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Let’s Get Messy: 16 DIYs to Try

MARCH FIRST, BABY!

Today is march first. Can you tell I’m excited? I’m excited. Nothing like the first whiff of spring to make me want to get creative. Here are some of my favorite projects as of late. Let’s get messy!

1 personalized superhero glasses 2 faux druzy pendants 3 embroidery thread necklace. 4 rubber band stamping with kids.

5 oil and water painting 6 how to make homemade enamel dots 7 discovery tubes 8 3d butterfly phone case

9 how to make a homemade loom 10 wooden mobile 11 stamped layered necklace 12 crochet top

13 quick lesson in arm knitting 14 make your own leopard bag 15 denim chicken wire basket 16 fabric plants.

PS: After years of avoiding it, I am getting on the email newsletter train. Right now it’ll be weekly, maybe it’ll turn daily. My hope is to share a roundup of my posts from this week + a bonus post or two. Let’s see what happens! Want to sign up? Here you go.

Marble Painting the Easy Way

by aunt peaches 8 Comments

The marble trend has been growing stronger and I am loving every bit of it. People are dipping and swirling everything but their shoes (okay, their shoes too!). I think we are drawn to stuff like this where we get to influence the process but still get the joy of surprise at the moment of unveiling. Marble painting with nail polish is a big thing, but have you tried it? Lord. It is MESSY. And smells pretty bad. I found another way to get our marble on that is way less toxic, super inexpensive, and when you clean up after…it shines your sink.

Whoa.

I know. You need to check it out! over at my friends at Pentel!

PS: Photos taken in my friend Kiki’s living room. She is gradually letting me redecorate her place, which only took three years to convince her to let me do. The blue swirl art is a big step. Just wait until I show you what is going up next to them!

How to Make Coffee Filter Tulips Using Leftover Egg Dye

by aunt peaches 13 Comments

We are going on four months of snow on the ground outside, so I’m thinking it’s high time we bust out a can of spring inside. Don’t you? Since we are still a good month away from daffodil season, why not make our own flowers? And, good news! I have a secret way of doing it that is ridiculously easy, costs less than $10, and will make you feel accomplished all weekend while you binge watch House of Cards. Don’t even act like you are not watching it. I saw you.

Yes, you.

For this project, I am partnering with Paas. This is especially appropriate because the first thing I ever dyed with my own two little hands was an Easter egg using Paas tablets and that little copper wire dipper dooby (<< real word) . Even back then, after the eggs were all dyed up and looking pretty, it occurred to me that there ought to be something else you could do with all that leftover dye. Thirty years later, I have the answer. I have it!

Coffee filter flowers are not new to me or this blog, but this is the first time I have made them using the flat kind of filters, which I understand, is the standard filter outside the US. So for all y’all who have been looking for a flat filter flower craft, here you go!

And, listen. This project is super easy. The only hard part that takes a little precision is fitting the twisty nub inside the straw. As I mentioned in the video, you can bypass most of that by getting large-width straws. The striped paper straws that are all the rage right now are pretty wide as is, but if you are working with small kids or folks who struggle with their hands, using extra-wide smoothie straws is the way to go.*

Tangent: Where to get wide straws

Anywhere that would sell straws for smoothies or milkshakes is great. Ikea has some for pretty cheap, and I have found many healthy food stores carry them too. There is a place that has lots of extra tall, extra wide green straws that may-or-may-not sell these things called “Slurpies” (registered trademark here). I won’t say what the place name is, but it starts with “seven” and end with “eleven.” Now, would *never* encourage anyone to go there and take their straws for free, but, I have found that if you make an effort to buy something there, and ask the clerk nicely, they aren’t going to mind if you grab a few extras. Now, I know a lot of you do these as a class craft, or part of a group-lead activity, in which case you probably want A LOT more straws than that, in which case, you can find wide green straws online for not a lot of money, but they may take a while to deliver (these will take a good month to ship from Latvia).

Tangent: How to dry coffee filters
I didn’t explain this in the video because this can be as easy or as complicated as you want it, and it mostly depends on quantity. Coffee filter fibers do not hold liquid, so it’s easier than you think. Normally I just leave them in stacks of 5-10 then flop them over my shower rod to dry over night. If you are working with impatient munchkin types, that can be a little more difficult. Want them dry in a hurry? Two options: If your total quantity is under 10 or so, lay them on a dishtowel on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven at 225f for about 10 minutes. You may need to shuffle them around half way, depending on the size of your cookie sheet. If you are working with a larger quantity, let them set on towels for a few minutes to get the excess liquid, then throw them in a warm dryer for ten minutes. I would suggest keeping separate loads for warm colors and cool colors, but sometimes the colors bleeding on each other is pretty nifty, so yeah, that’s your call. It doesn’t take much effort to dry them off, it just depends on timing.

Look, the tulips match the eggs! Is that the most darling thing you have ever seen? And the Tulips will year round. The eggs…not so much.

Speaking of eggs, I’ll be partnering with Paas on a series of projects this spring, so be sure to stop by and keep tabs on the fun. If you make these tulips with your eggs, post a picture to their Facebook page so everyone can see your work. I’ll be looking!

Thank you to Paas for sponsoring this post, and thank YOU for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.

Happy Easter!

Bohemian Purse Charms

by aunt peaches 8 Comments

Ever since I made those yarn bobbles last year, I have been looking for places to hang tassels (did you see my Christmas tree?) When the folks at Etsy approached me about sharing a mega tassel tutorial, I was keen to do it. I don’t have an Etsy shop myself, but many of my friends (and readers!) do. I have found a number of new, independent, affordable artists selling their stuff on Etsy and have always been delighted with the work. Also, it’s quite the community! They published my tutorial yesterday and I can’t remember a time I have seen so many positive comments. Not just on my work – anywhere. Etsy folks are out to support each other. I’m so glad they asked me to share in the fun. I hope you will pop over and check out their blog for yourself. Oodles of tremendous ideas over there!

Have an old market bag that needs a pick-me-up? Get your tassel on!

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

by aunt peaches 15 Comments

I have an unhealthy relationship with housework. Sometimes it is my greatest pleasure, while other times it is my worst nightmare. Despite my reputation for sequined lunacy, deep down, I am very orderly person. Nothing makes me more happy than walking into an environment where I know where everything is. That doesn’t mean it needs to be perfect or minimal, it just needs to be in order. I’ll bet a lot of messy people are like this — we love the feeling of an orderly space but we don’t always know how to get there. Well, my friends. This book might just be the answer.

Have you heard about this book? Images of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing started popping up all over my Instagram just after Christmas with the term “holy balls” attached in alarming frequency. Of course, I bought it immediately. Just like I bought the 30 other home keeping and organizing books on my bookshelf. I’m like that friend everyone has who compulsively buys cookbooks but rarely cooks outside the microwave. It just makes me feel better.

Well folks, that hype? It’s real. This little Japanese woman Marie Kondo is no slouch. The book is a long-term strategy, not a quick fix, but only 30 pages in you are going to start itching to clear out your cupboards. AND. Get this: she vehemently discourages you from going out and buying organizing supplies or hanging hanger things. Ever. All she gets you to do is examine the quality of every object in your surroundings and ask yourself one question; “Does it bring you joy?”

So simple, right? Doesn’t sound like much. But, honestly, after this book you’ll understand. When you pick up an object and ask yourself that question, if you cannot feel it in your gut, it’s time to move on. Thank the object for its time and service to you, then put it in a box to donate so that it can be of joy to someone else. Set the bird free!

Warning: If you buy this book, and you are serious about it, I suggest you clear yourself a weekend or at least a single day. Maybe a Saturday. Maybe read the first couple chapters of the book Friday night, then start work early Saturday. Her methodology will walk you through books, then clothes, and so on. She’s very particular about that. I’m making this sound easy but really it’s an in-depth boot camp. Even as a single-person-household, there is no way I could do my whole place in a single weekend, so I can only imagine how long it would take someone with a whole house. This is one elephant you have to eat one bite at a time. The good news is, once that elephant is good and gone, Marie promises zero upkeep. You just have to do the whole house properly one time and in the process your mindset for acquisition (ahem, hashtag: hoarders) will change drastically.

Confession: I ignore the rules and went about it backwards and started with my junk drawer with plans to do one small project a day, as that’s what most professional organizers will tell you to do. My mistake, but also my win. A normal clean out would mean getting rid of maybe 30% of the contents in that junk drawer. This time I got rid of 90%. Maybe more.

It felt incredible.

After the junk drawer I moved on to other areas. I have probably taken 15 bags of stuff to Goodwill, and don’t even ask what ended up in the recycling bin. Problem is, I fell off the wagon the last couple of weeks, which, Mary said would likely happen if I didn’t follow her *exact* method the first time (which I didn’t). So now I’m forcing myself to let things pile up, read it fresh from cover-to-cover and start again, this time, I’m doing it properly.

Stay tuned!

Judgmental Pants Off: Haute Couture On

by aunt peaches 19 Comments

The Oscars are this Sunday, which is my most-favorite slash least-favorite thing on television. Ever. On one hand I love watching glamorous people doing glamorous things and then getting up on stage and delivering the speech they have been practicing into a hairbrush, for decades, only to pretend the first thought of winning orossed their mind moments before. It’s like candy. The hard part comes the next day when social media is flooded with people who suddenly find themselves newly crowned fashion police, free to critiszie these actors, actresses in particular, for no other reason that they can. I don’t get that. Why is it fun to cut people down? Why is okay for someone to mock another person’s physical appearances, and then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, go on Facebook and ask other people to agree with them? AND PEOPLE DO. wtf.

That’s not a wtf-question-mark; it’s a wtf-is-wrong-with-you?’ rhetorical question. No mark.

I digress.

My point is, less than a fraction of a percent of the people watching the Oscars have seen enough nominated films to sit in objective judgement, so we sit to gawk and star gaze. People watching. And because it’s much quicker to conjure an opinion on an outfit than a film, that’s what we do. We look at the dresses. It’s pretty shallow. I’m not going to feel bad about looking at dresses because people like me looking at dresses is what keeps Hollywood in business. People like me looking at dresses is what makes the Oscars special. That said, even if I don’t like the look of an outfit, I’m not going to be an asshole and criticize it. Not just because I think the person wearing the outfit deserves to be treated with dignity (which they do), or because women’s appearances are judged far more harshly than men’s (which they are), but because the garment — that dress — was designed by someone. With consideration. With talent. Is a dress art? I don’t know if it is, but I sure as hell wouldn’t argue against it with the person who designed it. Or the team who made it. Or the seamstress who stayed up all night mending it. Or the stylist who spent days contemplating its role on the red carpet. Artistry, creativity, takes man forms. To crush another person’s art for the fun of it isn’t cool. Do you know what it does to a kid when they see their mom making fun of another woman’s appearance?

Again, I digress.

Back on track: if you have never thought of a beautiful dress as anything more than a shield from the elements, think again…

As if Chanel wasn’t impressive enough, wait until you see this doll’s dress from Dior> Yes, a doll.

No flowers on this one from Dior, but it still took 200 hours.

Suddenly my Old Navy sweatpants are making me feel underdressed.

Happy Oscar night, everyone!

Video: Mardi Gras Bead Mosaic

by aunt peaches 6 Comments

I shared this idea a couple weeks ago, but seeing as today is the day after Mardi Gras, this would be the day about a million people are waking up to ~~a slobbering hangover~~ and wondering what to do with ‘all dem’ beads.

Welp. Thanks to the powers of video, now you know!

All sorts of nifty business going on over at I Love to Create’s YouTube channel. Check them out!

Valentine Exchange 2015

by aunt peaches 13 Comments

As some of you know, the fifth annual Valentine swap has just come to an end, bigger and bolder than ever! More than 1,400 handmade valentines were exchanged between total strangers, which adds up to just enough warmth and kindness to offset this brutal winter. Excellent news: the popularity of hashtags have made it much easier to keep tabs on what folks were exchanging this year. I have found myself with my jaw on the floor on multiple occasions the last two weeks. I mean…YOU PEOPLE! Man alive, some folks know how to valentine in style!

Thank you again to all those who participated. My hope is to continue this tradition next year, but I am confident that the format will need to change. As the volume of participants continues to grow, I need to find a way to streamline the process (and minimize opportunities for error). If any of you have experience with these types of exchanges elsewhere and have ideas, please share. I’m all ears.

Above is a slideshow taken from the 121 images of valentines posted to Instagram using the hashtag #auntpeachesvalentineswap. Some of these folks are posting their creative output every single day, so be sure to sniff around. Great stuff! There is also a ton of fantastic stuff up on my Facebook wall, so be sure to check that out too.

See you next year!

Jeans Day!

by aunt peaches 1 Comment

There is something special about denim. Comforting, classic, there is a reason why everyone has a favorite pair of jeans. Good news: Michaels has just launched a new line of denim products you can use use to spruce up just about anything.

The line includes everything from boxes to decorative accents to, my personal favorite, ribbon. Here I used three small lengths of denim ribbon to tie around a good old mason jar, and suddenly this humble everyday object seems special.

Here I used some to wrap around a navy blue box, perfect for hiding the remote control.

More good news: I have plenty of denim ribbon left, so I’ll be spending my President’s Day holiday adding more denim accents to my home. Here are some ideas!

Here are some other creative ideas from Michael’s Makers.

An InLinkz Link-up

10 Ways to Use Leftover Mardi Gras Beads

by aunt peaches 11 Comments

With Fat Tuesday coming up next week, I am itching to flex some Mardi Gras spirit this weekend (albeit from afar!). It’s been a couple years since my last visit to New Orleans, but, rest assured, my bead stash is still holding strong. I told myself I wouldn’t schedule another trip to NOLA until I used it up, so it’s high time I get going!

1. rainbow necklaces 2. bangal bracelets 3. wreath
4. sailor’s valentine boxes 5. ceiling light cover 6. beaded chandelier 7. bowling ball mosaic
8. diet coke mosaic (it sold!) 9. statement necklace 10. ornament display

Do you have an interesting way to use or display leftover Mardi Gras beads? Let’s hear it!

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