Easy & Adorable DIY Fabric Flowers

A couple weeks ago, I helped put together a baby shower for my sister-in-law. I picked the invitations and decorations, because she was having a little girl. And who doesn't want to decorate for a little girl??

These are the invitations I created:

I was pretty proud. I think they turned out so cute!

For decorations, I needed something simple, but still adorable. After searching pinterest for a couple hours a little bit, I found a really easy fabric flower garland. 

Here are the instructions:

First, gather up all your extra scraps of fabric, your scissors, and your hot glue gun.

Then, grab something to use as the base for your flowers. I used a combo of some old interfacing and some blue felt. Trace a small circle {smaller than you want your flower} and cut it out.

Be smart like I wasn't, and layer up your fabric from the very beginning to cut out several at once.

Then, layer up your flower fabric and cut out a slightly larger circle.

Take one circle and fold it in half, then in half again.

Do this to four circles, then glue them to your base circle like so:

Fold two more circles into quarters. You need a total of six folded circles to make each flower.

Glue the last two circles right in the very center of your flower.

If you want, you can clip the tips before you glue so they sit a little flatter.

Repeat this process six million times. I recommend having a good tv show {or several} to watch.

I ended up making two different sizes of flowers, along with a fabric-scrap letter. You can find instructions on how to make one yourself here.

If you are making a garland with your flowers, simply hot glue them to a piece of twine or string. I used twine, and used big lace bows to string it up. I can't believe I forgot to get a picture, but there you go. 

Here are a couple pictures of the table:

I thought the flowers were a cute little touch. And, if the other little children at the shower don't try to eat them, you can re-use them. {maybe some DIY hair clips or headbands!}

I would love to try my hand at making some different styles of fabric flowers, maybe to use as home decor. Or maybe just for fun because they are so pretty.

Just look how gorgeous!

{you can find all these on my pinterest account.}

DIY Polka Dot Art

DIY art is my favorite. It means no one else has the same piece, and you get to personalize the crap out of it! 

This is a fun DIY project I saw over on a blog called Cinsarah. All you need is a pencil, some paint, and you're set!

Dip the pencil eraser in the paint and dot away.

I used two colors of paint to create an ombré effect.

You could very easily just stop here, mat and frame your piece, and be finished!

However, I didn't have a mat and the piece looked somewhat unfinished, so I decided to add something more.

I love this quote!

And I love polka dots. 

...and birds.

Happy DIYing!

3 Easy Ways to Update Old Frames

Winter gives me a serious case of the blahs. 

No color, no flowers....no SUN. It's enough to make anyone cry.

So when I get the urge for bright, happy days, I start looking for something around the house that I can brighten up. Picture frames are some of the easiest updates you can make, and here are three easy ways to make those old frames into new beauties. 

1. Pick up a unique frame from the thrift store and paint it a bright color.

This cute double-frame used to be brown. Plain, boring, brown. I used a pretty blue spray paint to give it a facelift, and sanded the detailing to bring it out.

2. Use Mod-Podge and patterned fabric to give a plain frame some interest. 

Paint your frame with Mod-Podge, then carefully apply the fabric. I used a rotary cutter to trim the edges. A fabric-covered frame is a unique piece you don't see everyday, plus the billions of fabric choices mean you can customize it to look however you want.

3. {and this is the easiest} White paint!

Updating frames doesn't get any easier than this. The outside of this block used to be black. Which wasn't bad, but it definitely darkened the whole thing up. All I did was paint it white---and doesn't it look so much brighter? 

So, ta-da! There are three easy ways to brighten up your winter blues {and your decor}. 

I can't wait for warm days again. Can you?

DIY Apothecary Jar Filler

I have this wonderful glass apothecary jar sitting on my piano. It cost me a whole of $4 {downeast was having a crazy sale}. I've wanted to put something in it forever, but I've been coming up short on ideas. 

BUT THEN.

Over Christmas my mom & I went to see Gardner Village--a collection of cutesy, boutique-y shops that are all ridiculously over-priced {but fun to browse}. In one shop, they had a glass vase that was filled with antique-looking rolls of sheet music, all tied together with a pretty ribbon. Voila!

Since the holidays have ended, I finally have a little more time to myself. So yesterday morning I dug through my huge uneeded stash of sheet music and found a book that I could tear pages out of.

I think it's a book from when I used to teach piano. If not that, then I have no idea where it came from.

I tore out 7 nice-looking sheets. Then I used blue paint to give the torn edges a little interest. 

Using old fabric scraps, I cut long, small lengths to use as bows.

I rolled the pages up, tied the bows, and ta-da!

I think it looks pretty cute, don't you?

Easy End Table Personalization

The whole time that we've been married, we've never had real end tables until now. We were newlyweds, in college, and we used spools instead. 

Yep. Those big, round, wooden spools that electricians use to wind wire cable. 

We did stain them, though, so they blended in a little more {not many people noticed them, actually}. When we moved, we decided they were too much of a pain to take with, so we dumped them on one of our friends and took off without them.

We finally got around to getting real end tables last month. They're just simple, white, wooden tables from Ikea, but for EIGHT. DOLLARS. EACH. you can't go wrong. 

Here's the genius idea we came up with to make them a little more....us.

Step one: Buy banister knobs for super cheap.

Step two: Paint banister knobs your favorite color of the day.

Step three: Since banister knobs come with screws, simply drill holes in the bottom of your end table legs and screw knobs in.

And that's the end. I like the bright blue--it adds a little bit of color, and makes simple white end tables a little bit more jazzy. 

Easy. 

Around the World in Fifteen Minutes

A while ago I saw this super-cute amazingly-cool idea on Pinterest {if you're not on there you should be}, and today I finally collected all the materials I needed in order to make my own version. 

First, I bought a big frame at the thrift store.

Then I bought scrabble {also at the thrift store} {a week or so later}.

THEN this morning I printed off a big poster of a vintage-y world map I found online.

Put it all together and what do you get? 

It literally took me only fifteen minutes to put it all together {most of that was waiting for my glue gun to heat up}.

Possibly one of my most favorite wall-hangings ever. 

Now to just get it hung.

{in our room?}

{yay}

And because I have no self-control, this morning I went back to the thrift store {need my weekly fix} and ended up with this beautiful old dress:

No idea what I'm going to do with it, but it was $3 and it was pretty.

Like I said...no self-control....

I also ended up with this bright blue belt. 

I don't care what you say. I like it.

It's Been Such a "D"lightful Day: DIY Fabric Monogram

Okay, it really hasn't been that interesting of a day.

I was just trying really hard to tie my title into the post.

{I should at least get points for cleverness.}

I've been wanting to make this craft for a while, but, as usual, it took me a while to get around to it. 

It's a DIY fabric monogram. Since I'm cheap, I just cut the 'D' out of styrofoam, but you could also just buy a cardboard letter. Gather up all your fabric scraps, and hot glue them around the letter.

 I attached it {hot glued it} to a canvas that I bought for half-off at Joann's. 

Awesome.

It goes rather nicely with my green kitchen. 

{surprise}

{not like I did that on purpose or anything.}

And to end, I just wanted to share one more craft. This one was made as a baby gift for my cousin who's having a little girl. It was sorta inspired by Pinterest slash muddled together in my own brain. Meaning I mostly made it up.

It's rather hard to read thanks to the high reflectiveness of the marbles, but it says "Hello Sunshine." 

Super-cute for a little girl's room {or so I think}. 

I used paper ripped into strips for the background, and just modpodged it to the picture glass. Then, I took alphabet stickers and stuck them to a variety of patterned paper to create interesting backgrounds. I used clear silicone to glue glass marbles over the letters for a little dimension. Then, I found some cute, vintage-looking butterfly cut-outs, glued them to corkboard, and added them to the picture. 

Awwww, little girl stuff.