Hey, do you guys see this...Yes its an American Girl Doll Fruit Stand, but can you believe that I actually built this myself!....with Foam Board! No big bucks spent on this item.  Just a little DIY sweat and Mommy brain power.

My daughter loves her American Girl Doll and all the amazing furniture and accessories that are available.   But you have to be prepared to spend some money when it comes to this brand.  We visited the American Girl Doll Store in Orlando, Florida last year and my daughter fell in love with "Lea's Fruit Stand" among other things.  She wanted it for her birthday, but I told her it was too expensive.
Thanks to this amazing DIY website: DIY Lea Clark's Fruit Stand Foam Board - American Girl Doll Ideas  I was able to create this fruit stand, that looks identical to the real thing!  Amazing!!!!  and More money in my pocket!




Imagine my daughter's surprise to see this as a birthday gift.  She was super excited!  She didn't realize it wasn't the real thing.


The stand was made using foam Board, paint, canvas, hot glue, sticker paper, etc.   The website gave detailed instructions and measurements.  I did a little each day and I couldn't be happier with the results.

Since this was a DIY project, I was able to personalize the fruit stand with my daughter's name.   I put it on the side, I didn't want to take away from the name and style of the original fruit stand.



Since the original fruit stand comes with accessories, that I could not make.  I purchased "our generation Hawaiian Party accessories".  They were the perfect substitution and addition to our Fruit Stand.




Hope these pic inspire you to DIY today.    Thanks for visiting!!!!

No, I really don't have all that much time on my hands to DIY all the time, but I just love to save money on pretty things for my home.  I almost feel like I'm beating the system by creating something beautiful for almost nothing.   I could spend all day at Homegood's shopping, but I chose the Dollar Store to create a diy accent for my home.

I wanted to create something for my dining room table that added a pop of color for the upcoming holidays.


For this little DIY project you will need, 4 glass candle holders, 2 glass bowls, E600 glue, bag of flat clear marbles, bag of blue flat marbles, (Any color is fine) and a hot glue gun.


Glue the candle holder tops together with the E600 glue...



Then glue the glass bowl to the top.


Hot glue the flat marbles in a line around the perimeter of the bowl, then repeat until the entire bowl is covered.  Use any sequence of colors you like.   Just like that...you have some new beautiful decor for you home.   Use it to decorate for the holidays, watch how many of your friends and family ask, "where did you get those?"


Thanks for visiting A Pretty House Rocks.com!   Hope these pics inspire you to DIY today!

After looking at all the great ideas on Pinterest, we started off with the "Popcorn Bar," filled with air popped popcorn and some of the kids favorite snacks. This was a huge success...the girls snacked all night, as they watched movies, played and had ten-year old girl talk.  For decorations, I used pink tissue paper to make their party pom poms.  One of my favorite easy and budget friendly go-to -party decorations.


Later the girls made flower crowns, (a kit I got from Michael's)  And of course, they did each other's nails.   I had fabric paint markers and white pillows cases so the girls could create their own designs on their pillow cases.







The girls really enjoyed being creative with their pillow cases...unfortunately, they could not sleep on them that night.  Took some time to dry.



In my daughters room, we hung this Damask selfie wallpaper that I got from a party store, along with all sorts of selfie props.  The girls had a ball taking pics!  Memories that will last forever!

I also added white christmas lights and fabric to the walls of her room, great ambiance for a sleepover.




For favors, we gave the girls personalized baskets with sleeping eye-masks, popcorn containers, lip glosses, fingernail polishes and other spa accessories.  We used chalkboard labels to write each girl's name.  These cute baskets came from the Dollar Store.

Needless to say...this party was a success.   Hope these ideas inspire your....Thanks for visiting!!!!



Slumber Party Invitation image
This is a jpeg image, use text to add you own name and information.

Welcome!  Fall will be here on Friday, and I can't wait to start this new season.  I love this time of the year, the weather is fabulous, the holidays are around the corner, the kids are in school during the day😉...just perfect!    Like many of us, we are trying to save money, so I decided to repurpose many of my fall decorations from over the years.  Simple fall colors to begin decorating for the season.   Come on and see....

Then I changed it up again.  Still simple, but added the tray and fall leaves.


I took these pictures in my kitchen.  I love using trays when decorating.  Moving them from room to room, adding décor to suit the season.   These flameless candles are perfect for Fall.

Since I refused to purchase anything new...I painted some of my pumpkins, this one was orange.  Great way to re-purpose when decorating.




During Thanksgiving, I usually place pumpkins on each place setting.

Summer is here and many of us are preparing, some dreading, that family road trip to our vacation destination.  To avoid the dread, I wanted to share some of the things I've learned over the years to overcome those travel woes.  I have learned that what you actually you pack counts and not over packing.  A packing list is the biggest stress reliever.   Below I am sharing my road trip packing checklist, that can me edited to suit your family's needs!

• Travel size and refillable containers are great solutions when packing toiletries.  These compact items make it easier to organize without taking up a lot of space, divide these among the family.
• Laundry Bags are great solutions when organizing dirty laundry while away.  I found these bags at Target for $5.
• First Aid Kit is a MUST.  I bought this First Aid container bag and stocked it with First Aid essentials.  Of course, you can always buy a fully stocked kit. 
• Zippered Bags are great solutions for storing travel items and toiletries.  These bags are super easy to store in the car or in the luggage.  Give family members their own for personal items.  Label for convenience and easy access.
• Cleaning Products are a necessity especially with kids.  Antibacterial wipes and shout wipes.  We even bring Lysol wipes or spray to disinfect items in our hotel room, toilet seat, remote control.  It gives us peace of mind.

Family Road Trip Essentials Packing Checklist Template - MSWord


Family Road Trip Essentials Packing Checklist - PDF Version


Thanks for visiting A Pretty House Rocks.com!  Enjoy your Vacation!!!!!!

 Thanks for visiting A Pretty House Rocks!  Happy holidays! 

After painting our dining room using Sherwin Williams' Gauntlet Gray.  Of course, we had to paint the room across from the dining room,...the living room.  This room was painted a very dated, yet once popular faux finish gold. (just like the dining room) See Dining Room update with the Perfect Gray Paint


This new color completely transformed this room into a more modern and elegant space.  




We changed the curtains but are still working on updating the remaining decor, but for now we are satisfied with simply adding this new paint.