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 {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.

Party DIY {Ribbon Wands}

Two DIY's in a row? So unusual. But, I've been feeling a bit more creative with the change of seasons. For the longest time now, the big trend in wedding send offs has been the sparkler. I get it, they're fun and make for a great pictures, especially at night. But, like every trend, there comes a time for a new one. Said new trend is the ribbon wand. I remember playing with something similar as a kid and having a blast! I would dance around twirling the wand until I couldn't stand it any longer. Now, as an adult I wish I could go back to that time, and I can with these wands. Not only are they a dazzling send off but fun for party guests of all ages to play with. Plus they are easy enough to make yourself and customize for you soiree. Here's the step by step on making your own!

:: Supplies ::
1/4 in. Dowel Rod
Eye Hooks
Scissors
Assorted Ribbon
Wood Saw
Fine Sandpaper

:: Directions ::
1. Using your wood saw, trim your dowel rod into 12" sections. (With a standard rod, you should get 4 pieces)
2. Sand the edges of each new rod to ensure that splinters are gone.
3. Take your eye hook and begin to twist it into the end. (Be sure to center it!)
4. Trim your ribbon into 2 ft pieces. Gather four pieces together and string through eye hook, tying into a knot around the hook.


Have a creative Wednesday!

Emergency Kit

I always carry an emergency kit with me to every event. It includes the basics for recovering from almost any mishap on event day. Tucked inside is always a needle and thread, a Tide pen, breath mints, lip balm, scissors, tape, and more. I recently got to thinking though what a great gift it would make to give to clients, colleagues, my teenage sister, friends, well really everyone. With the essentials in a petite glass jar tied with my custom Events Uncorked tag, it's cute enough (and small enough) to carry with you everywhere. This kit is my secret to being able to pull off any event and creating one for everybody will ensure they have the tools to solve any event problem!