In the Spirit

I'm barely treading water over here. The holidays can be brutal but I'm trying to get it all done. My Christmas cards are just going out today, I've still got a couple of gifts to get and a few more to wrap, and my kids are out of school at noon today for the Winter Break. Yikes. As I mentioned, we hosted our supper club on Friday night so I did some speed decorating around here. I snapped a few photos this morning of our holiday decor . . .

These are my favorite new little decorations. I got this pack of three ornaments at TJ Maxx for $5. I just snipped the ornament string off and am using them as table decor.

They're sort of across between a star and sea urchin. Very Kelly Wearstler, I think.

Just threw a garland and some greenery and poinsettias up there with some candles and owls. Those are $1 stockings with glitter names for our pets that my children made. They're so proud.

Some people have a manger, I have a big yellow lamp. Kind of like a star, right?

Added some glitter and white pine cones and some sparkly deer to my usual dining room decor.

More greenery and another boxwood wreath to hold our Christmas cards. I love getting cards.

Breakfast area. Light and airy.

A little holiday on my coffee table.

A golden berry wreath and some more sparkly deer. My dining room is all "Silver and Gold" as Burl Ives sang.

My kids and I also hit this holiday tradition on Sunday, and it really got me in the spirit . . . 

Whatever holiday you're celebrating, I hope it is filled with wonderful and happy memories!

Check back later in the week for the reveal of my newly upholstered pieces . . .

Custom House Portraits by Michelle

Buying a home can be a huge step in life. It can make you feel somehow grounded and extremely hopeful at the same time. Grounded in a sense of permanence and hopeful for a fresh start and, if you're like me, a brand new design to life with a fresh palette and a clean canvas.

It takes time to decorate a home just the way you want it and to track down artwork that fits your style and budget. There's something so special about buying art that's personal and seeing it every day in your home. Personalized art also makes for an exceptional one-of-a-kind gift for someone you love. That's why I wanted to share with you the artwork of watercolor painter Michelle Schneider. Her colorful and whimsical style is both creative and eye-catching and makes for a beautiful addition to any room in your home.

I had her paint an 8x10" house portrait as a gift for my friend. I can't wait to give it to her! Michelle made this video to show the process of the portrait.

Some people are seriously so talented!

Here is how my friend's house turned out!

I have spent many hours in my friend's front yard, on her front steps and in her home so this painting is special to me too. It captures the happy feeling that I have every time I enter her home. 

Michelle doesn't just create pieces she loves she creates art that is special to people and tells a story. If you want to see what I mean you have to read this precious story. 

Michelle created these bird paintings as part of her twelve bird challenge which you an read more about here. 

You can purchase your own house portrait or browse her large collection of artwork (both prints and originals) available in her shop. Mother's Day is right around the corner so be sure to get your order in soon to make sure you have it in time! You can also follow her blog or on Instagram to see more sneak peeks into her studio.

DIY Mason Jar Butterfly Terrarium

Last week I blogged about a handmade gift exchange that I attended and showcased all the items that my friends brought. Today I'm sharing the gift that I brought! I love making seasonal home decor items.  It's so fun to bring out special handmade items with the changing of each season and holiday. 

I made a simple butterfly terrarium in a mason jar. This craft is less than $5 to make, only requires 4 materials and can be made in 5 easy steps! 

1. Artificial Feather Butterflies 2. Preserved Sheet Moss 3. Styrofoam Balls 3" White 4. Ball Mason Jars Wide-Mouth Can 

Step 1 // Cut your 3" foam ball in half. 

Step 2 // Cut a small piece of your sheet moss to the size of your foam ball. 

Step 3 // Hot glue the moss all around the ball to conform to the ball and then hot glue the ball half to the mason jar lid. 

Step 4 // Stick in your butterflies to the moss ball. My butterflies came attached to wire. I just pushed the wire right into the foam ball. 

Step 5 // Stick your foam ball with butterflies into the jar and tighten the lid! It's that easy!! 

I added these free printable tags to my terrariums to handout at the gift exchange. 

To see past 6th Street DIY projects check out this Pinterest board. 

DIY Glitter Easter Paper Bag Baskets

I consider myself crafty and I consider myself creative but I am not good at long DIY projects. When I do a project it needs to be quick and easy and it doesn't hurt if it's also cheap! My newest contributor, Sarah from Sarah Hearts has come up with the most adorable paper bag easter basket and the best news is it's super easy to make! Make sure you check out Sarah's blog for tons of great DIY projects! 

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Easter is just around the corner and here’s a great, kid-friendly project that you can make! All you need is a couple supplies and less than 10 minutes to make cute glitter paper Easter baskets. They are perfect for displaying painted eggs or for gifting Easter treats.

Supplies:

• Paper lunch bags
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue Dots
• Fine Glitter
• Crinkled Easter grass

1. Gather all your supplies!
2. Use a ruler to measure 5” from the bottom of the bag. Make a small mark at 5”. Cut the top portion of the bag off at the 5” mark. The bottom of the bag will become the basket.
3. Cut a strip of glue dots the width of your paper bag.
4. Adhere the glue dots to the very bottom portion of the bag.
5. Sprinkle (or dump, like I did) the glitter over the glue dots. Shake of the excess glitter.
6. Open the paper bag and carefully fold down the top portion of the bag about 1”. Then fold it down again. Fill with the crinkled paper or Easter grass and top it off with whatever treats you like!

Hi, I'm Sarah and I'm a graphic designer who loves creating things. My blog, Sarah Hearts, is where I celebrate all things lovely because I believe so much joy can be found in the little details of life.

My Favorite Spring Decorations

Last Christmas I rounded up some of my favorite Holiday Decor.  This Spring I'm doing the same thing with my favorite Spring decorating items. I don't know about you but it's been a loooooong Winter in Utah and I am more than ready for a little sunshine and some cheery items to brighten up my home! 

There is something so sweet about this Spring Bunting. It would look adorable on a mantel. This Faux Ranunculus Nest is the perfect little touch of spring for any spot in your home. 

Who doesn't need a little Bottlebrush Duckling Family for their home! I adore West Elm's paper flowers and these are especially amazing. 

This Floral Table Arrangement is sophisticated and would look gorgeous on your kitchen table. Your kids would go crazy over this Bunny Egg Cup! 

This Natural Fiber Mama and Baby Bunny makes me think of my little Jane. It's just so sweet. Why not make cooking fun and colorful with these Painted Bloom Measuring Cups. 

Nothing says, "Welcome Sping!" like a Spring Doormat. And how about that cheery bunny on that natural fiber bunny wreath.

These little bunnies are so sweet. My kids would love them. I adore Paper Source's paper wreaths. This White Daisy Wreath is perfect for Spring.  I'm not gonna lie they take awhile to make but the results are always worth it.

Easter Egg Art Printable

Thank you all so much for your wonderful supportive comments to my blog post yesterday! I have the best readers! And I don't want you all to get too worried. I will still be doing design work just less of it! A lot less. I am so happy to be introducing my first contributor to my blog! Diana is sharing the cutest Easter Printable with us today! 

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During the holidays, it's especially fun to decorate your living space.  Easter is just around the corner and as fun as the glitter and cheesy decor is, I do like to decorate with tasteful designs because that represents me and it looks nice in my home.  I designed this colorful Easter print with my favorite patterns in the shape of eggs.  You can still have hints of Easter decor, but with a taste of style.  

Click to download

Print is sized at 8x10 and is best printed on a thick card stock paper.

Diana is a graphic designer running her own shop called Livy Love Designs.  She loves using fresh color schemes and bright patterns.  She enjoys drawing, sewing, and learning new recipes.  She is married and has two little kids who she attributes where most of her inspiration comes from.  Aside from her shop, she has recently started working with Modern Yardage and is a fabric designer for them, which has been a dream of hers ever since she started graphic design.  You can follow along with her blog at Livy Love.

DIY Valentine's Love Potion

These days I am all about holiday treats that are easy and cheap! I don't  have a lot of time in my life to be laboring for hours over intricate Valentine's Day treats so I came up with this super easy Valentine's Love Potion! 

All you really need is 

-  some sort of red drink

- double stick tape

-  my free printable

If you want you can also buy some type of washi tape or use my tutorial for DIY glitter tape below. 

I bought these Tum-E Yummies at Target for 79 cents a piece. You'll need to soak them in warm water for about 5 minutes to get the labels to come off. 

Once you have removed the labels and dried off the water bottles print off some sheets of these labels. 

They should print right to an 8 x 10 paper. Cut them out and then wrap them around your bottle with double stick tape. 

If you want to get a little fancy may I suggest making some glitter ribbon tape. I simply used my Xyron create-a-sticker maker and I fed some American Crafts Glitter Ribbon through it. You can really feed any ribbon of your choice through this little device and make ribbon tape instantly! 

You can add your ribbon to the bottles however you choose. These bottle look cute even with no ribbon so you can totally skip that step if you want! 

So there you have it! A super easy and cheap Valentine's treat for your kiddos and their friends! 

Custom Gift Wrap Ideas Using Kraft Paper

I usually find my Christmas gift wrap at stores like T.J. Maxx or Home Goods. This year I thought it might be fun to do all my gifts with kraft paper and then decorate each one differently. 

Here are a few of the things I did to decorate my gifts. 

For this polka dot wrapping I simply used some red dot stickers from my local office supply store. The  ones I bought are similar to these. I downloaded some free black and white gift tags from Jones Design Company. 

A gold leaf marker can do wonders! I tried to freehand a faux bois pattern on the above gift and on the gift below I did a little laurel wreath. 

I bought the herringbone ribbon from this etsy shop. 

I also tried to use ordinary every day items that I had lying around my house like a paper doily and rubber-bands to accessorize these gifts. 

For Josh's gift I wanted something that was a little more manly so I tried my hand at sketching some woodland items on his giftwrap. The Buffalo check ribbon is from Kollabora. The tag is one of the Minted Table Confetti from this collection. 

I'm sure you've all seen the pom pom gift wrap at Anthropologie. It was super easy to recreate. All you need is some little pom poms and a hot glue gun! 

Hand decorating each gift was actually pretty fun at first but let's be honest... by the end of gift wrapping I've gotten a little lazier. 

This is what poor Jane's gifts look like. 

Luckily she won't know the difference. I have to admit the closer it gets to Christmas the less motivated I am to make my gifts cute. I'm just lucky if I get them wrapped!