Hi all,

Thanksgiving is 2 days away! I always look forward to holidays at home. My aunt usually hosts the holidays and we have such a fun time with delicious food and drinks ( and more drinks). Being a big, italian family we always have a lot of laughs and loud conversations. I wouldn't have it any other way!

For this post, I wanted to re-create something I saw on the AMAZING site of etsy. I'm sure many of you have seen these cute paper straws at different places online. Not only are they adorable but also biodegradable. I came across birch print straws with craft paper wrapped around them but they were $10 for only 10. I thought I could make them easily so I ordered from a wonderful etsy shop ONEaugust and got way more straws for much less than previously stated.

I already had craft paper from a previous project but you can get this stuff cheap at any craft store or online (amazon, etsy etc.) You can also use other paper or whatever you have at home.

Materials:

• Scissors
• Hot glue or another sticky adhesive
• 10 or more paper straws
• alphabet stamps
• ink
• paper

Materials

Craft paper strips folded and cut with two points

Gobble, gobble!

DIY Sharpie Design Mugs

Hi all,

I've been seeing these sharpie on ceramic projects a lot on the web. Cool, handmade designs done with sharpies. Sharpies are something everyone usually has in their home. With dollar store mugs or plates, you can make a unique gift or piece of decor! I was inspired by some recent Target designs and my love of rustic arrows. Here is my take on sharpie design:

Dollar Store Mugs. Basic white.

 No prep needed. Just start with any mug or ceramic base and a permanent Sharpie marker of your choice.

After decorating your piece, set your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. After that you will have permanently decorated items.

 They are great as personalized gifts or to enjoy yourself. You'll be making a less expensive version of some store favorites!

My finished pieces (L to R "Assorted Arrows", "C", "strung lights" and "J")

Happy Crafting!


xo- Christina

Holiday Tea Lights

With loads of tea lights left over from random events I found myself wanting to do something with them. I also recently bought the cutest washi tape for this holiday season (etsy.com/prettytape) I noticed one day as I was organizing my craft things that the size of the washi tape fits perfectly over the tea lights. So here is my idea of reusing the tea lights for an addition to my holiday decor!

Washi tape can be purchased on amazon, etsy and some craft stores. It usually ranges from $3-$6 a roll and many etsy shops sell them in packs.

                                  Simply wrap the tape around each tea light. Easy as 1,2,3!

These can be made for all different occasions. There is washi tape for thanksgiving, every season and all holidays! Have fun with it and use it for other projects as well. See link for other ideas for washi tape http://www.cutetape.com/creative/creations/

Happy Crafting!

xo- Christina

Engagement photos

Last weekend we had the pleasure of working with Adam + Amy Photography. They shot our engagement photos at the beautiful Ashlawn Farm in Lyme, CT. The day was so much fun thanks to Adam and Amy's laid back and fun photography style. They are so talented and such an awesome couple! We are thoroughly looking forward to having them shoot our wedding next September. Here are a few sneak peek's from our October engagement shoot.