There are some tea towels that are just too cute to use for their intended purpose of drying dishes, absorbing spills and wiping dirty fingers. I ordered this flag conversion towel {a darling collaboration between west elm and artist shanna murray which is no longer… Continue Reading…tea towel + frame = easy art for the kitchen
Last week, the kids and I attempted to make snow globes. We followed this tutorial and they sort of turned out. But not as good as I hoped. I couldn’t get the right proportion of glycerine/water/glitter and then the trees kept coming unglued from the… Continue Reading…snow globes
This season is filled with shiny sequins. Have you noticed? They’re on sweaters, bags, curtains and pillows. It’s a trend I’m really liking and have been wanting to add a little bit of sparkle in the form of sequins in our home. My aunt was… Continue Reading…fancy sequin pillow {tutorial}
This has been a project I’ve wanted to do for forever. It has no purpose other than to look festive, but I’m pretty sure it is my new favorite thing I’ve ever made. I suppose you could use the countdown tags to actually count down… Continue Reading…free christmas countdown tags & 25 ways to embellish them
College friends of ours are adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia. Her name is Harper. You may remember we did a really fun crafting fundraiser a year and a half ago so it feels special to have walked a teensy bit of the adoption journey… Continue Reading…a handmade doll for harper
Have you ever found something on pinterest and thought, “oh, I could make that! It looks so easy!” And then you actually try it and it is not at all easy?
Yeah, me too.
Usually this happens when I am looking for a fun craft to do with the kids.
Like this one, for instance:
The kids and I wanted to make a little something to give to their friends on the first day of school and what better than a bunch of rollos + a hershey kiss all bundled up to look like a pencil. Cute, right? And looks simple?
Um, it was not.
I touched on it last week … and many of you agreed … we should all take a few more risks with our home-decorating and truly live where we live.
We should hang photos and not care about nail holes. We should be crazy and paint a room in a unexpected color just because we love it. We should find meaningful ways to add meaningful pieces and let our homes be an extension of our lives, our families, our personalities. It’s risky and sometimes costly {in time and money}, but don’t you think you function better in a visually inspiring space?
It’s fairly unimportant in the whole scheme of things – all this decorating and re-decorating our homes. But to those living in it and to those visiting, it can do so much to welcome, inspire and comfort.
One girl who has this figured out is the darling Ashley from The Handmade Home.
Well, I should say Ashley and her husband Jamin. They’re one talented team who have taken their perfectly-nice-but-very-average builder-grade home and turned it into a colorfully charming home with so much personality.
Here are a few before & after shots:
this post is a repeat from last year, but certainly worth sharing again
. . . . .
This season leading up to Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. If there is anything I’d like to be, it is thankful, and so I love the idea of expressing our gratitude both in spoken and written word.
I have created a set of cards to help encourage this attitude of thankfulness.
You could put one at each place setting at the the Thanksgiving table, have your family and friends fill them out and share with each other. My sister does this each night leading up to Thanksgiving with her family and then saves the cards to read the following year.
Another great way to use the cards is to turn them into tags
and hang them on a thankful tree.
The boys and I tromped out into the woods, cut down a few branches, put them into a heavy urn and filled the bottom with stones to hold the branches in place.
Every day, we each write one thing we are thankful for. And the rule is that nothing can be duplicated. This is our first year doing a thankful tree and I’m looking forward to seeing what the kids comes up with. I hope it is a great way to instill in them the importance of having a thankful heart. I know it will be good practice for us all.
More photos and a free printable pdf after the read more link…
For as much crafting that is done around here, you’d be surprised at the lack of fancy craft supplies hanging around in my office. I have my loyal go-to’s {tape gun, paper cutter, corner rounder}, and a few regular embellishments {baker’s twine, alphabet stamps, glitter… Continue Reading…a tool worth adding to your craft arsenal
Because I am completely not over the book page thing and because it is the world’s easiest way to add autumn style to inexpensive plasticky pumpkins {and gourds} I present you with a very simple, very kid-friendly, very un-original tutorial: Here’s what you’ll need: ::… Continue Reading…book page pumpkins
A few weeks ago, that creative itch crept up on me and I decided to do a painting. On a large canvas. Of a white pumpkin. I was as shocked as could be at the finished product. Truthfully, I had no idea I could do… Continue Reading…a pumpkin painting
Large chalkboard for just $25? Yes, please. That’s what we just added to our kitchen. I used a frame from Ikea {this one} and rather than having a piece of wood cut for the chalkboard, I simply used the flat side of the backer board.… Continue Reading…simple diy chalkboard
Playdough is one activity that keeps my kids busy for hours {okay, fine, minutes}. But it does hold their attention for longer than many activities and I actually enjoy playing it with them. Every month or so we make a new batch of fresh playdough… Continue Reading…how to make playdough
When brainstorming decorations for my cousin’s ombre shower, I came across this darling image: {via} How cute is that paint chip garland? So I decided to make my own and {of course} share how I did it with you. Here’s what you’ll need: :: paint… Continue Reading…paint chip garland {tutorial}
A beautifully wrapped gift is always a pleasure to give and makes the recipient feel extra special.
I’ve noticed an influx of gift bags lately at parties and showers and I understand why … it takes extra time and the right supplies to wrap a gift the traditional way with paper and ribbon. A gift bag makes it so easy.
But I can assure you, this wrapping method is just as easy as those gift bags and costs just a few dollars.
It is my favorite way to wrap clothes, stuffed animals, a small stack of books – anything smallish and odd shaped.
Here’s what you’ll need:
:: gift
:: tissue paper {two large sheets}
:: roll of cellophane
:: scissors, tape
:: ribbon, stickers or gift tag for embellishing
STEP ONE: layer two pieces of tissue paper {this will make it less see-through} on top of cellophane. Cut cellophane slightly larger than tissue.
