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The Nursery Files: DIY Freezer Paper Stenciled Onesies

by Marianne Canada April 26, 2013 4 Comments

With the rocking sheep and paint treatment complete, the biggest projects for my nursery decor are complete. And it’s a good thing, we are closing in on my early June due date. This week, I’m waiting on a few things to be delivered, so I’m keeping busy washing teeny baby clothes and filling up my new dresser. I have some really cute stuff, but you can’t have too many onesies, so this week I’m printing off these adorable freezer paper stencils from The Alison Show to make a few myself (congrats to Alison on her newest arrival!).

DIY Freezer Paper Stenciled Onesies

I am so enamored with freezer paper, my mind is already spinning with a dozen ideas to use it (hello, Weekday Crafternoon!). What do you think of these homemade onesies?

Got baby fever? Catch up on all of The Nursery Files!

Weekday Crafternoon: DIY Painted Glass Vases + GIVEAWAY!

by Marianne Canada April 16, 2013 34 Comments

Cinco de Mayo is my favorite margarita-based holiday (make mine non-alcoholic). I, personally, love that this holiday gives us a reason to go color crazy with a table setting–it’s the perfect way to kick off all of those backyard barbeques coming up. Dress your table in style with these easy-to-make (and easy on the eyes!) confetti-dotted vases:

These pretty table toppers are even better in person. I can’t tell you how many people stopped by my crafting studio to coo over them; they are really adorable! Wouldn’t they be perfect paired with these piñata cookies?

Learn how to make these DIY confetti vases on Weekday Crafternoon

Are you celebrating on Cinco de Mayo? Do you prefer a gathering at your casita or will you hit up your favorite Mexican restaurant? No matter what you’re planning, you can win one of these sweet dotty vases by leaving a comment below. Buena suerte (good luck)!

Watch all the episodes of Weekday Crafternoon right here.

You may only comment once to be considered, and you don’t have to purchase anything to win; a purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Odds depend on total number of entries. Void where prohibited by law. Only open to legal residents of 50 U.S., D.C. or Puerto Rico, and you must be at least 18 years of age to win. All entries (comments) must be entered between 12:00 p.m. ET on April 16, 2013 and 12:00 p.m. ET on April 22, 2013. Subject to full official rules. By leaving a comment on the blog, you acknowledge your acceptance to the Official Rules. ARV of prize: $25. Sponsor: Scripps Networks, LLC, d/b/a HGTV, 9721 Sherrill Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37932.

Congrats to Levieta, our winner!

Weekday Crafternoon: DIY Monogram String Art

by Marianne Canada April 2, 2013 8 Comments

I don’t know if you’ve caught on from my other posts, but I’m expecting a little boy in early summer, and nursery preparations are in full swing. Being a do-it-myself kind of girl, I’ve been thinking up craft projects for the nursery for weeks. I wanted to do something with the baby’s monogram that was a little unusual, and I finally thought of the perfect thing. Why not take straight-from-the-70′s string art and make it modern? I just love how it turned out:

What do you think? I love the graphic impact and can’t wait to hang it in the little guys room. It gives great texture and interest to a gallery wall and is definitely not just for a nursery.

DIY Monogram String Art on Weekday Crafternoon

Want to make your own piece of custom string art? You can download the letter template here. And as always, if you’ve missed any past episodes of Weekday Crafternoon you can find them all right here.

Kids’ Craft: Dye Marbleized Easter Eggs

by H. Camille Smith March 27, 2013 6 Comments

I first fell in love with marbleized paper on a college trip to Italy — the swirl of rainbow colors just seemed so magical. In Florence, a local artist showed us how it was done. It’s an amazingly simple process: You mix olive oil with watercolor or gouache paints then drop the mixture into a shallow pan filled with water, swirl the floating paint to create patterns then lay paper on the water’s surface. Because oil and water don’t mix, the paint isn’t diluted and floats on the surface, creating a swirling multicolored pattern on the paper. I loved the process for its ingenious simplicity and the fact that the results couldn’t be controlled.

With Easter on the horizon, I thought I’d try a twist on the Italian marbleizing technique when dyeing eggs by adding olive oil to the food coloring dye solutions. Here are my results: Try a new twist on dyeing Easter eggs this year -- add oil to the dye to give them a marbleized effect.

I have to admit the polka-dotted effect was unexpected but I really like it so I left several eggs as-is after a single dip in the dye bath. Others I dipped in a second color for a more traditional marbleized effect. Ready to get started? Here are the step-by-step instructions>> Rolling a dyed Easter egg in ollive oil before dyeing it a second color will create a marbleized effect.

Proudly display your finished eggs in a handmade nest or bed of excelsior: Try a new twist on dyeing Easter eggs this year -- add oil to the dye to give them a marbleized effect. MORE EASTER IDEAS:
15 Easter Egg Decorating Ideas
Our Favorite Easter Decorating Ideas
Easter Kids’ Craft: (Cute!) Painted Pail With Ribbon Roses
Weekday Crafternoon: Easter Wreath With Paper Flowers
Printable Bunny Ears — Free Printable PDF
Hatching Chick Egg
Kids’ Craft: Dyed Easter Egg Animals — Free Printable PDFs
How to Make Cascarone Confetti Eggs

Craft a Faux Bird’s Nest for Spring and Easter Decorating

by H. Camille Smith March 20, 2013 11 Comments

Welcome back, spring — I’ve missed you so! The weather here in Knoxville has (thankfully!) warmed, birds are singing and flowers are popping up everywhere. My backyard is abloom with crocuses, daffodils, tulips, forsythia and lenten roses putting on a colorful show. I’m a flower picker from way back. There’s hardly a photo of a preschool me where I don’t have a bunch of wildflowers (and honestly, sometimes just plain weeds) clutched tightly in my chubby fist. So when my yard breaks into bloom, I break out the scissors and head outside to claim some spring color to brighten up the indoors.

I’ve also always been fascinated by that other harbinger of spring: bird’s nests, eggs and baby birds hopping about. Obviously, I’ve no plans to bring those inside — but – in under an hour I can turn aluminum foil, moss and hot glue into a realistic looking bird’s nest that adds a sweet spring touch: Jute twine, Spanish moss and aluminum foil are all you need to make a lovely faux bird's nest for spring celebrations.

Pretty, huh? It was actually easy to make – get the complete step-by-step instructions here>> The tiny robin’s eggs are easy to craft too, my instructions include how to paint and speckle them.

You can make your nest any size you like. I made this one large enough to work as an Easter basket of sorts: Jute twine, Spanish moss and aluminum foil are all you need to make a lovely faux bird's nest for spring celebrations.

Our Favorite Easter Decorating Ideas

by H. Camille Smith March 13, 2013 13 Comments

Easter celebrations are right around the corner — time to banish winter blahs and freshen up indoors and out with a few springy touches. We’ve gathered 25 of our favorite Easter decorating ideas to inspire you. From quick-and-easy centerpiece ideas to a clever way to glam up your Easter eggs to a free, printable Easter banner — we’ve got you covered.

All 25 ideas have the official Easter Bunny stamp of approval (seriously!) but here are my 5 favorites:

Delight Easter guests with this creative place setting idea featuring cute (and oh-so-fluffy!) feathered chicks and candy eggs: Set your Easter table with a creative place card like these cute (and oh-so-fluffy!) chicks and candy eggs

Weather permitting, bring your dining table and chairs outside and enjoy Easter dinner al fresco surrounded by Mother Nature’s changing scenery.

Weekday Crafternoon: DIY Felt Shamrock Craft

by Marianne Canada February 26, 2013 8 Comments

St. Patrick’s day is such a fun holiday, it’s a little bit cheeky and heavy on the eating and celebrating. But there is a darker side to St. Patty: as a child I lived in fear of getting pinched. Yes, I was the kid who worked up a lather that somehow, in spite of my mounting anxiety, I would forget to wear green on March 17th, inviting perfect strangers to pinch me to their hearts content.

Maybe I was a weird kid. Whether that’s the case or not, I can tell you one thing: I’ll be wearing my green this St. Patricks Day. And here is an easy and adorable way for you to get your green on as well: These simple felt shamrocks take just minutes to make, cost only pennies, and can adorn everything from hair clips to pins and more. Frankly, once you start making them, you might find it hard to stop.

Weekday Crafternoon: Learn how to make these easy felt shamrocks for St. Patricks Day!

How will you wear your green this St. Patrick’s Day? Or will you hole up in your house, hiding from those rogue pinchers?

Free Valentine’s Day Printables

by H. Camille Smith February 6, 2013 6 Comments

With just one week till V-Day, it’s time for some quick-and-easy printables to put the finishing touches on your celebrations. From valentines you can print then embellish, to lettered tags perfect for topping gifts or treats, we’ve got you covered.

These charming printable tags can be cut into any shape to top their favorite sweets:

If an old-school valentine is more your speed, print one of our cute valentines onto card stock then embellish them with self-adhesive rhinestones and ribbon:

Valentine’s Day Kids’ Craft: Chocolate-Covered Fortune Cookies and (Cute!) Takeout Box

by H. Camille Smith January 30, 2013 7 Comments

Just 2 more weeks till Valentine’s Day, can you believe it?

The stores are stocked full of tasty little bon-bons packed into pretty packages — which are all very tempting but so…well, mass-produced. If you’re looking for an easy way to surprise your valentine with an equally pretty box filled with homemade tasty bon-bons, then I’ve got you covered! This heart-and-arrow takeout box is a snap to craft and dipping fortune cookies into chocolate couldn’t be easier — even for a certified non-cook like me.

Kids will love making these to give to classmates, family friends or grandparents, and your wallet will appreciate that the materials can be picked up, inexpensively, at your local market and craft store.

Ready to get started? Get the complete step-by-step instructions.

As a variation to the heart-and-arrow box, I added square corners cut from paper doilies to each side, then surrounded the lace with self-adhesive rhinestones.

Weekday Crafternoon: How to Make Pinecone Fire Starters

by Marianne Canada January 15, 2013 9 Comments

I have a confession to make: mid-January is not my finest time. The days are grey, cold, and dreary, and without the distraction of the holidays, my mood goes down the tube. My prescription? Lots of cozy evenings by the fire. I’m no girl scout and end up using way too much paper when building a fire, so when I saw this great winter party favor idea I thought, why stop at a favor? Why not make a jar of full-sized fire starters to fuel my own flames?

One or two of these pinecones will leave you with a roaring fire of your own in no time. Don’t have a fireplace to call your own? They are also handy on camping trips!

Pinecone Fire Starters