Easy Striped Halloween Art

It's FALL!!! Halloween is almost here!!! YAYYYY!

Ok, I think I'm a little bit too excited about Halloween, but I just can't help it. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and fall is my favorite season! This week, I whipped out my Halloween decorations, and started to decorate. While I love the traditional black and orange, I wanted something with a little more color to add a pop to my usual Halloween decor. Lucky for me, I knew just what to do! And lucky for you, I made a DIY for ya ;)

You will need:

Square canvas (here)
Glitter Paper (from the craft store, similar here)
X-Acto Knife (here)
1" Painter's Tape (here)
T-Square or Ruler (here)
Neon Paint (similar here)
Scissors (here)
Pencil
Paint Brush

How to:

1. Using your T-Square or ruler, make lines going across the sides of your canvas at every inch. Flip it, and make lines on the other side. We are doing this so that we know where our tape needs to go without making lines on the front. We want our lines to be as straight as possible!

2. Add your tape, starting at one end, wrapping across the front, and lining up on the other side. Press it down so the paint doesn't sneak in like mine did ;)

3. Paint your canvas, making sure to get the sides too. I found the neon paint to be a bit thin, so I did a few coats. 

4. When your paint is dry, peel off the tape .

4. Create large letters on your computer and print. I did EEK because it would be easier to cut out, but you can do anything! I cut out my printed letters, traced them onto the glitter paper (BACKWARDS!) and then cut them out using scissors, and an X-Acto knife for the smaller parts. I use this cutting mat to protect my work surface and love it! 

5. Hot glue your letters onto your canvas. You'll want to make marks so it's centered, by making a very faint line on the canvas and then gluing the letter right on top.

"Eye" hope you liked this post! If you're not into the whole neon Halloween thing, you can definitely change it up to the classic black and orange. Or, if Halloween isn't your thing at all, you can make one of these and use it as a monogram decor in your home! The possibilities are endless. You can make these for every holiday! Especially if you get the canvases on sale with a coupon from Michael's (which is what I did!)

What's your favorite color combo for Halloween? Do you like to keep it classic? Try new things? Hate Halloween in general? Let me know in the comments below!

Colorful Fall Pumpkin Wreath

Hey everyone! I'm back from my wedding and honeymoon, and suddenly it's fall. I mean, it feels like summer but the trees are changing colors, the kids are back in school, and I'm already working on my Halloween costume. 

In order to celebrate this weird Summer-Fall hybrid, I crafted a colorful pumpkin wreath to bridge the gap between the seasons. It's got a few of my favorite things- bright colors, pumpkins, and POM POMS!! It's a little kooky, but all the best people are ;)

You can find the full blog post over on Giggles Galore, so be sure to head over there and take a look!

I used the spray painted pumpkins from my Glam Friendsgiving Party as inspiration for this wreath. I loved having some fun pumpkins around my house last year, so I wanted to create something that would show them off to everyone that passed by.

I love how gorgeous and bright these pumpkins are! While I love traditional holiday colors, I also think it's really fun to break the mold and try to capture the spirit of the season with a completely different color palette.

Be sure to head on over to Giggles Galore for the full tutorial!

DIY Dollar Store Easter Decorations

Hey guys! It seems that we hopped into April pretty quickly, huh? I had an eggcelent idea to do a Easter tablescape, but I'm on a budget this year. Planning a wedding ain't cheep, ya know? So I decided to visit my local Dollar Tree and raid my cabinets to create an Easter affair to remember, without breaking the bank. In all, I spent only about $30 dollars to create this classy table setup. Many of the Easter decorations came from my collection and I DIY'd a few things, because what's an event without a few handmade details ;). 

*This post contains affiliate links.

DIY Painted Plant Pots

You will need:

Pots or Plants (From DollarTree or larger version here)
Acrylic Paint (here)
Painter's Tape (here)
Paint Brushes (similar here)

Steps:

1. Paint your pot the lighter of your 2 colors. Let dry fully.

2. Using your tape, create an interesting line or pattern. I decided to do a diagonal pattern, but you could do polka dots, triangles, half and half, etc.

3. Paint the desired area, then peel off your tape while it's still a little wet. Let dry!

For a full list of my favorite craft supplies, check out this blog post!

DIY Banner

You will need:

Paper Bunting (from DollarTree)
Ribbon (DT or similar here)
Glue Gun (similar here)
Spray Adhesive (here)

Steps:

1. Be sure to adequately cover your workspace. This stuff is deceptively sticky!

2. Place your top bunting face-down and spray with the adhesive.

3. Pick up carefully and place on top of the other bunting. Lay flat to dry.

4. Take a length of thin ribbon and glue your bunting onto it while keeping the flags an equal distance apart.

5. Hang up and enjoy.

Related: How to Rock your DIY Party Projects

DIY Bunny Ears Bouquet

You will need:

Thick Wire/Covered wire (From DollarTree or here)
Ribbon (DT or similar here)
Thin sparkly ribbon (DT or similar here)
Scissors (here)
Wire cutters (here)
Glue gun (similar here)

Steps

1. Take your wire and straighten it out the best you can.

2. Measure and cut. Mine was 20 inches.

3. Fold gently in the middle to create a bunny ear shape.

4. Using your hot glue gun, carefully wrap your wire with ribbon. I found that not overlapping the ribbon on top of itself worked best.

5. Keep going up your wire, wrapping and gluing every few rotations.

6. Once you've wrapped it in your thicker ribbon, go back around with your thinner ribbon to cover the seams and any bald spots.

7. Repeat for the other ear, then place in a bouquet of flowers and enjoy!

Setting your Table

Place Settings

I purchased inexpensive white plates and chargers for each setting, and topped them with blue appetizer plates from my cupboard. I added some drinking glasses I already had on hand, and placed a handmade drink stirrer inside. I finished it off with my super cute bird salt and pepper shakers that I purchased from Pier 1 Imports a few years ago.

Centerpieces

For the centerpieces, I used a sequin table runner and fake moss from my engagement party, and topped it with my painted flowerpots, bunny ears bouquet, and some mercury tealights.  I scattered some small golden eggs I picked up at the dollar store to add to that Easter feel.

Tips for Saving Money on your Easter Table

1. Create your own bouquets by purchasing flowers from the supermarket, or purchase inexpensive fake ones that you can reuse again and again.

2. If you purchase new servingware, go for white, which can be reused for many holidays. It'll get much more use than a baby pink tray with a bunny on it!

3. Collect items from around your house. Tealights, votives, pastel decor items, etc. This will add to the ambiance of the event without you necessarily having to purchase (and store!) Easter items.

4. Mix high-end items with dollar store items to save money while still keeping it classy. The inexpensive items will be camouflaged among the more expensive ones, as long as you don't purchase anything too cheap looking.

5. DIY where you can to create something one of a kind. Search Pinterest for ideas, and see how you can re-create more expensive items.

6. For an inexpensive tablecloth or runner, use a piece of fabric that has been folded and ironed. This will allow you to make it any size or shape you need!

7. Go for a mix of larger items and smaller items to create a visually interesting mix for your table. Too many small items will look cluttered, and too many large ones will seem unbalanced.

The best part about this table setup is that you can take away the bunny ears and little eggs, and use it for the remainder of the spring! This helps it to do double duty, saving you money. Do you have any dollar store crafts as part of your Easter decor? Do you decorate for Easter, or are you more of a "save it for Christmas" type of gal? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY Mean Girls Conversation Hearts Banner (and how to use Cricut Iron On Vinyl!)

There are some movies that you watch once and enjoy, but never really have the desire to see again. Then, there are those movies that you watch over and over again until you've memorized practically every word. Mean Girls is one of those movies. If you can't recite at least one of those memorable quotes, then you can't sit with us! It's got Lindsay Lohan at the peak of her career, Tina Fey's comedy, Rachel McAdams & Amanda Seyfriend before they were super famous, and Lacey Chabert from everyone's favorite show, Party of Five (people liked that show, right? I never watched it...). Combine that with the awesome 2004 fashion sense, the catchy lines, the harsh reality of frenemies, and the fact that you always wanted to be popular, and you've pretty much got the makings of a FANTASTIC movie. It was basically made by girls, for girls, so there's no way it wouldn't succeed. PS, can we talk about how everyone in Mean Girls wore lip gloss?! I'm not sure about you guys, but I don't wear lip gloss anymore. Is that just a high school thing? Idk...

With Valentine's Day coming up, I wanted to make something fun with some felt hearts I picked up at Target. They look to me like Conversation Hearts candy, which are usually boringly sweet. "U R CUTE"? "CALL ME"? C'mon.... But, what if they were sorta sassy instead? PERFECT OPPORTUNITY for a Mean Girls DIY. Just sayin'.

Go grab some popcorn, your Mean Girls DVD, and your glue gun. This is going to be Grool!

You will need:

Cricut Explore Air Machine (here)
Pastel felt hearts (from Target)
Iron (here)
Red iron-on transfer (here)
Cricut tool kit or Tweezers (here)
Ribbon
Glue gun

I know what you're thinking..."How do I use Cricut iron on vinyl?" I knew you'd ask, so I have just the tutorial for you. How did I know? I have a fifth sense... It's like I have ESPN or something. The iron on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards.

How to Use Cricut Iron-On Vinyl

1. Open the Mean Girls Conversation Hearts Candy document in Cricut Design Space. 

2. Take your red iron-on vinyl and place it on your cutting sheet, liner side down. You'll be cutting the vinyl (matte side), so that means the shiny side goes down.

3. Set up the file to cut on your Cricut machine by following the steps below. 

a. Set your Cricut machine mode to vinyl +

b. Press Go

c. Set to mirror image! This is very important, since your text needs to be backwards so that it'll be the right way when you finish.

c. Load your Cricut cutting mat and start cutting.

d. Wait for the Cricut machine to cut your file. Mine wouldn't cut the full document in one shot (annoying!) so after it stopped each time, I would remove the ones it cut from the document/cutting mat, reload the mat, and start cutting again.

Look at all those fabulous quotes just waiting to get out there into the world!

4. Once your document has finished cutting on the Cricut machine, carefully cut around each quote. It's best to cut as close as you can to the letters, and try to make the border around each side even. This will make it easier to center them on the conversation hearts.

5. Peel off the remaining vinyl, aka the extra red background. You'll be left with the clear liner and your letters. To do this, I take my Cricut hook tool and scrape a corner to make a hole.

Then, I carefully and slowly peel away the liner to reveal the letters beneath. I found that peeling the vinyl from left to right was easier, since most of the letters face that way. Otherwise, you're going against the grain. So, aka... not the way I'm doing it in the photos.

See how the E and the D in "Wednesday" are connected? That's because I'm peeling it the "wrong" way and it ripped the vinyl. It's not a big deal at all, because that's a scrap section anyway, but it makes it easier to peel if you go with the grain.

6. Once you've pulled away the excess Cricut vinyl, go back and remove the excess vinyl in the letter holes, or any that was left over. Flip it over and double check that everything is where it should be.

7. Center your quote on your conversation heart and press it down. To make sure it's evenly centered, I would look at a few things, like which word is in the center of the heart, how much distance is on either side, and how far it is from the top. If you're still not sure, take a quick picture with your phone to see if it's off center or crooked.

8. Use your iron to carefully iron your quote onto the heart. Use the wool/low setting and place a cloth over it so you don't scorch the felt. Then, flip your heart over and iron the underside. If you have a small craft iron, you may be able to do it without a cloth like I did.

9. Let it cool, then peel the liner off from the corner. Do this carefully to make sure all the letters fully adhered. If not, go back over it again, let it cool, and continue peeling.

Once all your quotes are ironed on, you can begin arranging your banner! See how I did that below.

Making your banner

1. Arrange your hearts in the order you'd like to see them, or by color.

2. Cut a small piece of ribbon. This will act as a "tape" to hold the hearts together.

3. Glue the ribbon onto the hearts at the widest part. Be sure to hold them as close together as you can to prevent a gap from forming between the hearts. I used pink ribbon, but a white one will probably camouflage the best. You can't really see it when you flip the banner over, so technically it doesn't matter.

I also recommend adding some extra ribbon or twine at the ends to hang it. I originally didn't want to do that, but taping felt on a wall is basically impossible.

Woohoo! Now, hang up your banner and revel in the joy of a Mean Girls Valentine's Day. You can also paste up some hearts as a party backdrop! This is my best Mean Girls face. Slightly friendly, slightly fierce, 100% Fetch. 

P.S. "And none for Gretchen Weiners. Bye!" is basically my favorite Mean Girls quote, and I use it in everyday life. It has so many practical uses.

So you agree? You think you're really pretty?

I really need to start wearing pink on Wednesdays. I mean, that's just like, the rules of feminism

So what's your favorite Mean Girls quote? Is it one I missed? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY 90's Pun Valentines

Remember when you were younger and you'd be watching TGIF while flipping through a magazine to find your favorite celebrities? Then, once you were done reading, you'd cut them out of the magazine and stick them onto everything and anything you owned? Well, this year we are making Valentines that your 13-year old self would approve of. Plus, since the pictures are being printed (instead of cut out of a magazine) you can make as many as you need. These Valentines are so fun to make because pretty much everything is computer-based these days, and these are so hands-on. You can't center the text or copy and paste. Each letter has to be placed on individually. It's equal parts horrifying and enjoyable. In the end, you've got a one-of-a-kind Valentine for all your BFF's.

You will need:

Sticker letters (I got mine from Michael's, similar here)
Blank cards (from the Dollar Tree for only $1, or similar here)
Photo glue stick (this one is my fave!)
Scissors (here)
Rhinestones (here)
print outs of your fave celebs
an awesome 90's playlist

How to:

1. Find your favorite pics of 90's celebs, and put them in a word doc to make them an appropriate size. Print.

2. Cut out the images around the celebs' heads, cutting off the backdrops. If you're anything like me, you're a seasoned pro at this, and it'll be a piece of cake. If not, don't worry, the memories will all come flooding back to you ;)

3. Arrange the cutouts and letters onto your card and adhere. HINT: Make sure you are sticking things on the right way otherwise your card will be upside down. 

4. As a bonus, add some awesome yet cheesy stickers onto the card or the front of the envelopes. I got my heart shaped rhinestone stickers from the Dollar Tree (similar here).

Related: TGIF 90's Themed Slumber Party

Although they take a little time, these cards are super cheap to make. Plus, it's so different than everything we are used to. Once you stick the letters down, they're pretty much stuck there. It won't be perfect, and that's what makes them great. If you want to add some super fun straws, try these!

Fact: I had this Mandy Moore song stuck in my head for a solid 2 weeks while I was creating and posting these Valentines. I still have it stuck in my head, and I listen to it at least twice a day now. There's some debate as to whether Mandy Moore was as successful as some of the other pop stars of the 90's. Ummm... she became a Disney Princess in my favorite movie, so that makes her most successful in my book!

I'm not sure if No Doubt did a Valentine's Day shoot, but this photo is quite perfect for Valentines. Plus... I still want pink hair someday!

There are tons of pictures of NSYNC out there, but I think using ones with heartthrobs holding puppies is so classically 90's.

This is a perfect Valetine to give your crush, because I think all the guys had a crush on Britney at some point in the 90's.

Aww, Zack and Kelly. Even though they may not have remained together, we were always rooting for them as a couple.

The best part of this card is that the video for All the Small Things is basically mocking all the 90's boy bands we loved in the best way possible. PS- Travis will forever be my crush.

In the classic *NSYNC vs BSB fight, I always picked *NSYNC. It was the first CD I ever bought, I had the biggest crush on Justin Timberlake, and I thought their songs were better. But, I always thought AJ was kinda cute. I think I had a thing for bad boys as a pre-teen.

Aww. Christina Aguilera before she got Dirrty. She used to have such a boho vibe. But I guess everyone did in the late '90's.

Did anyone else watch the Clueless tv show? I think I saw it before I saw the movie, so I was pretty confused as to why the Horowitzes seemed to shape shift. Interestingly enough, pretty much everyone else stayed the same.

And, of course, my personal FAVORITE, The Spice Girls. Any other Spice Girls super fans out there?! I had so many dolls, stickers, and magazines about the Spice Girls. My dad just kinda brought home the cassette tape one day because he saw that it was popular and wow... my sister and I were hooked! My favorite was Ginger Spice ;)

So what were your favorite things about the 90's? I'd also add in TGIF, platform shoes (which I wasn't allowed to wear), roll on glitter, and butterfly clips.

Are you planning to make some 90's pun Valentines for your BFF? What would they say? Let me know in the comments below!