Tutorial Tuesday: Birch Bark Cylinders . . .

Outdoor weddings are all of the rage and these white birch vases are a great way to infuse a little nature while matching any color scheme you have in mind!  Perfect for a fall wedding or woodland-themed baby shower or birthday party, these gorgeous flower displays are oh-so-chic and more importantly, super friendly on the wallet!  First, let's get inspired . . .

Beautiful, right? Now let's get to work . . .

WHITE BIRCH VASES

Supplies You Will Need:
~ Birch Bark
~ Scissors, box cutter, or utility knife
~ Cylinder Vases (you can even get the right shape at the $ Tree!)
~ Hot Glue Gun
~ Brown Leather Rope, Rafia, or Twine
~ Your choice of flowers

Instructions:
1.Wrap birch around the vase to measure how much you’ll need for each vase leaving about a 2 in seam of bark overlapping. Glue the birch together.

2. Once the birch is wrapped on each vase, cut enough leather rope, twine, or rafia twine to wrap the vase twice and then tie in a knot or bow.

3. After the vases have been complete, add your favorite flowers (we chose a variety of seasonal white and pink blooms). The overall look of the flowers should be airy – make sure to include green accents – our favorite is scented geranium!

(tutorial courtesy of Chesnut NYC)

And aren't they even better if you carve some initials on there (all you need is a woodburning tool!). . .

Flowers not your style?  You could just make a lantern, a unity candle, or napkin rings instead . . .

(these can be found HERE)

Just the right amount of woodsy to bring the outdoors in or to give mother nature a shout out and also an amazing way to complement those feminine flowers with a bit of masculinity!  Hope you are having a wonderful start to your week!

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Party Blowers, Wahoo!

It's time to celebrate!  Well, I am not so sure what we are celebrating, but once you see how easy it is to make these fantastic & fun vintage-style party blowers, you will think of something, I am sure!

Supplies You Will Need:

~ Straws 

~ Patterned Paper (size 12" by 12")  Each sheet of paper yields six party blowers.

~ Double-Sided Tape

~ Glue

~ Rubber Bands

~ Pencil

1.) Start with 12 x 12 sheets of scrapbook paper from a local craft store like Michael's in your party's colors.  Cut the paper into 2" x  10" strips from each sheet . . .

2.) Fold the paper in thirds by folding towards the middle and then adhere both folded sides down with  down a long strip of the double-sided tape.  (Fold each strip twice so that the two long sides meet in the middle and make sure your piece of tape goes all along the seam to seal it up.  When you stick your two folds of paper down, make sure the double-sided tape is completely covered by the folds, so that no tape is left peeking out and thus causing your roll of paper to stick when you try to blow the finished party blower out.  NEXT,  fold down one end about 1/4 inch to seal the end before going on to the next step.)

3.) Then starting at one end, roll the strip onto a pencil. 

4.) Use your rubber band to wrap it around each roll and leave it there for 24 hours. . .

5.) Remove your rubber bands and put some glue along the inside rim of the open end of the scrapbook paper roll. I found it easier to pour out some glue onto a plate and use a toothpick to apply the glue. Then cut a straw in half, resulting in two 4-inch pieces. Take one piece and insert it into the open end of the paper roll, about 1 inch or so. Fold in the corners of the paper roll end and dab on some more glue to close it up.

6.) Then take your ribbon piece and wrap it around (try to actually stick the ribbon on both the straw and the scrapbook paper, unlike the picture below:)

Partial Tutorial Courtesy of Silly Pearl

A little more inspiration . . .

Make a wreath of it!

So simple and so easy to make, but most importantly, the kids will love them & they make such a cute decoration to scatter around the tables at your party.  What's more, you can even personalize them with special messages, fortunes, or party wishes inside, and when you blow on them, you can read your message along the tongue of the paper as you watch it unroll, woo-hoo!

Juneberry Baby: Little Clementine Baby Shower

This sweet baby shower is just absolutely adorable and brought such a smile to my face that I simply had to share it.  I love everything about it, down to each and every juicy little detail.  See for yourself . . .

How festive & fabulous are these gorgeous poms in shades of orange?

And all of these paper party goods are just to die for . . .

Aren't the fonts on these labels just dreamy?

And look at the wonderful detail on that party banner . . . divine!

Wonderful, right?  I knew you'd love it!!

Clementine Baby Shower Courtesy of Kara's Party Ideas

Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Paper Pinwheels

What's whirly & whimsical and just plain wonderful?  Well, these playful paper pinwheels, that's what!  They are oh-so-easy to assemble and can be used for such a multitude of decorations, that I thought this would be the perfect late June tutorial to usher in the very midst of summer!

DIY PAPER PINWHEELS

Difficulty Level: easy

Supplies you will Need:

~ a bunch of cheap yellow pencils (you can sharpen and reuse them in September!)  You can fancy things up a bit with different patterned pencils...just be sure they have an eraser!!

~ scissors

~ pretty sewing pins

~ double-sided paper (stock up at your local scrapbooking store)

Here's how it's done . . .

1. Cut your paper into 4×4″ squares. (5×5″ makes a slightly larger, equally cute pinwheel . . .just play around a bit to see what size works for your project!)

2.) Next, make 4 diagonal cuts toward the center. Stop about an inch shy. No need to get too specific with measurements, just eyeball it.

2. Gently fold pieces to the left of each cut toward the center. Hold firm with your thumb.

3. Press pin through center, being careful to catch all 4 corners.

4. When the pin reaches the other side, bend it into a 90 degree angle. (Hint: I actually poked mine straight through the pencil eraser first, then bent down. It doesn’t matter how you bend it…As long as you get the job done.)

5. Press pin firmly through top of pencil eraser.

6. Give it a whirl! 

Pinwheel Tutorial Courtesy of The White Library

And in case you need to be inspired, why not fancy up those gorgeous summer pots of plants . . .

Or top off a few of your cupcakes for the big BBQ . . .

Perhaps you could liven up a summer wedding.  Paper Pinwheels will make an absolutely fabulous substitute for those expensive blooms from the florist . . . 

Even your bridesmaids could share in the fun . . .

And who doesn't want to say 'I do' under a bunch of twirly-whirlies spinning in the wind?

And you know me, I can never resist a fancy garland . . .

Looking to get personal...why not make a map of it, or even dress up one of your most treasured antique possessions?

The perfect party invitation and a festive table to frolic around. . .

Oh so fun & oh so very SIMPLE!  My favorite kind of project!!