Baby Shower Ideas - DIYInspired.com
15th May2013

Recycled Food Container Gift Wrapping

by Dinah Wulf

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Who says cereal and cracker boxes can’t be pretty?  I don’t know about you, but I hate spending money on gift boxes.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most people do to, because at every party I’ve been to in the last few years have gift tables, filled with gift bags with tissue paper hanging out the top. Am I right?  So, I decided to use what I already had available and came up with recycled food container gift wrapping.

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A very special birthday came up recently for my beautiful twin baby God Daughters.  Since it was their first birthday, I went all out and bought matching clothes and a couple other things.  Since the clothes are still so very cute but tiny, food boxes are the perfect size for their little outfits. 

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Oh yeah… I better wrap them.  I made some coffee filter paper flowers and decided to die the paper flowers as well.  After they were dry, I trimmed the ones that went on the smaller boxes with scissors. It was sort of like trimming a real flower. I cut out green leaves out of card stock and hot glued the flowers on, and added ribbon.

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Here is a photo of the gift assembled all together.  My God Daughter, Jamie is the pink package and her sister Brooklyn gets the purple package.

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I bought the chairs at one of my favorite stores, Homegoods.  They just happen to have one purple and one pink so I couldn’t resist!  Here is the back.

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The actual party isn’t for a few weeks, but I can’t wait to show you the Alice in Wonderland extravaganza that I know it’ll be!

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Trash To Treasure
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12 Comm
02nd May2013

DIY Pedestal Bowl

by Dinah Wulf

DIY Pedestal Bowl (1) (560x372)

One of my thrifty obsessions is to walk through the local Goodwill shop on the weekends, particularly because of the half off sale.  Throughout the day, they announce a color and the price tags labeled in that color are half off.  It never fails, each time the make the announcement they assure you that you will find that color label in every department.  Naturally, you will always find me by the home goods and furniture section.  This trip I found a nice white ceramic beaded ramekin and a short pewter candlestick all for less than three dollars.   I had to marry the two together and make a DIY Pedestal Bowl.

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I’ve made something similar to this for my daughter’s birthday party last year.  For her cupcake decorating station, I made party platters made out of plastic serving trays and candlesticks.  I still have them today and have used them several times since then.  This project is quite simple and doesn’t really need too much explanation, so here are just a few tips that may help you out.

Tip #1: When looking for candlesticks, look for the shape you want.  You can always paint them.

Tip #2: The wider the candlestick the sturdier.

Tip #3: Consider wine glasses or champagne flutes instead of candlesticks.

Tip #4: Use a strong bonding agent like E6000 and let it dry for 24-48 hours.

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Tip #5: Consider spray painting them to fit your theme or décor.  Protect the surface with a doily or decorative paper if you are using it for food.

There are several uses for this easy project.  Use them for displaying desserts or appetizers for parties and entertaining.  Use a small pedestal bowl for jewelry or a larger one to hold toiletries in your bathroom.  You can also use them to display flowers or favorite collections.  Make several in different heights and group them together for a unique display.

 

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Category : Crafts, DIY Tips and Tricks, Trash To Treasure
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2 Comm
03rd Apr2013

Bethany from Whistle and Ivy

by Dinah Wulf

I am ecstatic to feature Bethany from Whistle and Ivy today!  Bethany is multi-talented from her party throwing and sewing skills to her crafty know-how.  On her blog you can find craft tutorials, recipes, and original sewing patterns (I’m a fan of her Barba Beanie).  I personally admire her humor and photography skills.

Pink and Orange Baby Shower

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Here is a baby shower for her sister with the color scheme pink and orange.  She served colored deviled eggs, orange cream cupcakes and make-your-own fruit pizzas.  Be sure to check out the rest of her decorations, diaper cake, and party favors.

Framed Earring Holder

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She also has a tutorial for turning an old thrifted frame into a cute earring holder.  With a few materials and the fabric rosettes she made to embellish the frame, Bethany made organizing quite stylish!

Upcycle T-shirt into Baby Bib

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I may have saved the best for last!  Bethany decided to put a pile of t-shirts destined for Goodwill to good use and started making bibs for her baby. She said that they are so fun to decorate and customize.  Complete with a pattern for an owl applique, this project was a fantastic upcycle!

A big THANK YOU to Bethany for sharing her fabulous creations!  You can follow her on Facebook and Google+ to see what she’s up to!

Do you have and crafts or DIY projects you would like to submit for a chance to be featured on DIY Inspired?  I would love to hear from you!  Just fill out this submission form.

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2 Comm
26th Mar2013

Tutorial for Fabric Flowers

by Dinah Wulf

fabric-flowers

Fabric flowers have many uses in the craft world.  I use them to embellish pillows, adorn wreaths, and dress up a plain head band for my EXTREMELY girly daughter.  I use them for so many things and since spring has officially sprung, I thought I’d post a tutorial for fabric flowers today.

These fabric flowers are so easy and inexpensive to make.  All you need are:

  • Fabric of choice
  • Scissors
  • Needle
  • Thread
  • Button (per flower)

The magic number that I have found to work best is five (pretend there are only five pictured below…haha!).  Cut out five flower petals in the desired size.  Remember that there will be five petals, so the larger the petals the MUCH larger the flower.  If you choose a lighter weight fabric, you can cut all five petals out at once.  The lighter the fabric, the flimsier the flower, however the more realistic they look.

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Once you have your petals cut, sew your petals together, keep the ends of each side flapped down.

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Continue sewing your petals together.

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Once all five petals form the flower and are sewn together, sew a button in the center to complete your fabric flower.

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Here is another AFTER photo.

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Consider making them in several patterns, sizes, and fun colors!  Add them to jackets, clothing, purses, and hair accessories.  You can even use them to add a special touch to a gift or use them for weddings or baby shower and bridal shower decorations.

 

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1 Comm
04th Mar2013

How To Throw a Party

by Dinah Wulf

If you are throwing a party for adults, whether it’s a birthday, an engagement do, a housewarming, an office bash or anything in-between, you want to make sure it’s remembered for all the right reasons and that everybody has a good time. So, make your party stand out from the rest with some little suggestions that should make it a fantastic event for all involved.  Here are a few tips on How To Throw a Party.

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First and most importantly are the invitations. Make your own invitations right and you are halfway there. There’s no point in throwing the most fabulous party there has ever been, only for no one to turn up because they didn’t have enough notice. Make sure you get your invitations sorted and sent out in plenty of time so that people with responsibilities such as work, children or just hectic lives in general can make arrangements so that they’re able to come.

Making your own invitations is a wonderful way to add a personalised touch and will make them stand out. It will also save you money if you can make your own invitations, so give it a go and get crafty! Use whatever theme you go for in your invitations to decorate the house with as well. If you’ve got kids, get them involved in making things like bunting and table decorations, turning a money-saving tactic into a fun, family activity to stop the kids getting bored! Here is an example of a DIY Owl decoration.

Obviously any party needs plenty of food and drink, but a good idea is to have a theme running through this as well. So you could go for an Australian theme if someone is emigrating and make sure the invites and party decorations match the food and drink on offer or a hearts and flowers theme for an engagement; whatever is suitable for the occasion.  Here are some fun party theme ideas to get some inspiration.

Finally, some entertainment is what really makes a party memorable, whether it’s a band, a magician or, for something really different, you could arrange for everyone to have a tarot card reading! Do some research into online clairvoyant readings to find out what’s available for parties and events.

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party
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0 Comm
07th Feb2013

12 DIY Theme Party Ideas

by Dinah Wulf

Looking back at my past 22 months of blogging, I noticed that my party theme ideas get a lot of love in the social media world.  I decided to put together this round-up of 12 DIY Theme Party Ideas.  These parties have been liked, shared, and pinned often and I also get several emails about them too.  Each link has the full details for each party and some parties have more than one post.

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Animal Print Tween Party

This is a collection of easy decorating ideas including food labels, paper medallions, and glittered wild animals perfect for the favorite tween in your life.

Butterfly Garden Party

A whimsical outdoor butterfly inspired party complete with DIY decorating tutorials, hot dog bar and recipes, and cupcake decorating station ideas.

Candy Land Party

A fun candy filled board game inspired party with life sized game board, peppermint, gumdrop, chocolate, and lollipop woods.

Carnival or Circus Theme Party

A true birthday carnival complete with DIY game ideas including ring toss, balloon darts, baseball toss, costume photo station and popcorn centerpieces.

Cherry Themed Party

A baby shower perfect for a mommy expecting twins.  This posts shows giant cherries, adorable party favors, and decorating ideas.

Colorful First Birthday

With Elmo as the special guests, this first birthday party has colorful inspirations to fit and type of party.

Golf Themed Party

This party was for a co-ed baby boy shower; however these navy and green party ideas are great for father’s day or for any golf lover.

Hello Kitty Party

One of the most shared theme parties in the social media world, this Hello Kitty party is all pink with ideas for games, dancing, dress up, and more for both boys and girls.

Mickey Mouse Party

Inspired by red, black, yellow, and polka dots, this party has ideas for Mickey Mouse sweet treats and food serving ideas.

Owl Themed Party

This cute owl themed party has tutorials on how to make your own owl invitations, party banner, and centerpieces.

Poker Party or Casino Night

This budget friendly party shows you how to use a regular pack of playing cards in your party décor with tutorials on how to make playing card drink umbrellas and personalized poker chip party favors.

Wine Tasting Party

Probably the most popular theme party on DIY Inspired, this party has tutorials for DIY wine charms, invitations, wine tasting rules, and bridal shower games.

I hope you enjoyed my 12 DIY Theme Party Ideas round-up!  Which one is your favorite???

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party
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1 Comm
15th Jan2013

Animal Print Party Ideas

by Dinah Wulf

I am helping one of my best friends plan a 13th birthday party for her daughter and I wanted to share some of the things I started making.  She wanted an animal print themed party, with pink accents and her wish was our command!   Add these ideas,  feather boas, pearls, gems, and ribbon and viola!  You have a very girly and wild animal print theme party!  Here are some animal print party ideas along with some helpful DIY party tips:

Glittered Wild Animals

I saw this idea on Pinterest and actually doing it was much more tasking than I thought.  My friend purchased plastic toy animals and some glitter, and I had a paint brush and some Mod Podge (hello? ALWAYS stocked in my craft closet).  With some paper plates protecting your counter, use a paint brush to apply the glue to your plastic animals, apply the glitter.  Let them dry completely, you will have some uneven spots unless you are Martha Stewart.  Once they are dry, you can handle them again to do touch ups.

Craft Punch Banner

I made these simply by using a 3” circle craft punch, and 3.5” craft punch, scrap book paper, and my computer.  I think I will add hot pink ribbon to string them. I made some similar ones for a golf theme baby shower I did.

Easy Birthday Signs

These white frames are perfect for so many different occasions.  They were definitely a good investment because I use them over and over again.  I most recently used them for a pink and purple baptism and an owl themed first birthday party.

Easy Food Labels

Food labels are an easy, inexpensive, and fun way to add a theme into your party décor.  All you need is some corresponding scrapbook paper, double sided tape, and a paper cutter!

Accordion Flower Decoration

This craft is my go-to for parties.  I always make accordion flowers because they are a) pretty, and b) easy.  For these, I used a circle craft punch and used my computer to print out the honoree’s name.

If you enjoyed this post, you might like a post I wrote for DIY decorations to fit any themed party.

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party
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3 Comm
14th Nov2012

Recycled T Shirt Bunting

by Dinah Wulf

I wanted to spruce up my mantle for the holidays so I decided to make a Thanksgiving banner.  Naturally, I wanted to use recycled materials so I found an old wrinkled cotton T shirt in my husband’s side of the closet (my side is neat and tidy of course!).  There was a huge stain on the front right on the chest so this was perfect for my recycled T shirt bunting.

Here are the materials you will need:

  • Old clothing item
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Paper (to make your flag pattern)
  • Iron
  • Spray starch
  • Fabric paint
  • Spouncer
  • Stencils
  • Ribbon or rope
  • Hot glue

Instructions:

Step One: Grab and old T shirt or any other piece of clothing.  Feel free to play with colors and textures.

Step Two: Make your flag pattern.  I used a piece of cardstock (8”X6”).  It’s easiest to start with a rectangle, measure the center of one end, and draw a diagonal line from one corner to the center mark for both sides and cut.

Step Three: Cut out your flags.  I chose to spell out “Give Thanks”.

Step Four: Lay out your flags to iron and spray it with starch.

Step Five: Iron your flags.

Step Six: Stencil your letters using a spouncer.  I chose green my favorite color!  Check out my stenciling tips I from my stenciled place mat project. You can purchase these stencils online.

Step Seven: Allow your letters to dry and then hot glue each flag to your rope.  I bought 3 yards of rope they had on sale for the holidays and cut it in half.  It was perfect for my recycled T shirt banner!

Here are some AFTER photos.

I took these during the day…

 

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Category : Crafts, Holidays, Trash To Treasure
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3 Comm
02nd Nov2012

Whimsical Monogram Sign

by Dinah Wulf

Yesterday I posted about some decorations I made for the Baptism of my God Daughters (Yes! Twins!).  These decorations aren’t exclusive to a baptism; rather some of the ideas can be used for a baby or bridal shower too.  I wanted to share more pictures but, specifically, a whimsical monogram sign that my best friend Jennifer and I made.  For this sign we used:

  • Wooden monogram letters for each baby
  • 3.5”, 3”, and 2” circle punch
  • Scrapbook Paper
  • Fishing line
  • Wooden frame
  • Staple gun and staples

I first did the tedious task of punching out circles, two for each side, and laid them out in a pattern.

Using fishing line, Jen attached each line of circles using double sided tape.  She carefully attached the monograms using the fishing line inside the frame as well.  She attached each end using a staple gun.  Here are photos.  It was so hard to take good photographs to capture how cute it was!  I STILL need to take that photography class!!

Here are some other photos of the party as well.  Jennifer used all the decorations I made as well as some apothecary jars filled with natural fillers, balls, and shells to go with the theme.   I filled the burlap shell jars I made with flowers fresh cut from my front yard.

We had a wonderful time and I am officially the proud God Mother of two beautiful twin baby girls!

 

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4 Comm
01st Nov2012

Baptism for Twins Sneak Peek

by Dinah Wulf

Guess what?? I’m a Godmother!  Guess what else?  OF TWINS!! I am so excited and truly honored to be the Godmother of my best friend’s daughters.  Needless to say, I wanted to help with the decorations for the Baptism reception.  So, here is a Baptism for Twins Sneak Peek!

First of all, I have to explain that the twins are identical.  I still can’t tell them apart and I see them several times a week.  The only way I can tell them apart is that Jaime wears a pink ribbon on her tiny wrist and Brooklyn wears a purple one.   Therefore, the color scheme for the reception is pink and purple.  Also, we decided on shells since shells are symbolic of a Catholic Baptism.

Here are five easy party decorating projects suited for a Baptism, shower, or beach themed party.

Baptism Signs

If you have a good photo printer like I do, signs are a simple way to add a personal touch to any party.  I made these four signs simply by finding an image on Google Images, Googling some Baptism poems and sayings, and merging them together with a free program called iPiccy.com. Here is what they say in case you can’t read them!

Precious angels from heaven above are welcomed into God’s family with love

Brooklyn and Jaime little blessings from up above!

All of God’s graces in two little faces

Twinkle, twinkle tiny light, little eyes that shine so bright, precious babies from heaven above, fills our hearts with so much love

Baptism Monograms

I bought each of the girl’s initials and added a ribbon, raffia, and shells.

Baptism Crosses

 

I bought wooden crosses for a dollar, painted them, and added ribbon, raffia, and shells to match the initials.

Flower Vases

I decided to do flower arrangements similar to the ones I did for the golf themed baby shower I did recently.  These are the vases I made out of recycled food jars.  I hot glued burlap and a shell and added white ribbon and a string of plastic pearls.

Food Shell Toothpicks

These are fun an easy to make using toothpicks, hot glue, and small sea shells.  It’s a great way to add the theme into the food table.  You can use them for appetizers or desserts.

Can’t wait to show you pictures of the actual reception decorations! Until tomorrow!

 

 

 

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Category : Crafts, Special Occasions
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4 Comm
24th Oct2012

Yes To Fruits and Veggies

by Dinah Wulf

Yes To Fruits and Veggies

I am guilty.  That’s right.  Guilty.  I am guilty of completely being gluttonous and indulgent in those tempting and beautifully decorated displays of sweets that seem to be the center of every shower, special event, or gathering.  Each one, found on every blog (even this one), is usually a magnificent color scheme to fit a specific well-thought out party theme.  There are beautifully designed signs and labels and banners, a variety of apothecary jars filled with candy, and matching platters with cookies and cakes… SO GOOD (and pretty too)!

Now that I am a parent, I have to make smart choices not only for myself but for my child.  Don’t get me wrong, I will STILL have my sweets table at my parties but it just may be a small one.  I decided to put a post together showing ways to display healthy fruits and veggie crudité for your next party as an alternative to the sweets table (or at least an addition) to help live a greener and healthier life. Here goes…

We all do it…use recyclable bags, wear Tom’s, try to take quick showers…basically taking small steps to live a greener life. Well, here are three more tips for you (and your family) to try!

1) Use water and vinegar to clean your windows (instead of Windex)

2) Bring a coffee cup on your next run

3) Start using natural skin and hair care products (try Yes To, a line full of natural treats – like fruits and veggies)!

A GIANT thank you to Yes To for sponsoring today’s post!

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Special Occasions
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4 Comm
08th Oct2012

Golf Themed Baby Shower

by Dinah Wulf

This time last year I helped one of my best friends with her wine tasting bridal shower.  Almost exactly one year later, I helped co-host her baby shower!  This baby shower, I’d have to say, was one of the most fun that I have helped decorate for to date.  The Mommy-to-be requested a co-ed golf themed baby shower and that’s what we gave her!

Let’s start with the ambiance!  It was located at a family member’s house.  Bushes meticulously trimmed and full of flowers, this back yard was the perfect setting.  We rented three round tables with tan linen and used black chairs.  The food was set up under the covered patio, and the bar was full with wine, a margarita machine, and a fully stocked bar.

For the centerpieces, I used a plastic green “putting green” from my daughter’s butterfly garden party and filled ribbon trimmed apothecary jars with golf balls and golf tees.  On my computer I made golf balls with the couple’s last name as the brand of the ball.  I also cut and arranged fresh white flowers in recycled jars for some of the guests to take home.  I made golf themed signs and made a flag to adorn the flower arrangement with.

The food was done by the Mommy-to-be’s family.  They made the most adorable fruit basket out of a watermelon to look like a baby in a carriage complete with a pacifier!  We served delicious Mexican food, fresh fruit and vegetables, several dips, and cheese and crackers.  For dessert we have cupcakes and three kinds of pie.

For the favors, I embellished small white boxes and filled them with Ghirardelli sea salt chocolates.  I made a diaper cake and diaper cupcakes as the centerpiece.  With ribbon and circle punch, I made a “congrats” sign.

Hope you enjoyed this golf themed baby shower!  It was a blast!

 
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Category : DIY Budget Party, Sweets and Treats
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7 Comm
25th Sep2012

Diaper Cake and Diaper Cupcakes

by Dinah Wulf

I am helping host a golf themed co-ed baby shower for one of my best friends.  Check out the sneak peek I did.  I can’t wait to show you the rest soon.  Anyway, I have always wanted to make a diaper cake and thought that this would be the perfect time to try it; so here is my quick and easy tutorial.  I had extra diaper so I ended up making a diaper cake and diaper cupcakes as well.

For most tutorials, they tell you to roll each diaper and secure it with a rubber band.  I have actually received a diaper cake before and it’s kind of a pain to take off all the rubber bands.  So, I decided to use tape.  The tape isn’t as secure, however it is MUCH faster and easier to use.  The trick is to make about three rolls and then wrap your rubber band for the entire layer around the rolls and add as you make them.

I made three layers as shown.  My top layer had seven diapers, my middle layer had eighteen diapers, and my bottom layer had twenty-eight diapers.  Layer your “cake” and insert two BBQ Skewers to secure it as shown.  Add ribbon or cardstock as desired.  I found a plastic golf game at the 99 cent store and used the clubs for the topper.  The cupcakes were left over diapers.  I simply made a top layer with seven diapers and added a thick piece of scrapbook paper to represent a cupcake wrapper, I used the plastic golf balls from the golf game from the 99 cent store as “cherries”.

Here are some after photos.

I hope you try it!

 

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Category : Kid Stuff, Special Occasions
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3 Comm
19th Sep2012

Summer 2012 Project Round Up

by Dinah Wulf

September 22nd is the first day of fall!  I wanted to end the summer with a recap of some of my favorite DIY Inspired’s summer projects and party inspiration.  Here is my top eight summer 2012 Project Round Up.

  1. Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath – Full step by step photo tutorial for a wreath I made out of an old book, a coat hanger, and branches from my back yard.
  2. DIY Cake Stand – Make your own cupcake stand or party serving tray with thrift store finds.
  3. Owl Themed Invitations – A detailed step by step tutorial and YouTube video on how to make these adorable invitations with moving wings for an owl themed party. This is perfect for a baby shower or kid’s birthday party.
  4. Summer Birthday Party – A butterfly and garden inspired birthday party complete with a cupcake decorating station and stacked hot dog bar and hot dog recipe suggestions.  Also check out a short three minute YouTube video of the complete party details.
  5. Stenciled Butterfly Wall Art – An easy way to upcycle an old unwanted painting with burlap, stencils, and butterflies perfect for a little girls bedroom.
  6. Junk Drawer Crafts – Make magnets out of bottle caps, paint color swatches, Scrabble tiles, and old plastic gift cards, perfect for stocking stuffers or a fundraising event.
  7. Repurposed Plant Hanger – A whimsical butterfly inspired chandelier made out of a unwanted plant hanger.
  8. Recycled Jar Tea Light – Make your own tea light lanterns out of recycled jars and burlap for less than $1.

I had so much fun this summer creating these projects.  These were just eight of my favorites.  I’m looking forward to the fall and the upcoming Holidays!

 

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2 Comm
17th Sep2012

Golf Themed Baby Shower Sneak Peek

by Dinah Wulf

One of my best friends is having a baby boy (yay!) and she asked me to help with the decorations for a Golf Themed Co-ed Baby Shower.  The shower is not for several weeks but I wanted to show you this Golf Themed Baby Shower Sneak Peek.  If you know me you’d know that I am far from being a procrastinator.  I’ve always been that way. My term papers in high school and college were drafted, revised, and completed days before the deadline.  In my career I was obsessed with hitting goals early in the month.  I guess you could say that I’m a bit anal retentive, always needing to be in control, and getting this started and finished early gives me that control. As a result, I started the decorations for this party very early.

I decided to use the grass mats I used for my Butterfly Garden Party I had for my daughter’s birthday party.  I thought they’d make a cute putting green. I bought some fun green and navy blue pinstriped and argyle decorative paper and made a few signs that say, “Daddy’s Little Caddy”, “Titleist in the Making”, “It’s a boy”, and “Let’s Par Tee.”

I gathered some small apothecary jars and filled them with golf balls and golf tees.  By the way, if you decide to do a golf theme party like this, purchase the plastic practice balls versus actual golf balls.  It’ll save you so much money!  I found them at Walmart.  They were less than $2 for a dozen golf balls.

We are playing a few games.  One of them is the baby food game (pictured above) where each person has to guess what food is in the jar by smelling it.  The person who has the most correct wins a prize.

I can’t wait to show you the rest of it!  Stay tuned!

 

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5 Comm
04th Sep2012

Owl Themed First Birthday

by Dinah Wulf

I know I’ve showed you my YouTube video for how to make these Owl Decorations (It’s below if you missed it), but I also wanted to share some of the party with you.  I wasn’t able to go early and help set up, but I did get the decorations to my cousin in time so she could.  She did a great job on this Owl Themed First Birthday party for her daughter.

We framed a few pictures from free images we found on Google images to fit the retro owl inspired theme and wrote saying like, “Hooty hoot! Tricia is one!”, “Whooo’s turning one?”, and “Hope you’re having a hoot!”  She also had the banner up, but for some reason no one took a picture of it, so here it is sitting on my floor!

She put fresh flowers and succulents (I love the mixture) in recycled glass jars that I provided for her.  We dressed them up a little with ribbon trim.  The mini flower arrangements were spread throughout the party on the guest tables and food tables.  She placed the owl lawn decorations in the vases which created height and whimsy.

Complete with an original recording of a Happy Birthday song written especially for the birthday girl and owl cupcakes made with Oreo cookie eyes and candy corn beaks, this party was so much fun!

Oh!  Here is the video tutorial for the owls in case you missed it!  I also have the text and photo tutorial if you prefer as well.

Thanks for reading!

P.S.  Here are the Thank You cards I made for my cousin using my AMAZING photo printer.

 

Check out more Birthday Theme Party Ideas:

 

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7 Comm
16th Aug2012

Butterfly and Garden Theme Party Video

by Dinah Wulf

Just a quick post today!  I wanted to share the Butterfly and Garden Theme Party Video I made that’s up on YouTube now.  It’s just a short 2 minutes of my daughter’s second birthday party.   It’s full of decoration, food and drink, and DIY party ideas.  Here it is! Thank you so much for watching; I had a blast making it!

Since I had so much to share for my daughter’s birthday party I broke the written blog posts into: Summer Birthday Party Sneak Peek, Summer Birthday Party Decorations, and Summer Birthday Party Food and Drink. Check them out for the full party details shown in this video.

 

Also, for those of you interested in blogging here’s a YouTube interview I did with Loren from Pandora’s Craft Box! It’s a short interview about her blogging journey.  I’m hoping to do more interviews with other fellow bloggers soon!  If you are a blogger and would like to be interviewed, please feel free to email me at dwulf@diyinspired.com. I would love to interview you!

Thanks, Loren for a great interview and for being my guinea pig!  For all of my YouTube videos, check out my channel! Oh and P.S. Don’t laugh I am new at this! :)

 

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party
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6 Comm
14th Aug2012

Owl Party Decorations Video Tutorial

by Dinah Wulf

OK, here we go.  I decided it might be fun to try doing YouTube video tutorials.  THIS IS MY FIRST ONE…AHHHHH! Don’t ask me why this is so nerve racking to share.  Shyness? Insecurity? Fear? All of the above…

Seeing yourself in a video is weird.  I do recall that when I was 12 years old, I somehow got sucked into doing a local commercial for WIC.  They made me the token pregnant teenager and my line was, “I’m a pregnant teen and I love the peanut butter.”  Uh, what?  Anyway, it was weird then and it’s weird now but here is goes!

I wanted to start with something simple. This is a tutorial for the Owl Party Decorations I posted earlier.  I just wanted to get your honest feedback on it!  By the way, this will suck up 6 minutes of your time so BEWARE!

Thanks in advance for sticking it out and watching!

P.S. If you don’t know me (I mean know me know me), I sound like I’m still 12 years old…

P.P.S. Here is what they look like:

 

Owl Party Decorations Video Tutorial

 

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Category : Crafts, DIY Budget Party
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7 Comm
08th Aug2012

Owl Themed Invitations

by Dinah Wulf

I was asked to help with an Owl Themed first birthday party for the end of this month.  Naturally I’m SUPER excited about it!  My cousin (Hostess) was inspired by retro style cartoon owls.  She sent me a few pictures and I was able to come up with these DIY invitations.  I created a mock up for her (pictured below) and she was super happy.  Here is how I made these Owl Themed Invitations.

The size of the invitation was very strategic for me because it is the most budget friendly.  Therefore, using my measurements for this tutorial will be most cost effective for you.  One 12X12 sheet of scrapbook paper will make 6 base invitations (as shown).  This tutorial is for 24 invitations.

Here are the materials you need:

  • Paper Cutter
  • 1.5” circle craft punch (eyeball)
  • 1” flower punch (iris)
  • Small flower or circle punch (pupil)
  • Small whole punch to connect the wings to the body with a brad
  • Glue and double sided tape.
  • Brads
  • Circular Plate
  • Computer Paper to print information
  • Scrapbook Paper
    • 4 sheets patterned paper for the body cut in 6 – 4”x6” invites
    • 7 – 2”X12” solid color strips for the eyeball
    • 5 – 1.5”X12” solid color strips for flower iris
    • 3 – 1”X12” black or brown strips for pupils
    • 6 – 3”X12” strips for the wings in the same color paper as the eyeball

The photos are self-explanatory but here are some helpful tips:

  1. I found it easiest to use a small paint brush to apply the glue for the eyes since the pieces are so small.
  2. Create a pattern, trace, and cut, for the wings.  One wing strip will make four wings for two invitations.
  3. Use a circular plate and a pencil to trace out the owls ears and rounded bottom as shown.
  4. The envelop size is a standard invitation size of 4.75”X6.5”.  You can purchase a pack of 20 for about $5.00 and any craft supply store.

Here are some the AFTER photos.

 

Here is the YouTube tutorial I made:

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party
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10 Comm
06th Aug2012

Summer Birthday Party Food and Drink

by Dinah Wulf

Since I had so much to share for my daughter’s birthday party I broke the posts into: Summer Birthday Party Sneak Peek, Summer Birthday Party Decorations, and today’s post Summer Birthday Party Food and Drink. Let’s get to it!

Food

We had a hot dog bar complete with all the toppings, sauces, and recipe suggestions.  Here are the Hot Dog Recipes I used:

  • LA Mexican- Jalapenos and bacon
  • Texas- BBQ, cheddar, onions
  • New York- mustard and sauerkraut
  • Coney Island- chili, mustard, onion
  • Southern- ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles, chili
  • Chicago- mustard, relish, tomatoes, onions, pickles, peppers, celery salt
  • Hawaiian- ham, pineapple, onion, mayo
  • Southwest- Corn, olives, cheese, onions, ranch
  • Mia- EVERYTHING!

For sides I served potato salad, fruit skewers, party mix, chips, pretzels, jello with whipped cream, and cookies.

Drinks

I used a dresser to display the drinks.  I also kept the extra hot dog buns and chips in the drawers for easy access.  I simply made lemonade with sliced lemons, and strawberry lemonade with sliced strawberries.  I also have a jug of ice water on hand and a bottle of citrus vodka if the adults wanted to add a little kick to their drinks!

Decorate Your Own Cupcake

This station was a hit because it doubled as an activity for the kids.  It also made it cheap and easy to get plain non decorated cupcakes.  The topping I put out were chocolate chips, mini M&M’s, marshmallows, mini Oreos, gum drops, and chocolate balls.  I also had caramel, chocolate, raspberry sauces and whipped cream.

The party was a blast! I couldn’t thank my friends and family enough for all the help!!

 

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Sweets and Treats
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5 Comm
02nd Aug2012

Summer Birthday Party Decorations

by Dinah Wulf

OK, so I decided that since I feel like I have so much to share about this party, I needed to break up my posts.  Yesterday, I did a post on a Summer Birthday Party Sneak Peek; today I want to share Summer Birthday Party Decorations including favors and games.  Next week, I’ll share Summer Birthday Party Food and Drink.

Flowers

First, the flowers!!  My amazing friend Maily (who loves this stuff as much as I do… maybe more), brought over some fresh cut flowers from her Mother’s and Sister’s gardens the day before the party.  Between the two of us, we gathered several glass jars, vases, and even old pickle, jelly, and sauce jars to arrange the flowers in.  We kept the flowers inside in the cool over night to keep them as fresh as possible.  We scattered the arrangements on the guest and food tables.

Decorations

I made Burlap Butterfly Wall Art and a Repurposed Plant Hanger Chandelier for the party.  I also hung several butterflies, garden umbrellas, and lanterns on fishing line.  I designed a party banner online and I also made framed signs like, “decorate your own cupcake” and “happy birthday Mia” for the tables.

Game

Because we had a bounce house, shaved ice station, and a cupcake decorating station, I decided to only do one game.  It was essentially hot potato played with a large gift.  I wrapped three prizes, the best prize in the smallest package, the 2nd place prize in the next package, and the third place prize in the largest package all inside one another.  For example, the third place winner got the smallest prize in the largest package.

Favors

Towards the end of spring, I started shopping for favors for this party because I knew all the spring items would be marked down drastically.  I was able to find these great $8 butterfly nets for $2!!  I made small packages with candy, and bugs for the boys and butterflies for the girls.

Come back next week to see Summer Birthday Party Food and Drink!

 

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10 Comm
01st Aug2012

Summer Birthday Party Sneak Peek

by Dinah Wulf

Being me, I should know better when I tell myself I’ll just have a small get together for my daughter’s birthday this year. It wasn’t large by any means, but it is just impossible for me to relax order some pizza the day of the party, bake cupcakes, throw up a balloon and streamers, and let the kids play. Oh no! I actually lose sleep over this kind of stuff. Oye!  Anyway, I thought I’d take the time and show you the part of the process for this Summer Birthday Party Sneak Peek.

It’s easiest to start with the small stuff.  Paper crafts are a simple way to spruce up any party.  I made little straw flags out of address labels that said “Mia’s 2!” on them.  I also used address labels to print a “Thank you for coming” sign on that butterfly net and bug catcher party favors.  I found colorful little frames in the dollar bin at a craft store and printed my daughter’s letters and age, used a craft punch, and layered it with burlap.  We also had a hot dog bar so I had a large framed board of topping suggestions.  For example, a Texas Dog is BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, and onions while a New York dog is mustard and sauerkraut.  I also framed the hot dog recipe suggestions to place at each table.  I made labels for all the hot dog topping sauces like ketchup, mustard, ranch, and BBQ sauce, and I also made labels for the sauces on the cupcake decorating table.

For the decorations, my friends and family helped.  We hung paper lanterns, butterflies in all sizes, and umbrellas from fishing line on the patio.  I designed a banner from Banners on the Cheap and hung it up on the patio as well.  We also used glass vases and recycled mason jars and arranged flowers cut from our gardens.

Lastly, we arrange the patio furniture and tables for seating for both the adults and kids.  I hung my repurposed plant hanger in the center of an easy up and strung lanterns across the lawn on fishing wire.

I can’t wait to show you the actual party.  Stay tuned tomorrow :)

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party
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8 Comm
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