DIY easter bunny apron

This year will be my first year hosting Easter dinner for my family, and you know me.. I am going overboard. I'm so obsessed with the idea of forming new traditions with this dinner, so every decision has been something that I want to last for years to come. I got Beatrix Potter plates and carrot patterned cloth napkins, some incredibly cute wicker bunny decorations for the centerpiece, and little carrot shaped drawstring bags that I'll fill with goodies for each guest. Every year we go over my grandmom's for Christmas breakfast and I've always loved seeing the same decorations come out each year, the same sugar bowl, the same pastries from a local bakery. I want my family to feel that way about my Easter dinner. Ten or twenty years from now they'll be like "Yay! The Beatrix Potter plates!" or "I was looking forward to your vegetable pot pie all year!" I will definitely take photos and share details about my dinner afterwards, but today I wanted to show you a really easy quick DIY I whipped up!

I wanted a cute apron to wear on Easter while I'm cooking, since I'll want to be dressed in my Finest Pastels but I do not want to get food all over them. This apron is so incredibly easy to make -- and the only tools you need to make it are hot glue and scissors!



Materials needed:

Plain cotton apron (I got mine at Michaels)
Grey yarn
Wooden buttons
Pink and cream colored felt



Cut out two bunny ears from the cream fabric, and then two smaller bunny-ear shapes from the pink. Hot glue the pink shapes onto the cream shapes to form your ears!

Then simply hot glue the bunny ear pieces onto the straps of your apron (I attached the bottom of the ear to each corner of the apron, and then ran hot glue along the length of strap that the ear would be covering.) Hot glue the buttons on for eyes, and hot glue strips of yarn on to make a nose and whiskers. You could definitely sew this on, too, if you have the right needle for it! I just wanted to whip this up quickly and hot glue was easiest!

And voila - you have a cute little bunny apron for Easter!

DIY wicker accent sunglasses

I am a huge fan of the wicker/rattan trend going on right now. It's just so retro! My local Target has a whole area set up with their '70s inspired wicker on display and I feel like I've stepped into the department store where my Grandmom bought all her furniture 40 years ago. I love it!!

I thought "surely someone must have wicker sunglasses" since it's so popular right now, but when I couldn't find a single pair I decided to make them myself! These are pretty easy but a little time consuming, so put on your headphones and breeze through a few podcast episodes while you fashion yourself a pair of pretty wicker-accented sunglasses!



Materials you'll need:

Round plastic sunglasses (I used these)
Glue*
Natural colored twine (I used this one from IKEA)

I used Gorilla Glue hot glue sticks, which are supposed to be resistant to seasonal temperatures (so I'm hoping that includes hot summer sunshine!)



Start by popping out the lenses from your glasses, and then put them aside. I worked with about 12" of twine at a time, gluing one end to the back of the frames and just wrapping it around. Every so often I'd put a little bit of glue on the back again for added stability. Once you get to the end, cut the twine so that your end piece is in the back of the glasses and glue it down. I let the end piece totally dry down before adding a little more glue for my new piece of twine.

Work all the way around the lenses, except for the part where the arms meet the frames. I deliberately picked tortoiseshell frames because I thought that would look nice against the twine, but this would also look really nice with black frames too. Or hot pink! (I want everything to be pink, lol!)



When I reached the bridge of the frames I decided to add some more pattern to make this more like a real piece of wicker and not just "wrapped" frames. I made an X between the edge of the bridge and the frame, and then I started wrapping over that across the bridge. I think it would also look cool to just leave this part with the tortoiseshell showing through to match the edges, as well. (That would also be a lot easier, ha!)

Finally, the lenses! Obviously they won't fit back into the ridge where they used to be since that is now covered with the twine. So just put a little glue on the back of the frames where the bridge meets the frames, and where the arms meet the frames, and then pop the lenses back in! Make sure you get the lenses in nice and snug so you can still fold the glasses open and closed. And if you do use a glue gun, just be sure to go over the glasses once you're finished and pick off any little glue strands that are left on the glasses.

And that's it! It's a fun project to do at the end of February when spring and floppy hats and pretty dresses (and summery sunglasses!) are just around the corner :)

DIY projector cover

I swear most of the DIY projects that I do for my house are entirely so I can cover up something necessary but unsightly. Usually electronics, because it seems like nobody makes cute ones! Anyway, this is actually more like a "look what I made!" kind of post than a full on DIY but I'm definitely still going to explain how I did it in case you want to do something similar :)

I have a projector and pull-down screen instead of a television, which means that above my bed I have a grey projector attached to my wall with cords going down behind my bed. It's always bothered me, but I wasn't really sure how to cover it up. Then I got this shelf, and situated it so that my projector rested above it slightly. Then I made a cardboard cover that I can put over it whenever it's turned off.

I really only watch tv at night, so during the day the projector is turned off and I cover it up as part of my making-the-bed routine every morning now. I just found a box that was the right size to fit over the projector and I painted it to look like a little house! I used acrylic paint for most of it and then used a black sharpie to add some detail, like the shingles and little window boxes. I added a drawer pull to the top so that it's easy to take the cover on-and-off, and I also cut out the entire back of the box and part of the side. Two reasons - a) it helps the box to fit over the wires and b) I don't actually want the cardboard to touch the projector. Even though I only cover it when it's turned off I still want to be extra careful.



And voila! Isn't it so cute?! I also got a cord cover and painted it to match my wall so that I didn't just have black cords hanging down the wall anymore. I can be a bit obsessive (okay, VERY obsessive) about making sure that literally every single element of my living space is functional AND pretty, and this finally solved one not-pretty thing that had been getting under my skin for a few years.



ps. my rattan shelf is from urban outfitters here, and my vintage inspired bedding is available in my threadless shop here.

Before/After daisy bookshelf

I just got this vintage wicker bookshelf last week and I'm so happy with how my paint job turned out! I painted the shelf light pink and then I painted the daisies off-white with yellow centers. It was a much more time-intensive job than I anticipated, taking about 4 hours total, but it was so worth it! Here is a before and after shot to show what a difference a little paint can make!



The shelf had originally been painted dark green, and then somebody spray painted it a light cream color on top. But they didn't do a great job, with lots of the dark green seeping through. The cream color was also yellowing from age, and even though I wiped it down it still looked really dirty. I think it would have looked so pretty natural, without any paint at all, but I wouldn't even know where to begin to get it to look like that. I absolutely love how it turned out, though! And I'm so glad that I painted the daisies white and yellow instead of slathering the whole shelf in pink paint. It adds more visual interest and makes the piece look more unique, I think!

I bought this piece used (obviously, haha) but someone on ebay has shorter 3-shelf versions of this shelf brand new, right here. I actually bought one of the little ones and I'm debating whether or not I'll paint it to match. Hmm..

DIY houseplant for your cat

Lately Arrietty has really been enjoying rubbing her face in my houseplants. They're cat safe, so I don't have to worry for her sake, but my plants on the other hand! They're already looking a little the worse for wear because of the lack of sunshine this time of year, and those cat nuzzles are not helping matters any. So I decided to make Arrietty her own plant that she can rub her face in as much as she wants! She's already taken a liking to it so I'd say this DIY was a success!



Materials needed:

A ceramic pot
Plastic grass
Two feather stick cat toys
River rocks
Spray catnip
Styrofoam plant base
Brown kraft paper
Non-toxic glue



When you're shopping for the greenery, make sure you pick something with very substantial leaves that your cat won't be able to ingest. Mine had some small, thin pieces sticking out of it so I plucked them out beforehand.

Add some river rocks to the bottom of your pot for weight, and then put the styrofoam on top of it. Insert your plastic greenery. Using a sharp utility knife, cut off the bulk of the stick on the feather toys and then insert the shorter sticks into the styrofoam.

I forgot to take pictures of the next step, but to cover up the styrofoam just attach small crumpled pieces of brown kraft paper to the foam with non-toxic glue. Once the foam is entirely covered in the brown paper (I did two layers of paper to make sure the foam was totally inaccessible) spritz the ends of the leaves with catnip spray to entice your kitty away from your pretty parlor palms and into their own feline garden!

I can't say how happy I am with this project! Arrietty is content with her plant and has been staying away from the real plants. I just spray the leaves whenever I think it needs a little catnip refresh.

DIY button display

Lately I've been making a lot more buttons (mostly because I can make them myself, so it's much more budget-friendly than having lapel pins produced) and I wanted a way to display some of my favorites in my studio. This DIY is so incredibly simple, and if you have an overwhelming collection of buttons, it's the perfect way to turn them into wall art when they aren't being worn :)



Materials you'll need:

A picture frame (I used an 8x10 frame, but use whatever size you'd like!)
A heavy duty stapler
7/8" wide grosgrain ribbon
Masking tape
A piece of patterned paper, cut to 8x10
Buttons!



Start by removing the glass from the frame and putting your patterned paper in. Then cut lengths of ribbon that are long enough to wrap around the edge of the frame and lay them out where you want them to go. At this point you should take a few of your buttons and lay them on the ribbons to make sure the spacing will work. I decided to only display 1.5" buttons on my frame, so four ribbons worked perfectly for me. If you'll be displaying 2.25" or 1" buttons your spacing might be different.

Once you've decided how to space everything, take your masking tape and secure the ribbon in place. This is not only easier than measuring (I'm all for doing things the right way, but I'm even *more* for doing things the easy way. lol!) but it will help hold the ribbon secure when you're stapling it in place.



Flip your frame over, and staple the ribbons on the back. Do the same thing for the bottom of the ribbon, making sure to pull the ribbon very taut to make sure it won't sag when you hang the buttons.

And honestly, that is IT! You're done! Just attach your buttons, and hang it up on the wall!



All of the buttons pictured here were designed by me and they're available in my shop right here!

DIY girl power protest sign

The annual women's march is coming up this weekend and I'm here to help if you need an easy last minute sign! I feel so much more optimistic and excited about the march this year. In 2017 it was a really solemn occasion. It was cathartic, but I felt so hopeless. But now that Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker again and we have over 100 women in Congress for the first time (!!) and we're getting SO close to the 2020 election, I just feel so much more energetic and hopeful!



Materials you'll need:

2 sheets of colored poster board
1 sheet of foam board
My free template (download here)
Scissors
Utility knife

You'll also need either sticker paper, white paint, or white card stock and glue depending on which method you want to use and what materials you already have on hand if you're doing this at the last minute :) Be sure to read through the whole tutorial before deciding how you want to make your sign since I have a few different ways. It's kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure protest sign, lol!



If you want to make a double-sided sign with a handle, you'll need to use all three pieces of board. If you're just going to make a double-sided or single-sided sign to hold with your hands, you can leave out the foam board.

Start out by cutting a large circle out of the board. If you have a garbage can lid that you can trace, that's probably the easiest way to do this. I didn't have one (our garbage lids are rectangular, darn it!) so I tied a piece of string to a pencil and drew it that way (there's a tutorial for this method on youtube here.)



If you have white sticker paper, print out the template onto the paper and then cut out each letter. Lay out your design and then stick each letter to the board one by one.

If you're going to paint the letters onto the sign, print out the template onto plain paper and then cut out and trace the letters onto your board.

And if you're using paper and glue, print out the template onto white card stock, cut out the letters, and then glue them onto the board.



If you're using a handle, tape it to the bottom of the foam board and sandwich the foam board in between the two pieces of poster board. I also edged my foam board with red masking tape to make it look prettier ;) Most cities only allow cardboard for sign handles, since wood or metal can be dangerous, so make sure whatever material you're using is OK before attaching it!

ps. This design is also available on t-shirts, totes, mugs, etc. in my Threadless shop right here, and it's included in my new feminist button set right here.

DIY water bottle tripod

Last year I recorded one second of video everyday (using this app) and after a couple months of trying (and usually failing) to prop up my phone on various surfaces, I realized that I needed some kind of tripod that I could carry with me. Something to have on hand whenever a "one second" opportunity arose. I didn't want to weigh down my bag with a portable tripod, so I decided to work with what I already carry everywhere - a water bottle! This is honestly the easiest DIY on earth and it works so well. I made two "tripods" using my 16oz bottle that I take with me when I go out, and my 40oz bottle that I drink from at home.



Materials needed:

A water bottle
(If you don't already have one, here is a 16oz bottle, and here's a 40oz bottle)
A cell phone - pretty floral case optional ;)
An adhesive phone ring
An adhesive ring mount



Attach the phone ring to the back of your phone case, and attach the ring mount near the top of your water bottle. Let the adhesive cure for about 12 hours before hanging your phone from the mount. Since these rings swivel around, you can take video and photo horizontally or vertically.

And that's it! SO EASY! And it makes taking pictures and video a hundred times easier, especially if you're planning on trying to do the one second a day challenge this year. It also makes it easier to get selfies with your cat ;)

DIY salt dough cat ornaments

If you're looking for a last minute Christmas gift that you can whip up at home, look no further! Salt dough ornaments are so easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now, so you don't even have to leave the house! I decided to make custom cat ornaments for all of my family members based on their own cats (and then a hot air balloon for my cat-less grandmother!) They came out SO cute and I even made a little Arrietty one for myself!



Materials needed:

2 c. flour
1c. salt
1c. cold water
acrylic paint
mod podge (optional)
paintbrushes
ribbon
template (download here)

Mix the flour and salt together, and then add the water until the dough is smooth. Knead the dough for ten minutes (mine didn't actually get very smooth until I had already been kneading it for a few minutes, so make sure to be patient with the dough!) and then let it rest for 20 minutes.



You can definitely try to use cookie cutters for your dough, but I prefer the more homemade look of hand-molding them myself. I placed some plastic wrap over my template so that it wouldn't stick, and then I rolled up little balls of dough and used the template to shape them into a cat head. Then I used a large plastic needle to poke a hole at the top for ribbon and placed the cats onto a greased cookie sheet that I lined with aluminum foil.

Bake at 250' for 2 hours and then let cool completely before you paint them.



I painted my cat heads to look like all of the cats in my family, but very loosely. I just wanted them to look simple, not like photographs. When they're all finished, give them a coat of Mod Podge (or honestly clear nail polish would work too!) and then add a ribbon in the hole. And voila! A very thoughtful homemade present :)

DIY Joyeux Noël tree topper

I've been looking for a cute tree topper for a few years now and still haven't found anything that really felt *perfect* to me. Then I saw these metallic pipe cleaners at AC Moore last week and a lightbulb lit up over my head! I am so incredibly thrilled with how this came out, and I think it'll be at the top of my tree for many years to come :)



You'll need:

This Joyeux Noel printable template
Pipe cleaners (I used these from AC Moore)
Scissors



Begin by tracing the letters with the pipe cleaners. I only used the rose gold color, but I think this would also be so pretty alternating each letter with a different metallic color!

Every time that you come to a joint (like where the two loops of the J meet) wrap the wire around itself so that it holds the shape. Each time that you need a new pipe cleaner, just twist the ends together with about 1" overlapping to make sure it's very secure. I did Joyeux separate from Noel and then combined them in the next step--



To attach Joyeux to Noel, just take a little piece of pipe cleaner (about 2") and wrap it around the two pieces to secure them together. I attached the J to the N, the X to the L, and (not pictured) the Y to the O.



Finally take one more piece of pipe cleaner (I used silver since it's the color of my tree!) and fold it in half, then slide it over the O in Noel. Twist the pipe cleaner pieces together, and then just wrap it around the top of your tree! You could definitely do this with other phrases, the Francophile in me just loves saying Joyeux Noël :)