If you’re looking for that little detail to make your 4th of July event perfect, Martha Stewart obviously has you covered. The magazine has generated a ton of ideas over the years and here are a few of my favorites. All of them are just impeccably done and would make a fine addition to any party.

1.4th of July Invitations 2.Berry Cupcakes 3.American Flag Tart 4.Patriotic Ice Cream Wrapper 5.Stars & Stripes Paper Cones

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, holiday or not! I’ll be taking an extra few days to enjoy the long weekend with friends and family and I’ll see you back here next week. xoxo

Aren’t these the most adorable barrettes you’ve ever seen?! I spotted this tutorial over on The Purl Bee and had to take note. Complete with thorough step-by-step instructions and fantastic photographs, this is one craft we could all learn how to do. I’ll hopefully be sporting one of these in my own hair soon!

Yesterday’s post got me hooked on carveless pumpkins so I did some searching and found some more amazing examples. The sky really is the limit for what you can do! I also like the idea of decorating with plain pumpkins, they just so perfectly evoke the spirit of the season. I’m definitlly going to have to make some time next week to do some pumpkin inspired projects of my own!

From top, left to right: Country Living: Black & White Painted Pumpkins by Liz Demos, Ladies Home Journal: Stenciled Pumpkins, Rick Rac Pumpkins by Eddie Ross, Decorate for Fall with White Pumpkins, Martha Stewart: Homespun Pumpkin, Country Living: Autumn Harvest, Better Homes and Gardens: Black & White Painted Pumpkins

Since school has started up this month I thought it would be fun to create a back-to-school project. My friend Rachel was helping me brainstorm some ideas and she suggested something to go in lunch bags. That’s when it hit me, little illustrated lunch notes would be the perfect addition to a kids mid-day meal! There are six designs to send a reminder or just to say how much you love them. Like all my DIY’s, just print, cut and enjoy!

(Thanks Rachel!)

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a project with all of you and the coming holiday seemed like the perfect opportunity to get crafty. Hopefully this set will make your 4th of July just a bit more festive! This downloadable PDF includes sparkler cards, matchbook wrappers and straw tags. Simply print, cut, tape and voila – instant party!

What You’ll Need:

8.5 x 11″ 80lb white card stock (like this from Paper-Source)
8.5 x 11″ 80lb white text paper (like this from Paper-Source)
Color Printer
Paper Cutter
Double Sided Tape
Ruler
Standard Hole Punch
Sparklers
Straws
Matchbooks (found at my local grocery store)

Instructions:

1. Download the Matchbook and Straw Tags Template and print onto white text paper. Download the Sparkler Card Template and print onto white card stock. Print using the highest quality settings on your color printer to ensure that the patterns and text are clear.

2. Trim out all the shapes using scissors or a sharp blade and making sure to trim off all the black edges. Use a standard hole punch and punch where indicated to allow the straws to be thread through. Carefully trim out the small rectangles in the Sparkler Holders to weave the sparklers through.

3. Secure the wrap around the matchbooks with double sided tape, making sure not to cover up the striker strip. Crease the edges with your fingers or using a bone folder so that they are crisp. Thread the straw through the holes and position towards the top of the straw. Thread the sparklers through the slots.

I hope you all have a fantastic and joyful holiday! Cheers!

*For personal use only (non-commercial use). Thank you.

I’m fortunate to work with so many talented people but the true surprises are the receptionists in my office. They each are not only fantastic at what they do on a regular basis but they happen to be some of the most creative people I’ve ever met.

This project was inspired by the ever-so talented Elatia. I saw her “sewing a letter” to a friend and was completly blown away. I was so intriqued by the idea that I wanted to try something similar. I decided to send a little love letter to my husband and base it off of white college ruled notebook paper. Since I’ve never sewn type, I kept it simple for this first attempt. Many thanks to Elatia for the constant source of funny and inspiration!

Here is an easy Easter project I did this weekend, a stuffed Easter Bunny named Poppy! All you need to do is print out this handy template on inkjet fabric or iron-on transfer paper, then cut, sew, stuff and enjoy! The template has a blue and yellow pattern that I designed, see below for a detail shot.

NOTE: Check your Iron-on instructions to see wether or not you need to reverse the print out.

Psst! Check back tomorrow for another Easter project!

These felt creations by Christine of SugarElf took my breath away! I came across an older item from The Sugar Elf Etsy shop via ffffound and had to see more. To my delight this felt mushroom was just the tip of the iceberg! I seriously had the most difficult time deciding which images to show. I choose to share just a few of her felt creations but she has so many more great items that you just have to see for yourself!

Two more chalked full of adorable after the break! (more…)

Some pictures from my most recent contribution for Style Me Pretty. Ring these bells to bid the newly weds farewell! A charming alternative to throwing rice, as the bride and groom make their getaway. The tutorial includes directions and a free PDF of the tags to wrap around the handle and table sign. Choose from 3 different color palettes: Robin’s Egg Blue, Kelly Green or Grey. Click here for the full article and complete instructions.

*This project happens to be included in Abby’s latest DIY contest so fingers crossed that I win! To vote for your favorite and see all the projects click here.

Click here to see my other Style Me Pretty contributions.

I seem to be on a mission to ruin our dinning table with all of my craft projects. In order to save our meal companion from further abuse I thought it’d be a good idea to make a work tablecloth. I wanted something that could be cute enough for an informal dinner and durable enough for a kids painting party. It took me about a half a day to make and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Below are step-by-step instructions for the whole project.

Materials Needed

Oil Cloth
Measuring Tape
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Thread
Pencil

Instructions

Step 1: Measure the surface of your table. Determine how much of an over-hang you’d like. I left 5 inches on either side. Measure and cut your oilcloth to the table dimensions plus the overhang for each side. My table, for example, is 35″ x 35″ plus 5″ over-hang on each side so I cut my cloth to 45″ x 45″.

Step 2: To make the scalloped edge I created a template of 3″ scallops on my computer which you can download here. Print the template and trim out with scissors or an x-acto knife. On the the back of the oil cloth mark where the over-hang is on each corner. This will determine where the scallops will begin and end (see the image below). Trace the scallops pattern onto the back of the oil cloth with a pencil along the edge of the cloth. Once the scallops are drawn along each side cut them out with fabric shears.

Step 3: To stiffen up the scallops and minimize curling, stitch along the edge of the cloth about an 1/8″ in. I used a wide zig-zag stitch with a low tension level on my sewing machine so that the stitches were close together. Any decorative stitch would work here.

Step 4: For an accurate fit, place your cloth upside down and centered on your table. At each of the corners grab the extra cloth and pin it vertically and snug to the table edges. Sew shut with a straight stitch.

Step 5: To finish it off, trim the extra fabric from the corners,turn right side out and enjoy!

*If you want your scallops to meet exactly at the edges you may need to adjust the size of the scallops to fit your table. Use this formula to determine the specific scallop width for your table: Divide the length of your table by 3. Round that number up to the nearest whole number. Then take the length of your table and divide it by that whole number. That’s how wide to make your scallops. You can make your own template using your computer’s creative software. Note: If your table is rectangular you’ll have to do that formula for both the long and short side.