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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Jute Wrapped Container


I am a little obsessed with anything jute and burlap these days! I made a jute wrapped container recently that I thought I would share. I had been collecting formula cans and a few hot chocolate containers for some time now. I was just waiting for a good project to come along, and it did!

Here is what you need:

Empty Container
Jute (I personally like it to be the thicker kind)
Hot Glue (Lots of it!)
Glue Gun



Here is a before picture of my container that I used. This is a formula container - the Kirkland (Costco) brand.



To start I just add a dab of hot glue to the very bottom of the container and place the end of my jute rope on top of the glue. I allowed it to glue a minute. Then I continue to put a line of the hot glue all along the bottom, but only doing about 2 inches worth at a time. The glue will harden and dry quickly so don't put to much on at a time.



I just continue this motion going all around the container. I ran the tip of the glue gun right up to the top of the row of jute and made sure there were no gaps in the rope. You will go through lots of hot glue so be sure to have plenty on hand.


 




 
 The completed project! I was so thrilled with how these came out. They would be perfect to use as vases (I put my coffee filter flowers in them and it looks oh so cute!), utensil holders in your kitchen, party decor and much more!
 

 



Thanks for stopping by!





Sunday, April 21, 2013

Under the Sea Birthday Party

Back in December we celebrated Kora turning 4. Kora's current favorite Disney Princess is Ariel so that was her top pick for a party theme this year. I wanted to make it feel more like an 'under the sea' whimsical theme rather than over the top Ariel. I used tiffany blue and pearl white as the color theme with accents of pink.
 
I designed the invitations myself. I used my silhouette to cut out the seaweed and sea horse to give it that extra touch.




Kora was so excited to welcome all her guests to her 'mermaid lagoon'. She could hardly wait for everyone to arrive!

 
As each guest arrived they were able to go into the 'Mermaid Salon'. In the salon there was a tutu for each girl, a coordinating headband and pearl necklace. They also were treated to a manicure and makeup (big thanks to my sister Trisha and our friend Rebecca for being our stylists!).








The girls were all so adorable in their tutus!
 

 
After they were all dolled up the mermaids were invited to do a craft. They made Ariel Snowglobes! I had found ariel cupcake topper figurines that fit perfectly on the inner party of the baby food jar lid. I used hot glue (which didn't end up working that well - a few days after the party ariel came loose. Maybe E5000 glue would work better?) to attach ariel to the lid. Then each girl got to fill the jar with their choice of glitter and various small sea shells. I then added tap water to each jar and screwed the lid on for them (as TIGHT as possible!). The girls loved them! 



I kept the decorations fairly simple. I made the tissue poms to hang above the table which we had all set for our sushi lunch.


I wanted to let the girls use real glasses to keep the table looking 'fancy'. I used my mason drinking mugs (which quickly have become my go-to entertaining glasses, love them!) and dressed them up with a little bakers twine with their name attached and a paper straw.
 

 
In the center of the table I used a combination of candles, aqua mason jars, star fish, sand dollars and other various beach decor.

 
Now, one bonus of being married to a chef is that he loves to help out with the food when it comes to party planning! So, I charged him with the task of making kid friendly sushi for the little mermaids. And then for the adults we had realy sushi. I did not get pictures of the sushi he made for the adults (so bummed about that, but it was delicious!) but here are a few of what was prepared for the kids. The close up picture is blurry but I still wanted to include it so you could see better how each plate looked. Each 'sushi roll' was made up of bread, sliced ham, cheese and pickles. Cody then built a tower made out of sliced apples and then filled with goldfish. It was a hit!
 
  




Now for my absolute FAVORITE part of any party....the DESSERTS! I made the cupcakes and was super thrilled to have them turn out just as I was envisioning! I made the chocolate starfish on top using a mold I picked up from the decorate shop and then dusted each one with a pearl dust that is made for cake decorating to give them each an irridescent look. 

 

 


I had one other treat for the girls. Octopus Marshmallow pops! Each pop is coated in a white chocolate that I colored light pink. I then used eyes that I purchased at the Decorate Shop. They are sitting in raw sugar to give it that sandy look. 

 
 
Thank you for checking out my party!