GOLD PLASTIC ANIMALS AND BABY PROOFING WITH STYLE

Recently I worked on a little secret project for the amazing Joy, of Oh Joy. She just published a new book, Blog Inc.,  that is beyond amazing and full of helpful tips and tricks for blogging awesomeness, I highly recommend it. One of the pieces of that secret project (more to be revealed later) were some giant plastic animals. What to my surprise, the pretty gold ones, always a favorite where ever they go, landed right in her living room! These golden lovelies were pictured on Oh Joy AND Emily Henderson's blog.  Is it weird that I just stare at the posts in awe? Joy's living room is just gorgeous and I'm beyond thrilled to be in it.

Let's play a little game of find the gold animals, shall we?

PHOTO: BONNIE TSANG

I love the idea of having pretty things in your living room that are safe if little ones pull it off the shelf. You should go check out the full post to baby-proof your home and still have it be beautiful. I personally love the console table idea. Don't forget to read Emily's take on it and her ideas here, she is a riot and if you aren't reading her blog yet you should.

PHOTO: BONNIE TSANG

Is it crazy that I am posting on a weekend? Do you have more time to browse the aisles here? If you want me to keep posting, let me know below in the comments. I will warn you, if I post on the weekends, that means there will be no posts sometime during the week like Tuesday or Wednesday, hey I'm not superwoman.

HOW TO MAKE A TASSEL FOR A HONEYCOMB BALL

I love tassels, alot. I will admit there are various forms of them sprinkled about this holiday season. You will see, I promise. These guys were inspired by all those beautiful Geronimo Balloons and tassels that I just can't get out of my head. For this DIY, I just made a quick little tassel, easy for even the beginner crafter and attached them to honeycomb balls. Instant AWESOME.

Hang these with clear fishing line to have a floating effect or throw illusion to the wind and just use coordinating yarn or thread, here in hot pink. It is so much easier to work with and adds a bit of punch to your party. If you can't hide it, flaunt it. Check out the full tutorial over on Project Wedding.

PARTY PALETTE: PINK, ORANGEY RED, GREEN AND AQUA

If you have ever noticed a color trend that I can't shake here at Hank + Hunt, it is usually this palette. I modify it sometimes, but it always comes back to these four colors. I might be predictable but I don't care. I've yet to find a colorway that makes me happier than these bright hues. You can see it in my house, in my closet and in my shoe collection. I accept it. Happy Monday!

DIY TISSUE PAPER BACKDROP

I am obsessed with this modern and beautifully blue photobooth backdrop. I took white boards, double stick tape and added tissue paper. Remember those art projects with the pencil eraser and tissue squares? I bumped it up a notch. This will soon be hanging in my craft room. Check out the full tutorial on Ruffled.

Have you ever made a huge backdrop? How did you transport it? I used four whiteboards to make this. It is very light and easy to move. Another bonus? You can make multiple boards at the same time, enlist your friends to help and get it done in not time at all.

HOARDING: PARTY EDITION

I like to pop into thrift stores on a regular basis. I have three sections I always check: furniture, linens and china. Linens are one of my favorite things to look for, many times you can find patterns or colorways that just don't get made anymore. Even if the tablecloth is a cutter, meaning it has holes or stains, as long as it has a good portion of usable area it is still useable as fabric scraps. That's why it's called a cutter. Overall, I have had wonderful luck finding barely used linens and fabrics. Look for a thrift store close to older generations, when grandma downsizes you win.

Tablecloths are harder to come by than napkins. Napkins are everywhere and they always have a huge selection, look for a giant bin at your local store. In an age of disposable for the sake of convienence, beautiful napkins make any party a statement. Even in solids, mixing and matching in similar colorways looks effortless.

How do you pick a colorway? Personally, I love brights, so I make sure it is bright. In my head all brights look gorgeous together no matter what, think Kate Spade. If you love blue, choose all napkins with blues, they will match easily even if they are patterned, think blue and white china. If the thought of mixing patterns is frighening, just think about what you love. If you love each piece individually, they will be great together. Really. It might be crazy eclectic, but it will still make your heart jump, I promise.

If you find three of a kind, like these yellow roses, (I was born in Texas so these are equally crazy and awesome) grab them, especially if you do tabletop photography.  It doesn't matter if you don't have a full set, they take up very little space and are easy to store. Read: easy to hoard. I have very little storage space, so I try to reuse props over and over. Eventually you have to get something different for the sake of changing it up, napkins are an easy way to do it. Unlike cake stands, you don't need an entire closet to save them and won't feel as bad putting them in the yard sale.

Is there anything you keep on hand in a large assortment? Wine glasses? Silverware? Plates?