A Large Gathering of Happy Things
We just can’t get enough of copper! It really just makes the perfect little accent for so many things – and looks especially nice against greenery!
For us, Christmas is just all about spending time with loved ones and what better way to spend time together than over food? If you’re hosting a dinner or small party, these make for perfect little place cards.Continue Reading
And just like that we’re already at our 200th post!! We already feel like we’ve had so many awesome opportunities through this blog and learned so much! Malissa and I are still learning and growing and improving everyday and we’re so thankful that we have this platform to share that growth on and to force us to make those efforts. It takes creativity to have creativity and setting these goals for ourselves keeps us on our creative toes and makes it so much fun! Thank you for joining us here in this place that we love so much!
As a special celebration, I wanted to post this craft that I have been working on for several weeks. DIY mini foil letter balloons!
I thought about this a couple months ago and thought there couldn’t be anything better than teeny tiny versions of those awesome giant mylar letter balloons that have been making the rounds in just about every party this year. I have to say that when Urban Outfitters released their holiday collection featuring these mini letter balloon ornaments I was a little disappointed. Obviously I love them! But I felt like it might’ve stolen my thunder for this DIY I was planning. But then I realized, their letters are $6 each AND there is no U-Z. That makes so many words un-doable! (Um hello…yay, hooray, fun, happy, love..so many more!) And those are just the words you’d wanna use if you were making them into cake toppers! So I continued to perfect my method because you need to have access to whatever letter (or number!) you want and this version will only cost you like…10 cents a letter maybe…and you guys love DIY right!? Duh!
The title is kind of a lie because these aren’t really mylar and they aren’t really balloons either but they are mini mini (because mini versions of these balloons already exist in the world) and they are DIY and they are probably the best thing ever because they’re not pop-able, they’re not expensive, they’re reusable and personalizable and just all around fabulous! So let’s show you how it’s really done!
We love teepees and arrows and all Native American-ness as much as the next person so I thought “hmm it wouldn’t be too difficult to make my presents look like teepees. And that’d be delightful.” And it is. Don’t ya think?
If you’re thinking that this is much too involved for wrapping gifts, you are so dead wrong. Sure, it’s not as quick as some methods but if you’re anything like me you’ve probably tried a bunch of things you saw on Martha Stewart that took way longer than this will. Way longer. And then didn’t turn out like her pictures at all. Frowny face.
So you see, my teepee gifts are a must cus they’re really easy and they WILL turn out like the pictures. I can almost guarantee it. Yours will probably even be better than mine! It may look like there’s a lot of steps but once you do it, you’ll quickly get the hang of it! I have also decided that using a glue gun to wrap presents is a total win. Way prettier results. So let’s bust out some mini little paper teepees, mmk?
It is a basically a given that I can never have enough shelving/storage or enough lighting in almost any room of my house. Especially my craft room! As I was thinking of some ideas for how to increase one or the other I realized “why not do both at once?” So here is my attempt at combining lighting and practical shelving.
I love the look and ease of using crates as shelves and already had a small crate just sitting in my closet so thought I would finally try it. And seriously – it is the easiest shelving ever.
1. Measure the length of the smaller side of the wood crate and use a pen to mark in the center at the bottom. This is where the light will go through.
2. Use your 5/16 drill bit to drill a hole right where you marked the center.
3. Take the cord through the middle slit in the back of the crate near the bottom and pull it through the hole a little ways (according to the below picture).
4. Next you will secure the wires to the screws on the socket. To do this, first remove the socket sleeve and then you will want to take your screwdriver and loosen the screws up. Next, place the socket on top of the crate and take the ribbed wire and wrap it around the silver screw. Take the other wire and wrap it around the bronze screwdriver. For both of them you want to wrap it around clockwise. If you need additional instructions, I found this resource helpful.
5. Next, take the screwdriver and tighten the screws. MAKE SURE THE CORD IS NOT PLUGGED IN. 
6. Take the socket cover and place it on top.
7. Once the socket is all connected, take the light bulb and screw it on.
8. To hang, just hammer in one nail and slide the crate on.
Note that I painted the socket gray using spray paint but you can keep it bronze or paint it a fun bright color. You can also stain the crate but lately I’ve been into lighter wood so I kept it natural.
Fill in your new shelving space with little trinkets and supplies! Make sure to even out both sides so that the shelf/crate stays stable. I didn’t have a great way to hide the wire but I ended up placing a framed map directly below it and it covered almost all of the wire. And when I plugged it in and flipped the switch, the bulb worked perfectly!
In my perfect world, fall would never end! We’d just have constant-fall! Something about the air, it’s just different. Fresh and clean and all the holidays are coming and ewww exciting! I realize that it is sadly already ending and soon we will be in the throws of the most terrible reality of winter. How can such evil follow such perfection?!
Impending doom or not you need a wall covered in leaves in your life. I mean I knew I’d love it but I truly love it! It’s the most beautiful season on the wall, ok? I think it’s perfect for a party backdrop {behind your Thanksgiving pies, anyone?!} but I also think it’s perfect for just being a part of your decor, even if only temporarily. It’s gorgeous, it’s simple and it’s free so why not?
Go out and gather some leaves. Even if you’re not about to craft with them, I highly recommend this activity. It’s just good for the spirit. Makes you take a look around at the world and appreciate the changes it’s going through and the current beauty and just gets you out there into that wonderland that is fall. Do it.
Then find the prettiest ones and apply a round of tape to the back of it.
Stick them to the wall, either in a pattern or just all over the place. The effectiveness of the taping method will depend on the finish of your paint. High gloss may not work so well with regular tape and in this case I’d recommend using a thicker double sided tape or command strips.
You can arrange them in to a pattern/shape or just set them up in a whole backdrop. I arranged them all over and in a leaf shape and I loved it both ways.
I just can’t imagine how pleased I’d be to see this loveliness at the Thanksgiving dinner I attended. I am pleased to see it every time I pass it at home! Yes, I am planning on leaving it up for…indefinitely…
I am so happy that I was able to gather all this loveliness within one block from my front door. How lucky am I? Annnd all the trees on my street are completely bare except for one bright yellowy-orange one and it’s in my front yard! I feel pretty special and happy about that.
