Sarah Hearts

The holiday season is upon us (already!) and I already feel a bit behind on decorating and gift shopping. If you’re like me, I love giving handmade things to friends and family for Christmas. If you are looking to be thrifty, give a unique gift, and let someone know you care, I encourage you to give handmade this season.

I am very excited to announce a little series I will be doing. I will feature a simple DIY handmade project you can make and give. It’s starting today and will continue daily until Christmas day.

Here’s the first gift!

About a month ago Kevin and I built a raised, box garden in our backyard. We are lucky to be able to still have such warm temperatures that we can start a garden in November! I was looking for a unique way to identify my plants and here’s what I came up with.

This is the perfect gift for your friend with a green thumb… or someone who would love to start a garden.

Supplies:
• Large popsicle sticks, tounge drepessors, or fan handles (I used I had on hand from making  programs for clients)
• Chalkboard paint or black acrylic paint (chalkboard paint can be pricey, I just used some black acrylic paint I had on hand)
• White china marker (a cheap, oil-based pencil you can purchase at an art supply store)
Cost: $1.00

{all photos by me}

I made another video tutorial! This one shows you how to make an ombre painted pumpkin. Ombre is popping up everywhere—in fashion, home decor, and design. Why not put it on a pumpkin?

 
I made a video tutorial that shows you how to make cute packaged candy bags. They are perfect to hand out to colleagues and classmates for Halloween!

Here’s a video tutorial I made for my paper plate baskets. They are perfect for storing Halloween treats, food for a picnic, or favors for wedding guests. There will be more video tutorials this week. Enjoy!

{A very special thank you to Tessa and Shawna for shooting it}

Hello again! I wanted to provide you with a little update as I still have been “away” from here for sometime. I’m working about 35 hours a week at my “day job” and I’m working with about 10 different clients right now so unfortunately my blog has taken a back seat. I will try my best to post a much as possible over the next month.

With that said, I wanted to share a super cute and easy diy invitation I made this week. My friend Janna is getting married next Saturday (I made the invitations and cannot wait to show everyone!). In lieu of a typical bachelorette party, a few of us are getting together for a delicious dinner and perhaps wine tonight at her favorite restaurant.

I made these invitations with supplies I had on hand. They only took a few minutes and I absolutely love the way that turned out. If you would like to make them too, here’s how:

Supplies:
• 8.5″ x 11″ cardstock (I used a cream color)
• patterned or colored paper (scrap booking paper works great for this) cut into 4.25″ x 5.5″ rectangles. You will need one per invitation
• washi tape (I told you I love it!)
• A2 envelopes
• Download the invitation template for Word.
• Download the fonts I used here and here.

Open the template in Word and edit the info. If you would like to use the fonts I used, download and install them (links are above) before you start editing the template. You could use this for a bridal shower or luncheon, a birthday party, anniversary dinner, or anything else! Once you’re done save and print on card stock. Cut it into 4 rectangles, each 3.25″ x 4.5″. Then adhere the smaller, printed invitation to the patterned card stock with a small piece of washi tape. I cut mine with scissors so it looked clean. And thats it! Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

-Sarah

I’m super excited about today’s DIY! It comes from my sweet friend, Kristine. Let me just say that Kristine is one crafty-woman! She sewed her wedding gown and reception dress! She also has an Etsy shop where she sells her handmade creations. This weekend she sent over the photo above and I loved it so much I asked her to share it here. So here’s Kristine:

Here’s the “before” of the suitcase.

Supplies:

1. Mod Podge
2. An X-Acto Knife
3. Fabric -about 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 yards should be plenty, depending on how big suitcase is. I used just under 1 yard total on this.
4. A paintbrush
5. Tape measurer
6. That darn ugly suitcase!

Playlist:
Stars -esp The Five Ghosts album

Cost:
$1.50  -$5.99 for Mod Podge. I only used 1/4 of that.
$1.00 -Garage sale suitcase
$4.00 -Fabric. $7.99 a yard plus a 50% off coupon. I only used a yard
$6.50 -Total cost of project!!! Not to shabby! I’m VERY proud of that actually

To start, I found this treasure of a suitcase at a garage sale. It’s old and ugly and a perfect for this type of project

The insides are still in tact and the handle is a little worn, but definitely not unusable.

Before I did anything, I cleaned it up (focusing on the parts that will not be covered with fabric) with a little magical help from a Magic Eraser. The suitcase had tons of scuff marks and wear on it but this helped clean that right up!

The next step is to measure the fabric that you’ll need. Section the project out (front, back, side panels) and figure out how much fabric it will take to cover each. Don’t stress about getting this exact. As a matter of fact, I added an extra inch to the dimensions to make sure that it was more than enough fabric to cover it. Example: There are two panels on each side of my suitcase that are 16” x 3” so I added an inch and cut out a rectangle to fit it. Easy.

You’re probably covering details like a handle and latches. I’ve seen people just cut big ugly squares around this and it looks terrible.. I left these details to deal with later and really only cut X’s around them at this point to make sure that I can glue the fabric around them. Remember, that X-Acto Knife will help you make it look perfect later.

Take your paintbrush and brush the area you’re covering with fabric with Mod Podge.

Don’t put too much or it’ll get messy! I started with a full 16 oz container of Mod Podge and used about 1/4 of it total on this project, even after putting a final coat on top!

As soon as this dries, which shouldn’t take too long at all, grab that X-Acto Knife and have at it! Remember to be careful when using sharp tools

As soon as you’re done detailing and trimming that extra fabric, you’ll have a fancy, like-new suitcase! Add an extra layer of Mod Podge to make sure that the fabric is nice and secure on there, let it dry for a bit, and you’re done!

It’s a simple as that!

As you may have noticed by now, I’m a huge fan of washi tape. The thin, Japanese crape paper tape is so pretty and has so many uses. Several months ago, I purchased several small canvas at the local art store. I finally got around to using them this weekend.

I used several shades and patterns of washi tape to great simple geometric patterns on the canvases. In a few minutes I had art ready to be hung in our guest room.

If you’re addicted to washi tape too, here’s what you’ll need to make this: a few canvas (I prefer the gallery ones, meaning those without the staples on the edges), washi tape, and an X-acto knife.

Then create whatever pattern you wish! I just eyed it, I prefer when things are just quite perfect. If you rather use a pencil to mark the canvas, remember that the pencil lines will show through the lighter colored tape.

When you layer the washi tape it creates beautiful variations in value.

In the one above and below I used the X-acto blade to round the edges to the tape. I trimmed the tape after I adhered it to the canvas.

I hung the collection of canvases in the corner of our guest room, perpendicular to the wall that has our lovely Amy Ruppel tree Blik wall decal.

My amazing mom got me tons of washi tape last Christmas, when they were selling it at her West Elm. You can also find it on-line here and here.

If you decide to make a few washi covered canvases, I would love to see your results!

I’m a big fan of cupcakes. I think it’s because I’m a big fan of cake and small things. They are the perfect combination of my loves. So in honor of the cupcake, here’s a free customizable template to make your own cupcake toothpick toppers.

They are perfect for weddings, birthdays, or just because. The Word template includes the red hearts shown above. It also has a place for you to type in whatever you please. I made the ones above with our wedding date. You could add your initials, monogram, age, or anything else you wish.

I used the free font, Later On. I posted step-by-step directions here.

Download the Word Toothpick Topper template.

All photos and template by me.

Today’s DIY tutorial is inspired by my friends. Recently, a few of them asked if I know how to make fabric roses. I’ve seen them everywhere but hadn’t tried making these before. These little rosettes are popping up in weddings, hair accessories, bags and jewelry. I decided to give it a try and they are much easier to make than they may seem. You only need a few types of craft supplies and the possibilities are endless. They can be embellished with pearl beads or feathers and would make the cutest bridal hairpiece.

1. For a 2″ rose, start with a 3″ x 22″ strip of fabric. I’m using unbleached cotton muslin.

2. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise. Then tie a loose knot at one end.

3. Tuck the short end into the knot.

4. Take the longer end and fold it downward. Then began wrapping it around the knot.

5. Keep folding the fabric downward as you wrap it around the knot. Repeat this until you get to the end. Trim the end of the fabric if it is fraying.

6. Once you are done, flip it over and using hot glue, adhere a round piece of fabric to the back. This will help it stay together.

7. Use the hot glue in between some layers to help it stay flat.

Then you’re done! You can add other details, such as pearls, beads, feathers, and lace and use them how you wish.

For some DIY inspiration and supplies (including high heat glue guns) check out Factory Direct Craft.

I made toothpicks with our silhouettes and ages on them for our birthday party. I thought they would be a fun way to incorportate the party colors and theme while being functional. We only served appetizers and finger foods so they ended up being very practical.

They were very easy to make and only require a few supplies. Now I want to make them every time I serve an appetizer! I also think they would be really cute as cupcake “flags.” You can download the Word or Pages template I made and make your own. Here’s a little tutorial on how to make them.

1. You will need the following supplies:
- Toothpick topper template for Word
- 8.5″ x 11″ sheet(s) of colored cardstock (each page makes 8 toothpick toppers. Simply multiply this times the number of toothpicks you want)
- a 1.5″ circle paper punch (I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby for a while back, you can get a similar one at Michaels or JoAnns)
- PVA glue (other glues will work, but PVA is the best for bonding paper because it doesn’t wrinkle and is super strong, you can purchase it at your local art supply store or here)
- Paint brush to apply glue
- 4″ skewers (if you making cupcake toppers, I would recommend using toothpicks)

2. Customize the template then print the file on cardstock. Once the desired amount of “toppers” are printed, cut the “toppers” into 4 rows of 4. This is going to allow you to punch them out. The use the circle paper punch to punch out each topper. Sorry I forgot to snap a photo of this step. I found it easiest to turn the paper punch upside-down so you can use the printed lines of the circle to help you align the paper punch.

After you punched out all the circles, use the paint brush to apply PVA glue to the back side of one of the paper toppers. I made the toppers have our silhouette on one side and our respective ages on the other side.

3. Place one toothpick or skewer in the center of the glued topper. You may want to pick it up and check that it will be displayed correctly (for example, if you typed a number or date, you don’t want it to appear upside-down).

4. Take another paper topper and firmly press it onto the glued topper. I found it helpful to pick it up and use my fingers to help align the edges of the two circles. Repeat steps 2-4 and until you’ve made all the toothpicks you want! Super easy and so cute!

How would you use these? As cupcake toppers or toothpicks for small bites?