I'm a writer, crafter, and designer of cute little accessories and home
goods.
I love this necklace idea from Sis Boom. They're made from cording covered in beautiful Sis Boom Fabrics and miscellaneous charms found on Etsy.
(photo via Sis Boom)
I don't know which is going to be more fun -- making these necklaces or hunting for the charms! Take a look at these cool trinkets I found from an Etsy store called Dime Store Emporium:
(Vintage Happy Birthday Charm)
Can't wait to dig into this project!
Ooh...I'm so excited! The tattooed Easter eggs I made for the April issue of Country Living ended up on the cover! (Well, at least some of the covers. The magazine put out two versions, and the eggs are on issues at selected newsstands around the country.) So just in case your copy doesn't have eggs on it, here it is:
And now, about the whole tattoo thing. That's right, these eggs are "tattooed" with beautiful images I found online. Most of them are from The Graphics Fairy -- an amazing free clip art site and one of my favorite blogs. If you don't know about this site, you're going to become an instant fan. I also found some beautiful graphics at the Vintage Moth. These eggs were so much fun to make, and very simple. (The step by step instructions can be found on Country Living's site, along with links to all the supplies I used.) But I have to mention one more thing here: the eggs themselves! I got these beautiful pre-blown eggs from Bracken Ridge Ranch. The woman who runs the ranch is also named Jodi. She went above and beyond the call of duty to get these eggs to me in time for the story. And when the box of eggs arrived at my house -- in shades of blues, greens, browns, and soft creams -- I was awestruck. The eggs were simply GORGEOUS. I couldn't believe the eggs "came" in those colors.
Make sure to check out all the goodies for sale at Bracken Ridge Ranch. You'll love the eggs, whether you tattoo them or not.
Happy Spring!
For a new twist on an old classic: decorate rocks with chalk instead of paint. It's easy, less messy, and if you make a mistake, you can just rinse off your rock and start over. If you want to set the image, just spray it with a coat of clear hairspray, which acts like a fixative. This is a really fun project to do with your kids (Or -- forget the kids, grab some chalk, and let your inner child take flight!)
I came across these fabulous frocks on Pinterest (my new latest obsession -- like the rest of the world!) That led me to Jess (the designer of these adorable Barbie clothes) and her wonderful blog: craftinessisnotoptional.com. I cannot stop thinking about this T-shirt:
Or this party dress:
(all photos via craftinessisnotoptional.com)
Check out Jess's blog for more adorable photos and instructions how to make Barbie's new threads. I'm in love with these, and have to figure out an excuse to make some myself!
I just learned how to cross stitch about a year ago, and now want to embroider everything I see. I designed these "stitched" canisters for the March issue of Country Living using a free embroidery font called Home Sweet Home:
(photo via Country Living/Seth Smoot)
You can find glass cracker jars like the ones above at the Container Store. And the other day I saw some at Target, too. Get the full set of instructions to make these kitchen canisters on Country Living's website, along with lots of other ideas for "practically free" crafts.
I love Valentine's Day -- and I love Valentine's Day crafts! So when PARADE magazine asked me to come up with some fun, easy projects (and templates) for readers, I was only too happy to oblige:
IRON-ON CONVERSATION HEARTS
Check out the full instructions for this project on PARADE'S site, along with 12 downloadable Conversation Heart templates. Iron the hearts onto T-shirts, pillowcases, tote bags, even canvas sneakers to make a one-of-a-kind gift for everyone on your list. And make sure to save the scraps from the iron on transfers for this next project:
HUGS AND KISSES GLOVES
You won't believe how easy these are...you can whip these up in about 15 minutes! You'll find the instructions and templates here.
And here's one more:
HEART SHAPED CRAYONS
I've always wanted to try making crayons in silicone molds, and I found that it is so much easier than pouring (and cleaning up!) different colors of hot wax. My daughter and I got kind of obsessed with making these. Visit PARADE'S site for the complete instructions and a link to the nifty silicone pan that we used.
Happy Valentine's Day and XOXO!
I've been fixated lately on anything that's dip dyed -- especially Ombré fabric, paper, etc! (Ombré, the French word for "to shade", is often used to describe the dip-dye effect in which colors graduate from light to dark.) Here are a few of the cool dipped projects and objects I've come across recently:
Fun dipped gift tag idea. Click here for the complete tutorial. (Photo from Momtastic via Say Yes To Hoboken).
Dipped bag from Teddyfish via Oh Joy!:
Here's a DIY version from Freshly-Picked:
And....check out these ombre cookies! LOVE THEM!
You can find out how to make these at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle -- a yummy new blog I just stumbled across. Dip Dip Hooray!
I'm so excited to share my latest Country Living project with you: Heart shaped pincushions made from vintage cookie cutters.
(photo via Country Living/Seth Smoot)
These are really easy to whip up and make great Valentine's Day gifts. Hunting for the cookie cutters is half the fun -- (I found the ones above this summer when I was in South Carolina, but I've also spotted several on eBay listed for just a few dollars.) You can find all the instructions to make these and lots of other gifts from the heart on Country Living's website. XOXO!
Happy Holidays everyone! Going to a Christmas party tonight or have a New Year's gathering coming up? Just wanted to share two really easy last minute gift ideas I made for Country Living -- both would make great hostess gifts. The crafts were in the December issue, and the instructions for how to make them are on Country Living's website. Check 'em out:
Transform ordinary glass votives into something special by covering them with humble upholstery webbing. I got the votives for about a dollar a piece at Pier One. The webbing was only 80-cents a yard! For more details on how to cover them, check out the online instructions.
(Both photos via Country Living/Seth Smoot)
These sweet little photo pillows make a great personalized gift. I just scanned the photos onto printable fabric sheets, then turned them into pillows. Visit Country Living's website for complete instructions.
P.S. I love the vintagey photo of the two girls. The picture is of my next door neighbor and dear friend, Beth, and her sister Cheryl.
When it comes to last-minute gift wrap ideas, look no further than your kitchen cupboard! I love these SUPER EASY cupcake liner flowers that can be used for all sorts of decorations, and look especially cute on top of holiday packages. You probably have everything you need to make these right at your fingertips, and they take only a FEW MINUTES to whip up!
Here's what you'll need:
-Cupcake liners (you can use all sorts of colors and sizes...)
-Pipe cleaners
-Scissors
-Tape (I used some pretty Japanese masking tape I got from Happy Tape, but any tape will do, including ordinary Scotch tape)
1. Make your flowers using 6 cupcake liners flattened out (You can use a combination of small and large liners, and varied colors if you'd like). Cut a hole in the middle of them.
2. Fold the stack of liners in half, then in half again. Trim or fringe the edges to make "petals". You can trim the edges in a variety of ways:
3. Poke a pipe cleaner through a couple of the liners. Make a little "knot" or "button" to stop the pipe cleaner from pulling all the way through.
4. Layer the liners onto the pipe cleaner, pinching the papers into flowery shapes as you go.
5. Turn the flower over and wrap the base of the flower with tape to hold everything in place:
Now, just puff out your flower, and add it to your package. You can easily attach it by wrapping the pipe cleaner around the ribbon on your gift. Trim extra pipe cleaner if desired.
