Dec 24, 2011 | DIY, Media
Nuno Magazine is a quarterly digital publication that showcases craft projects and creative ideas, all of which are eco-friendly, recycled, or upcycled. Its projects have an indie, homemade, Anthropologie-style feel to them, and they’re a great idea if you want to add some decor or try something different wrapping your presents this evening.
The PDF download for the full-length magazine is $5.00, and you can buy their latest issue (and back-issues) here.
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 3, 2011 | DIY
If you celebrate the holidays with trees and wreaths – have you got your decorations up yet? Or are you maybe thinking something…maybe…a little different this year?
When it comes to indoor decor, I’m definitely not a Pottery Barn or a Crate & Barrel person…but when Crrte & Barrel launched their modern-aesthetic catalog, CB2, I feel in love. The spaces are minimalist and well-designed; contemporary and unified. Maybe a bit youthful and hipster (but when did that become an insult, O Internet?) The design sense is just amaaaahhhzing.
In any case, I always love falling into the CB2 catalog and dreaming of redoing my spaces…perhaps it’s just the lack of kid-clutter I find so appealing? 😉 Their ideas for DIY alternative holiday trees are a great place to start:
The Whirly Tree
http://blog.cb2.com/home/2011/10/20/how-to-create-a-whirly-tree.html
The String Lights Tree
http://blog.cb2.com/home/2011/10/20/how-to-create-a-string-lights-tree.html
The Frame Tree
http://blog.cb2.com/home/2011/10/20/how-to-create-a-frame-tree.html
The Chalkboard Tree
http://blog.cb2.com/home/2011/10/20/how-to-create-a-chalkboard-tree.html
~Ideas for Wreaths~
The Bubble Wreath
http://blog.cb2.com/home/2010/10/14/how-to-make-a-bubble-wreath.html
The Snowball Wreath
http://blog.cb2.com/home/2010/10/14/how-to-make-a-snowball-wreath.html
P.S. They also post other DIY home and decorating ideas, so check through the blog archives to see what makeover awaits!
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 25, 2010 | DIY
Have a couple bows left over after the wrapping-extravaganza? Have a whole bunch ripped off of presents in the aftermath? Craft a smaller, point-ier wreath as a counterpoint to a larger piece…as your final Christmas handmade project. I got all my materials at the Dollar Tree, so it only cost me $5 to make – but it’s also a great way to recycle those bows from presents if you don’t want to re-use them next year. Here’s how:
You Need:
*2 packages of small stick-on pointed bows
*one larger stick-on bow
*1 small wreath base (styrofoam)
*red ribbon
And…
*glue gun & gluesticks
*scissors
How-To:
1. Cut a length of ribbon long enough to hang the wreath. Wrap it around the top of the wreath base and secure with glue.
2. Glue the small present bows onto the base, filling the base up completely and staggering them to cover any gaps.
3. Glue the largest bow top center onto the red ribbon.
4. Tie the ribbon to a wreath-hanger or hook to display.
DIY Tutorial for my
Super-Easy $8 Holiday Wreath (the larger wreath, pictured above)
is here.
Happy DIY’ing…and Merry Christmas! Hope it is wonderful!
xoxox
Carly
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Dec 20, 2010 | DIY
Since I’ve posted a how-to for a cheap n easy Easter Wreath and a similar one for a Fall Wreath, I thought a Winter Holiday Wreath was in order. Though you don’t have to buy your bits and bobs at the Dollar Tree per se, I found that they had such a variety of items I could just mix and match add-ons to their pre-fab wreaths…which alone, looked a little sad and like you bought it at the Dollar Store. And we want something a little more fabulous, no?
(Everything except the tiny ornaments I bought at the Dollar Tree…and the ornaments were in the $1 bin at Target near the entrance of the store!) Though the method is a little self-explanatory, I figured why not do something easy when everything’s all caught up in that last-minute countdown to Christmas?
You Need:
*evergreen wreath base
*4 assorted decor sprays (mine had pine needle sprays, pinecones, tiny horns, wrapped packages, and plastic fruit, already affixed!)
*large red velour bow
*pack of tiny ornament balls
And…
*hot glue gun & gluesticks
*wire cutters
How-To:
1. Trim the ends of the decor sprays so they won’t stick out from your wreath. Also: Fluff out the pieces of “evergreen” towards the outside so the wreath looks a little fuller – we’ll be angling all the stuff we’re sticking on towards the inside to create the illusion of a nice, full wreath.
2. Attach the bow at the bottom of the wreath base – mine had a pipe cleaner attached to the back for easy-affixment.
3. Hot-glue the decor sprays around the wreath.
4. Add the tiny ornaments, hot-glued in-between. (I chose ones that were within the same color scheme of my other decorations: red/gold.)
Done!
Okay, that took 5 minutes. Now on to the million batches of cookies I still have to bake!
Did You Know? The familiar stick-on 8-point ribbon bows that so many of us use on our holiday gifts are actually called “German Christmas Stars” (among many other names). There is a great step-by-step illustrated tutorial here for those of you who want to try folding your own (just don’t flatten down the points to get that “present bow” look).
Happy DIY’ing! (And if you’re looking to jazz up this wreath a little bit, do so with my Super-Easy $5 Holiday Wreath Tutorial…coming up shortly!)
xoxox
Carly
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Sep 27, 2010 | DIY
So sorry no post yesterday…I actually took Saturday off! Like, completely off from the blogosphere. I haven’t done that in a long time. (Felt a little guilty, though!;-)
But I let it go and had a great day, taking Lil Tot to a birthday party at a really cool community center I’ve never been to before (with a swirly 2-story water slide and multiple fun-showers in the toddler pool!! And free fitness classes!) and then the Oregon Fiber Arts festival, where I bought a huge skein of mohair since I think I’m going to attempt knitting this sweater…and maybe one of these sweaters or dresses too…someday…and Lil Tot petted the many goats, bunnies, and alpacas there.
Now that he knows alpacas are neither caramels nor tax forms nor fish but are indeed animals…they are his favorite animal recently!
They are so adorable, and make this tiny hiiiiiin, hiiiiiiin sound. I’ve never heard an alpaca cry before. Lil Tot has even renamed his fave game “Duck, duck, goose!” to “Alpaca, alpaca, capybara!” (and the inclusion of the capybara is an even longer story;-)
But I digress. Even though I didn’t post on my blog yesterday, I still DIY’ed!
Following up on my $4 Easter Wreath that I made for…um, Easter…earlier this year, I decided to hit up my local Dollar Tree once again in order to create a beautiful leafy Fall wreath bursting with color. It’s soooo cheap, and it will take you 30 minutes, tops!!
Dollar Store $4 Fall Wreath
Project Difficulty:
(easy/beginner)
You Need:
*medium-sized wreath base ($1)
*3 leafy garlands ($1 apiece – I chose a variety that had tiny pumpkins, acorns, berries, and wheat sheaves attached)
*floral wire (I had on hand, but I saw it at the dollar store as well)
*wire-cutting pliers
*hot glue gun + gluesticks
How To: (the photos are not of the step-by-step since it’s pretty self-explanatory)
1. Cut a small piece of wire and thread it through the end of one of the leafy garlands. Twist it around the wreath base and twist the ends together, hiding the sharp ends inside the wreath.
2. Cut more pieces of wire and tie around the leafy garland in various places as you place it in a circle on top of your wreath base.
3. Continue in the same manner until you’ve layered all 3 leaf garlands atop one another, going round and round the wreath circle.
4. Use hot glue to glue down the leaves to hide any of the wire or stems that may show.
Hang up on your front door and enjoy! The wonderful thing about this wreath is that the color is so vibrant…and it will last FOREVER. (And that it’s about $15 less than similar decorations you might find at Target…or $30 less than those you might find at Pottery Barn…;-)
Happy DIY’ing and Happy Fall!
xoxox
Carly
P.S. I’m not doing a Style it Chic! post today since I’ve got a huge post with ONE WEEK of styling options coming up…hopefully will post tomorrow…
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