Besides balloons, there isn't much that instantly adds a festive feel to a party like streamers and garlands.
Making a honeycomb streamer may be the most satisfying project I've ever made. I couldn't stop smiling when I pulled it apart for the first time and realized what I created. =)
I am sharing some different ways to craft up your own streamers and garlands using very inexpensive materials over at Fiskars.
You can view full tutorials and photos here.
Here is a technique I came up with for wrapping photo frames with paper instead of fabric. I love photo frames, and I have an overabundance of them! This is a great way to breathe new life into old or boring frames.
Hop on over to to the BasicGrey blog here to view my full tutorial and find out the tricks to this easy technique adding lots of impact easily and inexpensively.
I am obsessed with this technique and plan to do a wall grouping of wrapped frames with black and white photos along my stairs!
Summer is in full swing! Are you in need of a mid-summer creativity boost? I'm guest blogging today over at Kiki & Company sharing ideas for super easy summer snacks for the kids ... or anyone young at heart!
This is part of Kiki's Fun in the Sun series going on all July full of new ideas each day to keep summer filled with fun for you and the kids, so be sure to go back and check out the rest of the super fun posts!
You can find my summer snack ideas post right here.
Summer has finally arrived in Oregon, and with the warm temperatures comes lots of outdoor water activities including pools, sprinklers, and the current fave around here until it popped today - the slip 'n slide. My youngest was in a snorkling mask earlier and reminded me of a summer party I created a couple of years ago for Fiskars.
This is likely my favorite invitation of all time, and I've made a ton of invites. It just makes me smile =).
You can view full images and directions for the entire party over at Fiskars here.
Hopefully everyone is enjoying their summer!
We had snow cones today at my daughter's softball tournament, and I was reminded of some I designed for a story opener for Scrapbooks Etc. magazine long ago.
You can make your own following the directions over on their blog here.
The final issue is on newsstands now!
I made some "punny" cupcake flags for the 4th of July and wanted to share them on the blog in case anyone else also needed a last minute idea for party food.
The "sweet land of liberty" flags can be used with any cupcakes or other sweets, but the "freedom rocks" flags were meant to be used with Pop Rocks for sprinkles. When using Pop Rocks on cupcakes, be sure to add them right before serving and add them in a little pile instead of spread all around so that most of the rocks aren't actually touching the frosting and pre-popping.
sweet land of liberty flags: download pdf
freedom rocks flags: download pdf
Be sure to hit refresh if they don't load for you. Just cut them out and adhere folded onto toothpicks, lollipop sticks, or bamboo skewers as I've done here for drama.
While on the topic of the 4th, check out my party from last year here ...
... and an easy patriotic snack here.
Party planning for my son's seventh birthday is in full effect. We are going with a "growing up up up" theme with all things that fly. I am trying to take on all of the projects in my head little by little and will share them on my blog along the way.
First up is this hot air balloon centerpiece I designed for BasicGrey. I've had it in my head for a long time, and it was so fun to finally create. I designed it to be used long after the party is over for fun storage in my office.
You can view full step-by-step photos and tutorial over at the BasicGrey blog here.
I made these popsicle bookmarks with my son's class at the end of the school year to encourage them to continue reading daily during the summer. Since I created the printable for the class, I thought I'd share it here with you, too.
These were inspired by the adorable popsicle invitations I often see for summer parties. Start by printing out the bookmark pdf right here. Hit refresh if it doesn't load for you.
Color the bookmarks before cutting out so you don't have to worry about staying in the lines. If you have an ink jet printer you will likely need to use colored pencils or crayons so the text doesn't smear with markers. Or make a duplicate using a copy machine. Or just skip coloring and print onto colored cardstock.
Cut out and glue a craft stick to the back. If you have a scalloped circle punch, you can take a "bite" out before adhering the stick.
Happy summer reading!
With the kids finally out of school, we are ready to focus on summer! I thought I'd kick it off with a new lemonade party I created for Fiskars. It's a great reason to have people over and a fun theme for decorating.
Fiskars sent me one of their brand new Fuse Creativity Systems which can die-cut and letterpress in one pass! I created this entire party using only one shape and design to showcase its versatility. You can letterpress and die cut:
Or just die-cut:
Or only emboss:
Using lots of materials like chipboard, craft foam, felt, stacks of tissue paper, and thin cork:
Check out the full party here with full projects and directions ... and look for the world launch on HSN this weekend.
I have yet another set of flags to share for teacher gifts. I found these ridiculously cute reusable water bottles by Copco (I promise I have no affiliation with them, I just really like cute cups ha!) at JoAnn's. I thought a lidded bottle would be useful during the summer on-the-go.
When I found out they twist open for adding ice and lemon, I saw an opportunity to use them to present thank you notes to the kids' teachers.
You could obviously add drink packets, treats, gift cards, etc. inside as well. I turned both previously shared sets of my straw flags into these hanging flags. All you do is punch a hole to thread ribbon through to tie onto bottle neck.
You can download all four previous flags ready for bottle hanging here: Download Teacher Bottle Flags.
Make sure to hit refresh if the flags don't load for you.
Tea packet straw flags can be found here.
Lemonade packet straw flags can be found here.
All teacher gift ideas can be found here.
School parties can be found here.
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