making it cute for less

A friend that I will not name (Angel) asked for any ideas on decorating for a baby shower. I asked her what she had in mind and when she replied, "Oh I don't know maybe a plastic table cloth and throw some confetti on it." I knew she was in trouble. I told her I would love to help and that I could do it for under $15, and most importantly save her house from confetti. She gave me all control and $14 later she was ready for the shower.

(I snapped these with my phone so they aren't the best)

(she hadn't placed the food, & cake yet

(these are ball jars that I had in my pantry with strips of material wrapped around them)

(during the shower the wagon held the silverware, plates & napkins)
(I spray painted the clothes pins pink for a little more color)
(I painted the wooden letters neutral so we could use them for other showers and just added the material for color and girly pink)
(I borrowed these stacking blocks from my boys to go on the table between the chairs where they opened the gifts)

(The greenery and tin are from IKEA that I added for color and feel and I coordinated the material around the tin to tie it in.)

Wooden Letters: $4
Ribbon: $2
material: $2

flowers: $4

spray paint: $2

total: $14.00

It has become an annual 4th of July event for the Davis family to have a shrimp boil. 4th of July is such a fun holiday for our family as we spend the time together at the lake. Several years ago I put myself in charge of making it look a little more festive. Of course the red, white and blue make the shrimp taste that much better, even if the rest of my family may not agree with me. This year I used a lot of what I had lying around. In all I only spent $13 (excluding the Jones soda). The main obstacle I had was needing to leave lots of space for the food. My family takes their shrimp seriously and do not want decorations in their way. Therefore this year I decided to make a banner that would be off the table and high enough to talk to the people in front of and around you without having to lean over table decor.

(the cutest little decoration )

Wooden Rods: $2

Metal Tins: $2

Snap n Pop, sparklers : $4

scrapbook paper for banner: $3

Ribbon: $1

Material $1

total: $13

To make things fun and cute you don't have to spend much. I always try to use things that I have first and then add in any extras. I try to work on these things while watching TV or in the car. It usually doesn't take long. It all depends on if my 2 little helpers are helping or if they are into something of their own. Either way it always gets done and makes the event a little more enjoyable.