diy wedding boutonnieres

It has been forever since I've posted about anything even remotely creative around here and so I've been chomping at the bit to unveil this latest little project... My dear creative, free-spirited friend Amy just married an equally awesome boy named D. She is hands down one of my craftiest friends (oh my, just wait til you see her handmade doily wedding dress!) I was completely honored (and crazy-nervous) when she asked me to make boutonnieres for all of the wedding boys, using things like feathers and non-living notions. The result was a pretty eclectic mix of things that suited her bright, beautiful vintage wedding quite well, if I do say so myself.

feathers: BearyBox
photos: yours truly
based on this great tutorial!

diy little boy bowtie:just in time for easter!

Hi friends! Am hoping your weekend is rich with candy-filled baskets, springtime cheer, and that your heart is blessed by the joy of Jesus living!! His love for the world, his death & resurrection is the reason we celebrate this awesome holiday. Thanks to his grace, there is nothing you can do to make God love you less! Happy Easter!!I have just one more tutorial to get out of my system this week! Do you have time for a last-minute Easter project? Because today I am recapping how to make a snazzy little boy bowtie. {Plus I could not resist sharing a few of these G pics again!} These are so fun to make with your small scraps of fabric! And although this tutorial focuses on a small, kid-friendly version with velcro in the back, this pattern could easily be adapted for even the most manly-man’s neck…Or turned into a hairbow for the most girly-girl! But right now I absolutely love the bow tie look on little boys. I feel like the simplest bow tie could make even the most spoiled brat look like a perfect gentleman. This tutorial requires a bit of sewing know-how, so I’d classify it as intermediate level--however I promise it makes for a quick project that you can squeeze in between your housecleaning and Easter egg hunt. Now dig in!
Little Boy Bowtie Tutorial:

Supplies:

must have
fabric (6x20" strip)
interfacing (medium/heavy) (4x15" strip) although not 100% vital, this provides great structure to the bow tie
Velcro (1")
scissors
sewing machine
needle + thread
iron
measuring tape

nice to have:
pins
pencil
fabric marker
rotary cutter + mat
Before we begin, just a note on sizing: I found that 15" of fabric for the band created ample room to go around my 2-year-old's neck and shirt collar. If you are making this for an older child or adult, simply measure the circumference of his shirt collar (preferably while he is wearing it!), and add 2 inches of length for velcro overlap. The strap could further be modified to create a more adjustable grown-up finish, but that's a different lesson. :)
Step 1: Cut your fabric into the following dimensions:
2 1/2 x 15" for band
3 1/2 x 3" for center
3 x 20" for bow
Cut your interfacing into the following dimensions:
1 x 14" for band
3 x 10" for bow

Step 2: Begin your bow!
Fold your 3x20" piece of fabric in half the short way (wrong sides facing out) and place 3x10" piece of interfacing on top. Pin these three layers together as shown. Next straight stitch along three edges of the rectangle. Leave one of the short ends open for turning.

Step 3: Turn your bow inside out; don't worry about the unfinished edge. Press flat. Using your measuring tape and fabric marker, mark the center of the rectangle. Then fold both ends in toward the middle.

Step 4: Pin the edges together, then make one big fat zig-zag stitch down the center. You may need to adjust your machine's tension, as this is a little chunky.Step 5: Now fold your rectangle in half again the long way. Make a 1" straight seam perpendicular to your zig-zag stitch (I used my fabric marker to draw a guideline for myself).Step 6: It's time to make the band!
Take your 2.5x15" strip of fabric, fold it in half the long way (to make the strip even narrower, wrong sides facing out) and place the 1x14" piece on top. Pin the three layers together. Sew a 3/8" seam along the long unfolded side of fabric and along one short end. (I.e. just sew 2 sides!) You're ready to flip your fabric into a tube. This can be a little bit tedious, but trust me, it's worth it in the end! Use a pencil with a good eraser to help prod your fabric along. Press flat.
Step 7: Sewing velcro to the edges:
To address that pesky unfinished edge, we will simply hide it underneath the Velcro: Tuck in 2 sides of fabric and fold the edge down into a point (like an envelope). Simply pin a piece of velcro to the top and sew around its border. Do the same thing on the opposite end (and on the opposite side of band). No need to get fancy with the envelope technique on this side, as it is already finished off nicely.
Step 8: Now for the center piece of the bow:
Fold your 3.5x3" fabric in half the long way. (No interfacing necessary for this one!) Pin and sew a seam along 2 unfolded edges. Turn & press. It's ok to leave the open edge unfinished. We will tuck it in and sew it in the next step.
Step 9: Putting it all together:
The moment we've all been waiting for! Use your fabric marker to draw a mark at the center of your band, then line it up with the center of your bow. Next wrap the center piece around the middle of the bow. Turn all 3 pieces upside down, pull the center piece to your desired tightness, and fold in its unfinished edge. Use your needle and thread to manually whip stitch this piece in place. (Or for instant gratification: whip out your hot glue gun!)
Hooray! You've done it. Now stick it on your little guy and party!

vintagey pillow

For the last few years, our living room has had a ton of red in it--a little too much red in my opinion. When a friend who for the longest time knew me only through this blog came to our house for the first time, she told me she was surprised at how traditional our decor was--because it didn't seem to match the aesthetic of my blog at all. I've been so inspired by her complete honesty. It gave me just the momentum I needed to ditch the solid red Ikea throw pillows that have been holding me down and mix up our wall hangings at the same time. It reminded me exactly how important it is to surround yourself with things you love and to make your home a place that is a greater extension of your heart. So this week I stitched together this little throw pillow and am welcoming in a new era: If I love it, it stays. If I don't love it, it goes. It's my goal to swap out all of our living room throw pillows with colors + notions directly from my vintage stash.
Doesn't this one just make you want to lay in the sun, watch the geraniums grow, and drink lemonade all day? It's summer in a 20x20" square. Just what I needed to erase the gloom around here.

diy recycled crayons

Graham & I just got back from spending a few days with my parents, where we made a batch of super swirly fun toddler crayons. {I saw this idea here a couple years ago--and always thought it would be so fun to do with my own kiddo.} Grandmas always seem to have an amazingly endless stash of dull old broken crayons just dying to be melted into something new and even better; begging to be saved from the circular filing bin that lies beneath the kitchen sink. These turned out so pretty, like a well-needed splash of color on a dreary early spring day and I had to share. I had to borrow my little bro's point and shoot, so sorry the pictures are a little fuzzy! {Note to self, never travel without your camera. You should have learned that by now.}

So by now you're dying to melt your own batch, right?

Here's how:

Supplies:
muffin tin (we used a mini circle size, but how fun would it be to make these heart, cloud, or flower shaped!?) and no, the pan did not get ruined. it's just a little wax!
crayons of all colors and kinds
oven
freezer

1. Unwrap & break crayons, then plop them straight into the tin. I was pretty conservative about mixing colors, but there are no rules here. go crazy!

2. Fill tins about 1/2 full with crayon pieces. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.

3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until wax is completely melted. Allow to cool completely. Hooray--you've got crayons that look something like this:
4. Flip pan over and give each hole a good tappity-tap. If some of the crayons don't pop out immediately, don't fret. Just stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes then try again. They should come out with minimal effort.

5. Admire your pretty results and snap a quick pic before sharing them with busy little hands.
Note: Glitter or metallic crayons are the best! I love how our glittery green and the metallic silver mixed with purple turned out.

felt flower headband

Hello & happy Monday! I'm excited to share that my ruffled rose headband was featured on the crafty blog Little Birdie Secrets. These would be great to wear or give for Valentine's day...Or any day. Hop over to see the full how-to!

In other news, my weekend was awesome, but went a little differently than I'd expected...The bad news is I didn't get any painting or housework done, but the good news is that we had tons of fun catching up with friends, I tackled two sewing projects, and best of all, on Saturday I got a new baby niece named Kirsa!! I am so anxious to meet her--I haven't even seen pictures yet! What was awesome about your weekend? (Packer fans need not respond.)

paper heart garland

Just as I suspected, flooding our house with pink hearts has proven to be a very happy distraction from the endless winter on the other side of our windows.

The other day I cut up a pile of paper hearts, folded them in half, and sewed them back to back for a fun little garland with tons of dimension. Am wishing I'd made 10x more, because it's just so darn cute draped on top of my kitchen chalkboard.

Can you believe it's Friday again? I am double checking my calendar in disbelief. Really excited for all that this weekend has in store: a little painting, a church craft night, a Super Bowl party, of course some cuddle time with my two cute boys, and an antiquing date with this sweet lady (who btw, is giving away a copy of One Thousand Gifts by Anna Voskamp on her blog this week! Hop over to enter!).

What are your plans?

*****

And the winner of the Independent Wedding Fair tickets:

Congrats, Marlys! Please email me at swell.life(at)gmail(dot)com so I can share the details!

heart banner

Hi there! I don't know about you, but winter is really beginning to wear on me. This one has been especially long and brutal! A few late winter/Valentine's Day crafts are just what I needed to cozy in, warm up my hands, and get us through. I finally made a little heart banner for our mantel. We're closing in on February, one of my favorite months and V-day is less than 3 weeks away!

Banner: I love warm, pinky colors and it was so fun sorting through my scrap fabrics to make the hearts! The banner was super simple to make: Just cut rectangles of linen fabric and fold them in half. (Burlap would also look great!) I left the edges torn for a more country look. I cut the hearts out by hand and used iron-on applique to adhere them to the linen rectangles. Last I just sewed them to a pretty piece of leftover ribbon from Paper Source. I love that I didn't have to run out and buy a single thing to make this!
Doily jars: I've seen a few different versions of these fancified empty jars around blogland. How fun to put my stash of empty canning jars to good use! I simply took a stack of mini doilies, cut them up at haphazard angles, and used double-stick tape to stick them to my little collection. I finished them off with a little bakers' twine and stuck a tea light candle in the bottom of each one. (Well almost each one--I came up a couple short and need to pick up some more before I can take a photo of them lit and give you the full effect!)
In between snapping these photos and posting this post, I stopped dead in my tracks, dropped everything, and emergently googled minneapolis chimney sweeps...As I was hanging this little banner, I could hear a wild rumpus of birds/and or squirrels in our chimney!! Sorry critters, I am not a fan of sharing our house. The bad news is, some furry little friends are officially homeless. The good news is, our fireplace is officially fit for fire building! Really excited to finally be able to use it!

sewed a tote!

I had the best week. I was spoiled with not one, not two, but three (3!) girly dates. Not only that, but 2 little outings with my boys. AND a trip to Trader Joes. Wow. I could get used to this. Guess that's what happens when the temperature is above 10 degrees for a week straight. We've been painting the town.

Tuesday night was my first ever book club experience. I'd been wanting to join my friend's club all year, but kept having schedule conflicts. Am so glad I went this week because the discussion adds a whole new layer to the {already} good read. It's always so good to do things in community. We read the Art of Racing in the Rain. I thought I would hate it--because I don't really like dogs or race cars....But I loved it. Loved it you guys.

Wednesday afternoon coffee with one of my sweet college roommates. I'm happy to have caught her before her world travels. She is on her way to Jordan & Israel as we speak. I so want to go there someday.

And Saturday I ran off to my friend Brie's sewing class. We made these really simple, handy, AND reversible tote bags. If you're local, she's teaching the exact same class again in February at Darn.Knit.Anyway in Stillwater, MN. She's an amazing crafter and teacher. I've officially been bit by the bag-making bug. I want to make 1,000 more, with crazy variations like pockets and pleats. I even learned a new fabric flower technique! :)
I backed the fabric rose with a pin so I could detach it for washing. (There's no way on earth this will stay white!)
P.S. Does anyone know what fabrics these are? Wish I'd paid closer attention. Guess I was too smitten.

eli's crayon wallet

Hello and happy day! As of 7:00pm I am officially off of work until New Year's Eve. Pretty impressive for a nurse to swing such a schedule, don't you think!? Sweet freedom. It's such a good feeling. Sort of like the good old college days of walking out of your last final. Right now I am in the throngs of laundry, cleaning, errands, packing, and last minute crafting, but just wanted to share a couple quick pics of {part of} our nearly 3-year-old nephew's Christmas gift. This year we went all out with art supplies: easel + roll of paper, paints + brushes, markers, and a crayon wallet for on-the-go:I went out on a limb and sewed this without any sort of pattern--which was pretty much one of the wildest things I did all year. I picked up the mini Sesame Street Christmas coloring book at Target and fashioned the tri-fold wallet based on its proportions. Next time, I plan to measure the crayon pockets more carefully so that it fits more than 7 crayons. ;) Enough on the flaws; I still love how it turned out and the busy city-scape fabric pattern is my favorite part...
Are you Christmas crafting for the tiny tots in your life? If so, please share!

christmas card wreath

Christmas cards are making me really happy today. A big roll of yellow bakers' twine just arrived at my door--precisely what I needed to put the finishing touches on our fresh stack of cards. I promise to share pics soon! My goal is to go postal with them by 12.23. (We got so busy making cards for some of our photog clients that we are running a whole lot late with our own cards this year!)

In the mean time, the steady stream of cards from friends + fam arriving at our door are a complete and daily delight. I borrowed this idea from Martha & I love the finished product. I'd acquired quite a collection of embroidery hoops from the thrift store last summer, so this was an easy 5 minute project! Simply collect a large diameter hoop (mine was just 12"), hot glue gun, and mini clothespins. Glue the clothespins 1-2 inches apart, facing in alternating directions. (The majority of mine face outward, and a few point toward the center.) The result is a minimal, Scandinavian-looking wreath that adds maximum Christmas cheer to a wall near you. I've already run out of room on mine and am considering replicating the project on two smaller hoops...Wouldn't it look even better in a cluster of 3?

how to host a craft party

I had such a fine + fabulous experience hosting my first craft party, or more creatively entitled Crafternoon, that I'd like to dedicate a post to sharing my thoughts and tips for anyone up to the challenge of hosting her own in the future! Although I could probably talk your ear off on this subject, I will try to simplify the matter into a brief, handy list. I apologize in advance that this post will be heavy on words and light on photos. {I shared a whole bunch of photos from the event last week, so in case you missed them, do check them out.}

1. If you build it, they will come. It's true. When I first posted an invitation for this party, I was a nervous wreck, thinking no one would show. But I learned that girls love a chance to get together, and they double love a chance to get creative when everything is spread out in front of them. So many of my friends say they wish they could be more crafty but don't have the time or inspiration. I shared a public invite both on facebook and this blog, hoping to meet some new crafty girls in the area and also share my love of crafting with some of my old in-real-life friends. In the end, I had such an overwhelming response that I had to turn some girls away. Stab me in the heart.

2. Plan, plan, plan. Even before sending out invites, plan what crafts you will to make. Not only will this step provide for a great teaser in the invite ("We'll be making X, Y, and Zs!!"), you'll also have more time to fine tune everything as the party approaches. Take inventory of the supplies you already have and make lists of the supplies you need to gather.

3. Time it. Be realistic about time frame. One project may take the entire duration of the party. Or teach your guests a smattering of techniques with 3-5 simple projects to fill the afternoon. Whatever you do, time yourself as you make each sample in order to guesstimate how long to schedule the party or when to quit coming up with more and more projects. (Ahem, super guilty here.)

4. Details. Don't forget about tools. This was an afterthought for me and I scrambled the day before asking people to bring extra scissors and paper punches. I was buying needles and tape and asking guests to sharpen pencils at the last minute. Tools are just as important as the craft supplies themselves and although we're all grown-ups, let's face it; in this case, the less sharing the better!

Do double duty with party favors and set out bags labeled with each guest's name so there is a space for her to put finished crafts throughout the party and a handy way to tote home her spoils.

5. Don't break the bank. Don't be afraid to ask your guests to bring a small amount of cash to share in the cost of supplies. I've never known a craft party without a supply fee (at least when the hostess is providing supplies). Another reason it's so important to determine the projects before sending out the invite is so that you can set a realistic budget and a realistic amount to pass on to each guest. I'll be completely honest here and say that my party did cost more than $10/person. But my intention was not to break even, it was only to avoid breaking the bank.

6. Be firm on numbers. I cannot, repeat, cannot stress this enough. Can I be frank with you? I had a lot of unnecessary anxiety over the guest list. Here's why: I specifically asked everyone to RSVP asap, but received a ton of maybes. When planning this sort of party, it's really difficult to work with all of the maybes in the crowd. {No offense to anyone in this boat!} I 100% understand that life is unpredictable, but I urge you to make it a clear expectation that your guests commit. Tell them you need to have a firm number in order to buy the proper amount of supplies. Next time I am seriously considering collecting everyone's supply fee in advance via Paypal, just so that they are less likely to flake.

Also in this vein,
7. Know your limits. Have a maximum number of guests your home/venue can hold and don't go over it. If the party is too crowded to craft the fun factor will go down. I set my magic number at 20 and had to start a waiting list at this point. After a bunch of last minute cancellations, I believe the final head count was 16. I think that was a perfect number for my house. Why did I invite so many people that I ended up saying no?? Because I didn't want to be exclusive. I wanted to open it up to anyone and everyone who was interested in this sort of thing. The best part about craft parties is that they can be big or small. For a close circle of friends or for everyone in your social network. Know what is manageable for you and your life!

8. Map out your house. This is also key. Each separate craft should have a designated station. What rooms/areas would make good work spaces? Plan which crafts can be done on laps and which crafts require tables and chairs. Keep messy projects near a sink. Put projects that may take the most time in a large room and smaller-scale projects in a smaller area. If there is a two-part project, keep both stations adjacent to one another. That is one huge mistake I made. We made yarn wreaths, decorated with felt flowers. Half of the girls finished the yarn ring all at once and were wanting to learn the felt flowers. I had put the flower project in the smallest room with the least amount of workspace. Somehow I hadn't anticipated that people would spend as much time as they did crafting these to beautifully decorate their wreaths. People were sitting on the floor, tracing on the walls, and bumping into each other left and right. {And what dearies, they weren't even complaining!}

9. Feed them! I know this is basic, but I just want to say keep it simple here. One great way to keep party costs down is to ask guests to bring treats to share. I turned my party into half craft making, half Christmas cookie swapping. The spread was amazing--way better than I ever could have done by myself. It was so fun to sample everyone's baking talent. All I had to worry about was drinks! It's also important to consider that you'll be spending tons of time the day before cleaning your house and setting up your crafts, and the last thing you need to fret over is food.

10. Enjoy yourself. Face it, you can't be all things to all people. You can't individually teach every guest every project, or hold lengthy personal conversations with everyone. That's why for large-scaled craft parties or for varied skill levels, make certain that you are not the only one who knows what the heck is going on. (i.e. delegate.) I asked a few of my craftiest friends to arrive early so that I give them a brief run-down of all the projects. My sil kept the coffee brewing and felt free to mix & mingle. It was wonderful. Like growing extra sets of hands and eyes. I was able to relax and chat a whole lot more because I knew there were plenty of friendly resources bouncing throughout the house. It's also helpful to create multiple samples (if you have time!) of each project to not only present the basic concept but inspire variations on a theme.

*****

Wow, so much for short. I really hope this is helpful!

I'd love to turn the comments into somewhat of a forum. I want to hear your feedback, questions, or advice on any area I missed! Also, please feel free to share links to your own craft parties past or present here!!

water for africa

What do a few simple Christmas crafts have to do with water in Africa, you ask? Did you know that unsafe, unclean drinking water + lack of sanitation kill more people each year than war + violence? This season etsy shop Water for Christmas is teaming up with Charity : Water to actually do something about it. I love everything about this cause! It's a place you can actually spend your holiday dollars with a clean conscience. It's really a triple win: crafters can donate their time, talent, and products; shoppers can score handmade gifts and simultaneously give the gift of safe water to someone in need, because 100% of the proceeds go directly to build fresh water wells in Liberia, West Africa.

I feel blessed to have contributed a few crafts to the cause. Purchase my gift tags, paper garland, and yarn wreath--if not for the craft, for the cause. If you know of any other charitable crafting going on this year, please do share a link below!

***

Last call to enter this week's giveaway. Winner announced tomorrow!

christmas crafternoon {part 2.}

Thanks so much for saying such nice things yesterday. I've been itching to share some of the finished projects from the Christmas craft party. I can't even begin to tell you how fun it was to see everyone's projects come together. So proud of these girls! Before I begin, I should mention that I tried to give credit to the inspirations for each project. {Speaking of which--I completely forgot to give the biggest credit where it is due...Much of this party was modeled after this amazing friend's! I'd like to be her when I grow up.} Also, I would consider blogging more in-depth tutorials for specific projects, if there is interest. Just let me know in the comments. :)
1.First up, the yarn wreaths. I ordered 10" styrofoam wreath forms from Create for Less (because I'd have to hit at least 5 stores to before I found 20 of them, which is how many girls had initially rsvp'd...I love this website because it offers prices below retail and quantities in bulk). These are super simple to make and not as time consuming as you might think. Simply wrap your favorite yarn around the wreath form, or alternate several yarns for a cute striped look. Embellish with cute felt flowers, glittered birds, and gold baubles and hang to enjoy! {Wreaths inspired by this crafty girl and this etsy shop. Poinsettia flowers from this tutorial.}

2. Next up: felt flower accessories! These were really part of the 2-step wreath project and in all honesty, most of the girls spent the time making flowers to gussy up their wreaths, but a few of us also made headbands and/or ponytail holders. The trick for these is just a hot glue gun. We sandwiched our elastic headbands with hot glue + a felt flower on top and another plain circle of felt in the back.
3. Chipboard gift tags. Who doesn't need a bazillion of these? The I set out my stash of Christmas papers, plus some acrylic stamps + poinsettia embellishments by Martha crafts. I loved adding the bakers' twine + doily pieces. They are the quintessential handmade accents.
4. Recycled paper garland: This year I am wrapping all our gifts in brown kraft paper + these simple circles. It looks so modern and fancy, yet it's so so cheap! I've seen many different tutorials on this throughout blog land (here is one that's the exact same concept, but with felt). Truly it's just as simple as running the paper circles through your sewing machine. {Inspiration source.}
5. Cake {or in this case, Christmas cookie} pedestals: I love everything about this one. It's as simple as crafts get. Plus it re-purposes those old, forgotten, but more beautiful-than-ever grandma dishes. All you need is some pretty old plates, candlesticks, or small vases from the thrift store, and some wicked strong super glue. The hardest part is just finding the right proportions, mixing+matching 'til you find the perfect pair and gluing the bottom in the smack center of the plate. {Inspired by this girl and this sweet lady.}

*****

Edit: See more finished projects from some of my favorite blog girls in attendance!

Naphtali | On Second Street
Olivia | the Saturated Palette
Amanda | Project Simple Life

christmas crafternoon {part 1.}

Can't believe my little Christmas craft party has already come and gone. I had the most wonderful time on Sunday, welcoming 16 lovely ladies into our home for an afternoon of creativity, laughter, and a whole lot of cookies. When this idea first popped into my head (I'd been inspired by a few similar parties in blogland), I really just wanted to bless my friends with some girly time, projects, inspiration, and skills they could take home to create their own Christmasy crafts. I believe that everyone has a creative bone in their bodies, and it's a really happy+healthy thing for everyone to sit down and use their hands once in awhile. As it turns out, I felt double blessed by it all--everyone seemed to really enjoy it and all were asking when we'd do this again! Sharing my love for crafting with everyone made my heart really happy. After all was said & done, instead of crashing on the couch as I'd planned, I spent the whole night thinking of the next party; what I'd change, what I'd keep the same, and what fun projects we would make!Here's how it worked:

*I asked everyone to bring a batch of her favorite Christmas cookies, plus 10$ to share in the cost of supplies. I might have had a melt-down if I felt pressured to prepare a huge spread of food on top of the crafts. Having everyone bring treats to swap was both fun and stress-less!

*I set up 5 different stations around our house, each with a different project. {More details on the projects tomorrow!} At each table, I had a finished sample, all the supplies necessary for the project, plus a few options for creative variations. At first, I felt a bit nervous about being in 5 places at once to offer explanations and troubleshooting, but everyone helped everyone and it magically all came together. {I have the sweetest friends!}

*For practicality, I was armed with a brown paper bag with each girl's name on it, so they'd have a place to stash their finished products as they moved throughout the house.

*I also made little paper ornaments as party favors for each guest & tied them around the brown bag handles to add a little flair. Nothing like killing 2 birds with one stone. {What a morbid phrase.}
Jeff deserves high fives from everyone for being super duper helpful with all of this. I really couldn't have pulled any of this together without him. He pitched in all day long on Saturday to help make our house officially cardboard-free. (Yes, we still had about 8 boxes yet unpacked since moving in July. Deadlines are SO good for me!) He helped get our house clean as a whistle, watched G during the party, and even snapped a few of these pics for me. Every good craft party needs a good husband behind the scenes. :)

See part 2: finished products!