DIY Striped Straws

Striped straws seem to be everywhere these days. I remember not so long ago, you could only find them in a few specific colors. Well, it looks like supply finally caught up with demand and now, you can find them in a rainbow of colors from a dozen different shops. But just because you can buy them, doesn’t mean you have to! Here’s a quick DIY for you on how to make your own striped straws in any custom color.

I love using the adhesive label sheets from Paper Source for this project because I can coordinate my straws with the rest of the party decorations. I simply use the edges left over from the label paper I used for other elements of the party to make the straws.

Supplies:
Adhesive paper in color of choice (here from Paper Source or here for full sized color sheets)
White biodegradable paper straws (buy them in bulk here and keep on hand for all your parties!)
Paper cutter or exacto knife
Scissors

Step 1: Cut 1/4″ strips of your colored adhesive paper.

Step 2: Peel off the backing.

Step 3: Starting at one end, twist your colored strip along the length of the straw. You may need to play around with different angles to use up the entire strip/not run out.

Step 4: Trim off the ends. That’s it!

Peach, metallic gold, neon! The possibilities are endless.

DIY Printable Foodie Valentines

For that special someone in your life….the one who completes you, who makes you better than you ever could be alone – the peanut butter to your jelly, the cake to your ice cream. Spread some love with these printable food pairing Valentines!

Download the free printable here.

Elijah’s Red Balloon Birthday Party

I was so lucky to be able to celebrate my nephew Elijah’s first birthday with him this past weekend in his new Beijing home. My sister is a major francophile – she lived there for a year, fell in love with her husband there, and just returned there for the first time this past spring with Elijah! How appropriate it is that the inspiration for Elijah’s first birthday party came from the classic French film, The Red Balloon.

The Red Balloon is a charming film about a little boy in Paris who befriends a red balloon. Together, he and the balloon wander through the neighborhoods of Paris, making new friends and getting into trouble.

The concept for the party began with the invitations, which features a red balloon and string floating around Paris, outlining the city as it floats across. I thought it would be so fun to run with this string idea and turn it into a 2D/3D effect by “drawing” on the walls with black tape to create our own little Paris in Beijing. I added a little cafe, complete with table, chairs, and a lamppost. :)

Can’t have a French party without berets!

My sister handled most of the food preparations and cooked up some scrumptious French foods for our birthday brunch, including quiche lorraine, croque monsieurs, French toast, and an onion tart. Read more about the food details and recipes here.

Our drink bar featured Vietnamese coffee and a DIY mimosa station.

Since we didn’t have a red egg party for Elijah when he turned one month, we thought it would be meaningful to have them for his one year birthday.

Sour cream chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Elijah approves!

C’est magnifique!

Nice to meet you!

A teddy bears’ picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Say cheese!

And I’ll leave you with this awesome pic of Elijah. I can just hear him saying, “Oui, oui, oui, hon, hon, hon.” What a ham!

DIY Roundup

Some of my favorite DIYS this week:

Felt hot air balloons by HowJoyful

Make your own mug with a Sharpie at Wild Olive

A drill turns this wooden stump into a pencil holder. By iheartsunnydays

Love these colorful, wooden arrows by Paper Muse Press

Make your own stamp with a block of wood and craft foam! From Lines Across

DIY Mini Colored Clothespins

I was browsing through Target the other day and found this fun colored tape set in the office/stationery section. I wasn’t sure yet what I’d be using it for, but I knew I’d have fun racking my brain for DIYs to put this tape to good use.

When I came home, I rifled through my craft supplies and discovered these wooden clothespins I had bought at Daiso (Japanese dollar store) back home in California. They seemed the perfect candidate for a quick dress-me-up with some colored tape.

The only materials you’ll need for this project are some colored tape (these ones from Target or some Japanese washi could work too!), mini or regular-sized clothespins, and a pair of scissors.

Step 1. Hold your clothespin with the metal hinge facing out.

Step 2. Align the top edge of the tape with the top of the clothespin.

Step 3. Firmly press the tape against the clothespin, lining up the edge.

Step 4. Trim the bottom edge off with scissors.

Step 5. Trim the long edge off with scissors (if you started on the wrong side, it will be harder to trim the long edge off because the metal hinge will be in the way).

And that’s it! Your mini clothespins are now ready for holding up craft projects, photographs, or attaching notes and tags to gifts.

DIY Round-Up

It’s been a while since my last DIY post, so I apologize. In case you’re dying for a new project to do, I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite DIYs from around the blogosphere.

DIY mini vase using a balloon! Ingenious. And only takes 30 seconds. From Curbly.

DIY geometric paperweight from DotComsForMoms.

Awesome woven paper hot air balloons found at PaperMatrix via HowAbout Orange.

DIY vintage movie marquee at Oh Happy Day.

And a recipe to make your own chalkboard paint over at Martha Stewart.

DIY Pie Wedge Box + Free Printable

One of my friends had a birthday last week and I wanted to gift her a little treat, so I thought this flourless chocolate Nutella cake was just the thing to make. To present it to her, I put it into this little mini pie box and finished it off with a doily and twine. Perfect! Here’s what you’ll need to make your own: