Pass It On Project, Part Deux

Almost a month ago {jeez...shame on me}, I posted about the awesome Pass It On gift I received from Ashley at Attempts at Domestication.  Then it was my turn to get my craft on and create something lovely for two of my favorite bloggers Emily and Whitney {check them out if you haven't already!!}.

I headed to Michael's and kept my eyes peeled for a super cute container to spruce up.  {I love having pretty containers to store ordinary things.  It can instantly make a drab space more interesting.}  I originally thought I was going to use little cardboard boxes I found, but then a couple clear cylinders caught my eye.  My decision was made...I threw two in my cart and headed home to get started on transforming them.

Like most projects I come up with, I had a clear idea of how I wanted the end result to look.  I wanted bold metallic stripes and a fun felt flower to add a little pop.  I decided to use gold paint and go with a charcoal flower. 

I started by taping off my stripes, as well as the areas I didn't want to get painted, and I quickly realized the paint wasn't going to stick or cover like I had hoped. 

I wiped it off in a hurry and pulled out some spray paint primer.  I lightly coated my cylinders hoping this would give the paint something to better adhere to.

It took about 4 coats of paint, but I finally got the coverage I was hoping for.  Unfortunately, all that coverage meant that the stripes weren't smooth anymore, but beggars can't be choosers right??

Once the stripes were drying, I removed the tape and got busy making my felt flowers. 

After lots of cutting {my LEAST favorite part of making flowers} and a little hot gluing, my containers were done!

I even posted this shot on Instagram a while back!

Of course, I'm always my worst critic, which means I pictured them coming out WAY better in my head, but the important part is that they were made and sent with love.  I hope they put a smile on my bloggy friends faces!

I am so happy and honored that I was able to be a part of this awesome project.  If you want to see it all from the beginning, head on over to Karah at The Space Between. :)

Anyone else get their Martha Stewart on lately?!?!?!

The Pass It On Project

A couple weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be picked by Ashley at Attempts at Domestication to participate in something really cool called The Pass It On Project.  The whole idea is to reach out and spread some love to others in the blog-o-sphere with some handmade gifts.  Let's face it...every one of us, especially us newbies, need all the love, support and inspiration we can get to keep our little corners of the Internet going! 

The mastermind behind this brilliance is Karah from The Space Between, and she'd love to see this thing go as far as possible!

So once I let Ashley know I was totally in, I impatiently checked my mailbox each day in anticipation of her handmade gift.  I felt like Ralphie waiting for his Little Orphan Annie Secret Society Decoder Pin.  {Please tell me I'm not the only one who understands that reference!}

Finally, my gift arrived, and I tore open my package!  Inside I found an awesome, personalized present...that now lives in my living room.  Can you spy it?

Noooo...it's no of the birthday cards.  Those are all from my wonderful family.  Look a little closer....

That's right!  It's the Z {for my last name}!!!

I think Ashley totally nailed this one, from the personalization to the colors {hello, have you seen all the aqua/turquoise in my house hehe}.  It ties in perfectly with my decor and looks great on my mantle.  Thank you so much Ashley...you put a huge smile on my face!

And now it's time for me to get my Martha Stewart on.  I selected two bloggers who totally inspire me...Whitney from Drab to Fab Design and Emily from Go Haus Go.  {Head over and check out their blogs if you haven't done so already!!}  Thankfully, these ladies were game and ready to join the rest of us in this project.

I am hoping to have their projects done this weekend and mailed next week, so stay tuned! :)

Btw, the bushes are in full bloom outside of our patio and I noticed this skinny little tree that has red flowers starting to bloom on it, in front of the pink bush.  {If you squint hard enough, you'll see it...or just check out the worst iPhone picture ever below haaaaaaa.}  Anyone know what the heck that thing is?!?!  It's so pretty!!

Oh!  And our tree people will be arriving tomorrow at 8AM.  I can't wait to see the difference in our property after they are gone!  {Please say a few small prayers that our lawn isn't destroyed in the process!}