How To: Fall Door Hanging

Fall is here (even though we are still experiencing the heat here), and one of my favorite things about the season is sweaters! I love the look of gray knitted sweaters, scarves, and hats, so I decided to make a cozy inspired door hanging for Autumn. Yarn wrapped letters are easy to make, and the perfect project to work on while watching movies on a gray day!

You will need:

Paper Mache Letters "F, A, L, L"

Gray Yarn

2 Spools of 1" Thick Ribbon

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun

1. Start by covering the ends of the letters in yarn. Glue one end of yarn to the edge, then begin covering the surface with accordion folds of yarn. Glue the yarn down with each fold. Cut the yarn off once you've covered the end and move to the next end of the letter.

2. Next, start wrapping the yarn around the rest of the letter, beginning at the top. I glued the yarn down, every few wraps. Keep the yarn tight and close together so the paper mache doesn't show through. 

3. To cover corners, instead of wrapping, you will just follow the outline of the corner to cover the letter. Glue the yarn down at each bend. 

4. To add a completed look, I wrapped a few pieces of yarn diagonally around the corners of the "F" and "L"s and glued them down. 

5. Once the letters are completely wrapped, glue a long piece of ribbon to the back of each letter at the top. I used at least 2' long strands. 

6. Position the letters at different heights so they do not overlap when you hang the finished product. Place the "F" almost completely above the "A". The first "L" should be slightly lower than the "A", and  the second "L" higher than the first. 

7. Keeping the letters at their different heights, tie the ribbons together in a knot. You have different lengths of ribbon as excess. You can cut them to be more equal, or leave them to hang as they are. 

8. Using 3 new long strands of ribbon together, tie a large bow. Glue the bow to the knot you made to hang the letters. 

9. Cut the hanging ribbons at desired lengths, and curl them with scissors. Finally, hang the project by loosening the knot in the back slightly and slipping your wreath hanger through it. Play around with the position of the letters and ribbons until they hang how you like them. 

Now your door is ready to celebrate Fall! Autumn is such a short season to decorate for, but the pretty colors and cozy smelling candles are worth it pulling out. :)

Bridal Shower Invitations

Last week, I launched Raindrops on Roses's Services and "About" page here. Today here's a closer look at our invitation design!

 To be perfectly honest, I started noticing bridal invitations and saving ideas since I was in high school. ;) I always loved the idea of a perfect pretty shower theme to kick off your wedding festivities. My bridal shower was such a wonderful day, I get so excited for the brides I get to design bridal shower invitations for!

This invitation is one of my favorites for a summer afternoon/evening shower with the color scheme and hanging mason jars and flowers. 

If you are planning a bridal shower for a bride-to-be and would like to make it special with custom designed invitation, contact me at jacqmurdock@yahoo.com!

Sand Art Inspired Watercolor

If you grew up in the 90's, you probably tried your hand a Sand Art! I loved layering all my favorite colors of sand in little girl shaped bottles. So, I was pretty thrilled when the phenomenon  started trending again in art and home decor. 

I wanted to add some Sand Art inspired art to our home, so I used watercolor to make it happen!

You will need:

Watercolor Paint

Watercolor Paper

Fine Paint Brush

Cup of Water

Paper Towel

Pencil

Salt

1. Draw the outline of whatever shape you like with pencil. 

2. You can use any color scheme you'd like, but choose colors that go well together. :) Begin by painting small sections throughout the shape. Think vein type connecting lines rather than straight or clean lines. 

3. To create a gradient look, use a wet paint brush to spread the color. 

4. Continue to add your other colors. Do not allow the colors to touch yet. Place colors that blend well together near each other. 

5. Once you've added all your colors, you can begin to blend them. See below for watercolor tips:

To lighten color- Wet area with paintbrush, then gradually take away color with a dryer paintbrush. 

To blur lines between colors without muting colors- Use a wet paintbrush with no paint on it. 

For darker color- Use a dryer paintbrush with paint on it. 

To dry wet spots and keep from bleeding- Absorb with dry paintbrush. 

To keep clean vibrant colors- Rinse and wipe brush often. 

6. To create more of a "sand" look, sprinkle salt on wet areas of the painting. Salt absorbs the color and creates a speckled look. Once paint is fully dried, brush off salt. 

Easy as that, you have pretty colorful nostalgic art! 

I painted the butterflies to give as a gift, but also tried another color scheme in a painting for our guest room!  

If you've been wanting to try your hand at watercolor, the abstract nature of these paintings make them the perfect opportunity to go for it!

Emergency Chocolate with Free Download

Last week my little sister started college! Yes, I already sent her a care package because its her birthday week and finishing your first week of classes definitely calls for chocolate. ;)

The package  included a stash of "Emergency Chocolate" for those days when nothing else will do. These labels are easy to add to chocolate bars to give to anyone who needs a pile of go-to chocolate. Free downloadable label is available below!

You will need:

Standard Size Chocolate Bars (I used Hershey's)

Various Colors of 8.5x11" Scrapbook Paper

Clear Tape

Paper Cutter or Scissors

Printer 

1. Remove the regular printer paper from your printer tray and replace with your scrapbook paper colored side down. 

2. Print downloadable image below in black ink in size 5x7". When prompted, change the print settings to allow 2 per page.

3. Using a paper cutter or scissors, cut the paper to separate the two images. I also cut 1" of excess paper off the bottom and top of each label. 

4. Place paper face down and position the chocolate bar face down in the center of the paper. 

5. Fold up the bottom third of the paper and attach it to the chocolate bar with a small piece of tape. 

6. Fold down the top third of paper and add a piece of tape to secure it. 

7. That's it! Repeat with as many candy bars as you think your recipient needs in his or her stash. ;)

I kind of think everyone I know could use a supply of chocolate--for emergencies of course!