Product Review: Plastic Brick Edging from CSN Stores

I have been putting off this product review from CSN Stores for quite some time now! It took me a while to find the perfect product to review.  We have lived in our house for five years and the previous homeowner did a great job putting in a beautiful flower bed across the front of the house, but I was not a big fan of the green plastic edging she used.  I have been on the hunt for something to replace it for the past couple of years.  I came across the Plastic Brick Edging with Solar Lights while browsing CSN and decided to give it a shot.  Here are a few photos of the garden before:

And some after shots with the new edging and new mulch:

I love the look at night, even though it is hard to tell from these photos.  Each 40’ set comes with six solar bricks and I used two sets.

I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised with the overall finished look.  I was worried that you would be able to tell that the bricks are plastic and that they would look “cheap” but I really don’t feel that way now.  They went together easily and the only tools needed were a spade (to level out the ground) and a mallet (to tamp them down into the ground).  The lights have worked without fail every night.

There are so many options for edging/borders out there, and with the length of flower bed I had to cover everything else I looked at was just going to be too expensive.  At $60 per set, the price was much more reasonable. One more look…..

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I highly recommend CSN Stores, they have everything from outdoor furniture to shoes and clothing!  The shipping was relatively quick and the customer service was excellent.  Check them out next time you are surfing the web!

*Disclaimer: I was provided a coupon code to use towards the purchase of this item.  All opinions are purely my own and were not influenced by anyone.  I was not compensated in any other way for this post.

Wearable Chocolate Easter Bunnies

My friend made some adorable Chocolate Easter Bunny t-shirts with her twins and I just had to share.  I love crafts that involve the kids and this one was just perfect. How cute are these?!

Start with a solid color cotton t-shirt.

Use a fabric marker,water-soluble pen, or a piece of chalk to trace an outline of a chocolate bunny minus the ears.

Paint the bottom of your child’s feet with fabric paint and have them stamp them at the top of the bunny’s head.  Be sure and place a piece of cardboard inside the shirt so the paint doesn’t bleed through.

Paint the rest of the bunny and his tail.  Add a bow at the head for girls or one at the neck for boys.  The bunny on the girl’s shirt here is wearing a tutu to match!

I hope the Easter bunny fills your basket with lots of chocolate, have a great weekend!

Happy Easter!

Hippity Hoppity, Easter’s on Its Way!

Another fun in-the-hoop project on my embroidery machine.  These little Peeps Bunnies are ready to hop right into your Easter basket!

I couldn’t resist making these for all the little girls in my life, and now they are for sale in my Etsy shop and through my Facebook page.

Made of super-soft minky dot fabric and personalized just for you, they are the perfect addition to any Easter basket!

I’ll be away from the computer and embroidery machine for a couple days, and any orders placed through the rest of the week will ship Monday or Tuesday.

Have a great weekend!

Jungle Safari Baby Shower Cake

My mom was a hostess of a baby shower last weekend and I just had to share the cute cake she made.  She bought some fondant at Michael’s, colored it, and shaped it into little jungle animals, which she set on the 3 tiered cake iced with buttercream frosting:

She also made polka dots and zebra stripes out of the fondant.  I was so impressed with her animal-making skills!  These kind of cakes sell for hundreds of dollars around here, so to think that she created this with less than $20 and a little lot of time is pretty incredible.

She said she learned how to make the animals on You Tube!

The detail she put into them is just amazing. 

Of course my favorite is the tiger with her cute little pink bow!

I’ll share more details from the shower decorations next week, just wait until you see the amazing diaper cake she made!

Sharing with the following parties:

I’m Still Here!

Not that anyone has been wondering or worrying since it has been two weeks since my last post, but just a quick note to let you know I am still alive!

My mother-in-law has been visiting for the past 10 days and the sewing/craft room has been very busy to say the least!  She is an excellent seamstress and we have been coming up with all sorts of cute projects to share.  Here is a peek at the current state of my craft room:

See my new embroidery machine back there?!  Sadly my old hand-me-down bit the dust last week.  I am so excited to have a new machine, it has been a dream to use this past week!

Ribbon and fabric everywhere!  Some of our completed projects:

So keep an eye on my Facebook page and Etsy Shop this week, many new items will be listed soon!  Also be sure and check out my mother-in-law’s Etsy shop and Facebook page to see more of her beautiful creations.

Monday Musings

"The English language lacks the words 'to mourn an absence.' For the loss of a parent, grandparent, spouse, child or friend we have all manner of words and phrases, some helpful, some not. Still, we are conditioned to say something, even if it is only 'I am sorry for your loss.' But for an absence, for someone who was never there at all, we are wordless to capture that particular emptiness. For those who deeply want children and are denied them, those missing babies hover like silent, ephemeral shadows over their lives. Who can describe the feel of a tiny hand that is never held?"

                                                                                      ~Laura Bush

Embellished Bayou GIVEAWAY!

Head on over to the Handmade Louisiana blog and check out my interview, CLICK HERE to read it! AND you can enter to win a FREE Personalized Travel Tumbler from my shop!!

While you’re there, be sure and check out the other talented Louisiana artists on the team.  There’s something for everyone, from children’s clothing, to pottery and homemade jellies! You can find us on Facebook, Etsy, and the Team Blog.

 

**Don’t forget ~ all the FRAMES and TINS in my Etsy shop are 50% off!! Get these great deals while they last, the sale will end March 31.**

Have a great weekend!