Vintage-inspired DIY projects that look handmade, not homemade
Here’s my modern orange and green DIY wedding invitation that was seen in the Style Me Pretty feature “Inspiration to Reality: Modern Clementine.” I designed this unique mod wedding invitation (as well as round guest placecards, address labels, and rectangular dessert table tents — free templates coming soon!) for Style Me Pretty when “our favorite …
Remember when I made personalized wrapped sugar cubes to go with my friend Debbie’s shower gift? I’m still obsessed. And this time I made a video to show you exactly how to fold paper rectangles to make individually wrapped sugar cubes. Watch the video and let me know what you think – it’s my first …
This free printable music-themed Valentine’s Day card was inspired by vintage piano sheet music that I found in a Brooklyn antique store. I originally bought the vintage sheet music thinking they might make nice wedding save-the-dates or wedding cards someday. I tucked this vintage sheet music away in my crazy crammed craft closet and just …
I made these personalized sugar cube wrappers to go along with a bridal shower gift for my friend Debbie. I bought Debbie’s sugar bowl and creamer from her registry (very pretty btw) and filled it with personalized wrapped sugar cubes in her pink and orange wedding colors with her soon-to-be married name: Ten Eyck (yep, …
These free printable wedding invitation and round place cards are part of the “Inspiration to Reality: My Modern Clementine” feature at Style Me Pretty in partnership with Bliss Wedding & Event Design and C STUDIOS. The chic design was inspired by 60s geometric bold patterns in black and white, clementine orange, fresh green and gold – …
My DJ friend Chad creates free compilation music mixes for anyone who asks. Being the lucky recipient of many said mixes, I wanted to make Chad something to thank him for the tunes. Chad collects bird-related art and of course loves music so I thought that birds from vintage linen calendars framed by old 45 …
Here’s a woodsy pair of friends to adorn your holiday gifts. I made these free gift tags from vintage owl and deer Christmas tree ornaments that I found at a local antique store. Last year I gave these ornaments to my friend Heather to add to her collection. I shot a couple photos on my …
I created this DIY for a design*sponge guest post. Welcome, design*sponge readers! I found a pile of buttermilk, chocolate milk and orange juice vintage bottle caps tucked away in a cardboard box in a lovely antique store in Savannah, Georgia. I thought, why not turn them into retro refrigerator magnets to show them off while …
My friend K.C. MacQueen asked me to be an artist for the second annual Pritzker School Community Art Project: “Birdhouses.” Artists create a birdhouse for display in local Wicker Park stores. Home Tweet Home graced the front store window at Stitch boutique in Bucktown for two weeks before being auctioned off. I’m more of a …
Years ago I bought a vintage kissing couple pendant at a Manhattan summertime flea market. I wore the sweet thing ad nauseum, which you can see here in this summer cider and berry smoothie post that includes this photo of me fawning over Stephanie and Dale at the Green City Market. See also: ‘Make Valentines …
When Shane told me that he wanted to host our sixth annual Thanksgiving dinner I didn’t quite know what to say. Baby Elise was born on October 20th and I was crazy sore and beat. Flash forward a month and we’re all starting to get the hang of things as a family. So what better …
Got leftover rice? Make delicious rice pancakes with this yummy Rice Pancakes Recipe! This is the original recipe that my Grandma Beulah used to make. Along with homemade egg noodles, chocolate pie and fresh-off-the-vine concord grape juice, rice pancakes were my Grandma Beulah’s specialty. My parents were in town to help us take care of …
Recently I took part in the first inaugural Chicago Craft Social hosted by Amanda Edwards, Megan Hall, Megan Heep, and Jessica Jones. In addition to meeting tons of super cool crafty Chicago ladies, I made these fun retro Paris notecards out of old time-y black-and-white France vacation photos. Table leader Lisa Haskin of Faux Transformations …
Make DIY plate cupcake stands from vintage plates and vases from thrift stores or the dollar store. It’s quick and easy to make several of these cheap cupcake plate stands for birthdays, baby showers, and graduation parties. It’s fun to thrift unique china plates, vases and candlesticks to turn into cupcake stands and cake stands. …
My friend Heather Crosby and I have creative chemistry. Whenever we get together we build on each other’s ideas until it becomes something totally original. Heather came over for dinner last week toting stacks of Polaroid pictures that she’d snapped that weekend – bright yellow mums, pumpkin patches, rows of individual pies, Indian corn, orange …
Here’s a simple and clever party invitation concept for a high school themed engagement party, and it’s even folded into the classic secret square shape. Heather Crosby’s beloved brother Chad and his lovely bride-to-be Shayda met way back in high school. A chance meet up a decade later while Chad was home visiting family led …
AT&T delivered piles of telephone books to my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. Not needing ours but cringing at tossing the stack into the trash I decided to find some crafty uses for them. So I wrapped my sister Karin’s birthday gifts with birthday-themed yellow pages. Supplies: Telephone book (preferably yellow pages) Tape Scissors …
I made these three kitschy CD mixes to thank my friend Amy for letting me stay at her place for the first few days of my week in NYC. Back when I was a kid, my dad handmade wonderful miniature farmland model worlds. I can still remember him individually painting figurines and gluing on grass …
So my friend Renee and I decided to browse through Anthropologie after having afternoon tea at Julius Meinl. It’s no surprise to anyone that Anthropologie has some of the most crafty, creative, seasonal store decorations out there. But this one made me giggle. I remember back in Girl Scouts making ‘vases’ from bell jars, masking …
