Lace Earrings DIY

I am so into easy-peasy DIYs right now.  As I try to balance my time with kids, housework, my business, socializing... life in general (!) I find that crafts or really anything creative gets pushed to the side.  I enjoy crafting with my kiddos but it feels good to make something that I want to make.  That's why the fast and easy projects are my jam.  I only need a handful of minutes and I get that sense of accomplishment that carries me into the next craft time.

Earrings have been a favorite of mine lately; maybe because my kids are finally at the age where they aren't tugging on my earrings all the time in fascination.  I've created several super cool earrings lately like these motherhood earrings (from shrinky dinks) and I even let my son make these rainbow earrings (instagram).  I received a bag full of lace scraps from a church friend and as I sifted through them the ideas rushed into my head.  The first of course-earrings.

[I was unable to edit any photos for this post so please be respectful and make sure you link back to my blog or social media if you share my content.  Thank you!]


These were my 3 favorites (I think I'll turn the others into bracelets!

[Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to products I used in making this project. Purchasing through these links earns me a small commission at no extra charge to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.]

All you need to make this project is:

- small pieces of lace
- Mod Podge
- earring hooks

How to make it (in minutes!)

Step 1: Lay out your lace. 

Step 2: Cover your lace with Mod Podge.

Step 3: If the Mod Podge is filling any holes in the lace, use a pin or other small object to open the space back up.  Do this while the Mod Podge is still wet.

Step 4: When it's dried, take your jewelry hook and attach them together!  It's so easy. Don't you love it?

Don't you just love the delicate lace look?  And it's more durable with the Mod Podge. Win- Win!

It even dresses up a solid tee!

And here's something really cool:  This would be an AMAZING little DIY for your wedding.  Find a lace that matches the feel of your dress or if you have to alter your dress, save a spare piece and whip up identical matching earrings!  I made these earrings in 2019 and this is my wedding dress from 2012 and I swear that flower looks almost the same!  Isn't that fun?

(For those wondering, I try my wedding dress on again every year on our anniversary so that's how I have a photo of me in my dress!  It was a happy coincidence with these earrings.)

Imagine the possibilities! Costing only pennies to make and only a few minutes of your time- what's holding you back from making these now?  I'd love to see your creations, so please comment or tag me on Instagram @CutCraftCreate.

Rustic Wedding & Old Friends

Last weekend my husband and I had the privilege of attending a wedding for one of my dearest friends.  This guy not only is one of the best people I know, but was responsible for me staying at my college (I had a rough time freshman year) and possibly from gaining the freshman 15 (he rarely let me skip our racquetball sessions!)  All joking aside, he was one of my first real friends on campus and will forever be one of my best friends.  Watching him get married to his beautiful bride was the perfect end to my week.

 

His name is Dustin and he's a total dork, but so am I... that's why we're friends!

I knew that his wedding was going to be rustic themed but I was blown away with how darling it all was!  The venue was a mix of outdoor and barn, there were mason jars hanging from shepherd hooks as you walked between the two, there were signs pointing to the different areas (like "restroom" "barn", etc.)  It was so lovely.

Although I did not take pictures of everything, I wanted to share their favors with you (there were two!)...

After the ceremony, while the happy couple took pictures the rest of the guests had time to catch up with each other, snack on some food and drink from... you guessed it- mason jars!

If you've been following this blog long, you know that I am addicted to mason jars.  I use them for everything and almost every day.  Each jar had some twine wrapped around it with a blank tag on it to write our names.  What a darling way to keep track of our drinks.  I wrote out K. Saus and T. Saus (our last name is Sausaman) for myself and my husband.  I am pretty proud to be his wife as is, but there is something about weddings that makes me want to shout from the hilltops "this one's mine!"  Boy, would that embarrass him.

At the end of the night, we got to take home our mason jars!

Our other favor was sitting at the table when we arrived.  Adorable small burlap sacks tied with twine and finished with a personalized tag.  Think it can't get any better?  They were filled with candy!  Chocolate is a girl's best friend they say...

When they get back from the honeymoon I will have to ask if they made the tags or ordered them from somewhere.  I love the font used in the "Thank You" and love that it is personalized with their names and wedding date.

Although I can never get enough burlap or have too many mason jars, the best part of the night was being able to catch up with old friends.  Two of these guys I haven't seen since my wedding and the other since we graduated!  It's funny to think that we are all grown up now (each of us is married except for one who just proposed to his girlfriend a few days ago... she said yes!) and not just a bunch of college kids.  Anyone else with me on this?

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding.  I still feel enormously blessed to have been a part of it and hope that it's not so long until we can all catch up again.

 {That's me and my husband with Dustin and his beautiful wife Brittani}

What is your favorite thing about rustic weddings?  I've mentioned that I am a sucker for burlap and mason jars (both in our wedding as well.) Or... are you not quite convinced that rustic is the way to go?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

Frame Your Memories & Mementos

Let me start off by saying that I LOVE this project.  I haven't had the chance to hang it up yet but I seriously pick it up every time I walk past it.  Maybe I am crazy, maybe it's just that good.  You be the judge.

My husband and I got married last summer and like many people do, we saved his boutonniere (I took apart my bouquet but use the billy balls in decoration around the house) and let it dry.  There it sat, on top of a bookcase for around 10 months.  I wasn't sure what to do with it but I knew it wanted to keep it.  Then one day it hit me- frame it! 

Depending on the size of your memento, find a frame that will fit around it with room to spare (so it doesn't look too crowded).  I found the perfect sized frame but had to make a few changes to it.  I ripped off the backing, took out the staples and removed the mat and picture that was already in there- leaving only the glass and frame.  Check out Goodwill or the Salvation Army for some cheap frames that you don't mind altering a bit!

I used vinyl for the wording and hot glued the boutonniere on.  Easy peasy. 

{Because of the font, the silhouette made cut marks between some of the letters.  At first I thought I would re-do it but once it was up I loved the chipped look of it!}

A final look at the finished product:

{I love that it's see through.  No mat, no extras drawing the eye away from the good stuff.  Just lovely}

If you are wondering how I picked "our big adventure" here's the story:  I wont give away all the details of my husband's marriage proposal because that's our thing that only we know but I will say that it involved a theme of "our big adventure".  We were getting ready to hike the Grand Canyon (an adventure for sure) and we were looking ahead to our lives together (an even bigger adventure).  Putting these few beautiful words next to his boutonniere just seemed right.

{Your Turn}

What special memories and mementos would you frame? As soon as I get the tools to do it, I am hanging this beauty right in our living room where we can see it everyday. It is not just lovely to look at, but a constant reminder that we are in this big adventure together.


Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

Vintage Wedding Tote Bag

This last week my husband took a group of kids down to Louisiana to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.  He does it every year and I am so proud of him.  This also means that I had a week at home, by myself.  My mom came over to visit and got snowed in for a few days, but other than that I cleaned!  Oh yes, spring cleaning has officially happened, plus spring organizing and spring finally-hanging-those-curtains-we-never-got-around-to-doing.  During my mad-woman cleaning spree I stumbled across an item of mine that is very dear to me- I wonder why I never shared it before:  my wedding tote.  Around two years ago, when I first got engaged, my mother made this tote for me so that I could keep all my binders, folders, papers, etc together in one spot.  It is beautiful...

{I should have emptied it before taking the picture, it is mighty full!}

Isn't that darling?  Our wedding was a rustic/vintage theme, so my mom was spot on with this vintage bride image.  She actually ordered the fabric piece online, cut it down to size and attached it to the bag.

{She knows me so well}

We added a small fabric flower to the corner of the image with a small flower button inside of it.

The border of the image was finished in this beautiful white trim.  Mom liked it because the little loops sort of look like hearts.  Perfect for wedding planning, don't you think?

She finished it off by adding our wedding date to a back pocket.

This adorable tote must have done it's job, because the wedding got planned and now I am married to my best friend.

{I wanted to add her website to the photo so that the picture wasn't taken without credit (please don't do that anyways).  See her website for more awesome photography}

{Your Turn}

Are you like me and just swoon over anything vintage looking? Did you (or someone you know) make something that was cute and helped you plan your wedding, shower or event? I love useful gifts and would love to see what you come up with so please share and comment below.


Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

Matchbook Favors

I love all things old.  No, I don't mean smelly cheese or spoiled milk- I mean things like: shoe shining stands, dusty leather-bound writing pads and yes, matchbooks.  It is true that some people still use these things today; but let me ask you: If you needed to light a candle would you pick up the matches or your click lighter?  My point exactly.  There is something simply pure about using these "old" things that I just adore.

That being said, I will show you today how to make matchbook favors for any gift, party or event.  This craft brings a taste of the old and the new together for something really quaint and practical!

These particular ones were made to give as wedding favors to our guests.  I knew that I wanted to incorporate seeds into the favor (our theme had a lot to do with "growing") and when searching the internet for ideas, I stumbled across this idea on marthastewartweddings.com:

{Image via marthastewartweddings.com}

That website offers a free template that you can just print right off and use.  Because I like to do things myself however; I opted to make my own design.

When choosing my design I pulled some modern inspiration from subway art!  I don't know about you but I am LOVING all of the subway art crafts that are out there right now.  Here is an example if you're not sure what I'm talking about:

{Image via silhouetteamerica.com}

How I did it:

I actually designed this entire layout in WORD.  Easy right?  No special programs, no fancy skills, all I did was type out what I wanted to say, changed the fonts and sizing and added a flower pot image to the side.  All it really takes is a little time to adjust everything to perfection.

{Then I just printed it out and cut it into strips, folding where needed.  This may take a few trial and errors but it will be worth it to get the exact size that you desire}

After that, I filled individual bags with 1/4 teaspoon of seeds.

Lastly, I printed out planting instructions and a message from the bride & groom which was then placed behind the seeds.  Both were then stapled into the matchbook.

Isn't that easy?  We made our matchbooks small in size and then placed them inside of a flowered box (shape bought from the Silhouette store) to set at each place-setting.  That's it.  Simple and beautiful.  Old but new.  

Your turn!

These matchbooks can be themed towards anything- weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, even individually personalized!  What can you see yourself using them for?  Can you think of anything to put inside them besides seeds? I would love to hear your ideas and I always love receiving comments from my followers!

With Love,
Kelsie Ann

 LINK LOVE!  This post is linked up to Every Day is an Occasion, go over there & check them out as well!

Wedding or Anniversary Gift for a Friend or Yourself!

I. Love. Pinterest.  Three little words that mean nothing to an "outsider", yet brings about a sense of connection to those who are also *ahem* addicted.  I try to design my own crafts on this blog so that you are receiving new ideas and not just my version of the same old thing that is pinned a hundred times elsewhere.

Well today, I have to source pinterest for this idea.  BUT... before you click off this page, let me tell you how I took the same idea and changed it up to fit my life.  If you stick around I will give you a cookie.  Okay, I can't do that but I will give you a memorable gift idea for a friend, or for yourself!

{It is a decorative jar filled with our ceremony program from the wedding.  What a perfect way to remember that special day and decorate the house}

Here is where I got the idea:

                            

[christyrobbins.blogspot.com]

How I changed it:

{1} I used a mason jar instead of a Christmas ornament.  I wanted something that I could have sitting out year round instead of only at Christmas.  Just FYI- I plan to also make the ornament this year.

{2} I used our ceremony program instead of the wedding invitation (like she did).  I did this for two reasons; 1- I needed more paper because the jar is larger and 2- Our invitation was not done on regular paper.  Want to know what it looked like? See it here.

What you need:

 {All you really need is a copy of your program (or invitation) and a jar.  I also opted for some heavy twine just to dress it up a little in rustic fashion}

Cut the paper into strips and roll them around a pencil:

 {I cut everything into a single line except for our scripture (see top picture) and our song/composer (see bottom picture) because I thought those were best kept together}

Lastly, I added some twine:

 {I might trade this out for some lace, or ribbon or bakers twine.  I am giving myself time to think on it}

Isn't that easy?

This craft takes no time at all but says so much to the person receiving it.  I think I may go back and cut up some more of the back paper (the yellow) so that the jar is all the way full.  

One more thing...

{I know this is a terrible picture but I wanted to show you all this added part.  I connected a small light to the inside of the lid so that when it is dark (or even shady) the paper pieces light up!  How neat is that?  Now it sits in our new curio cabinet between bride & groom figurines that we received as a wedding present.}

What do you think?

Do you like the idea of the paper pieces in a jar or would you just stick with the ornament?  Any other idea for how to make it a part of "daily life"- a shadow box maybe?  Give me your thoughts!

With Love,
Kelsie Ann   

 LINK LOVE!  This post is linked up to Every Day is an Occasion, go over there & check them out as well!

Decorative Clothes Pins (Not Just For Clothes!)

What is small, handy and totally cute?  Did you guess clothes pins?  Well the truth is... they are!  There are so many ways they can be put to use.  We made these adorable clothes pins for our wedding "guest book" .  They held up the small cards where friends and family wrote messages for us.  It was a clothes drying out on the line sort of sweetness.

{Above Wedding Photographs taken by jhendonphotography}

Want to see them close up?
We made over 150 of them, but here are some of my favorites, separated into a few groups.  Each one was made using scrapbooking rub-ons; either pre-bought or made at home:


PERSONALIZED

{These were made at home (really!).  All you need are the printable sheets of rub-on paper and an ink-jet printer!  This is a great option if you don't want to be limited to the rub-on packages at the store}

WEDDING THEMED WORDING

{These are so perfect for a wedding.  I especially love the brackets around "Marriage Vows"}

"THE DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE"

{These are some of my favorites.  How darling are these tiny word definitions?}

FULL DESIGN

{Many store-bought sets of rub-ons have a row or two of long designs.  For these pins I just cut that line into 3 or 4 pieces and voila!  Beautiful, decorative clothes pins that can be used for anything!}

BEAUTIFUL LETTERING

{These just make my heart melt.  The lettering looks so vintage (and a little circus-ey) while the coloring makes it really fun!}

INSPIRATIONAL WORDS FOR ANY TIME

{These are all marriage words too, but could also be used for hanging pictures of family, friends, or just for a little inspiration in your day}

THIS ONE MAKES ME CHUCKLE...{It was supposed to say "Committed"... you know, like a husband and wife should be.  However, after I put it together all I could see was "Commit Ted".  I don't know who Ted is, but I didn't figure that it fit our wedding theme!}

I love these clothes pins!
I plan on turning some of these into magnets so that I can hang notes, the grocery list or whatever on the refrigerator.  I think I will also keep a few to hang pictures in my craft room, and maybe keep a few to use for gift wrapping.  Who knows?!

How would you use clothes pins?
What would you do with them?  Hang pictures, notes, or (let's get crazy here), clothes on the laundry line?

It seems that there are hundreds of ways to use clothes pins and when they can so easily be made this cute, why wouldn't you?

With Love,
Kelsie Ann

LINK LOVE!  This post is linked up to Every Day is an Occasion, go over there & check them out as well!