The Inspiration Board: Creative Party Spotlight 221 & Bowled Over

Welcome back friends! I hope you had a great weekend filled with fun and some creativity. We’ve hit that end of summer sweltering heat here in Southern California and I’m eager for some fall weather with that distinct chill in the air. I want to try on sweaters and make soup but, for the time being, I’ll be fanning myself and trying to keep cool.

You all knocked it out of the park last week on The Inspiration Board. The link ups were sensational and I had so much fun going through the projects. Thank you each and every one of you for sharing here at homework.

And here’s a little recap of what I’ve been sharing.

Gold Foil Twig Jewelry Tree  :  DIY Bride & Groom Wedding Favors  : Back to School Ideas

And now on to the projects in the Spotlight this week.

WEEKEND INSPIRATION: Back to School Ideas

TGIF friends! It’s the last Friday of the August and for many of you, your kids already headed back to school. My son starts back on Monday and my social media streams are full of photos & posts of the first day of school – from the first day of Kindergarten all the way college move in day. I thought I’d stroll through my archives and reshare some ideas that you can use as your kids head back to school or throughout the school year.

Having a map handy is such a great way to remember where all the states are and using the map to pin places you’ve been is a fun family activity.

ACCESSORIES: Gold Foil Twig Jewelry Tree

One of the many areas that I need to get organized is my jewelry box. It’s a mess with bracelets, rings and earrings mixed together. Sometimes it’s hard to find a matching pair of earrings and I give up and put on the my my standard small hoop earrings. In an effort to organize a few pairs, I made this little gold foil twig jewelry tree.

The Inspiration Board: Creative Party 221 & Felted Acorn Cheat

FROM MY ARCHIVES : FELTED ACORNS WITHOUT WOOL OR WATER

Welcome everyone! Is it too soon to bring out the acorns, pumpkins and all things fall? We’re at that awkward time of year when it’s still hot but we’re ready for fall. Here in Southern California we get some of our hottest weather in September and October so while I decorate for fall, I’ll still be in my shorts, tanks and flip flops! Is the weather turning in your neck of the woods or are you pretending like me?

Ready or not, fall is almost here and I can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to. Maybe you’ve whipped up a batch of pumpkin bread or put away the sea shells and brought out the autumn leaves. Whatever it is, let get to the creative sharing.

The Inspiration Board: creative party spotlight 220 & Fall Food

Welcome back everyone. I hope you had a great weekend filled with fun and a little creativity. I worked on some creative projects, took photos for a new project and did some shopping. I have another business trip coming up in a few weeks and I needed a few things. It’s hard to pull together business outfits that are comfortable, stylish and professional when the weather is is so warm. If you have any tips let me know.

In the meantime, a heartfelt thank you to all of you who linked projects on The Inspiration Board last week. I’m always amazed at the creativity that you share. Here’s what I’ve been sharing in case you missed anything.

Woodland Table Numbers  :  Mookies (Cookies in a Muffin Tin)  :  Wedding Favors

And here are the projects featured this week:

CELEBRATIONS: Painted Bride & Groom Wedding Favors

I’ve had this idea for wedding favors in my mind for a few years now but never made them. It wasn't until recently that I found the right size plastic bride and groom figurines and could barely contain my excitement. I grabbed the pack of tiny cheap poorly painted figurines and threw them into my basket.

The Inspiration Board: Creative Party 220 & Patriotic Napkin Rings

FROM MY ARCHIVES : Patriotic Napkin Rings

Welcome to The Inspiration Board! I’m so happy you’re here and ready to join in the party. Most of the link parties have become mega-parties with several hostesses and 400+ link ups. I’ve thought about joining a group of bloggers to co-host but I like solo-hosting, keeping the party on the smaller side and sharing lots of features. I may change my mind at some point, but for now I’m going to keep this party the way it’s always been. So let’s get ready inspire each other and share our projects. I love going through the links and sharing your creativity throughout the week and of course posting the features.

The Inspiration Board: Creative Party Spotlight 219 & Homespun

Welcome to a new week here on homework. I hope you had a fantastic weekend filled with fun and creativity. I worked on a few craft projects that I’ll be sharing soon and tried to stay cool. It’s been hot, hot, hot here in Southern California. I hate to say it, but I think I’m ready for the fall cool down. I think the cooler weather will inspire me to work on some bigger projects that I’ve been wanting to tackle – like painting our dressers, cleaning out the attic and tackling my overstuffed closet. Even though it’s hot and that busy back-to-school time, The Inspiration Board link up was still brimming with great ideas and creativity. Thank you so much for sharing your projects.


Here’s a little recap of what I’ve been sharing in case you haven’t had a chance to visit lately.

Woodland Table Numbers  :  Asian Plum Sauce  :  Mookies (cookies in a muffin tin)

And here are the featured projects that caught my eye this week.

WEEKEND INSPIRATION: Chocolate Chip Cookies–Muffin Style

I call these Mookies. Cookies baked in a muffin tin. This wasn’t actually intended to be a post here on the blog. I just made these “Mookies” for the family and decided to snap a few photos with my phone. The Mookies were such a hit with my family and my son’s friends, that I felt I had to share them with you.

CELEBRATIONS: Woodland Table Numbers

If you’re planning a large gathering or a wedding, table numbers can keep things organized and add a special touch to each table. You can go all out and order elaborate floral arrangements to house your numbers, or you can diy using simple terracotta pots, moss and a cuttings from your yard.

The Inspiration Board: Creative Party 219 & Bottle Fruit Fly Trap

FROM MY ARCHIVES : Shaker Bottle Fruit Fly Trap

It’s time for The Inspiration Board and I’m thrilled that you’re here to join in the fun. It’s hard to believe that we’re about halfway through August. Once we hit September all bets are off because that’s when time really speeds up through the holidays. So let’s get ready inspire each other and share our projects. I love going through the links and sharing your creativity throughout the week and of course posting the features.

The Inspiration Board: Creative Party Spotlight 218 & Fun Food

Welcome to a new week everyone! I hope you had a fantastic weekend filled with fun and a little creativity. The Inspiration Board was truly inspiring and I want to thank each and everyone of you for sharing your projects, stories, tips and more.

In case you didn’t have a chance to pop by last week, here’s what I’ve been sharing.

Dorm Room Ideas  :  Asian Plum Sauce  :  Roasted Tomato Salsa  :  Shorts for 50+ 3 Ways

And now, here are the projects that caught my eye and are featured in the spotlight this week.

WEEKEND INSPIRATION: Back-to-School Dorm Room Ideas

If you have a college-age kid heading back to school, you may want to use some of these great ideas I’ve rounded up. A lot of the inspiration photos of dorm rooms floating around are not realistic. Dorm rooms are tiny. I have dozens of friends who’s kids left for college last year when my son did. We compared note and photos, texting back and forth. My son lucked out and his school offered dorm rooms that had a little more breathing room than most. He had his own large closet and he and his roommate shared a bathroom with the two guys in the next room. Even still, squeezing everything into a small space is a challenge. If you have a boy, these ideas will still work – just change up the color scheme.

GOOD TASTE: Asian Plum Sauce

I let the guy at the Farmer’s Market talk me in to WAY too many plums. I only wanted 3-4 and ended up with a bagful of amazing looking plums. The plums weren’t like any we’d had before. They were so juicy and sweet. The kind of fruit that drips down your chin when you bite into it. We happily munched on plums until we reached the day when they either needed to be composted or tossed. Or, of course, made into something. I love dipping sauces for pot stickers and egg rolls and so I grabbed the ingredients I’d need for homemade plum sauce.

The Inspiration Board: Creative Party 218 & DIY Rusty Tin

FROM MY ARCHIVES : How to galvanize and rust a tin

Hello and welcome to The Inspiration Board everyone. We’re on the home stretch of summer and I hope yours has been wonderful so far. Is it “go” time in your house? Getting ready for back-to-school, prepping for a vacation, or just trying to squeeze in those last summer barbeques? I’ve been extra busy with my day job but I’m trying to carve out time on the weekends to create some fun projects.


So let’s get ready inspire each other and share our projects. I love going through the links and sharing your creativity throughout the week and of course posting the features. You can see last week’s features HERE.

The Inspiration Board: Creative Party Spotlight 217 & Energy Snacks

Hello, hello everyone! It’s a brand new week and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s August. The summer is flying by at warp speed. So if things were moving a little too fast for you last week and you didn’t have a chance to stop by, here’s what I’ve been sharing.

Roasted Tomato Salsa  :  My favorite new shorts  :  Sea Glass Dollar Store Bowl

A huge thank you to all of you who visited last week and shared your projects on The Inspiration Board. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that you share here. So without further ado, here are the projects in the Spotlight this week.