Dec 29, 2017 | DIY
It’s officially Party Season (TM) – and that means glittery, festive, fun, loud, joyful celebrations!
I really love making my own party hats (or putting children to work making party hats 😉 ) because they’re easy, cheap, and I can make them to completely coordinate with the party theme. Plus I can make them from scraps lying around! Perhaps you’ve never tried making your own, maybe because you don’t have time or it seems like a pain. But you may find that once you get [that party] started…you can’t stop! Now, let’s all hum that tune as we head on down to the how to…
How to Make a DIY Party Hat from Cardstock and Ribbon
You Need:
8.5″ x 11″ cardstock // Party Hat Template (click to download the PDF) // tinsel garland (I found this star version at Michael’s) // ribbon (not pictured – I used silver curling foil wrapping ribbon) // pen // scissors // stapler // box cutter // tape (not pictured)
How To Make a DIY Shooting Stars Party Hat:
1. Trace Party Hat Template onto the back of your cardstock.
2. Cut out the template from the cardstock. Use the box cutter to slice where indicated.
3. Curl the cardstock into a cone shape, and slip the edge tab into the slit you cut. Secure with some tape on the inside.
4. Thread one end of the ribbon into one of the small slits at the base of the hat.
5. Secure with tape, and then cut to desired length. (Make sure that it’s long enough to tie under your chin!) Do the same for another piece of ribbon and the other side of the hat.
6. Now the fun part: decoration! Staple the garland to the bottom of the hat.
7. Twirl the garland around the cone hat, securing with staples if necessary. At the top, twist downwards and tuck into the hole at the top of the hat. Secure with more tape on the inside.
And that’s it! It will take you less than 5 minutes tops – with a fun and unique party hat!
Have a Happy New Year’s, everyone! I just love a glittery beginning!
xo
Carly
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Jul 12, 2014 | DIY, Score!
The brand-new Canadian line, TRENDiY Art, was recently kind enough to send me one of their fun DIY kits to review.
TRENDiY Art is a new line of art and craft activities for tweens and teens, and is all about making cool jewelry and fashionable accessories. They provide not only all the materials to make these projects in the kits, but also a full-length fashion magazine with styling ideas and DIY possibilities. 
I decided to open up the Mexican Bracelets kit and try my hand at some embroidery thread-wrapped bracelets. 
They were super-easy to make and a cute, colorful addition to my stack of arm adornment. Here’s how to make them:
You Need:
TRENDiY Art Mexican Bracelets Kit / scissors
How To:
1. Start by double-knotting one thread around your bangle.
2. Wrap the thread around multiple times.
3. Change color by tying a new thread to the old one with a double knot, then cutting off the old thread.
4. Wrap the second color around, covering up the end of the old color and the end of the new color.
5. Continue all the way around, until you reach the beginning of your wrapping.
6. Add a third contrasting color wrapped around your base colors for texture.
7. When done, tie your final thread to the tail of the thread you tied on in the beginning, and snip all extra ends.
You can use 2 or 3 different colors rolled together for different looks, switch up the colors frequently, or tie many colors loosely around (even finishing your bracelet with a handmade tassel!) Plus you can hand-sew on some crystals, or even thread on some beads as you wrap for a totally different look.
Make it your own, make it colorful, and make it fun!
These kits make it very easy to create your own DIY projects since they come pre-stocked with everything you need. Totally on-trend and fun, TRENDiY Art kits are a great gift or engaging activity for any avid DIY’er in your life.
Currently only available in the UK, you can get your hands on 3 of these exclusive kits by entering the giveaway below!
Giveaway
One lucky reader will win 3 TRENDiY Art Kits! Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
xo
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was sent 4 DIY kits to review from TRENDiY Art. I have received no other compensation for this post. The above opinions are my own. To read my full Disclosure Policy, click here.
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Feb 9, 2014 | DIY
Last week I shared how to make some easy pastel-colored French macarons, and today I’m going to share what to do with the ones you’ve made. You don’t want them just sitting around, right? How about making them into something even better, like a cute little stack holding a message of love for your sweetheart? It looks adorable sitting on a desk, makes a great gift for children or teachers, and is quite easy to make as the clay is soft enough to poke holes into without power equipment. Here’s how:
You Need: (more…)
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Feb 2, 2014 | DIY
Who isn’t obsessed with French macarons lately? They seem to be everywhere: flooding Pinterest, on inspiration boards, in recipe guides, and all over Instagram. Though I love love love the real ones as an occasional indulgence, sometimes I want to have some around as sweet little objets d’art, and as the basis for another fun craft for Valentine’s Day I have coming up. 
They could also be used in jewelry and accessory projects too! (More on that later.) In the first of my series on Japanese-inspired Deko Sweets, here is how to make your very own (extremely realistic!) pastel-colored French macaron out of clay:
You Need: (more…)
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Jul 15, 2012 | DIY
A few of you asked for the instructions for making the milk carton bird feeder I featured in this post, so I scanned the original instructions from Parents Magazine to share with all of you.
How to Make a DIY Bird Feeder Out of an Upcycled Milk Carton
{click on photo to enlarge}
Tips They Didn’t Include:
*Although it doesn’t mention this in the instructions, it is extremely difficult to paint over a milk carton with acrylic paint. It took me 5 coats to even get to the opacity shown above!! (I swear, I studied that photo for near to 15 minutes trying to figure out how they got it that opaque-looking.) I’d highly recommend either lightly sanding the surface, or ideally, applying a coat of primer first and then doing your acrylic paint. That way it should be much easier to get a solid color to the feeder.
*Although this isn’t mentioned in the instructions either, since this bird feeder is probably going to be used outside (right?) a good coating of spray sealant is highly recommended. Once my sprinklers hit it that acrylic paint cracked up completely.
How to Get Birds to Come to Your DIY Milk Carton Bird Feeder:
*place it slightly at or above (an adult’s) eye level, in a sheltered area
*place it away from squirrels, cats, or other predators that may scare away the birds
*make the opening only large enough for the type of bird you’re looking to feed (not large enough for squirrels or crows, etc)
*essentially it’s not the color of the feeder that attracts the birds, it’s more the location, accessibility, and food. (Except for hummingbirds, who are attracted to the color red.)
*place something shiny, like a piece of metal, on the feeder. Birds love shiny objects!
Source
Hope that works for you guys! It’s a super-fun craft to do with your kids (or even by yourself for your garden, deck, or patio!) – so definitely try it out. Ours is drawing a number of birds to it every morning!
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
~If you liked this craft, please share it!~
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