Crafty Habit

MAKE: CHRISTMAS WINDOW BOXES

2012-12-23T10:32:00.000-05:00

Supplies:

♥ Window boxes (mine are from IKEA)
♥ Christmas tree branches (I got mine out of the scrap pile at Lowe's for free)

♥ Wet florist foam

♥ Small rocks

♥ Hammer

♥ Plastic for protecting work area
♥ Decorative branches

♥ Decorative ribbon

Instructions and pictures after the jump

I started our with my IKEA window boxes and added some glass rocks I had laying around. You can use regular rocks as well. This should help with drainage.

Soak the wet foam in a bucket of water until it no longer floats. Place about two pieces of the foam in your window box.

Cut your branches into smaller pieces if needed. Using your hammer, place the end of the branch on a padded surface (I used an old catalog) and pound the ends to split them. I'm not 100% sure this helps but I'm hoping the split ends will help the branches get enough water therefore allowing my boxes to last longer.

Insert your branches into the wet foam to fill out the boxes. You can eye the arrangement and figure out the general layout and angles at which you should insert the branches.You can stop at this point and use the box as is or you can add decorative branches to your box. I used berry and pine cone branches.

Add a bow to your window box using the ribbon and you're all set for hanging. Mine face the street but for photo purposes I turned it around :) Happy Holidays!

MAKE: LETTER WREATHS FOR CHRISTMAS

2012-12-20T23:27:00.001-05:00

This is a fairly simple project that doesn't require many supplies. Learn how to make letter wreaths that you can hang in your window this holiday season after the jump.
Supplies:
♥ Wired garland

♥ Glass suction cup hooks

♥ String for hanging wreath on suction hook

♥ Battery operated fairy lights (optional)

Take your garland and form the letter you want to make. Depending on the length of your garland you may have to double fold to maintain even thickness.

As you form your letter, squeeze and twist pieces of the garland to each other. The wire in the garland should provide enough holding power. Just make sure you're interconnecting pieces to each other and squeezing tightly. It's kind of like molding play dough but really scratchy, though play dough.

Match your letter sizes to keep them proportionate.

At this point you can attach your string to suspend your letters, making sure your letters hang balanced. Hang on suction hooks. You can also string battery operated lights into these as an extra step, hiding the battery pack behind the letter. I'll show you how I did this when I get a chance to take pictures of it in the window.

enJOY!

APARTMENT THERAPY: ONE MINUTE TIP

2012-12-20T10:29:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I did a one minute tip for AT. Click the image to check it out :)

MAKE: OVER THE DOOR CHRISTMAS LANTERN

2012-12-04T16:15:00.000-05:00

Deck the halls with Christmas Lanterns

Fa la la la laaa la la la laaa.

Don't burn down your apartment building

Fa la la la laaa la la la laaa.

It's usually pretty dark in the doorway to my apartment and I'm always fumbling for my keys, not to mention the challenge I face getting the key in the door. I often use my cell phone light to see the keyhole but my phone is always buried in my purse at the end of the day and when I've got to tinkle I just need to get the darn door open (TMI?). I do have a hallway light but it's wired to my neighbor's apartment and when I flip the switch it turns the light in their apartment on as well. They've never complained but sometimes I don't want to startle them, especially late at night so out comes the phone (after some digging around in my purse). The moral of this story? Make a temporary light solution for my rental that's cute, doesn't pose a fire hazard (I hope not) and can be dressed up during my favorite holiday season.

Make it after the jump.

Supplies:

♥ IKEA BORRBY Lantern (I used the 17.25" H lantern)

♥ Battery operated block candle (Mine has a programable timer but you can get one with a remote)

♥ Decorative shelf bracket (I got mine at Lowe's)

♥ Velvet ribbon bow or any other seasonal decoration

After you've gathered your supplies, mount the L bracket, program the candle and place inside lantern. Hang lantern and dress up with a bow. Ta-da!

NO ELEPHANTS ALLOWED BABY SHOWER

2012-11-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

WARNING: LOTS OF PHOTOS IN THIS POST :)

The theme for Trixie's baby shower began with the image above. I spotted it on Pinterest, shared it with her and the rest is history. I started by designing the invitation around this and then began ~~planning~~ pinning the shower. Please enjoy the photos from my dear friend's shower.

My mamma bear helping to mount books and prints on wall.

Mommy and Daddy!

More pictures after the jump.

Thumbprint guest book (found here). This guest book is usually used for weddings but I printed Baby Alexandra on it and removed the date.

I knew this toy typewriter would come in handy one day!

Check out the how to for this adorable cake bunting here.

Animal crackers, rock candy and cupcakes

Brownie tower and pastel mini marshmallows.

I picked up a pack of Martha Stewart circus themed stickers from Michaels and made them into toppers for the doughnut tower.

The vintage red suitcase filled with peanut favors (I will show you how I made those soon).

I printed baby pictures of the mommy and daddy to be as well as their relatives and clipped them on yarn with mini wooden clothespins.

Streamer and elephant bunting photo booth with props.

Giant balloons. There were two of these but someone popped one before we could get the photo. We were unable to get these inflated with helium but Daddy to be used a clever trick from when he was a kid and suspended them.

Sorry no photos, but I also enlarged black and white life size baby photos of Mommy and Daddy to be and lined the entry hall with them. The front door had a large image inspiration photo to direct guests to the correct apartment.

MAKE: CAKE BUNTING

2012-11-21T08:31:00.001-05:00

Trixie's shower back in July (which means this post is lonnnng overdue) gave me the perfect opportunity to make bunting for her cake. I planned to make bunting for my sister-in-law's shower a year ago but my nephew decided he wasn't sticking to the schedule and came before the shower even happened. Thanks a bunch Nick!♥

This time around we schedule the shower way in advance because babies can be so bossy, no?

I gathered my supplies and whipped this cutie up during my lunch break. Easy peasy! See how I made and used it after the jump.

SUPPLIES:
♥ Diamond template (I made mine in Microsoft word using the shapes tool, printed on regular paper then traced and cut out of white cardboard for a sturdier template)

♥ Card-stock (as many colors/textures as you like)

♥ Scissors

♥ Double sided tape

♥ Baker's twine

♥ 2 wooden skewers

And now for the final reveal (DRUM ROLL PLEASE). Ta-Daaaa!!!

BAKING FROM NOT SO SCRATCH

2012-08-05T21:57:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I baked lots of cupcakes and brownies (for my friend's baby shower) with a little help from Trader Joe's and my local supermarket. I was also in charge of the decorations for the shower and store bought mixes really helped to simplify things. Ain't no shame in my game. Below are Instagram shots of the baking process as well as tips on making box cake and brownie mixes taste better.

TIPS FOR BAKING USING BOX MIXES:

♥ Use melted butter instead of oil in the cake mix
♥ Add coconut milk instead of water to white, vanilla or yellow cake mix.
♥ Use coffee instead of water in brownies
♥ Add walnuts to brownie mix
♥ Pipe lemon curd into cupcakes

I ran out of TJ's frosting mix and didn't have much confectioner's sugar to make a batch from scratch. I found a tub of pre-made frosting in my cupboard and while I'm not a fan of the taste or consitency but when life gives you lemons, one must make lemonade right? I scooped out about a half of the "cream cheese" flavored frosting, mixed it with about 1 cup confectioner's sugar (all I had left) and about 2 tablespoons cream cheese. This gave me enough to frost the remaining cupcakes and didn't taste terrible at all. Not too shabby of a trick if I may say so myself.

Let me know if you use any of these tips/tricks or if you have your own tips to share. More pictures of the shower to come soon :)

SNAPSHOTS OF MY CRAFT ROOM

2012-05-27T11:14:00.000-04:00

These are Instagram (attempts at using the blur tool) shots of my craft room. I used these shots to play around with Pugly Pixel's photo layout template while learning more about my newly acquired Photoshop. Fancy schmancy!

POTTING UP PERENNIALS

2012-05-19T21:20:00.000-04:00

I bought some perennials two weeks ago at Home Depot and I finally got around to potting them up.

I placed Styrofoam peanuts in my plastic whiskey barrel, topped it with soil, added my plants, gave it a good watering and stepped back to admire. What color cushions should I get for my chairs?

A few more touches and my balcony will be ready for summer! Have a peek.

Psssst! Check out my pinterest board for more outdoor inspiration.

GARDENING ADVENTURES

2012-05-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

I've been working on my green thumb, or lack thereof and below are photos of my adventures in gardening. Last year I killed ALL my house plants including a sweet pink and green speckled leafy plant that I really adored. This year I'm growing tomatoes, arugula and herbs from seeds (squeal). Keep your fingers crossed. So far, so good.

Take a look at flower arrangements I made and Union Square green market snapshots below.

TIE DYE

2012-04-16T12:11:00.000-04:00

Here is a skirt I made when I lived in Guyana. I got the skirt sewn in white cotton and tie-dyed it myself. Oh I miss the sunny days :) This picture was taken in FL around my 19th birthday about a year after I moved to the US :) I jazzed it up in this picture by adding a sequin scarf around my hips.
I love the background of the Rasta men. Aye mon!

Click here to see more of my designs.

Flea Market Photos

2012-04-16T12:08:00.001-04:00

On Nov 21, my etsy shop participated in its first flea market. As previously mentioned it was the 2009 MCNY Flea Market. It was a small flea market inside of the university but it was very fun. Take a look at the pictures I promised.

Not sure why the quality looks so distorted when I uploaded them to both facebook and the blog...hummmm. Visit the facebook album for more pics!

Krystyle featured in Etsy's Treasury

2012-04-16T12:08:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to thank DesignsbyShellie for featuring my Forbidden Dance Necklace on Etsy's Treasury. The link expired last Thursday at 10:18am but I took a screen shot of all the wondeful dance inspired pieces. Take a look.

Lacie did it and so can you!

2012-04-16T12:06:00.002-04:00

Lacie over at Creative Attempts, attempted my Antropologie Inspired Tuxedo Scarf Tutorial and did an awesome job. Now it's your turn to try out this cute scarf and don't forget to send pics so that I can see your awesome job.

Happy Friday!

{Giveaway Closed} Giveaway: Some Romance From Me to You!

2012-04-16T12:05:00.000-04:00

The giveaway is closed as of 9:00 am. I used a random generator at random.org to select the winner of the beautiful pair of Rosy Rosebud earrings . Thanks to all those who responded to my giveaway. I was very excited about having my 1st giveaway on my blog! It is the first of many more to come ;) So without further delay the winner of the giveaway is (drum roll please)

***Anapina***

Congratulations Anapina! I will send you a message requesting your shipping information :)

Since the responses to the giveaway weren't many, I have a little something for Courtney and Brandon+Michelle as well :) I made some handmade Valentine's cards during the week and I would love to send you each a card! Sounds good? Thank you all so very much for participating!

Krystle :)

I am doing my very first giveaway and I am soooooo excited about it. At first when I created my blog, I had no followers and as of today I have 28 and that makes me very very happy. I am just thankful for everyone that follows/reads/looks at my blog and I am happy about the small community that we are able to form, even though we don't see each other in person ;) So to extend a small token of appreciation ( I sound so cliche here don't I?) I would like to giveaway this pretty pair of Rosy Rosebud Earrings available in my shop. I figured this would be the perfect time to do a giveaway since January was my birthday month and Valentine's is just around the corner. The earrings are from my Romance collection (hence the title of the post).

There are 3 options to enter the giveaway.

Remember to always leave some sort of contact information such as an email address when you comment.

1) Leave an awesome comment on this post.

2) Become a follower and leave a comment. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment.

3) Link the giveaway on you Blog, Facebook or Twitter, then leave a comment letting me know you did.

The Giveaway will start today and end Friday 02/05/10 at 9am ,when the winner will be picked randomly, (I will probably use a random generator site) announced and then contacted. I'm so excited!!!!

All my followers as of yesterday (01/31/10) who leave a comment on the post will get two automatic entries in the giveaway =)

Good Luck Guys!

UPDATING THE BLOG

2012-03-25T16:52:00.000-04:00

Vacation

2012-03-25T09:23:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, I'm on a supprise vacation/supprise mini trip so I won't be posting for the next couple of days. Sorry!!But here are a few projects to keep you through the weekend. See ya on Monday!

{Stripe Mania} on Decor8

2011-06-10T13:21:00.006-04:00

Well hello there! It's been some time since I last posted and while I wasn't exactly planning to start back blogging as yet I couldn't resist the fun of Stripe Mania! Holly over at Decor8 (who's blog I love) posted about Stripe Mania and instantly I became excited. It seems like such a simple and fun exercise to partake in. Stripes are so much fun and all the rave this season (and last season and forever!!!). Read more about the mania here and view the other bloggers wearing stripes here :)

Here is my Stripe Mania photo.

In case you are wondering I bought my stripe top from the J.Crew Factory in Atlantic City along with the hot pink version. It has a cute gold exposed zipper in the back :)

I wonder if I'll see another blogger in this color or the pink.

{ Love Like Love } Elephants + Peonies

2011-06-08T05:00:00.087-04:00

I'm a little elephant short and blue, here is my handle and here is my trunk!

Okay I'm a bit of a cheese ball but this little guy arrived about 2 weeks ago at my front door. When

Target launched the Calypso St. Barth collection I woke up early the morning, whipped out my card and frantically ordered this guy in addition to the main thing I really wanted to get (guess what?). I felt like my other Elephant teapot needed the company as well. However, I didn't get this guy for the sole purpose of tea drinking. I don't drink tea that often in the summer time and would hate to keep this little (actually, he's a pretty decent size) guy locked away in the cupboard. My light-bulb went off and I knew he'd make a wonderful vase and without a doubt fill him with beautiful pink Peonies or any other pink flower.

~~Love~~ Like

UPDATE:

I wrote this post a week ago and had it scheduled to go up today and then last night I was in the supermarket, saw some flowers for $4.69 a bunch and gave in. Here is my G2 android snapshot using an app to give what they call a 70's look?? I wasn't around in the 70's so as Leonardo DiCaprio said in Catch Me If You Can, "Do you concur?"

p.s This is a sneak peek of my craft/guest room :)

Love xoxo

{Creating Yourself } Cocoa & Hearts

2011-05-07T15:43:00.001-04:00

From the very first moment I started reading the blog Made by Girl I was hooked!

I found a link to Made by girl via the wonderful Holly of Decor8's blog and it was that very click to Jen's blog that made me fall in love with her style, creativity and personality. I read Jen's blog daily, much like I do Holly's and everyday it's one of the sweet things I look forward to. Reading my favorite blog's are usually the highlight of my day and provides a form of relaxation.

Jen Ramos' style is quite chic and sophisticated, yet she shows you how to have good style without emptying your coin purse.

{ Hello! } Is any one out there?

2011-05-07T15:06:00.001-04:00

Hi all! Thanks for visiting my blog. As you all may or may not (I'm guessing the later is true) know I've been MIA for quite some time. After graduating college I wanted to find a job immediately and set out to do so. The economy was (still is) in not such great shape and often times I would get disappointed by the lack of responses both to my applications and interviews. However I knew I had to press on and trust God and my hard work along with faith paid off! I started my first full-time job during the Fall at Apartment Therapy (please I'm not trying to show off...well maybe a teeny bit). It was such an exciting time for me and still is :)

With my new non-college status and new job came lot's of new responsibilities. I've been pretty responsible during college, paying all my bills etc. but post college those responsibilities just become more intense and so I had to learn how to balance every aspect of my life and truth be told I am still in the learning process. As I approach my one year mark out of college I have alot to be thankful for and happy about but sometimes I do feel sad, stressed even that I have not been blogging for almost one year. This really means that I haven't been doing much projects either. In addition to blogging, I have not updated my etsy shop with jewelry and so I have my moments where I feel like will I ever return to doing the little things that I love.

See, when I started this blog almost 2 years ago I needed (not wanted, needed) a creative outlet and Crafty Habit became that outlet, one which I truly still need. So, I will try to start crafting, decorating and blogging again but this time I want to cultivate my skills further. Fine tune them to reflect a more mature yet fun me.

I do hope that you continue to join me in my Crafty Habit <3

{My Wish List} Happy Holidays!

2010-12-22T15:47:00.007-05:00

Hi there. I’m just checking in and sharing my wish list with you guys. It's the holiday season and my soon to be birthday season (I celebrate my birthmonth not birthday [hehehehee] ). This is what's been on my mind recently. A girl can wish for a few things, after spending the last week buying every loved one a gift, right?

Happy Holidays and God Bless!

1)Elephant and Monkey tape dispenser 2)Monthly Musings 2011 Desk Calendar 3)I~~ndian Wedding watercolor illustration~~ (I decided to purchase this beauty myself) 4)~~Ikat Mini Bowls~~

5)Fleur Tealight Holders 6) Gold Buddha Votive Holder 7)~~Bamboo pattern pencils bright pink~~ 8)Zig Zag Pens (Gold and White) 9)Cosmopolitan Elephant 10) Flowers like these, because I deserve them ;)

11)Print version of Lonny Magazine's October/November Issue

And speaking of Lonny, they featured the Etsy seller (Silver Ridge Studio) of the Indian Wedding illustration I’ve been drooling after. Click here to view their feature.

RETRO FUN

2010-10-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

I hope your week is going well. Here is a fun look I created using Looklet. Have a fab day!

MAIL DROP

2010-10-05T00:00:00.001-04:00

When I came across PuglyPixel, I fell in love immediately. It's such a great blog and had exactly what I needed. Pugly Pixel had both the doily and tape clip art I needed to make my ~~new~~ old blog header and it was free. How lovely and kind!

Katrina Tan is the author of a few blogs (3 total, I think) and they are ALL really great.

Then I noticed Katrina's Etsy shop and I had to visit. CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!!!!!!

I received my lovely print via snail mail. This snail was particularly special because it seemed as if he drank a red bull before coming over to my place. My lovely print was packaged in a sweet brown envelope with the cutest mailing sticker ever! I even received a gift from Katrina (thanks a bunch). It's a beautiful postcard which I plan to keep (I'm not mailing it to anyone, way too darn cute!).

Check out PuglyPixel and all that Katrina has to offer. After all, any blog "Powered by Pastries" can only be chock full of goodness.

TEA TIME

2010-10-04T00:00:00.004-04:00

Good morning beautiful people!!! How've you been?

On Saturday I wandered upon a herbal store in my neighborhood that I'd never seen before. The display windows looked really old and I was expecting to find piles of dust inside with lots of old stuff.

Never judge a book by its cover!

The store is a quaint little place with a kind of rustic feel. There were many jars of dried herbs, rose buds and spices. Raw wooden shelves were stacked high with teas and wooden barrels were filled with steel cut oats, wheat bran and an assortment of nuts. A vintage commercial refrigerator was used as a shelving system filled with bottles of apple cider vinegar and it's a shame I didn't take photos.

I got really giddy in this store, like a child in a confectionery shop! I felt like twirling around. I immediately summoned SW to join me while I mused over all the herbs and spices, I said to him, "I never knew this place was here" and he replied rather nonchalantly, "Yeah they've been here for a few years now".

A few years now??? Thanks for telling me buddy!

After all my oohhhs and ahhhhs and finger pointing, I left with a box of Indian Tulsi tea and senna pods. I wanted to see if the tea tasted like fresh Tulsi tea we made back home and as for those pods, let's just politely say they clean you out.

I made the tea yesterday morning and sweetened it with a touch of Mr. Honey Bear and added a splash of milk. It passed the taste test and was very much like the fresh tea we made back home, yummmmm. Paired with coconut buns, I felt like I was back in Guyana, except for the chilly fall air that lingered in my kitchen.

P.S. The photo overlays are from Pugly Pixle. XOXOXO

~~P.S.S I will post the recipe for Coconut Buns later this week :)~~