Craft & DIY

I think one of my favorite moments each year is wrapping up the holiday gifts. I love to make it a special event by cuing up my favorite Christmas albums, lighting candles, turning on the twinkle lights, and fixing myself a hot seasonal drink. I also love choosing a “theme” for my wrapping each year – I think the presents look so nice under the tree and it’s even better when you’ve put a bit of thought into the presentation. When I was little my Grandpa always always used old-fashioned yarn as the finishing touch on his gifts…if I could only find some, I think I would recreate that for Bixby!

What about you? Do you have any holiday wrapping traditions? I may eventually settle on a “signature” wrap like my Grandpa had, but for now I am happy to experiment each year. To spark inspiration, I gathered together six of my favorite wrapping projects – I hope you will find something you love here, too!

DIY #1: CREATURE COMFORTS

Above you will find the link to talented Ez’s gift wrap DIY and free printable download. Aren’t those birds the sweetest thing ever? I would love to make some of the paper chains, too!

DIY #2: YOU ARE MY FAVE

Next up, I love these colorful wrap and embellishment ideas. So cute and festive! Pom poms and reindeer and rainbows, oh my! Tip: you can often find big rolls of white paper in the kids section of the craft store for much less cost per foot than traditional wrap.

DIY #3: ROOST

For a more natural look especially suited to homemade gifts from your kitchen, please make your way over to the Roost blog for the lovely DIY shown above. You won’t want to miss the recipes that go along with it, either!

DIY #4: SUGAR PAPER FOR MATCHBOOK MAGAZINE + PHOTOS BY DIANA MARIE

Matchbook Magazine this month put together a stunning gift wrap feature, seen above and below. So simple but high impact. Love that zig zag paper!

DIY #5: SUGAR PAPER FOR MATCHBOOK MAGAZINE + PHOTOS BY DIANA MARIE

DIY #6: CREATURE COMFORTS

And last but most-glittery ;), a peacock embellished lovely from Ez. Happy wrapping, my dears!! xo Laura

(images: linked to sources above)

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Hello my friends! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day, and I am so excited because this is one of my very favorite holidays. I love the food (of course), but also the end-of-autumn mood, and the fun of hanging out with family, free from the stress that presents bring.

I am overflowing with gratitude this year! : ) I am so thankful for my husband’s family who are so very kind to me and really treat me like one of their own daughters, for my own family who make sure I feel loved even from afar, for my little house and the warmth and love inside, my sweet husband, and most of all my little one, who I feel so lucky to have. But I am not done yet, oh no! Just in the past week I feel lucky to have had an old friend over for dinner + wine, which was so, so nice because you know how comfortable and easy it is to be around old friends? Oh yes. And I am thankful for new friends as well, like this lovely lady who I met for coffee just the other day, all of the Mamas in my mom’s group, and each and every one of you dear readers, and I could go on…but I’ll stop now, I swear!

If you are looking for something quick and easy to add a handmade touch to your gathering tomorrow, may I suggest this alphabet pasta pie topper? Yes, I said alphabet pasta: genius, right? I love the old school typewriter style look of the dry noodles.

This project was created by Chiara Alberetti Milott for Oh Happy Day, so follow that link to find the complete instructions. Aren’t the place cards darling, too? How fun they would be for a DIY wedding. : )

Well, that wraps it up for now. I’m off to enjoy my four day weekend - woohoo! What will you be up to? Any fun plans? I would love to hear about what you will be doing, or what you are grateful for today. Happy Thanksgiving, friends, I am so grateful for you! xoxo Laura

(images: Chiara Alberetti Milott for Oh Happy Day)

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Hello my dears! Today I have some cozy DIY projects to share with you – they have really been getting me into the spirit of the season, I hope they inspire you, too!

DIY #1: STACKED LOG FIREPLACE

Can you believe that fireplace is a DIY project? It’s true! This one comes from Styled Magazine, see the issue for the how-to. If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year, I found a few projects that would be fun and relatively simple – things to add a little creativity to the celebration.

DIY #2: APPLE CIDER FAVORS

Aren’t those little bottles of cider adorable? They would make a great takeaway from either Thanksgiving dinner or an autumnal wedding. From Styled Magazine.

DIY #3: APPLE AND BRANCH CENTERPIECE

Also from Styled Magazine, this apple and branch centerpiece is my kind of arrangement: organic and casual, yet still festive. If you want something a bit more formal, why not try this:

DIY #4: AUTUMNAL BLOSSOMS + BIRCH-WRAPPED VASE

From Rue Magazine, this DIY is still easy, but looks much more fancy and time-consuming than it is. So pretty!

DIY #5: POM POMS!

And for those long nights and rainy days hanging out around the house, how about trying your hand at these cozy little pom poms? The instructions can be found in Rue Magazine – I want to make these!

DIY #6: WOOD GIFT TAGS

If you are looking for unique gift wrap + packaging ideas, perhaps you would be interested in these nifty wood gift tags from Styled Magazine? I know I would love receiving a gift wrapped up with one of these tags!

DIY #7: LATTICE CUP TOPPERS

Finally, oh my, oh my – aren’t those lattice pie crusts adorable and yummy looking? What a fancy touch for topping apple cider at an Autumn party! This one comes from Styled Magazine. I hope you enjoyed these DIY ideas – let me know if you are thinking of trying one! xo Laura

(images: Styled Magazine and Rue Magazine)

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