Party | The City Cradle

Handcrafted celebrations

Paper stars- a tutorial

07.29.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, diy

I have been so blessed by your words of encouragement this week, thanks for being amazing!

To make snow for the Christmas in July shoot I used white paper stars, they looked just perfect strung from a tree above our table. I also used the stars this weekend in the wedding I styled, coming soon:)

You can purchase the stars HERE in many different sizes and colors. Their creator Lisa has been so sweet to share her tutorial- so that you can make them for your own events, YAY!

Make your own paper stars:

Take 4 strips of paper equal in length. Fold each in half and weave centers together creating 4 double strips of ‘tails’.
Take 1 strip per ‘tail’ and fold across center weave. Tuck the 4th tail under the first one.
Fold 4 tails diagonally.
Flip star over; fold each diagonally folded tail downward.

Fold each downward folded tail onto itself creating a point. Tuck each point into the top layer of center weave.

Repeat Steps 4 and 5 to remaining 3 folded tails.
Repeat Steps 3, 4 and 5 to remaining 4 straight tails.
To create top and bottom points, fold each tail towards the right and tuck into the frontward tail.
When you have done this 8 times, your star will have 8 tails that will need to be trimmed.

Trim each tail and your star is complete!

PS. Lisa is also offering the DIY kits for the stars, complete with supplies that can be purchased HERE.

blessings.

11 Comments

Christmas in July

07.27.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, design

I am super excited to share this lovely little photo-shoot I styled as a cool oasis in the middle of our very hot summer. Christmas in July- 115 degree desert style (that was the actual temperature the day we shot)!

It all started with the idea to cool down and cheer up for the summer by bringing surprise Christmas gifts to our neighbors. I think that is just the loveliest of ideas, especially in July & especially if they are tied up with red twine and dragged behind a bike!

Although it is not a normal Christmas occurrence where we live, having snowballs seemed quite necessary. A vintage crate filled with water balloons hold the makings for a summer’s worth of fights that are sure to cool things down!

A dessert table is set up on a reclaimed, painted table filled with holiday treats! Christmas cookies are stacked high on a homemade cookie stand to elicit smiles all around.

To bring home the holiday spirit I planted mini Christmas trees that hung in red painted bird cages + more snow was a necessity! The beautiful white star snowflakes are the creation of Lisa and can be found for purchase HERE. A DIY on them is coming soon.

Peppermint pops made with candy, sticks and a bit of frosting were scrumptious additions.

It brought me great joy thinking through what desserts we could serve! Snowballs, candy & cookies, to drink peppermint shooters (aka melted red slurpees) seemed perfect.

And doughnuts with holiday flags that are super easy to make- see the tutorial HERE.

The bike basket was overfilled with cherries and flowers, a serious cheer bringer throughout the year.

I loved the idea of using cherries throughout our shoot. Perhaps because they bring me so much cheer? A bunch of them hung from the tree as a mistletoe to smooch underneath + cones of them serve as a healthy additions to our sweets display.

An ornament display of baby’s breath and ribbon is just as lovely in the summer as it would be hanging over a holiday table. Strung from a tree or carried as a bridal bouquet I believe I am equally as smitten about using one of these as a part of any upcoming celebration!

I hope this inspires you to celebrate cheer, and the holidays even amidst the HOT, HOT days of summer!

Photography credits to the very lovely- Chelsea Robbins
Star snowflakes via sponsor- Starcrosses

blessings.

2 Comments

Doughnut flags

07.26.10 Posted in Holiday, Party, food

A sneak peak at what is coming this week…

(Photography credit Chelsea Robbins)

A delightful variation on the standard cupcake for a dessert table. Doughnuts have made their way into the sweet scene of my life quickly, leaving a trail of powdered sugar loveliness behind them! To top them off I created doughnut flags out of ribbon and string. The flags would give any dessert on your table an easy dose of celebration cheer.

Materials needed for doughnut flags:

Differing size candy sticks and toothpicks.
Ribbon and string in coordinating colors.
Liquid starch.

How to Make doughnut flags:

Cut your ribbons and strings to varying sizes.
Dredge in liquid starch.
Place around sticks to dry, lifting up portions of each ribbon to create a natural looking flow.

More to come soon from this super playful Christmas in July shoot.

blessings.

6 Comments

Pretty printed ribbons, a tutorial

07.22.10 Posted in Momhood, Party, Printable, design, diy

I designed a wedding inspiration earlier this month. I hate having to wait to share it with you! One of the projects from the shoot has become a tad of an addiction for me, so I thought I would give you a quick peek…

Printing on ribbon! You can do it & it is super easy-

Although fair warning being able to personalize your ribbon gets quite addicting.

Materials needed for ribbon printing:

An injet printer (if you don’t have one they are super cheap to pick up thrifted)
A length of ribbon (I have found flat/ matte ribbons work the best)
A small amount of double sided tape

How to print on ribbon:

Print out a copy of the words you would like to appear on the ribbon to check for spacing.
Cut your ribbon to size and double tape the ends onto your printed paper, be sure to cover the words exactly, text will print on the ribbon exactly where your words are placed.
Run the paper with ribbon attached through the printer on the heavy paper setting.
Let dry *Important, do not touch the ribbon for about 20 minutes to insure the ink has time to set.
Peal off the ribbon and enjoy your creation!

Use your ribbon to adorn a surprise gift, to personalize a birthday card, or to make a stash of exceptionally lovely party labels.

PS. I am so excited to share with you how I incorporated this into our wedding inspiration shoot, soon!

blessings.

8 Comments

Knotted in love…

07.20.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, Printable, design, diy

Knotted in love, a shower for a lovely bride to be.

The inspiration for this shower came from this article, upon seeing it I just feel in love with the idea of a yarn maze- it is amazing! Although not as long or even an actual maze, I was thrilled at how the backdrop for the shower came out. The yarn strung across our sweets table with the word LOVE tied into it was just the perfect starting point.

The backdrop quickly gave inspiration for what became the centerpiece of the room, a yarn spun chandelier. I created it using different size kids bouncy balls & bright colored yarn. I secured one end of the yarn to the ball and roped it around many… many times! I also hung ribbons with buttons to add to the homespun feel. The mid-air yarn ball chandelier really set the stage for our celebration. PLUS, I am convinced this would make the most lovely baby mobile:)

The yarn balls were repeated on the table as flowers. They provided a wonderful pop of color seated in spray painted bud-vases. See the tutorial for these by clicking HERE.

I used a whole bunch of letters in the design of this shower, LOVE spelled out in as many ways as possible around the room.

I am happy to pass on a FREE DOWNLOAD for the banners of love that were placed around the room. Simply click HERE to download your copy. Each template has a small version of knotted in love plus the larger LOVE. They can be cut and re-sized for your showering pleasure!

Along with the scrumptious panini’s, a buffet was also set with a sampling of treats. Chocolate dipped pretzels and ribbon tied cheery pops were a few favorites of the day.

To drink, I served the brunch appropriate Mimosa! Each Champagne bottle is outfitted in a custom label and custom cocktail stir sticks adorn the flutes. I am also offering these tags as a FREE DOWNLOAD for you- grab the file by clicking HERE. You will need to print them out on 8×10 label sheets or simply cut and attach each one with double sided tape.

A random stash of vintage thread spools was spotted and I quickly picked them up to be perfect accompaniment for this shower. We used them to adorn a bulk pack of white buffet napkins. A fun guest book idea- for any upcoming shower you might have, instead of using a guest book we stitched in thread, buttons and fabric swatches creating a whimsical homemade set of dinner napkins for our future bride.

I also used the vintage spools to decorate around the room, they made such lovely vases!

Cheery yellow butter dishes for favors, monkey fist knots with bright pink yarn interwoven and marriage advice flowing freely made for a very cherished afternoon. I am happy to have made a new friend in this bride and am looking forward to styling her wedding very soon!

Photography credits- Jackie Wonders

PS. I have a new flickr stream that I am going to attempt to keep fresh. Check it out by clicking HERE to see the whole gallery of Knotted in love photos.

blessings.

2 Comments

Garden flower stake tutorial

07.07.10 Posted in Momhood, Party, design

Earlier today I shared with you Susan’s lovely garden party. One of my favorite handcrafted features was the handmade flower stake, filled with the most lovely simple bouquet stuck in the ground. Susan has been so sweet to share the tutorial for these stakes.

Make your own garden flower stakes:

These would be lovely placed around a summer evening BBQ or lined up down the aisles for an afternoon garden wedding. Super easy, simple & purely gorgeous.

Use a saw or knife to sharpen the end of your stake for easier entry into the ground.
With the sharpen part of your stake facing downwards, align your glass bottle along the top of the stake. Fasten the twine where you will begin attaching the bottle.

Loop the twine around the bottle 1-2 times then reverse directions and loop the twine around the stake.
Repeat until tightly fastened and tie a knot at the end.

Repeat the process with a second line of twine to secure.

Follow Susan’s husband, the handi-man behind this project- Stick firmly in the ground, fill with flowers, sit back in an old arm chair and enjoy!

blessings.

10 Comments

Yarn Flowers- a tutorial

06.23.10 Posted in 30x30, Momhood, Party, design

Knotted in love is the theme for a bridal shower we will be hosting soon. Here is a sneak peak at what I have been working on for the special day.

Yarn flowers…

Placing bouquets of these around the room will bring a fabulous dose of color to our little soiree plus they are cheap, easy, and eco-friendly! I spray painted thrifted bud vases to showcase the groupings of flowers.

Make your own yarn flowers

Materials for small yarn flowers:

Yarn
A small (1 inch) foam floral ball, you can find them in packs of 12 at local craft stores.
Glue
Wrapped floral wire

Instructions for small yarn flowers:

Glue one end of the yarn to your foam ball.
Begin wrapping the yarn around the ball, wrap in sections to keep the coverage even.
Continue wrapping until the whole ball is covered.
Stick a piece of floral wire into the bottom of each ball to make a flower, cut down to size as needed.

I promised they would be easy! Easy enough to make hundreds for your next party but also simple enough to make just one bunch to brighten a rainy summer afternoon.

blessings.

3 Comments

A printable party guest book

06.14.10 Posted in 30x30, Momhood, Party, Printable, design

Happy Monday morning, I finally feel like we are coming out of the haze of being sick around here. This will be a fun week, I have DIY’s to show and one more party theme from last month to share.

One of my favorite touches to the Sherbert & Spice Party was our printable guest book, perfect for any kids event.

We had numbered pages laid out from our printable guest book for each attendee to sign. They read what had been written before and then filled in their page of the story, many colored in the black and white pictures as well. Each guest signed their name at the bottom of the page. It turned out to be a great way to get the whole family involved in the process.

After the party the birthday girl’s mom took the pages of our printable guest book home and bound them together by hole punching the sides and stringing ribbon through them- creating a story book. I’ve been told the birthday girl is having a blast reading her special birthday story over and over again.

Printable guest book

I am handing off this guest book for you to use and re-create. Print out the complete printable guest book template I created by clicking HERE. The book was created using pictures from a compilation of old story books. It prints in all black and white as to work with any part theme. There are 20 story pages included.

Have a table set up at your party for the printable guest book creation- set out the pages & pens or colored pencils to write. Set out a note explaining to all your party guests what to do.

Enjoy watching a riveting story come alive that you and the birthday child will treasure for years.

Photography Credits- Jackie Wonders

blessings.

PS. I have also designed a printable guest book for weddings that will be coming next month.

6 Comments

Picnic utensil bags

06.08.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, Printable

Tomorrow I am FINALLY going to be sharing the Sherbert & Spice party with you & announcing the winner of our circle guessing contest. If you haven’t given your guess yet- you still have time, here. A hint, someone is really close:)

For today, the perfect picnic printable – a sweet little utensil pouch. A bit sporkish in design, I just adore the vintage charm of this download. Use the picnic printable to give your upcoming outdoor party or backyard BBQ an extra touch of charm for your guests.

The picnic printable utensil bag is a super quick party project, using only your printer and an old brown paper bag you can easily create these in mass.

Make your own picnic printable utensil bag:

Cut a brown paper bag down the middle, open up and measure to 8 x 10 inches.
Cut the bag around the measurements into an 8×10 paper size.
Download the picnic printable utensil bag by clicking here.
Stick your brown paper bag into the printer and run it through as you would paper.
Fold the picnic printable bag at the side crease lines, cut down to size if you’d like your bags smaller.
Seal the sides and bottom of the bag together with glue.

Enjoy having a sweetly hidden spot for your spork (or fork, or knife, or spoon) while you serve your guests under a tree.

See the rest of the picnic here, photography credits to Jackie Wonders.

blessings.

PS. I am really enjoying seeing the wonderful picnic photos that are popping up in my inbox. It will be so fun to share them with you later this month. You still have time to picnic with us and win great prizes- find out how- here.

7 Comments

Handcrafted parties- Sip & See

06.07.10 Posted in Hand-Crafted Parties, Party, design

I took a lovely few days off this weekend- no babies, no blog… Just a husband, a picnic, and a very relaxing pool. It was glorious! I am excited to be back this week and have a whole bunch to share with you. While I get settled, a nest baby shower for your Monday morning.

I am so grateful Brittany sent in this sweet party. A Sip & See is a great alternative to a baby shower because you get to celebrate the new mom, plus have the joy of meeting a new baby. She used one of my favorite themes…

Nest Baby Shower

The nest baby shower featured a dessert bar filled with eggs of all sorts and backed by a “Welcome To The Nest” handmade banner. If making a banner seems too overwhelming our free printable CHIRP banner would be an easy alternative for creating your own nest baby shower theme.

Guests were greeted with this adorable wreath made especially for the nest baby shower by wrapping a foam wreath core with a white boa and hot gluing the coordinating feathers, ribbon and the sweet baby’s name.

Remembering our nest baby shower “peep show” I just adore how Brittany used chocolate and sprinkles to liven up her peep popsicle sticks.

Using Martha’s nest baby shower recipe the eggs and other desserts had lovely resting places. Larger nests were bought at a local craft store and used around the party room.

Brittany also created this homemade cupcake stand and is sharing the DIY with us today. It would be super easy to replicate for any upcoming party. In her own words below:

Homemade cupcake stand

You will need two cardboard cake rounds (any size you would like–these are 12″ and 16″), scissors, double sided tape, ribbon, scrapbook paper of your choice, 2 cans of vegetables or soup.
To start, you need to cover your rounds with your choice of scrapbook paper and use double sided tape to secure. This is tricky because of the size of scrapbook paper, but if you buy a pattern that repeats, or a solid color, you should be good to go.
Next, I covered the outer edges of the cake rounds with a coordinating ribbon, so that the ugly corrugated cardboard did not show.
Then, secure your cans together by stacking them and then taping them longways and also around the rims. Once you have done that, roll the cans in scrapbook paper and secure with double stick tape. Fold the edges down as you would when wrapping a present.
Stack the stand together, securing with glue to hold. Wreaths & feathers give added nest baby shower detail to your stand.

Thanks so much Brittany for sharing this wonderful sip & see with us!

Nest baby shower photography credits: Wright Image Photography

blessings.

2 Comments

Fabric tape cupcake flags

05.28.10 Posted in Party, design, inspiration

Last week I was quite inspired by the tutorial for fabric tape I found here, originally found here.

Quickly remembering a perfect loose piece of fabric I had been saving for just an occasion as this- a vintage, stripped, worn and soft pillowcase. I grabbed it out and was thrilled to whip up a batch of this lovely tape.

My version was tweaked from the original fabric tape tutorial. I used masking tape, modge-podge and freezer paper, since it was what I had on hand. The tape came together quickly and beautifully. It could be used to wrap many spring party presents in style.

As lovely as tape is though, it doesn’t inspire me quite like a decedent cupcake would… and so, to celebrate Matt being done with his finals this week and to welcome in summer officially starting…

I give you fabric tape cupcake flags!

Standing boldly on my favorite recipe in all the world.

Such an easy way to say hello to this new and lovely season.

In other news, congrats to Jenna for winning our sponsor giveaway this week!!!

Next week will be a lovely welcome to summer with Sherbert photos and a grand kickoff for our month of picnicking. The prize package is almost complete and is HUGE! So grab your blanket this weekend, get out under a tree and snap a few pictures for us- The contest will start Tuesday.

Until next week- enjoy being lovely because you really are:)

blessings.

12 Comments

Homemade photo booth

05.26.10 Posted in 30x30, Party

Another quick sneak peak from the party last weekend. We created a homemade photo booth that was a blast and cost less than $10!

A good majority of my reader questions in the past have been on creating a homemade photo booth cheaply, so here is my long overdue answer for those unanswered questions.

Our homemade version is focused on our guests faces and I am sure we will be enjoying the hilarious photos for years to come. Modeled by my very photogenic husband.

Make your own homemade photo booth for under $10…

Start with a thrift store sheet, or some other length of fabric. I found a sheet in the perfect shade of sherbert for our party. You will also need three 14 inch embroidery hoops. You can find these for about a dollar each at any crafting store.

Take apart the hoops so you have two circles, then spray paint each of the circles to match your party theme.

Measure out and hand sew six buttons onto your sheet in a circular pattern.
Tie a length of string or ribbon to each hoop. You will loop the hoops around the buttons for them to hang.

download labels HERE

Next you will attach labels to your hoops to give guests posing instructions.

I have made our labels available and you can download by clicking the above link. Print, cut and attach to your hoops with glue, be sure to attach the labels off to the side so the full face will be in view.

Put it all together. Place a sign and a camera nearby and I promise you will adore the results.

I cannot think of a better way to spend 10 dollars of any party budget.

PS. Better photos of this piece coming soon with the Sherbert party pics.

blessings.

4 Comments

Impractical Food- bread spoons

05.20.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, design, food

As promised here is the somewhat impractical but oh-so lovely food accessory from the recent sly fox baby shower. May I present for your baking pleasure… bread spoons.

Make impractically lovely bread-spoons yourself…

If you have been around here at all you know that I do not actually “make food”. My spoons start as all my food does, with a nice package of dough. For our shower a talented friend actually made the spoons with fresh herbed focaccia- YUM! They work just as well though with purchased dough.

To make the bread-spoons:

First roll out the dough into one thin layer.
Spread the thin layer over a metal spoon, be sure to keep the layer as thin as possible as you cover the spoon- it will poof up quite a bit once baked.
Using your thumb or another spoon press in the shape of the spoon. Press as firm as possible to ensure a good spoon form once baked.
Pop a tray of these in the oven and bake. Mine were finished in about 80% regular bake time. Let cool and enjoy.

They are great to use with soups, as you dip the spoon into the soup the bread will slowly melt away leaving you with an actual spoon to use. Try them one night at home and allow yourself your kids to play with their food and eat it too:)

While writing this tutorial I suddenly had a craving for cookies which quickly lead me to these….

Cookie-spoons!

Replace the bread with cookie dough, use a much smaller spoon and you have the perfect compliment for an afternoon cup of coffee. Stir and enjoy the goodness of chocolate chips melting in your cup. I couldn’t be more pleased…

Wouldn’t these be lovely to serve at a brunch or give as party (wedding) favors tied with pretty ribbon and a small bag of coffee. I think I am in love;)

blessings.

5 Comments

Sly Fox party banner

05.19.10 Posted in Party, Printable

Standing at the center of our recent shower was a sweet imprint of a sly little fox. It was made into multiple different pieces for the baby shower, one being this free printable baby shower banner, in a foxy boy green. The imprint was originally a stamp made by stamp it up. I stamped, scanned and adjusted the image to make our free printable baby shower banner, and other party printable templates.

Free printable baby shower, sly fox style banner…

You can create this free printable baby shower banner, by downloading the template and printing on coordinating paper for your party theme. Cut along the dark lines to make the flags for you your party banner, then simply glue them to a length of coordinating ribbon.

Download the free printable baby shower, fox style banner.

You can also download this free printable baby shower banner to use for other do-it-yourself party projects. Simply cut out the fox and he becomes a great template for your design. For our Sly Fox baby shower, I used the template to create craft paper foxes that popped up in frames throughout the party space. We also printed the template to make a sly little fox mobile for the new baby’s nursery.

P.S. Making a paper party banner, can be a super easy project that costs very little money. I am getting quite obsessed with them these days, hope you enjoy:)

blessings.

7 Comments

Impractical food- doughnut tree

05.12.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, design, food

A part of my reasoning for embarking on the 30×30 challenge is to give myself a chance to learn about what I love and hate when it comes to planning parties. It is working…

I am finding although I kind-of hate the process of cooking and menu planning. I absolutely adore coming up with totally impractical but fun design accompaniments. My perfect party would have all the food catered except a few random, not really useful, but lovely little dishes like… pinwheel lollipops, custom parchment wrapped muffins, etched sippy cups, or a lifesaver flower field. Since this is becoming quite the party theme for me, I am going to begin sharing them with you as I create…

One of my favorites so far has been the totally impractical but delicious,

White Pearled Doughnut Hole Tree-

The tree was a beautiful centerpiece that came together so easily. I was inspired by this gorgeous wedding cake. Plus, white doughnut holes just seemed a perfect stand-in for pearls…

Make a Doughnut hole tree yourself-

You will need 4 boxes of doughnut holes, 1 pack of toothpicks and 1 fifteen inch foam floral cone.

First poke all of your doughnut holes with a toothpick pushed half way through the hole.
Then begin poking toothpicks onto your floral cone one by one.
Start at the bottom of your tree and begin making lines of doughnuts up the tree. At the end you can fill in any extra spaces by using half doughnut holes to fill in any left gaps.

We accented ours with a mixture of candied & paper pinwheels. This tree would also be amazing in chocolate!

PS. Next week, a really fun and totally impractical spoon idea for serving soup.

blessings.

5 Comments

Boys bow-tie, pinwheel style

05.10.10 Posted in 30x30, Party

How to make a boys bow-tie, pinwheel style.

A beginner, super easy project that would be adorable produced as a single boys bow-tie, or made in mass for lovely party favors.

Cost & time per boys bow-tie, pinwheel style- <$1 each and approximately 15 minutes to make.

Make your own boys bow-tie,

Start with 2 strips of contrasting fabric 16 inch x 1 inch. Sew the strips together to form the boys bow-tie band. Leave a small opening and turn out with a pencil or safety pin. Press and finish off by stitching small circles of Velcro, or a hook & eye on each band end.

Take the fabric for the actual bow and cut it down to 11 x 1.5 inches. Fold the fabric inwards towards the back, 1/4 of the way in on each side, fabric glue or stitch to hold into place.

Fold down the front of the bow, scrunching together in three parts and stitch bow into place, then attach the bow onto the neck band. This will leave you with a simple basic boys bow-tie, all you need to add is the pinwheel.

To make the pinwheel, I followed the same steps as the paper pinwheel tutorial. Take a piece of fabric cut to a 1.5 inch square. Make cuts in all four corners, then begin folding in towards the center. Fabric glue or stitch the corners into the center. When finished hand stitch to attach the pinwheel to the boys bow-tie band.

Cut 1/4 inch piece of fabric that matches your boys bow-tie. Use a dab of fabric glue and center it directly on top of your pinwheel to finish it off.

Details: I left all of the exposed ends of fabric loose for this bow-tie. The roughness lent a little extra boyish charm to the piece. To make yours extra perfect, or if you have lots of free time- you could hem all the edges;)

Make one for a sweet boys photo.

Or make a bunch for fun party favors that will be joyfully received.

blessings.

3 Comments

Birthday Party theme, Sherbert & Spice- invitations

05.06.10 Posted in 30x30, Party, design

A birthday party theme can make me smile, and a few tend to make me really happy. On occasion a birthday party theme, is so special it makes my heart start to putter, makes my mouth start to water, makes me jump up and down with giddy school-girl excitement.

Our upcoming girls birthday party, Sherbert & Spice

is giving me this type of excitement, and I am finding my inner school-girl giddiness spilling out in all the preparations. Here is your first sneak peak…

The invitations just went out this week and they are some of my favorite birthday party invitations yet!

To make the invitations we used chip board boxes and filed them with tropical Skittles. The top circle speaks loudly the fun of the coming birthday party theme,

while the insides spill out- sharing bits of the theme, even before the festivities begin.

Announcing with a party banner, the joyful event to come. A lovely way to use party details, giving our guests a dose of school-girl giddiness to brighten their day.

Making my heart do flips just to share our birthday party theme, in a box- how lucky I am to be invited:)

Most of these invitations are being hand delivered, if you’d like to send a birthday party theme, through the mail- I would highly recommend losing the box. Party bunting + candy would make your envelope the most lovely in all the mail.

blessings.

PSS. Don’t include glitter in your birthday party theme envelope, no one enjoys a glitter shower. Candy, party bunting and the like seem to be much more sweetly received- free tip from me to you;)

2 Comments

Party banner made from fabric

05.04.10 Posted in 30x30, Party

Fabric party banners may quickly overrun spray painted beer bottles as my new favorite party necessity.

Yes, that is my husband above, isn’t he burly looking these days:) He is holding one of my new favorite thrift store finds, pillowcases. I just love finding great pillowcases these days because it is basically like someone handing me (almost) free fabric to work with. 25 cents is a pretty great deal for what loveliness it can become…

A pillowcase turned into a beautiful backdrop for our recent Perfect Pair bridal shower.

Make your own fabric party banner-

A cheap and easy project with wonderful results. You could make this with any fabric that you find or purchase, but I like it best with old pillow cases or worn down clothes. This would also be such a fun way to count down large milestones with your kids- I’m hoping when we move to big kid beds later this year to make both babies a chain from their crib bedding- marking the special occasion with love.

Directions on making your fabric party banner-

Cut out even strips from your fabric. My strips were all cut 2 x 9 inches.
Dredge each strip in fabric stiffener to set its shape (I didn’t get a shot of this but look HERE to glance at the brand I use and to learn what I mean by dredge).
Place each wet strip around a circular object- kitchen glasses, small plastic balls or bottles seem to work the best.
Let dry overnight.
Once dry remove the strips and glue together the chain using fabric glue to connect the strip ends to themselves. Overlap the strips one on top of another building your chain as long as you would like it to be.

Note* One standard size pillow case makes approximately a 20 foot long banner using the dimensions above.

I just had a vision of a whole ceiling filled with these- oh goodness, how amazing would that look:)

Over at Today’s Creative blog, link up today.

blessings.

2 Comments

Perfect pair printable labels

05.03.10 Posted in 30x30, Momhood, Party, Printable

Happy Monday. I spent the weekend getting to know a handful of women who are just as amazing in person as they are online. I have come home refreshed and ready for this full month of parties ahead. I hope you are also feeling ready for this week my friends.

Our coffee & tea tasting turned out to be quite fun bridal shower theme, I am so pleased to give you the projects today to create it on your own.

Perfectly paired, free printable labels…

The glass bottles were a great way to make 6 different drinks all come together with one cohesive look.

Directions: Use these printable labels to produce your own coffee & tea tasting bridal shower theme. Download using the button directly above. The labels fit these bottles from Trader Joe’s perfectly. After enjoying the purchased lemonade, run through a dish-washing cycle or soak in hot water to remove current label. Cut out the labels from the template. Using glue or double sided tape attach directly onto bottle.

You could use any other type or size of bottle as well, simply center the label and glue. Add ice and your favorite coffee or tea for an easy and unique bridal shower theme. I left one label blank in case you’d prefer a different drink.

The cup holders are a cheeky take on the usual coffee drink order and they kept our guests from feeling the chill of their glasses.

Directions: These printable labels will print 2 per page. They fit around a 9 inch cup which is about the average 8 oz cold party cup. Print and use glue to attach the ends together for a cozy way to warm up iced hands. The look just lovely on clear glasses with plum straws popping out of the top.

The tea bag favors were such an easy and lovely way to thank and appreciate our guests.

Leave your guests with a sweet way to remember the day. They are a great way to send friends off with an aftertaste of your sweet bridal shower theme. The printable labels come eight per page, cut out and fold at the center crease. One side bids a thank you while the other gives instructions for home brewing.

Here is the custom tea recipe we used to make the bags (making tea is actually super easy). Combine the herbs in a large bowl in their crushed and dried form then portion out into purchased tea bags.
1/2 cup stinging nettle leaves
1/2 cup oatstraw
1/2 cup spearmint leaves
1/4 cup chamomile flowers
1/4 cup rosehips

Together I hope these labels will set the stage for a fun and unique bridal shower tasting table.

blessings.

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Pink princess birthday hat- tutorial

04.26.10 Posted in 30x30, Party

Happy Monday! I am really excited about this week, there is so much to share with you. First off the birthday hat tutorial from our Pinwheels & Pearls party. I just adore this hat & it was super easy to make. Later on, I will be sharing the secret Mother’s Day project and announcing the winner of our vintage bike giveaway. I have a few more DIY’s in store this week + the design pictures from our Perfect Pair bridal tasting. Happy Monday indeed…

Make this hat yourself:
Begin with a paper birthday hat mold in the size of hat you desire and a spool of embroidery thread. Tape the thread under the hat to hold in place and begin to wrap the thread around the hat.

Continue wrapping until the paper mold is sufficiently covered (about the length of a 30 Rock episode). Wrap up and down and every which way- the less coherent the wrap the better off you are.

Once the hat is completely covered dredge the entire project in a bowl of liquid fabric stiffener, taking good care to ensure every strand of thread is soaked.

Let dry overnight, until the hat is hard & set. Turn over, cut a small slit in the paper and then carefully tear the mold from underneath the hat. You will be left with a delicate, gorgeous birthday hat for a special little one.

Use pearls, ribbon or other items to decorate the hat and attach a ribbon through the bottom line of thread to hold in place on a wiggle little head. You could also make this hat with a larger mold for a non-child’s birthday.

Linked up at Tip Junkie today.

blessings.

Welcome. I'm Victoria- This is where I chronicle my inspirations, projects & designs for handcrafted celebrations. Check out all of the event designs & submit your own handcrafted bash to be featured here!