DIY Succulent Planters {Project Pretty}

I've had my windows opened almost everyday this week, with the smell of fresh air, flowering scents, and the sound of birds chirping strumming through my house. The world is awaking for it's deep winter's sleep. Nature is renewing and refreshing itself as we shift into spring. It's so delightful.

As we transition from winter to spring, I'm craving fresh flowers, fresh linen, and creamy whites. And I've really had the urge to bring a piece of spring into my home, so I decided to succulents was a great place to start. I've waiting several weeks for these cute little plants to arrive at the Lowe's Greenhouse, so I'm really excited to share my weekend project with you.

Here they are-- DIY Succulent Planters.

What you'll need:

• Succulents (all shapes and colors. there are so many to choose from. go wild.)
• Clay Pots
• Dirt 
• Gravel
• Paint
• Stencil 
• Paint Brush
• Paper Towel (optional)
• Cup

 
 1. gathering supplies. lay everything out so it's easy to reach /// 2. pour a little paint inside your cup. dilute your paint with water. this will give you a "white wash" look /// 3. paint your pots. if you applied too much paint, you can wipe some off with your paper towel

4. & 5. with your stencil, add numbers, letters, or words to your pots. I used my oil paints which took a week to dry. cheap craft paint would work a lot better /// 6. & 7. fill your pots with dirt and arrange your succulents. pack them in for a more dramatic look /// 8. not shown, but add your gravel and water your plants well

Happy Planting!

Emmie

DIY Picture Frame {Project Pretty}

Krysta said to me, "Mom, I'm ready for a bigger girl's room. Not a teenager room, but something a little bigger than what I have now."

I was shocked because Krysta NEVER wants change. In fact, I still have a few of her toddler toys and dresses that she insists on keeping, but yet she never plays with anymore. Since she wants a "somewhat kinda sorta, but not really a teenager room", I'm letting her take the reigns as far as picking out the colors and fabric.

Her colors: gold, silver, white, turquoise, and fuchsia. It sounds a little bizarre, but it's coming together really well. We've been working on her room with any small pockets of time that we can muster together.

I'll post each DIY project that we add to her room and once it's complete I'll do a grand reveal with links to where certain items can be purchased and/or made.

So for now, I'll start with the focal point of her room.... the GRAND WHITE HORSE PHOTOGRAPH. The white horse photograph can be purchased from Art.com . Because we wanted to fill a large space with dramatic art, we opted for the 56x42. Since the piece is insanely large, professionally framing would have cost us an arm and a leg, possibly even our firstborn.... so we did what any DIYer would do-- built our own frame.

photograph on Art.com

Supplies:

• modpodge
• foam brush
• wood glue
• nails
• 4 furring strips $1 each at Lowes
• 1/8 inch plywood $13/sheet at Lowes
• molding (I needed 3 strips because of the large size, so just measure how much you need.) I used "Sunburst" from Lowes. It's about $18/strip, but you can opt out for something cheaper-- this was the one of the pricier strips, but I just really like the detail on the "sunburst" molding.  
• clamps
• spray paint or regular paint

Total framing cost: $73 (please note: your cost depends on the size of your photograph and the style of your molding)


Steps:

1. Build the backside of your frame with the furring strips according to the size of your photograph. Add enough to each side to allow room from your molding to be sturdy on the plywood, but small enough to have a little overhang. Example: if your photograph is 8"x10", your molding is 2", make your frame roughly 9.5"x11.5".

2. Wood glue the ends and nail together. See photo below:

3. Wood glue your plywood to your frame. Clamp it down till the glue dries, preferably overnight.

4. Using a foam brush, apply modpodge to your plywood and smooth your photograph on top. I started in the middle and worked my way out-- I found that to be the easiest.

5. Next, Modpodge the top of your photograph for a glossy look and to protect it.

6. Cut each edge of your molding in 45* angles. Wood glue the edges together, again preferably overnight for maximum hold. Spray paint the molding to the color of your choice-- I choose silver.

7. Wood glue your "frame" to the top of your plywood. Clam down, so it's nice and tight.

Details: 

8. Attach hardware to the back sides (not the top) AND YOU'RE DONE!

Shown displayed in Krysta's room:

 

Happy Creating!!!

Em

Spring Wreaths {Project Pretty}

Welcome to another edition to Project Pretty.

This week’s project was inspired by Chelsey from The Paper Mama. She created a fantastic FREE printable full of does and toadstools in various sizes, along with a floral bunting banner –perfect for adding a bit of whimsy and spring to your home. This project also went perfectly with our Little Red Riding Hood party.
While Chelsey made really cute terrariums, I decided to transform the three wreaths in my hallway bathroom. If you remember, I made these moss wreaths back in December, so all I had to do was add the printable does and swap out the ribbon.

Basically all you need is a wreath form from any local craft store, a package of moss, and a hot glue gun.

• Begin by hot gluing your moss around the wreath form, little by little until your entire wreath looks like a blanket of moss.
• Cut out your printable (I printed two sheets for three wreaths).
• Hot glue toothpicks to the backside (this with be your “floral pick”)
• Click here for The Paper Mama’s detailed instructions. 
• For ribbon, I actually used natural unbleached muslin that I ripped into strips and very loosely tied into floppy knots –this way gives it more of a whimsy, carefree feel. 
• Hang and voila!

Happy Spring and Happy Crafting,

Em

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf {Project Pretty}

Welcome to another edition of "Project Pretty."

We previously celebrated Krysta and William’s birthday with a “Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf” theme. I loved how all of the decorations transformed our ordinary home into a cozy woodland --perfect for all of our Reds’ and Wolves. While I’m anxious to tell you about our big day, I thought I’d share the break down on how I created various elements of the themed décor.

Here is the overview of the dining area.

I filled this area with moss, wildlife, colorful ribbon, and lots of wood slices.

tablecloth: 4 yards of natural burlap, tied with twine --no sewing needed
terrarium: filled 1/4 with various moss, displayed with woodland creatures
toadstools + blue birds: sculpted from polymer clay. bake at 325ish for around 10-20 minutes.
table wreath: all supplies from Hobby Lobby (tutorial below)
evergreen trees: Hobby Lobby Christmas clearance
table centerpiece: all from Lowes --Dusty Miller planted in tiny clay pots. given to each kid
cupcake + cake display: supplies from Hobby Lobby (tutorial below)
bunting banner: Sweet Pea Fabrics on Etsy (tutorial below) 
mason jars: chocolate cookie mix in a jar. fabric here, recipe here. given to each family. 

 Krysta's Cake

regular vanilla cake mix. I added fresh strawberries to each layer.
cream cheese frosting recipe, here. 


for embellishments, I used a floral bird and butterflies from Hobby Lobby. I added red gingham ribbon at the base of the two layers. cake is displayed on a wood slice.
 
 

William's Cake

regular chocolate cake mix. I added 3/4 of chocolate chips and one box of chocolate pudding.
cream cheese frosting recipe, here.


for embellishments, I used food coloring to coconut for "grass" and added a blue and white polkadot ribbon at the base. I then added moss balls and a wooden squirrel figurine from Hobby Lobby, all placed on a wood slice.




{Tutorials}

 cupcake stand

use one large wood slice and two smaller slices.
three dowel robs, cut in half to use as your dividers. attach with WOOD GLUE.
with hot glue, place moss around the robs.
for embellishments, you can add butterflies, birds, bees, etc
 

Bunting Banner

base--

cut fabric into triangles
hot glue yard or ribbon to the FRONT


letters--


with felt, cut out your letters (I printed my letters from my computer to use as a pattern)
thread string around the edges of each letter
hot glue the letter onto each triangle (this will prevent string fly-aways from the back)

 wreath centerpiece

start with an extra large grapevine wreath form, hot glue Spanish moss randomly around the wreath and add berries or flowers.
attach various patterned and colored ribbon to the backside of the wreath.

OPTIONAL: add birds and small decorative items (very lightweight) to hang from the ribbon to add interest.

Front Door Wreath

I love the idea of a themed wreath to greet you at the front door. It helps set the mood of the event.

medium sized grapevine wreath. hot glue reindeer moss partially around the wreath.
add miniature bunting banner made from ribbon and attached with fishing line.
I added a Red Riding Hood (McDonald toy bought from Amazon for $1.50) and a wolf figurine. 


That just about wraps up the how-to's from our Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf birthday party. Come back next week for another "Project Pretty."

Happy Crafting,
EM

Mustache Bash {Project Pretty}

What better way to soak up the month of Love, than to celebrate the soon-to-be birth of a friend’s baby?

To throw a baby shower, of course!

And so we did. A few friends and I gathered to honor E’s little bambino with a Mustache Bash. It was small and intimate, personal and homey --just the way she wanted it.

The shower was themed around all things little man --pinstripes, bow ties, and of course, mustaches!

Here are some of the decorations and how-to’s that we incorporated into the theme.

baby shower cake made with regular cake mix with strawberries in the middle. for frosting recipe, see below. and for the bow tie on top --sculpted out of fondant and food coloring.

 small tissue pom-poms 

1.  fold the tissue in a front to back motion (like an accordion) 
2. cut the tissue in half, then secure each one in the middle with a pipe cleaner, wire, or string 
3. carefully spread out the layers of tissue. The more tissue you use, the fuller your pom will be 

"boy, oh, boy" banner printed on card-stock paper and hung on twine --I designed this in photoshop. It's super easy, but if you'd like this FREE printable banner, I will email it to you.

 striped garland using twine and 4 spools of ribbon

5x7 "Keep Calm and Grow On" I designed in photoshop
If you'd like a FREE printable of this, I'll email it to you.

bow tie mason jars

"W" wreath.

1. wrap twine tightly around the wreath form
2. modpodge your choice of paper onto a plain wooden letter and cut off the excess, then hot glue the letter onto the wreath 
3. make your bow tie out of 2" ribbon and attach with hot glue

and for the frosting on the cake (literally), here is my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. It’s delish; you won’t be disappointed.

Elizabeth, I hope you enjoyed your baby shower! I can't wait to meet your new little mister man!

I will return later this week with a birthday post, deployment post, and another Project Pretty.

Happy Week,

Em

Felt Heart Garland {Project Pretty}

 Welcome to the very first posting of Project Pretty.

Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I thought it would be perfect to demonstrate an easy craft centered around hearts. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It brings out a nice burst of color among the dreary haziness of winter.

*First, make your pattern by cutting out a heart on regular paper. Secure your pattern onto the felt with a pin, and cut around it.

*Next, add a drop of glue (I used hot glue) onto the top of the heart and attach your string.

Voila!

Happy Crafting,

Em