Make this easy fall DIY leaf wreath idea to properly welcome autumn! It’s a simple DIY fall wreath idea that you can make in less than 1 hour. Hang it on your front door or inside your home to decorate for autumn. I love this time of year …changing leaves, football, pumpkins, cider, late-afternoon sunshine, …
Decorations & Favors
These no-sew felt 4th of July napkin rings really brightened up Shane’s Fourth of July Birthday BBQ – no sewing machine required! I made a variety of star shapes using star cookie cutters and various loose buttons. Here they are all piled up before setting the table… And even more DIY napkin rings And yep, …
Last year I made a personalized birthday rhubarb berry pie for Shane’s annual 4th of July birthday barbecue. So this year I wanted to make something equally festive …but keep the baking to a minimum. Back during snowy holiday time I saw this great idea from Martha Stewart (how completely cute are those jumping reindeer …
Za Vas! Heather Crosby and I continued the Upper Crust Social Club event series by co-hosting a Russian-inspired vodka infusion party. Guests brought their own homemade vodka infusions …such a range of tasty concoctions from Watermelon Rosewater Vodka Infusion to Skittles Vodka to Cucumber Mint Vodka Infusion to Bacon Maple Vodka Infusion to Apple Cinnamon Vodka …
I’m posting the free tutorial for how to make sewn fabric teabags for loose tea by request. Jessica Mullen wrote: “I saw your beautiful photos from the tea party and I have a quick question. I was wondering how you made the tea bags for the make your own tea take home favors. I would …
This is one of those craft projects that I just love. A little throwback, a little whimsical …and totally original. The idea for Shrinky Dink rabbit’s foot napkin rings that double as keychain favors sprung from a creative volley between me and Heather Crosby. I was hell bent on wanting to use Shrinky Dinks for …
My ever-so-creative friend and frequent partner-in-crime Heather Crosby came up with a festive idea that encapsulates the two things we like best — making things and spending time with friends — by creating the tongue-in-cheek Upper Crust Social Club. The UCSC is all about hosting a series of varied themed soirees that I’ll feature here …
This is our fifth year hosting Thanksgiving in Chicago for the twelve members of our joint families. Each year we try to do something slightly different for food and table decor. I came up with a Thanksgiving napkin ring idea solely using things here at home because (a) my craft closet is to the brim …
My friend Heather Crosby and I have creative chemistry. Whenever we get together we build on each other’s ideas until it becomes something totally original. Heather came over for dinner last week toting stacks of Polaroid pictures that she’d snapped that weekend – bright yellow mums, pumpkin patches, rows of individual pies, Indian corn, orange …
More decor for our upcoming Fourth of July – slash – Shane’s birthday BBQ. I took Martha’s Fourth of July parasols and turned them into a neat matching Fourth of July waterproof coasters. Supplies: Fourth of July waterproof coaster template (PDF) lovingly adapted from Martha Stewart’s drink parasol pattern White paper Clear contact paper (get …
Shane’s birthday is the Fourth of July so today I started to make some fun decorations for him. Martha Stewart has a super cute Fourth of July paper napkin ring template on her website. I printed her template, cut out the rings and …well, I had a few issues with her template. So I decided …
Hostess Heather Crosby had a blast from the past throwing a high school themed engagement party for her brother Chad and bride-to-be Shayda who met back in their teens. Starting with a handwritten ‘Secret Passed Note’ engagement party invitation, Heather included these adorable high school inspired details throughout the party: Prom Flowers. Heather used every …
I love the combination of turquoise and orange that Anne-Marie Rosser and Adam Whipple used for their intimate outdoor wedding reception on a Chicago terrace. Anne-Marie started with turquoise tablecloths and crisp white linen napkins. Her long table centerpiece alternated orange orchid bunches in square glass containers, small succulents in rocks-filled square glass containers, and …
Our wedding photographers, Kiri and Brett of PenCarlson Photography, hosted a bright and cheery open house on Sunday for their new Chicago photography studio. Height is always good with buffets but I’ve never seen anything like these innovative ‘flowers enclosed in glass cylinder’ food risers. This detail would work particularly well for weddings or showers …
One of the biggest challenges of getting married in a “non-traditional” space is that the backdrop might look a too plain or stark during your ceremony. We got married in a Chicago loft space with exposed brick, glass and steel. So we decided to add warmth and focus by creating an “altar” of our own. …