Saturday, September 29, 2012

Let's Talk Pinterest!


Whether you're a part of the Pinterest obsessed or just a casual Pinterest passerby, I'm sure at some point you've been lured in by it's craft-tastic ideas, recipes, and tutorials. Perhaps you've even broken out the old glue gun and attempted a project or two...or twenty. I mean, let's be completely honest...the world is a better place now that we know to save our paper towel rolls and coffee cans! Right?!


I'll be happy to admit that I've had some great successes with Pinterest. It helped me stay on budget with my wedding by encouraging me to make a lot of the items myself. I'll also admit that I've had some total fails when it comes to Pinterest. Today I'm going to share a project with you that I attempted for my wedding. It's a rustic-looking twig-vase type thing, and It's pretty darn cute if you ask me. Its been a pretty popular craft on pin boards lately, and I'm sure many of you have seen it or something similar. 

Here's the Pinterest version:
Cute, right?

Before I share my version with you, I will say this: It was a win-fail for me. It was a win because it still turned out cute, but it was a pretty big fail because my execution wasn't great. I didn't follow the tutorial exactly. Actually, I improvised quite a good bit. I will share with you, though, how it should have been done. These would make CUTE table decorations for Fall!

Here's my version:
Not too bad! (I think)

We put small tea lights in them instead of flowers. These vases gave off the perfect country-chic vibe we were shooting for.

Overall the craft was pretty simple, but follow the directions I'm about to give you! Improvisation can be a great thing, but it can also be disastrous. Trust me.

Here's what you'll need:

Medium-large coffee can or any other aluminum can
twigs (I found mine in my backyard)
Small handsaw for cutting the twigs
black poster board or construction paper
 low-temp hot glue gun
scissors
twine
Instructions:
  1. Clean out coffee can of any debris and of any labels. (Here's the first part where I messed up. I didn't use a can. I used a glass vase. Hot glue will stick to glass, sure, but not for long! The surface of glass doesn't have enough grip for the glue!)
 2.Cover the exterior of the can with poster board. (Provides extra grip for the glue and twigs to stay on to and also hides any aluminum from peaking through. *very important*)
3. Carefully use the handsaw to cut twigs at an even length to your liking. (I also did not do this. I chose to break the twigs with my hands. Naturally, they were all different and wonky looking lengths. I didn't mind that part, however, I did injure myself breaking the sticks. Pinterest can be the cause of many blood, sweat, and tears my friends!)
4. Stream a line of hot glue on the can first, then place the twig on top of the glue. This will help decrease messes as opposed to you trying to glue the twig first. (Some of your twigs will not be perfectly straight. It may help you to try and line them up in a way that you like before gluing,)
5. Once you've glued all of your twigs onto the can, finish with a cute bow made from twine or whatever string-material you may have.
Voila!


So there you have it, folks! My first attempt at a Pinterest craft was a win-fail, but it was perfect for my occasion and still came out cute. I want to hear about YOUR Pinterest experiences!
From time to time I'll be sharing with you tutorials I've found on Pinterest and how they worked out for me.

Until then, follow me on Pinterest for cute and unique craft ideas! You'll get hooked I'm sure!

Or gain a little bit of "pinspiration" here!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Welcome to our blog!

Hip hip hooray! Our blog is up and new posts are on the way! We're very excited to enter the blog world and share new and wonderful things with you. We are newbies, so please bear with us as we may experience a few ups and downs in the beginning.

That being said, allow me to introduce ourselves.


I'm Laura, and my wonderful husband is Kyle- my love, my sweet, my dear, my heart. We're newlyweds who have settled down in a small southern college town. At any given time, you'll find us root root rooting for our home team- the Troy Trojans!

Stay tuned for more updates over the next couple of days! We've got lots in store!