads (5) 3/4" wood beads (1) 1" wood bead (3) crocheted beads (2) 1 1/2" wood rings  (2) 14" strands of 10 lb. hemp cord  You could use whatever combo of beads you would like of course, this is just the recipe for mine.  If you only want to have to buy 1 or 2 sizes of beads instead of 3, I'm sure it would still look great!  I purchased my beads a...

I'm starting off my DIY Gift Series with these cute little guys... Say hi to the Caravan Shoppe Ollibots ! If you haven't discovered Caravan Shoppe , you're missing out!  They have a variety of cute printable downloads to make your own toys, holiday decor, and more.  I made these cute blocks last year.  All you do is purchase the download, print it at your local copy store, and assemble.  The download comes with great step by step instructions and tips. I plan on keep a couple for Mr. Ames, but I'm also going to gift some as well.   If you're going to try making these guys yourself, here's a few tips I have after doing it myself… 1. Have the download printed on full sheet label paper like they suggest.  It makes assembling them so much easier!  Then you can just cut the pieces out, stick them in place, and mod podge over the top. 2. Watch your magnets as they are drying!  Magnets are at...

We all know those people who are hard to shop for.  They seem to already have everything, or if they need it, they go buy it.  These are the perfect people to create something original and homemade for. Those of us on tight Christmas budgets  can also appreciate homemade gifts that cut the cost of giving,  but still allow you to give a meaningful gift.  If you need a few ideas,  I've made a few for my own friends and family this year that I'll  share with you throughout the week. And to start off this week's homemade gift series,  I've rounded up a few of my favorite ideas to get your mind going… 1 - Scarf Camera Strap 2 - Gold Leaf Monogram 3 - Wood Photo Transfer  4 - Stenciled Tote Bag 5 - Wood Slice Quote   - (you can buy these wood slices at Michael's!) - 6 - Silhouette Artwork

The talented,  Ashley Stephens , is here to share another awesome, easy, and inexpensive  DIY to help dress your Thanksgiving table… Plus it includes a free printable!  For the last year or so i have been really into buying cloth napkins.  They come in lots of great colors and patterns,  they are reusable, and just an all around great way to jazz up a table setting.  Besides, they make you feel really grown up. ;) Cloth napkins don't have to cost a fortune either.  Between retailers like World Market, TJ Maxx, and Target,  you can score really great ones for hardly any moola.  Even west elm has great sales on them from time to time.  (I have my eye on a   metallic set   from there...) So, while i have been "collecting" my textile-based facial dabbers, twelve at a time,  I have yet to acquire any napkin rings.  I am currently too fickle and, ahem, frugal...to spend money o...

Today I've rounded up a few of my favorite FREE Thanksgiving printables for you.  All you need is some paper!  Jones Design Company Thankful Tags - use these adorable tags to make a fun thankful tree with some branches from outside - Melissa Esplin Thank You Postcards - What better time to send out some thank you cards?  Think of all the people in your life who do so much for you  and let them know how thankful you are! -  52 Mantels Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece  - a super easy and inexpensive way to decorate your dinner table - 

There are so many fun Thanksgiving tablescapes floating around the web,  but to recreate the majority of them you're going to have to  go on a shopping trip and spend some $.  Since pretty much anyone can create or recreate a great table by spending some money,  I decided to to take on the challenge of creating a table spending absolutely no money! I was able to create this little Thankgiving table for my husband and I  using only dishes and decor I already have.  I honestly did not make one single trip outside my home to create this look.  Just using a little creativity, maybe a unique color scheme,  and repurposing what you have can really go a long way!

I've rounded up some of my favorite inexpensive and super simple fall diy crafts for you!  1. Wax leaves to make a pretty preserved garland. | 2. Owl treat boxes - tutorial includes a template!  | 3.  Very easy embroidered wall hangings . Just lightly write the words with white pencil and use this simple backstitch tutorial for the stitch. | 4. Inexpensive foam pumpkins make up this fun garland . | 5. Free Vintage Halloween Printable Roundup - I used this one for my Halloween wreath | 6. Bat Mobile by Martha Stewart.

You may have seen this cute little wreath floating around Pinterest . I was feeling up for a crafty project and needed a gift for a fall decor gift exchange I'm going to next week. The gift is supposed to be around $10 and I am proud to say, I didn't even spend that on this project! All I had to purchase was the foam wreath form, felt, and fabric for the bow. I used a Michael's 50% off coupon on the wreath and got it for $4.99, the felt was $1.74 for 6 pieces, and the fabric was $6.99 a yard, but I only used 1/4 of the yard I bought, so about $1.75, making my total $ 8.48! An awesome deal for a new wreath! So naturally I bought some extras of everything to make myself one too ;) I figured I would play around with my new camera and put together a little tutorial for you guys! What You'll Need :  16" white foam wreath form 3 pieces black felt - cut in 1"x7.5" strips 3 pieces white felt - cut in 1"x7.5" strips 2 strips of f...

Well I've shared my favorite  fall fashion  and  recipes , so I'm here to finish out my series with my favorite fall decor.  As soon as it starts to feel like fall outside, I can't help but put up my decorations, which include Halloween decor.  So yesterday, that's what happened. Yes, I know it's only half way through September, but I couldn't help myself. I love this time of year. I also say, if you love it, you're the one who lives with it, so do it! Don't worry about everyone else's opinion.  I really don't shop at home decor stores much for my seasonal decorations. I actually love to get them at craft stores such as Michael's and Hobby Lobby because you can use their 40-50% off coupons. Everyone once and a while, if I find a great deal or something I'm absolutely in love with, I'll shop at places like Pottery Barn, West Elm, and home decor boutiques. And of course I always look at my go to, TJMaxx.  ...

Landon and I were feeling pretty lame because we had no plans for the 4th, so on a whim we decided to pack up and head to St. Louis, MO for the weekend! Our friends Braden & Whitney are living there right now while Braden is going to law school and they were gracious hosts and tour guides to us!  We had an awesome time and were able to do lots of fun things while we were there.  There was an awesome fireworks show and free Trace Adkins concert under the arch, we hit up a Cardinals MLB game, a bike ride around Forest Park, St. Louis Art Museum, yummy food, and of course I had to stop by the temple on our way home so I can add it to my list!  Much better than sitting at home doing who knows what on the 4th!  St. Louis is a beautiful city and is definitely a fun place to go see. Add it to your list if you haven't been!  And thanks again to Braden & Whitney for hosting us!

1 Quirky Parrot Pillow 2 Lovely Print by Caitlin Connolly - ordered mine last week! 3 Fun Sweatpants - these are outrageously overpriced! You could DIY your own very easily with fabric paint though. 4 Adorable Little Girl Sandals  from Zara  5 DIY Story Stones  - encourage imagination and let your kiddies tell a story with the pictures 6 Geometric Outdoor Rug - spruce up your patio for Summer! 7 Stars & Stripes Tank - perfect for the 4th! 8 Grapefruit Still Life Print - this girl is an amazing artist 9 Heart Origami Bookmark

Last night was Ladies Night over at my house!  Basically ladies night just consists of eating good food and chatting for several hours, but man do I love it! I've met some really cute ladies here in Iowa :) I also had lots of fun doing a little setup for the party. You'll see the heart garlands I told you about in my last post.  Everyone got to take home a little takeout box filled with their choice of candy, along with a valentine with a chocolate inside.  I made the valentines while I was home for Christmas. The little hedgehogs are embossed using  this stamp from Paper Source . Actually everything I used to make them can be purchased there, but I'm warning you, it's a dangerous place! :) The take out boxes and sticker tags are from Michael's.  The next morning I woke up bright and early to go get my Bountiful Basket . This is my second week doing it and I love it! It makes us eat more fruits and veggies, many of which I h...