The Violet Hours

Time for Snow Ice Cream

Did you know you can make ice cream out of snow? Wait til a fresh snow fall (which should be any minute if this winter continues as it has) and whip this up with your kiddies.

Visit this cute blog, Meet the Dubiens, for the recipe!

 

Time for an Owl Party

Ok, here's the thing about me and owls...I collect them. And I swear, I've been collecting them for years longer than they have been the bird of the moment. Both of my grandmothers collected figurines, jewelry, tape dispensers, belt buckles...all with owls. So when my niece Grey asked if I would help plan an owl party for her 7th birthday, it was a no-brainer.

The party started with a hunt for gold rocks in the front yard, followed by this adorable owl craft. My sister-in-law Dena found a pile of magnolia branches on the side of the road and took them home to slice and seal them with polyurethane.

 

  

 

Here's how to make the owl:

1. We used Mod Podge to cover 3" styrofoam balls with tissue paper. (We saved ourselves the mess and did this step for them.) We put them on skewers so the girls would have something to hold.
2. We cut large feathers out of brown felt; they became the wings and feathers to cover the backs of the birds. They girls glued them on to their styro ball.
3. Dena pre-cut hundreds feathers from felt (yes, she's a little nuts). Starting at the bottom, we glued the feathers in rows to cover the ball. 
4. Once the ball is covered, glue a triangle pointing down in the front to the top of the head.
5. Then, glue two buttons on either side of the triangle.
6. Use hot glue gun to attach to a log or stick. 

Here are some pics of these adorable little girls having the best time!

   

   

Time to Upcycle Wine Bottles (or Happy New Year!)

Just a little crafty thought as you head into a night of boozin'...here are some lovely uses for your wine bottles, saving them from the recycling bin.

Happy New Year from The Violet Hours! xxoo

How gorgeous are these wine bottle torches? Find the how-to on Design Sponge.

I love this frosted look, like these bottles have been sitting out in the snow. Found on Style Files.

Turn a wine bottle into a mini terrarium. Here's a how-to on cutting the bottle. Love the fiddlehead ferns! Found on Wedding Bee.

How's this for an amazing reuse? Instead of buying those blown glass balls to automatically water your plants, use a wine bottle! Found on Chica and Jo.

And of course, the bottle chandelier. For sale on Pottery Barn.

You'd have to be a brave soul to load this shelf up. Found on DeTnk.

And the corks? Well that's a post for next year. Here's to safe, happy, and healthy New Year!

Time for Typewriters

Do kids today even know what a typewriter is? Will the nostalgia of typewriter fonts keep them alive? There does seem to be a fascination with them in the design world, as proven by these ideas...

British artist Keira Rathbone uses typewriters to create amazing images. Take that, MacBook pro! Found via One Cool Thing a Day.

Even though it's become rather common, I love the idea of a typewriter guest book at a wedding. Found via Project Wedding.

I'm in love with these dinner plates that are embossed with typewriter strikers. For sale on Inaeent's Etsy store.

Time for Christmas Crafts

Yes, I know it's late to be posting Christmas crafts (if yours aren't up yet, then really, just don't bother). But late is the story of my life these days with an infant. 

Here are some crafts from my Christmas caroling story for the December issue of Parents Magazine.

The letters for this garland were cut from colored index cards.

Little felt florettes decorate moss wreathes. Full instructions here.

This is a great craft for even little kids. The trees are made from circle punches with clothespins as the trunks.

If you go out caroling, be sure to carry lights. These little lanterns are made from small water bottles. For reals.

Come in from the cold and stir up some hot chocolate with these handsome choco spoons.

 

Time for Unusual Tea Bags

After four straight days of rain, I thought my decaf iced coffee summer days were over! So hot tea was on the brain...

 

Donkey Products has an amazing selection of character tea bags. The top image is from their Zoo ParTea series, and the design-your-own group below is from CreativiTea. Don't they just make you smile?

Serve your guests tea in glass mugs to show off these gorgeous origami tea bags. Found via Design Swan. 

Of course, a tea bag on a hanger! Brilliant! Found via Yanko Design, via Pinterest. 

Ew, but funny...tea packaged in cigarette form. This will keep paws off your precious tea! Found via Toxel.com

These tea sticks are so cool!

Time for Food on a Stick

I worked on this adorable story for Parents Mag with my friend, Judy Goldberg (it was her genius idea!) and the uber-talented stylist Paul Lowe of Sweet Paul. It's super-fun, and really, what doesn't taste better when eaten off a stick? You can find more recipes for food on a stick at Parents.com.

Pie Pops: sugar cookie dough filled with jam. Yum!

 

Everyone loves a sticky popcorn ball!

Cake balls!

Tomato twigs: Get the kids to eat their veggies with mini-tomatoes perched atop bread sticks.

Salad sticks: use the cupcake liner to catch the dripping dressing.

Time for Moustaches

I love that a facial hair style has made a comeback everywhere but the actual face. 

I love the colors and design of Smitten Sticks, perfect for photo booths, party favors, or general sleuthing.

A lolly pop in cognito! From Dandee Designs.

I love this stack ring by Kristy Lin. Dress him up with a necktie, or disguise him with a moustache. Found via Poppytalk.

Moustache chalkboard napkin rings...naturally! Found via Modern Dose.

Test out the moustache of your choice with these mugs. Found on Tickle Kitten. 

Love the Western/bandit feel of these moustache handkerchiefs. Found via Poppytalk.

Time to Party!

If you are planning a party, I recommend stopping first at one of these three sites. They are full of amazing ideas and gorgeous photos. They make me want to be a party planner!

 

Sara's Party Perfect (formerly Party Perfect Blog) is my first stop when I need event inspiration. Her new site has categories—Parties for Kids, Parties for Grown-Ups, and Inspiration and Sources. Even before she kindly featured The Violet Hours (here and here), I was a big-time fan. 

New to the party scene is Hip, Hip Hooray!. From the creative minds behind Simple Song, this site focuses strictly on kiddy parties. And it's SO good.

Catch my Party is a photo sharing website that also has a blog component. You can upload your party pics to share with friends and the public, and it's a great place to fish for ideas.

Time for Cupcake Liner Crafts

Did anyone see this genius use of cupcake liners in the Good Things section (my fave) of the August issue of Martha? It then sent me on a quest to find other cupcake liner uses...

Better Homes & Gardens did a similar thing as above, just with a different purpose. Here the paper liner becomes the top of a gift wrap (although I'm not sure I'd drop jewelry in a clear cup to give as a gift...perhaps it's better as a party favor. Fill a cup with bright jellybeans and top with a colorful cupcake liner.).

I've seen a million garlands made from this material, but this one is different since it's interspersed with circles of vintage fabric. This garland was a lovely collaboration of Simple Suppers and 100 Layer Cake; Find a tutorial on 100 Layer Cake.

I love how light and airy this cupcake tree is, made from white cupcake liners. It could be more kid-like if done in color: the trunk could be brown, and the majority of the tree could be green with colored spots for ornaments. By Sweet Paul.

Zakka Life made this little party favor, using 2 adorable cupcake liners from Bake It Pretty.

 

I like this abstract and very inexpensive wall art. Found on Craft Gossip. 

And now to end with Martha, I love these festive flower balls to hang above a dinner or buffet table. 

Have you seen or made anything adorable with cupcake liners?