diy christmas ornament with sentiment

hi all!

i hope you had a fantastic christmas!  man these winter month holidays come and go sooo quickly!  it's new year's in a week and i remember just greeting everyone a happy thanksgiving 3 weeks ago.  i recently made these for two couples of friends we have.  both are recently married (one last year but you know, it's still new!) and i thought this would be a really great way to share what i feel is one of the most thoughtful gifts you could give someone (especially being a newlywed).  plus it's something they can pull out and share every year & it'll bring back memories of their special union.  i also think it's a great way to keep a wedding invitation :]  i forgot to take photos of the ornament hanging on my tree with their pretty respective bows but here are some photos i have to share with you.

here's a photo of the ornament at my friend lynn's on her decorative tree!  (kinda awesome that it matches her overall theme here too!!!!)  thanks for sending me this photo lynn!

here are photos of the how to!  super easy with a little time about (30 minutes), materials/tools, and love ...

materials needed:

1. clear ornament balls (bought mine at michael's for $5/glass but you can get anything that's see through)
2. scissors
3. paper cutter
4. invitations
5. photos (optional)
6. other creative documents or trinkets (optional)
7. beads (optional)
8. ribbon (optional)
9. time = about 30 minutes for 1 ornament unless you can chop and slice the invitation faster (safety first!)

cut invitation into strips with paper cutter or scissors (i bought this one after using one at my old office because i really liked how it chops!)

take out a glass ornament

squeeze pins together and pull off top

start putting strips of invitation into ornament

you can use a pair of scissors to curl the invitation a little but i don't think it's really necessary.  i just thought it was cute.

here's a view of the ornament from the bottom.

here's a view of the ornament from the side.  sooo pretty!

here's a view straight on.

these are some beads i used to toss into the 2nd ornament i made.

also, instead of the invitation, i found a wedding photo of them (printed it out and cut it to size), rolled up the photo so it would fit through the hole, and then stuck the tweezers around to position it where i wanted.  cut out their names and the day they got married, tossed some beads in and closed it up.

hope you guys liked this tutorial!  i know it's post christmas but in case you haven't seen some friends and want to wrap up some late christmas gifts or save this on your to-do list for next christmas!!

jen

diy mustache cards

just thought i'd share some cards i recently hand crafted with you.  i have a friend that really likes mustaches so i thought i'd send her a packet of cards for her post holiday gratitude :]  they were F-U-N to make!  maybe this could inspire you to make some cards of your own?

hope you're all having a great start to the weekend!  one more week and it's christmas!

thanks for stopping by!

jen

diy christmas wreath

hi everyone,

the holiday season definitely gets me into crafting and so here i am with yet another post related to christmas decor!  i was in need of something to greet guests at my door (especially with the party we had last week) and so i of course looked up different ideas and ways to make wreaths or some kind of door plaque.  i found lots of great ideas with yarn and garland of all sorts but didn't really want to leave the house to gather leaves or spend any dough.  also, i wanted to be able to easily hang something over the door so i wouldn't have to buy any extra wreath hanger.  so i sat around, and came up with this.  it's light, i used ribbon to hang it, and duct tape = awesome.  it took me about 2 hours and a day to wait for the paint to dry but i'm very pleased with the results and the best part is that it was free & i didn't have to poke any holes or figure out how to hang it.  it's so light i could chuck it like a frisbee!

i hope you enjoy this tutorial!

materials needed:

1. cardstock, cereal boxes?, i used manila folders (that were in the donate/recycle bin = free!!)
2. paint
3. paint brush
4. ribbon
5. scissors
6. duct tape
7. foam roll (leftover from bf's project = free!  otherwise it's really inexpensive at home depot about $0.60) if not, try bunching up some paper towels and duct taping them or something to form a circle?  get creative!
8. thread

directions:

first take the foam and wrap both ends together then duct tape!

then find a template you like (i picked this trellis one that i've used before as posted here http://fauxtreschic.blogspot.com/2011/10/diy-trellis-canvas-art.html) i figured you can't go wrong with something you love already!  i had a template already so i just used it and traced it.  i used two different sizes of the trellis so that i could create some different dimensions.  you can choose to do it any which way you'd like.  i just winged it and came up with this!  use your first template to see how many you'll need to cut out for the wreath.  i needed 9 large trellises and 9 smaller ones.

yeah don't make fun!  i used every nook and cranny i can :]

then you paint the large trellises one color and the smaller ones another

then you wait ...  i just used regular latex paint that i had leftover from some other projects.  the bf mentioned that the paper would probably warp when the paint dried but it wasn't too bad and if it did warp a little, i just bent it back into place haha.  (as you can see there happens to be a warped one right in the top - middle of the photo)  waiting ... sigh ...

then returning to the project for completion!  you then want to position the large trellises on the foam wreath to see how they'll be positioned and remove one by one to duct tape the back and tape it back to where you positioned it.

the back will look like this when you're done duct taping everything.  yeah it's not too chic back here but hey, it's faux and hopefully no one will turn it over to critique your art.

i added a piece of cardstock stamped with merry on both sides and embossed it with some gold glitter.  then i attached it with some gold thread i have.  

 lots of stamping and embossing!  i love it!  if you don't have an embosser, just grab some red sharpies and start coloring!  i used some festive green grosgrain ribbon to hang over the door.  oh and i just strung the ribbon through the wreath and taped both ends with duct tape on the top of the door.  it's held up for 2 weeks without worry.  truth be told, i initially didn't use enough duct tape on the wreath and so i duct taped the trellises to the wreath this time by wrapping the duct tape around the roll and making sure it sticks to the paper at both ends.  (this is because i found the wreath on the floor this morning - so yeah, you don't have to worry about the wreath falling because of the way it's attached to the door but maybe falling if you didn't duct tape enough - whoopsie)

then i used another piece of ribbon and tied a bow to finish it off and viola!  faux tres chic diy for FREEZIES!

hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial!  thanks for stopping by!  

jen

diy monogram door plaque

hi guys, 

i hope you're having a great holiday season so far.  yesterday we had our 2nd annual holiday party.  it was nice to see our friends and spend time with them before it gets chaotic (not that it probably already isn't for some).  we feasted on fresh home made salsa, shrimp ceviche, duck tacos, and grilled chicken tacos, sugar coated donuts, and warm hot chocolate.  along with food, there was a marshmallow fight and a white elephant gift exchange.  


i was also able to give some gifts that i made to friends and hopefully they all liked them and will find use for them.  i <+3 making gifts and giving gifts that either are useful, fit with the person's lifestyle at the moment, or thoughtful gifts.  i find that it's much easier to customize and i personally get more enjoyment from making it just exactly the way i want for exactly that person (giving someone a custom gift feels special too).  i don't always get the chance to make gifts and sometimes there's no real need if you know what you can also buy for that person.


sometimes they're pranks too, for a good laugh but hey, they're still thoughtful.  (i thought about how we could both laugh after you opened your present!)  anyway, i thought i'd share with you this monogram door plaque/wall art that i made for my friend lynn.  she has a black and white theme going on in her overall decor at home so i thought, why not?  and one of her favorite colors is pink, hence the pink/fuschia ribbon.

i've been holding onto it for over about 2 months now so i'm excited that i can finally post a blog about it.  i don't think she reads this blog so i probably still would have been safe had i posted it prior to yesterday.  anyway, it was very easy to make (though it takes some patience with waiting, and i can't stand waiting around for things to dry) and i would definitely recommend it for someone who just got married or just is proud of their last name or first initial of their first name!  and since lynn also just got married earlier this year, even better!  i think she liked it and hopefully isn't hiding it away in her "goodwill" basket for a giveaway later in the new year (haha).  the one thing i always can tell my friends is if they don't like something or can't use it, please to pass it on if they can think of someone who can use it or would like it.  not much offense taken if i missed the mark on some occasions.

materials needed:

1. small wood block (home depot, around $1.00 but i had mine leftover from another project so FREE)
2. printer
3. paper
4. x-acto knife
5. mod podge
6. art hanging kit
7. ribbon
8. paint
9. paintbrush/sponge brush
10. 10 minutes to paint overall color
11. few hours to wait for paint to dry
12. 30 minutes to print monogram and cut with x-acto knife
13. 10 minutes to mod podge to wood block
14. 10 minutes to put in wall hanging kit and tying ribbon for hanging
15. total of about 3 hours and some overnight waiting ( 3 hours + x thoughtfulness & affection = love) or if you're a numbers person and want to quantify it through an excel spreadsheet, probably around $45 dollars of just time! 

first paint your wood block the color of your choice (i chose white from freshaire http://freshairechoice.com/), then set aside.  

then, print out a monogrammed letter of your choice (check the size with the size of the wood block you're using.  i used a 40 point font because my wood block was a 1x5.)

then paperclip it to a cardboard piece in the back (cereal box - something you don't mind scraping up) and use your x-acto knife and carefully carve out letter)

then take some mod podge and paint mod podge onto the wood block (make sure the paint dried).  then place cut out monogrammed letter and then mod podge over the letter and wait.

after all has been dried (may need to dry overnight with mod podge)

turn over and put hanger wherever you'd like depending on how you want to hang it.  i put two round twist on screws on each side and then tied a ribbon to both twist ons and viola!  faux tres chic!  i also put a tooth hanging piece in there just in case lynn decides she wants to hang it sans ribbon.

thanks for stopping by!!  hope you guys liked this tutorial and diy idea.  have a great week to come!

diy tall boxwood topiary inspired by design darling & ballard designs

hi everyone!


i hope you all had a fantastic thanksgiving (if you celebrate it).  i got to spend it with my bf's family and they are awesome to be around.  they're really kind people and i was happy and honored to be welcomed into their home & family gatherings.


so in my previous post i made a holiday ornament topiary.  i said i'd repost and update once i made another topiary and here it is!  this couldn't have come at a better time.  i hired my friend's wife to help me one day while decorating a home and asked her what her favorite thing about a room was and she pointed to the topiary in the picture below.  this was about 2 weeks ago and it couldn't have come at a better time with the holidays around the corner.  i love making gifts for friends and family.  they take more time and sometimes you have to sit around a write a list to detail what you're getting for each person but i feel like it's so worth it!

so i set out on a mission to make another topiary but this time with plants/leaves.  

you can purchase one here at design darling for $58.00 (photo credits to designdarling.com)

or here from ballard desings for $89 (photo credits to ballarddesigns.com)

12/12/11 i just received photos of the topiary at my friend's house! how awesome that i was able to match the ribbon exactly to the black and red decor they have at home!  woo hoo, points for remembering!  (points for myself that is haha) did i mention my friend is a wedding photographer (hence the beautiful photos)!

materials needed:

1. foam ball (choose size you'd like to.  i picked a 4 inch/10.1 cm one.) $2.99 @ michael's but use your 40% coupon!!  i need to figure out how to make a foam ball quickly and cheaply because i feel like these are kinda expensive for what they are.
2. half dome foam thing (dollar tree)
3. pot of your choice (mine is from ikea and it was $1.99)
4. ribbon 
5. moss
6. leaves of any kind from a faux/fake plant (i would've picked leaves outside if i didn't have some free faux leaves)
7. glue gun
8. twigs (i picked these outside for free)
9. newspaper/paper of any kind
10. about 1 hour total

directions:

start plucking the leaves off the faux plant like so.  i took the stem off too but if your stem is pretty sturdy, you might be able to just poke it right into the foam ball sans glue!

heat up your glue gun.  initially i tried using tacky glue because the glue gun strings drive me a little nuts but i found that it doesn't work as well.  then start gluing the leaves onto the foam ball like so.

fill in all the white spaces so the foam ball doesn't show (some people spray paint the foam balls but i think if you cover it well enough, you can skip that step).

then i took my twigs and broke them just by bending them to the height i wanted.  i used one of the smaller twigs and bent it and twisted it around the larger branch for a cool little curvy girlyness.

then i took the half foam thing that goes into the pot and wrapped newspaper around it and tucked it into the pot and stuck the twig into it.  if your pot is small you may not need the newspaper but if the pot is larger and your foam half thing is smaller, you'll need to stuff it with quite a bit of paper.  then i took the topiary top and stuck it in that.

i set mine up so that the foam is flushed with the pot opening.  this way, i can glue the moss right on top and it'll pop up a little.  you can choose to do it where the moss won't extend past the pot opening.  i thought it would give the topiary more depth.  then i used tacky glue (but you can continue using the glue gun) and just stuck the glue all over the green foam half thing and stuck the moss all over, patting it on a little.

then i finished by doubling up red and black grosgrain ribbons and tied a bow and viola!

not bad for an hour or so and under $5.

thanks for stopping by!