craft: heart dream catcher

February already. It's not too late to begin the New Year's resolution that you promised yourself to take on - be more creative! Here's one that is simple to learn and beautiful to see finished - the blanket stitch. I created these hearts exactly four years ago to the very day that I'm writing this post (1/25/11, totally not planned) and have used them in different ways since. This year, I'm turning them into this:

I sewed the hearts to each other and then tied them to this casualty of crafts that once lived on my front door. The easy craft is one of my favorites - even if the hearts are totally not the same shape. 

celebrate: pink & gold baby shower

I had the privilege of working on a baby shower for a friend who is about to have her first baby - a girl! The co-host is one of my favorite people in the world, and she often calls on my crafty services to add a little glitter to her events!

First, I really wanted to attempt this hot air balloon centerpiece but failed, again and again, to create it. Ultimately, I found Easter baskets at Goodwill, spray painted them gold, attached the balloons to the baskets, and added gold tissue paper for filler. Love how they turned out!

Guests signed paper dots that will be added to a print that I quickly created with this free graphic. Once the baby is born, I'll add her name and digits, and the print will hopefully be added to the new nursery. 

This balloon chandelier was the inspiration behind the baby version we created here (right). With baby pictures of the mom- and dad-to-be, we created a pink balloon chandelier at the entrance. 

And finally, with this inspiration, I created these easy party favors for guests to take home, full of sixlets (how did I miss these as a child?).

holiday: valentine's craft round-up

Looking at posts of IHB past, we've done a bit of Valentine's Day craft posts here. In honor of the upcoming holiday, here is a short round-up of four previous projects. Get out your sewing machine or take the glitter project outside - it's time to try something! Click on links below for tutorials.

 

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celebrate: vintage toy baby shower

Every once in a while, I put down the hammer and take DIY to the computer. This was the case with this adorable vintage toy themed baby shower. A girlfriend in Southern California reached out to me to create custom pieces for games and activities that the guests would enjoy during a friend's baby shower she was hosting.

Each guest received a paper onesie to write down their wish for the mom-to-be, and then each onesie was clipped on to string in front of the mantel. Above the fireplace she spelled out the parents' names in vintage block letters - so cute!

The hostess wanted the guests to guess the sex, weight, height, birthdate and even name of the little one. The guest that gets the closest correct answers will receive a prize! This is such a fun way to keep the excitement even after the event.

Another creative game was to match the children's book quote to the book title and author. This was a tough one - I'm sure this took serious brain power but an innovative way to make guests dig into their memory bank.

And the real star of the show had nothing to do with paper but with the creative assembly of these vintage toys sprinkled throughout the shower.

Finally, guests went home with homemade banana nut bread made by the hostess. She asked me to create labels with this perfectly appropriate saying - such a warm way to send guests home.

craft: DIY marble tile tray

The word of the week around here is marble. First, I amazed you with the finished work of our kitchen backsplash and now this DIY project. Since I was already making a hot mess around here with adhesive, grout and cutting tile, I figured, let's just contain the insanity!

I had an Ikea serving tray sitting around that has gone through a few DIY efforts, but nothing worth showing off. Since the marble backsplash project left me with a box full of marble pieces that were useless to the kitchen, I married the hopeless tray to the needless marble. And finished a project that I had always wanted to do. (all remaining pieces went to a new home after posting on the 'free' section of Craigslist)

Luckily for all parties involved, the new design - which as you can probably see - has no brilliant pattern but is instead the result of a haphazard jigsaw puzzle. I only needed to cut three pieces and adhered this pattern down (using Simple Fix Pre-Mixed Adhesive and Grout) before my OCD kicked in (I'm staring at it now and rethinking this post ...).

After I finished grouting the backsplash, I threw caution to the wind and added the grout only 6 hours after adhering it to the tray. I'm pretty sure I'll face the punishment one day, but for now, how freakin' cute is this thing!?! Not sure if I'm more proud of the tray or the entire backsplash.

To inspire you and for more detailed directions on how to customize your own tray, here are four different and easy tutorials.

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home: kitchen renovation phase 5

It's been well over three months since the last kitchen update, but I promise you that things have been getting done - slowly. With the holidays, birthdays and laundry, the cosmetic tasks of this reno have been completed over time. I had my heart set on the white subway tile, but after putting that shiny tile against the stark white cabinets, the tile looked almost 'off-white' and I was back to the drawing board.

I always loved marble. Always. But the cost of adding a marble counter top was out of the question. So when I came to this fork in the backsplash road, we decided on a marble patterned backsplash that was on sale. During one Sunday, we put up the backsplash and 4 months later during an 8 hour window, I added the grout. 

The grout. This was a love-hate-hate relationship. Because we were dealing with marble, I did a lot of research - it's important to get non-sanded grout, sealer, wiping down, etc. My best teacher was Thrifty Decor Chic with her marble tile instal tutorial. 

During the cabinet installation, my brother added the crown molding and baseboards. Since then, I have finished by sanding, filling in the gaps and painting both.

Also, I painted the exposed walls with the same color that were recently painted in the living room - Moonshine by Benjamin Moore. I love looking through the spaces and seeing a uniform color.

Left to finish: floating shelves around windows, windowsill, paint the ceiling (need a tall ladder), paint under cabinets, and whatever else I find in the process.

wedding: Jessica & Jim

Today's wedding is brought to you from the very small California town of Volcano - a town with so much charm and history that it raised this beautiful bride and hosted this perfect couple on their wedding day. The wedding weekend was so heartfelt: the bride's local family welcomed all of the guests with open arms, the ceremony took place in the amphitheater, the reception in the town hall, guests only needed to walk, local pies served as dessert - I didn't want the weekend to end! Since you couldn't be there, you will definitely see the beauty of this town - and Jessica and Jim - through these stunning photos.

Ceremony Location: Volcano Amphitheater | Reception Venue: Volcano Armory Hall | Photography by Kathryn Rummel | Catering by Hotel Sutter | Floral by friends | Pies by Kneading Dough Bakery | Music by No Limits DJ | Day of Coordinator: Debbie Cotton Celebrates