DIY Fabric Scrap Banner

These banners are all over Etsy—at a whopping $50 a pop. A little too expensive for me. I couldn’t really find a great DIY anywhere, so I starred at the pictures, came up with some ideas, and really improvised the entire thing.

It started because my bathroom window is a bit on the tiny side, so I was having a hard time finding a rod and valance that looked right. So, I decided my crafty self would make something.

Then I thought—this would be super cute in pink for my niece’s room! I went out, bought different pink fabric, some ribbon, a spool of lace, and burlap. I hung my twine up by taping it to the counter, started cutting and ripping my materials, and tying away.  These kinds of projects are my favorite because they don’t have to even be near perfect. The messier the better! I loved the end result. I also thought it would be cute if she hung it in the background of her newborn pictures—until then, it’s hanging cute above her closet!

Mommy To Be Hospital Survival Kit

 

I made this easy gift as part of my sister’s baby shower gift. It was super easy, cute, cheap, and something different!

Here’s what went into it:

-Some type of container, I bought this plastic one at Walmart

-Lotion

-Hand Sanitizer

-Nail Polish

-Chapstick

-Hair Ties

-Face Refresher Wipes

-Comfy socks

-Chocolate

I made a little sign, grabbed some ribbon and put it all together. She loved it!

Sissy's Baby Shower

My sister’s baby shower was a couple weeks ago. I’ve been planning for it for months and once the date came it felt like it came out of nowhere! We had it at a great local restaurant down the street from our house—and went with the theme “Ready to Pop!” It turned out to be even better than I imagined. Megan had over 70 friends and family there to help her celebrate this little baby blessing. I made most of the decorations—and every thing else was bought at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn’s and Five Below. One of my favorite parts was the popcorn bar. The popcorn was from Pittsburgh Popcorn Company in the Strip District and it was easily the best popcorn any of us ever had.

I bought her a Red Rider wagon and filled it with over 60 children’s books, a mix of classics and my favorites, a onesie that says “Lil Pierogi,” and a “Mommy to Be Hospital Survival Kit.” Plus a gift from her niece, Chloe, aka my cat. She went out all by herself and bought baby tons of outfits with cute kitties on them!

Being surrounded by all these people reminded me how lucky I am to have the family and friends that I do. Many of the people said it was the best shower they’ve been to! Uh, wow, what a compliment J Most importantly, I think my sister really enjoyed it—I know I did!

*Planning a baby shower or celebratory event and need some help? Contact me! harbisonk@gmail.com

DIY Cupcake Liner Flowers

This was maybe the easiest craft I've ever done. The first flower was a little eh, but after that, it was easy as can be. I love the idea of having these around the house and my office to add a pop of color--and it's nice because you don't have to worry about watering, lighting, etc. Here's what to do:

All you need--glue gun, flower wire, cupcake liners, scissors.

Be sure to push the liner--pattern up--through the wire. Leave about an inch at the top. Place hot glue in the center, and start pinching!

Once you do this once--you'll get the idea.

Continue to put on as many liners as you'd like. The more, the bigger. I did about 4 per flower.

All done!

*I bought all the supplies from JoAnn's, but Marshalls & TJ Maxx 

always have cute, cheap cupcake liners!

1968

A couple weekends ago Kevin and I went to the Heinz History Center to see the 1968 exhibit. It was so awesome and better than I expected. It was a pretty big exhibit, and was filled with videos, music, memorabilia, pictures, and more all about the year 1968. Kev and I went to the Woodstock museum in Bethel, NY last year, so I assumed it would be something like that. There were different "rooms" set up, new clips from the assassinations of MLK and RFK, a real army helicopter from the Vietnam war, a woman's "freedom can" filled with birth control, bras, and female things, and so many other cool pieces of history. It was fun and informative--and caters to all age groups. One of my favorite parts was the old voting machine they had--you could go in and cast your vote for your favorite candidate--I of course picked Bobby Kennedy, Kev picked Ronald Reagan, ugh. Anyway, if you're in Pittsburgh, definitely check it out--it's through May 12. Be sure to browse the rest of the museum as well!

Roshambo

This video comes from the wonderful people at Free People. I saw it on the Bldg 25 Free People blog in February, and I’ve watched it countless times since. It’s 3 minutes, 34 seconds of pure love and beauty. I got tears in my eyes the first time I watched it. How could something so simple and short carry such emotion?

Basically the couple plays “roshambo” or rock, paper, scissors to decide various things in their relationship, the biggest one being if the guy will stay or leave. I’m anxiously awaiting the part II to this mini-film.

http://blog.freepeople.com/2013/02/free-people-short-film-roshambo/

Natural Elements & Easter

Here in Pittsburgh everyone has been crossing their fingers hoping for just a peek of spring weather. We've had the craziest winter--cold, rain, 50 degrees, 12 in. snow... just the most inconsistent winter season you could imagine. I woke up yesterday and had to clean off an entire foot of snow off my car! Now it's all melted and about 40 degrees, and this weekend is supposed to be almost 60. I've hated this winter more than any other. Spring is what's on my mind. It always feels like a fresh start--new clothes, being outside, better attitude. With spring comes one of my favorite holidays, Easter. Christmas Eve church service will always be my favorite, but I love Easter Sunday. Everyone comes to church in their pastel colors, beautiful spring flowers are on the altar, and you leave feeling happy, blessed, and thankful. With Easter comes another chance to decorate! You know I love decorating for the holidays, and Easter time is a great way to tie in natural elements to your decorations. Here are some ideas I'm excited to recreate. Click the images for more information.

All images from Terrain.