December 1, 2011

Acute How-To: Mod and Flower Paper Ornaments

I don’t know about you, but my house is starting to look pretty Christmasy right about now. I always put up my tree and various holiday decorations over Thanksgiving weekend. This year I spent some time creating super simple and festive paper ornaments. I love the handmade touch they give to the rest of my holiday decor.

What you will need:

-cardstock paper – any color you like
-stapler + staples
-scissors
-floral wire {this can be found at the craft store near the artificial flowers}
-string

Steps for the “mod” paper ornaments:

*Cut four strips of cardstock about one inch wide.  Take two of the strips and cut them slightly shorter.

*Stack the two short strips in the middle with a long one on each side and staple the top.  Next, bring the two ends of the longer strips to meet the end of the shorter strips.  Secure with a staple.

*Punch a hole in one end and and string a piece of ribbon or twine through the end.

*A double or triple layer mod paper ornament will be done in the exact same way.  All you will have to add is another set of cardstock strips.  In the end you will have “short, medium, and long” and you will layer them so that the two shortest are in the middle and then the medium and so on.

*Punch a hole in the double or triple layer ornaments and hang them from the ceiling or your tree!

Steps for the paper flowers:

*Cut a piece of cardstock into two equal sized squares.  Fold each one accordion style and trim the ends so that they are somewhat rounded.

*Do the same folding and trimming with the second square.  Join the two strips with a piece of floral wire.  Twist the wire so that it is secure.

*Bring the edges of the folded pieces together and secure with a staple.

If you want to hang these from your tree, pinch a small hole into one “petal” and loop a piece of string through it.  I chose to hang my flowers on the wall by placing removable sticky mounting squares on the backs and sticking them to the wall.

I love the way that the flowers look against the wall – it is so festive and pretty…I think I will make several more!

Filed Under: Acute How-To, tutorials Tagged With: , , , , , 7 Comments
July 28, 2011

Acute How-To: The Anti Green Thumb’s Garden

I am not sure what the opposite of a green thumb is {perhaps a black thumb?} but it is what I have.  Over the years I have bought planted herbs and flowers only to watch them quickly wither away and die. 

This summer I wanted to re-do my patio, so I decided to create the “anti-green thumb” garden with a few simple planters, some seed bombs, and an eco friendly weed remover.

All of what you will see was done for less than $40 and I love it – it is all so simple and green and I am crossing my fingers {err, thumbs?} that I can keep it all alive….at least until the fall.

What you will need

{feel free to switch this up based on your own level of gardening expertise}

  • Seed bombs {can be bought via the company’s Etsy shop}
  • Planting soil
  • A few succulents {or other low maintenance plants}
  • Inexpensive pots or planters – I bought metal drink buckets on sale for $3 each
  • White vinegar
  • Dish soap
  • Spray bottle

Eco-Friendly Weed Remover

This is such a simple and impressive little concoction I discovered.   All you do is fill a spray bottle up with white vinegar and add in a few squirts of dish soap.  Shake to mix all together.

Spray this mixture over any weeds and the next day, they are dead – vinegar is a miracle worker!

Simple Planters

If you are not a huge gardening fan, then VisuaLingual Seed Bombs will be your new best friend. Simply fill a pot or planter half way with some potting soil, spread out the seed bombs and cover with potting soil.

I bought drink buckets that were marked down to $3, drilled holes in the bottom, and filled with potting soil.  I put wild flowers in one bucket and herbs in the other.  I am so excited for my little bombs to turn into beautiful plants.

The last step of my little garden was a few low maintenance succulents.  I bought a few of them and planted them in small plastic planters.  They are super cute and so far they have been hard to kill!

What tips do you have for an easy and low maintenance summer garden?

Filed Under: Acute How-To, tutorials Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 7 Comments
June 24, 2011

little things link love: summertime

Here Comes the Sun by MursBlanc - click image to view more

This past Tuesday, June 21st, was the official first day of summer in the northern hemisphere.

It’s when we get the longest stretch of sunshine we’ll see all year. Traditionally, of course, it means that school is out, family vacations hit their stride, general kicking-back takes place, and about 30 pounds of winter wear is shed. Here are some other suggestions on how you can celebrate the season:

  • Summer concerts– It’s also summer concert season, where you can see many a band perform in the open air. Metrowize.com lists the biggies.
  • Midsummer Night’s Dream– Take in the classic Shakespeare tale by reading the story, seeing a live performance by your local theatre troupe, or watching one of the film adaptations. Amazon.com offers it as a free e-book for Kindle. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can still download the Kindle program and any book on your PC, iPhone, iTouch, iPad, Blackberry, or android device.
  • Decorate with flowers – Flowers are a very popular symbol of Midsummer and many are in full bloom. Snag a bunch for an arrangement in your home and bring some of that sun indoors. Check out this list of summer flowers to learn more.
  • Summer fruit – Indulge in the yumtastic sweet fruits that you can only get during this time. Berries, watermelons, and peaches are just waiting for you to bake them, pair them with ice cream, or do a little canning. My favorite online recipe haunt (for the rare occasions I actually produce something edible in this house) is Smitten Kitchen.  She’s got an entire category just for summer recipes.
  • Jump-start your eco-friendliness – Put that sun to good use! Look into installing solar panels and solar lights, plant shade trees, start a compost bin, and put your clothes out on a line to dry in the fresh, warm air. Earth911.org has 9 ways to get your house in summer mode, including a link to tell you how to make a solar oven.

What do you look forward to most about summer?

 

Filed Under: Link Love, little things Tagged With: , , , , , , , 4 Comments
May 5, 2011

Acute How-To: Tissue Paper Flowers

This might just be the perfect Mother’s Day gift {especially if you live far from your mom like me} – simple, thoughtful, and would be much easier to ship than real flowers.

What you need:

  • Tissue paper {in any color you prefer}
  • Scissors
  • Fabric coated flower wire {you can find this at the craft store}

 

Step One:

Fold one piece of tissue paper in half, then in half again, and again… until you have a small rectangle.  If you are using a standard piece of tissue paper this will be four folds.  Open the folded piece of tissue paper and cut along the lines in order to get 16 equal sized rectangles {they will measure about 6”x4”}. 

 

Step Two:

Take 8 of the rectangles and stack them on top of each other.  Fold accordion style up the length of the stack of paper.

 

Step Three:

Take one piece of flower wire and securely twist around the center of the folded paper.

 

Step Four:

Cut each end of the paper so that it is curved.  If you prefer a more ruffled look, rather than a pompom look, do not round off the ends of the tissue paper stack.

 

Step Five:

Slowly pull apart the layers of tissue paper.  This step takes a little patience.  If you do it too quickly, you will rip the paper.  Fluff the layers so that you have a full bodied flower. 

 

Make several in various colors for a full bouquet – such a lovely Mother’s Day Gift!

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August 10, 2010

heart-to-heart

thanks to the etsy favorites feature, i have hearts, you have hearts, we all have hearts! here, we’ll hop from heart-to-heart each week, progressively adding to our heart trail as we follow the favorites from one seller to the next.

Two weeks ago, we left off with…
… downstairs designs {in touch clutch ™}, who hearts…
… doodle. {deep squares card set}, who hearts…
… vadjutka {silk & vintage lace brass necklace}, who hearts…
… AVA original {felted pink flowers scarf}, who hearts…
… monko photography {glissade. fine art photograph}, who hearts…
… the wheatfield {love yourself print from original watercolor}, who hearts…
… tune in next week to find out!

Filed Under: accessories, clothing, fiber, graphic design, heart-to-heart, home decor, illustration | painting, jewelry, paper goods, photography, sewn, vintage Tagged With: , 3 Comments