Bookmark Pals

These little bookmark pals are so fun! They are really cute, unique, and useful, and they make great gifts for all ages. It’s also a fun project that doesn’t take hardly any time or money. You can’t beat that!

 All you need to create these little pals is felt, scissors, a needle, and you can either use sewing thread or embroidery thread. Just cut off two corners of a sheet of felt, make them into whatever you want, and sew them together! But make sure to leave the top open, so that the page can easily fit inside.

And don’t worry, the book will still close easily and stay compact when you’re not reading.

Here are some that I have completed so far; however, I am working on a lot more. These little guys are kind of addictive. The One Eyed Monster Pal

The Heart Pal

The Fox Pal

The Simple Pal

Ice cream Pal

And here are all my little pals together, just hanging out, waiting on a book to call their home.

(Except for Ice cream Pal…she already found a home!)

Cheers to a Bright New Year–DIY Marquee Letters

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a dazzling New Year’s Eve, and that you’re as excited about 2014 as I am. I love change and new beginnings, and I’m ready to tackle these next 12 months with optimism and lots of art supplies!

To bring in the new year, Wake&Whimsy style, I thought I would post a little DIY project. I am loving all of these fun marquee letters that I’ve seen all over Pinterest, and I wanted to join in on the party! So, I made my own. It was really easy and very inexpensive.

1. I used Christmas lights, paint, and a cardboard letter from Hobby Lobby. I already had some paint and Christmas lights on hand, but you can find lights super cheap right now pretty much anywhere. I could only find really small letters, but I know they do make them bigger at other places. I would have liked to use lights with bigger bulbs, but they wouldn’t fit into this little guy!

2.I used an x-acto knife to cut open the letter, so that the lights would have a recessed look.

3. Just carefully cut along one of the seams, and then you can just pull the rest apart. This was very easy.

4. I painted the inside of the letter an orange color to give it a more vintage feel, and painted the outside a silver color to give it a “metal” effect.

Next, I used the knife to make holes for the lights. I marked where I wanted the lights to go by making a small dot with a pencil. Then I cut an X right over the dot. This made it really easy to push the lights through, which is the last step!

Once your lights are set, plug it in, and you’re done!

Here are some other great takes on DIY Marquee letters complete with links:

My Sister’s Suitcase

Tatertots & Jello

 

This was the perfect project to bring in what will hopefully be a bright, new year. Happy 2014, everyone—make it count!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve?!

That’s right, only 2 more days before Christmas! It has snuck up on us yet again, and we find ourselves lying in the floor surrounded by tape, glitter, and bows. But would it really feel like the holidays without a little hustle and bustle? Of course not. At least not for me anyway. I don’t know about you, but I am usually throwing things together right up until the very last minute. I guess I do kind of enjoy the rush a little. So, if you’re not ready for the big day, don’t panic, you’re not alone! I’ve chosen some great resources to help you wrap things up quickly without sacrificing style and sentiment. Check out these websites for tons of inspiration!

{Free Gift Tag Printables}

It Looks Better On Paper

Love vs. Design

Oh The Lovely Things

{Homemade Gift Ideas}

Momma Young at Home

BROWZER

Skinny Mom

{Homemade Gifts The Kids Can Make}

Imagination Soup

{Other Thrifty Finds}

DIY or Die

Lark Crafts

Smart Party Planning

A little “Night Before Christmas” goodie box!

Simply Julie

I hope you found these to be helpful! Good luck and…

Jewelry Catcher-DIY

This little Jewelry Catcher makes a sweet gift for the jewelry wearing friend in your life. It is great for those special pieces you don’t want to go down the drain, get wet, or get mixed in with other trinkets. This project is very easy, taking only around 15 minutes unless you choose to be more elaborate. I bought this small ceramic dish at my local craft store for about $3.00. It was already just plain white and screaming to be painted! I already had some paint pens, but I bought a few more just in case I wanted to make it really colorful. And that’s all it takes! I personalized mine with an “A”, because that’s the first letter of my name. Everyone loves a gift with a little personal touch to it. Have fun!

Some other creative ideas for the lid:

+ Their initials + An outline of their home state with a heart in their city+ Their name+ Favorite quote+ Song lyrics+ Bible verse

Recycled Sweaters—DIY

Need an inexpensive Christmas gift? Need some cheap winter accessories? By recycling an old sweater or buying one at the thrift store, you can have a pair of boot cuffs or gloves, and a cute beanie in no time! If you’re in the mood for a quick and easy DIY project that will also make you look fabulous, grab some scissors and check out these step by step tutorials!

***All photos were taken in my bedroom, using my iPhone, and the iPhone App: A Beautiful Mess 🙂 To see in better detail, you can click on the photo to enlarge it.***

{BOOT CUFFS}

{GLOVES}

I unfortunately do not have a step-by-step for these, because I actually made them last year. But please note that you cannot make the bootcuffs and the gloves out of the same sweater, because you need the sleeves for them both. For these, once again cut the sleeves off, except a little shorter than for the bootcuffs. I hand sewed some lace trim around the bottom, and cut a slit big enough for my thumb on the inside of each sleeve. Lastly, I hand sewed around the edges of the opening for the thumb, and added some little, felt flowers on top. Easy peasy!

{BEANIE}

 

• If using a thrifted sweater, pay attention to the size of the sweater you’re buying. The bigger the size, the bigger your accessories will be. (Mostly important for the gloves and boot cuffs) Oh, and please wash it before you use it 🙂
• If you’re afraid you’re going to make your beanie too big or too small, you can pin it first before you sew it. Try it on and see if it’s the right size. If not, then make the proper adjustments.
• Once you start sewing your seams, make sure you leave about an inch of fabric on the edge. It makes a better seam and your thread stays hidden.
• Pick a color thread that is very light or that matches your sweater. I used a dark thread only for the purposes of this tutorial (so that you could see it better).
• If your sweater is very thick, you may need to use a heavier weighted thread so that it holds better.

I hope you enjoyed these tutorials! If I can do it, you can do it, and in the comfort of your own bedroom. Happy DIYing!