Inspiration Daily: 04. 26. 10

Love of My Life by Sarah Ryhanen

The Wash: An Interview on Dirty Laundry Blog

{image collage by Jeanee}

Hello again lovelies!  I almost took off for the weekend without remembering to share a sweet little interview I was featured in over on Dirty Laundry Blog.  Jeanee did a great job and I hope you'll pop on over and maybe learn something new about me.  Enjoy your weekend!  xo Ez

DIY Gift Wrapping Kit

As I mentioned the other day with  my freebie post, I put together a little Gift Wrapping Kit for my sister's birthday present.  It was so simple and fun to make that I thought I'd share the results with you all.  Maybe you'd like to make a similar one for someone special in your life...Mother's Days is coming up after all.

First I started with a nice lidded box that I found at Michael's craft store.  I gathered up little odds and ends from my personal crafting stash, such as baker's twine, manila tags, etc.  Using my color printer and some heavy-weight cardstock, I printed out sheets of free labels that I found online.  There are so many amazing freebies to be had from around the web...it just takes a bit to find them.  I've compiled a mini list of the ones I used in my kit below.

A trip to Target provided me with these sweet little colored treat bags, and the colored packs of tissue paper for only .99 cents a pack (seen above).

Almost all the other bits and pieces were found at Michael's craft store (stickers, tapes, glue, ribbons, etc).  I used the decorative paper pack to determine the color palette for the box which was really helpful when looking for all the other things I wanted to fill it with.

Lastly I packed all the individual pieces into cellophane bags to give it a more finished look.  They also could have been presented inside envelopes or even just tied up with twine.  The best thing about giving a kit like this is that there are no rules.  Just be imaginative and have fun!

FREEBIE SOURCES:

• Little Deer Tags
• Wintery Holiday Tags
• Organizing Labels
• Botanical Tags
• Camilla Engman Holiday Tags
• Wallpaper Mini Note Cards + Envelope Template

Inspiration Daily: 04. 23. 10

Image credits: 1. smooth-ie!, 2. 089, 3. purple_paper_decor, 4. Cold breath of winter gaze

Color Crush: Perfectly Pastel

I don't know about you, but for me the word "pastel" evokes unpleasant thoughts of overstuffed Easter baskets and the scratchy dresses I had to wear on Sundays as a kid.  Ick!  So I thought that today I'd challenge myself to try and create a new vision of pastel...one that is soft and sweet but not sickeningly so.  Of course I love all these colors individually (it's the word "pastel" that bothers me), so the stretch wasn't quite as hard as I was thinking it might be.  Oh well...challenge or not I hope you will enjoy!  xo Ez

A. Eery Enid Original Watercolor - Pop Pop Portraits

B. Exhibition Vase (available in 4 colors) - ModCloth

C. Leaf Bamboo Brooch - Noshii

D. Linden Tea Towel in Turquoise - Hammocks & High Tea

E. Fluted Ceramic Ramekins - Kate's Paperie

F. Carnival Pillow by CharmaineOlivia - Envelop (I've also posted about Charmaine's art prints here).