DIY crafts - 804 Sycamore

September 8, 2021

How to Create a Jane Austen Tea and DIY Party

My favorite book and movie is Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. I have designed jewelry inspired by Austen, designed and coordinated two Jane Austen Faires (vintage/craft shows), and now I’ve created an ebook to share how to create a Jane Austen tea and DIY party. Austen’s novels have always inspired me and probably always will. This ebook covers all the steps and plans I used to host my party. The ebook has a link to access the printables to make setting up your own party even easier. The party photos are so inspirational and special to me because they capture the feeling of the party so well – it was magical. My two friends sewed their own regency gowns and looked like they walked right out of the 1800s. It was an amazing tea party!

Designing and creating the decorations was my favorite part of the process and I enjoyed creating little details and using decor around my home to create a book-themed tablescape. Some of the party decorations that I created are still being used around my home because I enjoy them so much. One of the DIY decorations was created to also be a take-away for my guests. I put a lot of thought and planning into creating these decorations and party details.

I don’t usually enjoy cooking and preparing food, but with one of my favorite cook’s recipes at my disposal and a little planning and preparing, the menu was absolutely delicious and easy to put together. You can find the main dish, rotisserie chicken salad sandwiches, on TheMenuMaid.com site. My menu was a full tea with a main dish and three sides. We also enjoyed Earl Grey Savoy Tea and treats. Everything was so tasty and I enjoyed adding a little garnish to some of the sides – pretty food tastes so good.

How to Create a Jane Austen Tea and DIY Party – Book Safe DIY

After enjoying our lunch and the excitement of our regency outfits and the ambiance of the party, we got started on our craft project! There is something so fun about crafting with others and seeing how each person gets creative and makes their own design. The best thing about the book safe DIY is that most people haven’t created one before and they make such a great keepsake and decor accessory around your home. I found some Jane Austen digital images on Etsy that we used to decorate the covers of our book safes as well as other ephemera and craft items. One of my favorite items was my wax seal kit! I used it on the invitations, the name cards, and my book safe. You can find the one I used on here on Amazon.

How to Create a Jane Austen Tea and DIY Party

This post only shares a fraction of the photos from the beautiful tea party, but you can enjoy more inspiration, a party plan, DIY decorations, recipes, a DIY craft, and party printables all found in the ebook. I already have two more tea party plans in the making and I can’t wait to share those also. Have you ever been to a tea party or would like to host one? Costumes aren’t necessary, but they sure are fun! Thanks for reading this post and be sure to subscribe for more DIY, design, and decorating.

How to Create a Jane Austen Tea and DIY Party – Shop this post:

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you for using my links!

August is probably too early to bust out the fall touches around the house, but it’s never too early to plan! This fall, I’m relying heavily on rust, blush, and beige colors. Fall colors are my favorite, and it’s difficult to not use all of them, but when it comes to my home – I tend to enjoy a focused approach and this way feels more cozy at the end of the day for me. You already know that using throw blankets, pillows, candles, and decor can add fall vibes to your home, but I want to share some fun DIY ideas to add a personal fall touch to the walls in at least one space in your home. These beautiful DIY fall decorating ideas are affordable, doable, and stunning!

Beautiful DIY Fall Decorating Ideas – For the walls

Let’s talk about garland! Garland is an awesome accessory to dress up your mantel, console, banister, or even your walls. My favorite thing about this beautiful DIY fall decorating idea is that it costs about $3 to make and it’s so pretty you guys! I stumbled upon this DIY by Lauren Conrad and I’m so glad I did. You can recycle your brown paper grocery bags or you can buy a roll of kraft paper from the Dollar Store like I did. Can’t beat free or $1~ And then I picked up beige pipe cleaners from Hobby Lobby. Just grab a pair of scissors and a glue gun and you’re ready to create. I’m not going to replay Lauren’s steps, you can visit her site to see the instructions, but I will say that it helps to keep your glue gun on low heat and to not over-think the process, just go for it. Younger kids can help too, they can crumple up the leaves (which gives them texture and shape) and wrap the pipe cleaners around a pen to create the coils. I created this six foot fall garland in under an hour. My garland has 13 leaves varying in size and seven coils. You will love how natural the garland shapes up and hangs on your wall, over your mantel, or down your table to create a unique tablescape!

The two pillows on the right are new from Target. The hydrangeas in the wall tins are from my yard and dried in place.

This vintage gold frame will be getting a vintage fall print – love Sam’s Club for affordable prints!

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you for using my links!

Beautiful DIY Fall Decorating Ideas – For the walls

Do you love seasonal wall art? I love some of it, and I enjoy just a few pieces sprinkled around, and I don’t want to spend a lot of money on them either. The thing I love about this beautiful DIY fall decorating idea is that you can upcycle an old canvas or picture, and you can enjoy some of your blooms inside the house. Dena of Fletcher Creek Cottage created the most simple and lovely fall wall art I’ve seen. She uses fall leaves and wheat stems to create a symmetrical beauty to adorn her wall. I love how it’s simple, but adds just the perfect fall touch. You can find the full tutorial here. And here’s a photo of her masterpiece to entice you over to her site to see just how easy it is to make yourself!

This one is so easy for the Cricut folks out there! I think I need a Cricut… Anyway, this wall hanging could also be a no-sew project if you don’t have a sewing machine – just use a glue gun! I found this beautiful DIY fall decorating idea on Better Homes and Gardens! I’m not sure who to credit the idea to, but it’s so fun and can be totally customized! The instructions say to use iron-on letters, but I’m sure a Cricut could do an awesome job with custom fonts and size. I’m going to make one for my office so be sure to follow me on Instagram to see what fabric and saying I come up with. I’m going to sew a top and bottom casing to put dowels in, but I think you could just as easily glue the fabric around the dowels too.

And finally, perhaps the easiest and most whimsical DIY fall idea for your walls is attaching faux fall leaves in a breezy pattern across the wall. Sarah of Grace in My Space uses faux leaves to add fall vibes to her beautiful entryway. I love the way they flow in from the door, through the mirror and up. It’s such a fun touch and I love that you can install this design anywhere you want a touch of fall and whimsy. I have already found my bunch of blush and beige fall leaves from WalMart – just waiting until September to put them up. I like to slowly transition into fall, little touches here and there, just a room at a time. You can find my version of a fall wall leaf display on Instagram next month! For inspo now, check out Sarah’s beautiful entryway and how she used different colors and shapes of faux leaves!

Well, that’s my little round-up of easy and festive fall decorating ideas for your walls. I have also ordered some free prints of fall vintage landscapes to place in a few frames around the house. You can see those on Instagram next month too! If you’re curious now, you can see them below, from Allison of Designed Simple. I hope you enjoyed these beautiful DIY fall decorating ideas for the walls – they definitely inspired me! Thank you for checking out this post and don’t forget to pin any of the pictures for future inspiration~

Easy DIY Wedding Decor

Did you know that I was a wedding planner for two summers? I worked for a woman who had her own company and I spent my weekends for two summers doing wedding planning for the actual wedding day. I completely enjoyed seeing all the different styles, preferences, and traditions. I was trying to determine if I wanted to start my own company, but ultimately decided that I didn’t want to give up my weekends with my family and I got pregnant with my youngest daughter after trying for years. After meeting a wedding venue owner and author, I’m doing a giveaway for her wedding planner and decided to come up with some easy DIY wedding decor. And even though I’m calling it wedding decor, some of the ideas can be used for other types of parties too. And hopefully these ideas get your creative juices flowing for whatever you’re planning.

When I attended the Haven Conference this summer, I never expected to meet someone from Arkansas. During lunch on one of the days, two women joined the table I was at and an elegant lady sat next to me. I would soon learn that she lived in Little Rock Arkansas and ran a gorgeous wedding venue. Alda Ellis and her husband also started a yacht wedding experience and she has written many books! Alda’s Magnolia Hill is a 31-acre estate where they live and provide full-service wedding packages. On the website you will see the most beautiful photos of weddings on their property, including fireworks, a lake backdrop, horse and carriage rides, row boat entrances, and dove send-offs, to say the least. It’s a magical and stunning setting to promise everlasting love to your sweetie. Alda can also provide the floral arranging, planning, and more at her venue which makes it so easy for a couple.

Easy DIY Wedding Decor – Wedding Planner Giveaway

It was such a pleasure meeting this sweet and talented woman. She offered me one of her wedding planners to do a giveaway. She signed the copy and it’s been great staying in touch with her. Our Wedding Planner is available on Amazon and it’s a beautiful planner with well-organized chapters, info on commonly-accepted traditions, workbook pages, and thoughtful tips and ideas. I would have loved having this planner 21 years ago! You can enter the giveaway to get this planner for free by following Alda’s Magnolia Hill and leaving me a comment on my giveaway post by Thursday, August 12, 2021.

Easy DIY Wedding Decor

To fully celebrate the wedding planner giveaway, I came up with a fun and easy table setting and some easy and affordable DIY decorations! I think this table setting can almost be fully done using decor from around the house and maybe a few items from the Dollar Store. I call the table setting an Engagement Dinner because I would probably do a similar set-up if I hosted an engagement party. I hope you enjoy these DIYs and are inspired to get crafty!

You can download the PDF, print, then cut your own tags for this easy DIY.

Once you’ve hole-punched confetti leaves, you can add about a teaspoon of confetti to these tiny paper bags with custom labels.

You can download these labels and print the PDF on Avery labels.

Easy DIY Wedding Decor – Video:

I hope you liked the short video! I really wanted to show you just how easy and quickly these easy DIY wedding decor ideas come together. I think they work with any budget and skill level – the flower girl can even help! Please click the like button for the video and if you want more DIY and decorating inspiration, you can subscribe to my channel~

Wedding favors and a confetti send-off aren’t necessary, but they’re fun and affordable things to do for your guests and include them in the celebration. I love dressing a table without buying a bunch of new stuff and keeping it kid-friendly is important too. I hope you enjoyed these ideas and if you know anyone who’s engaged, send them the link to Alda’s planner – having all the information in one place makes everything so much easier. Leave me a comment if you want to enter the giveaway and don’t have social media.

August 4, 2021

Essential Oils Make and Take DIY Party

Welcome to party central! No, not really, I’m more of a behind-the-scenes gal. However, I love designing and planning parties. Since our move to northwest Arkansas, I’ve met some fantastic ladies that I wanted to spend some quality time with, so I decided to start hosting a DIY party at least once a quarter, if not more often. I do the planning and prep, and they come, have fun, make and take, and happily pay a fee to cover the cost of supplies. Hosting a DIY party is so much fun, and I have gathered the entire party plan with shopping lists, check lists, to-do lists, tips, and all the printables to make the party effortless – all in an affordable eBook. This essential oils make and take DIY party is designed so that you just follow the steps, check off the check boxes, and print the printables – it’s that easy.

Essential Oils Make and Take DIY Party – eBook

There is no doubt that you could look up recipes for bath and body items that are made with essential oils, you could determine all the supplies you need and find the best prices, write up the instructions and recipes as well as create cute invitations and gather all the supplies to set-up the work stations, but I’ve already done all that work (and it took quite a bit of time – that I completely enjoyed) and you can save a ton of time using my party plan with all the printables you will need for this party. I’ve even design beautiful labels for four of the six products that you can easily print on Avery labels to give your party an even more refined vibe.

Essential Oils Make and Take DIY Party – Free Invite Image

Essential Oils Make and Take DIY party invite — Just right-click on this image and save it to your computer so that you can insert it in an email or text invitation. Just include your party details like when, where, RSVP, etc.

Essential oils and supplies can add up, which is why this party design uses a lot of items from around your home to help keep the costs down. The decorations are minimal and easy, but I’ve created a formula to help you create your own centerpieces and party zones throughout your home to give the space that party look and feel. It doesn’t take much to create a ‘party zone’, but it does take intention. I also charge my guests a DIY fee to cover their supply costs and they are happy to pay for their items. It can feel strange charging a fee, but this isn’t a birthday or celebration, it’s a DIY party that they get to partake in and take something home. Women love getting together and having fun, and this DIY party is exactly that.

Food is not exactly the focus of a DIY party, but I like to select refreshments that fit into my party’s theme to make it that much more memorable. I have paired up with my good friend Angela, The Menu Maid, to create some delicious treats for this essential oils party. Finger foods don’t work when you’ve been handling essential oils, so whatever you serve at your essential oil party, keep that in mind and serve something that requires a fork. Some essential oils can safely be ingested while others cannot. You will find a few suggested recipes in my eBook, but I also recommend perusing TheMenuMaid.com for even more delicious options.

For this essential oils make and take DIY party, I have given great thought into the guest experience and how to make their experience fun, easy, and effortless. There’s nothing more frustrating than being at a party and struggling with how to do something that’s supposed to be fun. The eBook lays out everything needed at each work station, ideas for organizing the different zones of the party, and even considerations for the order in which to complete your tasks. Planning a party doesn’t have to be hard or stressful, and this eBook takes you on an easy planning journey to get everything ready that you need, and with everything designed and ready to be printed, you will be ready to party ahead of time. This essential oils make and take DIY party would be a wonderful theme for a bridal shower, bachelorette party, girls night-in party, ladies retreat, or just because you want to hang with your friends and have fun.

Essential Oils Make and Take DIY Party – Party photos

I have many more DIY parties in the planning process, and I can’t wait to share them with you! Leave me a comment if there’s a specific DIY party you’d like to see me plan. Be sure to subscribe to my blog for DIY crafts and projects, design ideas, decorating, and party plan updates! You can also find my videos on crafts and DIY projects on my YouTube channel. Thanks so much for checking out this post. I hope you find inspiration and motivation to host a fun DIY party!

How to Make a Moss Bowl for $4

Do you love moss bowls, but cringe at the price tag? If that’s you, I feel you! It’s just moss and a bowl, right? Well, if you’re interested in a living moss bowl, check out this post by Doreen of Hymns and Verses – it’s a lovely project to create. This DIY project is using preserved sheet moss and some household items that most people have on hand. You’ll want to shop your house to find a bowl or vessel to display the moss, but if you like my paper mache bowl, you’ll want to subscribe to my blog because that project is coming up. Disclaimer: I did NOT make the one pictured, but I’m determined to recreate one just like it. Paper mache bowls are also crazy expensive, so I’m going to work on saving you money on that decor DIY as well. This is going to be a short post, it’s almost too easy, and it’s only $4 for this beautiful piece of decor!

Before we get into this simple and beautiful DIY decor project, let’s look at some of the moss bowls you can buy (for a lot of money)! Aren’t they pretty? Now let’s make our own for $4!

How to Make a Moss Bowl for $4 – Supplies:

When beginning any DIY, we need to gather our supplies. And I think you’re going to love how quickly and inexpensively these supplies come together! Please gather the following items:

A bowl or vessel to hold the moss
Preserved dried sheet moss (or any preserved moss of your choosing)
Plastic and paper grocery bags

How to Make a Moss Bowl for $4 – Shop:

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you for using my links!

How to Make a Moss Bowl for $4 – Tutorial:

The steps are super easy, no glue, no fuss, just some repurposing!

Take your bowl or vessel and fill it with scrunched up paper bags, plastic bags, packing foam, etc.
With your bowl filled almost to the top, take plastic grocery bags and fold the handles inside the bag and shape each one around the bowl – forming a slight dome with the plastic.
Once the bowl has a dome at the top, unwrap the sheet moss and place a layer on top of the dome – add it to the side first (not the center).
Gently tear off excess moss from the edges so that it all fits inside the bowl.
Cover the plastic bag dome with pieces of sheet moss until it’s covered. It’s OK to tuck flaps of moss under each other and around the edge of the bowl.
Once the moss covers the dome, use your fingertips to fluff up the moss. This helps hide the seams as well as giving the moss its natural look.

How to Make a Moss Bowl for $4 – Video:

@804_sycamore
Easy $4 moss bowl decor! #diydecor #diydecorideas #mossbowl #mossdecor #shelfdecor #cheapdecor #handmadedecor #handmadedecorideas
♬ original sound – Amy

Did you know that I love getting questions? Well, I really do. I get the most from YouTube and then Instagram, and the occasional question from Pinterest. I also love getting texts from friends and family asking about decor or brainstorming a design concept. Who doesn’t love giving their opinion? If you have any questions, please feel comfortable asking at the end of my blog in the comment section. And in anticipation of a few possible questions about this post, I’ll cover them now.

Q: How many moss bowls is too many to have around the house?
A: This number doesn’t exist.

Q: Should I buy $8 sheet moss when I can get it for about $4?
A: No one would ask this, but the answer is obvious.

Q: What do I do once I’m done enjoying my moss bowl decor?
A: Give it to a friend! Store it for later. Recycle it.

Q: Should I make a moss bowl?
A: Yes, and then take a photo and tag me on Instagram!

Delicious and Easy Summer Dessert and Drink

Is it just me or does good food taste better when it looks good too? When Quinn asked for watermelon, I decided to use some of it to garnish a new spritzer, and instead of making the cute melon balls, I decided to make a no-bake healthy cake instead. This delicious and easy summer dessert and drink were a hit with my family – they are major watermelon fans. The best part about this dessert and drink is that you can customize it and make it work for your family’s tastes.

With just a few ingredients, you can make your own watermelon cake. Once you have the two-layered cake, you can add any fruit you want to decorate it. I pushed a straw down the middle of the two watermelon layers to hold them together, but I’m pretty sure the layers stuck together from the juicy suction. You could also use a skewer to secure if you feel like you need it. With a delicious and easy summer dessert and drink taken care of, you’ll want to head over to my girl, The Menu Maid, for some healthy and delicious main course recipes. Here are a few of my summertime favorites:

Turkey burgers with basil mayo

Skillet pork chops and veggies

Short cut shrimp scampi

Hawaiian chicken bowls

Chicken tostadas with chili lime sour cream

Delicious and Easy Summer Dessert and Drink

To see how I used one watermelon to make a two-layered cake, and then decorated it with mint leaves, blackberries, and blueberries, check out this short video. If you like it, please click the heart~

@804_sycamore
Easy watermelon cake! DIY pretty food.#diyfoodhacks #summerrecipe #watermelon #watermeloncake #healthydessert
♬ Taste It – Ikson

Delicious and Easy Summer Dessert and Drink

Here is also a short video to show how to whip up my kid-friendly spritzer. You can follow the same 1:1 ratio prepared in a large pitcher instead of making individual glasses. The garnish can be whatever you want, watch this simple recipe here and please click the heart if you like it:

@804_sycamore
Refreshing summer Spritzer – kid friendly and full of flavor! #summerdrink #summerdrinkideas #summerdrinkrecipe #punchrecipe #spritzer #summerfood
♬ original sound – Amy

Delicious and Easy Summer Dessert and Drink – Ingredients:

Here are your grocery store ingredients that can easily be added to your Walmart cart for a convenient grocery pick-up. I’m not sure I ever would have done grocery pick-up if it weren’t for Covid, but once we tried it, we realized how easy and nice it is if we just do a little meal planning and add everything we need to ‘cart’:

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you for using my links!

I hope this delicious and easy summer dessert and drink were inspiring and add some fun to one of your meals! We have been enjoying the table I built so much that it hasn’t found its way upstairs yet. May the last bit of your summer be filled with good people, good fun, and good food. Be sure to grab some amazing recipes from The Menu Maid to make mealtime easier. Thanks for checking out my post!

You may also enjoy:

DIY vintage farmhouse dining table - Arhaus copycat

Create a free centerpiece with this recipe

July 6, 2021

DIY Vintage Succulent Wall Planter

Last summer, when I was designing and creating my daughter’s boho farmhouse bedroom design, I came up with a faux succulent wall planter to help decorate her wall. The idea came from Pinterest as well as Pottery Barn when I saw how gorgeous they were in-person. I was shocked when my YouTube video went semi-viral (for me) and I got a lot of comments, most not that great. Even though I titled it Pottery Barn inspired DIY succulent wall art, people saw the thumbnail photo and assumed the succulents were real. It never occurred to me that people would assume they were real and get mad that they weren’t, but they did, and they felt deceived. After the initial shock of so much negativity, I decided to create a real succulent wall planter once we moved into our home and I had space to work with dirt. So, here is my real DIY vintage succulent wall planter!

This DIY vintage succulent wall planter is vintage because the wall planter is a vintage crate. You could use any container or make your own, but if you use a wooden container, take a few minutes to seal the wood with polyurethane – this will help it to not rot. I also could have purchased more colorful and larger succulents from local shops, but I wanted to keep my overall price down so I ordered my two inch succulents from Amazon and they arrived perfectly intact and healthy. I’ve only had good experiences when buying plants online, but be sure to read the reviews from other buyers before you make your purchase.

I’m eager to see how fast these succulents grow, and if it’s slow going I can easily add more plants to this arrangement. Similarly, if one plant totally dies, I can easily remove it. The difference between my succulent wall planter and others on YouTube is that mine has a built-in watering system, where most other DIY wall planters don’t. However, the complete disclaimer is that I don’t know how effective my watering system works yet. However, I do know that it would easier and faster to just set the box down flat and water it. Even so, I tried my soaker hose idea and I’m hopeful that it will work well for the succulents – especially in the cooler winter months.

By nature, succulents hold their water in their leaves, they need a porous soil to drain properly, and they like to be cramped. The soaker hose winds back and forth in the crate and will slowly soak the cactus soil so that it’s not drenched or soggy. The crate is lined with a black plastic garbage bag so that soil doesn’t fall out, but this also means that water won’t just pour out either. So, I’m hopeful that the soaker hose will keep the soil moist for the succulents to drink without drenching the soil. I only water the crate once a week or if we have an extra hot day I give it an extra little sprinkle. The layer of sheet moss and the additional moss I added around each plant should also help the succulents to hold their water without it just evaporating in the summer heat.

While I’m not a green thumb, I’m devoted and persistent in trying to keep my plants alive and well. So far, so good, but I will not have this wall planter inside my home. The excess water does drip out around the plastic and I’m sure it would attract gnats or flies (the soil attracts them). However, being outside it doesn’t seem to attract the bugs – maybe because there are so many other places that are better for the little pests. Anyway, this DIY vintage succulent wall planter was fun to create and easy to construct. I like the way it looks displayed on our farmhouse ladder and I may add a second one directly below it.

DIY Vintage Succulent Wall Planter – Steps:

To get started, you’ll need a few items that you may or may not have laying around the house. You can use the soaker hose watering system I used, but you don’t have to. And I wish I would have used the receiving end of the soaker hose at the bottom end of my crate so that I could have just attached the hose to the soaker hose and used that water pressure to fill the soaker hose. That’s the only change I would make for a second wall planter.

crate or container to plant the succulents in
hanging hardware
polyurethane to protect the wood
plastic garbage bag
staple gun
short soaker hose
cactus/succulent soil
sheet moss or loose moss
chicken wire
wire cutters
succulents

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thanks for considering my links!

DIY Vintage Succulent Wall Planter

DIY Vintage Succulent Wall Planter – Video:

I have determined a better way to create a built-in a watering system with just a few tweaks, be sure to watch my YouTube video to find out how – I explain it there, but if you still have questions, please leave it in the comments below~ And if you like my video, please give it a thumbs-up, I really appreciate it!

If you watch the video, you’ll notice that I make two cuts to the chicken wire and then I pull it back to place a succulent in that space. When you place the wire back, be sure to take care and not poke the succulent with the wire tip. I also stuff some extra moss around the plant to help keep the dirt in, to help keep moisture in, and for aesthetics. The sheet moss nicely holds the dirt in, but adding bits of loose moss also helps. Also be careful to not cut through the sheet moss too hastily so that you don’t cut through the plastic bag lining or the soaker hose. I used an old steak knife with a serrated edge and it worked well, but you could also use scissors.

Sometimes a succulent won’t make it, I’m not sure why, but if this happens to your DIY vintage succulent wall planter, it’s really easy to pull back the wire, remove the dead succulent, and cover it or replace it with a new succulent. There are succulent wall planters that live many years and grow to fill out their containers – a succulent wall planter is a great way to create a low maintenance porch or patio decor for you home. My youngest daughter loves watering our succulents and I hope she enjoys watching them grow too.

Thanks so much for checking out my DIY vintage succulent wall planter post and video. The steps completed to create this succulent wall planter work for any size wall planter. If you want to make a small planter, skip the soaker hose, but ultimately you can totally customize this project to fit your space or needs. Have fun with designing the placement of your succulents, and enjoy creating your own vintage succulent wall planter! Be sure to subscribe to receive my DIY and decorating updates!

How to Host a DIY Party

When it comes to parties and hosting, I’m more of a behind the scenes kind of gal. However, it’s hard to blend into the background when you’re the host. If you enjoy parties and want an activity for your guests to do, there are some simple ways you can prepare and enjoy yourself as well. I recently hosted a DIY party making wall mounted ferns, so I will share some general DIY party planning steps, but I will also focus on the details for my party. I hope this post helps you know how to host a DIY party for any project.

How to Host a DIY Party – Planning Steps

There are so many things to do when you’re hosting a DIY party, but that doesn’t mean it has to be hard or stressful. Here are the basic steps to take when you host a DIY party:

Determine the project: Make a list of the supplies you will need
If you’ve never made the DIY craft or project, you’ll need to make it ahead of time. Knowing the steps to teach others will make your party a success. It’s also nice to have an example for people to touch and see. Feeling confident in how to create the DIY will reduce any stress and help you to know exactly what tools and supplies will be needed.
Determine who will be invited: Consider that about 1/3 of the people you invite will actually be able to or want to attend
I hosted a baby shower for a dear friend several years ago, and I created a little DIY station to make finger nail polish, so the guests were everyone who could come to the shower. I also hosted a succulent planting party for the wonderful ladies in my family and it was a blessing that they could all come. More recently, I hosted the party to create wall mounted ferns for my Bible study group. All the ladies know each other and it was so fun to enjoy another activity together. You can invite a group of people who don’t know each other, but I find that when people are comfortable, they tend to handle any pressure of doing something new much better.
Create invitations: Be sure to include all the pertinent details – not too much info at first, but enough to help them make a decision
I wasn’t sure if anyone would want to come to my wall mounted fern DIY party, so I sent out a little survey. I asked about preferred days and times. I had also determined the cost of the DIY in case that was a decision-making factor. Once I knew the date and time that worked for the majority, I created an invite using Canva and asked for pre-payment. Asking for money is usually awkward for me, I’d honestly rather just pay for people, but I didn’t want to be stuck with a bunch of extra supplies and this DIY was $25 each so it starts to add up. The $25 covered my costs for the plant and wood slice – I already had the other supplies on-hand so I chose to not charge for those things.
Decide on refreshments: Make a list of items to serve and a list of the ingredients you’ll need
I knew that I probably wouldn’t have the energy to make something, but I still wanted a personal touch to the refreshments. If you do want to make something delicious and healthy, be sure to check out recipes by The Menu Maid. I also knew that this party wasn’t about the food – my guests were literally pulling apart dirt, but having a little snack is always great too. So, I decided to pick up some baked goods from a local market that carries a nice selection, and then make spritzers to drink. I don’t drink alcohol (just a personal choice) so I don’t know anything about it or have any desire to serve it to others. And spritzers are super fun because they’re pretty with a garnish, and I love serving them in a pretty glass – it’s a fun go-to for me. I have a sweet tooth, so it’s no problem for me to put together punch recipes. This one was a hit and so refreshing for spring and summer month projects!

How to Host a DIY Party – Peach Lemonade Spritzer Recipe

To put together this punch, follow the amounts provided above. I gathered my liquids in this fun plastic drink dispenser (that coordinates with the shape of my glasses too)! Once all the liquids are combined in the dispenser, I prep the glasses! Wash and peel a cucumber, then use a wide peeler to peel a thick long piece to garnish the glass. Cucumber also imparts a nice refreshing flavor, it’s faint, but so tasty. I coil the cucumber peel and drop it to the bottom of the glass. I prefer Sonic ice for my punches and spritzers, so I scooped about 1/3 of a cup into each glass. Then you’ll add the punch – fill to almost the top and add some fresh mint leaves on top of the ice. The lemonade is sour, but the peach is sweet, and the 7up adds some zing. The color is pretty and the taste is delicious!

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thanks for considering my links!

How to Host a DIY Party – Prepare

To host the wall mounted fern party, I created various lists and began to gather items that I needed. I ordered the ferns and wood slices ahead of time so they would ship on time, and also because I needed to prepare the wood slices. To prepare the wood slices, I brushed on a layer of beeswax and linseed oil on the front side. After the natural waterproofing dried, I brushed on a layer of matte polyurethane onto the backside. Once the polyurethane is dry, I predrilled a little hole at the top so that the hanging hardware could be easily added at the party.

Once the supplies and tools are gathered, you’ll want to take the time on the day-of the party to set up a work station for the DIY activity. I covered our table with this ultra thick plastic table cloth by Magnolia. It wipes clean and is so pretty. I created individual work stations for each guest with all the items they would need, and then placed the shared tools down the middle of the table. This DIY required sporangium moss and I soaked it ahead of time so that it would be flexible to use and then placed the trays of moss down the middle for guests to pull from, as well as scissors to use when they needed them. On the day of of the DIY party, you’ll also need to set-up any other work zones. For instance, one of the steps to DIY a wall mounted fern is hammering nails into the wood slices. I laid a piece of plywood along our kitchen island with hammers and nails for three guests to use at a time. The island is a more solid surface to absorb the hammering than our table it and it’s nice to be able to spread some stuff out. With the extra punch and goodies nearby, we had everything we needed to complete this fun DIY project.

How to Host a DIY Party

The party was so much fun! I didn’t have to worry about getting this or that, all I had to do was walk them through each step and enjoy watching others create. I kept a few extra supplies nearby just in case (i.e. nails and fishing line). If you’re interested in hosting your own wall mounted fern party or just making one for yourself, check out the post here. Have you ever hosted a DIY party? I’d love to know what was made, please leave me a comment below and let me know.

June 24, 2021

Create a Free Centerpiece with this Recipe

Using branches, weeds, and even produce to create centerpieces or spots of green around my home brings me great joy! I know it seems silly, but I love that something so beautiful and impactful doesn’t cost a thing. I recently realized it’s really easy for me to encourage others to snip some branches from their yard (or the side of the road like I’m known to do), but it’s not necessarily that easy to just cut and arrange wild stems. So, I wanted to create a post where I take the next step to actually help you arrange the stems. I think you will find it much easier to create a free centerpiece with this recipe to arrange your wild stems and clippings.

The other best part about this decorating idea (besides the free part) is that it’s not supposed to be perfect. Using natural branches and stems means there’s going to be an asymmetrical look to the arrangement. Bringing the wilderness into the home means you’re willing to not have a perfectly balanced and spaced floral arrangement or centerpiece that has been carefully put together. Every time I venture outside to grab some stems, I cut them longer than I need – that way I can trim whatever works best for the particular vase or bowl I’m using. I also use pruning shears to clip my stems – you can use scissors, but I prefer the strength of shears.

To help explain this recipe, I’ve created a few simple visuals with instructions. Keep in mind, this is more like a cooking recipe and not a baked goods recipe – it doesn’t have to be followed exactly or precisely, and it’s even better if you tweak it to your tastes!

Create a Free Centerpiece with this Recipe

Create a Free Centerpiece with this Recipe – Shop:

You can use any pitcher, vase, bowl, or vessel you want to create your wild arrangement, but I wanted to give you the dimensions of this pitcher to give you perspective with the lengths of stems I used in this recipe. This pitcher from Hobby Lobby is 7″ tall with a 4.5″ wide opening. Here are some of my favorite containers:

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thanks for considering my links!

For this recipe, I have used some farily long stems. I actually cut them at even longer lengths to begin with which gave me more options from my clippings. You’ll notice that there is an eight inch different between the tallest and middle branches, and a six inch difference between the middle and shortest branches. I prefer a wild asymmetrical look when I arrange branches and stems, so my tallest needs to be significantly taller to allow length for the branch to sag and lean. You could also create a smaller arrangement following the same pattern, but at a smaller scale: for instance, 24″, 20″, and 17″ lengths.

The great thing about an arrangement of branches is that it will last quite a while – just make sure to get them into water as soon as possible, remove lower leaves so they’re not in the water, and have plenty of water in your vessel for the stems to drink up. Another great thing about arrangements with branches or wild stems is that they work great with a few real or faux floral stems added in. The fresh sprawling greenery arrangement is so stunning and will add a flourish to an otherwise boring kitchen table. I love the height that branches provide and the shock of green brings so much life to any space. For the most part, free branches from my yard win out over expensive flowers any day. I hope you look at the trees and shrubs in your yard with a new eye, and if you scope out any branches that need thinning, make sure to consider decorating with your trimmings and create a free centerpiece with this recipe!

If you try out this recipe, take a quick pic and tag me on Facebook. I’d love to see your original creation!

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June 2, 2021

Easy Frame Update Using Gold Rub’n Buff

One of the easiest ways to update decorative items, mirrors, frames, and even furniture, is by applying Rub’n Buff wax paste. It adheres to almost any hard surface. Maybe you have thrifted frames, inherited frames, or even have custom frames that only need an update for you to love and enjoy them again. Look no further, Rub’n Buff could be the answer to rejuvenating something old into something new again. I used to think that Rub’n Buff only made a few colors, but they make so many different colors that you’re bound to find something to suit your style. After having some vintage art prints made, I started looking for frames, but the large size was really expensive. To save money and get the look I wanted, I used black poster frames and then did this easy frame update using gold Rub’n Buff.

The specific color I used was gold leaf because I love the texture and dimension in the gold leaf Rub’n Buff wax. The advantage of using Rub’n Buff is that it can be done indoors, unlike spray paint, and it’s easy to control the application because you can use your finger, a rag, or brush. The paste format is very easy to use and manipulate. I was surprised by how quickly it dried, but I suppose that depends on how thick you apply the Rub’n Buff and how good your ventilation is. The small tube of Rub’n Buff paste was about $6 and I worried that one tube wouldn’t cover all three of my poster frames, but it did and my tube is still at least half way full. Now, I’m looking around the house to find my next Rub’n Buff project because the frames turned out so well.

Easy Frame Update Using Gold Rub’n Buff – Shop:

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thanks for considering my links!

With Rub’n Buff, you can brush on touches of accent color, or you can fully cover a piece. The options for transforming a piece are endless – you just need to decide what your style is and what look you want. I used a finger protector because Rub’n Buff is like a paint and I didn’t want it soaking into my skin, but you can use your finger or any brush applicator – whatever suits your needs. A brush may be easier if you have to work the paste into grooves or tight spots, and a rag may work well for larger flat areas. Any way you approach it, I recommend starting out with a small amount and getting a feel for how well it spreads across the surface and how much it takes to cover a certain amount of space. It’s best to work in a small area because it begins to dry quickly.

It was my experience that it spread quickly and if I started with too much it would begin to dry and get a texture that wasn’t as easy to smooth out. I worked in small areas at a time and fully covered the space before moving on. There were a few times that my fingernail scratched the drying paste and it left an impression, but all I had to do was add a little more Rub’n Buff paste to that spot and it smoothed right over the blemish. You could even wait until your piece is dry and then do all your touch-ups at once. This Rub’n Buff technique couldn’t be easier or more fool-proof. I love how affordable it is and how easily it transforms a piece giving it an entirely different look.

I absolutely love wall art galleries with mismatched frames. I love the eclectic look and how it adds so much interest and movement. However, I equally love all matching frames too – the consistency and the way it allows you to fully focus on the art or photos. If you have a bunch of mismatched frames and either don’t want to replace them to all match or maybe you love the frame style, but wish it was another color – Rub’n Buff could be your answer. A tube of Rub’n Buff is a lot cheaper than replacing frames to all match and even then you may not be able to find all the sizes you need in the matching color you want. Changing the color can also change the style of the frame. I love the sleek and simple style of my modern poster frames, but my art prints have a vintage vibe, so using the gold leaf Rub’n Buff paste allowed me to mix my two favorite styles, modern and vintage.

I created a short video to show you how I worked the Rub’n Buff paste onto my black wood frames. Please click the LIKE button if you give it a watch, I really appreciate the love!

Easy Frame Update Using Gold Rub’n Buff – Video:

Easy Frame Update Using Gold Rub’n Buff

Here is a shot of all three frames done and dry. You can’t see how pretty these prints are because of the widow light brightening them, but they look stunning in the gold frame compared to a modern black frame. These particular frames are 20×30″ and I’m not using the plexiglass cover because it causes a bad glare over the art prints. I’m so happy with the way these turned out and can’t believe how affordable it was and how quickly the frames transformed!

As you can see, Rub’n Buff is pretty awesome and I highly recommend using it to easily transform a picture frame, mirror, decorative element, and even furniture. I think this product would be a fun thing to use with a friend – gather some thrifted items or old decor around the house and see if you can make it something to enjoy again~

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