I am officially inspired and will defiantly be making bookends for other holidays going forward. This design will take a couple hours to complete but will add a big patriotic statement just in time for July 1^st.

Canada Day Bookends

What You’ll Need:

• Scrap wood pieces or a solid block of wood (you need something about 5” x 5”)
• Wood glue
• Paint pens in black and red
• White and black paint
• Sandpaper
• Graphite transfer paper
• Pencil
• Design template – click here for True and here for North

Step One:

Firstly, paint the wood pieces with a base coat in black paint and let dry

Once the black paint is dry, cover it completely with a coat of white paint. Let this layer dry.

Take the sandpaper and lightly sand away the white layer of paint in some spots, creating a distressed effect, try to use a light hand when sanding so that the black layer of paint doesn’t get sanded off too.

Step Two:

Secondly, use the graphite paper and a pencil to transfer the design onto the face of your bookends. You could use your own design or freehand anything you like here too

Colour in the design using the paint pens

Step Three:

Finally, assemble two wood pieces to create an L shape. Add a third piece to make a front face for the design to go on. You could also use a solid wood block if you have one (I had these little wood plaques in my stash so decided to use them up)

Place the bookends on your shelf and have a great weekend celebrating Canada’s 150!!

Bring your Canada Day décor outside with a festive door hanger – Canada Day – Welcome, Eh! Door Decor

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DIY Bathroom Sign – Chic or Rustic and so funny!

• Wooden board
• White acrylic paint
• Grey acrylic paint
• pencil
• paintbrushes
• Optional – stencil with stencil sponge 

 

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Luckily Mr. M saved the day (that’s my hubby for those who don’t follow us regularly) and suggested a basket full of wine, one for a different ‘first’ the couple will have as husband and wife. I’ll admit it… I wasn’t convinced at first. Our friends are not big wine drinkers, and what exactly would this gift look like? I checked it out online and found that a few companies do make labels for this unique gift; Wine Milestone Labels. I still wasn’t sold; seven bottles in one year for people who don’t drink wine regularly seemed like a lot. But as I was reading the wine labels I noticed one that said ‘first fight’. Eureka!! They may not exclusively drink wine but they do drink cocktails and beer.  So instead of just giving wine, we picked out seven different types of liquor!

The seven bottles we picked were:

• Vodka for ‘First Fight’  
• Bailey’s Irish Cream for ‘First Christmas’
• Rose Wine for ‘First Valentine’s Day’
• Large bottle of Craft Beer for ‘First BBQ’
• German Wine for ‘First Day Back from the Honeymoon’  (their Honeymoon was a European Tour)
• Prosecco for ‘First Anniversary’
• Champagne for ‘Wedding Night’ (this was the only bottle we brought to the wedding to give them that night. The rest of the bottles we dropped off to their home for convenience)

The labels are easy to make. Design a label on your computer. I added and yellow flower because it matched their wedding colours. Feel free to use my design for inspiration and just change the names, dates and colours. Print the labels on sticky back label paper and attach to the bottles.

Stack all the bottles in a sturdy basket or box, maybe try using a small wine holder and the couple can always reuse it after all the bottles are empty. Use basket gift shreds to cushion the bottles and wrap the whole gift in plastic wrap or tulle.

I’m really happy with how this gift turned out. It’s personal and unique and will hopefully bring the new husband and wife happy reminders of their wedding day all year long. For more wedding ideas and inspirations check out our Perfectly Rustic Ring Bearer Pumpkin, Sweet and Modern Flower Girl Terrarium and the Top 11 Wedding Trends of 2017.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.  There may be a small commission made by our recommendations, and/or link to products mentioned or services on this website.  Your purchase will help us continue to bring you amazing content, step-by-steps and product reviews.

The post Unique Wedding Gift Idea a Year of Firsts in Liquor appeared first on And Then Home.

The dress code was upscale and extravagant; with hats taking center stage. One of the most important aspects of dressing for the races is the hats and fascinators. And for crafters this is a fantastic opportunity to bring out the hot glue! You can use just about anything to make one, it’s the perfect time to use up any extra feathers, buttons, beads, and ribbons. Of course, fascinators are for more than horse races. Weddings are perfect for these beautiful hats too. So lets Head off to the Races and make a Derby Fascinator.

What You’ll Need:

• Thin cardboard
• Mesh ribbon
• Large silk flower
• Feathers
• Hair clip
• Hot glue gun and sticks
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Circle to trace

Trace a circle onto a piece of cardboard, I used an empty cereal box and a bowl turned upside down to make the circle.

Cut out the circle. Cut a slit in the circle, only halfway in. Use hot glue to attach the two sides of the slit to create a small cone shape.

Cut a large strip of the mesh ribbon and use hot glue to attach it to the cone. Push the ribbon up into small waves while attaching it to create shape and dimension. I used two strips. This will create the base of the fascinator.

Add the silk flower on top of the mesh ribbon. Its best to remove the plastic stem and then attach the petals in layers so that the flower will lay flatter on the hat.

After the flower looks how you want it, start gluing the feathers into place. Keep in mind which side will be the front so that the feathers lay in a flattering direction and don’t fall into your face.

Turn the fascinator over and glue the hair clip into the cardboard cone.

You can continue to add any other accessories you like to match your outfit. There are unlimited options for fascinators – Hobbycraft has another great tutorial you might want to check out.

The post Off to the Races! Make a Derby Fascinator appeared first on And Then Home.

One of the most endearing sights in a wedding procession is when a flower girl scatters her petals down the aisle. With a terrarium, not only can you arrange tiny succulents inside, you can also add flower petals to be sprinkled before the bride. Sadly, I don’t know anyone getting married in the next little while (sad because I love weddings!) so our little niece Tali sweetly stood in as our flower girl.

What You’ll Need:

• A hanging terrarium glass
• Lace or ribbon
• Succulents
• Floral filler – pearls, beads, crystals (or soil for real succulents)
• E600 or other strong glue
• Flower petals

Add a piece of lace or ribbon for the flower girl to hold the terrarium with. This is a fantastic place to add your wedding colours into the design.

Add your floral filler into the terrarium and use some glue to hold everything in place.

Arrange your succulents in the terrarium and glue into place. When the petals are added for the flower girl to scatter, everything else should be glued in so that only the petals end up on the floor.

On the big day, add the petals to the ball for the flower girl to scatter down the aisle.

Whether its for your big day or someone you care about, we hope this project helps to create beautiful memories. For more wedding ideas check out Christine’s Top Eleven Wedding Trends of 2017

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I put my own touch on my table by using a decorative sign that I found at a home décor store for the tabletop instead of a plain wood circle. You should feel free to use whatever catches your eye for your tabletop, just be sure to use something that you can screw into so you can attach the table ‘legs’. I also started with only one tomato cage but I found that I did need to add a second one for stability. An example of how this would look is from Holtwood Hipster – check out her table project here.

What You’ll Need:

• One or two tomato cages
• Spray Paint
• Strong wire cutters
• Tabletop
• Acrylic paint
• Spray on outdoor sealer
• Brackets and screws
• Screw gun

Step One:

Use the wire cutters to cut the pieces of wire extending past the circles on the tomato cage.

Spray paint the tomato cage – I used orange since our patio cushions are in reds and oranges.

Step Two:

Paint or stain your tabletop. In my case I added a yellow stripe to the top and painted the sides yellow.

After the paint is dry, spray the varnish over the entire tabletop. Be sure to get a good coverage over the entire surface since the table will be outside and exposed to the elements.

Step Three:

Use the brackets and screw gun to attach the tabletop to the tomato cage legs.

I am in love with this easy little table. The warm colour palette matches our patio set perfectly. I think I might make another for our basement patio too! For more summer patio accessories check out this DIY – Summer Vintage Wood Serving Tray.

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Since this year is a milestone for Canada celebrations started at the beginning of 2017 and will continue long after the long weekend. Why not decorate your house with some festive décor that will extend the celebrations to last all summer? This Glowing Hearts Light Up Frame is the perfect DIY to help you do just that.

What You’ll Need:

• 8” x 10” shadowbox frame
• Card stock paper
• Glowing Hearts printable – get it here
• Scissors
• Small LED floral lights
• Tape

Step One:

Print the design onto the card stock.

Cut the design down to fit into your frame. Cut out the black area of the heart.

Place the card stock into the frame, against the glass. Tape the picture into the frame so that it stays in place against the glass.

Add the lights to the box, using tape to hold the lights in place around the heart opening. Replace the frame backing, make sure to leave the control switch outside of the frame to make it easy to turn on and off.

Turn on the lights and bask in the glow of this special tribute to Canada Day! Add some more Canuck  flare to your house with a quirky Canada Day Door Sign and some True North Bookends.

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Photo booths are usually a hit at most weddings.  Whether you are hosting many or having an intimate affair, a photo booth will put a smile on almost every guest.  Most photo booth rentals offer instant prints of each picture allowing your guest to take a memory home, or paste them in an album to serve as your signing book.  Having a lengthy cocktail hour?  A photo booth can help your guests fill that time with some fun.  But don’t stop there, keep the booth going all night as some guests may need to warm up to the idea!    

Now that you’ve decided a photo booth is for you, lets see how to make some Photo Booth Props to match your wedding’s theme, feel and colours.  

DIY Photo Booth Props

What you’ll need:

• Wooden plaques
• Acrylic paint (colours that correspond with your wedding)
• Paint brushes
• Stencils (optional)

Step 1.
Paint the entire wooden plaque with a base colour.  Set aside to dry between each coat, at least two coats will be needed.  Paint the trim a separate colour if wanted to give it some ‘pop’.

Step 2.
Take your stencil (or free hand it if you’d like!) to create words and phrases you’d like to see in some pictures.  Paint over the stencil.  Use contrasting colours, generally speaking black letters will work best on bright colours and white lettering will work best for dark coloured backgrounds.

That’s all that is required in making these awesome Photo Booth Props.  Use your own words or use the ones we have shown here.  If you are shopping at your local craft store for the wooden plaques, take a look for large wooden letters or words that could also work for fun props. 

Weddings are fun for all who attend, especially if there are some fun activities.  Take a look at these Top 11 Wedding Trends of 2017 for more inspiration for your upcoming day! If your planning a shower, take a look at our fun and memorable Bridal Shower Advice and Keepsake Game.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.  There may be a small commission made by our recommendations, and/or link to products mentioned or services on this website.  Your purchase will help us continue to bring you amazing content, step-by-steps and product reviews.

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What you’ll need:

• Plain glass vase
• Glass tiles
• Tile glue
• Popsicle sticks
• Tile grout
• Sponge

Spread the tile glue on both the vase and the rough side of the tiles. Press the tiles in place.

Continue adding tiles to the vase in random order.

Fill the entire vase with tiles. You can work your way around the vase, the glue should set quickly to allow you to turn the vase as you go. Once the vase is covered (this will take a while and your hands will be very sticky!) leave it to dry for a few hours so that the glue is completely dry before moving onto the next step.

Make the tile grout according to the instructions for the brand you have.

Spread the grout over the tiles, filling in any gaps. You’ll have to do this step one side at a time. Let the grout dry for about 30 mins before moving on.

When the grout has dried, use a damp sponge to wipe the tiles clean. The sponge should only remove the grout on the tile surface and not from between them. If the grout between the tiles is coming out, leave the tiles to dry for some more time.

Once all the grout has been removed, you’re upgraded vase is done!

There are many Dollar Store vase upgrades out there. Check out this one from Polished Habitat www.polishedhabitat.com/2015/cheap-to-chic-vase-makeovers-plus-finish-giveaway/

The post Upgraded Dollar Store Mosaic Vase appeared first on And Then Home.

 

 

The other thing I love about this project was using bright spring colours against the dark stained wood.  Teal is one of my favourite colours so it wasn’t difficult for me to choose it.  The white stamps are beautifully contrasted with the dark wood and the flower accents help represent spring tying the letter “S” in nicely. I chose the letter “S” because it is a monogram of my last name and conveniently works for the word Spring but you can pick any letter you’d like.  With that said, let’s take a look at the step by step.

How to Paint a Chevron a Spring Door Hanger

• wood plank hanger
• a large wooden letter
• embellishments (paper flowers used here)
• spray paint
• large piece of crafting paper
• black marker
• glue
• masking tape
• pencil
• ruler
• flower stencil (optional)
• white paint (if stencil is used)

This project is beautiful once finished.  

You can see it from the road and I have had a lot of great comments about it.  The chevron is stunning on the letter and worth all the hard work.  If you have a creative eye you can always ‘eyeball’ the design and go straight to the tape, but if you want to be sure it’s straight, do it the long way!

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