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DIY Chalkboard Holiday Favors

November
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I was asked to contribute to her Holiday Guide by Emily Henderson, so I came up with this DIY chalkboard holiday favor. They look cute at each place setting, and you could use them as place cards too.

After dinner, your guests could write their New Year’s Resolutions on them. Then you, as party host, can impose your iron will upon everyone to make them pose with their chalkboards as photo props. Pose, unsuspecting party guests, POSE!

I think party favors can be a little silly sometimes. What do you do with them after the party? That’s why the holiday doodad is removable — so the favor can be hung as a simple chalkboard the rest of the year.

It’s a simple craft that doesn’t cost much, and doesn’t take much time (other than waiting for paint to dry). Want to give it a try? See page 228 in The Holiday Guide by Emily Henderson for a list of materials needed and the full instructions.

Crafty (& Handy), Holidays • 24 Comments • November 2, 2011

How to Find a Wall Stud (Video)

October
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I put up my almost Hang-it-All in the basement stairwell yesterday. To make sure it would stay put, I needed to be sure I hit the studs in the wall.

If you ever want to hang something heavy in your home, you’ll want to know how to find the studs too. I thought it might be helpful to show you a few methods for finding them: using an electronic stud finder*, knocking and listening, or swiss cheesing your walls. Can you guess which method you probably want to avoid?

* This is the stud sensor I use. We bought it years ago. It’s more expensive than most, but I’ve used cheaper models and have found that this one is worth the price.

Crafty (& Handy) • 17 Comments • October 24, 2011

Self-Induced Crafty Mama Pressure

October
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Is it hard to sew fake fur? Because Eleanor is really excited about being The Gruffalo’s Child for Halloween. Which is, you know, less than two weeks away. With no Gruffalo costume available for purchase, of course.

August will be the mouse, and I think I can make that out of fleece. Two weeks to sew two costumes… and I’m not very good at sewing. It can be done though (I keep telling myself)! After all, I did a good job on E’s Katamari costume before, and that was all from scratch. I should have suggested something easier, like last year’s Olivia costume (minimal sewing involved), but no.

Do you put self-induced pressure on yourself to make costumes? These furry monsters would have been a perfectly cute option, with no need to enter crazy-crafty-mama-Halloween-town. But I’m not the only one that does this, right?

The kids will be so cute. Assuming I can pull this off.

Crafty (& Handy), Holidays, Parenting • 61 Comments • October 18, 2011

Tibet Almond Stick

September
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We’re keeping our dining table. The consensus seemed to be that the Strut table I had my eye on, while beautiful, is prone to scratches. We have enough of those already, thank you.

The kids and the cats have both been doing a number on our beautiful vintage table, but it does still clean up nicely. My mother-in-law gave me a Tibet Almond Stick for the surface scratches in the wood that the cats are so fond of creating. It’s basically an oily bunch of cloth in a tube, but it does help.

Crafty (& Handy), Dining Room • 26 Comments • September 22, 2011

Paint-by-Numbers, Giant Wall Mural Inspiration

September
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I’ve painted original murals before for my nephews, but it’s been a while. These giant paint-by-numbers murals have me inspired though, maybe enough to actually commit to making one! It might be something fun to do in the play room area of the basement.