All Posts - A Beautiful Mess

11/16

Elsie’s Holiday Cards

‘Tis the season for holiday cards!! Today, we’re partnering with Minted to show you my family cards for the year as well as all my favorites (they have A LOT of good designs … it was not an easy choice!). Minted offers unique cards from independent artists around the world.

Since we have MAJOR news in our family this year with a new baby, we knew we wanted an option where we could share a LOT of photos. So we chose this design for the front of the card and then added a nine photo collage to the back.

Here’s another very similar to the one I chose—I love how you can change the colors!

Some of my other favorite designs were …

1. It’s A Wonderful Life! Super classic and photo forward.

Love this version too!

2. This one is so simple and lovely!

3. If you moved into a new home this year, this is a fun way to share your new address with family and friends.

4. Merry Everything.

5. If you want a collage front, this is my favorite one. Real talk—group photos with little kids are SO TOUGH. This collage is more forgiving if you couldn’t get that ONE perfect photo. I also love this one!

6. Love this painted look!

I love that you can upload your family photo on Minted and then scroll through all the cards seeing how YOUR photo would look. You can even text them your photo and their designers will recommend five different designs. You just send your photo to 22737 and they’ll help you style your card for free. It is way more efficient because you instantly know which designs best complement your image!

Have fun picking out YOUR holiday cards. I love this time of year so much when they start arriving every day!

xx- Elsie

Credits//Author: Elsie Larson. Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

3 Comments | leave a comment

11/15

Rainbow Nursery Before + After

Before/After, D.I.Y. Project, Home Decor, Kiddo, Kids Room, Room Tour

By Emma Chapman

Friends, we have been SOOOOOO excited to share this room and new project with you! Elsie and I have been talking about new project ideas for 2020 and one thing we landed on is we’d love to see A Beautiful Mess do room makeovers for single parents. So that’s exactly what we are doing, and we are kicking it off a little early before the new year just to get the project rolling!

Why are we doing this?

-We love doing room makeovers. Before and after decor content is not only really fun for us to work on creatively, it’s also something that we can tell from stats and your comments that our readers love seeing. So, having more of this type of content on our site is a win-win.

-We wanted to branch out from our own spaces more, but we quickly realized we probably needed a way to narrow this down as we can’t do a room makeover for everyone in the world. As we discussed, Elsie and I both felt passionate about doing room makeovers for single parents. We recognize that the role of parenting is so important—our parents had an enormous impact on our lives and it’s one of those jobs that just doesn’t get recognized in the same way a career job does. We also can see that doing this important, tough job without a partner is even more challenging than with one (recognizing that there are a million different situations out there and admittedly this is a generalization).

We see you parents! We see you working hard to raise the next generation of kind, loving, smart, creative leaders. And we see you parents that are currently doing it alone. You rock! And if we could give you all a room makeover we would. And although that’s impossible, we still hope that through this series you feel celebrated. We see you and our hats are off to you, friends!

My beautiful and amazing sister-in-law, Michelle, is a single mom. And she was kind of enough to let me kick off this project with a room in her home. I’m going to share some before and after photos and talk a little bit about what we did in the room. Then at the end of this post, I’m going to let Michelle tell you a little more about herself and her family in her own words.

Michelle chose this room for her makeover as it’s the nursery for her foster daughter, and she also chose the rainbow theme (again, read Michelle’s story at the end of this post to know more). We also talked about all the needs of this room. There was the obvious, a crib that eventually could become a toddler bed, a changing table, room for clothes and baby things, etc.

She also needed some space for her twin nieces to visit from time to time (which is why she had that wooden bunk bed in the room previously). Bonus that this extra sleeping space would also serve as guest sleeping space should that ever be needed. And even though this was needed sometimes, it wasn’t needed all the time. So I wanted to find a solution that didn’t take over the room or block the window light quite as much as the previous bunk bed.

Here is the mood board I emailed Michelle before I started ordering things for her space:

I’ll link everything here as well as the end of this post, where there will be a room details section. I started designing around this rainbow pillow and used that as the basis of the color scheme for the room. I wanted to avoid too many primary colors while still sticking to the rainbow theme. As you can see, we also found this really cute and affordable trundle bed that fit the space well. I think my favorite item was the rug (like most bloggers, I am rug obsessed—ha) and one of Michelle’s favorite items was this light fixture.

Items: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

We also added a few floating book shelves for bedtime stories, a rainbow mobile, and I am SO in love with this handmade rainbow that hangs above the changing table. The space feels simple, easy to navigate, colorful (but not overwhelming, feels calm) and has all the functionality that it needs. So happy with how this space turned out and immensely grateful that Michelle allowed me into her home and to basically be my test subject for this project. 🙂 And now I’ll let Michelle tell you more about herself:

“What can I say about my life … nothing went as expected, and that’s OK. I married young, for the wrong reasons and it ended about five years ago. From the mess of a bad marriage came the beautiful blessing of my son, R., my only living biological child. He should have been one of three siblings, but it just was not meant to be and my body would not carry the other pregnancies. I worked front line social work for nearly a decade, working with families struggling with substance abuse trying to reunite with their children.

From where I sat, I saw the need for good foster homes in my community. It laid heavy on my heart, that while I didn’t seem to be able to carry more children, I had more than enough maternal love to go around. My ex-husband, being adopted from the foster system, was adamantly against the idea. So, it was in my new freedom as a single mom that I took on the task of being a foster parent. I have been fostering baby M since birth—she had some early health struggles and needed a momma to sit with her in the hospital. Her smile is infectious and R and I are excited to announce that she will be part of our forever family. Our rainbow baby after the storm of loss.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.“

Thank you for letting me share! Obviously, this first one is very close to my heart as I also get to welcome another beautiful niece into my life.

I know Elsie has already started on her first single parent room makeover for this series. We hope to show you at least three to four in 2020—that’s our goal. But who knows, maybe we’ll find the resources to do more. Cheers to all the awesome parents out there! xo. Emma

Room Details: crib toddler bed / crib sheet / rug / floating shelves / felt ball mobile / rainbow pillow / trundle bed / comforter set / rainbow wall decals / pom curtains / changing table dresser / rainbow pull knobs / rainbow wall hanging / light fixture

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman. Photography: Janae Hardy and Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop. Project assistance by Ethan Randolph.

42 Comments | leave a comment

11/14

Elsie’s Thankful Journal

Crafts, D.I.Y. Project, Photo Books & Scrapbooking, Sponsored

By Elsie Larson

Hi friends! Over the past year, one of the things I have gotten really behind on is printing family photos and documenting our memories. I am still somewhat undecided between whether I prefer scrapbooks, photo albums or photo books. So in the meantime, I am focused on small projects that capture this season of our lives.

Today, I’m partnering with Canon USA to show you my thankful journal. It’s a simple photo journal that pairs short gratitude journaling with family photos. I plan to let my family add some of their own captions (Nova’s will be SO CUTE) when we celebrate Thanksgiving together this year.

I used my PIXMA TS9521C printer to print a bunch of photos from my phone. To do this, I simply AirDrop the photos to my computer, size them down on the size paper I’m using in Photoshop, and print. My favorite printer paper is Luster because it’s not too matte and not too glossy.

The first thing I did was print and cut out some square family photos. This is how I print ALL my photos, for any project. I print photos like this to send to my grandmothers too.

Next, I used textured stickers to add a simple title to the front. I cut each sticker out from the plastic to make sure the placement was just right.

Next, I used acid-free washi tape to secure one photo per page. I like to do it to one side or the other (not the middle) to leave an equal space for journaling.

The book I’m using is an art journal (meant for watercolors) because I loved the size and the paper weight.

Last, I did a bit of journaling. A few sentences per page.

Here’s what the finished pages look like. I’m excited because this is a photo album I can 100% finish and put on our shelf. Perfect for anyone in a busy season or just not ready to commit to a big memory keeping system. 🙂

I hope this project speaks to some of you who, like me, just need to GET STARTED. xx- Elsie

Credits//Author: Elsie Larson. Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

15 Comments | leave a comment

11/13

Our Favorite Holiday Decor (on Amazon!)

Celebrate, Happy Holidays, Thanksgiving, Window Shopping

By Laura Gummerman

Get ready for the best decorating time of the year! So many seasonal and holiday decor items to deck your halls with, that with just a few clicks of the mouse, you’ll have all you need to feel cozy and cheerful this holiday season. Whether you are looking for fall or Christmas themed decor (or a look that transitions to both) we’ve got you covered—and it’s all on Amazon!

1 (similar) / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26

Garlands, trees, banners, tabletop decor, pillows, battery-operated candles—so many ways to decorate! We’ve been using a tree for 5-6 years now (similar to this one), but I also love this tree as well for something a little different (although I just can’t get over that blush tree in the roundup!). This garland would be really cute for a kid’s room decor (or this one) and Elsie uses these removable stars a lot to decorate with over the holidays (although here’s a garland option if you feel nervous putting anything on your walls). I’ve kind of been wanting one of these to project snowflakes onto our house this year (so much easier than hanging outdoor lights), so that would be fun to try. And I think this will be the year we do a hanging advent calendar as well! Hope you found lots of ways to feel festive in your home this year! xo. Laura

7 Comments | leave a comment

11/13

Pumpkin Swirl Slab Pie

Celebrate, Desserts, Food, Pie, Sweet, Thanksgiving

By Emma Chapman

I was aiming to do something a little different but still classic with our Friendsgiving dessert this year and this pumpkin swirl slab pie is what I landed on. I’ll admit it: It’s basically just me trying to impress my husband. One of his very favorite desserts is cheesecake. And this pumpkin pie has been updated, not only with a slightly different shape (bonus points that it can feed a few more than your average round pie!), but also swirls of cheesecake have been added.

Slab pie is simply a slightly larger pie that has been baked in a rectangle jelly roll pan rather than a pie pan. It’s basically the same otherwise—just as easy to make and travels well. I sort of love the look of a slab pie (although I’ll never say no to a slice of a traditional round pie either—ha).

If you’re looking for a more classic pumpkin pie I would recommend this Mascarpone Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie in Jars (oh yes!), or if you’re wanting more of festive cheesecake, then try this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust.

If you’re looking for something just a little bit different this holiday season (but still plenty traditional), I highly recommend baking this pumpkin swirl slab pie—it’s a crowd-pleaser for sure! xo. Emma

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman. Photography: Janae Hardy. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

5 from 1 vote

Pumpkin Swirl Slab Pie

Ingredients

Crust:

3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups cold butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup cold water
1 egg for egg wash

Pumpkin pie filling:

15 ounces one can pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Cheesecake Swirl filling:

8 ounces one package softened cream cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the crust, first stir together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cubes of cold butter and mix together until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles or large grains of sand. I like to use my (clean) hands to blend, but a pastry blender works well too. Then add 1/2 cup cold water. Mix together and try to form a dough ball. If the mixture is too crumbly, add another tablespoon or two of cold water. Just enough so the dough comes together. Then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a couple hours or overnight. When you're ready to make the pie, roll the dough out to fit your 12x17 jelly roll pan. There should be a good amount of extra dough that you can trim off and roll out to make little pumpkins, acorns, leaves, or letters to decorate the pie with (see photo).
Butter the pan before adding the dough. Beat the egg in a small dish with a little bit (maybe a tablespoon or less) or water. On a separate baking sheet lined with parchment paper, add the extra crust pieces. Brush the edges of the crust with the egg wash. Also brush the extra pie crust pieces with the egg wash. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes.
In a bowl, beat together the pumpkin filling until mostly smooth. Same with the cream cheese filling (in a separate bowl).
Once your crust as been partially baked, add the pie filling. Then add dollops of the cream cheese filling all over. Use the bottom of a spoon or fork to gently swirl the dollops of cream cheese throughout. Bake (still at 375°F) for 35-40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and add the extra crust pieces around the edges. Allow to fully cool before slicing. This is a great dessert to make the night before a big dinner so it can fully cool and you can spread out the work.

Recipe Notes

I don't use pie weights when I blind bake this crust. You can if you like but since the shape is different from a traditional pie (and the edges not as high) I found it's not really necessary.

4 Comments | leave a comment

11/12

Pampas Grass Wreath DIY

Crafts, D.I.Y. Project, Dining Room, DIY, Home Decor, Outdoor Spaces, Renter Friendly, Small Spaces, Wall Art

By Rachel Denbow

Have you jumped on board the dried grasses trend yet? I’m 100% here for it and couldn’t wait to make my own pampas grass wreath for this fall season. It’s as easy as you’d imagine to put one together and there are just as many ways to customize your own according to your minimalist, maximalist, bohemian, or farmhouse needs.

I first got to work on a 12″ hoop before realizing my finished piece would fan out to a size no longer conducive to opening and closing a standard-sized front door. Ha! So, use a 10″ hoop for a large wreath that will still work on a single door and a larger hoop if you’re wanting to use it on a wall and have a bit more space to fill. I love the texture and simplicity of pampas grass and it’s perfect for the fall and harvest season home decor.

Supplies
-15 or more pampas grass stalk heads of similar size (similar to these)
–10″ metal hoop
-floral wire or 24″ gauge wire
-wire cutters
-scissors
-aerosol hair spray (to keep it from shedding)
-silk or cotton ribbon

Note: There are many varieties of pampas grass available for purchase online. Some are fluffier than others so keep that in mind when ordering. The pampas grass I used was about 3″-4″ wide at the widest point and about 14″ of plume each. If you’re lucky enough to know someone that has a pampas grass bush growing on their property, see if they’ll let you prune it. Win-win!

Step One: Before getting started on your wreath, you’ll want to generously spray your pampas grass plumes with aerosol hair spray to keep them from shedding bits of seed all over your floors. Do so in a well ventilated place and let them dry before handling them.

Next, trim your pampas grass stem so that you have a 3″-4″ stalk. Cut 2′ or so of wire and wrap it around the first stalk several times close to the bottom of the plume. Then wrap it around both the stalk and the hoop several times to secure it.

Step Two: Cut the second stalk and lay it over the first stalk. If you tuck the bottom of the second stalk just under the hoop, it will stay in place much better than just laying it on the top of the hoop. Wrap your wire a few times around the stalk and hoop together.

Step Three: Continue placing your next stalk over the previous stalk so that the stalks are covered up by the plumes. Once you run out of wire, cut another 2′ length (for ease of use) and twist it together with the end of your previous wire before continuing on.

Step Four: Continue adding so that there is no gap left in the wreath. You may have to lift up the first plume to attach the last plume to the hoop. Then gently fluff the sprayed plumes on the areas around the inner part of the hoop to ensure they cover the stalks and wire. Attach a 4″ length of wire around the hoop and twist the ends together to make a loop. This will be your hanger.

You can announce it finished or you can add another layer of dried grasses, flowers, ribbons, etc., to add a little more flair or you can enjoy it in its simplicity. I added a folded length of ochre colored cotton cord to mine. The perfect shade of golden yellow, I think!

It’s a perfectly delicious wreath for the kitchen, dining room, or front door. It satisfies my attraction to natural, organic materials, but will save well for next year, too.

Umm … did you know that pink pampas grass is a thing? I used to think it was all just spray painted or dyed somehow, but it grows that way! Soft pink and orange and white pumpkins would be really pretty together, wouldn’t they? Enjoy! -Rachel

Credits//Author and Photography: Rachel Denbow. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

8 Comments | leave a comment

Older posts

Newer posts