Free Printable Piñata Cards and Invitations – Perfect For Your Summer Parties!

Free Printable Piñata Cards and Invitations - Perfect For Your Summer Parties!

Hello friends!

I got together with Rachel, from The Crafted Life, to create this cute little piñata friend for her DIY Piñata Coloring Book Tote project (check out the project in the photo below). It’s free to download on her site, then you can order it printed onto a tote on Zazzle! Grab some paint pens and color. SO fun.

To celebrate this awesome project I created these cute Free Printable Piñata Cards (pictured above) with my piñata illustration. My “I’d hit that.” card is perfect to send out to your significant other just for fun, and my “Have a smashing day!” would make a fun summer party invitation.

Click here to download the Smashing card and click here to download the Hit card. These cards are sized to be 5 x 7 (after it’s cut out and folded), but you can shrink down the size before printing if you need a smaller card.

DIY Coloring Book Tote with Free Printable. Illustration by, The Paper Mama.

Head on over to The Crafted Life blog to download this free pinata image to make your own piñata tote! How fun would these be for a kids craft party this summer?

– Chelsey

P.S. Just a reminder that these cards are for personal use only. No commercial use. Thanks! I was paid to create this pinata image for The Crafted Life’s post with Zazzle. All opinions are my own.


How to Make a Simple Eye Pin Loop for Jewelry

How to make a simple eye pin loop for jewelry.

I should start this post off with a quick note: I’m no where near a pro when it comes to jewelry making. I’ve just taught myself a bunch of random things throughout the years. So, now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you what I did last weekend. I took a jewelry making class at Michaels and learned some better ways to do some basic jewelry skills. One thing I learned was how to make a simple eye pin loop for jewelry and now I want to share it with you. I’ve always made my own, but my Michaels teacher taught me a better way to create these so they always come out round and lovely.

How to make a simple eye pin loop for jewelry:

Step 1: Cut a 2 inch length of 20 gauge wire. Grab some round nose pliers and hold them in your hand with the the palm of your hand facing up towards the ceiling.

Step 2: Pick up the 2 inch wire piece in the opposite hand. Grasp the end of the wire with your round nose pliers. Begin to curl the wire by slowly rotating your wrist towards your body until a loop has formed.

Quick tip: if you are making multiple eye pins and need them to be the same size, be sure to grasp them on the same spot on the round nose pliers. If you grasp the wire near the smaller end of the pliers the loops will be smaller. If you grasp the wire near the larger end of the pliers the loops will be larger.

Step 3: Now that you have a loop, let’s straighten it out. Grasp the base of the loop with the pliers and bend the loop back until it’s centered.

Step 4: You’ll notice the loop is still open a bit. To close the loop grasp the open end of the loop with the pliers and gently move it back and forth while pushing it closed. If you need to open the loop to add it to the jewelry use the pliers to twist the loop to the side, don’t pull the loop out (you don’t want to ruin that pretty round loop you just made), and then you can easily move the loop back to the center and close it.

Before I took this class my eye pin loops were never perfectly round. Now I have this technique down and I love it! Have you ever taken any classes from Michaels? I really enjoyed it and it’s really pretty inexpensive since the items needed for the class were already provided for me, but I did buy some fun bright pink beads to make something fun for my daughter.

Smiley rocks.

Did you know that Michaels also offers free classes in their stores? You can try out a new craft skill for just the cost of supplies. Another great way to explore your creativity is by trying out a craft kit. Michaels has everything from sewing kits to art kits and everything in between.

If the class I attended sounds fun to you, check out what classes these other bloggers attended…


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– Chelsey

P.S. Michaels provided me with a store gift card to share this blog post with you. All opinions are my own.

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Categories: diy, Tips and Tricks


Be You Fern Banner DIY (with printable)

Be You Fern Banner DIY

Be You Fern Banner DIY

I’ve had plans to create this Be You banner for the baby’s room for a while, but I haven’t had time to do it until now. With all of the pretty faux florals showing up in Michaels new floral market, I had to skip my original idea to make this banner out of felt and turn it into a little fern hanging. It added some lovely texture and color to my baby’s room. Want to make this for your home? It’s easy. I swear. Check out the how-to below.

Supplies needed to create the Be You Fern Banner DIY:

Directions:

Be You Fern Banner DIY

Step 1: Print out the “Be You” words onto some printer paper. Cut out the paper words, trace them onto the foam, then cut the words out of the foam.

Be You Fern Banner DIY

Step 2: Pull off all the fern stems from the branch.

Step 3: Paint the board green and let dry completely. Since I didn’t have any dark green paint in my supplies, I mixed a couple together.

Be You Fern Banner DIY

Step 4: Starting from the bottom and working up, start to glue the ends of the ferns onto the board. Create two points with the ferns to make it look like a banner. Continue to glue until you reach the top of the board.

Be You Fern Banner DIY

Step 5: Cut the balsa wood trim to the width of the banner and glue it to the top over the fern ends. Glue the “Be You” words onto the ferns.

Be You Fern Banner DIY

Step 6: Apply command strips to the back of your banner and attach to the wall.

Be You Fern Banner DIY Be You Fern Banner DIY

You’re done! If you don’t know where to begin with your floral project, you can always take a look at some of the fun projects on Michaels.com or the other 49 Makers’ ideas on The Glue String for to see how they personalized their crafts!


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– Chelsey

P.S. Michaels provided me with a store gift card to share this blog post with you. Just by swapping out a few décor pieces or adding a lovely floral arrangement can completely transform your home for the fresh, new season. Michaels new Floral Market has over 500 new blooms and freshly picked projects make this the prettiest spring ever.

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Categories: diy, For The Home


Mini Wreath Gift Decoration DIY

Mini Wreath Gift Decoration DIY

Mini Wreath Gift Decoration DIY

I know it’s still Winter, but I thought some of us could use a bit of Spring color in our lives. I have some flowers that I photographed during warmer weather and I used in a couple other projects (Floral Coffee Mugs, Cupcake Toppers, and Floral Drawer Pulls), so I opened up those images and got to work to make a little Mini Wreath Gift Decoration DIY for the Better Homes and Gardens blog! It’s just about Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day for those of you that want to celebrate your lady friends) and this makes the perfect decoration for any present. I personally love this mini wreath hanging on a wine bottle. How perfect would this mini wreath wine bottle be for a hostess gift?

Supplies needed to create this cute little mini wreath:

Mini Wreath Gift Decoration DIY

Check out the full DIY on the Better Homes and Gardens blog.

I want to see what you’re crafting! Did you make these mini wreaths? You can share a link to what you’ve made in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram with a photo and the #papermamafriends hashtag (my user name is @thepapermama).

– Chelsey

P.S. I am a paid contributor for the Better Homes and Gardens blog. Check out some of my past BHG posts here.

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Day 49 Christmas Treat: Happy Winter Cake Topper (with free printable)

Christmas Treat: Happy Winter Cake Topper (with free printable)

Christmas Treat: Happy Winter Cake Topper (with free printable)

Day 49 of my 50 DIY Days: Happy Winter Cake Topper (with free printable)

Cakes aren’t just for birthdays. They are perfect for any celebration, even in the Fall and Winter. Maybe this season you skip the pie and bring a cake to your holiday dinner instead? I’m sorry. Pretend I never said that, pie is always necessary. Bring pie AND cake to your holiday dinner! There, that’s better. Winter is just around the corner, so be sure to print out my Happy Winter Cake Topper to decorate that cake (and pie) and go!

Supplies needed to make the Happy Winter Cake Topper:

Directions:

Christmas Treat: Happy Winter Cake Topper (with free printable)

Christmas Treat: Happy Winter Cake Topper (with free printable)

  • Print out the printable Happy Winter printout onto your white cardstock paper.
  • Use some scissors to cut out around the words (leaving a tiny bit of white space around the words)
  • Hot glue the bamboo skewers onto the back of the words. Decorate your cake and done.

Christmas Treat: Happy Winter Cake Topper (with free printable)

Total cost: $0 (I already had the paper and skewers needed for this project)

Are you wondering what the 50 DIY Days is? Each year I share a bunch of holiday DIY ideas, recipes, and guides to inspire you during the Fall. Now, through early December, you’ll find a ton of great ideas to get you ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any sort of holiday gift giving. You can check out this link to explore past DIY Days.

– Chelsey

I want to see your creations! Share what your making with me on Instagram. It could be one of my DIY’s, or a project you’re working on. Share with my IG account @thepapermama and use the hashtag #papermamafriends.


Day 42 Holiday Decor: Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

Day 42 of my 50 DIY Days: Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

It’s officially entertaining season. Friends and family will be gathering together to celebrate the season and each other. Since it’s time to entertain, you’re probably planning out your tables ape for the big meal. What theme will it be? How many people are coming? Which fork goes where? Does Aunt Ruth want to sit next to cousin Lenny? I can’t help you with those questions, but I can help you plan out an adorable kids tablescape. Don’t forget about the kiddos!

Growing up we always had a kids table and sometimes we still have a kids table that the “kids” sit at (even though we’re all in our 20’s and 30’s), but I loved it. You get to be silly, and maybe feed the dog some veggies, all while your parents are busy and distracted and the “big person table”. Wayfair recently challenged me to come up with a lovely tablescape for the kids. I explored their site to find just the right supplies to put it together, and I’m loving how it turned out.

While wandering their site I noticed a set of these adorable ceramic TV dinner trays and I knew what my theme was going to be: 50’s TV Dinner for the Holidays. I also found some other great items to go along with this theme (like those ceramic cans and glass milk bottles).

When putting together a kids table, there are a few things you should think about and plan to have for the kids.

Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

Kids are always hungry. You feed them, and they’re starving 30 minutes later. So, you need a snack at the table so the kids don’t lose their minds and meltdown if dinner takes a little bit longer to finish (you know that turkey can be trouble). I provided some yummy crackers in this adorable tasty container.

Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

– Give them something to do. Kids love the word “bored” and tend to use it a lot. I don’t think you can completely stop that word from appearing, but you can do something to entertain the kids for a bit. I provided a free printable What’s For Dinner coloring page that you can print out and use for your kids table. Check out the tiny kids menu folding tutorial below to see how to fold this page into a little pocket to hold crayons.

How to fold a kids menu to hold crayons

1. Print out the coloring pages (set to two sided). 2. Fold down the top of the paper and leave about 25% of the coloring page showing. 3. Fold up the bottom portion of the page. 4. Fold the left and right side of the the page, leaving the “color time” in the center. 5. Tuck in one of the folded sides of the page into the other folded sides. 6. Add crayons, and you’re done.

Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

– Maybe skip the breakable items on the table, and go for plastic decor. My daughter is pretty good with breakable items, so I wasn’t worried she would break anything. If your kid is a bit younger and maybe likes to throw things, I’d skip the glassware. As far as candles go, I did pick out these adorable glitter flameless candles so the kids could also have some lovely candlelight for their meal.

Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

Kids Holiday Tablescape Idea

You don’t have to go all out to create a fun kids table, just get creative with items you already have from home and maybe add a couple of new purchases to make it more exciting. If you want to create this look for your kids holiday table, check out where I got them here: TV Tray Plates, Fringed Napkins, Tasty Storage with Lid, Dairy Bottles, Lips Cheese Board, ceramic can jar, gold glitter battery operated candles, indoor or outdoor rug, and flatware.

Does you family do the holiday kids table? You can check out more kids table ideas on Instagram by looking at the #MEETMEATTHEKIDSTABLE hashtag.

– Chelsey

Wayfair provided products from their site for me to create this post. You can check out this link to explore past DIY Days. I want to see your creations! Share what your making with me on Instagram. It could be one of my DIY’s, or a project you’re working on. Share with my IG account @thepapermama and use the hashtag #papermamafriends.

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Day 41 Gift Wrapping: 3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects

3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects

Day 41 of my 50 DIY Days: 3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects

It’s time to get wrapping all those gifts you found for your loved ones for the holiday! Wrapping gifts in a box is probably the easiest way you can wrap up a gift, but sometimes you don’t have a bunch of little boxes lying around. That can make it difficult to wrap any awkward shaped gift items, like the bike helmet we got for my daughter…

Don’t stress over all these possible wrapping issues, let me help you out. This month the Michael’s Makers were asked to come up with creative and fun holiday hacks and tips to help relieve some of that stress and make holiday entertaining and prepping fun!  We were given 5 common holiday hiccups to choose from and I went with how to wrap difficult objects.

3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects: Piece of Candy Gift Wrap DIY

Piece of Candy Gift Wrap

If you’re bored of the typical clothing gift boxes, you should try out this gift wrap idea. Use an old shipping tube (or you can buy one at Michaels) to hold those clothes and turn it into a piece of candy! Perfect for the kids.

Supplies needed for the Piece of Candy Gift Wrap:

1. White wrapping paper 2. Three different colors of paint. 3. Paintbrush 4. Shipping tube 5. Tape 6. Ribbon

Directions:

Piece of Candy Gift Wrap DIY

Step 1: Cut out a piece of paper that fits around the shipping tube. It should be about 8 – 10 inches longer than the tube on each end of the tube.

Piece of Candy Gift Wrap DIY

Step 2: Lay that piece of paper flat over a tarp or plastic for painting. Freehand paint multiple diagonal lines with your paint colors. Let dry completely.

Piece of Candy Gift Wrap DIY

Step 3: When the paint is dry you can start wrapping! Tape the painted paper around the tube (with the gift inside).

Piece of Candy Gift Wrap DIY

Step 4: Pinch the paper around the tube edges. Secure the ends with some ribbon.

3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects: Piece of Candy Gift Wrap DIY

Done!

3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects: Mini Gift Bag Made Out of Wrapping Paper DIY

Mini Gift Bag Made Out of Wrapping Paper

Do you have an awkward shaped item to wrap, but you’re out of gift boxes and pre made gift bags? No worries! You can easily make your own gift bag using some sturdy wrapping paper (as long as the gift isn’t too heavy). I made this little mini gift bag to wrap up some slipper for my daughter.

Supplies needed for the Mini Gift Bag Made Out of Wrapping Paper:

1. Wrapping paper (my gold wrap came from Michael’s) 2. Pretty washi tape 3. Scissors 4. Hope punch 5. Ribbon

Directions:

Mini Gift Bag Made Out of Wrapping Paper DIY

Step 1: Cut out a small section of wrapping paper. The length should be double the size you need for the final width. The height should be just a few inches bigger than the final height needed for the bag. Fold over the long end of the wrapping paper, leaving about 1 inch of paper on the other side, and crease the paper. Fold over that little 1 inch piece of paper. Secure this fold with a piece of washi tape. On one open end of the paper, fold up the paper and crease (this will be the base of your mini bag).

Mini Gift Bag Made Out of Wrapping Paper DIY

Step 4: Open up that section of paper you just folded up for the base. Flatten it out so it creates two triangles on each side (don’t worry, this is easier than it looks when you’re actually doing it). Fold up the top and bottom pieces of your base and crease. Secure this section with some more washi tape.

Mini Gift Bag Made Out of Wrapping Paper DIY

Step 5: Use some scissors to trim the top of your bag into a straight line (if necessary). Add your gift (make sure the gift isn’t too heavy). Fold in little corners on the open end of the bag. Close the opening by folding over the top about a half inch.

Mini Gift Bag Made Out of Wrapping Paper DIY

Step 6: Fold over the top one more time, and crease. Secure with washi tape. Use a hole punch to cut out two holes in the folds you just made at the top of the bag. String through some ribbon and double knot the ribbon on one side. Tie a bow.

3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects: Mini Gift Bag Made Out of Wrapping Paper DIY

Done!

3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects: Holiday Surprise Ball DIY

Holiday Surprise Ball DIY

I’ve created quite a few surprise crepe paper balls in my past (kids love them), and I thought this would be the perfect way to wrap this awkward helmet I have for my daughter. We only had big bulky boxes left for wrapping, and I didn’t want to have that big box taking up room in our small home. The holiday surprise ball saved the day!

Supplies needed for the Holiday Surprise Ball:

1. Crepe paper (how much you need will depend on the size and amount of items you have. For all the items I wrapped below, I needed 400 feet), 2. Tape 3. Ribbon 4. Hot glue 5. Multiple gifts 6. Optional: wrapping paper

Directions:

Holiday Surprise Ball DIY

Step 1: Lay out all of the gift items. Decide which item you want to start with. I suggest starting with the bigger items first. In my case it’s the helmet and puzzle.

Holiday Surprise Ball DIY

Step 2: To start out my surprise ball, I chose to wrap the final gift (the helmet) in some gold paper, so my daughter had something to open at the end of the surprise ball.

Holiday Surprise Ball DIY

Step 3: Start wrapping the crepe paper around your first gift item. Basically you just keep wrapping and wrapping. If the paper tears while you wrap, don’t worry. Grab a piece of tape and tape the strip back together. Continue to add more gifts as you wrap. I suggest adding them to spaces that need a little more volume.

Holiday Surprise Ball DIY

Step 5: When all the gifts are wrapped in the crepe paper, you can add a few wadded up balls of paper to the ball in any spaces that need more volume, to make the gift more round. Wrap the crepe paper around the wads until they’re covered.

Step 6: Wrap a ribbon around the ball. I made a tiny bow out of glitter ribbon and hot glue for my gift.

3 Ways to Wrap Difficult Objects: Holiday Surprise Ball DIY

Done!

Do you feel like you’re ready to wrap?

– Chelsey

Michaels has tons of holiday project ideas and instructions on their Michaels.com, including gift wrapping, home décor, last minute gift ideas, hostess gifts and more. Check out the other four holiday hack topics and the unique ideas all of the makers came up with on Michaels blog, The Glue String. I was provided with a Michaels gift card to create this post.

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Categories: 50 DIY Days, diy, Gifts