Happiness is...Creating -

May 24, 2013 | Post by: Meghan No Comments

Weekly {Web}spirations – 5/20/2013

With Memorial Day weekend approaching, it means it is finally time to get outside and plant your summer flowers. Chicago is looking like it may be a touch cool this weekend, but the hope is we are in the clear from Mother Nature freezing our plants to death at night.

So, I decided this weeks {Web}spirations should be CIY planters to give all of you a little inspiration when sprucing up your decks/patios/stoops. These picks really punch up ordinary contains you may already have lying around your home.

{1.} I love the ombre look this dip dyed planter has from Design sponge. P.S. this is made with natural plant dyes. How cool is that?

{2.} This lovely planter is actually a lace covered flower-pot. Urban Comfort makes it look so easy to make. Oh, yeah those flowers are actually paper!

{3.} Miss Renaissance takes old terra cots planters and gives them a modern makeover into bold gold leaf painted planters.

{4.} These washi taped jars by Little Helsinki are a super cute way to display your freshly cut flowers.

Happy Weekend!

May 23, 2013 | Post by: Meghan No Comments

Giveaway: Bold Fabric Clutch!

I am super excited to announce today as a giveaway day! I mean, who doesn’t love winning free stuff? I know I do!

I thought it was about time to thank all of my loyal viewers (and new viewers) for coming by and checking out my inspirations and CIY projects. So, I thought, what better item to give away this time of year than a bold fabric clutch! This is the perfect accessory for all of those weddings (or bridal showers) you have on your calendar this summer. This clutch was made by yours truly, which means it is one-of-a-kind! You won’t find anyone else with this clutch. :)

Giveaway ends on May 27 at 12:00am.

Good luck and thanks for checking out happiness is…creating!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May 22, 2013 | Post by: Meghan 2 Comments

CIY: Tribal/Friendship Bracelet

So, in order to get the look Madewell had going on with their bracelet, I decided to grab my trusty Trader Joe’s bag. The handles were basically the perfect size, so I ripped those puppies right off so I could use them for my bracelet! Instead of attempting the lovely pattern Madewell went with, I decided to go with altering shades of pink for my design. What do you think?

Supplies:

- Handle from a Trader Joe’s Bag (you could also use any brown bag and fold it like the TJ handle)

- Embroidery thread in three shades of a color of your choice

- Felt

- Sew on snaps

- Thread and needle

- Scissors

- Glue gun and glue (I thought I would use regular glue initially, but decided hot glue would be stronger).

{Step 1}: Measure your wrist to determine the length of your bracelet. Then, cut your handle using this measurement. (Remember: you want your bracelet to be able to move, You don’t want it too tight).

{Step 2}: Take one color of your embroidery thread and tie a knot around the end of your bracelet.

{Step 3}: Wrap your thread around your bracelet leaving space in-between. The space doesn’t have to be exact. When you get to the end of your bracelet, tie another knot to secure your thread.

{Step 4}: Repeat steps 2 and 3 with your other two colors of embroidery thread filling in the gaps with alternating colors.

{Step 5}: Cut your felt about 2 inches wide.

{Step 6}: Cut your felt about and 1/2 inch long.

{Step 7}: Grab your snaps, open them up, and place them in the center of your felt. Make sure you have placed your snaps the correct way. You will want to check that they will actually snap togther before you sew them in place. Sew your snaps to your felt (this is just like sewing a button).

{Step 8}: Center your felt (snap side facing down) at one end of your bracelet.

{Step 9}: Put hot glue on each end of your felt. Fold each end over and glue it to your bracelet.

{Step 10}: Repeat steps 8 and 9 on the other end of your bracelet.

{Step 11}: Take your needle and thread and sew the open end of your felt together. Do this on both ends.

Your finished bracelet should look like this.

May 20, 2013 | Post by: Meghan 2 Comments

Will You be My “Bestie”?

When I was younger, learning the skill of braiding was a big deal. It was one of those skills I would watch my mom do and wonder if I would ever learn it myself. Once I mastered how to braid, I braided yarn and embroidery floss into about one hundred friendship bracelets. I was clearly excited to use my new skill and braided everything is sight.

Now, I am a bit old (actually a lot old) for friendship bracelets, but I spied the lovely bracelets below while out on Madewell’s website. I have seen “friendship” bracelets making a comeback lately. I mean, what from the 80′s isn’t making a comeback?!? I like the bracelets from Madewell because they have more of a modern tribal look to them, rather than the look of a Jr. high-esque ”bestie” bracelet. I think these bracelets would be great for the beach or a casual day at the park.

The best part of my CIY is, it includes a Trader Joe’s bag! Oh,yeah!