When we discovered Kelli Murray, it was love at first sight. If you followed our blog last year, then you know headbands are our weakness and Kelli makes the coolest DIY headbands! She is, also, an illustrator, a lover of the great outdoors, and she makes the simplest yet most unique painted DIYs we’ve seen in a while. Below are some of our favorite DIYs of hers and make sure to check out her site for more!
DIY Gold Leaf Paper Mache Bowls
After featuring Sugar & Cloth a couple weeks ago, we were so pleased to have the opportunity to chat with the genius behind the blog, Ashley. She let us in on what some of her favorite DIY products are and who she got her DIY genes from! Read on to get a peek inside the mind of a great DIYer!
How did you get started as a blogger and a DIYer?
I started blogging when I had just gotten married and moved across the country away from all of my friends and family. It was my way of staying accountable to be creative. I’ve always loved DIY’s, which I think I picked up from my dad who would always rather make than buy something.
Where do you find inspiration for your DIYs?
Magazines, shops, craft supply shops. etc. A lot of the projects I make are things that I couldn’t afford from the store, but that could be easily recreated.
Which of your DIY projects are your favorite?
I really love the marquee letter DIY, my DIY no-sew sequin camera strap, and the branch clothing rack.
What are some of your favorite upcoming DIY trends?
I really love anything sparkly right now, especially with snowy weather!
What advice would you give to beginners looking to DIY for the holidays?
Try projects that are simple, but pack a big punch. You don’t want to spend too much time crafting instead of enjoying the moment.
What are your DIY must-haves?
Glitter, spray paint, chalkboard paint, hole punch, twine, the list is endless haha!
After searching for DIY inspiration for New Years’ parties on Pinterest, we discovered Sugar and Charm‘s DIY countdown glasses. We spent the next couple hours reading post after post. Sugar and Charm is now an instant favorite of ours for themed/party/holiday DIYs, especially because her DIYs are one of a kind and because she makes it look so easy!
DIY New Years Countdown Glasses
One of the bloggers we’ve turned to for holiday DIY inspiration is the lovely Natalie of Creme de la Craft. She has such an amazing ability to create DIYs from items everyone already has in their homes. From VHS garlands to shoebox wall art, her skills are endless. We were so happy to have the opportunity to chat with her to learn more about her DIY experience!
How did you get started as a blogger and a DIYer?
I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. My first job was also in crafting, where I was a scrapbook instructor at Michaels Arts & Craft Store. Over the past few years, I also developed a special interest in upcycling everyday items that may be typically tossed out. I collected items like empty jars, old t-shirts and wine corks, and transformed them into some amazing DIY projects. I started blogging to share these ideas and inspire others to embrace the DIY movement.
Where do you find inspiration for your DIYs?
Ever since I started repurposing everyday household items into craft projects, I now see the “treasure” within the “trash” wherever I look. Just the other day, I turned empty wine bottles into flower vases with a little bit of spray paint and ribbon. I have an even harder time throwing things out ever since I started to DIY!
Which of your DIY projects are your favorite?
One of my favorite projects has to be my DIY pocket notebook that I created out of a cereal box. I still take notes the old-fashioned way so I carry at least two if these in my purse every day. Plus, I love eating cereal, which means I am left with tons of empty cereal boxes that I can transform into a lifetime supply of notebooks! To me, a great DIY project is one that uses everyday items you can find around the house and, most of all, is fun to make.
What are some of your favorite upcoming holiday DIY trends?
I love seeing more and more people upcycling items for DIY craft projects. I’ve seen some amazing ideas this holiday including paper napkin snowballs, light bulb ornaments and painted pine cones. My CD ornaments were also one of my favorite projects of the year.
What advice would you give to beginners looking to DIY for the holidays?
Take some simple pieces and add a few creative touches to create custom handmade holiday decor. It can be as easy as wrapping a piece of colorful ribbon around a glass ornament or painting your favorite design on plain stockings.
What are your DIY must-haves?
Lately, I’m loving gold spray paint. Take an Altoids tin, drinking straws, or even a rock, and watch them transform with some gold paint and a little bit of creativity.
Sugar and Cloth is exactly what its name portrays it to be…chock-full of the sweetest DIYs. We completely fell in love with post, after post, after post. She’s a self-confessed wrap-aholic and her blog really makes us want to decorate everything we own. Now excuse us while we go read all of her awesome gift wrapping tutorials!
DIY No Sew Sequin Camera Strap
When we discovered Creme de la Craft’s amazing DIY Moroccan-inspired candle holders, we had to browse her entire blog for more creative DIYs. Boy, were we not disappointed. She’s extremely creative and her DIYs are always festive, cute, and effortless! She even has a ton of DIYs that are perfect for holiday gifts and decor!
DIY No Sew Pillowcase Tote Bag
We love when bloggers use our products to create special pieces for their wardrobes and homes. We really began to blush when we got a copy of New Dress A Day blogger, Marisa Lynch’s new book The Ultimate DIY Guide to Creating Fashion Dos from Thrift-Store Don’ts. Marisa was kind enough to send it along with a little note letting us know how much she loves M&J Trimming but the real ‘melt our hearts’ moment happened when we saw her shoutout to M&J in the book!
We can read her shoutout over and over and never get bored with it (Thanks Marisa!). In the book, she gives detailed tutorials on how to fix and update your wardrobe with various trims.
We can’t wait to see all of you try out these New Dress A Day DIYs with our lace, beaded, feather, fringe, leather, and ribbon trims! Some of our ribbon trims are now half off, too! Make sure to tweet us your pictures if you do.
If you haven’t stopped by Freshly Picked yet, you should definitely check it out. Susan creates incredible leather DIYs, as well as many other stylish projects for the home. We absolutely adore her DIY leather packaging bow, and we’re dying to replicate her DIY glitter skull votives. We gathered some of our favorite projects below, but don’t forget to stop by Freshly Picked to see more!
Also – don’t forget that we have an awesome Cyber Monday deal for you! Take 25% off sitewide! This excludes gross packs of rhinestones, but everything else is fair game. Just use code CYBERSOCIAL at checkout and you’ll receive 25% off. Hurry, offer expires tonight at 11:59 PM EST!
How cute are these DIYs by Alexa of Lexy Levin? We’ve been seeing her fairy dust necklaces all over the blogosphere, and now we’re thrilled that we found her lovely blog. Alexa’s photos are always beautiful, and we love scrolling through her whimsical DIYs and recipes. Stop by Lexy Levin to see more!
We found Pascale’s blog, Between The Lines, when we stumbled upon her DIY Animal Key Chains, and we’ve been addicted to her DIYs ever since. Pascale creates usable, lovely DIYs that don’t look like DIYs at all! And we love the way she works with leather – she creates everything from leather bags to leather bracelets. See some of her DIYS below, and stop by Between The Lines to see more.
