5 Minute DIY: Fabric Poppy Flower Gift Toppers

In the last minute craziness of finishing Gifted Magazine a few weeks ago, I completely forgot to add a note about the cover image (photo by me) and the poppy gift toppers I made for it. Oops!

In any case, today I thought it would be fun to share a simple how-to with you so that you can make your own DIY Fabric Poppy Flower Gift Toppers. Be forewarned that these little blooms are incredibly addicting to make. In fact before I knew it I had made so many of them that my studio looked like the field of poppies from the Wizard of Oz (minus the opium haze of course).

If you're on board for making your own, here's what you'll need:

• A ventilated work space
• Candle
• Lighter or matches
• Chiffon or lightweight satin - your fabric needs to be 100% polyester in order to work properly
• Tulle in black (optional)
• Fabric scissors
• Embroidery thread in black
• Matching red thread (optional)
• Button (optional)
• Seed beads (optional)

Step 1: Prep your fabric. Cut out squares of chiffon in varying sizes ranging from 3.5 to 2 inches You will need 3-4 squares per flower (at least 1 small, 1, medium, and 1 large). Snip around the edges to round them into rough circles. They don't need to be perfect.

Step 2: Creating the petals. Please follow my quick video tutorial above for the petal making process. I was going to write all the steps out, but it is far easier for you to see the process in action (even without the sound on, it should make sense). I added notes throughout the video for those of you who need to watch with the sound off. If for some reason you need extra help on any of the steps, please be sure to let me know. I'm happy to help.

Step 3: Dress up the middle of your flower. For the poppies here I first added a small circle of black tulle to the middle and then made a mini pom pom out of black embroidery floss and stitched in into the center of my pom pom (on top of the tulle). You can watch my DIY Pom Pom tutorial from earlier today if you'd like a bit more help with the how-to (there's an example of an embroidery floss pom pom at the end).

Stitch through the center of your flower (all three layers plus the tulle and pom pom) until everything feels secure (3-4 stitches should be fine). Alternately, you can finish the center of your flower with a cute button or stitch in some small seed beads for a unique look.

Step 4: Finishing. Add a double-sided glue dot (available at craft stores) to the back for easy gift topping. You could also attach a pin-back to make it into a wearable accessory or adhere it to a headband or any other accessory you'd like. Just think of the fun gifts you could make!

I hope you have fun and enjoy making these lovely flowers. Experiment with the number of petals and colors you use...you can make peonies, roses, and more. For my sister's wedding I came up with a way to make white daisies (let me know if that tutorial would interest you, and I can put it together sometime soon). xo Ez

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Please note: This project is not intended for young children or pregnant women (because of fumes). Please work in a ventilated work space. Never leave candles unattended and use caution near open flame. For safety, keep a glass of water or extinguisher close by in case of a flare up (this has never happened to me...but I want everyone to be safe).

5 Minuted DIY: Yarn Pom Poms (how-to video)

There are a lot of tutorials available online for yarn pom poms, but I recently decided that I want to start posting my own takes on common craft how-tos here on Creature Comforts in order to make this space even more reflective of the things I love. I hope this and future DIYs will be helpful and enjoyable for you.

Anyhow...after years of messing with plastic and cardboard pom pom making contraptions (and a lot of irritation in the process) I finally settled on a ridiculously simple method that I love and use all the time. I give you...DIY Yarn Pom Poms:

I've added notes throughout the video that summarize the steps for those of you who are hearing impaired or need to watch with the sound off. If you need clarification on any of the steps, please just let me know. I'm happy to add more details for you.

BTW...this tutorial will come in handy for the DIY post I have created for you later today (and a special one I have scheduled for the 12th too). See you in a couple hours. xo Ez

Inspiration Daily: 11. 30. 11

Wow...is anyone else shocked that tomorrow will be the first day of December?! Sheesh! Where did this month go? BTW I've created two DIY posts that I think you'll enjoy, and i'll be sharing them with you later today. See you then. xo Ez

Image credits: 1. kindness.jpg, 2. Baked and varnished, 3. Sunny sunday afternoon calligraphy practise, 4. cotton

Advent Calendar Roundup - 19 Great Ideas

It might be a tad late to get started on creating some of these awesome advent calendars, but I thought it would be fun to share my favorite finds of the season (both diy and store-bought) just the same. Will you have an advent calendar in your home this year? I'd love to hear about your plans. xo Ez

1. Animal Advent Calendar - Brigitte.de (via Prudence) 2. Advent Calendar with Coffee Cups - Living at Home.de , photographed by Julia Hoersch 3. Fabric Cone Advent Calendar - Mes Poulettes

4. DIY Iron-On Advent Calendar - Oh Happy Day 5. Muslin Bag Advent Calendar - Adel Zeller 6. Merry Bundle of Bags Advent Calendar - Martha Stewart 7. DIY Kraft Paper Stocking Advent - Canadian Living (via Tara)

8. DIY Magnetic Advent Calendar - Twig & Thistle 9. Advent Cones - Eighteen25 10. Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar - The Purl Bee (via Jennet)

11. Holiday Activities Advent Calendar by Jordan Ferney for Anthology Magazine | Photography by Kelly Ishikawa, Styling by Meg Ilasco and Kate Pruitt (via) 12. Hanger Advent - Fryd + Design 13. Free Printable Advent Box Labels - Oh Happy Day

14. DIY Paper Cone Advent Calendar - Odessa May Society (via Jennet) 15. DIY Advent Calendar - The Marion House Book 16. Advent Calendar - Annaleenas Hem

17. Chocolate Bar Advent Calendar - Annemari 18. Advent Calendar with Hand-drawn Deer - Charming Liisa 19. Scrap Wood Christmas Tree Advent Calendar - Summersville

Sparrow & Co. - The Official Launch

I'm sure you've heard me mention Sparrow & Co. here and there over the past year or so. My online pal Samuel (owner and founder of Sparrow & Co.) has been hard at work for many months getting everything ready for his official shop launch, and it's finally done! Hooray!

I was also humbled when Samuel asked me to write a little something about the process of creating Ikat fabric for his first collection. It's just a tiny thing, but it makes my heart glad to be a small part of his lovely shop. Hop on over to see everything for yourself. Congratulations Samuel!

All images - Sparrow & Co.