I love a pretty cookie. I really do. But I come up against a very confusing battle of the senses...a stand-off between my eyes and my stomach.
I want to eat this, says my tummy.
I want to admire this, say my eyes.
Tummy wins. Sorry, sense of sight. You'd win at the museum.
Check out these amazing cookies over on my other blog, Everyday Fun on Parents.com.
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One of the best parts about living in New York City during the holiday season are the sidewalk Christmas tree vendors. Every few blocks, you walk through a tunnel of yummy pine air, over a temporary, trampled carpet of green needles. And you see people walking home with a tree slung over their shoulder, just ripe for the decorating.
To give the tree it's best chance at a lasting through the month, the vendors will slice off the bottom of the trunk (kind of like cutting your roses before putting them in water). So the sidewalks are often littered with small tree stumps that are just tossed out with the trash. Tree trash is a crafter's treasure.
To make these lovely, glossy candle stands, I primed then spray painted pieces of tree trunk with bright spray paint, and then topped it off with a gloss varnish. (Here are the colors I used: Ketchup and Frozen Strawberry by Montana Gold, and Prussian Blue by Liquitex) Use these as place cards, food markers, candle stands, dessert stands...you name it!
Well, dear readers, this craft marks the last in my 10 day series of projects leading up to Christmas. I hope you were able to keep yourselves (and your kids) busy with creative pursuits over the last ten days. And if not, I hope you will pin them for next year!
Have a very merry and bright Christmas!
xx
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'Twas almost the night before Christmas and...you have to stuff some stockings, mass produce crafty gifts for your book club, or keep your kids busy and away from the television. Here are 3 fun crafted gifts that satisfy all of the above.
I call these gifts "Half Craft" because they are just dolled-up basics. A little paint, a little bling, and they feel special and unique! Here's how they started...
And here's what I did...
Necklace: I painted 1 whole bead (beads from Oriental Trading) in pink nail polish, and 2 half beads to match. I let them dry, then twisted a very thin gold wire around the center one. I strung them on simple white cord and there you go! A pop of color for a dreary day (and a fun, homemade gift).
Paperclip tree: Ok, I had to buy this little paperclip tree from Muji when I saw it. It seemed like it had so much potential! Mostly I was thinking that it would hold my daughter's eventual colorful hair clips. Here, I wrapped it in yarn and then unfolded a gold paperclip and reimagined it into a star. Cue the awww......
Yoyo: So I'm sure you don't have one of these raw wood yoyos hanging around (no pun intended), but you can paint one that you do have and then glue on some sequins to bling it up. I added little dots of glitter glue in the center of each sequin to fill the hole. And to take it to the next level, I replaced the string with pink yarn to match.
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At this point, you're either...
Here's a craft that satisfies all three of those needs. You can use it as gift wrap, as an actual gift, or as a distraction from the fact that it's only 3 days until Christmas and your kids are bouncing off the walls!
Here's how you do it...
What you'll need:
Here are a few pics of the technique in progress...
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{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.
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Yes, you heard me. And yes, you are reading The Violet Hours blog. I know, decorating with fruit may sound super grandma to you, but after you look at this post, your mind will be forever changed!
Oh Happy Day always gets it right, and this fruit balloon garland proves it. I'm obsessed!
I specifically sought out a pineapple wallpaper because I won't deny that I love it. And how perfectly crafty is this color-by-numbers one by Jenny Wilkinson found on Design*Sponge?
Call me crazy (Michael-husband, I hear you the loudest), but I could really get behind a glass fruit chandelier in my life one day. Found via Pinterest.
What is it with pears that make us love them so? I love all three of these lovely dolled up plastic pear crafts. Sources: Glitter pears, We Heart It; Chalk pears, The Empty Nest; Jute Pears, I Should Really Be Sleeping.
Oeuf never ceases to fail when it comes to their garlands. I'm in love with this crocheted cherry one.
If this pomegranate iPhone wallpaper were real wallpaper, it would be in my bathroom.
Almost as good as Willy Wonka's lick-able wallpaper, these bananas from Flavor Paper are scratch-n-sniff. For real.
Are you inspired now? But just pick one. You don't want your home looking like a giant fruit salad.
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I pinned this photo from a French blog a while ago as aspiration. This is my goal for how I want my kids' room to look. Loose, fun, casual. I'm on my way, for sure...we have a knitted bunting, a mushroom table lamp, a poppy, apple green side table, cool wallpaper from Fine Little Day...and now, we have a toddler bed.
Yes, Oliver has graduated, and thank goodness! Poor Sommer has been waiting for her fashionable, Kalon Studios Caravan crib for months now. We got Oliver the Gulliver bed from Ikea; now I just need to hack it a little bit to give it some European style. I wanted something simple that could compliment the Caravan, but at a lower price point. I plan to style it like a little day bed, and honestly, I can't wait to start pinning textiles.
Tonight will be the first night as a big boy. Must mark it down in the calendar.
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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.
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Spring has sprung (technically) so it's time to start planning some planting projects for the kids! Here are a few simple ideas that will really get them excited about gardening...
Remember my perler-bead craft post
last week? This planter is so amazing, it's a product. If you aren't
such a planner (this design would take some design skillz), this would
even be cool if you just did stripes of color. Via Peaches & Keen.
Cut a hole in a plastic animal toy and create a succulent planter. Genius! Found via Digs Digs.
This one was a new one for me...I'd never seen a plant in an ice cream cone! Adorbs! Found via Home DIY Pins.
It's the simplest idea, but one of my all-time faves: a planter in the bed of a vintage truck toy. Found via Charming Spaces.
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This morning my head is swarming with craft ideas, so I need to be fast on the blog. This image from The Purl Bee is so full of yummy color, texture, material...it makes me feel hopeful that beautiful will churn out of this studio today.
Glue gun in plugged in, the French press is full, Pandora is singing, my babies are happy...and off I go. Happy Monday everyone!
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