Introducing... My Magic Mess!

A few weeks ago, I was sitting on my couch and trying to think about my values. I was struggling to figure them out and how they play out in my blog and in my life. I finally settled on authenticity and creativity, because those are really important to me. I want to be real and a true inspiration- not just some fake instagram #GOALS that no one can attain- even me! And then creativity for obvious reasons. So as I sat there, I thought about how I could inspire others in a way that matters. I thought about my story (which I’ll share more about soon) and what would be the best way to tell you guys about it so that you can go on your changed paths too. And that’s when it hit me- a challenge that will help people be more creative! So many of you guys voted to help me pick the name- so, thank you! I couldn’t have done it without you.

EDIT: This series was cancelled.

YOU GUYS. I am so excited to introduce to this idea. It all started from me being a perfectionist and stifling my creativity. And I KNOW a lot of people feel that way about being creative too. I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they wish they had my creativity or that they “can’t” make anything. It’s just not true! Everyone can be creative and make things. The only thing stopping them is their belief that they have to be GOOD at it to do it.

The point of this challenge is not to be good. It’s to be great. To try something new and get out of your comfort zone. To abandon the idea that you’re not creative or bad at crafting. This is about having fun and being part of a community of people that inspire each other. There is no negativity and no impossible standards to achieve- as long as you try to be creative every week, you can say that you succeeded.

The challenge will work as follows:

1. Every Wednesday starting on Jan 1, 2020 a new topic will be revealed. I’ll also give some suggestions on ways that you can join, ranging from easy to more complicated. I’ll also try to include some family-friendly options so that you can get your kids involved as well!

2. The challenge details will come via email, with a teaser posted on instagram and on the blog that reveals the topic. You’ll have a week to gather supplies and do your projects. I purposely picked Wednesdays because it gives you a couple of days to pick a project, and then the weekend to get any necessary supplies and work on it!

3. Post the projects to your instagram using the hashtag #mymagicmess. You can also send them to me on Instagram if you’re a private account so that I can see them!

4. Every Tuesday, I’ll share my favorite projects on Instagram stories so that you can see the way everyone interpreted the theme and get inspired for upcoming weeks.

5. Once a month, I’ll do a giveaway with some amazing supplies just for being a member!

6. I’ll be doing instagram lives where you can join me and ask questions, overcome your fears, and get some advice and tough love to help you through this challenge. I’m hoping this will be a transformative journey not just for you, but for me too!

7. Sign up via the official My Magic Mess challenge page to join- it’s totally FREE! After you sign up, you’ll have the option to purchase the accompanying workbook. This workbook is totally optional and not necessary for the challenge. However, it will help you to learn more about yourself and stay organized through the challenge.

   • Deep dive into your creative blocks and how you prevent yourself from being creative.

   • Keep track of the challenge details via weekly and monthly calendars. The weekly calendars contain inspiring quotes to help you succeed!

   • Monthly recap worksheets where you share your strengths and failures to help you grow.

   • Give some additional ideas for being creative in ways you didn’t think about- like, making a mural or digging in the trash.

   • Additional journal prompts to explore and allow you to be more creative through your words, actions, thoughts and experiences.

I hope you’ll join me on this creative journey! Sign up via the official challenge page and get ready to transform your 2020. I’ve covered a few FAQ’s there as well if you’re unsure if this challenge is for you. I’ll give you a hint though- if you’ve ever wanted to live a more creative life and something has held you back then this challenge is for you!

DIY Monogram Christmas Stocking

About 6 years ago, my husband I grabbed some stockings from Target to hang up on our TV unit. They were cute and simple- red and white stockings with a letter for each of our names. As our family grew, we added additional stockings for cats, babies and a dog. The result was 7 matching stockings that I didn’t even necessarily like anymore! It seemed silly to buy new stockings when I had 7 perfect good ones, so I’ve just been putting them up year after year. However, this year I decided I would give them a bit of an update so that they can match my style more! This is something you can easily do to update any stocking, include those ordinary cheap red and white ones you can find anywhere. And it’s SO affordable that it’s almost free- I bet you have most of this stuff at home already!

*This post contains affiliate links

You will need:

Yarn (similar here)
Glitter paper (similar here)
Felt (similar here)
Scissors (similar here)
Glue gun (similar here)
Pencil & wax paper /printer (similar here)
Pom-pom maker (here)
Cardboard 
Old stocking (similar here)

Directions:

1. The first step is to create your letter for your stocking. You have 3 options:

   • If your stocking already has a letter: Trace over your current letter by using wax paper.

   • Already has a letter, option 2: Print out a template on your computer of a similar sized font that will cover it completely.

   • If your stocking doesn’t have a letter: Print out a template of a letter you like and a slightly larger version of it. A great option for this would be to use a font with an outline, since it will naturally have 2 sizes within it. Something like this.

2. Cut your glitter paper slightly larger than your felt. In the end, you want to create a felt letter that is slightly larger than your original letter on your stocking.

3. Glue your felt letter onto your glitter card stock.

4. Place a piece of cardboard inside your stocking to prevent the glue from seeping to the backside. Glue your letter in the center or over your old letter.

5. Create pom-poms using a pom-pom maker. You can find directions for that here. You can also create tassels by following this this tutorial here. Feel free to embellish using jingle bells too!

6. Attach the pom-poms, tassels and any other embellishments to the hook that is used to hold your stocking up. You can also either glue or sew them onto the inside flap, or use a safety pin!

Then, hang up your fancy “new” stocking and admire your handiwork. You can totally change up your old holiday decor with this! I was able to take my traditional stockings in basic Christmas colors and change them to match my more colorful and fun aesthetic. They definitely feel more “me” now!

And that’s all there is to it! Now you’re got a great monogram stocking, or spruced up an old stocking to have a new look! Will you be giving your old stockings a new look? What colors do you use to decorate? Let me know your plans in the comments below!

DIY Santa's Coal Soap

Know someone that’s been a little bit naughty, but still very nice? Give them Santa’s extra special secret stash of coal- a skin soothing coal soap! I love a fun gift idea that’s easy, and this ticks both boxes. It’s a great stocking stuffer or secret Santa gift too! It’s almost too easy to count as a DIY project, so it’s perfect for anyone to make.

You will need:

Pouch (here)
Iron-on paper (here)
Iron (similar here)
Coal soap (here)
Ribbon
White tissue paper or fabric (here)
Printer (I have this one and love it!)
Free Printable

The printable is available in my resource library, which you can get totally FREE access to, just by signing up. What exactly do you get? Access to all my printables, including party planning guides, checklists, and my projects. By signing up, you'll have access to all projects- past, present and future! 

Directions:

1. Print out your free printable & cut it out on the inside of the pink guidelines. Place against your pouch and cut off any excess from the bottom, sides, or corners.

2. Pre-Iron your pouch to remove any wrinkles. Once it’s cooled, place your iron-on decal face down and iron the design onto your pouch. You’ll probably need to go over it a few times to make sure it really sticks.

3. While it cools, wrap your soap with tissue paper or white fabric

4. Place your soap in the pouch, tuck the drawstring to the center and tie a knot. Trim your excess string.

5. Take your ribbon and tie in a bow.

6. Add a gift tag (try this one, this one or this one!)

I love all of these fun designs and how they look so festive with a pink or green ribbon! I want to make these for all my friends as a fun little Christmas pick-me-up. Throw on a mini wine bottle in a cute fabric bag or a pair of jingle tassel earrings and you’re all set!

The printable is available in my resource library, which you can get totally FREE access to, just by signing up. What exactly do you get? Access to all my printables, including party planning guides, checklists, and my projects. By signing up, you'll have access to all projects- past, present and future! 

DIY Jingle Bell Christmas Tassel Earrings

As soon as it’s socially acceptable (aka, right after Thanksgiving!) I go into full-on Christmas mode. I can be found wearing a Christmas sweater, reindeer antlers, or Christmas accessory at any given moment. Sometimes, all of the above! A great way to add some Christmas spirit is to wear some holiday earring. One of my favorite types of earrings is tassel earrings! They always add such a fun pop of color to an outfit. They add a LOT of drama but weigh practically nothing. They’re perfect! Since I love decking myself out for the holidays, especially Christmas, I created this fun DIY project so you can jingle everywhere you go!

*This post contains affiliate links.

You will need:

Embroidery floss (similar here)
Jingle bells (similar here)
Earring hooks (similar here)
Jump rings, optional (similar here)
Jewelry tools (similar here)
Scissors (similar here)

1. Make your tassel earrings by following these instructions. If you want thicker tassels, follow these instructions. Also, a note: if you try to use the first method (where you use the entire spool) and it gets tangled up, you can try using the second method (where you use cardboard) instead!

2. Brush out your tassels to give them a nice fluff. I recommend using a comb although I used what I had handy- a Barbie brush!

3. Now that your tassels are made, it’s time to make them into earrings! Attach a jump ring to the top of your tassel by looping it through the first string you tied at the top. Then, loop your earring hook through and close it. You want to make sure that the knots are at the back, so figure that out before you put the earring hook on. You can also skip the jump ring altogether and attach the earring hook directly to the string at the top.

4. A note: I’d recommend getting a set of these clear earring backs so you don’t lose your earrings. I sadly lost one of the Halloween ones I made!

5. Using a piece of embroidery floss, thread on your jingle bells. You can either use floss that is the same color (or similar color) or an alternating shade.

These are a great stocking stuffer or even something to add to an advent calendar! If you want a fun way to display them, try this tutorial to turn them into fun ornaments!

What do you think about these tassel earrings? Will you be having a Christmas movie marathon and make them with your girlfriends? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY No-Sew Wine & Liquor Bag

It’s no secret that I love to make Christmas crafts! I’ve got a whole bunch of projects here on the blog but I’m always on the lookout for more! This time, I decided to make a bag for your wine and liquor gifts. It’s so easy to make and the best part of this project is that it’s NO SEW! Because as crafty as I am, sewing is NOT my strong suit! This project is a great way to use up all that fabric and ribbon in your stash. Because let’s be real- we all have a giant stash of fabric that we hoard!

You will need:

Fabric (a fat quarter from Joann Fabrics makes 2 bags)
Ribbon (similar here)
Fabri-Tac (here)
Scissors (similar here)
Iron (similar here)

Directions:

1. Cut your fabric in half or approx 11 x 18 for a standard small bottle of wine. If you’re gifting a larger or double bottle, you’ll need to adjust for that.

2. Iron out all the wrinkles on your fabric, using water or steam for any deep folds.

3. Fold your edges down and iron it for a smooth edge. I started with the sides and then did the top and bottom. You don’t want to fold too deep on the sides since it’ll be a little tight already.

4. Glue the top fold closed using your fabric glue. This is so that it has a nice edge when you put the bottle in.

5. Use your fabric glue in a zig zag pattern along the folded edge and fold shut so that the WRONG side is on the outside.

6. Glue your bottom edge shut with a zig zag of glue.

7. Once it’s all dry, turn it right side out.

8. Place your bottle inside and tie a ribbon bow at the top. Double sided ribbon works best for this, since you can see both sides when you tie the bow.

Add a gift tag and place the bottle bag under your tree. The best part about this project is that the bag can be reused again and again! WAY better for the environment than a paper bag that gets tossed away after its first and only use. Also, these are SUPER cute and also double as Christmas decor! I can totally see making them for your wine bottles on your bar cart, and even making tiny versions for mini wine bottle favors at your holiday party!

So, what do you think about these wine bottle bags? Will you be making them for friends and family? I’ve never wanted to gift liquor more! Let me know who will be getting these in the comments below.