{holiday} DIY Ornament

For the past week, I've been talking about this ornament that I was going to have the little mister's class create.

Being a mama - I always LOVED the ornaments that the class would do that had their photos on them or something that they made.  I still have my little guys hand ornament that he made in daycare when he was 2 years old.  Each year it comes out - he always puts his hand up to it to see how much he has grown.

So this year - I created an ornament that had all the children's picture on it.  Here is the little misters.

These were so easy to make.

Materials Needed: 

2.5" circle punch

glue stick

doublesided tape

favorite holiday scrapbook paper

fishing line

{holidays} pom-poms

I made a pom pom!  I made a pom pom!  OK, actually I've now made tons of poms over the past couple of days.

I don't know why I'm so excited by this...but I hadn't made one before.  Thanks to the Creature Comforts blog it was so easy.



So you might ask...what will I be doing with these poms?  I think I might make a garland and I will be using some for holiday presents this year.  Remember - this is the paper.

Here is a little sample of the poms that I made...

I decided instead of putting our holiday cards that we get from friends and family in a bowl, I wanted to put them on a bulletin board for all to see.  So now it will be a part of our holiday decor.  I attached the pom poms to the board to add a little splash of embelishment.  What do you think?

DIY :: Chevron, Gold & Sequins

I've been obsessing over gold, sequins and chevron lately.  I especially love the trays that hold trinkets and such.  I've seen quite a few on interior design sites just sitting happily on tables and nightstands that I decided I wanted to make one.

I was in Joann's recently and I saw a small unfinished tray that I wanted to play with.  I wanted the chevron design and I wanted it in GOLD.

So this little project was actually really inexpensive.  I already had a few of the supplies (white spray paint and paint brushes) which kept the cost down.  Total investment: under $10.  If I hadn't had the spray paint and brushes, the cost would probably been close to $20.  But hey - that is still cheaper than if I were to buy one.

Step 1:  Spray paint the tray (I used white flat paint) and let dry.  An hour is good.

Step 2: Use blue painters tape to create your chevron design.  I measured the length and centered the middle chevron point.  I centered it directly in the middle.  I did use a pencil and measured with a ruler.  One thing to keep in mind with the painters tape is that paint might bleed - so be prepared for touch-ups and a steady hand (oh and those reading glasses - let's just say LIFESAVER!).

Step 3: Once your tray is taped, paint the white space.  One thing I didn't realize is the amount of coats you will need to get good coverage.  The paint does dry quickly so by the time I was done, I could start all over again.  When all was said and done - the tray has about 5 coats of paint.  When I took the picture, I could really see the areas that still needed to be painted.

Step 4: Remove the blue tape.  You will need a smaller brush for touch up.  I also repainted the white space.  I wanted the interior sides to be gold so painted that.

Step 5: Time for black sequins.  I wanted to add a little something something to the tray to add a little pizzazz.  This required glue, tweezers, black sequins and reading glasses (so I could see).  I found a font that I liked, printed it to make a template, outlined it directly on the tray and got out the glue.  I used the glue in sections.  I didn't want to glue the entire area at once for fear parts would dry.

Step 6: Style your tray!!  The finished product!!  I couldn't be happier with it.  It looks great sitting on my dresser holding my perfume, rings, sunglasses and such.

I started this project on Saturday afternoon and finished it up with the exception of the sequins that night.  This morning I went right to work on the sequins.  So what do you think?

A little gift...

I just love this DIY.  It does require sewing...but I actually think I could do it.

It's a summer essentials bag - but I'm sure we could think of a reason to make a similar one for fall.


Beachside Sparkle D.I.Y. from Ashley Brooke Designs on Vimeo.


Tootles,

Caryl

Easy Affordable Flower Arrangements - Under $100

ROAR events group (my full-time job) just managed an event for one of our favorite clients.  The theme was western and we wanted something simple on for the tables.  We didn't want to work with a florist because quite frankly - they would have charged an arm and a leg.  We decided to do it ourselves.

So here is what we did -
1) Purchased 2 cases (24) 1/2 pint mason jars
2) Large batches of spring mix flowers (we made sure there were daisy's in the bunches) and 1 smaller batch of flowers
3) Raffia to tie around the jar

Total cost: $93

We had 22 tables and we really wanted something small because we had a lantern, a small bucket of Bandana mints and the flowers.

These little arrangements were so simple, but made such a huge impact on the entire setting of the event. It was just that extra little special touch that it needed.

You can read the entire post and check out all of the decor here on the ROAR events group blog.