Remembering the REAL meaning of Easter

So much is going on, much change but Praise the Lord for change ;) Will share more on this later. Anyhoo, I've been putting the finishing touches on our homes Easter decor and I thought I would share. In decorating our home for Easter I wanted to be very mindful to incorporate decor/touches that convey the true meaning of Easter, Christ death and resurrection on the cross. Don't get me wrong, we still have bunnies, eggs, chicks, jellybeans, and other decor of the sort but as a whole I've been purposeful in adding meaningful decor. For example, our family room:
Has scripture mounted in frames
And a new tradition to our family this year- a 'Happy Easter' resurrection banner (this is our take on the resurrection eggs). It has been quite a delight to have Makayla open up a letter/bag each evening that shares scripture that tell the story of Easter. As the resurrection eggs, each bag/letter has a small token that coincides with the verse. I'll do a more detailed post of what scriptures we are using/etc. soon. We also have a basket full of Easter books that tell the story of Easter placed by Makayla's rocker that is next to the mantle...the perfect lil' cozy spot to cuddle up with my sweets and read her books that tell the story of this beloved holiday.

Another change that I have decided to incorporate this year is no bunny visit on Easter but instead to focus our minds and hearts completely on Christ on Easter Sunday. The Easter bunny will make a visit to our home but he is going to visit on Sat. so that on Easter we can have no distractions by bunnies or eggs but devote that day to remembrance of what our gracious Lord and Savior has done on our behalf on the wondrous cross at Calvary. We plan on having a nice Easter brunch so I added some decor to the dining room area where we will be eating:
I made the moss covered cross on the table this year and then added more frames with scriptures and remembrances of Easter.

One of my favorites additions to our Easter table this year is the simple place settings; each place setting consist of a crown of thorns wrapped around the napkin, a wooden cross that I created out of twigs from our yard, and then finished off with scripture scrolls I created. I plan on having each of us read the scripture that is left on our plate before we eat- the scriptures will tell the story of Easter {Matthew 28:1-6}
Another tradition we are choosing to incorporate this year is to take of the bread and cup together prior to partaking in our Easter brunch
I've arranged our buffet to hold the 'elements'; the bread will go in the box and the new wine glasses I created will be used to take of the cup.
I'm so thrilled to start these traditions with my family- my greatest hope is that Makayla will grow to learn that Christmas and Easter is more then Santa, stockings, bunnies, and baskets...its a time to honor all that the Lord has graciously given to us- Thanks be to God!

Happy March 1st.

I know, I know MIA again...Sorry. My 'grammy bear' passed away a month ago so needless to say my world has been turned upside down :(. I also recently re-opened my Etsy shop and I've been slammed with orders...such a blessing :).

Anyhoo, I just wanted to hop on quickly and say Hi :) I also wanted to share a sweet deal with you; Steph and I are offering a March Madness SALE over at MonMell Designs

If you have a lil' Irish in you or even if you don't but you like to decorate for the holiday make sure to grab some of these babies before they are gone. I must admit, I've never been one to decorate for St.Patties Day but now that we have these Ah-dorable lil' burlap babes from MonMell it got me in the Irish jiggin' spirit, as I've been decorating for St.Pats Day ;) LOL. Here is a peek at the mantle in our family room- I love it...just a hint of Irish lovin' goodness combined with some pops of green. To finish it all off, I added an Irish Proverb to the chalk board- Top O' the mornin' to you ;

Yee haw a new year and new projects

Happy 2012!! I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas season filled with many Blessings spent with you and yours. I've been MIA myself as I enjoyed the season with my own family. It was a busy season but filled with blessings I will forever treasure.

Now that Christmas and New Years is behind us that means it is full force ahead working on my sweets 2nd birthday party. Makayla will be 2 in just 2 weeks so that means party time at the Mellstroms house :). I've been storing away party ideas this past year and settled in on hosting a 'Rhinestone cowgirl' themed party for M's birthday this year. First things first with the party....designing the invitations to set the tone for the days events. When I designed the invite, I knew I wanted to incorporate her photo that my friend Gail of Gailmiya Photography took of her during our family shoot a couple months back. The challenge was how do I incorporate the photograph, burlap (my fabric of choice for her party.... of course it is!! LOL), as well as a few other design materials I had in mind. When I sat down to design, it all came together wonderfully and I could not be happier with how it turned out :) Here it is the invite the M's rhinestone cowgirl birthday
When I re-open the shop these will be available for purchase. I have MANY more projects in the works for her party so I will do my best to share those as they come along....Yee haw!!

The truth...

The truth about where I have been and why I've been MIA from my blog...Let me introduce you to
MonMell Designs is a new business venture that my friend Stephanie and I have begun :). MonMell Designs has been in the works since early summer and last weekend was the big reveal as we finally launched our business at the Believe Boutique in Chandler, AZ.The response to our product has been overwhelming and such a huge BLESSING!!! Right now our line consist of 6 everyday decor pillows, 5 Thanksgiving decor pillows, and 8 Christmas pillows. We have been busy, busy working on new lines for the new year- holiday pillows for the remainder of the holidays, a wedding line, baby line, kids line, and much more then pillows too :)!

If you are interested in purchasing one of our made with love pillows you can purchase them from our Etsy store. We have a website that is currently under production, so soon (very soon) you will be able to browse and shop directly from our website :). You can also find our pillows at the Rusty Chandelierin Oak Harbor, WA as well as One Wing Boutiquein Chandler, AZ.

This business is a dream of ours and we pray that the Lord will have His hand upon it and that we would bring glory to Him in how we handle and operate our business.

So there you have it friends, that's part of the reason I've been MIA...Please forgive me :)

Happy Fall Ya'all

Whoa...November is almost here and I'm just now getting some of my Halloween decor put out. This is VERY late for me to be getting my decor out, as I usually begin fall decorating the end of Aug. or the first week in Sept. SO much has been going on recently that I've slowly been dragging things out. Not to mention there are a TON of projects I was hoping to work on/create. One project I really wanted to create was a burlap wreath for our front door. Usually I have a sunflower wreath but with my new love of all things burlap I just had to create one :) This is what I came up with
It worked out well because I have A TON of burlap scraps laying around (thanks to a new endeavor that I will be announcing next week). This is a easy peasy project- All I did was take a wire hanger and formed a wreath, then I slipped my burlap on the wire making a ruffle sort of speak as I went. I thought a raven perched on a small pumpkin would be the perfect embellishment to 'spook' it up for Halloween.
For a FREE project, I'm super pleased with it- I only wish I was able to finish it earlier so I had more time to enjoy it. Perhaps I'll have to keep it up for Thanksgiving and switch out the raven with a different embellishment.

Follow the yellow brick road...

A couple of weeks ago my family and I headed out to Cali. to take our lil' princess to Disneyland and to see my best friend Melinda Koen as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. If any of you live in the S. Calif area you MUST go see this production- it is fantastic (and I'm not just saying that because my BF is Dorothy). Hurry though, this coming weekend is the last weekend it is showing- you don't want to miss it!

Anyhow, in typical performance fashion I wanted to bring Melinda a little something other then flowers. When I came across these darling ruby slipper socks I knew they would be perfect to pair with a handmade ruby slipper card that contained the sentiment "You knocked our sock off as Dorothy" :)
Besides the socks I also enlisted my mama's help in creating some sweet treats to stick in the basket- ruby slipper cookies along with a melted witch of course :) Aren't they sweet- thanks mama for your help :)!
To add that lil' something, something to them I created lil' tags that had quotes from the show, "There's not place like home" etc.
Don't forget to follow the yellow brick road and go see this awesome production if you are in the So.Cal area.

In color with Scotch Blue Painting Party

Welcome friends and a very warm welcome to those who are visiting as part of Scotch Blue Painting Party Blog hop. What great fun that Scotch Blue has organized this blog hop where you can move from one blog to the next gaining inspiration for DIY projects that all use Scotch Blue painters tape. If you have not participated in a blog hop before you simply start at one blog and move to the next as you are directed down the path of DIY inspiration. Here is a list of the other bloggers participating in the paint party today in order of the blog hop- Make sure to check out all of the fabulous DIY motivation from:

Denise at the Painted Home
Lisa at Serendipity Chic Design
Me, Heather :) at Paper Princess Studio
Kacey at Refreshed Decor
Samantha at Two Become One

Those of you who have been friends for awhile, know my infatuation and need for color in my life and in my home. When my hub and I purchased our home 3 years back we fell in love with so many things about our home. One huge bonus with our home was that the previous owners had left all the walls in the house white, meaning it left a blank slate for us to have fun with :). Over the past few years we have painted nearly every wall of our home. I know you all know how dramatically some paint can change a room and I LOVE seeing the transformations.

Well, when I was contacted by Scotch Blue to participate in this paint party blog hop I knew exactly what DIY paint project I was going to tackle= our guest bedroom. Our guest bedroom was one of the last rooms in the house needing a make over and I couldn't wait to start this project. I knew I wanted something fresh and light for this room so I decided to add some of my favorite elements and textures= burlap (of course!!), board and batten (have never done this but love the look of it so decided to give it a try), and a little splash of color for the walls. Here is the before:
And here are a few after shots:
I adore the look of the board of batten- so fabulous!!! And so easy to create! There are many DIY tutorials for the board and batten out there in the blogosphere so I simply followed the tutorials in no time the room was transformed. My ScotchBlue painters tape was a life saver in this project as we actually used Liquid Nails to adhere the board and batten to the walls. That was not part of 'the plan' but we ran across a bizarre obstacle as we attempted to attach the board and batten to one of the walls- the nails would not hold to the wall. Of course we came across this obstacle after we already had 1 and half walls complete so we had no choice accept to resort to liquid nails. That's when my ScotchBlue came to the rescue; we simply applied a bead of Liquid Nails to the back of the board and batten, placed it on the wall, and then used the ScotchBlue to help hold the board and batten while the Liquid Nails dried...thanks goodness for ScotchBlue :)!!

I also picked up a gallon of 'Oops paint' from Lowes and used that to add a splash of color to the top of the board and batten. Again, the Scotch Blue was a huge help in aiding in the color transformation of this room.
Once the board and batten was up, color was on the walls, it was time to create some window treatments. I simply purchased a drop cloth, added some burlap ruffles to the top, and in no time some texture was added to the room via the quick, simple, and very inexpensive window treatments.
This part of the room is still in progress but I thought it would be fun to create some visual appeal on the ceiling using a large stencil. I'll be honest this is turning out to be MUCH more difficult then I thought it would be. It takes A LOT of time as you have to wait for each area to dry before you can move your stencil to the next area. Being patient is only half the battle though- the most difficult part of this task is that the paint tends to seep under the stencil= no bueno :(! This is what I have concluded...you must use spray adhesive to assist and holding the stencil to the ceiling, painters tape will be your best friend in this project also aiding in holding your stencil to the ceiling, a little paint goes a long way (the more paint on your roller the greater the chance of paint seeping under your stencil will be)), and after many failed attempts I now know that you must use a high density foam roller to apply your paint. If any of you out there have any helpful hints on how to make this task any easier I would love to hear :)!!

I'm still adding some decor elements to this room and I'll share those as they come along. But at least for now I have the canvas done so now I can have fun embellishing...

Like adding some fun pillows(hint..hint....the pillows are part of a very exciting announcement I will be sharing VERY soon- so stay tuned for that ;)

I thank those of you who are new to my blog 'Paper Princess Studio' for stopping by- please come back soon, I love having/ meeting new friends!! Don't forget to continue along ScotchBlue Painters Party blog hop by moving on to Refreshed Decor by Kacy.

If you have a DIY paint project you would like to tackle, no doubt you will need some Scotch Blue painters tape to get the job done- Would you like the chance to get this for FREE?!? Well make sure to leave a comment on how you would use the painters tape for a chance to win some for yourself. For a chance to win another sample, make sure to weet “@scotchbluebrand I want #supersharppaintlines for my next project!
Make sure you also 'like Scotch Blue on Facebook so you can stay in the know for upcoming promotions and paint party info.

*ScotchBlue Brand reached out to me to participate in the ScotchBlue Painting Party to celebrate the launch of their new ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector. My post represents my honest experience with ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape. I am not being paid for my answers, but I did receive ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape to assist in completion.

Tis' the season

Tis' the season for weddings (including my own that was 5 years ago). I have been keeping pretty busy as of late creating many custom items for several couples who are getting ready to say 'I DO'. I love creating items for weddings...and of course it's always such a honor to be able to make someone's dream wedding a reality. What I do is the lil' stuff but one lady who truly makes and creates fabulous one of a kind dream weddings is my friend Shannon of Sassy Soirees. She has been such a Blessing in keeping 'Paper Princess Studio' hustling and bustling with orders- Thanks girl I appreciate it!!! Anyhoo, last weekend was one of the weddings Shannon hired me out for so I thought I would share some of the goodies:

Pillows for the cocktail hour (the happy couple was having furniture/couches/chairs set up for the their cocktail hour so these were some custom pillows I created to dress it up a bit)
A sign directing the guest to the after ceremony fun (cocktails, dinner, dancing)
A custom sign the flower girl carried announcing the grand arrival of the bride
Burlap bunting that was hung between the pews along the aisle
Burlap bunting that was hung on the sweetheart table during the reception
Moss covered monogram (these are so hot in wedding decor right now, and I adore them :)
And last but not least a magnetic frame created with all my favs (burlap, moss, vintage jewels, and pearls) This was used to direct guest as to what to do in regards to the anniv. box.

Aaahh...I just love weddings, Don't you!?!

Oh where, oh where, has Heather been???

Geesh- my last blog was July, REALLY?!?!!!

For any of you friends still out there who may have been wondering what happened to me- I'm still here (Praise God for that btw). I know I always say that I will be better at blogging and then I seem to go on a hiatus but this time I promise- I will be better. After all you may have noticed that things look a little different around here :) :) My blog had a much needed face lift thanks to the FABULOUS Krystal at Sassy Sanctuary. Can I just gush about how wonderful it was working with her- pure fabulousness ladies!!! If any of you are in need of a bloggy make over you must go to her (not to mention she has the best pricing by far).

SO, because I have this new look believe me I now want to blog- can't let all this cuteness go to waste. Not to mention I have SO many projects that I've been working on and that are in the works that of course I would love to share with all of you. Here is a little of what I've been up to since my last blog:

Making banners



Party Hats





and Wedding items galore :)



All of the items pictured are available in my shop (which you can now find by simply clicking the 'shop' button on the top of my blog :)
**The pillows you will not find in my shop but they are part of another VERY exciting announcement I will share soon :)**
See you all soon (I PROMISE!) ;)

Back to School as seen on Sonoran Living, ABC 15

Wowzers...I've been on a B-I-G blogging hiatus, Sorry! Life has been very busy for me but in a great way :) I hope to not neglect my blog any longer though. Even though I haven't been blogging I can assure you I've been busy, busy crafting away :) Will share some of the projects I've been creating in the next few days/blog post.

First things first though- Can you believe it is already Back to School time here in AZ?!? I've been living here for almost 7 years and that is the one thing I can never grasp on to- school starts the end of July-beginning of Aug. here!! It just doesn't seem right to me as growing up in S.California we always started school after labor day. Anyhoo, with the kiddos headed back to school it was time to come up with some fun Back to School ideas to share on Sonoran Livingtoday. If you missed the segment you can see it here:

Much thanks to Cakes by Cassiefor the fabulous school themed cookies and the adorable apple cake pop pencil toppers (they were super yummy to boot :)! And of course this segment wouldn't have been complete without the great talents of the ladies over at Anders Ruffand their new School Day printable collection. Don't forget to pick up your FREE printable luggage tag/backpack tag here.

PS- I have the silhouette totes (Customizable with your own childs silhoutte)
And the school ornaments
Available in my Etsy shop now :)

And for those of you who know me well- here's a lil' laugh for you

Do you know how difficult it is to take pics. with an almost 8 month old german shephard puppy around!?!