DIY Magazine Bow

I'm a last-minute kinda gal, and gifts are no exception. I usually find myself wrapping my gift minutes before leaving for a party. So when I stumbled across these sweet bows made from magazine pages, I did a double-take. Not only are they a great way to get rid of that ever-growing stack of magazines, but they use things you have on hand, and seem to be easy enough to whip up a chic bow when you can't find just the right one.

I love the idea of using old newspaper or old phone book pages for your wrapping paper
and topping it with a shot of color.





















What you'll need:

1. A single sheet of paper from a magazine, newspaper, or map.
2. Scissors
3. Stapler (glue dots or double-sided tape would also work).

Cut a magazine page lengthwise into nine strips, each approx. 3/4" wide.
Leave three of the strips full length. Cut 1" off three of the strips.
Cut two inches off 2 of the strips.
Cut the last strip down to 3 1/2" long.

Twist each strip to form a loop at both ends and staple it in the center.
Shape the last (short) strip into a circle and secure it with a glue dot. 

Layer the three longest pieces on top of each other, spacing them evenly
and securing each with a glue dot. Add the next two groups of pieces,
doing the same. And finally, stick the loop into the center. Voila!
(Credits: How About Orange)

And for some fun variations, how about using a map (great for a going away gift)
or felt (adorable for a baby shower)? This would also be a great way to top a card
and make it feel a bit more like a gift.

Happy gifting!

shower secrets

A mood board for a baby shower? Yes, that's what you get when you put a brand designer and paper lover in charge of a shower. So months ago when I set out to plan a gender-neutral shower for a dear friend of mine who also happens to love the color green, I decided to embrace our dear woodland creatures and have some fun.

If you've never heard of a mood board, it's like a collage of ideas or images that reflect the tone of your brand, the room you'd like to make over (i.e. my newest blog addiction, Young House Love, and their mood boards for stylish room makeovers) or in this case, your event. Here's what the shower mood board looked like a few months ago. Super simple, but lots of fun:

Then came the invitations. Read the full story here.

From there, it was just plain fun.

Favor tins? Check.

Game? Check.

Centerpieces? Check.
(A bit of background: I looked into real birch stump balloon weights, and thought that there must be a greener way to do it. So I found a birchbark image online, and designed my own wraps instead! No wood, no saws, no wood burning... no problem!)

They would make cute vases too, wouldn't they?

Wanting to stick to my budget, I decided instead to use them as balloon weights and pen holders for the shower games. Being the resourceful person that I am, I opened up my drawer of useless office supplies I will never use, and rigged a paper fastener to the bottom to loop the balloons around. To all of my blog-readers who are closet engineers, I invite you to share how I could have more effectively done this. :)

Then I slipped on the paper sleeve (you can tear apart your Starbucks cup sleeve for a rough template):

Next were these sweet cupcake wrappers. I had to modify their shape a bit, but nothing a little measuring can't fix. With that said, I can take no credit for the deliciousness that is inside them. That credit must be given to the lovely Diana Gawet of Diana's Cupcakes. She blogs about her tasty creations here. What can I say? There's a reason that I stick to the things I know best, leaving the rest to the experts. :) Did I mention that they were as tasty as they look? Yum!

And last but not least, the balloons. Yes, that is my son. No, he did not float away... though the sugar high he experienced on the aforementioned yummy cupcakes got him pretty close to flying!

All in all, the shower was a success. Fun was had, a friend was honored, and a baby was welcomed.

My advice to those of you planning a shower? Have fun with it! Look online for ideas, pick a theme and a color scheme, and run with it. You can have a beautiful shower / wedding / party on a budget.

Don't believe me? Check out my new design heroes, Sherry and John Petersik of Young House Love as they reveal the secrets behind their $3,995 backyard wedding here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a breakdown of their über-chic, über-cheap wedding. Seriously, that's less than many people spend on the dress alone. Their site is packed with great ideas on decorating on a budget and (in this case) planning a beautiful event complete with gorgeous details and sweet ideas without breaking the bank. But I digress. Did I mention that I love their blog?

Thanks to those of you who made it this far.
Happy showering!