Energy Bites

So, before I get into the real post, I just want to mention that a ton of people found out about my blog at school. It seemed like all of a sudden people were mentioning that they liked my blog or had seen my blog, and it was kind of weird at first. It’s not that I didn’t want people at school to know that I have an “internet life,” it’s just that it felt kind of separate. I’m not any different on my blog than I am in real life, but I do think of my blogging self as a whole different part of me. Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you have a hobby or extracurricular activity that you’re passionate about, don’t worry if people find out about it. It’s who you are and it’s a part of you, regardless of what other people think about it. And, if you happen to be from school and you’re reading this… lemme know (;Ok, sorry, moving on to the real post now...

One of my friends from school brought some peanut butter balls to swim practice and she let me have one. Not only was it absolutely amazingly tasty, but it was the perfect snack to have right before a workout. She told me that she found the recipe on Pinterest so I did some digging and found it myself. I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand so I kind of changed it around a little bit and I happened to really like the way they turned out! Here’s what I did, but if you want the real recipe to make these energy bites, click here.

Ingredients:

1 cup of dry oatmeal (old-fashioned oats) 3/4 peanut butter (I tried almond butter, but it wasn’t sticky enough) 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/3 cup honey 2 table spoons chia seeds 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pour everything in a bowl and mix it together. I found that using my hands to mix was much easer than using a spoon or whisk. 2. Put the mixed bowl into the fridge for at least half an hour 3. Roll into balls about 1” in diameter (or however big/small you want them)

Seriously, that’s it. These energy bites are so simple to make and so easy too! If you make them be sure to post a picture on Instagram or Twitter and tag us so I can see!

xox, Chloe

Check it out for free: "DIY Lifestyle Magazine"

A huge thanks to DIY Lifestyle Magazine for featuring us in their September issue! Check them out on your iPad - they were kind enough to provide a free month to all our readers (yay!) - because who doesn't want to sit back and gather some DIY inspiration? Besides our articles, you'll find some fun ideas and might even know some other bloggers featured. For your free trial, download the magazine here: http://bit.ly/T2rMXd. Click on SUBSCRIBE and then CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS. Enter in promo code: septdiy1 to get the current issue for free; and do it soon because the coupon is only valid until October 18, 2014. Enjoy!

Free Binder Covers

Well, I promised that there would be new free binder covers out soon, and I’ve kept the promise by following up with more cute binder covers. I decided to keep it preppy with the color combos + stripes, because I think a lot of you will really like them… I know I love ‘em. We truly think that cute school supplies can make an entire school year more bearable, so we've got you covered when it comes to amping up the cuteness factor of those ugly and plain binders. But. they work for anything -- in fact, my mom is even using them around the house for things like take-out menus and papers for me and my brother. Hope you like this new design as much as the first set. Free binder covers for the win!

Also, if you use them be sure to post a picture on Twitter or Instagram and tag us @popcosmo and we will totes love you forever and ever. ;)

back to school and office supply binder cover templates

DIY binder covers

free downloadable binder insert | takeout menus

DIY binder covers for school and home

So all you need to do is drag and drop the image and place it on your desktop. Then open it in Word or Photoshop and add the text you would like! 

Thanks for reading!

xox Chloe

DIY Graphic Tee

What's one item I could wear with everything? A graphic tee... every time I walk into J.Crew I want another one! But they are breaking the bank, so I turned to my trusty Cricut Explore, which had been getting dusty while we moved and I was away this summer. It's definitely time to start playing with it again since it is so versatile and makes the most complicated craft ridiculously easy! The best part? That's my handwriting. Mhmm. I officially have the coolest shirt around town - my own DIY graphic tee.

tee: Gap | necklace: Ela Design Studio | sunnies: Ray-Ban

Supplies: T-shirt Cricut Iron-on Cricut Iron Ironing board Tea Towel or t-shirt

Feel free to use our .png file below! Then we can be twinsies with the same shirt ;)

Directions: 1. Cut Cricut Iron-On a little larger than the words you are printing and place it shiny side down on mat. Load into the Cricut and follow directions. 2. Be sure to check the box for "Iron On" so that your words will be backward. (This will make sure that when you actually iron on it will be in the right direction) 3. Peel the extra Iron-On material off of the transfer sheet and make sure that no little "extras" are still on your design. 4. Center the design on your shirt and iron onto shirt with a tea towel in between the iron and the Iron-On material. 5. Sit back and admire... then wear what's sure to become your DIY favorite graphic tee and rake in the compliments.

Disclosure:  We are members of the Cricut Blogger Network and received product in exchange for review but as usual all opinions are 100% our own. 

Try this T-shirt Tie Dye

One of our favorite summer projects is tie-dying and as much as we love tie-dye, you know we like to keep it simple... which is why we are such huge fans of Tulip One-Step Tie-Dyes and have been using them for years for all of our projects (see tie-dye shorts and tie-dye beach sheet). We were ready to jump on the Tie Dye Your Summer bandwagon and once again turned to Tulip because they come with bottles that you simply fill with water and you're ready to go. Even gloves come in the box, plus some ideas. All you need is something to tie-dye and a cool idea!

Striped T-Shirt Tie Dye Prep 1. lay t-shirt flat and get rid of wrinkles 2. pleat the shirt from top to bottom (you can fold it in the middle if it's easier to handle it) 3. fold sleeves in last, pleating them as well, and tucking them under 4. you should have a flat pleated shirt 5. wrap rubber bands around at intervals, making sure the pleats stay intact 6. your t-shirt should look like a centipede when ready to tie-dye

Dotty T-Shirt Tie Dye Prep 1. lay t-shirt flat 2. pinch sections of the t-shirt and wrap the rubber band tightly around. The larger the piece sticking out the top, the larger your circles will be and the more rubber bands you use, the bigger your white space around the circle will be. You could pinch both front and back, but we pinched the front and back together (i.e., the back of the shirt was in the rubber bands you see) and it looked fantastic while saved a bunch of steps.

Once you have your shirt(s) ready, wet them thoroughly. You could definitely do this step first, but we found it was easier to work with dry shirts.

Gather the tie-dye supplies  - most of which will be in your Tulip One-Step Tie-dye kit + protection for whatever area you will be tie-dying in. We suggest tie-dying in the grass, if you can, since the area will be stained.

Add water to the color bottles you choose and you are ready to tie-dye! It couldn't be more simple, then add color to your shirts directly from the bottle.

Once the color has been applied, place them in a bag for 6 or more hours (we left ours in the bag overnight) because we're lazy like that.

Remove the shirts from the bags and rinse them in cold water until the water runs clear. It takes a while, but once the color is out, it's gone and your tee is colorfast. Follow the instructions for washing and drying and then enjoy your new shirts.

Voilà, one old tee that was stained turned into a new tee that looks amazingly cool and a new tee that looks much better than plain white! We might cut the neckline on the blue tie-dye t-shirt, but we really love how it turned out.

Follow I Love To Create for some fab & fun creative inspiration on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and their Blog. Perfect boredom busters! Get creating!

What are you thinking about tie-dying?

xo ~kim & chloe

 Thank you ILTC and Blueprint Social for sponsoring this post. All opinions are our own, as usual! 

Free Downloadable Binder Covers

One of our all time most popular posts is our “Decorating Notebooks” post from a year ago. We thought that, since it’s still crazy popular, we should bring it back with better and bolder designs. I decided to create free downloadable binder covers for y’all and I hope you love them as much as I do. I can’t wait to use them this year for school! I’m planning on hopefully coming up with other designs, so if you aren’t head over heels with this set then be on the look out for different styles! Here’s how to create your own: 1.Click the link that says "download" and then download the "blank canvases” to your desktop 2.Upload them into Word, Pages, Photoshop, etc. 3.Use your favorite font to write your class name on the white part of the cover. (I used Antonio from Font Squirrel!) 4. Print!

click here to download pink + blue + navy binder cover

click here to download pink + blue + yellow binder cover

click here to download pink + pink + pink binder cover

Really! It’s that simple. Let me know what other patterns and color combos you would like to see… polka dots? watercolor inspired stripes? pink and green? yellow and mint green?

If you do happen to use these free downloadable binder covers, we’d love to see how they look! Tag us on Instagram or Twitter (@popcosmo) and you just might be featured on a blog post!

xox Chloe

DIY Diamond Pinata

We are so excited about our DIY Diamond Piñata that we created. Although we always say our latest DIY is our favorite, we really think this one is since it's big, shiny, packs a statement, is shaped like a diamond, and... can be filled with candy. What more in life could you need than an enormous candy-filled diamond piñata? We happen to like our diamond pinata just for decoration in our office, but the possibilities are endless: cinco de mayo, wedding showers, weddings, bachelorette parties, sweet 16....

And who says a piñata has to be filled with candy?? Why not confetti or tiaras? Dream big, we say, dream big.

Our guest post on Best Friends for Frosting has the directions for our DIY Diamond Piñata. Go check it out!

Milk & Cookie Shot Recipe

The rage with cronuts by Dominique Ansel's Bakery are are being followed up by his hugely popular milk and cookie shot. Recreating his cookie shot is right up there at the top of our list of favorite recipe posts (along with how to make glitter lollipops and the best cake pops) we've brought y'all, because somebody (us!) had to taste test every single chocolate chip shot to make sure it was up to par. And we now have a signature dessert to bring to book club, Kentucky Derby parties, wedding showers, well… just about any party. And clean up is a snap: just down the milk and eat the shot glass. Couldn't be easier. Although there are a variety of recipes we tested, we're sharing our winner: the most simple one that didn't leak and didn't involve an extra layer of glaze to seal the cookie. (But there are glazes below.)

Ingredients: chocolate chip cookie mix mini popover pan tinfoil corks shot glass flour milk

Directions: Follow the directions of your cookie mix or use your own chocolate chip cookie recipe. However, add flour to your mix after you have completely mixed yours together. We added between 1/4 - 1/2 cup to ours in order to create a dense cookie mix. Then mix in the flour.

Roll out some of the dough about 1/4" thick and use the shot glass to cut circles. Place the circles on the bottom of each popover mold.

Take pieces of dough and roll into a ball, then a log shape, then flatten and place in a the popover mold being certain to attach it to the circle on the bottom so that no milk will leak through the seam. You'll see that our cookie shots are rather thick. This is intentional! They are thick and dense (and yummy!) and why no glaze is required.

Take your cork and roll it in tinfoil, then place it in the center of each cookie shot. This will prevent the cookie shot from falling into the center.

Bake until brown, or like us - the maximum time suggested, and let cool.

If you would rather have a thinner "shot" wall, then you might need a glaze. Whichever you choose, be sure to coat the inside of the "shot" well so that there are no cracks and pour off any excess. You can use:

• dark chocolate and melt it. Pour and coat bottom and sides, then chill.
• magic shell for ice cream. Coat all sides and bottom, let harden
• confectioner's glaze: a little bit of confectioner's sugar + a small amount milk + vanilla. It should have the consistency of thick paint. Paint it on the inside with a clean paintbrush. Chill overnight, then bake for 5 minutes (so you might want to initially bake your shot for the minimum amount of time or until just barely brown).

Add milk (or kahlua or...) and enjoy!

FYI:  we let our chocolate chip cookie shot hold milk for 4 hours in the refrigerator for the sake of testing. We couldn't wait any longer in our taste testing gorge-fest to see how long these would last. They were far and away the best cookie shot glass recipe we made: no leaks, fabulous consistency & no need for a glaze. Plus, we realized that if the milk sits a while, it makes them taste like chocolate chip cookie cake. Yum.

Enjoy and let us know how your shots taste!

Cupcake Toppers

Cupcakes are the cutest of desserts: a mini cake that you don’t have to share. Because when it comes to dessert, sharing isn’t fun, it’s stealing. One thing I love seeing lately are cake toppers. They are such a cute way to add a little extra something special to a cake. A cherry on top, if you will.

However, I haven’t really been seeing anything that goes on top of cupcakes. I mean there are those cheap plastic rings that grocery stores put on top of their cupcakes, but those don’t really count. So I thought to myself, “wouldn’t it be fun to make a little something for the top of cupcakes.” And because this thought seemed rather rational compared to my other ones (ie “is a banana still edible if you spray paint the outer peel and then eat the inside?” or “if the sun was black would the sky be black or just a darker blue?”) I decided that I should make a few cupcake toppers!

The star is a classic shape, & when you make the star gold you can channel your inner Rachel Berry, from Glee, because she puts a gold star on everything she likes. Plus, I’m assuming she likes cupcakes, so we’re actually just helping the Rachel Berry cause. I also thought we could get more intricate and make a trendy leaf heart shape.

And aren’t these cupcakes just absolutely gorgeous? We partnered on this post with our fab friend Hunter, of Vivian & Me, who writes a blog about allergy-friendly food recipes. I can not wait to try out these insanely gorgeous basil infused pink grapefruit cupcakes that have a vegan buttercream frosting and candied grapefruit on top! So be sure to stop by her blog for the cupcake recipe &  more amazing, mouthwatering, insanely yummy recipes (buffalo chicken dip, anyone?). And tell her we said "hi!"

Directions for toppers:

With the brand new, awesome Cricut Explore (it's on sale right now!): 1. Insert a picture of a star to your Cricut Design Space (we drew our own in Photoshop so it would look kind of rustic and imperfect). If you would like to create our heart & leaf shape, we’ve attached the file below so that you can upload it to your Design Space 2. Print it out on your paper of choice - of course we chose glittery gold! 3. Hot glue the shape to a toothpick 4. Let it dry 5. Then decorate your cupcake until it looks like a masterpiece - maybe Hunter at Vivian & Me has some tips on piping icing that we'll share soon ;)

xo ~chloe

DIY Camera Lens Cap

We've made camera straps, but I've never touched my camera when it comes to DIY. Seriously, how could you DIY your camera? Well, I found a way (you knew I would) with a DIY lens cap. I think these would even make my brother smile and say cheese instead of making his usual silly face.

Supplies: Snap on lens Cap* Cricut vinyl (Happy note: Cricut vinyl is on sale through 3/4!) Cricut transfer tape (for "say cheese") Cricut Explore *We ordered a plain lens caps here. To determine what size you need you can find it by looking on your lens for the symbol Ø with a number next to it. This number is the size in millimeters of your filter threads, which is the size cap you need. This marking typically appears either on the rim of the front of your lens, or on the side of your lense barrel.

Instructions:

If you’re using a Cricut Explore, use Cricut vinyl to create the camera lens caps. Directions are below.  Otherwise, you could use an Exacto knife or punches to cut out the shapes that you want to create.

1. Open up Cricut Design Space and click “New Project” 2. Then click “insert images” 3. Search “donut” and find one that you like! (We used the donut part of Studio DIY’s and created our own frosting.) 4. Then click “insert image” 5. After it’s on your canvas, highlight the image and look at the bottom of your layers palate and click “ungroup.” 6. Then delete the frosting layer. (This is what we did, but feel free to leave all of Studio DIY's donut - hers is so cute, but we had created our idea before hers was available, and then printed the day it became available, so we wanted to use part of hers and ours to see how it looked! Of course hers is amazing!) 7. Next click “upload image” and then find your frosting layer. We simply drew our sprinkles on with Sharpies since they would have been tiny little dots! Here's our file you can upload.

8. Next, measure the size of your lens cap and make your donut and frosting that size. 9. Then click the “Go” button and follow your on screen instructions.

To create the "Say Cheese" you would find a picture in Step 3 of cheese or cheese pizza or whatever cheese-y. Then use text and transfer tape to print & apply the words "Say Cheese."

It’s as simple as that! And the results are fun and different, and just might make someone smile. If you make one of these camera lens caps (or your own version), be sure to tweet or Instagram us a picture. We’d love to see your creations.

xo ~chloe

DIY Jewelry Tray

Like mother, like daughter: we tend to wear the same jewelry day in and day out. Occasionally, we'll change it up for a big occasion. But we both are a bit careless when we take our jewelry off at night, I set it my bathroom and Chloe sets her jewelry on her nightstand, both of us always with the thought of "I hope I don't accidentally knock anything off." This cute little tray solves our problem and we'll definitely be a few others and placing them around the house, like near the sink when I want to take off my rings. It would also make a fabulous customized gift. Supplies: 1-Modge Podge Rocks Peel & Stick Stencil (We were sent this stencil & loved it, but there are 6 adorable designs) 2-Modge Podge 3-pouncer 4-glitter (we used this glitter tube and since nobody loves a glitter mess - this was the perfect solution to direct where glitter went!) 5-Cricut vinyl & transfer tape 6-Cricut tool to peel vinyl 7-small tray

Directions: Apply Modge Podge Rocks Peel & Stick where you want your design to be.

Use your pouncer to place Modge Podge over only the area of the design where you want the glitter to be located.

Lift the stencil and squeeze and direct glitter onto the area which has Modge Podge. Chloe and I love the glitter look, yet detest glitter clean-up. This was absolutely far and away the cleanest glitter project we have ever created! There just might be more glitter in our future, thanks to Amy at Modge Podge Rocks!!!

Repeat on the other side of the tray, or continue the pattern on all 4 sides. Once you have finished modge-podging all sides, place the stencil on the backing and rinse so that it can be re-used. Not only does Modge Podge rock, these stencils do too - they held the curved shape of our tray just fine.

We then applied the Cricut vinyl (oh yeah, expect TONS more about our Cricut Explore to come very soon -we are experimenting right now, but will have loads and loads of projects for you in the near future!) for a simple, yet very effective jewelry tray and trinket tray. You could also apply a coat of Modge Podge over the glitter border to keep the glitter from flaking.

And that's it! No more searching for a ring here, and earring there anymore. You have all your jewelry in one place with our DIY jewelry tray. Hope you enjoy! xox ~kim & chloe

Disco Love Sign

We just can't get enough of love… and since love is all you need (as the song goes) we're going a little crazy with our love signs. Plus, these silver sequins were just calling my name. Since y'all have been trying out the gold love sign, we decided why not give another love sign a try, but give our fingers a rest and make it easier? The result is just as spectacular and totally reminded me of a disco ball (the effect is something you have to see - it's hard to photograph how fun these letters are!), the directions just as simple, and your fingers will be happy that we don't use wood with this sign. Yes, it still takes some time to make, but I just caught up (once again) on tv shows. Win/win for crafting and a Downton Abbey weekend! Supplies:

sequins - choose any color you like sequin pins - I had to return others - these worked the best thimble - used to push the pin into the cardboard. It's easy, but you'll definitely need one! cardboard letters - I used 8" size brush & paint in same color as sequins

Directions:

1. Paint your letters and let dry. 2. Pin sequins on letters. Space them as close together or as far apart as you would like for the effect you desire. Obviously, the closer together, the longer it will take. Note that the sequins on our L are closer together than the sequins on our E to give you an idea.

That's really it! Like I said, this is a VERY simple project, but a little tedious. To make it easier, I placed my sequins in a cup, my pins and thimble in another cup, and put them both on a tray with my letters to carry from room to room. I finished over the weekend and it was a project I picked up whenever I sat down to watch tv, whether on the couch or in bed. Each letter took about 45 minutes with lots of interruptions. Enjoy, and let us know how it goes!

xo ~kim

Calligraphy made easy

In my childhood, I used to get these strong thoughts in my head about how talented I would be at something. I had this vision in my head of me becoming the next famous softball player, scrabble player, or baton twirler and begged my parents for lessons or to join a local team. My parents knew that these things probably wouldn't be my cup of tea and that I might embarrass myself in the process, but they let me take lessons and learn my lesson the hard way. I joined a local softball team and almost broke my hand by putting my hand in front of my glove to catch the ball (why!?), I lose at almost scrabble games (I still love it though), but my my mom  put her foot down when it came to baton twirling lessons, thank goodness. And now I'm not even sure why I was interested in taking those!

But I am totally into calligraphy and one of my goals this year is to become super-amazing at calligraphy. I recently took a class on SkillShare and haven’t looked back since, which you've probably noticed on our Instagram. I think this might actually be my thing. In fact, I might be {one day, if I practice} pretty good at it. *gasp* So since I’m basically a calligraphy prodigy (haha) I figured I better fill you in on a few tips since calligraphy is totally trending right now!

WHAT YOU NEED TO START CALLIGRAPHY:

Things to know :

-This is not your grandmother's calligraphy. But it can be if you want it to be. There are all styles of calligraphy, and I happen to like modern… not traditional.

-Calligraphy supplies really aren’t that expensive. You need:

• nibs
• pen
• paper
• ink

-You do not have to have amazing handwriting to start calligraphy. If you practice your style enough then you can totally pull it off!

-Calligraphy is super messy, at least for me. Make sure you aren’t writing on a nice desk, because ink will most likely be splattered all over it, and not in a chic way.

-Practice makes perfect, so practice, practice, and practice some more.

Places to learn calligraphy :

-Skillshare > search Calligraphy.  This is where I learned. Since I loved it so much, I'm going to be take more classes, maybe here, maybe one of the awesome places below, to keep learning! Uh, maybe this summer when school slows down. Junior year is buuussssy.

-Fake it ‘till you make it - not really calligraphy, it's, wait for it… how to fake it. Or if you want a true short cut, just buy the font.

-I still love Calligraphy - I don't know much about this, but it looks pretty.

-LH Calligraphy has a a super-cute starter kit on Etsy and a gorgeous Instagram! The price is reasonable too.

photo via LH Calligraphy

Please let us know if you try any classes and what you think of them, plus tag us and show us your calligraphy skills on Instagram! xo ~chloe

IF YOU ENJOY THIS: check out How to Make A GIF {without Photoshop}

Candy Lollipops, Part 2

We're back with more lollipop ideas! We had so much fun making glitter lollipops, that we decided to get even sweeter this time around with candy lollipops. They're easy to make (see the recipe here) and you just add in the candy you like - so we chose red hots and candy hearts for Valentine's Day. This time around we decided to use  candy molds which gave our lollipops the perfect round shape. Our friend, and newbie blogger Christy at The Bourbon Blush {be sure and show her some love} lent us her candy molds, but you can find them here: balloon sucker molds or round sucker molds.

Have fun cooking up a sweet treat and enjoy your candy lollipops!

Glitter Lollipops, Part 1

As a lover of all things Etsy, all things gold, and anything glittery that doesn't make a mess, it was true love when I discovered Sweet Caroline Confections glitter lollipops. Of course, the first thing that popped in my head was, "I could make those!" Typically, you know the drill, about 50% of our DIYs never make the pages of our blog, but make good stories for Chloe and I to laugh about… later. Once we get over the frustration of having tried to recreate something. But these glitter lollipops are fun and easy to make, and color customizable like our Marshmallow Pops.

Even if our Glitter Lollipops aren't the perfectly round, clear perfection we saw on Etsy, ours are perfect for Valentine's Day (or just change the glitter color and customize them for any occasion, from weddings to prom parties to baby showers, reveal parties, and bar mitzvahs). The possibilities are endless, which is what we adore about the this glittery confection, besides the fact that it only has a few ingredients and is simple to make once you master the technique of the what I prefer to call the "slow pour."  So let's get started!

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar 2/3 cup light Karo corn syrup 1/4 cup water edible glitter of your choice {you will also need lollipop sticks, a candy thermometer, and a bowl partially filled with ice water set aside}

Directions:

1. Prepare your work area since it is important that once your candy has finished cooking you can work quickly:

a. If you have granite or marble countertops, lay parchment paper directly on them in long strips. We found this the best method to work quickly. If not, then use cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. (Note: we tried using Silpat, but ended up with a pattern on our lollipops from the sheets. Yours may not make a pattern, so feel free to try it!)

b. Sprinkle your glitter in 3" circles about 3" apart in 2 rows so that lollipop sticks can face in opposite directions and lay completely flat. If you are using candy, then you can place candy into the lollipops after pouring.

2. Place sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan with a pouring spout. Stir until the sugar is dissolved while bringing to a boil.

3. Once boiling, place your candy thermometer in the pot and use a pastry brush to wash down the sides so crystals don't form.  Do not stir, but boil until mixture registers 300 degrees to 310 degrees (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer, about 5 - 7 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and set in the bowl partially filled with ice water for 15 seconds. It will steam loudly! You want most of the air bubbles to be gone, but don't want the mixture to cool off to much because then it won't pour well - and it cools very quickly!

5. Pour very slowly in the middle of each glitter circle until a circle is formed and press in lollipop sticks. Let sit until completely cooled.

Note: I did re-warm the syrup over the lowest heat to soften it slightly when it began to harden. Also, clean-up is easy if you soak everything in very hot soapy water.

Recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com 

And, if you noticed the title, it says Part 1, so yep, we had so much fun making these, that we'll be back for more ideas after we order a few supplies (hint-hint) for more Glitter Lollipop goodness!

xox, Kim

IF YOU ENJOY THIS: check out our Calligraphy Made Easy & Drink Stirrers

Wrapping Pt. 2: "Snowglobe" Gift Tags

So we've got our gifts wrapped in a cute wrapping (see our pompom gift wrap) and now it's time for gift tags. We chose to make tags inspired by snow globes. They are not actually snow globes, but these holiday tags totally remind us of them! Shake them up and watch the confetti (or whatever you choose to put inside them) move around. Here's how we made them. Step 1: Gather your supplies:

*we used plastic baggies, but you can use any clear covering such as vellum paper which will give them an "artsy" faded look. We think it would great over a black and white photo with gold glitter "snow"!

Step 2: Make confetti (use a hole punch) or make gold or silver pieces from tinsel or garland. You can also use glitter.

Step 3: Cut a baggie and use one side as a "wrap" for your tag. You'll be folding it over the top of your tag, so the size baggie you'll need will depend on the size of your tag. We also used vellum paper which gives a completely different look and feel… and the glitter moves more freely without the static from the plastic.

Step 4: Make your gift tags or put names on store bought gift tags. We cut corners on our rectangular tags to make them look extra-special gift taggy. (That's a word, right?)

Step 5: Use your tape (not pictured in the supplies, oops!) on the back of the gift tag to secure a layer of the baggie on all but one side of the gift tag. On the open side, insert pieces of tinsel, confetti, glitter, etc. Then close the final side and secure. The first photo below (Merry) is using vellum. The others are using plastic.

To attach your gift tag to your gift, be creative! We found these adorable mini clips and decided to spray paint them white to attach them to some gifts. Since the back of our tag isn't as gorgeous as the front, it could also be glued or taped to the gift wrap and the entire gift could be shaken (it's non-breakable!). Whatever you use, make sure your tag can move to show how the tinsel shimmers and shines!

That's it… simple, fast and fun. Enjoy!

Ravishing Wrapping Pt. 1: Pom Pom Gift Wrap

This pom pom gift wrap is our favorite of the year, which is no surprise considering it's Anthropologie inspired. It's so easy to do, but makes such a statement! And check back soon to see how we made our gift cards. They are so much fun and "snow globe" inspired… meaning just shake them up for a little fun. Now, on to the pom pom gift wrap!

Step 1: Gather your supplies: a wrapped present, glue dots and pom poms in your choice of color.

Step 2: Apply glue dots to your wrapped package. Wrapping in craft paper v. white paper or geometric paper is going to give a completely different feel to your finished pom pom gift wrap. Have fun deciding on your look.

Step 3: Apply pompoms to the glue dots and admire! I like a pattern, while Chloe likes random placement. We ended loving them both though.

We're not sure which is more fun… wrapping or unwrapping. Or coming up with ideas for making presents look cute! Have fun and don't forget to check back for our gift tag idea soon. We hope you love it as much as we do!

DIY Frilly Christmas Pencils

Looking for a stocking stuffer or a quick teacher gift? Or just a fun DIY to make to add some pizzazz to your desktop for the holidays? We were! And we created these very simple pencils that are Christmas Pencils or Hanukah Pencils inspired by our own desktop and some wrapping tissue that is pervading our home as we prepare for the holidays! But what's fabulous about them, is that they are perfect for any holiday or just any time your desk needs brightening. You know us... a gold pencil is something we'd use any day. Better yet, make that every day!

Supplies needed:

pencils (you could even cover old ones!) paintbrush (not pictured) tissue paper in any color Modge Podge scissors

Step 1: Cut a small piece to be the frilly colored top and a long piece to cover the pencil.

Step 2: Place the pencil on the paper down to the bottom of the silver.

Step 3: Modge Podge the eraser and silver part of the pencil.

Step 4: Roll the pencil in the frilly colored top piece applying Modge Podge to the area where the silver and eraser is as you roll it up.

Step 5: Cut strips down into the frilly colored top, but do NOT go too far down. Save enough room towards the bottom so that you can twist it  (as seen in Step 8).

Step 6: Apply Modge Podge along the pencil around all sides.

Step 7: Wrap the pencil in the tissue paper, applying Modge Podge if there is overlap of one layer over another.

Step 8: Apply Modge Podge to seal and let dry. Then twist the top near the frills. Enjoy!

Another option is to use a solid color piece of tissue paper or a piece of tissue paper with an all-over pattern and the same color frilly top. We chose gold (of course!), blue, and silver - perfect for Hanukah.

Now we have a perfectly matched planner! TIP: To sharpen, just peel back the tissue paper if it won't fit in your sharpener.

Enjoy your Christmas pencils or Hanukah pencils or everyday desk brighteners, and have fun making and using them! xox ~kim & chloe

Once again, we love bringing you Holiday Idea inspiration from our friends! Just click the link to see more... AND Stay tuned to our Monday posts for an extra special Holiday Giveaway from Easy Canvas! It's coming soon! 

 {click each photo to see more}

DIY Gold Striped Mug

We have the most boring plain dishes ever. And I'm ready for a change. *Cue the paintbrushes and gold paint!* Here we come... again. This time, I got our hands around a mug (literally) since the temperatures are cooling off and hot tea is a ritual in the Gordon household. My hands are always freezing and looking at a boring white mug will no longer satisfy me, not since I've seen how easy it is to gild anything from Oreos to signs to notebooks.  I wanted a dishwasher safe striped mug with that was easy to make and definitely not something that required any freehanded script. {You'd understand if you'd seen my handwriting.} Ok, let's get gilding!

For this project, you will need:

• Painters Tape
• Martha Stewart Metallic Paint and a paintbrush!
• Scotch Artist Tape for Curves
• Scissors
• Mug ($3.99 at Target!)

Instructions

Step 1: Arrange your tape in a pattern for your stripes. Keep in mind that your stripes may not end up perfect  but we happen to embrace imperfections. We wanted our lines to be close together so we kept our tape almost touching at the bottom. This made the paint peel off  a little at the bottom when we pulled off the tape, so if I redid it, I'd leave a little more space between at the bottom. Don't worry about the height of the tape at this point. BUT, do leave "drinking room" at the top. While the paint is non-toxic, you probably don't want your lips touching it.

Step 2:  Once you have placed your stripes all the way around the cup, place painters tape around the top of the stripes. Be sure it is parallel to the top of the cup. The bottom of the tape will be the top of your golden lines.

Step 3:  Using a paintbrush or sponge brush, dab the paint on the mug, making certain to stay inside the outer most tape lines. We applied 3 coats since we needed the coverage, letting each coat dry in-between. However, this made the coats very thick and some peeled up a bit when removing the tape... I'm curious to try another brand of paint with another mug. Yep, we'll be making a set of these since they are so easy!!

Step 4:  Once completely dry, remove tape and enjoy! If you plan to dishwash your new gold striped mug, cure in the oven (place in a cold oven, set to 350 and bake for 30 minutes after reaching 350 degrees and remove after oven and mug are cool), or by letting air cure for 21 days. Plus, the mug should be food and drink safe since your mouth will not come in contact with the paint.

That's it, pretty simple and pretty stunning. We'll be back with more ideas to complement the beginning of a mug set! Enjoy!

And once again, we hope you get some holiday inspiration from our FALL FRIENDS. CLICK each PHOTO below for more information on how to create these fun holiday projects!

No-sew DIY Placemats + Fall Friends!

Inspired by the simplicity of the linens at Mark & Graham, we decided to try our own DIY placemats to prepare for fall festivities.  What's not to love about a monogram and matching border, right? Also, we wanted to pull in the colors of our china so we chose a black border and monogram, but you could choose any color combination. Supplies: Plain placemat Scissors Ribbon Paint Liquid Stitch Stencil Paintbrush Pencil

Directions: 1. Cut ribbon to length of each side.

2. Apply ribbon to edges with a washable glue.

3. Apply stencil to top center and paint.

4. That's it! You have the first of your DIY placemats!

Three steps to a simple no sew DIY placemats ready for any table setting. Party on!

FALL FRIENDS

We also have some fab projects from our friends for some fall fun! (ooh, isn't that festive!) Enjoy! Click on the picture you like and you'll go straight to their website!

Each Monday from October 28th - November 18th you'll find Holiday decorating ideas, DIYs, crafts & so much more from our friends at Sews N Bows, Fresh Idea Studio, PinkWhen, & The Pinning Mama.. We hope to see you!

Table Runner - The Pinning Mama

Apron Set - Sews N Bows

Fall Porch - Fresh Idea Studio

Fall plaque - PinkWhen