Craft: Another Valentine's Day Idea...

Ever seen a crepe paper pomander?



No idea what that is? That's ok, I didn't know the actual term until I googled "crepe paper rose ball" a few minutes ago.


Well here's what I'm thinkin': How cute would these suckers be for Valentine's decor? The lovely part is that you can hang them or make them small enough to place into a large bowl or just place them on a shelf - you name it. What I want to do is make a large enough one that will just fit over a large white vase I have. I know that doesn't really paint a picture...but IF I do it I'll post a picture.

Shelly @ House of Smith's does them. You can totally take a peek at her Valentine's Decor. She goes on Studio Five to chat about her vignettes. She's legit.



Here are the supplies you need:

Crepe Paper in Valentine's colors you don't hate.

Random fact: I don't like bright red. I like dark reds...mostly because they're easier on the eye.

Styrofoam balls. If you purchase a very large styrofoam ball...be prepared to spend most of the day putting this thing together. I'd say the largest you want is 6", past that you may have bitten off more than you can chew.

Examples:

They have tutorials how to do these all over the place. Having already made one myself, I can tell you one step they always leave out:

Scrunch up the crepe paper before you start rolling them into rosettes. It makes it 10x easier and the paper is much more pliable.




There's no real how-to on the rolling of the rosettes. It's trial and error, folks. Just make sure you have time to play around. To complete a 6" ball you're probably going to need a solid 4 hours. Pop in a movie, get yourself a chilled beverage.



And possibly some work gloves...if you're me...because I always burn the crap out of my hands whenever I work with hot glue.



NOTE: If you're hanging them - BEFORE YOU START GLUEING ON ROSETTES, you'll want to glue and tie a ribbon to hang the ball with. Otherwise...well good luck to ya, I don't know how to fix that one.




Little known fact: Did you know I made about 15 rosettes with fake flowers for my wedding reception. They took FOREVER!

Craft: Thinkin' about it...

The Valentine's Day decor craft project I have in my head includes the following items:

Stretched Canvas Frames

Little known fact: usually are half off at Hobby Lobby...

A cute damask stencil which I'm sure I could find for cheap at a craft store
Heart/ Valentines Inspired stencils
Another example of said stencil...this one is only $1.00 on Etsy

Valentine Scrapbook Paper kit...or really any Valentine's inspired scrapbook paper

Wood/ Cardboard letters...preferably ones that stand up on their own

The idea here is that I stencil a light pink damask pattern onto the stretched canvas frame. I wait for that to dry and then stencil on a cute heart. Once it's dried I can put it on a shelf or even hang it if I feel so inclined. (I probably won't though...)

Then I'll mod podge scrapbook paper onto the block letters to place somewhere in my home. I'm thinking "Love" because that's only four letters...cheaper to purchase and less time spent.

The real question is: can I find time...and will I find the supplies I need for the price I'd like?

Decisions, decisions...

My living room needs this

My living area is a small part of a very open floor plan. We spend 90% of our time there because of a ridiculously comfortable couch that invites lounging. But being the lover of all things DIY-blog I came across this paint idea that makes me think my living room needs it.

I'm a fan.

Keep your pants on!

I'm working on:

1. Finding time to MAKE my sliding headbands...

2. Remembering to take pictures before I give them away...

3. Talking myself into thinking it's worth it to have a blog all about the crafts I like to make in my spare time...

4. Finding spare time...



So hold on.