I made this crayon wreath for my son's daycare teacher and gave it to her on his last day there. She loved it so I have also decided that I'm going to make one her his Kindergarten teachers as well.
It will be the most perfect Christmas gift for them; unique, unexpected, and I am sure all the kids will love it too!
Oh, and it's super easy so you can have the kiddies help too!
What you need:
Two Embroidery Hoops (one 12 inch and one 8 inch).
64 Crayons
Ribbon
Assorted school stickers
Block letters
Hot glue gun (forgot to include that in the photo!)
How to:
1. Place the small hoop inside the large hoop, ensuring there is equal distance all the way around. I put the embroidery hook the at top part of the wreath because it's easy to cover with the ribbon later.
2. Starting at the top, glue the crayons on one-by-one by using your hot glue gun; dabbing a a small dot on the top and bottom embroidery hoop, placing your crayon on top.
Leave a small gap at the bottom as it can get pretty tricky to get the nice even circle if you don't. Spacing as you go works well; and you don't need to be afraid of pull off the crayon if you make a mistake - I did that many times!
I've seen many tutorials that have you lay out the crayons on the embroidery hoops first, but don't waste your time with that. It takes too long and the crayons never stay in place anyway.
3. Once you glue all the crayons, tie the ribbon at the top around where the embroidery hooks are; the ribbon covers them really well. I just tied a bow at the top, but you can get more creative if you want. Just make sure that the bow or knot is tight at the top so when you hang up the wreath it doesn't fall down!
4. Arrange and glue your stickers and block letters as you wish. The stickers will not stay on on their own, you will need to use the glue for them.
That's it! Super easy right? And once I was in my groove, it took me about half hour total to do. I am sure your child's teachers will love it!
Picture this: You’re recently engaged. You’re happy, excited, and more in love than ever before – just as you should be! Congratulations to you both!
You’re now in the beginning stages of planning your wedding and can finally start thinking about all of those DIY Pinterest projects that you’ve been pinning for years. But before you get too involved in your do-it-yourself (DIY!) projects, you need to ask yourself, “Is this really worth it?”
Booking your venue, photographer, and cake designer are easier once you’ve determined the overall style and design of your wedding, but there is a lot to consider when planning to tackle invitations, décor, and all of the other nitty-gritty details, DIY-style!
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE all things crafy and DIY, and had actually incorporated some cute little projects in to my own wedding, but here are a few things to consider before embarking on the DIY wedding path.
{Time Management}
DIY projects take time.
A lot of time.
Do you have the extra time to spare in between your work, fiancé, family, and friends to spearhead all your DIY projects (and get them done on time!)? What looks oh-so-simple on Pinterest can actually take dozens and dozens of hours to complete.
When considering your time invested in a project, don’t ignore quantities. A grand affair of 300 of your nearest and dearest will tax your time budget for DIY invites far more than an intimate gathering of 40. The same applies to favours, programs, centerpieces, etc.
Ensuring you have time to complete projects is critical as there is nothing worse than being half-way done your project, with life catching up with you, and then having to scramble last minute leading up to your wedding day. So much stress! And it’s all unnecessary.
Sure, you might be saying… “Oh, but my bridesmaids! And my friends, and family. They will all be there to help me. That will save a lot of time.”
But make sure you think about their own time with other wedding duties, their own families, out of town guests, significant others, and friends. And if they’re still willing to help, that’s awesome!
…. but are you sure that you actually want their help?
What if your mother-in-law ends up gluing all your single-faced satin ribbon on the wrong side? or what if your Maid Of Honour’s penmanship doesn’t stay consistent across ALL of your escort cards? Not only are you left having to carry out an awkward conversation, but on top of that, you’re going to have to re-do what they’ve already done (increasing time and money invested in to what was supposed to be a simple, DIY task).
{Money Talks}
And if we’re on the topic of money, I’ll be honest with you… some DIY projects can get surprisingly pricey.
Be careful with what you pick up at the dollar store. The glass is usually less dense, the candles are made of the lowest grade of wax available (just ask Mary about the one time a bride nearly burned down her venue), and adhesives don’t boast the same durability of higher quality options.
Hobby stores have beautiful, great quality items, but purchasing everything through them may end up costing you as much as it would to have everything professionally done, especially if you’re spending your own time putting it all together. Some craft stores have lovely pre-made stationary sets though, and you can design and print your own invitations, ceremony programs, reception menus, and Thank You cards at a fraction of the cost of ordering from a vendor.
To help brides stick to DIY project budgets, the WG website launched The Shops @ WG, where you can buy items like vases, candles, mirrors, vase filler, ribbon and decor items directly from our wholesalers; robust event quality, on a budget!
{Décor}
The reality of making things beautiful, and I mean really, really BEAUTIFUL, takes either time, or money, or both.
Décor will be among the most expensive and time consuming of all your DIY projects. There are so many elements of design when it comes to adorning your wedding with all-things-stylized-and-gorgeous.
Centerpieces, for example, depending on the theme of your event, are made up of a handful of elements that need to be seamlessly designed together to create a beautiful cohesive look.
Not only are there a number of small details that should be included to create depth, balance, and personality for your centerpiece, if you’re not able to make all the elements of it yourself (or can’t buy in bulk), retail costs will climb quickly.
Oh… and as far as bulk is concerned…. I won’t tell you how many times I’ve seen brides in discount department stores begging the manager to start making phone calls to find a large quantity of the onespecific item they’re looking for… to no avail.
But let’s say you do find the items, you do put together all your lovely centerpieces and they’re happily residing around the perimeter of your living room, dining room, and across the kitchen counter. Now, what about setup? Do you have access to your wedding venue the night before the wedding or have they given you a narrow time frame on the day of? Do you have people who can help you set up? Do you have a large enough vehicle (or access to more than one) to transfer all the fruits of your labour safely and efficiently?
Don’t forget that etiquette suggests the night before the wedding should be spent at your rehearsal dinner with friends and family (and out of town guests) and not painstakingly setting up your venue, last minute.
Weddings are stressful enough – the night before should be spent being pampered and in love, not worrying about whether your escort cards were set up straight.
If you’re DIYing an outdoor wedding, have you considered whether everything that you need to set up (the day before, or the day of) is in place?
Yup.
It’s stunning alright!
But if you’re using natural elements as part of your design scheme, make sure you don’t forget your ladder at home! Oh, and if there’s a chance for wind, make sure your lanterns are heavily weighted (but not too heavily, as you don’t want the branch snapping and crashing in to your cake).
Note: As a wedding planner, it is my responsibility to warn you that there is always a chance of wind.
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Check out this video that Mary made for eTalk last year about DIY weddings.
Yes, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds had a crazy-gorgeous barn-set DIY-inspired wedding. But did you know that it took a team of SIXTY of Martha Stewart’s planners and coordinators to make it come to life??
As a crafty, seasoned DIY-er, I’m not here to dissuade you from your creative ideas and budget-savvy decor. If anything, I want to see you DIY-away!! But as a wedding planner, it is my job to make you consider the details…ALL of the details.
It’s my job to make sure that a bride, who is usually planning her wedding for the first time, knows the good, the bad, and the ugly of the feat she’s about to undertake.
The trick, ladies, is balance.
If you love the personal touches of DIY details, pick a few that are most important to you and leave the rest to an expert. Consider cost before hastily making purchases, and remember that your time is valuable too.
Most importantly, make sure to ask for help. If you’d DIY’d your entire wedding day vision, you best be bringing on board a Day Of Coordinator who will work alongside you pre-wedding to ensure that all the intricate little details are set up exactly how you imagined while you’re busy with hair, makeup, and bridal portraits.
A wedding is a production, but getting married is about being in love. Go ahead, be crafty… but don’t let your commitments to 184 DIY favour tags overshadow your excitement to walk down the aisle and say, “I do.”
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If you have questions about DIY styling or want to get in touch about hiring a Day Of Coordinator to help make your wedding day flawless, email me: lisa@weddinggirl.ca
To buy decor items from The Shops @ WG, or to have our budget-savvy floral team help you boast beautiful blooms without breaking the bank, make sure to get in touch! I’d be happy to help you custom-pick your items and style your designs.
This winter has been the first 'real' winter we've had in several years. We've been spoiled with higher than normal temps in the past so I think Mother Nature came back with a vengeance! We have more snow this year than I can ever remember. Lucky for us though, it has led me to try my hand at making homemade soups, which I have been doing a lot of lately. I'm a true believer that one of the best things about the cold weather is having a nice hot bowl of something (chili, soup, etc.). Don't you agree? So, since we hosted Christmas dinner this year I had a boat load of turkey left and decided to come up with my own leftover turkey soup recipe. I'm happy to say that it turned out delicious so I thought I'd share. Prep time: 20 mins I Cook Time: 1.5 hours I Servings: 10 - 12 2 tbsp. of butter
1 onion, diced
1 cup of chopped carrots
1 cup of chopped celery
1 tsp. of garlic powder
2 cans (398 mL) of diced tomatoes
2 cartons (900 mL) of chicken
broth
4 tbsp. of dried parsley
2 tsp. of salt
4 – 5 cups of chopped leftover turkey
1 cup of elbow macaroni Directions:
1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic powder; saute for a few minutes. 2. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley, salt, and turkey to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 1 hour until vegetables are barely tender.
3. Add the elbow macaroni and simmer for 30 minutes more. Serve or freeze for later consumption. This soup pairs nicely with warm bread and butter. Enjoy! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm combining this post with the Inspire Me Blog Challenge 2014 hosted by Showered With Designand Happiness is a Mood Not a Destination. Today's prompt is: When is your birthday? My birthday is July 1st. I celebrate my birthday with Canada, and as a proud Canadian, I think that is really awesome. Not to mention that it's also a long weekend :)
This is one of the recipes I used when I did my holiday baking and I have used this particular recipe since I started doing holiday baking with my sister years ago. It always gets rave reviews. The recipe itself comes from a small recipe book called 'The Love of Baking' from www.robinhood.ca. Actually, most of my holiday baking recipes come from this book. I can't recall exactly where I picked up the book from, but I'm sure you can find this recipe and more on their website. But let's get things started.
Prep Time: 10 mins I Bake Time: 12 minutes per sheet I Makes: 44 Cookies
½ cup (125 mL) Crisco Golden All-Vegetable
Shortening
1. Preheat oven to 350oF (180oC). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat shortening with sugars and vanilla until creamy. Beat in egg. Add flour, baking soda and salt, mixing until incorporated. Stir in 1 cup (250 mL) peanut butter chips, all toffee bits and all peanuts.
3. Drop mixture by rounded tablespoons (15 mL) onto prepared baking sheets, about 2" apart.
4. Bake each sheet in preheated oven 10 - 12 minutes or until deep golden brown and just set. Cool on sheet for 3 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely. Melt remaining peanut butter chips in microwave on High for about 45 seconds. Drizzle over cooled cookies.
These really are delicious, however, I do not drizzle the remaining peanut butter chips on the cookies as I skip this step. I just don't think it's necessary because the cookies are already so good without it, not to mention that it was very messy the first time I did it.
These cookies also freeze really well so you can bake early and freeze until you really need them. Just remember to label that freezer bag.
Sorry for the lack of posts this week. With all the Halloween activities we've been doing, time just hasn't been on my side. But here's my top five for this week.
1. Halloween Storey Time. Now, we're not all that huge on Halloween, but we do have a lot of fun with it. Eric absolutely loves it and that's what does make it great for us. Aside from our pumpkin carving, my sister and I took Eric and my nephew Logan to a Halloween themed storey time at our favourite library. The boys absolutely loved it and they were able to wear their costumes. Eric was Thomas the Train and Logan was a Witch Doctor. At the storey time they sang, danced, read stories and did some small crafts. It was so fun to watch them participate.
2. I have a serious thing for cupcakes - and baking in general. Baking is a very good stress reliever for me and I really enjoy doing it; and to be honest a holiday isn't a holiday unless I bring in cupcakes to work - it's a tradition really. So I ended up baking chocolate cupcakes. They were very 'bewitching'; and oh so delicious.
3. Trick-or-Treating. Eric was beyond excited for trick-or-treating this year. I absolutely love watching his face light up every time we walked up to someone's front door. It's very cute to watch him inspect every piece of candy that gets put into his pumpkin basket. Aside from the wind and rain, it was a great night.
4. This past weekend we had a babysitter on both Friday and Saturday Night. We typically don't do that, but it was lovely! I love Eric to pieces, but sometimes you just need a break, right? We tried a local restaurant on Friday night, which I mentioned in last weeks HF4F post, and it was pretty good. On Saturday night, we went bowling. I can't remember the last time I went bowling, but we had such a blast. It's so nice to go out every once in a while with no kids. I loved having the adult time.
5. I got my car detailed and it is fantastic! I took it to AutoHub, a local shop here in Hamilton. My car is absolutely spotless and I am trying really hard to keep it that way. They cleaned my entire interior; shampooed the seat, cleaned and vacuumed my trunk, wiped down the doors, dashboard, knobs, everything - it is wonderful. They were even able to get the milk stains out of my back seat! I honestly don't remember my car ever being this clean. Let's just hope I can keep it that way!
What a week! I'm not sure about everyone else, but this week has just flown by! I'm very excited for the weekend so let's recap my five favourite things that happened this week shall we?
I made homemade Vanilla Extract last weekend. You can view the post here. It's coming along really nicely and the colour is really starting to turn. After a week, this is what it looks like.
2. I got my hair cut! When my hair starts bugging me; that tells me it's time for a cut. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures yet, but it's basically a shoulder length bob. I absolutely love it.
3. I spent some much need quality time with my sister. It has been a while since we have just simply hung out or went shopping and it's so nice when we're able to get together. It's hard in our daily lives to keep up with the one's we love, so I am so happy we got the chance. I have a three year old, and she has a three year old and a 4 month old so she's got her hands full!
(Yes, we were pregnant at the same time during our first pregnancies - it was awesome!).
4. I spent some time organizing some of my laundry room cabinets. I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish something like that, and it did turn our great if I do say so myself. I'll be blogging about organizing different spaces soon, but here's a sneak peek at what I accomplished in my laundry room.
5. Tonight we are going out with friends to try a new local restaurant; it's called Shenanigan's. This is the time of month I look forward to quite often as we have a monthly outing where we go to a different local restaurant (no chains) to see what it's like, get a feel for it, try something different, etc. It's been a fun experience and we've certainly found some amazing places. We call ourselves, 'Fooding Hamilton'.
Besides, who isn't up for a little shenanigan's every now and then?
My husband and I completely finished our basement at the beginning of the year and it is fabulous! One thing we were really excited about is finally having an awesome space where we can both be creative, work, have fun and play the occasional computer game. We currently share an office and if you can believe it, we haven't hurt each other yet! Actually sharing your office space with your husband isn't as bad as I thought it would be and it has really allowed us to spend more time together. My side is prettier though :) Which brings me to my DIY fabric coloured cork board. I really wanted a place to hang up some of my sons art, some important items and a few other things. I also wanted something that looked appealing and that I could dress up a bit if I wanted to - and I did. This is what I came up with.
It's actually pretty easy to do and you don't really need a lot of supplies.
For this project, you will need:
Cork Board. Mine is fairly big at 23"H x 35"W.
Fabric, about 3 inches larger than the size of your cork board.
Stapler
Embellishments
Hot Glue Gun (optional)
You can finish this project with just a few easy steps.
Lay out your fabric right side down and position your cork board on top so that the extra fabric is equal all around, with the cork side down.
Fold the fabric over to the back on the cork board and staple down as you fold the fabric over. Use as many staples as you need to use to get the fabric to stay in place. If you need a little extra staying power, use the hot glue gun with the staples; just be sure everything is done on the back of the cork board so the front stays nice and clean.
Once your finish stapling, gently turn the board over and add your embellishments.
With Christmas just over 5 weeks away, I am seriously starting to think of gift idea's for the many people in my life (you really wanted that reminder, didn't you?). Along with the gift-giving that comes along with Christmas, there is also the many dinners and parties you'll attend. In either case, wouldn't homemade vanilla extract be a wonderful gift idea for your family, friends and colleagues? Homemade gifts are really awesome and many people really love things that comes from the heart. It's within the meaning of Christmas after all.
Thanks to Bethany Actually (whom I found on Pinterest) and a couple of other online sources, I found out that making your own vanilla extract is actually super easy!
Here's what you'll need:
Vanilla Beans
Vodka, any brand and can be inexpensive. I used Absolut Vodka.
Glass bottles with lids
Measuring cup
Funnel
Knife
Cutting board
Paper Towels
Ribbon or twine (optional)
For the vanilla beans themselves, I bought mine through eBayfrom Vanilla Products USA and used Grade B Bourbon Planifolia Vanilla Beans grown in Madagascar. The service and delivery time were pretty good and I would purchase from them again. It costs about $24 (including shipping) for 30 beans.
For the glass bottles I used, I used 4 oz. Boston Round bottles purchased from Uline, which is located in Brampton, ON. You will need to purchase a case of 24 as a minimum. They were about $30 for the case.
First and foremost, be sure to wash your bottles and lids with hot soapy water and then let them air dry.
Using your sharp knife, cut your bean in half. Then, about a half inch down from the end slice the bean in half lengthwise.
Once you have all your beans cut and ready to go (I used all 30 of mine for 12 bottles), put 5 pieces (two and half full beans) of bean into your glass yours. If you have any extra pieces (I had one), just add it to a jar.
Once your jars are full of beans, you ready to pour the vodka. Add half cup of vodka to each bottle ensuring that the beans are fully covered.
Your funnel likely wont stay still on it's own so be sure to hold the funnel while your pouring in the vodka.
After adding the vodka, simply screw on the caps tightly and you're done! You can see the vodka starting to change colour almost instantly. Important care instructions: Be sure to store these in a cool dry place. From what I read online, the vanilla will be good to use in about two months time. Just be sure the give the bottles a gentle shake a few times a week. After the vanilla is ready you can remove the beans or leave them in, just note that the vodka will evaporate over a long period of time. In this case, simply top up the vodka to ensure the beans stay covered.
Since these are Christmas gifts, I went a step further and created these labels using MS Publisher. I followed the same label idea as Bethany Actually. Ingredients listed is love, vodka and vanilla beans. A sweet touch for your friends and family. In my case I only labelled 6 as I will likely keep a couple bottles for myself with all the baking I do, but also because I'll be including a bottle in my Secret Santa gift at work and will create a more generic label for that (will post about this gift idea sometime in November). Since the vanilla takes about two month's to be ready, you can also add a 'Best After Date' to your label or simply add that piece of info in your card (assuming you give them one).
I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. The picture below shows how the colour changed in only a 24 hour period. They'll eventually be very deep amber in colour.
You can also dress up the bottles with ribbon or twine for a nice added touch.
I hope you enjoy making your vanilla as much as I did! Feel free to comment below with any questions, etc. Good Luck!
Okay, so back in the summer I was introduced to a drink called London Fog; you may have heard of it. It's an earl grey tea latte with steamed milk and vanilla syrup. I was a bit hesitant to give it a try at first because I am not a big risk taker when it comes to drinks, and I'll be honest, I love my Tetley Tea! However, while away one weekend with my girlfriends I finally decided to give it a try and I've been hooked ever since. Not good since a Grande at Starbucks will cost you $4.80.
So after enough nagging from my husband to stop spending so much money on drinks, I scoured the internet for homemade recipes (and when I say scour, I mean I went to Pinterest and searched Google). After a little experimentation I have finally made the recipe my own. It's quick, easy and my husband likes it too!
Let's get started.
You'll need:
Earl Grey Tea Bag
1 tbsp. of vanilla syrup
1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of heated milk
Cinnamon (optional)
Directions:
Put the vanilla syrup in a mug and add the tea bag.
Pour in boiling water and let the tea steep for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, heat the milk in the microwave for 55 seconds and froth with a milk frother (works best) or a whisk.
Using a spoon to 'hold' the froth, pour the milk in the tea and add the froth on top.
Add a dash of cinnamon on top if desired.
That's it! There is really nothing to it. If you're going to make these often, I would invest in a hand held milk frother. I bought mine at Home Outfitters for only $9.99!
This latte also pairs nicely with homemade apple cinnamon muffins - but that' a post for another day.
Fall is here; or is it? With this weather we've been having I think Mother Nature is a little confused. But who can really complain about 25 degree weather in October? Not this girl - I will take as much of this as I can get. Though, I have enjoyed wearing my nice scarves on the coolers days we've had in between.
However, it is Fall and this is often the time I start doing a lot of DIY and crafting projects, and this year I've really started things off nicely with my Fall Wreath.
Here's what you need:
Twig Wreath ($4.99 at Michael's)
Assorted artificial leaves ($1.50 for a 25 pack at Walmart)
Assorted Fall Berries/Accent Décor (between $1.99 - $3.99 at Michael's)
Letter ($6.99 at Michael's)
Hot Glue Gun
Directions: Arrange the leaves in the wreath as you see fit using the hot glue to keep them in place. Add the fall berries and accent pieces as appropriate and hot glue the letter in place (H for my last name).
This project was so easy and only took me 20 minutes. It also only cost me about $20 to make since I already had a few things on hand.
