Spring Party Favors

Dan was out of town 2 weekends ago, so I took the girls to Home Depot for their community kids workshop.  I had never been to one before and we had an absolute blast.  The girls (with mucho help from me!) used a hammer and screw driver to make a wooden bank! By the end of it we were covered in paint and in desperate need of a snack.  On our way out, I walked past the sparse garden department and some adorable mini-succulents caught my eye.  The girls were super close to melt-down mode, so I grabbed a flat, quickly selected 12 plants and got the heck out of there.

What to do with 12 adorable mini-succulent plants???  Use them as table decor and party favors!
I wrapped them in brown craft paper and tied them with jute twine, to dress-up the plastic pots.  I loved the way they looked on the table and it was nice to send our guests home with something at the end of the night!

personalize a thrift store vase

I try to have fresh flowers every week. Nothing fancy (usually from the grocery store or Costco), but they make me super happy, especially this time of year, when spring seems like it is still years away.

I was getting tired of using my same old circular or cubed short vases, so the last time I went to St. Vinny's I grabbed a few cut glass vases for 60 cents a piece. I wanted these new (old) vases to have a rustic/glam look so I took some twisted jute twine, and my glue gun and got to work.

I secured one end of the jute twine to the glass with the glue gun, and wrapped the twine around the vase until I had the desired coverage.  I then used the glue gun to secure the loose end to the vase, so it wouldn't unravel. 

Ta-da! Instant vase makeover. You could get super crazy and use ribbon, ric-rack or even fabric.  The possibilities are endless and for 60 cents a vase, why not experiment?!

Felt Donuts

I threw a donuts & milk themed birthday party for my 2 year-old in December. I loved the theme, not only because it was adorable and very age appropriate, but because it was the easiest party that I have ever thrown. Donuts + Milk = very happy 2 year olds. No baking, no fuss, just donuts and milk.

Since the party itself was so low maintenance (just like the birthday girl), I wanted to put some extra effort into the party favors. I decided to make felt donuts that guests could take home and use them in their play kitchens (or use as ornaments). I found this youtube video from Lily Bean, that did a great job showing the step by step process. I decided to embellish the donuts a little differently, by using yarn to make an icing squiggle instead of the sprinkles that Lily Bean used. The donuts turned out adorable and my girls "bake" them for breakfast every morning in their kitchen. I am definitely going to look at a few more lily bean felt foods, because they are pretty easy to make and much better quality than a lot of other play food options.

These would be an adorable Valentine's Day gift for your kids, or anyone who loves donuts as much as I do!

Watch Lily's video for a descriptive "how to".

Supplies you will  need:
- felt
- stuffing
- thread
- sewing machine (not necessary)
- needle
- embellishments for decorating the donuts
- glue

gold painted vases

I have a mild obsession with all things gold so when it came to my wedding I attempted to incorporate it as much as possible. Since the wedding was in fall I decided to go with ivory, gold and bronze, a classic color palate. I am the third of three sisters to get married, so we already had a million glass vases for the flowers. I wanted to add more color (gold!!!) to the table by having the vases contrast with the ivory linens. So, my mother and I got a little creative (or crazy) with painters tape and gold spray paint. We had fun making them, each one a little different. I LOVE how they turned out with the flowers and looked beautiful on the tables!!

Take you clear glass vases and create your design with painters tape. * Remember the glass surface that is not covered with tape is what will be painted gold.  

I tried to make sure that there was gold at the base of the vase for the contrast

Gently peel off paint tape - I found that some of the paint would peel off, but was hard to prevent (and I didn't mind)

My mom started spray painting pumpkins which were awesome for decor

Photos (on bottom) by: Becca Dilley

Flowers by: Daffodil Parker

Glittered Stag Decor

Looking for some last minute holiday decor? I am obsessed with the stag head trend, so when looking for some Christmas ideas I couldn't pass this easy project! We had a Christmas party a couple of weeks back and when pulling out all of my decorations, I realized I was neglecting the basement and needed some simple and quick.

What you need:
Canvas
Stock Paper paper
Swivel exacto knife (my new favorite tool)
Glitter Glue
Glitter


Start by finding a template online, like this and print. Cut it out and then trace it on to a heaver paper, ie stock paper. Cut out your stencil. Trace the stencil on to canvas. With you glue fill in Stag head. Pour glitter on top tapping excess glitter off. To seal the glitter, spray with hair spray.

Pumpkin Place Cards

Congrats Mrs. Lucas!!

Bridget was a stunning bride last weekend and the wedding went off without a hitch.
The new bride will have to post about her gold painted vases, table numbers and all of the other DIY wedding projects, but I wanted to show off these cute place cards so you could try making them for your fall family gatherings.


What you will need:
mini pumpkins
hot glue gun & glue
pins
paper


Write or print guest names on whatever you are using for the place cards.  Bridget purchased these from paper source and then using double sided tape, affixed a different colored backing card.

Start by using a larger and stronger pin to make a hole through the stem at a 45 degree angle.  Make a hole with the same pin through the bottom of the place card as well.  Then using a hot glue gun, place a few drops of glue on the back of the place card and then stick the card to the pumpkin stem and secure with a smaller pin. We actually ended up sticking the back of the pin into the pumpkin (so secured it at an angle).  The place cards didn't move even after transport!  Happy Fall!!

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Wine Cork Trivet

I love to collect wine corks, and they have been piling up (apparently we drink a lot of wine)! I started to look for a new project to make with them and found this brilliant idea online.

Each trivet turned out different and they have unique coloring from the different types of wines.   You can make a variety of different sizes, to fit all of your baking dishes, pots and pans.  I tried to make them as even as possible, choosing similar size corks.  They do not have to be perfect and they still get the job done.

SUPPLIES: You  need is wine corks (about 40-50 for the larger one) and a hose clamp which you can find at any hardware store (usually by the plumbing).

MY SECRET: Ask for corks at your favorite restaurant - I have gotten a bags full this way :)

For more projects with wine corks, click here & here!

Painted Glass Vases

We have a lot of family parties coming up in the next month, so I have spent waaaayyyy too much time on Pinterest looking at party themes, decoration ideas and table settings.  One of the 1,000 things that caught my eye, were these adorable, brightly colored enamel vases.
I have a ton of clear glass vases, that have come with flower deliveries etc, (If you do not have any at home, you can pick them up at a thrift store for under $1), so I thought I could transform them into fun colored centerpieces.  The vases turned out great, and I will not only use them for the parties, but I will reuse them again and again until the end of time.
(Once paint is cured, the vases are dishwasher safe)
 
Tools and Materials
Glass vases
Rubbing alcohol
Cotton balls
Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Paint
Paintbrush

Clean glass vases thoroughly; prime inside with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol.
Paint the inside of the vase with one coat of multi-surface paint; let dry for at least one hour. Add a second and third coat, allowing at least one hour of drying time between each.

Let glass paint dry overnight. For the paint to be permanent on the glass, it can be air-dried for 21 days or it can be baked. Baking method: Air-dry 1 hour. Place in cool oven and heat to 350 degrees (glass needs to heat gradually). Bake 30 minutes, then let cool in oven. Wait 72 hours until using.

Etched Glassware

I am throwing my sister a mustache themed couples baby shower next weekend and I thought these etched beer glasses would be a cute (and manly enough for the male guests) party favor.  I am excited to try this again with a monogram or initials to create something like this.


Supplies:
- Glasses (I ordered a Libbey International Beer   Glass Set)
- Glass etching cream (I used Martha's)
- Adhesive stencil film
- Paint brush
- X-Acto knife
- Scissors
- Pen
- Paper
- Magazine or cardboard (upon which to cut with your x-acto knife)
- Mustache template/stencil

1. Cut out mustaches from an image online, or draw your own and cut them out to make your own templates.


2. Make your stencil by placing your mustache template on the stencil film. Trace with a pen. Since a mustache is symmetrical, it does not matter on which side you trace your design. It will always transfer the right way.





3. Set your stencil film on a magazine or cardboard and cut out the traced mustache with your x-acto knife.

4. Clean your glass and dry it, making sure there are no finger prints or oils on the outside of your glass.

5. Remove the stencil film backing and stick the film on your glass. Rub the film down with your finger nails or a spoon to make sure it sticks really well, all the way up to the edges.

6. Paint the etching cream on your stencil, making sure it is thick and only brushed on the stencil.

7. Let the etching cream set for 15-20 minutes (the jar says 5 minutes, but I have found that 15-20 does the trick).

8. Wash your glass with soap and water to remove all the etching cream.

9. Peel the film off your glass.

10. Wash your hands. Even if you don't think you got any on your hands, wash them.

Drink up :)

Matchstick bottle

For the past 6 months, I have been searching for decorating tips. I page through catalogs and search countless websites looking for affordable, yet classic ways to decorate our new home.  I was so excited when Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere posted a "how to" video on decorating a coffee table, because it gave me a lot of really good ideas, especially her matchstick bottle. I am sure  that we have 1 million matches around our house, but we can never find them when we need them.  A matchstick bottle seemed like a functional and cute way to solve our problem.  After looking around online I found that a DIY matchstick bottle is easy and inexpensive to make.  The most important detail, is when you buy your matches, make sure that they are "Strike Anywhere" Matches, so you can light them on the bottom of the bottle.



What you need:
Strick Anywhere Matches
Bottle
Sandpaper 200-250g








Trace sandpaper to bottom of bottle and cut out. Using double stick tape, tape sandpaper (grain side out) to the bottom of the bottle.

DIY Chalk Board

I was looking for big chalk board for my kitchen and after searching online, I was inspired to make one myself. I had used the chalk board paint before, but not to this scale. I found a big frame at Goodwill and then went to Michael's to buy some paint for the frame. I LOVE the antique, crackled look on frames and luckily Martha Stewart has a crackle paint. (I did not put a base coat on my frame as the video shows because the frame already had color.) The biggest thing I learned while doing this is to be patient (this is hard for me) and let the paint always dry completely. Error on the side of waiting to long!


Supplies:
Frame, with glass
Sandpaper
Crackle paint
Paint color of choice for frame
Blackboard paint








Take the glass out of the frame. Start by sanding down frame with 200 grit sandpaper. I did this to take of the previous finish on the frame. Wipe down frame. Next, as the video above shows, paint a thick, single layer of the crackle paint. Let dry completely. Next, taking the paint color that you chose for the frame, paint a single layer over the crackle paint.

While letting the other layers dry you can start painting the glass portion with the blackboard paint. Let dry completely. (COMPLETELY, otherwise you will smudge the paint and have to keep letting it dry and it takes twice as long!) Repeat 2 more layers. Once everything is dry, put the frame back together and hang in your desired location.

LOVE Art - Valentines Day

My house always feels so empty and sad after I take down the Christmas decorations.  The emptiness reminds me of all of the house projects that are on  my "to-do" list and I am currently trying to work up the energy/commitment to get some of them started.  In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to start celebrating Valentines day, however early it might be :) 

This project is super easy and it takes less than an hour to complete. I got the idea from Knock Off Decor, which is one of my new favorite blogs!   

Supplies
Blank Art Canvas (I used 16x20)
Scrapbook Paper
Scissors
Mod Podge
Foam Brush

1. Find a font that you like and type out LOVE (I used size 700 font). I printed one letter per piece of paper

2. Cut out letters and use them as stencils on the scrapbook paper of your choice.  I used paper from Martha Stewart Crafts - Valentine Designer Paper pad. Cut out the letters and place them onto your canvas to ensure proper spacing/design.  

3. This step is optional - I did it because I knew that I would be hanging the canvas on a white wall and I wanted to piece to "pop" vs. blend in.  Paint all four sides of the canvas with a color of your choice.  Then, paint around the edges of the top of the canvas to create a faux frame.  Let the paint dry completely.

4. Coat the entire canvas with Mod Podge using a foam craft brush.  Apply Mod Podge to the back of each letter and place them onto the canvas.  Make sure to smooth out any wrinkles in the paper and that the letters lay completely flat. Apply another coat of Mod Podge to the entire canvas and carefully brush over letters.  

5. Let the canvas dry for an hour and apply a final coat.  

Teacup Candles

After being inspired by one of our favorite blogs, Cupcakes and Cashmere, I decided to give this fun project a try. I love hunting around at Goodwill this time of year, because the decorations are inexpensive and a lot of them can be modified/repurposed as gifts! I have a busy schedule this season, so these candles were the perfect project for me because they are quick and easy to make. Cupcakes and Cashmere has a great tea cup candle tutorial, so please see the attached link.

* notes to accompany the tutorial  - I purchased and used a candle making kit from Michaels, and I used a double boiler to melt the wax.