The Many Uses of Kraft

photo by pipii, text by meKraft paper is a beautiful thing. I've been obsessed with it for about... 6 years now? If you haven't yet discovered how amazing it is, you are MISSING OUT! This holiday, make it a kraft Christmas! Pick up a cheap roll of kraft at your office supply store and see how many uses you can find! It's pretty, environmentally friendly, cost efficient, challenging, and crafty! Here's some inspiration:

envelopes and letters

gift wrap!

glitterly mobile

kraft as a table cloth! Drawing on the place settings would be SO much fun.

Give your potted plants and mini trees a "fresh from the nursery" look with a kraft wrap on the base.

disposable holiday wall hanging

book covers to give your shelves a rustic holiday flair.

cone tree love

photo ornaments with white gel pen accents

star packet advent calendar

bold and graphic gift tags
What are you going to make? I want to try my hand at either some kraft snowflake patterns or gift wrap goodness. Either way, make it happen! You'll be glad you did!
<3
E

P.S. We had some technical problems with a few of today's posts going live, so I've decided just to skip those 2 posts and give them to you later this month as a fun holiday treat. Don't worry-- it wasn't any of the giveaways! More of that coming up, so stay tuned!

Christmas Card Idea Roundup

+We've officially got less than 3 weeks to get our Christmas cards prepped and sent out and I'm officially uninspired this year. I started browsing through Pinterest and Blogland and found lots of very cute ideas. Inspiration strikes with a festive vengeance!

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So many pretty things. *sigh* Ian and I are planning on taking our 2012 Christmas card photo this afternoon, so hopefully we get a cute and equally inspiring results. I love Christmas. End of story. :)
<3
E

Winter Glitter Glam

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Probably one of my favorite things about this beautiful season is all the glitter and shine everywhere you go. Lately I've found myself yanking out those shakers of glitter from my craft closet and just going to town on anything I see. NOTHING IS SAFE from the glitter. ;) Here's some gorgeous glitzy inspiration to kick off Christmas with a bit of sparkle.

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Ready to douse something in glimmery specks yet? I am! Go to town.
<3
E

Dress up Your Doorway

The door photo is via Holly Mathis Interiors. All other links can be found below!
In case y'all haven't noticed, THE HOLIDAYS ARE UPON US! I've been spending this evening decking the halls of our apartment with glittery holiday cheer! One of the first things I put up was our wreath that I made last year (picture to come... because I don't think I've ever shared it??) and I thought it would be fun to put together a little diagram of holiday door decor ideas!

1. Sans serif house numbers. This is a great way to make a lasting change to the appearance of your home even after Christmas! Updating those outdated numerals on your door gives it a modern and trendy feel. It might cost a little more than most changes, but they'll last for years and years! The ones pictured above are the Avalon numbers from Atlas.

2. Mid-century mod doorbell plate. Oh how a lovely starburst can make a difference! This is so dreamy. I wish I had a doorbell so I could pretty min up for the season. This one is a pretty accurate replica of mid-century modern ones you would find on old homes! I just think it's whimsical and stylish!

3. Vintage-style letterbox. I would love traipsing up to my door in the winter to find some pretty Christmas cards sticking out of a little tin letter box! You can use it to replace your existing mailbox, use it as a planter for a hardy succulent, or just have it there for decoration! Vintage style housewares are the best and this one from Pottery Barn is even on sale!

4. Personal scroll monogram. I found this super beautiful door monogram on the incredible blog of Holly Mathis and was blown away. Any door would be lucky to have such a beautiful piece! What a sweet way to celebrate family. Holly shares that she bought her custom piece from Southern Proper Monograms.

5. A buffalo plaid scarf. I thought a cute way to dress up a wreath or monogram on your door would be to add a buffalo plaid scarf behind it. You could drpe it across, use it to hang the wreath, tie it in a big oversize bow, or even WRAP a foam wreath with it! So many options. Check out this one from the Gap or just thrift a cheap one!

6. DIY graphic doormat. I've always admired this DIY tutorial from A Beautiful Mess. With all your holiday guests looking down to stomp the snow off their boots, a graphic doormat would be a winning choice and yet another way to decorate your door or entryway. There are tons of tutorials out there that are affordable and super simple!

7. Bright coat of paint. Never underestimate a simple makeover of a fresh coat of brightly colored paint! (if your landlord/apartment manager allows, that is.) It truly makes a huge impact. Best to do this one sooner rather than later because paint can be very hard to cure in the cold weather!

I hope you loved this and got some ideas for your own doorway! A few honorable mentions are here and here. I want to put a little more effort into mine and really take the holiday sparkle to the next level! Coming soon I want to do a little apartment tour of all our Christmas decorations, so hopefully by then I will have some personal progress.

Happy decorating!
<3
E

Pretty up the Booth

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So as you probably know by now, I'm participating in a local craft fair this coming Saturday, and it's been a blast communicating with my friend Tori about what we want our booth to look like and what products to create. This week I don't work a whole lot at my regular job, so it's going to be a crafting hurricane around these parts. I'm going to be sharing a little peek at my portion of the inventory and a special announcement later on this week, but until now, here's a little craft fair inspiration that I've found around the interwebs!

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If you're doing any winter craft bazaars or local fairs coming up, I hope you got some helpful inspiration from the booths of the talented artists above! I've been collecting little ideas for a month now and it's been incredibly inspiring for my life in general! Can't wait to reveal some of our pretty products to you this week!

Life is good.
<3
E

Colors of Fall

I've had a distinct color palette this fall! Do you find this happening to yourself too? I'm talking about in my wardrobe, crafting, decor choices, all of it. It was funny because when my friend Tori and I went shopping recently, we each had an arm-load of clothes to try on and they were all from a very specific palette without even meaning to do it:

The brights in this palette I've been using for pops of color in an otherwise neutral palette. I might wear some big coral colored earrings with a white and brown outfit. Something like that.

But yes! These are the colors I've been pining over! It's fun to document the colors that make you tick for the seasons of your life. I can't wait to see what my brain picks out for the next season!
<3
E

Home Trend: Wire Drums

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I'm LOVING this home trend of wire drums that I've been noticing. I think it would fit my home's style perfectly and I love the versatility you have with them! There are so many ways you can incorporate one of these industrial pieces into your home: as a storage basket, a waste paper bin, flip it over for a side table, prop something up, the list goes on and on. I'm going to try to find one while thrifting and spray paint it to re-create these looks!

Here's a styled home with 3 of these cool pieces in one room:

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Love it! I hope I can score one soon and use it around the holidays for wrapping paper rolls!

<3
E

Parts for the Apartment

Here's a little inspiration that I've been finding for the new apartment. There's SO much I want to do with this space, but I know that I need to streamline and make it cohesive but still eclectic.

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Initial ideas:
*I'm really loving the idea of yellow. I've been popping it in all over the house. Much more than in the last apartment.

*I'm going for more clean lines, airy rooms, graphic pieces, and LOTS of handmade art.

*I need more vintage cameras to make my display on bookshelves come true.

*I have much more wall space than I know what to do with. I also think I'm slightly stupid on where to place/how to arrange certain pieces of art...

*So far, the bedroom has been the most fun to decorate.

*I can't wait to have it all done so I can share a little tour.

<3
E