pretty little things

speaking of tassels

look at this cute DIY i discovered at

➸ swellmayde ♡

berry happy

i wanted to post a  quick how-to about bundling

the bramble berries to accommodate a thicker head of hair.

here's what they look like individually

and this is how they look after they're joined together

here's how i got there

start by placing the berries one on top of the other

(i placed the yellow berry over the blue berry)

feed the yellow berry under and through the yellow band

when you pull the berries away from one another

you will begin to see how they tangle together

tighten the tangle by pulling them further apart

to create something that looks like this

now you can secure your pony tail

by feeding one berry through the elastic band

to create a larger stronger loop

makes for a berry happy pony indeed

xo

filtered light

i am smitten with this coffee filter light!

find out how to make it here

♡

champagne chairs

these chairs from anthropologie totally remind me of those pretty little chairs

twisted out of champagne cages.

i found a DIY here and i think i'm gonna have to learn.

place cards

i made flagged hearts as place cards for the guests at the wedding

i used heart shaped notecards from papersource

and cut flags from an ordinary manilla folder

i started by cutting a long wavy line along the length of the folder.

snipped the flags to length and notched out the ends.

i wrote the names with a superfine sharpie 

and used a glue stick to attach em.

xx

faery pretty

check out this amazing garden flower crown diy

i want one!

♥

rainbow rope rugs

how fabulous are these rope rugs from free people ?

they were created as displays for their stores and the display artists

were nice enough to write up a DIY so we can make our own.

(the permalink keeps coming up as a blank page for me

so you have to scroll about 2/3 down the page to view the directions)

anyways, looks like all you need is :

a large piece of cardboard,  black marker, scissors,

rope in various sizes and colors, neon twine, pompoms

...and a ton of patience...

i'll have to add this one to my list!

spoonful

i am in awe of this 

rose made from plastic spoons

so beautiful.

painted jars

if you're like me you have at least a cupboard (maybe more)

filled with assorted shapes and sizes of empty glass jars

that are just waiting to be put to good use.

here's an idea i initially saw at hidden in france

 of how to spruce em up with a swish and a swirl of colorful paint.

i think i'm gonna have to try this:)

♡

hearts on a string

i love this project :)

♡--♡--♡--♡--♡--♡--♡--♡

button candy

chelsea from papercakes asked me put together

a special DIY to help celebrate 2 years of blogging.

 and since i really love to make things out of stuff you might normally throw away,

i repurposed some old egg cartons into a colorful set of hand painted buttons

here's what you need and how i did it:

scissors

cardboard egg carton

paint and brushes

sealer/varnish

sharp point to poke holes

(i used a hammer and a tiny nail)

you could also use an awl,

tiny sharp scissors, large needle

 
cut a variety of circles from the lid of your egg carton

base coat with one or 2 layers of acrylic paint and let dry

use contrast color to paint details and let dry 

i also added spots where i planned to poke the button holes

coat with acrylic sealer. 1 or 2 coats. let dry.

poke holes so you can sew your buttons when they're all done

i used a small nail and a hammer to get them started and then

pushed them through with my fingers to make the hole bigger

that's it, you're all done!

now you have a brand new set of custom painted buttons. 

you could also decorate them with sequins, glitter

and rhinestones or maybe paint your initials on them.

they are durable enough for light use, but they are not washable

have fun! 

♡♡♡

stringing hearts

some valentine inspired DIYS to keep you busy this weekend

crochet sweethearts

hearts on a string

♡

twinkle twinkle little jars

 HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED

scissors, jars, painters tape, brushes, acrylic paint and sealer, candles

 

* first you have to GET THE LABELS OFF your jars. 

i like to soak them in warm soapy water before i try to scrape them off. 

for stubborn labels or impossible glue globs try using some nail polish remover.

* RINSE AND DRY your jars thoroughly

if they're not completely cooled and dry the tape won't stick

* CUT strips and stars from painters tape and ARRANGE design

 

* ROLL THE JARS between your hands 

(to make sure everything is sealed down really well)

you don't want any paint to sneak underneath your tape!

* PAINT... i used about 4 coats. (use fewer coats for more transparency)

i painted the background on the star jar first and then peeled the stars.

 

( i painted the stars on the inside of the jar to keep a perfect outline )

PEEL your tape before the paint has dried or it might peel the paint off.

(if it starts to peel a little just press it back into place)

* APPLY SEALER after your tape is peeled and your paint is dry.

(use a toothpick to scrape off any paint that sneaked under the tape.)

see how pretty!!

drop in a couple of small candles

 

and you have a gorgeous new set of twinkling jars

you can also use them to hold a little bunch of wildflowers

or maybe your magic wand

♥

originally featured as a guest post on draw pilgrim 

 

a little bubbly

i've been waiting for the right occasion to twist up

a couple of bubble wands and mix up a small jar of potion.

and i think that New Year's Eve is perfect!

★ ★ ★

what you need:

wire: i used floral wire

(you could also use a wire hanger)

pliers: to bend and cut wire.

jar with lid: i used a spice jar.

dishsoap: i used dawn.

glycerin: i had a bottle left over from these

distilled water: or you can boil and cool water

(if you plan to use it within a few days you can just use tap water)

embellishments: like charms, ribbon, wire stars, etc

 

★ twist your wands ★

snip length of wire and bend into shape

make sure to leave enough wire at the bottom to twist around the stem

i used a thread spool to bend the circle and i freehanded the star.

you could also do a heart or maybe a pair of initials (if the letters have loops)

i also added a tiny charm to the bottom of the wand

★ mix solution ★

you can find a lot of recipes online.

i made up my own ratio by experimenting

with different quantities of the 3 ingredients.

(a little quirt here and a little spill there)

until i felt like the bubbles had the right quality.

you need a good amount of soap,

but too much glycerin makes the bubbles too heavy to float.

i read somewhere that it works better after sitting overnight.

so i let mine sit and added another squirt of soap this morning.

it works GREAT!

such a fun project and i love that you can customize the bubble wands

to work for so many occasions. i think they would be super cute

as party favors for a special birthday or even a wedding.

★ ★ ★

the backround image is the cover of the Guardian

and the artwork is by Ursula Young.

xoxo

ornaments

i found some lovely ornament ideas

i LOVE the birdcages. i really need to make some !

and check out these recycled critters 

i am especially fond of the owls.

♡