Vintage Christmas Lights Wreath DIY

I've had this box of vintage christmas lights laying around for about 4 years.  I got them at an estate sale because... it was a box of beautifully colored vintage light bulbs.. why else??  And for four years, I've had the intention of making this with them and never did it until now.  This is such an easy project and such a great way to use lightbulbs that don't work anymore!

All you need is a high-heat glue gun and sticks, a foam wreath and a strand of twinkly lights.

Once you glue the bulbs to the foam, wrap it with the twinkly lights and hang!  It looks like a super expensive Christmas decoration and in reality, it cost me MAYBE $10.  

Love you all!! xoxox

A Christmas-Y Rosemary Tree Floral Arrangement DIY

Fresh flowers are my favorite thing. Ever. I also love fresh herbs and the absolutely heavenly aromas that come along with live fresh herbs.  So I decided to combine those two to make the perfect holiday arrangement.  

The Rosemary Tree was purchased at Trader Joes.  So cute, right??  The rest of the flowers, so beautiful, you can find here.  They have the perfect selection for the holidays!

I encourage you to step out of your floral comfort zone and play with different ways of displaying your favorite flowers for the holidays.  They may not last as long, but will be such a show-stopper for your Christmas gatherings!

#handcraftedxmas

Trick Your Pumpkin with Michaels

Being a Michael's Maker has been AWESOME.  Honestly, these monthly challenges get me to craft and create things I never would have considered before.

This month they asked us to participate in their Trick Your Pumpkin sweepstakes.  

Crafters just submit their pumpkin creations via Instagram any time between October 4th through October 31 for a chance to win a $250 Michaels gift card and Plaid products each Friday throughout the month of October.  We think you should  enter the sweepstakes by uploading your own projects to Instagram using the hashtags #TrickYourPumpkin and #sweepstakes and tag @MichaelsStores.  Make sure you use the craft pumpkins from Michaels!

Here is our entry for this super fun contest!  ( let me add that these pumpkins are SO COOL )

Supplies:

Krylon Make It Stone Spray Paint

Craft Knife

Craft Pumpkins

Paint Pens

Battery powered pumpkin candle (purchased at Michaels, not on website)

Flower pot

Pencil

Use the flower pot to determine the size of the hole on the top.  Make sure to cut as straight down as possible so you can get the pot inside.  In the other pumpkin, the hole on top can be a random size, whatever will fit the battery candle.  Cut whatever designs into your pumpkin you choose.  (go figure, I chose triangles.)

Now it's time for the spray paint!  This Make It Stone stuff is AWESOME.  The time it takes to dry in between coats is NOT awesome.  It's non-negotiable, though.  I tried, trust me, you have to let it dry.

Next, do THIS while you wait for it to dry!

After the paint is dry and you have sufficiently tortured your pet to death with love, it's time to doodle on your pumpkin.  I quickly decided mine were going to be fancy with gold and silver adornments.  

Now, put your plant in it, the candle or whatever you decided to do and create your fabulous table scape!  Ta-Da!  I also think that these would make pretty wonderful hostess gifts for Thanksgiving.  

Don't forget to tag your project on Instagram using #TrickYourPumpkin #sweepstakes and tagging @MichaelsStores!!

The Hummingbird Pantsuit by Rabbit Rabbit Creations

I'm so excited to tell you about one of my new favorite summer/fall wardrobe staples - the Hummingbird Pantsuit by Rabbit Rabbit Creations. I'm sure many of you are already familiar with the Hummingbird Dress. I'd seen so many cute versions floating around the internet that I HAD to buy it myself. That bodice? Adorable. After making a few dresses, I saw there was a call on the Rabbit Rabbit Facebook page for testers for it's big sister, the pantsuit, and couldn't apply quick enough! I'm so honored to have been picked to test such an adorable pattern, and it doesn't disappoint. I wasn't required to blog about it, I just love this pattern and wanted to share.

Be prepared for an overload of cuteness.

MAKE: Revived Vintage Screen Garden Wall

This project was inspired by what my family thought was a very odd purchase at an estate sale for $2.  An old mesh screen framed in old wood.  It was love at first sight to me.  As soon as I saw it a hundred ideas flooded my imagination of what could be made with it. 

After a couple weeks of pondering, I settled on the idea of a garden wall.  My aloe plant (that had a bunch of babies last year) was ready to give birth yet again.  Check out my post about separating your aloe plants here.  This little wall piece was going to give me the perfect place to display my new potted baby aloe plants. 

I had seen these little white aluminum pots at Ikea months ago and knew they'd be perfect for this!  A tiny S-hook would fit perfectly in the little holes around the top.  They'll also be great to pull off this wall during the colder months and bring the plants inside where it is safe and warm. 

I love this project because it can be made appropriate for any and all seasons and holidays! 

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

MAKE: Para Cord & Vintage Scarf Ring Necklace

Last month we shared this tutorial over at Whipperberry as our first post as part of the Whipperberry Creative Team.  (so exciting!)  We absolutely love working with Heather and are so grateful for the opportunity she's given us.

Of course, you all know how much we love going to estate sales and finding forgotten treasures. You see our photos on FB almost every weekend!  (We did a whole series about our strategies here.)  So, naturally, many many projects come from our compulsive saling.  Today I'm showing you how to make a necklace using para cord from the hardware store and a vintage scarf ring that I got for 25 cents at an estate sale. Yay!

As you can see, my cord got a little tangled.  It took me a good 15 minutes to even find the ends to begin untangling it. 

For my necklace I used 6 strands that were 6' long each, folded in half, with a tie around the middle.  That gives 12 - 36" strands to braid.

I braided 3 groups of 4 strands to get a thick, sturdy braid.  Once the braid is complete, tie some cord around the end and use a hot glue gun to secure the ends together.

Next, slide your scarf ring on.

The hard part is fixing the 2 ends together.  I used the tie that held the looped ends together and joined the 2 ends.  Use hot glue to secure any pieces you think may come loose.

Slide the scarf ring over the joint to hide it.  I made sure it wouldn't move by putting some glue inside the ring, then wrapping 5 loops of cord on either side of the ring. 

 

I actually love this necklace so much that it gets worn at least once a week. I'm actually wearing it right now!  You could even get fancy and change the shape of the necklace by using some copper piping elbow joints... I whipped one up, but forgot to take photos. I'll have to share those at another time.

Jen and I wish you guys a Happy Independence Day!  Have a blast partying and watching the fireworks! 

MAKE: American Apparel Inspired Wired Head Scarf

Yesterday I was out shopping and my friend Caitlin spotted these "Twist Scarves" at American Apparel.  She fell in love.  Super simple, super cute, super ridiculously priced.  $15 for some fabric with a piece of wire inside of it.  So, naturally, I said "Hey! I can make that!"

And I did!

Seriously, this only took about 10 minutes to make.  I think I'm going to make a ton of them because they're OH-SO-ADORABLE and make great gifts, too!

Supplies

Fabric - 36" x 8"

Plastic Coated Steel Wire - 18 Gage - 36" piece (plastic coated is a MUST, otherwise the wire will poke through your fabric)

Sewing machine (you could hand stitch, too.. it'll just take a long long time)

Your fabric should be 4 inches wide when folded in half.  I cut a slant on each end, 4" long, 4" tall and gave it an arrow shape.

Sew inside-out, leaving one end up.  Turn inside-out to get the pattern on the outside and slide your wire inside (36").  Sew up the end with the machine.

AND VOILA!  See how ridiculously easy that was?  

I will most likely have one of these scarves to go with every single outfit now.  Enjoy and have a wonderful wonderful week!  We <3 you!

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!