Blog - Laura Kelly's Inklings

October 14, 2020 by: admin

5 Reasons to Stay at Marriott Lexington City Center

I am a University of Kentucky Wildcat and LOVE getting back to my university town every chance I get. I recently was there because Jordan has my alma mater as one of her top schools as she is narrowing down her college of choice. We stayed in the heart of the city and here are my top 5 Reasons to Stay at Marriott Lexington City Center! This post is sponsored as part of my stay was comped. The ideas and opinions are my own.

First of all, the hotel is a Marriott and that speaks for itself. To me it means that I can count on the following every time:

Super clean room
Awesome comfortable bed
Friendly and knowledgeable staff
Safe environment
The rooms are amazing. Check out my video of our room on Facebook here.

Second, the Marriott Lexington City Center is located in the heart of the city, surrounded with an abundance of culture, restaurants, shops and sites. Here are some of my favorites from this trip to Lexington, KY.

Third, the Marriott Lexington City Center has great views. From our room on the twelfth floor, we could see all the way to the campus. The seats in the windows of the hotel allow for a fabulous view while relaxing and hanging out.

Fourth, there are great restaurants in the hotel. We ate breakfast in the lobby restaurant (The Greatroom) and had fantastic omelets to order. Of course, we had Ale8 too because when in Kentucky, one must drink Ale8!

In the evening, it is nice to unwind, enjoy a cocktail and some great fried green tomatoes at Infinity (Skybar and Cafe).

Lastly, the hotel is SO close to campus that you can literally walk. We had such a great time both in downtown and all over campus. Here are few highlight photos of our time spent on the University of Kentucky campus.

Other Marriott Properties I Love!

I love the Gaylord Rockies in Denver, Colorado! It is the perfect place for a weekend getaway too!

One of my favorite cities to visit is NYC. The Lexington Hotel Autograph Collection is my go-to!

YAY for Travel, UK and Marriott,

Laura

October 14, 2020 by: admin

Creative Crafts Linky Party #11

Welcome to Creative Crafts Linky Party #11!

There were so many awesome projects shared last week. These were our favorites and we are all excited to feature them for you here this week.

My favorite is the Wood Rosette Pumpkins by Petticoat Junction.

Meg loved the Front Entryway for Fall by The House on Silverado

Ann’s fave is the Rustic Wood Pumpkin by Interior Frugalista

and…Beth loves the Rotating School Supply Organizer by Artsy Fartsy Mama! I LOVE this one too!

There are four of us who work together to bring this party to you! We would LOVE it if you would join all of us on our creative adventures.

Ann at Bella Crafts Publishing | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Laura at Laura Kelly Designs | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Meg at Makeable Crafts | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Beth at Creatively Beth | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Cheers and Love,

Laura

October 10, 2020 by: admin

Hanging Stuffed Jack-O-Lanterns

Decorating outdoors and creating spooky yards and trails is super fun in October. These Hanging Stuffed Jack-O-Lanterns are easy to create and require no sewing! The team from ManCrafts whipped up a batch and hung them on the lake trail where they blow in the wind. This post is sponsored by Fairfield World, the makers of the Oly*Fun used as the main fabric for the project AND the PolyFil used to stuff the jack-o-lanterns too.

Material Needed

Oly-Fun in Orange and Green
Black Felt
Scissors
Fishing Line
Beacon Fabri-Tac Glue
Needle
Pencil

Directions

Draw the outline shape of the pumpkins on the Oly*Fun with pencil.

Cut two pieces of the same size orange Oly*Fun for each jack-o-lantern. They can be any size but the bigger the better! These are about 18-24 inches each.

Glue the two pieces together around the edge, leaving about 4 inches at the top to stuff later and let glue dry. Cut green leaves and glue them to the tops in the opening. Cut black felt pieces for faces and glue them to the front.

Once the glue is dry, stuff the jack-o-lanterns and glue the opening closed.

ManCrafts Zach decided the best way to hold them closed while drying was with clamps! Feed fishing wire through the top of the jack-o-lanterns using a needle and cut at the length desired for hanging.

Hang them in trees to create a spooky trail.

The more you hang, the better!

MORE Halloween Decoration Ideas

Oly*Fun is a GREAT material for projects like this. It won’t last permanently outdoors but it is great for party decorations and holiday fun. Here are two more awesome Halloween decorations using Oly*Fun!

The ghosts are darling and super cute. The details to make the ghosts are in this post.

The witch is festive and a little more wicked. You can get the details to make her in this post.

Here is a really fun beanbag toss game you can make with Oly*Fun too!

Yay for Halloween!

Laura and the Guys from ManCrafts

October 9, 2020 by: admin

DIY Clay Leaves

Pluffy clay is super soft and so easy peasy to work with. It was so fun to create these diy clay leaves using the autumn colors from the three different packages that Sculpey sent to me. I am excited to share how easy it is to make the leaves AND a couple of fun ways to use them too. This post is sponsored by Sculpey but the ideas and opinions are my own.

Material Needed for DIY Clay Leaves

Pluffy Clay
Sculpey Baking Mat
Sculpey Tools (Rolling Pin)
Cutter in Shapes of Leaves or Fall Things
Oven (Clay Must be Baked)

These are the colors that I chose to use when making my leaves.

I got them out of these three packages of Pluffy.

Directions for Making DIY Clay Leaves

Start with about 1/4 package of one of the colors and roll it in your hands a bit. Then use a rolling pin to roll into a flat surface, about 1/4 inch thick.

Use cutters to cut into leaf and autumn shapes. These Sculpey cutters worked great for this project. I especially love the irregular heart cutters.

Cut out as many shapes and you want for your learning activities or craft projects. I like to work on the Sculpey Mat because it goes right into the oven for baking too.

Bake following the directions in the packaging and then let the leaves cool completely. They are great to use in educational activities for sorting, sequencing, counting and story telling. You can download the FREE leaves printable HERE and use it in lots of different ways.

Use the DIY Clay Leaves for Decor

Did you know that you can PAINT on the clay. Acrylic paints work great and dry super fast.

I used these leaves to decorate the bow on the tin that holds our sidewalk chalk. We keep it on the shelf right beside the front door so I like for it to be festive and cute.

Another Fun Project with DIY Clay Leaves

While I was working on this project, I decided to roll my leftover clay into a marble looking slab. My friend Katie was over and cut out leaves from it, baked them and took them home with her.

Click over to her blog to see how she turned those leaves into these earrings!

More FUN Clay Ideas for Autumn (Easy Enough for Kids)

This blog is packed with fun ideas for using clay (in projects that are easy peasy and great for beginners or kids). Here are a few of my favorites that you might like to try.

Cheers to Clay and Making All The Things,

Laura

PS: Check out all of these fun DIY Autumn Crafts Too!

What is your favorite autumn tradition. Comment and let me know.

XO,

Laura

October 9, 2020 by: admin

Fall Wreath with Hemp Cord

This is a great time to whip up an adorable Fall Wreath with Hemp Cord using a grapevine wreath, some flowers and autumn colors of hemp cord from Hemptique. I LOVE this cord because it ties into the best ever knots AND it is super easy to work with. There are TONS of colors but I chose these three because they match the theme I am creating in my home this season. This post is sponsored by Hemptique but the ideas and opinions are my own.

Supplies Needed for Fall Wreath with Hemp Cord

Hemp Cord from Hemptique
Grapevine Wreath (Hampton Art)
Scissors
Fall Florals
Tape
Glue if Desired

Directions for Fall Wreath with Hemp Cord

Start by braiding the hemp cord. You will need a length long enough to wrap around the entire wreath.

It works best to use between 5-7 pieces of cord in each of the three pieces of the braid.

Wrap the braided cord around the wreath and either glue or tie in place.

Tie on autumn florals with hemp cord.

Use the cord to make a big bow. Use more of the colors that you want featured in your wreath.

It is the last day of Creative Crafts Fall Decor Edition!

MORE Awesome DIT Autumn Decor from My Friends

These are the other projects being shared for Creative Crafts. I am so inspired to make ALL the things.

Co-host Meg from Makeable Crafts always does the best stuff with papercrafting. Check out this decor!

Katie from A Sweet Berry Designs is sharing these adorable clay earrings!

Co-Host Creative Beth is sharing this darling pumpkin bushel basket!

Erica from Five Little Monsters is sharing this Pick Your Own Pumpkin Bucket. SO CUTE!

Beth Eatson at the Ruffled Daisy is sharing this fabulous pumpkin painted garland.

Hop over to DoodleCraft to see how Natalie made this perfect circle decor.

Co-Host Ann Butler is sharing the link to ENTIRE magazine on her blog.

Sue Elrod turned these Dollar Store pumpkins into beautiful fall decor.

Well, that’s a wrap!

Cheers and Love,

Laura

October 8, 2020 by: admin

Autumn Leaves Wreath

Autumn Leaves Wreath with Felt

This autumn leaves wreath is ridiculously easy to make because it has just a few quick steps. It could be make using all of your favorite fall colors because Kunin Felt has such a fabulous assortment. I love crafty projects that have that element of upcycling something old into something new again so this is a good one.

Supplies Needed

To make this autumn leaves wreath, you will need the following materials and supplies.

Old Frame
Kunin Basic Felt
Sewing Machine (if decorative stitches are desired)
Glue
Sizzix Leaf 3 Die

Directions for Autumn Leaves Wreath Using Upcycled Frame

Cut out LOTS of leaves.

Cut out acorns too.

Add decorative stitches to the leaves.

Glue to leaves to the frame.

There are so many great ideas being shared today in our fall decor edition of Creative Crafts.

MORE Autumn and Fall DIY Decor Projects

There are so many great projects in this edition of Creative Crafts. Here are the other ones from today.

Co-host Creatively Beth made an adorable book stack decoration using Dollar Tree books.

Jenny at Jenny’s Crayon Collection made a haunted house. You can get the KIT to make this haunted house on Amazon.

Co-Host Ann Butler is sharing a quilt stamped table runner to decorate any table in the house.

Katie Berry created an engraved Happy Fall sign using her Glowforge Pro.

Marisa from RaeGun Ramblings is sharing a darling autumn pillow using iron-on vinyl.

And lastly Morena from Morena’s Corner is sharing a fabulous GATHER sign.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for EVEN MORE great autumn and fall decorating DIY ideas.

XO,

Laura

October 7, 2020 by: admin

Creative Crafts Linky Party #10

It is a big day. It is a LINKY Party and day two of our Creative Crafts Fall Decor Series. Be sure to check it out too!

There were so many awesome projects shared last week. These were our favorites and we are all excited to feature them for you here this week.

Pumpkin Spice Soap from The Socialites Closet

My FAVORITE!!! – Book Page Ghost Garland from Thistle Key Lane

Halloween Stairs from Simple Joys

Halloween Door Hanger from Busy Lifestyle Gal

There are four of us who work together to bring this party to you! We would LOVE it if you would join all of us on our creative adventures.

Ann at Bella Crafts Publishing | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Laura at Laura Kelly Designs | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Meg at Makeable Crafts | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Beth at Creatively Beth | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Wanna Link Up!

Do it… We would LOVE for you to link up for this week’s party!

The rules are simple:

· Please visit our hostesses on social media and say HI! We can’t feature you if you aren’t following us on at least one platform.

· Share up to THREE family-friendly – crafts, recipes, DIY, home décor, printables, etc. – linked to a specific post – not your main website URL.

· Please don’t link up shops, advertising, round-ups, other linky parties, or any sales promotions, we appreciate it.

· Help us spread the word about this party by sharing the Creative Crafts Linky Party button in your post or sidebar. Use the hashtag #creativecrafts when sharing on social!

· It’s not a party if you aren’t mingling! Visit other links at the party because it’s always nice to leave comments and pin from the original source.

By linking to the Creative Crafts Linky Party, you give us permission to share your post and images on our blogs and social media. We will always give proper credit with a photo and link back.

Cheers to Autumn, to Sharing and To Collaborating.

XO,

Laura

October 7, 2020 by: admin

DIY Grateful Sign

It’s always a great idea to be grateful. I love that there is a special time of year where we focus on gratitude so I made a DIY grateful sign to add to my holiday autumn decor. It is perfect for adding to a tiered tray display or setting out on a shelf as a stand alone piece. This is a fabulous project for beginning painters and basic crafters alike.

Materials Needed

Wood Board
DecoArt Americana Paints
Paintbrushes

Directions

Paint the board first with a background color. I mixed up some brown and white to blend into this pretty one.

Add leaves on the ends, first in white.

Then add colors.

Add the word grateful in the center and just like that you have created a darling autumn leaf DIY grateful sign.

There are TONS of ideas in the Creative Crafts Fall Edition!

Check out all of these other amazing projects shared today.

Co-host Beth Watson is sharing these adorable bandana pumpkins. I think they are the cutest!

Ginger from Ginger Snap Crafts is sharing this beautiful canvas wall art.

This painted block pumpkin from Homemade Heather is so adorable.

Can you even love this enough? Erin Reed made this dollar store pumpkin into a work of art.

And here is another beautiful autumn wreath…. Lindsay from Artsy Fartsy Mama is so talented.

Lastly for today, co-host Ann Butler is sharing this enamel paint technique.

See you all tomorrow for day 3!

Cheers,

Laura

October 6, 2020 by: admin

Proven Best Fall Crafts

This is such an exciting collection of proven best fall crafts. It is Creative Crafts fourth complete collaboration with so many other amazing and talented bloggers and designers. It always makes me so happy to work on things like this together so we can share LOTS of ideas and different styles with our readers. I feel confident that there is something here that you will want to make.

Okay, let’s get crafty.

Best Fall Wreaths

Wreaths are great to decorate front door, side doors, back doors and cabinet doors. Actually, wreaths can be hung on any surface at all. Here are some of the ones that I really love.

DIY Pumpkin Decor

Next, let’s take a look at some fantastic pumpkin decor ideas. There are so many ways to turn everyday items into adorable and festive pumpkins.

MORE Best Proven Fall Crafts

There are four of us who work together to co-host this. Here we all are!

Ann at Bella Crafts Publishing | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Laura at Laura Kelly Designs | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Meg at Makeable Crafts | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Beth at Creatively Beth | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Here are six more from around my blog that you might love too!

Cheers,

Laura

October 6, 2020 by: admin

Wood Slice Pumpkins

Wood Slice Pumpkins on a Board

Autumn is my very favorite time of year. These wood slice pumpkins make decorating any area of the home (or porch) easy peasy. I love the added wine corks too because it makes this decoration perfect for my wine loving friends. Of course, any cork at all could be used! Wood slices can be found at just about every craft store and can also be purchased online fairly inexpensively in so many sizes!

Material Needed for Wood Slice Pumpkins on a Board

2 Wood Slices
Jute Cord
2 Corks
Board
DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint (Oranges, White, Brown and Black)
Paintbrush
Hot Glue

This is my favorite Jute Cord from Hampton Art!

Directions:

Start by painting the board brown. Mix in a little white to get a textured look. Let it dry. Paint the insides of the wood slices orange, again mixing in a little white if desired.