Showing posts with label Handmade Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Handmade Holidays. Show all posts

December 10, 2015

AN EASY AND KID-FRIENDLY CHRISTMAS TABLESCAPE IDEA













Right before we left for San Francisco, we put up our Christmas decorations. The only thing we didn't decorate was the table, and when we came home it looked so bare and sad compared to the rest of our festive house, so this week we took care of that and dressed it up with the help of World Market.

I love having a pretty tablescape, but also want to make sure I don't put anything on there that is super breakable or that my boys would want to play with. So this year we went with a woodsy theme some pretty fresh greens from Trader Joes, handmade paper stars, and then some gorgeous table settings from World Market. It's festive and chic, but also super kid friendly (as long as your kids are okay using glass dishes).

The best part is that besides the time it took to make the paper stars (they're not hard, just a little time consuming), this all came together in a few minutes. Now I'm just hoping I remember to spray my greens every few days so they don't die on me...wish  me luck, because I am the worst with plants!

created in partnership with world market

November 24, 2015

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS: DIY LEOPARD LACE-UP FLATS

Today I'm so excited to share with you my first handmade gift of the season...and it's a good one! I love making handmade gifts for my friends and family because they have such a special touch to them.

The challenge for me in making gifts is that I want a project that will actually be better than something I can buy in the store, and will cost me less than if I bought it at the store. This fits the bill on both accounts, and your mom, girlfriends, or sisters will die over them.

Merrick's Art | Handmade Holidays DIY Leopard Flats

Merrick's Art | Lace Up Flats

Merrick's Art | Lace Up Flats

Merrick's Art | Lace Up Flats and Little Black Dress

Merrick's Art | Leopard Lace Up Flats

Merrick's Art | Leopard Lace Up Flats

Merrick's Art | Do-It-Yourself Leopard Lace Up Flats
OUTFIT DETAILS: SIMILAR LITTLE BLACK DRESS HERE & HERE  ||  SIMILAR BAG  ||  SIMILAR EARRINGS  ||  SIMILAR BRACELET


Lace up flats are huge this season, and are a super easy project to DIY. But take it a step further and paint them to create gorgeous little leopard flats!

Click READ MORE below to find the full step by step tutorial!


photos by rad and happy

December 23, 2014

4 EASY WRAPPING IDEAS (WITH MATERIALS YOU ALREADY OWN)







Wrapping presents is one of my favorite things to do during Christmas time. I used to dream of being a wrapper in those department store booths. I mean, all those different beautiful papers to choose from, amazing ribbons and bows, a full tape dispenser, and a large flat, clean surface perfect for wrapping -- could it get any better? 

Sadly, when it comes down to it, I typically don't put a ton of effort into beautifully wrapped gifts because I just don't have the time or the right materials. But it turns out that you don't need a ton of big fancy materials to make beautifully wrapped gifts! I came up with four super easy wrapping ideas, each with materials you probably already have at your house, and used the gorgeous custom wrapping paper that Minted kindly sent me -- see our cute faces on there? So no excuses for poorly wrapped presents this year!

1. Add some greenery.  

Probably every single one of you has a wreath, garland, or a plant somewhere in your home or front yard. Wrap up your gift, tie it with a pretty ribbon, and then add a little sprig of greenery. Extra points if it's fresh! It's simple, but beautiful. 

minted merry calligraphy wrapping paper // tia pan trading wribbon // sprig from Jo-Ann's (stolen off my wreath)


2. Ornament Embellishments. 

I'm sure you all have extra ornaments lying around! These mini ones are perfect for a small gift, but the larger ones would also work great. Tie them together with a little bit of floral wire, add a sprig of greenery, and then secure them onto your ribbon.

minted handdrawn herringbone wrapping paper // mini christmas balls from jo-ann's // gold ribbon stolen from See's candy wrapping


3. Yarn Wrapped.

For a simple, rustic feel, take a couple yards of yarn and wrap it around the present, then tie in a bow at the front. This is a great wrapping idea for busier wrapping paper, like this  minted navy pine wrapping paper from Minted.

Minted Navy Pine Wrapping Paper // Michael's thick yarn


4. Layered Look.

This is a perfect solution for the ends of your spools of ribbon that aren't long enough to make a big nice bow. Cut a strip of burlap and layer it with a nice thick ribbon for a simple festive look. This could also look really cute with a bow in the center!


Now go make some pretty presents! 

December 19, 2014

DIY FRIDAY + HANDMADE HOLIDAYS: EASY DIY PAINTING






Once upon a time I was a painter. Did you know that? That's why this blog is called Merrick's Art, if you didn't know! For years, my entire life was painting until I fell in love with sewing and never looked back. So it was kind of strange (but definitely fun) to pick up a paintbrush for the first time in years to make this project. Wall art is such a perfect gift for anyone on your list, is so easy and fun to customize and personalize however you'd like, and it's a super quick project so you still have time to make a few before Christmas!

Now before you go and tell me that you have no artistic talent at all, I'll tell you that if you can hold a paintbrush and squeeze some paint out of a tube, you can do this project. It's so easy, and your friends will be so impressed!

Click through to find the full tutorial!

December 12, 2014

DIY FRIDAY: EASY DIY CHRISTMAS WREATH









Don't you just love a beautiful wreath? Especially during the holidays, a pretty wreath makes such a pretty first impression of your home, and always makes me happy to come home and walk through the door. My wreath from last year was thrown together really last minute and was so basic and boring, so I teamed up with Jo-Ann's and challenged myself to make a really beautiful wreath on a budget. All my materials cost right around $30, and considering how pricey wreaths are these days, I feel really good about that considering how big and beautiful it is. 

In fact, I loved it so much that I used last year's wreath form and my leftover greenery to make a centerpiece wreath for my kitchen table that you can see right here

I'm sharing the full easy tutorial today, so click through to see it!

December 5, 2014

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS: DOUBLE SIDED INFINITY SCARF (+ A GIVEAWAY!)











boden tee (unavailable, similar here and here)
similar boots here and here
gap jeans, sold out, similar here

PHOTOS BY JANA LAURENE

Today I'm excited to share with you a fun and super easy gift idea for another day of Handmade Holidays. An infinity scarf is a perfect gift for any of your friends or siblings, but this one has a little twist to it -- it's reversible! It's like two gifts in one! And the best part is that it's super easy to make.

I teamed up with Girl Charlee, a cute little online fabric shop (I used their fabric for my green swing dress and my pattern mixed peter pan collar top), to make this top, and used two of the fabrics from my Girl Charlee Knit Fix Bag! The Knit Fix bag is a brand new way to buy fabrics, and is a batch of specially selected, unique, and exclusive fabrics, each cut in two yards, so you get 12 yards total. A brand new Knit Fix bag is launched the second Tuesday of each month, and each bag has fabrics that are only available for that month.

My Knit Fix came with six very fun fabrics, all of which you can see in the image below. They are all insanely luxurious and soft knits, each with a fun and unique print. Since I wanted to use a couple of them for my project, I chose two of the more wintery fabrics and made my double sided scarf. But I cannot wait to use the other fabrics for other projects soon!

And today Girl Charlee is giving away a free Knit Fix bag (with these exact same fabrics!) to one lucky winner (and get excited because having the same fabric as me means you can make the EXACT project I do for future tutorials!), so enter with the rafflecopter widget below (US Residents Only)




Now click through to get the double side scarf tutorial!


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...