Party DIY {Mason Jar Coasters}

Do you ever have one of those moments where a great idea hits you. It comes out of no where and you wonder why you hadn't thought of it sooner. This is one of those projects. I accidentally bought the wrong size mason jar lids a few months back and never returned them. I've been trying to think of something to do with them ever since.

We are big fans of coasters around here trying to preserve the furniture from unwanted drink rings. The problem is a cold beverage sweats, and that cold beverage then sticks to the coaster and gets excess water everywhere. Well, problem solved. By turning these mason jar lids into coasters, they can now catch the excess liquid and continue to preserve our furniture. Frankly, it's quite perfect! Here's the easy step by step…

:: Supplies ::

Wide Mouth Mason Jar Lids

Hot Glue

Spray Paint

Letter Stickers

:: Directions ::

1. Place a bead of hot glue on the inside lip of band. Attach flat lid. 

2. Spray paint in your favorite color. Let dry completely.
3. Center letter sticker and use!

Party DIY {Bow Tie Notecards}

Every once and awhile I like to go browsing my favorite sites to see what goodies they have and if I can recreate them. Today's Party DIY was inspired by the adorable bow tie name cards from Anthropologie. Since I didn't feel the urge to spend money at the time, I decided to try and make my own version. They were surprisingly easy and now that I know how to make the bow just right, I can adorn all sorts of paper goods with them. I'm imagining not only note cards and name cards but menus, gift tags, cards, notebooks, and more! Let's face it, everything is better with a bow on it! Here's the step by step on this fun little DIY I will be using for months to come…

:: Supplies ::
2" Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, cut into 10" pieces
Twine
Scissors
Hot Glue
Note Cards

:: Directions ::
1. Start by folding your 10" piece of grosgrain ribbon into thirds.
2. On the horizontal, pinch the middle of the ribbon. From there grab the excess ribbon on each side of the pinch to form a bustle in the center.
3. Wrap your twine around the center bustle six times tying it off with a double knot to secure. Trim ends of twine.
4. Place a dab of hot glue on the back of the twine and secure to note card.

Party DIY {New Year's Party Hats}

Happy New Year's Eve! Much like I did on Christmas Eve, I wanted to share a fun DIY with you to celebrate the day. I created these New Year's party hats for a guest post on La Petite Fashionista last year and they are just too cute to not share again this year. New Year's is the one holiday you can get away with being dressed up and sporting a glittery party hat so why not do it. Instead of buying your head decor at the store this year, follow this easy step by step and make your own that will have all your friends "ohh" and "awing"! Have a safe and happy New Year!

 :: Supplies ::

Glittered Scrapbook Paper
Silver Tinsel
Plastic Headbands
Hot Glue
Ruler
Scissors
Pen

:: Directions ::
1. Begin by finding the center point on the bottom back side of the scrapbook paper. Draw an 8" line from the center mark to the edge. Repeat from the center line to the other edge. Draw and rounded edge connecting the two lines.
2. Cut out stencil and trace on remaining sheets of scrapbook paper. Cut the tip off.
3. Place a dab of hot glue in the top corner and connect to the other side. Run a line of hot glue down the inside of the top piece and fold over to connect.
4. Run hot glue along the bottom edge of the hat and attach tinsel. Cut a 2" piece of tinsel and roll into a ball, attaching the end with hot glue. Glue to the top of the hat.
5. Place two dabs of hot glue on opposite sides of the inside of the hat and attach to headband. Let dry and wear!

Party DIY {Colorful Christmas Ornaments}

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! It's so hard to believe that it's already here. But, before it's come and gone, I wanted to share one last holiday DIY with you. I've always been a big fan of handmade decorations, things that are different and have a story or meaning behind them. I like being able to say "Oh I made that!" when someone compliments the party or holiday decorations around my house. Christmas ornaments are no different. While I have my favorite ornaments that have been gifts from friends and family, the ones that really set my tree apart are the ones I made myself. This year's handmade ornaments are definitely the best so far. Who knew that a simple glass ball filled with colorful paint and decorated with a paint pen could make such a big impact? I definitely didn't! Trust me though, I will definitely be making more of these for next year's tree they turned out so good! Here's the step-by-step….

:: Supplies ::

Clear Glass Ornaments

Choice Color Acrylic Craft Paint (1 bottle coats approximately 4 ornaments)

Choice Color Fine Tip Paint Pen

:: Directions ::

1. Remove silver top from ornament and set aside.

2. Squirt approximately 1/4 bottle of craft paint into ornament. Turn ornament so that paint coats the inside. Return to ornament tray to let dry. Tip: Start by turning ornament upside down to drain any excess paint. Rotate every 15-20 minutes after that onto a different side so that paint does not drip and settle in one spot creating a spotty ornament. If the paint on the inside is not completely dry, over time all the paint will settle at the bottom leaving you with a half painted ornament if not rotated. I let mine dry approximately 2 hours. 

3. Place cap back on ornament. Using your paint pen, draw the design of your choice. 

    *To create the design I made use the following steps. 

         A. On the cap to your ornament, you will see slight indentations. Draw a line approximately half          way down the ornament from each of those indentations. 

         B. Connect each line at the top with a slightly curved line. When you look down on it, it should look like a flower. Repeat with a second slightly curved line approximately 1/4" down from the first. 

         C. Dot above each curved line with the tip of your paint pen. At the end of each straight line create an asterisk. 

I hope you have a crafty Christmas Eve!

Party DIY {Be Merry Wreath}

Without a doubt, it is finally Christmas at our house! The tree is up and decorated, gifts are wrapped and in there proper spot, poinsettias are adorning the plater box on the front porch and lastly the wreath is hung! I've had the supplies since before Thanksgiving, but with a hectic work schedule, I finally got around to completing it this weekend. I'm really happy with how it turned out too. All I had to do was spray paint a twig wreath found in any craft store and paint a "Be Merry" sign in this year's decor colors to complete it. Now that it is hung, I really feel in the spirit each day I come home after work. Plus it adds some personality to our holiday decor that couldn't be accomplished with a store bought version. Here's the step by step…

:: Supplies ::
Twig Wreath
Silver Spray Paint
Chip Board Sign
Craft Paint
Small Craft Paint Brush
Pencil
Tulle
1" Finishing Nails
Hammer

:: Directions ::
1. Spray twig wreath silver and allow to dry.
2. Paint chip board sign in your choice of base color. Let dry completely.
3. Using a pencil, lightly trace the phrase "Be Merry" onto the chip board. In the corner, lightly trace holly leaves and berries.
4. Paint over the phrase in the color of your choice. It may take a few coats to cover the pencil marks if you traced on the darker side. Paint holly leaves green and use the end of your paint brush to create the berries.
5. Let sign dry completely before turning face down. Hammer a finishing nails 2.5 inches from the top and 1 inch from each side leaving approximately 3/4 of the nail exposed. Cut a 2' piece of tulle, fold in half and tie each end of the tulle in a knot around the exposed part of the nail. Take a second piece of 2' tulle, fold it in half and string it through the sign, loop around the wreath and tie the end in a bow. Hang from a wreath hook on door.

Party DIY {Cheers! Holiday Cards}

As I mentioned last Friday, we've created a new tradition of making our Christmas cards instead of submitting a mediocre picture of the two of us to a website that generates a Christmas card. This is mainly due to someone's distaste for taking pictures and also in part to my love of crafting. Each year it's fun to come up with a new idea and bring it to life. This years inspiration came from a "Cheers!" stamp I have. I knew I wanted to incorporate it some how, but I wasn't quite sure. After a little brainstorming with Rob though, this idea was born. We created a slider card with a martini glass hand cut out of the front. They were a bit time consuming to make but in the long run, totally worth it! I designed the insert in photoshop and had it printed on card stock to complete the look. While any size envelope can be used to create the outside, we opted for a tall narrow envelope with a metallic scrapbook paper for the backing. Here's what you will need to make your own…

:: Supplies ::
Sealed Envelope
Scissors
Scrapbook Paper, trimmed slightly smaller than the envelope
Hot Glue
Holly Beads
Card Insert

:: Directions ::
1. Fold envelope in half length wise (hot dog style). With the envelope vertical, cut a line straight across the top being careful to not cut all the way across. Cut from a point approximately 1.5 inches down from the first line at an angle to the end of the top line. This should form a triangle. After it's cut, remove this portion.
2. Approximately 1.5 inches from the bottom of the envelope, cut a straight line approximately .5-1 inch in length. At a point approximately 1/4 of an inch above this line, cut at an angle down to the end of the bottom line. Remove this triangle portion as well.
3. Cut the portion of the envelope along the crease between the two triangles and remove. 
4. Open up and this should form a martini glass. 
5. Trim off bottom of envelop to allow for card insert to slide in and out.
6. Using your hot glue gun, glue holly beads to the top of the martini glass to appear as if coming out of the glass. 
7. Insert trimmed scrapbook paper into envelope placing a dab of hot glue on the bottom center of the paper. This will stick the paper to the envelope and allow for it to stay in place while the card will be able to slide in and out freely. 
8. Insert card with message to complete. 

Party DIY {Skull Adorned Goody Bags}

Here's how Halloween goes every year at our house. I buy bags of candy the week of Halloween, put it in a big bowl and sit on the couch waiting for kids to come. Without fail, every year, we get 5, maybe 6, trick-or-treaters who take what I consider to be more than their fair share and Rob and I end up eating the rest. This year I've decided to put an end to that problem. This year I bought one bag of candy that I know we won't eat and tied up 2 pieces per trick-or-treater in a small cellophane bag. Genius right? I sure think so. This way I have just enough and a kid can't stick his or her hand into the bowl pulling out 10 pieces of candy each. Problem solved…or so I hope. The reason for this post though is not indulge you in my trick-or-treating troubles but to share the cute little bags with you. After making them, I realized this was a great idea not only for yearly trick-or-treaters but also for giving goodies to friends, co-workers, or even your child's school class. It works for more than just Halloween too! Tie up homemade cookies during the holidays with a cute little ornament or a birthday treats for a friend with a few candles to blow out. The concept of tying the bag with an appropriate object let's the recipient know you put some thought into your gift while keeping the cost on your part down. Here's the how-to on the Halloween version…

:: Supplies ::
Mini Plastic Skulls
Twine
Hot Glue
Cellophane Bags filled with Candy of Choice

:: Direction ::
1. Place a line of hot glue across the back of the scull.
2. Center the skull on an eight inch piece of twine.
3. Once dry, tie around candy bag.

Party DIY {Spider Mums}

I've been so busy lately that taking the time to decorate for Halloween was unfortunately put off till the last minute. While I don't usually decorate inside, I like to create a spooky but welcoming experience for trick-or-treaters outside. But with this year's lack of time, I resorted to quick decor with a big impact. I had bought these mini glittered spiders with another project in mind but with time cut close I had to resort to plan B. I'm very glad I did though. By hot gluing these decorative spiders to wooden skewers, I was able to stick them into my mums and create the appearance that spiders were crawling everywhere. This is hands down one of the simplest DIY decor items I've ever done but I think the impact turned out better than any. Plus, I'm really hoping it will spook a few people come Thursday! Here's the simple step by step….

:: Supplies ::

Mini Plastic Spiders (I got mine at Wal-Mart)

Long Wooden Skewers

Hot Glue

:: Directions::

1. Place a dab of hot glue on the underneath of your spider. 

2. Put wooden skewer into hot glue and hold in place until glue begins to set. 

3. Stick into plants or centerpiece.

Party DIY {Blood Dripped Candles}

There are certainly those holidays where my decor could be considered a bit over the top. Usually these holidays consist of Christmas, Cinco de Mayo and of course birthdays. Unfortunately, Halloween is just not one of them. However, I do like to do a little something to incorporate the spooky spirit into my everyday fall decorations. Usually this is a scull head here or there, maybe a giant fake spider, or even a few loose eyeballs tucked around the house. This year though, I did something a little more fun to make, DIY blood dripped candles. These candles give the appearance that blood is running down the sides and make a great centerpiece for Halloween get togethers. They are a little bit creepy yet incredibly chic and the perfect subtle addition to my decor. Not to mention, they are fairly simple to make. Here's the DIY...

:: Supplies ::
3 White Pillar Candles, varying sizes
1 Red Pillar Candle
Lighter

:: Directions ::
1. Light the red pillar candle and allow for part of the candle to melt forming liquid wax.
2. Over a piece of newspaper, hold one white pillar candle in your hand while tilting the red pillar candle over the top. Let the wax drip down the side of the white candle, turning to form various size drips. Repeat with remaining white pillar candles.

Party DIY {Pumpkin Candle Holders}

Hands down I have to say this was the easiest centerpiece I've ever put together. I was looking for a way to spice up my dining table centerpiece taking it from just flowers to something more spirited for the season. Since our main floor is open concept, I wanted to create something simple that didn't overpower the whole floor. The solution was a simple yet beautiful taper candle holder made from an artificial pumpkin. When lined up across the center of the table, they make a cute statement that can stay up day in and day out or serve as a lovely decor for fall dinner parties that doesn't interrupt the line of sight. They would also be cute displayed on a mantle or coffee table. Here's the easy step by step to make your own...

:: Supplies ::
Artificial Mini Pumpkins
Taper Candles
Knife
Pen

:: Directions ::
1. Remove stems from pumpkins.
2. Place candle at top center of pumpkin and trace outline of the base with a pen.
3. Using your knife, cut down approximately 1/2 inch and remove center. Insert candle.

Party DIY {Sassy Silver Swizzles}

There are typically two problems I have with parties. One being that I can never seem to find enough cute and unique pieces to add a personal touch. Two being that when I served premixed cocktails, they tend to separate the longer they sit. This DIY solves both of those. Swizzle sticks are always fun to add a bit of flair to a cocktail but I they are difficult to find in any local store. Making your own is incredibly simple though. For these I didn't even use glue! All you need is a 4" skewer that you can find at your neighborhood grocery store and whatever you want to craft with. I make these with simple silver pipe cleaners, however I love the idea of tying various colored ribbon around the top or making a flag with washi tape. You could even make a flag and have guests write there name on them to use as a drink marker. The possibilities are really endless so get creative! Here's how I made mine...

:: Supplies ::

4" Wood Skewer

Silver Pipe Cleaner

:: Directions ::

Place the skewer at the end of the pipe cleaner. Wrap the pipe cleaner around the top of the skewer forming a ball. Place in cocktail and enjoy! 

Have a crafty Tuesday! 

Party DIY {Spirited Fringe Banner}

If you couldn't tell already, we've got a bit of a football theme going on this week. Needless to say, football is clearly a way of life in the south. Every Saturday from now through December will revolve around this one thing. And, if we are going to be spending this much time devoted to it, I might as well make it stylish. Football can be a bit of a mainly affair, but I'm here to add a little flair. With a large TV and a kegerator full of home brew at our house, it has become game day central. But, I am determined to not turn my house into a man cave for the remainder of the season. I started by creating this spirited banner to display on game days with everybody's favorite gold fringe streamers. I've been seeing fringe streamers everywhere for a while now and I've been dying to figure out how to make my own and this weekend was the perfect occasion. While it was a bit time consuming, the task itself was fairly simple and I am incredibly please with how it turned out. As a matter of fact, it is still hanging up in the bar because I don't want to take it down! Here's the step by step on making one for your favorite team...

:: Supplies ::
10 Sheets Gold Tissue Paper
Scissors
Tape
Twine
Canvas Bunting
Round Sponge Brush
Paint Brush
Gold Craft Paint
Garnet Craft Paint

:: Directions ::
1. Begin by cutting a single sheet of tissue paper in half horizontally.
2. Fold the half sheet of tissue in half creating a piece that is approximately 10" x 15".
3. Using your scissors, cut 1/4" strips from the unfolded end leaving approximately 1.5" at the top.
4. Unfold the tissue laying it flat. Fold the 3" uncut portion in half. Continuing folding in half until you have a 1/4" portion.
5. Fold in half creating a "u" shape. Set aside
6. Beginning with your gold paint, use your round sponge brush to paint on polka dots. Let dry completely.
7. Using your garnet paint, paint a single letter onto each flag spelling out the name of your team. String onto a 8' piece of twine.
8. Center the flags on the twine allowing approximately 3' feet to hang down on each side.
9. On each side, start approximately 6' from the end of the flag. Place the centerfold of the tassel underneath the twine. Criss-cross the tassel over the top of the twine and adhere with a piece of tape. Continue the process placing 9 more tassels approximately 3-4" apart on the one side.
10. Repeat step 9 on the other side.
11. Hang and celebrate!

Party DIY {Glitzed Up Solo Cups}

Given what I do for a living, it's probably no secret that I like to entertain. Having people over for various occasions is something we both enjoy doing, and given that it's football season now, it's probably something we will be doing on a weekly basis. The one thing I do hate about at home entertaining though, is the dishes. It really is just so much easier at the end of a party when I'm exhausted to pick everything up and throw it away than to stand there and do dishes. However, with that being said, I feel like plain solo cups can be a bit "college" party looking. This isn't meant to be a cheap rager and I don't want it to look like one. So, with a lack of appropriate looking disposables on the market, I have taken to customizing my own to try and block some of the ugliness. Plus, it's a fun way to get guests involved.

You can really do a number of things to customize them from washi tape to letter stickers to ribbon. For our party we had this past weekend, I wanted something with a football theme. I found gold glitter tape and wrapped it around the middle adorning it with a football sticker. They were a huge hit and made clean up that night a breeze! Here's the how-to...

:: Supplies ::
Black Plastic Solo Cups
Gold Glitter Tape
Football Stickers

:: Directions ::
1. Wipe cup to ensure it is free of all residue.
2. Wrap glitter tape around the center of the cup. Adorn with football sticker, fill with drink of choice and enjoy!

Have a great Tuesday!

Party DIY {Housewarming Basket}

It's that time of year again...moving season. Maybe it's because we are still living in a college town, but July and August come around ad it seems as if almost everyone is moving. That means house warming parties galore are on the horizon. But, by this time in outlives, people ave just about all the necessary items they need to make their house a home. So, what do you bring as a gift? While a nice bottle of wine is always appropriate, I've put together a basket full of little treats with a nice meaning. It's easy to put together, appropriate for all, and incredibly thoughtful. Here's what to include and the meaning behind each item. 

1. Candles: So your home may always have light

2. Wine: So you may always be in a good cheer

3. Bread: So you may never be hungry

4. Salt: So your life may always have flavor

5. Dishtowels: So you may wipe away bad luck

Have a meaningful Tuesday!

Party DIY {Custom Handtowels}

Like everything else in my house, I have a vision for what I want it to look like. Color, pattern, style, and so on, are important in making a house into a home. This applies to everything, including my hand towels. I've been searching for something in the perfect color to match my bathroom for the longest time. The shade of turquoise is lighter with a bit of a gray undertone almost like seafoam, making it hard to match. But, I stumbled upon a bottle of craft paint that was pretty spot on and decided to make my own. I wanted to keep the look simple, so I used letter stencils and centered them on the bottom. I love this idea as a housewarming gift as well. They will even fit perfectly into the housewarming basket I'll be showing you tomorrow and can be used dish towels too. Customize with the family's initial or create a fun pattern of stripes or polka dots in a neutral color guaranteed to match the home adding a handmade personal touch to the basket. Here's the how-to on making your own...

:: Supplies ::
Flour Sack Dishtowels
Letter Stencil
Acrylic Craft Paint

:: Directions ::
1. Center the letter stencil on bottom of the dishtowel.
2. Fill in stencil with paint and remove stencil. Let dry completely before using.

Party DIY {Confetti Thrower}

Does anybody watch Live with Kelly and Michael? Yes? Great! If you do, then you have seen the new toys they have when they do Travel Trivia. Each day, Kelly and Michael pick up these brown stick looking items and toss confetti into the crowd at the start of the segment. Ever since I saw them use it for the first time, I've been dying to make one of my own. Because, let's be honest, who doesn't want to own a confetti thrower? It's pretty awesome, and, if you ask me, makes a great addition to any gathering. Use them as you are making your grand entrance or exit from your wedding, as you are blowing out the candles on your birthday cake, or because you're happy it's Friday. The uses for a confetti thrower are really endless. They are simple to make and easily customizable to the theme of any event. All you need is a toilet paper roll, tissue paper, wrapping paper, scissors, glue, and some of your homemade confetti. That's it! From there all you need to do is cap, fill, wrap, and throw. Here's the step-by-step on making your own...

:: Supplies ::
Toilet Paper Roll
(2) 4x4 Squares Tissue Paper
Wrapping Paper of Choice
1/2 Cup Homemade Confetti
Scissors
Exacto Knife
Glue

:: Directions ::
1. Cut a single sheet of tissue paper into a 4x4 square. Cover one end of the tissue paper roll and glue down.
2. Via the open end of the tissue paper roll, fill the thrower with confetti.
3. Take the second square of tissue paper and cover the open end of the roll. Using the exacto knife, pierce a small "x" in the center of the tissue paper on one end only.
4. Wrap the thrower with wrapping paper of choice and glue to hold in place.
5. Toss confetti out of "x" end of thrower!

Party DIY {Cheery Confetti}

Welcome to the second day of confetti week. I mentioned yesterday how hard it's becoming to find good confetti. By that I mean confetti that is brightly colored, easy to toss, and doesn't rip just by looking at it. What I'm finding now a days is standard packs in basic colors that isn't very useable for any event. Well...today we are going to solve that problem. Recently I've found it much easier to make my own confetti. You can use a variety of materials in any color you desire to make confetti in any shape you desire. It may take a bit of time to make it in mass quantity, but trust me, you will be much happier with the outcome. I've found that using crepe paper streamers is what works best for me. The cost is low, it's easy to cut, and comes in every color imaginable. While my go to style is dot or strip confetti, you can also make confetti shapes by buying different shaped hole punches at your local craft store. Number and letters would be fun for a 1st Birthday or stars in red, white, and blue for Labor Day.  Whatever shape in whatever color you decide to make, DIY confetti always seems like the right answer to me. Here's the how to on my favorite dot and strip confetti.

:: Supplies ::
Crepe Paper Streamers
Single Hole Punch
Scissors

:: Directions ::

For Dot Confetti: Cut a strip of streamer 24 inches in length. Fold in half until you have a length of streamer 4 inches long. Using your single hole punch, punch holes around the perimeter and the inside of the streamer piece. Empty out the catcher on your single whole punch for the confetti. Repeat with remaining colors.

For Strip Confetti: Cut a strip of streamer 24 inches in length. Fold in half creating a 12 inch piece. Using your scissors, cut the uncreased side of the streamer into thin strips. Be careful not to cut the crease. Next, take your scissors and begin trimming small pieces off the bottom of the strips creating varying sized rectangles. The key to strip confetti is to not be uniform!

Have a celebratory Tuesday!

Party DIY {Twine Vase}

Sometimes inspiration comes when you least expect it. Saturday morning, we had some friends over to help us bottle a couple batches of beer. In order to persuade them to help, we mixed up Bloody Mary's and Screwdrivers. Staring at the bottle, I realized the shape is perfect for a vase. After wrapping it in twine, it made a lovely bud vase to sit on my dinning room table. It's natural looking and gives off a bit of a beachy feel (my favorite!). As time goes on, I can imagine wrapping various size bottles to make a larger centerpiece for gatherings. Until then, I will just enjoy the one I have and fill it constantly with fresh buds from outside! Here's the how-to...

:: Supplies ::
Hot Glue
Twine (Leave rolled up!)
Empty Liquor Bottle

:: Directions ::
1. Hot glue the end of the twine to the bottom of the bottle. Bring the string out from the bottom, place a bead of hot glue around the base of bottle gluing down your first round of twine.
2. Wrap twine around bottle until you being to reach the curve at the neck. As you move up the neck, begin gluing each round of twine.
3. Trim twine, remove hot glue strings, and fill with flowers!

Have a crafty Wednesday!

Party DIY {Birthday Candle Holders}

I feel like I say this with every DIY, but this one has to be one of my favorites. And, this time I really mean it. If you are anything like me (a cake aficionado), then the thought of ever having wax from the candle touch your cake is just terrible. Every year, I rush along the lighting, singing, and wish making process just trying to make sure not a drop ruins the pure amazingness of my Italian Cream Cake with Coconut filling. It's a tradition that comes along once a year and should really be treasured, not rushed. But fear no more, these handy little devises prevent the wax cake dilemma.

Sometimes, a DIY is not about creating something new, but finding a new use for something already in existence. This past weekend we were roaming Lowe's looking for supplies for another project when a mixture of boredom and hunger took over. While Rob was searching for the perfect size nuts and washers, I began opening the drawers labeled "Hobbies" on the hardware aisle. In these drawers I found the best miniature wood pieces with a thousand uses. They had everything from wood cubes to spheres to mini wood flower pots. Also floating in the drawers were these. I looked at them for a brief second wondering what in the world you would do with it. All of a sudden it dawned on me. The pre-drilled hole is the perfect size for a birthday candle! Obviously not it's intended purpose but perfect to solve the wax cake dilemma. I picked up a pack of 4 for a mere $1.78, and with a can of spray paint I already had a home, I created a super cute candle holder that will get more uses than I can ever count. Here's the easy how-to...

:: Supplies ::
Wooden Tires (Hobby Drawer on Hardware Aisle)
Spray Paint
Birthday Candles

:: Directions ::
Spray tires in desired color. Let dry and stick in candle. Adorn cake.

Party DIY {Fringe Gift Tags}

Finding the perfect gift tags has always been a challenge. Either they are too girly and not able to be used universally or they are holiday specific. Both ways are a major problem. I've found a solution to this though. I keep standard white gift tags that I bought at Hobby Lobby in the craft cabinet. Whatever the occasion, I pull one out and customize it accordingly. Whether it's polka dots, stars, stripes, or something fun for everyday like this one, custom is always better. I love the fringe, full of fun and screaming fiesta. Using any color tissue paper, fold it a couple times and wrap it around the base. Snip the bottom and you've got a gift tag with flair perfect for just about any occasion. Here's the how-to...


:: Supplies ::
Gift Tag
Scissors
Tissue Paper
Double Sided Tape

:: Directions ::
1. Cut (4) 1.5"T x 2.5"W pieces of tissue paper. Stack on top of each other and fold in half length wise 3 times.
2. Using your double sided tape, attach to front of gift tag. Fold around to the back and adhere with another piece of double sided tape.
3. Cut strips and fluff. Tie onto gift.