DIY Colorful Jewelry Ornament

Ok guys, two very exciting things for this month. 1, Christmas is coming. And 2, I launched a jewelry shop!!!! Now you can wear gorgeous statement pieces just like me! They’re perfect for adding a pop of color to any outfit. I especially love wearing them to dress up a simple tee shirt and jeans (basically my go-to outfit), or to spice up your party outfits. And, they’re especially glam for all those holiday parties and events you have to attend this month! Swapping out your jewelry can give your dresses a whole new look. Since these jewels are so affordable, they’d be an amazing gift for friends. What if you put them in a super cute package tied with a bow?! These earring ornaments are way more fun than regular ho-hum packaging, and they’re super easy and affordable to do!

You will need:

Plastic Ornaments (similar here)
Cardstock (similar here)
Embroidery floss (similar here)
Styrofoam circle or similar (here)
Scissor (here)
Earrings (here)
Pencil (similar here)
Glue gun

Directions:

1. Open your plastic ornament and trace a circle onto the back of your cardstock.

2. Cut out the circle.

3. Place the cardstock circle against the inner edge of your ornament. Trace around the excess and trim

4. Place your cardstock on a styrofoam circle or something similar and press your earring through to the other side. Try to keep it centered.

5. Add the back of your earring to secure it.

6. Add a string of embroidery thread in a similar or contrasting color so you can hang your ornament

7. Glue your cardstock onto the ornament to hold it in place. You can either use only one side and glue it on all the way around, or use both halves and use a few dots of glue along the inner edge.

Now you can place it in a box, or hang it on the tree until Christmas! I think it looks so glamorous and fun, especially with the pops of pink.

Pssst- all these pieces (and more!) are available in my jewelry shop! Head on over to see the full collection!

Colorful Ornament Making Party

We are SO CLOSE to Christmas! One of my favorite things to do as it approaches is gather up my friends, have a party, and make something for the holidays. I love crafting (is that a secret?) and anytime I get to do it with others, I am in heaven! I wanted to whip up a simple party that brings my friends together to do something I personally LOVE- making ornaments! While everyone else is baking cookies, you can find us creating one-of-a-kind baubles for our tree that we can use year after year. I teamed up with Oriental Trading to create a simple and affordable ornament making party for you and your besties (or kids!) this holiday season.

*This post was sponsored by Oriental Trading. All projects and opinions are my own.

I set up my party by putting a white tablecloth on the table, then stacking a few colorful plates for each setting. I started with a square gold polka dot plate as sort of a charger, then added a red paper dinner plate, a pink paper dessert plate, topped with a pink plastic plate for a little sparkle. It really reflected the light nicely! Then, each setting got a white stocking to customize filled with paintbrushes for the craft projects and a paint palette to keep things neat.

I used plates I already owned to hold all the craft supplies. My small ramekins held the sequins, my cupcake stands held the confetti, and white plastic bowls held misc supplies. My gorgeous pink pitcher was filled to the brim with perfect clear ornaments just waiting to be filled!

The table was filled with all sorts of embellishments to create the ornaments, like pom poms, sequins, tassels, and bells! I also had some craft supplies on hand, like scissors, glue guns, paint trays, and mod podge.

A white cake stand held our paints. I dressed it up with some sisal trees and some wooden frames ready to be painted!

I really wanted the table to have a bright and cheery Christmas palette, so I added the paper fans as a backdrop (DIY here), and matched the decor around these adorable mod napkins! The confetti and sequins worked as both a craft supply and decor.

Even though the color scheme didn't exactly scream CHRISTMAS, I still wanted the party to have a Christmas vibe. What embodies that better than Christmas trees?! I placed them everywhere I could, from the sisal trees on the cake stand, the clear trees surrounding the base, to the paper fans on the wall.

With a party so intimate and cozy, you're bound to have unexpected guests! Just like Roger, who came to take a nap under the table.

Overall I think this party is great for getting everyone in the crafting Christmas spirit. It surprises me that most people don't know about Oriental Trading and how many amazing party and craft supplies they have! With this setup, I can imagine everyone gathered around the table sipping some wine and laughing about funny Christmas stories! Or, maybe swapping memories from their favorite Christmas. Either way, this party is sure to please! Head over to Oriental Trading now so you can get your supplies in time for Christmas!

DIY Confetti Gift Tags

If you're anything like me you've left gift wrapping (and shopping!) to the last minute. Well, don't you worry- I've got just the thing for you! These gift tags are so easy to make, and they're fun and interactive!

They're colorful, adorable, and festive! You can find the full directions on Giggles Galore.

So head over to Giggles Galore, grab your supplies, pop on a Christmas movie, and let's start making them!

DIY Paper Fan Christmas Tree

Merry (almost) Christmas! I'm trying to add some fun color to my decor this year! I wanted something really simple that had a great impact. It's no secret that I love paper fans, so I figured they would be the perfect focal point for my ornament making party! I teamed up with Oriental Trading to get all the supplies I needed. This DIY only takes a few minutes to put up, and it can be used again and again. It would look really cute starting lower and being a photo prop or even as a Christmas tree alternative for a small space. Let's get started!

*This post was sponsored by Oriental Trading. All projects and opinions are my own.

You will need: 

Paper fans (pink, red, blue, light green, dark green)
Tape
Stapler
string or similar

Directions

1. Grab a few different colors and sizes of your paper fans. Lay them out on a floor, table, or other large surface.

2. Open each paper fan and thread the string through the hole at the top. Then, place a small staple just under the hole. I know that the paper fans come with double sided tape, but sometimes it doesn't stick well, and better yet, this method allows you to re-use them! Reduce, reuse, recycle :)

3. Start arranging your fans into a tree shape, starting at the bottom. I tried a few different color combos, and I found that using a pattern was better than going totally random. My pyramid (starting from the bottom) went 3 large fans, 1 large 2 medium, 3 medium, 2 small 1 medium.

4. Once you like your shape and color combo, take a string and roughly measure up the height of the tree and cut. I found that a pair of headphones I had was the exact height of the tree. You might be wondering, why are we doing this? We are using this string as a guide so we can make sure the tree is centered where we want it, and so that we can maintain the right distance between the levels! It's hard to tell when it's laying on the floor, and you don't want to tape everything up and realize it's all wrong.

5. Tape up your guide string, and take a look to make sure it's in the right place and the right height for your space. I placed mine high because I wanted it to be a backdrop for a table. 

6. Starting at the bottom center, tape your first fan, making sure to move the guide string out of the way. Then, tape the next 2 on either side. I fit mine "together", like a zipper, since the pieces went into each other. This made the shape tighter and neater.

7. Go up the rows, adding the center fan and moving outwards. I also tried to cover the hanging string and cardboard of the one below whenever possible. Remember that the shape you created on the floor was an estimate. When you get it up on the wall, it might not look quite as good as it did on the floor. I ended up switching out the top levels and liked the shape much better.

8. You can add a star at the top, or even some small ornaments, like these holographic paper ornaments or quirky animal ornaments if you wanted to decorate it a bit.

I think this backdrop is a great, easy addition for any holiday party! If you wanted to save some money, pick two main colors and alternate them for each row. You can also add a stem/base if you want, but mine would have interfered with the chairs so I left it off. Christmas is fast approaching, so head on over to Oriental Trading now to place your orders!

How do you plan on using your tree? Christmas tree alternative? Door decoration? Photo Booth backdrop? Kids room decor? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY Animal Sweater Ornaments (Perfect for Mini-Trees!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! While I usually decorated in traditional red and green growing up, my dad got us a little 3-foot PINK tree one year. It was the cutest thing! We decorated it with a few small ornaments, and basked in its pretty pink glow. 

Although I don't think I could EVER get my husband to agree to a pink tree in our living room (unless I have 7 daughters, and we all take a vote!) I did get myself a tiny pink mini-tree for the attic. And this mini-tree needed some fun ornaments to go with it. I had stumbled upon this puppy ornament from Neiman Marcus while browsing Pinterest, and knew I needed to make my own version! A few days, 2 coats of paint, and some glitter later, I was ready with an army of festive little animals! The best part (aside from how adorably colorful they are) is that they're not breakable! Plus, you can make them in any color scheme you'd like. So, pop on a Christmas movie, grab your supplies, and get crafting!

You will need:

Plastic animals (here and here)
Acrylic paint (here)
Felt (similar here)
Screw eyes (similar here)
Glitter (here)
Toothpicks
Gluegun
Scissors
Pliers
Embroidery floss (similar here)

Directions:

1. Paint a sweater onto your animals using your acrylic paint. I did it freehand, but you can always use some artist's tape if you don't have a steady hand. I did 2 coats.

2. While they dry, cut a few thin strips of felt for the scarf. Try to be mindful of how large the animals' necks are in comparison to the length and width of the scarf.

3. Paint your scarves with either a thin paint brush or a toothpick. I used the pointy side for the polka dots, and the edge for stripes. I used a paintbrush for the thicker stripes, but overall I mostly used toothpicks.

4. Once the animals are dry, add glitter to the edge of the sweater to jazz it up and provide a clean edge. I used glitter paint, but you can achieve a similar look by using a small amount of equal parts glue and glitter to create your own paste/paint. I found that a toothpick was the perfect tool to get the glitter paint on in a thin line.

5. Glue your scarf in place. I used a small dab of hot glue on the scarf to shut it. If it moved around too much, I added a small dab of glue on the animal to secure it in place.

6. Using your pliers, screw the screw eye into place. I first took the pointy screw side and twisted in to make a small hole, then I used my pliers to twist the screw eye into place. When it gets to a point that it's mostly in, I recommend using your hand to twist it all the way in, so that your pliers don't scratch the paint.

7. Add a small piece of embroidery floss to hang.

Dinosaur ornaments!! I mean, how stinking cute are these?! I know that dinosaurs could never exist among the other animals, but maybe a sweater and a cute scarf could have saved them from extinction.

How cute are these ornaments?! This has become one of my favorite and most fun projects to make on the blog! I really love re-purposing little animal toys, as exhibited by my Circus Animal Drink Stirrers and Zebra Party Tray. You can also use larger toys for a regular-sized tree, but these were perfect for my tiny pink mini-tree! Oh, and did I mention that they make a great necklace? Because they do!

Will these ornaments be joining your tree this year? Or, perhaps your kids' tree?! Let me know what you plan to make in the comments below!