Tag Archives | diy

M Stetson: Pop-Up Shop

By on December 8, 2011 in happy wrapping

I’m a busy little elf preparing for the big City of Craft show this weekend in Toronto. I’m so excited but nervous too. It’s my first time out on display with my work. I hope to see lots of followers and friendly faces there. But in the meantime…

Just in time for the holidays, M Stetson Design has created beautifully modern and crafty gift wrappings with debossed clay tags. I adore them so much so, I had to share. Take a gander here for their whole gift tag collection available on Etsy. Even more beautiful is the fact that these tags will never be thrown out, and used over and over again for gift giving and passed down through generations. How special!

{photos from M Stetson on Etsy}

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Ice Cream Cone Piñata

By on June 30, 2011 in diy, flowers + decor

Ice cream is one of my most favourite desserts, especially in the summertime. But an ice cream cone piñata? Now that’s just gold! Check out the process of how it was made by Sarah Parrott here. It seems relatively simple, actually. Just a lot of newspaper, glue, and craft time. If my birthday wasn’t in February, I would definitely want one.

{images from Sarah Parrott’s blog.}

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Real Event: Cardboard Box Birthday

By on June 14, 2011 in diy, real events

Inspired by some hilarious antics involving a Huggies box and Paul Rand’s classic Sparkle and Spin book, this cardboard box themed birthday party was anything but ordinary. The craft and construction details were superb, and some special characters were invited too, including Ugly Dolls, ducks, piggies, and dragons… oh my!

{photos from the Hello! Lucky blog}

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Light Bulb Beauties

By on May 12, 2011 in diy, flowers + decor

I have actually had this thought after screwing out out a dead lightbulb: “…but it’s still so pretty. I don’t want to throw it out.” Seriously, who thinks that a expired lightbulb is pretty and still worth hanging on to? Well, apparently I wasn’t the only one…

What Camilla did over at Family Chic is brilliant! I’m so making one of those candle and bulb jars. Re-using is fun and beautiful!

{photos from Family Chic}

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Friday Wrap: Cloth Bread Bag

By on March 11, 2011 in diy, happy wrapping

This Friday Wrap is a little different than most of the others…

This is a cute idea for your kitchen if you love grabbing a fresh loaf of bread on your way home from the local bakery. Wrapping your loaf in towels is a great way to keep it fresh longer, so this tutorial over at Momtastic uses two small kitchen towels sewn together with a drawstring for easy bread storage. Why not make one for yourself as a fun weekend craft? You can use towels you already have, or go out and buy new cheap ones from the dollar store especially for this craft. Happy wrapping… and eating! ;)

{image from Momtastic}

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Friday Wrap: Tie it up

By on February 28, 2011 in diy, happy wrapping

Bad news… Unfortunately I am ill again. I have been down and out with a painful cough and fever since Friday. Luckily the fever has diminished now, but I still have the joint and muscle aches, stuffiness, etc. Doctor’s office… here I come again.

In the meantime though, I owe you a Friday Wrap post from last week. This one focuses on wrapping with string. There are many ways of going about it. You can tie bows, use buttons, wrap it like a parcel, and use a variety of materials, like the yarn used in this Bird & Banner invite.

Here is a short and sweet tutorial on how to bundle up your own favour or invite package using a some string and a button.

1. Grab all your pieces for the package.
2. Cut a 30-40 inch piece of string and hug it around the pieces (front to back) evenly.
3. At the back, cross the strings and wrap them around the pieces vertically, bringing them around to the front again.
4. Now take both ends of the string and slip each under the center (horizontal) string. This will secure the button and bow in the center when you complete the next steps.
5. Take both ends of the string again and feed each into one hole of the button. Use the holes on a diagonal from one another if your button has 4 holes total.
6. Finally, do not tie a knot, but go straight into tying a bow. Before doing so though, make sure the entire string is pulled fairly tight, without bending your pieces of paper, but just so the string isn’t loose and going to slip off. And voila! You have yourself a perfectly tied, and easy to open package.

Happy Wrapping!

{photos from Wedding Bee, Papernstitch, and Bird & Banner}

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Handmade Weddings

By on February 17, 2011 in happy reading, planning + advice

For so long I have admired and been inspired by the work of Hello! Lucky. They describe themselves as letterpress and design specialists who will not rest until you’re absolutely thrilled! (I hear that!).

I had some gift card money left over at Indigo so I treated myself to their latest release, Handmade Weddings, written in collaboration with stylist extraordinaire and former Martha Stewart Weddings senior style editor Shana Faust. If you’re like me, and DIY is something you crave for everyday you wake up, then this is a book for you. Oh yes, and it might help if you’re getting married since all the crafts revolve around that occasion. But I think it suits me well, as I work with many brides and grooms, catering to that special day.

The book is perfect for personalizing too, as it is sectioned by various styles, from Retro Homespun to Modern Classic. So the next time you’re at the book store, take a peak!

{images from Handmade Weddings}

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Friday Wrap: Holiday Gift Wrapping Tips

By on November 19, 2010 in diy, gifts + favours, planning + advice

This week’s Friday Wrap is a little different. Instead of focusing on one type of wrapping, I’m going to show you an array of inspiration you can use for all those gifts you’ll be wrapping for the holidays. Here are some of my best tips:

1. Get soft and fuzzy. Pom-poms are easy and a perfect fit for gifts during the winter months. So pick up a few balls of yarn and follow a simple tutorial like this one here. That’s all there is to it.

2. Go metallic. The holidays are pretty much the only time of year when metallics transition from being cheesy to festive. So join in the celebration with shiny golds and silvers, whether it’s bows, wrapping paper, or decorative trims like these. Just remember to balance the metallics by placing them against wrapping materials with minimal or no pattern. Here it is wrapped against kraft paper, but a bold wrap colour like green would look great too.

3. Play around with non-traditional colours. The holidays don’t have to scream red and green. Get creative and try other colour combos. Sometimes pairings like the bright blue, green, and pink shown below are great for shaking things up, and can often feel much more festive at times. Hint: blue hues will give your gifts an “icy” winter feel.

4. Ornaments aren’t just for trees. There are lots of cheap bundles of ornaments out there, in all different shapes, colours and sizes. Why not pick up some for your gift wrapping? You’ll be surprised how much they amp up the look of your gifts. Get an assortment of ornaments and have fun mixing and matching.

5. Spell it out. Not into all those tiny gift tags? Why not spell it out louder by cutting out names from various decorative papers. Choose a favourite typeface from your computer and print out the letters on plain white paper at the right size for your gift boxes. Cut out the letters from the printer paper and use those as tracing stencils on the sheets of newspaper or maps or other fancy papers you might have lying around. No one will accidentally open the wrong gift now.

Happy holiday gift wrapping everyone!

{images from Tea and Toast, Lisa Solomon, Jessica @ Such Pretty Things, CleverIndie, and Bugs & Fishes}

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Friday Wrap: Fabric Tape

By on November 5, 2010 in diy, gifts + favours, happy wrapping

There are a few tutorials floating around the internet for this DIY wrap job, but I decided to do it my own way. And a slightly easier way in my opinion. One that excludes the use of a sticker machine or mod podge.

Here’s what you need to make your own fabulous fabric tape:

  1. Your favourite scraps of fabric. Try pieces that are fun and colourful to add drama to the gifts you are going to be wrapping.
  2. A roll of double-sided tape that has backing on one side. (The backing makes it so the tape is protected until it is ready to be used.)
  3. Scissors.
  4. Kraft paper.

Instructions:

1. Start by wrapping your gift with the Kraft paper.

2. Grab your roll of double-sided tape and cut a small to medium sized strip and stick it to the back of the fabric. Do not remove the protective backing of the tape.

3. Cut around the tape, being careful to cut around the edge very tightly and removing any frays from the fabric gently.

4. Your piece of fabric tape is ready for use! Repeat steps 2-3 and match up a few pieces of different colours and patterns to decorate your wrapped gift with.

Have fun! And make some for your friends too. But be careful… I found this project to be highly addictive because it’s SO easy.

{photos © Have & Hold Design}

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Friday Wrap: Burlap Napkin Ring

By on October 29, 2010 in diy, flowers + decor, happy wrapping

Here’s Friday Wrap feature from maya*made blog. These rustic monogrammed napkin rings in burlap are a perfect DIY for the upcoming holiday season, especially if you’re planning on having many guests pop in for delicious meals. Impress them with these! Follow the directions here.

{photos from Maya on Flickr}

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