Last Monday I went to a Halloween Craft event hosted by Lyndsey of The Stationary Place and Marie LeBaron of Make and Takes at Trophy Cupcakes. It was such a great, relaxed event full of fun crafty goodness! Marie and Lyndsey taught us how to make Felt Rosette Wreaths, Hand-embroidered Spider Cards, Glittered Spider Rings and my personal favorite – Pipe Cleaner Spiders.

It was the perfect occasion for any type of crafter. The ladies were so prepared and had everything all set out for us and ready to use. Sadly, I forgot my camera and wasn’t able to snap any pics at the event but I did manage to finish my Rossette Wreath and Spider Rings and take some shots over the weekend.

The wreath is an easy craft that anyone that can handle scissors and pins can manage. Check out Kristen’s tutorial on Domestifluff for step-by-step instructions and pictures.

The Glittered Spider Rings are another brilliant idea and insanely easy to do! Purchase plastic spider rings from a craft store and simply paint the top surface with crafters glue. Once covered, sprinkle with glitter making sure to cover well and let dry. Wear as a festive ring or add them to a wreath like I did by cutting the band in the middle and attaching them to a rosestte!

Be sure to check out The Stationary Place and Make and Takes for tutorials on the rest of the crafts. And don’t forget to make these adorable Pipe Cleaner Spiders, kids would LOVE them!

Here’s another project that I recently finished for work. I wanted to play off a Día de los Muertos aesthetic but interpret it in a new way. Foam-core was used for the base and standard sewing pins to created the larger image. After that, I used bright thread to fill in the rest of the piece.

I love how it turned out and I have so many other ideas I can’t wait to try this technique on! This first one was quite ambitious and terribly time consumming but I learned some valuable tricks along the way. I’ll be sure to share more projects soon!

I’ve thought long and hard about this decision but I’m afraid I will be officially taking some extended time off from Twig & Thistle to rest and (hopefully) heal. I feel like I’m breaking up with a best friend or the sweetest boyfriend ever and I can tell you this hasn’t been an easy process for me. You all have been so supportive and generous with your comments and kind emails and I will miss all of you dearly. I’m not sure how long I”ll be taking or what exactly the future holds but I hope to run in to all of you again soon!

Before I say my final goodbye, I have one last DIY project that I had to share. (I managed to fit this one in when I was feeling tip-top) I’ve been drooling over this painted zig-zag rug by The House of Smiths and wanted my own little bit of chevron style so I thought I’d make a picnic blanket!

This project took me about 4 hours total but overall it was pretty easy. I bought a fabric drop cloth from Home Depot for $6.98, which is perfect for a picnic blanket since it’s backed with plastic. And since I was covering a larger surface area, I didn’t have enough vinyl to spare so I created a chevron template out of foam core to trace the pattern onto the tarp.

Once my pattern was drawn, I used painters tape to seal off the paintable areas – this part definitely took the longest. Once it was all taped up I got to painting with a roller which went relativly quick and dried overnight. I love how it turned out and I have so many more picnic blanket ideas now. I think they’d make fun gifts or a great way to decorate for an outdoor summer party.

Lot’s of love to you all and thank you again for visiting! Sincerely yours, Kathleen xoxox 

How cool/genius is this?! Tear off gingham napkins that are not only adorable and handy but sustainable too! These bad boys are made of cotton and can be thrown in the wash to be used again and again.

I seriously need to get some of these for summer! The one in the image above can be found at Cox & Cox in the UK but for those of you state side, they’re available at Neiman Marcus in red, blue or brown.

Are bows the new bird?! I’m of the mind that one can never have too many bows! Don’t they just make everything so much sweeter?

Napkin Bow from Martha Stewart // Bow Tie Stir Sticks as seen on JL Designs // Skinny Bow Belt from Brave Leather // Bow Tie Cake as seen on Hostess with the Mosstess // Vintage Bow Skirt by The Good Life // Green Plaid Bow Tie from Forage // Bow Cupcake by Real Simple // Honeycomb Bow Tie Collar from Silly Buddy

1. Vaughn Apartment Sofa $1399 / 2. Square Pillow Cover $75 / 3. Boudoir Pillow Cover $79 / 4. Parsons End Table $199 /5. Karsen Club Chair $399 / 6. Lumi Candleholders $1.95-3.95 / 7. Bead Vase $34  / 8. Klubbo Coffee Table $79 / 9. Porter Frameless Mirror $169.99 / 10. French Stripe Stool $149  TOTAL = $2587

I spotted this pretty living room on Pinterest and thought it would be fun to try to create a similar look on a budget. Originally created by designer Sarah Richardson for her own home, it’s a stunning space with such a calm and serene feel. I wanted to capture the subtle differences in tone but bring out the pops of pink, white and light blue. I think the stripped footstools really tie the space together but sadly I wasn’t able to find any. The French Stripe Stools from Pottery Barn come close but I think the Raspberry Chevron pillows help. What do you think?!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts the past two days but WordPress went bonkers and my husband/IT guy was out of town. Anyway everything is fixed and I return you to your regularly scheduled programing:

Thanks to Oh Joy, I came across Michi and am utterly smitten! Kat Macleod is the genius behind this charming shop stocked with colorful little gems. I didn’t know I needed a set of colorful carpenter pencils but now I do! And a cute tote that reads “thanks very michi” – you bet! Even her watercolor postcards have me sprung!

Another adorable St. Patrick’s Day project to add to the list! Created by Alexandria Hedin, these Just Plain Lucky Tees are perfect for the whole family! Simple and super adorable and just the right amount of charm! Get the instructions and template from Alexandria’s blog.

Fun little story, Alexandria and I went to high school together here in Seattle and ended up working together at Starbucks in the creative department. We both went on to separate jobs and lost touch but have since reconnected through the blog world. I love the web connections and friends I’ve made over the years and I’m so fortunate to be surrounded but such talented people!

Sadly, I only just discovered A Creative Mint about a month ago. Sad, simply because I felt like I’d been missing out on this fantastic party that everyone else knew about but me! Well, consider yourself officially invited! If you haven’t already seen Leslie’s work, you absolutely need to check it out right this second!

Leslie has an impeccable skill for styling, watercolor, design and photography; all of which come through in her stunning images. Her sense of color is equally as brilliant and I promise that you’ll love every single page of her blog. Cheers!

Back in November I shared the beautiful pink and gold surprise party that my lovely friend Katie threw for me. Out of all the amazing details, the wreaths on her front doors received a ton of interest.

Katie graciously agreed to share her secrets and we recently got together to make a tutorial to share with all of you. By “we” I mean Katie did all the work and I took the photos. Below you’ll find the list of materials you’ll need along with complete instructions and step-by-step photographs to make your own.

As a special treat, we made an extra one and we’ve decided to give it away to a lucky reader! Stay tuned and check back later today for the details on how you could win it!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

12″ Craft Ring
3 colors of felt (1 Yard Total)
Ribbon
Upholstery Thread
Needle
Scissors
Decorative Floral Elements (Found at craft stores)
Floral Wire

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Begin with a 12″ wreath ring with holes for threading flowers through. You’ll need one hole per flower so you may need to add holes with a drill. This tutorial makes 12 flowers so you’ll need 12 holes.

2. Once your wreath form is prepared, completely wrap in ribbon overlapping only about 1/4″. At the end, use the remaining ribbon to create a loop to hang the wreath from. Tie a knot at the base of the loop securing the wrapped form.

3. Cut felt into 4″ circles. (The circles don’t need to be neat, just somewhat circular. Once folded, you won’t notice any imperfections.) For a 12″ wreath, you will need 36 circles. Once the circles are cut, fold each one in half and then half again making a pie shape. Using scissors, snip half way in along all straight edges and twice along the round edge. These will make the petals of the flowers.

4. Once all the flowers have been cut, it’s time to start assembling your wreath! Create flowers by stacking one of each of the colors on top of each other. In this case we did grey on the bottom, white in the center and purple on top.

Gather the three pieces and fold in half and then half again. With a piece of upholstery thread, about 15″ long, secure together by sewing through all layers with a long needle several times and pulling tightly. Using the rest of the thread, locate a hole in the wreath form and thread through. Pass through hole several times securing the flower to the form and tie off. Continue step four with remaining flowers.

5. After all the flowers have been sewn onto the wreath form you can start adding the decorative details. Arrange them in between flowers  and secure with floral wire. Finish off by fluffing flowers and hanging!

*As a finishing touch, cut a doughnut shaped piece of felt the same size as the wreath form and cover all the loose thread and wire on the back. Using a hot glue gun, secure felt into place.

Later, we’ve got a very special guest feature that you won’t want to miss! *Hint, these two ladies might have something to do with it AND there’s a free download!

For the last two weeks, Maddy and Shauna have teamed up to create the 10 days of Craftsmas. A fun series of DIY projects for the holiday season. There hasn’t been a single project I didn’t like and to my delight they’ve even included a few with felt!

Whip up a few of these Felt Holly Wreaths in a matter of minutes with this simple tutorial!

Dress up those gift cards with Handmade Felt Card Holders. No buttons? No problem! Sew on a bell for added jingle!

Ensure a few kisses this holiday season with this easy and quick Felt Mistletoe project!

There is something so amazingly joyful about today’s project. This rainbow felt garland by Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day was originally inspired by a similar version seen at Anthropologie. Jordan created her own by threading felt balls onto thick string. Get the complete how-to and see more pics on Oh Happy Day.

These Reusable Felt Mailing Envelopes from Small Adventure instantly make me think of mailing letter’s to Santa! I love the thought of having a special envelope that can be used again and again for such a special occasion.

Via: Oh So Beautiful Paper

Photo by David Prince

Suzonne Stirling of Urban Comfort

Today is day two of Five Days of Felt here on T&T and this is by far one of my favorite felt projects I’ve ever seen! Thanks to Family Circle and Suzonne Stirling of Urban Comfort for sharing the tutorial and pattern for how to make these little woodland pine cones! I’m hoping to make loads of these over the holidays so fingers crossed I can find the time.

Lovely string lights from cable & Cotton. Original and stunning!