Last week, I hosted a craft workshop at Anthropologie. There were two sessions, with twenty five people in each. We braved the slushy Chicago snow, gathered for crafts (and drinks and treats), and made some cute Valentines. At the end, everyone took home goodies from Pink Loves Brown (assorted pins from my stock), and sample waffle pecan bars from Ticket Chocolate (yum).

Thank you, Anthropologie, for having me, and thank you to everyone who came out! I wish we could have had more time, and more people (I know it sold out really quickly). For those of you who couldn’t make it though, I’ve included a list of supplies and instructions so you can try your hand at making your own.

Look at how cute Kim’s turned out below! (That’s her on the right, above, with me on the other end and Jess Lively in the middle.) You can see how the little clip part works, and you can position the clothespins so that you can put notes and photos at the top or bottom, or both if you wish.

Supplies

• wood slices between 4-6″ (I was going to use birch, but then decided that mossy hickory slices were prettier)

• acrylic craft paint (I brought black, white, red, a pretty blue, and gold)

• paintbrush(es)

• mini clothespins

• paper silhouettes (you can download my templates and use a silhouette cutting machine to cut them, or draw your own and use an x-acto knife)

• white glue

Instructions

This is an easy craft to do. Paint your wood slice first. Stripes are easy, and you can even mask them off with painter’s tape if you’re not confident about your painting ability. Polka dots, circles, and following the rings of the wood are all good choices too. Next, glue the mini clothespins to your silhouettes, either one in the center, or one at the top (facing up) and one at the bottom (facing down). Once your clothespinned silhouettes are dry, along with the painted wood slice, glue them together. You could just use the clips too, and skip the silhouette people. Done! And cute.

© 2013, published by Making it Lovely as Wood Valentines Craft Night (and a How To) | 18 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

I’m looking forward to seeing some of you there!

Update: The event sold out an hour after it was announced (!), but you can still sign up for the wait list in case of cancellations.

© 2013, published by Making it Lovely as Craft Night at Anthropologie | 20 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

Here’s a cute DIY project to add a little sparkle and shine to your holiday! These colorblock Christmas trees took a few hours to create, but if you simplified the palette (and skipped the glitter paint), you could finish them in about an hour. Here’s what you’ll need.

Supplies

• Kraft Paper Cones
• ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape
• Paint Brush
• Martha Stewart Crafts Paint
  
  • Light Pink Trees: Pink Carnation (Satin), Rose Chrome (Metallic), Sugar Cube (Glitter)
  • Dark Pink Trees: Peppermint Bark (Satin), Rose Copper (Metallic), Florentine Gold (Glitter)
  • Green Trees: Artichoke (Satin), Citrine Gold (Metallic), Peridot (Glitter)

The smaller cones were to be glittered on one side, so I first painted the entire cone in a solid color. The larger cones were each going to be painted one one side with metallic paint (which I knew to have good coverage), so I started by taping them off and painting just half in a solid color. It’s easier to tape a cone vertically, though I’m sure these would look fantastic done horizontally if you’re up for the challenge.

Acrylic paint dries quickly. I found that by the time I was done painting the last of my six cones, the first would be ready for another coat (I did three on each). After the last coat had dried, I removed the old tape from the larger cones and retaped them to paint the other sides. The metallic paints I used looked good after just one coat, but I still did three — because I am weird and like to keep things even.

Adding the glitter… there went the whole ‘keeping things even’ idea. I lost count of how many coats of glitter paint I used! I knew they would take a while to build coverage, and I think I may have put 10-12 coats of paint on each cone. Early on in the process, I considered ditching the paint and just using glitter, but it was my hope that by using the glitter paint, each Christmas tree would be less likely to flake and leave a sparkly trail wherever she may go.

So far, so good. The glitter is staying put, and I love the two-tone effect.

I’m not sure if I’ve found the perfect place for these yet though. I like the effect of the mirror, doubling them and showing off both sides, but there’s already a lot going on in the hutch above, and with the stockings below. What do you think?

This post is a collaboration with ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape. To join the creative community, visit www.facebook.com/ScotchBlue.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as DIY Colorblock Christmas Trees | 37 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

A bunch of us bloggers gathered and got our craft on, choosing different projects from the book. (I went with the Nutcracker Bowling League.) I have since decided that I ought to set aside entire days devoted to group crafting, because that is fun.

Video! Done in one take! Alison and Susan are naturals. (Oh, you guys. I’m totally going to be a pro at this some day. I’m working on it.)

The trip was made possible by Vivint. Styling and awesome background by Cayleen Haynie, and music by Pleasant Pictures.

“I kind of Sgt. Peppered them up a little bit.” See? Pro-talk. The nutcrackers are awfully cute though, aren’t they? I’m a little hesitant to let the kids use them as bowling pins. I think I need to make a few more, specifically to set aside as decorations.

We got our party on* later that night, after our marathon crafting was over. I’m pretty sure 95% of the internet’s cute, crafty bloggers are based in Utah, including most of the ladies below.

* Parties in SLC are mostly fueled by Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. Also, I got eyelash extension while I was in town! (Sadly, not before the video and photos though.) Utah, you’re a kick.

A big thank you to The Craft Pack for having me out to Salt Lake City. Their book, A Hip Handmade Holiday is available now, for $10.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as A Hip Handmade Holiday | 26 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

I found these vintage wooden nesting tables at the Renegade Craft Fair, here in Chicago, a couple of months ago. I loved the shape of them, and that they nested together, but they looked a little plain in my library.

I decided to paint them in an ever-trendy ombré/gradient effect, figuring that when the trend moves on I can always repaint them again later. As I was preparing to paint, I look more closely at the tables and realized that someone had already painted them at some point, in a faux-bois effect. At least I didn’t have to feel guilty about being the first one to take a paintbrush to them!

I gathered everything I needed to get started: a lead test, sandpaper (150 and 180 grit), a mask, painter’s tape, paint and primer, a drop cloth, paint stirring sticks, and a good 2″ angled paintbrush. Below is a video showing the whole process.

I didn’t know how old that painted surface was, so I used a simple lead test to be sure that the tables were safe to work with. Then I sanded the tops with the rougher sandpaper, wiped them down, and taped off the edges. It would have been ideal to disassemble the tables and just work on the tops, but they were held together with a combination of dowels, glue, and magic. Prying them apart would have been difficult — possibly disastrous — so tape it was. Next I primed them, painted, sanded again with fine sandpaper, and applied a final coat of paint.

The three colors are Benjamin Moore’s Coral Gables and Petal Rose, and the third was a 50/50 combination of the two. I was careful to do a thorough job of sanding, and I made sure to abide by the recommended paint drying times (16 hours between coats because it was oil-based). I think that’s going to make all the difference when it comes to durability.

I love the way the tables play off of the new red pot of the fiddle-leaf fig tree, and the whole area feels a whole lot happier. Bringing that pillow up from the living room certainly helped too! It feels right to add a little more color to the area, since the kids play there a lot. August has already taken to using the nesting tables as stairs for his little animal figures.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as Ombré Nesting Tables (With a How-to Video) | 53 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

Supplies

• glass paint or all-purpose craft paint (I like Martha Stewart’s line)

• stencil brush or paint dauber

• adhesive vinyl stencil

• ceramic trophies (or whatever you’d like to paint)

I designed my stencil in Adobe Illustrator and then used my Silhouette cutting machine on vinyl. There are pre-made adhesive stencils in craft stores, and plenty of sellers on Etsy willing to make one for you. You can also cut one out of contact paper with an X-acto knife.

After you’ve affixed your stencil (as smooth as you can get it around the important detailed bits), you can dab the paint on thinly with a dauber. Peel the stencil off before the paint dries. If you have difficult to reach portions (like the inner triangle of my capital ‘A’, for example), you can use a pin to lift up a corner so you don’t ruin the paint by trying to do it with your fingers.

The glass paint that I used will cure in twenty-one days if air-drying, or it can be oven-baked at 350°F for 30 minutes, and it will be dishwasher-safe once cured. I tend to go light on my DIY instructions (you’re all smart cookies), but if you want a more detailed tutorial, I found this project by searching Pinterest.

The trophies are cute when empty, but I like them as vases and plant pots.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as How to Make DIY Monogrammed Trophies | 15 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

p.s. Today is the last day to vote for your favorite table setup in the Mystery Box Challenge. You’ll be entered to win all of the items we received in the challenge too, just by voting.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as How to Make a Terrarium (Video) | 14 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

Enjoy the complete awesomeness of this paper while you can, because apparently you cannot use those faces in commercial photo shoots. I thought they were fine because of the illustration style, but nope. Lesson learned.

I was in the city at a photo shoot all day today for a (fake) party that I planned. I’ll be on set again all day tomorrow, so I probably won’t be back to my normal posting yet and the Honor Roll may have to wait until next week. There were jets flying nearby in tight air formations today in preparation for the Chicago Air and Water Show. I’m going to think of them as an omen and a metaphor for tomorrow, soaring to great heights in perfect choreography, free of legal usage rights complications. Deal?

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as Comic Mishap | 5 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

I come across beads and baubles that I love on a constant basis, and in fact need to stop buying beads at will — only when the need arises.  This past weekend, in an effort to try and organize my growing collection of beads, I came across these beauties and was finally struck with some inspiration.  I had originally planned to string the black beads together in a tight, almost choker-like necklace, but then thought it might be too limiting to nighttime wear.  But when just a few are added to a simple hematite colored chain, it’s the perfect look for day or night.  I wore my new chain with a white tank and pair of boyfriend jeans for a simple, yet dressed up feel.  Here’s the how-to so you can make your own simple bauble necklace.

You’ll need a piece of chain (my piece was 22″ in length, snipped in half to make 2 11″ pieces), baubles of your liking, 2 jump rings, a lobster claw closure, 2 wire guards (or 2 additional jump rings if you can’t find wire guards), 2 crimp beads, soft flex or mono-filament wire, scissors and needle nosed pliers.

You’re going to start by attaching your wire guard (or jump ring) to one end of your chain, and then string your wire through the guard, making a loop, and sticking both pieces of wire through your crimp bead.  You then pry your crimp bead shut with a pair of needle nosed pliers.  You now have securely attached your wire to your chain so you can start stringing.  *A note about wire guards vs. jump rings.  My local jewelry supplier suggested these wire guards because on occasion my wire would slip through my jump ring if the ends were not clamped shut tight enough, very frustrating if I had strung tons of beads.  These wire guards work brilliantly and take the place of a standard jump ring (which I used in making this statement necklace).  The wire guards are not always easily found though, so feel free to use jump rings instead, but always make sure you close the jump rings tightly.

Now that your wire is firmly attached to your chain, start stringing your beads.  These were rather large beads, so I only needed to string 5 black ones and the 1 sparkly one.  I didn’t want it to be too busy or fussy.  Once done stringing, add another wire guard and crimp bead to secure the other end to your chain.

You’re now ready to attach your closure.  On one end attach a jump ring to your lobster claw closure, and then to the chain.  On the other end, just attach one jump ring for your closure to attach to.  A tip about working with jump rings.  I have found that if I gently pry them apart with 2 pairs of pliers, attach to my chain, and then clamp them shut, they close up much better than if I just try to pry them apart and closed with 1 pair.  After you’ve attached your closure, you’re done!  Total time from start to finish is about 30 minutes or less, depending on your comfort level with working with the tools.  Total length of my necklace is 28″, with the chain being 22″ and the beaded center being 6″.  Feel free to adjust to whatever length you need though.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as How To Make A Simple Bauble Necklace | 23 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and I’d have to agree with them when it comes to most of my DIY projects.

I really love my simple leather pouch from American Apparel, so much so that my friend and I figured out how to make our own last year. But I kept running into the same problem when using it to go out for casual events like concerts and picnics, and that was where to put it and how to hold it when running around after kids or when the dining table was too full. So I decided to blend the functionality of a crossbody bag and the simplicity of the leather pouch into one great leather purse I could use all summer long.

This project does involve sewing, but since it’s primarily straight line sewing, someone with intermediate sewing skills should be able to tackle this project.  (more…)

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as How To Make A DIY Leather Crossbody Bag | 33 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts