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Darby Smart (December TO DIY FOR Kit)

Hello World,

Have you ever heard of Darby Smart? They partner with designers to launch DIY kits based on current trends. Their kits come with materials and instructions, to help crafters avoid all those Pinterest fails. They have subscriptions for their kits, or you can just buy them individually.

I recently purchased my first kit from them, the December TO DIY FOR kit. I picked this kit because the contents were a mystery, and I do love a good surprise. So if you were planning to order this kit, sorry for the spoilers below!

I absolutely love their packaging.

How cool is this DIY kit? I was really excited to make the marquee sign, as that was a craft that never crossed my mind before. In the kit they give you two pieces of foam core (so you have one to practice on). I instead cut my extra foam core into three long horizontal strips, and then cut one of the long strips in half. This gave me four strips of foam core that were about the same lengths as the four sides of my sign.

I hot glued these to the back of my sign, creating a backwards shadow box. This helped to create a sturdy frame, so that the sign can stand on its own. Check out the kit here for more info.

This kit actually has inspired me to possibly make more marquee signs. Maybe I’ll make a bigger one with an entire quote.

PS I was not paid to write about Darby Smart. I just think their kits a cool idea. Birchbox sends you beauty items, and Darby Smart sends you DIY kits. And I love all things DIY. 🙂

PSS If you sign up for their emails, they let you know the moment new kits launch (some of them go pretty fast), as well as coupon codes!

Happy Crafting!

Fa La La La La

Hello World,

From my last blog post, we have established that I love Christmas decorations.

I love DIY holiday decor, but I also love a good sale. So I wait to buy my holiday decor until the week after Christmas. My first stop is always Target, where decorations are marked +75% off. Yes, most of the really pretty ornaments are usually gone by Christmas, but you would be surprised by all the goodies marked down to clearance! After Target, I run to Michael’s, Shopko, and pretty much anywhere else having a sale.

And with that, here is the process of how I decorated my petite tree this year:

At Michael’s, they mark a bunch of their custom floral department ribbon way down after Christmas. I bought a 50 yard spool of ribbon for only $6.99.

Tree topper I knabbed at Target for less than $2. One of the gems is missing, but I’ll just camouflage that with a little puffy paint.

My favorite gifts to receive are actually Christmas ornaments. I love hanging them up every year and having moments of nostalgia. This one if my favorite.

This one is an ornament I made while I was in college. I painted the outside of a glass ornament and filled it with fake snow.

Happy Crafting!