rnlMusings: DIY

Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

4/15/2014

DIY :: Baby's First Year Memory Box

The next big project on my to-do list is the little Man's album. I've been "working" on it for the past year, and all I've managed to finish are 4 pages. Partially because his stuff is everywhere. His doctor notes and milestones are in a file somewhere, his pictures are scattered in a couple locations and most of them have yet to be printed, his artwork from school is in his nursery, and his baby stuff from the hospital is somewhere in our den. Basically, I'm pretty unorganized when it comes to his stuff, which has made making his album all that more challenging. So when my cousin was due I thought a memory box would be the perfect addition to her shower gift. Even if she wasn't planning on turning all those keepsakes into an album, all of her little one's stuff would be in one lovely place.

What you'll need: a photo storage box with index cards, embellishments, ribbon, and you can find the month circles and milestone printout on our Etsy store.

For the box: I attached grey ribbon on the lid of the box, and added a diaper safety pin which I bejeweled with yellow crystals. A chalkboard sticker with their soon to be bundle of joy's name was added to complete the look.

For the monthly index cards: I printed out the milestone tracker and the monthly circles and attached them to each index card. Then I got creative with the embellishments I had. I used grey and yellow as it was the colors of their 'You Are My Sunshine' baby shower, and it's perfectly gender neutral. The embellishments I added included: washi tape, ribbon, scrapbook paper, stickers, buttons, mini clothespins, yellow crystal stickers, and a few sun paperclips.

4/14/2014

Toddler Easter Baskets

I'm so excited for the little Man to actually experience Easter this year. Unfortunately, he isn't quite old enough to get it, or to appreciate an good old fashion Easter egg hunt, or demand things in his Easter basket. So when putting together his Easter basket, I opted for something more age appropriate.

What I included in all 3 baskets: goldfish carrots (fill a pastry bag with gold fish and tie off with green ribbon); applesauce; eggs filled with Easter stickers, bubble jars, and Ella's baby cookies.

In the girl basket I included an adorable bunny ears headband and stuffed bunny, and in the boy baskets I included Bunny glasses. Other items you could include: socks stuffed inside Easter eggs, sidewalk chalk, a spring outfit, a book, a coloring book and crayons, a toy or a dvd.

1/09/2014

Annual Ugly Sweater Party

We hosted our annual ugly sweater/cookie & beer exchange/white elephant party last month. Of all the parties we throw, this is by far my favorite. I decided to keep things simple. As a centerpiece, I used leftover blue and silver ornaments strung together, and added some silver glitter trees. The best part of any cookie exchange is the delicious treats you get to take home, and this year didn't disappoint. Just for fun I put together individual hot cocoa test tubes, the perfect serving for a single cup, that everyone added to their cookie loot.

In addition to the beer exchange I made a Christmas sangria with cranberries, pears, and a delicious moscato.

Sometimes a tree skirt is the perfect alternative to an ugly sweater. Well maybe not, but it was all I had to work with.

We DIYed a sleigh for the little Man. I happen to love the way it turned out, he on the other hand was not convinced. It took several attempts before he agreed to sit in it.

How to DIY yourself a Sleigh:

Materials: cardboard box, an x-acto knife, red metallic tissue paper, packing tape, & tinsel.

Step 1: Using an x-acto knife, remove the front flap of your cardboard box.

Step 2: Secure the 2 side flaps to the back flap with packing tape, this gives the sleigh the appropriate height.

Step 3: We then drew and cut, with an x-acto knife, a curved shape for the side of the sleigh. Using one side as a template we drew and cut out the other side. At this point you should have what looks like a sleigh.

Step 4: I covered the box with metallic red tissue paper and added tinsel to hide the slightly messy edges.

Voila, in 10 minutes you have a festive sleigh, perfect for watching Polar Express and for taking photos.

10/02/2013

DIY tassel streamers

I made this fun and easy tissue tassel streamer for the little Man's 6 month birthday BabyQ Bash. It was the perfect accessory for the giant (36") balloon, that served as the photo backdrop for the party. Creating the tissue tassel streamer was incredibly easy and took me all of 10 minutes. Here's the step by step on creating tissue tassel streamers for your soiree.

Step 1: Cutting the strips. Open a tissue pack. I folded each sheet of tissue in half horizontally. Using scissors I cut the tissue into strips. If you are using a cutting mat you will want to lay the tissue with the folded side to the top of your cutting mat, lining it up with the grid lines. Then either using scissors or a strait edge, cut strips from the sheets of tissue.

Step 2: Creating tassels. Fold the tissue in half vertically, and repeat this process until you have a 2 inch section. Secure with a glue gun.

You're left with 1 inch tassels.

Step 3: Securing tassels to the ribbon. Fold each tassel in half. Using your glue gun, add a drop of glue between the seam crated by the fold. Run ribbon through the center, and fold tassel over. Repeat this process till all tassels are attached to the ribbon.

Step 4: Attach tissue tassel streamer. Tie the end of your tassel streamer to the ribbon of your balloon.

{the little Man with his aunt}

9/24/2013

Gifting :: DIY Housewarming Jar

I love all the adorable housewarming jars out there. So when my cousin moved to the city with her Mister, I couldn't resist making them one. I went to Home Goods, I should be upfront in saying that I have an addiction to that store, and picked up everything I needed. I included: kitchen towels, a wood spatula, dirty or clean dishwasher magnet, cupcake liners, paper straws, cheers cocktail napkins, an egg timer, a lovely smelling candle, and Meyer's All Purpose cleaner. Oh and for all the fun 'new house' things I picked up, I also included a roll of toilet paper, because everyone needs the essentials. And to tie it together I found this adorable glass jar with a chalk label. I love the way it looked put together.

The wooden spatula didn't quite fit, so I used double sided tape to secure to the outside. I liked the way this looked so much better.

A close up of the jar's contents.

8/20/2013

DIY :: 30 Shape Cake Tutorial

For the Mister's thirtieth I made him a cake in the shape of the big 30. I was actually quite nervous about how this would turn out and I am presently surprised that it worked out so well. I personally find creating any number that's curved to be quite tricky. That being said here's the easiest way that I found to make a 30 shaped cake.

I used two round cake pans, a 10 inch and a 6 inch cake pan. After baking the cakes and letting them set, I carefully turned them out on to cutting boards. Any cake recipe will do here's the one I used.

To create the zero, I simply used a clean 6 inch cake pan and centered it over the baked 10 inch cake. Using even and firm pressure I cut out the center using the 6 inch cake pan as a cookie cutter. I simply elongated the circle to create an oval zero shape.

The 3 shape was a little trickier. I used the center cut out from the zero (aka the 10 inch cake pan), as well as the baked 6 inch cake for each lobe of the 3. I cut a straight piece off the bottom of one of my cakes so that it would lay flat on top of the other cake, and removed the center portion with a knife.

I repeated this process for the second lobe, rotating the bottom cake to form the bottom lobe. And there you have it a perfectly shaped 3. All that was left to do was frost the cake and add enough candles to set off the fire alarm.

Other options I saw included baking a rectangular cake and freehand or using a circular pan or glass as a template create the shape of a 3.

8/06/2013

DIY :: Bottle Mailer Tutorial

Oh the things you can mail. Let's be honest, everyone loves getting mail, and what's better than regular old mail, a package. I decided to send my little sister something silly and fun via snail mail that would get there in time for her birthday, as we were celebrating her birthday a week later. That's when I discovered that you could mail just about anything, behold the 2 liter bottle package.

Supplies: a 2 liter bottle, an Exacto knife, clear packing tape, a mailer label, a hot glue gun, and goodies to fill your bottle.

Step 1: Clean and dry your bottle. Remove the label. Using your Exacto knife cut a 3 sided rectangle creating a flap to stuff your bottle. I made sure the flap was large enough to fit my items, but small enough that it would be hidden by the mailer label I printed.

Step 2: Fill your bottle with goodies. I hit up Target's dollar section and filled her bottle with fun little knick-knacks. I opted not to send her chocolate as it was going to be very hot that week and I didn't want the chocolate to melt.

Step 3: Seal the rectangular flap using your packing tape. Use your printed mailer label to hide your secret door, and make sure your return address is clearly legible.

Step 4: Using your glue gun, add a ring of glue to the threads of the bottle lid. Screw the lid onto your bottle. And now you're ready to mail your fun package.

A few things to keep in mind:
-Postage depends on weight, I cost me $3 to mail my package.
-The bottle is see through, so it goes without saying don't mail anything of value.
-Make sure your label is adhered securely, as many people will be handling your package. So tape down any corners.

6/24/2013

Motherhood Mondays: White House Correspondence

We sent a birth announcement to President Obama at the White House Greetings Office about a month and a half ago, and look what finally came in the mail this Saturday! I love this idea, and think it's the perfect addition to his baby book. Maybe for our next child we'll send a birth announcement to Disney World, just to mix it up. If you're interested in sending an announcement to the White House, you can do so at the following address:

President Barack Obama & Mrs. Obama

The White House

White House Greetings Office

Room 39

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

6/05/2013

Monthly Updates :: 3 Months & Monthly DIY Project

Our little man turned 3 months old this past Monday, I can't believe how big he's getting!

Monthly Word Find/Search DIY
With the chalkboard wall now empty, after we erased the countdown to baby, I was looking for something to replace it with, and I came up with a monthly word search puzzle. It's not only a perfect use for the chalkboard, but a fun way to keep track of the little man's monthly progress. And as a kid I was obsessed with word searches, some people are crossword puzzle aficionados, I was a word find fiend.

All you need is a chalkboard or chalkboard paint and chalk!

Step 1. Create the word search. You could use an online word find generator, but I had a specific amount of columns and rows, so I made one myself. If you're making one yourself, start with all the words you want to find, and then fill in the remaining spots with random letters.

Step 2. Measure out your columns and rows. I indicated each row and column with little chalk marks, which I easily erased after.

Step 3. Add your letters. I contemplated using stickers, this way the font and size of the letters were consistent. But seeing as I change my mind often, and didn't want to be stuck with stickers. I will say adding your letters by hand requires a little patience, and a lot of erasing.

Step 4. Marvel at a job well done, and start circling those words. This would be a great way to get an older child involved.

4/10/2013

Gifting :: Survival Kits for the Bachelorette & Bride-to-be

With wedding season quickly approaching, bridal showers and bachelorette party planning is in full swing. Since I wasn't able to make it to a few bridal shower and bachelorette parties with the arrival of the little Man, I threw together a few survival kits for the brides to be. If you're looking for any of these cards you can find them over at our Etsy store.

The bride-to-be kit included a Red Bull, Vodka, Advil, Band Aids, Evian Facial Mist, Wisps, deodorant, and of course chocolate, and lots of it.

4/02/2013

Baby Week :: Nursery Reveal

Here it is, our little man's very own little space. This room, once an office/storage space, needed to function as a nursery and a guestroom. We started with this inspiration board. Keeping with the grey/blue and yellow color scheme, we added giraffe accents, all white furniture, and several DIY projects to bring the room together.