DIY Archives - Page 21 of 22

Pirate Valentine Treat with Healthy Apples

January 15, 2014 By Jillian Warner

Looking for a healthy valentine treat for your favorite pirate? These pirate valentine apples make great healthy Valentines Day treats for school and kids go crazy for these pirate eye patches. They only take a minute to put together and are economical enough to do them for the whole class.

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Much like my fairy princess valentine apples, these require some stick on wiggle eyes, but not much else. I just used one larger wiggle eye, stuck the patch on and used a piece of washi tape in the back to secure it. I thought they came out pretty cute!

The kids get a fun eye patch (hello toy!) and a healthy treat that’s only filled with the sugar nature put there. If you want to take it to the next level you can bag them up in clear plastic treat bags you’ll find in just about any party aisle and add a little printed tag to them. I made this “You ARGH the apple of my eye” printable.

Perfect for your favorite pirate. I totally had one of Kayla’s favorite teachers in mind while making these. She lives for all things pirate!

Fairy Princess Healthy Valentine Apples

January 14, 2014 By Jillian Warner

Looking for a healthy valentine treat for your little princess or fairy? These fairy princess valentine apples make great healthy Valentines Day treats for school and kids go crazy for these fairy wands.

It all started while trying to pick out fruit in Trader Joes while Kayla was desperately searching for Pokey. If you’re not familiar, “Pokey” is a stuffed animal fish meant to distract your child while you desperately rack your brain on what to feed your family for the week. If you child finds him ( I dunno, I just assume Pokey is a dude) they are rewarded with an organic lollipop upon checkout.

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I have a love-hate relationship with Pokey. Love because I might just actually get 5 things in my cart that make a meal between the 7500 times Kayla says “Excuse me mom, I need to tell you something” while shopping. Hate because then I get to play mean mommy on the way home since I won’t let her eat that lollipop in the car. Oh and you know, because it’s just one more place doling out the sugary treats on a regular basis.

So anyway, back to the apples.All I did was buy some cute little fairy wands. This way the girls get something healthy AND something fun. I added a couple of stick on wiggle eyes, a tiny piece of crinkled up tulle and attached it with a heart sticker. That was all.

If you’re feeling like an overachiever, you can package those apples in a clear plastic treat bag and print out a little tag for it like I did. Cheesy? Yes. Preschool approprate? Yes.

And of course if you have a little pirate on your hands you can check out my Pirate Healthy Valentine Apples soon too!

DIY Wind Up Toy Squirrel Valentines

January 6, 2014 By Jillian Warner

Need a unique Valentine’s Day treat that doesn’t involve candy or junk food? I love these wind up toy valentines because they are fun, cause kids to ask questions about robotics and sugar free! And no, it’s not too soon to talk Valentine’s Day because Target is already decked out in pink and red. At least that’s my defense and I’m sticking with it.

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If you’re like me then you have probably walked through a few toy stores and passed right by the Z Wind Ups display. Say what? It’s usually a clear display with a whole bunch of small wind up toys on it. In years past I wrote them off as silly. Not something that would be of interest to my child. WRONG!

This story actually has a bit of a sad start. Craig began bringing these little wind up toys home for Kayla from the gift shop each time he would visit his dad at City of Hope where he was undergoing a pretty risky bone marrow transplant as a man in his late 60’s. Kayla quickly amassed a nice collection of them as germy 3 year olds were entirely banned from that ward of the hospital.

We soon discovered that not only were they cute, but they were pretty amazing. For example, this squirrel does this whole crazy dance including a part where he flips up vertically and spins. As you can imagine they are a total hit with the younger crowd and left the adults wondering how all of that technology was packed into such a small toy.

So when Valentine’s Day rolled around last year we made a few of these for Kayla’s besties. They were really fun, easy to make and involved no sugar high or parental dietary judgements. In short, they rocked.

All I did was print out a cute little saying (feel free to make fun of my corniness but it WAS Valentine’s Day after all!) and glued it onto one of those foam hearts you can find packs of in the Target dollar section. Then I poked a couple of holes in the foam heart and used a little string to tie on the squirrel. That’s it! Super easy, really cute and something that will last more than a day.

If you’re curious about those Z Wind Ups, I actually got to meet the guys who make them at Toy Fair last year in New York and quite frankly I’ve never seen people so passionate about what they do. We had a ball playing with all of their little toys and I was surprised to find out that some of them did things I didn’t even realize – like swim in the bathtub!

Healthy Reindeer Holiday Treats with Halos

December 16, 2013 By Jillian Warner

I made these healthy holiday reindeer treats for kids as a fun way to get kids to eat fruit instead of junk at a holiday party as part of a sponsored post for Halos. #HalosFun

I’m not sure about you, but growing up one of my favorite things about this time of year was that my mom would buy crates of mandarins or oranges and let my sisters and I decorate them by making patterns with cloves. It was all very Martha. The bummer was that while they smelled good they just became decorations that fell into the “hands off” category. Which is precisely why when I saw the stacks and stacks of crates of Halos (wait – what’s a Halo?) in my local grocery store recently I immediately had a plan.

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First of all, Halos are California mandarins that are seedless (very important to Kayla) Non-GMO Verified (very important to moi) and the perfect size for preschool snacking. With a child running around the house singing Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer at the top of her lungs, it only seemed natural to reindeerify those little mandarins.

I just cut out some antlers from brown construction paper. No pattern here, I just drew some with a pen and cut them out in a couple of minutes. If you’re doing a bunch of these as say, placeholders at a kids Christmas party table it’s very easy to just trace an antler a bunch of times and cut it out.

After that I hit up my crepe paper stash for a bright red little nose. I simply cut a rectangle and crumpled it into a ball. I added some stick on wiggle eyes, attached the antlers and nose and my work was done. It would be so easy to make a pile of these as a contribution to a class party or a party at home since they just take a minute to put together.

They even look pretty cute on top of a more adult-like piece of decor. Here I simply stacked up a nice pile of Halos on a cake stand and added some boxwood greenery between the layers. I’m willing to bet that if you plant this on your table during a party it will attract both little and big hands.

Speaking of little hands, I’ve got some great ideas for keeping those little hands occupied during holiday get togethers. How about a duo of a cute reindeer mandarin and a jar of homemade play dough for each child waiting right at their seat?

Fruit is fun! Get your family excited about fresh foods with sweet, healthy reminders all year long and activities they’ll love. Check out the FREE HalosFun kids’ app on Android or iPhone for more ways to get them cheering about pure goodness. You can learn more about Wonderful Halos on Facebook, Twitter or HalosFun

DIY Baker’s Twine Christmas Ornaments

November 27, 2013 By Jillian Warner

I love the aisles filled with glittering ornaments this time of year just as much as any other holiday freak out there. But sometimes you just want something simple and homemade. And wouldn’t it be cool if you could actually make it yourself instead of paying Target or Anthropologie to do it for you? These baker’s twine ornaments really are easy to make. So much so that you can have a grade school child help or make their own set. And let’s be honest, these are easier on the eye than just about anything they’ll come home from school with.

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I dropped by Michael’s the other day to grab some supplies for a birthday surprise I’ve got brewing for Kayla and spotted these plain wooden ornaments for about $1.50 each. They have a great weight to them and are sanded to a nice, smooth finish. Obviously I threw a ton in my basket before nearly getting sucked into the world of Rainbow Looms for my niece.

Initially I figured I’d paint them with Kayla, but then a package showed up containing a few rolls of baker’s twine and instead of tying it on mason jars (a crime I’d have to divorce myself over) I thought I’d try and wrap these neat ornaments with it instead.

And it wouldn’t be a true Jillian project if there wasn’t some easy trick involved. In this case it’s my new best friend, an Elmer’s Xtreme Glue Stick. These things just get the job done! You can also use the easier to find Elmer’s Craft Bond Glue Stick I started at the top of the ornament and coated about half of it with the glue stick. Then I just started wrapping the baker’s twine around the ornament being careful not to leave any gaps.

It goes pretty quickly and I might even dare to call it therapeutic after hours spent chasing a child or tending to a constantly overflowing inbox. You’ll keep wrapping until you get to the very tip of the ornament. I cut the twine, leaving a little excess to wrap the tip without leaving a loose thread. I did this by sticking the end of the twine down to the ornament where it stayed in place in the glue and then wrapping the remaining slack around the tip to finish covering the ornament.

The glue stick is very forgiving. If you spot a place where you left a gap as you’re wrapping it’s very easy to undo the twine a bitand go back. Also, there is virtually no drying time like with regular glue. Your hands will probably be a little tacky after this but a quick hand washing solves that entirely.

It took me about 10 minutes to make an ornament the first time as I was figuring out how to work with the twine and a few minutes less the next time. You or your child can easily give a set of 5 or 6 of these ornaments to a grandparent or teacher for under $10. It’s personal, it’s cute and you can make them while watching your favorite guilty pleasure/reality show. I won’t tell.

DIY Studded Vegan Leather Jacket – Get the Look for Less!

November 14, 2013 By Jillian Warner

This week I shopped Sears to pick up some fall fashion and created this DIY studded vegan leather jacket to show you how to get the designer look for less as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias. #ThisisStyle

My style tends to err on the side of feminine and polished with a few surprises here and there. Pretty silk tops, fitted pants, statement jewelry and preppy handbags make up the bulk of my wardrobe. They’re timeless, adaptable to most seasons and incredibly easy to dress up or dress down. Which is why it’s funny that as a girl who never says “I have nothing to wear” I recently found myself thinking just that.

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My husband and I are off to a rock band filled music festival in Nevada with some friends soon. File that under not-really-my-scene. BUT it’s a perfect excuse to embrace a few fall fashion trends and of course pick up some new clothes! After all, I have nothing to wear. Having spent a decade in the fashion industry, I’ve learned a few things. Like what to splurge on and where to hunt for bargains. So I headed to Sears because you will not believe just how much style you can grab for under $100.

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I instantly fell in love with this True Freedom vintage feeling top and knew it was perfect for concert going paired with some super skinny jeans and flats. It’s all about the details for me. The high low hem and ribbed knit finish of the top gave it a boutique feel. But I also wanted something a little more edgy that could serve as a layering option for that swift fall transition from day to night. When I spotted a rack of Bongo vegan leather jackets for $25 it was like there was a giant DIY sign flashing over them. There wasn’t, but that’s the way my brain works these days. Studded vegan leather jacket anyone?

Studs are huge right now and while I think it’s a fun trend to embrace, it’s not one I’ll invest in. Most of the studded leather jackets I’ve seen are either incredibly expensive designer pieces or inexpensive versions that just don’t feel quite right to me. I spent years translating designer style into affordable fashion at work so I love adding my own trims to a great basic piece and transforming it into a one of a kind treasure. And yes, I’ll show you how to do it…right now!

You’ll just need a leather punch (which you can purchase online for under $10) some screw on studs and you can use a piece of chalk to mark your pattern if you like. Mine was nabbed from my four year old’s toy easel. Total mom score. The leather punch is a great random tool to have around for adding holes to shoe straps, belts, and cross body bags so I guarantee it’ll get used again.

All you do is mark your pattern with chalk and then line up the leather punch and press. Once you’ve made your hole you simply pop the screw backing into the hole and then screw the spike on by hand. It’s incredibly easy and the screw style studs are simple to reposition if you make a placement error and totally reusable if you decide you want to put them on something else in the future.

You can add just a few studs or cover large areas of the jacket. After some careful consideration I decided that covering the tips of the collar was the perfect dose of edgy-punk for me and kept the jacket from becoming too biker feeling.

I chose gold studs because their warm tone worked with the caramel colored jacket and given the choice I will always pick gold or brass jewelry and hardware. Because I travel a lot it makes things really easy when deciding what jewelry or accessories to pack and most pieces easily go together. Ready to see my final look? I’ll show you exactly how to wear it.

I love the contrast of the caramel vegan leather against the deep black top and indigo hue of my favorite jeans. The jacket also has a couple of functional zippered pockets that are perfect for lip balm, gum and a small wallet or card case so I don’t have to carry a bag.

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I added some pointy toed black suede flats from my existing wardrobe which echoed the studs but with a ladylike twist. Can I just say how happy I am to see pointed flats make a comeback? They elongate your legs and instantly make an outfit seem polished.

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I tend to be very picky about jewelry since I spent so many years looking at it with a critical eye. So I was pretty surprised to see how on trend the Bongo jewelry collection was at Sears. I picked up this Aztec inspired ring for just $8. The slightly oxidized finish and little crystal accents make it the perfect casual accessory to complete this look.

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The undeniably fun part of fashion is seeing how inspiration from one great find can quickly lead to another. When I saw this Metaphor Aztec inspired sweater there was no question as to whether it was coming with me to Nevada. I instantly thought to pair it with some broken in tall boots and leggings. If you’re a yoga pants devotee then you’ll love the big sweater and leggings trend this year. These Bongo cable knit leggings were just $10 and super soft. Choose the right pieces and you’ll look fashionable while being just as comfortable as you would be in those yoga pants. I pinky swear!

With a little one stop shopping and some quick DIY fun I think I’m ready for our trip and can no longer say “I don’t have anything to wear.” With the great deals at Sears and my Shop Your Way rewards points I came home with all of this style for under $100 and not one ounce of shopping guilt. Next stop, Imagine Dragons live in the desert!

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Want to keep up with searsStyle? You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and my personal fave, Instagram. They have great recommendations for how to wear all of the current trends and you might just find some style steals like I did.

Thanks to my friend Dana of Dana Dirks Photography for taking these photos!