Theme Party Ideas - DIYInspired.com
06th May2013

Alice in Wonderland Theme Party: Red Paper Flowers

by Dinah Wulf

Coffee Filter Roses (1) (540x359)

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My best friend is having an Alice in Wonderland theme party for my twin God daughters for their first birthday.  Needless to say, I wanted to help her decorate for the festivities.  The twins have two older sisters and their birthday parties were amazing.  Check out this Candyland themed party and this circus themed party. So, we started brainstorming ideas.  I recently made these coffee filter paper flowers (see below) and I thought they would be perfect for the painting red roses scene when Alice meets the Queen of Hearts.

Coffee Filter Paper Flowers (10) (396x540)

Dying coffee filter paper flowers is extremely inexpensive and easy to do.  Here are the materials you need:

  • Bowl
  • Red food coloring
  • Water
  • Coffee filter paper flowers
  • Rubber gloves
  • Newspaper

To make the actual paper flower, check out the tutorial here.  Once your flowers are made, here are the two easy steps to dye them.

Step One: Depending on the hue of red you desire, mix several drops of food coloring and about three tablespoons of water in a bowl.

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Step Two: I tried two different ways. Dipping the pre-made flower and dipping the individual filters.  Wearing rubber gloves carefully dip the paper flower (or individual filters) into the color mixture and set it aside to dry on the newspaper.

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Here are pictures of each.  I let them dry overnight.

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When they were dry, I noticed that the dipped flower had a nice deeper red color on the edges while the filters that were dipped individually were not.  Here is a photo.  It’s very subtle, but I like the former better.

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Here is a photo of the coffee filter rose and a real rose from my garden next to one another. Not too shabby! Can you see the difference?

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Here they are in the bush that we will use for the party.

Coffee Filter Roses (1) (540x359)

Feeling inspired by Alice?  Check out these posts!

Do you have any Alice in Wonderland party ideas for us? We’d love to hear them!

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Category : Crafts
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2 Comm
10th Apr2013

Cardboard Box Photo Booth

by Dinah Wulf

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I know Easter is officially over (hope you had a great one!), but I wanted to share this fantastic Cardboard Box Photo Booth idea from a friend of mine.  This is such a great upcycle and it’s perfect for any party, especially for kids.

My friend had a box from a large flat screen TV which was the perfect size for a photo booth for small children.  She saved it and realized that she could make a two sided photo booth for an upcoming spring party she was planning.  The larger the box, the better, of course!  She cut out one side, and covered the entire box in white paper.

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On one side, painted an Easter theme with a bunny, egg tree, grass, and Easter eggs and cut out holes for your head in the shape of a balloon and an Easter egg.  She painted more Easter eggs and glued them on to add dimension.

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On the other side, she cut out two sections and used two picture frames as a border.  She decorated it with bows and pinwheels from the dollar store.

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The party guests had a great time posing for pictures.

This Cardboard Box Photo Booth could go with any type of theme party, the possibilities are endless!  Consider draping it with material, covering it with patterned gift wrap, or painting it.  You can also place a box or basket of photo props like hats, boas, funny glasses, and masks.  I may have to steal this idea for my daughter’s birthday party this year!

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Holidays, Kid Stuff, Trash To Treasure
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7 Comm
13th Mar2013

Lego Birthday Party

by Dinah Wulf

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I have another fabulous theme party to share with you by one of my best friends, Maily Cano.  You may have seen here Hello Kitty Party, her Purple and Pink Masquerade Party, or her Red and Black Anniversary Party on DIY Inspired before.  This time she converted her office into a colorful Lego Birthday Party wonderland for her nephew.  She always pays great attention to detail, transforming the party space completely.  Thanks AGAIN, Maily for sharing this! <3

Written By Maily Cano

I hosted a Lego themed birthday party for my nephew at my business. I bought plastic table covers from the $0.99 store and stapled them onto the walls, using a different color for each wall. I then printed the Lego logos on colored construction paper that matched the walls.

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Using a circle cutter, which you can get at any crafts store, I cut the logos into circles. Trust me, the circle cutter will be an invaluable investment for this project.

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I also created take away gift bags and affixed the same Lego logos to the front, making them look like Lego pieces. And since this was party was hosted at my office, I had office supplies (fax machines, files, cabinets) that didn’t go with the theme. To remedy that, I boxed up all of the items and wrapped them in various colors, again attaching Lego logos to also turn them into Lego pieces.

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The final result was a fantastic and colorful Lego themed party that any kid, young or old, would love.

All Lego Party photos were taken by Brendan Cao Photography.

For more Lego party inspiration, check out how to make Lego marshmallow pops, DIY Ninjago invitations,  and some other Lego party ideas.

 

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party
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2 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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27th Feb2013

Conan O’Brien Glasses

by Dinah Wulf

I often take for granted the many fun activities there are to do here in sunny California.  I am always reminded when I have friends from my hometown come to visit.  Last week, my friends and I attended a taping of Conan O’Brien (it was the one with Snooki and Jwoww).  Of course, we HAD to set ourselves apart from the rest of the audience. So we decided to make Conan O’Brien Glasses.

My friend purchased orange sunglasses (Conan’s signature color) from a discount department store for $2.00 apiece.  What a steal!

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Her husband and my long-time friend is the owner of Custom Concepts, a signage and graphics business.  He designed and printed Conan’s hair, eyes, and nickname, Coco onto an adhesive vinyl.  The eyes and nickname had tiny holes in it so that you could cover the lenses and still see through them.

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Each of us attending the taping had a craft day and made our own glasses.  We even made a “blinged” out rhinestone pair for Conan himself.  For the hair, we stuck the sticker onto cardboard and cut them out.

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The material made it easy to smooth out.

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For the eyes and the nickname, we stuck them directly on the lenses and used a craft knife to trim the edges.

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Here are all five pairs of glasses we made.

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These are us being complete dorks and messing around and “modeling” in them!

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We had a fantastic time making them and attending the taping.  We had an audience page give the rhinestone pair to Conan.  They were a hit with the staff and fellow audience members.  A few couldn’t believe that we made them!

This is a great activity to do with kids (or adults!).  Consider making fun glasses like these for a birthday party activity or kid’s craft!

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Category : Crafts, Kids Craft Ideas
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1 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
21st Jan2013

DIY Ninjago Birthday Invitations

by Dinah Wulf

DIY Ninjago Birthday Invitations (6)

Uh… yeah… OK… when I first heard the term Ninjago, I think I responded with a, “God bless you.” I am familiar with Legos, of course, I mean who isn’t?  But I had never heard of Ninjago Legos until one of my best friend’s sons showed me what seemed to be 8 million tiny Ninjago Lego men all in a row.  Needless to say, with his 7th birthday just around the corner, he needed his Auntie D to make him some DIY Ninjago Birthday Invitations.

I heart Google Images.  I use it almost every time I help with a character themed birthday party.  I’ve used it for and Elmo meets Little Einsteins party, Paul Frank themed party, Mickey Mouse themed party, and an Owl themed first birthday,  to name a few.  I picked two images for these invites and used a free photo editor to add the party information.  For the front of the invitation I used a picture of the Master Sensei character and added “ Sensei says, “Master Aidan is turning seven.”  I printed them out on fine art paper and cut them out.  For the bottom I used the green Lego Ninja mask (Aidan’s favorite).

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I cut out red scrapbook paper as well to use as a border.

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I used the layered the two pieces, punched a hole in the left upper corner and added a charm to attach the two pieces.  The charms I found in the sales bin of a craft store, 6 for $2.00!

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Here are some after photos.

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These were a hit with all the moms.  I didn’t have to worry about envelopes, because Aidan simply handed them out at school.

In case you missed them, here are some more budget friendly DIY party posts!

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2 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
28th Dec2012

Kids Craft Ideas New Year’s Noise Makers

by Dinah Wulf

Kids Craft Ideas New Years Noise Makers (2)

Ever since I had my little nugget, New Year’s Eve hasn’t been quite the same.  Since it is extremely difficult to find a baby sitter on this popular night out, we have had to fit our little one into our New Year’s Eve party plans.  My friends who also have young kids will likely get together to celebrate the New Year at one of our homes.  To keep the little ones busy, I decided to think of some kids craft ideas.  This year, I thought it’d be fun to make New Year’s noise makers out of recycled items from around the house to help ring in the New Year.

Step One:

Gather your recycled containers.  Any plastic or cardboard box will work.  Make sure it’s small enough for little hands to hold and shake.  Check the kitchen, bathroom, and pantry.  I used a cracker box, soup can, medicine box, and aspirin bottle.

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Step Two:

Gather your embellishments.  Think vibrant, glittery, metallic, and bright…anything fun for the New Year!  I used glittered animal print scrapbook paper, neon paper, and glittered craft foam numbers.

Step Three:

Gather your noise making materials.  Look for anything around the house.  I used bottle caps, paper clips, elbow macaroni noodles, and coins.  The bottle caps make a nice chime sound in small cardboard boxes.

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Step Four:

Gather some basic craft materials like glue, tape, scissors, rulers, pencils, and craft punches and let the kids have at it! My daughter loved helping me.  She is learning to count so she had a great time counting each macaroni noodle or bottle cap and putting them in the box.

Kids Craft Ideas New Years Noise Makers (3)

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Holidays, Kids Craft Ideas, Special Occasions
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4 Comm
21st Nov2012

Lego Theme Party Ideas

by Dinah Wulf

My brother purchased the Lego Haunted House this year for Halloween and I got inspired to write this pot.  Even though most the Lego theme parties I see are for boys, I LOVE Legos and I’m hoping Mia, my daughter will one day love Legos too!  If that day comes and she wants to have a Lego theme party, I’ve put together some fabulous ideas I’ve found on Pinterest and out there in the blogosphere. Here are some fun DIY Lego theme party ideas that I hope you enjoy!  The links I provided are full details of each amazing party.

Decorations:

What I love about Legos is that they are so bright and colorful.  When decorating for a party, just think of bold primary colors, black, and white.  Check out this amazing Lego Dessert Table Display, complete with free printables, this elaborate display was made with gift wrapped juice drink boxes.

I love this Lego Wall Art made from colorful scrapbook paper.  It’s such a creative yet inexpensive idea that makes a big impact.

Who says you have to buy all your party decorations.  This Lego utensil holder is made of… you guessed it…Legos!  What else can you make?

I love this soap dispenser for the bathroom!  What a great idea!

Goodies:

There are so many great Lego food and goodie ideas.   I have actually done a tutorial for easy Lego marshmallow pops in the past.  Here are some tasty looking Lego cookies.

More Lego cookies!

How fun is this Lego Jello?

Favors:

Check out these cute Lego gift bags.  You can purchase regular gift bags and add circles with scrapbook paper.

These adorable Lego Jars and made out of recycled baby food jars. Fill them with Legos or candy and you have the perfect party favor.

Check out this dessert display with colorful gumballs and clear square boxes.  Add a themed label and they are perfect to take home.

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Kid Stuff
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4 Comm
16th Nov2012

Thanksgiving Table Setting

by Dinah Wulf

I am so thankful for so many things this year.   My family, of course, is a big one.  I’m loving having a two-year-old right now.  I love that she is a sponge.  She takes in EVERYTHING and now that she’s talking a little more, it’s amazing to hear what comes out of her mouth in that sweet little voice.  We read books all the time because it’s one of her favorite things to do.  So, this year for a Thanksgiving dinner I’m having with some friends, I decided to do a book/reading theme for the table in honor of my little lady. So, here is my Thanksgiving Table Setting.

My table is so big that a normal table runner is too short so I ended up making my own runner by layering two tablecloths.  I made place cards with pine cones, a craft punch, and hand wrote each name with a sharpie.  I also made napkin rings with recycled book pages and ribbon.  I adorned the table with some antique books I have in my collection.  I added some natural elements like shells, nuts, pine cones, and moss to glass containers.  I used some pine cones that we found on a walk we had the other day and spread them randomly on the table.  I also spray painted some mini pumpkins left over from Halloween.

Tip: Pumpkins always go on sale after Halloween.  Some places give them away for free!  They can’t get rid of the fast enough.

Here are some more pictures.

 

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Category : Holidays
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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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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
25th Oct2012

Halloween Jeweled Skull

by Dinah Wulf

Skulls are one of my favorite Halloween decorations because they are so creepy.  The fake foam bag of bones  you can buy at any retail store are usually inexpensive and look realistic.  I was originally inspired by a skull I saw on Pinterest when I decided to do this project.  Naturally I didn’t want to spend any money, so I raided my craft closet and found some beads and plastic gems I could use.  Because I love Halloween so much, I have several skulls and chose one that appeared damaged from Halloweens past.  Here is how I made my Halloween Jeweled Skull.

Materials:

  • Halloween skull decoration
  • Plastic Gems
  • Beads or old/unwanted necklace or jewelry
  • Hot glue gun
  • Hot glue sticks
  • Imagination

I honestly can’t remember why I may have put holes in the eyes of this skull (maybe for bugs? Light? No idea…) but I wanted to cover those up so I added some larger gems and plastic pearls to cover them.  I also took apart an old cheap plastic necklace that I never wear anymore and added a tear drop to the right eye.  I have to say, this project was so much fun and much easier than glittering them.

Here are some AFTER photos.  I may of gotten carried away a little bit! I am now addicted and may have to glam up some more skulls.  Maybe I’ll play with the bones.

These would be perfect for a pirate themed party or Pirates of the Caribbean themed party.  They remind me of a buried treasure.  Hope you try it out!

 

 

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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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4 Comm
17th Oct2012

Four Easy Halloween Party Crafts

by Dinah Wulf

If you couldn’t tell, my favorite holiday is Halloween.  I love everything about it; the decorations, the costumes, the weather, taking the kids trick-or-treating, and of course, the parties.  I’ve recently been able to participate in taking the kids trick-or-treating last year since my daughter is only two.  It’s a big production.  We meet at one house, get the kids dressed up and ready to go, have some drinks and appetizers, and the adults fill their spirit tumbler drink cups with their beverage of choice!  In preparation for this big night, I wanted to share four easy Halloween party crafts.  All four are extremely inexpensive, and add character and an eerie charm to your Halloween party.  Click on the links for further details and helpful tips.

Recycled Halloween Bottles 

Buying Halloween decorations can get a little expensive.  If you take a look around the house, there are probably items that you can reuse and reinvent.  I made these Halloween bottles out of bottles I already had in my cupboards.  With a little help from Google Images, some paper and glue, I made these fun and easy recycled bottle Halloween props.  I gathered some lotion and liquor bottles for these.  Next, remove the labels and clean them.  For the images, I looked on Google images for inspiration, printed them out on card stock and cut them out.  I used plastic rhinestones in the eyes for the skeleton.

 

DIY Recycled Shoe Box Tombstones

Start collecting those shoe boxes, cereal boxes, and other food boxes to make these DIY Tombstones! Mount each box on top of each other and secure them with duct tape.  It’s ok if it’s messy because you will spray write over it with a stone textured spray paint. Decorate them with plastic bugs and gems.

 

Halloween Party Guest Hall of Fame

Honor each guest by turning our bathroom or hallway into an Insane Asylum Patient Hall of Fame.  Who made the cut? Your guests, of course!  Look for pictures of each attendee and print their photo on regular printer paper.  Carefully singe the edges with a lighter and blow out the flame.  Mount them on black card stock and glue on mismatched googly eyes.

 

Glittered Skulls

Finally, make a flashy Halloween centerpiece by glamming up those dollar store plastic skulls with glitter.  Don’t forget about glittering those cheap plastic bugs you can find at the dollar store too!  Place them on top of the skulls or place them so that they look like they are crawling out of the eye socket.  This is a great way to make something cheap and inexpensive look like you spent much more on them.

*****BONUS!!! Here’s a fifth Halloween craft for you!  I am excited and honored to have written an article for Home Made Simple on Black Painted Vases!  Check it out!*****

Until tomorrow!

 

 

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Category : Crafts, Holidays
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2 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
01st Oct2012

Recycled Plastic Container Crown

by Dinah Wulf

This year for Halloween my family is going to be the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and Alice from Alice in Wonderland.  As you know I preach recycled crafting and I made a DIY Mad Hatter Top Hat out of a cardboard box and hanger (among other things), but this time I decided to make my Queen of Hearts crown out of a recycled plastic container, specifically an old (but clean) sour cream container.

This was quite easy and fun and I have to admit I got a little carried away with the plastic gems.  I happen to have everything in my craft closet already, so I didn’t spend a dime making this.  The materials you can use are endless but here’s a list of what I used:

  • Clean plastic sour cream container
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Glitter
  • Felt
  • Foam craft hearts
  • Even More Glitter
  • Plastic craft gems
  • Hot glue
  • Clear glaze spray paint (optional)

I started off by cutting off the top trim and the bottom of the container.  Next I cut a jagged edge at the top, using the first triangle I cut out as a pattern to cut out the rest so that they would be even.  Next I glammed it up!  I glittered the entire crown gold and added red felt trim.  I also sprayed the entire crown with a clear glaze to seal in the glitter.  It helps to minimize months of glitter hair!  I decided to glitter foam craft hearts in red and add plastic gems.  I kept adding and adding… I couldn’t help it!  Oh well, it IS a Halloween costume…it can be a little gaudy.

I think these would be fun to make for a princess themed party or even an Alice in Wonderland tea party.  There you have it! A low cost (or no cost) DIY crown.

 

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Category : Crafts, Holidays, Kid Stuff, Kids Craft Ideas, Trash To Treasure
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12 Comm
28th Sep2012

DIY Mad Hatter Top Hat

by Dinah Wulf

Every year, it always takes several days, even months, to figure out what my family is going to be for Halloween. I actually think the brainstorming starts on November 1st!  This year we decided on a popular theme, Alice in Wonderland.  My husband will be the Mad Hatter, I will be the Queen of Hearts, and my daughter will naturally be Alice.  So over the next few days, I’ll show you the progression of our costumes as I make them. Let’s start with the DIY Mad Hatter Top Hat.

I did a Google search and found an amazing tutorial on how to make a cardboard top hat on the Instructables, one of my favorite DIY sites.   I edited it a little bit as I went.  Here is my tutorial on a DIY Mad Hatter Top Hat.

Step One: Construct the Cardboard Top Hat

Materials:

  • Cardboard
  • Duct Tape
  • Pencil
  • Bowls or plates (any circular object for tracing in the desired size)
  • Scissors

I cut four pieces with the help of the bowls in my cupboard, a pencil, and scissors.  The size will depend on the Mad Hatter’s head size.

  1. Large circle for the top of the hat
  2. Small circle for the interior of the hat to hold shape
  3. Large ring for the rim of the hat
  4. Rectangular piece for the cylinder

Using duct tape, create the cylinder.  Cut 1-2” wide slits for the bottom of the hat and cut longer 1-2” slits for the top of the hat.  Insert the small circle in the top of the hat as shown and secure with tape.  Add the rim by folding each slit and taping the cylinder to the rim as shown.  Do the same for the top using the larger circle as shown.

Step Two: Decorate Your Hat

Materials: The materials are up to you, as the possibilities are endless!  Here is what I used.

  • Green velvet fabric (I chose this because it’s easy to stretch and maneuver)
  • Salmon fabric for the scarf
  • Two feathers, one brown and one black
  • A wire coat hanger and a wire cutter for the pins
  • Old buttons for the top of the pins (attached with hot glue)
  • Recycled book page and a black marker  for the infamous 10/6 price tag
  • Rubber band to secure fabric to the base of the hat

The pictures and materials speak for themselves.  I did not use glue, rather duct tape because: 1) it’s easier to use, 2) it’s easily removable if I made a mistake, and 3) it’s less messy, and cheaper!

Here is an after photo:

 

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4 Comm
27th Sep2012

DIY Decoration Ideas for Any Themed Party

by Dinah Wulf

One of my best friends needed help with her daughter’s second birthday.  When asked what type of party she wanted, her little munchkin insisted on an Elmo AND Little Einsteins party.  Why not?  When my friend started her search for party decorations she found it costly to buy party decorations for both themes.  So, with my help, we combined the two EXTREMELY inexpensively with a little brainstorming.  Here are some DIY Decoration Ideas for Any Themed Party.

I made her invitation using a free program on iPiccy.com.  Here is how they came out.  I simply used Google Images to find pictures of the Little Einsteins and Elmo. I printed them on my photo printer and my friend spent $5 for 20 envelopes at the craft store.

Also using iPiccy and Google Images, we made these collages mixing both characters as well. I printed them, mounted them on colorful paper to hang or place anywhere she sees fit.

Accordion flowers are also very easy and inexpensive to make.  Here is one of the many we made.  I also made a flag banner, however neglected to take a picture (ooops).

In her original search for decorations, she almost purchased cupcake toppers for $15!  That is just outrageous to me.  I made these for her using a circle craft punch and toothpicks.

Finally, to help add some color to the food table, I made these food labels using the characters faces and names.

Super easy!  I just wanted to show that you can make simple and inexpensive party decorations to fit any theme without breaking your budget!

In case you missed them, here are some more budget friendly DIY party posts!

 

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Category : DIY Budget Party, Kid Stuff
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5 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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