Christine + Ian’s Wedding Invitation

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Kim

These beautiful wedding invitations were a DIY project by Christine and her graphic designer fiancée, Ian. They wanted the invitations to give their guests a sneak peek into their wedding without revealing too much. All of the pieces were designed, trimmed, sawed, glued and cut by their 2 hands—for $200 total. They used their home printer, sewing machine, a laser cutting machine at TechShop (I wish this was place had a location in Chicago), bought paper from Paper-Source and KraftKottage, butcher’s twine, thread, and made buttons cut from branches found on their property. They share the process on how they did it through their blog here.

DIY Project: Bird Mobile

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Kim

This bird mobile was thought up and crafted by a dad in Portland. How awesome is that?! I think this looks better than the chunky plastic mobiles on the market today… and it’s free! Not to mention, it’s made with love. Joel shares the tutorial on how to make your own through the video above. You can download the bird templates here or make your own. Check out his blog for other kid-friendly craft projects.

Vintage Trophy Coat Rack

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Kim

Who doesn’t love more ideas for DIY coat racks? Funny, I just stumbled across this one right after the doorknob coat rack. I like the kitsch and flavor this one has, although I’d be afraid of getting pricked by a pointy finger when hooking my keys on one. Love the idea of recycling your old trophies into something useful. Get the step-by-step instructions on how to deconstruct your trophies and turn them into a wall mount.

Natural Egg Dyes

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Kim

It’s Easter Sunday and we’re taking the morning easy… At the moment I’m making sweet mashed potatoes to bring to my mom’s house and then we’re going to eat at our favorite breakfast spot before hitting the road.

One of my favorite Easter traditions is dying eggs. I love that it forces everyone to be creative in some way… whether it’s choosing your color or drawing something, everyone gets to be an artist for a day. I found this natural egg dye technique on Craftzine and was blown away by how beautiful the colors are. After reading on how to make them, it uses natural food ingredients that are probably already in your house! All you need is some eggs (obviously), leaves (found outside), onion skins, blueberries, asparagus or spinach and an old pair of stockings. Get the step-by-step instructions here.