DIY: Tulle Pom Poms

When I was picking out the decor for Addison's nursery, I realized just how expensive it can be! I was originally going to go with a cheap bed set but then fell in love with this bedding from Babies R' Us and of course it was fairly pricey! However, I figured if I could save money on all of the other areas in the nursery, it would be worth it. Right? So instead of buying an expensive wind up crib mobile, I figured I could just make something!

In came these adorable (and much cuter than any mobile) pom poms! They were so cheap and easy to make so I am sharing them with you! The great thing about these is that they can be used for a variety of purposes, not just as makeshift crib mobiles! :)

I know there are probably other tutorials like this one out there, but I am sharing with you how I made mine!

Here are the materials you will need!

 

• Tulle (I found some white tulle at The Dollar Tree in the wedding section!)
• Ribbon
• Rubber band
• Scissors
• A book to wrap the tulle around. The size of your book (or blu-ray in my case) will determine how big or small you want your pom poms.

 

1. To begin, close the end of the tulle in your book or blu-ray case and start wrapping it around. Wrap it about 20-30 times, depending on how full you want your pom-pom to look.

 

2.  After you are finished wrapping, cut the tulle so it's no longer attached to the spool.

 

3. Cut the tulle down the center of the book and take it off the book. Keep the tulle in a neat stack.

4. Now cut the tulle in half again. Since I am a perfectionist, I like to measure the tulle so that I can find the exact middle. You could definitely just estimate though!

 

5. Combine the two piles. Now you should have a nice stack of squares!

 

6. Find the middle of your stack and gather it in your hand.

 

7. Use a rubber band to secure it in the middle.

 

8. Tie a piece of ribbon around the rubber band. 

 

9. Begin to "fluff" your pom pom by separating the pieces of tulle. Pull the tulle in different directions so that it starts to form a ball.  You will need to play around a bit with it until you have the look that you like!

 

Ta da! The perfect tulle pom pom! I actually created this pom pom to go on top of a gift box. I think it's the perfect embellishment! You could also use this same technique to create a fun hair bow or even add it to a decorative pillow. The possibilities are endless! :)

 

I hope you enjoyed my version of the pom pom! I LOVE the look it brings to the nursery and Addison really enjoys to look at it as well!

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My New Kitchen Containers (And a Very Jane Shout Out)

My kitchen needs a real updating and so far it has been a work in progress. One thing I've been wanting to do for awhile now is update my kitchen containers.

We've had the same containers since we were married and they were containers my husband had when he was a bachelor. Yeah. Not cool.

They actually weren't horrible but I am not a huge fan of stainless steel (I know, GASP) so I promised them to my brother. He happens to like stainless steel and he's still a bachelor! :)

So this time around I wanted to go for a more sophisticated looking container. That's when I discovered these simple, yet fabulous glass containers at Hobby Lobby. As soon as they went 50% off, we stopped by to pick them up!

 

I liked them and all but I felt that they could use a little sprucing up. Then I saw these amazing labels on Very Jane one day! If you want to hear more about Very Jane, scroll down to the bottom of this post! 

As soon as I saw them, I knew they were perfect! The best part of it was that they were super cheap! :)

 

Here is what they looked like straight out of the mailing envelope! So fun! Of course I couldn't wait to put them on so I went right to work. 

Here are the steps that I took in order to apply them.

1. First I cleaned the area where they vinyl was going to be. This would be easier to do BEFORE you fill the jar but mine was already filled so I had to make it work! :)

2. I then peeled off the backing and centered the vinyl where I wanted it.

3. Using a scraper from Pampered Chef, I made sure there were no air bubbles under the vinyl.

4. Then I peeled off the clear plastic.

5. Ta da! Now I have some cute labeled jars!

6. Don't they look much more sophisticated? Even this little touch has done wonders for my kitchen already. It's quite amazing what something so simple can achieve! :)

I am hoping to get more so that I can use the rest of my fun labels! Obviously I won't keep all the jars on my counter but they will definitely make my cupboard look much more organized!

Now do you want to know more about Very Jane? If you already know about it, feel free to stop reading here. However, if this website is new to you, you will want to know more. TRUST ME.

 

Very Jane is an online store that has a different featured discounted boutique item listed every single day. Sometimes the savings are up to 80%! I have been extremely impressed with the quality of items that have been listed too! So far I have purchased (including the free items that they had their opening week) 4 different items and they've only been around for a couple of months!

Here's what I've purchased so far!

 This adorable spring printout was absolutely free!

 

As were these adorable cabochon hairpins (which I completely love)!

 

 And just today I bought this fun bib which will have Addison's name embroidered on it! How cute is that?

Honestly, one of the first things I do when I wake up is to check and see what is listed on Very Jane! That is how impressed I have been with the items listed and their prices! The best part about it is everything that is listed is homemade! I love to support small businesses, especially those who create everything by hand! :)

So if you haven't already, stop by Very Jane! I will warn you though, it's a very addictive site and your husbands may hate me for sharing it with you! :)

P.S. I am in no way affiliated with Very Jane, I am just a very satisfied customer!

My Drab to Fab Tray!

 

I was at our local thrift store the other day when I came across this really boring wooden tray. It was only $1 so I knew I could make some use of it somehow! There was definitely some potential there! :) Of course I forgot to take a before picture but I wanted to share the end results with you!

First I primed and painted the tray white. I just used Anita's All Purpose Acrylic Craft Paint to do this. Easy peasy! :)

To add a little extra touch I painted the word faith on the tray using a crackle technique. To do this I used this "Faith" stencil that I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

To start, you will need to tape down the stencil so it doesn't move. I just used regular scotch tape and taped all four sides.

In order to get the crackle look, you will need to use a crackle medium. You could also use glue but that will have to be a tutorial for another day! :) The crackle medium that I choose to use is FolkArt Crackle Medium. I find that this medium works great!

To apply the crackle medium you will need a sponge brush of some sort. You want to make sure that you don't go over the same area more than once because the crackle won't look quite right. I used a sponge dauber to pounce the medium onto the stencil but you could use any type of sponge brush. After you have covered your entire area, let the medium completely before moving on to the next step.

After your medium is dry, you are ready to apply the top coat of paint. For my tray I used FolkArt Acrylic Paint in the color Basil Green.

 

Again, you can use any type of foam brush but I choose to use a sponge dauber so that I could easily pounce on the paint. I found that this technique is the easiest because it doesn't cause the stencil to move around so the paint can't get underneath it. As with the medium, do not go over an area more than once or the crackle will not look good.

 

Let the paint dry, and VOILA! 

I love the finished product but I am trying to decide if I should give it a more distressed look by sanding down the edges. What do you think? Do you like the clean look or should it have more of an aged feel?

Now it sits in the middle of my coffee table. If I have a magazine that I am currently reading, it sits in my tray.

 

But for the most part, my tray sits there empty so that I can see the word "Faith". 

My faith in God means a lot to me so I wanted to be able to show that. Of course a tray can't show my faith for me but it can definitely serve as a reminder!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them with me!

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An Ugly Mistake Turned Elegant!

The other day, while I was feeding Addison, I heard a loud crash followed by a "Whoops!". That's never a good sign. I went to investigate only to discover that my husband had accidentally knocked my Ponytail Palm off the balcony rail (how, I have no clue) and down the stairs where it had ended in a disaster. The pretty pot was in a million pieces but somehow the plant had stayed intact in it's container. Now I was a little worried about the damage to the plant because we've had it since we were first married and I have grown quite fond of it but everything looked great still so I put it back in it's place without the pretty pot. However, it wasn't a pretty sight. In fact, it looked rather ugly.So I searched around for a pot that was similar in size. No such luck. I sat down disappointed when all of a sudden I remembered this gorgeous hobnail milk glass vase I had found at the thrift store over the weekend for a buck! Light bulb moment!
Ta-da! It works perfectly and I LOVE the finished look. I like it even better than the original pot. I think the height really adds a lot. Now one thing I wasn't a fan of was the fact that the vase kind of blended in with the rail and the wall behind it so I am currently playing around with a fun little runner to put on the banister. I've been wanting to do this for awhile and am just now finding an excuse to do it! :)

Stay tuned for that.

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