a month in chalk . . .

I can't believe that this year is almost at an end!! December always goes by way too fast and the new year seems to creep up on us whether we want it to or not!! I apologize for the non-postage this month- I have been super busy making chalk art. Here is a little peek at some of the work that I did this holiday season!!

 :: for an Australian Wedding ::

 :: a custom Anthropologie cutting board ::

 :: a sweet baby shower gift ::

 :: Christmas gift for a chef ::

 :: another Christmas gift for the kitchen ::

:: a custom vintage framed chalkboard for the dining room ::

XOXO

DIY home made birthday gift

One of my favorite things to do is to give gifts!! No matter what the occasion, making something special for someone you love is the best feeling on earth. I am so blessed to have an amazing group of friends in my life and this past weekend I delivered a very special birthday gift to my friend Katie. She has a beautiful family and our dear friend Kelly of wild {whim} photography took this gorgeous picture of them. I had an idea! Off to Michaels I went to buy a sliver of wood to transfer the picture onto! I hammered a little picture hanger to the back for easy installation, and there you have it! A unique, one of a kind gift made from the heart. For the full tutorial,  check out our post here. 

 I have told you before it is all in the packaging for me, it's like icing on a cake.  Every gift needs the perfect topping. For the family portrait I knew that I wanted to make a sweet little bag to wrap it in, so I got out my sewing machine and got to stitching. The end result was exactly what I wanted. . . gift wrap as well as an extra little gift that can be reused again and again! It's easy as pie. . .

 Supplies: your gift, fun fabric, scissors, silk ribbon, sewing machine

STEP 1: cut your fabric to size. I like to keep the fold at the bottom to eliminate a seam!

 STEP 2: Lay your fabric with the right side on the table. Fold over each of the 2 long ends to about 1 or 1-1/2 inches and make a crease. You can pin these if you’d like and remove the pins as you sew, or you can simply watch the line and keep it folded on the crease as you sew. Sew on the cut edge of the fabric, creating a pocket  for where your string will go. Sew both sides. 

STEP 3: Once both sides are sew with their folds, fold the fabric in half with the right side in. You’ll now want to sew up the 2 sides of the fabric in just one straight line. But DON’T sew over the holes of the folded edge part you just sewed. STOP before you get across these. You need these both open to get your string through.

STEP 4: Turn your bag to the right side out. You should have 4 sewn lines – 

2 folded over sewn lines for the string and 2 sewn lines to make the bag.

 STEP 5: Cut your ribbon, about 2-3 feet, depending on how large your bag is, 

and attach a safety pin to it.

STEP 6: With your safety pin as a guide, thread your string through the holes in the bag. Go through one side and continue on to the other side. Take off the safety pin and tie the two ends together.

Now you can cinch up your bag and it’s ready for some fun treasures!

With my little drawstring bag complete, I stuffed my heart felt gift inside and 

hand delivered the package.

XOXO

Laura

fathers day gift idea

In celebration of all the fathers out there that love to enjoy a cocktail or two, here is a simple, yet meaningful gift that is personal+practical. . .

{SUPPLIES: Modpodge, 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" tile, a small brush, and clear Polycrylic }

{STEP 1:} photocopy your favorite pics onto cardstock. I was lazy and used my color printer

{STEP 2:} trim the pics to size + modpodge onto tile

{STEP 3:} once the modpodge is dry, paint a coat of polycrylic onto your pics

I have to admit, this project came about because I bought these stone ice cubes that I thought were neat. But at the same time, I thought to myself "what a random Father's Day gift?" Our dad LOVES his whiskey but I realized my gift needed something more personal.

{STEP 4: Presentation is everything! Tie your best ribbon, twine, or rope around these suckers and your gift is complete and sure to impress!}

These were super easy, cost $1 a pop, and turned out better than I expected! I am definitely going to make these more often. . . birthdays, party favors, any holiday really!

DIY :: stationary set

This weekend's DIY project is perfect for Mother's Day. There is nothing more personal than a custom stationary set complete with hand-dyed feather pens! For under $20 bucks you can create a magical gift that is one of a kind. Hey, you could make one for yourself cause it looks pretty amazing on your desk too!

SUPPLIES

feathers (I bought mine at Michaels)

pen inserts

rit dye - pick 3 colors that you love

mason jars or bowls to place the dye in

cardstock

envelopes

envelope liner template

double sided tape or gluestick

 Fill mason jars halfway with hot water and add your rit dye

 Place wet feathers into the jars, let stand for about 5 minutes. The longer the feathers sit, the more saturated the color will be!

 After you reach your desired color, flip the feathers over and soak the other half in a different color dye

 Remove the ink cartridge from a pen using needle nosed pliers, if you have em!

 Cut the pen to the length of the white stem of the feather

 Insert the pen into the feather and there you have it! Gorgeous hand dyed feather pens!

 Print your design and wrap it up!

Like us on Facebook and receive a free download of our navajo design!

XOXO

{gluten free} donut recipe

Donut batter:

2 cups gluten free all purpose baking flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray donut pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds and butter and beat until just combined. Spray doughnut cavities with cooking spray or brush with butter.  Fill each donut cup approximately 1/2 full. We poured the batter into a zip-loc bag and cut a hole in the corner to fill the cute little cups more easily. . . it is really fun too!!

Bake 5-8 minutes or until the top of the donuts spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 4–5 minutes before removing. Finish donuts with vanilla glaze.

Vanilla glaze:

1 cup confectioner’ s sugar

1 tbsp. almond milk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

2 drops of liquid blue food coloring

2 drops of liquid green food coloring
White nonpareils

In small bowl, stir together sugar, milk and vanilla extract until sugar is completely dissolved. Add food coloring and stir until color is uniform.  Use immediately to glaze doughnuts.  Sprinkle on nonpareils.

I boxed up these tiny bits of donut happiness to celebrate a co-worker's special day!!

 { recipe adapted from sprinkle bakes }

CREATE :: baby shower gift

Baby showers are always about, well the new baby of course!! But what about the mamas? They deserve a little love too, right?? This gift idea is perfect for new mothers as well as the mighty mamas who have gone through this more than once. Our dear friend Ava is about to pop out her second baby, so we decided to give her our homemade HOSPITAL SURVIVAL KIT. . . here is a peek at what's inside!!

1. snazzy knee high socks to roam the hospital halls

2. ball o' hair ties in beautiful jewel tones

3. RISE vitamin water. every new mom needs a little healthy pick me up

4. milk chocolate bar. just because

5. burt's bees tinted lip moisturizer in TIGER LILY for that post baby glow

6. Sally Hansen's MELLOW YELLOW nail polish

7. burt's bees moisturizing facial towelettes

8. germ blaster to keep her bundle of joy protected

{ pack it }

 { label it }

{ share it }