five things friday: spring projects edition

I never quite made it with my good intentions for most of the holiday/seasonal decorating lately, so I thought I'd better get a jump start on Easter/spring ideas if I want to make them happen... And these five ideas are so cute, how could you not want to do them all?

           

Source: purlbee.com via Debbie on Pinterest
1. Easter bags from the Purlbee (they always have the cutest ideas).

Source: marthastewart.com via Vicki on Pinterest
2. Hanging eggs on pretty branches is a great decorating/centerpiece idea.

Source: marthastewart.com via Ana on Pinterest

3. If you're impatiently awaiting outdoor blooms, you can make your own indoors!

        

Source: underthehighchair.com via Megan on Pinterest

4. Simple cupcakes fit the season with a few eggs nestled into the frosting.

Source: etsy.com via Anna on Pinterest

5. Spring makes me want to fill the house with greens after winter - moss-covered letters 

are a fun wreath alternative.

five things friday: new year's eve edition

Earlier in the week I showed some napkins that could be fun for a New Year's Eve table setting; here are 5 more festive DIY ideas for your celebration:

                                                                               Source: marthastewart.com via Anne on Pinterest

1. Dot decorations: sticking with the dot theme from the napkins, these would be easy decorations to put together with metallic papers.

                                                                    Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Anne on Pinterest

2. Shiny centerpiece: turn mini Christmas ornaments into New Year's Eve table decorations by displaying them in champagne flutes!

                                                                               Source: designspongeonline.com via Anne on Pinterest

3. DIY party crackers: make your own party crackers to pop open at your party - you can personalize the little trinkets inside for your guests, and don't forget to make the tissue paper crowns to fold up and tuck inside!

                                                

                                                                           Source: somethingturquoise.com via Anne on Pinterest

4. Glittered champagne flutes: glitter is always festive, and everyone will be able to tell their glass apart!

                                                                                Source: shopbando.com via Anne on Pinterest

5. Sequin shoe clips: this isn't a tutorial, but how cute are these sequin shoe clips from ban.do for a New Year's Eve party? They've got to be DIY-able...

five things friday: DIY ornament edition

Yesterday I shared the easy ornaments I made for this year's Christmas tree decorations... but here are 5 other excellent contenders for simple and cheap tree dressings:

1. Paper globes. Last year I made these really easy ornaments out of strips of decorative paper and some paper fasteners. They're great because you can do any color scheme you want, and they're very inexpensive - so you don't have to feel bad if you want to change things up the next year...

            Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Sweet_Purls on Pinterest

                                                               











                                                                

2. Felt pinecones. Aren't these pretty? Find a tutorial here.

                                                                                    Source: bhg.com via Heather on Pinterest

3. Pinecones with bows. Speaking of pinecones, these would be easy and cheap! Just go out and collect some pinecones and add a wire hanger and ribbon bow.

                                                                            Source: afieldjournal.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

4. Glitter ornaments. There are of course a zillion ways you could do these glitter-covered cardstock ornaments (Martha Stewart has lots of cute templates in this slideshow), but I love these simple leaves with a bead added to the ribbon from A Field Journal (as well as the other DIY ornaments in that post - definitely check them out!).

                                                                              Source: curbly.com via Jerlynn on Pinterest

5. Modern paper ornaments. I've made these in the past - again, really fun, easy, inexpensive, and endless color scheme options.

Turns out inexpensive and easy mostly involves paper and felt...

five things friday: thanksgiving inspiration edition

It's Friday again already?! I haven't been getting a ton of crafting done lately, but now I've got a whole new topic to focus on: Thanksgiving. I'm having it at my house for the first time, as my husband's parents and his sister/her husband will be joining us here, and so I've spent all week pinning inspirations for my table...

                                                                                   Source: bhg.com via Anne on Pinterest

1. I love natural elements for fall-related decorating. How great would these acorn napkin rings be for Thanksgiving?

                                                                    Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Meghann on Pinterest

2. Place cards, no matter how simple, just say "fancy dinner" to me. Here is a genius use of magnolia leaves (to match my wreath made from all those pesky leaves that end up on my driveway from my neighbor's tree!).

                                                                         Source: marthastewart.com via Rebecca Frost on Pinterest

3. Centerpieces and flower arranging aren't exactly my strong suit... pumpkins and candles are a pretty substitute though!

                                                                             Source: blowoutparty.com via Anne on Pinterest

4. I love kraft paper, and it's the perfect color for this holiday - also an inexpensive way to work with the linens/plates I already have for a simple Thanksgiving table.

                                                                        Source: marthastewart.com via Brittani on Pinterest

5. I'm not a super fan of pumpkin pike (or stuffing or mashed potatoes - Thanksgiving sacrilege, I know), but this triple chocolate pumpkin pie would probably tempt me...

five things friday

Five crafty things I'm enjoying/copying this week:

1. Online magazines with lots of great DIY decorating ideas, especially The Holiday Guide from Emily Henderson and House of Fifty.

                                                                 Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Sabrina on Pinterest

2. This chair reupholstery guide from Little Green Notebook - I hope to finish my own chair this weekend.

                                                                Source: somethingturquoise.com via Anne on Pinterest

3. I love these fancy champagne glasses from Something Turquoise done with glitter paint from the new Martha Stewart line. I've been looking for an excuse to buy some of these, and now I think I've found it!

4. Giveaway Day at Tatertots & Jello, where you can enter to win (amongst other things) a $50 gift card to Oh My Crafts and a $50 value stencil from Royal Design Studio. I could think of lots of projects to do with these!

                                                                     Source: vivaamore.tumblr.com via Anne on Pinterest

5. Isn't this a great re-use for pumpkins now that Halloween is over? 

house crafting to do list

I'm busy enjoying the last weeks of summer with family visits and a beach vacation starting tomorrow, so crafting is on hiatus again around here. But when my normal routine resumes, I have a whole bunch of house-related projects I'd love to get to...

First up, I'm thinking of putting together some sort of gallery wall in the living room.

                                                                       Source: younghouselove.com via Anne on Pinterest

I'm also considering jazzing up the bookshelves.

                                                                        Source: flickr.com via Anne on Pinterest

The kitchen window is bare and could use a fun shade - thinking of trying this tutorial for a DIY roman shade.

                                                                Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Anne on Pinterest

I picked up a roadside rescue chair that needs some love - this furniture redo tutorial is great.

                                                                   Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Anne on Pinterest

I love poufs, but they're a bit pricey - this looks like a potentially doable DIY.

                                                                               Source: curbly.com via Anne on Pinterest

work with what you've got challenge

This week I was inspired by the Pinterest Challenge announced over at Young House Love - a challenge to actually make some of those projects we've all been pinning away on the inspiration boards. I've got 73 ideas stocked up on my "projects to make" board, and I think I've gotten around to, um, two? Good idea to start trying some out.

I'm also way too good at stocking up on craft supplies - there's all kinds of stuff down in the craft center that I picked up with some vague notion of a project and haven't yet gotten around to using. So in addition, I'm challenging myself to a week of working (crafting) with what I've got before I accumulate any new supplies. Stay tuned for what I'm making, and at the end, come share your projects!

(In my defense - it's easy to just stock up on supplies and not do anything with them... an art unto themselves!)

                                                                     Source: push-pins.tumblr.com via Casa Andersen on Pinterest

                                                                             Source: cocokelley.blogspot.com via Juli on Pinterest

                                                                                 Source: designmom.com via Jenny on Pinterest

                                                                                 Source: shelterness.com via C.J. on Pinterest

                                                                                       

portable crafts

I'm away on a work trip to a conference in Japan. It's a direct flight - 13 hours! - and while I always hope to get in some good sleeping on long flights, I also make sure to bring plenty of reading material. This time, I also got to thinking about craft projects you could travel with.

Knitting is obviously portable, but alas I have tried and failed several times to knit (also, not sure whether knitting needles are allowed through airport security these days... still great for car or train travel, I suppose). Embroidery is another good lap project (same issue with embroidery needle & airport security? Who knows).

Source: marthastewart.com via Anne on Pinterest

This is awfully cute - fun for kids - and all you need is a multicolored stamp pad, a couple pencils, and paper.

                                                                                           Source: lilmagoolie.com via Talene on Pinterest

Remember friendship bracelets?! These would be really easy to carry along as the supplies don't take up too much space, and you can pin your work to the seat in front of you.

Source: honestlywtf.com via Anne on Pinterest

If you were willing to have the passengers sitting next to you think you're strange, you could totally do this while watching the movie on the plane... No? I'm totally doing it when I get home then.

                                                                               Source: thefrugalcrafter.wordpress.com via Lila on Pinterest

Any other ideas out there?

pompom trim scarf

Everybody's talking about Pinterest lately, and I've wholeheartedly joined this bandwagon (my pins here). I previously had a completely unwieldy online bookmark list of ideas, but now I can stick them on my virtual pinboards - it's much more convenient & fun to keep track of these things with pretty pictures!

Now I'm developing quite a visual collection of projects to do, so it's time to start doing some of them. First up, this adorable DIY pompom scarf I pinned from What I Wore.

Source: whatiwore.tumblr.com via Anne on Pinterest

I followed her tutorial to turn this fun & flowy clearance rack fabric into a scarf. As a bonus, I finally had an excuse to buy some of the adorable pompom trim that I always eye at Michaels...

I'm pretty pleased with my new summer scarf - though this was supposed to be a really quick project... and in my beginner sewer-ness I didn't really think about how this fabric wouldn't want to have a nice fold ironed into it. So it was a bit difficult to work with but still turned out cute as long as no one looks too closely. Plus with my clearance row fabric and coupon on the trim, it was slightly cheaper than buying a scarf PLUS gave me sewing practice (my new excuse for spending money at the craft store).

Linking here

summer fun list

I love it when summer rolls around. Nice weather gets me excited about getting out and about, and long daylight hours make me feel much more energized (am I the only one who can't handle staying up past 10 in the winter but have no problem with 11 in the summer). And even though I'm too old to get summer break anymore, I still always have grand schemes of things to do and see in the warm months.

So I loved the idea I saw on Sweet and Lovely Crafts to make a summer fun checklist, to ensure I make the most of summer and have my fun before the seasons change on me again.... She's got a cute free printable with lots of fun ideas, but since I don't have kids, I came up with my own version. I thought I'd add a few for the puppy too.

And I've been bookmarking lots of projects to do on Pinterest... here are a few potential ones to do this summer:

map art

Source: tcktyboo.com via Anne on Pinterest

braided leather bracelet

Source: melissaesplin.com via Anne on Pinterest

pretty paper lanterns

Source: thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com via Anne on Pinterest

alphabet embroidery

Source: rosylittlethings.typepad.com via Tracey on Pinterest