Chalk Paint

My latest discovery is Chalk Paint. You have to google it and find out what store near you carries it but it's the easiest paint to work with so it's worth the hunt! No sanding the piece before hand, no priming either and it dries quickly so you can easily add a second coat right away. It's amazing and with just two simple coats I was able to revive an old wooden nightstand for my new apartment for that Paris chic look! 

 

Take a look at the before and after. I even redid the handles using gold leaf paint from the hardware store. What a shiny new look to an old drabby piece! Now that I've found Chalk Paint, Martha is on the loose for old furniture to revive! Oh and one more thing, it's non toxic so you won't die of fumes if you paint in small spaces (I painted this Friday night in my apartment and went to bed and woke up fine on Saturday lol)!!

 

Adorable Party Hats

My sister called me the other day from the party store complaining about the "cheesy" selection of party hats. Have no fear dear sis, Aunt Carrie is here! I ran over to my local party shop and geez, she was right! So I bought a pack of basic cone party hats and ran back home to work on them. I glued on scrap fabric, scrap trim and ribbons to create these adorable party hats. The possibilities are endless and with the help of a glue gun, anything that will stick, will work! So ditch the cheesy party hats and get crafting away on your own adorable hats!

Enchanting Tissue Paper Garland

How enchanting is this tissue paper garland? It gives this tree a whimsical touch for this adorable birthday party. I made this garland out of smaller versions of my paper party balls (see how to make them in my previous post) tied together with pink and white string! This garland is sure to be a go-to party decorating piece for me in the future. Hang the garland in a tree, on the wall or around a light post. The possibilities are endless.

Imagine all white garland for a bridal shower... oooh!

  

How To Make A Paper Party Ball

Ever seen those cute paper party balls hanging from the ceiling at an event? Paper party balls easily transform a space into a celebratory venue and aren't as standard as let's say balloons. If you purchase paper party balls at the store they will run about $5 each. Here's a way to make your own party balls and the materials should come out to about $1 each! You can make smaller ones to put on top of presents too!

What you will need:

- 1 tissue paper packet (the standard size that come folded).

- Scissors

- String

Steps:
1) Start by unfolding the the standard tissue paper pack. You will have about 5 to 10 rectangle sheets laying on top of one another. (If the pack only gives you five sheets you can always double up!)
2) Start folding the tissue paper (on the shorter width of the rectangle) about and inch wide like an accordion until you get to the end of the tissue paper. You should have long strip of tissue paper that fans out a bit!
3) Pinch the middle of the strip and tie a long piece of string around it.
4) Fan out your tissue paper and gently begin separating each pice of tissue paper from one another. Be careful not to rip the delicate tissue.
5) Hang your pretty party ball by the string and admire your work.

Not bad for $1 right? Have fun at the party!

The Easiest Diaper Cake

What could be sweeter than a diaper cake for a mom to be? Traditional diaper cakes are made using dozens of pins to hold the diapers in place, as if these moms don't have enough to do! Here is an easy way to create a beautiful and easy to disassemble diaper cake for that special mom to be!

 1) This may seem redundant but find out what diapers the mom to be prefers. Some ladies are picky these days so better to just ask!


2) Fold the diapers in half (do not roll them) and sandwich them together into a large circle around a clear plastic cup using your hands to hold the circle in place. I think it's easiest to build my circle on my lap. If you have an extra set of hands around for help that would be wonderful too!

3) Using masking tape to place a stripe or two of tape around the large circle. If enough diapers are packed into the circle it should stay in place! Place a pretty ribbon over the tape to conceal it. Secure the ribbon with clear tape where it meets its end.

4) Place the large circle of diapers on a flat surface and begin repeating the process to create a slightly smaller circles of diapers as you move up the cake.

5) There is no need to attach each circle together. That will happen at the end. You can create as many layers of diapers as you wish but make sure the circles get smaller as you go up.

6) Once all of your circle of diapers are sitting on top of one another, place the whole cake on top of two long ribbons (about 3 inches wide) in a cross shape.

7) Bring the ribbons up along the sides of the diaper cake and tie very tightly at the top. Use the excess ribbon to tie a pretty bow at the top of your cake.

8) Decorate your diaper cake as you wish! Perhaps try using faux flowers, other ribbons, tule or large buttons!

9) Your cake should be easy to transport and even easier to disassemble! What mom to be wouldn't love to receive the easiest diaper cake!

When A Regular Box Just Won't Do!

I recently co-hosted a baby shower for my sister and made cupcake party favors for the guests. I started with my infamous cupcakes in a pink frosting with white nonperils. (She's obviously having a girl!) I ran out of my usual solo cupcake holder boxes and so I hurried over to the box store in Gramercy and bought a dozen plain brown small craft boxes. Shoot these weren't as cute as the ones I buy online but I figured they would do... As I was packing up my pretty pink cupcakes I decided that the brown boxes just wouldn't do and so I did something about it! I created a sweet little party favor box complete with a window to get a sneak peek of the treat inside as well as a little tag to thank the guests for attending the shower.

To make the adorable favor box below it was very easy just follow these steps:

1) Use a paper cutter punch or an exacto knife to cut a window in the top of the box.

2) Cut a small piece of clear plastic and glue it to the inside of the lid of the box.

3) Use a color printer to print out a cute message on heavy card stock. If you don't have a color printer just write a message by hand!

4) Use the same paper cutter or exacto knife to cut a sweet pattern around your message. ("In honor of Jenny's little cupcake! Thanks for coming!", etc...)

5) Decorate as desired!

You can use this window making technique on a variety of different boxes for food and other gifts. These are so cute and are perfect for when a regular box just won't do!

Footprints Of Santa

I am reposting my most popular post ffrom 2009 "Footprints of Santa" Enjoy!

For those of you lucky enough to have little believers around, I thought of some clever ideas to keep Santa's footprints alive!

-Most of you do this but bake cookies for Santa and leave carrots for the reindeer, if Santa comes, there should only be crumbs left on Christmas morning!
-Sprinkle some of the ashes from the fireplace onto the carpet. Whoops Santa made a mess as he came down the chimney!
-Get some red or white polyfil and leave a little on the edge of the fireplace screen. Santa got caught on his way into the living room!
-Take one of Dad's largest shoes and make footprint in either snow or mud. Santa was walking around outside for a little break in between houses!
-Cut a sponge in the shape of a reindeer hoof. Dip it in some muddy water and create a little trail along the driveway or sidewalk. The reindeer must have been frolicking around while Santa was inside!
-Cut some extra ribbon and leave it anywhere around the house or yard, any trace of Santa will excite the little ones!

There are just a few of my ideas to keep your little believers believing!

Wedding Ornaments

In August I attended my cousin Lindsey's wedding. It was a beautful beach wedding and starfish was a theme in the decor. There were starfish everywhere, the bridesmaids even wore starfish necklaces! My aunt who is also very crafty decided to use starfish to hold up the place cards. She positioned the starfish popping out of the sand holding each guests name with their table number. It was really cute. I decided to save a few of the starfish to create something special for the bride and groom. I asked a few people at my table if I could have their starfish too. I carried four starfish home and kept them safe and sound for several months. I would make ornaments for the couple at Christmastime... I just had to make sure I didn't lose them! In December I found my four starfish so I got busy making my ornaments!

I hot glued metal hooks to the backs of each starfish. I tied black and turquoise ribbon to each one for hanging, they were Lindsey's wedding colors! Now I have a set of four pretty startfish ornaments to give my cousin this Christmas. The starfish were straight from her own wedding which makes them even more special. As you attend weddings of friends, think of things you can hold on to a make into ornaments next December. I can't wait to see them on the newlyweds' tree!

Preppy Ornaments

I made these darling preppy ornaments based on inspiration I got from a Lilly Pulitzer designed Christmas tree. It was covered with lots of a adorable tiny Lilly shift ornaments and I thought it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen! I searched for the Lilly ornaments on the web and they were pretty pricey so I decided to make them on my own. I bought inexpensive scrap fabric from the craft store and sturdy craft wire to make the hangers. How darling are these!!! I'm not going to lie they were SUCH a pain to make, but so freakin' cute! They look even cuter on the tree!

Make Your Own Stocking

Christmas is a crafty girls dream. There is lots of beautiful inspiration around and many reasons to create meaningful gifts and festive decor. This year I decided to sew stockings to match my apartment. Since I've been on sewing kick I figured this would be the perfect Christmas project. I chose a winter plaid fabric that wasn't too typically Christmas. (no red in it) The stockings were so easy to make! I used a pencil to draw the shape of the stocking and then just hand sewed along the line. The hunter green grosgrain ribbon detail gives these stockings a nice touch! How pretty, I can't wait to fill them! I also created a mini version as an ornament. I mean could this be any cuter?!!

Pillows Galore

Have I been busy or what? To all of my readers out there I sincerely apologize for my absence these past fews weeks. While I haven't been blogging, I certainly have been crafting! Here are some comfy and pretty pillows I've made recently for friends and family. Pillows are the easiest place to start when teaching yourself how to sew. They are SO inexpensive to create yet tend to cost so much money in stores, how dare they! Trust me, they are easy as pie, (still thinking about my last post I guess!) and you don't need a machine to make them! The key is to measure really well and stitch really small so they are durable when you throw them around. My sister calls the pillows I made her "Winnie proof" as in Winnie her dog. For big pillows go with 20 inches squared and for smaller pillows 16 inches squared. I stuff mine with Polyfil which is very inexpensive from the craft store and hypoallergenic for those who are allergic to down like myself. Why not create a nice red holiday pillow to give your couch that festive look? When you realize how small the effort for how great the reward, you'll be making pillows galore!

Pretty Curtains

Here are some pretty curtains I made for my friend Liz!

Here are some of my tips for designing curtains:

-If your windows are large and deep, try using a tension rod. Long panels can over power a room with large windows.

-Tension rods should sit half way between the distance between the window and the wall.

-If using a decorative rod, hang it higher above the window and wider than the window width to make the window appear larger.

-The length of a window valance should be no longer than 25% of the window length.
-When choosing fabric, hold it up to the light. Some fabrics are more transparent than they seem.
- Panels hung on the wall next to the window make a window feel much wider.
- Curtains are for decorative purposes only. Use separate sheers or blinds for privacy and light altering functions.
- Ribbons are an easy and inexpensive use for tie backs.
- If your walls are papered or painted with a pattern, choose a neutral fabric for curtains.
- White curtains are never a bad choice! When it doubt go white- it exudes cleanliness and enhances light.

Below are curtains I made for myself!

Just Add Trim

I recently made a trip to M and J Trimmings in New York City in search of special ribbon for invitations for a bridal shower I helped plan. This store has virtually every type of ribbon that you could possibly desire and they also carry hundreds of styles of trim for sewing projects. While I was purchasing the ribbon for the invitations, I came across some pretty white cotton ruffle trim. It was so pretty and such a good deal ($3 a yard) that I purchased a yard of it and figured I would eventually find a use for it in my apartment. Well, I did find a great place to use it! I sewed it onto my plain white hand towels to add a feminine touch. With the addition of the white ruffle trim, the hand towels are now quite pretty and fit in well with my bathroom decor. I am so happy I found use for the trim. What an easy and inexpensive way to make an ordinary towel extraordinary!

The picture below shows the before (left towel) and after (right towel).

A Savvy Woman's Treasure

I was out in East Hampton again this weekend and I couldn't help but stop by a yard sale at our neighbor's house. I went over a little late by yard sale standards (the early birds usually get all of the good stuff) but I scored with a silver tray that I snagged for only $1! The nice thing about going late to yard sales is that people are basically giving away their stuff at the end. The tray was in really, really bad shape but I figured I'd work at it and I could always toss it if I couldn't get the tarnish out. Well, I just worked at it for about an hour after arriving back in the city and already it looks great! I'll work at it again later (my arms are too tired to finish the project) but I wanted to post a picture because I'm so happy about it. This summer take advantage of the plentiful yard sales in your area because one woman's trash is another savvy woman's treasure!

 

A Monogrammed Mirror

I spent a lovely Memorial Day in East Hampton and while I was in town, I passed by a cute little monogram shop with a variety of monogrammed items. In the window I noticed a monogrammed mirror that I knew I could replicate when I got home. I figured that my glass etching technique would work on a mirrored surface as well. I got to work right away after arriving back to the city. I cut out my initials using sticky vinyl and my Cricut paper cutter which is amazing by the way. After carefully applying the letter cut outs to a basic mirror, I generously applied etching solvent in the negative space. You can purchase paper cutters and etching solvent at any craft store. After waiting about 15 minutes for the solvent to set, I rinsed it off and cleaned the mirror really well. Yay, I did it! I was able to make the mirror I saw in that East Hampton shop! My one of a kind monogrammed mirror is now hanging in my entryway and I am so excited for myself!

I decided to place my monogram in the middle of the mirror because the etching is faint so it doesn't prevent the mirror from still serving its purpose. How pretty!!

 

Sew Easy!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there. This weekend I traveled home to spend time with my mother. Whenever I come home, I walk around our house and see if I notice any changes. I always find something new. This weekend, I decided to make my own changes to the house by sewing, yes sewing my mom some simple valances for the breakfast nook. We headed over to the fabric store and found a beautiful Waverly toile pattern that matched the french country kitchen decor. Measure twice and sew once! These simple pole pocket valances took me only a few hours to pin and hand stitch and they are so pretty aren't they? We hung each valance on two simple tension rods (I did two windows) and even dad exclaimed how nice they look. The fabric cost $24 because it was on sale and the tension rods cost about $12 because we each had a coupon. The whole project was less than $40! What a steal for a Mother's Day gift!

 

Even if you don't sew like me, making a curtain valance is a project you can try. The beauty of sewing curtains is that they aren't going to be worn or washed so the stitching just has to hold the fabric in place, not be incredibly durable. When choosing a fabric keep in mind how large the print will be, stand back a see how the fabric looks from the distance they will be hung. If you are making a smaller valance like mine (84 inches by 12 inches) make sure the pattern has room to repeat itself within the curtain. I wanted the valance to ruffle so I made it twice the width of the window. Remember that all you need is a simple needle, some matching thread, a little patience and some creativity and you will be on your way to making beautiful and inexpensive curtains. Happy Mother's Day mom, love you!

 

Modern Twist on Victorian Decor

As promised, here is my Victorian silhouette wall collage. I opted for basic frames rather than ornate frames to modernize the antique look.  I love the idea of painting the center mat a bold color. It anchors the collage and makes the black silhouettes really pop. I purchased a Benjamin Moore bright pink paint sample (only $3.50) for the project.

I also used the pink paint in another unexpected place to further modernize my Victorian room. Across from my silhouette collage is an antique Victorian vanity that I purchased for almost nothing. The piece needed a complete overhaul (new paint, new upholstery, new hardware etc.) After I redid the vanity, I decided to add a pop of pink to the inside top of the vanity.

The splashes of pink are few in my mostly Victorian room, but they are fun, unexpected and add a modern twist. The paint samples are the way to go for small simple projects and remember that you can always repaint if your decor changes. I just love my little Victorian sanctuary and since I live in New York, the modern twist was a must!

March Is Craft Month

Yes it's true. I just confirmed that March is indeed national craft month! This means that all of our favorite craft stores are running sales and promotions. Stock up on your art supplies and get crafty this month. Many stores offer free how-to classes too, how nice! In the true spirit of this national holiday, let's get crafty!

Creating Silhouettes

This time next week I will be blogging from the Upper East Side. Yep, that's right I'm moving and that means I'm going to write a lot of posts on decorating! Well, I FINALLY decided on my design scheme for my bedroom. I went back and forth because I love so many styles, but I'm thrilled to announce that I'm designing a Victorian bedroom. I chose Victorian style because it's just so pretty and inviting. It's also feminine and luxurious which works well for a female bedroom. A Victorian room would not be complete without framed silhouettes. They are classic and striking and very inexpensive to create. Here's how to make them.

Photoshop: If you have Photoshop here's what to do...

1) Take a profile picture or a picture of a object, preferably on a white background.

2) Open photoshop and select the background for removal using the wand tool. Once highlighted, go to edit and cut.

3) Go to image and select adjustments and then desaturate to remove all of the color.

4) Go to adjustments and select brightness/contrast. Both lower the brightness and increase the contrast.

5) Use the paint tool to fill in black where necessary.

6) Save your image, print and frame!

Internet Images: You can use ready made silhouette images from the internet...

1) Google "silhouette images" to find royalty free images that are already black with a white background. Right click on the image, click edit and copy to copy the image. Open a word document and click edit and paste so you can adjust the image size, print and frame!

2) Try istockphoto.com to purchase images from a greater selection bank for a small fee. This gives you the right to the images and the selection is stellar. Once the file is purchased add it to a word document, adjust the size, print and frame!

Try clustering a bunch of framed silhouette images on the wall for a beautiful look. Vary the size and shape of the frames, and stick with antique style frames for a most authentic look. (I'm going to do this once I get into my new place so stay tuned for the result!) Here are a bunch of silhouettes I am using for the project. All of the images were printed on ivory colored cardstock. So pretty, right?!