D.I.Y. – Custom Kiddy Kite

With today being the Summer Solstice, we wanted to celebrate the start of Summer with a fun DIY that is perfect for any child’s birthday, baby shower, nursery or just to have in your child’s craft area.

The idea behind this DIY is it’s simple to do yet has a large impact with multiple possibilities. It’s easy, fun and can be used again and again.

Step 1: Gather your supplies – you will need two 3 ft. flat wooden craft sticks, 4 yards of your favorite fabrics, ribbon, 1-2 yards of tool, embellishments (e.g. pompom balls, flat crystals, butterflies), glue gun, scissors

Step 2: With the hot glue gun, glue the craft sticks together at the center.

Step 3: Measure out the necessary fabric per triangle (4 triangles per side) – feel free to play around and mix and match the fabrics.

Step 4: Roll in the edge of the fabric to give a clean line, then hot glue the folded seams to your wood stick base. Repeat for each triangle.

Step 5: Embellish your kite – get inspired and play with your details, we chose to use pom pom balls and flat crystal beads in varying sizes. We also added a fun ribbon across the seams of our kite.

Step 6: For your kite tail, the texture is important. Tool is great as it gives a soft and flowing look, but ribbon, yarn and twine help give it dimension. Tip: Think about where this tail is going – is it going across a room or down a wall? This dictates the fabric choice. Don’t forget to add some embellishments, we love our butterfly details.

Wishing you all a happy start to your Summer – stay tuned for part II of our Kiddy Kite DIY to see how this fun project has been incorporated into into a baby shower celebration.

D.I.Y. Easter Basket

We love DIYs, especially when they incorporate some of our favorite things: upcycling, gorgeous embellishments and chocolate. Instead of buying a plain basket this Easter try creating your own stylized one that can last from year to year.

Style-Your-Basket Steps:

1)   Find your basket: There are many great options at Michael’s, JoAnn’s, Target or your favorite vintage store. Find the perfect cloth or wicker basket that you can embellish.

2)   Shop for your details: find ribbons, vintage trimmings, silk flowers, butterflies, custom brads and any other details that you love. If you have saved ribbons from gifts or have a favorite ribbon trim from your wedding dress this is the perfect place to incorporate these details.

3)   Prepare your tools: For those of you who do not have the time to sew on the embellishments, the hot glue gun will be your best friend, plus it works beautifully.

4)   Attach your details: Play with your details to find the perfect spot on your basket. Remember there’s no right way to embellish your basket – don’t be afraid to unleash your inner creative diva.

5)   Fill your basket: Here’s the fun part! Find some Easter grass, stuffed bunnies, your favorite childhood treats and any other goodies that make you smile. Our basket is sure to be filled with chocolate eggs, marshmallow peeps and candy buttons.

*Embellishment Tip – Create your own gorgeous layered flower with a custom center brad:

1)   Purchase your favorite brads and artificial flowers. You will want all different petal sizes and colors.

2)   Pop the flower off and remove the plastic center (this leaves you with just the petals and a hole in the middle).

3)   Layer petals from small to large. Remember to pick color combinations that you love.

4)   Feed your embellished brad through your layered petals and secure at the base. Feel free to add some glitter or crystal embellishments to give it an extra wow factor.

5)   Voila! You have a custom, layered flower.