DIY or Don't!

{Totally Pinterested Tuesday} 1st Birthday Invitations!

2012-02-07T04:46:00.000-08:00

Today's post is dedicated to my absolutely beautiful, heart-stealing, doll of a niece, Siana, who celebrated her 1st birthday yesterday. I completely adore this little girl and I'm only sad that I can't be there to help her celebrate.

Happy Birthday Little Siana Brin!!

However, just because I couldn't be there, doesn't mean I wasn't able to participate! My sister was kind enough to let me design and create her invitations (and was even sweet enough to keep from losing her mind when I took longer to finish than I had originally planned). It started off with an idea, and grew into something totally adorable...and crazy time consuming! There were SO many little pieces that had to be assembled for each invite! But, in the end, I really loved the product. Take a look:

Each one of those little photos were hand cut into heart shapes! And in case you're curious, they're pics of Siana at months 1, 3, 6 and 9. What do you guys think? I think they turned out pretty good, and my sister loved them so I'm thrilled I was able to contribute to this special event in some way.

As it's "Totally Pinterested Tuesday" I figured I'd share a couple of other cute 1st Birthday Invites I've found and pinned to my Kiddy B-Day Ideas board on pinterest.

I love these cute little boy-friendly birdy invites!

Find them on Etsy from ShutterbugSentiments

These are absoletely adorable!! You can get these cute

western themed invites from InvitingPrintables

I'm a sucker for the circus, and these invites are perfect.

These invites are available from InvitationCrush

This giraffe is crazy cute, not to mention the little turtle!

You can find these invites at MyExpression

If you want to see what other pins I've collected either for kid's birthday parties or for anything else:

{Friday Finds} Valentine's Day Printables

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Let me start this post by being honest. I can't take credit for any of the below awesomeness. I had great intentions, but ultimately I had to be honest with myself. I may be coming along in my digital design endeavors, but for the life of me I still can't figure out how to make a simple heart. Seriously. It's sad.

But just because I can't create anything pretty for your Valentine's Day, doesn't mean I can't share with you what many of the other talented peeps out there have created for you! Here a couple of my favorites...

Cards

Free Valentine's Day Card Printable @ Daily Suze

Buy these cute Valentine's Cards from Katie-did digital designs

Party Printables

Free Chevron Party Printables from DimplePrints via Tattertots & Jello

Buy these Lovely Party Printables from LovetheDay

Food Labels

Cute Printable Label @ Eighteen25

Buy these Super Sweet Labels @ ItsyBelle

So many pretty printables! Don't you just love Valentine's Day?!

{Peeping DIYer} The (In)Sane Housewife

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's another blog series, but I'm pretty sure this one is going to be my favorite one. This series is where I get to peep through all your windows (blogs) and see what YOU'RE doing! Fun right?! Every week I'll browse around the blogs of my readers and pick a tutorial or project that I love and feature it here. Let's get started!!

My first feature here is a crazy awesome find. Joanne and Mindy from The (In)Sane Housewife have come up with a pretty great tutorial on how to make washi tape. That's right Ladies, DIY washi tape. What a great idea! The best part? All you need is scissors, double sided tape, and wrapping paper. I've totally in love. Click Here to visit their tutorial! Oh! And Joanne and Mindy are new to the blogging community so be sure to give them some love while you're there :)

{Wedding Wednesday} The Lawyer Wedding - Succulents!

2012-02-01T04:37:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gents, this is huge.

Remember that "no flower rule" the bride implemented? Well, to be honest I was kinda freaking out about it. Sure, there are lots of other ideas for centerpieces and bouquets, and I presented a few of them here, but none of these alternate solutions were really doing it for me. Truth is, I like living things. Flowers and greenery bring LIFE to an event, not just color and beauty. In a last ditch effort I threw a couple succulent photos toward the bride, and wouldn't you know, she liked them!! (We won't talk about the fact that I had presented those same photos to her earlier in the process and she had said no to them at that point. :)

We got the go ahead from the groom and then started brainstorming on how to incorporate them into the decor. Here are a couple of the ideas!

Boutineers @ Engaged & Inspired

Favors @ Oh Lovely Day

Bouquet @ Ruffled

(I realize this bouquet has actual flowers in it, but you get the idea:)

Centerpieces @ Style Me Pretty

If anyone has any other great succulent ideas send them my way!

{Monday Tips & Tools} Learning InDesign

2012-01-30T04:36:00.000-08:00

If you haven't noticed yet, you will. I'm playing with a couple new blog series concepts in an attempt to come up with a blog schedule that is varied, interesting and fun. I like the idea of a "Tips & Tools" series because I'm constantly challenging myself to try new things and learn something new and a series like this would be a great way to share what I've learned with all of you.

As you know, my current obsession is Adobe InDesign. I love learning new technologies and adding new tools to my repertoire and I'm determined to learn how to use Adobe's InDesign for my digital and print design (in order to phase out Publisher). This weekend I spent a bit of time getting aquatinted with my new program and while I'm still a far cry from being very good, I think I'm getting the hang of it! (See my very first free printable here if you missed it!) There isn't anything overly intuitive about the program but I've heard it's easy compared to programs like Photoshop. Whether that's true or not it doesn't meant there isn't a learning curve involved. Luckily Adobe has recognized this and identified a need for some truly awesome video tutorials on AdobeTV. So I've shared with you here a couple of the ones that have gotten me started:

I hope someone out there finds these as useful as I did!

In closing, I'd like to ask you readers if there are any questions that any of you have or topics that you'd like covered in the "Tips & Tools" series. Instead of just telling you guys what I think is helpful, I'd love to cater it to what you think is helpful. Just leave a comment or email me at sarah@diyordont.com with your suggestions!

{Friday Freebie} "Stay on Task" Printable

2012-01-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

I told you guys that I was determined to learn InDesign in order to have greater artistic capabilities with invites, cards and other digital design items. Well, I'm hard at work learning the ropes and becoming familiar with all the tools that the program provides, and believe it or not, I'm having a lot of fun doing it! As a matter of fact, I was learning so much that I decided to go ahead and create my very first printable to share with you guys. Anyone in need of a good looking To-Do List? If so, I've created a couple here for you to print and enjoy! Let me know what you think! (Click on image to be taken to google docs, where you can download).

{Totally Pinterested Tuesday} Digital Design Freebies!

2012-01-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

I've been up in the air as to whether or not I want to continue with the Pinterest blog series. Everybody's doing them and I generally try to be a tad original in my methodology, but in the end it fits with my goal here at DIYOD. My goal is to share cool stuff that you can either make or buy, preferably both. This blog series allows me to find cool things on Pinterest and point you to them. And let's face it, Pinterest is, hands down, the best place on the internet to find inspiration in mass quantities. It may also be the nicest place on earth ("I LOVE THIS!"), but that's another story. With this in mind, I've decided to keep my little Pinterest blog series and continue to invite you to follow me and all my awesome Pinterest boards:)

So what am I going to share with you today? I'm going to share with you some of my favorite digital freebies I found on Pinterest. Why? Because I have been harboring a dirty little secret that I'm attempting to change. I (nervous and reluctant sigh) stillusePublishertodoallmydesign! Phew. I said it. That's right ladies. I create all my wedding invites, birthday invites, and various other digital design work on Publisher. It's all I know! But the reality is, it kinda sucks. It's clunky and hard to work with, and I needed something better. Today I downloaded the free trial of Adobe's InDesign and I'm determined to learn how to use it. To get me excited and inspired as to all the new goodies I could make, I decided to stop by Pinterest to see what was good. Here are some of my favorites! (For the full list, follow my digital design board on Pinterest!)

Vintage Apothecary Bottle Labels

(source: eatdrinkchic)

Printable Recipe Cards

(source: heartmadeblog)

Super Cute Door Tags

(source: designeditor)

Ticket Place Card

(source: lovevsdesign)

Do you guys know of any other great design oriented printable sites? Please share!!! And don't forget to follow my pins on Pinterest!

{Friday "Food" for Thought} Your Crafting Space

2012-01-13T03:51:00.000-08:00

So, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to pretend like it hasn't been over 3 weeks since I posted the last "I'm so sorry I've been MIA" post and you guys are going to pretend not to notice. Sound good? Great ;)

It has come to my attention that there are are a select few women out there in the world who are blessed with spaces like this where they can create their masterpieces:

(source)

and this:

(source)

But then there are those of us that aren't quite as blessed, and have to squeeze all of our supplies and our work space into a mere corner of our living space. That means organization is critical! I, myself, am lucky enough that my husband has let me have a corner of our living room (which often creeps into the WHOLE living room...and dining room... and sometimes the guest bedroom). This is what it currently looks like:

Here's the right side of the "corner":

and this is the left side:

I struggle to try and find a place for everything, especially since I collect EVERYthing. "Hun, don't throw that can away, I might use it," "Oh, you're not going to keep that wrapping paper you just tore off that gift? I might have a use for it," "Look! This is on sale! I could totally craft something with this!" It's a sickness.

So, as my collection of supplies has grown, I need to find new and creative ways to organize my small space. In case you're also looking for some new organizational ideas, here are a few ideas I found around the big ol' net:

Use bead board and cans!

(source)

Clear out that old armoire!

(source)

Buttons and Baby Food Jars

(source)

Some Simple Shelving

(source)

A Frame and Tension Rods!

(source)

A Knife Strip!

(source)

Do you have any other great ideas that'll help me re-claim my mini-craft space?! Send them my way!!

"Where the BLEEP Have you Been?" (and Christmas Wreath Tutorial)

2011-12-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Wow. Has it really been nearly a month since my last post?! There's no denying it. I officially went AWOL. Where have I been? One things for sure, I have not been taking a break from crafting! So many good things have come from and been the result of this little blogging hiatus. I was able to finish a bunch of projects that had been looming over my head just waiting for a number of uninterupted hours, and I was able to start a bunch of others. The time off also allowed me to reassess and revisit my goals for DIY or Don't!

Sometimes you just need to step back and take a look at the big picture in order to decide what you're next step should be.

So what are these next steps? Well, DIYOD will be getting a face job! There will be more details (very visible ones:) shortly, but for now, please accept my up-front apology that the site is (and will continue to be) a bit disorganized with limited functionality as we make the transition. It shouldn't affect content much, but some of the extra functions may be missing or glitchy.

In addition to a new look, DIYOD will have a bit of a new feel too. When I first started the blog, my goal was to unite the world of great tutorials with fantastic options for purchasing the finished product. As I started blogging regularly, I got caught up in the actual crafting and sharing of my own stuff and let my own projects dictate the content. As much as I love sharing my own projects (and I think you guys appreciate it too) it doesn't really highlight the type of depth and variety that I was hoping to depict on here. I'm going to start highlighting the awesome tutorials that many of you create as well. Be prepared to see lots of features of tutorials (and products) created by others.

Unfortunately, my little vaca coincided perfectly with the Christmas crafting season so I've largely missed the opportunity to chime in with all the fun and festive holiday projects. With the Thanksgiving/Christmas season being my favorite time of the year, this is super disappointing, but I think I managed to get back on the wagon just in time to share a couple of my favorites before the season ends.

This weekend, aside from all the Christmas gift projects I have going on, there is one specific holiday project I'm working on. I'm making an ornament wreath! While the idea came to me while taking stock of the mind-boggling quantity of ornaments we had that won't fit on our modest sized tree, I found the actual tutorial on Tip Junkie (one of my favorites!) I decided I really should share the find:)

Click on pic to be directed to tutorial

Make

(pic via tipjunkie)

As usual, should you not be inclined to undertake this project, but are interested in procuring the finished goods, I've got you covered. Dottiegray makes some beautiful ornament wreaths with some of the most reasonable prices on Etsy. Plus, in case you're looking for some additional team spirit, she creates ornament wreaths with team themes! My hubby would love that Tennessee wreath...

BUY

P.S. Did I mention how HUGELY appreciative I am to have such loyal and dedicated readers? Despite my vanishing into thin air, you guys stuck by me and patiently hung in there. I won't forget it!

{Tutorial} Easter Lily Backdrop- Part 1

2011-11-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

The time has come! It took a little longer than I had anticipated it would, but I think I set a pretty aggressive goal (700 followers) and I'm just glad the day is here! Today I get to share with everyone the 1st step in creating the Easter Lily Backdrop! It's also probably the most challenging part, but you'll soon see that it's not challenging at all, especially compared to the rose and ranunculus projects:) Here it goes!!

How to Make

Materials
Template (download either the silhouette file or the pdf- if you use the pdf, remember that the dotted lines are fold lines, not cut lines)
1 sheet cardstock
Hot Glue
straw (optional- this is for a stem)
floral tape (optional-this is for a stem)
yellow tissue paper (optional-this is for the stamen)

Instructions
1) Cut out template.

2) Fold along the perforated tabs for each petal.

3) Fold 2 creases into the base of each petal. See pic.

4) Fold the top of each petal in half. See pic.

5) Start gluing! Place hot glue on the top side of tabs and glue to the underside of the adjacent petal. See pics.

6) Roll back petals. I curl them over my finger.

Optional- If you want to turn it into a stemmed flower instead of using the flower in the backdrop project, continue to the next steps.

7) Wrap a bendy straw in floral tape and hot glue the end of the bendy side to the base of the lily. See pic. (Can you see the straw stem??)

8) If you want to create a yellow center (mind you, I realize this looks NOTHING like the real center of an Easter Lily) I used the Martha Stewart method.

That's it! What do you think?? Stay tuned for Part 2!

{Do it Like a Pro} Working with Felt!

2011-11-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed from my post Roundup post on Tuesday, I'm really loving some of the awesome things one can do with felt! So, like any good crafter does, I jumped on Etsy to see what the Pro's are going with felt. Imagine my utter delight when I stumbled upon Cole Franke! Cole creates some of the most beautiful felt flowers I've ever seen! Take a look:

Pretty amazing huh?! Well, if sharing this wonderful find with you guys wasn't enough, Cole agreed to share a couple of her tricks of the trade! (Be sure to thank her by visiting her Etsy shop!)

Tip #1- Skip the cheap synthetic felt and go for thicker wool blend felt. The better the quality the easier it's going to be to cut, shape and manipulate when you are crafting. Wool blend felt is much sturdier so you don't have to worry about it unraveling and its available in a large variety of colors.

Tip #2- I encourage all big crafters to invest some money in a good pair of fabric cutting scissors. Especially when working with thicker felt. I spent months working with cheap scissors and when I finally made the switch I realized just how much time I was saving by using a good quality pair. And how much more detailed I could get my petals to look.

Tip #3- Practice, practice, practice! It took me months of playing with felt to develop my own crafting techniques. Have fun playing with the felt. There are so many great felt project tutorials, With quality wool felt, a good pair of scissors and a little patience you make so many felt-tastic crafts. Speaking of tutorials- Check out my fall wreath tutorial in Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Crafts Magazine on newstands now until Dec 27th.

Thank you Cole for these awesome tips! We can't wait to read your upcoming tutorial!!

{Tutorial Roundup} Felt!!

2011-11-08T18:39:00.000-08:00

You guys know that I love paper. Shortly after I started working with it, it quickly became my favorite medium. There are just so many things that you can do with paper, It's hard not to be a fan. However, I was casually browsing around the net this weekend and I think I might have discovered a new love for... Felt! Like paper, it's super versatile, comes in lots of colors, is easy to work with, etc. So, like I always do, I want to drag you along on my "new medium" journey! I have collected some great felt tutorials along with some fantastic Etsy shops where you can find them for purchase.

Felt Fortune Cookie!

Felt Flowers

Felt FOOD!

Felt Hair Pieces

{Manic Monday} Weekend Craft- Crocheted Coffee Coozies

2011-11-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's been a while since I've posted about my new adventures in crocheting. For those of you who have not picked up a craft such as knitting or crocheting, allow me to inform you that the first few "projects" you attempt will be utter crap. I've spent hours working on things just to have to pull it all out for embarassement of the misshapen form, but it's all part of the process. I'm learning and I've come to find that I really enjoy it! I've learned the following things about crocheting:

1) It's the best travel craft ever. Taking a car ride? No problem. Taking a flight? Go for it! Waiting in the waiting office at the doctors office? Good thing you have that little baggie in your purse with your yarn and hook. Seriously, it's better than my Kindle!

2) It's a no-fear craft. By "no-fear" I mean you don't have to worry about making a mistake and then not being able to fix it. Unless you cut that string (and you rarely ever need to unless you've finished the project) you have infinite opportunities to get it right. What an eco-friendly craft!

3) It's hubby friendly. Most crafting happens with me at my desk and Hubs on the couch. If I'm cutting paper, sewing, painting, etc. I have to be at the desk surrounded by my many tools and supplies. With crocheting, I just need enough elbow room to move my hands which means we can sit close and semi-snuggle while watching TV or chatting.

4) It's a sllllooooowwww process. The majority of projects that I undertake usually take a couple hours or a couple evenings at the most. With crocheting, you're looking at hours, days, even weeks! It makes it hard to create things for posting as it would take weeks just to create something worth posting about but you guys are in luck today because I have something for you!

This weekend I created a couple of coffee cup coozies!

As this is my first finished project and I didn't use a pattern, I'm hesitant to even attempt to provide a "tutorial" but I will say that I started by creating a chain that wrapped just shy around the largest part of the cup like this:

From there I alternated between rows of single crochets and double crochets. Each coozie has a different combination of single and doubles so be creative and change it up! To finish it off, I went around the outside of the entire coozie with a single crochet stitch, and when I was halfway down one shirt side of the coozie I chained about 15 and then single crocheted it back to create the loop that hooks around the button.

I'm thinking these are going to make great Christmas gifts for my office mates:)

{Tutorial by Arline}- Vintage Fabric Book

2011-11-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ladies, Arline has prepared quite a treat for you today. These books are just beautiful! My mother, admirer of all things lacy and vintagy, would absolutely adore these pretty little books. Just look at these sweet vintage pictures!! Arline has shared with us instructions on how to recreate this project:

How to Make

Materials
Muslin
Sewing machine
Iron
Freezer paper
All types of lace
Material: dotted swiss, cheese cloth, crenoline etc
Fabric Glue
Fabric flowers
Pearls
Chiffon flower strip
Rotary Cutter-optional
Self healing cutting mat-optional
Buttons, old jewelry, ribbon, seam binding

Instructions

1) Cut pieces of muslin to 8 ½ x 11.
2) Take a sheet of freezer paper and iron onto the muslin. Trim close to the paper size and make sure that the muslin is free of bubbles or creases.
3) Select the image that you want to print and load your muslin sheet into the printer. Note: Do one sheet at a time so the printer will not jam
4) Print the image.
5) Use a self healing mat and rotary cutter if you have one. Cut muslin to 6x12 strips. You will need 6 panels.
6) Sew lace along all 4 sides of your panels. Take larger pieces of lace and sew to the center of the panel.. You can layer different laces, cheese cloth, dotted swiss, crenoline etc
7) Before decorating your pages, sew pages with the sewing machine at 6” down the back of the book. Each panel is 6” wide. Sew strips of chiffon flowers down the back of the book.
8) Start adding your images. Decorate around photos with bits of lace, pearls, flowers. Have fun! There is no right or wrong way to decorate this book. It is whatever you want!

Arline, you continue to amaze me with your beautiful vintage inspired projects! I'm in awe of these lovely books, thank you so much for sharing it with us!

{Wedding Wednesday}- The Lawyer Wedding- Table Dressings

2011-11-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman, we have a venue!! Kuddos to the couple for powering through this daunting (and often frustrating) task! This awesome accomplishment means we can move forward with all sorts of important details such as Save the Dates, caterers, and table decor! Ok, so table decor may not seem too important in the scheme of things, but I'm a detail person! Adding to the importance of this detail is that the tables at this venue are PICNIC tables! I'm a big fan of picnic tables, but I've been challenged with the task of keeping this event super-budget friendly so linens are most likely out of the question. So, my post today is a collection of picnic table options without linens. Here's what I found:

{source}

I'm loving these rustic tables coupled with simple checked napkins and plain white plates! Added bonus? This table has no flowers:) Lady Lawyer- I'm really digging the tinted jars on the table too! You likey?

{source}

Sweet and simple! Just a simple white table runner, I can envision some nice napkins and some plate ware on the table and this would be a pretty classy setup!

{source}

Ok, so this table is riddled with flowers, but I like the way the napkins add to the table by hanging over the edge. It may negate the need for a table runner...

{source}

Now, I'm under no illusions that we'll be sneaking cushions into the budget, but how awesome does this simple print look?

I'm still searching for additional images ladies so if you stumble upon one, please forward it on!

{Totally Pinteresting Tuesday} No-Sew Window Treatments

2011-11-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal. I am in need of new window treatments in our re-done master bedroom. To start this process we did what any normal person does in these instances and reached out to a company that specializes in window treatments. Seems reasonable right? I mean, I've been to the JC Penny's curtain section enough to know about what curtains cost.

Boy, did I get a surprise! Let's just say that the quote we received was not within our budget. But, hey, they're just curtains, right? I can totally do this! First stop? Pinterest! You can find these links, along with all the other Home related DIY projects that I pin on my board Home DIY. Feel free to follow! I follow back:)

Here are some easy no-sew curtain projects that I found:

I love these with the pattern and the fabric ties!

No-sew grommet curtains?!? Love.

I'm leaning towards this awesome no-sew option for my living room...

This is no sew?! Oh yes, my friends, it is! Fabric and an cardboard box!

I'm loving this sweet and simple valence.

SO many choices! And these are just the no-sew ones! Perhaps I should start by finding a fabric I love...

{Manic Monday}- Master Bedroom Makeover Continued...

2011-10-31T18:59:00.000-07:00

I have come to realize that this master bedroom makeover is going to be a step-by-step process dragged out over many weekends. I envy the bloggers out there that set their mind on a project and, while feeding a gaggle of needy children, maintaining a spotless household and never missing a blog post, manage to bang out an entire room renovation in a measly Saturday afternoon. That, my friends, is not me. Hell, I barely managed to do the laundry this weekend and my husband feeds me. I did, however, manage to finish one more piece of the master bedroom and I'm pretty much stoked with the results.

Before I reveal, allow me to preface the project with the statement that I fully expect the quote above our bed to mean absolutely nothing to you guys. I spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to find the perfect quote, and I couldn't find anything that really resonated, wasn't 20 words long or that seemed appropriate for above our bed. Then, out of the blue (like it usually does) it hit me!

Back when I was a child and there were the three of us girls sharing a bedroom, we had a little bedtime routine where my parents tucked us in. (I assume all parents have one of these). Here's how it originally came about:

Parent: "I love you."
Child: "I love you more."
Parent: "I love you most."
Child: "I love you most times 10!"
Parent: "I love you most times 100!"
*this goes on until someone finally said:
"I love you most infinity!"

From that point on the goal of this little routine was to be the one to say this phrase first and to add "Goodnight!" on the end because the first one to complete the whole sentence, "I love you most infinity goodnight!" was the winner. Once the winner was declared, nobody was allowed to talk until morning. Thinking back I realize that the only true winners in this game were my parents for somehow convincing us that winning at this game was worth refraining from further conversation :)

The memory of this little bedtime routine is such a fond one, I thought it was the perfect quote for above our bed (even though hubby was as confused as you all when he first read it). Here's how it turned out!:

And the best part of this project is that if next week I decide I want to change the quote, I just pull it down and switch it out! It's not on, it's just card stock that's fixed to the wall with a spray adhesive! Here's the tutorial:

How to Make

Materials:
Cardstock (I used 9 sheets)
An electronic cutting machine or a pair of scissors
Paint
Glitter
Glue
Spray Adhesive
Level, ruler and chalk to make sure you're fixing it to the wall straight.

Instructions:
1) Pick out a quote and cut out the letters using various fonts, or the same font.

note that the word "Infinity" is a different font here.

I changed my mind halfway through:)

2) Decorate the letters! I painted the work "Most" with a blue fabric paint (it's all I had in that color) and then when it dried, put a coating of glue and then glitter over top. On the word "Goodnight" I just used glue and glitter. I left "I Love You" alone because I thought the letters were plenty fancy.

3) When dry, turn the letters upside down on some scrap paper or cardboard and then apply a coat of a spray adhesive. I used 3M's Super 77 spray adhesive.

4) Using the level and a ruler make lines where you want to place the words. I also found that using chalk to make these guidelines keeps you from having to erase pencil marks because they just rub off!

What do you guys think? Does it inspire you to stick a few words around your house? ;)

Where to Buy:
There are so many great shops out there on Etsy that have quotes and other vinyl decals you can buy. I found that I loved the selection from decorexpressions. Take a look at their shop here.

{Wedding Wednesday} The Lawyer Wedding - Cake Centerpieces?

2011-10-26T07:10:00.000-07:00

It's my 100th post!! How crazy is that?! And how better to spend it than on wedding brainstorming?!?

So, remember that no-flower rule? Well, I was pretty sure it was going to be a major obstacle when it came to centerpieces. All my favorite ideas incorporated some sort of flower accent! But, it turns out that Ms. Lawyer had already figured that part out! She wants cakes. Cakes!! I would NEVER have thought of putting cakes on the tables, but it's actually kinda perfect! Surprisingly though, I wasn't able to find many examples that we're super formal or floral, but I did find a few. Here are some examples of this cute idea:

{source}

Phew! Ok, maybe I found more than I thought :) My favorite (considering this is a low-key, outdoor, summer wedding) is the second one from the bottom here. Yes, the chocolate one (duh). I like how there is variety, and height variations in the display.

What do you ladies think? Which is your favorite? Do you know of any other examples? I'd love to see what else is out there!

{Totally Pinterested Tuesday}- DIY Craft Supply Recipes!

2011-10-25T05:01:00.000-07:00

If you ladies are anything like I am, you can walk into a craft store and walk out 15 minutes later with a $100 worth of supplies, easy. There is just something so exciting about all those raw materials just begging to be something greater! But how often do we actually have that luxury of going into the craft store and dropping $100? Not. too. often. So, I decided that I would help all our pockets by searching Pinterest for some of the best DIY craft supply tutorials! You can find these posted (along with TONS of other favorite diy projects) on my Pinterest Board: Potential DIY Projects. Should you care to follow me, I'll follow back!

DIY Puffy Paint

I'm not going to lie, I'm kinda super excited about diy puff paint...

DIY info provided by delawarecountymoms.com

Mod Podge

That's right, there IS a cheaper way to craft your life away! This recipe will save you some serious dough!

Pic via doityourselfdivas.com

Another Fantastic Recipie at Remodel This House

DIY Labels

These could come in super handy! So wonderfully simple you'll wonder why you didn't think of it ages ago!!

DIY instructions provided by tutorialadventures.com

DIY Chalkboard Paint

I've got the perfect place in my kitchen to try this out...

Pic via marthastewart.com

Recipe from craftathome.com

DIY Natural Furniture Polish

This may not be a crafting supply, but since I craft on a wooden table top, I often have to oil it down, I thought it might apply to some of you as well:)

DIY recipe from naturesknockout.com

DIY Brush Cleaner

I could seriously use some of this to prolong the life of the brushes I use with my mod podge!!

Recipe from allurabeauty.com

I hope these recipes will save you guys some extra cash in the coming holiday months when we're all frantically crafting our hearts out!

Do you guys have any favorite DIY craft supply recipes? If so, I'd love to hear them!!

XTMAS TREE POP UP CARD

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the next member on our design team! I'm super thrilled to have Joan because she is a genius with paper! I'm so excited about the project she has for you today! Before I turn it over to her, I want to share with you the introduction that she wrote about herself:

My name is Joan, and I’m 43 years old. I live in Puerto Rico with my husband Miguel and my three “gilrs”. Two cats named Cremora and Merengue and one African Grey parrot named Lola. I have a full time job in the Accounting area and this hobby is my stress relief . I am so happy to be selected as part of the Do it Yourself or Not Creative Team Member. I was introduced to this fabulous world on 2006 when a friend invited me to a Creative Memories Party but it wasn’t until 2007 that I started making cards and stamping and since then I hardly make scrapbook anymore. I have a passion for this hobby and love to learn new techniques and work with different materials and textures. I love to work with bright colors and love to paper piece and add layers and texture to my images and cards. I love to make my own embellishments and find new and creative ways to use the things I have in my stash. You can find more about my work visiting me at my bloghttp://mirincondepapel.blogspot.com/.

Now, without further interruption, I pass you over to Joan! *******

Hi!

I am so glad to be here sharing with you a little of what I have been learning for the past few months. Today, I want to share a Pop Up card tutorial. For this card I used a digital stamp from Stretch & Bubbles name Trees with Bird Digital Stamp. Honestly, I love digital stamps fro this type of cards since you can easily manipulate the image and create a mirror effect of it.

I have wanted to make this as a video tutorial, but I’m still in the process of learning how to edit my videos so instead I took tons of photos of my work in process in an effort to show you my creative process. I hope you like this card and hopefully learn how to make one of your own.

Step 1 – Making the Pop Up base:

Using Photoshop or other similar program, draw a card base slightly smaller than your actual card base. For example, if you’re making an A2 card, the rectangle you will draw should not be larger than 4” X 5.25”. Open your digital stamp and align the image on the top of your rectangle, making sure that the image fits inside it. Once you are satisfied with your Pop Up base, merge the two layers and duplicate it. Flip horizontally the second layer so it looks like a mirror image of the first one. See that my two images are "looking" each other.

Steps 2 to 6:

(2) Print your image. (3) If you wish, print the tree on two different DP cardstocks to add interest and color. You can skip this part and simply color your image with your markers or preferred medium. (4 &5) Cut both images. They should be in a mirror effect so you can glue them together and have a two side effect. See photo (6).

Steps 7 to 10:

(7) For my card I made a mask out of copy paper to be able to stamp a wood grain background on the tree trunk. (8-10) I sponged brown ink on the tree trunk keeping the mask to avoid staining the Pop Up base.

Steps 11-13:

(11-13) Cut the two trees printed on DP paper and divide each section. Glue the sections to the Pop Up base alternating the prints to create interest and dimension.

Step 14:

Decorate the image making sure that both are finish and looks alike. For this card I used acrylic paint, India Ink from Faber Castell, water coloring pencils, black pen, zig zag stitch stamp and clear glaze to seal the image.

Steps 15-18:

(15) Prepare your card base. (16) Glue the opposite sides of the image together (like the step #6). only on the image part. (17) Then glue both pop up bases to the card base making sure they are aligned. (18) Your image will Pop Out once your card is opened.

If you want to see more detailed photos of the finished card, please visit me at my blog >>Mi Rincon de Papel<< where I will have a little blog candy for those who leaves me a comment.

Have a great day!!!
****

Thank you Joan, for such a fun project! I love the idea of pop-up cards! Make sure you stop by her blog and leave a comment to enter her fun giveaway!

{Wedding Wednesday} The Lawyer Wedding - Save The Dates

2011-10-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well, to my knowledge, there has not been an official date set, and they still don't have a venue nailed down, but it's not too early to start thinking about Save the Dates! Fortunately, this is one area in which the bride has been pretty definitive about what she wants. Mr. Lawyer and Ms. Lawyer (Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, It's official! She passed the bar!!) have been together for 6 years now, and they've been through a lot together, so she's hoping to share a little bit about their story with their guests in the form of a relationship timeline. I'm pretty much in love with this idea so I've dug up a few examples floating around out there. Here's what I've got:

{first seen on http://www.adayinmay.com}

{found on http://minnadesigns.blogspot.com}

{via 100layercake.com}

{found on http://farewellpaperie.com}

{courtesy of momentaldesigns.com}

Which one is your favorite? I think I like the sketched one from Momental Designs, but I'm also a pretty big fan of the black one from Minna Designs.

{Totally Pinterested Tuesday}- Book Page Crafts!

2011-10-18T04:58:00.000-07:00

I've always had an obsession with reading and books. Back when I was a young adult my nose was always in a book. I've actually had family members tell me that they weren't sure I had a face until I was 18 years old. When I was in college, though I would eat animal crackers and apples for dinner to save money, I was always at the book store. I LOVE books.

These days, I rely on technology to give me my book fix. I use audible.com to allow me to "read" while in the gym, doing laundry, or commuting and I use my kindle when I can snuggle in for a good long read. For someone who's such a reader, some think it's pure blasphemy to give up the genuine article, but aside from convenience I have a pretty valid reason. I have no more room!! I have three great big bookcases, and I STILL have to stack books on top! I'm a good sharer, and have "lost" a number of books through friends, but it's hardly noticeable.

I'll never read many of them again (including my old Business Law book from undergrad) so I'm thinking I should recycle them... into awesome projects! Today on "Totally Pinterested Tuesday" I'm sharing with you some of my favorite book page crafts, which I've pinned to my "Re-purpose This" board. (If you'd like a couple more projects, I posted 4 more on one of my very first posts, Earth Day Dare #1).

Book Page Wall

Talk about shabby chic! This is wonderful. If I had a reading nook, I'd line the walls with pages from old Shakespeare books...

Printed Book Pages

I am in awe of the vintage feel of this art. Such a wonderfully simple yet striking project!

BUY it Here!

Sold by papergangsterprints

Book Page Candle Holders

This project is on jars, but little votives would be cute too. I also love the little map. An old atlas would be a great book to use!

BUY it Here!

Sold by pemberleyhill

Wall Decor

There are no words to describe how beautiful I think this is.

Lampshades!

How simple and sweet!

BUY it Here!

Sold by Zipper8Lighting

Open Book Sculpture

O.M.G. this is so AMAZING. I'd never be able to DIY this, but I would love to have one on my shelf!

BUY it Here!

Sold by MYARTNOOK

Do any of you have a favorite book page project you'd like to share with me?!

Also, don't forget to follow me on Pinterest! Remember, I follow back!

{Manic Monday}- Cutest Fabrics EVER!!

2011-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

I spent this weekend partying like a rock star at one of the most amazing weddings I've ever attended (not that I doubted for a minute that these two could throw a rocking party, I mean, we did attend Cornell Hotel School together:) While it was the first Jewish wedding I've ever attended I do hope it won't be my last because I found the whole thing to be just lovely. From the sunset ceremony, to the chair dance (the Hora) I was so totally in love with the tradition of it all. The fact that we got to stare at a gorgeous couple all night didn't hurt the evening any either:) But the main thing that I walked away with was the sudden realization that... I needed to start making baby gifts for the new year! I mean, let's face it, first comes marriage, but then comes BABIES!!!

So here's the deal. When people have babies, I make baby blankets. It's what my mother did, it's what I now do. I still have my baby blanket from back in 19-- Oh! It almost slipped!! Let's just say, I have a lovingly used baby blanket that's waiting to be passed on from more than couple decades back. Here it is!

I've watched my mother make tons of baby blankets over the years and now that I'm the one with friends having babies, I've continued the tradition. Of course, my first mission is to find super cute fabrics, and since I've been on this mission a number of times before, I knew just where I wanted to go and I thought I'd share with you guys my favorite cute fabric haunts!

WarmBiscuit.com

This was the first site I fell in love with. It was the site that made me realize that there was more to the nursery fabric designs than Joann Fabrics could provide.

Larkcottons.com

Just when you thought fabrics couldn't get any cuter, Lark Cottons made it happen. I wish they had a frequent shopper program...

Cloud9fabrics.com

Here's a little secret about me: I'm a closet environmentalist! I spend a little extra on environmentally friendly cleaners and laundry detergent, I buy organic makeup and I use biodegradable doggy bags to clean up my pooch's poop. I can only imagine the health nut mom I'll someday be, but for now, I try and use bamboo batting and (on occasion) fabrics to make my baby quilts. When I do, this is one of my favorite shops. All their fabric is organic!

Good online fabric retailers online are hard to find, do you guys have any recommendations or favorite sites for baby fabrics? Prints are important, but quality and soft textures are also a must!

{Tutorial by Janelle}- Cozy Frames

2011-10-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman, allow me to introduce the next member of our Creative Team: Janelle Roberts! She comes to us from the Mid-West and, when she's not busy teaching or mothering her two young boys, shares her creativeness on her blog The Farmers Wife in Iowa. I'm crazy excited to have her as a part of the team, and I'm completely in love with this quick and easy tutorial she's provided for us all today!

Hello Everyone! My name is Janelle Roberts and I am The Farmer's Wife. And, yes I really am a farmer's wife. I attack the flea markets, auctions, thrift stores, dumpsters, whatever I can to find great junk to repurpose, recycle, upcycycle - you name it! I have been doing this for about ten years but business has really grown and taken off in the last 2-3 years. I do occasional sales at my home and once a year I travel to Junk Bonanza in Shakopee, MN where I get to hang out with other junkers and sell all my stuff! The picture above is from much of the Junk Bonanza publications and is even their facebook profile pic, but what most people don't is that those are my legs! That was taken on the first day of Bonanza in 2009. Never knew my legs would be so famous!

My husband and two boys and I live on a farm in east-central Iowa (about 20 minutes from Iowa City). I am also a full-time family and consumer sciences teacher, and for those of you that don't know what that is, it is what we used to call "home ec." I still like to call it that from time to time! Both my mom and my grandma were also "home ec" teachers.

I am going to show how to make one of my more popular items. I have sold tons of these. They are also one of my favorite things to make because they are pretty simple...I call them "Cozy Frames."

Here are a couple from this fall ~

How to Make

Materials
- picture frames: old, new, whatever
- I get almost all of mine at Goodwill and other thrift shops
- you could also use a vintage frame/family heirloom frame

I paint the frames and distress them. (sorry, the distressing part not shown here - that could be another tutorial! :)

For Cozy Frames for the holiday season, I have gathered lots of blingy ornaments from last year's holiday collection at Target & Walmart

Close up of the *bling*

Then, the sweaters...again, I get all of these from thrift stores and I have even used some old ones of my own. You can use them as is, or wash the wool ones for a more felted look.

Instructions

1) Grab your frame and find a spot on the sweater that you like...this is the creative part because sweaters have so many textures...Using the insert that came with the frame, trace it onto the sweater and cut out the it out. A great part about this is that if you cut too small by accident, you can stretch the sweater piece to fit!

2) I like to use tacky glue to glue it on to the insert. However, I also add hot glue sometimes just to keep it all in place while it dries. It can be awhile for the glue to dry on the sweater.

3) Put the sweater piece back in the frame and choose your bling!

4) Once the sweater piece is back in the frame, I glue around all the edges on the back...wish I had a picture to show you, but I forgot about the back when I was taking these pics.

You can use anything in the frame, doesn't just have to be blingy...if you in the first pictures, I just used letters that I cut from my cricut. I think what really sets these off is the sweater design in the background. They look 'cozy' and are perfect for fall and winter decor!

Where to Buy:
If you love this project, but don't have any frames or old sweaters lying around just hop on over to Janelle's Etsy shop!

Thanks Janelle! I think this is the perfect project to incorporate into my bedroom re-do and I can't wait to try it out.

{Wedding Wednesday} The Lawyer Wedding - Working around the "No Flower" rule...

2011-10-12T05:32:00.000-07:00

No Flowers?!

For those of you who were privy to last week's introduction to the "Lawyer Wedding" you have been informed that the bride (pictured below) has implemented a "no-flower" rule. This rule covers all paper flowers, button flowers, fabric flowers or any other item that may even slightly resemble flowers. This even covers succulents. (I know, right?!)

The Bride-to-be

But before you write her off as a complete loon, I assure you, her reasons are solid. She wants to 1) drive me to jump off a bridge and 2) save $$! Somewhere along the way she's been traumatized by the ridiculous amount of money wedding flowers cost, and I can't really blame her. I purchased flowers wholesale for my wedding and it was only a couple hundred dollars, but if you really couldn't care less about them, that couple hundred dollars could be much better spent on something you LOVE! So, because I love her, and because I respect her nuttiness, I'm game for the challenge.

Option 1: Pinwheels

{itsabrideslife}

She has mentioned that she loves pinwheels. I'm all for on this one, my previous Wedding Wednesday post on pinwheels will attest to that, but we're not sure whether the event will be indoors or outdoors yet so I'm not banking on this one. Not to mention...

{source}

They kinda look like flowers...just sayin' ;)

Option 2: Candy

The bride has gone on record as saying (and I quote) "If I could somehow manage walking down the aisle with a bouquet of candy I would be so happy." This, my friends, comes from the woman who went an entire YEAR without sweets. (I was there, it was incredible). Girl, if you want to walk down the aisle with a gigantic dripping sundae, you earned it! In an effort to save the dress, however, a fellow bridesmaid ("Z") found this alternative:

{justweddings.org}

Option 3: Parasols

Widely accepted as an alternative to bouquets, parasols have taken over the outdoor wedding scene. There's a pretty good chance though, that even if the reception is outside, that the ceremony will be held in a church. This could make the parasol's look a bit silly. That being said, there are lots of decorating opportunities with parasols...

{source}

{source}

Option 4: Candles/Lanterns

There seems to be some fuzziness as to whether this would be allowed in a church wedding, but I completely love this idea. Of course, since it's a daytime wedding, the candles wouldn't do much to decorate the reception so we'd probably have to tap into a few other decor ideas, but I still love the look for the ceremony!

{stylemepretty}

{marthastewart}

Option 5: Fans

I kinda dig this idea. Small, light-weight, won't catch anything on fire, and will come in handy if it's super hot!

{greenweddingshoes}

What do you guys think? Do you have a favorite from the above? Do you have any great suggestions I haven't thought of?! Any help you could provide would be hugely appreciated, because let's face it, this is going to be a challenge!!