{ Posts Tagged ‘crafts’ }

diy bunting flags

I have a little love affair with bunting flags. They are super sweet in children’s rooms and pretty darn cute for party decorations. Not having a sewing machine, I struggled with how to make some for my son Oscar’s nursery a year ago and came up with a paper version that cost me no money.)

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But with Oscar’s first birthday around the corner I wanted to create a family keepsake that could be used year after year, and so I decided to tackle a new version of the bunting flag, something a little more permanent compared to my paper flag that hangs in his room.

No-Sew Bunting Flags

Step 1 I bought a stack of felt on Etsy seller ILoveFelt. I was able to pick the colours I wanted making it a great option for someone like me that is pretty particular about colours. Although I picked a rainbow of colour you could pick a series of blues and greens if that matched your decor. Buying online made it easy to find the widest selection of colours.

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Step 2 I came up with a triangle template to maximize the amount of felt I used. I wanted to use as much of the felt as possible, but by fitting too many triangles onto one felt sheet, the flags were going to be too small and too hard to work with. So I decided to fit two triangles on the sheet, and saved the remnants for a future project with little Oscar.

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Step 3 I used my paper cutter to slice the felt, but you can also use scissors.

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Step 4 Get a hole punch, scissors and string. I had a smaller whole punch that you can get from a crafting store like DeSerres.

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Step 5 Punch a hole in each side of the flag.

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Step 6 String them together, cutting off the excess string after you have tied each flag to one another.

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Ta-da! No sew bunting flags! Perfect for a nursery that you are designing or, like us, for an upcoming birthday. The countdown is on for Oscar’s birthday where the house will be filled with many more of these easy-to-make flags.

Lindsay Stephenson is our guest blogger who has her eye on all things fabulous in Toronto. When not scouting out the coolest stores and the fabbest finds in the city, Lindsay runs a graphic design business (Penny People Designs) and blogs about her life and home decorating projects on Aubrey & Lindsay’s Little House Blog

2010 calendar on etsy

etsy calendar 2010 calendar on etsy
I have a ton of personal pictures that I`ve always said I would do something creative with. Create digital scrapbooks with family photos. Frame travel photos and hang them in my apartment. Make personalized greeting cards with beautiful nature shots. Alas, I`ve never gotten around to any of this. (Well, I did make a personalized calendar once, using the images from my Apple iPhoto library and it was shockingly quick and easy; with the click of a button, I had ordered two copies and they were delivered in mere days.) Anyhow, when I stumbled upon this stunning calendar on etsy, it reminded me of all the ways I`ve thought of using my photographs.

This 2010 calendar features an assortment of beautiful botanical photographs and I love the display idea, clipped to a clothesline with clothespins. Simple. Beautiful. I love it. This makes a fabulous gift idea (and you may want to get one for yourself, while you`re at it … )

Available at: etsy.com
Price: $25

a green christmas book

greenerchristmas a green christmas book
This book from the whimsically named Sheherazade Goldsmith is a wonderful read, covering off all aspects of holiday celebrations. She says, “The book is about having a simpler, more home-spun Christmas….I hope [it] will inspire you to take a different approach to Christmas and spare you the stress of excess consumerism.” From welcoming your guests with beautiful decorations for the outside of your home to setting up and embellishing your tree, making gifts, cooking for the holidays, and setting your table, Goldsmith has it covered.

The crafts are simple, yet beautiful (templates are included), the recipes yummy-sounding (the Nougat Sweets are ones I absolutely have to try out!), and the eco tips on recycling and composting are sound. Where else can you get such an interesting mix of ideas! Plus, at the back, there’s a directory listing places to find info on green items and services not just in the U.S., which is often the case, but some in Canada, too! Hurrah!

Available at: bookstores across Canada

Price: $28

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!