jewels. » crafts

west elm holiday

Julie — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 03:23:50 +0000

They did it again. Yeap, West Elm made my heart race. Literally, you’d of thought I sprinted from the subway. So, I went in the store today just simple to browse “what’s new” and peak at their new collaborations. Well today I was in for a real treat because their holiday wrapping is in. I always anticipate the fabulous wrapping ideas for the holidays from various retailers (anthropologie, tory burch, west elm, neiman marcus, saks). For me, sometimes the wrapping makes me more excited than the actual gift…doesn’t take much to make me smile – just a fabulous design idea!

Today I bought a small gift, and the gal stocked my bag with ALL 3 gift tags and a fabulous little animal tag as well. We shared a few “studio” stories; she goes to Pratt and I have fond memories of late (and delirious) nights at studio while in architecture school.

Props to West Elm for another fab idea…

a valentine’s treat

Julie — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:20:22 +0000

…sweet, sweet treat. It’s a Valentine’s Day card download for you.

You can download the pdf version for personal use only. Click here!

Open the pdf file (2 pages)
Print a front + back copy of the 5″ square card; use paper you have and cut it to size with an exacto or choose from lots of colorful, cover weight flat card options here
add a handwritten note on the back
Stuff it in a regular envelope or for an added touch a petal envelope [or better yet, DIY envelope]
seal with with a KISS, mwahhhhhhhhh!!

funSTUFF galore!

Julie — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:28:17 +0000

I sure did get my fix of this place today. I spent over an hour looking at trims and ribbons, and contemplating over what I liked the best. The store is literally floor to ceiling FULL of any little trimming “thing” you could ever want. More to come…

Have a splendid LONG & RELAXING weekend!

projects.

Julie — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:54:28 +0000

we’ve been busy at our house being crafty and keeping busy. also, trying to get the christmas cards in the mail…

i’ve been making custom luggage tags for our upcoming holiday travels. i custom made the tags in adobe:illustrator. i found the clear laminating pouches and loops at office depot, they are available online too, here. the directions call for a special laminating heating device to actually seal the two sides together. i do not have one of those that is for sure, and they are super expensive. i just used a warm iron, covered the top of the tags with a thin towel, and held the iron firmly over the top for about 10 seconds. it worked perfectly. no bumps or bubbles in the laminating.

on a fancier note, i am headed to a holiday ball tonight in tuscaloosa. yay for a FUN reason to play “dress up!” i am really excited, especially because i get to see a dear friend that i lived with sophomore year of college. we have not seen each other in a few months, and she leaves for istanbul (yes IN turkey) the 2nd week of january. i am kind of embarrassed to say that I do not think I have even ever been to tuscaloosa. yeap, an auburn girl is coming to town!

be back with pictures soon! have a happy weekend!

so my creative brain took over

Julie — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:06:00 +0000

…and this was the result:

(click on the image to enlarge)

I decided to use my Ai program on my laptop and design my own invites for Stacy’s (my brother’s fiance) bachelorette party only a few weekends away. They were printed on white, linen card stock, mailed in #10 Paper Source open end mailer envelopes, hand addressed, stamped with the new USPS stamps (thanks for introducing these to me Mom), and adorned with a flower matching the card. It was a fun, simple little project. The weekend is sure to be fun-filled, with lots of excitement!

(I would be totally open to designing custom invites if anyone is interested!!)

oh how I’d love to have…

Julie — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:59:00 +0000

Martha Stewart’s Crafts Room: {but make it my very own}

with an embroidery machine

lots of natural light, clean lines, refreshing colors, and SPACE

lots of tools (and aghh….organization!!)

a perfect spot for EVERYTHING

ribbons, glues, glitters, paper, punches, and the list goes on

really…endless JARS of “happy goodness”

*all images from marthastewart.com

manuel canovas

Julie — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:14:00 +0000

i had some sample scraps of a few of these beautiful (really expensive) fabrics from manuel canovas! what’s a girl to do? I had been looking at these fabrics, in all the color waves, for a long time. i want to use one of them so bad on something. i just do not really have a need for a (or can i justify) a new upholstered purchase.

solution:

really ugly sketch book + cover it with pretty fabric= pretty sketch book

this afternoon i will have a “picture post” of the finished product!! for now…here is a little prettiness.

A "SWEET" Valentine

Julie — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:39:00 +0000

I wish that I could take claim to the creation of this magnificent idea, but it wasn’t me. Regardless, what a crafty+tasty Valentine surprise. The creative juices behind this one is Twig & Thistle Blog :: DIY Sweetheart Brownie Valentine. You can get the bag template here (for free $$). Here is how it goes…

Get two boxes of brownie mix. I usually get Duncan Hines, but this was all Winn-Dixie had (Why?? Who knows!)

add these

and add this (+ a little H2O)

mix in a BIG bowl like this one

pour into this (a 13″x9″ greased baking dish)

cook and cut out with a heart cookie aka “brownie cutter”, then put a few in a baggie

and bag up like this (brown paper bags + Twig & Thistle template printed on the front)

Punch two holes, tie a ribbon through it and VOILA, a perfect Valentine treat for friends, family, and loved ones!!

I am loosing my mind…

Julie — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:10:00 +0000

or have I already?? I told you all a while back I made a birthday countdown for Andrea, and that I would post a picture. Well…low and behold, I forgot! Well nothing to get to excited about, but here it is…..

[i used old fabric scraps_cheap ones and REALLY expensive ones too]

50…49…48…47….46…and counting

Julie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:44:00 +0000

As soon as I get the photos uploaded I will show you what I made for Andrea’s 16th birthday countdown!!