Need a super simple project to do with the kids? This watercolor wood block project is perfect. It’s also great for an unexpected baby gift or fun party decorations for a birthday party or baby shower or thrown in a bowl for chic accessory on… Continue Reading…DIY watercolor wood blocks
My baby is turning 5. What?! She’s just the best. She brings a girly flair to our family with her constant songs and dancing, she makes us all laugh and maaaybe has her daddy wrapped around her finger. Possibly her mommy and brothers, too. The… Continue Reading…audrey’s 5th birthday invitations
This is a very simple project you can do in just a few minutes and let your imagination run … diy wire words. I’ve made these before as gift toppers (see that post here), but this time I tried wrapping the wire in ribbon and… Continue Reading…DIY ribbon-wrapped wire words
A few girlfriends came over this week for a Christmas craft night. A couple of us had seen book page angel wings and it seemed like a fun project to do together for the holidays. There was nothing fancy or exceptional about my craft night… Continue Reading…craft night: book page angel wings
Here’s a tutorial that is months in the making! I made this blanket at the beginning of September, took photos of the process to share with you, posted the finished cutie on instagram and promised I’d show you how I did it. Then I uploaded… Continue Reading…DIY Pom Pom Blanket
There is something just a little extra special about receiving a gift that’s been handmade. The thought, the time, the unique end-product … all of these things make a difference. It’s not always easy to come up with unique – yet do-able – homemade gift… Continue Reading…10 simple gifts to make + give
This year, our thankful tree sits on the bar cart in the dining room. I thought it would be fun to have some sort of interesting art to hang nearby and decided to try a technique I’ve seen and loved all over the web. Here are a few of my favorite string art examples (1 / 2 / 3). My version is subtle and the white string and linen backing look pretty next to the vintage gold frame.
Want to see how I made it?!Continue Reading…diy thankful string art
Today I’m joining in on a fun ‘think outside of the box’ challenge so if you’re here from Perfectly Imperfect, welcome!
My blog friends Jamin and Ashley published three awesome books filled with removable 8×10 art prints. The idea is brilliant and makes switching out art affordable and so, so easy. The art work is all great, but no one can hang all of it in their homes, so they challenged a group of bloggers to come up with other creative uses for the artwork – the only request was that we could not place them in a frame (which I sort of cheated on …).
I was inspired to use the pretty paintings to create these cutie royal woodland animals. I call it making art from art.
They were so simple to make (and I even have templates for you so you can make them too!).Continue Reading…art from art (woodland animals + templates)
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I know I say that about every major celebration, but truly, Thanksgiving ranks high (like right at the top with christmas and easter). We have the best memories of Thanksgiving from when we were kids – big family gatherings, weekends at my great Aunt & Uncle’s house in their small town, cutting down our christmas tree – and it’s continued to be a time of year that feels festive and filled with tradition even now.
I love watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with the kids, then the dog show after (weird, I know. But I tend to be a bit like my mom and she always kept the dog show on so naturally, I do the same), then football for days. Our house fits the most people in it, so we often host here which we love. We do some of the cooking, and the rest of the family each bring a favorite dish (sweet potato puree, sauteed green beans with shallots and bacon, sweet potato cranberry crescent rolls – yum).Continue Reading…thanksgiving table
For the past three years our family has done a thankful tree and it has become my kids’ favorite tradition for this time of year.
Our entry table was the spot for our tree last year, and this year it sits on the bar cart in our dining room (photos coming tomorrow!)
A full explanation is on this original thankful tree post, but the idea is simply to grab a few branches, pop them in a pretty urn and put out tags to write on and then hang from the tree. As the boys went out the door to school this morning, each stopped to think of something they are thankful for and put it on a tag. It was so sweet to watch them do it on their own and take a few seconds to reflect before they went on with their day. You can dedicate a time each day to do this as a family, or just let them go at it – which is probably our approach this year – every time they pass the tree, they are welcome to use another tag.
There are thankful tags from that first thankful tree post which you are welcome to use, or choose your favorite from these designs.
Just dowload the pdf, print on your favorite paper (see my favorite sources here) and cut around the edges. Punch a hole in the top if you’ll be hanging from branches, or just use as little cards to keep in a pretty bowl, or on your thanksgiving table or as lunchbox notes.
Continue Reading…start today: a thankful tree with printable tags
A simple, understated pillow, with classic detailing and menswear-inspired fabric? Yes, please.
One of my favorite pillows I’ve made is an oversized bow pillow (which you can see in the background of this picture and in this post about pillows). The inspiration came from those silky bow blouses from the 80’s, but with a slightly more masculine feel with the gray plaid of the original pillow. It’s such an easy one to make that I thought maybe you would like one in your home, too. I’d love to show you how.Continue Reading…bow pillow (tutorial)
Here’s a great project for this fall: a glitter gratitude banner. I generally tend towards simple, inexpensive and less-than-one-hour crafts and this fits on each level. Of course you can use the same method to spell out any word or initials – a monogram would be super cute hanging over a bed or use individual letters as gift tags, place cards or party favors this upcoming holiday season. We can all use a little more glitter in our lives.Continue Reading…diy glitter gratitude banner
My favorite HGTV show is Fixer Upper – where the darling couple Chip & Joanna Gaines help a family buy a major fixer-upper and turn it into something jaw dropping. Chip takes on the reno, Joanna works her magic on the design and interiors. She is beautiful and fashionable (I want all of her outfits) and has great farmhouse/cottagy/classic design taste.
I was asked to create a custom watercolor with Joanna’s design essentials and was beyond excited to see what I could create.Continue Reading…custom artwork for a fun client!
It was time for a deliberate reorganization. I started pinning a few years ago and created only a handful of boards. Most were titled generally – like decorate and things I like – which was fine until they started filling up and the categories no longer felt specific enough. As I have saved more favorite images/ideas/inspiration, it seemed fitting to make them more easily find-able for both me and those who follow my boards. So one day a few weeks ago, I finally made the time to begin my pinterest makeover.Continue Reading…newly organized pinterest boards (and how I did it)
My No.3 and I were doodling yesterday and we got on the topic of Halloween. We had a little fun drawing a few not-too-spooky pictures which turned out so cute I decided to make them into clip art.
The kids love Halloween (what kid doesn’t?!) and I thoroughly enjoy the candy (fyi: four kids acquire a lot of trick-or-treat candy) but the overly scary stuff I can do without. So these doodles are mild and cutesy and would be super great for party invitations, gift tags, scrapbooking or as overlays for the annual kids-in-their-costumes photos.Continue Reading…free hand-drawn halloween clip art
