The Violet Hours

Time for Last Minute Easter Egg Crafts

We are just 3 days away from the official Spring kick-off...Easter. By now you should have made some eggs or planned what you were going to make on Sunday, but if you don't have more specialty craft supplies on hand like rubber cement or candy sprinkles, then just use your basic craft supplies...Tim Gunn would say it's a make-it-work moment!

Colored pencils on eggs by Fine Little Day—seriously simple, seriously gorgeous.

 

Sharpie pens on Easter eggs by Mom.me! Yes!

 

I'm crazy about the soft, washy quality of watercolor Easter eggs. Two lovely examples by Spoon Fork Bacon and Oh Happy Day.

Time for 10 Amazing DIY Birthday Party Hats

I find no reason whatsoever to buy a party hat. Wait, let me rephrase that. I find no reason to buy a party hat without jazzing it up! It's totally legit to buy the paper ones and doll them up, or, just download a hat template and make it from scratch. But of course that all depends on how many you need to make. My daughter's first birthday party is in two weeks and to be honest, I don't feel the need to make a hat for everyone...just for her. So, since I'm only making one, I can really dedicate some time and thought to it. Let's explore the world of homemade party hats, shall we?

1. Never would I ever make this hat from Wedding Chicks for a 1-year old baby (glitter in the eyes, mouth, ears, cake, etc), but I love love love the ombre affect! I think I would try something a little cleaner with some glitter paper from American Crafts and glitter tape from Shop Sweet Lulu.

 

2. These DIY party hats from Oh Happy Day are soft and lovely and feel so right for a darling 1-year-old girl on her birthday.

 

3. These DIY printable party hats from Chic Mother & Baby couldn't be simpler. Download the design, print, cut and glue! And they are pretty precious!

 

4. Love the bling! These homemade party hats from Glee Projects would be perfect for New Year's Eve...or in brighter colors for Sommer's first birthday party hat!

 

5. I'm all about repurposing, and these paper-cup party hats from Real Simple are totally adorable and so, so simple!

 

6. I'm kinda loving these butcher paper, marker, and pipe cleaner hats from Salsa Pie. The combo of the glittery pipe cleaners with the plain ole brown paper is genius. What a fun craft for kids!

 

7. Again, another totally unpredicable combo of silver and wood grain by Creative Jewish Mom. But it works so well, especially with those pops of pink and yellow.

 

8. I love the idea of putting party hats on the favors! Saw this today at Shop Sweet Lulu's blog! (Read this post...I love that this party centered around this orange cat from Ikea...colors, theme, the whole bit!)

 

9. A party hat made from an ice cream cone? Yes please! Made by the brilliant ladies of One Charming Party.

 

10. A classic Martha Stewart Living masterpiece, these DIY party hats are made by gluing 2 circles together!

 

Time for Perler Bead Crafts

When I see buckets of perler beads at Michaels, I move past with no hesitation. I'm not totally against plastic, but I just don't have a mind for what to do with them. I think my opinion changed after seeing these delicate pastel, perler-bead bangles from Maker Mama. Look at these other amazing crafts made with perler beads! They are not just for alligator keychains anymore!

I'm so in love with these perler bead people, I don't know what to do with myself. I don't speak German so I have no idea what/where they are, but I heart them! Via Skidt & Kanel.

 

Now this is true perler bead genius—3-dimensional perler bead food. I don't even know where to begin to understand how they did this! From the top, the picnic food is from Fave Crafts, the sushi is from this Japanese site, and the cakes are from here.

More of the traditional perler-bead world, but I still love these heart valentines from Camille Styles.

Time to Plan a First Birthday Party

It's totally mind-numbing that my daugher is turning 1 in a month. I guess we as parents all have that feeling that the days are long, but the years fly by. So on top of the emotions that surround this milestone, it's time to plan a party. Fortunately, I just did this story for the March issue of Parents magazine (on stands now)!

One certainty of becoming a parent is the enormous amount of photographs that you take of your baby—from the first sneeze to the first time he stares at a toy. Riveting material. Here's an easy decor solution: use your baby's precious face to decorate the party! Find the how-to's on Parents.com. {Edit note: baby-in-hat garland is my little Sommer Alice!}

 

I don't know about you, but I have the hardest time throwing away baby food jars. Here are 3 cool ways to resuse them—favors, vases, and votive holders—for your baby's first birthday party.

 

Running 72 errands and buying 34 different craft materials is the last thing you want to do when DIYing your baby's first birthday party. I have such a crush on the crepe paper from Cartefini.com that I designed an entire party using that solo material!

 

The handprint is such an icon of babyhood. Make a stamp of your baby's hand and use it to decorate napkins. Click here to learn which ink pads are best for napkins. Plus you can watch a video too!

(Gorgeous photos by Tara Donne and genius styling by Martha Bernabe)

Time for Measuring Tapes

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...

Pretty Linen Measuring Tape ribbon from Cotton Blue, found via The Long Thread.

I've loved this birth announcement idea for a long time. Of course, it's from Martha. 

Clever: a lamp made from measuring tapes. Cute for your craft room? Found on A Dress a Day.

A gift bow made from a measuring tape? Why not? Found in Canny Belle's Etsy store. 

Cute bangle from Cupcakes Polka Dots on Etsy.

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!

Time for Craft Shopping 001

     

It's kind of amazing when your profession and your obsession are the same thing. I get to craft for a living. For reals, I'm not kidding. I get to wander slowly through craft stores, fabric stores, the flower mart (my favorite block in NYC) and if I'm caught day dreaming at work or playing with pipe cleaners, it's totally excused. In fact, it's celebrated.

The other day I had to do some craft errands to finish up a project and visited a few of my favorite sources. I plan on adding a sidebar list to TVH of my favorite stores (I have no problem revealing my secrets), but until them, I'll be posting "Time for Craft Shopping" posts.

From left to right:

Best for buttons, ribbon, trim, iron-on, feathers: M&J Trimming

Best for cheap findings, wire, colored bells: Toho Shoji

Best for candy, candy, and more candy: Dylan's Candy Bar