The weather is gettin’ good, so it’s time to take the party outside. And what’s better than a piñata at an outdoor par-tay? Check out these clever homemade creations…
A love note piñata for a wedding! A brilliant idea found on Ruffled.
This gorgeous creation was designed based on a camillia flower. Made by Inchmark for her daughter’s 4th birthday.
I have been obsessed with these paper cups ever since I saw them on The Dieline. And to be obsessed with paper cups, they really have to be good. Since they are made in Korea, read: impossible to get, I decided to make my own. First gawk with me at these…then scroll down for my DIY version!
Made by Iam Design. Can you even stand the adorable styling? Seriously, it slays me.
Now, for my humble invention…
It’s so easy…I bought white paper party cups and made letter stickers using 8 1/2 x 11-inch label paper. I really wanted to get fancy with the cup colors and patterns, but using white cups saved me from having to painfully cut out each letter.
I actually like the myriad of options that my homemade cups provide…I can control the letters that I want and tweak the font and color for my occasion. This would be adorable for a kid’s party; either each guest gets their initial or you arrange the buffet table with a fun phrase.
You can download a PDF of my letters to make your own. If you make a set, email me pics of how you use them! I’d love to see!
I’m in the middle of my move (almost done) and I’m so tired of looking at the color of brown cardboard. These rainbow-like images caught my eye this morning.
As I’m thinking about moving into my new apartment (today—woot!) I’m trying to figure out how I am going to solve the ever-consuming problem of organizing my craft supplies. It’s daunting, really, so this blog post is a very self-serving one.
If you are a crafter, you know that it’s painful to throw out a 3×3-inch piece of paper. I love this idea from The Crafts Dept.—store your scraps in presentation sleeves by color.
Oh to have such a manageable collection of materials! If only I had 10 sheets of scrapbook paper, 4 pairs of scissors, or four spools of twine, only then could my craft space look like this. But this photo does display one of my fave storage ideas…the jars mounted underneath a shelf. Found on Ohdeedoh.
Chez Larsson came up with this precious way to store materials. She took photos of her materials and decoupaged the print-outs to wooden Ikea drawers.
My friend Amanda asked me to help with her daughter Sophia’s 8th birthday party, and I was thrilled to start the brainstorm with her. Sophia had already decided on a cupcake decorating theme, so I just had to help fill in with some details. Check out the cuteness that ensued…
We decorated Amanda’s sun-filled apartment with these gorgeous sewn paper garlands from Mahar Dry Goods. I think I could live with these on my wall year-round.
Before the decorating began, each baker got a blank white apron with a set of fabric markers from Oriental Trading. (The birthday girl is on the right with one of her besties.)
The kids arrived at their work station to find a naked cupcake atop these cute stands from Hello Hanna (I’m a big fan of cupcake stands). They also got their own bowl, spoon, and spatula to mix up their icing.
In just minutes, the table was a beautiful mess of colored icing, sprinkles, and confectioners sugar!
A few finished cupcakes having their moment on their little pedestals.
The sugar has officially kicked in!
Everyone got to decorate 2 cupcakes, one to eat on the spot and one to take home in these perfect boxes from Bake It Pretty.
Big time thanks to Amanda, Sophia, and her sweet friends for letting me crash the party! (And also, check out Amanda’s amazing handmade sweaters-knitted by her mum-on her website, Fairy Bread for Kids.)
As a magazine craft editor, I have to tackle Easter eggs every year. And seriously, it’s a massive challenge for me to reinvent this tradition. So instead of slaving over it myself, I hire brilliant crafters to tackle the egg. Need new, easy ideas? Look no further…
You have to visit Chez Larsson to see how she made these adorable egg crafts!
These precious egg cozies were made by the brilliant Susan B. Anderson for Parents magazine. They are little baby socks, felt, and pompoms—genius!
Another amazing use of Happy Tape, Suzonne Stirling (check out her lovely blog, Urban Comfort) made these amazing (and refreshingly simple) eggs for Family Circle. Gorgeous!
You can’t ignore Martha Stewart when it comes to decorating eggs. Check out these cuties from her April 2010 issue.
A simple birthday garland made from circles cut from cereal boxes, baker’s twine, and letter stickers (no glue needed…just use the sticker to attach string to cardboard). From Parents Magazine.
I have a thing for them; don’t know why, but I do. Maybe it’s the even spacing, or the dashed lines, or the simple and familiar font. Clearly, I’m not alone…
And lastly, for a practical use of this ubiquitous tool, mount a measuring tape on the edge of your work space. You’ll never fumble for a ruler again. Oh Martha!
