DIY Coffee Filter Monogram Letters

As I may or may not have mentioned a few times before, my sister got married over Christmas break! As her maid of honor (and more importantly sister) I got to help out with a lot of dreaming and scheming to make the big day happen. One of my favorite projects was planning a bridal shower in our hometown for her. Showers are SO fun, because you get to plan crafts, food, the whole shebang! Today I'm sharing one of my favorite DIY projects from that day! I wanted something fun to hang above the food table, and created....

DIY Coffee Filter Monogram Letters

What you'll need: 

cardboard, sharpie, scissors or a boxcutter, coffee filters, coffee or tea, cake pan, hot glue

1. First, you'll need to draw the shape of your letters on the cardboard and cut it out. It's important to try and find cardboard that is thick enough to hold its shape, but not too hard to cut through. 

2. Next, start folding your coffee filters. I used about 50 for two 1.5 foot tall letters. You'll need to fold them in half, then in half again to create a triangle shape like shown below. Try not to squash them too much during the process — you'll want them to still look ruffly and keep their folds. Place your folded filters into a cake pan. 

3. Brew tea or coffee and pour it over your letters, trying to distribute them evenly. I used coffee for half of mine, and tea for the other half so that my end result would have two slightly different colored letters. Pour enough coffee to coat all of the filters, but try not to leave too much liquid sitting at the bottom. Your filters will start to flatten out at this point, but as long as you don't push down on them they'll regain their shape after they dry. 

4. Put the pan in the oven! Check on them every once in awhile, and once they are completely dry take them out. (IMPORTANT: They need to be completely dry. If they're damp at all, they'll eventually start to mold. This happened to me with my first batch... it was disgusting. Learn from my mistakes! That being said, I'm assuming they'd catch on fire or something if you left them in for too long. Lesson learned: just check them. A lot.) My filters were dry after about 15 minutes on medium heat. 

5. Hot glue the filters onto your cardboard letters in your desired pattern! 

(Excuse the poor quality photo! My phone that had all nice photos of this project finalized bit the dust recently... so I stole this from my sister's Instagram.)

And voila! An elegant party decor idea that is (literally) made of trash.

DIY Teacup (Anti)Candle

The fact that I'm not allowed to have candles burning is one of my greatest laments about dorm-life. Lately, a bunch of women on my floor have been using Scentsy's, and they smell absolutely delectable! But after seeing their steep cost, I figured this was a perfect place to save some cash and find my own way to create a Scentsy instead. 

1. Gather up some cute teacups and candles. I used a bunch of these tiny candles that I was never going to burn, but this would also be a great place to use candle nubs — those awkward little bits of candle left after you burn most of it.

2. Pull out the wicks. Usually you can do this by flipping the candle upside down and pulling on the small silver circle on the bottom, but if that's not possible you can just pick them out as the candle melts.

3. Break the candles into small chunks. Be aware that this can leave a waxy residue on the surface you break them on, so be sure to lay down something to cut on. 

4. Combine scents and flavors that seem to go together into your teacups (I created one fruity, summery scent and another warm, sugary vanilla scent!) and place them on a candle warmer until all of the wax becomes liquid. (NOTE: Don't have a candle warmer? I swear, these things are the #1 hot commodity at thrift stores! They're everywhere. My local thrift store had an entire box of them, all selling for $1.00)

Now you have a reusable "Scentsy" that is dorm-safe, kid-safe and (in my humble opinion) far prettier and daintier.

What have you been creating lately?? 

My Handmade Coffee Sack Backpack

Happy Sunday, dear readers! 

Today I'm here to share a project I've been working on for awhile now. One day this summer I was at a local coffee shop casually sipping on my iced americano when I saw some burlap coffee bean sacks on sale for $2 each. They all had really unique patterns and came from all over the world, and the moment I saw them I know I wanted to make something. We were destined to be together, those sacks and I.

So, I started sewing. I knew I wanted to make some sort of slouch-styled bag, so I sort of just started making a bag shape while obsessively watching episodes of Orange is the New Black  (anyone else helplessly addicted to this show?? I am not a tv person, but I may or may not have finally caved into subscribing to Netflix just for this show... oh, and Lost) and this is where it ended up! Since I didn't really plan ahead I don't exactly have a DIY to share, but I'm hoping this project can at least spur some inspiration

I found the pleather-ish material at JoAnn fabrics and thought it would be a good addition for the base and straps since it's quite a bit sturdier than the burlap. I also found the clasp there, and the tribal patterned ribbon was something I found buried in my craft box.

So far this bag has held up great, even carrying heavy things like textbooks. And the nice thing about creating things from scratch is that them totally customized to your own style and needs.

What sewing projects have you guys been working on lately?

 
// dress: thrifted // brown lacey thing: Forever 21 //

Temporary Tattoos: DIY & Inspiration

// 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 //

Until a few weeks ago, the words "temporary tattoos" brought to mind my 8-year old brother's arms, covered in worn patches of once-bright ink he picked up at the Iowa State Fair. I pictured images like sports teams, D.A.R.E., and some Hot Wheels tattoos he once found in a coloring book or something that caused him to protest showers for weeks.

But you guys. Temporary tattoos can be so cool. 

After seeing this post by Kara at I Just Might Explode earlier this week, I set out on a mission to find more of these beautiful creations and learned that people have come up with some pretty unique and beautiful art. And then, a thought hit me.

I could totally make these.

And so, Amazon led me to this paper. According to reviews, Silhouette brand paper is the way to go for quality printed images that last a decent amount of time on skin once applied.

All you have to do is:

1) Come up with your design.

2) Print it on this paper from a regular inkjet printer.

3) Apply with water like any temporary tattoo!

I'm already dreaming of all of the designs I'm going to make, and I'll be sure to come back with an update. Anyone want to join me and do a tattoo swap? ;)

A Dress Makeover

The summer is flying past me. It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks I'll be moving out of this quaint little summer apartment I've learned to call home, and be heading back to school. It's almost a little overwhelming! This summer is certainly teaching me to cherish the present and the people that are a part of my life right at this moment; I might not have the luxury of being with them for quite awhile once August rolls around.

This outfit saw one of those slow summer nights where the humid air is so still that for just a few moments it might feel like time isn't moving so quickly. I found the dress (in the state where you can see it below...) a few weeks ago at Goodwill, and instantly fell in love with the pattern. I will forever be a floral girl. 

 

I took in the waist a few inches, then chopped off the sleeves and sewed them into little cuffs. I also shortened the bottom about an inch, tightened up a few buttons, and sewed up the ridiculously high-cut slit at the bottom of the dress. The fabric of this dress is so soft, and I just know that it will get a lot of love the rest of the summer. :)

Weaved Chair Makeover

All of this summer sunshine lately has had me itching to find ways to add more color and brightness to my space. The moment I laid my eyes on this beauty of a chair at Goodwill last week, I knew she was coming home with me. The shape is so unique, so I decided all it needed was a bit of TLC...

Weaved Chair Makeover

(Sorry for the lack of process photos... I did most of this project in the evenings after work and couldn't get it lit well.)

(1) After a good wipe down, I painted the chair with 2 coats of white paint to lighten up the color a bit and cover all of the areas that were chipping. (I used Master's Touch Acrylic in "Milky White" from Hobby Lobby.)

(2) After pulling the wicker seat base out, I cut several different fabrics into 1.5 inch strips that covered the length of the chair. I tied the fabric going across in one direction, until I had stripes covering the seat.

(3) At this point, I actually slid the wicker seat back under strips to its original position to make the chair more comfortable.

(4) Finally, I tied the strips coming the alternate direction, weaving them through the original stripes as I went. I secured each knot in place on the edges of the chair using a dab of hot glue.

What summer DIY's have you been working on?