HOW TO MAKE A GIANT PAINTERLY BIRTHDAY BANNER

Hi folks! Have you missed me? I have a little treat for you today that ANYONE can make. All you need is a pack of letter sized cardstock, some acrylic paint and a brush. Yep, make your own giant birthday banner. There is no reason to settle for one they sell at the party store when you can make this in 30 mins. All I did was paint, the messier the better, a light color down on the cardstock. Let dry. Add a second messy coat, let the brush strokes show, in the darker color over the top of the first color.  Let dry. String with twine and voila. I told you it was easy.

We've (Jennifer, Jenn, Rina and I) have been hard at work in a whirlwind of a book shoot for Trophy Cupcakes, which finally wrapped up on Friday! Check out the sneak peek available for pre-orders! If you have been following along my instagram you can get more sneak peeks. I know the posts have been light lately, and they will still be a smidge longer, but I am planning some great things for H+H so stay tuned! You see, on top of being crazy busy crafting more crafts than I ever have in a 5 week time frame, I have been sick since I got back from Alt. I finally made it to the doctor (bad Jenny) and got some antibiotics so I should be kicking this bad boy anytime now. There's lots of great things ahead, just bear with me as I get back on track.

HOW TO MAKE A TRADITIONAL PINATA WITH PARTY HATS

A pretty little pinata tutorial for you. It's pink of course. I love traditional pinatas, but wanted to try a simple version for myself with those extra grocery circulars. Yep, recycle those grocery ads into a party. Easy, peasy. Those cute points exploding with fringe are simple to make, just use party hats and tape a bit of fringe to the inside of each end. This is a great party craft to do with the kids. I love any old pinata, but this one looks a bit more modern because it uses a single color, which I really love, hot pink. If that doesn't scream party, I can't help you.

Check out the full DIY for a Pink Party Hat Pinata over on Oh Happy Day.

HOW TO MAKE GILDED TASSELS

Fun with gold, again. Have you figured out yet that if there is a possiblity for me to paint it gold, I will. I accept myself for my faults, of course, I don't really consider it a fault. I made some simple tassel sculptures or ornaments and the pictures do not do these justice. They are so easy to make and you can adorn them to anything, like as placesetting decor. How perfect are these for an oscar party? Gold is the perfect way to add a little sparkle to your table.

Now, just because I say it is easy, doesn't mean it isn't messy, but you can contain the chaos by coating a baking sheet with foil. If you craft alot (ahem) I recommend saving those ugly old baking sheets for art projects. Don't toss or donate them, just keep the old ones in the craft closet and you will have a ton of uses for them down the line. That is exactly what I did to make these tassels from a little kitchen twine, regular latex paint (to make it hard) and some liquid gilding. *Note: liquid gilding is GORGEOUS, but smells to high heaven, do that part outside. Trust me.

Check out the full DIY over on Project Wedding and have fun. These actually adorned my Christmas tree as ornaments this past year.

THE 3-D WORK OF AMY BOONE-MCCREESH

I have a special place in my heart for fringe and the work of Amy Boone-McCreesh just popped in it. How amazing are these? Her art explores the celebratory works of various cultures and I officially consider my mind blown. I love the various textures, shapes and colors she uses. Check out her awesome portfolio here.

HOW TO MAKE A CREPE PAPER POM GARLAND

I just realized I missed a few DIYs that I have done around town, well, internet town that is. I want to play catch up this week and share them with you. First up, a simple variation on my crepe paper poms, crepe paper pom garland. I love the shape of these and I think they are my new favorite go to pouf. All you need is a little string and some tiny strips of crepe paper and you are all set. I think I will be making these for Henry's upcoming birthday. I think it looks best with two colors and a third for pop. Check out my full DIY over on Project Wedding.