'50 SUCKS' Bouquet Gift {Tutorial}

Need an idea for a cute, personalized, playful and do-it-yourself gift? Try one of these sucker bouquets! I found Denise's bouquets that she's made for a few different occasions on Pinterest and have been itching to make one ever since. My aunt recently turned 50 and I knew it would be the perfect time to create one of these beauties!! Meet the '50 SUCKS' bouquet:

Only a few supplies are needed for this project and it's a fairly simple assembly!

All of my supplies were purchased from the $1 store:

Glass vase with flared rim

*Styrofoam (ball shape is preferred)

*Suckers

Hot glue

Embellishments (optional) 

I created a '50 SUCKS' flower tag with scrapbook paper attached to a skewer and used silk florals that I already had on hand

*The size of your styrofoam ball will determine the amount of suckers you will need. I ended up using a little over 50 suckers also using the flowers and smaller suckers to fill in gaps. The widest part of your styrofoam ball should be a little larger than the circumference of the rim of your vase. You're typically safe with about 50 - 70 suckers.

Directions: Fill your vase first--for weight and aesthetic purposes. I chose to use a few lollipops. Cut your styrofoam ball in half and press it down onto the rim of the vase with a little hot glue on the edge to keep it secure. All that's left is to start adding your suckers! I assembled mine in rows, working with the bigger suckers on the bottom moving my way up--and adding the smaller ones last to fill the gaps. If you don't plan to eat the suckers in the near future, you can use hot glue to really secure them--I chose not to do this. I added my sign to the top, used a few orange silk flowers to fill bigger gaps and help with the shape of the arrangement, and used the leaves from the flowers at the bottom of the bouquet to give it a more 'floral' look.

If using a glass/clear vase, note that pieces of styrofoam will fall into the bottom of your jar while creating your bouquet. If you want to avoid seeing this, use either a colored vase or any other type of container/jar that isn't see-through. Since my lollipops had white sticks the small bits of styrofoam were hardly noticed.

Denise has a small video tutorial on how she makes her arrangements; you'll notice that I made mine quite differently and I'm sure there are many variations you can come up with based on your supplies on hand and the size of bouquet you want to achieve!

Here is my aunt with her bouquet--she was over-the-top excited for it and everyone got a kick out of it!

To celebrate my aunt's 50th birthday we got a lot of our family together and had one big party. The celebration was in part a Gator party as well since it was game day and my family are huge fans. What better way to dress up for a sports team than with hair bows? I made enough hair accessories for all the girls to represent the orange & blue!

 

Over time I have found that satin ribbon works best for the base of creating simple bows; both sides are the same color, it is easy to work with and makes the perfect bow shape without a lot of effort! Add a few smaller contrasting ribbon bows, a center embellishment and a clip to the back and you're all set! 

Here are a few of us girls on the big day:

Kim with her hair bow and Gator gear

Tia wore a headband and my aunt pinned one to her tank

My nana even had a clip in her hair :)

  The sucker boquet and ribbons were a huge hit at the party! I can't wait for the next opportunity to make another bouquet as it was a fun, quick and simple project. Who's birthday is next?? :) :)

Roll-Up Accessory Case {Tutorial} and Mother's Day Weekend!

This weekend I participated in Katie from Sew Woodsy's

The task at hand for this party--a roll-up accessories case! After a few snacks and conversation, we got to sewing. House Party supplied the directions, fabric and thread as well as some freebies while Katie hosted and gave step-by-step directions. Here are a few photos from Sew Woodsy's house party re-cap post.

PS: Katie is also giving away a Singer Sewing Prize Pack from the various house party items and coupons she received--head on over there to enter and have a chance to win some goodies!

Sarah from While They Snooze came to the party! 



I'm diligently sewing my pockets :)

 

Vanessa and I getting our sew on



The roll-up accessory case was meant to be a fairly simple project--and that it was! This is a PERFECT project for any beginner sewer. I planned to use mine for my make-up brushes but the versatility and customizations for this project are endless. This has been a project on my "craft to do" list for quite some time--so this allowed for one more project to be checked off as complete!

:Supplies:

Two pieces of fabric

(we used 12"x14" but you can use any rectangular size--

step 3 explains how you may want to determine your size)

Coordinating Ribbon (approximately 20"-24" in length; longer if you make a larger case)

Sewing basics (machine, thread, pins, iron, etc.)

Step 1. Pin your fabric right sides facing together along the edges. Sew along the edge of the fabric with a small seam allowance. Be sure to leave a 4" gap in the center of one of your your longest edges for turning.

Step 2. Turn the fabric right side out, poke out corners and press.

Step 3. To make the pocket: Lay your fabric so that the long side that has the 4" opening is on the right. Decide how "long" of pockets you want and fold your rectangle from the bottom up. The folded part will be your pocket. Press your fold.


The long white line is where the top of my pocket is folded to--a little less than half-way up

Step 4. Open your fold and topstich the top of your pocket for a finished look. (Be sure to not stitch your pocket to the case--this is just a decorative step)

Step 5. Re-fold your flap. Now it's time to sew your individual pocket channels: Determine the channel widths depending on what you're going to hold in your case. I did mine a variety of 1/2"-2" inch pockets for my various sized make-up brushes. Use either a straight stitch or a decorative stitch to give it flair! You may sew only to the top of the pocket, or you may sew up the entire case--I chose to stop at the top of the pocket. Sew your channels by starting at the bottom of the pocket and working towards the top edge, reinforcing at the beginning and end or your stitch. (see photo below) *Do not sew shut your end pockets*



Notice end pocket is not sewn shut



Step 6. Final step! Fold your ribbin in half and insert the folded end into the 4" opening. This should be directly to the right of your pocket. (see photo below)

Stitch around your entire perimeter of your case--closing the gap and securing the open pocket ends--and you're done!

The various cases made by the girls at the party



Holding my make-up brushes and necessities




It matches my make-up case perfectly



Enjoy your new case!

Thank you Bree for featuring my case and blog on Coupons on Caffeine!
Thank you Valeria for featuring my case on Occassionally Crafty!

Thank you Jen for featuring my post on the fabulous Classy Cosmetics! If you need any make-up ideas or inspiration, check her out!!

::Mother's Day::

Prior to Mother's Day I made an invitation asking my mother and Larry's mother to brunch and pedicures--I postal mailed it and everything. I was almost sure that they would be able to attend and not really have to pencil us in, but I wanted them to feel special rather than just calling or e-mailing them with the information. It worked! They were both excited and anxious for Sunday. Plus, they both loved getting the surprise invitation.

Being that I didn't put where we were going on the invites our mom's were anxious to find out where we would end up. We went to Mimi's for breakfast and a nearby spa for pedicures. Thankfully I had reservations for both and we got right in! Our morning was perfect. Breakfast was super yummy and the pedicures were so relaxing.

After brunch on the way to our pedicure appointment

Enjoying our pedicures--yes, Larry had one too ;)

Larry's mom, Larry, my mom <3

Mother's day was perfect! It was fun, relaxing, and I was able to spend quality time with the people I love the most. I am very lucky to have an amazing boyfriend, a loving (hopefully future) mother-in-law and a PERFECT mom! I hope I'm half the mom's they are one day. :)

<3 <3 <3

Hope everyone had an amazing Mother's Day!

On a side note: I have reached over 100 followers this past week! Whether you are my friend, read my blog religiously, have found me browsing link parties or just added me for tutorials...whether you comment on my projects or not...whether you've never read through an entire post or if you have read every word of my ramblings and lengthy projects...I thank you. Seeing that number reminds me when posting my next project it may inspire even just ONE of you to create something you may not otherwise have. :) Thank you again!



Spring has Sprung Bib Necklace

They're being sold everywhere from Old Navy, to Anthropologie, to Etsy...these beauties are super popular right now and I have been itching to make one for months. I finally scrounged up some scrap fabric and a few jewelry supplies to make one for myself--finally, my first bib necklace!

Here are some details of the various flowers...I thought it would be perfect for spring and summertime to do a variety of different styles and sizes. I made the majority of the flowers into rosettes and had two additional burnt petal flowers. I also added a few pearls, lace, some other floral embellishments, pearl trim and some ribbon for that extra detail. I used contrasting (but complimentary) colors for all the different flowers so that I could be sure to wear it with multiple outfits.

 

And here she is...

I know she seems pretty big and has a lot going on--but that's the point, right? I wore her for Easter with a simple blue linen dress and yellow cardigan. She also looks fab with any solid color shirt or tank. The key is to wear something low-key so that the necklace will really liven up the outfit!

I love her and all her glory...each little flower handmade with love <3

Thank you Tammy from She Wears Flowers
Krista from Thar She Sews 
Chiara from Calico and Cupcakes 
and Katie from Sew Woodsy
for featuring my necklace!

 

Easy Ribbon Headband {Mini Tutorial}

I am a huge fan of headbands and DIY-ing hair accessories, so when my friend Ashley told me about a headband project she wanted to attempt and asked if I wanted to join, I jumped on board. We went shopping together (at Hobby Lobby as well as through grandma's craft supply goodness, which is always the best!) and picked up all the necessities. We made our headbands on our own time but each had success and they turned out super cute! This is such an easy and quick project and for some people, all the supplies may already be on hand! The basic supplies you need are:

Ribbon (at least an inch wide)

Velvet ribbon (same width as your original ribbon or thinner)

Thin elastic

Sewing machine and essentials



Ashley already did a post on her headband with a simple to follow tutorial so no need to repeat--go here to check it out. Another good friend of mine, Katie from Sew Woodsy, did a similar take on this headband last month--she made hers out of a towel to be used as a "sweatband" when working out--how cool! 



Ashley's headband for running and Katie's "sweatband" for working out

Here was my first headband.

Pink, ruffly, girly...so me. :)

My second headband I made was for Christmas time.

Plaid...red, green and gold...and I attached a bow. :)

Get creative! There are oodles of ribbon options out there--you could also add a flower,
bow or brooch to spice it up! :)