Tag: crafts

Up to the Highest Heights

Sponsored by Kiwi Crate.

We do plenty of open-ended art projects around here. “Here are some watercolors; let’s paint!” Or “I brought home a big package of pipe cleaners. What should we make?” But the kids, Eleanor especially, really like having a project with step-by-step instructions to follow. I think they feel good about having made something themselves by following directions, so they love kits.

I was given the opportunity to test out Kiwi Crate, a monthly subscription service, and I let E choose which craft we should try. They have different themes each month, like gardening, dinosaurs, and space, and Eleanor picked Fun with Flight because she wanted to make kites. Once she knew I’d ordered it, she asked “is it here yet?” every day until it arrived.

Each kit comes with all of the materials you need to make two or three projects (depending on which theme you choose), along with Kiwi Crate’s explore! magazine. Their monthly subscriptions start at $16.95/month with free shipping, and they also sell supplies like pipe cleaners, felt, and pom-poms, or party favors like capes, wands, and wings.

After finishing up her first kite, she and August both made rockets that launch with a rubber band. Kiwi Crate offers a “no fight” option with extra materials, so E and A were each able to make a happy-face kite and a grumpy one, and two different rockets. The both got the bonus paper flyers that were included and their own copies of the explore! magazine, too.

Kiwi Crate is offering a discount for my readers right now. Join their Time Traveler Series with projects to fall back in time! The promotional code excludes sibling add-ons, but you can save 25% on your first month subscription with code LOVELY25.

So cute. I love a good craft project that comes to my door, with all the guess-work and supply-shopping taken care of. And the kids loved making everything!

August 26, 2014
Wood Valentines Craft Night (and a How To)
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.
February 12, 2013
Craft Night at Anthropologie

I’ll be hosting a Valentine craft night at Anthropologie in Chicago next week! Come help me check off a Lovely Life List item (“teach a craft project to a group”), and go home with something cute that you’ve made. There will be two free sessions with just 25 spots in each, so be sure to register with Anthropologie to get in on the fun.

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.

January 29, 2013
DIY Colorblock Christmas Trees
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.
December 18, 2012
A Hip Handmade Holiday

I was in Salt Lake City last month to meet with Allison Faulkner and Susan Petersen of The Craft Pack, along with their fantastic designer Matt Mildenstein. I got a sneak peek at their new digital book, A Hip Handmade Holiday, which is filled with craft projects, ideas, and digital downloads, all to make gifts for under $10 a pop.

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.

November 7, 2012
How to Make DIY Monogrammed Trophies
Or mugs, dishes, or vases — anything ceramic or glass. But I went with trophies.

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.
October 25, 2012