I promised a post about making your own wrapping paper! To accent the holiday palette that I chose this year, I thought it would be fun to add a few small gifts with customized wrapping paper. I would not advise doing this with large gifts, unless you are going to paint the words. This DIY is really easy and you don’t have to be crafty. If you can write you can do this. Actually, have your kids do it. Their darling handwriting on the paper would be a gift in itself. Grandparents love that kind of stuff!
Step one:
Gather your paper {I used this one}, a pen and your gift. I used a gold paint Sharpie, but on black paper white would look awesome too!
Step 2:
Write your message. I wrote diagonally because I find that easier! Any message works!
Step 3:
Wrap it and gift it!
Give it a try. The wrapped gifts turn out great.
PS:: Is there someone on your list that would love What Shat That? [The Pocket Guide to Poop Identity]? Find it here! AND you’re welcome.
This really isn’t much of a DIY. It’s more of an idea on how to add color to your table! While getting ready for a party last week, I decided that my little bamboo forks needed a pop of color. I dug out a tube of acrylic paint that I bought on clearance. {I simply bought it because I LOVED the shockingly, bright pink color!}. Using a painters tape, I taped the forks to a piece of paper and painted the tops with a sponge brush. When they dried, I flipped them and painted the other side. It took really no time at all to paint 30 little forks. And they turned out awesome.
Aren’t they darling in that black cup? I am thinking they will be fantastic painted yellow in the summer. Oh, the possibilities are endless!!
When I was placing the art work in my closet, I had small spaces that needed something. An extra frame made it look too cluttered and I didn’t want that! I was working toward open and inspiring, so it took me awhile to figure out what to do. Then in the middle of the night it came to me! I needed to print some of my Instagram snapshots. I am constantly posting pictures of my shoes and it they would be PERFECT in my closet.
So I printed these Instagram photos using the free Walgreens app. It is so darn easy. Connect to your account, choose the photos you want to print, send them, and pick them up in an hour. I printed the 4×4 size for $0.39 a piece. YES!! Thirty nine cents! {You could also print in 8×8 which would be fun if you wanted to frame it}. For $1.56 {plus tax} I had small, personal pieces of art to add to my closet. I used gold washi tape to hang them.
How easy is that?
Do you follow me on Instagram? Well, why the heck not? Come join the party! Follow me @seattlejune.
Other ways to use your super cool Instagram shots:
I love snow days! Call it wishful thinking {because we are in desperate need of snow in our mountains}, but I am ready for another one. We were lucky enough to get a day off due to snow just before our long winter break. Unfortunately, it all melted before lunch time! We are due another one. A massive snow fall, with multiple days off from school, would make me VERY happy. I thought it would be fun to put a Snow Day Survival Kit together just in case. Being prepared always makes for a much more enjoyable day.
After playing in the snow for hours, they eventually come in. Spending uninterrupted time together is a major perk to an unplanned day off. New activities go a long way for entertainment value. My kit includes: cookies-in-a-jar, hot cocoa and marshmallows, a deck of cards, a game to play together, and an old school movie.
Snow Day. Cookies required. The key is making it easy to bake them. Using a large Mason jar, I layered the dry ingredients for Best Ever: Chocolate Chip Cookies {directions and recipe after the jump}. Dump the jar in a bowl, mix with butter, eggs & vanilla, and you have homemade cookies. Since I plan to give a few kits as gifts, I also created colorful direction cards and labels to go on the jar.
Other kit essentials:
HOT COCOA: No snow day is complete without hot cocoa and marshmallows to warm up. Individual packets make it simple to make a quick cup.
DECK OF CARDS: Play go-fish, high/low, or rummy. How about a friendly game of poker using goldfish crackers to wager?
DRAW A SNOWMAN GAME{link after the jump}: It is a great way to add a bit of art and drawing to your day. Kids of all ages can play successfully. Bonus-you will have works of art to hang up!
OLD SCHOOL MOVIE: When you are exhausted and need to cuddle up- just pop in a classic movie you loved to watch as a kid. I picked Goonies because, well, it is just awesome.
Well, now I am set and ready! I know my boys would love a chance to miss school and sled all day instead. We are all hoping a major winter storm hits Western Washington REALLY soon!
Click through for cookie recipe, the Draw A Snowman Game, and resources:
This year I wanted to put together a simple, handmade gift. A jar of classic cocoa and a bundle of candy cane spoons is festive and it works for anyone!
I cut the original Classic Cocoa recipe from Sunset Magazine in half and layered the ingredients in a pint sized {wide-mouthed} Mason jar. With a little Chalkboard Flat-Black Spray Paint on the lids, I was able to add messages and hand- drawn hearts. Cocoa is always better with a bit of peppermint. Well, at least I think so! I almost fell over when I found these darling candy cane spoons. I bundled them together in a clear treat bag and tied with baker’s twine. Last, I created an enclosure with directions on how to make the cocoa. {Download the template here if you would like to print the enclosure.}
You could make this gift in less than an hour and buy all of the needed ingredients at the grocery store. {In a time crunch, use candy cane sticks and skip the chalkboard paint.}
So excited to say this DIY project was all me! Months ago I purchased this wooden “T” at Michael’s. I can’t remember the cost, but I think it was around $5. Like most things I buy at that store, I had no idea how I was going to use it!
I ended up using it to create my own monogrammed holiday wreath. First, I taped diagonal stripes. {To make sure the spacing and angle of the tape was consistent, I used an extra piece of tape between each stripe and then peeled it off.} Next, I sprayed a few coats of gold metallic spray paint. Then, I secured an eye hook to the back of the letter and looped floral wire through the eye. Last, I wrapped the floral wire around a fresh wreath and attached my monogram.
After the holiday season, I can simply take off the letter and store it for next year!
I do love seeing DIY projects, but I seem to only pick the ones that are easy and require little effort. I loved the idea of a rustic pine cone garland. Actually, I quietly would like to replace my holiday decor with all white, metallic, and natural decorations. Instead of throwing everything out, I am trying to add accents that require little to no budget.
For this garland, I purchased a bag of scented pine cones at the grocery store. Next, I drilled very small holes into the base of the pine cones and screwed in small eye hooks with a pair of needle nosed pliers. Everything is better with gold spray paint, so I gave them each a quick coat. Finally I tied each pine cone on the line of twine. If I was to do it again {which I will next year}, I would use heavier, rustic twine. Mine looks more like kite string.
I simply hung the garland in front of a set of windows using small Command hooks. It adds a natural element to our dining room and smells amazing to boot!
Be Merry and Bright!
Interested in other DIY projects? Check out my TO DO board. xoxo
My dearest, childhood friend gave me the idea to start a holiday memory book. It is a simple way to gather the photos, cards and Santa pictures in one, safe place. I chose an expandable scrapbook style, so I can add to it when we need the extra pages. The first page is our first Christmas as a married couple. Once we had children I began to also send a small note with our picture. Every year has two pages. Our family photo and letter on one side and the boys’ Santa picture on the other. I buy holiday themed papers at a craft store along with a few embellishments. The beauty of this book is that I only have a small, quick project once a year. At the end of the holiday season, I toss our card and pictures in the back of the book- so they are ready for the following year. I am going to work on the 2012 pages this week. The book sits on our coffee table throughout December. I love looking through it. It is a treat to see how far we’ve come!
