The Violet Hours

Time for Confetti

{via I Spy with my Salad Eyes}

If you don't love confetti, you don't have a soul. Ok, maybe it's a mess to clean up, but even the cheesiest of metallic confetti has a glittery, sparkly, ephemeral impact. Check out these surprising ways to use it....

Put a packet of confetti in your wedding invitation. I'm beyond in love with this one that I found on Pinterest!

 

How awesome are these tube confetti throwers from Oh Happy Day? Love love love...

 

I still love the confetti gift wrap that I blogged about two years ago!

 

Love the look but hate the mess? Try a stamped table runner (you can use a pencil eraser, a wine cork, or a sliced carrot) that gives the illusions of confetti like this one from Love Luxe.

Time for Instagram Love

I am so not alone in my love for Instagram. It has definitely pulled ahead as my favorite form of social media. At this point in my life, I have time to look at pictures and not much else!

Some of my Instagram pics are among my favorite I've ever taken (like this one of my daugther Sommer at her first music class), and I'm desperate to free them from my digital devices and let them live in my world so I can actually touch them. Here are some great ways to do that...

LMNOP blogged about Origrami, a service that prints postcard-quality prints of your Instagram photos. And then packages them in that amazing box. I'm doing this. Even if I have to pay shipping from Australia.

 

I love the way A Beach Cottage arranged Instagram photos of a beach vaca on a wall in the shape of a heart. Because face it, who doesn't love the beach? And Instagram. So if you are a shutter-happy photographer on one subject, this project will visually link the imagery and colors nicely.

 

Seriously, this is a dream of mine: a huge frame with hundreds of Instagram photos. If only I had the wall for it. Found via Because I'm Addicted.

 

Young House Love framed their Instagram photos in jewel cases. Always a fabulous, photograph vehicle. (PS...I'm so proud to share a book publisher with them! How on Earth did that happen?)

Time for Map Crafts

I'm so attracted to maps, both for the actual use (navigation) and for their design and craft aesthetic. Obviously I'm not alone in this, as maps have been decoupaged on everything from coasters to lampshades. But these crafts, like this amazing map dress by Elisabeth Lecourt, are taking maps to new destinations...sorry, it had to be said!

This looks crazy hard I know, but I think the artist just covered this cardboard deer head in maps. Love. Found via Babble.

 

This could be a very cool abstract embroidered design, but it's actually the Paris Metro system. By Needle & Compass on Etsy.

 

I love the link between transportation and navigation with this folded paper map boat by d. Sharp Journal.

 

A travel scrapbook made with map pages? Yes. Found via Scrapbook.com.

 

Ok, so I'm ending with the decoupaged map chair found via Pins for Your Home because I just love it.

Time for the 10 Best Egg Cups Ever

I never had an egg cup growing up (I think that constitutes neglect), and now as an adult, I'm a little unnaturally obsessed with them. From vintage to the handmade to the hipster (yes, there are hipster egg cups), I want all 10 11 of these egg cups!

1. My Egg and Soldiers by Takae Mizutani, found via Dot Coms for Moms.

 

2. Oak Bunny Ears Egg Cup, for sale on Hop & Peck.

 

3. Egg Nests, found via HGTV's Design Happens.

 

4. Vintage egg cups from Three Potato Four.

 

5. These are made with cups cut from an egg carton. By Zakka Life.

6. Bad boy egg cups, via Fitzsu. Beyond.

 

7. Perfectly Scandinavian egg cups, via Finnish Design Shop.

8. Do you have a habit of serving under-cooked eggs? Never again. Via Trend Hunter.

 

9. Rocket egg cup, found via Fab.

 

10. Origami egg cup. Via Breakfast Lover.

11. (I couldn't resist adding this one!) Hold On Egg Cup (it's magnetic and will hold a spoon!). Via Moco Loco.

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 for Keepsakes

I thought I'd just finish out this week of family/photo love with a little post about creative ways to preserve keepsakes. Right now, I have 2 boxes, one for each kid, where I toss all of the little meaningful objects from their short lives...their hospital bracelets, their Welcome to the World cards, their sonogram photos. At some point I'm going to need a new solution. Here are a few thoughts...

I'm so crazy about these lovely shadow boxes. They are just the right amount of delicate, with their soft colors and simple white edging. For the life of me, I can't figure out where they are from (if you know, leave a comment!), but I think they are pretty DIYable. Image via Pinterest.

 

Have you ever seen Darcy Miller's (from Martha Stewart Weddings) scrapbook shadow boxes? They're amazing.

 

I love the idea of this sweet book keepsake box for love letters, gift tags, or photographs. Image via One Sunny Afternoon.

 

And for the most nostalgic (read: sappy), I can't get enough of these clean and modern, enamel lockets. I'd love to wear a few together. (Husband, if you're reading, bookmark this.)

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 Teacup Crafts

I always come across lovely, single teacups at flea markets and almost buy them. I think it's time I shell out the cash to make some of these amazing projects.

I don't know if these are pincushions or just little soft, teacup sculptures. And honestly, I don't care. I love them. Found via Susan Anderson's pinterest page. (Follow her if you don't!)

 

I think these are genius—bracelets made out of teacups. For the delicate wearer. You can buy them on Stay Gold Mary Rose's Etsy store.

 

You don't need any electrical skills to craft these precious teacup lights from Ideas Mag.

 

Use mis-matched teacups to store jewelry in your dresser drawer. It's almost too pretty to hide! Via Martha Stewart.

 

I always love the scene in Willy Wonka when he takes the daffodil and drinks from the center like it's a teacup. Then he takes a bite out oit. I think kids will love doing that with these edible teacups from the Disney Family website.

 

Another edible teacup, these look like they're made from marshmallows, Lifesavers, and nonpareils. Via Tip Junkie.

Time for Last-Minute Valentines

Ok, it's February 13th and you know what that means. Procrastination must turn to action—now! Valentine's Day is just minutes away and it's time to get resourceful and use what you have. You're at work with no craft supplies you say? Fear not—these last-minute Valentines can all be made from "borrowed" office supplies from your desk drawer.

Grab some Post-it notes and after your love falls asleep, arrange them in a heart-shape on the wall of your bedroom or living room. If you really want points, write all the reasons you love him on the the backs. It's okay if you don't have a gorgeous array of colors like these from The House that Lars Built. See below...the effect is still totally presh.

Post-it note heart from Desire to Inspire.

 

This is a Blik wall decal, but can easily be replicated with Post-it notes! Via Brooklyn Bride.

 

You probably don't have heart stickers laying among your legal pads, but just grab a marker and draw a heart or write I LOVE YOU on some Avery mailing labels. Easy peasy. These cute stickers are from Inspire Lovely on Etsy.

 

Ok, no Post-it notes or plain labels on hand? Tacks, cardboard, and binder clips make cute little frames for your kids' artwork. Via Martha Stewart.

You're welcome.

Time for Spirograph Crafts

As I'm working on my craft book, I'm trying to summon craft ideas from my youth and give them a modern spin (no pun intended; read on). I came across these spirograph gift tags on Pinterest today (via Nadel & Gabel) and spiraled down a little memory lane trip. I am clearly not the first person to have found the spirograph images inspiring and super modern!

These lovely pillows are a mix between spirographs, doilies, and sunflowers. Via The Design Files.

 

An entire wedding decor was inspired by the spirograph. Check out this post on Design*Sponge to see how they didn't miss a single detail.

 

This hand-stitched bag makes my head spin. Via Pinterest.

 

Spirograph flower notecards. Of course! For sale at Mimosa Cards on Etsy.

 

I love everything going on in this photo. I want those plates, and if you speak Dutch, will you tell me where I can buy them? Via Style Cookie.

 

A perfect marriage of two awesome 80's crafts...spirographs and shrinky dinks! Via Clean & Scentsible.