Personalized Photo Pendants or Keychain DIY

Personalized Photo Pendants and Keychains // thepapermama.com

Handmade gifts are the best. Easy to make handmade gifts are EVEN better. These pendants (or keychains) are about as easy as it gets. Just a bit of clay, a photo, mini cookie cutter, glue, and a couple other small things and you have a personalized gift for a loved one. Personally, I don’t wear a TON of necklaces, but I have a few I love and mostly wear while I’m out of town. I’m currently using my personalized photo pendants as keychains (and the kiddo has claimed the kitty pendants for her necklaces).

Personalized Photo Pendants and Keychains // thepapermama.com

Personalized Photo Pendants and Keychains // thepapermama.com

The best thing about these little creations is they were easy to make. I just spaced out, rolled out some clay, glued down some photos and let me creativity flow. We have a few gift giving holidays on the way (hello Mother & Father’s day), so might as well get the gift planning started now. If you love these little pendants, head over to HP Create to get the full tutorial and directions, check out the original post here.

– Chelsey

P.S. I am a paid contributor on the HP Create website. 

Tags:

Categories: diy, DIY Accessories and Clothing, HP


Mailbox Makeover DIY for Under $15!

Mailbox Makeover DIY // thepapermama.com

I know it’s winter and all my plants are dead right now, but my front yard is REALLY bumming me out. A lot. I’m typically a fall and winter sorta girl, but for whatever reason I am so ready for the weather to warm up so we can get outside to build things and the plants can start growing! Until the weather changes, I’ll just have to stick to other projects. My Mailbox Makeover DIY (for Better Homes and Gardens) is actually something I could work on in my garage and house.

Mailbox Makeover DIY // thepapermama.com

Mailbox Makeover DIY // thepapermama.com

I LOVE how the mailbox turned out. I mean, the old box was pretty beat up and ugly to start… so maybe it wasn’t that hard to make it look nicer. Ha! My favorite part of this project: the pop of hot pink inside. We still have a ton more ideas for the front yard, but this little update has helped. Each time I walk up to my front door I smile, and yeah… I open the mailbox to look at the pop of pink (my neighbors probably think I’m so weird).

I’ve shared a bunch of metal painting tips (painting metal can be difficult), plus exactly how I updated my mailbox. You can head on over to BHG to see the full tutorial for my Mailbox Makeover DIY. Trust me, it’s an easy DIY. The work wasn’t really hard, but it does take a bit of wait time (for the drying paint) and patience. It took me a week to finish, but actual work time was about 3 – 4 hours.

Mailbox Makeover DIY GIF // thepapermama.com

Next up, I want to paint the front door. Probably black. I’m tired of the red. Maybe white? Hmmm… or yellow? Ha! I don’t know. We’ll see. What do you think

– Chelsey

I’m a paid contributor for the Better Homes and Gardens website. 

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Categories: BHG, diy, For The Home, gif


Better late than never: The PNW Blogger Holiday Party Recap

PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com

PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com

Well, the PNW Blogger Holiday Party happened WAY back in November. I’ve been so busy I am just now getting to the recap post! Yup. Well, better late than never! We had an amazing event full of wonderful people, fun crafts, and goodies! Check out the photos below to witness the awesome!

PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com PNW Blogger Holiday Party 2013 // thepapermama.com

Thanks to EVERYone that came and I hope your 2014 has been off to a great start! Also, a BIG thank you to all of our sponsors, especially the event sponsors: The 7th Chamber, Pinhole Press, Yoked, and Graham and Brown. Also, a bit thank you to Macey for taking the photos!

– Chelsey

2013 PNW Blogger Holiday Party Sponsors:

 

    

  

  

   

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Wrapped Charm Bracelet Craft

Wrapped Charm Bracelet on Hp Create // thepapermama.com

In January I finally gave in and made my own wrap bracelet for HP Create. I’ve been seeing these things all over the internets and I gotta say: This was a fun craft! It was relaxing and I was able to completely space out while making this. In the post you’ll also find some fun patterns to trace over to make some shrink film charms to add to your wrap bracelet!

Wrapped Charm Bracelet on Hp Create // thepapermama.com

To check out the full tutorial, you can head over to HP Create! It’s pretty fun to make.

– Chelsey

P.S. I am a paid contributor on the HP Create community site.


Strawberry Valentine // DIY with free printables!

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

Valentine’s Day is this Friday! You know what’s super exciting? My kiddo is in preschool and get’s to share Valentines with her classmates. This is so fun for both of us. She helped me come up with the Strawberry Valentine treat idea! She always says, “You’re berry sweet!” instead of “very” (because of a certain strawberry cartoon…). Ok, check out below to make your own with some free printables!

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

Supplies:

– free strawberry Valentine printables: strawberry front, strawberry back, leaf front, leaf back, and gift tag.

– green embroidery thread

– embroidery needle

– scissors

– hot glue

– yummy Valentine goody

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

Directions:

1. Print out your free printables (all linked in the supplies: click link and right click + save). Optional: make your printouts double sided. I provided fronts and backs for both the leaves and berry. Just be sure to click “two-sided” when printing.

2. Cut out the leaves and strawberry. Just follow the lines of the image on the front side of the printables.

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

3. Fold the berry printable (see image above).

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

4. Hot glue the folded flap to the inside of the opposite edge (see image above).

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

5. Thread the embroidery thread onto your embroidery needle. Tie a large knot onto the end of the thread. Choose one berry “petal” to start with. Poke the needle through the back side to the front side of the printout.

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

6. Continue threading the back of each petal through the front. When you’ve threaded four petals, place your treat in the strawberry.

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

7. Continue threading the berry petals, and tie a knot to secure it.

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

8. Grab your cutout leaf and poke the needle through the back in the center. Then, poke the needle through the back of the gift tag hole and push to the top of the strawberry. Poke the needle back through the top of the leaf. Tie a large knot on the back of the leaf. Cut the thread. Done. Optional: for a more secure leaf, put a couple dots of hot glue behind the leaf and secure.

9. Optional: Want to skip the “sewing”? Well, use hot glue for steps number 5 – 8. Before you glue down the final petal, push a tied off section of embroidery thread through the inside of the strawberry. Push it back through the strawberry top and tie off the thread to make a loop. 

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

Strawberry Valentine DIY with Free Printables // thepapermama.com

Done!

– Chelsey

P.S. Turns out I was not the only one with the paper strawberry idea. There’s a TON out there. My fave was definitely the paper strawberry made by Mini-eco for Oh Happy Day.


Heart-Shaped Planter DIY!

Heart-Shaped Planter DIY // thepapermama.com

Hey friends! I am so in love with this Heart-Shaped Planter DIY I made for the Minnetonka blog. It’s such an easy DIY and I KNOW you can create one for yourself (or make one for a gift). My cost to make this: under $10.

I made a free template you can use to make your own. Head on over AND enjoy!

– Chelsey

P.S. I was paid to create this DIY for Minnetonka.


It’s about the people.

Alt Summit Instagram // thepapermama

Why go to conferences? Why travel so much? Well, it’s about the people. The people I meet, the people I know, and the people I want to introduce myself to. I meet with other bloggers and companies. I move non-stop from morning to late late into the evening. It’s exhausting and exhilarating all at once. This year at the SLC Alt Summit I got to spend the best time with my roomies: Moorea, Whitney, Jen, and Morgan. Moorea, Whitney and I were so darn busy prepping our party at Alt that we barely had a chance to attend the actual conference, but I can’t replace the time we had together. It was silly and fun. We ended up spending the majority of our time in the party room and our hotel room. We slowly lost our minds from the lack of sleep and hard work. It really was worth it. That may explain the wonderful IG photos we created (plus video).

Alt Summit Instagram // thepapermama

Alt Summit Instagram // thepapermama

Alt Summit Instagram // thepapermama

Alt Summit Instagram // thepapermama

I’ll have more to share about the conference, but not now. I’m EXHAUSTED. I hope your week was wonderful! For now I’ll leave you with a video we made on day two of staying up till 2 AM prepping our party…

– Chelsey