a sweet surprise.

 Last Thursday, I got the sweetest package in the mail from my sister. It was all tied up in a velvet ribbon and accompanied by a little note to enjoy some treats for spring. What a perfect surprise at the end of what was a crazy and busy week for me!

 Inside I found this fun While You Were Out notepad (anyone who knows my history of playing "office" as a little girl knows this really tickles my fancy)...

 Some adorable bobby pins (I've already been wearing them, they're so sweet!)...

 And this vintagey stamp set...

 Don't you love them? I couldn't wait to give them a try, and I knew just which envelope to use...

 Since we live far away from family, it's so exciting to find sweet packages in the mail! Thanks, Jen, for the fun springtime treat. :)

xoxo.

diy monday: crafty wishlist.

Every crafter needs top-notch supplies, right? These items are on the top of my crafty wishlist:

1. Cavallini Numbers Paper Tape | $16

2. Striped and Stitched Ribbon | $10.95

3. Small Kraft String & Button Envelopes | $8

4. Red and Teal Stitches Washi Tape | $8.50

5. Brown Bag Labels | $8

6. Envelope Template | $13.95

xoxo.

P.S. If you missed yesterday's post, The Bright Life got a makeover! Find out more here.

diy monday: holiday garland.

I didn't waste any time adding some Christmas spirit to our house this weekend. We weren't able to bring any Christmas decorations with us to Texas, so I'm improvising. I remembered yesterday that I had this fun two-sided Christmas cardstock that my grandparents gave me a few years ago, perfect for making a festive garland. I've included a tutorial in today's post in case you want to make your own!

1. Gather your materials: cardstock or paper, twine or yarn, scissors and tape (any kind will work, I used packing tape because it's all I had).

2. Find a small circular object and trace circles onto your cardstock (I used a mini juice glass from IKEA for mine). You could also use a round punch to cut the circles.

3. Place your circles on a flat surface in a line, wrong side up. Place your twin or yarn in the center of your line of circles.

4. Tape the twine or yarn to each circle, spacing them evenly as you go.

5. After all your circles are taped, flip over your garland and voila! I hung mine over our chalkboard in the living room with a festive holiday message...

 This would also be fun to hang in a dorm room or around your desk at work. I'm thinking of making another one for my office (I made this garland for my desk last year).

Have you started decorating for the holidays? 

xoxo.

P.S. I'm linking up here...

diy monday: holiday headbands.

I've got not one, but four DIY projects today! I whipped up some headbands over the weekend that are perfect for the upcoming holidays, and I'm excited to share them with you. The best part? I spent a grand total of $0.00 on these, using materials that I already had.

Here's the supplies you'll need:

-Hot Glue Gun

-Any materials you have for decorating your headband (I used felt, fabric scraps, yarn, ric rac and buttons)

-Headbands (I like to use the thin little girl's headbands, because they don't dig into my head as much)

First up: The Gift Bow...

Inspired by this gorgeous gift bow headband from Ban.do, I set out to make a gift bow headband of my own. First, I covered my headband by wrapping a long strip of fabric around the headband and affixing it with hot glue. Following this tutorial (found via this post), I then created a felt bow and attached it with hot glue to my headband. Super. Easy.

Next up: The Schoolgirl Bow...

Okay, this one was even easier than the first. I wrapped yarn around my headband, again affixing it with hot glue. Then I created a bow, following this tutorial, and glued it to the headband. Super. Duper. Easy.

Third: The Baby Flower...

Now for the elastic headbands. For this little guy, I made a fabric flower in this style, added a button with hot glue, and attached it to the elastic (with hot glue, of course). OhMyGoodnessCouldThisGetAnyEasier?

And finally: The Sequin Ditty...

I've had this piece of gold sequin ric rac sitting in my craft box for months now, and I decided it was time to put it to good use! Inspired by this post, I cut piece of elastic and stitched it to the ric rac. I of course followed up with a little hot glue to make sure it was secure. And viola! 4 headbands complete.

And because I know you're dying to see blurry self-taken pics of me wearing each one, I've included them below...

Fun, right? I'll definitely be wearing these festive little guys during the holidays!

Which is your favorite?

xoxo.

diy monday: pencil vase.

Happy new week (and Happy Halloween)! Today I have a fun (and quick) DIY project to share...the pencil vase! I happen to LOVE office/school supplies, and I decided it was time to put my pencil collection to good use. 

DIY Pencil Vase

Supplies:

-1 flat-surfaced vase (rectangular or circular)

-50-60 pencils, depending on the size of your vase

-Double-sided or packing tape

-Yarn

-Felt

1. Wrap tape around the entire vase in 1-2 places (if using packing tape, face the sticky side out)

2. Line up enough pencils to cover one side of the vase on a flat surface

3. Lay the vase down (carefully) on top of the pencils, and press firmly to make sure they all stick!

4. Repeat for all four sides (you can also stick them on one by one, which I did for two of the sides of my vase). 

The tape is only there to keep the pencils semi-secure, since we'll wrap yarn around them. 

5. Wrap yarn around your vase 4-5 times, and tie in a knot. 

6. Add a bow:

A. Cut two felt pieces (as show in the top left photo).

B. Pinch the felt into the shape of a bow.

C. Wrap the felt strip around the bow.

D. Secure felt strip with hot glue, leaving a tail.

E.-G. With hot glue on the tail, tuck the tail under the yarn and secure with more hot glue.

H.-I. Viola!

What do you think? Pretty easy, right? 

Have a wonderful Monday!

xoxo.

the anthology: double letter, triple word {scrabble love}

Hi friends, and happy Thursday. Today I'm bringing you some scrabble love (I know, the scrabble thing is starting to get overdone, but I still love it). I'm inspired by words, letters and typography, so these projects have landed on a double letter, triple word (so to speak) in my book...

DIY Scrabble letter coasters by Intimate Weddings

Drink-themed Scrabble letter coasters by MadebyMarcy on Etsy.

Adorable Scrabble letter ornaments from My Sweet Savannah (these would be cute on a mantel too).

I love the red ribbon on these Scrabble letter ornaments from Christmas Your Way

Scrabble letter pillows (and a couch that looks like the tray!), via Freshome (designed by Stephen Reed)

I especially love these pillows by Counter Couture Design on Etsy.

How cute is this idea for the back of the bride and groom chairs? (via Green Wedding Shoes)

We even used them in our wedding... (photo by Yasmin Khajavi)

(our save the dates)

(our thank you cards)

Which Scrabbly idea is your favorite?

[first image via]

xoxo.

P.S. Need further inspiration? Check out this keyboard.